Breaking Bread and Mending Hearts

Welcome to the people that are watching online. Today I'm going to speak to you about um breaking bread and mending hearts. Okay. Um the passage we're going to focus on is Acts 2 verses 42- 47.

Back then uh Jesus came crucified, buried, rose again, went up to be seated at the right hand of God and sent the Holy Spirit at the day of Pentecost that broke out amongst the believers. So this part of the story is right after that. It's the beginning of the church. Okay?

It's the the the very beginning of the church. It's kind of the model church in my opinion. So Acts 2:42 and I read, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Now all who believed were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. So that's the model church.

And you know, life was different back then. Okay. um you didn't have uh the children would have a mom and a dad. The the kid would grow up in the um whatever the father was doing, that's what the kid would do.

Jesus was a carpenter because Joseph was a carpenter. Okay? You kind of modeled that family. And so family values and things were passed down through >> the the the family.

Okay. Um think Little House on the Prairie. I don't know if you ever saw that. I love that show.

Right. And um it's a little different today. Okay. The the person out there who had two Christian parents who got married, stayed married their entire lives, led their house the way the God that God tells them to lead the house.

Okay. Um pour into them and and do it right with proper discipline, proper boundaries, teaching them all that. That that that person's the exception, not the rule. Okay.

Today almost everyone comes from a a divorce situation, some sort of damage, some sort of thing. And and me too, okay? Um it's a different world. the industrial age, okay, where the man for the first time went out into the world to to work outside of the home, okay, started maybe the process, you know, the the women's live time when the women then left the home and and began to go out into the the home place, you know, that all of these things are chipping away at the family, you know, unit.

Today you've got the algorithms, okay, and the and the and the the technology that's kind of feeding negative. See, negative stuff sells, okay? It's it negative cells. And so the algorithm rhythms are watching.

So you have a couple, a young couple, they're married, they love each other. Into her feeds, she's hearing things like men are uh what's it called? Toxic masculinity. And words like this we're hearing, right?

And then then into his feeds, it's like, "Oh, she's controlling and she's moving and she's a devil woman, you know, and and so slowly because that's what they're being fed. They're beginning to believe that each other is the enemy when they love each other, okay? It's it's they're being fed lies and they're clinging to those lies because that's what they're listening to." And and so all of this stuff is coming against people today and the family unit and and and everyone is walking around with a hurt, a deep hurt in their heart.

Okay? There's very few people that are actually healthy deep inside. It starts young. Okay?

You can um people will will put on a mask. Okay. Um I'll share my story. the the uh I was I was I had some asberers when I was born and um I stuttered till I was about seven and I was small.

Um I was 411 and 90 pounds as a freshman in high school. Okay. I was little. All right.

And and and deep down an insecurity was there. Okay. I didn't feel like I was much of anything deep down inside. But how do you what do you do?

You mask that. You don't go around telling everyone you're hurting. You put on a mask. Okay.

So I I >> who I grafted to was I don't know if you remember the show Family Ties. There was this Ale Michael J. Fox was Alex Peak Heaton. He was this young Republican, you know, all about business.

And that's kind of I started reading success books and I started trying to become this successful businessman and and and that was the mask that I put on. And and so for years that's that's that was the mask. Okay. You could have a mask of the chased Christian woman.

You could have the mask of the struggling single mom. it. Whatever your identity you put to hide the deep hurt instead of allowing that deep hurt to come into the light and because if it's down here, Satan still can mess with you. Okay?

If it's hidden up, Satan can mess with you. Um, even narcissists, you know, there's a lot talk about narcissists and and and how bad they're really just hurting people that have chosen those tools, gaslighting and stuff to cover up or protect the deep hurt. We're just all hurting. Okay?

There's very few people that are hurting. If you're a control freak, you are hurting because you're trying to protect this wound and you're trying to control everything and and you just can't. Okay? >> And it's moved into the church.

This church right here, you don't see any mention of denominations. You don't see any mention of vision. They all had everything in common. They were breaking bread.

They were they were hanging out together. Okay? Um denominations I don't think are good. There's infighting and bashing.

