Common Ground

everybody say small talk what a small talk like this small words hey hmm yo so alright is that small talk what small talk chitchat what's that mean just you don't have to really spend a lot of effort energy right it's just kind of just basic news how many here understand that small talk is good sometimes why cuz you don't have to think right what do you do when somebody comes up to you and says I have a question what do you do you go oh or you're like okay what is it in the Bible there's 66 books and what I'm wondering is is what exactly was the ink type that they use of course they were not been studying this when wondering I just want your opinion huh or they may just say have you tried the new coffee at McDonald's you don't know what they're gonna ask so you begin to fabricate unless you know them or whatever and you kind of have that relationship with them is that is that a really silly explanation of small talk it it depends on what the person's motive is it depends on how they want to interact tonight we're going to talk about some of that because sometimes small talk can lead to big opportunities all right what we've been to talking about over the last several months if if you get some of you can remember it is we've talked about our purpose we've talked about how that we find our place in the body how that we are vessels in the hands of the master we all have our place in the kingdom we've talked about disciple-making we went through brother Gleeson sessions great sessions on how to just just help people find Jesus and develop a relationship with him and how to make disciples of men and last week does anybody remember what we talked about yeah we talked about how to work in a nursery now that was at the other end of the hall in here we did we actually went through lesson one of a Bible study just to kind of show some examples of how to do a home Bible study it's not SuperDuper hard it's just I wanted to identify with you guys the the how simple it can be how prepared you can be for it and how that you can actually make a difference in someone's life by simply teaching them the Bible I believe the Bible is a good book to learn do you now not all of us understand not all of us in here have a pulpit ministry what does that mean not all of us stand behind this to preach or to teach or to whatever right not all of us have a sunday-school teacher if you will ministry now all of us can sing or play an instrument and some of us don't need to but we can all do something can all be involved in the kingdom say I am a part of the kingdom to help with this process I want to do something tonight I hope you guys will stay with me for just a little while I'd like for us all to stand if we could you remember when you were a kid the old saying or the old game that used to play went when you when you were trying to get somebody off the floor you would tell them that's what floors what floors lava what does that mean if I said right now the floor is lava what would you do you could just melt you just I don't even know who finally I'm out I was hardly game I ever played you didn't do nothing I don't know thank goodness or what was the one there's a sharks sharks shark what sharks and minnows well okay so if I said there's sharks it's down there what would you do get on your chair okay this is what we're gonna do tonight we're gonna play duck-duck-goose no we're not trying to get everybody included here this middle aisle right here this middle aisle it's gonna be a common ground everybody look at the middle aisle it's five feet wide I've measured it okay front to back it's about 42 feet long there that's that's called common ground for tonight's demonstration this is common ground okay I want y'all to help me with this okay I'm gonna ask you or I'm gonna make a statement I want you to take the statement that I give you and you have to leave your ground and come to the common ground you have to leave your ground and come to the common ground and you have to discover what its statement I give you about someone else that's on the other ground okay stay with me for a little bit stay with me it's gonna be all right um question for everybody what is your favorite holiday and why is it your favorite holiday ready go out of your country into the common ground out of your country find somebody and ask them have that have that discussion I'll tell you when it's enough what is your favorite holiday and why is it your favorite holiday herb you're not getting out of here get out move well you got it yeah you gotta answer each other I want you to listen what is your favorite holiday and why is it your favorite holiday all right when you feel like you have the answer you can return to your to your country when you feel like you have the answer you can return to your country all right we still have some that are explaining it's fine okay everybody got it all right um testing who was who was the one you talked to that's on your country supposed to talk to the other country brother Duran who did you talk to her he's from this country all right herb what is Deron's favorite holiday Christmas why is that it's cold and family gets together what else do you say anything else about it Samuel who was from the other country says the Seth what was his favorite holiday Thanksgiving why is that the case food I've always said that's all we needed to say what'd he say oh so you don't how you don't want to repeat it I got you I got you all right you ready here we go listen to me