July 3, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Creative Connection with Ed Young. We're glad
you've joined us today to hear ED connect faith to
everyday life. Before we get to today's message, we want
to invite you to head online and sign up for
Ed's daily email devotionals covering relevant topics like forgiveness, anxiety,
and purposeful living.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
These life giving emails.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Will provide you with a spark of encouragement write in
your inbox every single day. Each one contains a piece
of scripture as well as encouragement from Ed to help
you think about and apply biblical truths to your life.
There's also a guided prayer at the end of each email.
Just visit edyong dot com slash emails to sign up now,
(00:42):
and while you're there, you can also browse previous devotionals
as well as watch and listen to messages from Ed.
So sign up to start receiving your daily devotionals today.
The website again is edyong dot com slash Devotionals book
forward to connecting with you there. Now, let's get into
today's message with Pastor Ed jan.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
The church is a table where people come to get fed.
The table, Yeah, the table just mentioned seventy two times
in the Bible the table.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
The Old Testament, you.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Had the table of shoe bread which was in the temple.
There was bread on it, representing God fulfilling our spiritual hunger.
Then you have in Psalm twenty three David saying, God
will set a table for me in the presence of
my enemies. Then you go to the New Testament. I'm
(01:49):
sure Jesus as a carpenter, built tables. And then you
have the disciples reclining at the table. And then we
will have a forever feast in heaven at the table
with the Lord Jesus himself. So the church is the
table where people come to get fed.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Here's another statement.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
The nourishment from the food gives us the ability to
push away from the table and to do what God
has called us to do. So the church is the
table where people come to get fed. The food nourishes us,
gives us the calories to do what God wants us
(02:38):
to do. And then another statement, a third statement about
the table is the table has chairs around it, and
a functioning church should have movement in the chairs, because
the church should be a place wherehere comfortably uncomfortable, we're
(03:03):
comforted by Christ.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
But we're uncomfortable for him, comfortably.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Uncomfortable, Jesus said a radical statement.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I mean, he said many, but this is this is
something that is just so so powerful.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
He said about carbohydrates in John chapter six, verse thirty five.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I am the bread of life, he said.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
If you eat the bread, then you're gonna live forever.
It satisfies us eternally.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I can believe that's bread all day long. Oh, I
believe it's bread. I believe these are these are carved.
I believe it. I believe it. I believe it factually. Yeah, but.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I've not really done anything with the bread. And until
I eat the bread and digest it. That's what it
means when you see the word believe in the New Testament,
believe in Jesus.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
It's not just like intellectually going okay, yeah, yeah, I
believe that. I believe this is a table and chairs
and that's bread. No, it's more than that. It is
a total commitment.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
It's taking Jesus inside of your life.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
The church is a table where people come to get fed.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
The calories give us the ability to push away and
serve others.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
And the table has chairs around it.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
In this first chair you've got the lead communicator, the
dude with the food, the pastor, and I'm serving the
bread of life again, John six thirty five, hopefully and
prayerfully in a creative and compelling way. The bread of
life does not deserve the half.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Baked presentation, does it. I mean, the bread of life
half baked presentation. You got to be kidding me.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
We should put forth our best energy and our best
effort to serve the food in an innovative way.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Well as the pastor.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
I mean, I have a theological education, I've done doctoral work,
I've studied the original languages.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
I can talk over your head like that, But what
good is that? I mean you could talk over my
head in your area of expertise as well. It's not
about that.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Jesus told stories, read his word, simple yet profound, Simple
as not shallow.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Simple is where we have to serve the food.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
If you cannot explain something to me in a simple way,
you don't understand it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
My friend. It's easy to keep.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
The Bible complex, but theah to take the complex.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
The complex carbs, and make them understandable so we can
eat them. Man. That is That's where it's at, and
it's worth the work. So the chairs. Let's talk about
the chairs for a.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Second, because any biblically functioning community should have chairs.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And there are three chairs.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
That I want to specifically talk about. And you when
you go old school and write stuff down, you remember
it better. And that's why I've done this because hopefully
you can remember it because it's so so so critical.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Chair one.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
This chair right here, that is the chair chair one
of the church to unchurched, the churched un church. What
is that, Well, it's the pre Christian the church in church.
