Membership Has It's Privileges · Part 2

0:07 What about these drones? they seem to be everywhere I think I had a couple follow me to church this morning but what's their purpose I mean Why are they here? I don't know. I think a lot of us ask the same question about the church. what's the purpose?

0:47 Why is the church here? Over the last couple of weeks, we've been answering that question. We have been in a massive, you could call it, membership class. We've been saying, like American Express said in 1987, membership has its privileges. And membership in the church we're discovering has its privileges. Jesus invites us to be a part, to be members of his body. The church is called the body of Christ. And the exciting thing is we all have unique gifts. I have gifts that you don't have. You have gifts that I don't have. And here's where you need to really concentrate. The gifts that you have are not primarily for you.

1:47 The gifts that I have, they're not primarily for me. They're for one another. They're for the church. Let's say God has given you the ability in the business world to make money. That's a gift that everyone doesn't have. You're to enjoy the fruits of your labor, but leverage that to push the ball downfield in the church. Let's say, for example, you have the gift of communication. You can use that within your family, with your spouse, and I'm sure you do, and your friends, but it's really given to you to be leveraged and used within the body of Christ. And I think about so many teachers and communicators we have at Fellowship Church that makes us go and grow.

2:52 Someone said this, a theologian said, if you turn your back on the church, on the body of Christ, you're literally spitting in the face of Jesus. That's it. That's a potent phrase, isn't it? We've been focusing on 10, right? F-E-L-L-O-W-S-H-I-P. 10 principles that make a difference. I made an acrostic out of the word, the name fellowship. Fellowship is not just what we do, it's who we are. Acts chapter 2, verse 42, talks about the church being a fellowship. That's why we named fellowship, fellowship.

3:38 Here's the church, there's the steeple, open the doors and see all the people. It takes 10 to do that. And 10 things make a difference in the church. So there are two groups of people here that I want to address. The group that I'm looking at now, group A would be those like me. You've been a member of fellowship church for a while. Maybe a year, maybe 34 years like me. You remember, this can be a time to recalibrate and renew your vision for the church. Why we do what we do and the purpose. I mean, why are we flying around here? What are we doing? The second group, group B, would be those who are not a member of Fellowship Church. Today, you can join Fellowship Church, and I'll tell you how. We've given you a Fellowship Church membership card.

4:32 How handy is that? How easy is that? Last week we had 507 new members. at our downtown Fort Worth campus, at our Dallas campus, our Frisco campus, our Hawkins campus. A friend of mine told me before the first service, he has a place in Cabo. He said, what do you think about starting a fellowship church in Cabo? He goes, I'll be the pastor because this guy is ordained. I said, go for it. So who knows what'll happen. This guy's pretty entrepreneurial, so. But I wouldn't mind volunteering to go down there. Here's how you join the church, though. In a couple of moments, I'll give you an opportunity. Fellowship church, name, address, city, state, zip, phone, email, DOB, that's date of birth, occupation, and then you just go down the list.

5:35 I joined Lifetime Fitness, as I told you last week. I had to give my credit card information. They, like, draft, right? Is that, well we don't do that here, don't worry. but it's really scarier because it's between you and God.

5:57 Anyway, let's talk about fellowship, F-E-L-L-O-W-S-H-I-P. You see the five I talked about last time. If you want to know more about it, don't you love that QR code there? That is a QR code, correct? Thank you. F, we're focused biblically. That's fellowship church. We engage creatively. We love radically. We learn enthusiastically. And we're organized simply. The first five letters. Now today, I have 18 minutes and 33 seconds to finish this message, which I can easily do. We're going to talk about the last five. We're going to talk about, it'd be W ship, right? It's pretty funny. W-ship. W. Give me a W. That stands for worship. Worship holistically. What is worship? Well, we all worship. It's expressing love to something. It's being enthusiastic about something. So we worship holistically. I like to say, as believers, we don't come to fellowship church to worship.

7:16 We come worshiping. Everything we do should be an act of worship. Worship is our response to God's identity. Who is God? He's omnipresent. He's omniscient. God's holy. He's just. He's loving. When I consider his identity, that should cause me to worship. Also, worship is our response to God's activity. Think about God's activity in the world. He spoke the creation into existence. He saw our sin situation and commissioned Christ to do what he did on the cross for your sins and mine. Worship, here's the phrase that pays. It's in white, see that, the big white box? Worship is our response to God in everything we do, say, touch, and feel. The way I talk to Lisa, it should be an act of worship.

