July 10, 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. These life giving emails will provide you
(00:22):
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edyong dot com slash emails to sign up now, and
(00:42):
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to connecting with you there. Now, let's get into today's
message with Pastor Ed Young.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through someone's lips to
your fingertips. We remember ten percent of what we read,
twenty percent of what we hear, thirty percent what we see,
like fifty percent of what we see, and hear seventy
(01:27):
percent of what we write. So that's why we got
the number two pencil, and that's why.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
We have the outlines. Are you ready?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
We're talking about our church and the name of our
church is what.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
That's right, You can't miss it. Fellowship.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Fellowship is not just something that we are, it's something
that we do. Fellowship f E llow ship. The fellowship
difference F stands for we're focused missionally E. We're engaged creatively.
We're magging the image of our creative creator. Thus we
(02:05):
should create l We love radically. We've never locked eyes
with someone who does not matter to God. Also, we
learn enthusiastically. I love that word enthusiasm in THEOS. It
means in God. Oh, we're organized simply. We're organized simply. Well,
(02:27):
today we're going to finish up the letters of fellowship.
We're talking about the w ship, right, so the W
give me a w here's the blank. We worship holistically.
We worship holistically. I've not signed very many autographs in
my life, but when I played basketball at Florida State.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
I did sign some autographs.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I spent most of my career on the bench, but
even though I was a bench warmer, I still would
sign autographs after game. Usually away games, we would emerge
from our locker room and little kids would come up
and they would ask every player with a Florida State
bag for an autograph, and I would sign my name,
and usually I would sign Romans Chapter twelve, Verse one.
(03:16):
Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, wholly and pleasing to God.
This is your spiritual act of say with me worship.
So I should be about worship. Everybody worships. Everybody does,
whether they're a believer or not. We express our love
to something or someone. We learned last time that worship
(03:40):
is expressing love to God.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
We are the object of God's love.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Once we respond to God's love, we become a follower
of Christ. Well, the first public aspect of worship is baptism.
How should I be baptized? When we have a question,
we we don't say what does history say? We don't
say what do I say? We don't say what does
(04:06):
the culture say? We say what does the Bible say?
It doesn't matter if you were sprintsed, sprinkled or poured.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
My wife was sprinkled.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
As far as baptism, we want to baptize the way
the Bible baptized. So here's why we do this. Why
should I be baptized? Pretty good question. Christ commanded it.
I mean, really, that's all I need to say. It
wasn't like an option. He didn't say, well maybe if
you feel like it, you know, he said, he said,
(04:36):
gat baptized. Why baptism illustrates something? What's the meaning?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Here we go?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
It's the death, burial and resurrection. That's what the meaning is.
It's Christ's death, burial and resurrection. There are two ordinances
of the Church. Both symbolize the death, burial and the
resurrection of Jesus, the Lord's Supper.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
You might say.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Communion, death burial and resurrection. Baptism the death, burial and resurrection.
Baptism is the wedding ring of the Christian life. The
lawyer might ask a question, well, technically, can you be
a believer? Can you be a follower of Christ without
being baptized?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:21):
If though you can, if you're physically able, get baptized.
It's the wedding ring of the Christian life. If I
take this wedding ring off, am I still married?
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
So I can be a Christian with about being baptized. However,
get baptized, and we baptize people who've been paralyzed several
from the neck down. Jesus had to walk like thirty
or forty miles out of the way just to get
baptized by immersion, and that answers the next question. How
should I be baptized by immersion by being dunked? I'm
not talking about lebron James coast to coast but no, no,
(05:54):
I'm talking about under the water, and we only hold
people under the water for about I don't know, ten
or five team minutes, not that long. Who should be baptized?
Everyone who has believed, so get baptized on the right
side of salvation. Using my wife again, she was baptized
as an infant. That's awesome when she was old enough
(06:16):
though to make a faith decision. Then she was baptized
after after she had this personal relationship. So you wear
the wedding ring after you say I do. When should
I get baptized as soon as I have believed?