We have so many in chair one in Dallas for
at Worth. One of the reasons I did not want
to come to Dallas back in the.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Day is because there were just too many churches.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Up here, big steeple, few people, churches, too many seminaries,
too many televangelists, too many churches. I did not want
to come to Dallas.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I just didn't. I'm glad I did. I love Dallas.
God called me.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
I didn't hear his audible voice, but he spoke to
my spirit, which I can't really explain, to lead Lisa
and I hear to help start Fellowship Church. Well, one
of the things that caused tension in this was man.
There are so many churches, there's so many people with
(07:34):
FAU faith in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
So many people will say, oh, yeah, I'm a Christian.
But then I'll go, well, okay, where do you go
to church? Uh?
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Man, my father was Episcopalian and my my I haven't gone. Well,
if you're not actively involved and engaged in the local church,
the Bride of Christ, you're probably not a Christian.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
I'm not trying to get you to doubt your salvation.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
I'm just saying, based on what I know about the Bible,
because Jesus said I will know my followers, and my
followers will know me by my voice.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
The Bible says we'll produce fruit. Well, we'll see it.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
We're saved by grace through faith, period, nothing at it.
Yet we're going to show people. People will be able
to see that we're followers of Christ. Well, we have
a lot of people at Fellowship who are church unchurched.
Why did they come to Fellowship church? Well, because of
the aroma of the freshly baked bread John six forty four.
(08:42):
No one can come to me see it unless the
Father who sent me draws them. If you're a Christian,
what kind of aroma do you have I mean, are
you stinking up the joint? Or do you have that
aroma that draws people to you at the golf course,
(09:06):
at the Orange Theory class, while you're crossfitting, while you're
playing golf, while you're shopping, while you're at the school,
in the locker room, whatever do you have that about you?
God wants those of us to share samples of the
(09:27):
bread of life with hungry hunks of humanity who are
filing by.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
That's why people are drawn to Fellowship church.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
And chair one, quite frankly, is the most important chair
in the church, any church anywhere, if it's a Bible believing,
Bible teaching church, the most important chair is chair one.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Now, why can you say that? How can you say that? Well,
Jesus said it. It's pretty good.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
And without chair one, without someone having an eye opportunity
to become a believer, you don't even have discipleship. You
don't have worship, you don't have missions, you don't have
the whole deal.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You're listening to the creative connection with Ed Young, stay
with us to hear more encouragement from Ed before we
get back to today's message. Most of us spend our
lives avoiding pain at every turn, so when we inevitably
experience pain, it sends us into a tailspin and we
can wonder if God even cares. We want to help
(10:30):
you discover how your faith can deepen even in the
most tragic circumstances by sending you Ed and Lisa's powerful
book A Path through Pain. This resource is our thanks
for your gift to help connect faith to everyday life
for more people around the world through the creative Connection.
So head over to Edyong dot com to give and
(10:51):
request your copy. Again, that's Edyong dot com slash give.
Now let's get back to today's message.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
I remember Jesus told the story.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
It's very interesting about inviting people to church, because we're
called those of us who were believers to invite people
to share the good news when God gives us the
opportunity to people who.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Are far away from God.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
In Luke chapter fourteen, he told this story about a
wealthy guy. And this wealthy guy was putting on a
massive barbecue. So he invited his heavy hitter friend to
this massive barbecue. And back in the day, the wealthy
not only would invite you, not only would they text
you and send you an invitation, they would send their
(11:38):
servants out to go.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
The food is ready. Come on. So he sent the servants.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Out, and one guy goes, man, i'd like to I know,
I said I'd be there, but I can't.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
I'm in this real estate deal. Well okay. They go
to another guy. Oh, I can't do it. I'm in
the cattle business and I gotta.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Buy some world cattle. This is in the Bible, not
the word business, but it's in the Bible. He went
to another wealthy guy. Uh, you know, I can't right now.
