1) "Now, here's what's interesting, is that there's all these marketing schemes, ways that people say, this is how you start a movement, amass a following. And yet the Jesus way, the Jesus way of mission, the Jesus way of starting a movement, it always starts with, by prioritizing people. It doesn't start with amassing this big crowd and starting with all sorts of momentum and then being able to handpick who's part of this crowd. It actually starts with the people in front of him. So much so that these 12 disciples who are named, they're each, all their names, the receipts are there. If you wanna know how this movement started, it started with this small group of people." [05:56] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2) "See, the Jesus way has always prioritized people. And whenever we get lost in all of our ambitions and results oriented kind of manners, we end up losing sight of the people in front of us. And perhaps some of us, even today, today as we're so lost in our careers, our ambitions, or our interests. And yet the people that are right in front of us, the people that we show up and that we impact, somehow we lose sight of how people -oriented we are called to be. Why? Because so much of the world that we live in is digital or results -oriented, especially in a city like this." [08:44] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3) "Now, one of the things that Alicia Britt Cole talks about is how what's fascinating, and of course we use the image of an iceberg when we talk about emotionally healthy discipleship, about the 90 % below the surface. That's the part that we want God to allow into our lives, not just surface stuff, but deep down into the iceberg, the 90 % below. Now, one of the things that Alicia Britt Cole actually observes is that what's interesting is that the gospel accounts, the historical accounts of Jesus, they only cover about 90 % of Jesus, or about 10 % of Jesus's life, the three years that he was in public ministry." [09:45] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4) "Jesus appears to have walked unstressed and unhurried. His peaceful pace seems to imply that he measured himself not by where he was going and how fast he could get there. Hello, Manhattan people. You know what I'm talking about? You know what I'm talking about. But by whom he was following and how closely they walked together. Isn't that interesting? Now, it's funny that I read this quote because Tina knows, my wife knows. Like I have this, like this awful habit because we've have a 12 year old and an eight year old and of course my wife and she's constantly reminding me. She's like, why are you walking so fast?" [12:25] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5) "Now, some of you might be wondering, you're like, wait a minute, but like, I, yes, yes, Jesus sees people, but like when it comes to this call of prioritizing people, I'm just not someone who is able to influence others, nor do I have anyone to influence my own life. In fact, some of us might be like, I'm in middle management or I just joined a job. I got a job doing whatever it might be in the city and I'm just trying to make ends meet. I don't really have that kind of influence over people. Well, look at what Parker Palmer writes, the spiritual writer, look what he writes. He writes, everyone who draws breath takes the lead many times a day." [14:12] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




6) "Now, here's the thing. In a city like ours, which is one of the densest cities in the world, the high population, everyone is cramped in. And yet what's interesting is that research has shown that one of the biggest issues of population is the lack of community. And that's what we're talking about. And that's what we're in New York City, especially Manhattan, is loneliness. Now, how is that possible? It's so densier, but yet we so struggle with loneliness. Why? Because all of us, we crave community, don't we? We're all like, oh, yes, we're all about doing things together and being in community." [22:56] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




7) "And the reality is, at the end of the day, he chooses them. He even chooses Judas, who he knows is going to betray him. And the reality is, one of the reasons why disciple -making or investing in relationships is hard is because people are messy. High -five your neighbor and say, people are messy. High -five your neighbor. your other neighbor and say, so are you. I'm just kidding. Yeah. I mean, some of you all, you've been hurt by church. You've been burnt out. You've experienced trauma, or maybe there's even pastors who have hurt you or people or religious communities that have felt so overwhelming to you. And it's just been hard when it comes to community just to figure out how to show up." [27:25] (63 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




8) "Now, here's the beautiful thing about God, the God that we serve. See, the God that we serve doesn't say, hey, I want you to be vulnerable and get connected to community. And prioritize people, do it immediately. He doesn't do that first. See, what we do is we believe in the Christian God who actually takes the first step of vulnerability, that Jesus actually comes and he pursues us. He's the one who comes anguishing after us, dying for us on our behalf and inviting us into relationship with him. Now, any one of us could reject this Jesus, but Jesus, what Jesus does is he takes the first move and is vulnerable first." [29:15] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Be to God. You may be seated, everyone.

