back to indexWed Bible Study - Leviticus Lesson 5
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Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the blessing that we have in you. 00:00:10.300 |
Help us to search your word deeply, Lord, that we would not simply know it superficially, 00:00:15.940 |
but all of these things, Lord, that serves as a foundation to prepare for Christ, to 00:00:20.820 |
know his offering, understanding of our sin, to know your character, that all of these 00:00:26.740 |
things that you've purposely placed, Lord, in Israel's history, that we may be able to 00:00:33.180 |
have a greater understanding of what Christ has done and what it is that we have in you. 00:00:40.020 |
Help us to appreciate the gift of salvation in a greater way, Lord, as we study your word. 00:01:34.700 |
So the peace offering, the uniqueness of the peace offering, the peace offering is unlike 00:01:40.100 |
the burnt offering and grain offering because it was an optional offering, meaning it was 00:01:46.260 |
So God did not mandate this, that you need to bring this at a certain time of the year 00:01:50.780 |
or whenever you gave burnt offering, that you ought to give this, but it was a free 00:02:02.860 |
And so it was to fulfill two separate motivations. 00:02:05.660 |
One was for gratitude of mercy, so something that was happening in their life that caused 00:02:09.820 |
them to be thankful and they brought this peace offering, or it was to fulfill a vow. 00:02:14.620 |
So they made a vow before God and then at the end of their vow, so let's say if they're 00:02:18.740 |
going to fast for 40 days or they made a dedication to the Lord for something and at the end of 00:02:24.340 |
the vow, they would fulfill the vow by giving this offering. 00:02:30.900 |
So this offering was uniquely different than all the other offerings in that the larger 00:02:35.460 |
portion of the animal was to be eaten after the fat and entrails of the animals were taken 00:02:41.360 |
So if you read the passages carefully, it doesn't spell out, at least in the text that 00:02:46.900 |
you looked at in chapter three and parts of chapter seven, it just says that these are 00:02:50.560 |
to be offered to the Lord and then certain portions of it was to be cut out and was to 00:02:57.460 |
be burned and then the breast and the thigh was to be given to the priest for their portion 00:03:01.740 |
to eat and then it doesn't say rest of it you go out to the side and have a picnic, 00:03:05.900 |
but it does say in a passage, I don't know if I have that verse here, I don't, okay. 00:03:10.700 |
So if you look at Deuteronomy chapter 12 verse 7, and you can just write it down to keep 00:03:16.700 |
it there, it just describes all the different offerings and in these offerings, so let me 00:03:21.100 |
see if I can do that here, we're on a high tech today. 00:05:02.600 |
where it describes the various offerings, and at the end 00:05:16.660 |
But the passage that is more relevant is Leviticus 19.5 00:05:40.340 |
Can you read it out loud for us, 5 through 8? 00:06:10.140 |
Okay. So, if you look at Leviticus 19.5 through 8, 00:06:13.240 |
it gives the regulation on what to do with the food, 00:06:16.740 |
and that they were supposed to eat it afterwards, 00:06:19.300 |
and that you're supposed to eat it that day, right? 00:06:21.300 |
And you're not supposed to save anything afterwards, okay? 00:06:25.060 |
So, again, the uniqueness of this particular offering was, 00:06:36.000 |
but oftentimes it's also called fellowship offering, right? 00:06:40.100 |
Because it was meant to introduce to the community an 00:06:48.300 |
So, usually when the worshiper came to give this offering, 00:06:53.260 |
They would come with family, friends, and whoever 00:07:00.860 |
So, the worshiper would give the offering, and they would set it 00:07:07.400 |
Okay. Cattle, sheep, and goats were the animals 00:07:26.500 |
Why do you think that there was no provision given to the poor? 00:07:30.060 |
Where the other offerings were, he said, if you're poor, 00:07:32.800 |
you had an opportunity to give a small bird or a pigeon 00:07:44.040 |
so if you already read it, you already know it. 00:07:59.140 |
So, there's no point of giving provision, because the whole 00:08:01.640 |
point of this is to have a banquet with it, right? 00:08:04.440 |
