this morning, I want to speak into attention that I believe exists within our world when it comes to personal relationships. And the tension is this, that our culture by default is a look away culture. And what I mean by that is that if there is somebody who disagrees with you, that our default setting is to simply ignore or to look away. Especially online and on social media platforms, we we live in almost these echo chambers as some commentators have called it, where their goal is for you to stay online or stay on their platform as much as possible. And so if they think you like a certain article or you have a certain political view or you have a certain worldview, they're gonna start feeding you headlines, images, videos that they think are already in line with what you believe. And so pretty soon we have this division where you are in your own echo chamber where you think everybody in the world thinks like you and if they don't think like you, that side is the enemy. And so it's very easy in our culture because we can just scroll and scroll and scroll. And so if there's something we don't like we change the channel, we stop the stream. We we go to a different platform and we fill our lives with noise and we fill our lives with people and thoughts and things that are like us. And so we live in a day and age where it's very easy to look away. But while our culture is really defined by this idea that you can look away anytime you want, our God is not someone who looks away, but instead leans in same Brokenness, same division, same distraction, same mess. And instead of looking away, God steps in and leans into that and leans into relationships. Many christians who have changed the world for the better are christians that didn't look away, but instead chose to lean in tomorrow, we celebrate the life of martin Luther King Jr, a christian preacher and pastor who who preached of a dream of a better world. And instead of looking away from what divided our country, leaned in and and stood up and spoke out against racism against segregation against division and spoke to the character in the heart of God that's based not just on race but on love. And so he is an example of a believer who didn't look away, but instead leaned into a situation and help change our world for the better. And now, all these years later, we're still trying to live out the dream of dr King, you know, I'm also excited for this weekend because I love sports and I love football, it's wild card weekend for those NFL fans and and so we are excited to see which team's gonna make it. And then nothing brings me joy more than to watch a freezing cold football game from the worth of phoenix Arizona, right? When all the commentators, like, it's negative two, it's like, like people are breathing and it's freezing and I'm like, not in phoenix, okay, why would people still live there? I don't know. But we're here because we are chosen in the elect right, Like. And so God has blessed us, We are highly favored here in Arizona. And so I love watching the games. Well, the trophy is named after Vince Lombardi, The famous football coach in the 60s and when he would start training camp, there's a famous moment in his tenure as a coach there for the packers where he he came in and he started training camp in 1961. These are professional athletes in the profession of profession of, of football, they know what they're doing, they're the best athletes in the world. And here coach Lombardi walks in and says, we have to master the fundamentals and part of what made him a great coach, a coach that the trophy was named after was his mastery of the fundamentals. And so here he gathered all these athletes together and he was going to inspire them for the season. And the first thing he did was to pull out that pigskin and go this, it's a football, they all kind of looked at him and said this, it's a football and he started from a blank slate and with the fundamentals and something that seems so elementary and so just simple is really what gave him the edge. And so he just leaning says this, it's a football in the same way as I read through the gospels. If I read through the story of jesus, what we see over and over and over again is that God is a relational god. It's even in the very beginning of our bibles genesis one in the beginning God, that is a relational statement, God, the father, jesus, the son and the holy spirit. So God himself had perfect relationship, he did not create us because he needed relationship. He created us to show us what relationship really is. And then he says, let us referring to the trinity there, let us make man in our image. And so we are created in the image of God and because we have a relational god, that means we are relational beings. And even after he created adam, he said it is not good for man to be alone and so all over it's about relationships and we get to the new testament and jesus comes, he he comes, the word becomes flesh. God did not look away but rather leaned in to the point that he came down, this is what separates Christianity from other religions. Most religions are some version of man's attempt to God, There's creation, there's separation and a lot of worldviews and religions teach that if you do this, if you're good enough, if you do A B and C. If you check all the boxes, maybe just, maybe you won't be judged as harshly, where Christianity differs from other religions is that it acknowledges right from the start, that we are messed up and we are broken and that there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven. But rather than look away, God leaned in, came down to earth and died on the cross for your sins and for mine. And so the fact that he rose again means we can rise again and that forgiveness is possible, that eternity is possible and that are all starts not just with a religion, but with a relationship with him. And so just like that football coach said, this is a football. I feel like jesus, when you read the Gospels, it's just simply leans in and says, it's about people, it's people, I don't care what industry you're in. If you work from home and you work for yourself, you're self employed. It is about people, if you're a content creator, you're creating it for people. If you're in education, you are teaching people in the workplace and businesses. Starting things up, It