Meet the players: David and Goliath

One of the Bible’s most famous stories is the epic tale of David and Goliath. Many of us probably first heard it from a children’s storybook or in Sunday School. In fact, when you think of famous Old Testament stories, you likely think of Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, Moses and Egypt, and of course, David and Goliath. In the Bible, however, the account of what happened with David and Goliath takes us to a particularly tough time in Israel’s history. Prior to the famous showdown between the shepherd boy and a giant, as we’ve been reading about over the last few weeks, the leadership of the nation was in serious trouble. Saul had been appointed as the nation’s first king at the people’s demand. They believed that a king would bring stability and security in these dangerous times and make them “like all the other nations.” However, Saul had been disobedient to God’s commands and so he had been rejected by God, although he was still functioning as the people’s king. I said before that he was the king Israel wanted, but not the king they needed. So a new king had been chosen by God, a king chosen by God for God. Secretly, he had been anointed at Bethlehem by the prophet Samuel, and “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.”

This leads us to 1 Samuel 17, which we’ll cover at length this Sunday as we close out our Summer Scripture Series. Keep in mind that we’ll offer a Legacy Group this coming semester that will continue the study of 1 Samuel and possibly even get into 2 Samuel. If that’s something that interests you, we’d love to invite you to sign up at legacycity.church/groups. What I want to do over the next few paragraphs, however, is to simply build the foundation of the chapter so that we can dive right into the heart of the passage Sunday morning.

The chapter kicks off with a sense of danger as it says: 1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. (v. 1a) We know that this threat has been hanging over the entire narrative of 1 Samuel so far and will continue to be present for the rest of the book. In fact, (spoiler alert) Saul dies in conflict with the Philistines later in 1 Samuel 31. So the chapter starting this way almost feels like nothing new, just another Tuesday in Israel, right? The Philistines are gathered and ready for war. Sidebar: It’s worth noting that one reason (perhaps it was the reason really) that the people asked for a king in the first place was that their king might “go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20). The people felt the need for a king because of the threat from their enemies. Saul is king and should be fighting this battle, but since we all know that story already, it will of course be David (the anointed future king) that fights and not Saul (the current lame duck rejected king).

The location of the Philistine armies is then given with some precision: 1 …And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. (v. 1b) The Philistines were now further west than they had been in Chapter 14 and were clearly encroaching even further into Israel’s territory. Yet another nod to Saul’s failure as king.

And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines” (v. 2). It’s interesting to me that although the Israelite forces gathered to meet the Philistines on the battleground, we’re not told of any active leadership given by Saul. Not to make this a Saul-bashing post, but the evidence of his shortcomings is everywhere in the text. The grammar of these first two verses conveys a curious difference between the two sides. The Philistines “gathered” (v. 1, active voice); while Saul and the men of Israel “were gathered” (v. 2, passive voice). There’s no sign of active leadership among the Israelites; it would appear that Saul is just among those who “were gathered.”

To finish setting up the location and scenery of the story to come, the narrator tells us “And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them” (v. 3). The Valley of Elah was a proper valley, with great views and vantage points on both sides. It would seem both armies have equal footing, with no advantages as far as geography is concerned.

That being said, here comes the advantage for the Philistines… (read in your best Bruce Buffer voice) “In the red corner, weighing in at 580lbs, standing 9 feet and 9 inches tall, fighting out of Gath, presenting the Ogre from the East, the Towering Menace, the Philistine Giant, the reigning, the defending Super Duper Heavyweight Champion of the Middle East: Goliath!” (*Cue the Philistine armies shouting and screaming and clapping for their champion…) This is what we see over the next few verses.

4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. 1 Samuel 17:4-7

This is a big man by all accounts. He would make NBA players look scrawny. How did he get so big? Some suggest that he’s connected to the account back in Numbers 13, when Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan and 10 of them came back and said that there were giants living there, so big in fact, that they felt like grasshoppers compared to them. It’s thought that these “giants” were possibly Nephilim, which is a whole other can of worms, but the short version is that some believe the Nephilim were the offspring of angels and humans, resulting in giants. It’s possible Goliath was a descendant of the Nephilim. Modern science also suggests that he had a pituitary disorder, causing some form of gigantism, making him unusually large. Either way, the bible says he’s one big fella. Then he speaks to the Israelites and issues a proposal.

8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 1 Samuel 17:8-9

Essentially, “let’s not have a huge drawn-out battle that decimates both of our armies. Instead, 1 v 1 me. Send out your best, strongest, most courageous fighter to face all 9 and a half feet of me. Winner takes all.” And by takes all, he means a lifetime of servitude and subjugation. He says this and then there’s what we can only imagine is a pause that lasted moments but felt like an eternity. You could hear a pin drop in the valley. No one moved an inch so as to not accidentally volunteer themselves.

10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Defy is too weak of a word for the English translation of this Hebrew word here. It’s closer to “I scorn the ranks” or better yet, “I mock the ranks of Israel.” He mocks Israel and he mocks Israel’s God. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Give me a man. Choose your champion. Let’s go back a little, shall we? At the very beginning of the story of kingship, Samuel spoke to the people of “your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves ” (1 Samuel 8:18, 1 Samuel 12:13). The Israelites, in fact, had already “chosen a man for themselves.” His name was Saul!

It’s obvious that Goliath, like so many characters in this narrative, was not fully aware of the significance of his words, but as we hear them the irony sets in and we remember that Saul was the closest thing that Israel had to a Goliath. Remember what he looked like when the people chose him: “. . . when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward” (1 Samuel 9:2; 1 Samuel 10:23). And the prophet Samuel had said of him, “There is none like him among all the people” (1 Samuel 10:24).