Speaker 3 (06:35):
At Fellowship, we're big on social media. We love social media.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
And I've tried to give you some things that you
can post on social media.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
And here is the phrase that pays. Are you ready
for it?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
This would be a great thing to tweet out or
to instagram whatever. True worship is not just what happens
in here, it's what happens out there. But what happens
in here affects what happens out there. As a believer,
let me say this again. As a believer, I don't
(07:08):
come to Fellowship to worship. I come worshiping the way
I deal with the relationships in my life, the way
I deal with finances, the way I deal with where
I go.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
What I say should be an act of worship.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Everything I do, say, touch and feel should be an
act of worship. I become a follower of Christ, and
my first outward expression of that is baptism, Give in
an s share generously. I love Fellowship Church because we're
church that shares generously. We share generously. We have such
(07:45):
a generous church. Think about it. Let me just think
about it. What eight ten years ago, five services right here, everybody.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
In one house.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
And sometimes the selfish side of me is like I
wish we could.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Go back to just one location.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
You know, have all of this incredible crazy talent in
one place. You know, the music thumping, everything is totally
freaked up.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
It's just ridiculous. But here's what happened.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
We decided to tap some leaders on the shoulders and
start these other campuses. And it happens, and it happened,
and it will happen because of your outrageous, contagious generosity.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Our church is very generous.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
If you look at people who are generous, you're looking
at people who are mature. We share generously. Seco Corinthian,
Chapter nine, verse six and verse eleven. Whoever sews sparingly
will also reap sparingly. I mean, if I drop a
few little seeds, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna expect
(08:51):
to reap generously if I if I sow seeds sparingly,
I don't expect to reap generously. But if I sow
a bunch of seed generously, I'm going to reap generously.
Am I Am I going too rapid for people?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
No? I think you got it.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
So whoever sows sparingly reaps sparingly, whoever sows generously reaps generously,
You'll be enriched whoa in every way, so that you
can be generous on every occasion and through us, your
generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. Here's what's so
interesting about generosity. It reflects the character of God. Why
(09:37):
why do why do people have this this this desire
for generosity.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
It's because of God. Even if you're not a follower,
you have this.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Man, I want to be generous, and especially around the
holiday season or certain times birthdays, you just I want to.
I want to, I want to bless somebody. I want
to I want to give somebody something. Somebody gets somebody something.
We have this desire was from God. It also builds
the church. I'm talking now about biblical generosity. It builds
(10:09):
to church. The only thing Jesus ever built was the Church.
Schools are great, hospitals are great. All that's great. Five
and one seed, threes are great, charities are great. Guess
what they're not the church. The Church is the ultimate.
The only thing that lasts forever is the Church. Also,
it breaks the back of materialism when I'm generous.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
I don't know about you, but I struggle with materialism.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And if I didn't, if I didn't give generously, I
would think the stuff I have is my stuff. Guess what,
my stuff ain't my stuff. You might think your stuff
is your stuff. All you gotta do is die because
you ain't gonna bring your stuff with you to the
next side.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
So your stuff ain't your stuff.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Everything I have is God's. God's a generous God, John
three point sixteen.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
For God so loved the world that he gaate.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
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 you discover
(11:23):
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 request your copy. Again,
(11:45):
that's Edyong dot com slash give. Now let's get back
to today's message.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
So when I give, I'm reflecting his nature and character.
I'm building the church, Isn't it?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Isn't that? Isn't that awesome?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
And I'm breaking the back boom of materialism? If not,
you know, I think it's all mine. I've met people
who don't have very much and they're generous. I've also
met people who don't have very much who have the
poverty miser mentality. On the other hand, I one time
(12:28):
spent the night on a yacht years ago with somebody
who's worth a bunch of money.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Selfish as all get out. I like that word selfish.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
When you're selfish, yourself smells like a fish. I also
know somebody who has a large portfolio who's very generous.
So materialism begins where your income ends. Do you understand
that if you make fifty thousand dollars a year? Are
(13:00):
the people that make fifty grand a year they're not materialistic?
Speaker 3 (13:02):
But oh, you.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Make three hundred thousand a year, girl, you're materialistic. I mean,
if I had that money, I wouldn't be spending it
like that.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
And then interesting, can I have the money back?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah? Thank you? See how quickly she gave it back?
