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here Well, brother, what's your Jessie? So so this is a little different. This is way different. This is a little different now, it's not good. It's not different in the sense that you and I are talking right talk for a long time. We talk all the time. It's not it's not different in the sense. They were talking for the camera. No either one. It's normal for us.

It's normal for us. It's not normal is what we're doing right now, right exactly. What are we doing? We are here's what we're doing. Okay, we're gonna in July we're gonna do this four weeks series called here's the mic. Okay, and what we're trying to do is this We want to dig in and and talk about what questions and what tensions are kind of happening in our little Iowa. Yeah, and then help people navigate it understand a little bit more and navigate a little bit more right? That's what we're doing. Here's the mic so we got kind of a fun alignment. It's gonna be good plan. So you and I this week one kind of like an overview why don't even do this. Okay? Yeah, but the next week next week, I'm interviewing.

This is gonna be cool. I'm interviewing a buddy of mine who runs a Local Tavern And he's not a Christian. Yeah, he's he's a good one. Yeah, so we have a very authentic we're gonna have a very authentic conversation. Yeah and help people get inside the mind of their little Iowa, right your friend's neighbors co-workers relatives, right? The the people at the coffee shops people the game, you know, you're little Iowa get it, right? What are they? What are they?

What are they saying? What are they thinking? Okay, so that's that's week two week three is me. I'm gonna grab another pastor friend of mine Pastor Q. Hope so yeah good and he and I so hope city is a multi-ethnic church. In fact, like when we were doing a Waterloo campus we merged our Waterloo Channels with them. Yeah, just because we thought like wow, they're just way better position to reach A different part of our city, right? But anyways as a multi-ethnic church pastor, I thought man it would be great to talk to him about what are some of those things that are really hard to talk about in church. Yeah, maybe maybe things that the rest of the world talks a lot about the people that you and I are maybe in relationship talk a lot about varying opinions, right? I'm sure but like we just can't talk about it. And why is that? Yeah, and we are actually pretty good at it. Yeah, but we we want to continue to do that. Yeah, we want to get better at it and right and q's been a friend of ours and we consider them partner and Minister really so that's gonna be cool for sure week four Pastor chip is gonna interview somebody that recently stepped over the faith line. Yeah, and and what he wants to do is dig it on their Journey. Like what was it? Like what what spoke to you what to speak to you? What did you feel here smell and think you know, okay and and get that perspective. Yeah, because that's our goal.

People find Jesus step over the fake line it is because one of the coolest things about our church is we've got at people every single weekend who are outside of the family of God, right? They haven't stepped across the faith line yet. They wouldn't say that they know Jesus or they're following them yet, but they're here they're with us. And so that weekend's gonna be what was it like to be a part of our church, but not yet. Not only yeah, right. Yeah, right, right and which is a good segue. I think into what you and I are talking about this week. Yeah. Yeah. It is one of the knocks that will get a lot of times is and we'll get them from sometimes long time like members or attendees or like people that were bought in you know, that the knock is something the effect of hey I just don't feel like our church is for me anymore, and maybe it's The teaching is, you know, two surface level or maybe we're not hard on sin and like we need to or just where where am I? Where do I fit? That's it.

And and we've got it kind of a standard answer to that. Right? You've got kind of a standard response to that absolutely too. There's there's several things that I say to them and here's what I usually start with as is tell me what you mean by that. Yeah, and then I'm gonna say this Tell me about your neighbors. I want their first names and I want to know what they're going through. They don't know Jesus yet.

Tell me about the Knuckleheads in your life that you're investing in. Yep. Because if they don't have Jesus they miss him for eternity right tell me about the people in in your little Iowa who aren't there yet that you've been inviting and bringing on your arms because what we consistently see Jesse is is when people say oh it's just not for me or I'm bored or it's not deep enough or whatever. We usually find is is um, they are primarily starting to look inward.

