Come Alive | Adam Weber

Something that I see in so many men over the last 20 years, I've seen this time and time again as they come to know Jesus. And at first they're all excited about God, and God is at work inside of them, and they need they need Jesus in their lives. And they start taking all these awesome steps like they take a risk, and they go to church for the first time. They take a risk, and they open up the Bible for the first time. They share about their faith with a coworker and what God has done in their lives for the first time. And again, they take all these awesome steps. But at some point, they just kind of slide into autopilot mode, and slowly their excitement starts to fade. And slowly, they really don't really have much need for God anymore. Why? Because they stopped taking risks. What is up? Embrace. It is so good to see you. I hope you're doing so well. My name is Adam. I'm one of the pastors here. And we are honored that you are with us here today. And today as a church, we are starting up a brand new year. But listen to this. It's not just a new year. This is our 20th year as a church. Embrace turns 20 years old this September. Yeah, it all cancels.

Let's put it up for God's kindness. And so it's our 20th year. And hear this. I'm praying that it is our boldest year yet. Like I'm praying this year. We see God do incredible things in and through our own individual lives this year. Instead of playing it safe, I'm praying that you and I will take steps of faith. Even as a church, our heartbeat is to relentlessly reach the next person for Jesus. And so this year I'm praying that we see person after person more specifically, you and I see person after person after person reach and change by Jesus. Even over the next month or so, we're starting up a brand new series today, and we've got a sold out ladies night coming up at the end of this month. We have Super Bowl Sunday. Xavier Scott will be with us in February. We're going to be going through the book of James together. Friends, over the next two months, every single week is the perfect opportunity to invite a friend, a neighbor, a coworker to come and join us. And just to be direct, if embraces your home and you're a Jesus Fowler in the next two months, you're not inviting people. I say this genuinely. You might want to ask yourself, am I really fouling Jesus? Again, over the last two months, if you haven't invited anybody looking forward to these next two months, if you

have invited anybody and embraces your home and you're Jesus, you might want to ask, am I really a Fowler of Jesus? Because friends, one of the main things that we do as Christ Fowlers is we invite and we tell other people about Jesus. And so again, I'm so excited about this new year, our 20th year. And today we are starting up a brand new series called Be a Man. Be a Man. Now, just to give us some back story. This has been a series that I've been wrestling with and praying about for at least the last two years now. And here's why I want to do this series, because when I look around, I see so many men who are just bored, even if they're super busy and tired, they're just bored and they have no purpose. Why this series? I see so many men who would become tamed house cats, playing life super safe, just kind of coasting. For us men, I often think about our 18 year old selves and what they would want to ask us. And I think for so many of us, our 18 year old self would just want to ask, like, what happened to you? Like, really? And maybe our 18 year old self had a little bit more spunk. When did you become so lame? When did you become so boring? Our 18 year old self, when did you become so bitter? When did you become this old, uptight, old, old man?

Why this series? Because I see so many guys who are struggling alone, struggling depression alone, struggling with porn, struggling with their marriage, and not a single soul even knows about it. Why this series? I see so many guys who are standing on the sidelines when it comes to their faith. They'll crush it at work. They'll crush it with their goals. They'll crush it with finances, but not their faith. And so what happens? Well, it's the wives that are trying to get their families to church and it's the wife who's trying to figure out what should I say to him so he doesn't get angry and I just kind of hope at some point he'll start following Jesus when fellows it should be the other way around. Shouldn't be our wives dragging us. No, no, no, no, no. Should be us. Why this series? I see young men who need to be raised up and I see old men who feel like they're outdated and obsolete when the truth is we need every single one of you. Every single one of you and also can you imagine if all of us guys fully came alive? Can you imagine if all of us men got on fire for Jesus if we became the men that God created us to be and for all of you ladies, can you imagine this? If your sons if your boyfriends and husbands and dads came alive, can you imagine if they got in the game if they got