carefully here's the question what is the coolest place that you have ever visited in your life hang on what is the coolest place that you have ever visited in your life this country get out this country get out and find somebody else from the other country what is the coolest place you have ever visited in your life what is the coolest place you've ever visited in your life the coolest place you've ever visited in your life make sure you get both sides and when you feel like you have it you go back to your country who alright we got it be good all right Robbie who was on your other country that you talked to herb again all right well what what is the coolest place that herb has ever visited kings i why did he say did he explain it or anything rides were cool anything else okay Kings Island cool rides that's what you got herb what about Robbie Rome Italy okay did she say why that's all that all she said about it okay so Rome Italy or Italy Italy well while ago we had Kremlin so I was just wondering right okay and it's because there's history very good chest knee did you speak to another country person okay who did you speak to Lauren Lauren he spoke to her Lauren what is the coolest place that Chase has ever visited st. Augustine Beach she say why history and the beach combined beautifully anything else about it but all you got okay what about Lauren the Masai tribe in Kenya Africa the only thing in common that she had with them as they were human well that's cuz there's this tall right Lauren sorry should have been the peak and I'm joking all right uh wait me who did you talk to from the other country izakaya okay Sakaya what is the coolest place that she's ever been staying why what I mean is she say anything about it oldest place in America's she say anything else that's about it what about sakai what's her coolest place she's ever visited splashpad universe why did she say what else you say about it so we know it was water is somewhere someplace wonderful good good good all right you ready for it one more guys now stay with me this is a I'm on a track believe it or not you like this one hey you ready this country in this countries don't forget okay where is your least favorite restaurant we're not what but where is your least favorite restaurant all right this country come to the center ground this country to the center ground find somebody else where is your least favorite restaurant find someone else come on everybody needs to ask somebody please just where is your least favorite restaurant there's an inside joke to that cuz of Ronnie where is your least favorite restaurant all right when you feel like you have their response you're welcome to return to your chair to your country all right so the middle here is common ground you just left your comfort zone of your chair in your country and you travel to common ground and you met somebody from another country in the common ground what is your least favorite restaurant Ross who did you talk to Doron from the other country Doron what is Ross's least favorite restaurant where his Deron's least favorite restaurant mild North he did elaborate or give me Norton news yeah you didn't want to use I gotcha case it incriminates him I catch sister sister Eunice who'd you talk to from the other country Samuel what is sister Eunice's where is her least favorite restaurant Panera and Ringo does she say why I'll do it every time on it sister Eunice what was his least where was his least favorite restaurant then he say why food poisoning well that'll mess you up I know it with me got to make sure the cat what okay you can't say that all right thank you all so much you can be seated well we're going to continue our conversation here's here's a question for you or here let's call it a situation that may it may mean a little more to you your son or your daughter plays soccer on a team on that soccer team there's about fourteen or fifteen other kids okay now during the soccer games and even the practices of the soccer game I'm using this as the scenario a lot of the parents will come out to the games just support their children and so you get to see them quite regularly because they have a soccer game or a soccer match if you will about once a week sometimes twice sometimes long days and whatnot in that scenario okay are you with me in that scenario how is that scenario putting you into a position that you can come from your country to a common ground and have something in common with them how does that scenario do that kids are playing same team what else you sit beside each other you share stories you scream to the top of your lungs you try to out scream them okay what else the shoes that they're wearing yeah you may know how much soccer she has cost yeah we knew about that with our son anybody else what how does that scenario put you in a perfect position to talk to somebody else on common ground that's right the bleachers if you will the the sidelines if you will becomes a place that it's not your space nor theirs it's an area that you have to force yourself make yourself to do what share talk communicate alright stay with me what do you say then to that other person on that common ground how does your conversation go with them chit chat what is small talk in that environment what is small talk whether yeah I mean one time I went to watching my son play soccer was in Atlanta Georgia oh I don't remember all these details I got out there to watch his match at 7:30 in the morning they were the first match on the pitch and I