They're primarily worried more about them than they are about right who's not in yet. Right. So let's let's use that example as a jumping off. Okay? Okay our church isn't it's just use that. Okay, okay. That makes I think some assumptions about even biblically. Oh, yeah, what the church is? Yeah just random here and it's just a shoot from the hip here. No. No, so we're gonna say things like our churches for people. We're trying to reach or we got a bunch of messy people here and we'll say that no matter. Yeah, no matter where are no matter Church. Yeah, no matter who you are already been what you've done what's been done to you God loves you and you can go on the journey here. You can go on the journey. You can look for God here. So we say that every weekend and we say that because we know we design our church for that reason. Yeah, but a lot of our folks I think here that and they go like yeah, I agree but that's not really me anymore. It's not anymore. That's not my church or it's not the church I want right I would go. Okay. Well, what's the church then? Yeah. What's the church then? Yeah, so there's some really compelling things. I think. All right one is even just like the Biblical word of church.

That word mean. Yeah, right so so, okay. So the Greek nerdy. There you go. Here we go. I had to validate my student loan that go that's right. I have to hey it was worth it. Well, let's hope so. Um, it's a crazy. That's what the word is. Okay. And EC is is out of you know, we were talking about Exodus right? We're in Exodus series X same thing. Yeah out of God's got strongest people out of all this words the same thing. It kind of means called out. But before it's a spiritual term, it's actually like a Greco-Roman the Romans it's just an assembly so think about like a city hall meeting. Yeah gather together or a voting booth. Yeah. I mean it's it's your called out because you're gonna participate in the group, right? And this is this is a term that Paul then commandeers and he makes it mean something a little bit different in the context of the family of God, but at the at the highest level, okay, right at the highest level, it's just an assembly. Yeah. It's just a gathering. The question we have is who's a part of that Gathering and this is before and this is where it starts to go. This is where it gets South. Yes and gets a little messy. Yes for some people this is really worth some of the disconnect. It's in when we get to this spot. Yes, who's it for Yes, actually, you know, okay Acts 2, what's happening? Well, that's the that's the the Holy Spirit coming and 3000 are are added to the number and you know, they're in community and they're breaking bread. It's this beautiful picture. But listen, You've got people right who are believers. They're breaking bread. They're in community. They stepped across that line. They're the flock. They're the family their God's people already and You have three thousand added to their number. That's what that say.

They're a whole bunch of people who weren't in yet. Who were there? That's a part of the assembly. Yeah, exactly. That's 17 x 17 is another one Paul's going to Temple or he's going to Temple he's going to synagogues. He's going to assemblies Greek assemblies. And there's this mix of Jews and Jewish Christians and and Greco-Roman philosophers and they're just all the disassembly and he's preaching the gospel. Right and the same thing happens, but here's the one that's just the craziest. I think okay First Corinthians 14, so Paul saying quit being so like crazy in the sense of not not charismatic gifts. Okay, right in the sense of hey the if you start doing things first Corinthians 14 if you start doing things and there's an unbeliever.

In your assembly in your gathering in your midst. They will have no idea what's going on. Yeah, right. So he's careful to give them this direction First Corinthians 14. You have to design your Gatherings with the I don't know anything person in mind.

Yeah. Okay. So here let's let's go a little bit of a history story time. Okay. All right, and you're I don't know I deliberately did not say I wanted to share this thing fire up man. Let's go. Let's go like real time reaction. Right. Do you remember the time we designed a service? It was actually about this time of year summer.

And we were trying to do some of the same things. It's like 10 years ago. Oh, yeah, but we designed a moment. It was an opener where we were trying to like Stoke this. Hay let's let's do something that you know people who may not know Jesus we could relate to you inside the church, right? And we did Guitar Hero. Yeah. I do remember that. I do remember the I remember the Fallout from that's what I remember. Could you just diplomatically? Yeah capture what that was like, yeah. It was basically this shouldn't be in the church and this is wrong and what what did this accomplish? Yes, and and that statement is really telling right? Because when when someone says this shouldn't be in the church. They're making a statement about what the church is and what the church isn't right.

