Christian Growth!
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I am so thankful
for Christian Growth.
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I'm thankful that
God doesn't take us just
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where we are and
leave us where we are.
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But God takes us
where we are and continues
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where our work in progress,
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all the way through eternity,
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learning more and more about Him
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and growing in the
grace in the love of God.
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I used to think that, you know,
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when you get to heaven
we are gonna be floating
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around on a cloud playing
harp music wearing crowns,
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I really wasn't into harp music
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and I thought there
wasn't much for me to do there.
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But I've learned there is much,
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much more than that.
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We're gonna be growing,
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growing in our understanding,
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growing in our knowledge of God,
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understanding His
love all through out
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the ceaseless ages of eternity.
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And it starts right now.
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I'm just thankful
for Christian growth
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and I want to talk
about that this morning.
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Notice, Peter
said grow in the grace
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and the knowledge of our Lord
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and Savior Jesus Christ.
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He didn't say
grow into His grace
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but grow in His grace.
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You don't take a
handful of seeds and plant
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them on the
sidewalk waiting for him
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to sprout roots and leaves
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and then put them in the garden.
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There would be nothing for them
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to get their nourishment from.
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No, you plant the
seeds in the garden
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where they can get the moisture
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and the nourishment
that they need to grow
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and become mature plants.
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And so it is with Christian
growth, some new believers
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feel that they need to grow
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and be mature and
fully mature in Christ
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before they are ready
for church membership.
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Oh that is the
failure to understand
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what it means to grow.
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When we're baptized, we
need to understand baptism.
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We need to know what it means.
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We need to
understand that baptism means
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that we're dying
to that old life,
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we're buried with
Him and we're rising up
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out of the water in order
to live a new life for God.
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We ought to
understand little about
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what that old life is
that we're willing to die to.
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And we should
understand what that new life is
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that we're rising up to live
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and we should be willing to do
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our best by the grace
of God in His grace to live
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our life that will
honor and glorify Him.
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It doesn't mean that we
need to be fully mature.
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It doesn't mean that
we need to be perfect.
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Baptism is not the
graduation service.
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Baptism is the
enrolment service.
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And then there are
those who are baptized,
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they don't
understand again the principle
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of Christian growth and
they come out of the water,
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you know, we had three people
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baptized this morning.
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We've had a number throughout
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the whole meetings
and every single one
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when they come out of the water,
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you noticed the joy,
the peace on their face.
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I remember we were
doing a meeting out
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in the outskirts
of the Oklahoma City
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in a little town Yukon, Oklahoma
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and we went to
National Guard Armory there.
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They didn't even have a church,
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we were starting a
new church in that area
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and there was a
lady about 85-years old
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that had been coming to
our meetings every night.
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And one night she came
forward in the altar call
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and she said pastor
I want to be baptized,
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I belong to a church
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that doesn't
baptize the Bible way.
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In all my life I
wanted to be baptized
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but the pastors
never would do it,
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would you baptize me?
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And I was
little nervous about it
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because like I said we
were in a National Guard Armory.
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We went in to a
comfortable church
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with a nice bapt history
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where you can go
down on the steps into it.
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This was an aluminum frame tank.
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That was about
that tall off the ground
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and they had a
rickety aluminum ladder
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that went up and then
down in on the other side
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and I had a hard
time visualizing her
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going up and down that ladder
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and I could picture her slipping
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and falling and just oh,
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but she was
determined to be baptized
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and I said okay we'll do it.
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I said look at the ladder now,
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you are sure you want
to? I want to do it pastor
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so we had deacon
standing on each side
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and they helped
to go up that ladder.
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They helped to
go down in the water
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and she was baptized.
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And when she
came out of that water
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it was just like hallelujah
written all over her face.
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And she said you know
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I just feel clean
all over and it does.
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It's a good feeling,
it's a good clean feeling.
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But sooner or later
it's going to happen,
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may be a few hours,
may be a few minutes,
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may be a few days
but you're gonna slip.
