WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:06.559 Hello, everybody, Welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. This is 2 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:10.199 the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren. Hey, we're so 3 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:13.400 glad you're here with us today. We are continuing in 4 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:17.280 a series called Talking about Stuff that Matters Now. In 5 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:21.199 this series, Rick looks into the scriptures and he's unpacking 6 00:00:21.239 --> 00:00:24.960 what it means to live in community, have real conversation 7 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:30.160 about what matters most, and face discouragement with courage and faith. 8 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:34.200 It's honest, hopeful, So stay tuned. You won't want to 9 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:35.039 miss a second. 10 00:00:35.320 --> 00:00:36.320 So let's get to it. 11 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:39.399 Here is the final part of a message called being 12 00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:42.000 a Disciple in the Digital Age. 13 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:45.119 You know this thing about addiction? It was really funny 14 00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:48.479 this week Josh my Son sent me an article from 15 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:51.119 Wired magazine. He knew us teaching on this, and it 16 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:56.200 was an article defending the internet and online and all 17 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:59.359 these different things gaming and social media to say, none 18 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:00.880 of these things are really addicting. 19 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:07.719 I'm going, what universe are you on? Guys? 20 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:09.840 Say none of these things are really addicting? Do you 21 00:01:09.879 --> 00:01:12.959 know anything about dopamine? None of these things are really addicting? 22 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:15.120 And then I looked at the bottom and who wrote it? 23 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:18.400 And I said, I know that name. Where do I 24 00:01:18.439 --> 00:01:20.840 know that name from? I think he wrote a book. 25 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:23.079 I think I read it about five years ago. And 26 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:24.560 I went back and I went in my library and 27 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:25.879 I found a book by the guy who had said, 28 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:27.680 none of these things are addicting. And he wrote this 29 00:01:27.719 --> 00:01:31.400 book five years ago, Hooked how to build habit farming products. 30 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:35.799 I'm good, busted, busted. 31 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:38.640 He had written a book on how do you build 32 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:41.760 Believe me, night and day. Advertisers are trying to figure 33 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:44.959 out how to get you hooked so you'll keep coming back, 34 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:47.760 so you keep seeing their ads. You keep seeing their ads. 35 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:52.560 Let me give you one more, one more hazard. I 36 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:58.359 can be distracted from what's most important. If I spend 37 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:02.239 eleven years of my life looking at a screen, a 38 00:02:02.359 --> 00:02:06.599 phone screen, a smart screen, I can be distracted. Excuse 39 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:14.080 me just a minute? Yes, hello, no, no, no, I'm sorry. 40 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:18.680 I'm preaching right now. Yeah yeah, okay, yes, I will 41 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:31.080 bring the milk and bread bye bye, Okay. Now, you 42 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:36.840 will pick up a phone any time, anywhere. And if 43 00:02:36.919 --> 00:02:40.759 you allow this little thing to interrupt anything else in 44 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:45.960 your life, this has become your god. If you allow 45 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.240 this to interrupt anything, you'll pick it up. 46 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:50.360 Well. 47 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:51.919 I won't say all the things you could pick it 48 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.159 up doing, but you could pick it up. It means 49 00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:58.280 I really value this more than I value anything else 50 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:00.360 in my life, because nothing will keep me. I'm picking 51 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:05.080 up the phone. It's become my god. Who owns the phone? 52 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:07.080 Do you own the phone? Or does it own you? 53 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:12.080 Who's the master and who's the slave? Which is the tool? 54 00:03:12.360 --> 00:03:16.199 And which is the owner the master? If this can 55 00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:21.280 interrupt you anytime, then this thing is running your life. 56 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:26.680 It's running your life. I can allow things to distract 57 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:30.280 me from what's most important. There's an interesting story in 58 00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:34.080 the Bible. Jesus had a friend named Lazarus, and Lazarus 59 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:38.680 had two sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary, Martha and Lazarus 60 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:42.759 lived together in a home in Bethany. Bethany is a 61 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:47.479 small town near Jerusalem in Israel. Jesus was in Jerusalem. 62 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:51.159 I've been to both these cities, of course, and you 63 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:55.560 can walk from Jerusalem to Bethany in a half a day. 64 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:59.479 It's just not that far you can get there. Lazarus 65 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:02.439 got very deathly sick, in fact, he was almost dead, 66 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:07.080 and word was sent to Jesus, Lord, come to our 67 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:10.719 house in Bethany because they thought, if Jesus gets here, 68 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:13.639 he can heal Lazarus. We know it, he's healed people before. 