I see I see different denominations bashing other denominations. I see people taking so bad snippets of things from interviews or whatever, twisting it around and then saying, "See, this person's bad." I saw them do that around um Brandon Lake, the the singer who's who's that song Gratitude. I don't know if you've heard that.

Now, I love his music, right? And I and I saw something where they took something he said in an interview and they they twisted it and then they were bashing him, you know, and and >> and I'm like, first off, I don't know the guy, okay? But secondly, his songs have a depth >> and they move me. So I'm not going to believe what I'm hearing, okay?

And I encourage all of you do that. If you don't know the person, don't listen to whatever someone's saying about them because >> you don't know, you know, and and and and better to give the benefit of the doubt and not be bashing each other, you know. >> This this one guy, uh >> I don't comment often on things online. This just happened this week.

Um he shared his post was um you stupid people who believe in the trinity. Jesus said when you see me you've seen the father. So that's proof there's just one God. Okay.

And I'm like all right dude. You're definitely wrong. But why would you have to call everybody stupid, right? Like like what's the purpose there?

So I so I made the comment and then I posted about, you know, how about in Genesis when God said, "Let us make man in our image." Well, who is he talking to because the angels, >> they don't create. So he had to be talking about the Trinity, right? And I just shared that with him.

The next day, he's bashing another thing. So I went in there and he had deleted my comments and there were like 13 comments he deleted. So he posts stuff online, deletes anybody who argues with him >> and then just, you know, keeps the ones up that saying, "Yeah, man. You're right.

You're smart. you're this, you're that. >> What's the purpose? How's that helping the flock?

Okay, >> it's not. And so, >> so instead of beliefs being passed down, people are starting to grasp things off of line, taking that as their belief. And the problem is it's creating an environment where >> if I think a little differently than you, you're shut down. You're not going to hear what I have to say.

Okay? If a Republican finds out that this person's a Democrat, they're just not going to talk to each other. Okay? Which is ridiculous.

And it's in family units. All right? I I know people where their brother, they can't talk to their brother because the brother's a Democrat and they're a Republican. Listen, man, you guys had the same stuff growing up, you know, the same smells, the same stuff.

>> So, it's a mess. >> Okay? It's really a mess out there. and and how do we fix this mess?

What do we do to how do we fix it? >> The first thing to realize is that >> we can't fix the great hurt. Okay? Only Jesus can fix that great hurt.

We can't fix that great hurt. Okay? We've got to take it to Jesus. My own journey from that little kid and I spent all that time, >> you know, trying to be successful, etc.

and and earning income and you become your mask because that's people would say he's a successful businessman. That's that's who you become really. And then it was probably four not till four or five years ago 59 years old. It wasn't until 55 years years of age when I started to finally grasp what that last song was saying that he's a good good father and I'm loved by him.

>> Okay? That I am loved by Jesus. the the little belief thing that you've been hiding in the closet. It's not what God says about you.

That's what some dynamic that was broken says about you that you've clung to deep down that you hide and you're covering up. But but but what Jesus says about you is you're fearfully wonderfully made. Jesus says you're his little boy and girl. Jesus loves you and you're loved by him.

And that's the truest thing about you is that you are loved by Jesus. And so >> what we can do is point them to Jesus. Okay? I had to take that deep hurt.

I had to first embrace who Jesus says I am. Then I had to take that deep hurt and lay it down. I had to bring it into the light and let God heal it little by little. And then when he healed part of it, I brought more into the light.

And he healed that till till finally >> there was no more hurt. Healthy. And you don't go around having to put on pretention. You can talk in front of anybody and share your failings and have no fears or worries because doesn't matter what anyone says about me.

Okay? Because I know what God says about me and and that's a great place to be. >> So find the commonality. That's our church's purpose is to focus people on Jesus and the relationship on Jesus.

That's really what he gave me was to to find the commonality in the people. Okay? Find the thing that we're together on. Listen, we have more in common than we have apart.

Okay? We both have we all have eyes, nose, ears, mouth, bodies, thoughts, feelings, fears, you know, and we all have the same God, right? And and >> we have way more that we're the same on than we have that we're apart. So, let's focus on the things we're the same on.