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You're gonna make a
mistake, you're gonna be down
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and you know who
is always right there
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when you are down?
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The old devil is always there,
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the Bible says he is
the accuser or the brethren.
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He doesn't mind kicking
people when they are down.
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And he's gonna say
you see you can't make it,
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the standard is
way too high for you.
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You'll never be able to measure,
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you weren't grounded in.
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You won't ready,
you won't mature enough.
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You moved into this too soon,
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you may as well
just give up now.
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That's what he does, every time.
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But if we
understand the principle
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of Christian
growth, then we understand
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that we're not fully grown yet.
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We're not fully mature
yet, we're still growing.
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And the fact that
we're still growing means
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we're gonna make mistakes.
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And when we make
mistakes instead of wallowing
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around in an orgy of self pity
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waiting for
someone to come along
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and pat us on
the back and say hey
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you are okay,
get up this is fine.
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We get up, we kneel down
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and say God
forgive me, I sinned.
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I don't want to sin anymore.
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Help me never do it
again and then get up
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off of your knees
praising God for the forgiveness
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that He is so
graciously provided for us.
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There is nothing worse
than a bunch of long face
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sourpuss Christians
walking around bearing
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the burden of guilt that Jesus
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has already covered
for you on the cross.
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We should be happy people, amen.
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We should be rejoicing.
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We should be the
happiest people on earth.
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We're growing in the
grace and the knowledge
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of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
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And then there are
new believers not fully
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understanding the
principle of Christian growth
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who look around at the older
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and more
established Church members
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expecting them to be
perfect and fully mature.
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And sooner or later
they are gonna discover
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some of those older
established church members
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making mistakes,
even deacons, elders,
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Bible class teachers
maybe even the pastors.
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And if the
evangelist stayed around
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long enough he
might even make a mistake.
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And I've already made a bunch.
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And so then they
start getting discouraged
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and critical and
judgmental about the members,
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they see members.
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In fact one fellow was
just baptized couple of days
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later he was driving his car
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and an elder pulled up
next to him in a red light
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and the elder had a
cigarette in his mouth.
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Saw the guy over there
... cigarette disappeared
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and I don't know where it went
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but it disappeared
but the new member saw it.
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He was devastated
now, shame on the elder
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he shouldn't
have been doing that,
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but hey we're all growing
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and we're not all perfect yet.
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Some of you had to make
huge decisions in your life.
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Some of you made smaller ones
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that were not so easy for you,
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changing what you
eat, what you drink,
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what you wear and
you may come to church
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and find people
dress differently
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from what you were
told is appropriate.
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Well, you could
do several things,
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you could say well
that must not be important,
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so I'm gonna just go
back and put it all back on,
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but we studied it from the Bible
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and it's nothing not
important in the Bible.
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Or you can get
critical and judgmental,
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start thinking
you're better than others
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who do things
different from you do.
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I hope you won't do that,
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or you could recognize
we're all growing in Christ.
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And that means we're all
at different levels of growth
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and we may see
things a little differently
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from others from others
who see things differently
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and recognize that it's
our responsibility to do
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our part to be
mature and encourage others
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that they have
their responsibility
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and may be they see things
that you haven't seen yet,
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you see things
they haven't seen yet.
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You know the measure of maturity
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of a Christian church is two.
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One is the amount
of unity, you know,
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I really believe that
when your lifestyle matches
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your belief system,
there's power there.
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And the more your lifestyle
matches what you believe,
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the more power there is.
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And I would
love to have a church
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full of perfect church members
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and have an
evangelistic meeting there,
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boy that would be powerful,
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but is never gonna
happen until we get to heaven.
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Then I don't
need to do evangelism,
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we just praise God up there.
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But there is another
measure of the maturity
00:11:37.19\00:11:39.59
of a Christian church
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and that is their
ability to love one another
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even when they see
things differently.
