Episode 5
Essentials Series (Part 1): Shaped from the Inside Out By a Continuous Companionship with God
The central theme of this podcast revolves around the concept that Jesus lived out the great commands on our behalf, a notion that invites us to reflect on our own discipleship journey. As founding pastor Ross Stackhouse articulates, the mission of Heaven Earth Church is to serve as a sanctuary for those who may feel estranged from traditional religious structures, engaging with their unique narratives and recognizing the divine within each story. We delve into the essence of discipleship, particularly focusing on the five essentials that guide our community towards a fruitful and flourishing life in Christ. Today, we particularly emphasize the importance of embodying grace within the great commands, urging a compassionate approach towards others, especially in the context of pressing societal issues such as immigration. Join us as we explore these profound themes and seek to align our actions with the heart of Jesus, fostering a deeper understanding of our faith in a complex world.
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Heaven Earth Church embarks on an enlightening engagement with the essence of faith through the narratives of its community members. The podcast, hosted by founding pastor Ross Stackhouse, articulates a vision for a church that embraces individuals who may feel marginalized or alienated from traditional religious settings. The aim is to honor and learn from the diverse stories that members bring, emphasizing that each personal narrative reflects a larger divine narrative. This episode serves as an introduction to the church's core values and the importance of fostering a sense of belonging for those who do not conform to conventional expectations. Through the sharing of personal experiences, listeners are invited into a deeper understanding of faith that is inclusive and compassionate, suggesting that every individual journey is a significant part of the collective experience of divine love and acceptance.
Takeaways:
- Heaven Earth Church was established with the intention of welcoming those who feel out of place in traditional church settings.
- The podcast aims to delve into the diverse narratives of individuals who have found a home within Heaven Earth Church.
- Central to our mission is the belief that each person's story intertwines with the divine narrative of God.
- The discussion includes essential principles of discipleship that guide us in our collective journey of faith and service.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Heaven Earth Church
- YouTube.com
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
- heavenearthchurch.org
Transcript
Welcome to Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker A:My name is Ross Stackhouse.
Speaker A:I'm the founding pastor of Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker A:From the beginning, our heart was to be a church for people who don't fit neatly into church.
Speaker A:Our heart is to meet people where they are, to learn their stories, to honor their stories.
Speaker A:Because in every human story is God's story.
Speaker A:In this podcast, you'll hear more about the people who now call Heaven Earth Church home.
Speaker A:Their stories, in many cases of misfits who are discovering or rediscovering faith.
Speaker B:If you want to know more about.
Speaker A:Us, you can go to heavenorthchurch.org Otherwise, we invite you now into the story.
Speaker C:Hello, good people.
Speaker C:Brad Miller here, the producer of the Heaven Earth Church podcast.
Speaker C:One of the main benefits of being a part of the Heaven Earth Church community is our Sunday morning conversations taught by founding pastor Ross Stackhouse.
Speaker C:You can watch and participate in the Sunday morning conversation this Sunday morning, 9:30am Eastern time at YouTube.com heavenerthchurch.
Speaker C:The audio version of the Sunday morning conversation is available here on the podcast, which you can find at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and on the website, which is heavenearthchurch.org here now is the first message from the Essentials series, shaped from the inside out.
Speaker C:Continual friendship with God, with Pastor Ross Stackhouse.
Speaker B:Okay, hey, we're gonna talk about this today.
Speaker B:Just.
Speaker B:That was a fast segue, wasn't it?
Speaker B:A lot of times we think about the great commands of Jesus or of the scriptures that Jesus identified and reaffirmed as the great commands.
Speaker B:But I don't know if we think about Jesus living the great commands on our behalf.
Speaker B:We might think of Jesus being an example of living the great commands.
Speaker B:But we may not think of Jesus living the great commands on our behalf.
Speaker B:I hope by the end that makes more sense.
Speaker B:He calls us to live the great commands on behalf of others.
Speaker B:Today we are kicking off a series on the bare necessities of discipleship with Jesus.
Speaker B:We're talking about what are called the five discipleship essentials of Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker B:And we're doing that by talking about.
Speaker B:We're going to dig into those, dig deep into those.
Speaker B:By talking about immigration.
Speaker B:How do you feel right now?
Speaker B:How many of you.
Speaker B:Your anxiety went up just a little bit when I said that.
Speaker B:Embrace, show of hands.