69 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.519 And Jesus was in Jerusalem. Instead of getting there in 70 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:19.319 a half day, it took him three days to get there. 71 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:23.279 What was he doing. He's walking around, he's talking to 72 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:25.319 other people, he's ministering to people and something like that. 73 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:28.839 Jesus didn't want to get there to heal Lazarus. He 74 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:31.879 wanted to get there to raise Lazarus from the dead. 75 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:34.720 He wanted to do a bigger miracle, so he waited 76 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:39.319 until Lazarus had died. So finally, after Lazarus dies, he 77 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:42.639 shows up at Mary and Martha's house in Bethany, and 78 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:46.000 as he walks into the house, Mary sits down at 79 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:48.759 the feet of Jesus and just starts listening to him talk. 80 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:50.920 Martha goes, we ought to. 81 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:52.680 Have a meal, and she gets up and she starts 82 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:55.920 preparing everything, and she's all busy and all all messed 83 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.720 up and very flustered and worried. And here's how the 84 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:02.360 story where he goes In the Bible Luke, chapter ten, 85 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:08.560 verse forty to forty two, Mary sat quietly at Jesus' feet, 86 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:13.160 listening to everything he said. Friends, you need to do 87 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:16.279 that every day of your life. You need to sit 88 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:20.560 at Jesus' feet listening to everything he says. That's called 89 00:05:20.759 --> 00:05:24.800 a quiet time. You sit quietly with this book and 90 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:27.639 you pray and you read, and you pray and you read, 91 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:29.519 and you do it every day and you say, God, 92 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:30.959 is there anything you want to tell me today? 93 00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:33.040 And you let God speak to you. 94 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:35.439 You check in with the commander in chief on a 95 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:40.360 daily basis. Mary sat quietly at Jesus' feet. That's quiet time, 96 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:45.399 listening to everything he said. But Martha was distracted, you 97 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:48.600 might circle that word. She was distracted by all she 98 00:05:48.759 --> 00:05:53.240 had to do. She said, Lord, don't you care that 99 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:56.720 my sister has left me to do all the work 100 00:05:56.759 --> 00:05:57.480 by myself. 101 00:05:58.360 --> 00:06:02.759 Tell her to help me. Martha is having a pity party. 102 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:05.879 And Jesus, I think Jesus says it like this. 103 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:14.279 Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, you are worried and you're too 104 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:19.680 distracted by many things. But really, Martha, there's only one 105 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:24.839 thing that is truly important, and Mary chose it. If 106 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:28.000 you have an opportunity to look at your phone and 107 00:06:28.040 --> 00:06:31.120 your social media, or spend time sitting quietly. 108 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:31.759 At the feet of Jesus. 109 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:36.040 What are you going to choose If an average American 110 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:39.199 is spending three point four hours a day looking at this, 111 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:44.120 how much time are you spending alone with Jesus. Something's 112 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:46.879 out of whack here. Why do you spend more time 113 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:50.079 with stuff you don't believe than with someone and something 114 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:53.959 you do believe? The night might need to be a 115 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:57.480 realignment in your life of how much input am I 116 00:06:57.519 --> 00:06:59.959 getting from the truth that sets me free? And how 117 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.279 how much input am I getting from lives that make 118 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:06.480 me stressed out? Three point four hours here, I don't 119 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:09.120 know anybody spending three point four hours with Jesus Christ 120 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:14.399 every day. Well, that shows in our lifestyle. It shows 121 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:17.360 and how we're doing I can be distracted from what's 122 00:07:17.639 --> 00:07:21.000 most important. Now that's the negative side. I want to 123 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:23.439 talk to you, and actually Tom's going to help me 124 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:29.759 with this. Just quickly summarize five ways, five ways that 125 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:32.759 you can use your phone for the glory of God. 126 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:36.639 So, based on what Pastor Rick's been teaching us, do 127 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:38.920 we need to take a sledgehammer to our cell phones? 128 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:40.480 No? 129 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:42.920 No, how do I use it for good? How can 130 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:45.360 I use my smartphone for God's glory. I'm going to 131 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:47.160 share the first few of these, and then Pastor Rick's 132 00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:49.720 going to come back and end this message. If you've 133 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:53.000 been around Saddleback for any time, you know that God 134 00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:55.959 has given us five purposes to live for, not eight. 