Community Christian Fellowship Sunday, 23 October 2005 Service THIS TEXT IS BEING PROVIDED IN A ROUGH DRAFT FORMAT. COMMUNICATION ACCESS REALTIME TRANSLATION (CART) IS PROVIDED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION ACCESSIBILITY AND MAY NOT BE A TOTALLY VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS. 1 >>> I HAD THE JOY OF PREACHING AT A 1 2 LITTLE METHODIST CHURCH OUT HERE IN THE 3 COUNTRY LAST WEEKEND AND SHARING WITH 4 THEM. HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF A 5 CHURCH FOR LONGER THAN ONE YEAR? 6 ANYBODY? 7 ALMOST EVERYBODY? 8 I'LL BET IF I HAD YOU STAND UP TODAY, 9 YOU COULD EASILY TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG WITH 10 THE CHURCH. 11 THAT IS NOT HARD TO DO. 12 >>> NO POWER. 13 [ LAUGHTER ] 14 >>> NO ELECTRICITY. 15 BUT I HAVE -- YOU KNOW, I HAVE ENDED UP 16 BECOMING AN ADVOCATE AND A SPOKESMAN FOR 17 THE CHURCH. AND I HAVE CRITICIZED IT AS 18 MUCH AS ANYONE, BUT I REALIZE THAT THERE 19 IS NO PLAN B. 20 AND IF YOU WANT TO GIVE UP ON THE 21 CHURCH, YOU'RE GIVING UP ON YOURSELF. 22 YOU'RE THE CHURCH. I'M THE CHURCH. I 23 DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP ON ME. I DON'T WANT 24 TO GIVE UP ON YOU. SO, THEREFORE, I 25 BELIEVE IN THE CHURCH. 1 I WANT TO GIVE YOU A QUOTE FROM A BOOK. 2 2 I LIKE TO READ GOOD BOOKS. IT'S CALLED 3 "VELVET ELVIS." IT'S A GOOD BOOK. 4 WE HAVE THEM IN THE BOOKSTORE. TALKING 5 ABOUT THE CHURCH. YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD 6 THIS ILLUSTRATION MANY TIMES. 7 "GOD IS THE BRIDEGROOM, AND THE CHURCH 8 IS THE BRIDE." 9 AND SO PASTOR ROB BELL, FROM GRAND 10 RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, MENTIONS THIS: HE SAYS 11 THE CHURCH IS A "SHE." SHE'S A MYSTERY, 12 ISN'T SHE? STILL GOING AFTER ALL THIS 13 TIME. AFTER THE CRUSADES AND THE 14 INQUISITION AND THE CHRISTIAN CABLE 15 TELEVISION, STILL GOING. AND THERE 16 CONTINUES TO BE PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO BELIEVE 17 SHE IS ONE OF THE BEST IDEAS EVER. IN 18 SPITE OF ALL OF THE WAYS SHE HAS VEERED 19 OFF TRACK. IN SPITE OF ALL OF THE PEOPLE 20 WHO HAVE ACTUALLY TURNED AWAY FROM GOD 21 BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY'VE EXPERIENCED IN 22 CHURCH. 23 I AM STARTING TO REALIZE WHY. THE 24 CHURCH IS LIKE A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD. WHEN 25 IT'S GOOD, WHEN IT'S ON, WHEN IT'S RIGHT, 1 IT'S LIKE NOTHING ON EARTH. A GROUP OF 3 2 PEOPLE COMMITTED TO SELFLESSLY SERVING AND 3 LOVING THE WORLD. IT'S GREAT. 4 BUT WHEN IT'S BAD, ALL THAT POTENTIAL 5 GETS TURNED THE OTHER WAY. FROM THE 6 HIGHEST OF THE HIGH TO THE LOWEST OF THE 7 LOW, SOMETIMES IN THE SAME WEEK. 8 BUT SHE WILL LIVE ON. SHE'S 9 INDESTRUCTIBLE. WHEN SHE DIES IN ONE PART 10 OF THE WORLD, SHE EXPLODES IN ANOTHER. 11 SHE'S GLOBAL. SHE'S UNIVERSAL. SHE'S 12 EVERYWHERE. AND WHILE SHE STRUGGLES, 13 SHE'S GOING TO ENDURE. 14 IN EVERY GENERATION THERE WILL BE THOSE 15 WHO SEE HER BEAUTY AND GIVE THEIR LIVES TO 16 SEE HER SHINE. 17 JESUS SAID THE GATES OF HELL WILL NOT 18 PREVAIL AGAINST HER. THAT'S STRONG 19 LANGUAGE. AND IT'S TRUE. SHE WILL 20 CONTINUE TO ROLL ACROSS THE AGES SERVING 21 AND GIVING AND CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH GOD 22 AND EACH OTHER. 23 AND PEOPLE WILL ABUSE HER AND 24 MANIPULATE HER AND TRY TO CONTROL HER, BUT 25 THEY'LL PASS ON, AND SHE'LL KEEP GOING. 1 ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL? 4 2 GOD BELIEVES IN THE CHURCH, BECAUSE WE 3 ARE THE CHURCH AND HE BELIEVES IN US. 4 AND I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU, AS I'VE 5 CHALLENGED MYSELF, TO INVEST YOURSELF IN 6 LIVES AROUND YOU. INVEST YOURSELF. REACH 7 OUT. TOUCH LIVES AROUND YOU. 8 DON'T WAIT FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO GET IT 9 RIGHT. YOU GET IT RIGHT. DON'T -- YOU 10 KNOW, DON'T TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE 11 CHURCH. HELP ME FIX IT. LET'S FIX IT 12 TOGETHER. DON'T BE PART OF THE PROBLEM. 13 BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. 14 WELL, THE CHURCH ISN'T FRIENDLY ENOUGH. 