Mark Miller | Silence the Ignorant

every change i will crush this   he's the god of the is is oh jesus anything is possible i'm so grateful that we serve a god who can  do exceedingly when you move such an easy   thing for you to do your hair is moving right  now you are still showing up your voice is you a new wind is blowing right now breaking my heart my god please and i know oh oh oh oh you thinking for that truth guy that  you are fighting our battles god   you've never lost we believe in a god who  saves a god who heals and god never forsakes   us because of the assurance we have on the  cross we thank you jesus for that sacrifice you've washed us clean we  sing from a place of freedom   and god we worship you we  honor you today we thank you i could run a thousand miles to win  the race of life but what's the value without you and i can write a thousand songs to  captivate your heart but more than offerings   won't you seek the depths of me  when you see me you see my heart   through the eyes of your mercy in  the light of you son you love me and i was your love is unconditional and in  your eyes i'm worthy of forgiveness you love oh i know you love me oh i know you  love me god you'll never leave thank who am you that you save my  soul who am i without you lord who am i to be worthy who am i that you're  mindful of me who am i that you call me yourself who am i that you love me who  am i that you save my soul   who am i without you lord are nothing  without you who am i to be worthy who am i that you sing   is you see me me when you see me you love me god we thank you for your love your unconditional  love we thank you for dying on the cross for us   for resurrecting for being our living  hope god we sing to you this morning how great the chasm that laid between us  how high the mountain i could not climb   in desperation i turned to heaven and spoke your  name into the night then through the darkness   your loving kindness torn through the shadows  of my soul the work is finished end is written   jesus christ our living god hallelujah who could imagine so great a mercy  what heart could fathom such boundless of grace step down from glory to where my sin  and bear my shame the cross has fallen savior i'm yours forever jesus christ their salvation in your day jesus christ then came the morning that sealed the  promise your buried body began to breathe   out of the silence the roaring lion  declared the grave has no claim one begins to breathe is jesus hallelujah their salvation in your day jesus me christ jesus christ amen jesus christ our living hope you guys better  as one day in the presence of god than a thousand   elsewhere am i right amen you guys welcome to  the avenue church welcome we are so glad you've   joined us today if you're new with us let us  know you're here head to theavenowchurch.com   connect fill out a connect card check new here we  would love to get back to you we'd love to help   you get plugged in we'd also love to give you a  gift if after the service head out these doors   you'll see something called the hub you'll see an  info sign come say hi we'd love to give you that   gift an info brochure answer questions and meet  you if you're new here still just checking us out   you are under no obligation to join us in what  we call our journey of generosity but if you call   the avenue church your home we encourage you in  faithfully giving back to god you can do that in   a few ways we're gonna pass the offering buckets  um but we can also head to the avenuechurch.com   give there are offering boxes at the back as well  something that is it's one of my favorite things   we do here at the avenue it's kind of new so if  you haven't heard of it i'm going to tell you   about it it's called startup it is an awesome  class that's designed strategically to help you   get more connected so it's it's basically  for it kind of helps you create a path   what we want for you what does god want for  you and our hope is that you leave knowing   more about god more about yourself and more  about the avenues story so that you can leave   really knowing how to get more involved how to get  plugged in we'd love to have you our next one if   you missed this past sunday it's october 10th from  12 30 to 2 register online at the avenuechurch.com   startup there is light lunch  provided in childcare for those   that register we'd love to answer  more questions for you as well   today we've got mark miller with us we are excited  to hear what god has to say through him but before   we bring him out yesterday wow if you were a part  of our serve day an incredible time across both   campuses we put together 10 000 hygiene kits in  partnership with convoy of hope let's check it out there's a part of it yesterday anybody a part of  it yesterday those of you in innis that were a   part of it let's make some noise oh yeah you were  a part of it so glad um that that we were able to   make 10 000 hygiene kits with convoy of hope  convoy of hope is a international organization   it's a faith-based organization who responds  to natural disasters and so they are literally   the front lines of of giving people a sense of  peace after they've experienced tragic loss and   as a church we were able to participate with  convoy of hope yesterday just since hurricane   ida happened in louisiana last month a convoy  of hope has given out 150 000 hygiene kits   it's a bag of piece it's a hey you lost your whole  house but here's a toothbrush to give you a sense   of normal here's a hand towel here's soap here's  deodorant to help you smell better and we're able   to um partner with him yesterday and so thank you  avenue church for your generosity thank you for   uh just serving faithfully each and every week  that we