Renewing The Vision [PART 4] | Thrive Authentically | Mark Pugh | Sunday 2nd July

[00:00:03] Well, about four weeks ago, we began talking about renewing the vision that God has given us as a church. [00:00:11] Not creating a new vision, not inventing something that's fashionable, not chasing the latest church trend, but renewing what God has spoken to us in this church over many years. And our vision is really simple. [00:00:28] You should remember this. You should be able to articulate this at any time. And it is this to reveal the glory of God to the Southwest. I'm joking. I don't need to read it. To the Southwest and beyond. [00:00:46] Everything we do as a church should exist for that purpose, for that one purpose. [00:00:54] Revealing the glory of God to the Southwest and beyond. And over the last few weeks, we've looked at how you and I can be a part of making that happen. [00:01:05] We looked at live courageously. Because courage isn't the absence of fear, it's obedience in the presence of fear. Every significant move of God begins with ordinary people deciding that God's voice carries more weight over than their fears. [00:01:24] And then last week, we looked at love extravagantly. We stood beside Mary as she broke open her alabaster jar. And we saw that love counts the cost. [00:01:38] Love that counts the cost will always remain measured love. But love that has encountered Jesus stops measuring and simply pours out extravagantly. And today we arrive at our final value, which is thrive authentically. [00:01:58] Now, of our three values, I think this is the easiest to misunderstand. [00:02:05] Because when people hear the word thrive, they think about success. [00:02:11] A thriving business, a thriving marriage, a thriving career, a thriving church. [00:02:18] We imagine growth, momentum, health, influence. [00:02:23] But the Bible has a far deeper definition of thriving. [00:02:27] Biblical thriving isn't an easier life. It isn't avoiding suffering. It isn't accumulating more. It isn't becoming impressive. [00:02:40] Biblical thriving is becoming increasingly alive in Christ. [00:02:45] It is the life of Jesus being so evident within us that his glory begins to shine through ordinary people. That's what thriving is. Which means that thriving has remarkably little to do with our circumstances and everything to do with his presence. [00:03:06] That's why our values don't simply say thrive, it says thrive authentically. [00:03:15] Because authenticity is becoming increasingly rare. [00:03:20] We live in a culture of carefully managed impressions. [00:03:25] Social media teaches us to post our highlights. [00:03:29] Business teaches us to project confidence. [00:03:34] Politics teaches us to never admit we weakness. [00:03:38] Even conversations can become performances. [00:03:43] How are you? [00:03:45] I'm fine. [00:03:48] Even when you're anything but fine. [00:03:52] And if we're not careful, we can bring exactly the same habits into church. [00:04:01] We learn the songs, we know the language. [00:04:06] We smile at the right moments. [00:04:09] And this is one of them. [00:04:11] You might want to try it. [00:04:16] We know how to lift our hands. [00:04:19] We know what to say. [00:04:22] Yet behind that smile. [00:04:28] Behind that smile. [00:04:31] All right, let's try again. Behind that big smile, there can sit deep anxiety. [00:04:43] Behind the serving in church can sit exhaustion. [00:04:49] Behind the confidence that we project can sit fear. [00:04:55] Behind the worship sits a soul quietly wondering whether anyone really knows this. [00:05:04] See, because it is possible to look spiritually healthy while quietly running on empty. [00:05:12] It's possible to appear courageous when you're living terrified. [00:05:19] It's possible to appear loving when your heart has grown cold. It is possible to build a Christian image that everybody admires except God. [00:05:34] Because God never sees the vision that we present. [00:05:40] He always sees the person we are becoming. [00:05:45] And eventually, performance always runs out. [00:05:52] Many years ago, I bought what I thought was a bargain. [00:05:56] Well, I have to be honest, I knew what I was buying. [00:06:00] I bought a fake tag her watch from a market in the Canary Islands. [00:06:07] It looked convincing. [00:06:10] It kept good time. [00:06:13] People commented on it. [00:06:15] I think a few people even wondered how their pastor could possibly afford such a luxury watch. [00:06:23] From a distance, it looked authentic. [00:06:26] Until one day it stopped working. [00:06:30] Eventually, missing my watch, I took it into a genuine tag he dealer to ask about repairing it. [00:06:41] The assistant looked at it for only a few moments. [00:06:45] He didn't need specialist equipment. He didn't need to dismantle it. He simply looked. He handed it back and politely asked me to