Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. We are with the Creator of the ends of the earth.
We are with Him all the time and forever. Do you know what this means? That you're with God and God's with you?
This could get you into some places. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series Son of David as presented at Rinaldin Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program today, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries. As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org or call 877-544-4860. Now more on this later in the program, but now let's get started with today's teaching.
Here is Alan Wright. Ohio State University researchers linked type 2 diabetes, inflammation, heart disease, arthritis, frailty, and what they call functional decline. All of that they found statistical linkages to people that would be identified as lonely or isolated. People that are lonely are more likely to die sooner than others. Andrew Steptoe, a professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London followed 6,500 British people over age 52 from 2004 until 2012. The most socially isolated in this group were 26% more likely to die during the study period than those that had active social connections.
I know that's a lot of statistics and it's very sobering, but I say this to make two really, really important points. Number one, the decisions that you make, and we're going to be asking you today to think about where you're linked and how can we help you, but the decisions you make in your life about finding places of real connection in the body of Christ, caring for one another, learning, studying the Scripture together, or serving together, those decisions that you make about being connected or not may be the most important decisions that you're making about your personal health. That's the order of magnitude that this body of research is showing, that you being disconnected and not having real relationships is a serious impairment to your total health. It's hugely, hugely important. Secondly, it is to say that, and I mean this literally, that the inviting someone into your group, inviting someone into a relationship into the body of Christ can literally save somebody's life.
That's what the research is showing. This is not new information of course to us in the body of Christ because from the beginning God said it's not good for man to be alone. He designed us to be not just social creatures, we're social, we need a social, we need other people, but we need close relationships.
You need at least several people in your life that you can talk to just openly. You can laugh with, you can cry with, you can work with, you can... And I'll just tell you a couple of stories. They're both dramatic, and I know that sometimes you do a sermon illustration, you tell the dramatic story and you run the risk of people don't identify with it because you say, well I don't feel like that, so I don't need that, but I just want to tell the dramatic with the hope that you would go, well if that dramatic thing is true then how much more so my situation, how much more so would I be blessed? The first story is years and years ago I got a voicemail from a young man, lived in a different city, and he had heard that my wife and I had started a home group Bible study for young adults. I don't know how he got in that word, but he just boldly called me up and said, I have a sister that lives there in Winston-Salem and I really want her to be connected in church and she needs some people, and I'm wondering if you would call her and invite her to your home group.
And I didn't get many phone calls like that, and I thought it was pretty cool that a big brother would do that behind his sister's back. And so I just, I called the young lady and she, without hesitation, she came to the group and she started coming to church and she's just delightful and wonderful and she grew spiritually and she's a blessing to us and just love her so much, became a dear friend. But I want to just tell you this story that after about a year of being in the home group together, one night at our home, there was just a time it was not many of us there and it was kind of the afterglow and everybody knew each other really well where, you know, we're being honest but then we got more honest and we said, let's share some of our stories. And so she said, I want to share my story, and she said that she had come into a very lonely time in her life, that she had had some real immorality in her life, she had dabbled in some same-sex relationships, and since she'd been through a couple of disappointing relationships with guys, I think, and she said she just got really sad and she was really lonely. This is her own words and she said, I was sitting around on a Sunday afternoon and she said, I had just decided to myself, I'm just going to be a lesbian. And she said, you called me that afternoon.
I mean, don't say how good God is. She came that week, she came that week and got into community and she wasn't, she wasn't homosexual, she wasn't looking to live a lifestyle, she was, she was just, she was just lonely. And then her life was totally transformed.
Let me tell you another true story, another young woman. Years ago, in the middle of when we had, we had about seven or eight years, we had a ministry on Saturday night called Verge. And Verge met right here in this worship center, but we wanted to make it like a coffee house environment. And so one of the things we would do is every Saturday night, groups would come in and they would serve by taking about six or eight pews on each side, taking them out of the sanctuary and moving them so we could come and set cafe tables up all in here. And we put lamps around to make it more like a coffee house in here.
Well, it's a lot of work. These pews are really heavy. So we had to develop this little hydraulic lift system on this little thing that somebody designed. And then we'd put the pew up on it and I say we liberally there. And, and these, these teams that we called pew crew would come in and move them out. And so we'd have, you know, 12 or 14 or whatever, you know, pews all up and down the hallways back there. And we'd come and then we'd set up in here. And so we had a rotating teams of pew crew. And, and, and they worked hard at this. I mean, you'd have to be over here like at five and you'd leaving at 11 after you, you know, cause you got to come back and then bolt them back in place.