Let's put our arm out there and put our arms around those people. Okay? >> And then >> then when they don't think we're the enemy because remember if we come say your belief is wrong, >> it's you're not you're not getting anywhere. Okay?

It's it's on lockdown. >> Um but if we can come across so they're their guard is not then we can share Jesus's words. Okay? And if you're a Christian and it's the words of Jesus, it's pretty hard to debate it at that point.

Okay? But you got to get close enough to them to share Jesus. And and that that's finding the commonality, not the differences. >> Second Timothy >> 23- 26 is the model for it.

>> Paul gives us a great model. Um I'm going to read it here. >> So good. This is second Timothy 23- 26.

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes. Right? Isn't that great? That's just right right there, man.

Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, and in humility, correcting those who are in opposition. If God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. What he's saying there is Okay.

Be gentle. >> Okay. Share with love. All right.

And let God change their heart. Okay. You just share the truth and let God change their heart. Okay?

Because you can't change their heart. >> And if you do that, you can reach across, okay? And and you can create that neighborhood.

I uh >> I have begun dating a fine young lady and um not young maybe but you know I'm not young but anyway um but she invited me over to her house and it was thank it was uh Halloween night and what happens at their neighborhood I've never seen anything like it so they have one of the people there has this big front porch and they all come over they bring their candy so the trick-or-treaters can come by and grab the candy but they are all sitting there no one's stressed up and caution.

They're all just sitting there enjoying conversation, talking to each other. Okay? >> There's chili and stuff. And when they run out of stuff, they would just go into each other's houses like they all knew each other so well.

It's like, "Oh, yeah. I've got some. It's in the cubby next to Oh, yeah. I know where that is."

They've spent so much time in each other's houses where they know where everything is, right? It was wild. People were just, "Oh, yeah. It's Oh, you need a bottle of that?

Oh, it's in my house." You know, next to the handashing thing. and the person would walk over to that other person's house and get the handwashing thing. I was like, >> "This is crazy."

But it's Acts two. It's It's what they were talking about. They have all things in common and they share all things. It was beautiful.

>> And uh >> I was just tripping out, man. I was sitting there watching it and I'm like, "This is crazy." >> But someone started that. Okay.

How does a community like that start? Someone reached out to someone and they started hanging out together. They go over each other's houses and then they invited some other people. Okay.

Someone started that community and I don't know who it was and when, but it's but it's a uh >> it was beautiful. It's >> it's like the way it's supposed to be, you know. Um we're about to launch a small group. Okay.

>> When you get into a small group, you get to know each other on a much better level. Okay. I was really happy. Seven people signed up for that.

Josh, if you'll just pass that around. There's a clipboard if you want to sign up for it. It's going to be we're going to meet on Thursdays at um Boulder Creek Coffee, which is about five minutes from here. Okay.

Six o'clock, just an hour, six o'clock. And we're just going to go through this book for a few weeks until it's done. Of course, not on Thanksgiving, but um but we'll be going through it. What'll happen in that group, the seven or however many more sign up today, what'll happen in that group is we're going to get to know each other.

We're going to get to know each other on a deeper level. Um, we're going to be able to grow. All right. The person who wrote this book is going to be the one who's teaching it, which is really cool.

Um, you don't often get that. Okay? >> We'll find commonality and we'll share stories and and we're going to get to know each other. Okay?

And that's how community happens. Okay? You find a thing that's in common, you share your story, what Jesus has done for you. Okay?

Philippians >> 4 verse 5 says, "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." Your gentleness. Okay.

So, three keys out of this passage to changing the world. Okay. >> Um I should have sent this to Gabe so he could write it up on the thing, but he'll probably have it up there soon. The first one is to be devoted to the Lord.

Okay. I'm back in Acts two. I'm going to focus there the rest of this time. Uh verse 42.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. The apostles were teaching Jesus. Okay? Um devoted equals committed.

All right? If you're devoted to something, you're committed to it. They they continued steadfastly. You've got to spend time with Jesus yourself.