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And I think I've
seen a lot of that here
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and I hope that we
can continue to grow
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in the grace of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Then there are new members
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who mistakenly think
that once they are baptized,
00:12:00.20\00:12:03.32
smooth sailing oh,
fixes all the problems.
00:12:04.86\00:12:08.75
I was listening to the radio
00:12:09.50\00:12:10.47
when you have
some of this late night
00:12:10.48\00:12:11.70
radio religious broadcasters
00:12:11.71\00:12:13.72
and I was listening to one
00:12:13.73\00:12:15.57
and I'm telling you he really
00:12:15.58\00:12:17.62
knew how to preach it,
00:12:17.63\00:12:18.80
if you just have enough faith,
00:12:19.58\00:12:21.18
you will never have a problem.
00:12:21.19\00:12:22.83
And any time you get a problem
00:12:24.36\00:12:25.51
you pray and send
him a check for $25
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and you'll get ten
times that back in the mail.
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It sounded convincing I
was about to send my check,
00:12:31.89\00:12:34.22
that isn't the way it is folks.
00:12:37.67\00:12:39.49
I mean God wants us
to have an abundant life
00:12:41.43\00:12:43.64
that's true and He will give us
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everything we need, never fails.
00:12:44.76\00:12:48.41
And when you come out
of that water it is true
00:12:51.91\00:12:53.62
you've buried
all those old things
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and they are dead and when you
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rise up out of the water,
00:12:59.68\00:13:00.80
you face a whole
new set of problems
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that you never saw before.
00:13:02.62\00:13:03.79
The difference is now
you got Jesus on your side
00:13:05.32\00:13:07.46
to fight the battles for you.
00:13:07.47\00:13:09.32
There are battles to
fight as a Christian.
00:13:10.96\00:13:12.90
There is a devil
running around in this world,
00:13:13.59\00:13:15.31
but just need to
remember that He who is in you
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is greater than He
who is in the world.
00:13:18.79\00:13:20.70
I'm going to tell a
story and it's getting more
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and more difficult to tell
00:13:29.20\00:13:30.57
because I could be misunderstood
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and be accused to be a racist
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and I hope you don't.
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Think that about
me because I am not.
00:13:37.23\00:13:38.76
But you know at time
of slavery in our country
00:13:39.73\00:13:43.07
provided a rich treasure
of experiences of people
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who stood faithful to God
00:13:47.43\00:13:48.65
in the most
adverse circumstances.
00:13:48.66\00:13:50.98
I don't advocate slavery.
00:13:52.11\00:13:53.93
I believe that Jesus,
00:13:54.52\00:13:55.83
in Jesus we're
all one in Christ.
00:13:55.84\00:13:57.99
It doesn't matter
what color of skin
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but this story is such a perfect
00:14:00.64\00:14:03.47
illustration of the
point we're talking about.
00:14:03.48\00:14:06.08
It's about a man who
was born into slavery
00:14:06.95\00:14:10.10
on the plantation and he grew up
00:14:10.11\00:14:12.57
with the owner of
the plantation son.
00:14:12.58\00:14:15.48
And the owner died
and the son took over
00:14:16.18\00:14:18.54
and these two men
were like brothers,
00:14:19.47\00:14:21.48
they did everything together.
00:14:21.49\00:14:22.72
The owner of the
plantation love to duck hunting
00:14:25.48\00:14:28.78
and one day when
they are out duck hunting
00:14:29.25\00:14:31.98
he asked his friend the slave
00:14:32.78\00:14:35.15
he asked him a question.
00:14:35.16\00:14:36.31
He said you're a
Christian, I'm not a Christian,
00:14:37.43\00:14:41.57
you are always singing songs
00:14:42.55\00:14:43.72
about the toils
and the strife of life.
00:14:43.73\00:14:46.64
I don't have any
of those problems.
00:14:48.24\00:14:50.20
Why don't you just give
it all up and be like me
00:14:51.00\00:14:52.91
and you don't have
those problems either.