were able to make a difference yesterday   because of your uh faithfulness and your  generosity not only did we make ten thousand kids   but that was a thirty 35 000 project that we were  able to accomplish in about an hour and a half   it's an amazing picture of what the  church can do when we work together   when we have kids and we have teenagers and we  have adults and we have senior adults all working   together for the same purpose and and br bringing  uh just good news through a hygiene kit to people   and so thank you once again avenue church i'm so  proud proud to be a part of this church and to   serve alongside so many of you each and every week  today i want to talk about the idea of why do we   make a difference or how do we make a difference  or should we make a difference and i think we   could all agree that there are a lot of things  in our world today that we wish were different   there's a lot of issues facing our world today  that we wish we could change and we wish they   would be different and here's the thing god has  called the church to step into the mess god has   called the church to step into the chaos and into  the issues and into the things that we wish were   different he has called us into those things to  make a difference i believe that i believe that   we can do that i believe that as individuals as  followers of jesus and as a church we can make   a difference and so how do we do that there  are so many issues facing our world you have to   uh understand that before the internet which  i don't really remember i'm only 19 and so   the internet has been a part of my life um  from from the get-go but before the internet   it was pretty clear how you made a difference  i mean you joined the pto at your your kid's   school you were a member of the lions club or  you were a rotarian and it was pretty easy how   you made a difference in your community but today  in our world today there are so many issues right   in our face all the time and we are supposed  to care and have an opinion about everything   it's difficult the the way forward and making  a difference is difficult right now because   you can start a camp a campaign or a non-profit  for anything and then you're asked as a volunteer   or as a contributor to to give and to serve  and to to show up and to make a difference   there are so many um school fundraisers i mean  we all love those right by the way four years ago   i paid for some snickerdoodle cookies and i  paid like 38 bucks for snickerdoodle cookies   and i never got them but unfortunately  i don't remember who i bought them from   so if it was you i haven't forgot i don't want  those snickerdoodle cookies i want some fresh   ones and crumble just opened across the street  i'd love some crumble snickerdoodle cookies   if that was you but there are so many issues that  we are supposed to care about i'm supposed to have   an opinion about and they're good issues i mean  there are issues that really um are real in our   world so i'm not belittling the issues or the  campaigns or the the the non-profits i'm not   belittling those things i'm just saying there are  so many things in our face all the time and how   do we as a church and how do we as followers  of jesus make a difference in a world that   manages everything is on fire and everything's  an issue and everything needs to be solved   as we get started today i want to reaffirm the  idea that the church's mission is to be a gift   to the world we as the avenue church and every  church in our community and every church across   the world who worship jesus we are to to be a gift  to be a blessing to make a difference in our world   i believe this i believe that we can do this  but i believe that we have to move forward   and the path forward and making a  difference begins with what happens   as a church today we're going to look at a man  named simon peter simon peter was one of the inner   circle disciples of jesus one of the the  three closest to jesus during jesus's earth   earthly ministry and simon peter he was a  bit of a knucklehead honestly he was a mess   the day he met jesus he was fishing that was  his his trade that's what he did every day   and he was fishing all night one night and he  didn't catch anything and then jesus goes out to   meet him in the boat and as jesus comes up he goes  you know how's it going he's like i haven't got   anything he says well just throw your net on the  other side pretty simple solution and and as sure   enough as simon peter throws his net on the other  side of the boat uh he his nets begin to break   because they're so full of fish so if you're  not a good fisherman god can use you too   that's me i'm not a good fisherman simon peter is  also the guy who wouldn't let jesus wash his feet   the night before jesus was handed over to  be crucified it was customary at a mill um   people would show up without shoes and they would  kind of lay next to each other they didn't have   dining room tables or any of that type of thing so  they would just kind of lay on the floor lounge on   the floor next to each other and they would eat  and so they're right next to other people's feet   there's no pavement no concrete you're walking  on dirt roads or you're riding a donkey all day   and so it was very customary if you showed  up to a dinner there would be a servant there   hired to wash your feet and at this dinner the  last supper um there was no servant there to to   wash the feet of the disciples and so jesus  he takes a towel and he starts washing the   disciples feet but when it comes to peter peter's  like no you're never going to do that for me you   know you're you're jesus you're not going to mess  with washing my feet so he wouldn't let jesus wash   his feet the