leave. [00:06:57] Why? [00:06:59] Because eventually, fake always meets someone who knows the genuine article. [00:07:07] And in the presence of what is real, counterfeit can no longer hide. [00:07:13] That moment has stayed with me for years because I think it illustrates something profoundly spiritual. [00:07:20] God has never asked us to look authentic. He has invited us to become authentic. [00:07:28] And those are two very different things. Look. Looking authentic requires performance, but becoming authentic depends upon transformation. [00:07:41] One is exhausting, but the other is life giving. [00:07:46] One eventually collapses and the other increasingly shines. [00:07:54] The apostle Paul in the New Testament takes us to a really fascinating moment. In the Old Testament, he's referring to a moment when Moses comes down from Mount Sinai and he had encountered the presence of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord shone on his face. [00:08:16] His face was radiant, so radiant that the Israelites were afraid to come near him. [00:08:24] So it says in the Old Testament, Moses covered his face with a veil. [00:08:31] That's how Exodus tells the story. [00:08:34] But centuries later, Paul gives us another insight into this veil. [00:08:40] Because writing to the Corinthians, he says Moses wore the veil so that the people would not see the glory fading. [00:08:51] The Old Testament says that it was to enable people to see without being intimidated. But Paul says he was actually wearing it because there was an embarrassment, if you like, that the glory was diminishing. [00:09:06] The glory had been real, but it wasn't lasting. [00:09:12] And the shame needed covering because what had once shone so brightly was slowly disappearing. [00:09:21] And then Paul says something pretty remarkable. [00:09:25] He says these words, and we all, with unveiled faces beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. [00:09:39] For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. [00:09:43] Notice what Paul doesn't say. [00:09:46] He doesn't say, try harder. [00:09:50] He doesn't say, perform better. [00:09:53] He doesn't say become more impressive. He says, behold him because we become like that which we behold. [00:10:13] Whatever consistently captivates and captures our attention eventually shapes our affections. [00:10:21] And whatever shapes our affections eventually shapes our lives. [00:10:28] And Paul said something else that we often overlook. [00:10:36] This comes from the Lord. He said, who is the Spirit? [00:10:41] I want you to hear this carefully this morning. Church. [00:10:44] You cannot transform yourself into Christ likeness. [00:10:52] If you've been trying, you need to stop it. [00:10:57] You cannot do that. [00:10:59] He's not a hero. That we're just trying to be a bit more like. [00:11:04] He has given us his spirit to transform the very epicenter of our lives so that we become like him through transformation, not through effort. [00:11:18] You can imitate behavior, you can improve habits, you can become more disciplined. [00:11:26] But only the Holy Spirit can make you more like Jesus. [00:11:30] Only the Holy Spirit removes the veil. [00:11:33] Only the Holy Spirit produces authentic thriving. [00:11:38] Only the Holy Spirit reveals the glory of Christ through ordinary people. [00:11:45] That's why this value is not an invitation to try harder. [00:11:52] It's an invitation to stop performing. [00:11:56] It's an invitation to live unveiled before God. It's an invitation to remain in his presence. [00:12:03] It's an invitation to allow the Holy Spirit to do what only he can do, transform us from one degree of glory to another. [00:12:14] And if that happens, our vision ceases to be a slogan and it becomes a reality. [00:12:24] Because people don't encounter the glory of God simply because we have good services. [00:12:32] They encounter his glory when they see his transforming work shining through ordinary people like me and you. [00:12:45] So what does authentic thriving actually look like? [00:12:51] Well, our values describe it in five ways. [00:12:56] And the first is be a family. [00:13:02] Our values describe it like this, cheering one another on into God's purposes for our lives. [00:13:10] Showing grace and hope when we fail and sharing in the joy when we succeed. [00:13:19] That sounds beautiful, but it is actually incredibly difficult because real families demand something that audiences Never demand. [00:13:34] Family requires vulnerability. [00:13:42] In Acts 2, the early church is described in this way. It's a day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread. In their homes they receive their food with glad and sincere hearts. [00:13:59] Sincere hearts. [00:14:01] Some translations don't use the word sincere hearts. They talk about single minded hearts. [00:14:07] Others interpret it as without pretense. [00:14:12] In