I'm planning this destination wedding in Cabo and it's gonna
cost me an armond leg I just can't go. So
Jesus tells his story about this wealthy man. He really
(12:25):
really was hurt.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
He was devastated. And look what he said in Luke
chapter fourteen.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Then the Master the heavy hitter told his servant go
out to the roads and the country lanes, forget these
other people and compel them to come in so that
my house will be full. I tell you, not one
of those who were invited will taste of my banquet.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Ouch.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Now here's what's so crazy about chair one. Every Christian
I've ever met wants to reach people until you start
reaching people. Every believer wants to reach people until you
start reaching people. Because once you start reaching people, not
all of us, but once you start reaching people, you've
(13:19):
got to change.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
You've got to tweak some stuff.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You're gonna do things that might make you a little
bit un comfortable. All hell breaks loose when you go.
You know what we're gonna We're gonna be a church
of chair one. Now, this is not the only chair,
believe me, the other chairs are just as important. However,
for spiritual maturity to really happen, we've gotta be chair.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Aware, chair aware. Here we are sitting at the table. Okay,
I've got somebody at my table.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
And they've never met Lisa and I all right, cool,
I've got somebody and I'll talk about Chair two in
a second.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
They kind of know it a little bit, but not
really well.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
And Chair three, oh man, they're like family. So if
I launch in a story, launch into some story. If
I do, I love to tell stories about something I've
done in my life, I'm not gonna act like this
person's not there. I'm not going to use you know,
inside humor or words and only this chair understands. I'm
(14:34):
going to bring everybody into context. So that's what we
do at Fellowship Church.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
It's that simple. So Chair one would be those who
are far away from God. So you have the invitation,
then you have the preparation. You got to prepare the food.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Prepare it, prepare it, pray, ask the Holy Spirit of
God to lead and to God think through. That's what
we do at our church. And then the presentation. Man,
the presentation matters, doesn't it. Again, no half baked stuff
(15:12):
at the church. But there's another chair, Chair two. Chair
two is the brand new believer. That's someone who has
just been born again. I'm talking about a baby in Christ.
I'm talking about a Gerber dining, nap timing baby.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
And we have a lot of baby believers at Fellowship Church.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
That's great. I mean, it's just awesome. We all love babies.
But I don't want people to remain babies. I mean,
as a parent now, as a grandparent, I want maturity.
I want them to develop. But many are born again
(15:54):
right here. And when God wants to birth a bunch
of baby believers, he looks for the warmest incubator he
can find. Hebrews chapter six verse one.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
I love this.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us
press on to maturity.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Hmm. I like that.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Press on to maturity now, physical maturity is something that's
kind of happens.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
I mean, just you know, we just mature Monday. You
know you're mature. But when you're mature, you don't go
around going I'm mature. No, you don't. You don't do that.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
You don't say that, you just are mature. Well, let's
go back though to the mdmature into stage that we've
all been in. We've all been in chair one, right,
we've all been in Chaer two. Some of us are
in cheer two now. Some mature one now, but cheer two,
cheer two. We go through stages and cheer two. Three stages.
(16:52):
The first is the pacifier stage, the second is the
puberty stage, and then the third stage is the mature
stage that I alluded to just a second ago, the
passifier stage. Don't remain in the passifier stage. Remain in
(17:13):
this chair, grow through the motions. Okay, I'm in chair two, great,
and now I'm going to progress to chair three.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Well, to go through that, you got to go and
sit in the high chair. But in Dallas Fort Worth,
we have a lot of people that.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Just remain here in their stinky diapers and they're pacifiers. Passifire,
fall out.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I want to get fed.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
That church is not meeting my knees, my my my,
I mean me, me, me, my, my my, and I
have wine before we all have I get it, I
get it. Babies are gonna act like babies. But you
don't sit here, you don't stay here. That's that's fine
(18:13):
if you want to sit there.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
But we're not gonna turn our backs on the hunk
of humanity filing by in the elements. I mean, we're
gonna love you and.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Take care of you, but we're not gonna do that.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Then the next stage would be, oh, it's one of
my favorite stages, the puberty stage. I'm talking about teenagers,
those pimple popping, hip hopping, intimacy stopping parents people. Again,
it's the stage we go and grow through. But normally
(18:52):
when you're talking to someone selfish and miistic, you're talking
to a spiritual teenager. Again, these are natural stages and
we go through them. Chair two, we're born again.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
H chair I chair.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Then we go to this puberty thing and goes through it.