sat in my chair with my sleeping bag I climbed inside of it and sat in the chair you know why it was 24 degrees outside and I wasn't running up and down the field I was sitting there with my big old thermos of coffee so guess who I talked to that day nobody run run faster run run run okay don't run that's what I did hurt two hours man I'm like I'm such a good father I'm probably the best dad on this whole place yeah I said thank you laughing will you you know what everybody every other parent I didn't see another sleeping bag in the whole place here's all the other dads and I'm sitting there I was afraid get up and go to the restroom because something steal my bag anyway this is my point there's a common ground in that scenario you're out of your place they're out of theirs but it is a perfect environment to begin to talk stay with me here's another one this one happened recently that's why I wrote it down here your spouse is invited along with your whole family to go to a company picnic now many of the co-workers and the people that are in their families they come and they enjoy themselves and they hang out for a few hours on a Saturday at the company picnic one of the other employees or one of their family members maybe they asked if their family can sit down with you because they need a place to sit down and eat can this common ground lead to a conversation and what would the conversation be what did you get to eat someone else yummy cheeseburger what else who are you where you're from why you sitting next to me no don't act well what else well what else would you do stay honest we're on the track tonight what else would you do yeah I didn't hear a lot of stock talk going on there was some there was a whole lot of talk about the rain cuz it was a torrential down on some season just swept in and everything that could be rained down we did the whole world just fell yeah we were dying out there anyway can that lead to conversations the reason that I'm bringing this to you tonight listen to me carefully please I don't know if you were involved in the common ground conversation or if you've backed up and looked around to see what was happening but just out of simple situations or scenarios that I present it to you some of you no doubt thought well this is silly others have you thought I can answer this quickly I don't like that place so there but I saw many of you laughing enjoying the interaction everything that we have talked about over the last two and a half months has been that that common ground many times as humans allow me to say as apostolic humans we get afraid of the common ground when when I'm up here last week explaining or trying to express to you how to teach a home Bible study I already know that there were several of you that are very uncomfortable with that you would probably do it if pastor asked you to you would probably get involved if it was somebody he knew but what if it were somebody that were desperately hungry and just wanted to know about God all of a sudden the common ground becomes a little shaky why why you don't really know him so you don't really know the common ground see with church folk it's easy to come across here and talk but somebody that you don't know for an example sitting at the soccer field you may have known the parent or two I was always the loud parent with the loud whistle I could whistle from the stands anywhere in the stands and 18 miles away my son or my daughter would hear it and go alright that was me and it would figure out very quickly herb they shouldn't that's not there well then once I figured out it aggravated them I got something they don't got I got something they don't I'm not gonna do it if they go boom those look just scare me to death otherwise I think doing that just so loud I'm up here's my point again well we've been talking about for the last six to eight nine ten weeks guys is our responsibility to let people know about the Lord and so many times we want to overcomplicate it so many times we're afraid that we may be uncomfortable I have the same issues as you do we may not know what to say we may not have a response they may think I'm weird I might not have anything in common with him I might not know them at all and I'm gonna find it very difficult to strike up a conversation with them but as simple as it was listen carefully as simple as it was just a few moments ago for you to ask somebody what's the coolest place you've ever visited and then them to respond to you that's as easy as it gets again you're not asking them for their family history well maybe you are if you're at a family history buff weekend you're not asking them about what's their favorite restaurant well maybe you are because you're trying to get a better place to eat than the one over at Golden Corral or whatever it is the point I'm simply making to you is this when it comes to simply walking across the comp to the common ground and simply saying hello just hello how are you okay would you guys indulge me for one moment would you say that with me ready hello great let's do it again hello see how simple that was did you say it was it difficult hello my name is you fill in the blank hello my name is now I know you're looking at me and I realize this is his basic as it gets but I simply want to let you know something friends what your life represents who you are inside of you you have something that you can connect with someone else about could it be that somebody in this world that is weighed long-drawn-out there they