As we have walked through 16+ chapters of this narrative, it makes sense to us (as the readers) that there’s really only one candidate in Israel who had anything close to resembling the necessary credentials to face the Philistine. And he was the one the people had (some time earlier) “chosen for themselves:” King Saul. But when he’s called out by Goliath, it says he and the people were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Verse 12 is a hard pivot. It takes us away from the battle in the Valley of Elah to another scene some 15 miles away in Bethlehem. Here, we’re going to meet the rest of the cast, the other main characters. But these are people we’ve already met in the last chapter, why do they get introduced again as if it’s the first time? There are several oddities like that in these two chapters, so much so that detractors of the Word of God try to use these as fodder for their “Bible is full of contradictions” debate. Goliath seems to be killed by two different people, the Bible introduces the family of Jesse twice in full, Saul knows Jesse and David in chapter 16, but then seems to not know them at all in chapter 17, David is described differently in both accounts. We won’t dig into these “discrepancies” here or on Sunday, but if you join the 1 Samuel Legacy Group, that will be on the agenda Day 1 🙂.

12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 1 Samuel 17:12-14

This is the same intro we got last chapter; David is still tending the farm but is splitting time between home and the front. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. Forty is always a significant number in scripture, so no surprise it shows up here in this pivotal moment in Hebrew history.

17 And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18 Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.” 19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 1 Samuel 17:17-20

This takes up to where we’ll begin on Sunday. Jesse sends his son to run a simple errand which leads to one of the most memorable moments in the Old Testament and honestly history itself. The story of David and Goliath transcends scripture and Christianity and is known the world over as if it were a piece of pop culture trivia. It’s used as an inspirational tale to encourage people to stand up to bullies or the proverbial “giants” in their lives; it’s seen as an underdog story, one where the smaller, weaker, less talented, person or team is pitted against a much bigger, better rival…but you’re saying there’s a chance! Both of those are sweet sentiments, but not what God intended when these events unfolded and the story was subsequently added to Scripture. We’ll get into the exposition Sunday morning 10am at the movie theater. Hope to see you there!

SELAH.

*Cover Art: David and Goliath by John August Swanson, hand-printed serigraph, 2005

Enter Saul Stage Right

Once again, we want to use this platform to bridge the gap between two sermons as we walk through 1 Samuel. Last Sunday, Pastor Brandon Henson from Anchor Church took us through 1 Samuel 8; and next Sunday, Pastor Robbie will start in the middle of chapter 10. So let’s find out what happens in the meantime.

When we left off last week, Samuel had laid out the negatives and dangers of Israel having a king (other than God as their King of course). But even when presented with 8 verses worth of compelling warnings against an earthly king, Israel still demanded one because they wanted to be like all of the other nations (1 Samuel 8:20). They ignored Samuel and doubled down on an earthly king that will “ judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” - which incidentally is exactly what God has done and wanted to do for them. Instead of forcing his agenda, the Lord relents and allows Israel to choose a path that will lead to much destruction and devastation over the coming centuries.

This brings us to chapter 9 where we meet the second of three main characters from 1 Samuel: Saul.

1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 1 Samuel 9:1-2

We start the section with a man named Kish who, like Elkanah in 1 Samuel 1:1, was essentially a nobody. Not only that, but Kish belonged to the tribe and the land of Benjamin, which was the smallest of Israel’s tribes. The author is setting us up with the same info as Elkanah in chapter 1, and like chapter 1, we’re being shown that God does not need our fame, fortune, and influence to raise up a leader. The author transitions quickly to Kish’s son, Saul, who by all accounts was an impressive young man. We was tall and good looking, and the literal translation of verse 2 would imply that “There was not a man among the people of Israel better than he.” Since most of us are aware that Saul becomes the king that Israel was asking for in the last chapter, it seems like he’s a great choice so far.

Our first interaction with Saul (vv 3-10), involves him and a servant searching for his father’s lost donkeys. One verse in particular stands out as interesting considering all that we’ve already read and experienced.

5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant1 who was with him, “Come, let us go back, klest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 1 Samuel 9:5

There have been several father/son relationships we’ve seen thus far; Eli and his sons and Samuel and his sons. In both of those situations, the sons strayed far from their father, with scripture even calling Eli’s sons as “worthless.” In this passage though, Saul’s concern for his father (more than for the donkeys) is honestly a welcome contrast to the failure of Eli’s and Samuel’s sons to care about their fathers. Once Saul declares his intent to return home without the donkeys, his servant suggests going to meet a man of God in the nearby town. It takes a little convincing, but Saul agrees.

They enter the town (possibly Ramah) to find the seer. At this point, alarm bells should be ringing. Who have we heard called a “seer” before? Samuel. Where did the end of chapter 8 take place? Ramah. Worlds are colliding!

14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. 1 Samuel 6:2

Confirmed, Samuel is the man of God, the “seer” that they are looking for. Donkeys lost, Saul sent on a search and recovery mission with a servant that has somehow heard of a holy seer in the lands they were searching in, and they arrive in the city conveniently at the same time Samuel is coming through. In case you thought any of this was coincidence, God dispels that notion in the next few verses.

15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 1 Samuel 9:15-16

God’s sovereignty on display. That’s what we’re seeing. We’re also seeing the boundless love of the Father. Even though Israel is asking for something they already have in God (a King), even though they are asking for a lesser, fallible leader so they can blend in with the world around them, even though they are asking for something that Samuel has already warned will ultimately harm them - God still hears their cry and provides deliverance from their enemies. Saul is going to be that leader and he’s going to deliver them from the hands of the Philistines.

The rest of the chapter describes the initial interaction between Samaul and Saul. Samuel recognizes Saul as God’s appointed man, and invites him to a feast as the guest of honor. Saul goes from searching for donkeys in the countryside to being the guest of honor at a priestly feast.

27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.” 1 Samuel 9:27

Samuel was about to make known to Saul, for the first time, the word of God. We see the significance of the events here in 1 Samuel 9 only when we see that the word of God was at the heart of it all. Saul was oblivious to this, but God had said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king” (1 Samuel 8:22a). Then he had said, “Tomorrow . . . I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin” (1 Samuel 9:16). Everything that happened in this chapter was according to the word of God. We know that Saul will become Israel’s king by the word of God, and he will be required to listen to and obey the word of God as king (1 Samuel 12:14; 15:1).

