Moved as Everyone — Stewart Ruch

The Pain of Exclusion

When I was in eighth grade my family made a geographical move that Was incredibly difficult for me and and changed a lot of how I understood myself and understood my life. I grew up in Indiana. So you have to kind of scale towns and cities.

The largest city in Indiana is about 700 ,000 at that point compared to where we live which is about 7 million. So 700 ,000 is large in Indiana and we moved from large 700 ,000 to a town of or a kind of small city of a hundred and twenty thousand.

That may not sound much to you. If you don't understand smaller places and smaller states, but that was a huge move. The kids dressed differently. They spoke differently. They actually worked on farms.

We just went to the Indiana State Fair and saw farmers where I grew up and all of a sudden this massive question for me at a time when you're already in eighth grade and Longing to be included. Was with this new community with this new school with these new kids.

Include me. It was the driving emotional question I had. It was kindergarten through eighth grade and so I actually went from a junior high school where I've been to an eighth grade where these kids had all grown up together and the answer got pretty clear pretty quickly as to whether or not I would be included and Particularly three areas that I came to hate.

First of all, they still had recess in eighth grade and recess was a thing when you're brand new to hate. What do you do by yourself on? Recess when you're in eighth grade and no one includes you in anything.

What do you do? Swing on the swing set. What do you do in a lunchroom? When you walk in and you realize no one is gonna invite you to sit with them. And that your only chance are those that they rejected in their system long ago who sit over there.

I came to hate the weekends. But before that I had always been included and invited into all kinds things could I going up with all the kids in my former? City, but now I knew stuff was going on. But I knew that I was not invited anywhere for the entire school year.

There's a huge human thing about being included. If you've ever been in that Moment where teams are being picked and you watch the first third roll by with everybody around you and then the second third and you realize who I'm gonna hit the last third of those picked for this team.

You're at a work conference. Free time comes at night and you actually realize that others have been texting each other for dinner arrangements. And you didn't get texted. You actually weren't invited.

Brain scientists have actually done work and they publish this in a journal science. Well, they did work that when a person experiences exclusion in a very specific and poignant way. The brain activity is extraordinarily similar to when a bone breaks.

But there's actually this profound correlation in the brain to the experience you have. Emotionally when you're excluded and when you actually have a physical trauma to the body, it's that intense it's that poignant and Here is the good news about God he never initiates exclusion.

God's Transforming Love Includes Everyone

It's actually so much a part of our lives at some point or another and so much a part of culture. Who's in who's out who's up who's down that it's almost impossible. You need a revelation. You need something to be shown to you from outside.

That in God he never Initiates exclusion it is impossible for you to imagine a human being Who God is not seeking out to reach with his transforming love. You cannot imagine someone who's the wrong race.

You cannot imagine somebody who's the wrong nationality. You cannot imagine someone who's the wrong Gender. There's no way you could imagine somebody who is too young or too old. Too intelligent or not intelligent enough too seemingly perfect or too Obviously in some capacity disabled too rich or too poor.

We are not in our narrow thinking prepared to accept the breathtaking Inclusivity of the invitation of God to the transforming love of Jesus, but is exactly the message of all Saints as it all are invited by Jesus into the life of walking with him of knowing him a breathtaking inclusivity.

Jesus' Invitation to All People

This was Jesus's work. This is what Jesus said in the Bible. He said for example, I have come to draw all people to myself. He said everyone who knocks the door will be open. Everyone who asks receives everyone who seeks.

Will find everyone everyone everyone lined up in his language. He said God my father so loved. Let's see. What's the most comprehensive thing he could say the world? That he gave me he gave his only son.

Resurrection's Inclusive Heritage

I love how church the resurrection was started with this kind of breathtaking inclusive invitation from God. This church was not started in 1954 by a priest. It was not started by a deacon. It was not started by a bishop.

It was actually started by a Japanese American dentist in West Chicago. If you know anything about this area. You'd be hard-pressed to find sushi in West Chicago. Tostadas, yes, we've lived there for almost 20 years.

But there's not a large Japanese population. I don't know where the Japanese American neighborhood is in West Chicago. What was dr. Watanabe doing in West Chicago? I don't know. But here's somebody who God was radically including and in his being included by the Lord in the gospel.

He then wanted to plant a church. To include as many as could possibly be included that's the heritage of Resurrection to be remembered on this All Saints Day to be remembered for those who've gone ahead of us who've gone before us.

All Saints and the Holy Spirit's Inclusive Work

The church has a feast like all saints. Because she wants to make absolutely clear That a saint which simply means it comes from a specific word that means holy or holy ones. When you hear all saints here all holy ones when you hear all Holy ones here all who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

All Saints is a Holy Spirit feast. It's a Holy Spirit Happening. It's when the Holy Spirit comes upon all. Young and old male and female slave and free. The Holy Spirit is coming to all that would receive the presence and the person of Jesus.

Acts as the Church's Expanding Family Album

That's the heart of all saints. Let that adjective sink in. There's a great picture of the All Saints Church in the book of Acts. When you hear the book of Acts take that title literally it has to do with actions the book of actions.

It has to do with the actions of the early leaders the acts of the Apostles. But it has to do with more than that has to do with the acts of the church. It has to do with the actions ultimately and primarily of the Holy Spirit.

When you open the book of Acts. It's like looking at the church family album and when you open it up you go page by page into the book of Acts you actually get more and more shocked at just how huge and Stunning your family is.