on fire for Jesus? How awesome would that be? Can I get an amen in the house of God from all you women, right? It's like can you imagine? Speaking of that? I love these words found in the book of Genesis were told then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathe life into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being that this is so powerful different than how God formed a woman God took some dirt from the ground. Doesn't that just sound like a dude? God took some some dirt from the ground and he formed a man and then we're told that God breathe life the breath of life into his nostrils. This don't don't miss this the man he came alive. Only after God breathe life into his lungs. And then and only then did he become a living being well fellas. This right here is my hope for this series. Like how rad would it be if through this series God came and he breathed life into you life into young men life into old men life in a single and married men life into broken men. What if during this series God came and breathe life? Into some of you men who just felt like a pile of dirt. On the ground. How rad would that be? And so today to start an important question to ask what

does it mean to be a man? Well, first off there's some basic nuts and bolts, right? Literally some basic nuts and bolts. I mean, there's there's some very basic things that makes a dude a dude biologically and and just to acknowledge it. I know that this can be a touchy subject and with that being controversial has never been a goal of ours that embrace like we're not the church that tries to tick people off in the name of Jesus. That's not us and actually I don't think it's Jesus either. You see Jesus he time and time again ticked off the religious people not those outside the church and yet often churches we do the complete opposite also to be very clear since the very very beginning of embrace the last 20 years. You don't have to believe the same things we believe to belong here. You don't and so with this I just want to say if you're a person here who is genuinely wrestling with your gender wrestling with your identity just know that we're not just okay that you're here. No, no that we're thrilled and honored that you're here know that we're not just kind of like put up with you or whatever like just whatever. No, we hope you feel deeply welcomed and loved here. But also those scripture says that our God he doesn't make mistakes. And that he's wonderfully and fearfully made you in his image male or female. And so again biologically there's some things that make us men that with a series called be a man.

I just felt like I had to acknowledge but here this biology isn't the focus of the series. And so more than biology, what does it mean to be a man? Well, there's all the stereotypes, right? I mean, what does it mean to be a man? Maybe for you you picture a womanizer who talks down who looks down at women. Maybe for you. What does it mean to be a man? You think about the guy who's tough and he beats his chest the guy who doesn't do emotions because he's such a manly man. Maybe for you you picture an absent father who doesn't take responsibility for anything. Nothing. Maybe for you. You think about the guy who drinks beer all day and plays video games the guy who lifts weights and he spends more time hunting than working on his marriage. The truth is all of this misses the boat. And yet there are so many who think that this is what it means to be a man so much. So there's a term for it. It's called toxic masculinity. You see this term. It showed up in the 1980s. I didn't know it was that far back. It showed up in the 1980s, but it became super popular right around 2015. So what did the world do?

Well, as the world typically does, we overcorrect it. We overcorrected and we just labeled all masculinity toxic. All of it's bad. And for a couple of years, you almost felt guilty for being a man. Men for all of us guys. The truth is our manhood is a gift from God. Just like it is to be a woman. It's a gift. And honestly, I think it's rad and truly awesome how God has uniquely wired us and formed us as men. And so once again, what does it mean? To be a man. Throughout this series in the next few weeks, we're going to we're going to highlight eight different truths that we need to pursue as men and not just as men, but as men of God and and to be so clear, all of these are things that women can and should pursue as well, but specifically as dudes. If we want to become the men that God has breathed his life into, if we want to become a man who is fully alive, each of these eight truths. So important. Okay. So today the first truth, if we want to be a man that is that is fully alive. We need to take risks. Let me say that again. If we want to be a man who's filled with the breath of life who is fully alive, not just floating through the motions,

but is fully alive. Take risk. Just to clarify this taking a risk doesn't mean being stupid. Okay, I feel like I need to acknowledge that for the for the man. It doesn't mean being stupid, but it does mean stepping into uncertainty. It doesn't mean being flippant or foolish, especially if you got a family to provide for but it does mean regularly stepping into the unknown. And trusting God. Something that I see in so many men over the last 20 years. I've seen this time and time again as they come to know Jesus. And at first they're all excited about God and God is at work inside of them and they need they need Jesus in their lives and they start taking all these awesome steps. Like they take a risk and they go to church for the first time. They take a risk and they open up the Bible for the first time, even though it's super super confusing and they take a step and they let people know that they started following Jesus for the first time talk about a risk. They share about their faith with a co-worker. And what God has done in their lives for the first time and again, they take all these awesome steps. But at some point. They just kind of slide into autopilot mode. And slowly their excitement starts to fade and slowly. They really don't really have much need for God anymore.

