Community

From Piffin' E. Bullowshirt's podcast, where our goal is to see people everywhere, show off the glory of Christ, in every area of the Word of God. You can Sunday morning gathering, y'all gonna make us have to go to three services, huh? Don't be colliding with your hands, you gonna come to this service and leave, and you can talk about, y'all have fun at the three. Well praise God, good problem to have, y'all look great, y'all seem vibrant today, amen. So, equip you, I want, come on church, let's pack this out. You can learn how to study your Bible, how many of you heard a harmonutics? Bible study methods in Herman, you gonna learn how to actually exegy the text, amen. And how to study on your own, we'll learn everything from, optimize the observation, interpretation, application, and correlation. Word studies, character studies, you gonna learn it all, you gonna learn it all, we gonna have a great time, and we gonna make it fun, and y'all gonna have homework too, amen. Amen, somebody say do your homework. Yeah, yeah, yeah, well, I'm honored and glad to be here, well, we're still in our series, Culture Shift. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians, the 6th chapter, verses 14 through chapter 7, verse 1. 1, 2, 3, read, amen, amen. In our section, this section of our series on Culture Shift, I'd like to talk about one of our core convictions, community, somebody say community. Let's go before the Lord, mighty one. We are yours and you are ours, and sometimes it just blows my mind, but then other times we can take it lightly. And so far, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you would help our minds to be reformed and reshaped after your way of thinking and your way of doing things. And help this to land us in a more deep and rich place in you as believers. So let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Oh God, our strength and our redeemer in whom we trust, help your people to have fertile hearts with this seed lands in order that it may bear hundreds of fruit in their lives. In Jesus' mighty name, we pray, and I agree that's it. Amen, you may be seated, you may be seated, community. Today, as we talked in the past about community and even talking about our core convictions, thank you, core conviction of community, I've talked about it from the perspective of being around other believers. And I think in being in relationships and building relationships with other believers. But there's a more deeper imprint that we want to take this even further in when it comes to Christian community. Because community essentially, this is essentially what community is. Community is essentially what influences your thinking, passions, and actions. What you fellowship with shapes your worldview. And so what we want to do is we want to, we're not supposed to not be in the world, right? When it says be in the world, it's talking about worldly, being influenced by the system. It says be in the world, but not of the world, right? And so we're called to be insulated, not isolated. So we're called to go out into culture, we're called out to impact culture, we're called out to enjoy the world on God's terms. That's what freedom is, freedom is to enjoy God, his people, and his world on his terms. So enjoyment is, I think, we should add that to spiritual disciplines. Enjoyment should be a spiritual discipline because the Bible starts with enjoyment. However, our enjoyment should never violate our fellowship with God rather. And so when we talk about community and we talk about what shapes us, what's interesting enough that there are seven things that I see a lot of times that are enemies to community. Number one, avoiding holiness, calling it realness. You know, we got to keep it real philosophy, right? Well, what people are like, I'm keeping it a book and keeping it a book means abandoning sometimes abandoning holiness, right? And so we don't believe in abandoning holiness. We want to keep it a book in truth, right? But number two, isolation, somebody say isolation. Yet the Bible says he who isolates himself seeks his own desire and breaks out against all sound counsel. So one thing, you can come to church on Sunday but still isolate yourself. And so we're not called to be those who live our lives in a spiritual freezer. We are called to be connected. You were made like that. And not only that. Number three, divisiveness. Ain't nothing worse than messy people. God divisiveness is one of those sins that God calls both in a bombination and he says he hates it. And those who bring turmoil between intimate friends, the Bible says. I'm not only that cultural assimilation. We'll talk about more of this later in the message. I'm going to talk today. Is that okay? I won't yell that much, maybe. All right, maybe, maybe once or twice. A selfish ambition, right? Selfish ambition. You know, person is just selfish. You think about you and everything's about your come up. You're an opportunistic person. Or like, or as simple as this, the person that comes to the potluck and eat you out of house at home but don't ever bring nothing. Selfish, you know. Selfish, bring something. Bring something. Bring something. Right? Bring something. Next one, believing the laws of the devil about the church. So that's like popular today. You know what I'm saying? Like it's popular. It's popular to like speak against the church. Like even today, like today. After this service, I go and I put out a YouTube and I say hey, my name is Eric Mason and I'm no longer a Christian and I'm no longer a pastor. And let me tell you the things that the church has been doing and what they were trying to keep away from you. I would have a billion views. I would be a million there immediately because people love to hear hateful things about God's Ecclesia. But if I go on and say how you can build good relationships in Christian community, that'll have one view, right? That won't go, you know, we're so toxic in our culture, particularly when it comes to the church. And so we want to denounce the laws but that leads to the next one number seven. Using past hurt as a defense mechanism for forsaken intimacy with God's people. And so what can happen sometimes is you can listen. If you are going to be in a relationship with anybody, there is no relationship that you won't get hurt in. Now I'm not trying to avoid the idea of spiritual abuse. I'm not talking about sitting on an abuse that's not what I'm talking about. But anybody you love and care for, when they have access to your affections, they are at some point going to hurt you. And so you've got to have in your back pocket those things that God has created in community as a way to defuse or the long-term breach happening, and that thing's called forgiveness. And that also means in the community we got to admit that we hurt somebody. Ain't nothing worse than somebody that just can't admit something. You know, they bring you a difference that I'm saying I'm sorry. You know, you want some food. Did you know what you just did to me? I don't need no food. I need you to stop being crazy, right? And so when we think about that, we think about this Corinthian church. Second Corinthians, by the way, I have a commentary on Second Corinthians coming out on May 1st. So I'm excited about that. And then real quick, I just signed a new book deal, two book deal. So it's crazy. God is good. God is it. I had a learning disability growing up. Let me just say this for free. Listen, my teachers told my mom and dad I couldn't learn. And I'm just about to be my eighth book. So if there isn't a God in heaven that can overcome your diagnosis. I don't know what it is. The doors of the church are open. The church is over right there. But yeah, so Corinthians were a carnal church. They love the culture and they love the love money. They love being around the elite. And they were superlatively worldly and spiritually immature. And almost to the point to where they flaunted their immaturity. We live in a day where people do the same. We flaunt our immaturity. You understand what I'm saying. You know, you can't thought as you can't go on in the gym, have your shirt off. Do like this on Instagram. You can't just roll the fire and then say, a man of God on the thing. Just like ladies, you can't hit him. I ain't going to do it up here. And you talk about some Proverbs 31 woman. And you coming out of the water like this. I think it's weird to me, man. You know what you're all no both men and women. You're trying to work out before and after. Nah, put your shirt on, bro. You know what I'm saying? And don't say pass you just saying that because you listen, I'm by way coming down But I ain't gonna put what I took my wife when I get swoldify just remind me you know not to be wilder You know, amen back to the sermon