next day when jesus is betrayed and  handed over to the roman soldiers peter is right   behind him he takes out his sword and he's going  for the guy's neck but he hits his ear and the   guy's ear is cut off jesus was like dude what  are you doing that's not what we're about here   to go further jesus says you're going to  deny me three times and peter's like no i   would never deny you i know who you are and i'll  never i have the confidence i have the boldness   i'm never going to deny you sure enough he's  asked three times and he denies jesus three times   this guy was a mess but something happens about 30  years later after jesus's resurrection after peter   experiences the resurrection of the man who said  he was going to come back from the grave peter   writes a letter to a church in modern day turkey  and i want to pick up um you know this this letter   it's to a church who's facing hostility is to  a church who uh as christians they were not   very well liked they were they were viewed  with suspicion and there was good reason   to be suspicious about this group of christians  they were kind of small in number but they had   like a really vocal and visible presence in the  world and they just wouldn't go away it didn't   matter what you did to them if you persecuted  persecuted them with words they wouldn't go away   they wouldn't shut up if you persecuted them with  harm physical harm they continue to profess the   things that they believed in and the romans  they really saw the christians as a threat   they saw him as a threat for a few reasons the  first reason was they thought that the christians   were superstitious and they had these magical and  mystical abilities i mean they they had this chief   magician who could do miracles and he could bring  people back to life and then he brought himself   back to life i mean who is the guy david blaine  houdini no he's jesus so they thought that they   were this superstitious group and they didn't know  what was going on with them and they didn't know   their secrets and they didn't know their mysteries  they also thought that they were incestuous   because they the christians in the first century  they gathered for love feast and they would take   their brothers and sisters to the love feasts  aren't you glad we don't call church i love feast   it's kind of weird we just say hey come to church  or come to the worship experience or come to   the service not a love feast but they would  go to these love feasts with their brothers   and sisters and the roman citizens the outsiders  they didn't know what was happening at the love   feast but they would come out and they would be  full of joy and peace and like man what in the   world is going on with these people weirdos  they also thought that they were cannibals   because their master there was this rumor that  he had told the christians in the first century   to remember him by eating his flesh and drinking  his blood so these christians in the first century   they were viewed with hostility and suspicion and  for good reason but they also had this visible   presence and this vocal presence in the world  that was also attractive that that people on the   outside of the church would look in and say man  they take care of each other and there's like all   the belongings belong to each other and it's not  like my stuff and your stuff is just their stuff   so there's this attractive nature of what was  happening in the first century church as well so what is the community here in waxahachie or in  ennis or ellis county what do they say about us   how do they view the avenue church in our  community um one thing that the the christians in   the first century didn't do they didn't uh just go  along with the secular age and the way of thinking   they were viewed as different because their  beliefs were different and their values were   different and their standard of living  was different they just lived differently   and if that's not true of us then then how come  you know we're viewed with grace and reviewed with   favor that's the the point i want to dive into  today first peter chapter 2 verse 15 the promise   of god for the church to make a difference and  the world comes down to applying this to your life   and you're going to love this verse i promise  you first peter 2 15 it says for this is the   will of god that by doing good you should put to  silence the ignorance of foolish people that's an   amazing mission that we're invited to be a  part of what a good goal that we as a church   are invited to live such good lives that we  would silence the ignorance of foolish people   that we would live such good collective lives and  individual lives that the world would see what   is happening inside the church and say that's  good i'm going to leave the foolishness of the   world and i want to be a part of whatever god is  building through the church the will of god maybe   you've asked yourself this before what is god's  will what is god's plan and let me just reassure   you that god has a plan for each and every one  of us no matter what you're going through and   maybe today you don't feel like the the plan  is unfolding in the way that you would like it   to but god has a plan and part of his plan is that  we would live good lives that we would participate   in goodness in each and every action that we  do that we would live good lives as god's will how many times have you heard somebody maybe  a co-worker a family member maybe you've asked   this yourself i like jesus but i just don't like  christians or i just don't like the church how   many times have you have you heard that argument  against the church of like yeah jesus is great i   mean that guy did amazing things he healed people  and he