Week 4 - I Don't Do Church 06/28/2026

Jun 28, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Drifting Tubes and Distracted Hearts

A lone inner tube drifts across the lake, unnoticed until it’s far from shore. Like that tube, our connection to Christ slips away not through rebellion but through distraction. Busyness acts as slow currents pulling us from what anchors us. The enemy doesn’t need us to hate God—he just needs us to forget to tie our hearts to the dock of worship. What good things have quietly loosened your grip on Jesus? [36:03]

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.”
(Hebrews 10:23-25, NIV)

Reflection: What “good” responsibility or hobby has subtly become a current pulling you from intentional time with God? How might you retie your heart to worship this week?

Day 2: Mirrors, Margins, and Misplaced Worship

Mirrors reflect more than appearances—they reveal priorities. A crowded schedule often reflects misplaced worship, not mere busyness. Jesus didn’t rebuke Martha’s service but her distracted heart. Margin isn’t empty space; it’s breathing room for intimacy with God. What does your calendar’s reflection say about your true treasures? [54:44]

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
(Matthew 6:33, NIV)

Reflection: If someone studied your past month’s calendar as a worship journal, what would it declare about your priorities? What one adjustment would place Christ at the center of your reflection?

Day 3: The Yoke That Redistributes Weight

Jesus’ yoke doesn’t add burdens—it shifts their weight onto shared shoulders. The early church faced persecution yet clung to community, knowing isolation breaks what togetherness strengthens. Busy seasons don’t reduce our need for the church; they amplify it. Where have you tried carrying loads alone that God designed for shared bearing? [59:19]

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
(Galatians 6:2, NIV)

Reflection: What burden feels heaviest today? Who in your spiritual community needs your invitation to help carry it—or to help carry theirs?

Day 4: Mary’s Posture in Martha’s World

Martha’s kitchen clatter drowned out the “one thing” at her doorstep. Jesus didn’t condemn her work but corrected her imbalance. Discipleship begins at His feet, not our frantic feet. The greatest threat to faith isn’t opposition but distraction. What good tasks have crowded out the best posture—sitting with Christ? [01:20:06]

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
(Luke 10:41-42, NIV)

Reflection: What practical step could you take this week to physically posture your heart (like sitting in silence or journaling) to prioritize Christ’s presence over productivity?

Day 5: Numbered Days and Eternal Margins

Moses prayed for wisdom to number days, not count them—to see time as a gift, not a tyrant. Stewardship reshapes busyness into worship when we live like tenants, not owners. The cross proves Christ made us His priority; our schedules reveal if we’ve reciprocated. What deadline or distraction shrinks when viewed through eternity’s lens? [01:28:50]

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
(Psalm 90:12, NIV)

Reflection: What mundane task or worry from this week would look different if you saw it as part of God’s eternal story? How might numbering your days change your tomorrow?

Sermon Summary

Busyness drifts like that untied tube on the lake. It doesn’t announce rebellion. It just forgets to tie off, then wind and waves do the rest until what belonged at the dock is out in la-la land, disconnected and of no use. The Hebrew writer speaks right into that moment. Pressured, persecuted, fatigued saints do not need less community, but more. So he does not say take a break from gathering. He says draw near, hold fast, consider one another, and do not forsake assembling, because gathering is a necessity, not a luxury. Whatever is consistently prioritized reveals what is truly valued.

Christ’s lordship refuses the split between Savior and Lord. Either he is Lord of all or not Lord at all. That is why busyness is not merely a scheduling problem, it is often a worship problem. It is not a barrier to worship, it is a barometer of worship. The first disciples were busy men mending nets, and Jesus did not pull them from vacation, he redirected their vocation. He himself was the busiest of all and yet never hurried, never frantic, never displaced the Father.

Jesus locates the cure in a single word: first. Seek first the kingdom. Not first as in time-of-day only, but first in rank and weight. Everyone worships; the real question is whether God gets first place or the leftovers. So schedules and spending function like x-rays. Priorities are easier to profess than to prove.

Martha’s kitchen shows the danger. She was not sinful, just distracted, and Jesus’ double call, Martha, Martha, is affection that corrects imbalance. Good things become dangerous things when they crowd out the best thing. Service must flow from sitting, because serving without intimacy drains, but serving from intimacy bears fruit.

The yoke of Christ does not add weight, it redistributes weight. That is why community grows more essential as life gets heavy. Functional atheism says it all depends on me; the body of Christ says provoke one another to love and good works, strengthen the weary, restore the wandering, love the hurting. The command to gather is not about perfect attendance. It is about strengthening saints.