So, if you're a fast reader, you should have read it already. 00:08:07.440 |
Okay. But it didn't stop you from bringing the poor, 00:08:34.820 |
So, the offerer had to also go through a ritual cleansing. 00:08:38.580 |
Right? So, the ritual itself, it was very similar. 00:08:44.520 |
Not similar, it's identical to the burnt offering. 00:08:49.520 |
because the other offerings where the animal is sacrificed, 00:08:58.380 |
the worshiper would bring the animal to the entrance 00:09:07.180 |
And what did the laying of hands on the animal signify? 00:09:14.780 |
You're basically saying that you and this animal is one. 00:09:18.320 |
So, the animal is taking your place in sacrifice. 00:09:20.720 |
So, the meaning itself wasn't lost on the worshipers. 00:09:24.720 |
They understood that this animal being slaughtered 00:09:29.160 |
And that's what that signified, when they put their animal. 00:09:33.660 |
they understood that I needed blood atonement. 00:09:37.360 |
I need blood atonement for the forgiveness of sins. 00:09:42.680 |
There's not a single Jew who would not have understood that. 00:09:46.360 |
Right? And after the initial inspection of the priest, 00:09:53.680 |
Remember? The worshiper himself had to do it. 00:10:03.580 |
they would take whatever you cut up and put it on the altar, 00:10:06.520 |
and then the rest of the blood, what did they do? 00:10:11.780 |
So, it wasn't just the priest that got their hands dirty. 00:10:17.420 |
Okay? And God did that on purpose, because, you know, 00:10:21.180 |
again, if the whole point of it is to teach the nation 00:10:28.400 |
They were smelling it, and they were touching it. 00:10:31.000 |
So, every part of the lesson that God is giving them, again, 00:10:43.000 |
And then the priest would sprinkle the animal's blood all 00:10:47.000 |
over the altar, and again, what does the sprinkling signify? 00:11:02.700 |
And this is identical with the burnt offering. 00:11:05.500 |
Right? And then the animal would be skinned, and then cut up, 00:11:10.000 |
Right? But the distinction between the burnt offering 00:11:21.460 |
because the whole animal is not being offered. 00:11:25.500 |
The burnt offering is also called what kind of offering? 00:11:28.460 |
Whole offering, because everything was burnt. 00:11:30.720 |
But this one, only the portions that they wouldn't eat, 00:11:33.620 |
the fat portion, the kidney, and then the breast 00:11:43.200 |
So, they would have their portion, and then the rest 00:11:56.520 |
And then the worshipers would get together and eat it. 00:12:04.620 |
And then Leviticus 7.20, that not only did the animals 00:12:19.520 |
so, even though they came and all they did was eat, 00:12:21.920 |
they had to go through a ritual cleansing to be able 00:12:27.160 |
So, even though you may not have been the one offering for you 00:12:30.720 |
to participate in the celebration afterwards, 00:12:34.300 |
they also had to go through ritual cleansing. 00:12:38.760 |
And again, even without me mentioning anything, 00:12:52.700 |
No? Well, I'll mention it later on, but you can kind of see, 00:12:56.200 |
even without me saying, like, can you see how this is a shadow 00:12:59.900 |
of the reality that's coming in the church and membership 00:13:04.300 |
that they have fellowship in the Holy Spirit, right? 00:13:07.320 |
There is no true fellowship until there is atonement, right? 00:13:17.160 |
for a proper understanding of true fellowship 00:13:32.660 |
It was to satisfy God's righteousness and his wrath. 00:13:35.760 |
It was the only way a sinful people can have a holy God dwell 00:13:40.200 |
So, remember how, if you remember the Book of Exodus ends 00:13:45.160 |
with God's spirit up in the mountain, and then he comes 00:13:51.100 |
But before he can invite the Israelites into the tent, 00:13:55.360 |
they have to go through this atonement, right? 00:13:58.900 |
So, the only way that a sinful people can have a holy God dwell 00:14:03.160 |
among them was a constant atonement of their sins. 00:14:13.800 |
So, the altar was being burnt all the time, constantly. 00:14:16.660 |
And then each time they did a burnt offering, 00:14:24.860 |
So, once your sins are atoned for, right, the second part 00:14:32.420 |
The grain offering focused on Israel's dependence upon God, 00:14:42.900 |