taught great lessons and he just had like   this wisdom and this aura about him but the church  man i have a lot of problems with the church the goal for the church is to live like jesus  to live good lives to have the presence about   us is that when the christians show up we know  that they're going to make a difference when the   christians show up they're going to bring peace  when the christians show up they're going to have   a sense about them that everything is going  to be okay that this is part of god's plan   here's the thing the world takes its notions  of god most of all from the people who say   that they belong to the family of god how the  world around us sees the church it comes from us   because people outside the church they read  us a great deal more than they read the bible   they also see us it's much easier  to believe in something that you see   they see us they only hear about jesus christ  so are we living a good reflection are we   living good lives that reflect who who god is  are we giving the world a good picture of who   the god we serve is it's not just about the way  um that you post on social media it's not about   the the arguments you get into it's about the  way you live and here's where it gets really fun   by living good lives by giving the world a good  picture of who god is you silence the ignorance   of foolish people don't raise your hand but does  anybody um see foolishness around around us today   a lot of ignorance around us today and please  don't look at your spouse right now or your kids there's a lot of ignorance in our world and  god's promise that if the church would live   good lives that we would make a difference and  that we would actually push back the ignorance   and the foolishness of our world if we would  go and live good lives in our daily lives   that if we would show up as ambassadors show up as  people appointed by god uh in our lives that the   ignorance of our world would actually be silenced  and that would be such a good thing for our world   that'd be such a good thing uh for those  of uh those of our friends and our family   and our neighbors who don't know jesus if  we would go and live good lives and invite   them to to leave foolishness and invite them  into the goodness of belonging to god's family   there's this proverb that says for lack of  fuel a fire goes out i think oftentimes in   the secular um line of thinking in the worldly  line of thinking we think if if somebody attacks   us or if somebody wants to argue on facebook  like we have to prove our point we have to argue   but scripture tells us don't fight fire  with fire or don't add to the fire by   pouring more more fuel on it instead just live  good lives live good lives a few weeks ago i   was having a conversation with a good friend of  mine who's a member of this church and he had   found out about a need in the community there's a  lady here in waxahachie who is i think in her 80   she's 80 years old or so and she had this truck  that didn't have ac and in august and texas it's   kind of an important thing even if you're just  going to the pharmacy or going to the grocery   store or wherever you're running errands it's  important to have ac and so my friend had heard   about that and he had lined up for a mechanic to  be able to look at it and diagnose a problem and   fix it so he had asked me to to meet him over at  the mechanic shop and just give him a ride back to   his truck after he dropped this lady's truck  off and we got to talking on 287 access road   back over to her house we were thinking about  talking about all the foolishness in our world   all the issues facing our world and this is right  after some things had happened in the middle east   that that weren't great um and and just just  kind of the chaos the general chaos um that   we're fed every day these issues that are in  our face every day issues in our family issues   on the news issues that we we wouldn't even know  about if it wasn't just in our face all the time   and as we're driving and you kind of if maybe  you're there right now but if you ever get into   these conversations you know the mood just kind  of like man yeah there's so much to deal with and   there's so much to think about and there's so many  opinions to have and what is the solution to all   this and my friend said something very wise that  that i'm going to hold to hopefully the rest of   my life he said yeah there's a lot of chaos in the  world but you know what we just did something good   me and him two people in the world who are never  going to be recognized other than i'm telling you   right now who are never going to be recognized  we just did something good for somebody here   in our own community and that reaffirmed to me  the mission of the church that we would just   live good lives and yes there's ignorance  and foolishness and there's all this chaos   out around us but if we would just live good lives  we would push that back we would stop hearing it   that we would actually make a difference  first peter chapter 2 verse 16 the next verse   says live as people who are free not using  your freedom as a cover-up for evil but living   as servants of god here's the good  news we can be freed there's freedom   from all the things happening around us there is  freedom from our own sin there's freedom from our   our own entanglements and as a believer you are  you are freed there was once a a way of living   where you're holding on to things and things  were holding on to you and you couldn't get   untangled but god through through christ has made  a way for us to live in freedom that we don't have   to be fake anymore that we don't have to live this  this cover-up anymore that we can just be who god   has created us to be