Meadowhead Christian Fellowship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03coA2dBCcE Sermon extracted from: https://youtube.com/live/KPTmW7bHBAo Clipped from 00:59:21 to 01:33:58.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOdl-edeefs Sermon extracted from: https://www.youtube.com/live/3wOAUWLS6DQ Clipped from 01:03:08 to 01:29:33.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kxo68Bm8iE Sermon extracted from: https://www.youtube.com/live/jaA_VUceefM Clipped from 00:57:17 to 01:21:14.

Andy Hollingum

This sermon, titled "Living on the Edge – Faith and Resources," was delivered by Nick Lugg at Meadowhead Christian Fellowship in Sheffield. It serves as a spiritual launchpad for 2026, challenging the congregation to move beyond mere belief into active, dependent trust in God. Sermon Summary As the church stands at the threshold of a new year, Nick Lugg explores the concept of "living on the edge"—the space where human certainty ends and divine provision begins. He argues that while standing at the edge of the unknown can be unsettling, it is the only environment in which true faith can grow. Using the context of the church's upcoming building projects (146 development) and the personal financial struggles he experienced as a missionary in Zambia, Nick emphasizes that God often intentionally pushes His people to the edge of their resources to teach them dependence. He defines a maturing faith through three distinct qualities: Generosity: Choosing to live open-handedly even when resources seem scarce, confronting the fear of "not having enough" with the reality of God's goodness. Resilience: Refusing to interpret difficulty as God's absence, instead asking how a challenge is an invitation to trust Him more deeply. Courage: Moving forward in obedience despite feeling afraid, focusing on the next faithful step rather than the entire path. The message concludes with a call to stop relying on bank balances or personal talents and to put one's hand into the hand of God, stepping into 2026 with an "honest" faith that makes space for the miraculous. Quoted Bible Passages (NIV) Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Philippians 4:11-12 "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Full Transcript Nick Lugg: Amen. Bit of a mixed-up day today. It's great that we've been able to share communion together. Obviously, there are things that we pray for. Great to hear encouragement from Mel there as well about how God has been sustaining her. But it's also—I want to speak this morning on the title... it sounds very grand: "Living on the Edge – Faith and Resources." I think when I say "living on the edge," many people will know what that means. We can feel like we're sometimes toppling over the edge. But I just want to spend a few minutes bringing some thoughts about what it means to live on the edge and what it means to grow in faith as we step into a new year. So let's pray again, shall we? Father, we thank you for your word. Pray that you'll bring it alive in our hearts, bring it alive in me, that I might be able to communicate what I know is on your heart for us as a church, for me, for all of us as a community. Lord Jesus, I pray that this would be a year of growth, a year of learning the reality of what it means to trust in you. And so we place it all into your hands. We just ask that you'll speak to us this morning, in Jesus' name. Amen. [Offering segment omitted for the summary; see audio for details.] So, as I said, I want to speak on living on the edge, faith and resources. This is a standalone, like a one-off thing that I want to speak about. I've planned this for a little while. And then next week, we're going to start a series on John's Gospel. It's actually two years since we started Genesis. And only about six months since we finished it. So that was a great exercise and a journey through Genesis. And many times, you know, we found that although there was biblical history and there were things that we learned by looking back thousands of years, we also see the reality of Jesus coming through those pages. We learned a lot about our faith and our response to Jesus today through looking at the first book in the Bible. But one of the things we want to do for the next few weeks and months is focus on John's Gospel, which has a very clear focus on Jesus himself—the actual account of Jesus' life and ministry and his death and resurrection. So we're going to spend some time in John's Gospel and make resources available if groups want to use them as well, so that we don't just have the 20-25 minutes we have on a Sunday, but we can have, as a church community, wherever we gather, an opportunity to look into what God is saying to us through those things. So that will start next week. But today, as I said, I want to speak on living on the edge, faith and resources. So we're on the edge. We're on the edge of a new year. It's always an interesting place to stand. You know, I'm old enough to remember the millennium and the millennium bug and all the chaos that it didn't cause, but the... and all the fireworks that went off for the first time. I think more or less the first time we had all those fireworks. Now it's every year. We've got these massive millions and millions of pounds going off, everybody celebrating, and there's almost a question of, well, we're not quite sure what we're celebrating. It's just like lots of bangs and flashes and "oh, it's a new year, how exciting it is." But for people of faith, it really is... it's nothing different from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day in actual reality, but it is important for us to stand and to reflect sometimes. And so for some, it is exciting, a feeling of fresh starts, new possibilities. For others, it can be unsettling—unanswered questions, unresolved pressure, uncertainty about what lies ahead. And often it's both at the same time, isn't it? So it can be standing on the edge of the unknown, which isn't always a very comfortable place to stand. Christmas 1939, as Britain faced the Second World War, King George VI quoted a poem in his Christmas speech, and it captured that moment. And these words—you may know them, but if you haven't heard them, I'm going to read them now. It said: "And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied: 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.'" "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of Go1d. That shall be to you better2 than light and safer than a known way." So our circumstances are different than 1939. Some would have you think they're not that different, but they certainly are different. But the principle is the same. And one thing as I prepared this, I wanted to emphasize is that I believe that 2026 is not just a year for us to continue our belief in God. You know, we believe in God, we're a church, we come together Sunday by Sunday, we worship, we hear His word, and we go and we live our lives. It's not just about believing in God, but it is a year to put our faith in Him. To really lean on Him, to trust Him, to depend on Him, not knowing all the answers in advance. And it's a really powerful question to ask ourselves: are we ready for that? Are we ready not just to say "I believe in Jesus," but actually "I will trust Him. I will trust Him with everything that makes my life what it is and makes our life what it is as a church." Will we trust Him and allow Him to take us beyond that which we know and beyond that which we can see? Because faith grows where certainty ends. And as a church, we know that God is calling us to big things. We know that we've got the development of 146—God willing, all of that will begin to develop much faster now we come into the new year and builders come back from their holidays and all of that. We're praying and believing for greater impact in our community. We want to see the Gospel changing lives. Not just touching people to say "oh, that's a nice church," but actually "this Jesus has changed my life from the inside out." And that is a sustaining transformation. That isn't just a flash in the pan of people saying "oh, this was great, I had a good experience in the church," but actually it's a lifelong transformation. That's what we want to see in our lives and in the lives of our community. And we want growing clarity about God's vision for our future. Why is it that God has placed us here? We can say we have a mission to our community, we have a mission to Jordanthorpe, Batemoor, we have a mission to Sheffield, but what does that really mean? What does that really look like? What is God calling us to be? And how is He calling us to shape ourselves? And as we grapple with those questions, we know that none of them come with guarantees. And for many individuals and families, 2026 already feels uncertain. You're looking and you're not sure. There's change on the horizon. Things are moving, things are shifting. Faith doesn't mean certainty about events. It can be certain of things we hope for, certain of things we do not see, but not certainty about events or certainty about the way things will work out. And in Proverbs it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding," because faith begins where our understanding runs out. We love to understand everything, don't we? Love to have a handle on everything and say "I know," that's why we... fear and insecurity makes us controlling. We try and control everything, and faith teaches us that we can't, but we can trust in Jesus. Psalm 23 doesn't promise that we avoid the valley, but it says "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." So the comfort of God's presence is discovered in the valley, not instead of it. He doesn't allow us to bypass the valley. He says "Even though I walk through the valley, I'll still find you there. I'll still know your presence there." And that's really uncomfortable because we would love a faith that said, actually, I can call down all the favors of heaven and I will avoid all the valleys of life and all the challenges and all the difficulties. And we know—you know—that's not real, is it? That's not fact. We know that sometimes we have to face the valleys head-on. But even though we walk through those valleys, we will fear no evil, for you are with me. Fear and anxiety are the oldest burdens of the human race. From the moment Adam and Eve sinned, we've known what fear is. When they sinned and they ran away from the presence of God and God found them, and Adam said, "Actually, we hid from you because we were afraid." Where did that come from? That came because of the deficit that had come in the human heart because of sin. But where fear and anxiety are present, then we know that faith can grow. It's an opportunity for faith to grow. It's a fertile ground for faith to grow. And so we can be stepping into 2026—we can jump and cheer and whoop at the fireworks, but there's a nagging feeling in the back of our minds that perhaps we have more questions than answers. Maybe about finances, maybe about your health, relationships, direction that your life is taking or should take. And if you have those questions, that's not a bad place to be. That doesn't mean that we're failing; it means that we're standing in the right place for faith to grow. God pushes us to the edge and allows faith to grow in that place. Why does God provide at the edge? Why doesn't He just give us everything that we want? He's got all the power, He's got all the resources, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He could just give it to us. You know, why is the funding of God's vision for 146... why is it a struggle? He could just give it to us. But He doesn't; He pushes us to the edge. Why do we need to go through struggle in life? He pushes us to the edge in order that faith can grow. So He made Israel dependent on daily manna from heaven. Elijah was fed by ravens. The disciples were asked to feed thousands with nothing. God has all those resources—God has more than five loaves and two fish. But there was something that He wanted to teach, something that He wanted to drill into their hearts. And He tells us those stories not so that we can replicate them, not so that we can all walk on water... I read—it's not a funny story, it's a tragic story—but it is a weird story of a pastor somewhere who thought, "You know, I've got so much faith, I can walk on water," and he stepped out on the water and sank and never came up. You know, it's not about walking on water, or like, if you're old enough to remember The Secret Diary of Adrian Plass, making paperclips move by faith or any of that sort of stuff. But it's so that we learn never to plan without God. Never to enter a period of time without budgeting for God, without making room for the actions of the Holy Spirit. We're not entering a new year without thinking: what can God do? Our New Year's resolutions are a faithless effort to shore everything up. "I know what this year holds because I've made a resolution." Well, we all know that they all fall apart on the second of January. So there's no point in trying to control the year ahead, but there is a point in making space for God to move. God's provision stories are about creating space for Him to act, not about us being heroes. So what are you anxious about right now as you go into 2026? What are you hoping to achieve? What's on your mind? What's on your heart? And maybe it's only you that knows it. But the question is: have you made space for God in all of that? Have you made space for God in your planning? Or have you already decided what's possible or what's impossible? So easy to decide what's impossible, isn't it? "Oh, it couldn't happen." But in actual fact, what I believe God is calling us to do is to make space in our planning, make space in our thinking, give margin for God to move. Whether it's as individuals or families, or whether it's as a church, we have to... we can't plan our year as a church just by looking at what happened last year. So easy to do that. Look back, "oh yeah, we did all this in the planning, we'll just photocopy the planner from last year and just shift it on a date and everything..." and we'll get back to next year and we'll all be happy. Well, we won't all be happy. There's so much that God wants to do as we put our faith and our trust in Him. Now, I realized actually this year that I've been a Christian for 40 years. That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? I know I don't look that old, but... I could give countless testimonies of what God has done over those years and how He's shown Himself strong in my life. It's just amazing when you think back—miracle upon miracle. I'm sure the same for any of us here; we could give stories about what God has done. And sometimes those things have happened when faith has felt the weakest. There are many, many things that I could tell you that are probably... I've got one story that just came to mind, but I could tell you so many that are more significant, that are maybe even life-and-death situations. But there's one that reminded me when I was thinking about what it means to be pushed to the edge. And we lived in Zambia for a number of years, as many of you will know, and we lived among people that struggled an awful lot and were an inspiration to our faith in so many ways. But we encountered—for us it was serious, but in terms of everything else it was probably quite mild—but we had one particular time when a perfect storm hit us and we ran out of cash completely. The ATMs weren't working. There wasn't any fuel so we couldn't get out of town. The internet was down so we couldn't send out a prayer letter. We couldn't contact anyone. We couldn't do anything. We had no food. We couldn't feed the children. They were supposed to be going to school and they needed stuff for school. And for the first time, we experienced what it meant to have absolutely no power to fix the situation. And so you know what we did? We thought, "Oh well, we better pray." Because that's where God pushes us to the edge. If we're not at the edge, if we've got all of that surplus and all of that abundance and all of that... why do we need God? But we ended up in a situation where we could have said, "Well, where's God? He's supposed to provide for us." But in actual fact, we found that we had nothing and so we were pushed towards Him and we prayed. Not long, impressive prayers, just honest ones that culminated in us making a list of what we needed. And as we basically—as we wrote that list or as we finished it off—there was a knock at the gate. And two ladies—two old ladies that we loved, women who have very little themselves, suffered so much in their lives—stood at our gate with two carrier bags, inside with almost exactly the things that we'd written down on our list. And they said, "Well..." and we were praying—this was like because it takes them quite a long time to get from where they live to the shops to our house. So they'd done all this before we started praying. But they said, "God, we were praying this morning, God told us to buy these things for you." The supplies didn't last long—you know, bread and jam and whatever—but the lesson has lasted a lifetime. And faith grows when we experience God in the impossible situations. And if you're facing an impossible situation, whether it's a small thing like that or whether it's a really big thing, you're in the place where faith can grow. Faith can grow this year in 2026 as we face impossible and challenging, difficult situations. So our faith is about formation, not the outcomes that it brings. Paul the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstance, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." He thanked the Philippians for their generosity—they'd sent him a gift—and he said, "I don't need that gift, but what it shows me is what is happening in your heart. What it shows me is your faith—that out of your poverty, you have chosen to give to me. And that to me gives me pleasure. I know," he said, "that God will provide for me whatever happens, whether it's through you or through anybody else. But nevertheless, my joy comes from seeing that you've done it, that your faith has grown, that you have met these needs." And so faith—growing in faith is not about guaranteeing outcomes. It's not about... it's not like the prosperity gospel where we're thinking about all the time "what are we going to get by our faith?" But it's about knowing God more deeply. Because God is faithful even when we are faithless. I have found that to be absolutely true. That God has never—when we sing those songs "You have never let me down, you've never failed once, you won't fail now"—those things are absolutely true. But not because of my prayer life, or not because of my righteousness, or not because I've got all the... all the ducks in a row and everything all in order and so therefore God is ready to answer my prayers. He's simply faithful, even when we are faithless. But He invites us into the process because faith changes us. So He's faithful to provide. He is Jehovah Jireh. He will provide all our needs because of who He is by nature of His character. But nevertheless, He invites us into the process, invites us to exercise our faith, invites us to do our bit. And so when faith moves from belief to trust, it doesn't just change what we think, it changes how we live. So the reality is that uncertainty, pressure, and limited resources are here to stay, because that does us good. God owns all the resources of heaven and earth, and yet if He gave it all to us, we would just fall in a heap in terms of our faith. So uncertainty, pressure, limited resources, unanswered questions—those things are good because they push us into a situation where our faith grows and where our faith can take on three visible qualities: our faith can be generous, resilient, and courageous. So faith is generous. Do you know that faith—I've said it over and over again this morning—faith doesn't begin with abundance? It begins with trust. To be generous in our hearts is not about how much we have; it's about what we believe God is like. If we believe that God is reluctant, if we believe that He's limited or unreliable, we hold tight to everything that we've got. Because we don't... we believe if we let go of it, He can't replace it. He can't give to us, He can't pour out His abundance. We can't trust Him—that I need the resources that I have, I need the money, I need the time, I need the energy, I need all of those things held tightly to me because if I give them away, I'll be finished because God is not reliable. But if we believe God is good, faithful, and a provider, we can live open-handed. We can live generous, we can live free, we can live with joy. And that's why generosity in all areas of life is such a powerful act of faith. Because it confronts our fear directly. Not just financial fear, but to be honest, that is the one that comes very often in our lives. Those are the things that trouble our minds the most—fear of not having enough, fear of not being enough, fear of not being secure enough, fear of what might happen. Because we're not that sure that God is who He says He is or He'll do what He says He'll do when He says that He's a faithful provider, when He says that He's a strong protector, when He says that He's our security and our strength. We're not too sure that if we put Him to the test, if we'd find out that that was true. But if we attend to what we believe about God and we put our faith and our trust in Him and we actually decide that regardless of what our life looks like, regardless of what the circumstances are appearing to suggest to us, dare we believe that God is good? Dare we believe that God is faithful? Dare we believe that God will see us through? Dare we believe that God will part the sea and do the miracles? Then we won't be disappointed. But we struggle... you know, we don't struggle to believe that He provides, but we struggle to act as if He does. We struggle to shape our lives according to that. And so we'll speak a good game when it comes to our faith, but will we act it? Will we do it? Will we put it into action? Will people looking from the outside see "this is the God they believe in"? Because they might actually listen to the words that we say, but will they see it in the way that we live? Will they see faith in the way that we respond to challenge? Will they see faith in the way that we are generous? Will they see faith in the way that we interact with one another? And so there's a challenge for the new year—not a resolution, but a challenge. Where am I living closed-handed because of fear? And what does generosity look like for me? It might be finances, it might be time, it might be hospitality, it might be forgiveness, it might be encouragement, it might be attention. It might be any one of those things. But let's choose an intentional act of generosity that actually stretches our trust in God. Not driven by guilt, not driven by "I ought to" or obligation, but faith-filled generosity that demonstrates to God and to those around us that "God, I trust you more than I trust what I can see." There was a lady in our first church who really struggled with this. She was a single mum, she'd been deserted by her husband, she'd got no money—or very little money to live on—and she had no idea. And she was challenged in the idea of giving. And her first response was, "I cannot afford to give anything. This is just my lot in life." And without anybody twisting her arm or getting into her mind or saying "you really need..." she started to get challenged and convicted by the Holy Spirit. And so she did this: she tried to work out an intentional act of generosity. She struggled to actually give, but she said, "What I can do is the amount that I want to give, I can put it in an envelope and I can put it on my mantelpiece in my house. And then when I run out of money, I'll be able to use that money. But I just want to see what is possible." And so she started doing all of that. And guess what? The month passed and the money stayed there, because God had proved Himself to be faithful to her in every way. And so it took that intentional act. She could have stayed in her mind and said, "Well, I know what is impossible. I know what cannot be done because of my circumstances and because of my difficulty." But she chose to step away from those things to look to God and say, "Actually, I will trust you more than what I can see." And God proved Himself over and above. And let 2026 be a year when we prove to ourselves and we see God move in miraculous power. Have you ever recently put yourself in a position where you need God to move in your life? Let's be intentional about putting our faith into action this year. Faith is resilient. Resilience is not pretending things are fine when they're not. We're good at that, aren't we? You know, "yeah, God is great," whatever, but inside we're collapsing. Faith doesn't eliminate hardship but gives us a place to stand within it. Like I said, Paul said he learned contentment in every circumstance. Not because circumstances were easy, but because God is faithful. So resilience grows when we stop interpreting every difficulty as God's absence. Instead of asking all the time "God, why is this happening?", why don't we ask "How are you inviting me to trust you here?" Resilient faith doesn't deny pain, but it refuses to allow pain to define God. And so think about this year, going into this year: where have we been tempted to give up, disengage, or withdraw? Let's decide in advance—even before difficult circumstances have come—that those difficulties will not silence our worship or prayer or our obedience. Resolve, if we're going to make a resolution, let's resolve that we keep showing up, we keep praying, we keep trusting even when answers are slow. So that we can say at the end of 2026 that through it all, Lord, you have been faithful. Thirdly, faith is courageous. Courage is not confidence; it's obedience in the presence of fear. Most significant steps in the Bible, most significant steps in life, happen with trembling knees. It doesn't happen when we feel ready, when we feel able, when we feel strong enough. But it happens when we decide to trust regardless of how we feel. And if we make an honest assessment of the challenges ahead—whether it's for us personally, as families, or as a church—they can easily overwhelm us. So easily. If you... we keep reminding ourselves and laughing about when we bought 146—use that as an example—and somebody said, "Oh, you won't get much change out of £250,000 for renovating." And then somebody said "It's going to cost a million pounds," and we said "No, no it won't." And then of course you add it up and it's going to cost more than a million pounds. And those sort of things are the things that can overwhelm your faith. They can overwhelm you and you think, "Actually, wow, this is more than we thought. This is bigger than we imagined it was going to be." But courage doesn't begin with analysis; it begins with God. It begins with what He can do. When God says "go," our courage says "I don't know how it's going to work, but I trust who you are, God." And we can honestly say that through that project, God has been faithful right up until today. God has been faithful and as we look forward into 2026, we see a year where we see that project coming to completion by God's grace. Is there anything you've delayed in your life because you don't feel ready? Where is God prompting you to step up, speak out, step out? Is there a step of obedience that you've been avoiding? Take it this year. Not ten steps, not a leap into the unknown, just the next faithful step that you know God is asking you to do. What is God challenging you about? Where have you decided to settle back and think "Actually, I'll stay with what I know, I'll stay with what is safe"? Because in actual fact, staying with what is safe is not safe at all, because things change all the time. Things crumble around us, things move, things shift. Faith requires us to trust in God—not to see the whole path, but to trust Him with the next step. It's not about being heroes of faith. Sometimes the stories of the heroes of faith discourage us rather than encourage, don't they? Think, "Well, I couldn't do that." But it's about being honest Christians choosing to trust God when our certainty runs out. And so standing at the edge of 2026, the question isn't "Do we have enough faith?" or "Do we have enough resources?" but the question is simply "Who do we trust? What do we trust?" Do we trust our bank balance? Do we trust our family? Do we trust those closest to us? Do we trust our understanding of the future? Do we trust our own abilities or our talents or our resources or whatever it is? Or do we trust God? Do we put our hand into the hand of God and walk into the unknown with Him? And so as we live on the edge of 2026, our takeaways are that: Faith is generous—trust God enough to give even when it feels risky. Faith is resilient—stand firm when life challenges you. Faith is courageous—step forward in obedience even when you feel afraid. And so let's pray and maybe the team can come back and as we worship, let's turn our hearts to God and think about what that means. I believe that God has application for us in all sorts of different ways—different responses that we might have. You might be carrying different challenges. And if as we worship, you know that there are steps that you need to make to establish your trust in God—you know you need to trust Him but you don't know how, you don't feel it—then take this opportunity to step into 2026 and step forward and come and pray. Because there is an opportunity for us to pray together. Don't even need to know the details, don't even need to know what's going through your mind or through your head or through your heart, but we can stand together and pray. Make a statement to God that, "Yes, I'm going to trust you, whatever happens in 2026, or with whatever is burdening me now, I'm going to give it to you, Lord, and I'm going to trust you and I'm going to believe you and I'm going to make space for you to do the miraculous." And so let's worship, and if you need to make a response, please do, and please do step forward so that we can pray together.