Hey, over these last few weeks, as we've kicked off this fall, we've been in a message series called Emotionally Healthy Mission. Now, you might be wondering, what is that word, and what does that even mean?

Well, we talked about how even in the world today, whether it's the business world or even the secular world, outside of the church, there are so many different ways in which people describe values that we are to espouse. And two of those values, oftentimes, is this value of ministry. Mission. Mission is a value. Up and to the right, profit margins. Becoming influential. Getting as much money, success, notoriety, as much as possible. That's one kind of value.

Now, what's interesting is that the scriptures actually talk about how Christians are to also value mission, expansion, moving forward, doing the best that we can, doing all for the glory of God. And on the same token, there's this other extreme. And this other extreme is something that talks about this value of the culture, the love, kindness, peace, and health.

Now, oftentimes, these two things are pitted as polar opposites to one another. In other words, you can't be results-oriented and be a loving presence at the same time. One of them has to win out over the other. And meanwhile, all the results-oriented people are looking at those loving people, and they're like, oh man, those people get nothing done. I know, New Yorkers. I know how y'all live.

Now, meanwhile, the loving people, the people who are constantly talking about health and wellness, they look at those people and say, those people are so driven. What's their big problem?

Now, here's the thing. In the scriptures, in the Christian way, actually, both of those things, these things are values. And we've been talking about how, when we talk about emotionally healthy mission, we're talking about three words. We're talking about going slow, going deep, and going wide. High five your neighbor and say slow, deep, and wide.

That's right. Now, we've been talking about what does it mean to go slow, deep, and wide? What it means is basically that hopefully health and mission, both of those things are important. Other words that we've used are progress and joy, as Paul writes in the book of Philippians, or mission and morale.

And the question is, how can I, especially in a type A achievement-oriented city like New York, how can I be someone who actually values all of it, both mission as well as health?

Now, today, we're talking about this idea of what is the Jesus way of mission? Now, how in the world is a Korean-American guy who grew up in Los Angeles, California, somehow, who moved to New York City in 2001, standing on a stage in Midtown Manhattan, talking to a diverse group of people from all over the world who have moved to the city, or maybe you grew up here?

And somehow, you're wondering, like, man, all these people come to this city. I don't know why they do it so expensively. Whatever it might be, somehow, here I am talking about Jesus of Nazareth.

Now, how in the world is that possible? I'm standing on a stage talking about this Jesus that has started a movement that has transcended time, geography, that of all the things that I could be talking about, that we could be gathering about, this movement started more than 2,000 years ago from this person named Jesus.

And what is the Jesus way of mission? How in the world did this even start? Well, look at what it says in Matthew chapter 10. It says, Jesus called his 12 disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the 12 apostles. First, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. Philip and Bartholomew. Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector. James, son of Alphaeus and Thaddeus. Simon the zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Now, you don't even have to be a Christian here. You've probably heard this phrase, you don't even have to be a Christian here. You don't even have to be a Christian to know about the 12 disciples or the 12 apostles before. And why? It's because Jesus himself chose 12 people that he would intentionally invest in.

Now, here's the thing. The reality is in today's world, if I were to say, how do you start a movement? Most people would say, oh, the most important thing is you just basically have to create an incredible digital profile. Like one that is very catchy, that looks really good, and that can have some sort of viral elements to it.

The way that we've done the video, the way that we've shot the images, the way that we can reach as many people as quick as possible, so that it has this exponential curve in terms of how to start a movement. I mean, isn't that how most of us would coach other people on how to do it?

In fact, when I go to these trainings, and I hesitate to share this, but when I go to trainings on how to start a new church, so many of them are also kind of follow the same formula. Amass as big a crowd as possible at first. And once you've amassed a crowd, try to create like a vibe.

