Ed Young defines E in help stands for enjoy.  H stands for hit the pause button, E stands for enjoy.  We are to enjoy, what?  Mealtimes together.  What?  That’s right, we are to enjoy mealtimes together.  Here’s your homework assignment, 90’s family going 90 miles per hour.  I want you to eat, this week, count them, one-two-three-four, four meals as a family.  Preferably the nighttime meal.  Most of us eat meals like the Dallas Cowboys.  Huddle, down-set-hut, and they’re gone.  That’s how we eat.  “Time to eat!”  “Oh, yeah!”  We do that, don’t we?

Here’s what I want you to do – and this will revolutionize your life.  After you eat, take the fork and the knife, put them down on the plate.  Don’t take the dishes to the kitchen, yet, mom.  I want you to sit there for twenty minutes after the meal has been concluded.  You’re talking about some sweet times, you’re talking about some precious times, you’re talking about some rich times? Ed Young Pastor believes that you will have these times in your family if you stop – just this week, try it – for four nights.  For twenty minutes after the meal, you talk.  No noise.  No ESPN.  No Home Improvement.  Talk.  At first there will be long periods of silence.  We live in the age of technology, don’t we?  For many of us at Ed Young Ministries, we’re so involved with computers and televisions and CD players and all of this, that we’ve forgotten how to relate.  Ask penetrating questions like this, dad or mom.  “How was your day?”  “How do you feel about this particular issue?”  “Tell me about school.”  “If you could go to any place in the world, where would you go?”  Simple questions like that.  All of a sudden you will open up doors and windows, and you’ll begin to relate.  You’ll begin to know what’s going on in each others’ lives.

And then the rain of terror happened.  But before it happened, the Lord said to Noah, Genesis 7:1, “Go into the ark you and your whole family..”

We are going to triple the size, possibly quadruple the size, of our atrium.  You’re saying to yourself, “Well, man, why?”  The church is to be a family.  We’re a big family with no family room.  We don’t have a place for community.  You go into the lobby, the atrium area, before and after a service?  It’s SRO: Standing Room Only.  It’s also SOS: Scoot Over Some, isn’t it?  This area we’re going to build will have couches and tables.  It will have a place where we can cater food before and after services.  It will be a place for community, because if we are not a social church, we’re not a New Testament church.  The New Testament church was a church – read it in the book of Acts – that met together from house to house and experienced community with one another.  North, south, east, and west.

In a couple of weeks we’re moving into the APEX facility.  We’ve added another floor in the APEX facility just for some office space needs.  We have two, three, sometimes four staff members in one little cubicle.  We have a scandalous level of overcrowding in our church.  Also, we don’t have a place for our students.  We are constructing over there – and I can’t wait until you see it – the ultimate in student-driven ministry facilities.

East is another direction we’re going.  We are going to triple the size, possibly quadruple the size, of our atrium.  You’re saying to yourself, “Well, man, why?”  The church is to be a family.  We’re a big family with no family room.  We don’t have a place for community.  You go into the lobby, the atrium area, before and after a service?  It’s SRO: Standing Room Only.  It’s also SOS: Scoot Over Some, isn’t it?  Ed Young Ministries states that this area we’re going to build will have couches and tables.  It will have a place where we can cater food before and after services.  It will be a place for community, because if we are not a social church, we’re not a New Testament church.  The New Testament church was a church – read it in the book of Acts – that met together from house to house and experienced community with one another.  North, south, east, and west.

In a couple of weeks we’re moving into the APEX facility.  We’ve added another floor in the APEX facility just for some office space needs.  We have two, three, sometimes four staff members in one little cubicle.  We have a scandalous level of overcrowding in our church.  Also, we don’t have a place for our students.  We are constructing over there – and I can’t wait until you see it – the ultimate in student-driven ministry facilities.  Rock-climbing walls.  Basketball cages.  A theatre that will seat 1,000 people.  Video rooms.  It’s going to be a place of ministry for our students.  And that’s pretty much done.  We pretty much paid in cash for that, which I think is awesome.

Have you made that pact?  Have you made that trust decision?  Have you made that faith step?  Have you?

So, here we have Joshua.  All of a sudden, he runs into Jesus Christ, this soldier who says he is the commander of the army of God.  Here is what Joshua did.  Folks, this is how you humble yourselves, as we read what Joshua’s reaction was to Christ.  Here is how he humbled himself.  The first thing that Joshua did was to recognize who he was talking to.  How did he recognize who he was talking to?  The Bible says that Joshua fell face down.

Have you ever prayed prostrate, down on your face?  I didn’t say prostate—that’s a whole other deal.  I said “prostrate,” which means to lie with your face down in humility or submission before God.