8:11 The way I deal with my kids and grandkids, it should be an act of worship. My hobbies, I should worship while I'm doing these recreational pursuits. Everything we do should be an act of worship. Today, I go out to lunch, you go out to lunch. The way you treat your server, the manager of the restaurant, should be an act of worship. If you're a golfer and you're part of some high-end country club, how do you treat the caddy? It should be an act of worship. Everything we do, say, touch, and feel should be an act of worship. So that's what fellowship is, we worship. Does that make sense, everybody? Okay, okay. And I like the fact that we worship in so many different ways. Give me an S. We share generously. We share generously.

9:03 we have a bunch of people who understand what sharing is about. I love the song I wrote years ago for our kids. Share, share, share. Everyone likes to share. Share, share. there's a country version share share share everyone likes to share share share share you gotta have that kind of nasal thing you know going and then there's a hip-hop version. I know you were wondering about that. Share! Share! Share! Share! Share! Malachi chapter three, verse 10 says, oh, now this is gonna be, don't, please don't get mad at me for reading this.

10:08 I'm just reading you the word of God, okay? But it's just here, and I don't always like everything the Bible says. I hope you know that, because it's convicting, okay? Let's just talk about this. Okay? Like they say when you go to the doctor, Mr. Young, this is gonna be a little bit uncomfortable.

10:32 That means it's gonna hurt. This is not gonna hurt. Malachi chapter three, verse 10, bring the whole tithe. What's a tithe? 10, 10% of everything we make. Uh-oh. It gets quiet. Bring the whole tithe. Bring it. Don't give it. I'm not giving. Lisa and I have been tithing for 34 years. We're not giving, we're bringing. And tithing is not being generous. Technically, it's just being obedient.

11:03 So bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house, okay. Test me in this. It's the only time God says test me. And see, God's talking. Now, if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be enough room for it. I want to be in that position. I don't know about you, but that's where I want to be.

11:30 So when I tithe, when I bring the first to God's house, and the Bible is a book of the first, talks about the first fruit, it talks about the first day of the week, there's power in the first, the firstborn, when we dedicate the first to God, he blesses the rest, he redeems the rest. When we don't, he's not gonna do it. So if we don't tithe, we're bringing a curse on our finances.

12:06 And here's what I'm gonna say too, I enjoy money more than most of you. I really do. Because most of you don't tithe, and I do. And because I tithe and give more than to tithe, I enjoy money. I'll understand and get money. Most of you don't. I don't care if you have a billion dollars. You don't really, unless you're tithing, you don't really enjoy it.

12:34 So why don't we tithe? It's an act of obedience. Why don't we tithe? I'm agreeing with God because God commands it. Why do I tithe? Showing that God's first. And let me tell you something. 34 years ago, it was easier to tithe than it is now because I make a lot more money now than I did 34 years ago. And many of you are in the same boat. I get it. I choke on the zeros. it's okay to laugh talk about sex and money people freak out but what's so funny is that's all most of us think about okay building what he's built building what he's built so i'm building the church the local church that's what i'm doing when i'm tithing so so i'm doing a lot and then i'm becoming blessable i am in the sweet spot say that with me, sweet spot of God's success.

13:32 Here's what I've discovered though. Because I'm blessable. but the blessings I receive are not necessarily the ones that I want. That's the key. they're blessings on another level. They're much bigger and broader, sometimes more mysterious, much more profound than I can come up with. Does that resonate with you? Okay. And again, we don't force anyone to do this. It's up to you. And we have about 20% of the people that give 80% of the money. So a lot of you are freeloaders. your UFOs, unidentified freeloading observers. And that's okay, but some of us are tired of paying for your meal every time. I just wanted to get that off my chest, okay?

14:27 So we don't get to get, we get to give. I joined Lifetime Fitness, I told you that. I already told you that. And, you know, when I joined, I had to fill out, as I said, the credit card, and they, you know, draft my card. Well, the other day I said, you know what? I'm not gonna pay Lifetime anymore. All they want's my money. All he wants is my money. I'm just gonna show up and work out. no, they won't let me in.

15:11 Because membership has its privileges, its responsibilities. Now, we wouldn't do that to anyone here, but we'd have a small group here if we did that. So how do you think everything got here? I mean, did drones fly in and just build this and you show up? No, no, I paid for it. So did many, many of you. And he's gonna be the next group to do what we need to do next. And saying that, did you get this cool brochure? This thing is awesome about this anchor, center, the Anchor Project. Did you see that? Get that out right quick. Let me give you a brief commercial on this. The Anchor Project, and you'll see what it looks like behind me, is a $30 million project that we're embarking upon specifically in January.