other words, the emphasis here is not about the day to day. It's not about the temple. It's not about the breaking of bread. Although those things are all good. The emphasis here is that they didn't wear masks. [00:14:28] There was no veil, there was no pretense. [00:14:34] But mark, how did they hide their vulnerabilities? [00:14:40] Exactly. [00:14:41] They didn't. [00:14:44] They were not pretending that everything was fine. [00:14:48] They were just ordinary people whose lives had been transformed by. By the Holy Spirit. [00:14:57] Paul says something similar in Romans. He says, let love. Let your love be genuine. [00:15:05] Not impressive, not polished, not performative, but genuine. [00:15:12] Because genuine love is impossible behind a mask. [00:15:20] Let me ask you a question. [00:15:22] Not a theoretical question, but a real one. [00:15:28] Who knows when you and I are struggling? [00:15:36] Who knows you when your faith feels weak? [00:15:41] Who knows if you're anxious? [00:15:44] Who knows? Who knows what the big needs are that you're praying for in your life? [00:15:50] Who knows what battles you're fighting? [00:15:54] I didn't ask who sees you on a Sunday? [00:15:59] I didn't ask do you attend a life group or connect group. [00:16:03] I didn't ask are you part of a ministry team? [00:16:06] I asked who knows you when your mask is gone? [00:16:11] Who actually knows you? [00:16:16] If your truthful answer is nobody, then somewhere along this journey you have become part of a crowd. [00:16:29] And you've become part of a crowd. When Jesus is inviting you into a family rediscover. Church must never be a place where people simply attend meetings and become part of the crowd. [00:16:43] We are called to be a people who carry one another, who celebrate one another, who cry together, who laugh together, who pray for one another, and who refuse to let anyone carry their burdens by themselves. [00:17:01] Why? [00:17:06] Because families don't applaud performances. [00:17:10] Families embrace people and relationships. [00:17:15] And there's like a beautiful irony in this because the more authentic we become, the safer the family becomes. [00:17:24] And the safer this family becomes, the easier authenticity use. [00:17:30] Because we've been going around with fake tag her faith in churches for years and that's why people say that we're so judgmental. Because we're not living from a place of transformation, we're living from a place of pretense. And then when other people come in and they smell it. They immediately sense the judgment, see the Holy Spirit. His desire is to create a community where grace becomes stronger than pretending that's thriving, be a family. [00:18:07] The second way we describe this in our values is we commission our values. Go on to say this, releasing people into their discipleship adventures, even though they may feel incomplete, imperfect and inexperienced. [00:18:28] We trust God that as we go, we grow. [00:18:37] Can I tell you something I absolutely love about this church? [00:18:42] So many of the ministries that are changing lives today began with someone saying, I'm not sure I can do this. [00:18:54] We have church planters who felt like complete novices. [00:18:59] We have people leading ministries who wondered whether God had chosen the wrong person. [00:19:05] We have volunteers who have stepped up with trembling hands. We have people praying publicly for the first time, people leading connect groups wondering whether anybody will turn up and like them. We have people sharing their faith, convinced that they don't know enough. [00:19:24] If you asked any of them beforehand, they would have said, I am not ready. [00:19:30] But here is what they've discovered. [00:19:32] Ready was never God's primary qualification. [00:19:37] Availability was. [00:19:41] And when Jesus called his disciples, he did not recruit experts. [00:19:46] When Jesus called his disciples, he chose availability. [00:19:51] When God called Moses, Moses argued. When God called Gideon, Gideon questioned. When God called Jeremiah, Jeremiah protested. When God called Peter, Peter still had much growing to do. And when God calls you, what's your excuse? [00:20:08] Throughout Scripture, God has this amazing habit. [00:20:13] He calls people who feel inadequate, and then he proves himself as sufficient. [00:20:22] Because the kingdom of God has never advanced through people who feel completely ready. [00:20:29] It has always advanced through people who have trusted God enough to take the next step. [00:20:36] Paul writes into the church in Ephesus. He says, when each part is working properly, the whole body grows and builds itself up in love. [00:20:49] Notice that every part that involves you, it doesn't say when those on the platform or it doesn't say when the pastors. It doesn't say when the worship team or the staff or the elders. It says when every part