Speaker B:Your anxiety went up some.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:You might be saying, ross, I come to church to rest from the political mayhem and the upheaval that's happening.
Speaker B:Why are you talking about this political stuff?
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:In fact, I want to talk about it today.
Speaker B:Partly to help you to rest, to help you have anchoring power.
Speaker B:I am not talking about this today with political motivation or agenda.
Speaker B:I told Emily I'm making up a definition of politics for us this week.
Speaker B:We had a series called Good Politics back in November, if you want to go reference that.
Speaker B:It's a deeper dive into politics.
Speaker B:By politics, I mean it's an idea or agenda an individual group of people have about how to order a society, and it's the means by which they achieve that agenda or idea.
Speaker B:That is not Merriam Webster.
Speaker B:That's Ross.
Speaker B:You can say that definition stinks.
Speaker B:I'm thinking about, like, how politics actually function our world.
Speaker B:It's sort of the ideal that a group of people or individuals have about how to govern or order a society, and it's the means by which they make that agenda or ideal come to life.
Speaker B:I have no political agenda or motivation today.
Speaker B:If you walk out today having heard what I said, and you're like, gosh, I'm so glad I'm a Republican, or you walk out and you say, oh, gosh, I'm so glad I voted Democrat then I partly failed today.
Speaker B:I have one goal.
Speaker B:1.
Speaker B:Our church has ultimately one goal.
Speaker B:We want to be committed, fruitful, flourishing apprentices of Jesus, who is Lord.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:So by the end today, I'll probably take some.
Speaker B:Take a couple of shots at folks that tend to lean more right.
Speaker B:And then by the end, I'll also take some shots at some things that are more left leaning.
Speaker B:If you're hurt today in a very personal way, come talk to me.
Speaker B:People have disagreed with me so many times already in this church.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker B:Sometimes.
Speaker B:I know now, Ross, we need to have coffee.
Speaker B:I know what that means, and I welcome it.
Speaker B:I love you all so much.
Speaker B:And together, we are seeking to be in agreement with Jesus.
Speaker B:Okay, I really believe you're gonna leave today encouraged.
Speaker B:I believe that.
Speaker B:So the main goal actually is to situate this conversation in what are called the discipleship essentials of Heaven, Earth Church.
Speaker B:Well, how on earth did we come up with those?
Speaker B:I'll tell you this.
Speaker B:We worked really hard.
Speaker B:Months ago, there was a group of people called the Strategy Team from very different walks of life, different ages, and we kind of asked a question.
Speaker B:If there was a committed, fruitful, flourishing apprentice of Jesus in our midst, what would they look like?
Speaker B:What kind of fruit would they be bearing in their life?
Speaker B:And what essentials would they be spending time with practicing to produce that fruit?
Speaker B:Makes sense.
Speaker B:We had a big, long list, didn't we, Charles?
Speaker B:It was a long list and we whittled it down after lots of prayer and discernment to five.
Speaker B:And I'm going to flash these five up to you now.
Speaker B:There they are.
Speaker B:Now, we don't publish these, like, on our website because they're kind of nonsensical a little bit.
Speaker B:Our community core values are more things that we put out, like, because they're more accessible.
Speaker B:Our community core values are ones you've heard about a lot.
Speaker B:Those are ones that, like, you could walk in and champion our core values day one.
Speaker B:Day.
Speaker B:These are a little deeper, a little tougher.
Speaker B:Take practice.
Speaker B:Shaped from the inside out by continuous companionship with God.
Speaker B:That's something that we're trying to cultivate together.
Speaker B:Number two, we want to be humble, hungry, and willing to seek Jesus.
Speaker B:We want to seek Jesus way in his worldview above everything else.
Speaker B:We want a curiosity about his worldview and a hunger for his worldview and a willingness to do what he says and does before it makes sense.
Speaker B:Number three, Jesus had grace in the great commands at the core of his life.
Speaker B:We want to cultivate that, too.
Speaker B:I said, the one thing that we're spending time on today is that Jesus lived the great commands on our behalf and he calls us to do the same on behalf of others.
Speaker B:Number four, shorter the scent essential.
Speaker B:This basically means that we commit to together unearthing this concept or this idea that Jesus sends us to people, to specific people, and we need to listen to, like, to whom is God sending us?
Speaker B:I heard a guy ask, where is our Nazareth?
Speaker B:Jesus showed up in Nazareth.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:Well, because that's where a lot of people who are considered low lives lived in Jesus's day and age.