That ultimately belonged to God to express lordship. 00:14:44.960 |
So, we talked about how if burnt offering is justification, 00:14:50.900 |
the grain offering, in a sense, is sanctification, 00:14:54.660 |
where you're offering your life as a living sacrifice, right? 00:15:06.120 |
The burnt offering and grain offering was offered almost 00:15:12.000 |
So, it was constantly burning, constantly giving. 00:15:14.400 |
And so, this was to signify to the nation of Israel 00:15:16.820 |
that this is how -- this is the only way a sinful people can 00:15:23.020 |
through the blood atonement and through the sacrifice, okay? 00:15:26.960 |
But the peace offering focuses on Israel's peace with God, 00:15:31.960 |
right, the result of these offerings that resulted 00:15:38.360 |
The joys and peace of mind, which comes from knowing 00:15:48.900 |
and then you give the grain offering as a tribute, 00:15:53.020 |
as an act of dedication and thanksgiving to God. 00:15:56.220 |
And then the peace offering basically was a celebration, 00:15:58.320 |
a freewill offering that you brought to God to thank him 00:16:01.460 |
for the relationship that they were to have with him 00:16:07.900 |
The Hebrew word for peace offering, or peace, 00:16:18.760 |
And this is -- this is the part that really kind of shines light 00:16:25.340 |
The word literally means to be complete or whole, 00:16:36.200 |
So, a Jew who would have understood the peace offering 00:16:40.360 |
would have understood that this was the complete offering, 00:16:44.440 |
that this offering signified that they were made well, right? 00:16:49.340 |
I think the -- maybe the best way for us to understand it is 00:16:54.000 |
if somebody was sick and that they were made well, 00:16:56.760 |
that that would be like, oh, they've been made complete. 00:16:59.960 |
Right? The idea of peace in Hebrew is more than absence 00:17:08.540 |
To be complete, a Jew would not have understood. 00:17:15.660 |
The Hebrew word for shalom signified completeness 00:17:19.900 |
So, you know that that was the most common greeting 00:17:26.000 |
And so, shalom literally means peace, but the idea of peace 00:17:29.660 |
to a Jew was more than -- more than just not being in war. 00:17:37.460 |
it meant that the Lord's blessing be upon you. 00:17:46.400 |
And so, this offering was a constant reminder to the nation 00:17:49.860 |
of Israel that the only way that they could be whole 00:17:54.940 |
And so, it was an act of thanksgiving to God. 00:18:01.060 |
Right? The burnt offering was for the forgiveness of sins. 00:18:05.660 |
Right? The grain offering at times is celebration. 00:18:10.240 |
But this offering was almost -- it's equated with joy 00:18:24.400 |
and they have a picnic, you don't have a solemn picnic. 00:18:30.760 |
And so, that was the idea behind this particular offering, 00:18:35.200 |
And I think a best illustration of this idea of wholeness 00:18:42.660 |
Remember when God creates Adam, he looks at Adam and he says, 00:18:49.400 |
So, the concept of it is that he wasn't complete yet. 00:18:58.560 |
Because I'm going to knock it down afterwards, 00:19:03.840 |
Right? But the idea is that Adam wasn't complete yet. 00:19:08.660 |
Right? So, he makes a suitable helper to complement him, 00:19:14.600 |
to help him along with his work, to be a companion. 00:19:18.040 |
Right? So, Adam was not made whole until he sees Eve 00:19:22.700 |
and says, "Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh," 00:19:26.440 |
So, the idea when God looks at Adam and said, 00:19:34.540 |
When we say the way we use the word good or bad is morally good 00:19:42.800 |
That's what we think is something good and something bad. 00:19:45.600 |
The idea of the word when God said it is not good, 00:19:51.860 |
Right? Because he needs a counterpart that he can commune 00:19:57.700 |
So, that's the idea of completeness or peace. 00:20:01.260 |
And it is that peace or that completeness that God gave Adam 00:20:08.860 |
Right? So, this union that God gave Adam and Eve, right, 00:20:14.200 |
because Adam was not complete, because he was alone, 00:20:24.600 |
So, the counterpart shows up and he's made complete. 00:20:27.120 |
And so, again, the picture of the fall is the brokenness 00:20:39.360 |
And as a result of that, they're having children, 00:20:42.800 |
