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July 4, 2023
Finding Your Place: Embracing God's Love, Overcoming Obstacles, and Serving with Humility
We all have memories of feeling like an outsider, whether on the kickball field or in the junior high cafeteria. It's in those moments that we crave a place to belong. In this heartwarming episode, Pastor James Chavez takes us on a journey through those memories while reminding us that God's love and grace are always there to embrace us.
Together, we discuss the challenges of overcoming past hurts from church experiences and the importance of gathering as a community. As we sanctify the space and see each other through God's eyes, we can meet the needs of others with humility and love. We also delve into the significance of life groups and giving back, trusting that our generosity and commitment can make a difference in our own lives and the world around us.
Let's take a step forward and dial up our commitment to God. Join us as we reflect on our priorities, embrace God's plan for our lives, and learn to serve with humility and love.
Chapters
Transcript
0:00:00 - Speaker 1
Jesus said in Matthew 516, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. So we're a team, but we're more than that. We're a spiritual family, right When we come together. This is a place where people aren't gonna see you the way the world sees you, But in this place you're filled with a group of people that see you the way God sees you, as a justified child of the King. Where else are you gonna get that? No place?
0:00:26 - Speaker 2
Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace and that He has a real hope and a future for you.
0:01:05 - Speaker 3
Good morning, city Light Church. My name is Muhammad Wury, i'm one of the pastors here at City Light and I just want to welcome you. We have somebody on our team, and when I say that he has over 20 years of ministry experience, i'm actually not joking. I don't know that there is a job in the church world that he has not done, whether that be youth pastor, executive pastor, church accountant, associate pastor, senior pastor, window washer, i mean. So you gotta highlight things like that, because for me, that tells me that there is a heart of ministry and a heart of service, and that's the heart of Jesus To love people and put themselves in a place to serve others. So, without further ado, put your hands together for Pastor James Chavez. Thank you, pastor Moe. Thank you, guys.
0:02:00 - Speaker 1
I think the moral of that story is I'm just really old, but I'm excited anytime I get to share with you guys and it's a privilege. And I just wanted to start by asking you the question can you remember a time when you felt like an outsider? Yeah, probably all at once. I'm not sure if you remember that I was a pastor and I was a pastor, i was a pastor and I was a pastor. Probably all at one point have felt like we're on the outside looking in. Right, i immediately get transported back to fourth grade in the schoolyard, when they're picking teams for kickball. I mean, i don't know if I still need to be in therapy, why. That's a recurring nightmare and issue for me. It's that one and I can't remember my locker combination. They always keep coming out and I'm like, oh, and there's gotta be some subtle meetings. Our daughter is in college for psychology and we're always asking her. You're halfway through, so halfway diagnosed my problems, and so maybe she can halfway tell me what's wrong with me.
But you're on the fourth grade schoolyard, they're picking teams, you've got the team captains and they're picking from the best to the worst in descending order. Right, and I don't know if you were like me, but I was never the first to be picked. And if you were, i don't like you Because that means you were the one that I always wished I could be. You were the one we were like oh, of course they're gonna get picked. And if you get to be captain, immediately that person popped in your mind Oh, i hope I get to be. You know they flip a coin or do whatever they do to decide which captain picks first, cause that's like the be all, end all. You're gonna pick that star player. That was never James. Okay, now, someone always fared a little worse than me, poor little Billy. It was like don't make us get Billy again. We had him last time, oh, but I was never first, never last, but never first. And never once did I ever hear oh, you mean we get to get Chavez this time. Whoa score. That never happened either, except in the dream, where I remember my locker combination, but your place in the fourth grade hierarchy status was reinforced. That day playing kickball Was painful, traumatic. But then you graduate from that and you go into middle school. Right Now you're in the junior high cafeteria.
Anybody remember the smell? the junior high cafeteria? Ah, just pause and just go back with me. Smell. It Smells like feet. It's disgusting. But we had to sit there for three years and you go and you get your food and now the unspoken hierarchy is reinforced all over again because you gotta find a place to sit.
So you start looking around the dining area and you see the jocks over there laughing I'm so old, they were probably paying hacky sack. Then you see the theater kids and they're in the corner. They're quoting movies and they're doing dances All in this together. And then you had the goth kids. They're nailed. They were painting each other's nails black. You had the math leaps over there solving equations with a grease marker on the window. You had the chess club ROTC. They were in their uniforms.
But where's the place for me? I'm scanning around, i'm walking, trembling hands with my pretend meat And, lo and behold, i spot a table with an empty seat. I think I'm gonna casually make my way to that table. Okay, breezy, mind you, i'm not gonna make a beeline and look desperate like I'm supposed to be there. But as I get close enough, everyone at that table cause it's a cool kids table they stop. They look me up and down and they say I don't think so We're saving this for someone else And the hierarchy is reinforced once again.
Add that to the long list of therapy issues that we've got to cover and unpack The outside. Looking in is painful. We've all been there. I could graduate from there and keep talking about scenario after scenario, but it's too traumatic. This is not me working on my issues today. I'm here to help you.
But maybe, just maybe, there is a point in your life when you walked into a dinner party or to a crowded church service and someone starts waving at you from the door hey, over here I saved you a seat And you suddenly feel like you're on the inside. You're not on the outside anymore. Someone cares enough to think about you, save you a spot. You're valued. That feels good. That's on the inside. That's what you are here at City Light. Do you feel it? I hope you do, because this is a special place and what I want you to know is you have an all-access pass, a backstage pass to where the real action is. You don't have to be outsiders anymore. So what I want to do for the next couple of minutes is just peel back the layer and show you, with your all-access pass, what it is to be on the inside at City Light Church. Okay, you go on the journey with me. Okay, so you put on your seatbelt, click it in. All right, here we go.
Because I'm going to talk about a few things that are super simple And when I mention them you're going to just kind of go like duh James, do you think we're stupid? But they're going to be way harder to commit to and execute than it is to just say, okay, so I'm going to say it. You're going to laugh. But the next time you struggle with doing it, i'm going to laugh because I'm going to say I told you it's harder than it sounds And so it's worth repeating. Okay, because the things that are important we got to repeat. We got to repeat, we got to get in our spirit and we got to execute and live out the things that we say are important. Okay, because a head full of knowledge is worthless. It just puffs up. The Bible says We have to walk out and live it. Knowledge transformed into wisdom. So we're going to go big or go home. You ever heard that saying Go big or go home?
So I'm going to share with you an acronym B-I-G, and not the notorious B-I-G. I know Pastor Moe was already like oh, it's just an acronym, okay, b-i-g. And we're going to talk through what each of those stands for and just highlight a very simple concept that's attached to each one that helps you understand what it means to be on the inside at City Light, which will help you cross the threshold if you still feel sometimes like you're on the outside. Okay, so B, super simple, be here. Be here And guess what. All of you get extra points because what? All of you are here. If you're not here, raise your hand, and I can't get any over on you guys. You're really sharp today. You got to be here.
There are just some things that God chooses to do when you gather together with other Christ followers that he doesn't do anywhere else. It's a special thing. That's why the Bible says don't forsake the gathering together. And in our culture, we let COVID, we let society, we let convenience, we let so many things get in the way. We say, well, i'll take the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. I don't know if I have to go every week. James, i think I'm good with God, yeah, but you're going to miss out on what's special when you come to this place.
Think about a football game. Right? You watch a football game. What does a team do before a play? They get together and they huddle. Okay, we expect it.
Every time You watch a football game, you expect to see the huddle. If they don't huddle, you're worried. You say, well, i don't think you know what plays them. Right, i don't know what's going on, we expect it. But we don't watch a football game for the huddles, right? You don't see ESPN saying, all right, let's tune in now for the huddle highlight reel. No, what we watch for is to see what plays that quarterback called out during the huddle, how they get executed out on the field, and that's what it is when we come together as Christ followers.