Boom that quick one wasn't hers. God says, here, here's
the pile of stuff I've given you, And God says,
I mean return to me as a minimum worship requirement
ten percent.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
It's not ours. Do do we do that? Do we say? No,
man's mine. It's that treasure test.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
And you know, in my life and in the lives
of so many people, I think it's one of the
biggest tests that.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
We have because money, I mean, is personal.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
It's personal. It's personal. So here's the cool phrase. We
don't get to get. Some people get to get. You know,
I do too. I'm just getting to get. No, we
don't get to get. We get to give. But we
don't give to get.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
We give to live.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Some people, and there's this kind of crazy theology out
there that's not biblical that says, Okay, if you, if
you give, I'm gonna give because when I give, God's
got to give back to me.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I mean, he's got to give me.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Okay, I gave God fitty, He's gonna give me five hundred,
five thousand, maybe five million. God's like an ATM machine,
He's a genie, he's a ups boy.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
God's there from me. No, No, we.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Give to live God says He's gonna bless us. Sometimes
it could be financially, but more often than not, it's
ways that money can't even touch.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Give generously, give to live.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Another thing about fellowship, church, we honor, we honor biblically,
we honor. We have a culture of honor. We honor biblically.
Let's let bring honor back. What do you say and
a fellowship. I'm so excited because you guys bring honor back.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
What am I talking about?
Speaker 2 (15:08):
When I say honor, I'm talking about God's chain of command.
When I'm talking about honor, I'm talking about authority issues.
Everybody deals with authority issues. God has placed authority figures
in our lives to shape us, in the mold us
and to the kind of people that God wants us
to be. There's authority everywhere. There's authority in the family,
there's authority in marriage. There's authority at school, authority in
(15:29):
the corporation, authority at the box where you do CrossFit.
There's authority on the golf course. There's authority everywhere. So
if I'm going to understand how to go to a
whole another.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Level, I've got to get under the authority to go up.
It's just the opposite of what all world says. That
world says, Man.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I'm not gonna I'm not gonna honor you until I
respect you. Well, you might not ever respect this person.
We have to honor the person because of their position.
So God's using someone, even though the person is unfair,
to make you and to the kind of person that
God wants you to be. I've had many people in
(16:09):
my life over the years who were unfair, who were
an authority over me. I didn't like them, and maybe
they didn't like me or whatever. Now looking back, I'm like, WHOA,
thank you God, you use those people to make me
to the kind of person I have today.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Hey kids, I'm talking to you. Hey moms and deaths.
I'm talking to you. A husband, I'm talking to you wife.
I'm talking to you boss. I'm talking to you. Co worker.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I'm talking to you. Pastor, I'm talking to you. Romans
twelve ten. Outdo one another in showing honor. Who do
we honor? Will we honor God? Your God? I'm not God.
I honor you. We honor others, and fellowship has this
culture of honor, and then you honor yourself. So often
(16:59):
we can't honor God or honor others because we've never
honored ourselves. But it starts with God segreates to others,
then boom to ourselves.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Are you honoring people?
Speaker 2 (17:11):
You go to a restaurant after the service, guess what,
You're under the authority of the owner of the restaurant,
and you're under the authority of the manager and under
the authority of the server. So we need to get
under those things God has put over us, so we
can get over those things God has put beneath us.
And that's the phrase that pays get under those things
(17:33):
God has put over you, so you can get over
those things God has put under you.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
So what I'm saying is to go up. You got
to get under.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
And this is the upside down world of God's kingdom.
If you want power and control, you got to give
up power and control. That's when you'll have real power.
Control comes from God.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Give me an eye. We inspire. I love that one
of the things about Fellowship Church. We're inspirational. We inspire strategically.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
We inspire strategically Hebrews ten twenty five.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Let us not give.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing.
But let us encourage one another. It's amazing how many
one anothers you'll see in the Bible. Love one another,
serve one another, pray for one another, on one another,
one another, one another, one another. Let us let us
encourage one another. Almost went into a song right there,
And all the more as you see the day approaching.
(18:33):
So what do we do. Here's what we do. Here's
spiritual maturity. Here's what it means to have a deep
walk with God. It's simple, it's not complex. We want
to make the simple complex. I know it's simple. I
didn't say it's the easy. It's simple. Working out being
in good shape, it's simple. Eat clean, do cardio, strength training.