And so and so they were they were spiritually immature and it showed up in different areas of their life And so Paul was on them It's nothing wrong with being immature because when you get saved all of us are Look the issue is not being immature the issue is being committed to it So so we're we're not called to be committed to immaturity perpetually God saved you for you to bear fruit and And so and so and so and so in light of that and in light of this idea community. I really want us to frame this my first point of two Number one, we are called to live lives of relational distinction Stay with me relational the synctum it says verse verse verse verse 14 There it is do not be yoke together with those who don't do not believe or Unequally yoke. I know the world now uses this right you know Listen to certain programs of podcast me and I'm not equally yoke. They're just talking about somebody not making the same amount of money I'm like what that that has nothing to do with this message being equally yoke, you know Equally yoke in this passage is an agricultural illustration this agricultural illustration is about two oxes being of the same size Okay, in order for them to properly plow if another ox isn't of the same size What will happen to that oh to the crops? It'll mess up the ground and it won't be able to function to be able to grow stuff in and so therefore They have to be of equal size if they're unequal size things to be messed up So it means literally here to be spiritually Mitch matched okay be spiritually Mitch matched and it's and it's talking about believers who are building Spiritual not natural relationships. So this text isn't about you not having non-unsafe friends, right non-Christian friends It's about who who influence who who you allow to influence your world view communally right and so and so I know that we apply this to dating a lot and it can apply to dating right they can apply to dating So so so that means you you shouldn't be dating an unbeliever Okay, y'all y'all looking at me funny You know Okay, let me let me give you a couple of illustrations then so y'all looking at me funny I'll talk to a different years ago. She and I will talk about who we were dating and who we chose to date and You know, I'll tell everybody that she's telling me about this dude that she she was you know how we we I don't know Y'all say that number she's messing with so You know That's how we used to say it back in the day if you don't know what a relationship going. I'm yeah, we mess with each other, right Or we go together even though we don't have no destination, right? So Like we are going um He had looks, you know, she said he look good. He got money. He's thoughtful and he comes from a good family And I said that's nice. I said, but is he safe? She said I think so Look at me You shouldn't be In a relationship with somebody That you don't have a one-stake sauce knowledge of the fact that they're saved I don't care How they built fellows and ladies Uh-oh. I don't care about the bag And I'm gonna hear about your Kim. We got good chemistry. Kim is with his chemistry You know sometime in marriage you have no chemistry and you got to still remain faithful You don't even know nothing about that you can start off with chemistry and then you may wake up I don't love her, you know, you can feel that way because affections can be all over but marry people They ain't looking at each other, but they know I'm telling the truth your feelings all over the place Amen. I'm still in the text But then there was a situation where a system was dating a guy and I asked if he was saved and she said not yet