00:14:52.92\00:14:54.43
He had asked him that question
00:14:55.70\00:14:56.98
a number of times and poor Sam
00:14:56.99\00:14:59.75
never did know how to answer it.
00:14:59.76\00:15:01.91
Until this particular day
when they are out hunting,
00:15:03.57\00:15:05.78
a bunch of ducks flew over,
00:15:06.68\00:15:07.96
he picked up his gun he
shot and he got two in one shot.
00:15:07.97\00:15:11.27
One duck was killed, he
went right straight down,
00:15:11.86\00:15:14.30
the other duck he
nicked in the wing
00:15:14.31\00:15:16.53
he was wounded
and he fluttered down
00:15:16.54\00:15:19.20
as soon as he hit the
ground he began to scamper away.
00:15:19.21\00:15:22.35
Now, Sam's job was
to go and get the ducks,
00:15:23.30\00:15:25.28
so he ran right
passed the dead one
00:15:26.26\00:15:28.92
chasing after that wounded duck
00:15:29.89\00:15:31.78
and after running a little bit
00:15:32.66\00:15:33.90
he finally caught it
and he put it in the bag.
00:15:33.91\00:15:37.95
And then he went
back and he picked up
00:15:38.90\00:15:41.38
the dead one, he
put him in the bag
00:15:41.39\00:15:43.91
and started back towards the man
00:15:44.85\00:15:46.71
and he said big
smile broke out on his face
00:15:46.72\00:15:50.26
because now he had the answer.
00:15:50.89\00:15:52.50
He said, you know,
you always asking me
00:15:52.79\00:15:54.91
why is it that I'm
singing about the toils
00:15:55.24\00:15:58.19
and the strife of life.
00:15:58.20\00:15:59.31
I'm a Christian,
you're not a Christian.
00:15:59.32\00:16:00.86
You don't have those problems,
00:16:00.87\00:16:01.89
you always ask me.
00:16:01.90\00:16:03.16
And I never know how to answer,
00:16:03.17\00:16:04.56
but now I know you see
it's like the two ducks,
00:16:04.57\00:16:07.19
you shot two, you got one,
00:16:07.20\00:16:08.92
you killed one, the
other one was just wounded
00:16:08.93\00:16:10.77
and the dead one fell down,
00:16:10.78\00:16:12.54
the other one tried to get away
00:16:12.55\00:16:13.78
I went running
after the wounded one
00:16:13.79\00:16:15.83
because he was
trying to get away
00:16:15.84\00:16:17.69
and you see I'm
the wounded duck,
00:16:17.70\00:16:19.50
the old devil is after me
00:16:19.51\00:16:20.72
and I'm running as hard as I can
00:16:20.73\00:16:22.21
and I'm trying to get away.
00:16:22.22\00:16:23.36
You're the dead dog
he has you in the bag,
00:16:23.37\00:16:25.11
he is not even
worried about you.
00:16:25.12\00:16:26.31
This kind of
like that, isn't it?
00:16:30.15\00:16:31.55
When you go into that water,
00:16:32.88\00:16:34.16
when you become
Seventh-day Adventist Christian
00:16:34.50\00:16:36.30
it's no easy thing to do.
00:16:36.31\00:16:37.48
The old devil doesn't like it
00:16:39.09\00:16:40.48
and he comes after you
with both barrels blazing.
00:16:40.49\00:16:42.86
But remember
you're not going down
00:16:44.23\00:16:46.25
any path that Jesus
hasn't already gone,
00:16:46.26\00:16:48.46
just follow the lamb
you're gonna get there.
00:16:49.33\00:16:52.10
And there is another
group that don't understand
00:16:53.25\00:16:55.01
the principles
of Christian growth.
00:16:55.02\00:16:56.28
I don't think we've any
here but just incase we do,
00:16:58.57\00:17:01.73
I'm gonna talk about it.