Why? Because they stopped taking risks. It started as an adventure. And then it just kind of became this routine. I thought this quote from author John Eldridge was so good and John's just an amazing dude. John said truth be told most of us men are faking our way through life. We pick only the battles. We are sure to win. Only those adventures. We are sure to handle. Just to ask all of you guys, all of you guys, when was the last time you took a risk? More specifically, when was the last time you took a risk for God? I love these words from the Apostle Paul, a guy who took so many bold risks. No kidding. The guy was stoned not like you were in college. Okay. And he was thrown in prison and he was shipwrecked. Doesn't every dude just wish they could say that they were shipwrecked at one point in life. How awesome does that sound? But Paul says this, he says for we live by faith. Not by sight. We live by faith, not by sight. Paul's talking about how we're made, how we're created for heaven.

And so each day he tells us to live by the things we can't see, to live by our conviction, to live by our trust in God rather than what's tangibly in front of us. Fellas, living by faith, it requires us to take a step even when we can't see the path in front of us. It requires us to step out of our comfort zone, even when we don't know where the road might lead. It involves. false, taking risks, speaking of taking a risk and I'm not patting myself on the back here. There was a whole bunch of others who have been on this journey as well. But 20 years ago, I took a risk and I started embrace and I'll just be candid. I didn't want to. I actually thought it was a bad idea. The first time the idea got brought up to me. I said Sioux Falls has enough churches. And the chance of failure was so incredibly high. There were so many unknowns and yet I reluctantly. Took a risk and I said yes to God. The truth is, though, I was thinking about it this week. It wasn't just a one-time risk 20 years ago. No, it's honestly, it's honestly felt like a risk every single day for the last 20 years. Every single day. Like I can remember when we started leasing our 57th Street Campus. Now we own it. But when we started leasing this place, I'm talking gigantic

risk. After we signed the papers that day, I called my dad. The building was empty. I walked around and I was to the point of tears. Because I said dad, it feels like we need to put our big boy pants on now. I was terrified. And then decided to go multi-site so many unknowns. No church in Sioux Falls that even ever tried it. Many said it wouldn't work here and work in big cities where you have to drive all over the place, but it won't work in Sioux Falls. Again, huge risk. Our T Campus. In a strip mall that smelled like Subway and sewer. Our Westside Campus huge risks going into prisons risk. Literally every single Sunday. When I walk out here to preach, I feel so much risk. I just explained this. I get so nervous and when I get nervous, I start slamming water and hear this and I know this is strange to hear but I just want you to know like I'm I'm not above you like I'm still I'm still on this. I get I get so nervous between every single Sunday every single service between every single service on every single Sunday because I'm so nervous and I'm slamming water. I'm typically in the bathroom. And again, this isn't a joke three sometimes four times between every single service this last one for no joke. The service before that I literally sprinted.

I thought we had one more song. I sprinted because I needed the bathroom one more time before I before I got up here. Maybe I need to start smoking instead of drinking water. Okay, or maybe I need to see a doctor. Can somebody help me out with that? Okay, any of those types of doctors send me your digits. Over the years though up friends. I failed so many times. I've been misunderstood so many times. I've had dear friends leave our church which crushes me every single time. I've had haters. I've never met. I've had horrible things sent to me by email from a person. I've never spoke to risk risk risk risk risk. Even this year. We're looking at taking yet another risk. Why so that we have an open seat for anybody who decides to come and worship with us so we can relentlessly reach them for Jesus. It feels strange to share. I don't know if you're a word of the year person every year. I pick a word of the year. Last year was life-giving. I wanted to be life-giving to everybody that was around me and my wife kids team this year and it wasn't because I was thinking about this message this year. My word for the year is trust. I just trust Jesus.