135 00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:00.240 Not to the Bible clear reveals five specific purposes. So 136 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:03.800 my cell phone, my smartphone, how can I use it 137 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:08.079 to fulfill those purposes? This is purpose driven smartphones, purpose 138 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:11.560 driven technology. All right, Five things. Number one, We're going 139 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:13.480 to go through these quickly. Number one, you use it 140 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:18.160 to express my worship. I use the technology that God's 141 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:21.920 put in my hands to express my worship. God has 142 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:24.759 not told us where we have to worship. He's told 143 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:27.040 us that we have to worship, and he's also told 144 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:29.240 us the heart we need in worship. Look at what 145 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:32.000 Jesus said about this up on the screen. Jesus taught 146 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:36.240 us that true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit 147 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:39.879 and in truth. So that's something I need to take 148 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:42.559 into my life all of my life, not just once 149 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:44.960 a week when I come to worship, but true worship 150 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:47.960 is in spirit and in truth all through the day, 151 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:50.320 all through my life. Look at this next verse Proverbs 152 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:54.360 twenty five says, all day long, I put my hope 153 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:57.200 and trust in You. So because I've got my phone 154 00:08:57.240 --> 00:09:00.440 with me all day long, it can help me all 155 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:03.600 day long to put my hope and trust in Jesus Christ. 156 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:05.519 There's a lot of different ways that you can do that. 157 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:06.840 You can use songs. 158 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:09.720 You can listen to songs all throughout the day. You 159 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:12.320 can in your car listen to the favorite song you have, 160 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:14.360 turn it up really loud, and sing along with it. 161 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:16.080 When I do that, I really think I can sing. 162 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:18.480 I can't sing, but if you put it up really loud, 163 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:20.600 I feel like I can sing. And you should do that. 164 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:23.679 You can find new songs, you can share songs that 165 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:26.879 you're hearing with other people. You use it to express 166 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:30.759 my worship. Worship is singing, but worship is a lot 167 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:33.240 of other things. Worship is giving. I don't know if 168 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:35.559 you knew that you can actually commit to give to 169 00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:38.840 tithe on your cell phone. Is it any greater a 170 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:40.679 commitment if you make it here or you make it 171 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:43.399 on your cell phone. No, it's about your spirit, it's 172 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:46.399 about your heart. It's not where, it's what God's doing 173 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:48.559 in your life. So yeah, use it to express my 174 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:52.159 worship number two. I use it to encourage fellowship, to 175 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:55.000 encourage connection with other people. The very thing that can 176 00:09:55.039 --> 00:09:58.360 sometimes break connection, our smartphones, we can use it to 177 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:03.159 enhance to encourage connection. Robins twelve to ten says, love 178 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:07.600 each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring 179 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:14.360 each other. Any time you honor someone, you are you 180 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:17.000 are taking delight in something that God takes delight. 181 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:17.840 In, and you're encouraging. 182 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:23.399 You're enhancing fellowship, your strengthening, strengthening fellowship. Social media is 183 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:25.320 not a place to show off, as Rick has been 184 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:27.679 telling us. It's a place to show up in other 185 00:10:27.720 --> 00:10:31.519 people's lives, and it's place to show up especially with encouragement, 186 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:34.240 because we all need encouragement every day. The Bible says 187 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:38.279 in First Sessians five eleven, encourage each other and give 188 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:42.759 each other's strength. So instead of looking to social media 189 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:45.639 as a place where you can get encouragement, that dose 190 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:48.000 of encouragement that you need, look to it as a 191 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:51.480 place where you can give encouragement to other people. When 192 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:54.360 you feel discouraged throughout the day, let me tell you, 193 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:56.519 let me give you just a prescription. The best thing 194 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:59.559 you can do is look for somebody to encourage. Immediately 195 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:02.879 grab your phone and encourage somebody else and watch how 196 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:06.279 