And I would argue that that statement of this shouldn't be in the church if we're talking about something. That's not since it's not simple, right? That doesn't have a place. Yeah, we're yeah don't go to the things free but things that are secular or things that are like whatever if you say that those things don't belong I go like no, I don't agree with you even biblically right? I don't agree with you because of what we're just sharing here, right? So I think that's important. Yeah, no matter Church where no matter Church. Let's make sure we understand.

Church part of that statement first well and remember part of that series that we were doing then too was I was doing videos at different. Oh, yeah, Fairgrounds and baseball stadiums other things where people are gonna gather and yeah and that this is where we need to be this summer. That's right. This is who we're reaching. I think you even said, I think you even said let's maybe have a beer.

Yeah or something like yeah and that but that was it was also like that was just the straw that broke the camel's back for some of her some of our very long time and good people dedicated really good. Yes, that's right, but that's right. But this what we're demonstrating is there is this yes this tension and Jesse, you know, really really good job on this like Ecclesia and then digging in on on this idea of this Gathering but but really worth this this the heart of this though the heart of this caring about people who aren't there yet is is the Heart of Jesus just to be super crystal clear.

Um, yeah, we're we're really clear on what sin isn't isn't. Yeah, we're really clear on the role of sin and how it impacts our relationship with God and the concepts of it. And and the reality that Jesus came for the sake of taking care of this and problem that we have the student away between us and God.

Yeah and the reality is Jesus didn't Oftentimes lead with that right and he didn't begin with that now he also said repent. I mean like again, right? We're not we're not trying to like me but not really no. No.

No, it's it is that but there's a priority here. There's an order in other words and so let's start with like the 12 disciples. Right? Did he go and this is like kind of a seminary trick question. Did you go and grab 12 believers?

No, no how because they couldn't have believed yet. Okay became Believers. Yes, they followed him. Yes, because they got it it their eyes open and their eyes opened and well, then there's that famous spot where Peter finally says you are the Christ the son. He goes you're right and now listen, let's talk about that too. Right because did he say that did he make that confession because Jesus says, Peter your Center and you need my cross which hasn't happened yet, right? No. No, why did Peter say that to Jesus? Well, Is because he saw who Jesus was and what Jesus did and what he did he fed he healed he spoke with authority. There was things that only Jesus could do. In fact, you could argue that it was most of his acts of healing feeding service. Those are the things in addition to his authority in the words that he spoke that said this guy is really the son of God and I think once Peter then believed that And the repentance started to come again. And again it was they heard. Yes, and they were amazed they saw yes, and they were bewildered right again. And again, that's right and people came to him. Yep, not so much with a spiritual need but it was a physical need. Yeah, or it was an emotional need. Yeah a mental need. Yeah or a family. That's right mother daughter's dying. That's right. I'm I'm I can't see these encounters were mostly felt need. Yeah.

Encounters and the felt need led to a confession because listen the only person who could do this for me right has to be the Son of God and that leads to repent. Yes. Paul talks about it in Romans. Don't forget it's kindness that leads to repentance right? It's what God does for us first that leads us to this like I'm a sinner. What was me? Yeah. I need you so I get it. So I Surrender Baseline, but that's what we say. No matter. Yeah, like that's where we start with no matter these the people we're going I'm going after these are people I'm I'm saving, in fact some people you can take this to be like, oh, yeah. Jesus was with the people who needed him. Yes so much. Yes it in fact and it's Matthew 11 so much that he was accused of being a trucker drunkard and a glutton. Yeah, and they tried to use that against him like you you're with these people too much and it's a little bit like our being accused of like, oh perfect.

take anyone and we like Uh, yes, we will. Yes. That's that's a you want to Pat me on the back of that ever a Pat in the back. It's we will absolutely that's right. Absolutely. Yeah, right, but that's Jesus. Right we and we that's the Jesus we know and and Jesse, I think this is where some of the tension comes in.

When you forget what you're saved from, that's right, and we forget where you were. Okay when you forget where you were. That's that's when the tension starts to happen with the with church like yeah, this is why I don't know. That's why Jesus with those 12 guys. What does he do? Does? He just say? Hey, let's set up a weekly Bible study. Yeah.

