Episode 3
The Forgotten Letters 3 John (North OC)
In this sermon, Daniel Sumoge introduces the latest installment in our series 'The Forgotten Letters.' Focusing on the book of 3rd John, Daniel emphasizes the unavoidable nature of drama and how it can be dealt with in a Christ-like manner. He discusses the importance of walking in truth, building peace, and imitating good rather than evil. By examining the characters of Gaius, Diotrephes, and Demetrius, Daniel highlights how these biblical figures demonstrate different approaches to handling church conflict and personal drama. The sermon concludes with practical action steps for bringing peace and resolving conflicts face-to-face, mirroring the example set by Jesus.
00:00 Welcome and Introduction
00:25 Teen Camp Excitement
01:19 Series Overview: The Forgotten Letters
02:07 Personal Confession: 90 Day Fiance Addiction
04:15 Drama in Life and Church
08:31 Walking in the Truth
13:03 Building Despite Drama
16:16 Confronting Church Drama
17:30 The Danger of Ignoring Wisdom
18:00 The Slow Drift of Pride
19:05 Pride vs. Humility
20:00 Handling Drama in the Church
22:02 Avoidance, Engagement, and Leaving
22:32 Personal Struggles with Drama
24:40 Imitating Good vs. Evil
27:51 The Example of Demetrius
29:41 Building Peace Face-to-Face
31:46 Final Encouragement and Communion
Transcript
Well, good morning church.
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:Good morning.
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:We doing good this morning?
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:Yes.
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:Hope you guys are doing well.
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:Hope you guys are looking
forward to your summer plans.
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:I know.
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:Uh, well let me introduce myself.
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:My name's Daniel Simone.
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:I help serve with the high school
students here in Orange County.
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:And, uh, yeah, I just hope you
guys are having a great summer.
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:I know the teens and the youth,
they're having a great time just
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:probably sleeping in and, and
playing video games and all that.
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:But, uh, as mentioned before though, uh.
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:In a few days, there's
Teen Camp coming up.
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:And Teen Camp is such a special time
and I really wanna encourage you guys,
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:I know we made an announcement earlier,
but please be praying, uh, if you can
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:fast please be doing that as well.
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:Uh, teen Camp is just
such an incredible time.
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:Uh, you know, my wife and I, we,
we both went to teen camp and even.
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:Jessica Stephan, who's a team
leader, and many of the college
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:students here, uh, they're, uh,
they definitely benefited from it.
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:You know, they, they came
to Christ because of it.
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:So if you guys can be praying for
that, be praying for Savannah and I
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:please, uh, we'll be help serving there.
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:Uh, and to be honest with you,
you know, we, we, uh, we are tribe
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:lead for those who don't know.
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:So, so we lead, we get to lead a
group of counselors and teens and,
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:you know, we're defending our title.
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:Last year we won it all.
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:So we have to defend our title.
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:We have to go back to back
like Jordan or like Kobe, you
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:know, all that, whatever it is.
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:But we gotta go back to back.
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:So we gotta defend that title.
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:Uh, but with that being said,
though, uh, if you're visiting
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:with us for the first time.
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:We are in the middle of a series right
now called The Forgotten Letters, and
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:we're going through the smaller books
and the New Testaments, you know, the,
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:the books where there's probably three,
three of those books on one page.
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:And, uh, that's what we've
been going through as a church.
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:I hope you guys been having
a great time with it.
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:Uh, I know for myself, uh,
it's been incredible to
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:actually sit down and actually.
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:Study it out, not just to, to read.
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:I'm like, all right, next chapter.
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:Next chapter.
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:But actually to study it out.
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:Uh, but before we dive into it, I, I
gotta just say, you know, I've been
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:part of this church now, uh, the
Orange County Church for five years.
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:And if you guys, uh, like I said, if
you're here for the first time, hope you
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:know you guys are in a great fellowship.
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:This is truly a family.
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:And, uh, you know, with being a family,
you know, you get to, uh, you know,
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:say things, you get to be vulnerable.
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:And I gotta share some, uh, exciting news.
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:You know, my wife and I,
if I could announce this.
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:We are addicted to this
show called 90 Day Fiance.
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:Sorry.
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:I know you guys prob I I probably
set up like we're pregnant.
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:We're not pregnant.
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:Sorry about that.
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:But, uh, my bad.
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:Sorry.
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:Sorry about that.
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:I'm sorry about that.
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:No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
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:Sorry about that false alarm.
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:No, no, no.
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:Yeah, but I gotta say though,
but we are addicted to this show
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:though, called 90 Day Fiance.
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:Have you guys heard of this
show called 90 Day Fiance?
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:Oh, no.
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:Okay.
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:If you haven't.
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:Please don't watch, it's
gonna kill your brain cells.