00:17:01.74\00:17:02.92
They are what I call the
fossilized church members.
00:17:03.90\00:17:09.21
Now, why do I
call them fossilized?
00:17:11.57\00:17:14.89
Well, a fossil doesn't grow.
00:17:14.90\00:17:17.43
Fossil hasn't been
growing for a long time.
00:17:18.63\00:17:21.23
Fossilized church members
00:17:22.68\00:17:24.15
have been around for a long time
00:17:24.16\00:17:26.05
but they haven't been growing.
00:17:26.06\00:17:27.91
They haven't been
helping people grow.
00:17:28.36\00:17:31.17
They haven't been reaching out
00:17:31.18\00:17:32.63
and winning people to Jesus.
00:17:32.64\00:17:34.22
They haven't been
sharing their faith.
00:17:34.23\00:17:36.24
They kind of view the
church as an exclusive club.
00:17:36.25\00:17:40.40
And they are more
concerned about their reputation
00:17:42.21\00:17:45.82
and what this new people
might bring to the church
00:17:47.23\00:17:50.53
that could embarrass
and disgrace their club.
00:17:50.54\00:17:53.53
They are the ones,
the fossilized members,
00:17:54.66\00:17:57.42
they will stand on
the side line in a meeting
00:17:57.43\00:18:00.09
like this
morning when we introduce
00:18:00.10\00:18:02.01
all the new people.
00:18:02.02\00:18:03.29
And they will be
standing across the front
00:18:03.30\00:18:05.11
and we introduce them.
00:18:05.12\00:18:06.47
They are the ones
whispering to one another, yeah,
00:18:06.48\00:18:09.38
but do you think
they are gonna stick.
00:18:09.39\00:18:11.33
I hope I don't hear that here.
00:18:13.85\00:18:15.61
If I do you're gonna
get another sermon from me,
00:18:15.62\00:18:18.41
you know, it reminds me,
00:18:20.30\00:18:22.33
reminds me of bringing
the baby into the world.
00:18:23.57\00:18:28.70
It's kind of like that.
00:18:29.88\00:18:30.85
Now some of the
people you're gonna meet
00:18:30.86\00:18:32.42
a brand new babies
in Christ, brand new,
00:18:32.43\00:18:36.33
other are giants in the Lord.
00:18:37.26\00:18:39.19
Been Christians for a long time,
00:18:39.97\00:18:41.49
they just learned new things
00:18:41.50\00:18:42.72
and they have taken the stand,
00:18:42.73\00:18:44.05
some are brand new.
00:18:44.06\00:18:45.84
You remember those of
you who that have children,
00:18:46.36\00:18:48.21
you remember when your
first born children came around.
00:18:48.22\00:18:51.35
It's an exciting time, isn't it?
00:18:53.86\00:18:55.45
Young couple just had a baby
00:18:56.93\00:18:58.36
and they were in the hospital,
00:18:58.37\00:18:59.61
the day came to go
home and dad says hey
00:18:59.62\00:19:02.42
you haven't even seen
him in the nursery yet.
00:19:02.43\00:19:04.90
Why don't we get
your stuff together?
00:19:05.37\00:19:07.01
We'll go with
the nurse, you know,
00:19:07.02\00:19:08.09
they got the big glass window,
00:19:08.10\00:19:09.41
they still got
that big glass window
00:19:09.42\00:19:11.27
where you can press
your nose against the glass
00:19:11.28\00:19:12.92
and look at all the babies.
00:19:12.93\00:19:13.90
Oh! They don't that
anymore, missing something.
00:19:13.91\00:19:16.06
That's what they had for us
00:19:17.94\00:19:18.95
and so this
little couple goes in
00:19:18.96\00:19:20.64
and they are gonna go
looking there at the babies,
00:19:20.65\00:19:22.24
want to see him in the nursery
00:19:22.25\00:19:23.65
before they take him out.