I'll say what does that even mean She I mean you're not called to date somebody to be a missionary to them, right Right you're not called to try to reach them through dating them, right? You can evangelize without relationalizing, right But by response the everyone took who took their life in their own hands It never ended up pretty good in the Bible. So do things guys way right? So he says what partnership does righteousness have with lawlessness? Okay, and so and so this idea of partnership and he's gonna say what fellowship does light have with darkness There's these two ideas same idea It's the is this the word coin in here somebody say coin in here Coin in here is where we get our word fellowship from somebody say fellowship That's we get our word community from all all of those words are it means to partner with someone in something, right? Or share something in common A privileges of an intimate association or a group and so and so the beauty of our Our understanding of what God calls us to do is God calls us into community because he lives eternally in community God the father, God the son, God the spirit live Related even though it's one the God in those three persons are distinct yet unified in essence That's good doctrine right there. I like that Three and one they but they relate to each other they they have they have connection to one another And they live in agreement and mutual accountability and submission Okay, so so so so God when he calls us to submit to one another Ephesians 5 He's not just asking us to do something. He's not doing within himself his own self It's so it's so it's so our community as the church is a reflection of the Godhead's relationship with himself So beautiful, right? So beautiful right and so in light of that though God created man and put him in community Um the man the man the woman being together is not good for man to be alone. It wasn't about sex It was about it was about fundamentally it was about community and created community when he said it wasn't good for him to be alone Notice that God said it wasn't good for us to be alone before the fall

And then Anthony so as they need a community before the fall You know we need it now right more than ever and so and so man and woman of course we're at odds with each other And then now there's the restoration of community based on John 10 So when we talk about this idea of community again This is where I want to land are y'all still sure I go with me y'all awaken y'all bright. I didn't look and I love it, right So so so it's about your world view somebody say world view Now the question is what is a world view let's go a world view is on the board is a Christian world view is a grid somebody say grid That people who know Jesus Christ used to develop from the Bible on how they look at Interact with and understand God People life and decision-making Okay, then that's from the Bible that means the Bible acts like a strainer whenever I make a spaghetti or something I pull my sketch spaghetti into a strainer because I want to get rid of the water But I want to keep this spaghetti listen You use the Bible that way in the world you use the Bible as a means to strain out what's bad But keep what is good because that's a side of maturity is You you you don't allow just anything in your mind You don't allow everything in your mind you you are willing to not shuffle through the mess that the world will offer you Because whoever has your world view has your communal connection This is so important, right? And so and so you know that's but that's competing world views out there And this was these were some of the ones in their day. This is a trip right number one of the competing world view in that day was misrecalls witchcraft Synchrotism vain philosophies legalism and law keeping right now guess what those still today misrecalls Witchcraft somebody say I'm not in the witchcraft. We say a girl with your sign That's witchcraft Yeah, you know that did you y'all look at me funny girl. I don't need To look at the stars To find out who I am God told me already who I am I'm not trying to be like a Gemini somebody. I'm a twin and all of that kind of craziness. I know no no I'm trying to be like Christ And so so so so so that's that's my personality you can you can take the Myers-Briggs and you can take all of that But at the end of the day you better look like Jesus Somebody I'm a high I am a I'm a type a person. I I'm not saying those are wrong. I'm saying that Witchcraft I'm gonna do witchcraft you you don't be going around here getting your palm red You're going in somebody doing like this. This line tells me that you going over here and all of that and this and all that and you stuck around It's a spirit talking to that person and then you don't know there's something attached to you Are you walking about it there with the devil going home with you because you instead of going to seek God in the Bible about your future And praying for about a future you saw some foolishness and you get messed up pray for me today. So It's interesting because the enemy loves to dress up deceptive worldviews and nice packages So so so so so my sons I was the day is old when I found out That Peter Pan was bad

They said dad did you see the history on Peter Pan? How the original story? It's about Uh molestation and kidnapping kids Peter Pan who's an adult comes in the form of a kid To take kids away to never never land Then I found out that the pirates were actually kids who he stole that grew up that fought against Peter Pan But the story makes you think that the pirates are evil and that Peter Pan is good