Well, we're gonna get together and we're gonna go over the word and I'm gonna tell you and certainly there was that element absolutely right spiritual teaching Jesus invitation is just like okay away learn from me my yokozies in my burden is light, but then what did he do? Yeah. Go go heal the sick, you know cast out demons. No spread the good news, like he sent them out and part of the reason he sends them out is so they have this reminder.

It ain't about you. Yeah. Okay, I've given you something that is so precious. But I'm giving it to you so that you might share it with the world and when we are out of that Rhythm. Yeah, what do we do what we make it it's all about me, you know, so the last thing I want to say maybe even biblically about this no this idea of being a no matter Church, okay.

And this is this is the passage I go back to all the time Matthew 21. Mmm. Jesus is in the temple. This is right before he goes to the cross and tensions are super high right super high. And he goes in the temple and he flips these tables over. Yeah.

And it's one of the most maybe misinterpreted passages scripture, but he quotes from Daniel. Yeah, and what's happening in Daniel? And really the entire Old Testament is this God is so sick. of a church That does not make its primary Mission putting him on display to a watching world. Yeah.

He's so sick of it and this is happening when Jesus and the Jesus was sick of it too and he knew exactly what he was doing. He flips these tables over. He goes my house should be should be called a house of prayer and you've made it into a what a den of the robber. That's right. And because what's happening is this church at the time God's church was robbing the world.

Of a picture of who he was they were making it hard. That's right people to come right Jesus. It's the acts argument. Yes. Don't make it hard for people to come to Jesus don't want Jesus to walk into the doors pray Lakes church and start flipping over tables, right?

Because we've made it hard for people who are just looking for him to see him because what because we like the Deep teacher because we like this or you got to dress this way. You're gonna what no, no, no, none of that none of that, right? Okay. Yeah, and I would I would Just going to wrap this part up and here's here's what I would wrap this part up with Jesse.

If you're in danger if there's somebody that's kind of in danger of of slipping the mission I'm begging people. I'm bagging people. Act like Jesus did yeah. Be concerned about the one that's not in and you're and your little Iowa your friends your neighbors your core at that the place that your planted.

Know their names. Yeah be on Mission every single day. Yeah, and here's what we've discovered. You'll never really get Prairie Lakes. You'll never really get why this is so important to us until you walk in. with the D churched disconnected friend. Yes on your arm. Yep, and then you go.

Oh, I'm so glad we're like this. Yeah. Oh, I'm so glad yep and I can tell you Jesse after 24 years. Story after story after story after Story of of people who who brought their friend. Yep, and they were so glad yep that we were a place they could come in and go on the journey. Yeah and understand what we're doing and understand what we're saying and and a place where they could take steps without being looked down upon. So, okay, so that statement you made there which I think is segue into our next is you aren't gonna get our church.

Unless you've got someone on your yeah disconnected D Church person. That's right. That's our walk-in. They're gonna be looking for God. Yeah, and they're gonna see him on display. Yeah, so we would we would maybe build off of that statement by saying this, you know, the deepest thing. Yeah that you can really do in your in your face in your walk with God. The deepest thing you can do is obey yeah be obedient is to actually do the things that God and his son. Jesus have told us to do and the most important is what love God with all your heart. So my strength and the second is life here lay your neighbor as you sell.

That's right obedience and most of us myself included. Okay would say I got it. That's okay. I gotta get better at that. I got to get better at that because when like we've already established if we don't we're gonna miss out on what the church is and who our church is, right? So could you start just maybe priming the pump for us here in this area of like really taking steps of obedience, especially in our little island places people that were trying to reach. Yeah hundred percent.

And I think that's probably one of them in my opinion one of the most dangerous things confronting the Church and I think the church big but I think our church in particular. Um, we are all yes. Please know your Bible, please. Yes in the Bible say please study the word. Yes, please give God room. Please be quiet. It's why listen to his voice? We talk about rhythms. And and we have we have more smoking. Yes. Yes. Yes sermon based. Yes, but that without the obedient loving your neighbor and knowing your little eye and always always on Mission.

