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Service and Witness · The Grove Church

• 0:01
  Charlie Loften: Hello, and welcome to The Grove Church podcast. I'm Charlie Loften, the lead pastor there, and we are so glad that you're joining us. Whether you are a member and you're just catching up on a sermon that you missed or you're someone who's brand new, we are really glad that you are joining us. And if you are new in some way, and I know that a lot of people will do that, we'll listen to sermons first before they visit. I want you to know that we would love to meet you at any point.
• 0:25
  You can join us live in our services on Sunday, nine and 10:30 or our streaming service at 10:30. Either way, we would love to be able to get to know you. And regardless of why you are here listening to this sermon today, thank you so much for joining us. Hey, good morning. If you are new, I'm Charlie.
• 0:44
  I'm the lead pastor here. Really glad you are worshiping with us today and so glad that you are here. And as Melanie mentioned earlier, and Brad just mentioned there, we do have a really cool party that's coming up next Sunday right after the service, call it Grove Fest. And our mission statement here at The Grove is to invite Northwest Arkansas to know Jesus, to build meaningful relationships, and to share His hope with the world. And so we want people to know who Jesus is, but we believe that the best context in which to grow in that relationship is in relationships and in community.
• 1:20
  And like Brad said, I mean, to really kind of make it in this world, you really need to have people. And we want it to be, this can be a place where you can find people that can help you grow, that can support you no matter what the world might throw at you. And so if you want to come and just party, it's great. Again, food is free. It'll be a lot of fun.
• 1:41
  You'll get to meet some cool people. But we also do want to help you take that step towards finding some people. And so what you'll see next week, a lot of people are going be wearing this shirt, and those are our leaders, And they're going to be looking to just kind of help people find a small group, build connections. And so you're going to have a choice, right? Someone comes up to you, starts walking towards you wearing this shirt, right?
• 2:07
  You kind of got a couple of different options to take. And some of you may have this shirt, and you can wear it next week if you want. People going to try to come into your small next thing you know, you're going be a small group leader, because all these people are going to talk to you. And so again, maybe you're not ready for that step, but I think at a minimum, this connection event can really just kind of be a step closer to helping you get there. Because there are some just incredible people here that will love you well and support you, and we want you to to help you find those people.
• 2:41
  And so know Jesus, have meaningful relationships, and then to share his hope with the world. And in our ancient paths series, we've just been talking about all of these different things that have been a part of the church's development, growth for two thousand years. And today, we're going to be talking about just kind of how this idea that we, as a church, as people, as people who are followers of Jesus, from the very beginning, it has been placed in us, this mandate, this call to take the hope that Jesus has given us and to give it to the whole world. And there's a couple of different components to that, right? There's the way that we serve, and then there's the way that we share our service and our witness.
• 3:29
  And very often, people can kind of put these things as if they're in conflict. Well, I I just feel like God's just calling me to to to to be a good person, to to help people, really, you know, but God's called me. No, that's not what's important. What's important is telling people about Jesus as if these two things are in conflict. You know, what are we supposed to do when we see someone who is struggling?
• 3:52
  Right? Do we tell them about Jesus or or... And that's the or, the weird part. The or, you know, do we help them? And in fact, there's this quote that has been circular...
• 4:03
  In circulation for a long time, and supposedly it was by one of these really famous names in church history, a guy named Francis of Assisi, who said, it is important to share the gospel always, and if necessary, to use words. And it's really kind of cool, that kind of idea. It sounds really cool on the front, except there's a couple of problems with it. One, all due respect, he didn't say that. There's no record that he ever said that.
• 4:32
  There's just not. It was just something that maybe kind of got attached to some of the monasteries that were kind of made in his name, and they kind of like, they had a real serving attitude, but he didn't say it. The second thing is is that, again, it just puts two things at odds with each other that don't... They they they just don't conflict. Because what God has called us to do as people who bring hope is to bring it in whatever the situation calls all the time and to really just kind of have eyes for both of these things.
• 5:03
  And very often, they can go together. That God has called us to serve people who need the hope of Jesus, and God has called us to tell people about Jesus who need the hope of Jesus. And there's this thing that happens to me, and again, people will say this because I'm a pastor, but my kids actually make fun of me. They said that weird things just always seem to happen to you. And more than anything, what it is is that strangers really enjoy talking to me.