is working together properly. [00:21:17] That's when the body is built up and grows in love. [00:21:20] The church grows when ordinary people discover that God loves, delights in working through ordinary people. [00:21:32] One of the greatest lies the enemy whispers is this One day when you're ready, one day when you know more. [00:21:49] One day when your confidence improves. [00:21:53] One day when you've sorted yourself out. [00:21:57] One day when someone else asks. [00:22:00] One day. [00:22:03] One day is a device of the enemy. [00:22:07] And meanwhile your one days stack up one after the other, and the months and the years drift by. [00:22:18] Can I lovingly suggest something to you as your pastor, perhaps you've confused preparation with procrastination. [00:22:29] At some point, faith requires you to take a step and rediscover. [00:22:41] We don't believe people grow and then go. [00:22:44] We believe what our value says, that as we go, we grow. [00:22:51] The Holy Spirit shapes us in the journey, not before it. [00:22:57] He shapes us during the journey. [00:23:01] Some of you have been waiting for confidence before obedience. [00:23:04] But confidence often arrives after obedience and not before. [00:23:10] So here's my question. [00:23:12] What is the Holy Spirit asking you to do? To step out? [00:23:16] Perhaps it's leading, perhaps it's serving. [00:23:20] And let me. And I know there's all sorts of complexities around this, but in a church of this size, there's so much to be done. [00:23:28] And you don't find your ministry in getting involved in one of our teams. Our ministry is what you do in every day of your life. But we do need to work together to serve the house in order so that we can bless more people and we can fulfill more ministries. [00:23:41] And there's a lot of people that are really involved, but there's a lot of people who are not. [00:23:47] Perhaps they're serving, getting involved in the team. [00:23:50] Please. If the coffee rotor needs help, don't pray about it. [00:23:56] Just say yes. [00:23:59] And if you're really rubbish at it, you will grow as you go. [00:24:05] And if no one is getting your coffee, we know we've got that wrong. [00:24:10] Perhaps it's praying for someone. Perhaps it's starting something. Perhaps it's planting something. [00:24:16] Perhaps it's simply saying yes for the first time. [00:24:21] You may not feel ready. [00:24:24] Join the club. [00:24:26] Almost nobody ever feels ready. [00:24:30] But imagine what God might do through a church where hundreds of ordinary people stop waiting to feel qualified and simply become available. [00:24:42] Because churches don't reveal the glory of God through a handful of gifted leaders, they reveal God's glory when an entire family discovers that every member has been commissioned by Jesus himself. [00:24:58] Thirdly, worship sincerely. [00:25:03] A third expression of this value of thrive authentically is worship sincerely. It says, remembering the wonders of our salvation and the goodness of God and allowing these truths to transparently shape our hearts, minds and lives. [00:25:22] Notice this. [00:25:24] It doesn't say, sing passionately. [00:25:29] It says, allowing these truths to shape our lives. [00:25:34] Because worship has never been primarily about music. [00:25:40] Music can be an expression of worship, but it doesn't define it. [00:25:47] Real worship is the response of a life that has encountered the presence of God and the goodness of God and the life of God and the salvation of God. [00:25:58] Jesus had one of the most remarkable conversations in the Holy Scripture with A woman at the well in Samaria, and we've referenced this a few times in the last few months. [00:26:08] She arrives carrying more than a water jar. [00:26:12] She's carrying shame. [00:26:16] She's carrying regret. [00:26:19] She's carrying the hurts of broken relationships. [00:26:23] She's carrying questions. [00:26:26] She's carrying a carefully managed life to hold all those things in tension. [00:26:32] So she comes at the hottest part of the day because she has learned to avoid people. [00:26:38] And yet Jesus doesn't avoid her. [00:26:41] He meets her. [00:26:44] And he doesn't begin by condemning her. [00:26:47] He begins by revealing himself to her. [00:26:51] And then he says something amazing. [00:26:54] He says these words, the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. [00:27:10] For the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. [00:27:18] Let's give careful attention to what Jesus said to her. [00:27:22] The Father is not looking for polished worshippers. [00:27:28] He is not searching for for perfect worshippers. [00:27:34] He isn't impressed by loud worshippers. [00:27:39] He is seeking true worshippers. [00:27:43] People who come with unveiled faces, masks off. [00:27:49] People who stop pretending, people who stop hiding. [00:27:56] People