Ain't the devil something the devil will make you think That bad is good and good is bad and you'll be rooting for something not knowing you rooting for the wrong team So that's why that's why you gotta that's why you gotta be careful out here in in these uh in these in these in these in these streets You you feel me um um that's why you you can come to church and listen and and it's not be your community And so you and I have to have have a framework for things and I want you to look at things and I want you I'm going to do a series on discernment but but but a part of this message is about discernment That's what that's what it's about. Okay, let me see if I can make a plan um Somebody sent me a clip of somebody on a certain podcast and everybody loves this person love I mean got loved from uh somebody that I know know them said the work with them said they were christian right and so the The the the interviewer asked what does god sound like to you? And And this person began to say it sound it first off. He not know it He's a person um it sounds like a hummingbird Uh and I can see it and dream about it sometimes it comes listen in a familiar voice Now if you know it this person said sometimes the god's voice comes in the sound of my mom's voice Now you got to understand the Bible talks about something called familiar spirits What a familiar spirit does is it it dresses up And sounds like someone you know In order to put your guard down In order that they can get in your life I had a family member to say the dead family member of ours visited them And I and I said that wasn't them They said but but but but I'm telling you what so I said it wasn't them and whatever room it happened then You need to go in there and I'm gonna get the oil And we gonna rebuke the devil because the enemy listen listen you you we have to be careful family Uh-uh of what we listen to the question is you you should know what god's voice sound like We know now I'm a teacher how god's voice sound But I like do you know my favorite verse on this it says long ago god spoke to our ancestors by the prophets In different times in different ways in these last days he has spoken to us by his son So Jesus if if it's not in jesus's sphere Of vocalizing and he has his means of vocalizing We utilize those because we are to test everything I remember when I was in my last I'm gonna let you know these in a second I remember when I was in my last my my psych seminar class and we were studying mystical psychology So that allowed me to bring my Christianity in it right so we're in it and this woman was in there, right And so um she was she was basically like I my part of my psychology is going to be telling people's future and stuff now I was like I was look I was legalistic Christian then tongue-talking prophesying Uh-uh praying all night you know Spirit show right I'm talking about all the spiritual like gosh and I turn this corner should I go did that that's how Spiritual I was at the time. I'm mature since then um, but but but but but I listen man. She said so so Eric you I said no no no no no no no no no no no I come against every foul thing Right now and I look her in the eye she wasn't even looking at me something was looking at me And I said I said you're not a prophet you're not an and she she she backed up and said Down in class and we went on with the class because she wasn't saying nothing to me I don't want none of what you got. I got something for you and his name is Jesus Don't play around with the devil Because the devil is right sometimes

So what does God speak through y'all ready for this? Y'all ready for this okay? He speaks number one through his word How about that that girl said everything on that thing But except for God's word is the means by which he speaks if it ain't in the word it don't need to be heard Hear me right fundamentally also God speaks through sound teachers and preachers That's the key

And next next he speaks through other believers He speaks through other believers you you need you need some people that are pull up on you Yeah, y'all don't hear me today you need some people that won't let you get away with it at all ever Never when you start acting foolish you start you need somebody that can call you out make yourself available No matter how much you want to custom off or telling you the truth you want them in your life And don't tell me you don't cause because I heard some I see them on y'all but listen You you you and I need people in our life to be true tell us that tell us the truth And help us that's like a God uses people in your life So you got to be around godly people you got to be wrong gospel people you got to be around mature people You got to be around sold out people you got to be around committed people you got to be around Bible people but also God speaks through circumstances So stuff that happened in your life of God talking He's talking right and acts eight Acts one eight it says Jesus says go into Jerusalem Judea Samaria in a remote as possible world They decided they was going to stand Jerusalem So in chapter eight verse one he allowed persecution to break out and guess what it said they went to Judea Samaria And a remote as well as in the world in other words God used circumstances to speak to them to push them out to go where they need to go some stuff in your life that happens Paul's and ask yourself is God using this to say something to me

How was God talking? I know it's hard But what is God saying to you through your good and bad experience to help you to hear him to move the direction that That's good stuff Um also he speaks through means of the spirit you know the ones that the Bible talk about