they're laboring, but what does it result in? 00:20:50.620 |
They're laboring and they're sweating their brow 00:20:55.500 |
Right? And so, on the surface, everything looks the same, 00:20:59.200 |
but the peace, the shalom of God has been broken. 00:21:03.660 |
Right? And so, that's where we get the idea of the Sabbath, 00:21:07.360 |
where God's Sabbath, Sabbath basically means rest 00:21:17.020 |
into his eternal peace, but that peace is broken. 00:21:33.400 |
So, the illustration that God uses between a relationship 00:21:36.300 |
with the holy God that's broken, immediately results 00:21:38.900 |
in a broken relationship between husband and wife, 00:21:41.360 |
and then the Sabbath that God brought mankind 00:21:48.860 |
in redemptive history is the pursuit of restoring 00:21:56.520 |
So, this peace offering is the result of the atonement. 00:22:01.900 |
So, the constant atonement of sacrifice is a picture 00:22:06.860 |
of the atonement and the result of what God does on the cross 00:22:22.860 |
Right? So, the offering was given as a free will offering 00:22:28.300 |
in an act of thanksgiving for God's mercies and blessings. 00:22:32.620 |
So, the sharing of the meal only heightened the joyous occasion 00:22:44.220 |
with the burnt offering, was a very rare occasion. 00:22:47.260 |
So, whenever they had meat, you know, in our generation, 00:23:05.200 |
I mean, when I was younger, you know, my parents immigrated 00:23:07.600 |
to the U.S. in 1975, and it was no more than 20 years, 00:23:15.760 |
And so, Korea was not a very developed country. 00:23:20.840 |
And I can only remember maybe a couple times a year, if that, 00:23:23.960 |
only when there was a special guest that came into town. 00:23:31.760 |
Right? Next Thursday, or next month on Tuesday, 00:23:34.800 |
we have a guest coming, we're going to have meat. 00:23:36.240 |
And usually it's not like the Korean barbecue. 00:23:39.040 |
Usually you just get a -- you have meat, and a big chunk 00:23:43.440 |
and then we would have a little tiny piece of meat. 00:23:47.500 |
Right? And it wasn't that our family was especially poor. 00:23:53.860 |
my mother's side was actually pretty wealthy. 00:23:56.260 |
It was just -- that's how poor the country was at that time. 00:24:05.200 |
Right? I mean, now, I mean, everybody eats meat, 00:24:12.300 |
for fellowship for the Jews was not a common occurrence. 00:24:15.400 |
So, the fact that whenever somebody gave the peace 00:24:18.200 |
offering, you know, my guess is if their family and friends knew 00:24:22.500 |
that they were giving this peace offering, that all 00:24:24.800 |
of a sudden they had a lot of friends around. 00:24:28.360 |
You know? Like, where are you going to give offering? 00:24:41.800 |
So, I would imagine that that was kind of like the environment 00:24:45.240 |
every time they gave this peace offering, fellowship offering, 00:24:47.840 |
that everybody got excited, and they all wanted to participate, 00:25:00.760 |
Right? The significance of this in the New Testament is all over. 00:25:06.660 |
I mean, I think we could have spent just two days just talking 00:25:14.940 |
Right? Again, as I mentioned, eating meals, again, 00:25:24.300 |
So, that's why over and over again you see the Pharisees 00:25:42.540 |
about who Jesus was eating with, who Jesus was inviting 00:25:50.440 |
but you could probably think of them yourselves. 00:25:52.460 |
A lot of Jesus' teachings and parables centers around eating. 00:26:03.500 |
Right? And that's why the Pharisees were saying, 00:26:14.100 |
If you sat and just had a meal with somebody, 00:26:17.940 |
But in this culture, you didn't just eat with anybody. 00:26:21.260 |
Right? So, in Mark 2, 16, again, and it's not the only place 00:26:25.100 |
where the Pharisees are grumbling against Jesus. 00:26:28.840 |
How can you identify yourself with these people? 00:26:31.940 |
The first thing he does, he slaughters an animal, 00:26:39.800 |
they would have immediately thought of the peace offering, 00:26:41.540 |
because when you slaughter the animal to eat, 00:26:49.100 |
and that was the significance of this peace offering. 00:27:00.100 |
After they give the sacrifice, they would sit and eat together, 00:27:04.900 |
and how he delivered them from the nation of Israel, 00:27:11.740 |