Then Chair three. We have so many people and chare
three fellowship church. Those are full court followers of Christ.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Chair one church unchurched. Chair two. I'm a newbie brand
new born again.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Chair three, full court follower of Christ. You know, we
don't live to eat. We eat to lift the calories
give us the ability to push away and do the stuff.
(19:56):
We're not just to sit here.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
And get fat. We're to push away and to do
what God's called us to do. My food, Jesus said,
is to do the will of.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Him who sent me, and to finish his work Hebrews
five fourteen. But solid food is for the mature, who,
by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish between good
and evil.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Our menu the Word of God, the Bible. We're a
Bible teaching, Bible believing church. The venue. The church is
the only thing God ever built, Jesus ever built. I mean.
Parachurch groups are great.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Parachurch organizations, awesome Christian school, Christian university, if there is
such a thing anymore.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
All those things are great. But there's nothing like the
local church. There's nothing.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
It's the hope of the world. It's the bride of Christ.
So the menu is the Bible, the venue is the church.
The revenue changed lives. So if I am mature, it's
the three s's I'm serving.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
I'm getting outside of myself. And here's the cool thing.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
As I serve, Jesus comes alongside me, and he.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Serves with me. I share. I share.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
When God gives me the opportunity, I share, I share,
and Jesus shares with me as I share.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
How great is that I sow.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
My resources and as I sow, Jesus shows it to
my life. Mature man, this is great, Jesus said, count
the cost Luke fourteen. There's a relational cost. My best
friends must be believers, and that's not easy. And as
a single I need to date only at those who
(21:55):
are believers, who are followers of Christ. And if you
take that tax serious, two thirds of the potential candidates.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Are off the table.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
We got quiet, I understand, but I'm telling you the
Christian relationship is the best.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
I'm just telling you that there's a time cost. You
got to go. Okay, I'm going to schedule.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Time to spend in the word, time to talk to
God and listen in prayer, time, time to show up
at church, you know, time, and then there's a financial
price or cost, you know, and then think about this,
think about how much people sacrificed.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
To bring you to this point. What are you going
to do?
Speaker 3 (22:42):
What am I going to do for the next and
the next and the next? And the Bible is very
clear that our offering, our our tie. The first ten
percent of everything we make goes to the local church.
And I don't you know, I don't care if you
make one hundred million a year to one thousand a year.
God's not like, oh wow, you make one hundred million
(23:03):
a year. That's a lot. It's just it's just you
have an opportunity to give that first ten percent, just
like the person making ten thousand has that opportunity.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
And that's you know, while we're blessed, we're blessed to
be a blessing.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
So the church at the table where people come to
get bed, the nourishment gives us the ability to push
away and do what God wants us to do.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
And the chairs were in a constant state of motion.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Pick out your chair one, two, or three, pick out
your next step, your next commitment. But I want to
end with this vastly important chair. Chair three if your
chair three.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Just to remind you, this is for me too. Are
you stepping out of the shade, away from the picnic people.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Into the heat, and are you giving samples love the
Savior to so many people God has put in your life.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Thanks for joining us today on the Creative Connection with
Ed Young. We hope you've been encouraged as Ed's shown
you how you can connect your faith to everyday life.
