Balancing Mission and Health in Our Journey

1) "Now, one of the ways that we've talked about it is how the Great Commission, the Christian teaching about the Great Commission, we are on mission, and at the same time, we're not supposed to do it at the expense of the Great Commandment. Now, what is the Great Commandment? The Great Commandment, of course, is to love God with every part of who you are and to love others as you love yourself. So when we talk about Emotionally Healthy Mission, we're talking about the Great Commission and the Great Commandment." [01:46] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "Now, do I regret going out for the team and doing my best? No, I don't regret it. I wanted to give everything. But at the end of the day, here's a realization that came to me, is that I have limits. There's the limits of like, I'm actually not fast enough. I'm not strong enough. I'm not athletic enough. I have limits. You know what's interesting about the scriptures is that that passage in the book of Philippians, when it says, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, the immediate, it was actually a letter that was written to a church. And in that letter, right before this phrase, Paul basically says, I've learned what it means to have a little bit of money, and I've learned what it is to have a lot. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." [10:35] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "Now, what is Peter writing here? What Peter is basically saying is every single one of us have gifts that we contribute to the world around us, but they're different gifts, and every single one of us, what we're called to do is to use those gifts to steward them for the good of others, the good of the world, and the good of the church. Now, the apostle Paul would actually write to the church in Corinth, and he would use a metaphor that would be very similar to this theme. Look at what Paul writes, 1 Corinthians chapter 12. He says, just as a body, though one has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. Even so, the body is not made up of one part, but of many parts." [13:00] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "Now, you know what's so crazy is that Jesus in his ministry, Jesus was someone who raises the dead. He opens the eyes. He opens the eyes of the blind. He actually makes the lame walk. He teaches with incredible authority. And Jesus, what's so crazy is that he actually himself, filled with extraordinary power, at the same time would be someone who would live with limits. And in fact, there's this story in John chapter 6. He's just finished feeding 5,000, scholars estimate even thousands more than that. And look at what it says. It says, after the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed of feeding so many. They began to say, surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world. Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself." [15:03] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "Now, you know what's so interesting is that Plato is writing this and talking about a philosophy that would help govern the human spirit, something beyond human beings that we could grasp onto and hold onto for what is good and beautiful and true. And Jesus shows up in the world, and he says this, I am the way. The truth and the life. Anyone, in your quest for human meaning and a voice that could help govern you, that could help you through the ups and downs of life, if anyone is looking for that voice, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Now, immediately, some of us are like, well, how do I know I can trust that voice? Well, here's what Jesus would do. See, Jesus would live and die, but he would resurrect from the grave." [22:19] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "Notice what Jesus says. Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, this hired hand, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. Do you see what Jesus is basically saying? He's like, I'm not like some person that's just hired to love you. Recently, I was kind of with a group of people who are pretty wealthy. And one of the things that they were confiding in me is they were sharing that with all the wealth that they've amassed, one of the hardest things about being wealthy is someone told me that they're constantly hit up for money." [26:10] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "How do we know that Jesus is good and beautiful? How do we know that he's true? How do we know that he's worth following? How do we know that his voice is the safest voice? It's because it's a voice that's not, it's not there just as a hired hand, just so that you would somehow reciprocate a kind of love. It's because this is the good shepherd who would actually lay down his life for you. That he demonstrates to you and to me that he's the good shepherd. He's not some hired hand. He's someone who wants what's best for you. Someone who would give his life for you." [27:25] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)