are falling they have fell they are in trouble their finances are a mess they've got drug issues or they've got family issues it could be they haven't even been home for weeks because they don't know what to expect when they get there could it be their life as a mess and the only thing they need for that moment for God to tear down a barrier is a simple hello my name is Raymond what church would that change anything one of one of the latest things I tell you guys it's a lot but one of the things that that I do a lot to folk specially at stores and restaurants where they have a name badge as I use the name badge on them you may go out to eat with me you'll see one of the first things I say when the waitress or waiter comes the tables what what's your name why do I say that what's the second thing I say I'm glad you're here today because if you weren't here I would starve to death I gave them full responsibility for me because I don't know there's 600 different waitresses or waiters to wait on me as far as I'm concerned they're the best one then they're waiting on me are you with me now I may or may not ever get to it really deep theological conversation with them but I'm here to tell you as they may here ever waited tables and loved it until that one person or that one family I read an article this week of this family they were very very disgruntled because they went to a restaurant to eat and they were offended emails read this article because on the receipt when they got the receipt back to pay the bill in the description line at the top for the person waiting on him to keep up with what they were ordering she put old people they were in their 70s and they're like who's she calling old on my whoa you're 70 why are you all mad but they did it's a big article they wrote it up in the paper now you can go on and watch it though old people you know it's kind of like when we go somewhere and they want to give me the discount the senior discount I didn't want y'all to know y'all listen to him carefully I want y'all to know I ain't offended at all 10% you better know it tax no my wife on the other hand she's all mad he ain't giving me that discount give it to me ain't got oh well I might be well when I'm making listen to me carefully please I'm telling you humans are humans and if God has changed your life and God has put joy that is unspeakable and full of glory he is simply waiting on you to become light in a dark room salt in a place that has adds flavour to where it needs to be I want to show you something believe it or not we got a Bible verse for tonight you ready for it it's in Colossians chapter 3 well we've been talking about over the last bunch of weeks is there something about a child of God I'll ask you this question what product are you trying to sell somebody when it comes to the church when it comes to the things of God what product are you trying to sell them anybody you're not selling them a product you're not twisting their arm to buy Amway or Tris twisting their arm to buy something you're simply doing what you're telling them the greatest story that's ever been written you're describing to them things that are heavenly and it's just simply mentioning those things God can begin a work in their life Colossians chapter 3 verse number 12 Josh if you'll help me somebody read Colossians 3 and 12 please okay it says here to put on bowels of mercy kindness humbleness of mind meekness and long-suffering what is bowels of mercy the what thoughts yeah what are the bowels of a person that you're inside that your innermost come on the only translation they can come up with instead of saying spirit was what all is inside of you and you need to put on therefore what's inside of you put on mercy put on kindness put on humbleness of mind put on meekness and long-suffering say with me forbearing one another and forgiving one another If any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you what's it say so also do ye somebody read verse 14 for me charity another word for charity put on love that is the bond of what perfectness do you realize that when you love somebody there is something there that is exactly right perfectness so when you open when you allowed the inside of your thoughts your emotions your feelings your love your all of that when you allow that to touch somebody's life gets what's happening God is working in them and you 15 somebody what's it say sixteen let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in what all wisdom teaching admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord and what is verse 17 this is the one everybody knows what 17 let's all read this out loud together you ready and whatsoever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus doing what giving thanks to God and the Father by him this whole writing here to the church was saying to them there are things that you can interject into someone's life and if you'll open up your insight if you open up your thoughts and your your development inside of you and how you're growing and how you're you're becoming in a mature sight you're able to grow into mature as you begin to open that you know what somebody just needs kindness you're gonna come across somebody this week before this weekend you're gonna come across at least one or two possibly 15 maybe people all they need is a word of kindness their lives are falling apart situations are very very drastic and bad and they need somebody to be kind to them do you realize that what you're doing if you do it