• 5:33
  And I am not just in my nature. I'm a fairly I've got some extrovert in me, but I like this speaking to a large group of people way more than I like talking to people. Mean, strangers out in the wild, right? That's not what I'm trying to do, but strangers out in the wild love to find me. And I even think, like, I'm by myself.
• 5:53
  I'm looking at my iPad, I'm sitting in a booth at a restaurant by myself, I've got earbuds in, and I think I'm scowling. Like, I'm saying like, don't talk to me. And I'm telling you, happens once a week. I'll be like, yes? And then somebody I don't even know.
• 6:09
  They just decided now is a great time to talk to me, and it happens. We're in lines at rides, at parks. It happens all the time, and it's just it just becomes this running joke. And any time I talk about serving, witnessing those sorts of things, I always anticipate that something's gonna happen to me that morning that I'm gonna talk about. Because a lot of my stories happen at the various fast food restaurants on Sunday morning before I come here.
• 6:34
  But surprisingly, nothing happened today. But I'll tell you the most recent one that happened at Brahms a couple of months ago, and the reason I'm at Brahms on Sunday morning before church is Chick fil A is closed on Sunday, which is which is good for them. Bad for me, good for them. Good for everybody, I guess, anyways. And there was this guy, and I this is gonna sound like it's not an exaggerated story.
• 7:00
  If I told the if I told everything that happened, like it would just it would be too much. But this guy is literally berating the employees there at Brahms because the milk that they are selling in the refrigerator, according to him, is spoiled. And he is coming at them in a mix of it's just Spanglish, right? I mean, he was like, if the white kid would come out there, he would fuss at him in English, and then some of the Hispanic crew would come out, he would fuss at them in Spanish, and then he was just coming at them hard. It's about how terrible it was that they were serving spoiled milk.
• 7:38
  Now my impression of this was that this guy was not just mean. He was either on something or was struggling. I mean, just had some limitations or whatever, but nonetheless, this bullying is going too far. And it's one of those things like, am I supposed to do? This is kind of what it is.
• 7:57
  I feel like I'm supposed to do something. There's a lot of people not a lot, but there are plenty of people in this Brahms just pretending that this guy is not berating them. And I'm like, normally, I'm the kind of guy my stories like this are someone who's experiencing homelessness and needs a ride or something like that. I got a lot of stories like this. I've never had to get out of my booth and make myself look big.
• 8:19
  But I was just like, but I just can't have this. I mean, these young women and these boys that this guy and so I was like, hey, man, you're going to have to go. And it went I mean, I didn't know what was going to happen next, but actually what actually, thankfully, was a very simple, easy story. And he just kind of looked at me startled, like he was not expecting someone to say anything to him, much less get tough with him, right? You're going to have to go.
• 8:47
  And he's like, well, milk is not good. And I'm like, that is irrelevant to this situation. You need to get out of here, and you need to leave these people alone. And so then he left, but then he's just kind of hovering around. You know, I'm feeling kind of like I'm, you know, I'm tough now.
• 9:03
  So he's just kind of hovering around, and every now and then I would look at him out there, I'd make eye contact with him. And then eventually he just left. Right? I mean, it's not my job to fix every problem I see everywhere in the world, But these poor people, they they needed some help. And in that moment, thought about it, even prayed about it a little bit.
• 9:29
  It's like, I I can't... I I feel compelled to do something here. And the thing that I've discovered, and maybe this is why my daughters say stuff like this happens to me, is that I've discovered that if you have the eyes for it, if you choose to look at the world and the people in this world as opportunities that God may be creating for you, I think you will be incredibly surprised by the number of times things like this will quote, just happened to you. If you're starting to look at the world as... With this mandate that you have from Jesus himself to be a carrier of his hope to the world, I think you will be surprised, not just random stories of strangers coming up to you, but the world in which God currently has you.