00:19:23.66\00:19:24.63
So, they go then look
in the glass there he is,
00:19:24.64\00:19:28.57
oh, he is all
wrinkled up in ugly
00:19:28.58\00:19:31.25
and purple like a little prune.
00:19:31.26\00:19:32.45
New born babies are
not very pretty you know,
00:19:33.86\00:19:36.25
I mean ours were
exception to that of course.
00:19:37.08\00:19:39.30
There he is all
wrinkled up in ugly,
00:19:40.59\00:19:42.12
then he is screaming
at the top of his lungs,
00:19:42.13\00:19:45.08
he is flailing his fists,
00:19:45.09\00:19:47.08
kicking his little
legs and dad say wow!
00:19:47.09\00:19:50.66
Just a minute here,
00:19:52.83\00:19:54.35
we better think
about what we're doing.
00:19:55.84\00:19:57.85
I mean look at this guy,
00:19:59.88\00:20:01.25
man he could grow
up to embarrass us
00:20:01.97\00:20:04.58
and disgrace our family,
we better think about this.
00:20:05.32\00:20:10.59
Mom says yeah, you know,
00:20:11.60\00:20:13.49
he doesn't look
very intelligent either,
00:20:13.50\00:20:15.71
maybe we have to
leave him here long enough
00:20:17.02\00:20:18.95
so that he can take
a IQ Test or something
00:20:18.96\00:20:21.28
and then we'll decide
what to do with the thing.
00:20:21.29\00:20:23.42
That's the way it is?
00:20:25.62\00:20:26.71
Hey, there are risks bringing
00:20:28.43\00:20:31.84
a child into the world,
00:20:31.85\00:20:33.18
but you don't even
think about the risks
00:20:34.48\00:20:36.51
because of love in your heart.
00:20:37.00\00:20:39.47
And the truth is if you
are anything like we were,
00:20:40.54\00:20:43.23
man you resent the fact
that they have isolated him
00:20:43.24\00:20:46.34
from you for so long and
you can't wait to get him home
00:20:46.35\00:20:49.55
and put him in his own bed
00:20:49.56\00:20:51.39
and get some good old
family germs all over him,
00:20:51.40\00:20:53.98
right and shouldn't
it be that way with those
00:20:53.99\00:20:59.38
who are wanting to become
part of our church family.
00:20:59.39\00:21:01.89
I mean we should be
standing with our arms out
00:21:02.66\00:21:04.54
stretched not able to
get him in there fast enough.
00:21:04.55\00:21:08.02
And then one day
dad comes home from work
00:21:12.82\00:21:16.42
about a year later
and mom can't even talk,
00:21:16.43\00:21:20.87
she is so excited she
came and talk she says
00:21:22.39\00:21:26.05
he did it, he did,
he did, he can walk,
00:21:26.70\00:21:28.75
he can walk, he
took his first step,
00:21:28.76\00:21:30.40
hearing all that
drops his briefcase there
00:21:30.41\00:21:32.77
and he bends down
mom's holding him steady
00:21:32.78\00:21:34.74
and he holds his arms out
00:21:34.75\00:21:35.80
and that little
fellow did it before,
00:21:35.81\00:21:37.28
he puts out his foot
00:21:37.29\00:21:38.67
and he steps right
into his dad's arm.
00:21:38.68\00:21:40.84
Oh! Man he can do it,
he can walk, he can walk,
00:21:40.85\00:21:43.42
so they skips up
bundle him in his coat,
00:21:43.43\00:21:45.44
whisk him out of the door off
00:21:45.45\00:21:46.62
to grandma and grandpa house
00:21:46.63\00:21:47.89
he can walk, he can walk
00:21:47.90\00:21:49.32
and they set him
down on the floor
00:21:49.33\00:21:50.74
there and there's
grandma and grandpa
00:21:50.75\00:21:52.41
and there's aunt
and uncle and cousins
00:21:52.42\00:21:54.37
and everybody is
watching him and dad is saying
00:21:54.38\00:21:56.70
he can walk, he can
walk, he still got his coat on,
00:21:56.71\00:21:59.14
he got his shoes on
now carpet under his feet
00:21:59.15\00:22:01.69
but he did it before
there's mom holding him
00:22:02.65\00:22:04.57
steady there's dad
reaching out to him
00:22:04.58\00:22:06.24
oh yeah he did it before,
he can do it, he can walk,
00:22:06.25\00:22:08.76
he can walk come on.