(18:56):
You'll be in great shape. Well, how do you become
in great shape spiritually? Here we go seeking, not reeking.
I become a believer. Then I seek God. And here's
some homework. I want you to spend ten minutes a
day in a chair somewhere alone with the Word of
(19:17):
God open, and I'm telling you God will speak to you.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Just read and talk to God in prayer. I promise
you He'll speak to you.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
It could be in a lazy boy, it could be
in your study, it could be at your desk. Maybe, ladies,
you got two or three toddlers, you might have to
lock yourself up in the bathroom. Spend that time, that
chair time, seek God, and you will understand what it
(19:44):
means to develop that relationship with Him.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
When I don't do that, When I don't do that,
I reek and we don't want to read. Do we know?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Also, we serve. We're serving, not swerving. We're serving, not swerving.
I'm serving. I'm getting out side of myself. There's a
place for you to serve in the house.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Serve.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
If you're not serving, your swerving, you're hydroplaning over something holy,
and don't do that. Also, sewing not showing. We spend
the most time showing. We're not sowing. We sow our time,
our treasure, our talent. Where the only thing Jesus ever
built the church. We're sharing, not comparing. We're sharing what
(20:31):
Jesus has done in our lives. We're sharing our stuff.
We're sharing. We're generous. Things don't stick to us like
lent to velcrow. They slide off of us like teflon
to the church. I might be saying, man, this dude
rhymes a lot, Well, sue me my mother. My mother
(20:53):
read thousands of nursing rhymes to me while growing up,
and she said, hone antic, I read too many nursing
rhymes to you. But hey, think about the music industry,
hip hop industry. It's all about alliteration and rhyme. And
a lot of the Bible, in the original Hebrew and
the coin a Greek is about rhythm and rhyme. And
we remember things when when you have that, when you
(21:15):
rhyme on the dime, peace of mind. Here's the mind, Okay,
I can't stop. So here's the phrase that pays. If
we aspire asp I r e to inspire, and.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
That's what we do with fellowship.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Will start a fire up, Yes, a fire, and I
love the fire at Fellowship Church.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
It's white hot. Have you ever thought about it? Fellowship church?
Speaker 2 (21:40):
The church is the only institution whose focus is those
who haven't joined yet.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Pretty interesting. Give me a pee.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Pray pray powerfully, pray powerfully. So the church is to
be a place or we pray powerfully? What does it
mean to pray well? James Chapter five, verse sixteen, the
half brother of Jesus said, the prayer of a righteous
man is powerful and effective. Here's how we organize our prayers.
Here's something I've used for a long time. I would
(22:14):
challenge you to journal your prayers while you're having the
chair time. Just have from journal time, p praise God.
What does it mean to praise God? God, You're awesome,
You're amazing. It could be singing to God. It could
be just putting God in his right position, which is
God is sovereign. Are repentance repentance. Now, in my journal,
(22:37):
the praise part is real big. But when it comes
to those sins, I write those really small. Sometimes I'll
just kind of do a blanket confession. I'm sorry when
I mess up, but we should be very specific because
when we're specific, we'll be prolific A sins for ask.
As I praise and repent, then I can ask God.
God is not the candy man. He's not saying to.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
God, he knows what we need.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
He understands that He supplies all of our not greeds,
but needs the Bible says, then we yield to him. God,
I yield to you. You're in control, You're running the show.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
So here is how I like to say it.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
We're always talking about sinking up and stuff prayer is
man sinking up with God, not God sinking up with man.
That's so big because a lot of us get into
those BLTs. I'll say it again, bless me, take care
of me. You know, love me, bless me, love me.
(23:49):
I want to hear your tender touch. Take care of me.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
God. I'll have another BLT.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
And and it's much much more than that. We don't
just say all right, I'm gonna do what I want
to do, and now God you bless it. Oh, I'm
going to live like hell and now God you bless it. No,
we say God prayer. I understand as I'm sinking up
my life with you.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Show me where you're working. I want to join in
on it.
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 at on Lisa Jung's book, A
Path through Pain. This resource will help you see God's presence, love,
(24:35):
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 gift. Thank you for your support.