And that vibe will be something that's very easily Instagrammable. And then people will think, that's a vibey church over there. Or that's the church that I wanna be part of. And I remember just thinking, like, as I'd be part of these trainings, I'm like, what if I'm not good at creating a vibe? What if this is not what I thought about?

Now, here's what's interesting, is that there's all these marketing schemes, ways that people say, this is how you start a movement, amass a following. And yet the Jesus way, the Jesus way of mission, the Jesus way of starting a movement, it always starts with prioritizing people.

It doesn't start with amassing this big crowd and starting with all sorts of momentum and then being able to handpick who's part of this crowd. It actually starts with the people in front of him. So much so that these 12 disciples who are named, they're each, all their names, the receipts are there.

If you wanna know how this movement started, it started with this small group of people. Now that's so different than the ways of this world. And yet Jesus, here, the way that he starts mission is by focusing and prioritizing people. High five your neighbor and say, Jesus prioritizes people.

That's right. People over programs and plans. It's about people with names and faces and longings and wishes, fears, and hopes. This is how the Jesus mission starts.

You know, what's interesting is that Simon Sinek, who's a thought leader, he also has written several different books on the mind and business strategies. He wrote this book called The Infinite Game. And one of the distinctions that Sinek makes in this book called The Infinite Game, he talks about how there are basically two kinds of games in the world.

There's the finite games and then there's infinite games. Now, finite games are those kinds of games that have a clear ending where there's a champion at the end and where we are the winners. It's kind of like how the Yankees are going to beat the Royals and then move on and then win the World Series.

I got a thumbs down over here, but... Let's go, Yankees. Or the Mets and how they're going to beat the Phillies. Wow, there's no reaction in this crowd at all today. I get it.

All right. Now, here's the thing, but like a finite game is basically, okay, we've crowned the champion. We've won this competition. There we are. Now, what he talks about is how oftentimes businesses get tripped up because they're thinking in terms of a finite game.

But when it comes to business and when it comes to life, he talks about how business and life, they are more actually infinite games. In fact, the test to making sure that our legacy is its longevity and the fact that it can continue on through generations.

Now, if we're playing the infinite game, there are different rules that apply than finite games. Because finite games are so driven by results and if I'm gonna be the winner at the end. But an infinite game, an infinite game that will make a long-lasting impact for generations is one that actually doesn't just look for just quick fixes.

Now look at what Sinek has to write about what marks an infinite game and an infinite mindset. Look at what he says. He says, leaders are not responsible for the results. Leaders are responsible for the people who are responsible for the results.

Where finite-minded organizations view people as a cost to be managed, infinite-minded organizations prefer to see employees as human beings whose value cannot be calculated as if they were a piece of machinery.

Investing in human beings goes beyond paying them well and offering them a great place to work. It also means treating them like human beings. Understanding that they, like all people, have ambitions, fears, ideas, and opinions and ultimately want to feel like they matter.

In the infinite game, people matter. Now, some of you are texting your bosses right now. Have you ever read The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek?

See, the Jesus way has always prioritized people. And whenever we get lost in all of our ambitions and results-oriented kind of manners, we end up with a lot of people. We end up losing sight of the people in front of us.

And perhaps some of us, even today, as we're so lost in our careers, our ambitions, or our interests. And yet the people that are right in front of us, the people that we show up and that we impact, somehow we lose sight of how people-oriented we are called to be.

Why? Because so much of the world that we live in is digital or results-oriented, especially in a city like this. Alicia Britt Cole actually wrote a book a few years ago. I read it, and I was so moved by it. And it's this book called Anonymous, and it's a book about Jesus's hidden years as well as ours.

Now, one of the things that Alicia Britt Cole talks about is how what's fascinating, and of course we use the image of an iceberg when we talk about emotionally healthy discipleship, about the 90% below the surface. That's the part that we want God to allow into our lives, not just surface stuff, but deep down into the iceberg, the 90% below.

Now, one of the things that Alicia Britt Cole actually observes is that what's interesting is that the gospel accounts, the historical accounts of Jesus, they only cover about 90% of Jesus, or about 10% of Jesus's life, the three years that he was in public ministry.