The world knows that we gather together in church buildings all around the world on Sundays for our huddle. They know it's part of what we do, but what they really care about is are we going to live out and execute what we huddle about in here when we live out there? And that's what some of these are just gonna help us do. So we come together. You gotta be here to experience what God is doing. Now, how many know? there are obstacles, though? Did you encounter any.
If I take the early train, james, then I'm here too early and that's just weird because I don't wanna talk to people. If I take the late train, james, then I miss the first song. So I may as well just stay home and watch online. I know you guys use that excuse. Do you know how much I spend in Uber, james, every single Sunday? Sometimes I just gotta take a break, god knows. I gotta be a good steward of my resources. Talk about a good steward of my resources. You know how many tickets I've received since they put in all these cameras here in Astoria? I'm one of the craziest who lives out on Long Island, so I'm a two hour commute each way. That gets me mad enough.
I'm on the LIE. They're closing lanes and driving Miss Daisy in the HOV lane and there's just nothing to know what's going on. I'm like I'm going to church, get out of the way, and it's like speed limit is 55. I don't care. And so Nicole and I argue the whole way. I'm like HOV is the furthest left lane In code. That means it's the hyper-fast lane. Okay. The further you get to the left, the faster you go. If you want to go slow, you go to the right. Okay, i'm just telling you that's in the Bible Book. A second hesitations. So you're in the HOV, like I got a clean pass sticker and my little prison. I was get out of the way. So I'm losing my salvation and my conviction and my patience and everything And I'm like, okay, this is why I don't have a follow me to see the light church sticker on my car, because I don't know. All right, so we're crossing along. And then I come through, flash, flash, flash. I got more tickets, so 40,000 tickets.
Later, five hours of commuting later, i got to really want to be here. You know what I'm saying. There's some obstacles. There are some days I want to just hit the snooze over and over and over. This morning. I said Nicole, do you think we really need to go? I said Pastor Moe's going to be there. We could just watch online. Just think that they're doing construction of the LI. They're closing the left lane. That's going to be.
People. Do not emerge here. Everybody's just going to wait till last minute. Cut everybody out. They're going to expect me to let them in. I'm going to say I'm not today. I don't really have time to put up with that.
She said, james, you're preaching. I said, fine, i'll go. But there was some real obstacles, real. I wanted to stop and get an egg sandwich at the bagel shop. I didn't. I get here, my stomach's growling. But guess what? I came And as soon as I walked through the doors I'm greeted by other crazies who fought the same obstacles, and they're smiling, they're shaking my hand, they're giving me a high five, they're hugging me And I say I'm glad I came, it's worth it. It is worth it.
You got to fight those obstacles. Maybe one of the obstacles is you've been hurt in church. Church hurts a real deal, right? Somebody ever hurt you? Have you ever been offended? They said they were a Christian. Church is full of hypocrites. Amen, i'm here. Yes, it's full of hypocrites. It's full of people that will offend you. It's full of people that are going to hurt you. Even the pastors are going to hurt your feelings. They're going to say things you don't like.
Pastor Boyan does it every week. You feel convicted of being young, but you're going to miss out on the experience if you let what the enemy is trying to get in your way win. He puts obstacles in your way all the time. He's the master of obstacles. I think he has a job full time creating, like the construction cones, the barrel, all these things that are obstacles in life there from the devil, whether on the street or getting in your way from coming to this place, from the devil. You got to fight it, kick it down and just come in anyway, because once you're here, everything just melts away. This is just. It's not even a holy building. We rent this space. Who knows what they did yesterday in this space? I don't know.
But once we come in, it's sanctified. It's got God's people in it, god's purpose and God's power, and you don't want to miss it. Whether someone's hurt you, whether you get tons of tickets on the way in, you've spent all your cash on the Ubers or the train has just got you up to here, fight it and be here, just be here. Don't forsake the gathering of being here. Jesus said in Matthew 5, 16, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. So we're a team, but we're more than that. We're a spiritual family, right When we come together.
This is a place where people aren't gonna see you the way the world sees you. I think Pastor Mo used the word Bible Thumper, holy roller, crazy, hate monger, terrorist What else do they say about Christians these days? But in this place you're filled with a group of people that see you the way God sees you As a justified child of the king. Where else are you gonna get that? The answer is no place, no place. So don't miss it. Be here. Here, where's the I stand for? involved? Okay, all right, now we're stepping it up. Be here. That was kind of obvious. Everybody here got points for that. But now I got to get involved. It means I have to stay awake till you're done talking. James, yeah, be involved. And that's easier said than done. Once again, right, because what do we like to do? We like to have the focus on ourselves. Yeah, i feel the same way Tired, i'm hungry. I want me to shut up. It's all about me. When we're talking about being here, i like to remind myself.
I grew up with a drug problem. I got drugged to church every time the doors were open. I grew up in church, mom and dad, it was church. Sunday school, bible study, evangelism, soul winning doesn't matter. I don't hold the nays for all the things. I was drugged there every single day I kicked the habit. Now I come when I want And I want to a lot, but to be involved. Now I have another problem I have to overcome.
Now that I kicked my drug habit, i have an eye problem, and that's not one that the optometrists can help me with, because it's not that kind of eye. It's the eye problem of I want to do what I want to do. I don't want to serve, james. I don't like kids, james. I don't want to greet people, james. I don't want to do this. I know I don't either.
But we got to get rid of the eye problem, turn it around and get the focus off ourselves and see the needs all around us, because that's what God created us to do. You see a need. You got to meet a need. Our Savior modeled it and that's what He's asked us to do as well. But how can you do that if you're not engaged or involved? If you're just on autopilot, man, i rented a Tesla the other day. I tried the autopilot. That was nuts. That's nothing to do with what I'm talking about. Well, autopilot's crazy. Just for fun, i had my son filming. I took my hands off and drank water, sent emails. Look at me No hands Has a little rainbow road in the middle screen. I'm like, hey, it's Thor's rainbow, i'm in the Avengers. But then eventually, what do I have to do? I got to put my hands back on the wheel, because you can't go forever on autopilot. You got to get involved, get in the game and start doing things for the kingdom of God.
A few years back, the CBC News in Toronto had a story of a young teenage girl. She was 15 years old. She called 911 because she had a real emergency. You know what a real emergency was? Her horrible family was making her go on vacation with them to a lake cabin. I might not have full signal bars up there at the lake. My friends are not there. Why are you making me go? What if B-real goes off at two in the afternoon and I'm someplace? stupid? My TikTok stories are going to be so messed up. This is an emergency. Well, the officers got there and guess what they determined? It wasn't an emergency. They told reporters it was just a case of a teenager being a teenager. If you're a teenager in here, i apologize, but sometimes the oxygen doesn't go all the way to the top. You know what I'm saying.
It takes a few years of maturity for those pathways to open up and you start to see things clearly. They hadn't arrived yet for her. She thought it was an emergency because she suffered from first world problems. She had an eye problem. I don't want to go to the lake. I don't want to go.
But whether you live in the first world or the third world, really what it boils down to is first person problems. What Jesus calls us to do is have a third person perspective. We got to stop looking at ourselves all the time and looking at the world the way he sees the world. We got to shift that focus. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 20, 28,. For even the Son of man came not to be served but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many. So as Christ followers, our job is to serve other people as well. Being a servant draws us in deeper than if we're just sitting on the sidelines. Jesus modeled this the night.
They were having the Passover supper in the upper room. They were all gathered around for that special meal and no one wanted to wash anybody's feet. Now that sounds like a funny thing. We say it in church. We laugh. But you got to put yourself back in the first century in that room, in that culture, to understand the importance of that.