Speaker B:That's where God showed up.
Speaker B:Now, we might not be sent to someone who's a low life, okay?
Speaker B:But we do want to take seriously, hey, who is God sending me to and how do I show up?
Speaker B:Number five, great collaboration with the big good news.
Speaker B:Today we're focusing on the first three.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:I want to show you how, when we have an issue like immigration that's happening in our world, how these essentials can guide us incredibly well.
Speaker B:I want to demonstrate that with you, okay?
Speaker B:So there will be time for questions, like we do typically, but it'll be more toward the end.
Speaker B:All right?
Speaker B:Are you with me?
Speaker B:Are you ready to dive in?
Speaker B:Can I ask you one last thing?
Speaker B:If right now you feel resistance in yourself, I invite you to hand that over to God to be fully present here.
Speaker B:Defensiveness, resistance.
Speaker B:Be open, curious.
Speaker B:Firstly, I want to show you how if we're going to be shaped from the inside out by continuous companionship with God.
Speaker B:Shaped by God from the inside out through, like, this ongoing friendship that takes a lifetime to cultivate, just like a friendship takes a lifetime to cultivate.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:You have different seasons of friendship in your life.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:As you get older, you might even learn what friendship is about in the first place.
Speaker B:My wife and I have had, like three different marriages.
Speaker B:We had marriage, like first starting out when we had nothing.
Speaker B:We lived in Nashville, Tennessee, and we ate Hamburger Helper a lot.
Speaker B:I love Hamburger Helper.
Speaker B:That's not a shot at Hamburger Helper.
Speaker B:Then we had, like, our marriage when we started to grow up a little bit, started adulting a little bit more.
Speaker B:Now we're in our third marriage.
Speaker B:Marriage after you have children.
Speaker B:This is a whole new world, a new fantastic point of view.
Speaker B:I'm with you.
Speaker B:See, Ashley?
Speaker B:We're here for it.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:There's seasons of that friendship.
Speaker B:If we're going to be shaped by continuous friendship with God, it's going to be a lifelong pursuit.
Speaker B:And one of the ways we.
Speaker B:We invest in that lifelong pursuit is through the Bible.
Speaker B:Many of us find the Bible to be, like, confusing, complex, scary, weird.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Do all those things.
Speaker B:But what we have to learn is viewing the Bible as a library of scriptures with all kinds of different books from all different times and places through which we can discover God's heart.
Speaker B:I'm going to say that again.
Speaker B:The Bible is more like a library of scriptures with different books written from different times and places through which we can discover God's heart.
Speaker B:Part of our discipline is learning how do we discover God's heart through it, rather than treating it like a textbook or a manual.
Speaker B: lytic converter on my awesome: Speaker B:Wish me luck.
Speaker B:Well, I don't need to.
Speaker B:I don't read the Bible like I read the manual and instruction manual to install that catalytic converter.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:Some people have read the Bible that way.
Speaker B:That ain't how it works.
Speaker B:It's a living, breathing thing.
Speaker B:All right, I want to show you today we have a rare example with immigration, how we can get a big picture view from wire to wire that demonstrates God's heart.
Speaker B:That's what we're searching for.
Speaker B:When we encounter the Scriptures, we pray things like, God help me to see your heart.
Speaker B:As I spend time with this Bible.
Speaker B:God help me to see your heart.
Speaker B:I read this Bible and over a lifetime we're trying to get a big picture view of like, what does this library point to?
Speaker B:You're going to see today how we're going to work deeper and deeper into the core of the Bible's heart, which is God's heart.
Speaker B:So I'm going to show you today how.
Speaker B:This is a rare example.
Speaker B:Like sometimes we got to guess because the Bible doesn't mention it.
Speaker B:The Bible doesn't say anything about what to do with your smartphone addiction.
Speaker B:Did you know there's nothing in there about that.
Speaker B:But buddy.
Speaker B:Woo.
Speaker B:Immigration.
Speaker B:Wire to wire.
Speaker B:Can I show you the entire Torah?
Speaker B:First five books of the Bible is basically an immigrant's tale.
Speaker B:Did you know that basically the entire first five books is an immigrant's tale?
Speaker B:Abraham lived his entire life as an immigrant.
Speaker B:Did you ever think of that?
Speaker B:First you're like, I don't know who Abraham is to begin with, so it's no difference to me.