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:But for me, you know when I didn't,
like, I didn't watch it originally,
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:but you know, when we got married
Savannah, she was big on reality
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:TV show and I was like, okay.
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:And she's watching this show.
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:And the premise of this show is
that it follows many couples and,
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:uh, these couples, uh, one of
the, the spouses, they're from the
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:US and the other spouse is not.
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:And they have 90 days to get married
because, uh, the spouse outside
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:the us, they come to the US and
they have a 90 day marriage visa.
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:And they have to get married within
that period before times runs out.
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:It's not a game show, but
it's, it's a reality show and
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:it sounds very simple, right?
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:Okay, I come here, get
married, let's do this.
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:But it never is, you know, there's
always drama in that show, man.
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:It's like family does not
approve of each other.
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:And I love it when it gets to
those episodes where people start
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:questioning the motives of why they're
getting married to this person.
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:You know?
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:It even seems like some
couples go to the length of.
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:Showing that they don't even
like each other, and I'm just
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:like, Savannah, do these couple,
are they like, really together?
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:She's like, yes, they are.
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:You know, as a viewer it's hard for me.
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:At first it was easy to look away,
but after a while I was like, man,
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:I'm sucked into this show, man.
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:It's like watching a train wreck.
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:Just go down and slow motion to
be honest with you, you know what?
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:What pulls people in?
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:What pulls people in like me is the drama.
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:When drama shows up, it
gets everyone's attention.
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:You know?
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:That's why reality TV show, it's like
one of the, the biggest money makers.
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:There's so many reality TV shows going on.
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:Like Kardashians have three.
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:There's a show called Mormon
Wives, and I'm like, wow, okay.
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:Like, I guess there's gonna be a
show now called Christian Wives soon.
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:I don't know, but I'm just, I'm
not gonna sign up for it, trust me.
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:Uh, but there's just so much drama
that goes on in shows and it just
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:draws us, draws our attention in.
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:You know, I wanna ask you guys, this
is, you know, with drama since we're
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:talking about it, uh, you know, raise your
hand if you have ever experienced drama
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:in your own life where you're feeling
like, man, I'm on a reality TV show.
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:Yeah, that's everyone, right?
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:We've all experienced drama in
our lives, whether it's with our
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:family, with our friends, maybe
it's even people here in the church.
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:Uh uh Oh, I know.
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:You know, when someone says
something the wrong way to you.
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:Feelings get hurt, people get offended.
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:You have to start choosing sides.
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:You know, some of us, we're probably
living in the drama right now and
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:usually, I dunno about you guys,
but when drama shows up, the first
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:thing I do is I usually say I'm out.
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:Like I'm out.
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:I don't need this.
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:I'm probably gonna go
find this drama free job.
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:I'm gonna go find this.
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:These drama free friend groups, I'm
gonna find this drama free church.
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:You just want to have a drama free
life, and that sounds very great, right?
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:To have a drama free life.
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:But here's the truth, that there is
no such thing as a drama free life.
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:You know, one of my mentors told me that
the grass is, uh, not always greener.
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:It's greener where you water it.
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:And I think about, wow, okay, many
of us, we can get in this mindset.
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:If I just go elsewhere,
the drama won't be there.
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:But that's not true.
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:You know, if you're visiting
us, it's the first time.
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:I'm glad you're here, but I hope you
know that we're gonna be stepping on
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:each other's toes because there's no
such thing as a drama free church.
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:There's no such thing as a drama free
workplace or a drama free family.
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:Why?
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:Because it's filled with people,
filled with people like you and I.
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:It can be filled with people who
are good, who are even spiritual,
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:but yet we are still imperfect.
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:You know, drama will happen.
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:You know, the question isn't,
you know, where is it the, you
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:know, how do I escape the drama?
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:Really it's how do I handle
drama and go even step further?
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:How do I walk through it
in a way that honors God?
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:You know, that's what we're gonna
look at this morning as we study out.
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:Uh, third John here.
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:And third John.
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:Man, it's such an incredible book.
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:I was studying it out this week
and I was just like, oh my gosh.
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:I was telling my wife, I was telling
Marcel, I was telling my mom.
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:I was just like, oh my gosh, how
come we don't really talk about this?
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:Because it talks about drama, not only
just, you know, here in Third John,
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:it talks about drama in the church.
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:What I love about it though,
it doesn't just, uh, talk about
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:how we handle in the church.
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:I really believe it talks about how we can
handle drama in our own personal lives.
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:Are you with me, church?
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:Yes.
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:So with that, with a little
background here, uh, with third John.
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:Third John is written by, you
know, the Apostle John, and, uh,
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:many scholars believe he's the
last living apostle right now.
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:And, and the reason he wrote this
letter is to encourage one of the
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:characters here named Gaas and Gaas.
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:He is a described as a faithful, generous
man who keeps building the church.
