Bricks in a Living Temple

0:21 Let's move on, right? Let go. I think sometimes as Christians, we want to sit there and dwell on it and wallow in it. And I think about my kids, you know, I've got a lot of them. and how, man, I just want to get the issue over with. And now, come on, let's go play again. You know, like with my kids, it's like I don't want them sitting in shame for the next week. It's like, no, let's go. Let's go surf. Let's go do something. You know, let's go play. Like, that's the Father's heart. And just know that that's God's heart for you is like, okay, the cross, it took care of it. Now let's move on. But also to believe in the, you know, I think about the verse that we're looking at in 2 Timothy 3 and how it talks about how there are those who have the appearance of godliness but deny its power. okay like like i don't want to be those types of people that we repent and then we ask god to change us and empower us but then we don't really believe it like we don't believe something literally just happened when we came before god almighty and said god in the name of jesus christ we want this. We want our lives to change. We want to be convicted at that moment so we walk away from it. We don't believe the, you know, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from that evil like that God would actually answer. So we don't want to be people who just have this appearance of repentance and godliness, but deny the power that came from that prayer.

2:12 God wants us to be believers And as we were praying about what to share in these next 20 30 minutes here's the thought that came to mind i i feel like we've we had a lot of individual repentance here in this room um and in church in american christianity this is kind of what we do in fact i built my whole church around this when i first started the church was I want a place where people can come, have an amazing experience with God, and then go home. Okay? Not a bad thing. But that wasn't God's desire for the church. I was so happy that thousands of people would show up and actually have experience with God.

3:11 That's a good thing. And then they'd go home, and I'm like, oh, that's awesome. They came, they repented, they went home. They came, they encountered God's love, they went home. But then the more I studied the scriptures, I saw that God wasn't just wanting us to be these individuals. He says you're a body. And that there's something that's supposed to happen as we gather as a body. Because I can sit at home and watch a podcast and pray and repent, But that's not God's desire. He saved us to be a part of the body. And I want to talk about that a little bit, because like I shared earlier, you know, I think some of us, we feel alone in our convictions. And sometimes just that's kind of why we come to places like this.

4:09 It's like, wow, I actually feel like I've got family. I actually feel like there's other people who actually think like I do. I had that picture of, I don't know if you guys ever started like a campfire or something, and you try to use a little match, you know, or one little coal, and it just gets drowned out by the giant logs, right? And versus like just this heap of coals where you just feel like they're going to keep burning, and you can throw a tree on top of it, and it'll light the tree on fire. Like I think some of us just feel like that little piece of charcoal or something off by themselves under this weight of these giant logs going, I'm not going to light this thing. In fact, eventually it's going to put me out. And I can't have that because God's desire was for the church, that you wouldn't be alone, but that you'd be part of a body.

5:05 And... There's a passage in 1 Timothy chapter 2. where it says in verse 9, he says, You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Earlier in verse 4, he says, You come to him, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious.

6:03 You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. I want you to understand these pictures that Peter is using here. And Paul says the same thing in the book of Ephesians. But here he's saying you're like a stone.

6:25 Okay, picture yourself as one stone. This is the way God wanted it. You are one living stone. And the purpose of you is not just to be this rock out there on your own. He says somehow you stack together to build a spiritual house. See, when I was saved, I never knew that. No one told me that. Everyone just told me, you need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And amen. I believe that today. You better have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But then everything became about that personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And it's just me and God, me and God. Why do I go to a church gathering to sit in the back, you know, hear a message from the Lord, sing to the Lord, and then go home. But that's not what the scriptures teach. The teacher says, no, the scripture says, no, you're one stone. And what God wants to do is build a temple.

7:31 It's insane. The Bible says it's actually a dwelling place for God. It's a picture of that Old Testament temple, that Holy of Holies. It's like that was a picture he gave. It's like all these stones came together to build one temple, and then God himself filled that temple. That's insane. That's so intense. When Solomon built that temple, he took all of these rocks, stacked them all together. Then once it was complete, the glory of God fell in that place, and everyone falls on their face, and they can't even enter like, oh my gosh, what did we just build you see and that's the picture the new testament uses for the church because we are the temple of god now but not about it's not about individuals it's not just about the holy spirit being in me it's about us each stacking together to build a house that becomes the dwelling of god And what's insane is the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone and the foundation is the apostles and the prophets.