who bring their whole lives into his presence. [00:28:02] I wonder whether one of the greatest acts of worship this morning isn't raising your hands. Although it's biblical to raise your hands. [00:28:11] But I wonder if one of the greatest acts of worship is not lifting your hands, but lowering your defenses. [00:28:18] Perhaps some of the greatest acts of worship that you and I could offer God today would simply be to stop pretending that we've got everything together. [00:28:27] Because the wonderful news of the Gospel is that Jesus already knows you. [00:28:32] He knows your fears. [00:28:34] He knows your disappointments. He knows your shame. He knows your hidden battles. He knows the questions that you've never voiced. And he knows where you failed. And still he invites you closer. [00:28:48] That's why authentic worship is so powerful. [00:28:52] It isn't trying to convince God that we are worthy. It's allowing the grace of God to convince us that we are loved. [00:29:00] That is worship. [00:29:03] The Holy Spirit doesn't work through polished performances. He works through surrendered hearts. [00:29:13] The woman at the well, trying to avoid people. [00:29:19] But after an encounter with Jesus, she left, running towards people. [00:29:25] Why? [00:29:28] Because one authentic encounter with Jesus transformed her into an incredible evangelist in that place of Samaria. [00:29:39] That's what happens when worship is real. [00:29:43] Chris Border WORSHIP LEADER back in the 80s and 90s, he said, worship is all that we are encountering, all that he is. [00:29:51] You can stop protecting your reputation and start proclaiming his reputation. [00:29:56] That's what happens when we worship authentically. [00:30:02] Fourthly, another expression of our values is that we communicate effectively. [00:30:09] A fourth expression is explained like this. We share or sharing the unchanging gospel to a changing world in the most accessible way. [00:30:22] Now, I know sometimes Christians hear that, they read that, and they think, maybe we need to be a little bit nervous because the message can't change. You're absolutely right. The message is fixed. [00:30:35] We never change the message. The gospel doesn't need rewriting for a new generation, but every generation does require it to be communicated to them in a language they can understand. [00:30:49] Paul understood this really well. [00:30:52] One of his travels, he stood in Athens and he was surrounded by philosophers and idols. [00:30:57] And he didn't start by attacking all these wrong philosophies or all these wrong idols. [00:31:03] He began by watching and observing. And he noticed that there was one section, and it said these words to the unknown God. [00:31:13] His listening, his understanding of their culture and their environment enabled him to see that. [00:31:20] And he used that as a reference. He said, I want to tell you about the unknown God. [00:31:26] It's genius. [00:31:30] If he'd gone in with angst, if he'd gone in to condemn, if he'd gone in to tell them everything they were doing wrong, he would have missed that moment. [00:31:37] But he looked and he found a way of speaking a language that they would understand. [00:31:44] He didn't compromise the truth, but neither did he expect people outside of the kingdom to already speak the language of the kingdom. [00:31:52] That's wisdom. [00:31:55] Let me suggest something to you. The greatest challenge in communicating the gospel today isn't that people don't understand our words. [00:32:02] It's that too often they struggle to reconcile our words with our lives. [00:32:10] See, I think sometimes we think that communicating is shouting louder, getting more attention, having a louder microphone. [00:32:19] If I stop someone on the street and I say, excuse me, can you tell me the way to 4th Street? [00:32:26] And they explain, and I can't follow. Did you glaze over? When you ask people for directions and they begin to describe them to you and you've already glazed, and I think, why did I stop and ask them? I don't know what they're talking about. [00:32:39] If they say the same thing louder, it's not going to be any clearer to you. [00:32:45] You have to understand. [00:32:49] And, you know, sometimes going on the street, nothing against street preachers, nothing against going in the highways and the byways and declaring the gospel. I admire the courage. I admire the strength. But listen, sometimes people are using microphones when they should be using conversation. [00:33:04] Sometimes people are shouting at a crowd when they should be invited into a heart, because communication is a connection point. [00:33:14] It isn't just making a noise. [00:33:19] But the greatest challenge is that. Not that we don't communicate the right words, but is that there's often perceived to be a lack of reconciliation between our lives and our words. [00:33:30] Jesus