Nick Lugg

Ian Banner

Neil Wilson

Jean Booth & Liz Newell

Steve Bodey

Andy Hollingum

Lara Adeosun

MCF Youth

Eila Platt

Graham Reed

Alan Parrett

Sermon Summary Title: Fall on Your Knees Speaker: Nick Lugg Context: A Christmas message exploring the true cost and response required by the coming of Jesus. Overview: In this message, Nick Lugg challenges the congregation to move past the sentimental traditions of Christmas and confront the reality of who Jesus is. Referencing the line "Fall on your knees" from O Holy Night, the sermon asks a central question: "What is Jesus worth to you?" Key Themes: Response is Mandatory: Just like the Shepherds, Wise Men, and King Herod, no one can remain neutral to Jesus. His presence demands a response—either worship or resistance. Worship as Surrender: True worship isn't just singing songs; it is a life posture of "falling on your knees." Nick uses the imagery of the 24 Elders in Revelation casting down their crowns to illustrate surrendering our status, identity, and security to God. Jesus is Central, Not an Add-on: The sermon warns against treating Jesus like an "interior decorator" who just enhances our existing lives. Instead, He often comes as a "wrecking ball," dismantling our wrong priorities to rebuild us on a better foundation. The Call to Re-evaluate: Listeners are urged to identify what "crowns" they are holding onto—career, reputation, comfort, or sin—and to determine if those things are worth more to them than Jesus. Audio Transcript [00:00] Nick Lugg: Good morning. Congregation: Good morning. Nick Lugg: Happy Christmas. Not quite there. We, um... Oh look, it's there. Because it's Christmas we are going to do PowerPoint. Now, this is not my primary skill set, so it's a bit like rubbing your stomach, patting your head, and standing on a beach ball all at the same time. So I'm hoping to remember to press the button at the right time. [00:26] Our prayer and our desire all the time—and always has been every Christmas—is to enjoy the Christmas season, to enjoy the atmosphere, to enjoy all that Christmas is to us. But at the same time, by God's grace, crack it open and get to the reality of what God is wanting to say to us each and every time. We can't be reduced to people that just do traditions. That just do, um, repeat—you know, we just get on rinse and repeat every year. Same thing: bring out the same songs, do the same things, go through the same motions. Because God has always got something fresh to say to us. [01:05] And that's why we've had this mini-series over Christmas where we've, uh... the eagle-eyed amongst you will know that it's been related to the carol O Holy Night. The first one—I think they were slightly in the wrong order, but it doesn't matter because we've got grace—but the first one Johnny spoke was "A weary world rejoices." And then I think Andy, uh, last week was speaking on "The thrill of hope." [01:32] And it's just those... just those lines have so much relevance and so much resonance for us in the world that we live in and the lives that we are leading. A weary world rejoices. But yet, and behind everything that we seek to do as a church, and everything we seek to begin, is to bring that thrill of hope. But as the curtains open, and as heaven is drawn back, and as we begin to see all that is going on behind Christmas, there is also the response, which is: Fall on your knees. [02:07] And the question this morning: What is Jesus worth to you? What is Jesus worth to me? That if we don't come out of Christmas with a greater sense... You know, we've sung these majestic carols—Adore, come let us adore, let's worship Him, and all the other lines that I've forgotten. You know, they—but they are majestic, honestly. But... you know, we adore Him. But if we don't actually adore Him, if we don't actually wrestle with the question: What does, therefore, it mean that He's worth to me? How does His coming—Christmas, the coming of Christ—how does His coming impact my life? How does it change the shape and the way that I think and the way that I act and the way that I live this life that He's given me? [02:54] What is Jesus worth to me? Oh look... [clicks clicker]. So the real story of Christmas, we say it every year, it's not sentimental, is it? But it's one of humility. Anonymity. Struggle. And the telling and the retelling of the story of Mary and Joseph and all that they went through doesn't really ever quite connect and communicate what it must have been like for them to experience what they experienced. [03:22] There was pain. Discomfort. Fear. Anxiety, no doubt. Stress. Uncertainty. Tears. Maybe there were short tempers. There were... there were all sorts of things going on that we would instantly relate to, and yet we don't see on the Christmas cards. But it's into that world, not the Christmas card world, that Jesus came. Jesus came to our world. We might think, "Well, it was all right, you know, Christmas was just so lovely and everything was just so beautiful and there was like shining tinsel and angels and shepherds and it's all so peaceful and everything else on the Christmas cards." But what about us? What about Sheffield? What about Jordanthorpe, Batemoor? What about where I live? What about my background? What about my world? Jesus came into that world. [04:15] And everyone who encountered Jesus had to respond. And the question for us today is the same. As we ask "What is Jesus worth to me?", how do I respond to Him? How do I respond to the fact that He has come? Not just come to the world, not just come to all people—He's come into my life. How do I respond, therefore, to this majestic appearance? [04:42] He's the Son of God. [Struggles with clicker] Is that the one? This is where it all goes wrong, you see. Anyway, it don't matter... [Adjusts slides]. He comes on the margins of society. He's ignored by society. He's unnoticed by society. He's born away from comfort and privilege. The Bible tells us in Philippians that He, though being in very nature God, He didn't consider equality with God something to be grasped, but He came down, took on the very nature of a servant. He took the opposite of what we would think somebody of His power and authority had. [05:22] I was... saw an article or a video report about Air Force One—the President of the United States' plane. You know how when it flies around, all the preparations and all the protection that it has, you know, fighter jet escorts and all of that. None of that for Jesus. But even as a baby, before He ever taught anything, before He said anything—He just cried like babies do—before He healed anyone, before He performed a miracle, He provoked profound responses. [05:54] You know, the first miracle we read about was when He turned water into wine at a wedding. He was an adult. But before all of that, the story of Christmas is about the responses that people made to who He was. Not what He did. Who He is is what makes a difference in our lives and causes us to respond. [06:14] And so we have the Shepherds. Ordinary people. Caught in their routines. But shaken awake by God to say: "Good news of great joy for all the earth, a Savior is born." Pointing the way to Him. And so they got up from their routine, they got up from their humdrum existence, and they left everything to go and see Him, to go and worship Him. [06:37] The Wise Men. Men of influence and education. They were willing to travel hundreds of miles and bring costly gifts because He was worth it. That's not an easy thing to do. It's not easy to travel. You might think it's easy... you know, even traveling these days, going to Zambia or going to Nepal, it's a... it's a consideration. Even just sitting still doing nothing on a plane. Let alone getting on a camel and going hundreds and hundreds of miles. But they considered that they needed to respond to what they had heard and what they had seen. [07:11] There was King Herod. He was a king with wealth and power and influence and all the things that the world could give him. And yet he saw Jesus as a threat and said He's worth eliminating. He wanted... he responded to Jesus. There's no neutrality. One baby, three responses, but everyone responds. There is no neutrality when it comes to Jesus. When He comes into our world, there is no neutrality for us today. When He comes into... we have to respond. We have to ask: What does His coming demand of me? What is He worth to me? What do I do... what do I do about His coming? [07:51] Jesus demands a response. His very presence draws a response from our hearts. Or it should do. Because there is no neutral. No matter how much we want to live in neutral gear. No matter how much we want to be observers and spectators of all of this and just say, "Oh well, you know, we'll see how it goes." Jesus demands a response. And His very presence forces a collision with our priorities. He comes into our hearts. [08:19] I remember that experience. I've given my testimony before, but I remember how I was like a spectator. I was somebody who was beginning to think, when I was 17 years old, and thinking, "Oh yeah, I think I believe in Jesus. I think He's real. I think..." and I went through all of that process for a year. But at that moment that I asked Him to come into my life—BANG—there was that explosion. Things happened. Everything changed shape in my life, in my priorities, in my understanding, in the values. All of that had to be reassessed. [08:50] When Jesus comes into our world, everything has to be reassessed. When He steps into someone's world... when He steps into your world... you cannot carry on as before. I cannot carry on just as before. Everything that we hold dear. Everything that we love. Everything that shapes our identity, that makes us say, "Well this is who I am." Jesus confronts it. He collides with it. Causes it to change shape permanently and forever. [09:20] Not just an emotional moment where we just say, "Oh I think I believe in Jesus now." But actually He physically comes... and He comes into our hearts, He changes the shape of everything from the inside out. Everything that commands our time, our energy, our attention has to be reassessed in the light of Jesus coming. All of it challenged by that one question: Is it worth more to me than Jesus? [09:44] I remember when I was on a mission trip one time in Russia—in the old Soviet Union actually, I can say it now, we had to keep it secret in those days. But, um, we went and there was somebody that was really taken with the Gospel message and they were listening to it all. And they were saying to the person who was sharing with them, they said, "But if I become a Christian though, do I have to... do I have to stop smoking?" And the person was like getting into a bit of a twist, you know, "Oh well, you know, God understands us and God doesn't judge..." and trying to explain it all. [10:14] And then there was this evangelist guy that was with us who was much more to the point. He just came in and said, "Yes. You do." He said, "And if you ask me if I believe in Jesus, do I have to stop wearing blue jeans? I tell you: Yes, you do." He said, "Because it's not about the smoking, it's not about the blue jeans, it's not about the whatever. But the very fact that you're asking that question means that there is a confrontation with what you want. With what you hold dear. Is it worth more to you than Jesus? Give it up! Change it! Change shape!" That's what happened at Christmas. Jesus came into our lives. And so those little questions that come in the light of Jesus... they should become irrelevant. "Can I still do this? Can I still do that?" Why are you asking those questions? Jesus is worth more than all of it. [10:59] And so we have to reassess our priorities. That's what happened at Christmas. So the Shepherds left their livelihood. They left... presumably they left the sheep... couldn't have taken all the sheep to see Jesus, could they? The Wise Men gave their treasure. Herod protected his throne. And we do the same. When Jesus comes, we have to respond. Either we worship, or we resist. There is no neutrality. [11:27] Worship is more than a song. "For a song in itself is not what you have required." And the rest of it. It's not just what happens on a Sunday, is it? We enjoy it. We enjoy the worship. We enjoy our singing. But we call it "worship," we label it "worship," and yet there is so much more to worship. Worship is not an event. Worship is not 30 minutes. Worship is a life posture. It's a life position. It's a life decision that says: "Come what may, Jesus, you are worth it. You are worth my life. You are worth everything I have, everything I can give you." [12:02] I remember a friend of mine who was on mission in India, and he took a team to India. And these sort of young, enthusiastic people that were there, and they encountered a church that was quite different to the type of lively, charismatic church they were involved in. And yet this church was full of people that had been imprisoned for their faith, had been beaten up for their faith, had been through all sorts of struggle. And this bright-eyed young evangelist person said to the guy who was leading the team, he said, "They don't seem to know much about worship, do they?" [12:35] And he said, "Well, it depends what you mean by worship. If you mean music and singing and songs, then maybe they don't know... you know, all of that. But there's an awful lot that they do know about giving their entire life for Jesus and saying: You are worth everything that I can give you." Worship says you are more than anything else in my life. The old carol says: "What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb. If I were a wise man, I would do my part. Yet what can I give Him? Give Him my heart." [13:12] So there isn't anything we can give that impresses Jesus. There isn't anything that He says, "Oh, I think I quite like..."—whether it's our blue jeans or our cigarettes or whatever. It's not about what we give up in that sense. But what we give Him. We give Him our trust. We give Him our obedience. We give Him our love. We give Him our hearts. And that is a whole life thing. That's something that brings a change from the start, and it goes through year after year after year. It's where Christianity is not a flash in the pan. It's not something that we do for a season and then we move on to something else. It's that if truly Jesus has come into our hearts, things have changed. Our priorities have changed. Our vision has changed. Our values have changed. Everything changes and it can't change back. [13:58] But our hearts are shaped, aren't they, by our culture. By comfort. By self-protection. And so we're tempted to use Jesus as an add-on. As a "life enhancer." Someone who fits in with our lives. Instead of someone who rearranges our lives. We treat Him a bit like an interior decorator. Comes in and, you know, tells us what color curtains to have and how to enhance the arrangement of our furniture to give us the best energy and all of that sort of thing. And yet, when He turns up with His hard hat on and a crane with a wrecking ball to come and knock the whole thing down, we don't like that. [14:38] His arrival demands more. And so the only response that we can give Him is to fall on our knees. One day in eternity, scripture says, the 24 Elders fall down and worship. They lay their crowns before the throne. They lay their crowns. In many translations, they take their crowns and they cast them. They throw them. They throw them down at the feet of Jesus. Why do they do that? Why the crowns? Because the crown is a symbol. The crown is a symbol of their identity. Their status. Their achievements. Their authority. Whatever gives their life value in the eyes of others. [15:20] We love it, don't we? Medals and gongs and crowns and uniforms and achievements and things that we can say about who we are and what we've done and what we've achieved. All of that constitutes our crown. And yet when they were in the presence of Jesus, they fell down and worshipped and they lay their crowns before the throne. Say: "Everything that I am, Lord God... have it. Whatever I think I am, You take it, Lord. Because it's... YOU are worth more than that." [15:52] Fall down on your knees. Nothing I have. Nothing I achieve. Nothing that defines me comes close to the value of Jesus. And that's what falling on our knees means. So we let Him question what we hold onto. We let Him reorder what we value. Rather than let's have a discussion about it—"Lord, I think, you know, do a trade, do a deal. Maybe I can keep some of this... you can have this, but I'll have that." It's a complete, radical reorganization, reordering of everything that is valuable to us. [16:26] There are things that define our lives wrongly. Things that we would say about ourselves if somebody asked us, "Well this is what I am. This is why I am like I am. This is what has made me to be like I am." And we settle into that because we think, "Well, this is me. This is just how I am made. This is how I am wired." What if Jesus comes in and dismantles the things that wrongly define us? What if He wants to reshape and rebuild and change our outlook and change our vision of ourselves and change our vision of others and change our vision of the world? He can do that. And He does that as He comes into our hearts. [17:03] Let Him replace our plans with His purposes. What is it that You want, Lord, in my life? What is it that You want in our life? What is it that You want for us as a church? Jesus. Because You are worth it. Whatever we think that we might be or we might achieve or we might... what status we might have... we lay it all before Jesus and say we fall on our knees before You, Lord. Have Your way among us. Fill us, God, with Your Spirit. Not only just to give us an experience that blesses us, but an experience that changes us from the inside out. That reshapes us. That demolishes us and rebuilds us. [17:42] Let Him confront our comforts. The things that give us security. The things that we hold onto. All of those things. Like I said, He's not an interior decorator. Someone making suggestions to make life better. But our worship says: "Do whatever You need to do, Lord, because I am Yours." [18:02] And so, as we fall on our knees, we re-evaluate what we treasure. Ask yourself a question: What in my life currently holds a higher value than Jesus? It's a tough question. And it's not coming from the pulpit saying "Ask yourself!"—pointing back at me—ask yourself. There's so much that takes place in our lives, so much that is established in our lives that is... takes the place of Jesus. So re-evaluate what we treasure. Our comfort. Our time. Our reputation. Our resources. A career. Relationship. Control. A painful identity I don't want to let go of. A sin that I cling to. [18:50] All of that can form a crown. That Jesus demands a response. That we know that we are holding onto those things, but when we come into His presence, we know there has to be a response. There is no neutrality. There's no "Oh, well I think I'll take it or leave it" or "I think I'll wait until next month and see how I feel then." No. When we meet Jesus, there has to be that change. There has to be that response. There has to be that worship. [19:14] And so, take one thing today that has become a crown you hold tightly and consciously place it before Jesus. What is it in your life this morning that you know... Ask God to reveal to you, to show you, what is it that you hold that you can actually... that you need to throw before Him? You need to surrender it. And tell Him: "Jesus, You are worth more than this. All my life I've held onto this thing. All my life this has defined me. All my life this has been the one thing that I don't want to let go of. But Jesus, You are worth more than all of that. And I lay it before You today." There's an opportunity today to lay these things before the feet of Jesus. [19:54] Secondly, reorient our priorities around Him. What are our priorities in life? Does our lifestyle reflect the value of Jesus? The one we adore? The one we sing about? What about the application of that worship? Do we adore Him so much so that our decisions honor Him? Our schedule and our priorities reflect His importance? Our giving, our serving, our obedience demonstrate that He is worth it? Not only to Him, but to anybody that looks at our lives, they say, "No, this person values Jesus more than anything." [20:30] Does our worship cost us anything? Or is it just convenient? Those who responded to Jesus right back at the beginning, in the beginning of the Christmas story—their worship cost them. It took something out of them. It tired them. It stressed them. It pained them. But it was worth it because they were coming to Jesus. [20:53] And so think about an area of life where Jesus has been an add-on. Where we've just invited Him and said, "I like the fact that You're in my life, Jesus, and perhaps You can help me. Give me a little bit of power here and there just to help me through a few things, over a few humps. But don't get too much involved. Don't get too nosey into what's going on. Because I think... I think You know Your place, Jesus." Is He an add-on? Or is He central? [21:18] That's the challenge as we go forward. Not about "Can we raise enough money for 146?" or "Can we, you know, what do we do about this or that?" What's the practical things to do with the growth of a church? It's about as we grow as a community, will we actually have Him in the center of everything that we are and everything that we do? Will He be our first and our last thought in every decision that we make? How does this honor Him? How does this reflect His worth? How does this reflect His value? Because then the church will grow with people that will also know that Jesus is the priority. Jesus is the center. Jesus is the focus. [21:55] And thirdly, reopen our heart to encounter Him. Some of these questions can be at the first stage of our faith... you know, "What's Jesus worth?" But in actual fact, you can have that radical encounter with Jesus, you can have that moment where you know that you've given your all to Him... but five years, ten years, fifteen years down the line, things can look different. You can get jaded. You can get settled into "routine Christianity." Familiar. Predictable. Safe. Christmas is familiar, predictable, safe. But Jesus is coming. Jesus comes into our lives and challenges our priorities. [22:38] And so He's calling us to meet Him again. And for those of us that have become dulled and routine and predictable and safe, there is still that call from Jesus to say: Will you actually reorient? Will you actually re-evaluate? Will you actually reopen your heart to encounter me again? Not emotionally or artificially, but deeply. Pray: "Lord, show me Your worth again. Disrupt me if You must. Call me out of my routine and lead me back to worship." [23:09] And so there's a challenge. Will you worship Him now—today, this morning—and will you worship Him forever? Because it's not sentiment, it's transformation. Christmas is sentimental. It pulls at our emotions. It pulls at our nostalgia. If you ever spend any time on Instagram, these videos come up of what it used to be like in the 80s... I know some of you are thinking "What's the 80s?" But they were good. Christmas was good. It was sentimental and it was emotional and you've got all sorts of childhood memories from there. Probably go a little bit back before the 80s as well, but we won't go there. [23:49] But Christmas is sentimental. But Jesus is transformational. The coming of Jesus transforms. He didn't come to give us sentiment. He didn't come to give us emotion. He's not Father Christmas. But He did come to change everything. And so when the Shepherds saw Him, they ran to Him. When the Wise Men saw His worth, they knelt before Him. When the Elders see His worth, they throw their crowns down in front of Him. And when we see Him, what do we do? Fall on our knees. [24:26] And so today the question isn't simply "Do you believe in Jesus?", but "What is He worth to you?" Will you worship Him not just now, but forever? Will you lay your crown before Him? Will you allow His presence to rearrange your life? Reshape you. Not just now, but forever. For the rest of your life. And into eternity. That Jesus will be worth it. What a terrible thing to just touch the surface of what it means to know Jesus and then arrive in eternity and think, "Oh, that's what it was all about." That we would know Jesus now. This Christmas, may we truly see Him. And when we see Him, fall on our knees. Amen. [25:12] Nick Lugg: Jonathan, are you there? Oh, you're there. The worship team can come back, please.