16:20 And the great news is we have $30 million. But the challenging news is it's in your account and mine. it's really funny what's this thing going to entail 60,000 square feet for our students children families 1200 seat worship center for funerals and weddings cafe pickleball courts basketball courts you realize right now we have a squillion students that meet here, in here, Wednesday nights, and we have to turn this into a gymatorium. They take our lobby and put tape on it. We have to do this, friends. And we've not done this for a long, long time. And all of us can play a part in it. It could be a four-figure gift for you, five-figure, eight-figure, I don't know.

17:15 I don't know. It's not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice. So you might have a small pile of stuff, and you give to this project. You might have a big honking pile of stuff. You give percentage-wise to this project. That's how we do it. So some big dates I want you to remember, you'll see right here, is the Commitment Sunday. We're going to give everyone cards at the beginning of the year, and you fill out what you believe God can do and wants to do through you over the next two years for this project. Then Sunday, February the 2nd, 2025, is the first and best offering. Lisa and I are giving the biggest gift we've ever given in the history of our lives to this endeavor. I mean, it will give my accountant palpitations.

18:08 They're like, what, what? But that's just where we are. What are you going to do? That's the question. What are you gonna do? So we have an opportunity, don't we, to sow and to share in this endeavor. You'll be hearing more and more about it. It's gonna be incredible.

18:31 God loves a cheerful giver. And those who are givers, you're like smiling going, yeah! Those who are misers are like... You always have one or two to get up and leave when you talk about sex or money. It's interesting. All my friends around the country are pastors. We laugh and joke about it.

18:54 Anyway, let's go to another one. give me a W give me an S are you fired up? I am give me an H honor joyfully what does honor mean? honor is what God's about God's honored you and me we should honor others So honor God, honor others, and honor yourself. Those are the blanks. So if you want to go up, get under.

19:35 As I alluded to a second ago, I go out to lunch. I'm under the authority of the server and the manager. I honor them. I go to work. I honor others. I honor my manager. I honor my CEO. I honor my teacher. I honor my coach. Here's what people say every time I talk about honor. Well, what if they ask you to do something that's immoral? Okay. 99% of the time you should honor. Yeah. 1% of the time, if someone asks you to do something wrong, that's another subject. But I'm just talking about the overall honor that we are to give God to others, and because God has honored us, we've never met someone that we shouldn't honor.

20:30 Everyone matters to God. Give me an I. That stands for inspire. Inspire strategically. Hebrews 10, 25, Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. I guess Paul was talking about Christors even then. Christmas and Easter only. let us not give up meeting together.

21:02 He's talking about UFOs, that's it. As some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching. Inspire strategically. So I inspire by doing what? Serving, not swerving.

21:26 Sewing, not showing. Sharing, not comparing. In the phrase that pays, God's impartation always leads to inspiration. Give me a P.

21:47 It stands for prayer. The church is to be a lot, but it's to be a house of prayer. We should pray powerfully. James 5, 16, the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Our prayer should be organized when we're having the time with God. P-R-A-Y is a great way to remember how to pray. P is praise. God, you're awesome. You're majestic. You're holy. You can sing to God. That's P. R is repentance.

22:26 You're making the about face when it comes to your sin and my sin. A stands for ask. We ask God for things, for knowledge, for words, for discernment, for wisdom. And then Y, it's yield. We yield to God because, God, your will, not mine. That's what Jesus prayed right in the garden.

23:01 Jesus said, God, Father, not my will, but yours be done. So prayer is really man syncing up with God, not God syncing up with man. It's not saying, God, okay, here's how I want you to bless me. A, B, C, great. It's not it. It's trusting God. It's saying, God, you're God. I trust you with my all. Yeah, here's what I am praying for. Here's what I'm praying about, all of those things. but at the end of the day, when you say amen, that's where God's blessings begin. God's blessings.

23:53 So, I mean, I look back at my life. If I had to come up with my own blessings, they would have fallen way, way short of the blessings that I have and that our family has in the Lord. And I'm not talking about finances. I'm not talking about material things. I'm talking about things that finances and material things can't even touch. It's truly living in that blessed place. So that's it. You've gone through the new members class. Isn't that exciting?

24:33 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Membership has its privileges. That was, again, a brilliant campaign. Brilliant campaign. Have you guys ever seen Bigfoot before? Anyone? Sasquatch? I believe in it.

24:54 Don't laugh. I tell our grandkids stories about Bigfoot all the time. Scares the fool out of them. We watch videos of Bigfoot. You know, the images of Bigfoot are never clear. Have you noticed that? Interesting.