Speaker B:He's a main character.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:Just trust me on that for now.
Speaker B:Abram.
Speaker B:God calls to Abram.
Speaker B:His name was Abram.
Speaker B:Then Abraham, God says, hey, I'm gonna call you to do this big new thing that I want to do with people in the world.
Speaker B:So I'm going to have you move from the place you are Abram, and go to this other place.
Speaker B:He spends his whole life as an immigrant.
Speaker B:God promises him this.
Speaker B:Have no doubt that your descendants will live as immigrants in a land that isn't their own, where they'll be oppressed slaves for 400 years.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Isn't that exciting?
Speaker B:I can't wait to give my life to that God.
Speaker B:But did you see it?
Speaker B:Your descendants will spend much of their entire like existence as what is it?
Speaker B:And immigrants.
Speaker B:Ross and other translations.
Speaker B:Doesn't it say foreigner?
Speaker B:You betcha.
Speaker B:Immigrants.
Speaker B:That's a harsher reality.
Speaker B:In this world, you are either one of us or you're not.
Speaker B:You're either Egyptian or you're not.
Speaker B:You're either a Moabite or you're not.
Speaker B:You're either an Israelite or you're not.
Speaker B:And if you're not, good luck.
Speaker B:It's a dog eat dog world for everybody, but especially you.
Speaker B:Abraham spends his whole life as an immigrant.
Speaker B:Wire to wire From Genesis to Revelation, this thing has a lot about it.
Speaker B:Exodus.
Speaker B:We're going to skip forward to the second book.
Speaker B:All of Exodus has provisions about how to include immigrants Israel in your way of life.
Speaker B:Like, hey, if the.
Speaker B:If people want to practice Sabbath, including the residents and the immigrants, here's how they do it.
Speaker B:Exodus has instructions like this.
Speaker B:Don't mistreat or impress or Oppress.
Speaker B:And because you were once immigrants in the land of Egypt.
Speaker B:So this is after they had that time of slavery and immigrated to this other land.
Speaker B:Don't mistreat or oppress immigrants because you were once one of them.
Speaker B:Going further, we got a lot of Scripture today, folks.
Speaker B:I hope you ate your Wheaties.
Speaker B:Don't oppress.
Speaker B:And you know what it's like to be in.
Speaker B:Because you were in the land of Egypt.
Speaker B:Oh, I'm sick and tired of hearing this already, Ross.
Speaker B:Well, guess what?
Speaker B:The Israelites were too.
Speaker B:And why did God have to keep repeating it?
Speaker B:Because he knew they'd forget.
Speaker B:You'll hear a shift now.
Speaker B:These people who had spent much of their existence as immigrants became residents.
Speaker B:They were somebody now.
Speaker B:So God had to keep reminding him, reminding them.
Speaker B:Don't forget Leviticus, Genesis, Exodus.
Speaker B:Leviticus.
Speaker B:We're still in book three.
Speaker B:We got a long way to go.
Speaker B:Also, do not pick your vineyard clean or gather up all the grapes that have fallen there.
Speaker B:Leave these items for the poor and the immigrant.
Speaker B:I am the Lord your God.
Speaker B: Leviticus: Speaker B:When immigrants live in your land with you, you must not cheat them.
Speaker B:Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens.
Speaker B:You must love them as yourself.
Speaker B:There's the great command.
Speaker B:Did you see?
Speaker B:We'll come back to it.
Speaker B:You must love them as yourself.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:Remember, you were one of them once because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt.
Speaker B:Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers.
Speaker B:Numbers has a bunch of provisions about what to do with immigrants.
Speaker B:We're going to skip a book of the Bible.
Speaker B:Aren't you glad that we're not going to go through all 66.
Speaker B:He who God enacts justice for orphans and widows, and he loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing.
Speaker B:That means you must also love immigrants because you are immigrants.
Speaker B:In Egypt, later, in Deuteronomy.
Speaker B:Don't detest Edomites.
Speaker B:Remember what I said.
Speaker B:You're either one of us or you're not.
Speaker B:You're either an Israelite or you're not.
Speaker B:The Israelites hated the Edomites.
Speaker B:Don't detest them because they are your relatives.
Speaker B:Don't detest Egyptians because you were immigrants in their land.
Speaker B:But God, they enslaved us for all that time and mistreated us, is what it is.
Speaker B:We'll keep going.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Oh, it gets stronger.
Speaker B:Shoot.