You get a whole different perspective.  It’s kind of a different perspective for me to look at you while I am lying on my face.  Just think about what can happen when we recognize who God is.  Folks, the problem is we spend way too much time on our rears, and not enough time lying on our faces before God.

Joshua recognized who he was talking to.  The Bible says he immediately went face down.  Joshua got low.

Only the church will do it.  And one day when you die God is going to look at you face to face and say, “What did you do with my church?”  And many of you will say, “You know what? I slept through it.” Don’t let that be you.  You’re turning your back on the only thing that Jesus ever built, the local church.  Wake up!  Wake up!  Don’t go to sleep.  Some of us are going to sleep with our time.  Some of us are going to sleep with our abilities.  You know what? I’m a creative genius.  Some of you are like, “That’s pretty egotistical.”  No, it’s not.  So are you.

Just turn to your neighbor and say, “Neighbor, you’re a creative genius.”  I can say that in complete confidence because we’re all made in the image of our creative Creator.  So we should use our abilities and gifts within the context of church.  It takes time to do that and then it takes talent to do that.  God has gifted you and me to use our stuff to bring glory to him and to touch people for Jesus Christ.  It is part of sowing with our life.

So when I sow my time, when I sow my talent, I am going to be blessed.  God is going to multiply all of that.  We all have different amounts of money.  We’re to sow our money in the church.  I can’t make you do that.  I hope you know that. I can tell you to; I can teach you from Scripture, but I cannot force you to become a part of that.

Read the Scripture. The first born, the first fruits, the first day of the week, the first portion of every day.  It’s the first.  Because when we give God the first, he will bless the rest.  Jesus was God’s tithe and look what happened.  Look at the blessings because of it.  Are you asleep to sowing? ILLUS: I just did a statistical analysis of Fellowship Church’s children’s ministry.  I saw over the last ten weeks that we’ve had over 8,500 children attend Fellowship Church. 8,500.  That is bigger than a lot of towns in Florida and Texas.

But there was a part of the study that messed me up.  I found out that only 161 kids have attended the last ten weeks of church.  Only 161 of 8,500 have attended every Sunday.  And then I read something even more disturbing, I read that only 30 percent of 8,500 kids have attended every other week.

Parents, wake up!  You wonder why your lives are screwed up? You wonder why your kids are in the deep weeds? You wonder?  You have turned your back on the church!  You have gone to sleep when the great church is right here at Fellowship Church!  It is one of the awesome moves of God in the world today.  We have people calling us from all over the place just to know what’s going on.

And for the life of me, parents, for you to not take advantage of this consistency in attendance not only for your kids but for you…that just messes me up.  Wake up! The select soccer team ain’t going to do it!  The basketball team ain’t going to do it!  Club Cheer ain’t going to do it!  The retreat at some school ain’t going to do it!  The hunting lease ain’t going to do it!  The fishing trip ain’t going to do it!  The ski trip ain’t going to do it!

That’s how much God wants to be with us and love us.  It’s all about the love—unconditional, irrational, one of a kind love.  So if you’re into this building project, man, put down the nail gun.  Take the goggles and the hard hat off.  Throw the screwdriver away and jump off the Stairmaster and give your life to the Master of the stairs, because Jesus wants to lead.  That’s how we’re made. That’s how we’re designed.  We’re hard wired for him to lead out.  You want to achieve what life is all about?  It’s all about him.  It’s all about Jesus.

Now, over the next 24 hours we’re going to give and receive a lot of gifts.  I can describe all the gifts that we’re going to give and receive. For example, you see this cool tie?  Someone gave this tie to me.  You like this?  It’s a pretty sweet tie, isn’t it?  Purple’s my favorite color.  Let’s see, it’s called the Big Knot Tie by Steven Land, “100 percent,” it says, “silk”.  Woo hoo.

What does a gift do? Well, a gift reflects the personality of the giver.  My friend who gave this to me is in the clothing business.  This guy is a cool dresser. He’s Mr. GQ.  This tie reflects his personality. But also, it meets the need of the recipient.  I need the tie, especially the purple tie.  I love ties.  I mean, you know, ties are kind of coming back.  I like ties. And for the Christmas service, we’ll dress up a little bit, you know. All of you could describe all the gifts you’re going to give and receive. “Oh girl, I got this piece of jewelry and the diamonds and…”

Christmas is when God walked down the staircase of heaven with a baby in his arms.  When it comes to this season, you have got to say that God took the stairs.  It’s amazing just to think about it, because it’s so miraculous.  It’s so paradoxical.  It’s divine. We walk down stairs all the time. And if you’re like me, I’m pretty much unaware of the stairs. But stairs take us from one environment to another, one level to another.