We'd love to help you even more in your spiritual
journey by sending you Ati Lisa Jung's book A Path
through Pain. This resource will help you see God's presence,
(24:34):
love and care in the middle of your suffering. And
it's our thanks for your gift to help connect faith
to everyday life for more people around the world. Just
head over to Eddyong dot com slash give to request
your copy. Again, that's Edyong dot com slash give. Thank
you for your support. We'll see you next time on
(24:54):
the Creative Connection
Welcome to the Creative Connection with Ed Young. We're glad
you've joined us today to hear ED connect faith to
everyday life. Before we get to today's message, we want
to invite you to head online and sign up for
Ed's daily email devotionals covering relevant topics like forgiveness, anxiety,
and purposeful living.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
These life giving emails.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Will provide you with a spark of encouragement write in
your inbox every single day. Each one contains a piece
of scripture as well as encouragement from Ed to help
you think about and apply biblical truths to your life.
There's also a guided prayer at the end of each email.
Just visit edyong dot com slash emails to sign up now,
(00:42):
and while you're there, you can also browse previous devotionals
as well as watch and listen to messages from Ed.
So sign up to start receiving your daily devotionals today.
The website again is edyong dot com slash Devotionals book
forward to connecting with you there. Now, let's get into
today's message with Pastor Ed jan.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
The church is a table where people come to get fed.
The table, Yeah, the table just mentioned seventy two times
in the Bible the table.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
The Old Testament, you.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Had the table of shoe bread which was in the temple.
There was bread on it, representing God fulfilling our spiritual hunger.
Then you have in Psalm twenty three David saying, God
will set a table for me in the presence of
my enemies. Then you go to the New Testament. I'm
(01:49):
sure Jesus as a carpenter, built tables. And then you
have the disciples reclining at the table. And then we
will have a forever feast in heaven at the table
with the Lord Jesus himself. So the church is the
table where people come to get fed.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Here's another statement.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
The nourishment from the food gives us the ability to
push away from the table and to do what God
has called us to do. So the church is the
table where people come to get fed. The food nourishes us,
gives us the calories to do what God wants us
(02:38):
to do. And then another statement, a third statement about
the table is the table has chairs around it, and
a functioning church should have movement in the chairs, because
the church should be a place wherehere comfortably uncomfortable, we're
(03:03):
comforted by Christ.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
But we're uncomfortable for him, comfortably.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Uncomfortable, Jesus said a radical statement.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I mean, he said many, but this is this is
something that is just so so powerful.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
He said about carbohydrates in John chapter six, verse thirty five.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
I am the bread of life, he said.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
If you eat the bread, then you're gonna live forever.
It satisfies us eternally.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I can believe that's bread all day long. Oh, I
believe it's bread. I believe these are these are carved.
I believe it. I believe it. I believe it factually. Yeah, but.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I've not really done anything with the bread. And until
I eat the bread and digest it. That's what it
means when you see the word believe in the New Testament,
believe in Jesus.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
It's not just like intellectually going okay, yeah, yeah, I
believe that. I believe this is a table and chairs
and that's bread. No, it's more than that. It is
a total commitment.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
It's taking Jesus inside of your life.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
The church is a table where people come to get fed.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
The calories give us the ability to push away and
serve others.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
And the table has chairs around it.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
In this first chair you've got the lead communicator, the
dude with the food, the pastor, and I'm serving the
bread of life again, John six thirty five, hopefully and
prayerfully in a creative and compelling way. The bread of
life does not deserve the half.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Baked presentation, does it. I mean, the bread of life
half baked presentation. You got to be kidding me.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
We should put forth our best energy and our best
effort to serve the food in an innovative way.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Well as the pastor.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
I mean, I have a theological education, I've done doctoral work,
I've studied the original languages.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
I can talk over your head like that, But what
good is that? I mean you could talk over my
head in your area of expertise as well. It's not
about that.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Jesus told stories, read his word, simple yet profound, Simple
as not shallow.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Simple is where we have to serve the food.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
If you cannot explain something to me in a simple way,
you don't understand it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
My friend. It's easy to keep.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
The Bible complex, but theah to take the complex.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
The complex carbs, and make them understandable so we can
eat them. Man. That is That's where it's at, and
it's worth the work. So the chairs. Let's talk about
the chairs for a.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Second, because any biblically functioning community should have chairs.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And there are three chairs.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
That I want to specifically talk about. And you when
you go old school and write stuff down, you remember
it better. And that's why I've done this because hopefully
you can remember it because it's so so so critical.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Chair one.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
This chair right here, that is the chair chair one
of the church to unchurched, the churched un church. What
is that, Well, it's the pre Christian the church in church.