We are not going to reach out because we know more yeah, we're gonna reach out because we love more and we know because you're you're pretty extroverted. I'm not as much right. I'm a little bit more introverted than I am extroverted. So yours your way of doing that and I've been around you long enough to watch and like that. I don't I can't right away. We're different in that. Yeah. Yeah, but the end goal is really so the same exactly the same and you you there's a picture that you give I think is always so compelling because you kind of talk about you know, being the first call, right? Yeah. Could you explain like being in the first please? Yeah, here's here's one. Here's my picture for. Okay, let's let's just let's let's bring it really down home. Here's the picture from my house for my wife. And for me, here's a picture for my kids and a picture I want for my grandkids. Yeah, I want them. No one love Jesus. Yeah above. All right. No one love Jesus. Okay. Yep. Yep, absolutely and I want you to be living that out in your classroom and my grandkids first second and third grade classrooms. I want to be live. I want my kids to be living out in their jobs. I want my wife be living out in her world, and I want you to be living out Jesus.

And in loving your little Iowa so much so much. That when it starts to go south and somebody in your little eye was World they get the bad call from the doctor. Yeah, the spouse wants a divorce. Yeah, there's an affair their kids are going great. Their kids are the kids are out of control. Um, they get to find that they lose their job when it when it hits the fan in their life. Here's what here's my here's what I want. I want you to be the one they call. Yeah. I want you to be not the pastor right? I wanted to call you right because your boots on the ground Jesus. Yeah, and you've been living in front of them. Not as weirdo. No, right but as one coffee at a time one beer at a time on the back deck in the front lot at the game living in front of them. So they call you. I love that. That's it's really compelling picture and it's a nice corrective. I think to how we usually want to Define that I am in a season still where I've got relatively little kids. They're becoming less little. Yeah, but like she's gonna go into seventh grade. I was gonna go into fourth grade, right?

and so a lot of times I'll kind of Get into conversations with you know other families in the same season life at Prairie Lakes and and right. And sometimes the sentiment that comes up is like I agree with this in principle, but like our family is kind of our mission field right and go yes. Yes, right.

So so how's that usually practically look well for us. It looks like you know getting into the word or get into a store you're praying with them every single night. We still do that. Okay, it looks like getting in the church every single weekend, but only dad like Jude's old enough to like serve so he serves when we get a month and kid Venture along with my wife, right but that's church is a huge part of it getting him into like family ministry programming environments. You does mid Ellie does kid Venture, right? All of these things spiritual conversations that we're gonna have intentionally as a let them see you let them see you interactive your friends. Well, so let me just get that right. So that's a huge component. And those are all usually intuitive when it comes like right in the mission field, right? Here's what sometimes is missing.

Jude who in your class do we need to pray for? Yeah, Jude, who's a hard to love? Yeah, right. Ellie talked to me about some of your relationships but man they've got to figure that and they've got to watch me do it to they got to watch me go over to my neighbor. Like I watched me walk across the street. They gotta watch who were in relationship with and because modeling discipleship means modeling obedience in that area. It's also biblical. Yeah. It's also biblical. Yeah, Jesus says whoever wants to follow me must pick up the cross take up their cross deny themselves take up. No, no take the cross. And yeah, follow me all of me. It's it's always it's not me, right.

The people were trying to reach. Yeah. Yes really is that's what it is. The greatest gifts we can give our kids is this understanding of who Jesus of course and and knowing and loving Jesus. That's that's the best. And if we can model and make sure they know.

They're they're mission is always in front of them. Yep doing what Jesus did yep doing? What Jesus did in his name in his power? Yeah. Yeah, so, okay. So let's kind of maybe wrap some of the stuff up here. So just in summary. we've been talking about the last several minutes really is like if you live this thing out.

In your little Iowa with the people that God's calling you to live like you're gonna understand much better. Yeah why we do what we do at this church, right? Here's the here's the the truth about this no matter mission. It is always gonna be messy. Yes. It's just it's hard and it's messy listen it is.