And that’s what God did when he gave us Jesus.  He moved from his environment to our environment. And he afforded us the opportunity to move from our environment to his environment. Stairs. The stairs unify, yet they divide.  Have you ever been on one of the Stairmasters before?  Those things are wicked machines, aren’t they?  We jump on the Stairmaster like, “All right!”  And when you first start out, it’s no problem. You’re waving at people at the gym, watching television, listening to music.

Then, after about seven or eight minutes, you’re leaning your whole body on that machine.  Stairmasters will mess you up. Yet, the Stairmaster has the audacity to tell you what you’ve done. “You have climbed 137 floors and you have burned 23 calories.”“23?! That’s got to be 23,000!” you say. Stairmasters will mess you up.  I was on one yesterday.  Here’s the thing about a Stairmaster though.  You don’t get anywhere.  You put forth all this energy and effort, but you don’t go anywhere.

The stairs:  God walked down the staircase of heaven with a baby in his arms. And Scripture says that the Christ child was put into a manger, an ordinary piece of farm furniture, the baby in the barn.  It’s so counter intuitive that the King of kings, the Lord of lords would do that.  It’s interesting, mysterious, it’s divine.

I don’t know about you, but I’m politicked.  I’m ticked at what’s happening on the field.  I’m ticked as I look at the scoreboard.  And as a responsible citizen, as someone who should be under God; we’re one nation under God, not alongside God or above God.  We’re one nation under God.  But as people who love God and who want the best, we should be ticked.

So today, as I kick this series off called Politicked, I want to do a quick overview of what’s going on, on the field.  I want to do a quick overview of the battle that’s going on between different forces.  Because the battle we’re facing is not against flesh and blood; it’s against principalities and forces out there.  So many of us, though, are so drunk we don’t know what’s happening.

What’s going on?  Well there’s a battle going on.  And one of the struggles is truth versus relativism.  Say it with me, truth versus relativism. Jesus said (John 8:32), “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So many people, though, are relativists these days.  And relativism sounds so sexy, so cool and so hip.  So many celebrities and pundits and glassy eyed gurus and politicos are into relativism.

What does it mean to be a relativist?  To be a relativist simply says, what is true is true for you.  That might be right for you; but what’s right for you might be different than what’s right for you, but it’s right for you.  The truth is relative. In other words, let’s say there’s a University of Relativism.  And let’s say Dr. Fuzzy Face walked in front of the classroom and we were all in this class at the University of Relativism.

Do you do that?  We can learn from hell.  I needed this message.  I’m going to buy this tape myself.  I’m serious.  I need a wakeup call.  So do you.  I’m talking to Christians.  I’m talking to believers.  Do you live under the reality of knowing we all face an eternity?  “Yes Ed, but you know that’s a long way out there.  I mean, we’re talking way out there.”  Well let me see what Jesus said about eternity.

Luke 13:25, talk about a tough verse, “Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door o us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’” 2 Peter 3:9.  Well this is an awesome verse.  “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Hey believer, how long did you test the patience of God?  How long?  How long did you run from him?  How long did you play games with him?  How long did you mess around in immorality?  How long did you test the fuse of God?  Have you ever thanked God for that, for his patience with you?  And God has been patient with me.  God is patient, not wanting anyone to perish.  He wants everybody to come to repentance.  God is an awesome God.

About now I know what some of you are saying, “I just have, you know, a problem with God hurling people to hell.  This is why I don’t go to church anymore.  I tried Fellowship this weekend and sure enough man, you’re talking about hell.  When I grew up that’s all they talked about, hell this, hell that, you’re going to hell.”

Nothing is giving me satisfaction.  Nothing is clicking.  Nothing is working and basically, it’s not happening for you.  Maybe you’re 20 something here today and, and you know deep down its not happening for you.  Your anger is gonna drive you; God will use it to the cross, because the cross is all about the anger of God.  God poured out his wrath on Jesus Christ, his only begotten son, the perfect sacrifice.

And if we turn from our sin and turn to Christ and receive Jesus he places the person of the Holy Spirit in the depth of our being and the Holy Spirit redecorates our lives and transforms us into people who can channer, angle, channer, channel anger, I’ll say it again, channel anger, say it with me, channel anger, I’ve got it now, perfectly.  I still can’t say it.  Channel anger.  Channel anger.  Channel anger. Here’s something else anger does.  Anger’s a great motivator.  You get back the test and you made a 68.  Man!  68!  You get angry and you study harder for the next test.

You concentrate better for the next test and you ace the next examine.  Yeah!  That’s, that’s good.  That’s anger.  Someone beat you up off the team.  You take that anger, you channel, you work harder, faster, quicker, stronger, and you make the team the next year.  Someone takes your best account.  You go, man, that’s my best account!  You’re angry because you became lackadaisical you didn’t do as many emails, as many calls, as many appointments and you say, okay, it’s gonna be different.  I’m gonna be a different person.  And you get motivated and stimulated to get out there and do it.