is about communicating with and serving and meeting the needs of people. Sometimes we overcomplicate things in ministry and we think we have to do all of these things. And yet jesus says, I'm going to show you the way I'm gonna be the way I want you to follow me, I want you to walk and to live as I lived because he did all of these things for us and for his glory. And what he's saying here is that it's all about people. If you're taking notes, I want you to write this down that people were both jesus mission and his method. People are both his mission and his method. It's what he was set out to do who he was set out to serve yes, for his glory for God only. But he did that and expressed through his love for others. And it's the way in which he accomplished his mission. People are both the mission and the method. If you're at stay, stay at home parent, it's for the kids. If you are at work in the business, it's for others. If you're filling out expense reports, you're doing that to help people. And as a church, we have to understand that it's not just some set of ideas. Theology and doctrine are crucial because it tells us what to believe and who to believe. But theology detached from how we live and how we love doesn't change the world. It's like, you know, they say, and and giving it's the thought that counts. Okay, well, it doesn't work in other areas, right? I wish that was true for dieting. Wouldn't that be great? Well, you know what they say in dieting, it's the thought that counts, Nothing actually changes what until you apply it. And so it doesn't minimize theology. It doesn't minimize doctrine, but rather how you live is proof of the promise, how you show people demonstrates what you believe. That's why they're places in scripture where he says, you you show based on what you say, but I'm gonna show you what I believe by what I do and we have the greatest opportunity To be here 2022 in a pandemic in a world that's defined by looking away, that we can show the world what true love looks like by leaning in. It's about people don't just take my word for it. Let's kind of walk through the gospel so we can see the example of jesus himself Matthew 4 19, it's jesus here, he says, he said to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Every part of this verse is relational. This right here is a great definition of what it means to be a disciple To be a disciple really means three things. Number one, it means to follow Jesus. It's personal, he said to them is a personal call to the person of jesus To be a disciples to follow Jesus. But number two is to have fellowship with other believers. He says, he said to them, we are called to be the body of christ together, we are called the bride, we are called his building, we were called the hands and feet of jesus. That means we need it together that you were called in this together people that claim, well I love God, but I don't need the church, don't they don't have the understanding of what it means to know God because we have a relational god who created us in his image, who then calls us to be in relationship with each other, he said to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. So you have the following of Jesus, you have fellowship with believers and then you're fishing for men. And he was using their context, their job to describe the new mission to go out and share this good news, this relationship with others. And so you see the upward connection of God, you see that interconnection with each other and you see that outward focus to share and show the love of jesus to the world around us. It's relational, Well, how did jesus come? One of my favorite verses in the Bible Luke 734 a the son of man, which is another name for Jesus has come eating and drinking. This is great, this is a method, this is why it's not just the mission, it is the method, its relationship, it's dining with one another, jesus came eating and drinking. It's hospitality, it's personal. You can influence from afar, but you can't really impact unless you're up close and we have a god who has come up close, he didn't look away, he leaned in, There's a great story in Luke 19, jesus was walking through a place and it says this, it says that when jesus came to the plate, he looked up and he said to him, Zack kias hurry and come down for I must stay at your house today. And so he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw the people grumbled, he has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. Zaki's was a tax collector. He was hated because he was he was a jew who was employed by the roman government to collect money for the roman government, but from his own brothers. So in other words, it is a person who lives among us but is actually against us in today's age, we would call those people Seahawks fans. Okay. I'm just a little bitter from last weekend. Anyway. Yeah. So a tax collector was hated enough. There's grace for everybody. There's grace. There's grace for Zack es. And there's Grace for Seahawks. Maybe I just struggle a little bit. But I'm working on it. I'm working on it. Okay. And so Jesus walking through the crowd connects with Zakia is one of the most hated people in the town and says, I'm eating with you. And then he gives this verse in verse 10, it says for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. You see in that story how people are both the mission and the method. It's about people this fall, this last fall, we took a team of our leaders to a pastors and ministry conference and they're one of the speakers was Rich Wilkerson Jr and he had a great quote that I wrote down, I want to share with you. And he said this, he said, you can speak into someone's eternity by serving their reality. Isn't that good? You can speak into someone's eternity by serving their reality. You have the opportunity to influence your workplace, your family, your friend group by how you speak and love and serve one another because people are both the mission and the method. We see this all throughout the gospels and we don't have time to read to read every passage. But in John 11, it's a story about where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. But there's this little verse thrown in the middle there verse five. It says now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. He had a friend group. He had a