With all the unknowns and all the all the risks. We're taking man. Here's the truth though. Right now. I am the opposite of bored. Right now the opposite of coasting. I can't remember a time that I felt this dependent on Jesus and hear this even with all the pressure and all the stress. I'm just going to tell you I feel fully alive. Every day I get out of bed and I'm like, let's go. Let's go. Why because I'm taking risks? Because I'm taking risk friends. Just to ask you again. When was the last time you took a risk? Maybe it's a phone call. You just keep filling this nudge. You're supposed to make maybe it's starting a business. Maybe it's trying something new with your family. It's like Adam. I'll crush goals at my business. I'll take risk all the time. What about with your family? You can do it. Maybe it's going to a marriage counselor. Take a risk. For you teenage men, and notice I didn't say teenage boys, teenage men, maybe it's standing up to peer pressure. Maybe it's befriending the guy that everyone's trying to make fun of or whatever.

He's like, no, no, he's with me. He's with me. You make fun of him? You got me. What about when it comes to God? When was the last time you took a risk for him? Maybe it's inviting someone to church. By the way, if you invite someone to church who doesn't know Jesus, it will completely change the way that you come to church. Some of you longtime Jesus followers, you walk in with your scorecard. I don't really like how they do the music and this and this and this. If you invite a friend who doesn't know Jesus and they show up your scorecard, you'll burn it yourself. Instead of your scorecard, because you're such a deep Christian, what you'll do is the whole time, God, Holy Spirit, would you move in my brother? Because I can't believe, would you move in my co-worker? Because I can't believe they're here. I don't care about the music. I don't care about the message and how it applies to me. All I care about is them hearing about you. Maybe it's tithing for the first time. I'll raise my hands. I'll quote scripture. I'll be the Christian business person. What about your money? Maybe it's telling a co-worker about Jesus and what he's done in your life. I'm talking about the guy who makes fun of other Christians

at the workplace. Maybe it's praying with your family, with your family. Maybe it's praying with your wife. I'm just saying the older I get, maybe it's different for you. The older I get, the less naturally I want to take a risk. And yet if we want to be men fully alive. If we want the breath of God breathe into our lungs. We got to take risks. We got to take risks. Take risks. Okay, so this is the second truth today. If we want to be men that are fully alive. Build up other men. Build up other men. If you want to have the breath of God breathe in you. Adam, I'm bored. That's on you. Adam, I don't have your life. That's on you. If you want to come alive, build up other men. Just to be candid. This is a truth that I'm just a little bit passionate about. I'm going to try to reel myself in a little bit so I don't get a little crazy. Why am I passionate about it? Because as I mentioned earlier, right now, I see so many young men. Men in their teens, 20s, 30s, 40s. By the way, 40s is still very, very, very young. Okay, it's amazing how young they are.

I see all these young men. That need another man to pour into them. And sure, they might have a mentor at work and they got coaches that they pay for to help them be more effective at their job, but they don't have anyone pouring into them as men. Believing in them, speaking into them, challenging them as husbands, as dads, as followers of Jesus. And then on the flip side, I see so many older men in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond and they feel outdated and obsolete. It's like they used to be in the game and they used to be a star player on the team. They used to matter. They used to be sought after and people would email them and asking them if they could grab coffee. It's like they used to, used to, used to, but now they just feel old and no longer needed. It's like they've been put on the shelf. Older men. Let me just say this as strongly as I can. We need you. We need you. We need you in our lives. We need your wisdom and your insight and get this. You are only on the shelf. If you want to be. I say this with great humility and I say this with gentleness. You are only on the bench. If you want to be, you can't be a victim anymore. Oh, I used to be and I'm bitter and I'm it's on you.