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:And right now, guys, he's in a, he's in
between a rock and a hard place right
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:now because, uh, you know, with the
church, uh, back then during this time,
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:uh, they weren't meeting at the pack.
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:You know, they weren't meeting at a
building, they weren't meeting at the
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:OC building, the 10 Goodyear building.
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:They were meeting in, you know, disciples,
homes, and, you know, missionaries,
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:many people would, they, they would, uh,
go in town to town and, uh, they would
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:depend on disciples to, to be hospitable,
to have church inside their homes,
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:to, to support and provide for them.
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:And guys was one of those, uh,
disciples who are doing that.
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:And then we have, uh, a leader here
named, uh, uh, de atrophy and de atrophy.
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:He's here described as a prideful leader.
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:He is a, a drama driven
man who loves to be first.
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:And then we have Demetrius
and Demetrius here.
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:He's a trustworthy man with a great
reputation and he wants to bring peace.
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:And you know, people, scholars
believe that actually that
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:Demetrius, he's carrying the letter
from John to deliver to Gaas.
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:You know, and the purpose of this,
as I mentioned, is to encourage Gaas
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:for his faithful support of traveling
Christian missionaries and to address
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:the harmful be behaviors of the
Tropic who rejects church authority
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:and refuses to offer hospitality.
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:And he wants to lift up Demetrius to, for
Gaas to keep following, uh, the example
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:of Christ, but also Demetrius who'll be
delivering the letter to him as well.
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:And as I mentioned before,
you know, yes, I know this.
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:You know, as we read, uh, this
chapter here in Third John, it
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:talks about drama within the church.
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:But I really hope, uh, we can also
see outside of that as well, of, of
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:not just handling drama in the church,
but handling drama in our own lives.
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:So if you're with me, please turn
your Bibles to Third John, and
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:we'll pick up here in verse one.
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:And it reads, uh, the Elder to my dear
friend Gaas, whom I love in the truth.
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:Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy
good health and that you may go well with
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:you even as your soul is getting along.
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:Well, it gave me great joy when some
believers came and testified about
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:your faithfulness to the truth.
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:Tell me how you continue to walk in it.
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:I have no greater joy than to hear that
my children are walking in the truth.
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:Amen.
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:I love John right here.
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:He, he opens up not as like a
distant apostle, not as someone
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:who's like, uh, a dictator.
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:But he's writing as a spiritual father,
someone who genuinely loves Gaia.
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:Think about it.
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:He says, there's no greater
joy for me than to hear that
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:you're walking in the truth.
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:And I think that's so beautiful.
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:'cause even back then, and especially
today, man, there's so much noise.
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:There's so much things that's
trying to grab our attention.
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:I know there's like drama at work,
there's family tension, there's social
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:media debates, conflicts within here,
friendship, misunderstanding, and it gets
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:so easy to get pulled into that noise.
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:And when drama hits, usually
the first thing that happens is
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:we stop walking in the truth.
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:I would say, I know I can
stop walking in the truth.
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:We can stop living the way
that Jesus calls us to live.
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:We can let our emotions dictate
our life rather than God's word.
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:You know, we start choosing sides.
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:We start making assumptions.
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:We can start spreading gossip.
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:We can avoid people
instead of pursuing peace.
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:But what I love here is that John reminds
us to not stop walking in the truth.
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:Yeah, to stay faithful,
to stay centered on Jesus.
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:Why?
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:Because the truth is
what keeps us grounded.
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:When life gets chaotic.
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:The truth helps us see things
clearly when things get cloudy for
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:us, you know, when we walk in the
truth, we walk above the drama.
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:You know, for myself, and maybe
for you guys, we can relate.
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:You know, we can probably spend
so much time walking rather than
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:in the truth and walking in the
right, in the wrong direction.
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:You know, I can walk in frustration.
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:I can walk in anxiety, I can walk in
bitterness, and then, you know, I catch
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:myself, I dunno about you guys, but when
I take a shower, I start having shower
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:thoughts where, oh, if this brother says
something to me, I'm gonna say this.
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:And if she says this,
then I'm gonna say this.
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:And then Savannah knocks on the door and
say, hurry up, I gotta use the bathroom.
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:And then my shower
thoughts ends right there.
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:But when that happens though, when I
get myself going in that situation,
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:I'm like, man, I get tired very easily.
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:I'm like, why am I so drained?
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:It's because.
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:Possibly I'm not walking in truth.
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:And possibly some of us here
probably aren't walking in the truth.
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:You know, John, he's encouraging
guys, Hey, don't stop walking.
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:Don't lose your stride.
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:'cause life, life is gonna bump us.
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:People are gonna step on our toes.
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:They're gonna try to knock us off the
path, but we have to stay faithful.
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:You know, GAAS was experiencing that.
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:And here's something, what
I love, also what John says.
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:He's John's joy.