See, we picture the pretty painting where they ordered a table for 24 and then the 12 all sat on one side for the picture, for the selfie. It's like, wait, how come you needed a table this big? Because we're all sitting on one side for the picture. But they actually sat reclining on pillows, kind of like dominoes that had fallen their heads on the chest of the next guy And guess where? their feet is in the face of the other guy. Okay, that's gross. Right, that would be gross if you had some fancy shoes on, but they didn't. They had funky sandals. So their feet were dusty and dirty and they even walked through a lot of other stuff. They didn't have the street sweepers that came on Tuesdays and Fridays like we do here. It was gross.
So the lowliest servant in the house would have the assignment to wash their feet, not the head servant, mind you, and not the host. It was the one who drew the short straw. No one was there that day to wash the feet And all the disciples knew it had to be done because someone's funky feet were going to be in their face. But they were too concerned with who's going to be the greatest among them, who's going to get to sit to the left or the right in Jesus' kingdom, so they were so consumed with being the greatest they were gonna sit there with the funky feet in their face. You know that was gross, but pride kept them from doing anything about it. So guess what Jesus decides to do. He quietly goes in the corner, he gets a base in the water and a towel, he kneels down and he starts washing their feet, hammer toes and all. Why? Because he was able to get out of the first person focus, see the need, and he met a need.
Everything Jesus did in his ministry was to model what we're supposed to do in ours. He didn't come just for a flashy show and we're just spectators. It's like the Grammy Awards. Yeah, it was amazing. Now let me give it to my life now. Everything he did was to show us how to do what we're supposed to do. He served. So guess what we probably should do Serve. Yeah, two of you got it right. You don't wanna do it, do you? I don't wanna serve. No one does.
A few years back back in 2016, they were undergoing in Japan this initiative to build what was dubbed Robot Kingdom. It was gonna be an amusement park that was really built with over 200 automations robots These things were gonna cook, clean bar 10, carry your luggage, answer questions, do the robot dance everything you could imagine. Because they had such incredible success with a smart hotel just a few years earlier, they were just gonna keep building off of this. Why was it such a big need and why was it such a smart hotel Actually started with 30 fleshes. The rest were automations. In just a year of being opened, they cut the 30 and a half to 15. Robots taken over. It's just like Terminator Sky Nets taken over, taken over. Why? Because no one wants to serve. They all wanna be served. So robots meet that need and it just kept going and going and going and going Sounds a little bit like our life.
I need to order some of those robots. Sometimes I sit on the couch and say, sure wish I could change the channel. Nicole says what? The remote's right there. I know it's right there. It's just right there. So she'll get up from across the room and pick up the remote. But oh, thank you, i didn't wanna rob you of the blessing of serving me, because I'm so holy, too close to home. Moving on, so we, she said we'll talk, i'm gonna bring you the remote today, honey.
So man dreams of a utopia, or robots. An army of robots live to serve us, but God dreams of a kingdom where the greatest among you is a servant. Do you think there's a reason why he created us as his cherished possession, rather than an army of robots that wouldn't have messed it up or just did what they were programmed to do? Yeah, because his dream is a kingdom where we're fighting over who gets to serve each other. Can you imagine that? I don't see that a lot. I see people fighting to cut me off in traffic. I see people fighting at Penn Station to get on the train before someone else so they don't have to stand and they can sit. I see a lot of people fighting to get their way. I don't see a lot of people fighting to serve other people. How crazy would it be if we did that. Got really quiet in here. God wants us to serve. In his kingdom, the greatest is the servant, so get involved, serve. We have lots of ministries, lots of reasons that we wouldn't serve right.
Statistically, people say that you know are the highest capacity, and a lot of you put yourself in that category. You're talented, you have great jobs, great education, so you are like special, right. You're an exceptional human being, so you're the exception to that. You're the exception to that. You're the exception to the rule. When we say serve, right, you don't have to because you're too good. But if somebody taps you on the shoulder and shows you how important your amazing contribution would be, you might step in and save the day. Do you know? that's what statistics say. The highest capacity individuals only serve if it feeds into their ego.
Now, as a staff, we talk about it as ways to help engage people that have an ego problem. Hey guys, you know the high capacity people. They're only gonna serve if you ask them. So let's ask them. But you, i wanna tell you in a different way drop the ego, the pretense and the pride. Why are you so special? When you compare yourself this way, you ain't all that. Come on. When you look this way, you're like whoo, i am way better than that person. I'm not pointing at you, at that person. They're like what I'm not. But we gotta compare this way. Don't wait to be asked to save the day. Why don't you just say, hey, how can I help, how can I contribute? I don't know if it's valuable, but did you know I do this and I'm good at this? If you don't need that, i'll still sweep and mop the floor whatever you want. My first ministry role was exactly that. I was mopping a middle school gymnasium. I was a bank vice president, had a lot of ego and pride, and God's very first assignment was to put a mop in my hand. Why do you think you did that? Because I had to be reminded that I wasn't all that. Some of us just need some healthy reminders. I'm just saying, servant, get into a ministry.
The other thing that Pastor Mo mentioned to get involved is get into a life group. We're kicking off that summer semester. You're not going to want to miss it, because life groups are a fantastic way to be part of a community and a lot of people are starving for that emotional connection. Because what are you doing right now? You're in rows all staring at me. Most of you are, i appreciate that, but when you do life, it doesn't happen in rows, it happens in circles. You're not having a conversation with me, it's monologue and I'm just spewing things at you and you're having to tolerate it. But when you're in a life group, you can talk, you can engage, you can ask questions, there's accountability, you're loving on each other, praying for each other, celebrating with food. That's my favorite part of a life group Breaking bread together. But you're only as lonely as you choose to be. We give you options, opportunities and easy on ramps. So if you're still lonely and you wonder why, remember at the onset I said I'm going to laugh and say why is he being so simple and stupid? And I'm going to say because you're just me, don't miss the opportunities we put right in front of you. Get into a life group, sign up. They start tomorrow. Finally, the G in our notorious BIG stands for giving. You knew we were going to come to giving right.
What preacher doesn't take an opportunity to talk about giving? Well, if they read the Bible, none of them, because we're not supposed to compartmentalize our lives. Most people I've met they really want enough Jesus to get their one-way ticket to heaven and a little bit of fire insurance. Like I want a good life, give me abundant life. I don't want to burn in hell. Jesus. Fantastic, but not enough Jesus to truly change their behaviors and their pocketbook?
Why is it that we can trust Jesus with an eternity in a place we've never seen? We believe in a man that died and rose from the dead that we've never met, but we have a hard time believing that he can make 90% of our income go further than 100%. We get hung up on this 10% number when we're willing to bank 100% of our eternity on this thing. I just get so confused at people that still struggle by 10% as a good starting point of a life of generosity And they wonder why they're always broken, busted. I don't know why. I just need a raise.
No, you need to manage your money better, and I don't mean I'm telling you how to spend it. Do whatever you want. God said enjoy the 90%. I gave it to you to manage for me. But as an acknowledgment, as a reinforcement of who's in charge, give me the first, and that's the word I want you to hear today. Give me the first 10%, not the last, not the scraps, not what's left over. Don't give them a tip Because that's easy to do.
James, you don't understand. I'll be evicted. James, they'll take my car. James, do you understand? Feel in the blank. Yes, i've heard it all And, yes, i understand Because I'm a person too. My world operates on money too.