Mireille Wildon Wright

Gregor Woods

Jonny Greaves

Chris Booth & Kate Booth

Fiona Brown

Erica Lugg

Liz Patten

Sermon Summary Speaker: Andy Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7, Matthew 4:12, Judges 6-8 The Context of Advent: The sermon opens by acknowledging the difficulty of looking past the commercial "tinsel and glitter" of Christmas to find the uncomfortable reality of a baby born in a manger. The Prophecy (Isaiah 9): Andy explores the prophecy written 700 years before Jesus, promising that "there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress". He connects this Old Testament prophecy directly to Jesus' ministry in Galilee (Zebulun and Naphtali) as recorded in Matthew 4. Historical Parallel (The Midianites): The sermon draws a parallel between the "gloom" of Isaiah's time and the story of Gideon (Judges 6). Israel was oppressed by the Midianites, hiding in caves and starving. Andy notes that just as Gideon—a "nobody" with a tiny army of 300—defeated a massive army of 135,000, God uses the small to defeat the massive. Modern Application: Andy connects the historical "gloom" to the modern struggles of the council estate and inner-city life: mental health issues, abusive relationships, crippling debt, addiction, and fear. He acknowledges that life often feels like being "hemmed in" with no respite. The Paradox and Hope: The central message is that God breaks this massive oppression not with a giant army, but through a child. The "light dawning" is Jesus. Andy emphasizes that our confidence should not be in our own strength or government strategies, but in the "zeal of the Lord Almighty" and the child who is "Mighty God" and "Prince of Peace". Transcript Speaker: Andy (00:00) Thanks, Steve. Good morning, everybody. So we are at the second in our little Advent series. I don't know about you, but sometimes it feels to me that, you know, with all the… what we're trying to do here is get past all the tinsel and glitter and commercialization and busyness and all that stuff, and actually discover actually there's a baby being born. There's a baby that's got a message behind all of that. And sometimes it just feels so uncomfortable and awkward. Just sat there looking at this angel, you know, and it feels like we're just sat on a load of prickly things through the Christmas period, right? And it's really uncomfortable. And it shouldn't be like that, right? And it's kind of strange. (00:54) So this morning we're going to be looking at a few verses in Isaiah chapter 9. If you've got a Bible, you might want to turn to that. If this is kind of new to you, then Isaiah is a book that's kind of roughly in the middle. If this isn't new to you, you're going to tell me off now for what I'm about to say. But so if you open your Bible up, you probably land somewhere in the book of Psalms. If you go forwards a bit, you find the book of Isaiah. (01:17) And Isaiah is one of those books in the Old Testament that we call one of the prophetic books. Because him and a number of other writers—in the same section of the Old Testament—are writing things that God has spoken to them about that are going to happen in the future. So Isaiah is one of these. And these verses that we're going to read, he's actually talking about something that's going to happen 700 years in the future. So we're going to read this… We're dipping around a few other verses because I want to try and help us get the context of what he's saying first of all. (01:54) So Isaiah chapter 9, I'm going to start in verse 1. "Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress." If you take home nothing else from this morning, take home that sentence. Pray about it. Meditate on it. Ask God what does it mean in your life? What does it mean in the lives of those that you rub shoulders with? Just think about that. Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. Anybody want that? Yes. Absolutely. So take that home and pray about it. That doesn't mean switch off for everything else I say! But if you take nothing else, take that home. (02:45) And Isaiah goes on: "In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali..." Now, Israel as a geographic area was carved up into the twelve tribes, and Zebulun and Naphtali are two of those tribes. And their land was actually on the border with the next country. And every time Israel got invaded, these two tribes were the first to cop it, right? And they took all of the onslaught of enemies invading them. (03:13) So he says: "In the past he humbled those lands, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." (03:34) Now just bear with me for a minute, we're going to flip forward into the New Testament. And I'm going to turn to Matthew chapter 4, and I'm going to read a few verses here. Matthew is one of those Gospel writers who's telling us about the story of Jesus as he was on this earth. And as Jesus begins his ministry, begins to teach and preach about what the Kingdom of God is, Matthew says this in chapter 4, verse 12: (04:02) "When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—aha—to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (04:47) So Matthew for us is straight away saying this passage in Isaiah is about Jesus. What Isaiah is talking about here 700 years earlier is a statement about Jesus coming into this world, and what that means for mankind, and what that means for you and for I. (05:07) We carry on in verse 3 of Isaiah 9. "You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy." So he's talking about the change Jesus is going to bring to the nation and to people's lives, "…but once were in distress. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian's defeat"—and we'll come back to that—"you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." (06:33) Amen, indeed. So let's just go back to verse 4. Because Isaiah pulls right into the middle of this word about Jesus, he references something, he calls it "for as in the day of Midian's defeat." And he's talking about an event that happened 400 years earlier. So he's prophesying something that's going to happen 700 years in the future, but in doing that, he calls on something that happened 400 years in his past. We get the idea... "with the Lord a day is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day," right? (07:09) So it's a... and you can read about this event in Judges chapter 6 to chapter 8. That's about the sixth book of the Bible... sixth, yeah I think that's about right. So you can read about this event in Judges 6 to 8. We might better know it as the story of Gideon. Okay? But the... and actually what we're going to do, I'm just going to read the opening verses because it sets the scene. And I just think this is really important because it ties into why Isaiah is... something powerful about the message of Isaiah about Jesus coming and what it means. And also for the first time ever, I thought Gideon has something to do with Christmas. So, here we go. (07:54) So in Judges chapter 6, we read this. I'm just going to read six verses. "Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, in caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels. They invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help."1 (08:52) It was a desperate time for the nation of Israel. This powerful army overran them completely. They oppressed them as2 a nation. You know, every... the men of Israel and the families of Israel had to go, leave their homes and hide in caves and in cleft3s in the rocks in order to escape the oppression of this enemy that was all over them. And, you know, when they went out and planted crops, then the Midianites would turn up and take those crops and kill the livestock. And at the end of that section I read, it says Israel was impoverished. It's a strong word. (09:37) And you get this sense of huge oppression on the nation at that time. It was desperate for them. They were reduced, as I say, to living in caves and fending for their lives. Their world had shrunk. They were hemmed in. They were struggling for food, not knowing where the next meal was coming from. Always watching their back because of this invader. No respite and no end in sight. (10:07) And I just wonder this morning, for some of us, does it ever feel a little bit like that at all? The challenges of this life? I think for some of the people we rub shoulders with, does it feel like that in this life? You know, when we're here on a Thursday morning with Edge and we're chatting to people and just discovering some of the circumstances they're going through. There's elements of this. Sure, we're not overrun by a foreign army in that sense, but there are other things that are hemming us in, making us feel oppressed. And no matter what we do, we always seem to be knocked back down. That life is a struggle. That you do feel hemmed in by life's circumstances. And, you know, um, that we're facing something beyond us, something too powerful. (11:03) But the story is the story of God acting to change that. Because it is the story of Gideon and how he chose Gideon. And the interesting thing about Gideon is, because we haven't got time to go into it, but Gideon was the least of the least, right? He was a nobody. In fact when God comes to him and says "I've called you to lead my nation and to conquer the Midianites," he s4ays "Why me? I'm the least of my family. My family is the least of the clan that we're in. I'm the last person you should be choosing. I'm just a nobody." In fact what he actually says to God is: "If God is with us, why has all this happened?" Ever said th5at? Good bit of honesty, isn't it? Absolutely. What a great prayer. "God, if you're with us, why has all this ha6ppened?"78 (11:51) But he is the least of the least. Not only is he a nobody who sees himself as the least of 9the least, when God tells him to get an army, God whittl10es his army down to just 300 people. And that's it. So here you've got a man who regards himself as the least of the least with a tiny, tiny army. And yet when we get to Judges chapter 8 and the end of the story, what we see is this man with his 300 men defeats an army of 135,000 soldiers. And you think, what's going on? He captures their kings. And he routs them. And he brings freedom to Israel. And he ends the oppression of the Midianites. (12:35) And you think, how can something so small—this guy who was the least of the least with his tiny little force—how can something so small defeat something so huge? That is so daunting, that is so scary. To human eyes, you would need something bigger and stronger to throw off the oppressor. If you've got an army of 135,000, give me an army of 200,000 to at least have a chance, you would think, right? (13:06) So the question is, why does Isaiah reference this story in the middle of this prophetic word about Jesus coming and being born into our world? Why does he pull in this event 400 years earlier? And it seems to me there's probably several reasons, but two that I just pull out of this that I think help us understand and kind of earth what Isaiah is talking about. (13:30) First of all, Isaiah says "You have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor." You can see just from the glimpse of that story and my summary of it, it is well understood how the Midianites had oppressed the Israelites and how God had broken that oppression. But when we read that, we need to think carefully about, okay, how does that apply to us today in 2025? How does that apply to me and my life? How does that apply to this community where we live, this culture that we're in, this society that we're in when we read this? (14:09) Because like I say, there's not an army invading this land. Although actually probably for some of us here that might have been an experience at one point in our lives. But there are other things that squeeze in. There are other forms of oppression that stop people flourishing and blooming into all that God has called them to be and wants them to be. You know, we are overrun with mental health challenges in society today. The number of abusive relationships and control and manipulation that takes place is awful. And the effect of that on people's lives is like an oppression. (14:48) The grip of addiction and addictive behaviors is something that is so controlling that people struggle to break free of it. People spiraling into debt—which again we see on a Thursday morning so often—and not knowing how to get out and struggling how to get out and feeling like they're drowning in what is happening around them. A poverty not just of finance, but a poverty of hope and choice in people's lives becomes something that is so destructive in them. And stuck thinking that just this is their lot. (15:23) People full of fears and anxieties. You know, sure we're not running off to hide in caves, but so many people not able to get out of their own homes simply because of fear or because of anxiety. And so there are many things around us that we can equate and connect with what Isaiah is talking about here and make that connection. And all of these lead to a sense of oppression, of there's nowhere to go, of having to accept that this is our lot. (15:58) But not only is this a story about how the oppression of the Midianites was broken, it's a story of how that occurred. For as in Midian's day, this Gideon who was the least of the least, who was a nobody with his tiny little force... it just makes no human sense. How can that defeat this huge thing? How can that make any difference to this that seems so massive and so unable to overcome? How can Gideon with his tiny group bring freedom for the whole of Israel? As we look at it with human eyes, we think, huh? How's that gonna change? How is that ever gonna change? (16:47) So Isaiah tells us this breaking of oppression, this light shining in the darkness, this dawning of a light, is this child being born in 700 years time. That is what is going to make the difference. That is what is going to bring about a change. But again, it makes no sense! If you look at it with human eyes, how can that event—how can a tiny baby that is just totally dependent on Mum and Dad for its food, for its clothes, for its protection, for a roof over its head—how can a tiny baby be the thing that is going to make such a difference that it will break oppression in people's lives? That it will break the yoke on their shoulders and the rod of oppression on their backs? (17:34) What are... what are the baby's qualifications? You know, when we were doing... talking to builders about [Project] 146, that was a key question for us. What are the qualifications of this builder? So we interviewed five of them. You know, and we asked them questions like, "Have you done churches before? Do you work with charities?" Because that's different from working with commercial organizations. We wanted to see pictures of their work. We wanted to talk to other clients they'd had and get a conversation about how they found them and understand and make sure we were clear about the qualifications of the builder before we said "Yeah, we'll take you on and engage you." We need to know what their qualifications were. (18:16) When we look at Gideon, we see this man who is the least of the least with his tiny force. But what we also see is God said: "I will be with you." And so it's Gideon the nobody, tiny little force, but God with him. And that is what brought... broke the oppression for Israel. That's what brought freedom to those men and women and enabled them to step out of those caves, enabled them to plant crops, enabled them to go and, as Isaiah says here, "enlarge their nation and increase their joy." (18:55) So with Gideon, it's God is with him. But when we look at this child being born, this is God himself coming to this earth. This isn't somebody with God, this is God himself being born. All authority and power is his. He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of his government and peace. He will be establishing and upholding his Kingdom of justice and righteousness. (19:30) Paul, when he was writing to the church in Philippi, he put it this way. He says: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but he made himself nothing" ...became a baby, totally dependent on Mum and Dad. "Made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore... Therefore God has exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (20:25) See, that's his qualifications. That's why he is well able to bring about freedom from oppression. That's why he is well able to tackle the things that we've just talked about that so grip society today and grip our culture and grip our own lives. That is his qualifications. That's why he is the one able to shatter whatever yoke is on our lives, whatever bar is across our shoulders, and whatever type of oppression we are under. Our confidence is not in our abilities. It's not in our self-control. It's not in our self-discipline. Our confidence is not in government strategies. It's not even in church programs. But our confidence is in Jesus Christ and him alone. And that's why we can challenge the principalities and powers of this world—because of Him. (21:20) And there's two other things I just want to pull out quickly before we finish. In verse 6, Isaiah says to us: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given." You see, what has been done to bring this light that Isaiah starts his message with... this great light, or to see that this light slowly dawning—what's been done to bring that has been given to us. (21:49) You see, when we read about Jesus in the Gospels, like in Matthew earlier, and we read about his three-year ministry, we don't see a man who was going around just doing his own thing. We don't see Jesus just doing what he wanted to do and that was it. No, we see him doing what the Father told him to do, but we see them doing that for us. He came to tell... teach us about the Kingdom of God. He came to teach us about what it is to repent and have our sins forgiven. He came to teach us what it is to live in a way that he calls us to. He came to... he demonstrated that with signs and wonders raising the dead, healing the sick, casting out demons, and bringing freedom to men and women's lives. (22:31) You see, when you were born, you were born into your family. You came to your family, in that sense. But this child has been given to us. That's good news! This Jesus has been born to us, for us. He's given to all of us. You see, God has reached down and come to us. That means he's come to you. And he's come to me. He has not remained distant. Nor has he sent somebody else in his place. You know, like if King Charles were going to write you a letter, it would be a postman that delivers it. He wouldn't come personally and give it to you. Yeah? That's not the way God works. He's come to us personally through his son Jesus. He's sent his one and only son Jesus to us that we may walk in light and that the hold of oppression on our lives may be broken. (23:25) But in coming to us... it demands a response, right? If you come to us—literally to me and Ange to our house—and ring the doorbell, it demands a response from us. We might think, "Uhh..." Shut the curtains? No, no, no, we wouldn't do that. We would open the door and welcome you in. But it demands a response; we have to respond. And in the same way, Jesus... [knocks on pulpit] ...comes to us, right? And it demands a response. Every time. (24:00) And we can reject him. And then we'll remain under the yoke that Isaiah is talking about. We'll remain seduced by the world around us and we'll succumb to the oppression that that world puts in our lives. Or... we can embrace this child. We can embrace this son. And surrender all to him and bow the knee. (24:26) And you might think, "Well does that matter?" Does that matter? Well Isaiah goes on in verse 7 and he says "Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end." In other words, it will grow, and grow, and grow. The government and peace of Jesus will grow and grow and grow. You see, Jesus did not remain a baby born in a stable. He did not remain even the man that walked this earth for three years preaching and teaching the Kingdom of God. He did not remain the man who laid down his life for you and for me on a cross. He did not even remain the man that God raised from the dead three days later and appeared to his disciples. But he is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. And all authority and all power has been given to him. And all things are under his feet. And countless millions have found that to be true ever since that day. (25:27) This Jesus has come to you, and to me. What is our response? And finally, Isaiah finishes this passage by saying "The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." And you know what it is when you want to change something in your own life? And in your own circumstances? And how we can try harder? And we want to do things better? And we want to be more careful? And we want to work smarter? And in just two or three weeks some of us will be duped into making resolutions... and all that kind of stuff, right? But we tire. And we get lazy. And we lose our way. Or something unexpected happens and comes from stage left and thwarts us with what we're doing and we're all of a tailspin again. And we thought we were making progress, but so often it can feel like one step forward, ten steps back. (26:15) You see, this breaking of the oppression... this son coming... this increase of his government and peace and the growth of his justice and kingdom isn't like that. This light of dawn breaking upon our lives isn't like that. God isn't going to start this and then decide it's too hard. It's not that he looks at you or he looks at me and thinks, "Can't really help with that bit." It's not that he looks at you or I and thinks... and starts working in us but then gives up because he gets bored, like we might. Or because actually he's busier with some more important people. Doesn't do that. (26:50) Why? Because the zeal, the passion of the Lord for you and for I will accomplish this. It's not dependent on our efforts. It's dependent on him. The Creator and Sustainer of the universe. The one who lives in unapproachable light. Who knew your name before you were born. And who ordained all the days of your life before one of them came to pass. His zeal, his passion for you will accomplish this in your life and in my life. His zeal will see it through. (27:30) I'd like us just to spend a little bit more time in worship and just come before this Jesus. There's a couple of things that strike me about this passage that are interesting in terms of, you know... we're very keen to try and encourage engagement in terms of prayer and asking Jesus to bring about change in our lives, right? And apply that. But there's a theme here that God seems to use what on the surface appears insignificant, possibly even weak. When we talk about Gideon and his little force. We talk about a child being born in a stable. And in fact if you take that further and you talk about a man willingly letting himself be crucified on a cross. (28:20) There's a theme that in God bringing freedom for you and me, he uses what seems weak and insignificant. And lays down their lives. And it seems to me that in responding to him, to know that freedom, there's something about that that you and I need to do as well. We need to, in a sense, admit before Jesus that we are weak, actually. And that we want to lay down our lives. And that actually, before Jesus, we are insignificant. (28:55) And let's be honest, that's quite hard because we like to think, you know... we're not... we like to think we've got some strength and some oomph. But in responding to Jesus, it's about laying down our own lives. And coming to him in full surrender. But the second thing about this passage Isaiah says is that this is about a light that is dawning. You see we can read a passage like this and there's a danger of triumphalism. Of thinking "Yeah! Jesus is going to change everything! Right now! Boom, boom, boom!" And I know it's not like that. Life is hard for a lot of people. Even in this room this morning, life is hard. But the promise that is here... the hope... is that there is light dawning. There's not a promise of when the full day comes, right? But there is a promise of hope, of light dawning. And that is Jesus. (30:04) And so we come to him. I wonder if we could have the worship band back please? And if we're going to worship again... but I just want to encourage you to respond to Jesus. You know, he's knocking. You might have been a Christian for donkeys' years. Guess what? He's still knocking. He's still looking and wanting to break things in our lives that we would know his freedom and walk in the goodness of all that he has for us. Thanks, Steve.