And and while we have while we have really clear doctrine that we believe theology that we just will stand on. We'll take a bullet for what we know is man in this real world that we live in it's just gonna be messy when we try to live this Jesus out and we try to Love Like Jesus love and we try to we try to help people.

sit and even walk along before they belong right or belong before they believe even yeah, it's messy and and and I'm At Prairie Lakes. If you're gonna be a part of our Lakes, you got to know you're gonna Embrace that mess you gotta embrace the mess man. He just do it's gonna be messy and you just look at the life of Jesus. Oh man. They turn the corner. Oh, that's a mess. They turn the corner somebody challenging him. He turned Corner. They go what Jesus fixed this one for me.

Right? Right and I would argue that that that truth right? There is more than just a pastor John truism. Yeah, I would also argue that that's thoroughly biblical. Yeah, you know acts 15. Yeah tells the story of Paul and he is going on missionary Journeys all over the place and his missionary Journeys is not to the Jewish.

Churched people his journey is to First of them and then he goes to these non-belief ingredients. And what happens is this God starts messing with some messy Greek people. Oh, yeah, they were Okay, super messy. He starts doing that and they respond.

And then Paul comes back and he goes they're responding and the Jewish Christians are like mmm and circumcised. Yeah, they got they got to do this. They gotta do this first to be this first before God and and then eventually after this, you know very I'm sure Lively debate. Oh, yeah James.

Half-brother of Jesus who's a leader now in the church James goes from telling Jesus. He's crazy person in the gospels calling his brother nuts. Yeah to like no, he's a confessing Christian. Yeah follower of his I was related rather the yeah, literally the Messiah. Yeah. He's my brother James gets up, right and you can imagine his words have some Authority. Yeah, and he goes listen.

We're not going to make it hard. Yeah for those people to respond. Yeah, we're not. And so let's just make sure they avoid sexual immorality. They avoid idolatry still clear on what's still clear on what sand is still sin, but he goes everything else. Yeah. Secondary. Yeah, embrace the mess. Yeah, because because why because this is what God is doing in the lives of these people. Yeah, and we're watching we're watching. I'm just this is kind of I mean we're watching Transgender people respond to Jesus. We watch gay people respond to Jesus just like we watched divorce people respond to Jesus alcoholics respond to Jesus.

Yeah, I respond I respond. Yeah. I'm no better. No different. Yeah, right doesn't mean we change your minds about these things, but we have to kind of go like Boy, if God is reaching these people and they're responding 100% truth.

100% Grace we're gonna embrace the mess. We're gonna walk alongside of you. We do this. I mean like I'm still I still do weddings sometimes not as a frequently little similar to you most of the couples we get. Who say hey would you would a prelix church pastor? Marry me, you know what they are who they are.

Living together no having sex. No. I'm doing some things that we would are very clear. Like that's not that's outside of gods and we tell them picture and 100% telling the truth. And what else do we do when we get six shots at helping them find Jesus gone, right? And we do a wedding Forum that we honor Jesus and we hope that their family and friends and neighbors and coworkers and relatives here. We hope they hear and we leave that up to God together. That's right. Yeah, that's right.

It's messy that's messy but we're gonna do it. That's good matter. Yeah. So listen, let me just say this to you. Okay, before we before we end I'm really grateful. Not only just for our church. I'm grateful for how you've let us in this. I think it's very unique.

I don't think it's so unique that we're the only one who does it right? But I do think it bucks the trend and I am really grateful for that. I'm grateful to be a part of a church alongside of you underneath you you at the home where this is who we are and this is where we're going and I've watched us.

In 1999 do it. I watched Us in 2005 do it. I watched Us in 2010. We went multi-site do it. I washed this do this to the Waterloo campus. I watched us to do this to the pandemic. And I'm watching us do it again. Yeah, and so I just I just damn I'm really grateful. Yeah, well Praise God. Yep, praise God and and it's good to be a part of a team. Yeah, where we all line up and say let's go.