God multiplies what God wants to do through the fellowship 197 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:08.679 in your life. Third thing you can do is you 198 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:11.960 use it to enhance my spiritual growth, express my worship, 199 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:15.600 encourage fellowship. And number three, I use it to enhance 200 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:18.960 my spiritual growth. I use it so that I can 201 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:22.039 get closer to Christ on a daily basis, because I 202 00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:25.279 have this with me on a daily basis. Grow two 203 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:28.840 Peter three eighteen says, grow in spiritual strength and become 204 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:32.759 better acquainted with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 205 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:33.879 And there are so. 206 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:37.000 Many ways to do this with the technology that God 207 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:39.840 has given to us, so many hundreds of apps, probably 208 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:43.159 thousands upon thousands of apps and websites that you can 209 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:45.879 go to, places where you can do Bible studies, places 210 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:47.240 where you can value God's. 211 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:47.679 Word in your life. 212 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:50.759 Proverbs tells us that it's better to much better to 213 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:52.399 have wisdom and the knowledge than to have. 214 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:53.320 Gold or silver. 215 00:11:53.799 --> 00:11:56.679 And when you value God's word in your life, you're 216 00:11:56.759 --> 00:11:59.639 valuing spiritual growth in your life. I've talked to a 217 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:01.519 lot of Peo people over the years. They struggle with 218 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:03.879 spiritual growth. I think all of us do. And one 219 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:05.840 of the reasons we struggle is we try to grow 220 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:08.360 spiritually based on one day a week. I just come 221 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:10.159 one day a week, I learn it all, and then 222 00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:12.480 I'm going to grow spiritually and it's not going to work. 223 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:14.799 It's like trying to have a meal one day a week, 224 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:17.279 great big meal on the weekend. I starve the rest 225 00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:18.360 of the week, and I think I'm going to be 226 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:21.639 physically healthy. With the tools God has given us, you 227 00:12:21.679 --> 00:12:24.080 can bring them into your life every day, things like 228 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:26.840 daily hope. The pastor Rick has done. Bible says in 229 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:29.720 Some one nineteen thirty seven, keep me from looking at 230 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:33.919 worthless things and let me live by your word. 231 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:35.240 So it's just this choice. 232 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:38.039 Is what I'm looking at now? Is it worthless or 233 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:41.000 is it worthwhile? Is it worthwhile for my spiritual growth? 234 00:12:41.480 --> 00:12:44.639 And then number four fourth purpose of life is ministry. 235 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:48.279 So I use it to expand my ministry. I use 236 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:52.039 it to expand my ministry. I start to think of 237 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:55.159 social media as a place where I can serve others. 238 00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:57.840 Jesus said, I didn't come to be served, but to 239 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:00.559 serve others. So social media is not place for you 240 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:02.679 to be served. It's a place for you to serve 241 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:06.120 other people. Saw I'm one sixteen twelve says what can 242 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:09.799 I give back to God for all the blessings that 243 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:10.919 He's poured out to me? 244 00:13:11.159 --> 00:13:11.240 So? 245 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:13.399 What can I give back to others for God's blessings? 246 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:15.919 Through social media? If I learn something, how can I 247 00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:17.639 share it with somebody else? If I read in an 248 00:13:17.720 --> 00:13:19.480 article it helps me grow, how can I share it 249 00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:22.120 with somebody else? Or Rick talked earlier about people who 250 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:24.519 want to argue with you, how can you minister to them? 251 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:27.159 I'll tell you how you can pray for them When 252 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:28.159 they want to argue with you. 253 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:28.759 You pray for them. 254 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:30.279 Now, don't tell them you're praying for them because I 255 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:31.879 want to argue with you about that. I just I'll 256 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:34.679 promise you they will. But you just choose to pray 257 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:37.600 for them, and you are ministering them as you do that. 258 00:13:38.039 --> 00:13:39.600 And then the fifth thing you can do, and Rick's 259 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:41.159 going to come and talk to us about this write 260 00:13:41.159 --> 00:13:43.960 this in with me, is I use it to extend 261 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:45.440 my witness. 