Speaker B:Deuteronomy, chapter 27.
Speaker B:Cursed is anyone who obstructs.
Speaker B:Obstructs the legal rights of immigrants, orphans or widows.
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:They had legal rights.
Speaker B:They did sure did.
Speaker B:They had something called we.
Speaker B:We.
Speaker B:Oh, let me back up just a little bit more.
Speaker B:Did I.
Speaker B:Did I skip one?
Speaker B:Don't take advantage of poor, needy workers, whether they are fellow Israelites or immigrants who live in your land, your cities.
Speaker B:Don't obstruct the legal rights of an immigrant or orphan.
Speaker B:Don't take a widow's coat as pledge for your loan.
Speaker B:What did the prophets.
Speaker B:Why did Jesus, when he was asked, hey, what's the greatest instruction in the law?
Speaker B:The first five books, he says, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
Speaker B:And the second one is, like it, love your neighbor as yourself.
Speaker B:All the law, the first five books and the prophets.
Speaker B:Hang on those two things.
Speaker B:Why did he say that?
Speaker B:Because Jesus's people were ignoring the prophets.
Speaker B:The prophets who said, look, you guys are awesome at worship.
Speaker B:You honor all these provisions in the first five books about how to do worship, but you miss the main thing, which is God's heart for the vulnerable person among you.
Speaker B:You're not caring for the widow, the orphan and the stranger.
Speaker B:Ezekiel has to remind him of that.
Speaker B:Hey, do you remember what it said in the Torah?
Speaker B:These people, they treat father and mother with contempt.
Speaker B:They oppress immigrants and deny the rights of orphans and widows.
Speaker B:The prophets said things like this over and again about, like getting right about what God said in the Torah.
Speaker B:The important people of all the land have practiced extortion and have committed robbery.
Speaker B:They've oppressed the poor and mistreated the immigrant.
Speaker B:They've oppressed and denied justice.
Speaker B:Another one from Ezekiel.
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:You will assign the immigrants inheritance with the tribe with whom they reside.
Speaker B:This is nuts.
Speaker B:Do you see what this is saying?
Speaker B:These foreigners in your midst will have an inheritance just like the residents.
Speaker B:My God.
Speaker B:My God.
Speaker B:So I wanted to show you.
Speaker B:This is in line with essential one.
Speaker B:If you want to be shaped.
Speaker B:If we want to be committed, fruitful, flourishing disciples of Jesus, our hearts have to be shaped from the inside out by God's heart.
Speaker B:Are you with me?
Speaker B:And if we're going to know God's heart, we got to travel around in the library of scriptures and want to know the big themes that are represented from beginning to end.
Speaker B:We don't just cherry pick scriptures.
Speaker B:We like.
Speaker B:We got a hard question in our question series about homosexuality.
Speaker B:What did I do?
Speaker B:I went through every reference in the thing about it, did I not?
Speaker B:You're like, I don't know, Ross.
Speaker B:I don't remember that.
Speaker B:Well, anyways, go back.
Speaker B:I did.
Speaker B:Okay, so we're not going to Come to a good place.
Speaker B:If I'll bring this up.
Speaker B:I actually put this in a slide.
Speaker B:I'm pretty sure I did.
Speaker B:We're not going to come to a good place in terms of what the right thing to do is if our motives and thoughts come from the outside in.
Speaker B:Mostly, if you want to be shaped by friendship with God from the inside out, that is that program.
Speaker B:I did that slide, right?
Speaker B:I checked it today.
Speaker B:I did.
Speaker B:I checked it twice.
Speaker B:Daggone it.
Speaker B:If we're gonna have, like, come to a good place in terms of what the right thing to do is, we have to be shaped from the inside out.
Speaker B:We have to beware of the propaganda swamp in which we currently travel.
Speaker B:We get propaganda regularly from people who have a fierce Democratic Party agenda.
Speaker B:We get propaganda regularly from folks who are deeply committ to the Republican agenda.
Speaker B:If we want to be fruitful, flourishing disciples of Jesus, we have to be shaped from the inside out by his heart.
Speaker B:That's how we'll find the right thing to do.
Speaker B:And you might be saying, ross, well, but what does Jesus have to say about it?
Speaker B:Well, wouldn't you know that I prepared for that?
Speaker B:And in fact, it speaks to.
Speaker B:I told you.
Speaker B:We're going to root this in the discipleship essentials of our church.