00:22:08.77\00:22:09.86
He puts out that
little foot and whirl
00:22:10.30\00:22:12.37
around on his heel and
he falls to the ground.
00:22:12.38\00:22:15.02
And his dad walks over to him
00:22:17.73\00:22:19.23
and he kicks him across the rug.
00:22:20.41\00:22:23.06
You idiot, he says I
knew you couldn't do it.
00:22:26.83\00:22:29.54
What a pity, many times
00:22:36.57\00:22:40.25
we get brand
new babies in Christ
00:22:41.39\00:22:43.76
and they step
out to take that step
00:22:45.74\00:22:47.75
and they stumble
and the church kicks,
00:22:48.89\00:22:52.88
baptized him too soon,
00:22:54.71\00:22:56.23
didn't know
what they were doing,
00:22:57.59\00:22:59.03
weren't grounded
enough and, you know,
00:23:00.13\00:23:04.42
maybe we don't
say it to their face
00:23:04.43\00:23:06.13
but you know they can sense.
00:23:06.14\00:23:08.93
People can sense a cold
unloving uncaring spirit.
00:23:09.72\00:23:14.41
Truth is little junior,
00:23:19.68\00:23:22.46
his dad caught him
before he even hit the floor
00:23:25.56\00:23:27.92
and he stood him
back up on his feet
00:23:29.03\00:23:30.96
and he said he
can walk, he can walk
00:23:32.26\00:23:35.56
and they do it again and again
00:23:35.57\00:23:38.93
and again until he gets it.
00:23:38.94\00:23:40.81
And if he doesn't
get it dad takes off
00:23:42.49\00:23:44.69
the work the next day,
00:23:44.70\00:23:45.67
he stays home and
they practice all day
00:23:46.59\00:23:48.36
and as soon they get it,
00:23:49.90\00:23:51.04
it's back to
grandma and grandpa's house.
00:23:51.05\00:23:52.99
You see it's hard to fall
00:23:55.60\00:23:57.49
if some one has their arm around
00:23:57.50\00:23:59.71
your shoulder holding you up.
00:23:59.72\00:24:01.40
That's the way it
needs to be in God's church.
00:24:03.80\00:24:05.64
And not just
for the new members,
00:24:07.94\00:24:09.40
but for the older ones too,
00:24:09.41\00:24:10.75
because in a sense
we're all learning to walk.
00:24:12.04\00:24:14.46
Everyday we learn
new things about God.
00:24:15.00\00:24:17.57
And we need to be there
00:24:18.33\00:24:19.34
for the
encouragement of one another.
00:24:19.35\00:24:21.48
You know one of my favorite
pictures of God in the Bible
00:24:21.49\00:24:25.40
is in Hosea 11
Chapter in verse 3 he said,
00:24:25.41\00:24:30.58
It was I who
taught Ephraim to walk,
00:24:30.59\00:24:33.31
taking them by the
arms, don't you like that,
00:24:33.32\00:24:38.04
but they didn't even realize
it was I who healed them,
00:24:38.88\00:24:41.38
I led them with
cords of human kindness,
00:24:41.39\00:24:44.36
with ties of love; I
lifted the yoke from their neck
00:24:44.37\00:24:48.34
and I bent down to feed them.
00:24:48.35\00:24:50.01
It's hard to fall when
you have a God like that.
00:24:50.02\00:24:54.19
It's hard to fall when
you have a church like that.