1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage. 1 Samuel 10:1-2

Samuel does as the Lord commanded back in 1 Samuel 8, and he anoints a king. And specifically, he does what God asked in 1 Samuel 9, and he anoints Saul the Benjaminite. This is certainly a shock to Saul, who understands his heritage; he’s a nobody from nowhere, not “royalty material.” So Samuel prophesies about a few signs that Saul will experience that will confirm God’s intentions. First, two men will meet him at Rachel’s tomb to tell him that the donkeys are safe. Second, three men will meet him at Bethel to offer him bread. Thirdly, a group of prophets will meet him at Gibeah.

9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 1 Samuel 10:9

God confirms to Saul his intention and fulfills all of the signs that Samuel spoke. The Spirit of God rushed upon Saul and he experienced the power and presence of the Lord. All of this will set us for next week, when Saul is finally proclaimed King.

The Ark Narrative

We’re going to attempt to briefly bridge the gap between 1 Samuel 4:22 and 7:3. Of course, we encourage you to read the passage for yourself because there’s no substitute for the Word of God. But we do hope this post might help with understanding.

Starting in 1 Samuel 5, this is the second episode in the “ark narrative” and we find the Philistines in a situation they cannot control. First, they’re celebrating their victories over “the Lord” back in 1 Samuel 4, when they defeated Israel twice (killing 34,000 men) and then captured the Ark of the Covenant, which they knew to be the manifestation of the Hebrew God. They wanted to put an exclamation mark on their victory by putting the ark in a trophy case, so to speak.

Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 1 Samuel 5:2

They take the ark into the temple of their god, Dagon, in Ashdod. It appears their victory over the Lord isn’t as complete as they thought though, because on two successive nights, the idol of Dagon falls over in the presence of the ark (vv. 3–5). Furthermore, the inhabitants of Ashdod are afflicted with tumors (vv. 6–7). This leads to the ark’s being removed to Gath, only for the epidemic to spread there also (vv. 8–9). God is displaying his power in a very immediate and uncomfortably personal way to the Philistines. Once again the ark is moved, this time to Ekron, where the inhabitants have heard of the curse that seems to come with it, and they instead advocating returning it to “its own place”

9 But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 1 Samuel 5:9-11

The hand of God was heavy there. There’s an irony here that the hearers and readers of this story can pick up on. Israel knew that God had defeated them, not the Philistines, but the Philistines were convinced it was their military acumen that won the battles. God is showing us through these events that it was indeed his sovereignty that led to Israel’s defeat, and now that he’s judged Israel, he’s taking a moment to judge the pagans and their pagan worship practices. The Philistines’ disrespectful treatment of the ark transforms what they had viewed as a trophy of their victory into a scourge for which no one has room. In what should be a victory tour, it’s almost a parody because the roles of victor and vanquished are reversed. By humbling both the Philistines’ god and the Philistines themselves, the Lord leaves them (and the Israelites) in no doubt as to who is truly in control of all human affairs and how powerfully he can act against those who offend him.

In this contest between Yahweh and Dagon, the Lord makes it abundantly evident who is the victor. Honestly, it’s not even a real contest, as we see the Lord’s superiority effortlessly displayed. Israel’s God shows himself to be still a “man of war” (Ex. 15:3), able to defeat all opponents. He is the one whose hand is strong to save and whose intervention is irresistible (Ps. 89:13). The Lord receives glory for himself through the situation, just as he did in Egypt (Ex. 14:4, 17–18).

And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 1 Samuel 6:2

Chapter 6 takes us into the third episode in the story of the ark, which serves to further assert the status and power of Yahweh. For seven months the Philistine lords resist acting on the evidence that the curse afflicting their land has been sent by the Lord. Eventually, and with great reluctance, they call for the advice of their religious experts as to how to return the ark to Israelite territory. They are advised that the ark should be accompanied by a guilt offering of five golden tumors and five golden mice to appease the God of Israel (6:2–6). Additionally, the Philistine clergy propose a test to ascertain whether all that has happened in the land has been a matter of coincidence or whether the superior power of the Lord really has been at work (6:7–9). They are hoping it was all coincidence so they can save face and not have to acknowledge the power and diety of the Hebrew God. Special arrangements are made for transporting the ark using cows that have never before drawn a cart and that are separated from their newly-born calves. When the cows hauling the ark ignore their natural instincts and head away from their young and pull the cart in the right direction without any overt guidance, it‘s demonstrated beyond doubt that the God of Israel is indeed active.

11 And they put the ark of the LORD on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. 1 Samuel 6:11-12

When the ark reached Israelite territory at Beth-shemesh, the people there were harvesting their crops, and stopped to celebrate the return of the ark.

14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 1 Samuel 4:14

Right away, they sacrificed the cows to the Lord to celebrate the ark’s safe return. However, it’s not all smooth sailing; 70 men of Beth-shemesh violate the sanctity of the ark and are struck dead by the Lord for their impiety. In response, the terror-stricken people of Beth-shemesh call on the people of Kiriath-jearim to come and take the ark there (6:19–7:1). Just like the Philistines, the Israelites have to learn to fear, respect, and obey the Lord and everything connected with his presence.

20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 1 Samuel 6:20

The people of Beth-shemesh illustrated a certain level of spiritual obtuseness. “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God?” reveals a genuine awareness of the majesty and sanctity of God. Yet they perceive that their inadequacy and guilt render them unfit to be in the presence of God (Ps. 130:3). However, rather than seeking to repent and change their own condition, they instead ask, “And to whom shall he go up away from us?” This response should remind us of one shared by many in the New Testament: “They began to beg Jesus to depart from their region” (Mark 5:17).

1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of aAbinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 1 Samuel 7:1-2

The men of Kiriath-jearim respond positively, and the ark is brought “to the house of Abinadab on the hill.” The men bring the ark to Abinadab because he is possibly a priest, although the text isn’t clear on that. Obviously, though, the people of Kiriath-jearim adopt a more reverent attitude toward the ark, consecrating Eleazar (son of Abinadab) as its custodian. The ark stays there, about 8.1 miles (13 km) northwest of Jerusalem, probably until David takes it to his capital (2 Sam. 6:2–4).