• 10:24
  I think you will be surprised at the number of opportunities that he's going to set up for you on a regular basis to be a carrier of hope in some way by both the way that you act, the way that you serve, and the way that you speak. And I think it is important for us if we're gonna be on this ancient path, if we are going to walk the path that has been walked for us as followers of Jesus for two thousand years, we need to take with us this this heart, this mandate to bring hope to the world. And there's a passage to Matthew chapter five, and I think that it is one of the most important passages in all of the gospels, especially around this topic, about who it is that God has called us to be. It is more than what he has called us to do, what he's told us to do. It is who he has called us to be.
• 11:15
  And I think it's important here in Matthew chapter five for us to understand this is at the very beginning. This is not Matthew 28, the great commission, go and make disciples, after the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is a culture setting thing that Jesus is doing at the very beginning, setting the stage for his youngest, newest followers who are still just trying to figure out who Jesus is. He sets the culture and the priority from the very beginning about the kind of people that we are supposed to be. Matthew chapter five verses 14 to 16.
• 11:59
  You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand and gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven. So he's looking at them, brand new, new followers, just figuring some things out.
• 12:31
  And he looks at them and says, guess what? This is who you are. If you're gonna be the ones who follow me, this is who you are. You are the light of the world. I was talking about this with some guys on Friday where we have a Bible study together.
• 12:44
  Verb tenses really, really matter. We're going to go into this a little bit more here in a few minutes. Verb tenses matter. Not you will be the light of the world, you can be, you could be, you may be, You are going to be. Someday you might be.
• 13:00
  Present tense, present reality, you are the light of the world, and that matters. And then he starts to explain to them exactly what he means here. You're the light of the world. You are like a town on the side of a hill. You can't hide that at night.
• 13:17
  You're in your house, the lights are on, and you're on the side of this hill. It glows. People know it is there, and that is what you are. You are a town that has been built on the side of a hill that is meant to be seen and experienced by everyone in its orbit. Because you don't take a light.
• 13:39
  You know, it's like, hey, you know what? You know what I want to do? I need to be able to see, so I'm going to light a light. And then you take it and you put a bowl over it. That is ridiculous.
• 13:49
  You... That no one does that, and in the same way, that is what you are. If this is who you are, you should be the city on the hill, not someone with a bowl trying to hide who you are. You put it on a stand, and not only does it give light for you, it gives light to everyone around it. That is who you are.
• 14:15
  And so in the same way that you put a light on a stand that lights up the whole room and everyone in it, You need to light up the world in such a way where people can see the good things that you do. And when they see the good things that you do, they will know that there's a God in heaven that loves them, and they will want to worship him. That is who you are. This is a culture setting moment. This, again, it's not aspirational.
• 14:50
  It's not futuristic. It is present reality. This is who God has called us to be. Because of who he's called us to be, there's some things that we need to do, but I think we need to start with this is who we call to be. You are the light of the world.
• 15:05
  This is who you are, and this is what flows from that. And I think it is important to say it this way, we're just gonna kinda make sure we fully understand what it is that Jesus is saying and then kinda talk about how we express that. And we'll really kinda start with this basic idea. You are the light of the world, present tense. You already have what you need to do this.
• 15:28
  You already have what you need. In order to be the light of the world, everything that you need, you already have. Everything that needed to be done was done by Jesus. And it has gotten to the point now, depending on how many times you have seen me or interacted with me over the last couple of weeks, you have probably already heard me say this once, maybe twice. I spoke to a group of college students this week, and I said this to them.
• 15:49
  I was at Bible study on Friday. I said this to them. I was writing a blog post for our social media that our creative director is asking me to do, and she... And the question was, what is a big misconception that the church has? And I'm typing about this.
• 16:03
  We think we have something that we have to do to get ourselves ready to be approved by God, or once we get into relationship with God, there's something that we have to do to make sure that the relationship stays firm, when in reality, all of the work that needed to be done to get you right with God has been done. There's nothing you have to do in advance, and there's nothing that you have to do on the back end. The work has been done. Jesus did it. The forgiveness that you needed, the life that you needed, the light that you needed, everything you Jesus did all of that.
• 16:38
  Now that does not mean that he has not given us some assignments, but that is not the same as, now maybe someday God will accept me into his family, but first I got some things to do. Well, he kind of let me in, but just barely. And if I don't do everything just so, I think here's the thing. This happens way too often when I give a message like this. And I give it a message...