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:You know, his happiness, it's tied
to Gaas and his walk with God.
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:He says, I have no greater joy
than to hear that my children
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:are walking in the truth.
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:When I read that, I was like, man, that
is so incredible, John, because I think
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:about what, what, what ties, you know,
what, what are some of my greatest joys?
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:You know, what are some
of your greatest joys?
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:What what brings you great joy?
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:You know, is it success?
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:Is it comfort?
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:Is it a good reputation maybe,
or is it seeing people that
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:you love walking the tree?
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:You know, for John the greatest win
was not, you know, growing the church
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:or how influential he was as a leader.
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:It was seeing someone like
Guy, someone he loved to stay
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:faithful and walk in the truth.
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:And honestly, I think that's probably
my greatest joy as well, too.
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:Nothing excites me more
than seeing people.
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:I love seeing close friends of
mine, seeing family member, seeing
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:youth wanting to study the Bible
and actually walk in the truth,
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:not just talk about it, not just to
show up, but to really live it out.
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:You know, when I see someone take
real steps, real steps of faith
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:to work through conflict, to build
something, man, that is a huge win.
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:Not just for me, but really
I think for all of us here.
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:You know, that's the kind of
joy I want to continue to chase.
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:That's the kind of joy I want
all of us to continue to chase.
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:That's the joy I want to
build in my life around.
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:You know, I really want to courage this.
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:Let's be people to find
joy in the right things.
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:Amen to walk, you know, to, to have joy
in the right things and to walk in the
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:truth, especially during times of trouble.
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:But we know that walking in the Truth
church, it's not just about what we
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:avoid, it's also about what we build
as we continue on here in verse five
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:through eight, excuse me, uh, it says,
dear friends, you are faithful in what
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:you are doing For the brothers and
sisters, even though they're strangers
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:for you, they have told the church
about your love, please send them on
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:their way in a manner that honors God.
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:It was for the sake of the name
that they went out receiving
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:no help from the pagans.
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:We ought therefore to show
hospitality to such people so that
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:we may work together for the truth.
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:You know, in other words, here, to sum
it up, guys just didn't talk about love.
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:He practiced it.
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:It's so easy to, you know,
to, to talk the talk.
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:I can always tell my wife, man, I
love you so much, thank you for this.
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:But it doesn't mean anything without
practice, without action to it.
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:Yeah.
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:You know, guys here, he welcomed people.
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:He served people, he supported
people, people he didn't know.
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:He's just like, okay,
you're, you're a missionary.
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:Alright.
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:Hey, let, let's do this.
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:Come on in, let's have
church service right here.
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:You know, when traveling missionaries
came through, he didn't hesitate
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:to show hospitality, to build them
up, to support them, to send them
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:out with the things they need.
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:You know, GA has kept building,
even though there was drama
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:in the church around him.
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:You know, the temptation in life when
drama shows up is to stop building.
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:God shows us a better way.
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:He's saying, no, we gotta keep building.
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:And John lifts him up for it.
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:He says, pretty much when people
start tearing you down, we
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:gotta keep building when the
environment gets tense for you, man.
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:Church, we still gotta keep building.
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:When life gets messy, man, we
still have to keep building.
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:We have to keep building our
relationship with one another,
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:our relationship with God.
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:We have to keep building trust.
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:Keep building your family.
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:Keep building the good church.
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:Keep building the good around you.
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:Because what we're building matters.
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:You know, in verse eight it says,
we ought to therefore to show
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:hospitality to such peoples that
we may work together for the truth.
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:You know, when we serve and
support each other, we're
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:working together for the truth.
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:We're not just doing a nice thing, we're
partnering with God and his mission.
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:And you know, guys who I love, he
understood that he kept building
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:and he knew what he was building.
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:Mattered.
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:You know, church, what?
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:What are we building right now?
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:Are we building connection
with each other?
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:Are we building connection with God?
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:Are we just building walls,
trying to protect ourselves?
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:Are we building trust?
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:Are we building distance?
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:Are we building peace or are we
building or even adding on to
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:the drama going on in our lives?
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:I know it's easy.
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:It's so easy to tear down and to walk
away, but what I loved about Guyon, his
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:character, he stayed and kept building.
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:And when you keep building, guess what?
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:Church I find myself that when I keep
building, when there's stuff going
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:on around me, I have no time to be
consumed with it because I'm too busy.
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:I, I wanna keep serving, I wanna
keep loving, you know, I want to
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:keep, you know, partnering with
God and what he's trying to do.
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:I wanna encourage to, let's be
like guys, people who keep building
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:despite the messiness going around us.
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:You know, it's easier
said than done, right?
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:Let's keep being like Gaas.
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:But even John here, he was like,
you know what, uh, I pretty much
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:know not everyone can be like Gaas.