Meanwhile, most of his childhood, his upbringing, the scriptures actually don't talk much about. There's maybe a story or two about his birth. Then there's a story when he was 12 years old. But for the most part, throughout his life, 90% of his life is just cloaked and hidden.

Now, there are some apocryphal writings that have been written that conjecture about who Jesus was when he was a kid. But for the most part, there's this hiddenness. And one of the things that Alicia Britt Cole talks about is there's something about Jesus and his life that has been so forged in the furnace of hiddenness, of anonymity, of slowness, that the way that Jesus kind of emerges into the world, he is not just someone who basically just focuses on the exterior life, amassing crowds of people, but in fact that Jesus would be someone who is slow and invested in people.

Now, how stunning is that? Scholars actually observe that 70 to 90% of Jesus's time was not spent in public ministry and doing all sorts of miracles for crowds. I mean, if I were Jesus, that's kind of what I would do. I would try to fill every stadium, bring like a media team behind me and basically try to do all sorts of miracles and then get this out as viral as possible.

And yet Jesus doesn't do that. Most of his life is actually spent in hiddenness with specific people. Here's what Alicia Britt Cole writes. Look at what she says. She says, Jesus appears to have walked unstressed and unhurried. His peaceful pace seems to imply that he measured himself not by where he was going and how fast he could get there.

Hello, Manhattan people. You know what I'm talking about? You know what I'm talking about. But by whom he was following and how closely they walked together. Isn't that interesting?

Now, it's funny that I read this quote because Tina knows, my wife knows. Like I have this awful habit because we've have a 12-year-old and an eight-year-old and of course my wife and she's constantly reminding me. She's like, why are you walking so fast?

There's just something about like, if when I get off a subway or something, I'm like, for some reason, it's like an invitation for me to just walk really fast. Like I just, I'm like ready to go. I'm like ready and I'm gone, you know?

And so like, what's funny is that oftentimes I'll do that. And Tina has told me this regularly. She's just like, hey, why are you walking so fast? Can you slow down for us?

Now, the worst place where this happens for us is in airports. I don't know, for some reason, getting off of a mode of transportation, I'm like, I'm not stopping for the bathroom. I'm running, like I gotta go to the bathroom at home. You know what I'm saying?

Like that's, so basically I'm like off. And then what will happen is like, as I'm walking, Tina will text me and I could feel the buzz in my pocket. And I'll basically, I'll check my phone and she'll write, she'll just text me. She'll be like, what are you doing?

And I'll text her. And I'll look back and my kids, they're like this. They're just standing right here and they're like, there goes Appa again. There he goes. And Tina's just like this, what's going on? She won't yell it because I'm too far ahead.

So listen, I am like the king of like efficiency, trying to get things done quickly, like moving as fast as possible. A pastor friend and I, we were talking about like, oh yeah, the best mode of transportation in the city is basically the city bike.

And the reason why is because you can exercise and listen to a podcast and it's probably faster than a cab or a subway. In other words, it's the most efficient and you get to do multiple things at one time.

As we were talking about this, we're like, oh, sure. Should we be proud of this? I don't know, like, and you hear Jesus is unhurried and he spends his time and he starts a movement, not by maximizing time and being super uber efficient, not against anyone who's super uber efficient, but actually by prioritizing people.

Because the Jesus way of mission is always able to see people.

Now, some of you might be wondering, you're like, wait a minute, but like, I, yes, yes, Jesus sees people, but like when it comes to this call of prioritizing people, I'm just not someone who is able to influence others, nor do I have anyone to influence my own life.

In fact, some of us might be like, I'm in middle management or I just joined a job. I got a job doing whatever it might be in the city and I'm just trying to make ends meet. I don't really have that kind of influence over people.

Well, look at what Parker Palmer writes, the spiritual writer, look what he writes. He writes, everyone who draws breath takes the lead many times a day. High five your neighbor and say, you take the lead.