The Golden Rule

We’re almost at the end of the Summer Together series, where we have been walking through the Sermon on the Mount together for the last 14 weeks. Last Sunday, we covered the first 11 verses of Matthew 7, but ran out of time before completing the message. So, today, we get to rest on one single verse. One of the most memorable and used verses in the entire discourse - Matthew 7:12, also commonly referred to as the Golden Rule.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12

The message here is a simple; Jesus gives us a rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Now that sounds simple enough, but if it were really that simple, we’d be better at it. We’re not good at it, but we can be with the help of the Spirit of God. In fact, another way to think about the Golden Rule is to see that we want want to be treated in a spirit-filled way. Remember the fruit of the Spirit? 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

We ALL want to be treated with kindness, goodness, and gentleness, right? We all want others to have patience with us, to love us, and to be faithful and loving. This is how we want to be treated when it comes down to it. This is a good list of how we want our wives, husbands, kids, co-workers, neighbors to be with us, and of course if they oblige, then we’ll reciprocate…right?

Now, let’s dig into the verse for a moment. First, it’s worth noting that Jesus invokes the Law and Prophets at the end of the verse to make sure the hearers would recognize it from the Old Testament. The Law usually refers to the Torah, or the first 5 books of the Bible, and the Prophets refers to the rest of the Old Testament, which was understood to have been written by the prophets. This means that this verse is summing up what God wanted from His people in relation to their neighbors, and this is not new content, this has been taught from the Old Testament up to the mouth of Christ. God desired His people to live out love among their neighbors.

The first word of the verse is “So” or other versions might use “Therefore” - this is what’s called a Logical Connector. It connects this verse to the passage before it, drawing an application in context from the section of scripture just prior. In this case, the previous versus are describing God’s gracious and loving provision for others, so the application would be that if the disciples (you being one of the disciples) are following the Golden Rule of verse 12, then you are resembling your Heavenly Father.

And so what is the command? Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do that to them. This is the Golden Rule, you’ve all heard a version of this before. This is one of those verses that even non-Believers, people who have never picked up a Bible before have heard of. Their mom or their grandma said it to them growing up, do unto others as you would have them do unto you - that’s the southern KJV translation of that verse.

But doesn’t this verse ring a bell to something we’ve heard before?

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18b

This is what Jesus refers to as the Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22 and Mark 12. And it’s the same idea. Love others as you yourself want to be loved. You know, this verse would have originally been written in Greek, and the Greek here indicates that the command is comprehensive, emphatic, positive, and continuous. “In every last thing, you must continually do for others whatever you wish they would do to you.” And the YOU is emphatic - disciples (you and me) will do for others, even when no one else will. The scope of the command is unlimited, and it’s in the continuous present tense, meaning the obligation continues unending. Love others as you want to be loved. Serve others as you would want to be served. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Always.

This command in its negative form was already around in Jesus’ time and that form is known to many religions, for example: 

• “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow creatures. That is the whole law. All else is explanation” – Rabbi Hillel, probably quoting the book of Tobit in the Apocrypha which says: “Do not do to anyone what you yourself would hate.” (Tobit 4:15) 

• Eastern religions have a similar saying as well: “Do not to others what you would not wish done to yourself.” – Confucius 

But these and others are found in the negative form: “Do not do anything to anyone that you would not want him to do to you.” 

That’s good advice and all, but Jesus is asserting something different: the positive and intentional activity of love being poured out on a neighbor, not merely wrong being withheld.

There is an operating principle within the Golden Rule: Initiate, don’t wait! Jesus does not qualify this command with a stipulation that we wait for someone to do something nice for us before we step out and do something nice for them. Let them show love first, and then I’ll show it in return. He also doesn’t give a quid-pro-quo with this command. I’ll show the love, but they better respond in kind. If they don’t, that’s it. Cut off. Never again. I’ll take my love and kindness elsewhere. No, this command is continuous and unlimited. In fact, let me give you two things that love does to accomplish this command:

• Love steps up to act first – often unprompted and unearned - this is a good segue into grace, which is love played out as an unwarranted and unmerited gift that we didn’t and couldn’t earn. It’s by grace that Jesus saves us, a gift, not of ourselves, but only by his love as demonstrated by the death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus didn't wait for humanity to get their lives in order, he didn’t wait for us to become more pious and more devoted, he stepped into this world, put on a skin suit, got into the dirt with us, and for us…he loved first, he made the first move, pouring out unearned grace on us. 

• Love initiates often in spite of the conditions. It’s not always the most convenient time to love someone the way that you would want to be loved. The conditions are not always right. You know, we use a phrase in the church world (well maybe more in the charismatic church world) we talk about divine appointments. And that’s not a bad phrase, I’m not telling you to stop using it or stop praying for them, but I think we have a misconception of what these are. When we think of loving our neighbor or a stranger, and God sets up a divine appointment, we envision: finishing a nice meal at the restaurant of your choosing, pulling out your wallet to pay the bill and low and behold, a blessing from the Lord, a crisp $20 that you didn’t know you had, and then as if Moses himself were at that restaurant, the people part to the left and right and a light from Heaven shines down on a man in tattered clothes that is clearly hungry and was looking for a meal that would cost approximately $20…But that’s not how it works. Basically never. Often, it’s your last $20 and someone is in need, you’re in a time constraint and someone needs love and grace, love steps up in spite of the conditions and circumstances, because my goodness if the shoe were on the other foot, wouldn’t you want that same love? 

Well, the shoe was on the other foot. Jesus left Heaven, left the Father’s side to come and pour his love out on you. That wasn’t convenient, that wasn’t easy. To leave perfection, to leave a pure and holy place and come kick it with us in this sin-filled world?! There was nothing convenient about it, but he so loved, and he loved first, he initiated the love now and forever. And he sets the example and the bar with which we operate from.