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:And this is where the drama as we
talk about gonna, uh, undersurface
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:here in verses nine through 10.
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:He writes, I wrote to the church, but de
atrophy who loves to be first refuses to
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:welcome him or his messengers, he even
spreads malicious gossips about them.
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:Not satisfied with that.
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:He stops other from welcoming them and
puts those people out of the church.
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:You know, we see here, this is where
the phy, as I mentioned earlier,
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:this is the church leader here and,
you know, he loved the spotlight.
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:He wanted the power, he
wanted the authority.
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:He wanted to be first, no matter the cost.
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:He wanted to be right.
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:And interesting enough, when you
break it down, his, uh, name in, uh,
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:Greek, excuse me, sorry, I gotta keep.
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:Stop doing that.
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:But if you break it down here,
uh, Dio meaning from Zeus and
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:trespass means to nourish.
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:So literally his name
translates nurtured by Zeus.
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:That's, I don't know, when I read that
and when I studied that, I was like,
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:wow, that is such a powerful name.
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:That even sounds very God-like.
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:But he didn't use his influence
to build, you know, the kingdom.
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:He didn't use it to build the church.
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:He used it to build his own
kingdom and right there, church,
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:that is such a scary place to be.
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:Because he went as far to even
reject the teachings from John, and
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:this is the same John who walked
with Jesus, who saw the empty tomb.
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:He was with them with the early ministry.
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:He saw the growth, and now
he's seeing everything.
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:You know, he wrote much of the
New Testament and Theatro is
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:basically saying, you know what?
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:No, no, John, like, I know you
did all those things, but I
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:don't need to hear from you.
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:That's a dangerous place to be.
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:I don't wanna miss this, but the
oc, you know, with, with this
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:character right there, I hope we
know that it didn't just start there.
404
:It didn't just start in third John.
405
:It didn't start that day where
he was like, you know what?
406
:I'm not gonna listen to John.
407
:I'm gonna march the beat of my own drum.
408
:No, it started as a slow, gradual drift.
409
:You know, it happens when we stop walking
in the truth and start walking in pride.
410
:We start walking in control
into self-preservation.
411
:You know, here's the root of it all.
412
:You know, the roots of drama is
pride when you think about it.
413
:Drama grows when pride takes the wheel.
414
:When we have to be right, when we
have to be seen or refuse correction.
415
:I think about, you know, the arguments
that I've been in with maybe my
416
:wife or my, my, my roommates at,
uh, in the brother's household
417
:or even with my own family.
418
:You know, a lot of it started
for myself with pride.
419
:Yeah, the drama wasn't really about
the issue in itself, but it was
420
:about who had to be right and prove
they were correct in that time.
421
:I mean, how often do our arguments and
drama come down to our own pride when we
422
:insist on being right on what happens?
423
:You know, when we do that, we close our
hearts, you know, we stop listening.
424
:We build walls instead of
bridges, and we miss out.
425
:More importantly, what God
wants to do through us, you
426
:know, John's message is clear.
427
:Pride is the root of drama.
428
:And walking in truth, though, walking in
truth means choosing humility over pride.
429
:Because pride puts ourselves first,
it puts our opinions, our own
430
:reputation, our desire to be right.
431
:It makes us stubborn and defensive.
432
:It blinds us to God's correction,
even correction from other people.
433
:Walking in truth though means, you
know, walking in humility, being
434
:willing to listen, to admit when you're
wrong, to put others above yourself.
435
:You know, humility, it is not
weakness, it's strength under control.
436
:It's trusting God enough to
let go of our pride and follow
437
:his way instead of our own.
438
:You know, when we choose
humility, we open the door for
439
:peace, for healing, for growth.
440
:You know, when we do that,
we stop feeding into drama.
441
:We start building peace.
442
:You know, pride fuels the
fire, but truth puts it out.
443
:You know, one last thing about
Theatro, I just wanna mention
444
:that, you know, after this letter.
445
:His name was never brought up again.
446
:And I like to think that maybe, you
know, he learned his lesson, maybe he
447
:repented, you know, maybe he changed,
but more than likely, I don't wanna
448
:assume, but I think this story Dre, it
sort, it serves as a warning that pride
449
:can cut us off from each other and it
can cut us off from the work of God.
450
:You know, pride, it starts small.
451
:It starts when we stop listening
and we stop seeking advice.
452
:Think we know better.
453
:We're addicted to just being right.
454
:It's a quiet disease that
just grows in the background.
455
:And at some point the atrophy
stops submitting to Jesus and
456
:starts submitting to his own ways.
457
:And once again, church, that
is such a scary place to be.
458
:So when we get caught up in pride that
we know we're gonna listen, that we
459
:reject Godly leadership and become the
final authority of our own lives, that's
460
:when our hearts are the most vulnerable.
461
:So I wanna ask you guys, you
know, are we still open to advice?