We lead with actions that range from a smile to a frown, with words that range from blessing to curse, with decisions that range from faithful to fearful.

When I resist thinking of myself as a leader, oh, because I just moved to the city, I'm in an entry-level job, whatever it might be. Whenever we do that, it is neither because of modesty nor a clear-eyed look at the reality of my life. I am responsible. I am responsible for my impact on the world, whether I acknowledge it or not.

The reality is every single one of us, no matter how old you are, no matter how young you are. You know, what's interesting about these 12 disciples is these disciples, they were all probably in their twenties. They were young.

And if you think about it, if I were Jesus, I'd be like, actually the people I'm going to call to be the 12 disciples, I'll call Caesar Augustus. Thank you very much. The ruler over the Roman empire. In fact, let me go get the emperor of China while we're at it during that time, ancient China.

In fact, let me go get some of the other world kind of leaders. And let's have that be the small group. In fact, let me get the pop star from Babylon. Some of you are like, who was that? I have no idea. But nonetheless, right?

Like this is what we do. We say, let's get the most influential people in the room. This is how we start a movement. And yet Jesus, Jesus just shows up where he is in Nazareth. And he chooses what's called an unschooled, ordinary group of people.

He shows up around the people in front of him. And somehow it's with these people that he begins to prioritize their lives and their names.

And the invitation for all of us is that no matter where you are in your life, single, married, whatever station you might be in, what does it look like for us to show up and be able to prioritize people, the people that are right in front of us?

Now, the Jesus way of discipleship is really, there's three things. He's intentional. He's intentional about who he is. He's intentional about who he is. He's intentional about who he is. He's calling to be his disciples, about who he is.

He's saying, I'm gonna invest my life into these people. He's relational. It's not something where he's just like, hey, just read this book and then get back to me. In fact, he knows them by name.

What's so stunning about this. And he's formational. That as he's going about his life and as they're going about his life, he's always pointing out, hey, did you notice the widow over there who put in two coins?

Hey, let me tell you what the kingdom of God is like. Blessed are the poor in spirit. See, Jesus was someone who in the context, in the crucible of relationship, was intentional, relational, and formational.

Now here's what this looks like then. Because each of these disciples had their own temperaments. They were different. They came from different vocations. But here's the reality. Disciples are handcrafted. They're not mass-produced.

They're handcrafted because each person is unique. And so the time energy that I'm putting into a person, it means that I have to know the nuance of their names, their stories, as well as the invitation for them to follow Jesus more.

And so I'm going to talk about that more wholeheartedly. And Jesus is so people-oriented that he will be specific about the names and the people that he invests in.

Now, some of you might be wondering, okay, well, how do we do this as a church community? Well, the way that we do this, we talk about this as a church community. For us, yes, it requires us to actually be part of communities.

Because without relationships, there's no way to show up and prioritize people. Now, I recognize that the way that the Western church is formatted, it's so easy just to sit in a church, to sit in a pew.

It's funny that we have pews here. To sit in a pew and just be like, oh, yeah, I like listening to this person, maybe a little bit. It changes my life a little bit, but I don't want to talk to anyone.

But some of you, somehow, Drew just races to that door after service, and he says hi to me every time. I don't want to talk to that guy. I just, some of you are like, yes, wow, I thank you for that.

Yeah. I mean, one of the reasons, though, like, the reason why we started new churches in different neighborhoods is because we want relationships to be the fabric of our church community.

That it's not necessarily what happens here on Sundays. It happens throughout the week and throughout relationship. But here's what this means. It means that I need to show up to places.

Well, how do we do this as a church community? We talk about connecting, growing, and serving. To be a disciple, you need to connect with community. You need to be in relationship. And you need to grow in your faith and your love and your affection for Jesus.

And you need to serve. You need to somehow stop thinking just about yourself, your own ambition, your own career, your own family. What does it look like to serve, to have this outward disposition as well?

Now, I recognize not everyone is in the same place because disciples are handcrafted. Not mass-produced. However, here's what we, what our job as a church is to cultivate the kinds of environments where hopefully you and I, we're connecting, growing, and serving.