It's on you. And sure, maybe you're retired and maybe you can't do all the things you used to do. And maybe you don't know all the new ways of doing things, but so much better. You've lived life. You've been around the block a whole bunch of times. You've weathered storms. I've never weathered. You've seen the faithfulness of God so many times. You've taken so many risks and we need you. We need you. I love these words from the Apostle Paul. He shares them with his with his brothers and his sisters all the followers of Jesus in the city of Thessalonica again, everything we've shared today for all of you women all of this applies to you. He writes this to his brothers and his sisters in the city of Thessalonica. But Paul says this to them. He says, encourage each other. Encourage one another and build each other. Is this word build in the verse here is specifically used when talking about building a house. I just think about like building a house on a firm foundation with strong straight walls. I mean, it's just like it's just a fortress. Build each other up. Encourage other other men build them up like a strong house. Okay, so practically speaking.

What does this look like though? If I didn't make it clear this applies to every single one of you men all of you to ladies as well, but all of you men and so if you're here today and you're 25 years old, I can tell you there's a 15 year old man young man that needs you remember what it was like to be 15. Holy crap. Right that 15 year old he needs help on navigating high school. He needs help in handling and navigating peer pressure help with his hormones. He's trying to figure out what does it look like to be a man of God a leader of God to his peers? Build them up notice him speak into him take him to Taco Bell and get him a Baja Blaster. Highlight his gifts tell him about all the stupid things you did so he doesn't have to make the same stupid mistakes. Build them up. If you're here and you're 43 like me, I'm just saying there's a 28 year old that just got married a 28 year old who's maybe a dad for the first time ever and he needs you. Build them up. Tell him that the first year of marriage was hard. And that marriage in general is hard. Tell him that your wife struggled with postpartum depression to invite him into your men's group pay for a date night for him and his gal share about all the things that you wish you would have done differently. If you can give him a career opportunity that he doesn't deserve build him up.

And then for you 65 75 85 you're priceless. priceless Find a 43 year old dude like me and build them up. We need you. We need you. Tell him that significance is way more important than success. Give him insight on how to how to best be a parent to now adult kids. Share wisdom on how to harness your 40s to the best of your ability. Remind me remind 43 year olds to date your spouse. Speaking of marriage. Tell me that sex only gets better and better and better with age. No kidding. If it does get better in age and you haven't shared that with somebody younger shame on you. And if it doesn't get better with age lie to me. Okay, I need a few things to look forward to. Seriously though send me a note in the mail when you see me do something rad. Let me know about it. Let me know that even at your age you're trying to figure life out man. I'm trying to figure it out, you know. Tell me about the faithfulness of God not for a couple of years like 15 years or 20 years. No, I'm talking tell me about the faithfulness of God over 40 50 60 70 years. Tell me about the faithfulness of God.

Fellas, it's not rocket science. Not rocket science. It's not hard, but it does take intentionality. And yet I'm just saying if you want to come alive, if you want to come alive, if you don't want to come alive, don't listen to anything. I'm saying but right now if you want fire in your bones. I haven't found there's few things more rewarding than building up other men, whether it's my own sons, whether it's younger men or even fellows my age. It's awesome. And then also on the flip side, there are a few things that have been a greater blessing in my life than older men pouring into me building me up. I could list off so many in crime spoiled in this area. I think about my dad. Every time I talk to me encouraged. I think about men like Jim Lake. Like Brad laminate. Like Rick Melmer Rick Melmer. He has sent me so many. notes over the years and I know I'm not the only one also one of those guys is Bob Merritt who shared with us again this last week and I asked Bob if it'd be okay if I read just a handful of the text messages. I asked him if I could just read a couple of the messages that he sent me. One day Bob said this Adam. Good morning. I'm praying for you right now and I'm excited for embrace