Right? I'm just going to give a real, like, short plug here. 00:27:16.200 |
Okay? This year, for Easter, for Passion Week, 00:27:23.940 |
we'd get together and have morning devotions, 00:27:26.400 |
and then some of you guys would go to work and things like that. 00:27:28.740 |
We decided this year that we're going to do something different. 00:27:38.000 |
Okay? So Thursday night, again, this is, you know, 00:27:40.500 |
whoever can come, and we're going to take sign-ups, 00:27:42.940 |
and we're going to ask you to pay your portion of the meal. 00:27:46.400 |
Okay? So that you don't sign up and not show up. 00:27:49.300 |
We want to make sure that if you're going to sign up. 00:27:52.040 |
So on Thursday night, before the Passion Week, 00:27:59.160 |
and then they -- we're going to basically not reenact. 00:28:05.100 |
Okay? So we're just going to go over the Passover meal 00:28:10.540 |
and then we're going to actually partake in it. 00:28:12.940 |
Okay? So -- and then Thursday, and then take some time to pray 00:28:19.200 |
So instead of doing the day-to-day thing in the morning, 00:28:23.640 |
and then we'll have the communion on Good Friday, 00:28:29.440 |
we're going to have Thursday and Friday night. 00:28:36.040 |
But again, the clear picture of this Passover peace meal, 00:28:41.700 |
Right? And 1 Corinthians chapter 11, remember, it says, 00:28:45.960 |
"He who does not acknowledge the body of Christ 00:29:17.500 |
between you and God and between you and your husband. 00:29:23.200 |
Right? And so the communion is a time where we remember. 00:29:29.560 |
that you haven't reconciled, or you're holding a grudge, 00:29:33.440 |
that every time you come into the communion table 00:29:37.600 |
it says you drink and eat judgment upon yourself, 00:29:39.900 |
that you completely ignore the body of Christ. 00:29:56.500 |
The offering not only signified peace with God, 00:30:02.640 |
that the only reason why we're able to have fellowship 00:30:04.880 |
is because of what Christ has done on the cross. 00:30:12.120 |
remember that incident with Peter where he has a dream. 00:30:16.040 |
He gets -- goes into a trance, and Jesus says -- 00:30:34.240 |
Peter has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth. 00:30:45.080 |
"for I have never eaten anything that is uncommon or unclean." 00:30:47.480 |
And the voice came to him again, said a second time, 00:30:50.880 |
"What God has made clean, do not call common. 00:30:54.420 |
and the thing was taken up at once to heaven." 00:31:11.840 |
And so he goes there, and so the application of that 00:31:18.380 |
They have been made clean by the blood of Christ. 00:31:26.620 |
and lay hands on him, and then he becomes a believer, 00:31:28.720 |
and he gets baptized, him and his household, right? 00:31:32.280 |
So again, the significance of these Jews and Gentiles 00:31:38.240 |
because they would have been considered unclean. 00:31:42.720 |
But Jesus says because of his blood sacrifice, 00:31:47.220 |
What Jesus calls clean no longer calls unclean, right? 00:31:55.620 |
"For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one 00:32:02.480 |
By abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, 00:32:09.540 |
and might reconcile us both to God in one body 00:32:11.820 |
through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 00:32:14.320 |
And he came and preached peace to you who are far off 00:32:21.780 |
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, 00:32:35.180 |
if you refuse to be reconciled to your brother. 00:32:47.040 |
So you cannot come to God and ask for forgiveness 00:33:00.340 |
if you notice that somebody has something against you, 00:33:03.880 |
Drop and go reconcile with that brother first, 00:33:09.240 |
So in other words, you can't come to the altar 00:33:39.540 |
if this is what the Israelites were acting out, 00:33:43.880 |
they offer this to God, and as a celebration, 00:33:50.400 |
Just by acting it out, just by eating at the tabernacle, 00:33:55.400 |
that they're doing this because of that animal sacrifice. 00:34:05.100 |
the Jewish community automatically understood 00:34:16.600 |
But ultimately, it points to the marriage supper of the Lamb. 00:34:22.900 |
"Of the increase of his government and peace, 00:34:25.400 |
"On the throne of David and over his kingdom, 00:34:30.000 |