Keep in mind that the Golden Rule is not the total sum of Christian truth, nor is it Gods plan of redemption. We can’t boil all of Christianity down to this simple phrase, although it does pack a lot of power. In fact, Warren Wiersbe once said:

“We should no more build our theology on the golden rule, than we should build our astronomy on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” - Warren W. Wiersbe

This great truth is simply a principle that ought to govern our attitudes towards others. We should approach others in love. And by the way, love initiates; love steps out in faith.

Grace Bomb Reloaded - Kingdom Returns

We took Grace Bomb on as an initiative of ours around this time last year - this was right before everything with COVID-19 hit! In light of everything that has been going on and especially those who have continued to embody the spirit of Grace Bombing, we are coming back at it with a fresh perspective and fresh motivation to see Jesus’ name be made great through this awesome discipleship tool!

A Grace Bomb is an intentional act of love motivated by Jesus. For the recipient, it’s a surprising gift meant to brighten their day. There are so many great stories associated with Grace Bomb - we encourage you to get inspired by going to gracebomb.org and read some of the many stories! Also, check them out on their social media platforms at grace.bomb!

This week we want to focus on what it really means to invest in the Kingdom of God. All investments come with consequences, some positive and some negative, however, when it comes to the Kingdom, ultimately all things will be worked out for the Good of those who Love God. Having a properly oriented mind towards investing in the Kingdom of God is a driving factor in our willingness and desire to go with the prompting(s) of the Holy Spirit - as we saw last week.

Let me ask you a question, church - Why do we give? Why do these people in these stories go out of their way to give to others, in many cases people that they don’t even know! We believe that Disciples of Jesus become generous when we have a changed heart born out of these five factors:

1. Gratitude for what We have Received: We have received the ultimate generous gift of salvation from Christ. Do you understand church, that God has unleashed an absolute bounty of blessings on us in Jesus?! How can we not have a heart of gratitude, after God reached into the muck and mire and pulled us out of our own sin? (Eph. 1:3)

2. Remembering our Identity: We are created in God’s Image; Our generosity is simply a reflection of His generous character – I mean, He gave so freely that He didn’t even withhold His only Son. (Gen. 1:27; Matt. 20:28)

3. Recognizing what We Have has Purpose: What we have, what we own, our skills and talents, all of these things have a purpose, and God can use them for his glory, honor, and for the blessing of others if we would simply hold it all with an open hand. God impacts others through us!

4. Resting in God’s Provision: When it comes to God’s Work, if it’s done God’s Way, it does not lack God’s provision. (2 Cor. 9:6-8)

5. Growing Through Practice: Just like anything in life, we get better with practice. We get stronger when we work out, we get faster when we run, and we stretch this faith muscle by working it out/doing it when we walk in the good works prepared for us. (Eph. 2:10)

Now, with all of this talk about generosity, there comes the Biblical idea of stewardship. In order to live a lifestyle of generous Grace Bombing, we have to be good stewards. We have to manage our time, treasure, and talent well. If we don’t, there won’t be anything for us to give. This means, of course, that we have to manage our finances. We have to steward what God has given us so that we can grow in generosity.

The context here is stewardship of the gospel ministry, but the principle is common sense – do well with what you have been entrusted. This is how we honor God with our resources:

1. Invest in the Kingdom first: By investing in the Kingdom First, your ROI (Return on Investment), will yield the greatest returns, but requires the most patience.

2. Invest in your future second: Investing in your future isn’t very glamorous - it requires discipline and a vision for what could be. After you give and you save, then you live on the rest. By taking care of the first two steps, living now means living within your means.

3. Invest in your everyday living third: Good stewardship isn’t about how much we have, but what we do with what we have.

4. Simply put: Give, Save, Live: One approach to consider is to Give 10 percent, store 10 percent in savings, and live contentedly on the remaining 80 percent; give it a try, it may surprise you!

This requires great discipline in reducing spending. Part of taking a more Kingdom-minded approach to finances is to pay off existing debt and avoid new debt. Not to sound overly spiritual, but when making big purchases, always consult the Owner, which we established was God – PRAY before making financial decisions. The decisions that you make about your finances, your resources, and even your time can either hinder or enhance your ability to provide for those who come along in your life. Trust God for provision, invest your time, finances/resources, and talents wisely, and live with abandon for the sake of the Kingdom of God!

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Grace Bomb Reloaded - Kingdom Returns: Investments mature into something, how we manage what God has blessed us with i.e. how we engage with our time, finances/resources, and talent(s) matter; the health of these aspects of our lives affect our ability to impact the lives of those we come in contact with.

• The Source: We believe that God is the provider and sustainer of His People; we are stewards of every aspect of our lives - we must honor and praise God for what we have been blessed with!

• The Plan of Action: To impact the Kingdom well, we should desire to be wise about what God has provided us with; to be able to Grace Bomb well, we should not only seek to be obedient, but we must also be able and willing to manage that which God has entrusted us with.

• The Purpose: Above all, the honor and glory of God, by loving our neighbors as ourselves is what we are after here. Biblical stewardship certainly doesn’t speak to becoming wealthy (in-fact, the NT steers us away from wealth). God’s blessings should be honored for what they are, however, we must always guard ourselves against the temptation(s) of the flesh. Stewardship, true and righteous Biblically informed stewardship is about God and His Kingdom.

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If this summary piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page at 10 am!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Grace Bomb Reloaded - The Influencer

We took Grace Bomb on as an initiative of ours around this time last year - this was right before everything with COVID-19 hit! In light of everything that has been going on and especially those who have continued to embody the spirit of Grace Bombing, we are coming back at it with a fresh perspective and fresh motivation to see Jesus’ name be made great through this awesome discipleship tool!

We are so thankful for Pat Linnell coming down last week and kicking things off for us as we begin the Grace Bomb Reloaded series. If you weren’t here with us last year, In February with much fanfare and to-do, we launched the Grace Bomb at Legacy City. We were actually one of the first few churches to partner with Grace Bomb, and I remember that we had a flurry of stories and some solid buzz and excitement as we spent a month walking through the idea of God’s Grace and what it means to pass that on to others. And then what happened in March? COVID-19 killed our momentum with this initiative. So when Pat and the team told us late last year of a Reloaded series that dives a little deeper, but would also serve as a recharge for Grace Bomb in general, we were all in.