that we could be free that we  can really walk the way that god wants us to walk   and genuine freedom liberates believers to do  what is good you don't have to live fake anymore   you don't have to have one hand holding you back  and in one hand trying to do what is good you can   just let go you can literally let go of the things  that entangle you and you can live just in freedom   and here's the amazing thing  about freedom freedom gives us   the confidence to do what is right and  good no matter what the consequence is   true freedom you can just do what is right and  what is good because the consequences don't matter   when you're living in christ the consequences  don't matter you can do what is good and right   even if your boss looks down on you you  can do what is right and good at work   even if you don't get the promotion because  your identity as a follower of jesus is not   tied to a paycheck or a promotion it's tied to  who who christ is and what he has done for you   it's about who you are and not about what you do  it's about doing the right thing each and every   time because the consequences don't matter  your your thought process doesn't have to   be how will this be uh translated to my boss  or to my wife or to my teacher or whoever it   might be god has given us the freedom to live  with genuine opportunities to do what is good   so what are we supposed to do with this  freedom how are we supposed to live good lives   what specific things are we assigned to do the  biblical word for assignment is a calling what   are we called to do what is god calling the avenue  church to do what is god calling you as a follower   of jesus to do and there's really there's three  different types of call on your life according   to scripture the first call the first assignment  is an eternal calling it lasts forever it's never   ending so the the clothes that you wear in the  car that you drive and the home that you've built   all those things are temporary the bible says  that they're a mist a vapor our lives even they'll   one day be gone but there's a eternity on the  hearts of every person and so there's an eternal   calling and that eternal calling is a calling  towards christ or a calling separated from christ   in that assignment in that calling you have to  make things right with christ accept his free gift the holy spirit is doing work today all over the  world to bring people to himself to bring people   into this eternal calling that you're not just  what you do today but you actually will exist   forever and is that existing is that that that  time is that with god or is that with apart from   god so the first thing that we have to understand  is that god doesn't want anybody to perish   his will is that we would do good and that nobody  would perish so god wants everyone to say yes to   the extended invitation to the eternal calling  with christ there's also a temporary calling   it's a specific but temporary calling you may be  called to move to ellis county from california   and that's a lot of you a lot of you are from  california and we're glad that you're here   you may have a temporary specific calling to  be a mom or a dad or a foster mom or foster dad   you may have a temporary calling to be married  or to be single have a temporary calling to be   a teacher or a police officer or a student and yes  students that temporary calling of school does end   but it leads you to something greater there's  a temporary calling for each and every one   of us and we can't say man i wish i had his  temporary calling because his looks really fun   or i wish my temporary calling wasn't so heavy our  temporary callings lead us to live out good lives and so in the temporary calling i know some of you  had this temporary calling of working in health   care right now that's a really heavy uh calling  right now there's this thing called compassion   fatigue where it just you you get overwhelmed by  the needs and your temporary calling you're you're   tired you're ready for it to end you're ready  not only to make a difference but you're also   ready for things to be different so here's  what i want to do if you're serving as a   health care worker in your temporary calling god  has assigned you to take care of other people and   their health needs if you're a healthcare  worker i want you to stand up real quick   stay standing for just a second  stay standing for just a second   if you're a healthcare worker we want to show  our appreciation to you today and give you   just a small gift from the avenue church we  don't take for granted what you do every day   and your temporary calling living faithfully  and caring for others is so important so thank   you for what you do i have a small gift that we  just want to show our appreciation to you for these guys are going to give you a a cup  of coffee um it's just one small way to say   temporary callings are very specific  they're also very difficult um but we   we see you we recognize your calling we're  thankful for your calling you can have a seat   if you haven't got one yet you can  come to the hub after the service so there's an eternal calling there's a temporary  calling and then there's a daily calling and the   daily calling as followers of jesus is to to live  good lives knowing that eternity is in our hearts   and eternity lasts forever and knowing that  there's a temporary calling and the temporary   calling may not always be fun or may not always  be what we wished it was or when we wish it might   be different living in in that as a daily in a  daily calling this is where we make a difference   when you live out your temporary calling  with this daily calling to follow jesus   and to consistently daily follow jesus and  live the life and