12 to Grow With 8-3-25

·37 min·3 clips

Pastor Eric recalls sitting alone in a college dorm lobby, spiritually dry and overwhelmed, when his group of 12 unexpectedly showed up.

This episode is the first in a three-part sermon series titled 'The Company That You Keep', delivered by Pastor Eric at Core Church. The series examines relationships in the life of Jesus and their application to personal faith. Today's focus is '12 to Grow With', drawing from Mark 3:13-15 where Jesus appoints his twelve disciples. Eric begins by reading the scripture and praying. He then transitions into a lengthy personal anecdote from his time as a Resident Advisor at Southern Nazarene University. He describes a moment of spiritual discouragement where his fellow RAs, his '12', intuitively recognized his need and took him on an impromptu trip to the mall, using Photo Booth on Apple store computers—a moment he credits with reminding him of his identity and purpose. Eric defines influence using the Oxford Dictionary and poses reflective questions to the audience: 'Who are your 12?' and 'How are you being influenced?'. He emphasizes that influence is a two-way street, affecting both character and behavior. The sermon's core teaching extracts three 'rhythms for growth' from the Mark passage: presence shapes us (being with others), preparation forms us (being challenged and corrected), and purpose sends us (being sent out with authority). Eric illustrates 'preparation' with another college story where a friend confronted him for lying on a dorm check-in sheet, teaching him that compromise in small things leads to compromise in big things. He concludes by urging listeners to find or deepen their '12', not settling for surface-level community, so they can be shaped, formed, and sent out to share the hope, healing, peace, and purpose of Jesus. The episode ends with an invitation to visit Core Church and use support links.

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