And if you’re just with us for the first time and have no idea what I’m talking about: Grace Bomb is an intentional act of love motivated by Jesus. For the recipient, it’s a surprising gift meant to brighten their day. Grace Bomb is more than just a random act of kindness, it’s an intentional act of love that is motivated by Jesus. We have the cards and we use them when we Grace Bomb not to draw attention to ourselves or our church even, we want to draw attention to Jesus. Why would we go out of our way to love a stranger or go above and beyond for a coworker? Because of Jesus!

Just to make sure we’re on the same page, we also use this language in talking about Grace Bombs, we say Load, Listen, and Let ‘er go. Load (carry cards, simply choose to have them on your person, in doing that, you are choosing Grace and choosing to open to the leading of the Spirit), which brings us to Listen (for the Holy Spirit’s prompting), and Let ‘er go (drop our Grace Bombs) in our everyday walks of life in obedience to Jesus’ call to love our neighbors. (These ‘Cards’ can be found at a Kiosk at Sunday Gatherings in the lobby - however, if you’re not able to engage with the Kiosk, contact us through any of our social media channels, and will gladly provide you with Grace Bomb Cards.)

There are so many great stories associated with Grace Bomb - we encourage you to get inspired by going to gracebomb.org and read some of the many stories! Also, check them out on their social media platforms at grace.bomb!

Grace Bombing those in our lives, whether it’s those we are closest to or those we have never met before, we must depend on the Holy Spirit and His guidance. We do not want this to be something that we feel out of obligation, but out of obedience to what the Spirit is doing in our lives and what He desires to do in our community!

We have four guiding factors we believe can help discern if the Holy Spirit may be guiding you to Grace Bomb someone:

1. Your action would elevate Jesus: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and points people to Christ. Anything that the Holy Spirit would be leading us in would inherently need to elevate Jesus.

2. Your action would be Counter-Cultural: Putting the Kingdom first typically cuts against the grain of our neighbors. Love your neighbor as yourself, turn the other cheek, give sacrificially - these things rub against the very fabric of our society that says love yourself first; If it denies yourself, it may be the Holy Spirit. (1 Peter)

3. Your action requires Self-Denial and Risk: We have to die to self, to move more toward Christ. Here’s another practical way to look at it, is the action inconveniencing you? God calls us out of our comfort zone and into a place where we have to put full trust and hope into him.

4. Your action is Biblical: We have to understand church, that the Holy Spirit works in conjunction with God’s word. If the action is not biblical, then it’s not from God.

We have to take that Step of Faith. The Spirit of God inspired the Word of God so we could be indwelt by God and have his Truths illuminated in our lives. From there, we make a choice. In light of everything we just talked about, in light of everything that Jesus did on the cross and how he sent the Spirit to help us, we then choose to step into that Spirit-Led obedience OR we don’t. Do we walk in the flesh or do we walk in faith? Do we make a decision of the will to act in faith, obeying the Biblical prompting or not? And here’s the thing church, we have to make that decision daily. On a small and very real practical scale. We have to choose everyday where to put our feet, how we’re going to walk through the day. We choose every day whether to walk in faith or flesh. When we’re talking about Grace Bomb, we choose in the morning before we leave the house to put a Grace Bomb card or two in our pocket. I’m not trying to over-spiritualize it, but if you consciously choose not to, then you’re taking one more tool away for the Holy Spirit to use with you.

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Grace Bomb Reloaded - The Influencer: When it comes to faithful action, especially when it comes to Grace Bomb, the influence of the Holy Spirit is crucial and necessary.

• Refresher - What Is Grace Bomb: Grace Bomb is more than just a random act of kindness, it’s an intentional act of love that is motivated by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

• The Role of the Holy Spirit: The life of a Christian should be guided by the influence of the Holy Spirit - the New Testament points us to this around every corner; when it comes to Grace Bomb, the Holy Spirit is the major player!

• The Beautiful Product of Obedience: When we are obedient to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are able to be wielded by God for intentional ministry; the product of our obedience to the Holy Spirit will always be greater than our own efforts alone.

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If this summary piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 or You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page at 10 am!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Kingdom Culture - Fight Clubs

Kingdom Culture has the potential to provide a firm foundation and shape our church for the next 10 years. Discipleship is so unbelievably important. The changing of lives in the context of not only Sunday Gatherings but in our day-to-day is what we are after and believe we can establish in our community! This is the concluding sermon for the series.

Today, we have a bit of a practical message. Now I believe that every message is practical if you intentionally apply it to your life, but this one is ultra-practical. And really it’s all going to culminate in us launching a new discipleship endeavor here at Legacy City that I believe will help create a firm foundation for us to stand on. Ok, so obviously Christ is the firm foundation, so then we’re laying the subflooring today, we’re adding some tile work, some hardwoods, ok?

So one thing I have discovered over the years is that we as a people, and specifically as Christians, are honestly terrible at opening ourselves up for honest and real accountability and discipleship. Here it is church, we tend to be isolated and insulated. We don’t open ourselves up for three reasons: We don’t want to be a burden on anyone, We don’t think it will help, and We don’t really know if we can trust people. There it is. Even our best friends have a husband or a wife or a roommate that they might share my secrets with. Maybe I trust my spouse, but I know what kinda baggage they’re bringing to the table and I just don’t want to be a burden. Maybe I trust our church leadership, but is my confiding in them really going to help anything? These are some legitimate questions and hurdles that we have to get over if we’re going to have lasting and meaningful relationships that move us closer into the fold of Christ.

But can I tell you this morning church, there's something more for you. I know there is more for the men and women of our house. So we’re raising the bar a little bit, and it's going to be a beautiful thing over the life of Legacy City Church. And so effective today, we are launching a new discipleship-oriented “program” for lack of better words, called Fight Clubs.