"and with the righteousness from this time forth 00:34:32.000 |
"and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts 00:34:39.000 |
and one of the significance of this wedding is 00:35:03.200 |
If you don't, you're gonna get cussed out, right? 00:35:29.100 |
there is a celebration, some kind of celebration, right? 00:35:35.500 |
but in particularly in a Christian wedding, right, 00:35:40.300 |
the whole thing of the Christian ceremony, right, 00:35:45.700 |
and a lot of times when we think of the Christian ceremony, 00:35:49.600 |
You know, when we say amen and here's husband and wife, 00:35:54.000 |
okay, now we're done with the holy stuff, let's party. 00:35:57.900 |
It was almost kind of like there's a separation 00:35:59.800 |
between the holy time and then the unholy time, right? 00:36:15.100 |
that we're able to have this fellowship, right? 00:36:20.600 |
not, okay, now I'm done, the covenant is done, 00:36:26.400 |
So the marriage ceremony itself really points 00:36:29.100 |
to what the Israelites were doing for hundreds of years, 00:36:34.500 |
right, restoration with God needs to banquet with mankind, 00:36:39.000 |
and then we see that in Revelations 19, 6 through 10. 00:36:43.200 |
"of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters, 00:36:48.700 |
"crying out hallelujah for the Lord our God Almighty reigns. 00:36:51.800 |
"Let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory, 00:36:58.000 |
"It has granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, 00:37:10.000 |
"And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.' 00:37:12.600 |
"Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, 00:37:18.300 |
"'and your brothers who told you the testimony of Jesus. 00:37:32.700 |
So the scripture talks about how we are saved, 00:37:34.900 |
we are being saved, we will ultimately be saved, 00:37:40.800 |
that he's done on the cross is going to be actualized 00:37:43.700 |
when Christ comes and he establishes kingdom. 00:38:07.300 |
I don't know, we don't sing that song anymore, 00:38:18.700 |
But anyway, we used to sing that song all the time. 00:38:20.400 |
It's like, "Brought us to the banqueting table." 00:38:23.700 |
Anyway, anyway, there's a song that talks about that, 00:38:33.800 |
and that's what this peace offering ultimately pointed to. 00:38:38.000 |
It's not just talking about how we're not going to hell. 00:38:52.700 |
And then that's how they live their Christian life, right? 00:38:56.200 |
That all they understand about their salvation 00:39:01.700 |
But when scripture says that he came to give us life 00:39:13.300 |
So if Christian life isn't characterized by celebration 00:39:16.900 |
and a banquet, that's why it becomes a dread, right? 00:39:21.100 |
And all the commandments of God and all the dues 00:39:32.200 |
will consider any restrictions in their life as a dread. 00:39:43.700 |
And if you look at salvation as just not being judged, 00:39:58.700 |
he saves us from darkness to bring us to light, 00:40:14.100 |
It is central because this is where we find sustenance. 00:40:22.800 |
that's where, right, that's where your dread should be, right? 00:40:29.800 |
anything that prevents you from coming to Christ 00:40:32.300 |
should be the very thing that you dread, right? 00:41:01.600 |
and immature understanding of your salvation. 00:41:03.900 |
So this peace offering, every time they got together 00:41:09.500 |
that God's mercy led them to this banqueting table, right? 00:41:13.700 |
Hopefully, again, as we understand it more and more, 00:41:26.100 |
And if that's how you feel about your walk with God, 00:41:36.200 |
why you are running to the world rather than to Christ. 00:41:39.200 |
What do you think, what do you believe about the world 00:41:48.500 |
If you believe that true life is in Christ, right? 00:41:57.600 |
Number one, do you think you are being intentional 00:41:59.700 |
in fellowshipping with brothers and sisters at church 00:42:02.600 |
or just hoping that someone else would initiate? 00:42:13.500 |
you become one because of the covenant, legally. 00:42:22.400 |
sharing, you know, your time, whatever decisions you make. 00:42:30.000 |
We've become one because of the blood of Christ 00:42:41.700 |
and different opinions and people who are passive 00:42:49.100 |
