Video Transcript: The Local Church

Francis - As you're talking about the local church with your disciple, I think it's so important to talk about love. That's what the church is supposed to be marked  by. And sometimes we, we think about church, and we think about the sermon,  you know, was it good? Was this good was this good. And we don't think about  that loving community, which was central. I mean, he said, This is how they're  going to know that you're my disciples, if you love one another.  

Brian - And so see, even in that verse, like the relationship between love and the church, and making disciples outside the church. So the whole picture of love in  the church, that God has designed a picture of unity, and sacrificial care for each other people bearing each other's burdens, forgiving one another, all of these  

things are designed so the world would look at this community of Christians and  see something totally distinct, and attractive, and compelling. This is how the  world will know that your disciples of mine when you love one another. And so  by doing that in the church, by care for one another in the church like that, we're  helping fuel disciple making outside the church, because we're now able to say  to people who don't know Christ, let me show you something different. Just  illustrate that to them with the way even even you and the people you're  discipling or the person who you are discipling are caring for one another will in  and of itself be a picture of God's grace and love to people that you know,  around. And so you want to make sure that that Central,  

Francis - and sometimes I hear conversations that people have about oh but my church is this way, and they're all a bunch of cliques and this and that. And and  make sure in your discussion that you you teach your disciple right there as you  

guys have conversations, okay, well, how do we, you know, help the problem,  you know, rather than add to it, you know, to talk about, let's, let's think through  how we speak right now, let's be careful, you know, let's not, you know, destroy,  you know, anyone's reputation, because it's, it's terrible. When you find out,  someone's been talking behind your back. I mean, what an awful feeling. And so you start teaching your disciple. Now, let's think about how we talk about people  in the church, how let's not let any unwholesome word come out of our mouth,  it's, let's build them up. Let's talk about the leadership in the right way. You know, both of us, as leaders have heard the talk of people we love, and we find out  through the grapevine why they said that it is noise actually. Sorry, okay, well, if  tell me about you. But it's just that whole idea of helping them maybe even work  through I mean, one thing scripture says is bear with one another, like, put up  with one another, and immediately now going, Look, there's people in the  church, that you're not naturally going to do this with. But it's as we're on a  mission together, as you know, hey, they're trying to make disciples to we're all  in this thing together, to put up with some of these things, and love on them and  care for them in such a way. And again, first, you've got to model it to your 

disciple. I mean, because there'll be some things about your disciple that bother  you and, and in some ways you bear with one another, and even work through  your differences as a model of how they should do that in the church body.  

Brian - You know, one of the questions talks about I Corinthians 13, but it might  even be helpful to spend some time just thinking through practically, how can we show patience, and kindness and all of these characteristics of love there in I  Corinthians 13, to really think through some practical ways that can play out in  your life and that disciples life, or the small group you're walking through, how  can this play out in our church? Like, how can we really show patience to people in our church? How can we really show kindness? What are some practical  things we can do to really begin and intentionally thinking about that after we  build up the local church, as we're growing in Christ, knowing that inevitably, this is going to lead to to help make disciples and beyond the church,  

Francis - fight for unity, because unity is so fragile, and then as what Satan  wants to do is to divide the church. We've all been in those situation where the  church is feels. It's a sick feeling, because people are at odds with each other.  And so it's so key for them to understand, look, we love the Church. We love  these people. And we've got to fight for this unity.