00:24:55.31\00:24:58.84
There is an
incredible power in love,
00:25:01.16\00:25:05.55
we all need love.
00:25:05.56\00:25:07.80
You know there was a phenomenon
00:25:07.81\00:25:11.13
that scientist discovered
00:25:11.14\00:25:12.72
in orphanages
after World War II.
00:25:12.73\00:25:16.41
And that was that
many of the babies,
00:25:18.10\00:25:22.32
of all the babies that were
brought into the orphanages,
00:25:23.74\00:25:27.17
two years older
under, very few grew up
00:25:28.54\00:25:33.67
to live a normal
healthy adult life.
00:25:33.68\00:25:36.55
They didn't understand why,
00:25:38.89\00:25:40.46
so they began to
study this phenomenon
00:25:42.00\00:25:44.40
what is wrong, what's happening.
00:25:44.41\00:25:47.26
And finally they found
an orphanage in Germany
00:25:49.10\00:25:51.82
and their babies
were growing up normal.
00:25:52.92\00:25:54.94
So, the team of researchers
converged on that orphanage.
00:25:55.79\00:26:00.03
And they studied
every little thing
00:26:01.37\00:26:02.93
that was
happening there the diet,
00:26:02.94\00:26:04.74
their schedule, how
much sleep they got,
00:26:04.75\00:26:07.50
how much exercise they got,
00:26:07.51\00:26:09.09
what they did with the
kid everything they studied
00:26:09.10\00:26:11.79
they couldn't find any
00:26:11.80\00:26:12.77
difference
between that orphanage
00:26:12.78\00:26:13.75
and all the
others but their babies
00:26:13.76\00:26:15.16
were growing up
normal and healthy.
00:26:15.17\00:26:18.07
One day one of the
researchers was there
00:26:19.20\00:26:21.22
and he saw an older lady
off standing against the wall
00:26:21.23\00:26:26.07
and she had a baby in her arms
00:26:26.98\00:26:28.49
and he said who's that oh,
00:26:28.50\00:26:30.42
that's no body
that's just old Ana,
00:26:30.43\00:26:32.33
old Ana what does she do here?
00:26:33.47\00:26:36.40
She don't do
anything, she is just here
00:26:36.41\00:26:38.73
and if one of
the babies get sick
00:26:39.64\00:26:40.90
we let her hold it that's all.
00:26:40.91\00:26:42.21
And the doctor
thought is it possible,
00:26:44.47\00:26:46.86
is it possible that the thing
00:26:48.17\00:26:49.78
missing in the lives
of those little babies
00:26:49.79\00:26:51.81
was the love of a mother.
00:26:51.82\00:26:53.26
So, they did an experiment,
00:26:55.41\00:26:56.74
they hired a bunch of ladies
00:26:57.61\00:26:58.58
that work in various orphanages
00:26:58.59\00:27:00.15
and all they had to
do is love the babies,
00:27:00.16\00:27:01.73
wouldn't you like to
have a job like that,
00:27:02.56\00:27:04.04
is love the babies all day.
00:27:04.05\00:27:05.64
And you know years
later when they went back
00:27:07.34\00:27:09.34
they found in those orphanages
00:27:09.35\00:27:10.92
where they have
mothers to love the babies
00:27:10.93\00:27:12.36
all day long their
babies brought in under the age
00:27:12.37\00:27:14.83
of two grew up to live
normal healthy adult lives.
00:27:14.84\00:27:17.40
The awesome power of love
00:27:18.25\00:27:20.71
and if it's necessary for us
00:27:20.72\00:27:23.00
to have love in
order to grow physically,
00:27:23.01\00:27:26.33
how much more necessary
is it for us to have love
00:27:26.34\00:27:29.37
in order to grow
spiritually in Christ.
00:27:29.38\00:27:31.41
Love is the answer,
00:27:33.81\00:27:34.99
we're gonna get
along in the family of God.
00:27:36.60\00:27:38.73