Speaker B:Number two, we want to be humble and hungry and willing to seek Jesus.
Speaker B:What does Jesus say?
Speaker B:What does he do?
Speaker B:That's our concern.
Speaker B:Our whole life at Heaven Earth Church is concerned with that question.
Speaker B:We have one goal.
Speaker B:What does Jesus say?
Speaker B:What does he do?
Speaker B:How do we say things and do things likewise?
Speaker B:It's that simple.
Speaker B:And it's that hard.
Speaker B:Well, I don't have all the scriptures.
Speaker B:I just have stories.
Speaker B:I'll just tell you a few.
Speaker B:Okay, first of all, there's a story where Jesus travels a long way to talk with just one Canaanite woman on the coast.
Speaker B:Canaanites were viewed as cockroaches that wouldn't die.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:Because when Israel came to this land where they existed, guess who was living there?
Speaker B:The Canaanites.
Speaker B:And what did the Israelites devise that they should do with all these people?
Speaker B:Root them out.
Speaker B:Kill them.
Speaker B:Get rid of them.
Speaker B:Well, there's some cockroaches that just wouldn't die.
Speaker B:And Jesus said, hey, guys, come with me.
Speaker B:I got to show you somebody.
Speaker B:He meets a Canaanite woman.
Speaker B:He mistreats her as Israelites often did.
Speaker B:And then she steps up and advocates for herself and says something to Jesus.
Speaker B:And Jesus does something like, look at this faith in her.
Speaker B:Look at what she Does.
Speaker B:He uses a Canaanite woman as an example.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:Because he's living out the great commands.
Speaker B:He's living out the Torah and the prophets.
Speaker B:He's like the Bible in a human body.
Speaker B:One time he's traveling to Jerusalem.
Speaker B:We talked about it, and his buddies are like, hey, let's not go through Samaria, okay?
Speaker B:Jesus?
Speaker B:He's like, yeah, good idea, but we're going to do it.
Speaker B:Jesus, we hate the Samaritans.
Speaker B:They're like mutts.
Speaker B:Yeah, I know you think that way.
Speaker B:That's why we got to go.
Speaker B:So he tells a story about 10 lepers who come to him and ask to be healed.
Speaker B:Jesus says, hey, go on your way.
Speaker B:Go back to the priests and get your certification.
Speaker B:That allows you to integrate back into religious and social life.
Speaker B:And on the way, they're healed and.
Speaker B:And only one comes back to say thank you to Jesus.
Speaker B:What country was that?
Speaker B:One guy from Samaria.
Speaker B:Jesus, in the Gospel of John, fourth chapter, sits at high noon at a well next to one woman.
Speaker B:What's she?
Speaker B:A Samaritan.
Speaker B:Who's the first missionary in the Gospel of John?
Speaker B:A Samaritan.
Speaker B:Jesus loves enemies just like he asks us to do.
Speaker B:I did put one scripture from Jesus in here, though.
Speaker B:We'll look at that now.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Now, when the human one comes in, his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne.
Speaker B:All the nations will be gathered in front of him.
Speaker B:He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Speaker B:He will put the sheet on his right side, but the goats he'll put on his left.
Speaker B:If you're like, I don't know what that means, it's okay.
Speaker B:We're just going to keep going for today.
Speaker B:Then the king will say to those on his right, come.
Speaker B:You will receive good things from my father.
Speaker B:Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began.
Speaker B:I was hungry and you gave me food to eat.
Speaker B:I was thirsty and you gave me a drink.
Speaker B:I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
Speaker B:I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear.
Speaker B:I was sick and you took care of me.
Speaker B:I was in prison and you visited me then.
Speaker B:Those who are righteous will reply to them, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you a drink?
Speaker B:When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you or naked and give you clothes to wear?
Speaker B:When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?
Speaker B:I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.
Speaker B:So if we want to be fruitful, flourishing apprentices of Jesus, that's his worldview.
Speaker B:What's yours?
Speaker B:I didn't say it.
Speaker B:He did.
Speaker B:I told you.
Speaker B:You're gonna have time for feedback.
Speaker B:We're getting there, I promise.
Speaker B:But we gotta get to the last essential.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:We're working deeper into the core.
Speaker B:See, Ross, I don't know what to do about this issue.
Speaker B:Well, try to find God's heart through the library of scriptures.
Speaker B:I tried and I couldn't do it.