462
:Are you still listening to people
God has placed in your life?
463
:Are you still soft to correction?
464
:Are you quick to, to justify what
you're doing and trying to be right?
465
:You know how we quietly crown
ourself, kings and queens of our
466
:own lives because pride, pride,
it just always grows in isolation.
467
:When you think about the more we
are distant from one another, the
468
:more we are distant from God, the
more pride really grows and it's
469
:no longer a background character.
470
:It's the main character of our life.
471
:But what I love here is that John, you
know, he doesn't ignore this problem.
472
:He doesn't ignore the
the problem of pride.
473
:He says, when I come back, I will
call attention to what he's doing.
474
:We can't let pride, we can't let
division, we can't let all of
475
:those things go unchecked here.
476
:We can't let the de atrophy moments in
our hearts grow within ourselves, but
477
:also within our church here as well.
478
:You know when drama shows up, I
think we do one of three things here.
479
:You know, the first thing we
can do is we can just avoid it.
480
:We ghost people.
481
:We pretend the issue's not there.
482
:We sweep it under the rug.
483
:You know, the second thing is
we could join in on the drama.
484
:So easy to do that.
485
:Let just jump into this gossip.
486
:Let me start picking sides.
487
:Let me stir the pot up a bit.
488
:And then lastly, we can leave.
489
:It's so easy to leave
because of the drama.
490
:We walk away from that friendship.
491
:We walk away from that job, we,
we walk away from that church.
492
:We try to find another one.
493
:And if I'm being honest, church, I
think my struggle has always been
494
:the first one, which is avoidance.
495
:You know, the church that raised
me all my life, pretty much.
496
:It went through a really hard season
and, uh, you know, there, there was
497
:a church split happening and many of
the friends and mentors, and even my
498
:family, some of my family members, they
were affected by this church drama.
499
:And I remember, you know, the more
people started to talk about the
500
:drama around the church, the more
I wanted to walk out the room.
501
:You know, I didn't want to hear it.
502
:I didn't want to deal with it.
503
:I thought if I just don't
engage, it will go away.
504
:And that tendency, it didn't just
stay there at my home church.
505
:I actually, I feel like I carried
it here in Orange County for sure.
506
:You know, I moved into
the brothers apartment.
507
:Same pattern.
508
:I figured I should have, you
know, maybe I'll be done with it.
509
:Like, you know what, there, there,
there won't be drama with five
510
:grown adult men living in a house.
511
:No.
512
:No way.
513
:Right.
514
:Oh man.
515
:Like first month, you know,
everyone's arguing about something.
516
:And yet for me, I was like, you know what?
517
:I'm just gonna retreat.
518
:I'm gonna avoid it.
519
:I'm gonna pretend like everything's good.
520
:You know, I chose silence over resolution.
521
:I chose distance over honest
conversation, you know, but, but what
522
:I love, what John here shows us here
in Third John, is he, he's saying
523
:that it doesn't have to be that way.
524
:That drama doesn't just have to
be that elephant in the room.
525
:That we need to lean in, that
we need to address that drama.
526
:We need to speak the truth.
527
:We need to seek peace.
528
:'cause that's what we all want.
529
:We want peace.
530
:Yep.
531
:Because avoiding drama
doesn't heal wounds.
532
:It just buries them.
533
:Joining drama doesn't solve problems.
534
:It just multiplies them.
535
:And if you leave drama and you're trying
to find a place where there's peace, it's
536
:just gonna relocate the drama with you.
537
:You know, sometimes we think if
we just leave this situation,
538
:I'll find a drama free place.
539
:But if we never deal with it in our
hearts, drama will just follow us.
540
:You know, it's not
about a drama free life.
541
:It's about becoming a drama free heart.
542
:It's about watching over pride, watching
over division, and the places where
543
:we might be drifting towards our own
hearts, become like the tropics because
544
:drama doesn't just live out there.
545
:It can also live in here.
546
:It can live in your hearts as well.
547
:And John knows this, so he leans in
and he gives guys a clear challenge
548
:and the decision as well, which I love.
549
:Here in Third John chapter, uh, in verse
11 here, it says, dear friend, do not
550
:imitate what is evil, but what is good.
551
:Anyone who does what is good is from God.
552
:Anyone who does what is
evil has not seen God.
553
:You know, when drama, when conflict
shows up in our lives, we have a choice.
554
:What will you imitate?
555
:Because I think drama, it's a lot like,
like a cold, it, it's very contagious.
556
:It, when someone gossips, you can gossip
right back 'cause it's so tempting
557
:When someone shuts you out, it's
tempting to do the exact same thing.
558
:Match fire with fire there.
559
:Yeah, when someone stirs division,
it's tempting to pick a side
560
:or even stir that pot as well.
561
:But John is saying is guess what?
562
:You don't have to repeat
the same toxic mistake.
