Participants:
Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000116S
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00:05 #S061 - Adults Only (Part 1)
00:19 I want you to turn first to Acts 00:22 Chapter 40, Acts Chapter 14. 00:27 And we're going to look briefly at verses 19 and 20, 00:30 and then we'll skip back over to Acts Chapter 20, 00:32 Acts Chapter 19 00:35 and we're going to look together excuse me, Acts chapter 14 00:40 and we're going to look together verse 19 00:43 and then we'll slip over to Acts Chapter 20. 00:46 When you get there, just say, Pastor, I'm there 00:50 now. I know this is you Federation, 00:53 but the target is a little bit broader 00:57 than just teenagers today. 01:00 Today I need to talk specifically to anybody 01:04 that impacts the youth culture of your church. 01:08 There's some burdens I have on my heart 01:10 that can only be lifted through teaching his word to that. 01:14 And so if you an impact 01:16 young person in your church circle, 01:18 whether you're a deacon, 01:19 a deacon as a Sabbath school leader, an air leader, 01:22 there is something that God wants to say to the culture 01:27 of the church today as it relates to our Young People 01:31 Act, chapter 14 and verse 19, when they say I'm there, 01:34 the Bible says, Then the Jews from Antioch 01:37 and Iconium came there, and having persuaded 01:40 the multitudes, the Bible says they stoned 01:43 who stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city. 01:48 Supposing him to be what? 01:50 Supposing him to be dead. 01:52 However, when the disciples gathered around him, 01:57 he rose up and went into the city, 02:01 and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Darby. 02:06 So the Bible says that they stoned him to the point 02:08 where they thought he was dead. 02:10 But notice they gathered around him and he was raised up. 02:16 Now go to Chapter 20 and we're going to look together 02:20 beginning at verse number seven, at chapter 20. 02:24 And we're going to look together at verse number seven. 02:25 When you get there, just say Amen. 02:29 Chapter 20. 02:30 Looking together at verse number seven. 02:34 The Bible says now, on the first day of the week, 02:38 when the disciples came together to break bread, 02:41 Paul ready to depart the next day, spoke to them 02:45 and continued in his message until midnight. 02:49 It's alright to have a long sermon every now and then. 02:53 Paul preached to midnight. 02:55 Oh, I got about 11 hours and 20, 40 minutes left. 02:59 Even the Bible says he continued to midnight, 03:03 and the Bible says that there were many lamps 03:07 in the upper room where they gathered together 03:10 and in a window set a certain one 03:14 young man named Utica's, who was sinking into a deep sleep. 03:18 He was overcome by sleep 03:21 as Paul continued speaking. 03:24 He fell down from the third story 03:27 and was taken up dead. 03:30 But Paul went down and fell on him 03:34 and embracing him said, Do not trouble 03:37 yourselves, for life is in him. 03:41 Now, when he had come up and broken bread and eaten 03:44 and talked a long while even to a break, they break. 03:47 He departed 03:48 and they brought the young man in alive 03:52 and they were not a little comforted today. 03:55 Thanks for just a little while. 03:56 I want to talk to you under the subject, adults 04:01 only, adults only. 04:05 Let's pray, Father, 04:08 in this little while. 04:10 Would you please say much? 04:13 My prayer is that you would allow your strength 04:16 to be me perfect in my human weakness. 04:20 So, Lord, once again, 04:21 would you please hide me in the shadows of the cross that 04:24 Jesus alone might be seen, that Christ alone would be heard? 04:30 And at the end of our time together, may Jesus alone 04:32 be praised. 04:33 Bless us. 04:34 To this end, 04:35 we ask in the wonderful name of Jesus, our Lord. 04:38 Let those who believe say together. 04:39 Amen. 04:41 And man, you may be seated 04:44 in the House of the Lord again, 04:48 talking under the subject. 