Moses prays, teach us to number our days. Time is entrusted, not owned. When Jesus is centered, margins appear and rest becomes possible. Ballfields, boards, hobbies, even good ministries can eat the margins if the heart is unnumbered. At the table, Jesus proves he was never too busy. He made the cross his priority, and by one broken body and one shed blood he made one family. So the call is not condemnation but invitation. Put Jesus back where he belongs. First.

Key Takeaways

1. Busyness is a worship barometer The calendar isn’t the deepest issue; the heart is. Busyness reveals where trust lives, what loves are ruling, and which altars get the best energy. When time keeps squeezing Jesus to the edges, the barometer is reading misdirected worship, not just a full week. Seek reordering, not merely rescheduling. [61:24]
2. Do not forsake gathering together Pressure and fatigue make isolation feel reasonable, but the text calls for drawing near, holding fast, and meeting together. Gathering is not extra credit for strong seasons, it is God’s ordinary means for weary saints. Community is where saints are strengthened, spurred on, and kept from drifting. [66:43]
3. Good can crowd out the best Martha was not rebuked for serving but for letting service outrun intimacy. Good work becomes a subtle idol when it displaces the one necessary thing. Sit first, then serve, so that service is fueled by the presence it announces. [80:06]
4. Seek first, then reorder everything Jesus does not fit into a prebuilt life; he rebuilds the life around himself. First means first in rank and weight, not just first thing in the morning. Examine schedules and spending like a spiritual audit, and let devotion, not convenience, set the sequence. [75:10]
5. Number your days with wisdom Time is entrusted, not owned, and wisdom comes from remembering how short it is. Numbering days creates holy margins and exposes where urgency has bullied out the eternal. Steward the life God gave, and let every gift point back to the Giver. [88:50]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[52:49] - Drifting tube and busyness
[56:37] - Satan’s strategy: make believers busy
[61:09] - Busyness is a worship problem
[63:18] - Busy disciples, redirected by Jesus
[65:04] - Hebrews 10: draw near, hold fast, gather
[67:42] - Jesus unhurried, significance over frenzy
[75:10] - Seek first the kingdom
[80:06] - Martha, Martha: intimacy before service
[84:50] - The yoke that redistributes weight
[88:50] - Number your days with wisdom
[93:02] - Steward the life entrusted
[98:39] - Jesus never too busy: Communion invitation
[106:25] - One bread, one body, one table
[116:25] - V for victory and dismissal

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Observation Questions

What specific instructions does Hebrews 10:24-25 give believers about community?
In Luke 10:41-42, what does Jesus identify as the “one thing” Mary chose that Martha overlooked? [01:20:06]
According to the sermon, why is busyness described as a “worship barometer” rather than just a scheduling issue? [01:01:24]
How does Matthew 6:33 redefine the idea of seeking God “first”?

Interpretation Questions

Why does the writer of Hebrews emphasize gathering as a necessity for believers facing persecution or fatigue?
Jesus tells Martha that Mary chose “what is better.” What does this reveal about the relationship between intimacy with God and service? [01:20:06]
The sermon states, “Busyness is functional atheism.” How might prioritizing self-reliance over trust in God lead to isolation or burnout? [01:26:16]
How does seeking God’s kingdom “first” (Matthew 6:33) reorder our daily priorities beyond just morning routines?

Application Questions

What “good things” in your life (work, hobbies, responsibilities) might be crowding out the “best thing” of intimacy with God? How could you rebalance this? [01:18:18]
Reflect on your calendar or spending from the past month. What do these patterns reveal about what you truly value? What one change could align them more with Matthew 6:33?
When life feels overwhelming, do you tend to withdraw from community or lean into it? What practical step could you take this week to “provoke [someone] to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24)?
Martha’s distraction came from serving Jesus. Are there areas where your service for God has become disconnected from time with God? How might you “sit first, then serve”? [01:20:06]
The sermon says, “Time is entrusted, not owned.” What eternal priority (e.g., relationships, prayer, rest) have you neglected due to urgency? How will you create “holy margins” for it this week? [01:28:50]
Identify a recurring distraction (e.g., screens, overcommitment) that pulls you from seeking God first. What tangible boundary could you set to minimize it?

Sermon Clips

57s

#BusynessRevealsWorship

“``The main idea that I wanna get across, busyness is not merely a scheduling problem. It's not. It's often a worship problem. Because our priorities reveal what we treasure most. Therefore, busyness, watch this, is not a barrier to worship. It's a barometer that measures our worship. Keep filling out. The key thought here. The issue is rarely that we don't have time. I used to say it this way. There's not enough hours in the day. You get a little bit older, you're to change that. I, so they tell me, I don't know yet. Now, there's enough hours in the day.”