563
:You don't have to copy the
worst behavior in the room.
564
:You can imitate what is good.
565
:You can mirror your life after Jesus.
566
:Let me ask you, church, will
you imitate good or evil?
567
:'cause drama is a choice.
568
:We either become part of the
problem or part of the solution.
569
:And what's beautiful here is John doesn't
say, you know, do the right thing.
570
:It's not a Spike Lee movie.
571
:He says, imitate the right thing.
572
:John is saying, imitate
your life after Jesus.
573
:Not after the gossipers, not after the
prideful people, not after the dividers.
574
:And because of that, that gives us hope.
575
:You know church, that means if you grew up
in a family that loved drama, guess what?
576
:You can break that cycle.
577
:If your work environment is, and
gossip is the norm, you can stand out.
578
:In your friend group, if petty
conversations is the conversation,
579
:you can shift the tone.
580
:Even if the church has gotten a messy,
you can still lead with humility,
581
:but it won't happen by accident.
582
:It happens when you decide,
I'm gonna imitate what is good.
583
:I'm gonna imitate my life after Jesus.
584
:So with that church, what
are you imitating right now?
585
:Is it the loudest voice in the room,
or is it the strength of Jesus?
586
:Because what you imitate will
shape who you become, and drama.
587
:Drama doesn't create our character.
588
:It just reveals our character.
589
:It shows what's already in us.
590
:It shows us what we've
been imitating all along.
591
:You know, as I mentioned earlier, I've
been part of this church for five years.
592
:I'm grateful for so many people
who help me grown in this area.
593
:But I'm especially grateful for
the brothers I that I lived with.
594
:I'm grateful for, for guys like
Dallas, for Chris, for Eli, for
595
:Derek, for Song for Justice.
596
:You know, they really helped me.
597
:They really challenged me.
598
:They showed me what it
was worth imitating for.
599
:After Jesus, they helped me fight for
peace and not feed into the drama.
600
:You know, we all need people
like that in our lives.
601
:People who show us the better way.
602
:So let's be the people who choose
good, who trace our lives after
603
:Jesus, who decide to be part of the
healing and not part of the hurt.
604
:You know John right here, he gives
us a real life example of, Hey, what
605
:does that look like to imitate good?
606
:He mentions it here in
his letter in verse 12.
607
:He says, Demetrius is well spoken of
by everyone, and even by the truth
608
:itself, we also speak well of him, and
you know that our testimony is true.
609
:You know, John begins to close this
section by lifting up a man named
610
:Demetrius, a man with a solid reputation.
611
:He says Everyone speaks well
of him, even the truth itself.
612
:You know, his life
lines up with his words.
613
:His character speaks louder
than the drama around him.
614
:You know, Demetrius, he's the kind of
person that everyone needs in their life.
615
:We need a Demetrius in our family, in
our workplace, in our friend group.
616
:'cause he's not chasing the spotlight.
617
:He's not choosing sides,
he's not feeling the gossip.
618
:He's steady, he's trustworthy.
619
:He brings peace.
620
:You know, the world that is
so quick to stir the pot.
621
:Dmitri shows up to cool things down.
622
:He's a person who's
really trying to listen.
623
:When someone is screaming loud,
he's a person who says, let's
624
:slow down and let's work this out.
625
:And what's awesome about Demetrius is
he didn't just earn approval of people.
626
:He got earn the approval from the truth.
627
:It was confirmed by it.
628
:He lived in, stepped with Jesus.
629
:He was the peace maker, not a peacekeeper.
630
:'cause.
631
:Peacekeeper, they avoid conflict.
632
:They avoid drama.
633
:But peace makers, they step into the
tension to try to to, to bring healing.
634
:To try to, uh, work
conversations out through Grace.
635
:You know, that's who Demetrius was.
636
:So the challenge for us is simple.
637
:When drama shows up, we have a choice.
638
:We can follow the path of dea atrophy.
639
:We can march the beat of our own drums.
640
:We can do our own thing.
641
:We can make the final a
decision in our life, or we can
642
:follow the path of humility.
643
:We can walk in truth, we can
build peace and welcome others.
644
:You know, let's be people who
build peace wherever we go.
645
:I.
646
:Let's not avoid the hard conversations.
647
:Let's not join in on the gossip.
648
:Let's not run on the
first sign of conflict.
649
:But people who walk in truth, they lead
with humility and choose peace even when
650
:it's hard because that's what Jesus did
and that's what he's calling us to do.
651
:You know, John begins to close his letter
here with something really important,
652
:which is something very small, but I
thought, man, this really does apply.
653
:He's saying everything can't be
resolved through paper and ink.
654
:Or in today's term, it can't be resolved
through a text message or an email.
655
:It has to be done face to face.