Neil Wardrope

Dillion Butters

Erica Lugg

📝 Summary 📝 Title: A Weary World Rejoices Speaker: Jonny Greaves Scripture: Luke 2:1-20, Isaiah 40 Overview: In this sermon, Jonny Greaves explores the Christmas story through the lens of weariness. Speaking from Luke 2, Jonny contrasts the brief, humble arrival of Jesus with the explosive, glorious announcement made to the shepherds. Just as the people of Israel waited through 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testaments, we often find ourselves waiting in a weary world. But the appearance of the angels to ordinary shepherds reminds us that God has not forgotten His people. Key Points: The Reality of Weariness: Whether it's the exhaustion of raising children or the spiritual fatigue of living in a broken world, weariness is a real part of the human experience. The 400 Years of Silence: Jonny highlights the historical context of the "Intertestamental Period"—four centuries where God seemed silent, paralleling our own feelings of waiting for promises to be fulfilled. A Savior and a Sign: The sermon draws a powerful contrast between the angel's grand title for Jesus ("Messiah, Lord") and the humble sign given to identify him ("a baby in a manger"). Active Faith: The shepherds didn't just marvel at the angels; they responded with active faith ("Let's go and see"). They connected the ancient promises of God with the reality before them. Comfort, Glory, and Peace: Drawing from Isaiah 40, Jonny reminds us that the message of Christmas is one of comfort. God keeps His promises, His glory is revealed in unexpected ways, and He brings peace to a weary world. Call to Action: If you are feeling weary today, "Listen to the angels." Remember that God is working in small, inconspicuous ways to grow His Kingdom and that He has not abandoned you. 📝 Transcript: A Weary World Rejoices Speaker: Jonny Greaves Scripture Focus: Luke 2:1-20 Jonny Greaves: Thank you. Good morning, everyone. It's been a while. It's good to see you all. So start with the easy stuff. Hands up, who is feeling weary this morning? Some of you are willing to admit it. Some of you are so weary you can't even lift your hands in the air. That's tough, isn't it? Yeah, we are working our way through a couple of different talks in the Sundays coming up to Christmas, talking about, yeah, what it is that we as Christians look forward to at Christmas time. And what it is to worship God and to look to Jesus at this time in a weary world. Yeah, just out of interest, out of all of you who put your hands up before, how many of you had a baby this year? Anyone else? No, just me. I have to remind myself it's okay to feel weary sometimes. But weariness can take many forms and shapes, can't it? But it is also something that Nick's already talked about this morning—it permeates our world, not just our hearts and not just our feelings, but the world itself can seem weary. And this is why this is the subject that we're talking about this morning as we read this passage. We're going to be reading from Luke Chapter 2, if you want to follow along. But yeah, the reason that we're looking at this passage is because it speaks into our world today, and it's very relevant in so many respects. I'm going to be reading it for us in the NIV, and we're starting from verse one of Luke Chapter 2. "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." Just going to pause there a second because we've already done the entire Christmas story. Has anyone ever noticed that when they get to this bit in Nativity plays and stuff, you go, "That seems very anticlimactic"? Isn't this supposed to be the most exciting bit? That was seven verses. But Mary's prayer in the previous chapter was nine verses long. You know, when Mary says, "My soul magnifies the Lord"? Nine verses. And we just read the story of Jesus in seven verses, and one of those was about who the governor of Syria was. Sometimes the Bible is incredibly sparse on detail for some reason. That can be very perplexing sometimes. But often, it is for the very reason that the birth of Jesus in this story is just the setup. It's just the setup to what we're about to read in the next little section. Which is really interesting. And this is the thing—those of you who have ever been on journeys with babies will know it was not uneventful, shall we say. Erica and I, when we only had one baby, decided, "I think it should be fine for us to drive all the way back from Aberdeen in one go." Right? Didn't we? We thought, "It's only seven hours or so with a one-year-old in the back. How bad could it be?" And we got as far as Leeds and he had a meltdown. Bless him. He said, "You have gone too far. This is as far as I can go." Sometimes journeys can be really hard work with babies, and we don't get a lot of detail, do we? We're just here that Mary and Joseph are on their way, that they've been summoned, they have to travel, they're going to the town of David, to the place Joseph's family comes from. And when they get there, a baby arrives. And that's the setup for the rest of the chapter. And then we're going to read the next bit. From verse 8, it says: "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.' When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." It's quite an amazing reading to think, when you put it in that context, that the birth of Jesus himself is just a small little first part of this story. If you're splitting this into a three-act play, the birth of Jesus is just the beginning. Op, Jesus has arrived. There he is. He's in Bethlehem. And then the crazy, incredible revelation that comes in the second act is: Angels appear to shepherds. Random nobodies who are out in the middle of nowhere. And God breaks in and appears to them in this crazy and powerful way. If you're wondering, you know, as I said, sometimes the Bible is very sparse on detail. We don't get a lot of detail about the birth of Jesus. And yet we get loads of detail about what is going on in the lives of these shepherds. A day in the life of what it is being a shepherd in Bethlehem. One day, it's probably very just trying to keep warm and stare at sheep. And then the next day, Heaven itself opens up and angels are appearing and there's praising God and there's blinding lights and there's terror! People fearing for their very lives because the very presence of God breaking in. This is not a normal Tuesday for a shepherd, is it? This is crazy. This is something incredible. And yet the story is that the revelation of God to these normal, everyday shepherds is about that very story that I just said had no details about. It's about the thing that had just happened. Jesus had been prophesied. Jesus had been talked about to his mother. If you read in Matthew's gospel, angels had also spoken to Joseph, his father. And they knew this baby was coming. They knew this baby was going to be special. But when the baby arrives, he just arrives. It's just a normal day in a sleepy little town. And there he is. And yet just outside, out on the hills, Heaven opens up and something is revealed to just normal everyday people about this baby. This baby is special. So special that something is revealed to these shepherds. And that's what we're going to look at. And the things that the angel speaks about. First of all, is not to be afraid. It's one of those interesting stories that we kind of forget that when these stories happen in the Bible, so often biblical characters throw themselves on the ground in fear and terror. That they see something that they are not expecting. Something so far outside normality they fear for their very lives. Because the presence of God is breaking in to this place. The analogy that we often use with our kids is talking about how the sun is really, really good for you. But if you get too close to it, you're going to get burnt. And it's the presence of God is incredible and life-giving, and also terrifyingly dangerous. And that they're in the midst of this weird place where God is revealing Himself to them and the angel comes and speaks and says, "Do not be afraid." This is why, because of what he is declaring. This is good news of great joy for all people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God. It says a baby has been born. A Savior. A Savior has been born in verse 11. And then in verse 12, the sign that the Savior has been born is a tiny baby wrapped in cloths lying in an animal food trough. What a weird juxtaposition, hey? What a weird contrast of God saying that his promised Savior has arrived, and a little baby is lying in a place where they've just not got enough space to fit a baby in. In a crowded house full of people and animals. Here's a baby that's just arrived. And yet this is the sign. This is the sign to them that God is doing something. I'm just going to jump in here to ask you, how well do you know the history of the country that you live in right now? That you're in? We're going to do a little quick quiz. Can we have the next slide? Here's a question for you. If you roll back the clock 400 years, what do you know about the year 1625? Come on, hands up. Anybody? Anybody feeling super confident that they know anything that happened in the year 1625? (Interacting with audience) Yeah? (Audience member speaks) Not quite, but you're close! Yes. We did get a new monarch. Does anyone know who it was? It was Charles I. There you go. We went from James I to Charles I in 1625. So Charles I arrived on the throne of England in 1625. Anyone want to take a stab? We didn't have Prime Ministers. Who was the speaker of the House of Commons? Anybody? Speaker of the Parliament? Do I hear Sir Thomas Crew? I had to Google that one. I didn't know that one apparently. Yes. Over in America, the Dutch colonists called a tiny little place New Amsterdam. They settled that in 1625, which is now one of the biggest cities in the world, New York City, was founded 400 years ago in 1625. When I asked this question last week to the youth and I said to them, "What do you know about the year 1625?" I said, "There was rumblings that a Civil War might be breaking out in this country. How many of you knew that a Civil War happened in the 1600s?" I got a range of responses from "What?" all the way to "Oh yeah." That was the spectrum. And what I didn't get a single one was, "Of course. Obviously everyone knows about King Charles coming to the throne in 1625. Everyone knows about the English Civil War." What I definitely got was a few responses of, "So what?" "So what?" 400 years is ancient history to us. As I just demonstrated. I also demonstrated when I was speaking to them, I said, "Thank goodness. I'm really pleased that your biblical knowledge is slightly better than your English history knowledge." That we have some a bit more idea because we're working through the timeline of the Bible with the youth at the moment. And this is exactly the kind of things I'm wanting them to help to understand. The timeline of the Bible is significant to the story of the Bible and was significant to the people in Jesus' day in this story. But here's the question. How relevant was it do you think? If 1625 is ancient history to us and the stories of the Bible at this time when Jesus was born—the stories of Nehemiah returning and rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem after they've been thrown down, and Ezra re-establishing a temple that had been stripped out and destroyed and trying to bring the people back to worshiping God the way that they were supposed to—all these things are centuries old. At least 400 years old. And since then? Nothing. There have been no prophets. There have been no signs. There have been no angels appearing to people for 400 years. Not only was it not a normal day in the life of a shepherd, this was not normal in the life of Israel at this period in time. What this period of time was signified by was a time of waiting. And waiting. And waiting and waiting and waiting. For generations. The people of Israel had been waiting and waiting and waiting because God had made promises. And the people were asking, "What do these promises really look like? And what do they mean for us today?" Interestingly, as I said, some of those last stories we have of the Old Testament, that Jerusalem was destroyed and burned down and had been almost completely obliterated, and that God had brought back his people bit by bit and they'd rebuilt the walls and they re-established the temple. Jerusalem itself was looking pretty good at this period in history at the time of Jesus. It was quite prosperous. It was quite rich. They had rebuilt a really big fancy temple. Also, they had Romans marching on the streets. They had an occupying force who was really pulling the strings. They had a puppet King on the throne who was living very nicely and doing very well for himself. But they were also a people that were occupied and oppressed by other nations. They weren't truly free and they weren't truly sovereign. And yet, some people were saying, you know, "The promises of God. We've just got to hold onto them and wait for them." Some people must have been saying, "It's been centuries. Surely God's forgotten about us." So it's really amazing to see that the changes that happen when God breaks in at this period in history. He does it in a sleepy backwater town, outside the town, up in the hills. Angels appear to shepherds. Lowly, everyday working people. And God breaks in and shows to them, and here's why. This is what the angel says. "This is good news of great joy for all the people." This is for you. This is for them. These were nobodies in the society of their day. And the good news of Jesus is that a Savior has been born and it's good news for you. It was good news for everybody. And that's what we declare, isn't it? It is good news for all of us. The verse I really particularly want to focus on—can we have the next slide up, Graham?—is this particular little verse. That I've been talking a lot about just how incredible and crazy it is when these angels appear and what that experience must have been like. But in particular, I want to focus on how they respond. So the first angel appears, makes these promises, declares that a Savior has been born. They're going to see a sign when they see a baby. And then verse 13 it says: "A great company of heavenly host appear with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.'" It's a declaration of a Savior coming and a declaration of peace. And then verse 15 says: "When the angels had left them and gone into heaven..." When the darkness closes back in... This is what they say to each other. They say: "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." When I was talking about what the people of Israel would have been thinking about when you've been waiting, waiting for centuries, the question they would have been asking is: Does God keep his promises? Does he keep his promises? Because God had promised so many things to Israel and to his people. That the latest promises in the times of the prophets, the ones that they had heard most recently in their history, were promises that God wasn't going to abandon them. That God wasn't going to leave them. That God wasn't going to let them be forgotten and waste away and just disappear. They weren't going to be just like all the other nations. That these were a people that God had chosen for a particular purpose with a particular plan in mind. That way, way back, millennia before, in the times of Abraham, God had promised that the people of Israel were the ones who were going to bring blessing to the nations. That through the children of Abraham, God was going to establish blessing. He wanted to bring goodness and life and love back into a world that is full of all the opposite of those things. We already talked about just how weary the world is. The people of Bethlehem at this time would have known the weariness of the world. Nothing is new under the sun. There are wars and there are famines. There's natural disasters. There's the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. All these things have been going on for all time. And yet those promises had been spoken over those people, and they hadn't seen anything. And then this incredible story is God appearing, speaking to shepherds, and this is how they respond: "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened." They've heard God speak in an incredible and powerful way. But they don't just take that as, "That's not it. They're out there and all of a sudden they have this amazing bright shining light. They fear for their lives. They don't know what's going on. But when it goes, their response is, 'Let's go and see.' Let's go and see." Let's go and see if God is doing what he promised. This word is saying that there's a Savior coming, and the words of a Savior, the promises of a Savior had been spoken over the people of Israel for centuries. So many promises. You go all the way back to the time of Moses, when God talks about reclaiming his people and healing them and restoring them. And you read the prophets that speak about God giving his people new hearts and re-establishing his promises to them, and re-establishing those ancient promises to bless all the nations through them. All those promises... they'd been waiting to see fulfilled. And some people have been looking. Some people have been looking for God to keep his promises. That's one of the patterns as you read Luke's gospel all the way through. We haven't read Chapter 1, but if you read Chapter 1 and you read Chapter 2 onwards, you see introductions, tiny little slice of life of characters who are people who believe in God and are waiting for him to keep his promises. Centuries on, when they've seen nothing. Some of them are very, very old. My favorite Bible story is when you get to Simeon who meets Jesus when Jesus is just a tiny baby. Because he's described as a person who has just been waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting. That's all he's been doing. And that there would have been many people in Israel who were still waiting at this time. And when they hear the promises of God, that God is going to rescue his people, they want to go and see it. That's what they want to do. They want to go and see it. Let's go and see. So that's what they do. They go to see it. They see the promises fulfilled and they see the baby just lying there. I always wondered, you know, it doesn't actually say... it's interesting, the angel says, "A Savior is going to be born and this is going to be the sign, the sign is going to be a tiny little baby." Doesn't necessarily put two and two together. The angel says, "There's going to be a Savior and this is the sign, an incredible thing is going to happen, you're going to find a baby in a weird place." And yet the shepherds put two and two together. They see him and they say, they speak about the promises that were made over him. They put those two things together. They see a tiny baby, but they're like, "But what we heard... the promises of God is that this guy is going to be the Savior. This tiny little baby is going to be the Savior of our people." It's incredible that this is the response that they have. And yet it's really encouraging to me. You know, these shepherds would have known what it is to live in a weary world. And in that respect, they're a lot like us. So, let's look at some of the things that come up through this passage. Can I have the next slide up, Graham? God is speaking and has been speaking for centuries. And it's at this point in the Bible, when we read this story, centuries of promises are coming true. I'm going to read a quick passage from Isaiah Chapter 40. God had been speaking through the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before. And this is one of the promises that were made through the prophet Isaiah. This is from Isaiah Chapter 40, starting at verse 1. "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.'" The promises of God are that the glory of God is going to be revealed. Through the prophet Isaiah, God is preaching comfort to his people. Knowing that they've got centuries of waiting to go. They've got to trudge through a weary world over and over, generation after generation, and all they've got to hold onto is the comfort of knowing that God has promised something and that God keeps his promises. They never saw it. You read Hebrews Chapter 11 and it describes all the heroes of faith going all the way back to the beginning of the Bible and it speaks about all these towering figures of faith like Moses and Abraham, and describes how they lived their life in faith. And at the end of the chapter it says every single one of these people never saw the fulfillment of the promises. But they lived by faith because they understood: God keeps his promises. Even if we don't see it. God keeps his promises. That's the comfort that God is establishing for his people. He has not forgotten them. And he's not abandoned them. And yet these promises that I'm reading to you now, for the shepherds, were hundreds of years old. They had to believe: "Is this really true? Does God really keep his promises?" The comfort that was found in knowing that God keeps his promises was illustrated to them by the glory of God. We speak about glory as, you know, bright shiny lights. That's how I depicted it on my slides. You know, that it says the glory of the Lord shone around them. And yet it's a picture of the reality. You know, I said that this wasn't a normal Tuesday for the shepherds. It says heaven opened up. And when you see inside, you see the heavenly host praising God and saying "Glory to God in the highest" and "on earth peace." That's a normal Tuesday for them. That wasn't a one-off. But when heaven is opened up and you see the heavenly host revealed, they're always praising God. They're always speaking that truth. They're always demonstrating God is the same God. A God who keeps his promises. A God who sends a Savior. Just wait. Just wait. Because it's coming. And then these are the lucky ones. The blessed shepherds who get to see God is keeping his promise. And they get to experience the joy of knowing that God is bringing his promises into reality right there in front of them in the shape of a tiny little baby. [Baby cries in background] Hello. Just woken up. God is speaking comfort. God is speaking of glory. God is bringing joy into the world. Into a weary world. So we're going to respond by singing together. We're going to do a Christmas song. Because that's what I want to do. Graham's going to put a song on for us together. Feel free to stand up, sit down, whatever you want to do. But we're going to sing with the angels. Are you feeling weary? You don't have to put your hand up this time. Because it's okay if you are. It really is. Because weariness is reality. It's the reality of this world that we live in. And the other reality is what we see peeled away when heaven opens up in front of these angels. That's reality. Angels praising God and saying "Give glory to God in the highest and on earth peace." God is bringing and establishing peace. So how are we going to respond? The best piece of advice I can give to you is... I think David Eden said it best... Angels aren't just for Christmas. Listen to the angels. That's my advice for you. If you're feeling weary today, listen to the angels. Because the angels are speaking comfort to people. God hasn't forgotten us. God hasn't abandoned us. They're speaking of his glory. He has a plan. He has sent a Savior. He is the one who has established the plans to bring Jesus into this world in small and inconspicuous ways. This is how God's kingdom grows on the earth. This is how God's kingdom is growing in us and through us. In small and inconspicuous ways. But God is establishing his kingdom. He's turning the world upside down. And also joy. If you want to experience joy today, listen to the angels. The angels are speaking of glory to God and peace on earth that is because of Jesus. Because of this little baby who arrived. Knowing that the sacrifice he was going to make was going to reclaim his people from death. And sin itself was going to be destroyed. These are the message of hope that the angels proclaimed. So we're going to respond by singing together.