We have so many in chair one in Dallas for
at Worth. One of the reasons I did not want
to come to Dallas back in the.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Day is because there were just too many churches.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Up here, big steeple, few people, churches, too many seminaries,
too many televangelists, too many churches. I did not want
to come to Dallas.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I just didn't. I'm glad I did. I love Dallas.
God called me.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
I didn't hear his audible voice, but he spoke to
my spirit, which I can't really explain, to lead Lisa
and I hear to help start Fellowship Church. Well, one
of the things that caused tension in this was man.
There are so many churches, there's so many people with
(07:34):
FAU faith in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
So many people will say, oh, yeah, I'm a Christian.
But then I'll go, well, okay, where do you go
to church? Uh?
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Man, my father was Episcopalian and my my I haven't gone. Well,
if you're not actively involved and engaged in the local church,
the Bride of Christ, you're probably not a Christian.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
I'm not trying to get you to doubt your salvation.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
I'm just saying, based on what I know about the Bible,
because Jesus said I will know my followers, and my
followers will know me by my voice.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
The Bible says we'll produce fruit. Well, we'll see it.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
We're saved by grace through faith, period, nothing at it.
Yet we're going to show people. People will be able
to see that we're followers of Christ. Well, we have
a lot of people at Fellowship who are church unchurched.
Why did they come to Fellowship church? Well, because of
the aroma of the freshly baked bread John six forty four.
(08:42):
No one can come to me see it unless the
Father who sent me draws them. If you're a Christian,
what kind of aroma do you have I mean, are
you stinking up the joint? Or do you have that
aroma that draws people to you at the golf course,
(09:06):
at the Orange Theory class, while you're crossfitting, while you're
playing golf, while you're shopping, while you're at the school,
in the locker room, whatever do you have that about you?
God wants those of us to share samples of the
(09:27):
bread of life with hungry hunks of humanity who are
filing by.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
That's why people are drawn to Fellowship church.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
And chair one, quite frankly, is the most important chair
in the church, any church anywhere, if it's a Bible believing,
Bible teaching church, the most important chair is chair one.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Now, why can you say that? How can you say that? Well,
Jesus said it. It's pretty good.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
And without chair one, without someone having an eye opportunity
to become a believer, you don't even have discipleship. You
don't have worship, you don't have missions, you don't have
the whole deal.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You're listening to the creative connection with Ed Young, stay
with us to hear more encouragement from Ed before we
get back to today's message. Most of us spend our
lives avoiding pain at every turn, so when we inevitably
experience pain, it sends us into a tailspin and we
can wonder if God even cares. We want to help
(10:30):
you discover how your faith can deepen even in the
most tragic circumstances by sending you Ed and Lisa's powerful
book A Path through Pain. This resource is our thanks
for your gift to help connect faith to everyday life
for more people around the world through the creative Connection.
So head over to Edyong dot com to give and
(10:51):
request your copy. Again, that's Edyong dot com slash give.
Now let's get back to today's message.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
I remember Jesus told the story.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
It's very interesting about inviting people to church, because we're
called those of us who were believers to invite people
to share the good news when God gives us the
opportunity to people who.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Are far away from God.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
In Luke chapter fourteen, he told this story about a
wealthy guy. And this wealthy guy was putting on a
massive barbecue. So he invited his heavy hitter friend to
this massive barbecue. And back in the day, the wealthy
not only would invite you, not only would they text
you and send you an invitation, they would send their
(11:38):
servants out to go.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
The food is ready. Come on. So he sent the servants.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Out, and one guy goes, man, i'd like to I know,
I said I'd be there, but I can't.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
I'm in this real estate deal. Well okay. They go
to another guy. Oh, I can't do it. I'm in
the cattle business and I gotta.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Buy some world cattle. This is in the Bible, not
the word business, but it's in the Bible. He went
to another wealthy guy. Uh, you know, I can't right now.