We'll see you next time on the Creative Connection.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Uh.
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. These life giving emails will provide you
(00:22):
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, and
(00:42):
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 Young.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through someone's lips to
your fingertips. We remember ten percent of what we read,
twenty percent of what we hear, thirty percent what we see,
like fifty percent of what we see, and hear seventy
(01:27):
percent of what we write. So that's why we got
the number two pencil, and that's why.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
We have the outlines. Are you ready?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
We're talking about our church and the name of our
church is what.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
That's right, You can't miss it. Fellowship.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Fellowship is not just something that we are, it's something
that we do. Fellowship f E llow ship. The fellowship
difference F stands for we're focused missionally E. We're engaged creatively.
We're magging the image of our creative creator. Thus we
(02:05):
should create l We love radically. We've never locked eyes
with someone who does not matter to God. Also, we
learn enthusiastically. I love that word enthusiasm in THEOS. It
means in God. Oh, we're organized simply. We're organized simply. Well,
(02:27):
today we're going to finish up the letters of fellowship.
We're talking about the w ship, right, so the W
give me a w here's the blank. We worship holistically.
We worship holistically. I've not signed very many autographs in
my life, but when I played basketball at Florida State.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
I did sign some autographs.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I spent most of my career on the bench, but
even though I was a bench warmer, I still would
sign autographs after game. Usually away games, we would emerge
from our locker room and little kids would come up
and they would ask every player with a Florida State
bag for an autograph, and I would sign my name,
and usually I would sign Romans Chapter twelve, Verse one.
(03:16):
Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, wholly and pleasing to God.
This is your spiritual act of say with me worship.
So I should be about worship. Everybody worships. Everybody does,
whether they're a believer or not. We express our love
to something or someone. We learned last time that worship
(03:40):
is expressing love to God.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
We are the object of God's love.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Once we respond to God's love, we become a follower
of Christ. Well, the first public aspect of worship is baptism.
How should I be baptized? When we have a question,
we we don't say what does history say? We don't
say what do I say? We don't say what does
(04:06):
the culture say? We say what does the Bible say?
It doesn't matter if you were sprintsed, sprinkled or poured.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
My wife was sprinkled.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
As far as baptism, we want to baptize the way
the Bible baptized. So here's why we do this. Why
should I be baptized? Pretty good question. Christ commanded it.
I mean, really, that's all I need to say. It
wasn't like an option. He didn't say, well maybe if
you feel like it, you know, he said, he said,
(04:36):
gat baptized. Why baptism illustrates something? What's the meaning?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Here we go?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
It's the death, burial and resurrection. That's what the meaning is.
It's Christ's death, burial and resurrection. There are two ordinances
of the Church. Both symbolize the death, burial and the
resurrection of Jesus, the Lord's Supper.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
You might say.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Communion, death burial and resurrection. Baptism the death, burial and resurrection.
Baptism is the wedding ring of the Christian life. The
lawyer might ask a question, well, technically, can you be
a believer? Can you be a follower of Christ without
being baptized?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:21):
If though you can, if you're physically able, get baptized.
It's the wedding ring of the Christian life. If I
take this wedding ring off, am I still married?
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
So I can be a Christian with about being baptized. However,
get baptized, and we baptize people who've been paralyzed several
from the neck down. Jesus had to walk like thirty
or forty miles out of the way just to get
baptized by immersion, and that answers the next question. How
should I be baptized by immersion by being dunked? I'm
not talking about lebron James coast to coast but no, no,
(05:54):
I'm talking about under the water, and we only hold
people under the water for about I don't know, ten
or five team minutes, not that long. Who should be baptized?
Everyone who has believed, so get baptized on the right
side of salvation. Using my wife again, she was baptized
as an infant. That's awesome when she was old enough
(06:16):
though to make a faith decision. Then she was baptized
after after she had this personal relationship. So you wear
the wedding ring after you say I do. When should
I get baptized as soon as I have believed?