You know, so they'd be here on Sunday morning. And one evening at Verge at our, at our prayer time, I was, I got to talk into a young woman and, and she, she was wanting prayer and then she just opened up with me. And she said, I just need to tell you this. She said, I have been really depressed lately. And she said, I was just so, so down this week. And this afternoon, she said, I was so low. I seriously thought about taking my own life. And then I remembered I was on pew crew tonight. And she said, at least somebody needs me.
I know those are dramatic stories, but I, I share them because if something that life and death can take place, how much more so in your everyday life is it absolutely essential that you recognize how much you need other people? Do you know that studies have shown just holding somebody's hand makes blood pressure go down. We didn't make ourselves y'all. God did. This is how He made us.
So when He said to David, I'm going to make you a house, what God knew, but David couldn't have fully understood is that this would be fulfilled through the Son of David, Jesus Christ, who becomes according to Peter, the living cornerstone. And we are all living stones and we're all and we're all attached. See, the body of Christ is, if we could see with spiritual eyes, I think we would see this is, this is the most amazing thing ever been made, the body of Christ. Because our, our body, the human body, you know how amazing it is that you have DNA that tells every cell what to do.
I can't wrap my mind around that. The design of the human body, that the hand and the foot, I mean they're so different, but the same DNA telling each what to do at any moment, I mean just every single thing you do is astounding that you can, that you can talk and wave your hand at the same time and every part of you knows what to do and the liver cell knows to keep on being a liver cell at the same time. This is just astounding stuff. Well, I'm just saying that in most things that you see in the natural, there's something in the spiritual that is far more complex and more magnificent.
And I say the body of Christ is even more magnificent. That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. In a world that often feels overwhelming, we all seek moments of encouragement and hope. As a heartfelt thank you for becoming a monthly partner with Alan Wright Ministries, we're excited to send you our blessing box featuring 24 beautifully crafted cards filled with encouraging blessings from Pastor Alan. Each card offers daily inspiration and scripture on themes such as hope, strength, your identity in Christ, thanksgiving, and much more.
These blessings are designed to uplift your spirit, providing encouragement whenever you need a boost. This unique resource can be yours with our thanks as we welcome new monthly partners to the support family of Alan Wright Ministries. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.
That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. The spiritual DNA that is imparted into the body of Christ is by God Himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit. So we are incredibly diverse. We are not united as the house of God because we're all the same. We are diverse, completely diverse. It's not our affinities. It's not that we all think the same way about everything.
It's certainly not that we look alike or come from the same place in life. But it is that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, the third person of the triune God, the Spirit of Jesus Himself, lives in every Christian and every Christian is therefore brought together by the Holy Spirit. We are one in the Spirit. And what this means for the value and the quality of Christian relationships is that there is something that is qualitatively different about a relationship in Jesus Christ. What this means is that when you speak with another Christian, when you are linked together, you are speaking with not just someone that was made in the image of God like every human being is, but you're speaking with someone with whom you will also celebrate for eternity. And what this means also is that because we hold this in common, we were without hope except for the sovereign merciful grace of the Lord Jesus. We were just lost in our sin except for what God has done for us.
And He has made us acceptable in His eyes. And what this means, and this is what I always want to engender in our body, is that we do not have to have shame in our relationships with one another because guess what? We are absolutely the same. We are absolutely the same.
I mean, with all of the different advantages and everything I've had in my life and never really been pulled over into the kinds of things that would send you to jail. I mean, if I am speaking with an inmate in Christ, we're exactly the same. If I'm speaking with somebody who just stumbled into the worst sin imaginable and we're just the same. If I have sinned and you hadn't, we're still the same. In other words, we have a relational opportunity because of what Jesus has done for us wherein we both have this truth over our lives.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Let us not squander the gift that we have of being able to have real relationships and really be with one another when we have been radically accepted forever and forever in Christ. Let us instead revel in this and let all of the lost world be jealous for it and want to run to be in the sweetness of a fellowship like that. We are with one another because we are the house of God. But the second thing to say about being together is that we are also guaranteed that as the house of God that God is with us and we are forever with God. We are with God. I said we are with the creator of the ends of the earth.
We are with him all the time and forever. Do you know what this means that you're with God and God's with you? This could get you into some places.