to hear your teaching this Sunday praying that God will speak powerfully through you. That in your weaknesses, he will reveal his strength. And then hundreds will put their full faith in Jesus today. I love your church Adam and I love and I stand with you Bob. Morning Adam, you said that you're still a work-in-progress. Yes, me too. I still have so many doubts and insecurities. Honestly, love love loved your message today the whole thing Bob. And then lastly right before Christmas this year. I got this text message from Bob Adam. I prayed for you this morning at 3 30 a.m. That God will keep you protected strong loving and impactful beyond explanation. God has given you a tremendous gift Adam. Thank you for being obedient and humble and using it to reach thousands for Christ this Christmas Bob. I look at these texts. It's like how to I don't know how to build another man up. He just did it. So simple. How do I build but he prayed for me? I don't know how to build but he related with me. You're still a work-in-progress me too. It's like what you are. What did he do? He encouraged me. I could honestly read countless more text messages from Bob and from all these other mentors as well.

And I'll just say this these texts coming from an older man like Bob a guy who I know doesn't sugarcoat his words a guy who has had great influence in my specific field a guy who is faithfully loved and served Jesus for years. I can't sum up how Bob's words have built me up as a man. I honestly can't tell you how they built me up and how they've made me calm alive. It feels like the breath the literal breath of God. It's come into my into my lungs build up other men. Okay. So today these are the two truths. If you want to be a man that is fully alive take risks. Want to be a man that is fully alive build up other men over the next two weeks. We're going to cover the other six truths and today as you leave every single man young and old is going to get one of these signs. We just want to get these into your hands. If you're watching with us online, there's gonna be a link in the comments that you can click and download it or feel free to stop by any of our campuses and grab one of these cards today. But fellas, I want to encourage you to take one of these and hang it up somewhere that you'll see it put it on your bathroom mirror put it on your mini in your minivan. I mean your pickup truck. Of course put it in your locker put it put it where you work out. I'm praying that it would be a constant reminder of this series.

It will also give you a sneak peek of where we're going for the rest of this series like next week. We're going to cover the truth grow up. We're also going to cover the truth own your crap. And so there's that to close today right now at every campus. I want to have every young man in your teens or your 20s. I want to invite you to stand up your teens or your 20s. You're a young man. I'm going to invite you to stand up. And then at all other campuses. I want to celebrate these men. I want to honor these men. Can we put it up? Man, we're so glad you're here. Men keep standing. If you want to keep standing how awesome that you showed up some of you got drug here and it was optional. Others of you showed up on a Sunday morning. Well done. Let's go for all you guys in your 30s and 40s. I don't know who to pour into. I don't know where I would start. It's right there. Look around at all the guys standing. Okay for all of us. I just want to acknowledge that you young men. You're not our future. You're our present. Okay, you're our present. We don't want you to leave 15 years old.

We don't want you to leave 15 years old. We don't want you to leave 15 years old. We don't want you to leave 15 years old. in years from now, we want you to lead today. We don't want you to leave 15 years old. We need you in the game, okay? So we need you. These words from Paul, listen to these. I think these are so good to his younger friend, Timothy. Don't let anyone look down on you. Not inside this church, nobody's looking down on you. Not outside this church, no one's looking down on you because of your youth. But set an example for all believers. Set an example for me. Set an example for my son. Set an example for all my buddies. Set an example. If you would, everybody else, if you want to extend your hands towards these men who are standing, we're gonna close by praying. At all campuses, let's pray. Lord, we thank you for these young men who are making their faith a priority. We celebrate that. We see them, God. Every man standing, we are for them. We're not against them. We are praying for them. We're cheering them on.

We're in their corner. God, some of these young men, I'm gonna call them out, are acting like little boys. You've called us to be young men. And so I ask that you'd help us to put away our childish ways and to step into being men that you've called us to be. Specifically in their faith, Lord, would you use them. I pray for all of us men in our 30s and 40s that we would begin building these men up very, very intentionally. Lord, we love you. We thank you. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus. All God's people said, amen, amen. Hey friends, it's Adam from Embrace. If today's message encouraged you, be sure to hit the subscribe button to our YouTube channel to see all new messages as they drop. Also feel free to click here and check out more of our videos. Thanks so much for watching.