Speaker 3 (06:35):
At Fellowship, we're big on social media. We love social media.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
And I've tried to give you some things that you
can post on social media.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
And here is the phrase that pays. Are you ready
for it?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
This would be a great thing to tweet out or
to instagram whatever. True worship is not just what happens
in here, it's what happens out there. But what happens
in here affects what happens out there. As a believer,
let me say this again. As a believer, I don't
(07:08):
come to Fellowship to worship. I come worshiping the way
I deal with the relationships in my life, the way
I deal with finances, the way I deal with where
I go.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
What I say should be an act of worship.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Everything I do, say, touch and feel should be an
act of worship. I become a follower of Christ, and
my first outward expression of that is baptism, Give in
an s share generously. I love Fellowship Church because we're
church that shares generously. We share generously. We have such
(07:45):
a generous church. Think about it. Let me just think
about it. What eight ten years ago, five services right here, everybody.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
In one house.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
And sometimes the selfish side of me is like I
wish we could.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Go back to just one location.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
You know, have all of this incredible crazy talent in
one place. You know, the music thumping, everything is totally
freaked up.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
It's just ridiculous. But here's what happened.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
We decided to tap some leaders on the shoulders and
start these other campuses. And it happens, and it happened,
and it will happen because of your outrageous, contagious generosity.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Our church is very generous.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
If you look at people who are generous, you're looking
at people who are mature. We share generously. Seco Corinthian,
Chapter nine, verse six and verse eleven. Whoever sews sparingly
will also reap sparingly. I mean, if I drop a
few little seeds, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna expect
(08:51):
to reap generously if I if I sow seeds sparingly,
I don't expect to reap generously. But if I sow
a bunch of seed generously, I'm going to reap generously.
Am I Am I going too rapid for people?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
No? I think you got it.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
So whoever sows sparingly reaps sparingly, whoever sows generously reaps generously,
You'll be enriched whoa in every way, so that you
can be generous on every occasion and through us, your
generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. Here's what's so
interesting about generosity. It reflects the character of God. Why
(09:37):
why do why do people have this this this desire
for generosity.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
It's because of God. Even if you're not a follower,
you have this.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Man, I want to be generous, and especially around the
holiday season or certain times birthdays, you just I want to.
I want to, I want to bless somebody. I want
to I want to give somebody something. Somebody gets somebody something.
We have this desire was from God. It also builds
the church. I'm talking now about biblical generosity. It builds
(10:09):
to church. The only thing Jesus ever built was the Church.
Schools are great, hospitals are great. All that's great. Five
and one seed, threes are great, charities are great. Guess
what they're not the church. The Church is the ultimate.
The only thing that lasts forever is the Church. Also,
it breaks the back of materialism when I'm generous.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
I don't know about you, but I struggle with materialism.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And if I didn't, if I didn't give generously, I
would think the stuff I have is my stuff. Guess what,
my stuff ain't my stuff. You might think your stuff
is your stuff. All you gotta do is die because
you ain't gonna bring your stuff with you to the
next side.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
So your stuff ain't your stuff.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Everything I have is God's. God's a generous God, John
three point sixteen.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
For God so loved the world that he gaate.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
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 you discover
(11:23):
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 request your copy. Again,
(11:45):
that's Edyong dot com slash give. Now let's get back
to today's message.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
So when I give, I'm reflecting his nature and character.
I'm building the church, Isn't it?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Isn't that? Isn't that awesome?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
And I'm breaking the back boom of materialism? If not,
you know, I think it's all mine. I've met people
who don't have very much and they're generous. I've also
met people who don't have very much who have the
poverty miser mentality. On the other hand, I one time
(12:28):
spent the night on a yacht years ago with somebody
who's worth a bunch of money.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Selfish as all get out. I like that word selfish.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
When you're selfish, yourself smells like a fish. I also
know somebody who has a large portfolio who's very generous.
So materialism begins where your income ends. Do you understand
that if you make fifty thousand dollars a year? Are
(13:00):
the people that make fifty grand a year they're not materialistic?
Speaker 3 (13:02):
But oh, you.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Make three hundred thousand a year, girl, you're materialistic. I mean,
if I had that money, I wouldn't be spending it
like that.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
And then interesting, can I have the money back?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah? Thank you? See how quickly she gave it back?