You think I just float on a halo and God sends manna from heaven because I work for a church. No, i got to budget and spend. I got to meet my financial obligations. I have to pay taxes, but I also get to manage what God's put in my hand to be a blessing to other people. God wants us to be a conduit of blessing. We use that word all the time And it's an electrician term. You think of a conduit letting electricity flow, but most of the time we're more like a crumpled, frayed cable where the power is just kind of short circuiting. All the time It's sparking, like this whole iPhone cable that I had for several years that I should have thrown out. That I didn't. It's all cut.
You look at right, at the tip, and you see the wires. There's the red one, there's the bronze one, there's a James. What are you doing? Throw it away. They're like $5. Get a new one. You can get a 10 pack on Amazon. Now Why are you holding onto this one? Because I'm too cheap to throw it away. That's why And it works half the time I'm not going to throw it out some of the time, but you got to get it just right. You got to bend it to where all the cables touch perfectly, stand on one foot, bend it and then put the phone on its side. And then you got to put something on top to keep the cable from bending back. And then you finally hear the doodoo And I go it's charging. I step away, get a sandwich. I come back, the wind blew and it stopped charging. Why do you do that to yourself? Get rid of the broken cable. That's what I'm talking about.
All of these things being here, being involved, being generous and obedient with your finances those are the wires that all have to touch. It's not a magic formula. They're just principles and things that God said you have to do to be an obedient child of His. If you are disobedient in any part of your life, you're blocking blessing from all of your life. You don't give to get, but when you give you get. Why are you stopping the blessing? I don't understand that And as a pastor as Pastor Mo mentioned, because I'm 100 years old for decades I've counseled people.
James, i just need some help. You're a pastor and you used to be a banker. Can you help me with my finances Because I'm a mess? Yeah, how much are you tithing What? How much are you tithing What? Yeah, that's my problem, i can't afford it. What?
And then I say what You've got to get these principles right. There are no partitions in the kingdom of God. It's full surrender and you acknowledge He's Lord of your life or He's not Lord of your life. He's not. I make you Lord of my life, the forgiver of my sins and the Savior of my soul, so that I can be in heaven. You know what that means. When you say that right, lord of my life, that means everything my dollars, my family, my house, my car, my retirement account, where I'm gonna eat for lunch, where I go to college, where I retire, where I vacation, the things I say. If I let people in on traffic when they cut me out, that's God living through us. But if I'm blocking it, if I've got a short circuit and all those wires isn't touching, power's not flowing all the way. They gotta touch all the way. Let the power of God flow through it and you're gonna shock somebody with Jesus. Here's what it said.
Paul actually wrote this in Ephesians 2.10, for where God's handiwork, created in Christ to do good works, which he prepared in advance for us. We're not saved by our works. We were saved by the work Jesus did on the cross. We accept it by faith, but we were saved to do good works, not by works, but for good works. So if you're saved, what does that mean? And James says it another way faith without good deeds is dead.
So faith saves us, but guess what? There's gonna be more If there's not. Maybe the other thing didn't really happen. What are you saying, james? I think you know what I'm saying. You can't have one without the other. That I didn't say it.
So, in the same way, our works didn't save us, but we were saved for good works. Giving money to a church doesn't save you, doesn't bless you, doesn't make you better. You don't get gold stars in heaven. I like the way Pastor Mo says it. Maybe he's gonna say it again. I'm a stealer stunder. If you don't give it, god's still gonna use someone else to accomplish his will. So why are you supposed to give it? Because, even though you weren't saved by works, but you were saved for works, i don't give for the blessing. If I'm blessed, if I'm saved, i'm still gonna wanna give, out of a heart, an attitude of gratitude for all God has done for me. All you have to do is pause long enough and remember your life before Jesus. If that doesn't open up your checkbook, i don't know what will, because we were all a mess in desperate need of a savior. What amount can you put on that? Stop clinging to and worshiping your cash.
Years ago we started a funny little thing with God. We said someone told us and I don't know if it was like real or in jest, but they said instead of tithing on what you make, why don't you tithe on what you want to make? I said, ooh, that sounds good. Because I'm broke, it's not gonna hurt me to add two more dollars to the tithe check. So I'm like, all right, i'll play your game. We start doing this and before long we're making that, and then making more, and then making more. And then pretty soon it got harder and harder to write those tithe checks because they were so big. The tithe check was bigger than the income. I was jokingly saying I wish I could get out of and get more And I thought, god, let's renegotiate our deal because these checks are getting really big.
You know what he said Again, if you want, because he gives it to us to manage, but he's never gonna stop blessing you if you're obedient and generous with him, his kingdom and his word. So don't miss the opportunity. There are tons of obstacles. Just like getting here, you had obstacles, obstacles to serving. There's gonna be a lot of obstacles that tell you there are better ways to spend your cash. The world in our culture tells you you're ridiculous to give anything to a church or trying to discredit us. Take away tax exempt status, say that we're shysters, charlatans, snake oil salesmen. Churches just always want your money.
God is saying remind everyone, including the naysayers, where your priorities lie. Then an unbelieving world finds it unbelievable that you would go against the tide and still do it. So defy the status quo, be a generous person and see what God does with it. Have an attitude of gratitude so that, as we go big for God, you can let him use you in a way that you wouldn't ever be able to dream or imagine on your greatest day Not that I can't remember a locker combination dreams, but the dreams of God. What if? what could you do if I just? and whatever that is for you? So that's my prayer.
What if we dialed up our commitment just a little bit in all these areas and we didn't just come when it was convenient, when there wasn't something good on television, when there wasn't a parade or something else going on? a marathon, it's gonna get in my way and traffic gonna be bad, but we committed to come Every opportunity we physically could. What if we said we're gonna get involved and we're gonna serve, even though sometimes I don't feel like it. What if we're gonna give, even if on paper it doesn't make sense? James, i know 90% is less than 100%. I understand His ways are higher. It's called faith And God uses it in such a big way. What if we dialed up that commitment? What would this place look like? I think it would be electric. What would our community look like if we all did that? Our burrows. We could turn this place upside down.
We underestimate the power of God living through us. We think I'm just one person and this place is a mess. True and true. But you have the power of the living God who's just waiting for you to say yes, to stop living your own agenda. And man, the power flowing through you is greater than anything around you standing in your way. Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah. So there was that connection card on your seat when you came in.
Pastor Mo talked about it earlier. One side is information about you. The other side are the next steps. We're gonna sing another song. I'm gonna ask the worship team to come up And as we sing this song of surrender, i pray that you don't just let those lyrics wash over you, but you pray them as a prayer.
God, i wanna give you everything My heart, my life, my dollars, my word, my actions, my dreams, my aspirations, how I drive in traffic. I say it because I need it. You gotta surrender it all, say God. What else am I holding back? What do you want me to do? And if you still feel like an outsider, check that first one I still have questions about a relationship with God. Let us have a conversation with you this week and help you understand what it means to step from the outside to the inside, so you never feel like you're on the outs again. But then that next group says I'm interested in, and what if there's an area that you've been gifted and skilled to serve in, to contribute your abilities? Don't wait for someone to tap you on the shoulder and say, hey, come save the day because you're amazing. Say, hey, can I help? I'm a warm body with a pulse. I just wanna contribute And see how God uses it. The greatest fulfillment's come when we get the focus off ourselves long enough to meet other people's needs. That's the way God wired us, so don't miss out on that blessing.
As we listen to this song, ask God to reveal what you need to respond to, father. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us your son as a model and as an example. Father, i pray that as we look through our heart, we examine our priorities, that you would reveal what it is that's getting in the way, father, whatever it is distractions, ambitions, sin, pride, anything that we're holding on to. Father, give us the strength and courage to let it go And then bring people alongside us that are gonna encourage that, hold us accountable and hold up our arms when we get weak to the commitment that we wanna make.