04:50 Adults only 04:55 a few months back, 04:56 my wife and I went on vacation with our three kids. 05:01 And how many of you know that when you go out of town 05:04 with kids, it's not a vacation, it's just a trip. 05:12 In fact, when you go on vacation with your kids, 05:16 when you get home, you need a vacation 05:20 from your vacation. 05:24 You see, there are times where I'm content to just sit down 05:27 and look at the ocean, 05:30 but they are not cool until they get inside the ocean. 05:34 Matter of fact, I'm straight just sitting next to the pool, 05:38 but I'm not going to get any peace until they drag 05:41 me and flotation devices into the pool. 05:45 My preference is to sit down 05:47 at a restaurant and order from a menu. 05:50 Their preference is to go to a buffet 05:54 where they don't have to wait for it to be served. 05:57 And I can't control how many trips to the counter they get. 06:01 In fact, my goal on vacation is to wind down. 06:05 Their goal is to turn up 06:08 and what becomes clear is 06:10 that we want two different things from a vacation. 06:16 And as I was meditating on this thought, what becomes clear 06:21 is that if adults and kids want different things 06:24 from vacation, if adults and kids 06:28 want different things from a restaurant. 06:31 If adults and kids want different things from a device, 06:35 then maybe adults and kids want different things from church 06:40 and other areas of life. 06:42 We modify to ensure that kids are able to engage 06:47 in daily life. 06:47 We eat where they want to eat. 06:50 We travel where they want to travel. 06:52 We watch the things that they want to watch. 06:56 We make sure that kids are 06:58 included it almost in every space of life 07:02 except church service. 07:05 In fact, we have an adults 07:07 only mentality that has a way 07:10 of alienating the kids from the body of Christ. 07:15 The truth is that we want safe kids while constructing 07:20 a community that only speaks to the experience of the adults. 07:26 In most churches, the liturgy language 07:29 only applies to the experience of adults. 07:33 The list of church service only considers 07:38 the attention span and capacity of the adults. 07:41 In fact, the song choice usually only speaks 07:44 to the experience of the adults, and at times we frame them 07:49 irreverent and different because they don't engage 07:53 in an experience that was not constructed with them in mind 07:59 and even times, friends are rhetoric is errant. 08:03 There are times where we refer to them 08:06 as the Church of Tomorrow, when the truth is that 08:08 if we don't amend right now, they won't be there on tomorrow. 08:14 And most of us are building the church of yesterday 08:18 in order to minister to the Church of tomorrow. 08:22 And the fact is, church, we've got to recognize that kids 08:25 engage differently, that they receive 08:29 God differently, that they process truth 08:32 differently, that they engage with one another differently. 08:38 And for some, the truth of spirituality 08:41 is seen and how much the church remains the same. 08:45 But the sign of a spiritual church 08:47 is how relevant it is to every generation. 08:52 And if we want to do more, then complain about them leaving. 08:56 We've got to develop churches that are able 08:58 to adjust to the times and in which we live. 09:03 In other words, I need 09:04 you to get that spirituality doesn't mean you stay the same. 09:09 Spirituality means that we're able to adjust to the time. 09:11 Can you all say amen today? 09:13 And matter of fact, these last two weeks 09:15 I've spent a lot of time in Eastern Time zones, 09:20 and whenever I cross time zones, one of the things that happens 09:23 is my watch. It is an analog watch. 09:26 It means I have to change armed, force it 09:29 to update to the time zone that I'm in. 09:32 But then my iPhone and my iPad, because they're connected 09:36 to the Internet, 09:37 I don't have to force them to change with the time 09:41 because they're connected with the cloud. 09:44 They automatically adjust to whatever time zone we are in. 09:48 And the problem is we've got too many analog 09:51 churches, we've got too many analog members, 09:55 we've got too many analog leaders 09:58 that have to be forced to change with the time. 10:01 But when you're connected with the cloud, 10:03 you automatically update with the time 10:07 and nobody has to force you to change. 