Boom that quick one wasn't hers. God says, here, here's
the pile of stuff I've given you, And God says,
I mean return to me as a minimum worship requirement
ten percent.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
It's not ours. Do do we do that? Do we say? No,
man's mine. It's that treasure test.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
And you know, in my life and in the lives
of so many people, I think it's one of the
biggest tests that.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
We have because money, I mean, is personal.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
It's personal. It's personal. So here's the cool phrase. We
don't get to get. Some people get to get. You know,
I do too. I'm just getting to get. No, we
don't get to get. We get to give. But we
don't give to get.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
We give to live.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Some people, and there's this kind of crazy theology out
there that's not biblical that says, Okay, if you, if
you give, I'm gonna give because when I give, God's
got to give back to me.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I mean, he's got to give me.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Okay, I gave God fitty, He's gonna give me five hundred,
five thousand, maybe five million. God's like an ATM machine,
He's a genie, he's a ups boy.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
God's there from me. No, No, we.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Give to live God says He's gonna bless us. Sometimes
it could be financially, but more often than not, it's
ways that money can't even touch.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Give generously, give to live.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Another thing about fellowship, church, we honor, we honor biblically,
we honor. We have a culture of honor. We honor biblically.
Let's let bring honor back. What do you say and
a fellowship. I'm so excited because you guys bring honor back.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
What am I talking about?
Speaker 2 (15:08):
When I say honor, I'm talking about God's chain of command.
When I'm talking about honor, I'm talking about authority issues.
Everybody deals with authority issues. God has placed authority figures
in our lives to shape us, in the mold us
and to the kind of people that God wants us
to be. There's authority everywhere. There's authority in the family,
there's authority in marriage. There's authority at school, authority in
(15:29):
the corporation, authority at the box where you do CrossFit.
There's authority on the golf course. There's authority everywhere. So
if I'm going to understand how to go to a
whole another.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Level, I've got to get under the authority to go up.
It's just the opposite of what all world says. That
world says, Man.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I'm not gonna I'm not gonna honor you until I
respect you. Well, you might not ever respect this person.
We have to honor the person because of their position.
So God's using someone, even though the person is unfair,
to make you and to the kind of person that
God wants you to be. I've had many people in
(16:09):
my life over the years who were unfair, who were
an authority over me. I didn't like them, and maybe
they didn't like me or whatever. Now looking back, I'm like, WHOA,
thank you God, you use those people to make me
to the kind of person I have today.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Hey kids, I'm talking to you. Hey moms and deaths.
I'm talking to you. A husband, I'm talking to you wife.
I'm talking to you boss. I'm talking to you. Co worker.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I'm talking to you. Pastor, I'm talking to you. Romans
twelve ten. Outdo one another in showing honor. Who do
we honor? Will we honor God? Your God? I'm not God.
I honor you. We honor others, and fellowship has this
culture of honor, and then you honor yourself. So often
(16:59):
we can't honor God or honor others because we've never
honored ourselves. But it starts with God segreates to others,
then boom to ourselves.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Are you honoring people?
Speaker 2 (17:11):
You go to a restaurant after the service, guess what,
You're under the authority of the owner of the restaurant,
and you're under the authority of the manager and under
the authority of the server. So we need to get
under those things God has put over us, so we
can get over those things God has put beneath us.
And that's the phrase that pays get under those things
(17:33):
God has put over you, so you can get over
those things God has put under you.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
So what I'm saying is to go up. You got
to get under.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
And this is the upside down world of God's kingdom.
If you want power and control, you got to give
up power and control. That's when you'll have real power.
Control comes from God.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Give me an eye. We inspire. I love that one
of the things about Fellowship Church. We're inspirational. We inspire strategically.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
We inspire strategically Hebrews ten twenty five.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Let us not give.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing.
But let us encourage one another. It's amazing how many
one anothers you'll see in the Bible. Love one another,
serve one another, pray for one another, on one another,
one another, one another, one another. Let us let us
encourage one another. Almost went into a song right there,
And all the more as you see the day approaching.
(18:33):
So what do we do. Here's what we do. Here's
spiritual maturity. Here's what it means to have a deep
walk with God. It's simple, it's not complex. We want
to make the simple complex. I know it's simple. I
didn't say it's the easy. It's simple. Working out being
in good shape, it's simple. Eat clean, do cardio, strength training.