Because, father, we don't have to do this alone. You've given us a community. We're on the inside, we're at the cool kids' table. We don't have to feel like outsiders anymore. I pray that you help us live in that reality And we have the confidence of knowing who's we are and the purpose that you've created us for. Reveal to us the next step, father. Give us the courage and the confidence to take it. We love you desperately and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
0:42:02 - Speaker 2
This is the City Light Church podcast. If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jansik in City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. We would love to connect with you. We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you, And that you are surrounded by grace. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to the City Light Church podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.
Jesus said in Matthew 516, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. So we're a team, but we're more than that. We're a spiritual family, right When we come together. This is a place where people aren't gonna see you the way the world sees you, But in this place you're filled with a group of people that see you the way God sees you, as a justified child of the King. Where else are you gonna get that? No place?
0:00:26 - Speaker 2
Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace and that He has a real hope and a future for you.
0:01:05 - Speaker 3
Good morning, city Light Church. My name is Muhammad Wury, i'm one of the pastors here at City Light and I just want to welcome you. We have somebody on our team, and when I say that he has over 20 years of ministry experience, i'm actually not joking. I don't know that there is a job in the church world that he has not done, whether that be youth pastor, executive pastor, church accountant, associate pastor, senior pastor, window washer, i mean. So you gotta highlight things like that, because for me, that tells me that there is a heart of ministry and a heart of service, and that's the heart of Jesus To love people and put themselves in a place to serve others. So, without further ado, put your hands together for Pastor James Chavez. Thank you, pastor Moe. Thank you, guys.
0:02:00 - Speaker 1
I think the moral of that story is I'm just really old, but I'm excited anytime I get to share with you guys and it's a privilege. And I just wanted to start by asking you the question can you remember a time when you felt like an outsider? Yeah, probably all at once. I'm not sure if you remember that I was a pastor and I was a pastor, i was a pastor and I was a pastor. Probably all at one point have felt like we're on the outside looking in. Right, i immediately get transported back to fourth grade in the schoolyard, when they're picking teams for kickball. I mean, i don't know if I still need to be in therapy, why. That's a recurring nightmare and issue for me. It's that one and I can't remember my locker combination. They always keep coming out and I'm like, oh, and there's gotta be some subtle meetings. Our daughter is in college for psychology and we're always asking her. You're halfway through, so halfway diagnosed my problems, and so maybe she can halfway tell me what's wrong with me.
But you're on the fourth grade schoolyard, they're picking teams, you've got the team captains and they're picking from the best to the worst in descending order. Right, and I don't know if you were like me, but I was never the first to be picked. And if you were, i don't like you Because that means you were the one that I always wished I could be. You were the one we were like oh, of course they're gonna get picked. And if you get to be captain, immediately that person popped in your mind Oh, i hope I get to be. You know they flip a coin or do whatever they do to decide which captain picks first, cause that's like the be all, end all. You're gonna pick that star player. That was never James. Okay, now, someone always fared a little worse than me, poor little Billy. It was like don't make us get Billy again. We had him last time, oh, but I was never first, never last, but never first. And never once did I ever hear oh, you mean we get to get Chavez this time. Whoa score. That never happened either, except in the dream, where I remember my locker combination, but your place in the fourth grade hierarchy status was reinforced. That day playing kickball Was painful, traumatic. But then you graduate from that and you go into middle school. Right Now you're in the junior high cafeteria.
Anybody remember the smell? the junior high cafeteria? Ah, just pause and just go back with me. Smell. It Smells like feet. It's disgusting. But we had to sit there for three years and you go and you get your food and now the unspoken hierarchy is reinforced all over again because you gotta find a place to sit.
So you start looking around the dining area and you see the jocks over there laughing I'm so old, they were probably paying hacky sack. Then you see the theater kids and they're in the corner. They're quoting movies and they're doing dances All in this together. And then you had the goth kids. They're nailed. They were painting each other's nails black. You had the math leaps over there solving equations with a grease marker on the window. You had the chess club ROTC. They were in their uniforms.
But where's the place for me? I'm scanning around, i'm walking, trembling hands with my pretend meat And, lo and behold, i spot a table with an empty seat. I think I'm gonna casually make my way to that table. Okay, breezy, mind you, i'm not gonna make a beeline and look desperate like I'm supposed to be there. But as I get close enough, everyone at that table cause it's a cool kids table they stop. They look me up and down and they say I don't think so We're saving this for someone else And the hierarchy is reinforced once again.
Add that to the long list of therapy issues that we've got to cover and unpack The outside. Looking in is painful. We've all been there. I could graduate from there and keep talking about scenario after scenario, but it's too traumatic. This is not me working on my issues today. I'm here to help you.
But maybe, just maybe, there is a point in your life when you walked into a dinner party or to a crowded church service and someone starts waving at you from the door hey, over here I saved you a seat And you suddenly feel like you're on the inside. You're not on the outside anymore. Someone cares enough to think about you, save you a spot. You're valued. That feels good. That's on the inside. That's what you are here at City Light. Do you feel it? I hope you do, because this is a special place and what I want you to know is you have an all-access pass, a backstage pass to where the real action is. You don't have to be outsiders anymore. So what I want to do for the next couple of minutes is just peel back the layer and show you, with your all-access pass, what it is to be on the inside at City Light Church. Okay, you go on the journey with me. Okay, so you put on your seatbelt, click it in. All right, here we go.
Because I'm going to talk about a few things that are super simple And when I mention them you're going to just kind of go like duh James, do you think we're stupid? But they're going to be way harder to commit to and execute than it is to just say, okay, so I'm going to say it. You're going to laugh. But the next time you struggle with doing it, i'm going to laugh because I'm going to say I told you it's harder than it sounds And so it's worth repeating. Okay, because the things that are important we got to repeat. We got to repeat, we got to get in our spirit and we got to execute and live out the things that we say are important. Okay, because a head full of knowledge is worthless. It just puffs up. The Bible says We have to walk out and live it. Knowledge transformed into wisdom. So we're going to go big or go home. You ever heard that saying Go big or go home?
So I'm going to share with you an acronym B-I-G, and not the notorious B-I-G. I know Pastor Moe was already like oh, it's just an acronym, okay, b-i-g. And we're going to talk through what each of those stands for and just highlight a very simple concept that's attached to each one that helps you understand what it means to be on the inside at City Light, which will help you cross the threshold if you still feel sometimes like you're on the outside. Okay, so B, super simple, be here. Be here And guess what. All of you get extra points because what? All of you are here. If you're not here, raise your hand, and I can't get any over on you guys. You're really sharp today. You got to be here.
There are just some things that God chooses to do when you gather together with other Christ followers that he doesn't do anywhere else. It's a special thing. That's why the Bible says don't forsake the gathering together. And in our culture, we let COVID, we let society, we let convenience, we let so many things get in the way. We say, well, i'll take the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. I don't know if I have to go every week. James, i think I'm good with God, yeah, but you're going to miss out on what's special when you come to this place.
Think about a football game. Right? You watch a football game. What does a team do before a play? They get together and they huddle. Okay, we expect it.
Every time You watch a football game, you expect to see the huddle. If they don't huddle, you're worried. You say, well, i don't think you know what plays them. Right, i don't know what's going on, we expect it. But we don't watch a football game for the huddles, right? You don't see ESPN saying, all right, let's tune in now for the huddle highlight reel. No, what we watch for is to see what plays that quarterback called out during the huddle, how they get executed out on the field, and that's what it is when we come together as Christ followers.
The world knows that we gather together in church buildings all around the world on Sundays for our huddle. They know it's part of what we do, but what they really care about is are we going to live out and execute what we huddle about in here when we live out there? And that's what some of these are just gonna help us do. So we come together. You gotta be here to experience what God is doing. Now, how many know? there are obstacles, though? Did you encounter any.