I'm planning this destination wedding in Cabo and it's gonna
cost me an armond leg I just can't go. So
Jesus tells his story about this wealthy man. He really
(12:25):
really was hurt.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
He was devastated. And look what he said in Luke
chapter fourteen.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Then the Master the heavy hitter told his servant go
out to the roads and the country lanes, forget these
other people and compel them to come in so that
my house will be full. I tell you, not one
of those who were invited will taste of my banquet.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Ouch.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Now here's what's so crazy about chair one. Every Christian
I've ever met wants to reach people until you start
reaching people. Every believer wants to reach people until you
start reaching people. Because once you start reaching people, not
all of us, but once you start reaching people, you've
(13:19):
got to change.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
You've got to tweak some stuff.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You're gonna do things that might make you a little
bit un comfortable. All hell breaks loose when you go.
You know what we're gonna We're gonna be a church
of chair one. Now, this is not the only chair,
believe me, the other chairs are just as important. However,
for spiritual maturity to really happen, we've gotta be chair.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Aware, chair aware. Here we are sitting at the table. Okay,
I've got somebody at my table.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
And they've never met Lisa and I all right, cool,
I've got somebody and I'll talk about Chair two in
a second.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
They kind of know it a little bit, but not
really well.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
And Chair three, oh man, they're like family. So if
I launch in a story, launch into some story. If
I do, I love to tell stories about something I've
done in my life, I'm not gonna act like this
person's not there. I'm not going to use you know,
inside humor or words and only this chair understands. I'm
(14:34):
going to bring everybody into context. So that's what we
do at Fellowship Church.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
It's that simple. So Chair one would be those who
are far away from God. So you have the invitation,
then you have the preparation. You got to prepare the food.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Prepare it, prepare it, pray, ask the Holy Spirit of
God to lead and to God think through. That's what
we do at our church. And then the presentation. Man,
the presentation matters, doesn't it. Again, no half baked stuff
(15:12):
at the church. But there's another chair, Chair two. Chair
two is the brand new believer. That's someone who has
just been born again. I'm talking about a baby in Christ.
I'm talking about a Gerber dining, nap timing baby.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
And we have a lot of baby believers at Fellowship Church.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
That's great. I mean, it's just awesome. We all love babies.
But I don't want people to remain babies. I mean,
as a parent now, as a grandparent, I want maturity.
I want them to develop. But many are born again
(15:54):
right here. And when God wants to birth a bunch
of baby believers, he looks for the warmest incubator he
can find. Hebrews chapter six verse one.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
I love this.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us
press on to maturity.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Hmm. I like that.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Press on to maturity now, physical maturity is something that's
kind of happens.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
I mean, just you know, we just mature Monday. You
know you're mature. But when you're mature, you don't go
around going I'm mature. No, you don't. You don't do that.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
You don't say that, you just are mature. Well, let's
go back though to the mdmature into stage that we've
all been in. We've all been in chair one, right,
we've all been in Chaer two. Some of us are
in cheer two now. Some mature one now, but cheer two,
cheer two. We go through stages and cheer two. Three stages.
(16:52):
The first is the pacifier stage, the second is the
puberty stage, and then the third stage is the mature
stage that I alluded to just a second ago, the
passifier stage. Don't remain in the passifier stage. Remain in
(17:13):
this chair, grow through the motions. Okay, I'm in chair two, great,
and now I'm going to progress to chair three.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Well, to go through that, you got to go and
sit in the high chair. But in Dallas Fort Worth,
we have a lot of people that.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Just remain here in their stinky diapers and they're pacifiers. Passifire,
fall out.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I want to get fed.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
That church is not meeting my knees, my my my,
I mean me, me, me, my, my my, and I
have wine before we all have I get it, I
get it. Babies are gonna act like babies. But you
don't sit here, you don't stay here. That's that's fine
(18:13):
if you want to sit there.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
But we're not gonna turn our backs on the hunk
of humanity filing by in the elements. I mean, we're
gonna love you and.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Take care of you, but we're not gonna do that.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Then the next stage would be, oh, it's one of
my favorite stages, the puberty stage. I'm talking about teenagers,
those pimple popping, hip hopping, intimacy stopping parents people. Again,
it's the stage we go and grow through. But normally
(18:52):
when you're talking to someone selfish and miistic, you're talking
to a spiritual teenager. Again, these are natural stages and
we go through them. Chair two, we're born again.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
H chair I chair.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Then we go to this puberty thing and goes through it.