So what is a Fight Club? Practically speaking, it is a group of 3-4 men or women who meet regularly to help one another fight for faith in the gospel. It’s like an accountability group but it’s so much more—it’s not a Bible Study (although you will most likely talk about the Scripture often), but it is a group of people who share relatively the same season of life and meet consistently to help each other win the fight. The goal of Fight Clubs is simply to repent from sin, rejoice in Christ, and reproduce disciples.

There are four key principles/arenas that drive our desire to see these groups form and mature in our church community:

1. We want to Fight for our Walk with God - Biblical Community includes being with and around those who desire to see you mature in your faith (Acts 2:42-47)

2. We want to Fight for our Hearts and our Character - To have a Biblical heart and a Biblical character is not something that comes naturally to us, especially in our culture; we need to have checks and balances in our lives (2 Sam. 11)

3. We want to Fight for our Families - A family unit is a special thing whether already established or desiring to establish, taking into account the other points mentioned here contribute towards the health and well-being of your family unit.

4. We want to Fight for our Relationships - We want to stand beside our brothers and sisters and say I'm gonna help you fight in these arenas. I'm gonna help you become the man or woman you are called to be.

Now here’s the thing, ultimately our success in this comes down to two things it comes down to loving commitment from all parties involved, transparency in our lives, and the power of the Holy Spirit. I am not being a sensationalist when I say that I truly believe that these groups can and will change the fabric of our church. The difference that a deep Godly community will make will be tangibly felt across this church and community.

Check out how you can get involved HERE!

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Kingdom Culture - Fight Clubs: We believe that Fight Clubs will be a tremendous way for us to gather together as small, intimate groups for the sake of long-term discipleship in one another’s lives.

• The Current Climate: Honestly, it has been really difficult to foster community lately - this initiative will hopefully provide space for intimate connection surrounding one’s spiritual health and maturity.

• The Purpose: Fight Clubs are intended to be long-term, small groups who desire to see one another grow and mature in their faith; we desire intimate community with others because this is how we are intended to live.

• Get Involved: We are excited to reinforce the need for groups like these in our lives - many of you may already have a group of people like this in your life, however, not everyone does; if you’re seeking community like you’ve seen described follow the link above and dive-in!

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If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am! You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page - at the same time!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Kingdom Culture - Disciple > Believer

Kingdom Culture has the potential to provide a firm foundation and shape our church for the next 10 years. Discipleship is so unbelievably important. We believe there is something to be said about the unique difference between being a ‘Believer’ and being a ‘Disciple’. Think about it, what immediately comes to mind when you think of a ‘Christian’?

If you stop people at Walmart or Publix and ask them, “Are you a Christian?” Some people would say, “Yes.” Others would say, “What do you mean?” Some would tell you, “Yes, but …” or “No, but …” or “Yes, but I’m not like …” And some would flat out say, “No, I’m definitely not a Christian.”

Today, we more often describe ourselves and others as Christians rather than disciples. By changing the word that we use to describe ourselves, we have lost the clarity the word “disciple” conveyed about what a follower of Jesus actually is. Our use of “Christian” today obscures the fact that a lot of people who call themselves Christians are not actually disciples.

Here are four examples to consider when wrestling with this distinction:

1. A believer believes Jesus is their Savior but lives to please themselves while a disciple believes in Jesus as their Lord and says I am here to please God.

2. A believer exalts their opinions, their feelings, and their thoughts above the Word of God but a disciple exalts the word of God above their opinions, their feelings, and their thoughts.

3. A believer thinks the church is a place where they go to hear God's Word and hear a good message, a disciple thinks of the church as a place where they learn to do what God's Word says.

4. A believer often serves God based on convenience, but a disciple serves God based on deep conviction.

Do you see this difference we’re trying to draw out here? We want to see this church progressing individually and collectively in the faith, becoming more spiritually mature as a true disciple of Jesus. As I said, this message isn’t meant to shame anyone, it’s meant to challenge us.

Pastor Robbie spoke out of several different passages, specifically in the Gospels, where we see so much of Jesus’ ministry and the call to true obedience that we see. There are three main points that we drew out of these passages to really make this distinction clear.

1. A true disciple lives with radical abandonment for His glory. (Matt. 4:22; Luke 14:33)

2. A true disciple lives with joyful dependence on His Grace. (John 15:16a; Eph. 1:3-6)

3. A true disciple lives with faithful Adherence to Jesus and an urgent Obedience to His Mission. (Matt. 4:19, 28:19-20)

We believe that it's impossible to believe this gospel and to know this Christ and be silent. A privatized faith and a resurrected Christ is practically impossible. And yes, the cost of discipleship is great. To live with radical abandonment for His glory, faithful adherence to His person, urgent obedience… is costly. This requires sacrifice and uncomfortable change. But I submit to you this morning that the cost of non-discipleship is far, far, far greater.

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Kingdom Culture - Disciple > Believer: The differences between a Disciple of Jesus and a Believer in Jesus are vastly different - we believe we are called to more than mere belief but to dive into devotion and obedience!

• The Source: The Disciple sees Jesus as the source not only for their salvation but for their way of life.

• The Path: The Disciple engages with their faith as a journey to become more and more like Jesus.

• The Result: By seeking to view Jesus as more than just the source of our salvation and the example by which we are to live, we come into what biblical salvation looks like - increasing in sanctification.

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If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am! You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page - at the same time!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Kingdom Culture - The Great Commission

Kingdom Culture has the potential to provide a firm foundation and shape our church for the next 10 years. Discipleship is so unbelievably important. The changing of lives in the context of not only Sunday Gatherings but in our day-to-day is what we are after and believe we can establish in our community!

We are about to undergo a bit of a culture shift. We know that if you are not intentional about creating a culture, one will develop anyways. And that’s what has happened over the last few years. A culture has developed. It’s a great culture in some ways, but if I’m really honest, as your pastor, there are some glaring holes.