If I take the early train, james, then I'm here too early and that's just weird because I don't wanna talk to people. If I take the late train, james, then I miss the first song. So I may as well just stay home and watch online. I know you guys use that excuse. Do you know how much I spend in Uber, james, every single Sunday? Sometimes I just gotta take a break, god knows. I gotta be a good steward of my resources. Talk about a good steward of my resources. You know how many tickets I've received since they put in all these cameras here in Astoria? I'm one of the craziest who lives out on Long Island, so I'm a two hour commute each way. That gets me mad enough.
I'm on the LIE. They're closing lanes and driving Miss Daisy in the HOV lane and there's just nothing to know what's going on. I'm like I'm going to church, get out of the way, and it's like speed limit is 55. I don't care. And so Nicole and I argue the whole way. I'm like HOV is the furthest left lane In code. That means it's the hyper-fast lane. Okay. The further you get to the left, the faster you go. If you want to go slow, you go to the right. Okay, i'm just telling you that's in the Bible Book. A second hesitations. So you're in the HOV, like I got a clean pass sticker and my little prison. I was get out of the way. So I'm losing my salvation and my conviction and my patience and everything And I'm like, okay, this is why I don't have a follow me to see the light church sticker on my car, because I don't know. All right, so we're crossing along. And then I come through, flash, flash, flash. I got more tickets, so 40,000 tickets.
Later, five hours of commuting later, i got to really want to be here. You know what I'm saying. There's some obstacles. There are some days I want to just hit the snooze over and over and over. This morning. I said Nicole, do you think we really need to go? I said Pastor Moe's going to be there. We could just watch online. Just think that they're doing construction of the LI. They're closing the left lane. That's going to be.
People. Do not emerge here. Everybody's just going to wait till last minute. Cut everybody out. They're going to expect me to let them in. I'm going to say I'm not today. I don't really have time to put up with that.
She said, james, you're preaching. I said, fine, i'll go. But there was some real obstacles, real. I wanted to stop and get an egg sandwich at the bagel shop. I didn't. I get here, my stomach's growling. But guess what? I came And as soon as I walked through the doors I'm greeted by other crazies who fought the same obstacles, and they're smiling, they're shaking my hand, they're giving me a high five, they're hugging me And I say I'm glad I came, it's worth it. It is worth it.
You got to fight those obstacles. Maybe one of the obstacles is you've been hurt in church. Church hurts a real deal, right? Somebody ever hurt you? Have you ever been offended? They said they were a Christian. Church is full of hypocrites. Amen, i'm here. Yes, it's full of hypocrites. It's full of people that will offend you. It's full of people that are going to hurt you. Even the pastors are going to hurt your feelings. They're going to say things you don't like.
Pastor Boyan does it every week. You feel convicted of being young, but you're going to miss out on the experience if you let what the enemy is trying to get in your way win. He puts obstacles in your way all the time. He's the master of obstacles. I think he has a job full time creating, like the construction cones, the barrel, all these things that are obstacles in life there from the devil, whether on the street or getting in your way from coming to this place, from the devil. You got to fight it, kick it down and just come in anyway, because once you're here, everything just melts away. This is just. It's not even a holy building. We rent this space. Who knows what they did yesterday in this space? I don't know.
But once we come in, it's sanctified. It's got God's people in it, god's purpose and God's power, and you don't want to miss it. Whether someone's hurt you, whether you get tons of tickets on the way in, you've spent all your cash on the Ubers or the train has just got you up to here, fight it and be here, just be here. Don't forsake the gathering of being here. Jesus said in Matthew 5, 16, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. So we're a team, but we're more than that. We're a spiritual family, right When we come together.
This is a place where people aren't gonna see you the way the world sees you. I think Pastor Mo used the word Bible Thumper, holy roller, crazy, hate monger, terrorist What else do they say about Christians these days? But in this place you're filled with a group of people that see you the way God sees you As a justified child of the king. Where else are you gonna get that? The answer is no place, no place. So don't miss it. Be here. Here, where's the I stand for? involved? Okay, all right, now we're stepping it up. Be here. That was kind of obvious. Everybody here got points for that. But now I got to get involved. It means I have to stay awake till you're done talking. James, yeah, be involved. And that's easier said than done. Once again, right, because what do we like to do? We like to have the focus on ourselves. Yeah, i feel the same way Tired, i'm hungry. I want me to shut up. It's all about me. When we're talking about being here, i like to remind myself.
I grew up with a drug problem. I got drugged to church every time the doors were open. I grew up in church, mom and dad, it was church. Sunday school, bible study, evangelism, soul winning doesn't matter. I don't hold the nays for all the things. I was drugged there every single day I kicked the habit. Now I come when I want And I want to a lot, but to be involved. Now I have another problem I have to overcome.
Now that I kicked my drug habit, i have an eye problem, and that's not one that the optometrists can help me with, because it's not that kind of eye. It's the eye problem of I want to do what I want to do. I don't want to serve, james. I don't like kids, james. I don't want to greet people, james. I don't want to do this. I know I don't either.
But we got to get rid of the eye problem, turn it around and get the focus off ourselves and see the needs all around us, because that's what God created us to do. You see a need. You got to meet a need. Our Savior modeled it and that's what He's asked us to do as well. But how can you do that if you're not engaged or involved? If you're just on autopilot, man, i rented a Tesla the other day. I tried the autopilot. That was nuts. That's nothing to do with what I'm talking about. Well, autopilot's crazy. Just for fun, i had my son filming. I took my hands off and drank water, sent emails. Look at me No hands Has a little rainbow road in the middle screen. I'm like, hey, it's Thor's rainbow, i'm in the Avengers. But then eventually, what do I have to do? I got to put my hands back on the wheel, because you can't go forever on autopilot. You got to get involved, get in the game and start doing things for the kingdom of God.
A few years back, the CBC News in Toronto had a story of a young teenage girl. She was 15 years old. She called 911 because she had a real emergency. You know what a real emergency was? Her horrible family was making her go on vacation with them to a lake cabin. I might not have full signal bars up there at the lake. My friends are not there. Why are you making me go? What if B-real goes off at two in the afternoon and I'm someplace? stupid? My TikTok stories are going to be so messed up. This is an emergency. Well, the officers got there and guess what they determined? It wasn't an emergency. They told reporters it was just a case of a teenager being a teenager. If you're a teenager in here, i apologize, but sometimes the oxygen doesn't go all the way to the top. You know what I'm saying.
It takes a few years of maturity for those pathways to open up and you start to see things clearly. They hadn't arrived yet for her. She thought it was an emergency because she suffered from first world problems. She had an eye problem. I don't want to go to the lake. I don't want to go.
But whether you live in the first world or the third world, really what it boils down to is first person problems. What Jesus calls us to do is have a third person perspective. We got to stop looking at ourselves all the time and looking at the world the way he sees the world. We got to shift that focus. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 20, 28,. For even the Son of man came not to be served but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many. So as Christ followers, our job is to serve other people as well. Being a servant draws us in deeper than if we're just sitting on the sidelines. Jesus modeled this the night.
They were having the Passover supper in the upper room. They were all gathered around for that special meal and no one wanted to wash anybody's feet. Now that sounds like a funny thing. We say it in church. We laugh. But you got to put yourself back in the first century in that room, in that culture, to understand the importance of that.
See, we picture the pretty painting where they ordered a table for 24 and then the 12 all sat on one side for the picture, for the selfie. It's like, wait, how come you needed a table this big? Because we're all sitting on one side for the picture. But they actually sat reclining on pillows, kind of like dominoes that had fallen their heads on the chest of the next guy And guess where? their feet is in the face of the other guy. Okay, that's gross. Right, that would be gross if you had some fancy shoes on, but they didn't. They had funky sandals. So their feet were dusty and dirty and they even walked through a lot of other stuff. They didn't have the street sweepers that came on Tuesdays and Fridays like we do here. It was gross.