10:12 And so go back with me, if you don't mind. 10:14 Two acts, chapter 20 here and verse seven and eight. 10:17 The Bible says that on the first day of the week, 10:20 when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready 10:23 to depart the next day, 10:25 spoke to them and his message continued until midnight. 10:30 And the Bible says there were many lamps in the upper room 10:34 where they were gathered together. 10:36 Now, for some, this text may seem benign 10:39 and somewhat pointless, 10:41 but friends, I believe that this near tragedy 10:45 has implications for the body of Christ in our time. 10:49 And see the first thing it teaches church 10:52 is that every church needs sufficient ventilation. 10:58 Let me say it again 10:59 that every church needs sufficient ventilation. 11:03 You see here in our text, we find Paul and the disciples 11:07 heading to the land of 11:08 true class to fellowship with the disciples there. 11:12 And the Bible says that they meet 11:14 on the first day of the week to avoid the Sabbath persecution 11:19 that would await them at the synagogue. 11:22 And as they gather together, 11:24 they celebrate the Lord's Supper. 11:26 And at the end of the meal, the apostle begins to preach. 11:31 And as it is with most good church services, 11:36 when the service gets good, most people take off their watches. 11:41 They're not concerned with the time. 11:44 The spirit is moving so heavy that Paul's word begins 11:47 to move to the midnight hour and the one name 11:52 the young person is a teenager named 11:55 Utica's who falls asleep in the window. 11:59 In fact, most scholars believe that Utica is between 14 12:03 and 16 years of age and see the problem in church 12:08 is that when we look at some surface behaviors, 12:12 we come to some faulty conclusions. 12:15 In fact, some look at Utica and assume that 12:18 because he fell asleep that he is indifferent and irreverent 12:24 and that his fall from the window is divine judgment 12:28 for falling asleep on the preacher's sermon. 12:31 But can I challenge you today 12:35 to look at the story just a little bit differently? 12:39 In other words, I don't believe that Utica 12:42 is a man trying to avoid church. 12:45 He's a young brother trying to survive church. 12:49 He's not trying to escape church. 12:53 This man is just trying to endure church. 12:56 This young person ain't trying to get away from service. 13:00 He's just trying to persevere. 13:02 A service that was not constructed with him in mind. 13:07 In other words, I need you to stay with me. 13:10 That the Bible in verse eight 13:11 says that there were many lamps in the room. 13:16 Now, I need you to understand that that detail 13:18 is not peripheral. 13:20 It is actually central to what is going on. 13:24 When he says that there are many lamps there, 13:27 he is describing the atmosphere that dictates 13:30 some of the behaviors that you see. 13:33 In other words, remember now 13:35 that they are in an upper room on the third floor? 13:39 And how many of us know that heat rises? 13:43 In addition to that, the House is completely filled to the max. 13:48 And the Bible says there were many lamps in the room. 13:51 In other words, you're in a warm house. 13:54 You're in a packed house. 13:57 And then you've got many lamps are torches 14:01 that are giving out fumes and toxins. 14:04 That makes it difficult for him to breathe. 14:07 In other words, there is a lack of ventilation 14:11 that makes the atmosphere toxic. 14:14 You see, the 14:16 lack of ventilation is what drives him to the window. 14:19 You see, ventilation 14:21 is the intentional circulation of outside air. 14:26 You see, when a room is ventilated, 14:28 what happens is it dilutes the toxins. 14:31 When there is circulation, 14:32 it keeps the atmosphere from being stale. 14:36 When there is ventilation, 14:37 it keeps the toxins from building up. 14:41 And especially for those that have compromised 14:43 lungs are young, underdeveloped lungs. 