Then Chair three. We have so many people and chare
three fellowship church. Those are full court followers of Christ.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Chair one church unchurched. Chair two. I'm a newbie brand
new born again.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Chair three, full court follower of Christ. You know, we
don't live to eat. We eat to lift the calories
give us the ability to push away and do the stuff.
(19:56):
We're not just to sit here.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
And get fat. We're to push away and to do
what God's called us to do. My food, Jesus said,
is to do the will of.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Him who sent me, and to finish his work Hebrews
five fourteen. But solid food is for the mature, who,
by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish between good
and evil.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Our menu the Word of God, the Bible. We're a
Bible teaching, Bible believing church. The venue. The church is
the only thing God ever built, Jesus ever built. I mean.
Parachurch groups are great.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Parachurch organizations, awesome Christian school, Christian university, if there is
such a thing anymore.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
All those things are great. But there's nothing like the
local church. There's nothing.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
It's the hope of the world. It's the bride of Christ.
So the menu is the Bible, the venue is the church.
The revenue changed lives. So if I am mature, it's
the three s's I'm serving.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
I'm getting outside of myself. And here's the cool thing.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
As I serve, Jesus comes alongside me, and he.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Serves with me. I share. I share.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
When God gives me the opportunity, I share, I share,
and Jesus shares with me as I share.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
How great is that I sow.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
My resources and as I sow, Jesus shows it to
my life. Mature man, this is great, Jesus said, count
the cost Luke fourteen. There's a relational cost. My best
friends must be believers, and that's not easy. And as
a single I need to date only at those who
(21:55):
are believers, who are followers of Christ. And if you
take that tax serious, two thirds of the potential candidates.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Are off the table.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
We got quiet, I understand, but I'm telling you the
Christian relationship is the best.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
I'm just telling you that there's a time cost. You
got to go. Okay, I'm going to schedule.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Time to spend in the word, time to talk to
God and listen in prayer, time, time to show up
at church, you know, time, and then there's a financial
price or cost, you know, and then think about this,
think about how much people sacrificed.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
To bring you to this point. What are you going
to do?
Speaker 3 (22:42):
What am I going to do for the next and
the next and the next? And the Bible is very
clear that our offering, our our tie. The first ten
percent of everything we make goes to the local church.
And I don't you know, I don't care if you
make one hundred million a year to one thousand a year.
God's not like, oh wow, you make one hundred million
(23:03):
a year. That's a lot. It's just it's just you
have an opportunity to give that first ten percent, just
like the person making ten thousand has that opportunity.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
And that's you know, while we're blessed, we're blessed to
be a blessing.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
So the church at the table where people come to
get bed, the nourishment gives us the ability to push
away and do what God wants us to do.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
And the chairs were in a constant state of motion.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Pick out your chair one, two, or three, pick out
your next step, your next commitment. But I want to
end with this vastly important chair. Chair three if your
chair three.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Just to remind you, this is for me too. Are
you stepping out of the shade, away from the picnic people.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Into the heat, and are you giving samples love the
Savior to so many people God has put in your life.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Thanks for joining us today on the Creative Connection with
Ed Young. We hope you've been encouraged as Ed's shown
you how you can connect your faith to everyday life.
We'd love to help you even more in your spiritual
journey by sending you Ati Lisa Jung's book A Path
through Pain. This resource will help you see God's presence,
(24:34):
love and care in the middle of your suffering. And
it's our thanks for your gift to help connect faith
to everyday life for more people around the world. Just
head over to Eddyong dot com slash give to request
your copy. Again, that's Edyong dot com slash give. Thank
you for your support. We'll see you next time on
(24:54):
the Creative Connection
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