8:39 And so somehow it's like this this temple that transcends time. And somehow Jesus, the cornerstone, the apostles and Paul and Peter who wrote this. Like we get to be one stone stacked on there. And there's some sort of unity that God wants. That was his desire. That's why even, you know, even the Lord's prayer is not my Father in heaven. it's our he wanted he wanted that's what he's saying you used to that's what he says in peter you used to not be a people group but now you're a people now you're a nation now you're you're building this temple you're a part of of peter and john and paul and mary and and and isaiah Nehemiah and and and we're all like building this one temple to be this dwelling place for God and his desire in the New Testament for the church was that somehow there'd be a unity Jesus said it right he prayed for that in John 17 I want them to be one as we are one he says in uh in Philippians 127 it says he wants you to be striving side by side with this unity not afraid of anything because you're together and he says then the world will believe in their own destruction and your salvation and that from god so there's something about see as we go out as evangelists we've got to understand there's something that the church and only the church together can do and you can't do it by yourself he says when you strive side by side it says there in philippians he goes then the world's going to believe in their destruction what?

10:41 They're going to believe in their destruction and in your salvation. There's something about our unity that is that powerful when we truly are the church and become a body. I mean, there's so many. I mean, think about the analogies. Like how closely connected does he want us to be? He wants to see groups of people that say, yeah, I used to be an individual. I used to be about me. And now I'm about you and I'm about us. And for the world to look on and go, look at that. That's what the world marveled at at that early church. They go, gosh, look at them. No one has a need amongst them. Like whenever someone's in need, someone will sell something so that need's taken care of. The world looked on and goes, look at that group of people. You are a temple of God.

11:38 You you but you plural I mean that that passage in in 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 3.16 says, do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you? But you've got to understand the word here for you is the plural. Okay, it's not singular you. here in first first corinthians 3 16 it's it's better you know like it's it's better said y'all okay you got some southerners here okay but you guys use that when you're by yourself so um but y'all in the truest sense like more than one that's really what that verse says is do y'all not know that all y'all Thank you.

12:37 are God's temple singular. You get that? He goes, do you understand that all y'all are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in y'all?

12:59 Okay? And that's the picture in scripture is of this singular temple and this oneness. And Jesus says, the world's going to know that you're my disciples by what? By your love for one another. And here's what I want to challenge you with is, can you name a church in your city that is known, this is their reputation, they're known for their love for one another? like where it's supernatural and unbelievers are gone man the way they love each other see these are the things i would struggle with when i'd read scripture going this seems when i started my church i wasn't thinking this i was just thinking let me get as many people gathered and let me preach the word to them and i want them to get saved i want them to have a relationship with god that's all i thought and i want them to hold fast to the word of god these are all good things.

14:04 It's just not complete. I just left out the 50-something one another's of the New Testament that was all about interaction. And over the years, I kept reading, going, ooh, yeah, whoa. I love one another. That's repeated quite a bit. It's not like a little thing that I just forgot about. It's a big, big deal. But it didn't even cross my mind when I started the church. Because our Christianity back in the day was all very individual. It was all about your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We didn't realize that we were saved into something and we became a people group. I remember one of my students, gosh, this is probably 10, 15 years ago, you know, when I was discovering this and preaching this, he says, man, I feel like, he goes, this is what I feel like.

14:57 I feel like when I got saved, it's like you handed me some ice skates. and so I'm just like going out on the rink by myself doing leaps or sow cows or whatever you call it you know twirl look at me look at me look at me I've got this gift I was given these skates and he goes so I've been doing all sorts of tricks and this and that with these skates you gave me and now you're telling me actually I didn't give you those skates so you can twirl around we're starting a hockey team and you're a part of that and we're going to work together and we're actually after a championship together and he goes all the rules have changed and I go man that's a beautiful picture that's exactly what it is that you got saved onto a team like and we're working together for something I never knew that I wasn't thinking that way it's like do you realize this is not about you this is about us and our father and what he wants and so when i began to discover this and the elders in my church are the ones that brought a lot of this up to me like man we're the leaders and we haven't been leading the people this way and we just began repenting and i just you know i remember as elders we just sat down and I go man are we even a family we're the leaders of the church are you guys committed to me man I go man I got my I got money you guys need money I have money I want to lay my money down and guys were saying things like yeah here's the keys to my car I mean I hope you guys know my house is your house you know we got to start living it out as leaders now and then I remember one of the guys even says, so why do I have life insurance?

