From the Crowd to the Table / Pastor Kim Kesecker / FCF Church

And we remember this, his love just isn't something that we receive, it's something that we now go and we live out. The same love he gave us, we give to one another. And by this love, the world will know that we are his followers. Because following Jesus isn't just something that we just practice, it is something that transforms us into people who love the way he loves. [01:19:01] (26 seconds)  #LoveLivedOut

Our faith needs roots. Without it, we're in big trouble. Without a faith that is rooted, we so easily go astray, so easily. And here's the important thing, roots grow from relationships. You can't get roots apart from relationships. You see, we grow deep roots from our personal relationship with Jesus. Jeremiah in the old testament said this way, he said, blessed are those who trust in the Lord, they are like trees planted along a riverbank. With what? With roots that reach deep into the water. [01:10:53] (39 seconds)  #RootsFromRelationship

You can mistake inspiration for transformation. You you might kinda feel moved on a Sunday, you know, but you never experience actual authentic change because there's no one walking it out with you. So easily falls off the next day or two. And then you're also you're left vulnerable when life gets hard. When that crisis hits in your life and the crowd, nobody knows your name because you've been staying hidden. So you have no one to help, you don't have the support, no one to help you just navigate through the difficult seasons of life, you're all alone. [01:01:46] (41 seconds)  #BeyondSundayInspiration

Because you see, when when your world gets so small, it's easy to think that your perspective is the whole picture and the right one. It's God's intention that his people experience and prioritize both the crowd and the table. Both are absolutely essential. We need the strength of the crowd and we need the closeness of the table. [01:04:03] (26 seconds)  #CrowdAndTableNeeded

You're talking, you're laughing, you're eating, you're praying, you're taking communion together. You are knowing and being known like a family. It's so different from the energy of the crowd yet just as exciting in a different way, and you begin to realize this is what your soul has always longed for. The first crowd of Jesus followers became a community and they moved into homes around the table because that was something they desperately needed. And folks, two thousand years later, followers of Jesus, me and you, we need this same experience more than ever. [00:53:31] (46 seconds)  #TableAsFamily

And and you'd expect being so tall that these trees would have roots that are incredibly deep, but they actually have very shallow root systems. Their their root systems only go six to 12 feet in the ground. How can that be? Well, that's because their roots grow wide instead of deep and as they grow wide, they intertwine with each other. Their strength isn't just in how they grow individually, their strength is how they grow together. And what a powerful image for the church that Jesus is building. The Christian life is is about far more than me and Jesus. It is just as much about we and Jesus. [01:12:23] (46 seconds)  #RootsGrowWideTogether

In the crowd, I discover my purpose and my meaning through serving as a member of the body of Christ. You know, I get on a team and I serve with the team and then you see how all these teams function together to make everything happen in in Jesus' church, it's awesome. And you get this sense of purpose and meaning through serving. But at the table, I discover what it means to serve one another in love. Again, up close and personal. In the crowd, trust flows as we sing together. And you're probably thinking, what are you talking about, Kim? This is really cool. [00:58:39] (36 seconds)  #ServeForPurpose

At some point following Jesus, it means stepping out of the crowd and into community. So my hope and my prayer is that you will listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit and that you will take whatever next step he is inviting you into today so that your roots will grow deep and your roots will also grow wide. On that last night that Jesus had with his disciples, again, he's he's gonna be betrayed that night. He's gonna go to the cross the next day. It's his last opportunity. And you know where they were gathered? Around the table. It was an intimate moment. It was a sacred moment. And at that table, Jesus gave them and us today this tangible way to always remember his love, his unconditional and a sacrificial love. [01:16:44] (61 seconds)  #StepIntoCommunity