14:46 Now hear me. 14:47 All folk need ventilation, 14:51 but a lack of circulation affects those 14:54 with compromised lungs and young lungs differently. 14:59 In other words, the old folks are okay with the heat. 15:03 The adults can maneuver in a stale atmosphere. 15:07 The old folk are able to handle a static environment. 15:12 The young folk are used to a certain toxicity in church, 15:16 but they don't realize that that toxicity 15:19 they've gotten used to is choking out. 15:22 The one young person in the service. 15:26 And see friends of mine. 15:27 I need you to know that this is proof 15:29 that there can be a service 15:31 where the old folk are being born again 15:35 while the kids are being choked out at the same time. 15:38 I see. 15:39 Can I suggest the reason 15:40 that some of our churches 15:41 are using losing their young people is 15:44 there is a lack of spiritual circulation in the church. 15:49 In other words, no fresh air is touching our congregation. 15:54 There is no circle lacing of new ideas and thoughts. 15:58 And the older folk have gotten used to it. 16:01 And they don't even realize that the kids 16:04 can't even breathe in the church atmosphere. 16:07 And let me be clear, Saints, that I am not naive. 16:10 I was born at night, not last night. 16:13 I understand that 16:14 there are some young people that are determined to do wrong. 16:19 I get that there are some, like the prodigal son 16:22 who cannot wait to explore the far country. 16:24 But I believe that 16:25 there are still some utica's young people among us 16:30 that are trying to abide in Christ. 16:33 They just struggle to maintain in the stale 16:36 atmosphere of church culture. 16:39 And see, I simply want to admonish every pastor, 16:43 every youth leader to evaluate your ministry, 16:47 to look at your process, and to see does it reflect stale 16:50 air or is the wind of the holy Ghost able to revive 16:57 the atmosphere of the youth culture at your church? 17:01 In other words, the question is how many of our youth Sabbath 17:03 school classes have good ventilation? 17:07 In other words, are some of our Sabbath school 17:09 classes the same? 17:11 And 2024 as they were in 1984? 17:17 Has God breathed on your a y program? 17:21 Are we doing the same things? 17:22 30 as we were 30 years ago when we were coming through? 17:28 If we were to look at a federation program 17:31 from 15 years ago, when it looked exactly 17:34 like the things that we did today, 17:37 are the kids in your church able to breathe 17:40 or are they suffering from asphyxiation 17:44 from the staleness of church culture? 17:48 And see this crazy because, man, we walk around 17:51 and we blame a certain generation 17:52 because they've not come back to the church post-pandemic. 17:55 We say, man, the young adults 17:56 haven't come back to church since the pandemic. 17:59 No, it's not that. 18:00 They're just not coming back to church. 18:02 The truth is that they've gotten some fresh air online. 18:07 And when you've had some fresh air, it's hard to go back 18:10 to a stale church climate where it's hard to breathe. 18:14 In other words, 18:16 they just not coming back to the same old, same old. 18:19 They're not coming back to business as usual. 18:22 They're not coming back to the status quo. 18:25 You've got to have some circulation 18:28 in order to win that generation 18:30 and see if they're going to be some environments that 18:32 that there are some environments 18:34 where we as adults, we've gotten used to it. 18:37 But there are certain environments 18:38 that keep the kids from being able to breathe. 18:42 Okay, y'all mad? 18:43 So I might as well stay here. 18:47 So if you're okay in a church environment 18:51 where after Sabbath dinner conversation 18:53 is filled with gossip and critique, 18:56 you're giving all fumes that the kids are unable to breathe 19:01 in a church culture where 19:03 when the girl gets pregnant, she's put out 19:07 and the boy is on the basketball team next Saturday night. 19:11 That culture makes it hard for them to breathe. 19:15 In churches where we spend money on things that have no value. 19:19 But when it comes to Gillette and you, 19:20 Congress and Federation, 19:22 the kids have to raise the money for themselves. 