15 THEN GET FRIENDLIER. YOU GET FRIENDLIER. 16 YOU REACH OUT TO OTHER PEOPLE. YOU GET 17 MORE HOSPITABLE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? 18 [ APPLAUSE ] 19 >>> HOW MANY OF YOU -- IF YOU'VE EVER 20 DONE THIS, YOU'LL REMEMBER, BECAUSE YOU 21 NEVER FORGET IT. 22 HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER ATTENDED AN 23 EVENT, MAYBE A BABY SHOWER FOR WOMEN, SOME 24 TYPE OF LITTLE FELLOWSHIP FOR MEN? 25 BUT HOW MANY HAVE EVER ATTENDED AN 1 EVENT THAT WAS BY INVITATION ONLY AND WHEN 5 2 YOU GOT THERE, YOU REALIZED YOU WEREN'T 3 INVITED? 4 HAVE YOU EVER DONE THAT? 5 WELL, IF YOU HAVEN'T, TALK TO ONE OF 6 THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE. BECAUSE I HAVE. 7 AND REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE 8 THINKING, THIS IS WHAT YOU THINK THEY'RE 9 THINKING: 10 "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HE DOING HERE?" 11 "WHO INVITED HER?" 12 "WHY DO THEY THINK WE WOULD WANT THEM 13 HERE?" 14 HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THERE, KNOWING 15 YOU'RE IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU ARE NOT 16 WELCOME? 17 WELL, THE CHURCH SHOULD BE JUST THE 18 OPPOSITE OF THAT. IT SHOULD BE A PLACE 19 WHERE THE WELCOME MAT IS OUT AND YOU FEEL 20 LIKE, HEY, HERE'S A PEOPLE WHO REALLY WANT 21 TO SEE ME. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. 22 I MEAN, THOSE ARE GREETINGS, YES. BUT 23 WHEN YOU SAY IT IN EARNEST, IT REALLY HAS 24 POWER. IT'S SOMETHING TO LOOK AT 25 SOMEBODY -- RANDY, IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU 1 TODAY. REALLY, HONEST TO GOD, IT IS GOOD 6 2 TO SEE YOU. 3 JIM, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. 4 BEN, YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS, BUT IT'S 5 GOOD TO SEE YOU. [ LAUGHTER ] 6 AND JUST THOSE WORDS OF GREETING, WHEN 7 THEY ARE SAID FROM A SINCERE HEART, GIVE 8 PEOPLE A PLACE OF SAFETY, WHERE THEY CAN 9 COME AND FEEL THE WELCOME OF GOD AMONG 10 THEM. 11 THAT'S THE KIND OF PLACE THAT WE'RE 12 SUPPOSED TO BE CREATING. 13 LARRY CRABB HAS WRITTEN A NEW BOOK. 14 IT'S NOT NEW. IT'S A FEW YEARS OLD. IT'S 15 CALLED "THE SAFEST PLACE ON EARTH," 16 REFERRING TO THE CHURCH. THAT'S WHAT THE 17 CHURCH SHOULD BECOME, THE SAFEST PLACE ON 18 EARTH FOR PEOPLE TO GATHER AND BE WHO THEY 19 ARE AND BE ABLE TO EXPOSE THEIR STRUGGLES 20 AND BE ABLE TO GET HELP AND DELIVERANCE 21 AND HEALING AND CLEANSING AND WHATEVER IT 22 IS THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO FIND THAT AMONG 23 GOD'S PEOPLE AND GO AWAY DIFFERENT BECAUSE 24 THEY WERE IN A SAFE PLACE WHERE THOSE KIND 25 OF THINGS CAN HAPPEN. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT 1 TO BECOME. 7 2 WE CANNOT STOP PUTTING OUT THE ENERGY 3 UNTIL WE BECOME THAT KIND OF PEOPLE IN 4 THIS PLACE, A SAFE PLACE WHERE WE CAN 5 GATHER AND WE CAN TOUCH GOD AND ALLOW GOD 6 TO TRANSFORM US AND MAKES US INTO THE 7 PEOPLE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE. 8 OKAY? 9 SO QUIT CRITICIZING THE CHURCH. HELP 10 ME FIX IT. OKAY? 11 [ APPLAUSE ] 12 13 >>> WE'LL HAVE A PRAYER AND PROBABLY 14 GO OUTSIDE AND FELLOWSHIP, OKAY? I THINK 15 IT'S COOLER OUTSIDE THAN IN HERE. 16 WE THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. 17 DON'T FORGET TO PUT SOMETHING IN THE 18 BASKET ON THE WAY OUT TO BLESS AMY AND 19 CHRISTIAN IN ROMANIA, BLESS THEIR WORK, 20 WORKING WITH THE STREET KIDS. 21 WILLIS, LEAD US IN A CLOSING PRAYER, PLEASE, 22 SIR. 23 >>> THANK YOU, HEAVENLY FATHER, FOR 24 THE MEETING THAT WE'VE HAD HERE THIS 25 MORNING. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO 1 PRAISE YOU AND GLORIFY YOU. AND WE THANK 8 2 YOU, LORD, FOR THE FELLOWSHIP THAT WE ARE 3 ABLE TO ENJOY TOGETHER. 4 WE ASK YOU TO TOUCH OUR HEARTS WITH THE 5 WORDS THAT HAVE BEEN SPOKEN, TO WRITE THEM 6 INTO OUR HEARTS AND SHOW THEM FORTH IN OUR 7 LIVES. 8 IN JESUS' NAME. AMEN. C.A.R.T. Transcription by Keith Johnson Community Christian Fellowship 15704 Hwy 110 North Lindale (Garden Valley), TX 75771 Phone: 903-882-8501 Email: ccf-office@juno.com