group of people that he loved invested and had conversations with. I think part of why so many people love this series. The chosen is because it gives a glimpse or it tells the story about the humanity of Jesus because division aw, there is a savior, there is a power that comes to knowing God. But there was also a fact that Jesus laughed with people served people talked with people that he was both a warrior and a gentleman that he was strong and he was meek. This idea of being tough for your family, but then being tender with your family. So Lazarus has risen from the dead and what do they do, John 12 they eat together. Can you imagine being like the extra person at that meal, right? Like you're just like, hey Lazarus, I know you were dead, but can you pass the bread? You know like how crazy is that? What did they do after the one of the craziest miracles ever they ate together, They had fellowship together. Then in John 13, jesus is in the upper room, we just sang about that the upper room with the disciples and before they share a meal before they share communion and we have this basis for communion as an expression of passover an expression of what God is about to do. The first thing Jesus does is that he washes their feet, he washes their feet and then he tells them to love one another as I have loved you, this is how the world will know. People are both the mission and the method. Instead of looking away, Jesus chose to lean in and what's interesting is that jesus washed the feet of judas knowing that he was about to be betrayed, Jesus First act was to surf, John 14, he goes on to say, Hey, I'm about to leave, don't be afraid, I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through me, I'm gonna be preparing a place for you and I will not leave you as orphans. I'm gonna send you the helper. I'm gonna send you the holy Spirit. He's going to be an advocate for you. He's gonna be with you, he's gonna be in you and with the power of the spirit that you will be able to do greater things. And then in John 15 he's still speaking and he talks about the value of abiding in Christ and this imagery of the vine. He says, I am the vine and you are the branches. And so this great story deep theologically rich truth and then jesus personalizes it. Just gave this great teaching great powerful word. and in John 15: verse 15, he says this no longer do I call you servants for the servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends for all that I have heard from my father, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. So that whatever you ask my father and my father in my name, he may give it to you these things. I command you so that you will love one another. As crazy as it sounds. We have a god who's willing to call you friend. If you think back to growing up, you think about whatever friend group you had, there was, there was always every, it doesn't matter like band, academic jocks, whatever Imo cool, whatever every friend group had that kid, that kid that you were friends with, but would say or do things like, you know what I'm talking about, right? Like you'd be like by yourself, you're like, oh, this is funny, ha ha we're joking. And then you get in a public situation and he or she says something you like my friend, that's your friend, right? Or maybe you think about, you know, out in public with kids and if you've ever with your spouse and like, that's your kid, they do something, you try to not take credit for it, you're like, that's not. And if, and if you and I'm just gonna share this with you, just hard moment of truth here. If you don't have that friend, you might be that friend, just saying, just saying you might be that one anyway, but we all have that person, right? And so in a group and saying like, I don't know. And, and so you have that person where it's like, it's a little awkward, jesus, leans jumps right in and says, yep there with me, yep, they're mine, they're with me because it's about people, he didn't wait for us to get it correct. He started the church with a bunch of ragtag people that got it wrong most of the time, this is why we have grace And in the new testament now we have over 50 passages called the one another passages and I love this because we need these reminders because our default mode is not to do them. And so over 50 times in the New Testament, we see these commands and promises and encouragements of how to treat one another. Why? Because people are both the mission and the method. Let me give you a couple examples romans 12 10 paul writes love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. I love that picture that we should have a competition of who can out serve the other person who can out honor someone. You know, there was a thing for a while where they're like rap battles and try to tear the person down and like a church, it's almost like, oh yeah, I'm gonna build you up even more, you know? And like you're trying to do outdo another and honor. Why? Because the world will take notice. Wait, why are you serving them? Wait, why, why would you do that? Everyone else looked away and you leaned in there. What what was that about Colossians 3 13, it says bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you again our example. So you must also forgive, he does not say that you will get along with everybody. He assumes that you're going to disagree. And he already says, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're gonna fight. I get that. Here's what you do and how you respond. I mean, I quote Colossians 3 13. Every time I meet a Seahawks fan, you know, I mean, you can tell I'm harping on me because I'm excited for Monday night. Okay, I'm excited as a Carlos fan. You know when you think about this, when you think it gets real, when you think about a marriage relationship, when you think about your kids, when you think about a friend group, when you think about that email that meeting or the meeting after the meeting, we've had those right where you have the big meeting and something has said. And then you you walk out with one or two people and like, oh can you believe, joe, Can you believe what Susie said? And we go into the meeting after the meeting. You have an opportunity there to show people. What does it mean to love people? The way jesus did another example Galatians 5 13 it says for you were called