262 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:50.639 I use it to extend my witness. You know, Saddleback 263 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:55.799 has always been an early adopter of every technology. When 264 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:58.720 we start using When fax machines or first came out 265 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:00.720 like a nineteen eighty I think there were like four 266 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:03.039 fact machines in the world. I started a thing called 267 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:06.679 the Facts of Life and it was a daily devotional 268 00:14:06.679 --> 00:14:08.759 for Business Leader. We would fax it out twenty four 269 00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:11.639 hours a day. We Saddleback was the first church on 270 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:15.879 the Internet nineteen ninety two, is long before Internet Explorer 271 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:19.399 and Netscape, or that we were using my FTP and 272 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:22.759 Gopher and Mosaic. Those of you guys who knew that 273 00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:25.240 we were the first church on the Internet. 274 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:27.360 But I have to admit that I was a. 275 00:14:27.399 --> 00:14:31.799 Late adapter to social media because it sounded so self centered. 276 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:34.600 One of my staff, who was the director of technology 277 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:38.200 at the time for saddle Back Church, pastor here brilliant guy. 278 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:40.720 He wrote the Microsoft certification test and he was on 279 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:43.600 staff at Saddleback Church, the test that everybody at Microsoft 280 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:44.080 has to fake. 281 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:47.399 And you know, he came to me. 282 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:49.720 He said, Rick, there's this new thing coming out called Twitter, 283 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:51.799 and he goes, it's going to be a big deal, 284 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:52.679 big platform. 285 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:54.519 You should get on it. You can influence a lot 286 00:14:54.519 --> 00:14:55.639 of people. And I said, what does it do? 287 00:14:55.720 --> 00:14:58.519 He said, well, in a few sentences, you just tell 288 00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:01.080 people what you're doing at that point in your life. 289 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:06.120 I said, are you kidding me? I said, that sounds 290 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:08.440 like the most narcissistic. 291 00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:09.000 Thing I could ever think of. 292 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:12.840 I said, you know, I don't want people knowing everything 293 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:15.840 I do. They shouldn't care what I do. They should 294 00:15:15.879 --> 00:15:18.639 be thinking about their own lives. And so I didn't 295 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:21.679 go on it for many years now. He actually put 296 00:15:21.720 --> 00:15:24.440 my name in their reserved account. When I years later 297 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:27.080 went on Twitter, I had sixty thousand followers and had 298 00:15:27.080 --> 00:15:33.960 never twittered anything, tweeted anything. But what changed my mind 299 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:36.279 about social media because it just seemed, you know, the 300 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:40.360 opposite of it's not about you, because social media is 301 00:15:40.360 --> 00:15:44.639 so much it's all about you, and I'm going I'm 302 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:46.360 not interested in that kind of channel. 303 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:48.279 But I went up and I was doing a funeral 304 00:15:48.279 --> 00:15:49.279 for a very well known. 305 00:15:49.159 --> 00:15:51.919 Christian leader, and I was doing it up in Pasadena, 306 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:53.840 and the other pastor who was doing the funeral with 307 00:15:53.879 --> 00:15:56.279 me was a guy named John Piper, a very well 308 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:58.759 known pastor from the East Coast. John's one of the 309 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:01.360 most humble guys I've ever known in my life, certainly 310 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:05.919 not on any kind of ego self promotion idea and 311 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:07.559 he leans over to me while we're on stage. He 312 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:10.080 goes at the funeral, he goes, Rick, I'm on Twitter. 313 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:12.200 I looked at him and go, you gotta be kidding me, 314 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:14.840 because it didn't just fit his person. And I said, 315 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:16.440 what in the world do you do? And I said, 316 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:20.639 I use it to mintor people ding. The light goes 317 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:24.600 on and I go, that I can do. You will 318 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:27.600 never see me with a picture of a celebrity on Twitter. 319 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:30.559 You will never see me posting my little latte and 320 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:33.360 stuff like that. What I do is I use social 321 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:37.120 media to encourage people. Like a recent tweet I did. 322 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:41.440 I said, sometimes God removes people from your life for 323 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:46.279 your own protection, don't run after them. A lot of 324 00:16:46.279 --> 00:16:49.320 people needed that, a lot of people needed that. 325 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:52.320 And that's the kind of thing you can do. Now. 326 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:55.279 The fifth thing you can do, as Tom said, is 327 00:16:55.559 --> 00:17:00.559 this extends your witness The Bible says in Second Corinthians 328 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:05.640 five eighteen and twenty through Christ, God has made peace 329 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:11.519 between us and himself, and he gave us the work 330 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:15.720 of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him. 331 00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:16.720 That's called witnessing. 