live the example that he   left for us that's where you make a difference as  a mom as a dad as a teacher as a police officer as   whatever the temporary calling place in your life  right now when you live that consistently and   faithfully following and modeling the example  of jesus that's when things start to change and your individual story i would argue is much  more powerful and makes a bigger difference than   the collective story of the church your  individual story your individual calling   living faithfully as a follower of  jesus that's what makes the difference   i was watching the olympics probably  too much of the olympics honestly   when they they're just on this summer and  man i love the olympics i don't ever care   about swimming unless the olympics are on i  think swimming is great i like the pool but   people getting in speedos and swimming is not  my favorite thing unless the olympics are on and then watching the olympics i think one of  the the things that draws me specifically into   swimming is that the nbc commentators or whoever  is is commentating they tell such good stories   about the swimmers themselves so like we know  all these things about michael phelps and ryan   lochte probably know too much about that guy but  caleb dressle katie ledecky we know these these   stories and we see these stories and of course  as a citizen of the united states of america   i root for the red white and blue but it's really  the it's really the the people the the caleb   dressles and the katie lodeckies and most recently  uh caleb dressel became one of the most decorated   swimmers of of olympic history and watching his  story just kind of unfold and hearing more of his   story and of course this year during the olympics  they didn't allow family and friends to travel to   tokyo to watch the olympics and so they had him  on zoom the whole time and they were watching from   their home in florida and they had like banners  and they were cheering and it was all of his   closest friends and and their family so they're  they're watching uh caleb swim and he's swimming   in one of these races 50 meter freestyle or  whatever that is and he wins the gold medal   and afterwards they interview him and they've been  telling us telling us about his wife and they've   been telling us about his mom and dad and they've  been telling us all these different elements to   caleb dressle's story and he wins the 50-meter  freestyle race and he comes into this interview   and there's just this moment where thousand miles  away they're they're communicating on zoom and   the family's cheering and they're crying and then  caleb's just overwhelmed with emotion too and   i'm sitting there watching it i'm i'm starting  to feel like that little thing in my throat   that makes me want to cry why am i crying why  do i want to cry i don't know this guy i mean   he's one of however many gold medalists in this  whole olympics why is this story so impactful   it's because i knew his story it's  because they had told me his story   and i think in a similar way we can do that  there's people that you know that i don't know   that you could reach that you could show the love  of god much better than i could your individual   story is so impactful and when you live that  story out successfully and well and faithfully   in accordance with who who christ has called you  to be that makes a huge difference the people who   don't know the avenue or who don't know pastor  david or don't know pastor zach and ennis but they   see your life and when your temporary calling is  really tough but they see how you handle it with   peace and patience and kindness that makes a huge  difference your assignment to this daily calling   is what makes a difference in our  lives makes a difference in our world one warning i want to give about living  good lives and doing good things and   participating in serve day or volunteering here  at the church there's there's this tendency for   people to think that they can earn god's grace  that they can earn god's love if i would just   go to serve day if i would just do good a bunch of  good things in my life then god will love me more   paul on another new testament writer he says  he saved us not because of works done by us in   righteousness but according to his own mercy by  the washing of regeneration and renewal of the   holy spirit there's nothing you can do to earn  god's love he's taken care of that he sacrificed   himself on the cross so that you could be  made righteous when we do good things it's   not our own righteousness when we do  good things it's not our own goodness   because apart from christ none of us are good  apart from christ none of us are righteousness or   a righteous but because of christ's righteousness  we're able to participate in good things and those   good things don't earn you favor with god they  show that you know what god's grace is all about   you can live with confidence  knowing that you have been set free   so that consequences you face for  doing what is right and what is good   and what is faithful to jesus you don't  have to worry about those consequences   back to simon peter the man who wrote  these two verses to a letter to a church   in the first century in rome and in turkey   peter didn't get it and then 30 years later he  writes this message of encouragement to the church   saying live good lives i mean based on 30 years  ago peter wasn't living a great life i mean he   was cutting people's ears off he was saying no to  jesus he was denying jesus not living a great life   but somehow over 30 years peter was renewed  he was transformed he was made different   peter was also the guy who walked on water through  faith pretty cool peter was also the leader of