So for three years, we’ve been pushing forward the mission of Legacy City as a church; that is, to be here for the least, the last, and the lost. A church that seeks to meet felt needs in our community, not just perceived ones. A church that provides a place of hope and refuge for those who have felt maybe burned by church or Christians. We have always sought, from before our very first gathering even, to be a church that takes the gospel into the community and seeks to make the name of Jesus famous above all else. And listen, we are not changing that mission, but we are making a vital addition to it. We are being intentional about creating more space for biblical discipleship.

First and foremost, we need to really define what we mean by conscious and active discipleship. We see in the Great Commission passage, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20)

There are four main things we can get from this verse surrounding Discipleship:

1. Helping People - We have to initiate and be intentional because we are to ‘go’ and ‘make’ disciples (v19).

2. An Assumption of Trust - By way of v19, the public declaration of baptism assumes trust in what Jesus has done and continues to do in our lives; We want people to trust in Jesus to such an extent that they not only give their lives to him, but are moving to actively mature spiritually.

3. What it Means to ‘Follow’ - Disciple-making is about obedience and sanctification i.e. by doing what Jesus has called us to, we are guided towards being more like Him. We share love, grace, and mercy - we trust the Holy Spirit to guide people into this posture! (v20)

4. Who Jesus Is - He is the focus of Discipleship; we are called to point others to becoming devoted followers of him as well. His work has brought us into a right relationship with God, He is the main concern in our minds and in our practice.
   

We are to be and make disciples through the power of and in the name of Jesus. This is our legacy, church. This is the foundation that we must build. Ask yourself if you have been or are being discipled, and if not, we need to take steps to fix that. Are you pouring into anyone else, sharing the love and hope of Christ as revealed to you in your life with them? If not, hopefully over the course of this series, we can begin to fix that!

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Kingdom Culture - The Great Commission: An important mandate given to Disciples of Jesus is to go out and make more Disciples!

• The Nature of Discipleship: A disciple is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and committed to the mission of Jesus.

• The Source of Discipleship: Being a disciple of Christ does not begin with something we do. It begins with something Christ did.

• The Mission of Discipleship: Being a Christian involves denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following him. This process necessarily includes bringing others into this fold.

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If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!

To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:

Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD

Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am! You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page - at the same time!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!

Vision Sunday 2021

The year of 2020 was anticipated to be a very different year than what we expected. I mean, if 20/20 vision is awesome, then why wouldn’t the year be, right? Well, unfortunately that was not the case - we have had an exceptional amount of turmoil this year, yet there are still many things that we should be thanking God for, in spite of the many difficulties we have been presented with.

Pastor Robbie sets us the previous year as somethin to properly mourn, while also praising and thanking God for all that we are able to; God is in control, ultimately, yet, this does not mean that the trauma and difficulty is lessened by this fact. Our plans for the year, as a church body and as individuals changed in light of the pandemic, however, God’s purposes still remain! He says, “Even when the immediate around us (the detour) feels like it's just a dead end and some people are there right now; it feels like work's a dead end, life's a dead end, job's a dead end, the back payments on rent are a dead end, you can't see how you're going to get out of this situation - but can I give you some encouragement church? That dead end might just be a detour TO God. He's got us on a journey and he's not finished yet. And sometimes it's hard to see in the moment, but if you just keep walking in faith and stay the course one day at a time, one step at a time, and keep trusting God and receiving his goodness in your life; he'll see you through it and you'll be able to look back and even make some sense out of it, even see the sovereignty of the Lord at work.”

With the turn of the New Year, as we move into a time of introspection and hope for the future, we also celebrate Legacy City Church’s Third Birthday! The word that we as a church first put forth in 2020 was ‘Advance’ - we desired to see God move in such a way that God’s Name in our community would Advance; we desired to to see the Gospel go forth and Advance the Kingdom. Even in light of all that happened this year, regardless of other statistics, the Kingdom of God has been impacted by our Church Body this year. Pastor Robbie laid this out quite plainly saying, “We have to remember the promises of God. What did he call us to do as a church? Reach the lost? - well, on March 22, the first real weekend of the pandemic, we pivoted to the Drive-In theater to have church and Fox Carolina broadcast our gospel message of hope to 200,000 people! See people come to know Christ? We live streamed our Good Friday gathering from a porch in Hodges, and people came to know Jesus over the live stream! We’re called to serve our community? We had the opportunity to deliver almost 100,000 meals to kids and families all over the county for District 50. Host a Sunday Gathering that leads people into worship and offers them the Hope of Jesus? Because of the pivot to the Drive In, we were able to continue meeting live and in-person throughout the whole pandemic, seeing hundreds of people from the community joining in during that time.”

While we may not have anticipated to have been able to adapt to such a unique situation as a global pandemic, God is faithful - the power and majesty of the Kingdom of God went forth nonetheless!

This past year has been incredibly stressful, stretching , and traumatizing for many of us, yet God has walked with us through it all. This coming year is equally as tense - the pandemic is not over, political strife hangs in the air, however, the Mission of laid out before us has not changed.

This upcoming week we will beginning a New Sermon Series called Kingdom Culture; We Believe that the Culture of the Kingdom must be the Kingdom of the Church. Discipleship is at the core of this culture - we are continually seeking to become more and more like Jesus, and this series will be diving into how we are going to be cultivating that in 2021!

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SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• Vision Sunday 2021 - What Occurred this past year was stressful and intense for so many of us, however, God has been with us through it all; His Kingdom has advanced nonetheless!

• Given the fact that the Kingdom of God was advanced throughout this past year, we should not consider 2020 to be a waste of time and energy.

• Adaptability in our lives is important to be able to minister effectively in whatever context we find ourselves; because of this, we were able to provide over 100,000 meals to children in the Greenwood Area!

• Introspection is not limited to reflecting on ‘what was’ or ‘what was not’ in our past(s) - we must also look forward so that we are able to continue to honor God in our lives and ministries; our upcoming Sermon Series and our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting will allow us to do just that!

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Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 at 10 am! You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page - at the same time!

We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!