25:15 But I'll scare them. And I've learned to imitate the sounds they make. Sasquatch has a unique sound. and those who hunt sasquatch know some of these sounds. Now, I combine the roar with the clicks. If you study Bigfootology, when they click, that's the number of Sasquatches around them. See, if it's like that, just one. But if it's, see, one, two, three. Amazon's been coming to our house a lot lately. and Lisa ordered a Bigfoot costume last week full on full on full on this thing is so realistic it even scared me so we have this ingenious plan for Christmas to scare all of the kids I cannot wait to tell you we are planning it but already we've we've kind of whetted their appetite a little bit because because our yard, we have a pool, and it's kind of a built-up thing, and then there's a yard there, so pool, yard, and we had wind chimes.

26:42 So one day it was windy, and I put on right where we got this costume, the full costume. I said, Lisa, film me behind some of the trees in the back and right by our fence. She goes, okay. So I started walking. I mean, this thing, don't worry, I'll bring it on stage one day. I start walking and doing that famous Bigfoot walk where he kind of looks over his shoulder, you know?

27:09 And all you could hear were the wind chimes. It's really spooky. I'll show it to you one day. I'll show it to you. We sent this to the grandkids. it's brilliant yesterday I was facetiming with the grandkids and I had Lisa put the whole outfit on and you could see just kind of you know the window part of the window and I said Lisa just walk past the window with the Sasquatch outfit Yeah.

27:45 One of our older grandkids, when he first saw the video, he was like, oh, oh, that's fake. No, no, no, it's real, it's real, it's real. I'm not scared. Well, I'm scared in the morning and at night when I would see it, oh yeah. I want to have Bigfoot blessings in my life. And I know that you do as well. And what I'm talking about today is big. It's the body of Christ. It's the only thing that will last forever and ever. It's big. And as you identify yourself as a member, as you're active in your membership between you and God, I'm telling you, you will have Bigfoot blessings because Bigfoot is big.

28:38 Here's how you join the church. I have another card. Just fill out your name, address. Name, Sasquatch. Single, address, 1414 Antarctica Way. Anyway, you can do that, okay? I desire to join Fellowship Church as a Christian from another church. Awesome. I knew the music would finally get here. I told our musical people, I said, when I bring the card out and start doing this song, and they've been late every single service, that's okay. I know I'm talking about Bigfoot, but... I'm just messing with those guys. So I commit my life to Christ today, commit to baptism, commit to church. You guys ready?

29:36 507 joined last week. Maybe we can do another 500. What do you think, Brad? Today. So fill out this. We'll give you some time when we sing with the Pointer Sisters. So you got to be a little tight when you do it. You can't. And we are family, aren't we? We're a member of God's family. We're adopted into God's family when we're born again. We're kids of the king. All right, maybe, let me keep this music going. Maybe you have never, never been adopted into the family of God.

30:38 You can make that decision by just simply saying, Lord, I understand that I'm a sinner, that I was not born into your family. I was born into another. but you have provided this family and you, by what you did by your death, burial, and resurrection, you, Lord Jesus, have given me an opportunity to be born again, to be adopted into the family of God. Maybe you've never made that decision. You make it simply by saying, Jesus, I give my life to you. I admit to you I'm a sinner. I turn from my sins. I turn to you. I ask you for forgiveness, for love, for cleansing. And the moment you say that, you're adopted into the family of God.

31:34 And the cool thing is back in biblical times, a biological child could be disowned, but an adopted one couldn't. Isn't that powerful? All right. If you said that prayer, awesome. And I'll give you an opportunity in a couple of moments to say that prayer. After this prayer, we're gonna do two things. the service continues. It's very accessorized, this service. Our incredible ushers will come forward and they'll have these buckets and you drop your new member card in the bucket.

32:10 Also, they're going to give each and every one of you a post-it note. Whoever invented those, absolute creative genius. and I'm going to pray and follow the prayer. We'll put the new members cards in, and I'll tell you what to do with the post-it notes. Father, thank you for this great time. Thank you for our great church. I pray, Lord, if there's someone here and they've never, ever become a part of your family, that you would just simply say, Jesus, I give my life to you. I give my all and my everything. to you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. For rising again, I turn from my sins and turn to you, Jesus. If you said that, it's the greatest decision you'll ever make. Others here, Lord, need to join officially this local church, this body of believers. We're not a perfect church, but we serve a perfect God and it's time for some who've been on the sidelines to get in the game.

33:23 Lord, as we're praying, I pray for so many people in my life. And I know that so many are praying for other people in their lives as well right now. We look forward to seeing what you're going to do over this next season.