You think certainly the family can't get bigger something the family can't spread more you go pay me good. They're in our family. They're in your family. They're in our family. They're in your family.

This is amazing family album. One chapter after another in the book of Acts breaks down one barrier after another barriers that you start thinking. Well, they'll never break down that barrier. Then they break it down.

The Holy Spirit Breaks the Barrier Between God and Humanity

The Holy Spirit will never do that. Then the Holy Spirit does that. The first period that's broken in the book of Acts is absolutely stunning. It's the barrier that God his Holy Spirit is Given to humanity and Acts chapter 2 is that the Holy Spirit is given to human beings.

It would rest upon human beings in the former era was called the Old Testament era. But now it's being given inside of every human being that names name of Jesus this barrier between God and humanity is ultimately completely broken.

Because of Jesus's cross and resurrection and it's applied it actually happens and The Holy Spirit is given to humanity. If that wasn't enough then we see that the way that's gonna look some of the leaders of the church in Acts chapter 3 is that the Apostles or the followers of Jesus start doing exactly what Jesus did.

The Church Continues Jesus' Healing Ministry

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. They raise people from the dead. Jesus put his hands on people's eyes and they could see they put their hands people's eyes and they can see the barrier between What Jesus's ministry was and what the church's ministry will be is utterly broken down by the Holy Spirit.

Leadership Shared Through the Deacons

If that wasn't enough we go. Wow, that's stunning. Then these leaders the Apostles begin to spread out their leadership. They begin to give it away in Acts chapter 6. They say we need deacons. We need other leaders and they give their leadership away and these deacons go all over the place throughout the fields ministering the power of the Holy Spirit.

It's not reaching people that they didn't expect they would ever eat. They reach Africans who who at that point that that was not part of what was happening within this early early church. It spreads out beyond that you go.

Saul's Conversion Extends the Invitation to Persecutors

Okay. Wait, this this is spreading so quickly. Is anybody in control? But the Holy Spirit isn't finished yet. No, Holy Spirit wants to reach those who are far from God who actually persecuted of the church.

The Holy Spirit wants to reach Isis. And so it picks a key top persecutor of the church and a man named Saul and the Holy Spirit says it's not enough that I Reach deacons. It's not enough that I reach leaders.

I'm going after everyone and literally a man who is an accomplice to the murder of Christians who was working on a mission of the murder of Christians and the taking on the church is Converted by the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ and it spreads out to unbelievers being brought in if that wasn't enough then in a staggering moment.

Cornelius and the Church's Movement Beyond Judaism

It moves out of just the call of the Jews to know God and to follow him and to love him. But the Holy Spirit breaks out beyond that call and a man named Cornelius and now all of a sudden the center that was kind Of this Jewish Hebrew Center starts shaking and shaking and shaking and then in a moment in Cornelius's conversion.

It just explodes and all of a sudden we're not staying in Jerusalem and extractor 13. We're moving out from Jerusalem. But the Church of Antioch is established and they go let's send people to Europe.

Let's send them to Africa. Let's go to Asia. Let's go to the Arabs. Let's go absolutely everywhere that we can physically get to let's go out the Holy Spirit goes boom boom boom boom and just expands and multiplies and a kind of breathtaking Inclusive invitation, that's your family album.

Resurrection's Mission of Equipping Everyone

That's your family. That's who you come from. More than your original family as important as they are. That's your deepest family. Equipping everyone for transformation is one of our key family mottos in the church.

That's the vision phrase that we're using now to come to this new life at resurrection. Everyone is what I want you to hear clearly on this all Saints Sunday now that everyone Can sound vague. But it's actually entirely personal as well.

Jesus Is Moved by Each Individual

Jesus is moved. Not only by the crowds as we've read the last two weeks, but he's moved by one individual Lazarus. He's moved by his sisters Mary Martha. He's moved personally. So Jesus is moved by you and it might be That Jesus's invitation to you is to receive the Holy Spirit for the first time to receive Jesus for the first time.

Jesus Invites Even Persecutors and Outsiders

If you have been a persecutor of the church, but you have not been a believer in Jesus and I would like you to hear very clear an invitation from Jesus to receive him. You don't get to say He doesn't want to reach me in Christianity.

You don't get to say I'm to XYZ to be reached. You're able to say I don't want to choose Jesus yet you're able to say that I Need be very clear with you as I represent what's been taught in the Bible.

That God desires that none should perish but that all should reach repentance of their sins. When I say everyone I'm not saying that everyone is saved. That's not what the Bible teaches, but I am saying that everyone is invited.

Everyone is encouraged. Everyone is being sought out to be brought in. And it might be that the invitation Jesus to you is to receive him. It might be that you receive Jesus in the invitation is Come deeper in the Holy Spirit.

Invitations to Healing, Renewal, and Deeper Discipleship

Be renewed in the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe a place where you're stuck. You need greater healing you need greater transformation. It might even be coming clear right now. You just need another ministry of the Holy Spirit to help you.

And come be people praying will be praying during the service come and receive that. That invitation Jesus for a deeper healing from him. Finally Jesus is specific invitation to you might be you've you've known me and you're walking deeper and deeper in me.

I Need you Like the church in Acts chapter 13 to now spread out. I need you to be free to go out. I Need you to follow in the footsteps of your Father in Christ, dr. Watanabe and received only God's including invitation, but give it out to others.

Everyone who seeks shall find in. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.