We're connecting with other people. Here are ways that we connect. We've got retreats. We've got hikes. We've got hangouts. We've got dinner parties. There are all, and there are groups that meet. We've got over 30 groups that meet throughout the city to get involved.

Now, I recognize some of us are like, I don't know. I just checked out this church. I'm still trying to figure out the vibe. Kind of a weird vibe. But I'm here anyways.

Hey, well, hey, our church, we're not great at a vibe. We're great at sending a lot of emails though and inviting you to stuff. Some of you are like, that's not me. I'm going to go to the other church with the vibe. That's cool.

But listen, for us, connecting is a significant part of what we do. Growing is a part. Alpha, the Alpha course, which you've been hearing stories about gathering around a table.

We've got four different Alpha courses, Alpha dinners that are happening throughout the week where people can gather around a meal and share thoughts, ideas, perspectives around religion and faith, no matter what your disposition might be.

Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, which is one of the main courses that we have. Emotionally Healthy Relationships is kicking off this week. We've got over 60 people registered.

Now, the 60 people that are registered, it's not like we're going to feel, hey, everyone come into this big room and we're going to all go through Emotionally Healthy.

Actually, this group of Emotionally Healthy, the 60 people that have registered, they're all part of these subgroups, these smaller groups where we're growing together in our faith in Jesus.

Now, and they're serving, like the opportunities to serve, to get involved. That your faith is not just about you coming in. Oh, how's this preacher? Does it sound okay? How's the music? Does the music sound okay?

Like all those things, yes, of course, maybe they're important. But at the end of the day, it's how are you living out your faith? How are you getting involved so it's not just about you and consuming in the world?

Now, all of these different ways are invitations for us, connecting, growing, and serving, of actually just getting involved, about following the way of Jesus.

Now, we talk about, hey, sign up for the Church Center app. That's the best way to connect, grow, and serve. Find a way to just get involved in community, to grow in your faith, or to serve.

So many people, they say, oh, well, no one's investing in my life. Well, have you signed up for a group? Have you signed up for a course?

Well, I don't know if I have what it takes to serve other people. And I'm like, hey, welcome to the club. We gotta start somewhere. The reality is people need to start somewhere. And we need community. We need each other.

People have always been the priority. More than putting on just a gathering of people, what does it look like for each one of us to be involved in this?

Now, we often say what it takes to be involved in community is time, togetherness, talking, and tacos. Hello, somebody.

Wow, we got cheers for that one. It just, it takes time. Like, I get it. Some of you are new and you're just like, I don't know about this church. Again, the vibe's kind of off. I don't know.

Well, the reality is the only way you're going to get where people are going to start to matter is when you show up. Enough. It's going to take time.

And it takes togetherness. And it takes talking. And I added the tacos when I just thought that was really good. And it takes talking around tacos, like around a table and eating together.

And the reality is this is what it takes. Now, here's the thing. In a city like ours, which is one of the densest cities in the world, the high population, everyone is cramped in.

And yet what's interesting is that research has shown that one of the biggest issues of population is the lack of community. And that's what we're talking about. And that's what we're in New York City, especially Manhattan, is loneliness.

Now, how is that possible? It's so dense, but yet we so struggle with loneliness. Why? Because all of us, we crave community, don't we?

We're all like, oh, yes, we're all about doing things together and being in community. But the reality is it's like, hey, can you commit to community? And you're like, no, I don't know, I don't know. I'm busy.

Busy doing what? Busy checking out the vibe online of these different places. The reality is so many of us are just, we're reluctant to connect, grow, or serve.

And yet the invitation has always been there. It takes someone to just take a step of faith to get involved in this way.

See, for us to prioritize people in the Jesus way of missions, it means more than simply showing up and listening to a sermon. It means showing up in people's lives, knowing and being known, going from anonymity to more.

Now, here's the reality, though. Some of you are like, okay, I get it. It's challenging. I honestly, I don't want to greet you, Drew, at the end. But I know you're going to be there nonetheless.