said, let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. [00:33:38] Notice in that verse, it says that they see before they glorify. [00:33:45] Long before people believe our message, they're watching our lives. [00:33:52] They listen into our tone, our humility, our kindness, our integrity, our generosity. [00:34:01] They're looking at our response when life gets difficult. [00:34:06] The most convincing apologetic that you will ever have in your life isn't having clever arguments. [00:34:12] It's being a transformed person. [00:34:16] And that's why authenticity matters so much. [00:34:21] If I tell someone, Jesus forgives people, but I refuse to forgive. [00:34:29] My life is contradicting my message. [00:34:33] If I speak about grace but treat people harshly, my tone has drowned out my theology. [00:34:44] If I proclaim hope but live with no visible signs of hope, people don't know which version to believe. [00:34:55] Church we are called to communicate with three things aligned Truth. [00:35:02] We never dilute the gospel. [00:35:05] Love we speak as Jesus would speak, and evidence Our lives increasingly resemble the one we proclaim. [00:35:16] When those three things align, people don't simply hear the gospel, they begin to glimpse it. [00:35:26] And isn't that our vision? [00:35:28] To reveal the glory of God, not merely explain it, but to reveal it. [00:35:36] And this leads us on to our final part of our values about how we thrive authentically. [00:35:44] We become perhaps the most important one of all. Our value says being the best Christlike version of us we can be in all areas of our lives. [00:36:00] Notice this. It doesn't say in those words that we arrive at that place. [00:36:06] It says we become. [00:36:09] Because Christianity has never been about pretending we've arrived, it's about allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us back to that initial scripture. Paul says we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. [00:36:35] One degree, then another, then another. [00:36:43] Transformation is usually slower than we would like, but it is also far deeper than we realize. [00:36:53] Nita and I were reflecting as we were driving in this morning that the fields are scorched. They're yellow, but the trees are green. [00:37:01] And the simple reason for that is not that someone's been watering the trees. The simple reason is that one has deep roots and the other doesn't. [00:37:08] And the deep roots are able to find water sources in their life. [00:37:14] We're called to have deep Roots. [00:37:19] Think about these five values. [00:37:23] Become a family, commission, worship, communication, and becoming. [00:37:32] None of these are destinations. They're all evidence that we are becoming more like Jesus. [00:37:38] The more we behold him, the more gracious we become, the more courageous we become, the more generous we become, the more authentic we become, the more Christ like we become. [00:37:53] And the challenge is this. Whether we realize it or not, every one of us is beholding something. [00:38:00] Whatever consistently captures your attention will gradually shape your affection. [00:38:07] And whatever shapes your affection will eventually shape your character. [00:38:11] That's why Paul doesn't tell us to stare endlessly at ourselves. [00:38:17] And that's a philosophical problem that we have in the world today. That is about identity. [00:38:23] Who am I? [00:38:25] Wrong question. Who is He? [00:38:28] Because when you look at him, you begin to realize who you are. Because you're made in him, his image. [00:38:35] Oh, look at me. Look at my life. Look at my needs. Look at my feelings. No, look at Him. Look at his heart. Look at his power. Look at his generosity. Look at his kindness. You will discover who you are called to be because you are made in his image. The problem is, when you look at you, you see all the distortions. You're looking at almost like a hall of mirrors in a fun fair. And you're seeing the perversion and the distortion and the. And you're thinking, wow, that must be me. But it's not. It's a distortion. If you want to know who you are, you look at him. [00:39:08] If we behold comfort, we become complacent. [00:39:12] If we behold success, we become ambitious. [00:39:17] If we behold fear, we become anxious. [00:39:21] If we behold Jesus the whole, the Holy Spirit transforms us into his likeness. [00:39:29] This is not about behavior modification, church. [00:39:33] This is about supernatural transformation. This is the Holy Spirit doing what no amount of human effort can do. [00:39:44] And there's this beautiful reality and truth. [00:39:48] As we become more like Jesus, revealing the glory of God stops being something we try to do. And it simply becomes who we are. [00:40:01] So in conclusion, what does all this mean for us? [00:40:06] If we as a church are going to reveal the glory of God