Speaker B:Okay, next key, go to Jesus.
Speaker B:What does he say and do?
Speaker B:If you don't know what else to do, look at what he says and does.
Speaker B:I tried and I couldn't find it.
Speaker B:Well, then What?
Speaker B:Next essential 3.
Speaker B:Put grace in the great commands at the core.
Speaker B:If you know nothing else to do, ask yourself what the great commands are.
Speaker B:What are they?
Speaker B:Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
Speaker B:And I forgot to mention this part.
Speaker B:He says before he mentions the second one.
Speaker B:What does he say?
Speaker B:He says, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
Speaker B:And love your neighbor.
Speaker B:Oh, no.
Speaker B:He says something in between those two things.
Speaker B:What's he say?
Speaker B:Anyone?
Speaker B:He says, the second is like it.
Speaker B:The second command is like the first one.
Speaker B:Let's get into the politics of it.
Speaker B:Let's get into the real issue.
Speaker B:Okay, Ross.
Speaker B:But at the end of the day, my wife put up a post on Facebook.
Speaker B:I already said I wholeheartedly endorse it.
Speaker B:So it's no secret there.
Speaker B:Let's be honest.
Speaker B:My wife could put up a lot of things, and I better just wholeheartedly endorse it.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:I want to stay married to her.
Speaker B:She could put like, I wholeheartedly think that aliens are circling the earth right now.
Speaker B:And be like, I wholeheartedly endorse this, honey.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:But I actually endorse this.
Speaker B:What she said on there, you might say some of the pushback she got, I've gotten is.
Speaker B:But, Ross, ultimately, they're here illegally.
Speaker B:At the end of the day, they broke the law.
Speaker B:Okay, I hear that.
Speaker B:The second is like it.
Speaker B:Love your neighbor as yourself.
Speaker B:Really simply.
Speaker B:This is such a way of life for us, folks.
Speaker B:Jesus is saying, place yourself in the shoes of the person and ask yourself this question.
Speaker B:What consideration and love would I hope to receive if I were in their shoes?
Speaker B:What consideration and love would I hope to receive?
Speaker B:Ross, they're here illegally.
Speaker B:That's just the way it is.
Speaker B:If I were in Their shoes.
Speaker B:I would hope that people would not judge me in that way.
Speaker B:I would hope that they wouldn't assume that they know why I chose to come here the way I did.
Speaker B:I would hope if I were in their shoes, someone would be curious instead of judgmental, which sounds like this.
Speaker B:I wonder what would make a person flee where they were living so desperately to come here.
Speaker B:Not through legal means.
Speaker B:Curiosity rather than judgment.
Speaker B:I hope that if I were in their shoes, someone would give me that consideration and love, I hope.
Speaker B:And then, of course, now that they're here and some things that might be going on right now are going on right now, man, I hope.
Speaker B:What if I were in that neighborhood, living there?
Speaker B:What if it were my children at the school?
Speaker B:What consideration and love would I hope to receive?
Speaker B:And honestly, folks, that helps us on both sides of the border.
Speaker B:It works for the person in Texas, too.
Speaker B:Like, you're, like, what policy should I support or be about?
Speaker B:That's a great question.
Speaker B:Put yourself in the shoes of the people who are fleeing where they're living and also the people on this side of the border.
Speaker B:It works.
Speaker B:I don't think Jesus would have told us if it doesn't.
Speaker B:It works.
Speaker B:I'm almost finished.
Speaker B:And then you get a talk, okay?
Speaker B:I promise it'll happen.
Speaker B:I know you doubt it because I go so long all the time at the end of the day.
Speaker B:I told you, this is what we're anchoring into today.
Speaker B:This right here.
Speaker B:Jesus lived the great commands on our behalf.
Speaker B:So God looked upon us, his beloved people, who are now acting like they're strangers.
Speaker B:They're acting like people who don't belong to him.
Speaker B:They make themselves enemies of God in their thought, word and action.
Speaker B:God looks upon them like running their lives, doing their thing, having a prodigal son and daughter kind of party.
Speaker B:And what does God do?
Speaker B:He treats us as neighbors.
Speaker B:He comes to confront the spiritual forces of wickedness and death and sin on our behalf.
Speaker B:He comes into our shoes.
Speaker B:He walks our path and he goes ahead of us to fight darkness and evil.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:So we can be liberated, freed and forgiven now and forever.
Speaker B:And he teaches us.