Okay? That's you've got to be committed to Jesus and then Jesus's mission which is love God, love others, right? And then make disciples. All right.

So that's the first thing you want to do is be devoted to the Lord. Okay. Um so the question I have is how's your relationship to Jesus right now? Okay.

Do you have if you don't have one? Let's take care of that today. If you do have one, how is it? Can it be better?

Okay. Um, do you think Jesus wants to grow it deeper? >> And if so, what can you do? You know, and then and it's different for everyone, you know, maybe pray more, maybe spend some time reading the Bible, whatever it is, okay?

>> Get devoted to Jesus >> in your own walk. Look at the world. You can't give Jesus if you don't have Jesus, right? So, you have to you have to get Jesus in your thing.

So, devoted to the Lord, devoted to gathering together. Okay? >> It takes intentionality to create that thing. I lived at Springwood Drive, shamefully for 20 years.

And I knew my neighbors on either side of me, but I didn't have a community set up like that. Why? Because I wasn't intentional about creating that community. I was too focused on what I was doing.

And no one else was either. And so we just You wave at your neighbors. You know their names. That's you're not going over each other's houses hanging out just grabbing whatever you need whenever you want it, right?

Like that like that neighborhood I was just at. Um so it says here they continued steadfast in the apostles doctrine and in fellowship in breaking of bread and in prayer. So >> continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart. Sharing bread okay sharing meals.

Many people lead lives of quiet desperation. I believe Emerson wrote that that was in the 1800s. Can you imagine what he would think about right now today? Seeing people on dates but but not even talking to each other, just on the phones, right?

Have you seen that? I've seen that. It's crazy to me. Um people need someone to listen to them.

All right? To just listen to them. There's lots of suicide notes that have written if just someone will say hi to me today, I won't kill myself. And they're dead.

And and one person would have smiled at them, maybe they take their life. Okay, people are desperate for a smile. Um, ask an open-ended question. That question I just said, how's your relationship with Jesus?

I'm trying to figure out ways to work that into more conversations just so that I can be more relational because I could get so much better at this than I've been. Um, you know, and >> so just a smile, just a thing. Be devoted to breaking bread together and Josh. Um, we're gonna we're gonna start something.

All right. Um, next Sunday we're going to do lunch afterwards over at the Chili's, which is about 5 10 minutes from here on Lawrenceville Road. I'm inviting everyone to lunch on me. It's a free lunch, okay?

For everyone in the church. I've take my kids after church a lot of times. Well, now I'm taking the whole church after times if you guys will come back. So, I want to encourage you to come back.

But also, we're passing out these cards here. >> They're invitation cards. Okay. On the front, they say the great awareness.

It says, "Be my guest." And it's got our time. And on the back, it's got a spot where you can put your name and your cell phone. Okay?

And I want you to invite just one person. Okay? I can if if everyone here invites one person, we'll have 40 people next week for lunch instead of 20. Okay?

And the goal is for us to spend time together and just get to know each other a little bit more because we're sitting here, you know, in in rows, you know, looking up at me, but then we'll be sitting around the table looking across from each other and we can get to know each other a little bit better. Okay? Get to know our stories a little bit and become more of a family. Okay?

So, that's so challenging everyone, just one. Okay? Josh, don't invite all of UG. I don't I don't need that up there.

Um but but you know, everyone bring one. All right, please. And um and we're going to have fun. Chili's has a huge wide variety of food.

Everything from vegetarian to steaks. And so everyone can can enjoy it. And um I just encourage you to come, invite someone, be my guest. And down the road as we grow, maybe we'll bring in um what's his name?

The food truck guy, you know, and and do stuff. But >> Huh? Chef Hank. Yes, Chef Hank.

Um, so anyway, but this is the first. Hopefully every month we'll do something where we we do lunch afterwards and we just get to know each other in a breaking bread, trying to do what this Acts two was modeling for us, breaking bread, okay, and mending hearts. The third and final thing we see here is they are devoted to prayer. Okay, it says they continued steadfastly on the apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers.