• 17:04
  I know I give messages like this a lot. And the reason that I know it is yesterday, my youngest daughter, Layla, who is a freshman in high school, So dad, what are you talking about tomorrow? And I tell her, and I hear we're talking about how important it is to serve and to and to witness. And she goes, dad, you sure do talk about that a lot. Thank you for your kind words.
• 17:23
  Yes, thank you for noticing that we do talk about it a lot because it's absolutely critical. It is essential to who it is that God has called us to be as individuals and together. And as someone who, according to Layla and according to just data, I do talk about this a lot. Here's the thing that I know. I say that God has called you and made you light of the world.
• 17:44
  And because of that, he's called you to do all these things. You are the light of the world. He's called you to do these things. This is this is who you are, that you... There's some of you tune it out, and this is where the misconception comes in.
• 17:55
  You tune it out. He's not talking to me because I'm still in messed up stage. This is for people who are in advanced stage or at least stable stage. I'm still in this stage. There's no way he's called me to be light of the world.
• 18:11
  No, you you are. You are. It does not matter what stage you think you're in, what level of development that you're in, how mature you seem to you seem to think that you are in your faith, what you need... Who you need to be has been done by Jesus, and he's called you, you, you, every one of us, to be light, and there's things that he wants us to do. And there's places where he has put you specifically, even in your messed up state, your beginning stages, your struggling stages, maybe even because you are in this stage.
• 18:51
  There are certain people and places where it is important that you are the light to them. The scriptures make it clear. Right? Jesus refers himself. John one refers to Jesus this way.
• 19:05
  He is the light of the world. And really, you know, to tinker with his metaphor here a little bit, we we are the light of the world in the way that the moon is. The moon does not create its own light. The sun creates all the light, and sun is so bright and so good at creating light, it just makes the moon radiate. All the light was coming from the other source, and the moon, it just do what's it doing?
• 19:33
  I was just hanging out. I'm just hanging out. And all of a sudden now, I'm the light of the world, even when the sun is gone, even when you can't see it, and even when we can't see Jesus, even when we can't see Jesus, they can see you reflecting his light. And this is who you are no matter where you are, no matter your current perception of yourself. If you have the eyes to see, you will see incredible opportunities that God will open up for you to be hope and light to people who need it.
• 20:14
  So this is the reality. The reality is you are the light of the world, and what do we do about it? Verse 16, you let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven. Like your light, let it shine and let it shine in a very particular way so that people will see what you're doing, And they see what you're doing, and they'll see it, and they'll be like, God must love me. That's what he's called us to do.
• 20:50
  So we'll say it very simply, God has called us. God has called us to serve the world. He's called us to serve the world, and he's called us to serve the world not in such a way that no one sees it, and he hasn't called us in such a way to serve the world where people will think that we're great. He has called us to serve the world in such a way that people will notice Jesus. That is what he has called us to do.
• 21:16
  So you are supposed to shine in such a way that like, this seems unusual. This is an unusual sort of light. This is a good thing. What could possibly be the source of this light? And the way that you shine draws them to the ultimate source.
• 21:37
  Now I don't know how many times you've been exposed to this. Now I was exposed to this idea growing up at church, very conservative town in Southern Arkansas, very conservative town, very conservative family, very conservative church, and the best way to express this according to them was to abstain from all the worst things. Right? Don't have sex. Don't do drugs.
• 21:59
  Don't smoke. Don't drink. And if you don't do those things, people are going to be so blown away by it that they're going to be like, tell me about it. You don't come to the parties, and we're having a great time. You seem lame.
• 22:15
  Tell me about lame. Again, I'm not advocating for partying. That's not what I'm doing. I'm just saying there's a huge difference between actively doing a good deed and staying away. But that's what I was supposed to do, in high school, that's what I did.
• 22:33
  I hung out over here. It really wasn't until college that I realized that really, if I wanted to implement this passage in this particular situation, the best thing I could be is to be the kindest, happiest, most available designated driver people have ever seen. Without judgment, without question, I will help you get to and from wherever it is you need to go because I care about you. That is an act of good deed. This is a different topic altogether.