Lara Adeosun

📄 Sermon Summary: Grieving and Quenching the Spirit Speaker: Nick Theme: Grieving and Quenching the Holy Spirit (Part of the "Life in the Spirit" series) Key Scripture: Ephesians 4:30 – "And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live." 1. The Principle of Responsibility The sermon opens by linking the great blessing of the Holy Spirit (discussed the previous week) with great responsibility (a modified Spider-Man quote). The danger is that Christians can focus solely on the positive aspects of God's blessing and forget their responsibility to live a life that pleases the Holy Spirit, not grieves him. 2. The Danger of Passivity Active Waiting: The concept of "waiting on God" is often misunderstood as passive inaction. The speaker contrasts this with the attitude of a "waiter" in a hotel (using a personal story from Nepal and an example of the ushing ministry in Zambia). An excellent waiter is active, alert, concerned, and anticipates the needs of the person they serve. Pleasure vs. Grief: Our relationship with God should be one of active engagement and should bring pleasure to God's heart, not grief. It's not about seeing how much we can "get away with" but about actively seeking to please Him—this is the true meaning of loving God. The absence of a genuine relationship brings God grief. 3. Sin is Dealt With, But Lack of Faith is a Struggle Christianity is Obsessed with Love, not Sin: Referencing a debate between Professor Richard Dawkins (atheist) and Ayaan Hirsi Ali (new Christian), the speaker affirms that while sin is real, Jesus has broken its power on the cross ("It is finished!"). The focus of Christianity should be on love, life, and hope, not dwelling on sin. Confession and Freedom: If we sin, the solution is to confess it, receive forgiveness, and walk away from it (like Jesus telling the woman, "Go and sin no more"). Sin is dealt with. The Greater Grief: Unwillingness and Unbelief: The harder issue that grieves the Spirit is our unwillingness to enter into all God has for us, our unbelief, and our failure to actively walk in the power of the finished work of the cross. 4. Five Areas That Bring God Pleasure (and their opposites cause grief): The sermon outlines five practical ways to actively seek a life that pleases God: Faith (Hebrews 11:6): Without faith, it is impossible to please God. We must continually believe God in what He is able to do, even when we have struggled with faith in the past. Unbelief grieves Him. Love (John 13:35): We must fight for unity and love one another, valuing others even more than ourselves. It is more important to love than to "win an argument." Division and disunity grieve the Holy Spirit. Obedience (1 Samuel 15): King Saul was rejected as king because he valued his own idea of a sacrifice over simple obedience to God's command. Obeying is better than sacrificing. Self-confidence and our own "theology" are not enough; we must be attentive to exactly what God wants. Thankfulness (1 Thessalonians 5:18): A grateful heart pleases God. It is a simple but powerful act that opens the door to our relationship with Him. An ungrateful heart grieves Him. Perseverance in Faith (Galatians 6:9; 1 Peter 1:6-7): The "well done, good and faithful servant" is spoken at the end of the journey, after we have walked through all the trials and challenges. Jesus's prayer for Peter was not for a new car, but that his "faith won't fail." Through perseverance, our faith is proven genuine and brings God much honor. Conclusion The core question for every Christian is: "Are we resting on the fact that we wear a Christian badge, or are we active in seeking a life that pleases God in the here and now and in the in-between?" 📝 Transcript of "Nick's Sermon" I'm just processing what Mike said, that it's sad the notices are finished because Nick's coming to speak. [laughter] Uh, yeah, buckle up. Um, we are on a, we're still on the "Life in the Spirit" series, and Jonathan spoke last week about the, uh, about being filled with the Spirit and being continually filled with the Spirit. And there was a great response and people came forward, and people were touched and blessed by the Holy Spirit. And so it falls to me this morning to pick up the subject of grieving and quenching the Spirit. And, uh, yeah, we've got to, we've got to take things from all angles, haven't we? And my, my main passage that I want us to look at this morning is in Ephesians chapter 4. When I say passage, it's a verse, actually. It's Ephesians chapter 4, verse 30. And it says this: "And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live." "Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption." "Do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption." And I want to slightly misquote Spider-Man by saying, "With great blessing comes great responsibility." It's essential that we are hungry for God's Spirit. It's essential, as Jonathan was saying last week, that we are continually asking him for more. And so much of what we expect is, is positive. We don't even think sometimes of the angle where God might be, might have a, have a view on how we, how we are living, or how we are thinking, or, or how we are dealing with him, because it's always blessing. The prophetic words are always, "I love you," says the Lord. Everything is so positive. And it's right, it's good that we get encouraged by things, but we have to remember the responsibility that comes on the other side of how we deal with the Holy Spirit of God. It's essential that we, we reach out to him for the times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:20 it says, but just as we're eager to receive everything good from him, we must be eager to make sure that we don't live in a way that in any way offends him or grieves him or brings him displeasure. We don't want God to withdraw from us. Because the frightening thing is that we can continue in all that we do. You know, the way that we gather on a Sunday, and the way that we sing, and the way that we interact, and the way that we listen to the Word, we can do all of that without actually having the presence of the Spirit with us. And sometimes we, we might not even be aware if he's withdrawn himself. And so we have to be really alert and to wait on the Lord as the Word says. Now, what do you think of when it, when we talk about waiting on God? Sometimes it can be a quite a passive approach, and we sit back and we fold our arms, we say, "Well, I'm waiting for you, Lord. Waiting here. Waiting here for you. Let's see what you're going to do. Let's see what you've got." You know, and then we, we wait and we think, "Well, where is God? Where has he gone? You know, what, what's happening? Why doesn't there seem to be anything happening?" And we have this sort of passive approach to waiting. But there is another verb to wait: to be a waiter, if you like, like in a restaurant or in a hotel. We begin to see our relationship with God differently. When I was in Nepal, I stayed in a hotel, um, which was actually, it was quite cheap compared to hotels that you can stay in around the world. But what stood out in that place was the attitude and the approach of the people that worked there. Every time I stepped out of my room into the lobby, there was somebody that said, "Are you all right, sir? Can I help you with anything, sir? Is there anything I could do for you?" Any question that I had, they could answer. Apart from, um, why I was having curry for breakfast, they didn't answer that one, but they, they, [laughter] they were really there to serve me. They were like, there was, there was like a real genuine interest in my welfare, what did I want? And they were able to anticipate in advance what I wanted. In Zambia, um, there's a ministry of being an usher. You know, we have welcome people here at the door, and it's all very British, you know, we shake hands, we give a hug, "How are you doing?" whatever, and that's, and that's it, and then we go and we find our seat. But in Zambia, there's a real ushing ministry where people will actually attend to your every need, not just pastors and, and, and bigwigs, but, but everybody. I've been in situations where I've, I've had, I've had no idea that people have been aware, but I've, like I had a headache, and maybe I was showing it, maybe I was like grimacing or whatever, and somebody would turn up with, "Here's the paracetamol for you." And like, you know, there's just that, that awareness and that concern to, to be able to meet the needs that you have. And I think there's something in waiting on God that is that, that is very active, not, not passive, not sitting back with their arms folded waiting for him, but actually thinking, "What does he want from me? How does he want me to live? How does he want me to approach this situation? How does he want me to think here? How does he want me to act? How does he want me, what does he want my attitude to be? Lord, how can I bless you with my attitude, with my approach to life?" Being aware of him, considering what he wants, considering what he needs. Don't ever take him for granted. We're very British, aren't we? Where you think, oh, well, you know, we, we, we step back and we, and we become very, like I said earlier on, we become very passive and very, uh, non, non-engaged. But in actual fact, God wants us engaged with him and to live and to act and to speak and to deal with him and relate to him in a way that, that not only satisfies him so he can tick a box, but actually brings pleasure to him, rather than grief. And it affects the way we seek and respond to him every day. It's what it means to actually love God, to take care of how we live, not because we're afraid of him, not because we're afraid of punishment, but because of how much he's done for us, because of how much he has achieved in our lives. Not taking an attitude that says, "Well, I wonder how much I can get away with." You know, I think, um, it's uh, it's interesting, I'm not, not getting party political, but you know, it's interesting seeing the government sort of jumping through hoops saying, "How can we put up taxes without putting up taxes?" And, you know, "How can we, how can we say we're not going to put up income tax, but really we're going to put it up, you know, here?" And it's like, and then if we, if we spin it this way, everybody will believe us. And it's like, and it's that we can be like that with God. "How can we, how can we just get away with stuff? How can we, how can we, we, we live how we want to do, but still do it in a way that appears to be pleasing God?" Yeah, not "how can I get away with it?" but "how can I please him?" We have the opportunity to make God smile. We have the opportunity to bring pleasure to the heart of God. We talk about Christianity is not being a religion, but it's a relationship with God. A relationship is about interaction. A relationship is about bringing pleasure. A relationship is about smiling. A relationship is about laughing. A relationship is about interacting and talking and communicating and all of that. How much of that is a feature and a hallmark of our relationship with God, and how much of it is just going through the motions? And it's that relationship that brings pleasure to the heart of God, and it's that absence of that relationship that brings him grief. Because the reason that he did what he did, when you think of what Jesus went through, and how he suffered, and how he died, the reason that he went to that extent was because he loves us, and because he wants a relationship with us, and because he wants that fellowship with us, and because he wants that interaction, and because he wants to know us, not because he wants us to just sit back and try and keep our nose clean and, and hope to get to heaven at the end of it all. That's, that's a poor reflection of the quality of the relationship that God has called us to. And so the question that we ask when it comes to, uh, not grieving and not quenching the Holy Spirit is, "How can I actually make the most of my privileged relationship with him? How can I make the most of what God has made possible for me in my life?" And if we don't do that, then we can bring grief to the heart of God, and we can bring grief to the Holy Spirit. It's really important that we engage. Like we said before, in so many areas in life, there's no neutral ground. We have to actually ask ourselves, "How do we go as far as we possibly can in that relationship with him?" Because, as I've said before, a Christian life can go on perfectly well in form and function without the Holy Spirit, and without any sense of knowing what it takes to please him. He can withdraw from us and we might not even know. When we take time to ask the question, "Is God here?" You know, that, that picture of God as, as a dove, the Holy Spirit as a dove settling on his people, and how easy it is for a dove to flutter away and for us not to be aware. Last week, I saw a video on YouTube. I don't know if you follow this guy. Well, not follow him because he's not really a very positive person to follow, but there's a guy called Professor Richard Dawkins who's an atheist, who's a, like a really, uh, what's the word, like a militant atheist. He really, his atheism is his evangelism. He really wants to make sure that people don't believe in God. And uh, he had a friend or has a friend who was a colleague of his in his atheism, a lady called Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and she uh, has actually recently become a Christian. [congregation murmurs, someone says "Hallelujah"] And uh, and so the two of them are having a debate and a conversation on YouTube. It's really interesting if you look it up. And uh, and you know, and he was saying, "You know, surely you don't believe in Jesus rose from the dead." And uh, she was saying, "Well, I choose to believe that. Yes, I do believe that." And uh, and he was saying, "You know, the problem with Christianity is..." (He knows everything about everything. He's a professor.) "The problem with Christianity is, it's obsessed with sin." And she said, "Well, you might say that," she said, "but I prefer to see that it's obsessed with love." And as I thought about that, and I listened to, I thought, actually, it's not just like The Beatles, you know, "All you need is love." It's all very, it's all love, love, love, love is all you need. But what she's saying is that, yes, there, there's sin, but Jesus has done away with sin. Jesus has done away with its power, and he's opened the doors of heaven to all who will believe. And the Holy Spirit, who used to be hidden away in the temple behind a big curtain, now lives in the hearts of men and women. And so there's that opportunity that we have. And so when he says it's obsessed with sin, actually, no. Sin was there, sin was the barrier, sin was the, was the issue, sin was the thing that kept us from God, but now sin, the power of sin, is broken. Broken by the cross of Jesus. That's why Jesus, when he hung on the cross, in all that pain and all that agony, the last thing he said was to cry, "It is finished!" It's finished. Sin is finished. So, Christianity is not obsessed with sin. Christianity breaks the power of sin. Christianity opens the door to life. Christianity opens the possibility of life. And sometimes it's not Christianity or or Jesus that's obsessed with sin, it's Christians that are obsessed with sin. We are obsessed with, you know, I'm not saying sin is not important, but sin is dealt with. Sin can be put aside. In the, in the second, the second verse after the one I read, it says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven 1you." What's he saying there? Is get rid of it. Just put it aside. Just don't live in that anymore. Why? Because we have the power to walk away from that because Jesus has declared, "It is finished!" And so there is no obsession with sin. There should be an obsession with love, with life, and with hope. And so the question is not, "Are we good enough for heaven?" I remember somebody, years and years and years ago, in one of the first services I was ever involved in, and one of the preachers was doing this interactive thing, and he was asking people, you know, "Are you, are you confident of your future, of your eternal future?" And one of these chaps called, uh, George, he said, "Well, I, I jolly well hope so." "I hope to, I hope to, I hope that everything will be all right in the end." He said, "You, you've missed it." He was very bold preacher. "You've missed the point. You've missed the point that God has given you that opportunity for life." And the question is, "How are we responding?" Our response to it, this is what gets back to our subject of grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit, our response to his grace, our response to his power, our response to his gospel and the open door that he's given us into his presence is the key to whether we bring pleasure to the heart of God or we bring grief. Our sin is not so much the issue. Grieving and quenching the Spirit is not so much about bad things that we do. We've got this whole list of, like the, gets dangerously close to Father Christmas, doesn't it? And the naughty and nice list. We've got a, a naughty list. "Well, you've got all of this stuff and all of these things against you, and uh, and these things have grieved the Holy Spirit." Well, in actual fact, it's not about the bad things that we do, but much more about the good things that we don't do and the opportunities for life that we don't step into. Because where there is sin, there is a solution. If we sin, we should confess our sin, and he's faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's the key. If you sin, confess it. Get rid of it. Put it aside. Put it away. And don't live in that anymore. Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, "Go and sin no more." That was the, that was the prescription. It wasn't, "Now you need to go through this, and you need to go through these hoops and, and pay for this, pay this penalty," or whatever. He just said, "Go, and sin no more. According to the law, you should have been stoned, but now there's a new covenant in action. Go and sin no more. Be free." And so we confess our sins, knowing he's faithful and just to, to, to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And so there's everything that can be done about sin. If there's sin in your life today, put it aside. Repent of it. Get it out. Walk away from it. The power is there for you to do that. That's the opportunity that we have. But the harder thing to deal with is our unwillingness to enter into all that God has for us. Remember, somebody bringing a prophetic word saying, God saying, "I can, I can deal with your sin, I have no problem with that. I can deal with that because the, the, the cross is there, but what I can't deal with is your unbelief. What I can't deal with is your unwillingness to trust me. What I can't deal with are the things that are now still in your hands to do. I've dealt with your sin. What about your faith? What about your life?" And it's our response to God that impacts his heart, that brings him pleasure or grief. That when we stand before him, will it be the list that he's got? I saw a funny meme the other day of somebody of the, these people sat looking miserable on the steps and they said, "We're just waiting for Jesus to go through our WhatsApp feed before he lets us in." [laughter] You know, we think, is, is it our WhatsApp feed that's going to condemn us? Is it our, is it our internet search history? Is it whatever? All of those things. All those things, if they are things that are wrong, deal with it. Deal with it by the power of the, of the, of the cross. But it's not primarily those things that God's interested in because he has dealt with sin. He hasn't brought us to a point where we need to bring one sacrifice after another in order to bring ourselves to righteousness. There is one sacrifice that stands for all, for all time, and now the, the new and living way has been opened up into his presence. So that's the, that's the thing. Now the question is, what are we going to do with that? The things we have to take care of. Number one: Faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith, it's impossible to please God." Impossible. Think about that. Let that sink in. There is a difference between labeling ourselves as a Christian and living a life of faith. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. You can do all sorts of stuff to try and please God. You can, you can give wonderful offerings, you can pray wonderful prayers, you can, you can, you can help old people across the road. You can do anything, but without faith, it's impossible to please him. I've been amazed recently looking back over life. I don't know if, it's not like life flashing before me, I don't take it too seriously. But, you know, looking back over so many years, looking over the faithfulness of God. And we sing those songs, "All my life, you have been faithful. All my life, you have been so, so good." Used to sing when I was young, when I was very young, a young Christian, they used to sing that Ishmael song, "Father God, I wonder how I managed to exist without the knowledge of your parenthood." And I used to think, I don't know what that means, really. You know, it's like, yeah, because I, because I had no experience. Now, I can say, yeah, I do wonder how I managed to exist without the knowledge of your parenthood and your loving care. But seeing stuff, seeing the faithfulness of God doesn't equal faith. Even when we are faithless, God is faithful. And so sometimes seeing the faithfulness of God over so many years and so many miracles of kindness and love and grace and provision, brings me a little bit of regret because I know that I didn't have anything like the faith that he's worthy of. But he still did it. And I'm still worrying about things now that God proved to me that he could take care of 25 years ago. There are things like the, you know, he feeds the 5,000, and then the next day, they meet another crowd, and they say, "Where are we going to feed, where are we going to get the food to feed these people from?" It's like, it just goes from one thing to another. And I am aware that I, God has been so faithful to me over so many years, and yet some of the basic lessons of faith I still struggle with. And I'm sure you're in the same boat there as I expose myself here and, uh, my lack of faith. Because we struggle with faith. But it's faith that brings pleasure to the heart of God. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Without faith that says, "Actually, I believe you, God." Not, "I believe you, but I understand the realities," or, "I believe you, God, but, you know, there's this and that problem to take into consideration." "I believe you, Lord. I believe you." Not necessarily for a particular outcome, because that, that sort of pins everything on. But we just believe God. Believe God in what he's able to do. Believe God that he will see us through. Believe God that we will not, we will not crash and burn. Believe God that he will do what he says he will do, and we will accomplish what he says he will accomplish. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, and that attitude pleases God. And the opposite grieves him. Unbelief grieves him. When we don't actually trust him, when we don't put out, when we don't try to put our faith and our, our confidence in him, then that grieves his heart and it grieves his Spirit. Secondly: Love. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35. "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." It's so easy to bypass things that are actually so close to the Father's heart, to justify discord, hatred, and division in the name of Jesus. We feel if we're doctrinally correct, nothing else matters, does it? If we've, if we've got the absolute truth, then everybody else can just do one! Because we are God's soldiers, and we've got his, we've got his truth. And it doesn't really, and yet, meanwhile, God is saying, "Love one another." It's more important to love one another than to win an argument. That's really tough, because we love to win arguments. Believing we are God's favored ones. Everybody else is numpties, but we are God's favored ones. Just like his disciples. You know, these people, they're all pre- He said, "Well, if they're not, if they're not against us, then they're for us." Fight for love, fight for unity, value one another even more than we value ourselves. And you know what? That brings pleasure to the heart of God. Where there is unity, God commands a blessing. Where there is disunity, the opposite must be true. It grieves the heart of God. It pains his heart. He suffers with it because when his people are divided, when his people don't love one another, when his people don't care for one another, when his people don't value one another, when they don't see that he loves each and every one, the person that you are at odds with, he loves as much as he loves you, because he made, he made them in his image as much as he made you in his image. Love brings pleasure to the heart of God, and division and disunity grieves the Holy Spirit. Obedience. In 1 Samuel, King Saul was given the task of completely destroying the Amalekites. This is where our sort of ancient biblical history and modern day sort of cross over, and we think, "Oh, these, all these, uh, you know, battles and fights are fairly gruesome." But King Saul was given the task of completely destroying the Amalekites. He was told to destroy them and everything that they owned. All the cattle, the sheep, everything had to be gone. And so he said, "I'll do it," and he went. Except, they, he kept the best sheep, and he kept the best goats, and he kept the best cattle. And the Bible says they only destroyed that which didn't have any value, didn't have any worth. And when the prophet Samuel, who'd been told by the Lord what, what Saul had actually done, went to find him the next day, he was told that Saul was out building a monument to himself because of all that he'd achieved in the name of the Lord. And he'd, he'd destroyed the Amalekites. So he built this monument. And when Samuel turned up to challenge him, Saul had no idea that he, what was about to happen. And he went out, he said, "The Lord bless you, Samuel. We've carried out everything. We've done everything that the Lord commanded us to do. I've carried out the Lord's command." And then there's a some of the most devastating words in the Bible, I find it really challenging and convicting. Samuel said to him, "Then what is this bleating of sheep that I hear?" And Saul says, "Oh, oh, yeah, yeah. Well, we did keep the best of the animals, but we're going to offer them to the Lord as a sacrifice. Don't worry, everything's good." He's made up his own theology. Where God said, "Destroy everything, get rid of everything, I don't want everything, be obedient to me." He said, "Actually, well, I know what we'll do. We'll take some of them and we'll make you an offering. You'll like that." And then Samuel delivered this devastating judgment. He said to him, "To obey is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than the fat of rams. Because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king." So self-confidence in ourselves is not enough. We have to be attentive to exactly what God wants of us if we're going to avoid grieving him. Saul was rejected as king because he didn't have an interest in being obedient to the heart of God. He only had an interest in doing his thing. And yet he dressed it all up. "We're going to make sacrifices. We've done the, we've done everything the Lord said." And we might have thought, "Yeah, good man." But the Holy Spirit was not pleased. Thankfulness. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18. "And he who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me." Psalm 50:23. Some of them, these things are so simple, and yet so hard. A grateful heart pleases God. An ungrateful heart grieves the heart of God. Gratitude and compassion bring him pleasure. It's so easy to accept the grace of God and never think to say, "Thank you." Like the ten lepers that were all healed and only one of them went back to say, "Thank you." There is power in gratitude. Not only power in gratitude, but it, it opens the door to our relationship with God. That's the thing that makes him smile. That's the, that's the thing that he loves when we actually look at our lives, and instead of complaining, instead of moaning on about it, we actually say, "Actually, Lord, I thank you. I thank you for what the life you've given me. I thank you for the breath that I take. I thank you for the way that you've cared for me. I thank you, Lord, and I praise you." And that brings him pleasure. Perseverance in faith. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest." Galatians 6:9. "Well done, good and faithful servant." Matthew 25:21. Much of our blessing in the future tracks back to our attitude here today, in what we and how we look at things. When God says, "Well done, good and faithful servant," at the end of all things, it is at the end of all things. It's after we've gone through everything. It's not that first time we run up to the front of the church with our arms in the air and tears running down our face, and we say, "I love you, Jesus," and he says, "Well done." He says, "Well done," after you've been through all the ups and downs, all the challenges, all the issues, all the stress, all the things that would try and attack your faith and undermine your faith, all the things that you've had to fight through and battle through. At the end of all that comes the "Well done, good and faithful servant." How are we going to respond? Jesus told Peter about all that he was going to suffer, and how he was going to die, and he was, uh, he didn't say he would save him from it. But one thing he said is, "I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith won't fail." Faith is the one commodity we can take with us from this life. Nothing else will make that journey with us. "I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith won't fail." What a prayer, what a powerful prayer for Jesus to, to be by the side of the Father saying, "I pray for Peter. I pray for MCF. I pray for those people that their faith will not fail." That we, that through our perseverance in faith, we will bring pleasure to the heart of God. One of the things that afflicts the church the world over, and we've come across it in Zambia, is a sort of a twisted sort of prosperity gospel. We know God wants to bless his people, but there's this sort of prosperity that says, you know, "If you've got, if you've got a car, if you've got a big house, if you eat meat every day, you know, you are truly blessed of God." And uh, and I remember one of the bold preachers there saying, you know, "When, when Jesus is praying for us, he's praying that our faith won't fail. He's not praying for a new Mercedes." He's not praying that you'll get everything that you've ever dreamed of. He's not Father Christmas, as I said earlier on. But he is praying that through it all, through everything that you walk through, your faith will not fail. 1 Peter 1:6-7: "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold. Though your faith is far more precious than mere gold, so when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to2 the world." And so this life of bringing pleasure to the heart of God, not grieving, not, not, not stressing the Spirit, if you like, is, is all about how we live, about what we do with the wonderful gift that's been given to us, the opportunity that we have, the possibility to grow in faith, the possibility to be thankful, the possibility to persevere, the possibility to love one another against all the odds. All of those things are the things that when God looks on his people, they cause him to smile. Not just that people have ticked and said, "Yes, I believe in Jesus, so I'm going, I've got my ticket to heaven," but it's about how we live our life in the here and now and in the in-between. And so the question is, where do we stand today? Are we resting on the fact that we wear a Christian badge, or are we active in seeking a life that pleases God?