Speaker B:Look what Ephesians has to say.
Speaker B:About what?
Speaker B:Why did he do that?
Speaker B:Because he was living the great commands on our behalf.
Speaker B:Look at this.
Speaker B:Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children.
Speaker B:Well, how would I do that?
Speaker B:Jesus says, love others as I have loved you.
Speaker B:How do you do that?
Speaker B:Live your life with.
Speaker B:Have I put you to sleep?
Speaker B:Live your life with one more time.
Speaker B:Live your life with grace and the great Commands at the core, following the example of Christ who.
Speaker B:Who and gave himself for us.
Speaker B:Watch this.
Speaker B:The second is like it.
Speaker B:He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God when he stepped into our shoes.
Speaker B:Even we, when we were acting like morons who didn't care about God, he stepped into our shoes, lived life in our shoes, walked with us, suffered with us, and confronted the worst of human sin and evil and dealt it a knockout blow so we could be freed and forgiven now and forever.
Speaker B:And when he did that, you know what Ephesians said?
Speaker B:When he did that, it rose up like this sweet smell as an act of worship to God.
Speaker B:When you step into the shoes of your neighbor and you ask, what hope and what consideration and love would I hope to receive if I were in their shoes, and you follow through on that.
Speaker B:When you do that, it's like the greatest act of worship you could offer to God.
Speaker B:When you love your neighbor, you are worshiping God gloriously.
Speaker B:When you love your neighbor, well, you are offering the greatest riches back to God who made you.
Speaker B:All right, my last thought, I promise.
Speaker B:I said in our Good Politics series that navigating citizenship in two kingdoms is hard.
Speaker B:We live in one that has borders and laws.
Speaker B:I'm a citizen of America, and I'm a grateful one.
Speaker B:Grateful in all caps, bold, italicized and underlined in whatever cool font thing you could do to emphasize it.
Speaker B:I'm a grateful citizen of America.
Speaker B:It's something I ask myself.
Speaker B:How do I steward that blessing, not hoard it?
Speaker B:And there's something that we must do now.
Speaker B:I'll take my shot at the left.
Speaker B:I told you it was coming.
Speaker B:Immigration was a crisis long before now.
Speaker B:Where was the outcry then?
Speaker B:During the Obama administration and the Biden administration?
Speaker B:Where was the outcry?
Speaker B:Where was it then?
Speaker B:Why is it happening now?
Speaker B:Something was wrong back then.
Speaker B:Are we only doing something when it fits our political agenda, or are we doing it because Jesus calls us to it?
Speaker B:Something?
Speaker B:They did something wrong, those administrations.
Speaker B:But man, we heard this phrase when we were back like an elementary school.
Speaker B:Two wrongs don't make a hey, they did something wrong doesn't mean we should keep doing something wrong.
Speaker B:If two wrongs don't make a right, certainly one wrong and one evil don't make a right.
Speaker B:If two wrongs don't make a right, a wrong and an evil definitely don't make a right, do you know what makes a right a right?
Speaker B:That's why they pay me the big bucks for saying something like that.
Speaker B:What makes a right is a conviction that's shaped by friendship with God from the inside out.
Speaker B:What makes a right makes is action that's informed by Jesus worldview, first, last and only.
Speaker B:What makes a right is a life lived with grace and great commands at the core.
Speaker B:That is what makes it right.
Speaker B:How do you want to live?
Speaker C:Thank you for participating in the conversation happening at Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker C:Your next opportunity to do so live is this Sunday morning, 9:30am Eastern Time, either at the main campus at 309 East Main in Whiteland, Indiana or online at YouTube Live.
Speaker C:That's@YouTube.com Heaven Earth Church the audio podcast is always available at Apple Podcast and on Spotify.
Speaker C:You can help others find out about the Heaven Earth Church podcast by going to Apple Podcasts and or Spotify and leaving a five star rating and your review.
Speaker C:Instructions on how to do just that and links are in the show notes.
Speaker C:You can always find out more by going to the church website heavenearthchurch.org we.
Speaker A:Want to thank you for spending time with us today.
Speaker A:My name is Ross Stackhouse, the pastor to Heaven Earth Church, and you may think out there that your story is over, but in fact your faith story may just be beginning.
Speaker A:If you want more information about our church or you're interested in the next step, you can go to heavenearthchurch.org otherwise.
Speaker A:We look forward to being with you next time at the Heaven Earth Church Podcast.