332 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:19.359 Gave us the work of telling everybody else about the 333 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:21.640 peace we can have with God. So we have been 334 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:27.359 sent out to speak for Christ. Look at the next verse, 335 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:34.880 First Chronicles sixteen twenty four. Publish God's glorious deeds among 336 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:35.480 every nation. 337 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:40.160 Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. 338 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:46.519 Now, friends, you and I have an advantage over every 339 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:51.359 other Christian who's lived for two thousand years. You and 340 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:55.519 I have an advantage over every believer who's ever lived 341 00:17:55.640 --> 00:17:59.759 throughout history. We have a tool that literally can go 342 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:04.920 around the world. Jesus said, go make disciples of every nation. 343 00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:08.920 Who was he talking to you? You, every single believer. 344 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:11.519 If you're a believer, you are to be a witness. 345 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:14.599 You are to be an ambassador. You are to share 346 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:18.559 what you know about your life with the whole world. Now, 347 00:18:19.240 --> 00:18:21.599 for two thousand years, to go to the whole world 348 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:24.440 mean meant you had to get on a steamship and 349 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:27.319 go for six months to travel to another country to 350 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:31.160 tell somebody, or in recent years, get on a plane 351 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:34.359 and travel around the world to tell somebody about the 352 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:38.119 good news of the Lord. Today you don't have to 353 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:41.240 leave your home. You can sit at home in your 354 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:44.720 bedroom in your PJS and say a good word about 355 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:49.440 the Lord, and it goes to the entire globe. That 356 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:53.720 is a benefit, a blessing, and a responsibility we have 357 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:56.960 no other Christians have ever had in history. 358 00:18:57.119 --> 00:18:59.000 You can talk to the whole world. 359 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:02.279 You can be a witness to the whole world through 360 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:06.599 social media. Jesus said, you will be my witness. If 361 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:08.759 you do it on Twitter, you will be my twitness. 362 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:14.680 So God wants all of us to be twitnesses, to 363 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:16.880 be witnesses of the whole world. 364 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:20.480 And you can do this. You can do this. Let's 365 00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:25.079 bower heads, would you pray? 366 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:28.839 Say God, I want to be a disciple in the 367 00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:35.640 digital age. I don't want to waste precious time, the 368 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:39.720 time of my life. I don't want to be seduced 369 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:45.079 by the world's values. I want to be a God pleaser, 370 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:49.319 not a people pleaser. I don't want to be drawn 371 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:58.279 into unproductive arguments. Help me to not be tempted to 372 00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:05.200 compete and show off. I don't want to be addicted 373 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:09.880 to the approval of others, and I don't want to 374 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:11.000 be distracted from. 375 00:20:10.839 --> 00:20:11.920 What's most important. 376 00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:21.440 So God, help me to use my phone to express 377 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:22.599 my worship. 378 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:24.680 All day long. 379 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:31.240 Help me to use my phone to encourage fellowship, to 380 00:20:31.319 --> 00:20:35.119 look for people, to encourage and show love to and 381 00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:39.079 to honor others. Help me to use my phone to 382 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:45.640 enhance my spiritual growth, to listen to good messages, to 383 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:53.759 read good material, to buy good Christian solid books. Help 384 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:59.079 me to use my phone to expand my ministry. And 385 00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:01.640 when I'm just courage, to look for other people, to 386 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:07.680 encourage and to offer a helping hand to those who 387 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:11.640 need comfort. And Lord, I want you to use me 388 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:18.759 to extend my witness. I want to publish the good news, 389 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:22.359 and when I get to Heaven, I want to hear 390 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:24.519 you say, well done, good and faithful servant. 391 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:26.720 You shared the good news. 392 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:31.319 With other people around the world, and so I commit 393 00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:33.440 to doing that Today. 394 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:34.839 In your name, I pray. 395 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:38.680 If you're not a believer, if you haven't opened your 396 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:42.400 life to Christ, say Jesus Christ, come into my life today. 397 00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:44.079 I want to know you. 398 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:49.119 I want to learn to trust you and love you. 399 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:51.640 And I pray this in your name. Amen. 400 00:21:58.039 --> 00:22:00.599 Hey, if you've just prayed along with Rick to accept 401 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.599