the   disciples the first disciple the disciple  who who was a leader of the other disciples   after jesus was resurrected and spent some time  with his disciples he ascended into heaven and   this then this thing called pentecost happened  that's where the holy spirit came down on the   new testament church in the first century  church and after pentecost happened peter was   standing in jerusalem viewed with suspicion and  hostility and peter stood boldly in front of 3 000   people that day and he told them about who christ  was and what christ had done and that that christ   was real that he had lived and witnessed who  who christ was on that day 3000 jews gave their   life to christ and accepted the message that  christ had promised that he was the messiah   peter was the very first person to publicly  and vocally say that that jesus is the christ   jesus said ask the people who who do others  say that i am who do the the outsiders say   that i am and peter was the one to acknowledge  that you are the christ you are the savior   peter was used in amazing ways he even brought  a lady back to life he was traveling and there's   this lady named dorcas who had died and  what a terrible name i'm sorry i'm sorry if   your name is dorcas i love you this church  loves you even though your parents didn't   he brought a lady back to life he was walking  after jesus had ascended into heaven he was   just manifesting who god was who jesus was and  everything he did and he's walking and people   would just want to be close to him like  they were close to jesus they would want   to get in his shadow thinking that he had some  mysterious power to heal them or to to fix them   but peter was just living out his  daily calling he was a fisherman   but god called him and assigned him into a  task and through that task peter made a huge   difference even today we're gathered as a church  because of peter's work in the first century   building the church jesus made this proclamation  that you peter which means rock on this rock i   will build my church so we stand on the  legacy of peter one person a fisherman   from nowhere who made a difference who lived out  his daily calling faithfully and my prayer is   that as a church and as individuals that we  would live our stories like peter lived his   yeah we've been a mess and we've made mistakes and  we've been the one who's been been participating   in foolishness but at some point christ's mercy  through his mercy we've been made different   to make a difference so maybe today you're a  follower of jesus but you've been participating   in foolishness you're a follower of jesus  but you've been participating participating   in ignorance the invitation still exists for  you to just to turn your life back to christ   just as peter did going from slicing off a  guy's ear to encouraging the new testament   church and churches from every generation  since then to live good lives or maybe today   you've never said yes to the eternal calling  that christ has extended to us the the calling   the assignment of eternity that we have eternity  in our hearts and we have to say yes to to christ   to be with him forever it's real simple just  to acknowledge that that you need a savior   that that christ is enough that christ um is  the one who has secured eternity in heaven   for us he says just say yes to him acknowledge  that you need him i'm so thankful for this church   i'm so thankful for the individual lives and  the collective story we get to tell of christ's   goodness to our community my prayer is that our  community in ennis and waxahachie and all around   ellis county that people would see this church  as a city on a hill a light that cannot be hidden   a place of hope and peace and joy a place that  represents christ to a world that when they see us   they know that christ is who he says he is because  of the way that we live in the midst of chaos in   the midst of tension in the midst of really heavy  things in our world that we would live out our   daily calling with confidence to know that we've  been liberated we've been set free that we can   live with confidence to do what is right and to do  what is good no matter the consequence let's pray god primarily i thank you for your  goodness god it's your goodness   in our church it's your goodness in  our world that makes the difference   god thank you for allowing us to participate  with you to be on mission to be assigned   roles and responsibilities to show your  goodness to the world and god our hope is   that by living good lives and by participating in  your mission god others would see you through us   god i thank you for the ways that you will  bless the ten thousand hygiene kids that   this church put together god i know that you  will use those to bring peace and hope to people   in desperate situations god i pray that you'll  use our individual stories just to reach people   and to bring people closer to yourself that  they would see our lives and be a reflection   of you and for your glory god we love you thank  you for your goodness in christ's name amen   i'm so thankful for you church i want to invite  you back next week one of my best friends   actually the guy who did my wedding is coming  to preach next week his name is austin fisher   he's a pastor in temple texas and so bring  somebody with you next week thank you for living   good lives continue and and i want to encourage  you to live good lives if you're a health care   worker we're with you we don't take you for  granted we love you y'all have a great week you

Channel: The Avenue Church

Views: 138

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: 8Y96D9fAerY

Length: 58min 47sec (3527 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 26 2021