• 23:06
  You know, this is... We can talk about this at a different time. What Jesus is talking about is not having an abstract morality for yourself and inward holiness, that's an it. This is how can I actively serve and love people in a way that it radiates light to them? And there are a lot of different opportunities.
• 23:27
  We do not struggle with lack of opportunities. God is not in some sort of situation. He's like, man, I've got all these people who are willing to serve and love their community and the people around them. I just don't have enough need to bring to them. That's not the situation.
• 23:42
  It is everywhere. And I just want to take a minute and just kind of affirm our community care team that spends a lot of time on the phone and face to face helping and talking to people who just need a little bit of help, paying a bill, food, a place to stay. And we get more calls than we have resources, but these are great people who love and serve our community. And as most of you know, walk past it, maybe it's kind of blended into the wall now, we've got a pantry out there that is, from what we understand, one of, if not the most popular one in Fayetteville, as far as like, we put it out, you can't keep food in it because it is in a discreet place. And so it is well known.
• 24:27
  Like, people from other organizations will come and put food in there because it's discreet. It's not facing the road. You can just come get it privately. And if you want to just, if you want just put on your training wheels, right, and I just want to get started in this, come every Sunday with food and put it in the pantry. That is a very tangible way of doing this.
• 24:49
  Maybe you were like, sometimes I see these people on the side of the road, I don't know what to do. Something that my wife has done at different times is to make bags full of snacks and toiletries and put them in a bag and hand it to them. Have bottles of water in your car. There's lots of different things that you can do, just really tangible things to do something to show the world that we love them. And the good thing about being a part of our community care team or helping with the pantry is it's very, it's very, it's kind of very easy, right?
• 25:23
  It's very easy, like, it is obviously connected to Jesus. I'm doing this, and the church gets the credit. And I think it is really important, not just for our church, but for the church in general, to kind of up its PR game a little bit. We care about people. We love people.
• 25:41
  Too often, the church's reputation can be of isolation rather than engagement and care. So that's a very simple, easy thing to do, just to bring some food, to prepare something to give to people who are in need. But here's the thing that I'm promising you. If you decide this is who I'm supposed to be, and you begin to walk around your life with eyes to serve, to tangibly bring the hope of Jesus to people, you will not you will you will not you will not feel limited in the opportunities that God will provide for you. Maybe just to meet a physical need.
• 26:29
  Maybe it's just to be a friend, to be a good listener, to show some empathy, to care, to spend a little bit of extra time, to sit in the hospital with someone who's struggling for a few hours? You know, there's that there's that list where Jesus is talking about it. It's a parable that we discovered in our podcast recently about Jesus is like, hey, I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and gave me something to drink. I was sick and you visited me.
• 26:59
  I was in prison and you visited me. Checking all those things off the list is kind of a good idea. Like, what... Are there are there situations where people in these most desperate situations, hungry, thirsty, sick, imprisoned? And I can just bring a tangible bit of hope to them.
• 27:19
  More times than not, it really is just showing compassion to someone who's hurting, and they are around you all the time. Will we have the eyes to see what God is creating for us? But I wanna make sure we kinda said this a little implicitly. I wanna say this even more explicitly. Right?
• 27:41
  Let your light shine before others. Who was here two weeks ago? That's fine. It's fine. It's fine.
• 27:56
  That light is shining, bro. It's just it's just worked out both times. That I may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Again, we're not doing this in a way that people will draw attention to me, but draw attention to him. And so we want...
• 28:11
  God has called us to serve the world, but in a way that proclaims who God is, And that is going to require a little bit effort on our part. I'm going have to make sure people tangibly know that this... I want to talk to you about Jesus. Right? And sometimes that can feel awkward.
• 28:26
  Sometimes it can feel uncomfortable. And you certainly don't want to be in a situation where you're being really kind to somebody. It's like how Charlie said I also need to use words here. So... Okay.
• 28:35
  You may be wondering why I'm being nice to you. It is because Jesus told me to, so now we have to talk about Jesus. If that's the best you have to do, just give him the meal and walk away. That's no that's no good. But here's the thing again I wanna promise you.
• 28:52
  If you have the eyes to see and a heart that is open, you will have more opportunities than you realize to tell someone about who Jesus is. When someone is struggling, when they're hurting, they're not looking to have a religious conversation. They're looking for somebody to love them well. And when you love them well, they will want to know about the light that is shining out of you. They just will.