in word or in an action or a deed how do you do it as what as unto the Lord so listen to me when you're sitting at your desk at work when you're standing on the line when you're in your vehicle whatever it is when you're a store doesn't matter what you're doing as big or small as it is you need to do it as if the Lord is standing there with you the reason that's so vitally important is when you get out of your comfort zone your country your place that you feel better because it's your seat that's where you got all your stuff and you get out of yours and somebody over here is getting out of their comfort zone whatever you come to a common ground you can open up and reveal to them the love of Christ what if in this common ground what if I were to put personal comments or questions wins one of the worst times in your life that that you felt abused or you felt neglected how easy would that be to answer when's the time in your life when you felt like taking your own life or you felt like that life was just bad and so you were ready to end it how difficult would that be anybody anybody care to go to the common ground and ask someone else that's a tough one you see and those are the ones were afraid of but you don't have to start that just the simple things man how was your weekend common ground I remember you guys were going out of town to visit your family this week and how'd that trip go you're not you're not you're just simply asking questions in the midst of opening up yourself to someone guess what can happen you do it unto the Lord God is sitting there saying I just needed somebody to begin this conversation I wanted somebody to show them kindness to let them know that that there's something out there that's bigger has anybody anybody ever offended you yeah I think we've probably all been offended haven't we how did you do with that offense do you get mad and stomp away you get upset it might be you're here tonight and you're still carrying that grudge years later could it be because you were offended see those are things that settle into us and when they settle into humanity there's no room for charity for love for kindness bitterness is a root that that grows and the only way to get bitterness out is to do what that's a physical you got to dig that thing out the reason that I'm touching that tonight is again for the last several weeks we've been talking about our purpose and and who we are what we're doing in God and as a church how we're gonna make followers of Christ we're not trying to save the world you can't do that but everything that can Dunnan you God has put that in you if you'll open up and just simply connect with someone in every situation in your life there's a common ground there is there's a common ground I use this scenario often how many here like salt like salt what do you do with salt you won't put on your french fries gotcha cuz their potatoes right you know all ten pounds of them well ma here like salt a lot of us right you take it's good on your food right how many want a mouthful of salt just drop it I mean like that none of us why cuz too much if something can be what nasty here's the point the letter to the church that was written was an admonition to them to have something inside of them that demonstrates what God is doing has done in their life and is doing in their life kindness humbleness of mind meekness it says long-suffering you know there's a lot of folk in this world that are making really big mistakes aren't they they just don't know they are so what do they need they need somebody to be long-suffering with them isn't that what you needed isn't that what you still need love the charity that you have for others whatever you do in your conversation and the efforts that you make in trying to help in words and in deeds and just trying to be there for somebody you do that all in the name of Jesus let me ask you a question if you get Jesus into any situation what happens what happens everything changes if you get Jesus into the circumstance if you we just get Jesus on the scene so if you do it all in the name of Jesus guess who's there what happens anything is possible anything the issue that we have to deal with many times in our self is are we willing to go to the common ground are we willing to go to a place that I leave mine I come here they've left theirs they come here and now we can communicate it doesn't have to be in-depth it doesn't have to be something that's very profound it simply just needs to be a way to connect with them what is something right now for an example tomorrow you show up at your office and there's co-workers there what is one thing that you can strike up a conversation with them about one thing anyone food why you talk about food what is something else you could talk about one that one thing that's common how was your day is that difficult do you really care you know Connor doesn't care but Connor wants to eat do you care about somebody's day why do you care because what you treat him like you want to be treated right McKay maybe you're not just need to have this conversation here's the point here's the point where the drawing can you come help his plan for our lives we've started this conversation way back the purpose that every one of us have to make disciples show somebody Jesus there there is a chair in this church that they can come to if they want to there's a place I hope and pray we'd have a parking spot out in the parking lot for them because we some of us could move our cars for them to