🙏 Sermon Summary: Walking in Step with the Spirit This week, Jonathan Dunning challenged us to move beyond simply being a "nominally charismatic" church—one that sings the songs and waves the flags but "denies its power". Drawing from Galatians 5:25, "Since we're living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives", the message urged us to shift from mere information to impartation and to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit. The Call to Power and Purpose Jonathan highlighted that being filled with the Holy Spirit isn't an "optional extra" but God's command and grace gift. Citing John Stott, he emphasized that what the church needs is not more eloquence or organization, but "more power from the Holy Spirit". This power enables us to be witnesses and missionaries, moving us beyond a "spirit of timidity" and into a spirit of "power and of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7). He asked challenging questions for personal reflection: When were you last filled with the Holy Spirit? When did you last stir up the spiritual gift in you? How to Walk in Step with the Spirit The core of the sermon focused on practical ways to "walk in step" with God's Spirit, using the metaphor of a journey: Put God First and Deny Self-Will: This involves living a good and righteous life, obeying God's ways, and acknowledging Him so He can direct our path (Proverbs 3:6). Listen and Obey the Nudge: Like sheep recognizing the shepherd's voice (John 10), we need to be attuned to the Spirit's inner voice, the prompt, the stirring, or the nudge. This inner voice is the same one that convicts us of wrongdoing. Keep Pace and Time: We must avoid rushing ahead and lagging behind. Timing is key. Like the vision in Habakkuk, a clear vision is "for an appointed time" and requires patient waiting. We need to keep in step to catch the Kairos moment, the divinely appointed time where heaven touches earth. The Spirit's Guidance in Jonathan's Life and MCF Jonathan shared powerful personal examples of how the Spirit has led him through his life and ministry: Inner Voice: Sensing a clear call to pastoral ministry at age 17 and later feeling the distinct nudge to step down from a role, even with no clear path ahead. Impartation: Receiving an "anointing for ministry" through the laying on of hands and prayer from others. Prophetic Words: Receiving a word in his twenties calling him to prison ministry, which unfolded years later with a job as the UK's first free minister paid by the home office to serve as a prison chaplain. Scripture: Using Ecclesiastes 3 ("a time to uproot and a time to plant") to process a difficult transition in ministry. Closed Doors: Learning to "trust the closed door" when his "dream job" didn't materialize, which ultimately led him to stumble into ministry at MCF in Sheffield. He concluded by stressing that walking in the Spirit is also for the church collectively. MCF's journey—from moving to the estate to receiving prophetic words about enlarging the place of the tent (Isaiah 54) and the river of God flowing (Ezekiel 47)—has been a result of people listening and obeying the Spirit's nudges, not simply "man's design". The final challenge: "You cannot walk with God without moving." The time to move from theory to practice is now, by seeking to be filled with the Spirit. Would you like me to find a relevant Bible verse, such as Galatians 5:25, to post with this summary? Transcript Thanks, Nick. Morning, everyone. I've been given the title, Walking in Step with the Spirit, and a passage from Galatians 5, verse 25, which says, "Since we're living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." Now, today, I don't intend to spend a lot of time going into what this verse means. I want to talk about my experience of the Holy Spirit, the church's experience of the Holy Spirit, and how that is really, really important today. So I'm going to be a bit of an agent provocateur, a bit of a stirrer this morning. It was a week ago I was chatting to Graham Reid, and we reflected how the church we were born into in the 1970s and 1980s, he was in Sussex House in North Yorkshire, the charismatic movement which we were birthed into, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, being filled with the Holy Spirit, was front and centre of what was happening. Each service, there was opportunity for people to come forward to be filled with the Spirit, as well as for other things. Ministry was very important. And actually, it was very much part of the warp and the web of the church. So what's changed? Because I think as I look at the church in the UK today, and I travel around quite a few of them, we have become nominally charismatic, i.e., in name only. We sing the songs, we wave the flags, we stick our hands in the air, but that's often as far as it goes. And actually, to sort of like misquote Paul in his letter to Timothy, we have a form of charismatic worship, but deny its power. Thanks, we've had a few amens for that, that's good. I think it's really important that we don't just play lip service to this aspect of ministry in the Holy Spirit, but actually we're engaging in a topic over a long period of weeks, which should actually transform us as human beings and as followers of Jesus. Jesus told his disciples, his followers, to be filled with the Spirit, to give them the power to be the missionaries and the witnesses that he required them to do in this world. He'd already taught them in Luke 11, verse 3, that God is this great good Father, much better than a human father, who longs to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Interesting. The need to ask. Not automatic. Paul was keen that Christians understood that they needed to be constantly filled with God's Holy Spirit, Ephesians 5, verse 18. "Be being filled" is the actual literal translation of that, as we know. And he contrasted that with being drunk, being intoxicated. Now, you know, if you've ever known what it is to be drunk, you basically, your tongue gets loose, you start to say things, you talk in a way that you wouldn't normally be guarded. You're basically a much more kind of like, they used to call it Dutch courage, aren't you? You're much more brave about confronting things and taking things on. You know, it's Dutch courage. Hey, hey. You know, I'm going to get in there. And the contrast was, don't be intoxicated by a worldly spirit, but God's Spirit gives you the power to speak and to go beyond your fears. In fact, you know, Paul talked to Timothy and said, you had to stir up the gift that had been given to him when he'd had hands laid upon him. Stir it up. Fan it into flame. Timothy had to do something with what God had invested in his life when hands were laid on him. And he said, that's because God hasn't given you a spirit of timidity where you hold back, where you haven't got Dutch courage, where you're afraid to say anything, afraid to do anything. But he's given you a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1 verse 7. This is important stuff. Barry Manson on Facebook recently had this quote from John Stott. Now, John Stott was not a charismatic or Pentecostal Christian. He was an evangelical. But it's very interesting what John Stott wrote. And all evangelicals should prick up their ears to this. "What we need is not more learning, not more eloquence, not more persuasion, not more organization, but more power from the Holy Spirit." Amen. So we need to go from information about this to impartation. From knowing about the Holy Spirit to asking God, our Heavenly Father, to fill us with His Spirit constantly. Otherwise, we're just on a paper exercise. We're just paying lip service to this. So I ask some questions of myself and I ask them of you today. When were you last filled with the Holy Spirit? When did you last ask your Heavenly Father to fill you with the Holy Spirit? When did you last stir up the spiritual gift in you? Because being filled with the Holy Spirit is not an optional extra or an add-on in our life. It's God's command and will and grace gift to you as His sons and daughters. So what does it mean to walk in step with God's Spirit? Which is the title today. I mean, the idea of walking with God is a metaphor for how life should be lived in Jewish thought. You see it at the very beginning, Adam and Eve walking with God. You know, this place of harmony, this place of perfection. In a perfect world, humanity is walking hand in hand with Father God and enjoying life in the goodness and the grace of God. Our lives were to be lived as a journey with God. This is Jewish thought, this, who leads and guides us. Now, you see that in the Old Testament played out in the wilderness wanderings where God takes them through the wilderness. Even in the patriarch's journey, Abraham, you know, journeying on to find that place of promise in God. This is a metaphor that's played out in Genesis and actually was a thought that the Jews held strongly. We kind of lost it a bit. Walking suggests we're on the move, that we're active, that we're going somewhere. Walking with the Spirit suggests that it's God that's taking us on this journey, that actually it's a walk of faith. I know sometimes it feels like a walk in the dark. It does to me. It will do to anyone who takes this seriously. We don't always know where we're going to end up. And walking in step with the Spirit suggests that we have to keep pace and time with God. We go at His pace and in His time. So how do we do this? Well, I mean, it's not easy, isn't it? It's easy to say it. It's another thing to do it. And there's some simple things that we all have to do, like put God first in our lives. Following Jesus says, we deny our own self-will, our selfishness. We take up a cross to say, that's dead to me. And we obey God's ways and will in our life. We live a good, righteous life before Him. We don't need a prophetic word or a tingle down the back of our spine to live well. We just need to follow what God's asked us to do. And in all your ways, Proverbs 3, verse 6, if we acknowledge Him, He will direct our path. So if we're living a good life, if we're living a righteous life, we are open to the possibility and should be able to walk in the paths that God has laid out for us. Secondly, we do it by listening to Him and then obeying what He tells us to do. I think it's very interesting, 1 Samuel 3, where this young child Samuel is in this place, this sanctuary, Shiloh, and he's taught by an old priest to say to God as a three-year-old or four-year-old, a very young child, speak. "Your servant is listening." What are we listening to? Who are you listening to? Are you listening to the voice of the Spirit? Because if you want to walk in the Spirit, we have to be attuned to what He is saying. Now, Jesus said in a passage in John 10 that His sheep, He's a good shepherd and we're His sheep in that sense, hear His voice. Now, I've worked on a farm. Shepherds don't know exactly what the shepherd's saying. They can't speak English. They don't understand English. They don't understand every word you're saying. But when the shepherd calls, Oi, oi, oi. Don't even use English, most of them. You know, Come by. That's the sheep dog, by the way. But, All you do, you stand by a gate and just make a noise like that. I know, I've done it. And the sheep prick up their ears and they come to the shepherd because they know the shepherd's either going to feed them or take them somewhere or look after them. They respond to a voice. We don't always clearly hear what God's saying to us, but we should be able to hear that, Oi! Over here. Oi! Like a dog, of course. We should be able to respond to his master's voice. Isaiah 30 verse 21 says these words. "When you turn to the right or to the left," and we do that at times, I get very distracted in life. Probably you do. "You're going to hear a voice behind you saying, this way. Walk in it." Now, I've never heard God speak to me audibly. But it's that inner voice. It's that prompt. It's that stirring. It's that nudge. It's that idea that's suddenly coming to your head from nowhere that you've not even thought of before. It's the same inner voice that convicts us at times that we're doing wrong because we all feel that that also is communicating with us, prompting us and nudging us into other areas. And sometimes, you know, we hear the voice of conviction and we think, oh yeah, we know that's wrong. We recognize that as maybe God's speaking to us. Why can't we recognize God communicating with us when he's nudging us to do something else? Somehow, we struggle much more with that. We walk in step with the Spirit by putting God first in our life, denying our own way, following him, by listening to him and then being obedient to that nudge of the Spirit and by keeping in step with the Spirit. Timing is key for us as Christians. Some of us hear something and we rush on ahead. We're going to make it happen. It's there and then. It's going to happen tomorrow. It's what God wants us to do there and then. And I think Habakkuk, if you read the book of Habakkuk, it gives us a really good pointer on this. He says, look, you've heard God. You've got a clear vision, but it's for an appointed time. It's not for now. Hold on to it. Wait patiently. It will happen, but not yet. The other thing we don't keep in step with the Spirit is we lag behind. And I don't think this is a judgment on any of us. But I think the truth is sometimes we might miss that moment that God has opened up for us. The Kairos moment. The moment where heaven, Kairos means a divine appointed time where heaven touches earth. There is a time, said Ecclesiastes, for every purpose under heaven. And actually, if we're too far behind, sometimes we might miss it. If we're too far ahead, we might have gone beyond God, keeping in step with the Spirit. I'm loving this camera because I'm having such fun this morning with me. Keeping in step, I should walk this way. Keeping in step with the Spirit is keeping pace with what God is asking us to do. But it transforms your life. Eric was talking about transformation last week. It changes your life's direction. It nudges you in certain things that perhaps you hadn't thought of doing. It takes you on a journey that perhaps you hadn't thought you were going to do. We need to keep and walk in step with the Spirit. I rarely talk about my experiences because it's not because they aren't that brilliant, any greater than anyone else's in this room. But I do think I want to talk to you tonight about how this has worked today, about how this has worked out in my life. Because there's various ways, the nudges, the prompts, the words, that God has taken me to the time where I stand before you now, you know, in this new chapter in my life. Whether it's that inner voice of the Spirit, whether it's impartation through the laying on of hands that Paul was talking to Timothy about, whether it's prophetic words, whether it's Scripture, whether it's closed doors, and I want to give you an example of each one of them. One of them. But they have helped nudge me. And God will speak to you and do things in your life in different ways, but you've just got to keep listening and you've just got to keep obeying. They've helped to nudge me to the place I am today, the inner voice. At my baptism at the age of 17 in a river in North Yorkshire, I sensed a clear call of God to pastoral ministry. Now I have this opinion that new Christians can hear God better. I think the older you get, bluntly, as a Christian, the more crusty you get. Frankly, you have too many filters, too many questions, too many cautions, oh that can't be God, too many negative experiences of when it's gone wrong that you basically are much harder to hear when God is asking you to do something. So I shared with an American evangelist who was over from Philadelphia, sat on a riverbank that I was called to ministry at the age of 17. I told him that him and I were going to be working together in the future. He was living in America. 18 months later he was living in North Yorkshire. We were living in a house together and we were working around the area. And I guess that I felt after 10 years of working at Hollybush, part time, well not 10 years, sorry, got this wrong. Let me go back. I was part of the youth work at Hollybush. I was going out preaching, leading worship as a teenager. But I felt disobedience because I needed to go to Bible college. Didn't have a word to go to Bible college. Never had a flashing light. Just felt it was part of the process of what I needed to do and of course that was where I met Karen. So in a sense the first word had led to me being obedient and walking through life into the second. After 10 years, after 10 years of working at Hollybush I was in a prayer meeting one night and I just knew it was time for me to let go and step down. There was no reason for that to happen. Things were going very well there in lots of ways. But I told the pastor there that I was leaving I was going to work my notice out. We were married we had a mortgage we had a baby son and I had nothing ahead of me. Didn't have a job to go to didn't know what was going to happen next. But I followed the prompt and the nudge of God. And guess what? I ended up here eventually. But it was only it was about two and a half years well more I don't know how long or two and a half three years ago that I again felt that nudge when I was here that this was the time for me to step down from here. No word no Bible no prophetic word just the inner guiding of God's spirit. Listen to the inner voice. Impartation. Again, 17, 18, stood at the front coming forward for ministry always hungry for the things of the spirit always hungry for God to meet with me. I was stood there an American who didn't know who I was never met him before had no contact with my church stood in front of me and said Jonathan that's a great name means gift of God so today tonight you're going to receive an anointing for ministry that's the last thing I remember as I lay flat on the floor but I knew with a conviction that God had called me to something else. There are many times when I've received prayer and help and ministry from other people that is really important. Don't shy away when there's an opportunity for prayer. Please do not shy away from receiving prayer ministry from others. The prophetic. These both took real time in my life. Again, early twenties, somebody at Hollybush said, "Jonathan, I believe God is calling you to prison ministry". The only prison I'd ever seen was Porridge, the TV program. I had no idea how that would happen. It was a few years later that a prisoner, sorry, somebody wrote to me about a friend of theirs who was in prison for murder. Asked me to go and visit him, a guy called Paul. He just died last year. He was in for life. He gave his life to Jesus. I ended up visiting him. Then ended up getting friends with the prison chaplain at Wakefield, who became the prison general for the whole Britain. He invited me onto the team at Wakefield. I then was the first free minister in the UK paid by the home office as a prison chaplain in full, certain maximum security prison. I took teams before I came to Sheffield into five different prisons every month. And God actually opened the door for me. But it took time. I didn't write to the home office for a job. God opened the door. I remember a couple called the Alums, who were a prophetic couple, who prayed over me maybe 25 years ago as this group connections meeting that we were at. I think Roland was there. And they prayed that I would have a ministry to work with small churches. That I would be moving around supporting them, advising them, imparting, encouraging and developing them. 25 years ago. I'm doing it now. Scripture. It was this summer trying to come to terms with the change of seasons that God is taking me through that I was at a quiet service down down the south coast in Sussex the end of August where somebody was reading asked us to reflect on Ecclesiastes chapter 3. "There is a time and a purpose for everything." And said, "I want you to go and think about this." And we got to verse 2 and was read out, "a time to uproot and a time to plant." And I just knew that God had uprooted me. And I wrote a reflection I've still got on my phone about how it is difficult for a plant that's been established for 30 years in a place to be uprooted taken out of its network of relationships and actually at the moment still in a bucket waiting for what comes next. But that's basically where I am. So God spoke to me through scripture helpfully through the prophetic through people praying for me and laying hands on me through that inner voice of the spirit. And finally through the closed door. Because the only reason I came to Sheffield was that the dream job I wanted which had been offered to me didn't turn up in time. So at that point the evangelical alliance was led by a guy called Clive Calver who wanted me to become the northern regional development officer for the whole of EA. That's 30 something years ago. I felt this was what God wanted me to do. I said I would go for this. He said Joel Edwards who eventually to go for him he was the church minister he would get back in touch with me and then would sort out what was going to happen next. Joel Edwards didn't get in touch with me but Jeff Williams did. And I had no word to come here no scripture no audible voice no prophetic word nobody laid hands on me and said go to Sheffield. I stumbled over the doorway into this church. Right. Just being obedient to God faithful to God and I ended up here. And three weeks after I arrived the EA offered me the job. But I felt it was lacking in integrity to walk away from a church to do that. And the rest as they say is history. But I remember at Bible College R.T. Kendall who was a very famous preacher. He spoke on the Macedonian call of Paul which was about closed doors and open doors. And the word that came to him was that he spoke on was "learn to trust the closed door". We don't always understand why God has done something. I hope I see now when I look behind me the grace and the goodness of God in all this. But at the time I didn't. Perhaps walking in the spirit is not always easy. It's not always clear. There are times when you don't always understand what's happening but it's true that we still listen and we still obey and we still go for those nudges. But walking in the spirit is not just for individuals. It's also for a church. Because MCF is not where it is today by accident or by man's design. This has been God's purpose and plan and who is behind it all and before it all. We're here today doing what we're doing because we've been walking with the Holy Spirit. It was never a good idea, it was God's idea. It's worth remembering I think it's not just the leadership team who have revelation and inspiration. They're not only the ones who listen to God. We should all be listening to God. And good leaders will always release the spirit of God and the genius of the gifts of the spirit in a church and listen to what's been happening. Most of the mission stuff that you see around you or certainly a lot of it didn't come from the leadership team but came from individuals who felt God was prompting them nudging them calling them to do things and the leadership got behind it at that time. Scripture says that we we collectively have the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2 verse 16. And the biggest decisions the early church had was the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 where they had to decide what criteria Gentiles or non-Jews could join the church. Would they have to keep all the law? Would they have to do everything that good Jews had done for many many years? And they came with these big decisions at the end of Acts 15. But the phrase they used, the church, I love it. Because a whole group of them were gathered together to come to this decision. They said, "it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us." Togetherness collaboration as a group of people with the Holy Spirit to discover what God was doing. Of course, the first missionary journey which eventually took us into the church into Europe with Paul and Barnabas. They were released to serve as missionaries by a group of people who had been fasting and praying but who heard the Holy Spirit together telling them to release Paul and Barnabas to get on with what they had to do. How has walking in the Spirit worked out at MCF? And all these things I'm going to tell you have come from different people as far as I remember different words and different prompts. They've not come just from me or one other person or somebody else. Firstly, before I was even thought of coming to this estate in the first place, from Millhouses, leafy suburb of Millhouses to Batemoor Jordan Thorpe. That was a big nudge and it was a sacrificial nudge that this church made. But they made it on the prompt of the Holy Spirit on the basis of people being converted off this estate. That was a huge change from a middle class church to coming on to, I hate to use that phrase, but coming on to this area. It was a big big change and some people didn't like it I guess. A bit later on before we even had any buildings at all it was a friend of mine in the church who's not in the church anymore he's went up Scotland for a period of time who had a word from Isaiah 54 which we've often said which was about enlarging the place of your tent strengthening the states lengthening the cords do not hold back. You may feel like a barren woman who's not doing a great deal but suddenly your house is going to be filled. You've gone to two services here and basically before we even had a place we had this sense of God telling us to be established in this area and to almost sing over it. And it's a word that actually helped us to think about even stretching out to get that pub. Because one other thing was spare no expense if you read the New Living Translation. I always thought it was a fantastic thought because the expense is going up isn't it everyone? When we came to this building another one of the leaders who's no longer with us serving as another church he had a vision he kept talking about the piazza out there but the precinct where he saw the image of Ezekiel the river of God flowing from this place out onto the precinct. It's Ezekiel 47 of course. That river of God Jesus says is the Holy Spirit. "Out of your innermost beings will flow." So the flow of the Holy Spirit going out onto this estate that was seen very early on when we first moved here. Read John 7 verse 37 onwards if you want to get the idea of what Jesus is saying about this. But actually you see it's not the building isn't it? Because the Holy Spirit will only flow out of unit three if it's flowing out of the church which is us in unit three. It's flowing out the people who are being filled with the Holy Spirit who are being constantly filled with the Holy Spirit whose overflow is reaching out and lapping up and causing fruitfulness out there on our estate. Andy was the one who brought the artesian well saying he got a vision of somebody working hard on a pump. You know we were working hard doing stuff. And honestly there's still a danger in any church and I would say in this church because of the efforts we all put in that we rely on our own efforts of trying to pump the water so much. But I'm referring back to a word that Andy brought. This was about something springing up a well of living water springing up the Isaiah 43 thing. Again it's the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit coming forth. It's the Holy Spirit springing forth. This is why it's so important that we're filled with the Holy Spirit. That if we don't see it as an add-on. That we don't see it as something "well that happened to me 20 years I went to an Alpha course and I had a tingle or I felt a warm feeling." I mean God help us if that's all we think this is about. This is about the work of God. This is about the purpose of God. This is about the plan of God. Don't settle for anything less. No well worn passes. But I think it was me that had this vision of skiing off piste. You know because we were thinking how do we mission on this estate? How do we reach out on this estate? And it was about not just taking pre pre ordered ideas and just you know using that "oh that's worked over there" or "that's worked over there". But actually discovering is listening again to that voice what is God asking us to do that we're not being asked to go down a course. You know skiing down the course but actually off the courses and discover what God was asking us to do not just relying on those well known methods. And the fourth thing was the values which we worked through: encountering God, getting involved, living generously, transforming community. I want to say to you the journey for MCF has been bumpy, when I was leading it anyway. Still probably is. But it has a walk keeping in step with where God's spirit is wanting to lead us. So I'm going to finish with coming back to the values. Encountering God. That wasn't just about about a once and for all salvation experience but about us as the believers in Christ seeking after him longing for him discovering him in our lives. And as an old man at my previous church in North York she used to say, "if you're seeking God and he's seeking you then you're bound to bump into each other sooner or later". I conclude we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It's not an option extra. Don't deny God's grace in this and don't pay lip service to this. "Since we're living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives," Galatians 5 verse 25 says. Secondly, you have to trust and have faith that God does speak to you and he will guide you. And we all get it wrong at times. Be humble and admit it when we do. That's a good learning curve for us all, isn't it? It it's always good to what you really want you often think that's what God must want too. And it can be very confusing. You convince yourself it must be God's will. But walking in step with the Spirit is taking steps of faith. As John Wimber said, "faith spelled R-I-S-K." Don't expect God to speak to you with a megaphone because he won't. He normally has this still small voice that Elijah experienced in 1 Kings 19. More likely the internal nudge, the prompt, the reminder, the sense of peace or the sense of unease or conviction or a passion rising within you. And God will speak to you by the means like scripture, through sermons, perhaps through songs, through prophetic words. And we should take note of those things also. Finally, we're not going anywhere unless we move. And I just feel really sad when I go to certain churches and I have been to certain churches and churches I used to preach at many years ago they're on the verge of closing. Because I would say to you as the people of God, churches stagnate and become stale when they stop moving. They stop walking with God. Now this series has been a bit like learning the highway code, maybe doing your driving theory. It's time to hit the road with what you've learned. There was a Scottish preacher trying to explain the Holy Spirit said, "it's better felt than tell". And you know there's something about that. I could talk as much as I like about this but actually this is your invitation opportunity to be involved yourself. The sat nav might show you the route, scripture, but you don't arrive without setting off and following the instructions. You cannot walk with God without moving. We talk about wanting a move of God. Well that starts when God starts to move us. Move us, move us. As I hand back over to Nick now, just want to encourage you. Please take every opportunity during this series that is offered to you to be filled with the spirit. Amen. God bless you.