19:27 That environment makes it hard for them to breathe 19:30 in, in an environment 19:32 where we've allowed cringe worthy, touchy deacons 19:37 that love to hug on young girls, to operate with impunity, 19:42 with nobody sitting them down or calling them out. 19:46 It makes it hard for them to breathe. 19:52 In homes where there is no worship. 19:55 It makes it hard for the kids to breathe and say my prayer. 19:58 For every pastor, for every one leader, for every Pathfinder 20:04 is that you evaluate the circulation in your room. 20:08 Is there anybody that just wants to call on God and say, 20:11 Lord, create some circulation in my church? 20:15 Lord, bring down the toxicity in my church. 20:18 Lord Break up this down this in my church. 20:21 Lord, I need you to do a new thing 20:23 in the body of Christ. 20:25 We need you to revive us again 20:29 and see what I need somebody to know. 20:31 Is that just because you've gotten used to it 20:34 doesn't mean it's not stale. 20:38 Listen, I remember me, man. 20:39 Probably about ten years 20:40 ago, 13 years ago, when my oldest son was a baby. 20:44 I remember one day my wife had gone up 20:47 and I had to change a very full and and terrible diaper. 20:52 And so after I changed the diaper and got him 20:54 cleaned up, I laid the diaper to aside for the moment. 20:59 But then the phone rang and I had to attend to something else. 21:03 And because I got busy, that diaper, 21:05 which was very offensive at the start. 21:10 After a while, after being with it so long, 21:14 I couldn't even smell the stink of it anymore. 21:17 And it wasn't until my wife walked into the room 21:21 and covered up her entire face that I realized 21:24 what had happened. 21:25 And what I learned that day 21:27 is that just 21:28 because you got used to it doesn't mean it don't stink. 21:32 Oh, y'all might be quiet today 21:33 just because you've gotten used to a church with Stinky music 21:39 and stinking programs and stinking atmosphere 21:42 and sorry leaders and elders that don't study 21:46 and youth leaders that don't show up. 21:47 It doesn't mean 21:51 that it don't stink. 21:52 Are y'all hearing me today, Trance? 21:56 Second thing this story teaches us 22:00 is that attendance 22:01 alone is not anchoring. 22:08 Let me say it again 22:11 that church attendance alone is not anchored. 22:14 Also with me, church. 22:15 So? So we catch one man because he is there in the window. 22:19 Now, I need you to be clear 22:20 that he's not trying to get away from the service member. 22:21 Man Utica's is just trying to survive the service. 22:25 And it's crazy because. 22:26 MAN One of the things that's tripping me out is I read this. 22:29 Louis There is nobody panicked 22:36 by my man 22:37 nodding off in the window 22:40 like nobody calls a board meeting. 22:42 Nobody's in an uproar. 22:44 There is no sense of desperation 22:46 that this young cat is on a ledge three floors up 22:51 and falling asleep. 22:53 But the reason ain't nobody tripping, Kirk. 22:56 It's because they just glad he's in the service. 22:59 Oh, I can see the old folks patting themselves on the back. 23:04 How? We've got some young people in our midnight 23:07 prayer meeting. 23:08 You know how we talk, man. 23:10 Oh, I see your boy Utica over there. 23:12 And you might. 23:13 Utica has to sit up cause somebody calls his name. 23:15 He wasn't paying attention, and and they're just so glad 23:18 because Utica could have been anywhere. 23:19 Anywhere. 23:22 But Utica is here in the house of God. 23:25 And there is something about us as older folk 23:29 that just feels okay because they're in the building. 23:33 We believe that there is an anointing and proxy 23:38 and in proximity. 23:39 But how many of us know that it gets to a point where 23:42 the only thing present in the service is his body? 23:47 Thank you so much for joining us for The Breath of Life, 23:50 Television Ministries broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell. 23:55 We hope and pray 23:56 that you have been blessed by his powerful message. 24:00 Join us next week for part two of the message. 