come to now my question is this what barrier do you have to overcome for you to somehow connect with them on common ground for them to come and fall in love with Jesus it may not happen in a day it may not happen in a month it may take six months of simple just being nice to them just conversation with them but I'll ask it this way in the house of God where is the greatest common ground in the altar no big eyes and little use in the altar is where we can find everything we need again last week we talked how to sit down and talk to somebody about a Bible study just a chart just it's a process it's there's a thousand ways to do that but it's just it's a way and I tried to demonstrate in that that you don't have to be a theologian there are things that people simply want to hear and want to be heard that they want to know that their life is not so far out there that something good can't get to them they just are thankful that somebody's there teaching them teaching a Bible study right now to a couple they're just enveloped in it Horton's helping me it's the coolest thing to watch their eyes go hmm all right course they when they say uh uh flu point I'm making is this you don't have to be some big theologian some have a doctorate or a Bible School degree you just simply got to find a common ground begin to talk to so his plan is working in you as you go about your day as you live your life as you go to the soccer field as you go to the company picnic whatever God is putting you into a place where you can find common ground with somebody so my question is this if you had a chance and we had a suggestion box set up out in the entryway and there was something about cornerstone Apostolic Church your church family that you would change because it's just wrong what would you write what would be your biggest complaint what you say buddy nothing maybe you'd have a complaint and that's what's keeping you from simply reaching to somebody to try to get them here but if the Lord's here and you're here your family your friends are here this is the greatest place they could show up teaching the Bible said it their home they may have never ever walk in here but if you get in the word one day they'll find God someplace just getting the word in them purpose understanding that the church cannot be a refrigerator to keep a few good souls from spoiling it's got to be a place where the fire Holy Ghost and the power of God is working lives are being changed without question has anybody ever been healed in the power of the Holy Ghost yeah then somebody else can be healed has anybody ever gotten direction from God and the voice of God speak into your life sure anybody ever I I found my wife at a church now she may regret it but I don't first place we took our babies when we could get him out of the house was where to a church we dedicated him to God because I had to cuz I'm not good at this you know why letting them realize as they grow this church is the coolest thing we have we used to have some kids that thought that we all slept here this is where we lived because every time they came through the doors we was here and then they get mad why we got to go home they're all staying here I thought that was the coolest thing no I don't live here no no no why I won't leave at all y'all I'm joking the point I'm making is this or a family I would love to go to heaven one day with all of you I would love to walk on the streets of gold with all of you I'd love to see the New Jerusalem with all of you and people that you know and people that you fellowship with stand with me would you please purpose common ground will give you purpose there's somebody in your life over the last several weeks that God has been dealing with that you need to talk to you know who they are I've been putting it off you've been kind of waiting you've been dragging your feet on or maybe you've already started the conversation I want to challenge you find common ground to begin to communicate with them to see what God's plan is for their life if you know somebody you've been praying about somebody tonight right now as we go home I want you to pray for that person that family that that life right now come on lift your voice in your hands Lord you know who it is a co-worker Lord a family member a neighbor whoever it is god I'm praying Lord that you would open opportunities that you would open doors dear God of opportunity that we could go we can make a difference in people's lives well our purpose in this world in this present world is to be your hands and your feet Lord as you lead us and guide us into a common ground we can open up to others and love them and show mercy to them and long-suffering to them in the name of Jesus I plead your blood over the church I plead your blood over the family of God tonight lord help us Jesus to fall in love with you to know every day that we are following you help us Lord to make disciples of others in your name Jesus I plead your blood over every one that's here over every family God go with us as we go home we're gonna come back this weekend rejoicing in you loving serving and magnifying your name in the name of Jesus be glorified in all things Lord that we do in Word or in deed God we're doing it unto you in Jesus name we pray and everybody say me I love you all don't forget the announcements there's a ladies event on Saturday there's talent stuff got to be turned in on Sunday a lot of cool stuff going on love you shake hands and be friendly and I will see you guys this weekend