656
:You know, verses 13 to 15, he says, I
have, uh, much to write to you, but I
657
:do not wanna do so with pen and ink.
658
:I hope to see you soon and
we will talk face to face.
659
:Peace to you.
660
:The friends here send their greetings,
greet, uh, the friends each by their name.
661
:And I love this.
662
:You know, John could have said more,
he could have made this book a lot
663
:longer, but he was like, you know what?
664
:No, I'm gonna do this when
I see you guys face to face.
665
:You know, resolving
tension, building peace.
666
:It's not something you can
always do from a distance.
667
:Some things just can't be
handled through a text message,
668
:through a social media post.
669
:Some things need to be addressed up.
670
:Close in person.
671
:Real conversations with real people.
672
:You know, John, he wasn't
avoiding the situation.
673
:He wasn't ghosting the church.
674
:He wanted to sit down face
to face with the tropic.
675
:He was like, I want to
talk to him face to face.
676
:I wanna help bring peace, not only
to him, but also to the church.
677
:And I love, that's how he
closes out his letter here.
678
:Peace to you.
679
:Not more division, not more gossip,
not more heat, but peace, you know?
680
:That's what Jesus wants for us.
681
:He wants peace in his church.
682
:He wants that in our families.
683
:He wants that in our friendship.
684
:But more importantly, he
wants that for our hearts.
685
:He wants peace for us, but peace,
it doesn't just magically appear.
686
:Peace is built through people
like Gaia that we just read about.
687
:Peace is protected by
people like Demetrius, but
688
:ultimately peace is disrupted.
689
:It can be destroyed by
people like Theatro.
690
:So the question isn't today really?
691
:Will there be drama?
692
:I think we all know there will be
drama, but really the question is
693
:what will you do when it shows up?
694
:Will you walk away?
695
:Will you get pulled in?
696
:Will you rise above?
697
:You know, as we close out, uh,
this morning church, before we
698
:take communion, I really wanna
encourage us to, to, uh, practice
699
:some, some action steps this week.
700
:And I really thought hard about
this 'cause I really believe that I
701
:need to do the action steps as well.
702
:I, I can't ask you guys to
do something that I can't do.
703
:So as we, uh, close out the action
step this week is, how can I bring
704
:peace and build others up this week?
705
:You know, where can we intentionally
speak life instead of tearing down?
706
:How can we be a builder and not a divider?
707
:Where can we choose to build
instead of joining the drama?
708
:You know, once we answer that question,
I really want us to practice this
709
:Next one, I really want us to do this
next one is, who do I need to have
710
:that face-to-face conversation with?
711
:Is there someone that
you've been avoiding?
712
:Someone you need to clear the air with,
someone you need to to apologize to, or
713
:maybe just listen to, to not avoid it.
714
:Don't send a text message.
715
:Maybe a, a phone call if you have to,
but man, go in person, get some coffee.
716
:Seek peace because peace
is not billed by accident.
717
:It's built with purpose.
718
:It's built through face-to-face
conversation with one another.
719
:And what I love about it is Jesus
didn't walk away from the drama.
720
:He stepped into it to bring peace.
721
:And I wanna pray for us that we
can follow his example as well.
722
:You know, at this moment, we're
gonna take, uh, communion right now.
723
:And if you, uh, have the emblems,
uh, you can bring it out.
724
:If you don't have it, uh,
maybe you can raise your hand.
725
:I believe the ushers, uh, will
bring, uh, a communion cup for you.
726
:But I wanna encourage us, let's be
people who build peace, who carry
727
:peace and protect peace wherever we go.
728
:Amen.
729
:Amen.
730
:Amen.
731
:Well, with that, uh, I'm gonna say
a word of prayer for the communion.
732
:Uh, father God, just thank you for today.
733
:Lord, thank you so much,
God, for your word.
734
:Thank you so much for your son Jesus.
735
:God, uh, God, we're just so grateful.
736
:I'm grateful for your faithfulness,
Lord, even when in moments
737
:we're not faithful to you.
738
:God, thank you for just reminding us
through it that through your word to
739
:that we're called to walk in the truth,
to keep building and to bring peace.
740
:Lord, I pray as we take community, we take
the bread that represents your son's body
741
:and the juice that represents his blood.
742
:God give us a humble heart to seek
and imitate Jesus in every situation.
743
:Lord, give us courage to
have those hard conversation.
744
:Give us courage, God to have a
soft heart, to correction God.
745
:God help us to be like gaas
and faithful and loving.
746
:Help us to, uh, be like demetrius's, God
being a peacemaker, but ultimately, Lord,
747
:help us to be just like you, father.
748
:I pray that we can imitate you.
749
:God, Lord, I pray that you can fill our
hearts with peace and understanding.
750
:God, me your love.
751
:Guide us, uh, throughout
this whole week, Lord God.
752
:It's your son's name we pray.
753
:Amen.