to the southwest and beyond, if we're going to be a church that truly thrives authentically, then every one of these values matters. Family, commission, worship, communication, and becoming. [00:40:24] But they are only possible when we live with unveiled faces before God and before one another. [00:40:34] So let me leave you with one final picture. [00:40:37] As we've journeyed through these five expressions of authentic living, maybe we can just take those questions down a moment. We're not going to do those just yet. [00:40:48] We'll send those out in the week rather than put them on the screen. [00:40:52] Perhaps you've noticed something about each of these, and that is that none of them can truly be faked by performance. [00:41:04] Performance can last for a Sunday. [00:41:08] Performance can fool the congregation. Performance can even fool ourselves. But it never fools God. [00:41:15] Eventually the veil becomes heavy. [00:41:19] Eventually every performance becomes exhausting. [00:41:22] Eventually every counterfeit begins to fade. [00:41:27] And the wonderful news of the gospel is this. [00:41:30] Jesus didn't die for us to perform for him. [00:41:36] He invited us to follow him. [00:41:40] He never asked us to manufacture transformation. [00:41:45] He promised that the Holy Spirit would transform us. [00:41:49] Paul says this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit church. If you've been carrying a veil, you don't have to carry it any longer. If you've been pretending, you don't have to pretend any longer. If you've been trying to become by your own effort today you can surrender again to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. [00:42:11] Because this church doesn't need better actors. [00:42:16] Our city does not need better actors. [00:42:20] Our families don't need better actors. They need people who will genuinely reveal Jesus. [00:42:28] Let me ask you to imagine something with me. [00:42:32] Some kingdom imagination. [00:42:34] Imagine us, a family thriving through the authentic work of the Holy Spirit. Imagine homes where children don't simply hear about Jesus, but they see his glory reflected in their parents. Imagine marriages where grace speaks louder than pride. Imagine friendships where nobody has to pretend they've got everything together. [00:42:58] Imagine a church where people don't feel they have to earn acceptance because grace has already made them family. [00:43:07] Imagine hundreds of ordinary people stepping into God's call, not because they feel qualified, but because they've trusted the One who has called them. [00:43:17] Imagine every member of this church understanding I have been commissioned. Imagine every workplace represented by someone who carries the presence of Jesus with them. Imagine schools when young people sit quietly, shining with hope. Imagine businesses shaped by integrity. Imagine neighborhoods where people encounter kindness that can't be explained. [00:43:42] Imagine worship no longer being something we do for 20 minutes on a Sunday or 40 minutes on a Sunday, or however long it is. Imagine it's something that overflows from transformed hearts every day of the week. [00:43:56] Imagine the Gospel becoming believable because people see it before they hear it. [00:44:04] Imagine those who are lonely finding families. [00:44:07] Imagine those who are broken, finding healing. Imagine those who are anxious, finding peace. Imagine those who are far from God, discovering that they have been pursued by him all along. [00:44:19] Imagine dry bones coming alive. [00:44:22] Imagine parched land drinking deeply of the life giving presence of God. Imagine generations to come discovering hope because the glory of God has been revealed through ordinary people who simply said yes to Jesus. [00:44:40] This is why we exist. [00:44:42] Not to build an impressive church, not to create impressive Christians, not to be known, but so that the glory of God will be revealed to the Southwest and beyond. [00:45:00] Because when you and I encounter his glory, things change. [00:45:05] Our brokenness discovers hope. The lost find home. The captives find freedom. The spiritually dead come alive. [00:45:12] That's our vision. [00:45:14] And that's why these values matter. [00:45:17] They don't matter because we've put some investment in printing them on the leaflet or put them on a website. They matter because they describe the kind of people through whom God loves to reveal his glory. [00:45:31] So, church, don't just admire this vision. [00:45:36] Become a part of it. [00:45:39] Take off the veil. [00:45:41] Choose family over isolation. [00:45:44] Say yes to God's commission even when you don't feel ready. [00:45:47] Worship him with your whole life. [00:45:51] Speak the truth with grace, and keep beholding Jesus. [00:45:59] And as you do, the Holy Spirit will transform you from one degree of glory to another.