to freedom. My brother's only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, But through love serve one another. Our culture almost gets it. They say you are free. But then they say to do whatever you want to believe what you want to choose everything about you almost. It says you are free to love and serve as how God loved and served us. Don't look away, choose to lean in Another example here one more hebrews 10 24 And 25. It says let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more to see the day to see the day that is drawing near, you know, you think of a sporting event in that locker room, They're hyping each other up, right? They're like, yeah let's go, let's go like slap in the locker room top or butting heads. I don't know how that fires someone up. But apparently it works I guess, you know like like they're like we got this we and they cheer each other up. Why? Because they are stirring one another up for the game. Church. The game is not here, this is the huddle, this is the locker room, this is where we stir one another up and we said you can do this, we've got this God's got this satan's gonna come at you this week with a crazy blitzing defense, he's gonna come at you, he's gonna go, well we've got this. And if you don't have it, I've got you, if you don't have the faith right now, I'll have faith for you. If you're struggling with situation, I want to bring you a meal. I want to have a conversation. I want to send a text. I want to meet over coffee. I want to be with you because I am in your corner. I don't know how other places hype people up. Like, we're gonna take our kids to Disney on ice this afternoon, it's going to be fine. My daughter's super pumped. I'm gonna audition if they can now. I don't know, I don't know if like, Moana and Elsa in the locker room, like, whoa, let's go. Like, I don't know how they hype each other up, but like, they're gonna come out right, they're gonna have a performance like how do you hype each other up? When I started first started working as an intern at a church doing youth ministry, I didn't pay the bills. So I was working at a marketing company and I sat at the front desk and it wasn't the receptionist, but then I kind of was because we didn't have one. And so everybody came in through me and so I might surprise you, but I like to have fun with things. And so I gave everybody in the office a theme song. And so, and because we had glass windows from the outside so I could see them coming out. And so every time one of the workers would walk through the door, I'd blast like a song and everything of introducing and like, you know, like the Hr and they walk in and some people got into it, Some people just stared at me. So I stopped that after a while. Um but you know we are called to hype each other up. We're called to stir one another up because we've got this the world is tough but our God is tougher and we've got each other and it's about people, it's about us, it's about you, it's about the opportunity for that conversation, that meal that reaching out, this is what jesus did he leaned in, What does it look like to have relationships? I want to give you three things and we say these things often so maybe you recognize them but healthy D. N. A. Of community or family really includes three components. The D. N. A. Is a is a part of who you are is a part of every cell identifying who you are. Well a part of every cell of community and family. Are these three components. Number one. You discover truth, it's based in the discovery of divine truth from the word of God. It starts there we live in a world where anybody can identify as anything at any time. But I want to encourage you and it's not about alienating people who think differently again lead with love. But as the word of God teaches us, you are not defined by what you say you are but by what God says you are and that is much stronger and it's not based on feelings but it's based on a promise and it will last for all eternity secondly after you discover truth, it's about nurturing love, it's about knowing people and loving people well. And then last, it's about affirming mission that were called to go out and do the same that we're called to encourage one another to pray for one another to stir one another up to live that out each and every day. I'm so grateful for our team that really lives this out. I think about a time that pastor clark and drove all the way to California just to leader of al renewal for some of his leaders and then drove back same day I think about how Wendy Mackay writes personalized notes and letters to people. Some of you might even receive them just to encourage just because I know who does that these days. Who writes just because handwritten notes, Wendy does. That's why she's awesome. And a better person than I I think about holly, who who during the pandemic delivered, hand delivered personalized family devotional boxes. 2 40 families in the community every month. I think about our team, who was here setting up 6:15 AM. No one's seeing things and just every week, faithfully giving, serving, think about Andrew and morrigan who are part of ministry called apartment life while alongside serving of the church are making phone calls and house visits to apartments and to say, hey, how are you? This is what love looks like, you know it when you feel it, you know it when you receive it. So let the world know it when we show it. People are both jesus mission and his method. Let's be his hands and feet this week, Spring dear heavenly father, I just thank you for who you are for showing us the way that when the world looked away, you leaned in and help us to lean into the messiness within our families and friend groups and workplaces and God, it's my prayer that we can identify one person or one action to take this week to show that person the love of christ, maybe it's bring them a meal, maybe it's send them a text, maybe it's a meet over coffee, maybe it's about meeting a need that we know of God, I pray that we can make this personal and we can make this practical because jesus, you didn't look away when things got hard, you leaned in and you lead with love, you decide to use broken messed up people like ourselves. So let us go and love and serve people this week in your name and for your glory, we love you, it's in your name, we pray amen