16:49 Because if something happened to me, wouldn't you guys take care of my family? And we're like, yeah, we would. I would. He goes, okay, I'm going to cancel my life insurance. I'm like, do it. I got your family. I promise you. And different guys started going, yeah, I promise you. I promise you. I mean, we walked out of that. Elder meetings, you've got to understand, are usually lame. and this one we just walked out like whoa that felt like the bible that was weird you know that type of thing and and i but i i remember another thing that hit us during this time there was this kid some of you guys heard the story before you know being in the southern california there's a lot of gang members and stuff and every once in a while one would wander into our church and And this guy, he came for a while, was very involved, got baptized, and then he stopped coming.

17:42 And I didn't notice because when you have tons of people, you just don't notice, sadly. And then someone says, hey, you ever notice that guy hasn't been back? I'm like, oh, yeah, I forgot about him. He goes, I ran into him the other day. I'm like, really? Did you talk? He goes, yeah. I asked him, how come you haven't been around Cornerstone? And he says, I had I totally misunderstood the church. I totally misunderstood baptism. He goes, when I got baptized, I thought it was like when I got jumped into my gang. See, when I got jumped into my gang, we became family 24 seven. I mean they had your back anyone tries to hurt you man they were right there for you he goes when I got baptized I thought that's what it was I didn't know it was a Sunday morning and maybe Wednesday night thing oh you talk about being I mean he was not saying that judgmentally he was just saying that's sorry I didn't understand it and I just remember just feeling so sick and we as elders going, are you kidding me?

18:52 The gangs are a better picture of family than the church of Jesus Christ. I can't live with that anymore. That's not what Christ died for. We've got to figure out our differences and get through this and become this one temple that he wants of us where every part of the body is being used. And that's the stuff that's been so on my heart and I want to just believe that it's possible. I mean, for the longest time, to be honest, when I was getting ready to sing about leaving the church and starting something new, because I just didn't know how to turn that giant ship. And every time I tried, it just seemed like we were frustrated with each other.

19:47 And I just said, for the best of the church, and maybe better if I just kind of get my head straight and try to figure out what I even want to see, you know, what I believe the Lord wants in church. And it just felt like I failed in so many ways as a leader there. Like I didn't see a lot of these things ahead of time. And it's like, okay, let me start again. Let me just try. And one of the things we did was just like, okay, if you were on an island and you read through this Bible over and over, what would you expect to see when you went to a church? Like, what would you expect to be there? Wouldn't you expect like some crazy giftings where everyone brings their gifts to the table and an incredible fellowship where people are like, man, I don't care about stuff. Stuff, are you kidding me? This is what I care about, these people. And we strive side by side filled with the spirit and we're living for eternity.

20:44 I mean, we're not living for stuff here. And it wouldn't be individual. It'd be this united thing. In fact, you know, we've been doing this thing where we meet in homes and we've got all a lay pastor. It's been beautiful, beautiful. Not without its struggles, but it's been so, so good. And now people have been coming to just kind of check out what we're doing. And we've been teaching. We teach this like church intensive class just to remind people what's promised in the scriptures. because you can get to the point where you don't even believe it's possible anymore. Where you go, could it even be possible to have a group of people love each other that much? Could it be possible to have a group of people where every time you talk to them, all they talk about is Jesus? You know, that it's not this guy's sermon or our church's activity or this or this or this, but they were really lovers of Jesus. Where it's like, man, I was with him this morning. I was alone with him this morning.

21:38 I didn't even want to leave. It was so awesome. Man, I was just in tears just as he, you know, just reading his word, hearing about his grace in my life again. You know, is it even possible to have that type of gathering where everyone has been alone with the Lord and blown away by him? And just, just, just, he satisfies them. And then they come together and they're madly in love with each other. You know, it's just teaching. Is that possible? Is it possible to have people that live by faith anymore? that go you know no no if i seek his kingdom first everything else will be taken care of and actually there's tremendous power in me the spirit of god actually dwells among us and he does live in us individually as well as collectively so there's this power towards me where those sins i confess i i could walk out i literally could like walk away from all of this because I can put to death the deeds of the flesh by the Holy Spirit.