Yeah, hey man He speaks to creation Through creation Bible says his invisible attributes can be seen through what's been created So that means you it never made system either the world came into existence out of nothing Uh an explosion happened without a bomb That makes no Sense at all, but I know that there had to be somebody intelligent That understood all of it and put it all together. That's what I love about our God He says what agreement does Chris this Christ have with um Belial That's the devil or what does the believer have in common with the unbeliever right and so what begins to happen is is he in this world that we're in People will and this would happen in their world they'll say basically all religions are the same That's what they'll say how many you believe all religions are the same don't raise your hand right Don't raise your hand Now now let me say this this is important because all of this has to do with what influences you If you if all religions are the same you won't have you Um whole Jesus and how regards now I can tell you right now that I've heard people say and listen if you're Muslim in here No, uh, you know, I'm not I'm not beating you up, but I want to show say this right Um, David what was talking about this on YouTube and and I love this because it's true Uh, what do we agree on we agree? But there's one god all powerful all knowing and merciful God has revealed messages through the prophets we agree with that That Jesus was born of a virgin and that he performed miracles and that he is the Messiah or the maddie agree now whether we disagree We believe that God is our father, but the Quran says that Allah is father to no one That's that's like a big deal Um, Jesus being God No, he's they don't believe that they believe Jesus is only a prophet prophet they reject the Trinity They reject the inspiration of the New Testament The infallibility of the Bible. They said the Bible is fallible. Our law doesn't love the sinful

He doesn't love the sinful So hold on, but that can't be Yahweh Because my Bible says That Yahweh demonstrated his own love for us And while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Can you imagine living not knowing whether or not God loves you Also, you have to work your way to salvation Can you imagine the weight of not knowing whether God loves you and whether or not you will ever spend eternity with him and that it's on you To make that happen if the man I would I would live a miserable life But I've got a god that understands what I need I got a god that is so merciful a god That's so kind of a god that's so gracious that he came from heaven there for my behalf And he went into a tomb Well, I think I don't know that cross and then he got up on the third day with all power in his hand And if I put my faith in him I righteousness

So all religions are not fundamentally the same There are differences If any So we we have to we have to recognize that. He says what portion? Uh, do we have with that and so so we talk about Um, this when it's all about what portion do we have um What agreement does Christ have with Billy or all what does the believer have in common with the unbeliever and agreement does The temple of god with the temple of idols right and so this disclaimer This doesn't mean don't build a relationship with lost people This doesn't mean don't enjoy gods creation. This doesn't mean become a hermit

Don't mean be at church gatherings every all the time it means to be influenced by godly influences next point and I'm done Put yourself in a position To be nourished by Christian community. This is dope Put yourself in a position to be nourished by Christian community And what agreement does the temple of god have with idols for we are the temple of the living god the unified people of god We are the full temple of god and so in light of that in light of that reality of us being the temple of god This is the situation he puts me in us in verse 17. Therefore come out from among them And be separate says the lord and do not touch anything on any unclean thing and I will be welcome you He says and I will be there. It is a father to you. I love it And you will be sons and daughters to me know what's crazy about this this this imputed in here is the adoption of adoption Somebody say adoption Have now now the adoption of adoption rumours talks a lot about it. What's powerful about adoption in and god uses this Cultural illustration from their day to illustrate our relationship with him today So in their day you could disown your children you could your blood children you could disown them But if you adopted a child you could never disown them Be the adoption was always permanent no matter what the child did You had to remain with that child. So god uses that illustration to help them to understand how Unbreakable our relationship is within him with him. That's what I love about this god Is he knew he had to do the whole thing to get us in community with him and help us to be in community with one another And so he gives his promises here he he he says So then and I'm done he says so then dear friends since we have these promises Let us cleanse our cell see This is what stope about God the gospel goes before your work Notice that he says so since we have this promise what's the promise that you have an unbreakable relationship with god meaning you Meaning cleansing yourself from every impurity of the flesh and spirit bringing holiness to completion if you're the Lord Isn't a prerequisite for god's commitment? I got knocks my socks off every single time that it's because he's already given us the promises that we respond To him listen by cleansing ourselves of unperity. What's the impurity in this passage? Things that are not proper world views that help us to be in the right community to build our thinking properly Around the things of god. I love this. He says bringing holiness To completion and fear god what is fear god fear god is For god is the is to is to take god seriously Take him seriously I'm we're in a day where many people don't take god seriously But we should be the people who take God Seriously Let's pray Most high god Wonderful is your name um I thank you That you are the true in living god

That you died on the cross where I sin got up from the grave Jesus just for us

Hello, this is dr. Eric Mason founder of passive epiphanie fellowship. Thank you for tuning in today Hopefully the word of god was a blessing to you also if you want to help us build the kingdom from Philly and beyond particularly in the cities partner with us today and if you don't know Jesus to save you Based on his death bearing a resurrection place your confidence in them and go for spiritual death the spiritual life To the next time so we can see you go for spiritual infancy the spiritual maturity god bless you take care we love