(18:56):
You'll be in great shape. Well, how do you become
in great shape spiritually? Here we go seeking, not reeking.
I become a believer. Then I seek God. And here's
some homework. I want you to spend ten minutes a
day in a chair somewhere alone with the Word of
(19:17):
God open, and I'm telling you God will speak to you.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Just read and talk to God in prayer. I promise
you He'll speak to you.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
It could be in a lazy boy, it could be
in your study, it could be at your desk. Maybe, ladies,
you got two or three toddlers, you might have to
lock yourself up in the bathroom. Spend that time, that
chair time, seek God, and you will understand what it
(19:44):
means to develop that relationship with Him.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
When I don't do that, When I don't do that,
I reek and we don't want to read. Do we know?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Also, we serve. We're serving, not swerving. We're serving, not swerving.
I'm serving. I'm getting out side of myself. There's a
place for you to serve in the house.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Serve.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
If you're not serving, your swerving, you're hydroplaning over something holy,
and don't do that. Also, sewing not showing. We spend
the most time showing. We're not sowing. We sow our time,
our treasure, our talent. Where the only thing Jesus ever
built the church. We're sharing, not comparing. We're sharing what
(20:31):
Jesus has done in our lives. We're sharing our stuff.
We're sharing. We're generous. Things don't stick to us like
lent to velcrow. They slide off of us like teflon
to the church. I might be saying, man, this dude
rhymes a lot, Well, sue me my mother. My mother
(20:53):
read thousands of nursing rhymes to me while growing up,
and she said, hone antic, I read too many nursing
rhymes to you. But hey, think about the music industry,
hip hop industry. It's all about alliteration and rhyme. And
a lot of the Bible, in the original Hebrew and
the coin a Greek is about rhythm and rhyme. And
we remember things when when you have that, when you
(21:15):
rhyme on the dime, peace of mind. Here's the mind, Okay,
I can't stop. So here's the phrase that pays. If
we aspire asp I r e to inspire, and.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
That's what we do with fellowship.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Will start a fire up, Yes, a fire, and I
love the fire at Fellowship Church.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
It's white hot. Have you ever thought about it? Fellowship church?
Speaker 2 (21:40):
The church is the only institution whose focus is those
who haven't joined yet.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Pretty interesting. Give me a pee.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Pray pray powerfully, pray powerfully. So the church is to
be a place or we pray powerfully? What does it
mean to pray well? James Chapter five, verse sixteen, the
half brother of Jesus said, the prayer of a righteous
man is powerful and effective. Here's how we organize our prayers.
Here's something I've used for a long time. I would
(22:14):
challenge you to journal your prayers while you're having the
chair time. Just have from journal time, p praise God.
What does it mean to praise God? God, You're awesome,
You're amazing. It could be singing to God. It could
be just putting God in his right position, which is
God is sovereign. Are repentance repentance. Now, in my journal,
(22:37):
the praise part is real big. But when it comes
to those sins, I write those really small. Sometimes I'll
just kind of do a blanket confession. I'm sorry when
I mess up, but we should be very specific because
when we're specific, we'll be prolific A sins for ask.
As I praise and repent, then I can ask God.
God is not the candy man. He's not saying to.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
God, he knows what we need.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
He understands that He supplies all of our not greeds,
but needs the Bible says, then we yield to him. God,
I yield to you. You're in control, You're running the show.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
So here is how I like to say it.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
We're always talking about sinking up and stuff prayer is
man sinking up with God, not God sinking up with man.
That's so big because a lot of us get into
those BLTs. I'll say it again, bless me, take care
of me. You know, love me, bless me, love me.
(23:49):
I want to hear your tender touch. Take care of me.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
God. I'll have another BLT.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
And and it's much much more than that. We don't
just say all right, I'm gonna do what I want
to do, and now God you bless it. Oh, I'm
going to live like hell and now God you bless it. No,
we say God prayer. I understand as I'm sinking up
my life with you.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Show me where you're working. I want to join in
on it.
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 at on Lisa Jung's book, A
Path through Pain. This resource will help you see God's presence, love,
(24:35):
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 gift. Thank you for your support.
We'll see you next time on the Creative Connection.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Uh.
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