and different background, different education, 00:43:09.500 |
You can't come into church and remain the way you are 00:43:23.400 |
Like God made us one and then we are working to become one. 00:43:34.000 |
or is it something that you're actually pursuing? 00:43:36.600 |
Okay, number two, are there any broken relationship 00:43:41.900 |
What steps have you taken to reconcile with them? 00:43:53.800 |
Again, hopefully you guys have some good discussions on this. 00:43:59.600 |
I'm sure a lot of you guys have very specific application 00:44:04.400 |
but the other person does not make any effort 00:44:08.600 |
So do you just kind of say, "Forget it, right? 00:44:18.600 |
Okay, are there any specific things that you can think of? 00:44:22.000 |
Right, number three, is there someone you can think of 00:44:27.200 |
help them be brought into more intimate fellowship 00:44:33.600 |
some of you guys who are better connected than others, 00:44:36.600 |
you may observe that again as a church is growing, 00:44:39.800 |
there's always going to be people on the outskirts. 00:44:41.500 |
Are there people that you're looking at, right, 00:44:44.000 |
that may need your help to help in fellowship? 00:44:50.700 |
blood brother, blood sister who are struggling, 00:44:55.300 |
If we are brothers and sisters in the church, 00:44:58.200 |
do we just watch them from a distance and say, 00:45:00.000 |
"Well, that's the welcome team's responsibility," 00:45:02.700 |
or, "That's the responsibility of these people 00:45:06.400 |
Is there anybody specifically that you can think of 00:45:14.100 |
I can tell you that our church has a lot of unbelievers 00:45:19.000 |
who are entering into the church right now, right? 00:45:21.500 |
And the reason why that's happening is because 00:45:23.100 |
many of you are being active in your faith, you know? 00:45:31.300 |
brothers and sisters, and various relationships. 00:45:36.600 |
So we actually started an outreach group in the church 00:45:42.200 |
just to focus our attention on the non-Christians 00:45:47.300 |
and then the next step is to actively reach out to them. 00:45:53.000 |
But as a result of that, that's not something 00:45:57.400 |
"Oh, we have six, seven people who are responsible for that. 00:46:03.700 |
that there are non-Christians coming to the church. 00:46:06.800 |
walking into the church who've never studied the Bible, right? 00:46:11.100 |
Some of you guys have been at the church long enough 00:46:13.500 |
where you know how to do inductive Bible study, right? 00:46:22.100 |
you've never, like, systematically studied the Bible, 00:46:26.000 |
and then the first book you study is Revelation, 00:46:27.900 |
and then the next book you study is the book of Leviticus. 00:46:34.200 |
If I started seminary with Leviticus and Revelation, 00:46:54.700 |
If you have people around you that you are aware of, 00:47:02.200 |
who are actually meeting up with people on a regular basis 00:47:05.500 |
just to teach them how to do quiet time, right? 00:47:07.900 |
Teach them how to do inductive study and go into it. 00:47:12.900 |
when you see people like that, instead of waiting, 00:47:23.900 |
and sit down with them and do quiet time with them 00:47:30.700 |
Because if you wait for the church, the leaders to do it, 00:47:44.400 |
to be deliberate about reaching out to people 00:47:46.000 |
because we have a lot of people coming into church, 00:47:51.500 |
The church has to be actively involved, okay? 00:47:54.800 |
I'm asking you guys to be deliberate in your small groups 00:47:57.600 |
to discuss and to reach out and identify who they are, 00:48:01.200 |
pray for them, and to be active and reach out 00:48:11.900 |
waiting for somebody else to reach out to you, 00:48:14.500 |
I guarantee you there's other people sitting around you 00:48:21.300 |
So, every single person who has communion with God 00:48:30.700 |
to spur one another on to have a lively discussion on this 00:48:39.300 |
and then I'll have you guys get into your groups. 00:49:13.500 |
where we have different personalities and interests. 00:49:24.400 |
But we thank you that because of the blood of Christ, 00:49:33.000 |
that we would practice the love that you practice on us, 00:49:43.100 |
takes deep root in our hearts and in our community. 00:49:50.700 |
that whether we are weak or whether we are strong,