• 29:29
  And you may not feel equipped really to say much. You say what you can, invite them to your small group. Say what you can, invite them to church. There's any number of ways to kind of just make sure that people know that behind this love is a deeper and greater love of God through Jesus. There's a way to do that that is life affirming for you and for them, where God gets the glory.
• 30:03
  God is looking around the world all the time for people who are hurting and people who are far from him who need the hope of Jesus. He's not struggling for the supply is not the problem. God's heart isn't the problem. He's just looking for people to match them with. Now, this is a story I've told this a couple of times, and we always have so many new people, and it's such an important story just kind of in my own heart and life that I like to share.
• 30:33
  Again, it's just kind of one of these things that my kids say, things like this always happen to you. We're at this restaurant, this McDonald's in Tulsa, we're having breakfast, the five of us, my wife and I and her three daughters, and they were teenagers, our little two were teenagers, our youngest was just a baby, two or three. And we had to modify our plans, we weren't even supposed to be at that McDonald's that morning, but we had to modify our plans because one my girls wasn't feeling well. So we're sitting there at this McDonald's, having breakfast, trying to figure out what we're going to do. I go to the bathroom, I'm coming back, this guy stops me.
• 31:06
  He says, Sir, do you have a minute where we can talk? And then my girls are over there, the older ones, they're giggling because this always happens to me, and I have no idea what it's going to be. Like, sure, go ahead. So we sit down at this other booth. My two year old is now on the other side of the McDonald's going, dad, that's the wrong booth.
• 31:24
  We're over here. And I'm talking to him, and he's got this bus ticket in his hand, and the bus station is just right there. He's got this bus ticket. I've been battling drugs my whole life. My friend gave me this bus ticket, takes me to Colorado.
• 31:45
  There's a rehab center that I've got an appointment with that'll take me in. Can do it. It can be impatient, but I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do with my life. I don't know what's gone wrong with my life.
• 31:57
  I don't know how to get better. And so we kind of talk about the decision making process, and then it just was obvious, very easy to transition that into, man, there is a deeper issue here for you. And I talked to him about Jesus and asked him if he wants to give his life to Jesus. I'm gonna need to think about it. I got a lot on my mind right now.
• 32:22
  I said, man, at a minimum, you need to get on that bus. But then you also need to really be thinking about this because there's a deeper hope and a deeper power. It's gonna be a while before I find out exactly what happened that day, what happened next. I saw him leave the McDonald's and walk to that bus station. I don't know what happened to him, but I do know that it is a very...
• 32:48
  It would be really difficult to call it a coincidence that a random guy trying to make a new life decision randomly ran into a pastor at a McDonald's in Tulsa on a random Saturday morning. And God is looking all over everywhere for matchmaking opportunities. The right people with the right needs, with the right people, with the right heart to love and help them. And if you will have the eyes to see and the heart to see and the will to follow through, I think you will be stunned at all the incredible, amazing stories you're gonna have about how God put you in just the right place at just the right time to bring the hope of Jesus to people who need it. Let me pray.
• 34:10
  God, thank you. I thank you for the work that your son Jesus did, for forgiveness, for reconciliation, and more than that, to make us the light of the world. And God, I do pray. I pray that we would be men and women who let that light shine in big ways. God, we're not trying to draw attention to ourselves, but to draw people to you.
• 34:57
  So God give us hearts, hearts that are open, eyes that can see, and a willingness to say yes to the countless opportunities we have all throughout the week, to intangible and verbal ways to bring the hope of your son to people. And God, thank you for the hope that we have in him, in us, for all that he did for us on the cross. And it's in his name that we pray, amen. Thanks again for joining us on our sermon podcast, and you can learn more about us at thegrovechurch.org. If you go to thegrovechurch.org/connect, there's a form you could fill out.
• 35:39
  Just let us know that you've been listening. And if you wanna dig deeper on some of these topics that we cover in our sermon podcast or just another issues of dealing with culture or theology, those kinds of things, you can check out our cultivate podcast. It's on the same feed, however you found this particular podcast. So again, this is Charlie, the lead pastor at The Grove, and thank you so much for joining us.