So the lowliest servant in the house would have the assignment to wash their feet, not the head servant, mind you, and not the host. It was the one who drew the short straw. No one was there that day to wash the feet And all the disciples knew it had to be done because someone's funky feet were going to be in their face. But they were too concerned with who's going to be the greatest among them, who's going to get to sit to the left or the right in Jesus' kingdom, so they were so consumed with being the greatest they were gonna sit there with the funky feet in their face. You know that was gross, but pride kept them from doing anything about it. So guess what Jesus decides to do. He quietly goes in the corner, he gets a base in the water and a towel, he kneels down and he starts washing their feet, hammer toes and all. Why? Because he was able to get out of the first person focus, see the need, and he met a need.
Everything Jesus did in his ministry was to model what we're supposed to do in ours. He didn't come just for a flashy show and we're just spectators. It's like the Grammy Awards. Yeah, it was amazing. Now let me give it to my life now. Everything he did was to show us how to do what we're supposed to do. He served. So guess what we probably should do Serve. Yeah, two of you got it right. You don't wanna do it, do you? I don't wanna serve. No one does.
A few years back back in 2016, they were undergoing in Japan this initiative to build what was dubbed Robot Kingdom. It was gonna be an amusement park that was really built with over 200 automations robots These things were gonna cook, clean bar 10, carry your luggage, answer questions, do the robot dance everything you could imagine. Because they had such incredible success with a smart hotel just a few years earlier, they were just gonna keep building off of this. Why was it such a big need and why was it such a smart hotel Actually started with 30 fleshes. The rest were automations. In just a year of being opened, they cut the 30 and a half to 15. Robots taken over. It's just like Terminator Sky Nets taken over, taken over. Why? Because no one wants to serve. They all wanna be served. So robots meet that need and it just kept going and going and going and going Sounds a little bit like our life.
I need to order some of those robots. Sometimes I sit on the couch and say, sure wish I could change the channel. Nicole says what? The remote's right there. I know it's right there. It's just right there. So she'll get up from across the room and pick up the remote. But oh, thank you, i didn't wanna rob you of the blessing of serving me, because I'm so holy, too close to home. Moving on, so we, she said we'll talk, i'm gonna bring you the remote today, honey.
So man dreams of a utopia, or robots. An army of robots live to serve us, but God dreams of a kingdom where the greatest among you is a servant. Do you think there's a reason why he created us as his cherished possession, rather than an army of robots that wouldn't have messed it up or just did what they were programmed to do? Yeah, because his dream is a kingdom where we're fighting over who gets to serve each other. Can you imagine that? I don't see that a lot. I see people fighting to cut me off in traffic. I see people fighting at Penn Station to get on the train before someone else so they don't have to stand and they can sit. I see a lot of people fighting to get their way. I don't see a lot of people fighting to serve other people. How crazy would it be if we did that. Got really quiet in here. God wants us to serve. In his kingdom, the greatest is the servant, so get involved, serve. We have lots of ministries, lots of reasons that we wouldn't serve right.
Statistically, people say that you know are the highest capacity, and a lot of you put yourself in that category. You're talented, you have great jobs, great education, so you are like special, right. You're an exceptional human being, so you're the exception to that. You're the exception to that. You're the exception to the rule. When we say serve, right, you don't have to because you're too good. But if somebody taps you on the shoulder and shows you how important your amazing contribution would be, you might step in and save the day. Do you know? that's what statistics say. The highest capacity individuals only serve if it feeds into their ego.
Now, as a staff, we talk about it as ways to help engage people that have an ego problem. Hey guys, you know the high capacity people. They're only gonna serve if you ask them. So let's ask them. But you, i wanna tell you in a different way drop the ego, the pretense and the pride. Why are you so special? When you compare yourself this way, you ain't all that. Come on. When you look this way, you're like whoo, i am way better than that person. I'm not pointing at you, at that person. They're like what I'm not. But we gotta compare this way. Don't wait to be asked to save the day. Why don't you just say, hey, how can I help, how can I contribute? I don't know if it's valuable, but did you know I do this and I'm good at this? If you don't need that, i'll still sweep and mop the floor whatever you want. My first ministry role was exactly that. I was mopping a middle school gymnasium. I was a bank vice president, had a lot of ego and pride, and God's very first assignment was to put a mop in my hand. Why do you think you did that? Because I had to be reminded that I wasn't all that. Some of us just need some healthy reminders. I'm just saying, servant, get into a ministry.
The other thing that Pastor Mo mentioned to get involved is get into a life group. We're kicking off that summer semester. You're not going to want to miss it, because life groups are a fantastic way to be part of a community and a lot of people are starving for that emotional connection. Because what are you doing right now? You're in rows all staring at me. Most of you are, i appreciate that, but when you do life, it doesn't happen in rows, it happens in circles. You're not having a conversation with me, it's monologue and I'm just spewing things at you and you're having to tolerate it. But when you're in a life group, you can talk, you can engage, you can ask questions, there's accountability, you're loving on each other, praying for each other, celebrating with food. That's my favorite part of a life group Breaking bread together. But you're only as lonely as you choose to be. We give you options, opportunities and easy on ramps. So if you're still lonely and you wonder why, remember at the onset I said I'm going to laugh and say why is he being so simple and stupid? And I'm going to say because you're just me, don't miss the opportunities we put right in front of you. Get into a life group, sign up. They start tomorrow. Finally, the G in our notorious BIG stands for giving. You knew we were going to come to giving right.
What preacher doesn't take an opportunity to talk about giving? Well, if they read the Bible, none of them, because we're not supposed to compartmentalize our lives. Most people I've met they really want enough Jesus to get their one-way ticket to heaven and a little bit of fire insurance. Like I want a good life, give me abundant life. I don't want to burn in hell. Jesus. Fantastic, but not enough Jesus to truly change their behaviors and their pocketbook?
Why is it that we can trust Jesus with an eternity in a place we've never seen? We believe in a man that died and rose from the dead that we've never met, but we have a hard time believing that he can make 90% of our income go further than 100%. We get hung up on this 10% number when we're willing to bank 100% of our eternity on this thing. I just get so confused at people that still struggle by 10% as a good starting point of a life of generosity And they wonder why they're always broken, busted. I don't know why. I just need a raise.
No, you need to manage your money better, and I don't mean I'm telling you how to spend it. Do whatever you want. God said enjoy the 90%. I gave it to you to manage for me. But as an acknowledgment, as a reinforcement of who's in charge, give me the first, and that's the word I want you to hear today. Give me the first 10%, not the last, not the scraps, not what's left over. Don't give them a tip Because that's easy to do.
James, you don't understand. I'll be evicted. James, they'll take my car. James, do you understand? Feel in the blank. Yes, i've heard it all And, yes, i understand Because I'm a person too. My world operates on money too.
You think I just float on a halo and God sends manna from heaven because I work for a church. No, i got to budget and spend. I got to meet my financial obligations. I have to pay taxes, but I also get to manage what God's put in my hand to be a blessing to other people. God wants us to be a conduit of blessing. We use that word all the time And it's an electrician term. You think of a conduit letting electricity flow, but most of the time we're more like a crumpled, frayed cable where the power is just kind of short circuiting. All the time It's sparking, like this whole iPhone cable that I had for several years that I should have thrown out. That I didn't. It's all cut.