24:03 Adults Only. 24:05 You Don't Want To Miss. 24:06 Are you tired of just being tired? 24:10 Are you frustrated because your results never change? 24:14 Do you feel like life is just going in circles? 24:17 I'm excited to introduce my newest book 24:21 entitled ExcuseLess and I'm going to be 24:23 talking about how to cancel the excuses 24:27 that smother our social wellness. 24:29 I need you to know that your issue is not 24:31 your circumstances. 24:32 It's not the challenges. 24:34 It is the lies that we tell ourselves about 24:37 why we're not progressing. 24:38 When you tell yourself, I don't have enough time, 24:42 I don't have enough resources, I don't have enough money. 24:45 Those are the excuses that are keeping you 24:46 from becoming whom God has called you to be. 24:49 So this book 24:50 is going to be talking to you about how to manage 24:53 your distractions, how to overcome your fears, 24:56 how to walk through procrastination, 24:58 and to become the best version of yourself. 25:01 So join me on Saturday, April the 13th, as I begin 25:04 a teaching series entitled ExcuseLess. 25:08 Every Saturday and Wednesday, 25:09 we're going to walk through the Word of God 25:11 and give you the cheat code 25:13 to having a life filled with progress. 25:15 And then I want you to join us starting Sunday, April 25:18 the 14th, for our 21 days of free. 25:23 We're going to march through the content of the book. 25:24 We're going to testify. 25:25 We're going to call on the name of the Lord. 25:27 And we're going to grow as a community of faith. 25:30 You'll be able to get the book. 25:31 ExcuseLess on our Breath of Life website 25:36 at www.breathoflife.tv or on Amazon dot com. 25:41 You can join us for 21 days on our open university church 25:43 platforms and on our breadth of life platforms. 25:48 I need you to know that we're about to start a revolution. 25:51 There's about to be a growth grenade. 25:54 I want invite you to join me on this journey 25:57 as we begin the process of becoming excuses. 26:04 Hey, family. 26:05 I know the weekends can be long. 26:07 They can be hard. 26:08 And you go through a lot. 26:10 And so at the end of each week, I want to encourage you to 26:14 join me and the Breath of Life team for the weekend. 26:17 Exhale with BOL 26:20 we were having these programs on Sunday, 26:23 but now we want to begin the weekend 26:25 giving you a little nourishment, a little nurture, 26:29 giving you a little boost as you start the weekend. 26:32 Every first Friday, I'm going to be doing a Bible study 26:34 entitled The Playbook, 26:36 where we're going to be looking 26:37 at issues of doctrine and culture 26:40 through the lens of the Scripture. 26:41 You don't have to guess. 26:43 You don't have to hope. 26:44 God is giving us a script in the word 26:47 because the word is his playbook. 26:49 I'm gonna invite you to join me every second Friday for a show 26:52 called Point of View, where Gianna and I do a deep dove 26:56 into issues of marriage, dating and relationships. 27:01 Every third Friday, join Pastor Nugent 27:03 and myself in the Vision Lab where we're going to be making 27:07 a heavy deposit into leaders of all ills. 27:12 We're going to be pouring into pastors, 27:14 entrepreneurs, CEOs, ministry leaders, authors. 27:18 And we're going to be talking about how to build that vision 27:20 and move it from an idea to a reality. 27:23 And then on the fourth Friday, 27:24 we're introducing a new program called What Just Happened. 27:30 We're going to be looking at whatever 27:31 the trending topics in culture are Danita, Pastor Nugent 27:34 and myself. 27:35 We're going to be addressing whatever 27:37 the trending culture topic is for that week or that month. 27:42 We're going to be engaging with you. 27:43 We're going to be answering your questions 27:45 and trying to figure out how we as believers 27:49 find our place in the larger culture. 27:52 We go through a lot during the weekends. 27:53 You can get overwhelmed. 27:55 You can get a little stressed out. 27:56 But before you go into the weekend, 27:58 take a moment and join us to stop, breathe and 28:02 Exhale with BOL 28:05 (Breath Of life Music) |
Revised 2024-04-15