22:36 And not only that, but for everyone to believe, like 1 Corinthians 12 through 14 says, that I have a manifestation of the Holy Spirit in me that's meant for the common good. That means God wants to use something in me for my church. I'm needed. I'm so needed. Gosh, could there be a group of people where everyone filled with Spirit came and goes, I have something for us. Man, just to give to us. And everyone came giving rather than sitting back and going, okay, teach me something. But like it says, each one comes with something. Is that even possible? Is it possible to have a group of people who are so focused on the hope of the future that they really just don't love money? And their mind is not on things they can see, but really on eternal things. like that our hope really could there be a group of people that are just always going is today today could he return today like like oh man jesus please today today today like how many churches are known for people who are constantly just hoping and eagerly awaiting the return of christ but you start to go i don't know if we can do that i don't know if there's a group of people who would actually sacrifice and suffer here on earth.

23:58 Even though the Bible says that everyone, 1 Timothy 4, everyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. the Bible says don't be surprised when the fiery trial comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you man when I was in China you know I was talking to some underground leaders and this one guy was saying you know what made us so strong is man we're people of the word we're people of prayer you know we believe everyone should be sharing the gospel I'm like yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah he goes we're expecting miracles I'm like right on and he goes in the fifth pillar he goes we how to how to what was the word the word was a it wasn't just we ex we expect and we want suffering for the glory of christ wait you want suffering for the glory of christ so one of the five pillars your church was built on was you they were individuals who actually wanted to suffer for God's glory.

25:07 Can you imagine if there was a group of people who actually want persecution and want suffering because it brings God glory? How would you stop a group of people like that? see that's what they were doing isn't that what you read in the book of acts we just beat them and they're running off rejoicing what are we going to do with them right they were unstoppable the reason why the church is so stoppable nowadays is because we're not thinking about our future hope and we're not we don't want any light and momentary trials in our lives and whenever some sort of suffering comes along we think that god isn't there God failed me rather than counting it all joy and rejoicing in their sufferings you know but you start to believe like is that even possible that's why we gather people just to tell them no it can happen we're starting to see the church really can be these are his promises and one of the things we do as people come in is we say we write a list we get a piece of paper and a giant piece of paper and say okay these are pastors you're leaders and go, okay, what do people expect when they come to church?

26:27 And we write a list of expectations. Child care, youth group, building, air conditioning. 40-minute sermon, band, music. I don't know. What else?

26:48 Coffee, bathrooms, yeah. Okay, but this is what you expect. Yeah, timeliness, like, you know, hour and a half, tops. You know, now, then we say, okay, everyone open up your Bibles. let's make a list of everything that's commanded from scripture for the church and they start writing the commands well love one another forgive one another serve one another pray for one another you know they just start going through the list of everyone should be using their gifts everyone comes with something just all the unity biblical and we go isn't it crazy look at the list of expectations what if someone shows up to a church and one of those expectations isn't met let's say it goes two and a half hours long let's say there's no child care let's say the band sucks let's say you know the sermon was this this this people would be so frustrated and angry. Now let's go to the commands. What if you got to a place and not everyone used their gift? No big deal. Let's go down the commands. If these aren't applied, that's all right.

28:13 But our expectations, if one of these aren't met, and we just go, what are we doing? what are we doing are we trembling at his word or are we just pleasing people and meeting their expectations look i just i i just want to encourage you and hear me on this i am not saying go home and rebel against you know all leadership in your life tell them how screwed up they are because that is the last thing I'd love I'd want to see you do look we live in a very rebellious time you don't even realize it but it's it's not normal to be in a country where you're not allowed to speak highly of your president okay it's not normal to live in a country where you can't speak highly of the police or the government officials or your parents oh yeah I mean you remember that list in first Timothy 3 that I was reading, wasn't it weird that amidst lovers of self, greedy, this disobedient to their parents? I mean, we just assume that. It's weird if someone actually obeys their parents.

29:28 But you got to understand, we live in a time where everyone's anti-authority. It's like the period of judges where everyone did what was right in their own eyes, right? Whatever you think, then you tweet about it and you blog about it and you tell everyone, look, here's what I think because what I think is so powerful. Right? Everyone's about me, me, me, me. And the church needs to paint something different where we go, you know what? I actually like authority.