You look at right, at the tip, and you see the wires. There's the red one, there's the bronze one, there's a James. What are you doing? Throw it away. They're like $5. Get a new one. You can get a 10 pack on Amazon. Now Why are you holding onto this one? Because I'm too cheap to throw it away. That's why And it works half the time I'm not going to throw it out some of the time, but you got to get it just right. You got to bend it to where all the cables touch perfectly, stand on one foot, bend it and then put the phone on its side. And then you got to put something on top to keep the cable from bending back. And then you finally hear the doodoo And I go it's charging. I step away, get a sandwich. I come back, the wind blew and it stopped charging. Why do you do that to yourself? Get rid of the broken cable. That's what I'm talking about.
All of these things being here, being involved, being generous and obedient with your finances those are the wires that all have to touch. It's not a magic formula. They're just principles and things that God said you have to do to be an obedient child of His. If you are disobedient in any part of your life, you're blocking blessing from all of your life. You don't give to get, but when you give you get. Why are you stopping the blessing? I don't understand that And as a pastor as Pastor Mo mentioned, because I'm 100 years old for decades I've counseled people.
James, i just need some help. You're a pastor and you used to be a banker. Can you help me with my finances Because I'm a mess? Yeah, how much are you tithing What? How much are you tithing What? Yeah, that's my problem, i can't afford it. What?
And then I say what You've got to get these principles right. There are no partitions in the kingdom of God. It's full surrender and you acknowledge He's Lord of your life or He's not Lord of your life. He's not. I make you Lord of my life, the forgiver of my sins and the Savior of my soul, so that I can be in heaven. You know what that means. When you say that right, lord of my life, that means everything my dollars, my family, my house, my car, my retirement account, where I'm gonna eat for lunch, where I go to college, where I retire, where I vacation, the things I say. If I let people in on traffic when they cut me out, that's God living through us. But if I'm blocking it, if I've got a short circuit and all those wires isn't touching, power's not flowing all the way. They gotta touch all the way. Let the power of God flow through it and you're gonna shock somebody with Jesus. Here's what it said.
Paul actually wrote this in Ephesians 2.10, for where God's handiwork, created in Christ to do good works, which he prepared in advance for us. We're not saved by our works. We were saved by the work Jesus did on the cross. We accept it by faith, but we were saved to do good works, not by works, but for good works. So if you're saved, what does that mean? And James says it another way faith without good deeds is dead.
So faith saves us, but guess what? There's gonna be more If there's not. Maybe the other thing didn't really happen. What are you saying, james? I think you know what I'm saying. You can't have one without the other. That I didn't say it.
So, in the same way, our works didn't save us, but we were saved for good works. Giving money to a church doesn't save you, doesn't bless you, doesn't make you better. You don't get gold stars in heaven. I like the way Pastor Mo says it. Maybe he's gonna say it again. I'm a stealer stunder. If you don't give it, god's still gonna use someone else to accomplish his will. So why are you supposed to give it? Because, even though you weren't saved by works, but you were saved for works, i don't give for the blessing. If I'm blessed, if I'm saved, i'm still gonna wanna give, out of a heart, an attitude of gratitude for all God has done for me. All you have to do is pause long enough and remember your life before Jesus. If that doesn't open up your checkbook, i don't know what will, because we were all a mess in desperate need of a savior. What amount can you put on that? Stop clinging to and worshiping your cash.
Years ago we started a funny little thing with God. We said someone told us and I don't know if it was like real or in jest, but they said instead of tithing on what you make, why don't you tithe on what you want to make? I said, ooh, that sounds good. Because I'm broke, it's not gonna hurt me to add two more dollars to the tithe check. So I'm like, all right, i'll play your game. We start doing this and before long we're making that, and then making more, and then making more. And then pretty soon it got harder and harder to write those tithe checks because they were so big. The tithe check was bigger than the income. I was jokingly saying I wish I could get out of and get more And I thought, god, let's renegotiate our deal because these checks are getting really big.
You know what he said Again, if you want, because he gives it to us to manage, but he's never gonna stop blessing you if you're obedient and generous with him, his kingdom and his word. So don't miss the opportunity. There are tons of obstacles. Just like getting here, you had obstacles, obstacles to serving. There's gonna be a lot of obstacles that tell you there are better ways to spend your cash. The world in our culture tells you you're ridiculous to give anything to a church or trying to discredit us. Take away tax exempt status, say that we're shysters, charlatans, snake oil salesmen. Churches just always want your money.
God is saying remind everyone, including the naysayers, where your priorities lie. Then an unbelieving world finds it unbelievable that you would go against the tide and still do it. So defy the status quo, be a generous person and see what God does with it. Have an attitude of gratitude so that, as we go big for God, you can let him use you in a way that you wouldn't ever be able to dream or imagine on your greatest day Not that I can't remember a locker combination dreams, but the dreams of God. What if? what could you do if I just? and whatever that is for you? So that's my prayer.
What if we dialed up our commitment just a little bit in all these areas and we didn't just come when it was convenient, when there wasn't something good on television, when there wasn't a parade or something else going on? a marathon, it's gonna get in my way and traffic gonna be bad, but we committed to come Every opportunity we physically could. What if we said we're gonna get involved and we're gonna serve, even though sometimes I don't feel like it. What if we're gonna give, even if on paper it doesn't make sense? James, i know 90% is less than 100%. I understand His ways are higher. It's called faith And God uses it in such a big way. What if we dialed up that commitment? What would this place look like? I think it would be electric. What would our community look like if we all did that? Our burrows. We could turn this place upside down.
We underestimate the power of God living through us. We think I'm just one person and this place is a mess. True and true. But you have the power of the living God who's just waiting for you to say yes, to stop living your own agenda. And man, the power flowing through you is greater than anything around you standing in your way. Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah. So there was that connection card on your seat when you came in.
Pastor Mo talked about it earlier. One side is information about you. The other side are the next steps. We're gonna sing another song. I'm gonna ask the worship team to come up And as we sing this song of surrender, i pray that you don't just let those lyrics wash over you, but you pray them as a prayer.
God, i wanna give you everything My heart, my life, my dollars, my word, my actions, my dreams, my aspirations, how I drive in traffic. I say it because I need it. You gotta surrender it all, say God. What else am I holding back? What do you want me to do? And if you still feel like an outsider, check that first one I still have questions about a relationship with God. Let us have a conversation with you this week and help you understand what it means to step from the outside to the inside, so you never feel like you're on the outs again. But then that next group says I'm interested in, and what if there's an area that you've been gifted and skilled to serve in, to contribute your abilities? Don't wait for someone to tap you on the shoulder and say, hey, come save the day because you're amazing. Say, hey, can I help? I'm a warm body with a pulse. I just wanna contribute And see how God uses it. The greatest fulfillment's come when we get the focus off ourselves long enough to meet other people's needs. That's the way God wired us, so don't miss out on that blessing.
As we listen to this song, ask God to reveal what you need to respond to, father. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us your son as a model and as an example. Father, i pray that as we look through our heart, we examine our priorities, that you would reveal what it is that's getting in the way, father, whatever it is distractions, ambitions, sin, pride, anything that we're holding on to. Father, give us the strength and courage to let it go And then bring people alongside us that are gonna encourage that, hold us accountable and hold up our arms when we get weak to the commitment that we wanna make.
Because, father, we don't have to do this alone. You've given us a community. We're on the inside, we're at the cool kids' table. We don't have to feel like outsiders anymore. I pray that you help us live in that reality And we have the confidence of knowing who's we are and the purpose that you've created us for. Reveal to us the next step, father. Give us the courage and the confidence to take it. We love you desperately and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
0:42:02 - Speaker 2
This is the City Light Church podcast. If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jansik in City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. We would love to connect with you. We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you, And that you are surrounded by grace. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to the City Light Church podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.
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