This could mean something significant for you. My friend and mentor Dudley Hall had an opportunity to go to the National Prayer Breakfast a year or two ago and not just go to it but sit up on the platform right kind of near the vice president and a few down from the president. And the reason that Dudley was there was not because of Dudley Hall.
In fact nobody knew who he was. The reason he was there was because his friend who's won more Grammys than anybody, Allison Krauss, was going to be singing. And Allison had asked Dudley, why don't you come and go with me to the prayer breakfast? And he said sure. And it's funny to hear Dudley tell the story because you know if you're going in to sit around the president and stuff like that you've got to go through a lot of security. So he said it was pretty funny coming in through security and they're all going through all the you know things and oh Ms. Krauss welcome please come in.
Who are you? He said I'm with her. I said oh Dudley Hall.
Okay all right well come on in as long as you're with her. And then he comes in. Dudley was funny. He said Allison had to go back and do a sound check of some type you know back then. So he's kind of left alone there standing before the prayer breakfast start. Now Dudley if you don't if you've never seen Dudley he's a shaved head and a goatee and he's a real big guy and he was in a dark suit. And so he said he was just kind of standing.
He just folded his arms like this and he just standing up front just sort of looking around not realizing what he looked like. And he said this this man comes up and Dudley recognized him as the former mayor of Dallas who I think was the trade secretary at the time. And this man comes up to Dudley and he says excuse me sir could I could I go through those double doors here and go and use that restroom over there. And Dudley decided to have some fun with him. He just said no way.
And then Dudley said no no you come on through. He said it's fine. He said you don't know me. I know you.
I know you because I live in Dallas and you're former mayor. He said I'm just I'm just with her Alison Krauss. Oh okay. The other said he sat there all to the thing and people are going to say what what are you doing here.
I'm with her. A few weeks later he was at a New Canaan society function and some guys had been there from another state that had seen him there. They were at the big at the prayer breakfast and they came and said Dudley are you in the CIA. He just said you know I can't tell you that I'd have to kill you.
He made this point. If just being with a singer could take you into a place like that what does it mean to say you're with Jesus all the time. See when when the voice of the accuser comes threatening you to try to cause your heart angst about your future about the mistakes that you've made and that voice says to you who are you to think that your life could turn out for anything. You just say I'm I'm I'm just with Jesus I'm with him. When your own voice seeks to condemn you you just have to say now it's not just about me being here myself I'm I'm with Jesus. When your heart starts to melt like wax over the Goliath that stands in your path and you hear once again the taunts you just say I'm with God. I'm with the one who created the earth I'm with him. I'm the one with the one who spoke Lazarus come out and the dead man came walking. I'm with the one who has inherited the throne of David. I am with God. To say that we are God's house is to say we are meant to be with one another and it is to say we are meant to be forever with God.
He built the house. You can't evict him. You're stuck with him. He is not going to leave you. He is not going to forsake you. He's with you.
Well audio adrenaline was right. Our Father's house is a big big house. Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you and my Father's house are many rooms but there is something that is even more incredible. That big big house that is the inhabitation of God that's you church that's you and that's the gospel.
Alan Wright and today's teaching the difference between being in God's house and being God's house. In a world that often feels overwhelming we all seek moments of encouragement and hope. As a heartfelt thank you for becoming a monthly partner with Alan Wright Ministries we're excited to send you our blessing box featuring 24 beautifully crafted cards filled with encouraging blessings from Pastor Alan. Each card offers daily inspiration and scripture on themes such as hope, strength, your identity in Christ, thanksgiving and much more.
These blessings are designed to uplift your spirit providing encouragement whenever you need a boost. This unique resource can be yours with our thanks as we welcome new monthly partners to the support family of Alan Wright Ministries. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.
When you give today we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 or come to our website pastoralan.org. So Alan if someone is dealing with loneliness or they're searching for a way to connect or they're trying to be just out on their own I don't need anybody right? I mean this is a relational faith that we're part of. It really is and this is part of the absolute urgency that even though there's a lot of mistrust of church today and a lot of people have said well I'm just not gonna I'm not gonna be in church. We as the body of Christ we need one another.
We are made for one another and so I would say it with some real fervency and real urgency. If you find yourself isolated it might take a little work but find your place in the body of Christ. Find a church even if it takes some work. Find real Christian friends.
Our health depends on it. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastoralan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching not only can you listen again online but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastoralan.org that's pastoralan.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.