60s

#GatheringIsEssential

“``You look at this, the believers were receiving this letter, and they had legitimate reasons to withdraw. Their life was difficult. The culture was hostile. Yet the writer says, don't forsake gathering. Why? Because gathering wasn't a luxury. It was a necessity. we look at this, apologetically, the modern culture glorifies busyness, but busyness is not the same thing as significance. Jesus changed the world and yet often withdrew to pray alone. He was never hurried. He was never frantic. He was never out of sorts. Have you ever thought about that? Jesus was never out of sorts. He was always collected and gathered together in everything he did. How did he manage that? Because he was connected to the source of all peace. Amen.”

71s

#WeNeedEachOther

“``The issue is not that we're too busy because because everyone is busy. The issue is, what are you busy with? Ask yourself because we always make time for what matters most. The Hebrew writer didn't command believers to gather because god wanted perfect attendance. I got perfect attendance. I got them all the way down. It's not what it's about. He commanded them to gather because they needed one another. And I wanna tell y'all this. We need each other. And maybe you're not there yet but I'm gonna tell you, I need y'all. Imma be honest with you. I need y'all. Smiley, I need you. I I can walk to her anytime. Doesn't matter how bad things are going on and I can just look at her and call her smiley and watch what she does. She's beaming. Sometimes, you just need a smile. Sometimes, you just need somebody to encourage you that picking up stuff side of the road is a good thing to do. Amen.”

37s

#JesusIsSaviorAndLord

“tube that we ride on. Lot of times on the water that was floating out in one of the larger part of the waters and it said, if anybody lost this tube, here's a picture of it and where it's at and it was just drifting. You know, the guy that owned that didn't plan on letting it drift away. in our life, we don't plan on allowing god to drift away and so, I want to talk to you about being too busy today and I'm just going to tell you right upfront. We we had a privilege of doing the wedding yesterday for”

54s

#BusyDoesntEqualFaith

“``The big question then, if Jesus is lord of my life. Now, I wanna say this real quick. Nowhere, we do, we do what, big team, we do on this Earth. We separate Jesus from savior and lord but nowhere in scripture do you ever see the Bible itself. It may use the word and in the middle but that doesn't mean it's separated. It means it's connected together. You can't have Jesus as savior only and not let him be lord. Either he's lord of all or he's not lord at all. And so here's where we get into the messy part of things that that if he is truly lord of my life, why is gathering with his people so easy to neglect?”

88s

#ReprioritizeForIntimacy

“``Together because from the very beginning, Jesus never intended to save isolated individuals. He came to redeem a people. Every time we gather around this table, we're reminded that Christianity isn't just about my relationship with Jesus. It's about our relationship with Jesus. We are one body. Yeah. One body because of one broken body. We're one family. Because of one shed blood. my friend is why church matters. So, listen to me and Imma get you out. This week, don't ask. How how much church do I have to do? Ask, does my life reflect what I say matters most? Protect your time with god. Prioritize your time with god. Prioritize gathering with god's people. Invest in relationships. Pursue eternal things. Because busy lives are inevitable, but distracted hearts don't have to be.”

56s

#FollowMeansSurrender

“``At one time, I was serving on 13 different boards and committees. was overcommitted. You know what I was doing, Bill Lloyd? I was making a mess of everyone of em. Preparing for em at the last minute, fly in, and walk in, ride in, whatever. Give em the best I had for a few minutes and on to the next one and none of em were getting the best. The lord told me point blank. He said, you better reorganize, better reprioritize. Pastor Mark, please don't get off of this board. Please don't get off of this committee. So, I'm sorry but god's put something on my heart that I've gotta do. Maybe we're distracted, overcommitted. Somewhere along the way, intimacy with god became secondary. I was doing plenty for him but it was robbing me of my time with him.”

74s

#ServeOutOfIntimacy

“``And Jesus is really addressing worship here because whatever occupies the center of our lives becomes the object of our devotion. The issue isn't whether we're worshipers. Everyone worships. The issue is whether god occupies first place or merely receives leftovers. do we deal with this? Examine your schedule. Evaluate it. If someone examine your calendar or your spending or your spending or your spending, what would they conclude matters most? Because priorities are easier to profess than they are to prove. So ask yourself, what receives your best energy? What consistently gets pushed aside? What does your calendar reveal about your priorities? Because busyness is rarely the issue. Worship is. Because whatever consistently receives our time reveals what we treasure most.”

Ask a question about this sermon

SHPHC South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church This sermon · AI assistant

How does busyness reveal our true worship?

Why is gathering more necessary when life gets busy?

What distinguishes good service from best intimacy?

Week 4 - I Don't Do Church 06/28/2026

Devotional

Day 1: Drifting Tubes and Distracted Hearts

Day 2: Mirrors, Margins, and Misplaced Worship

Day 3: The Yoke That Redistributes Weight

Day 4: Mary’s Posture in Martha’s World

Day 5: Numbered Days and Eternal Margins

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Week 4 - I Don't Do Church 06/28/2026

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