And it's good to pray for yourself. I mean, I do every, you know, on Sundays, I'm praying that I'll deliver the word properly and that, you know, the people will hear what I'm trying to say and hear feel my heart. Um, you know, I pray, you know, my business is tough and and all these other things, but intercessorary prayer, okay, where we're praying for someone else is incredibly powerful and we're called on to do it. Okay, let's pray for people that we know.

When you write down on on our when you write down on here your prayer requests, okay, on these on these forms, okay, >> I write them down and I start praying for them and I give them the Lord to sit back there and she starts praying for him. So every day >> those prayer requests are being prayed over, okay? And and I write them down and then I follow up and I'll tell you what, we talked about Chef Hank. >> He had shared at one of those Bible studies.

Me and Glenn go to a Bible study once a month. Um well, I try to make it there. He he's I think more consistent. But Chef Hank shared that there was issues in the marriage.

Okay. So I began to pray for it. All right. And every time I saw him, I'd ask him how was it going?

And about two times ago, he's like, "Me and my wife are having good days." And so and so it's an answered prayer. Okay. Um I'd say twothirds of the prayers that I pray for get answered.

Okay. Um and about onethird maybe they're answered too. It's just no. >> [laughter] >> or wait, you know, but um but but God does answer prayers.

And and when you're praying for someone else for a moment, you're not thinking about yourself, you're thinking about others, and that makes you better. And it and it it feeds the it just feeds your soul, man. Um this world is really hurting right now. Okay?

Really hurting. Every time you walk around and you see all this dysfunction, it's sin. Okay. And it's hurt.

And it's hurting people. And hurting people hurt people. And they're not, they may not even try to hurt people, but they're hurting people because they're hurt themselves. And they don't even realize they're doing it.

They need Jesus. We need to break people out of the algorithm that's slowly getting them indoctrinated into a hate uh thought process, you know. And we need to reach across. We need to reach across with love.

get to know them, share Jesus, encourage them. Um, let them encourage them to let Jesus in. All right? It was letting Jesus in that changed everything.

All right? Letting him in to that deep hurt. Everyone you see when you're walking around has that deep hurt whether they know it or not. Okay?

Almost everyone comes from a book. I >> I dreamed of having, you know, being that guy, one husband, one wife forever. And the kids and despite my best efforts, my kids have to deal with divorce. Okay?

And both parents love them and we do our best, but there's still dysfunction. Okay? There just is. There's just gonna be, okay?

When you have one husband, one wife, and they're together forever, and they're together in a real family, you start, if you're a child of that, you started on the 50 yard line. And the hundred yard dash of life, you started on the 50 yard line. The rest of us started back at, you know, the starting line. But listen, we're all on the road together, right?

And we can encourage each other and lift each other up. That's what we're supposed to be doing is encouraging each other and charging forward and helping people get there, find out their story, get to know them. Okay? Okay.

And as Gabe and uh Kelsey come up to share. >> All right. I want you to take a moment and reflect. Okay.

Reflect on um your own deep hurt. Okay. I want you to take a moment and if there's something where you've been hanging on all right to a hurt inside and it's causing you to to put on a mask or or to to try to be something you're not or try to act one way around one group of people but a different way around other people because you're trying to be a certain way. I I beg you to >> to open that up to God.

Okay? Let Jesus into that place, that little and let him heal it, man. Because if it's in the shadows, the devil can still mess with it. Once you bring it out of the shadows into the light, devil has no no power, no say.

So, can't mess with you anymore. Okay? Um, and bringing it into the light and coming [music] to the understanding of God's deep love for us is what'll keep you from going back into the abyss. Okay?

And [music] so, I just I just beg you to to look deep within yourselves. If you don't know Jesus, come on up. I'll be right there. I can pray with you.

Lord, it says on the back she can pray with you. And um you know, I just pray that you'll come. Let's do business with [music] the Lord right now today. Okay?

Look deep within your hearts. Try to open up the deep hurt to God. He already knows it, but you still have to bring it out. Okay?

Let him heal deep hurt. And then let's think of who you can reach out to for the next week and bring here so that we can love them more. Okay.