I mean, what are the other issues that come to us whenever it comes to this idea of investing in people? Well, look at this passage. This is so crazy. Look at this.

These are the names of the 12 apostles. First, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother, Andrew. These were fishermen. Look, it says, James, son of Zebedee, and his brother, John.

What's interesting is there's another story of James and John, where he's, James and John are talking to Jesus and they're basically like, Jesus, hey, can you make us like the greatest amongst the disciples?

Can you just, like, your right hand and your left hand? And in other words, they're basically like, hey, look, all these joker disciples, can you make us better than them?

And Jesus is like, hey, you have no idea what you're talking about. Now, just think of this. These are the disciples that Jesus chooses. Look what he says. He says, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas, who's known as Doubting Thomas, and then Matthew, the tax collector.

Matthew, the tax collector. Tax collectors were seen as traitors to Judea. Why? Because they were working on behalf of the Roman government.

So here's Matthew, who's a tax collector, that people are just like, oh my goodness, this person, this person betrayed us. He's a traitor to the Jewish people. And look, it says, James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon, the zealot.

Simon was a zealot. In other words, he was part of a group that wanted to overthrow Rome because he was against Rome. Now, Simon, the zealot, is in the same small group as Matthew, the tax collector. That's fun.

And look what it says. And then Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. You thought your small group was tough.

I mean, could you imagine? What's crazy is that Jesus chooses each of these people. And the reality is, at the end of the day, he chooses them. He even chooses Judas, who he knows is going to betray him.

And the reality is, one of the reasons why disciple-making or investing in relationships is hard is because people are messy. High-five your neighbor and say, people are messy.

High-five your neighbor, your other neighbor and say, so are you. I'm just kidding. Yeah. I mean, some of you all, you've been hurt by church. You've been burnt out.

You've experienced trauma, or maybe there's even pastors who have hurt you or people or religious communities that have felt so overwhelming to you. And it's just been hard when it comes to community just to figure out how to show up.

And yet the Jesus way, and perhaps one of the reasons why we keep getting to the same cycles of addiction or pain or loneliness is because we've never really taken the time just to show up in a place long enough.

Look at what C.S. Lewis says. C.S. Lewis says, to love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.

Any married people know what I'm talking about? Actually, don't raise your hand. You know what I'm talking about. If you want to make sure of keeping your heart intact, you must give it to no one, not even an animal.

Wrap it carefully around with hobbies and little luxuries. Avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken. It will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. Love is to be vulnerable.

I mean, isn't this the dilemma we find ourselves in? The dilemma is, oh man, when I've become vulnerable, when I've taken that step, someone has broken my heart or that church, it hurt me and betrayed me in such a significant way.

Or when I made myself available in these relationships, somehow I was wounded by that very same group. And so what we do is we draw ourselves into these tight cocoons that are self-protective.

And what ends up happening is we end up being anguished by our own aloneness. And we long for community, but we don't know what to do.

The reality is what it takes to invest time togetherness, talking and tacos, it takes someone to be vulnerable.

Now, here's the beautiful thing about God, the God that we serve. See, the God that we serve doesn't say, hey, I want you to be vulnerable and get connected to community and prioritize people, do it immediately. He doesn't do that first.

See, what we do is we believe in the Christian God who actually takes the first step of vulnerability, that Jesus actually comes and he pursues us.

He's the one who comes anguishing after us, dying for us on our behalf and inviting us into relationship with him. Now, any one of us could reject this Jesus, but Jesus, what Jesus does is he takes the first move and is vulnerable first.

The earliest Christians knew this, that what it meant to be a disciple was someone who actually had experienced the love of God, the love of God, which first pursued me and us more than it pursued anyone else.

It pursued me. And it's out of knowing that there's this God who loves me and has accepted me and wants to shape me into what he wants me to be, that he invites us now to become a loving presence in the world.

A people who can actually prioritize others, a people who could actually be invested in our children before our jobs and career. A people who could be invested in other people more than results.

And we do this because he first loved us. See, this is the invitation of what it means.