30:00 I'm actually so grateful to have a king. That's the weirdness of us. we go I'm actually happier with him on the throne than me you got to understand that at the very core of who we are we are people of the kingdom where we go we love being under authority and somehow it's got to pass down man we have I just remember a couple weeks ago one of the ladies in our church was going I love being under the elders I love being under authority and it was just such a weird sentence. I go, who says that? You know, in times when I have my kids say to me, Dad, I love that you're my dad. I love that you have these rules. In fact, I wish you were my friend's dad because, man, you know, it's just, I actually like the authority.

30:58 That's what we're supposed to be. So no way am I saying go back and rebel. I'm just saying there's something needs to change somehow and I feel like part of protecting you as God has called me to do is to remind you that just to let you know this is possible now it's not going to be as popular because right after that passage I read earlier 2nd Timothy 3 comes 2 Timothy 4. And he says in the last days, he goes, people aren't going to put up with sound doctrine. But instead, wanting their ears tickled, they'll go find teachers to suit their own passions. Okay, so he's warning Timothy, because I know we want to be, I'm going to go, I'm going to start revival, I'm going to see thousands, and man, that'd be great. But Paul also warns Timothy in the last days if you really teach sound doctrine people are not necessarily going to run to you they're going to run to other teachers who will tell them it's okay to leave your wife they'll run to other teachers to tell them you don't have to give up everything for Jesus you don't have to love each other that much just pray a prayer you're going to heaven it's all good and people are going to flock to that so understand as i share these things i want to tell you man it's so possible because it's god's word and it's not even just possible it's commanded and necessary and we need to be people who tremble at his word and say you know what i am going to love people that deeply so that if we were to you know like if we were to start a church you know just this this front row here you know you'd be the video guy because you've been filming this whole time on your iphone and you know we we figure out okay so if we are a church here like how deeply does god want us to love each other and

33:10 let's go after this let's pursue that okay and let's just make sure everyone's getting in the word let's get everyone out sharing the like it's possible you know it's possible do you have any doubt that this front row and i could start church right here in kona today and just start living this out it's possible right and that we could start loving each other that much and we could just say hey man anyone in need we're gonna take care of you this this have that kind of love man what is your gift what's your gift what's your gift man the holy spirit put something in you man that i need i can't do without you i need you and you you know it's just just going to every single i need you there's there's a gift in you and it's miraculous it's supernatural it's for us and we have the power to be his witnesses and together let's become this people group this temple you know and and and i'm not discounting everything in scripture and to look and go no there's authority in scripture there are elders in scripture let's look at first timothy three and look at those qualifications if i'm an elder you're then judges, look at these qualities.

34:18 Is that who we are? If so, then Hebrews 13, joyfully come under our leadership so it doesn't become a burden to us, but a joy. And somehow let's become that temple. Let's become a body that starts showing the world teams, gangs, the body of Christ and not settle for attending somewhere. That doesn't even make sense. They didn't go to church. Who goes to church? No, it's who they were. It's just like the gangsters. They don't go, oh, I'm going to gang today. I hope it's good. No, it's their identity. It's got to start sounding stupid to us to where we change it and go, no, I'm not attending gang for an hour and a half. It doesn't make any sense.

35:16 And in the same way, the church hasn't made sense. And I just believe, not in a rebellious way, but because I love the church. And I believe Christ died for something much, much deeper. And I would love to see a new generation be committed to that and demand that and say, let's become that. before we break for lunch is lunch next right i'd like us to do something i'd like us to pray together i'd like us to pray the lord's prayer together okay okay i want god to look down and not see a bunch of people saying, my father. But say, okay, yeah, not technically.

36:10 We don't have elders here and everything else. But, okay, I want to be careful with all of that. But I think God still wants us to look down. I want him to look down and say, you know what? We're committed to being our. I'm committed to being one block in that temple. You know why I want to be a block on that temple and not just off on my own. Because there's the blocks in that temple that got to experience the glory of God. When the glory of God fell, all those bricks in the temple got to touch that. Not the ones that were off on their own. And I go, God, I don't care. I don't need to be on a stage. I can be some block of, you know, by the toilet. I don't care. I just want to experience your presence. And so by us praying our father, we're saying, God, I want to be a part of something bigger than us. You are our father.

37:06 Let's pray it together.