🕊️ Sermon Summary: Transformed by the Spirit of God This week, we were blessed to hear from our speaker, Erica Lugg, as she continued our series on "Life in the Spirit" with a powerful message titled "Transformed by the Spirit of God." Erica's message focused on the profound promise of transformation found in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18. Key Scripture and Context The message centred on 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NIV): "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all who with unveiled faces, when we contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."  Erica first set the scene by explaining that the "veil" Paul refers to is no longer needed because of Jesus' sacrifice. The barrier that once separated people from God's glory, as with Moses' veiled face in Exodus 34, is now removed for all who turn to the Lord. This means everyone can freely come into God's presence and encounter His glory. Understanding Transformation Erica explored the question: What does it mean to be transformed? More than "Change": The Greek word used is metamorpho, the root of metamorphosis. This is far deeper than simply "changing clothes" or improving our appearance. The Butterfly Analogy: Transformation is likened to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. The caterpillar doesn't just get "wings"—it dissolves into an unrecognisable form where every single cell is broken down and reformed. A New Creation: God's vision is not for us to be a "better version of ourselves" (a "caterpillar with wings") but a completely brand new creation. This transformative work is from the inside out and is done by the Holy Spirit. Why Does God Transform Us? God transforms us because He is restoring His original image in us. The Original Image: Mankind was made in the image of God to walk with Him in a relationship characterised by natural joy, peace, and freedom from shame and sin. The Broken Image: Sin broke that image, like "hot tar" thrown on the relationship, shattering the natural flow of joy and peace. Restoration, Not Improvement: The Spirit is not "improving" us but restoring, reforming, or reborning the image of Jesus in us, back to how it was meant to be. Power vs. Self-Help: This transformation is God's power at work, not "costume Christianity" or self-help. Information is not transformation. The world offers tips, but the Spirit offers transformation and freedom. The Process of Transformation Erica used the moving story of Little Ted, Liz Patton's rescue dog, to illustrate the nature of the Holy Spirit's work. It's a Process, Not a Moment: Erica's initial idea to "fix" the anxious and fearful dog in one moment by introducing him to another gentle dog was a disaster. The true transformation began only through faithful, consistent love, security, and boundaries over two years. Steady, Patient Work: The Holy Spirit's work is not a "one-time fix" or an "abracadabra" moment. It is a steady, patient transformation from the inside out. Celebrating All Progress: We are changed from "one degree of glory to another". We must celebrate the small degrees of change, as they are still the work of the Holy Spirit. Our Role: Contemplating His Glory While the Spirit sustains and completes the work, we have a role to play: Contemplate, Behold, Look Upon: The scripture says, "those who contemplate, behold, look upon, they're the ones being transformed". Renewal of the Mind: Romans 12:2 says, "be transformed by the renewal of your mind". There is no neutral ground; we are either conforming to the pattern of the world or being transformed by the Spirit. Mindsets to Surrender: We need to discern the "lean" or "posture" of our minds. Do we lean towards: Fear instead of Trust?  Grumbling instead of Gratitude?  Pride instead of Humility?  Worry instead of Worship?  Positioning Ourselves: We position ourselves for transformation by beholding or contemplating Jesus, allowing His truth to renew our minds. Erica concluded by encouraging us to listen to the words of our own hearts to discern our mind's "slant" and to surrender those worldly mindsets to God, committing to be transformed to be like Jesus. Transcript We pray. Amen. Good morning, everybody. Really good to see you all. We're continuing in our theme. My microphone is at the hem of my jumper. There's always a drama with this when I'm speaking, isn't there? There's always something I haven't done. There we go. Is that better? Great, okay. Good morning, everybody. Great. It's good to see you all again. We're following our series on being in life in the Spirit. We've looked at what it means to be led by the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and there'll be more of that coming as we go on in the next few weeks. But the title of my message this morning is Transformed by the Spirit of God. And we're going to be looking at 2 Corinthians 3, verses 16 to 18, if you've got your Bibles on you, or this is a great opportunity to get out your phone, and you could even pretend to be on games. And people will think you're reading the Bible. Except the Holy Spirit sees, you know. He sees everything. Just saying. So 2 Corinthians 3, verses 16 to 18, and I'm going to be using the NIV version. Karen mentioned last week about using different versions of the Bible, which I like doing, but the NIV uses a word here that I think is really important. Now, before I come to reading that scripture, I want to kind of set the scene a little bit, because we've kind of arrived at the end of, or in the middle of, Paul's thoughts to the church in Corinth. And if you want to know more about the church in Corinth, you can look that up in Acts chapter 18. So they were a vibrant church, a passionate church, but also they were a bit of an immature church. And although they loved Jesus, they were easily swayed by all the different snazzy teachings that were coming up. And so what Paul is doing is establishing a foundation, and that's where we come to. And before we get to our verse this morning, Paul is reminding the people about an encounter with God that Moses had back in Exodus 34. So those of you that will remember where Moses fits into the picture, if you don't, Exodus 34 and the chapters before will fit you in. But Moses goes up Mount Sinai, he has this incredible encounter with God, separate to the people that he's leading, and God's glory shone so brightly on him that as he comes down from Mount Sinai, that glory is radiated all over his face. And there is this veil that covers the glory of God to protect the people from the shine, but also so that the people couldn't see the glory of God fading, because that's what happened. And what Paul is saying before we come to our scripture is that that veil, that protection isn't needed anymore. That with Jesus, there isn't an elite bunch of people that can encounter God, and those that weren't elite that just got the ends of everything, but all of us, we can come freely into the presence of God and encounter his glory freely because of the sacrifice of Jesus. That when we turn to Jesus, he removes everything that blocks us from truly seeing him, and that's the work of the Holy Spirit. With me so far? Okay. Thank you, Cornelius. I'm looking out for your amens there, the rest of you. Okay. So, 2 Corinthians 3, 16 to 18 says this. Paul is saying to the people, but whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. What's the criteria? Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. This thing that separates, this barrier. Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Now, you can read it the other way on that says if the Spirit of the Lord is not involved, whatever we are experiencing is not freedom. Looks like freedom, masquerades of freedom, but where the Spirit of the Lord is, that is where there is true freedom. Good so far? Good. And we all who with unveiled faces, these are the people that have turned to the Lord. Nick, if I could have a glass of water, that would be really good. Thank you. We all who with unveiled faces, when we contemplate the Lord's glory, so contemplate means to behold, to look upon, to think upon, to be at the presence of, are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Verse 16 is the promise. Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. So if you have given your heart to Jesus, and you have opened your life to him, God removes the veil, that barrier is taken away, which means we have the opportunity not only to see God, to encounter his glory, but for that glory then to be reflected out of us to the people around. Which is great news. Paul says, we all can see and reflect the Lord's glory. This is not just for spiritual elite, this is for all of us. And then he goes on to say, the Lord is the Spirit. And I just want to... Is this yours, Roland? Yeah. It's in my space. I nearly drank it. Is there vodka in there? Just checking. The Lord is the Spirit. It's important to remember that the Holy Spirit is not an it, or a force, or a vibe, or a thing, or an emotion, or a tingle down the spine, or a moment in the church service. The Lord is the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is God himself in our presence, here with us today. He's a person. So we all, who with unveiled faces, contemplate or look upon the Lord's glory, we are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory. And that is the verse that I want us to kind of look at today. And there are four questions that I want us to ask. I want us to ask what it means to be transformed. I want us to ask the question, why are we being transformed? How does it work? And when does it happen? And then, I also want to ask the question, what does that mean for me tomorrow morning, Monday morning, at work, Tuesday morning, in the middle of all the things that I'm going through? What does this scripture mean for me? And how do I apply it to my life? So, some translations, we're going to ask the question, what does it mean to be transformed? Some translations use the word changed. We are being changed. But I feel that that is really a very weak word. Because we change clothes all the time, don't we? We change appearance all the time. Cut our hair, grow our hair, dye our hair. Some of you haven't got any hair. That's okay. But we change things all the time. I'm a different person to how I was when I was a lot younger. There's a lot about change that I can do myself. But the scripture here is talking about transformation, which is a deeper thing. In fact, the Greek word is the word metamorpho, which is the word that Paul uses in this translation, which is where we get the word metamorphosis. Is that how you pronounce it? Metamorphosis. When you say that word, what does it remind you of? Caterpillar and butterflies. Okay. Thank you very much because that's in the notes. Ten points for Jules over there. It's the same word that we use to describe what happens to a caterpillar. Now, a caterpillar starts small. It crawls around on its belly on the ground. It is incredibly limited. It has a very limited lifespan. And then there comes a moment when it spins a cocoon and then something incredible happens inside the cocoon. Any of you that have done biology before, what happens inside that cocoon to that caterpillar? It dissolves. It does what? It dissolves. It dissolves. It mulches down into an unrecognisable blob of something. It's good, isn't it? A blob of something. Very technical. Every single cell changes. Thank you. Every single cell changes. It's the same word. It's the same word in here, the transformation. And it becomes unrecognisable. And in the process of the cocoon, where every single cell is broken down, something is then reformed or reborn, and out comes... Thank you. Out of the cocoon comes a butterfly. It doesn't come and become a caterpillar with wings. Because that's what change does, isn't it? When we change ourselves, we become caterpillars with wings. But what God is speaking about here is that the old has gone, the shape of the caterpillar, all of that is gone. And out of this cocoon is reborn something completely brand new because every single cell has been broken down. And out comes this thing that we call a butterfly. And which is the thing that we ooh and ah at when we see? Do we ooh and ah at the caterpillar or do we ooh and ah at the butterfly? It's the butterfly. And it somehow becomes from this grovelling on the ground kind of creature to this beautiful, unlimited, expansive life of freedom that this butterfly has. I remember once... Was it you or was it Aidan? We went to... Oh, no. When I was a TA in a school, went to the butterfly farm in Cleethorpe. Have you ever been in there? And we walked into the butterfly house and a butterfly landed on... His name was Charlie, actually. A little boy's Charlie's head. And one of the kids said, Oh, look, Charlie, there's a butterfly on your head. And he went... That's just a bit of an aside. It's nothing to do with the scripture. No one's going to start whacking you on the head or anything like that. It's just a... Okay. So, and that's the Holy Spirit work in us. When we turn to Jesus, he begins to transform us from the inside out. He breaks down the cells. He mulches us into something, bit by bit, so that out of it comes this new creation. That's what it means to be reborn. God's vision is not that we become better versions of ourselves. I have to admit that I've used that in some of my evangelistic spiel and said, you know, what God wants to do is to make you kind of the best version of yourself. God knows. He's breaking everything down and transforming us completely, not into caterpillars with wings, but into butterflies. Isn't that amazing? Okay. So that's the first question. That's what it means to be transformed. We are not being edited or adjusted or tweaked or... improved. We are being changed. We are being transformed from one degree of glory to another. So why does God want to transform us? And to answer that question, which is point number two, we have to go back to the beginning. In the beginning, God made mankind in his own image. No other creature on the face of the earth is made in the image of God. No other creature. We are completely different to the rest of God's creation. We were made in the image of God. And you have that wonderful picture of God walking in the garden with his creation, those that were made in the image of him. And in that relationship, because of that uniqueness of it, it was shame-free and blame-free and sin-free and peace and joy were natural. Can you imagine a world where peace and joy comes naturally to us? Put your hands up this morning if peace and joy flow naturally out of you all the time. David, I'm going to ask Jen. I'm going to ask Jen. She's my friend. She'll tell me. But imagine that, where peace and joy flow naturally. That's what the relationship used to be like. And that is because we were made in the image of our creator. So there was that natural sense of relationship. and then we all know the story that a lie was told and a lie was believed and humanity, we weren't content to be like God. We wanted to be God himself and so all of that. And basically, what happened in that moment, it was as if somebody came along with hot tar and threw it up against that beautiful relationship, up against that image of God that was in us. And then that relationship, the natural flow of joy and peace, shame free, sin free, all of that was destroyed. And that is because the image of God in us became broken and damaged. Still with me? Okay. And that natural relationship was shattered and separation came. Now, before Adam and Eve ever knew how to even ask for forgiveness or ask for a way back, we already see God beginning his restoration process, process, don't you? And that's why you can see Jesus all the way through the Old Testament. So, we were made to bear God's image but sin covered the image with self and when the spirit comes along to transform us, he is not improving us, he is restoring or reforming or reborning the image of Jesus in us that was there right back at the beginning of time. because he's not changed his mind, he's actually saying I want it back the way it was, I want you to know, I want you to experience what it means to live in the natural place of joy and peace and relationship with God. Ezekiel 36, 26 says this, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you and that's the difference between costume Christianity and spirit transformation because we all can wear costumes can't we? We all do wear costumes. I know that it's a gift that I've learnt over many years how to put a costume on but that's the difference between costume Christianity and spirit transformation. We can change our image, what we look like on the outside but only God can transform the identity within us and I don't want to live from a place of costume Christianity, I want to know day by day what it means to live the identity of Christ, Jesus in me, Christ in me, the hope of glory. That's why we need power. Not self-help or how to be a better person podcast. Those things are good because they help us to manage habits but they can't make us new. They polish the outside but only the Holy Spirit can change the inside of who we are. In fact, we can't change the inside of who we are and we're arrogant if we think we can somehow change the core of who we are. You can read every book and still feel stuck because information is not transformation. That's why we need power. The world offers tips but the Spirit offers transformation. The world will give us advice but God is the only one that gives us power and the only one that gives us freedom through the Holy Spirit. Now I want to tell you a story this morning about a dog. If I could have his picture up here. Oh, I knew that would get you. Do you know who he is? Little Ted. His name is Little Ted. So I kind of want to use this story. He's really had a huge impact on me. This story to try and give us a bit of an idea of what I mean. So all of you know Liz Patton. Yes. So this is Liz Patton's dog. And by the way I have asked permission to put him up on screen this morning. He's allowed to be streamed by the way. It's all right. We've got permission. Now Little Ted was a rescue dog until about two years ago. And two years ago I had the privilege of going to the rescue center to meet him. And Liz and I took him out for a walk and immediately could see that he was an incredibly anxious and fearful dog. You could tell from his behavior. And also really reactive to other dogs. Really I've never seen anything quite like him and his response. And all you could imagine was what has he experienced in his little life to have got to the stage where he was such a distressed and sad to say trauma. So sad. Is that the word? Trauma? I can't. And when we went to the shelter and inquired about him, Liz obviously had to go away and make up her mind. And so she said to the owner of the shelter, do you mind if I let you know on Friday? I think this was probably Wednesday. And the woman said, oh don't worry about it, let me know any time because nobody wants him, he'll still be here. I know, doesn't it pull on your heart strings? And I didn't say a word to Liz, I thought I can't say anything, I can't even look at her and went to where I thought because my heart was already like well I can't leave him behind. Anyway, within just a few hours Liz had decided that she was going to have him and I don't know that whether or not at the very beginning of having him she thought maybe it had been a mistake because he was incredibly, incredibly difficult dog because of what he'd gone through. Anyway, I had this idea, I said I know what will help him and because he's reactive to other dogs and he's scared of other dogs, I'm going to introduce him to Max. Oh. He died in January. Oh. Max is like a big baluba bear, just a real big therapy dog, everybody loved him, in fact when he died in January the condolences I received were just, everybody loved Max and I thought I know what I'll do, I'm going to invite Liz and little Ted over and we're going to introduce little Ted to Max and there's going to be this huge, just like this amazing transformation as little Ted comes into contact with Max. What a brilliant idea you've had Erica and Liz was saying to me all the time, do you think it will work? And I'm going, absolutely it will work. First of all it's my idea and my ideas generally work, isn't that right Nick? Yeah. And also we're talking about Max here, I mean, and she said to me, are you sure? And all the way in the car, yeah, yeah, I'm absolutely sure. So we pulled up to the house and little Ted started barking in response to Max and then we put them out in the garden together and guess what? It was a disaster. It was an absolute disaster. It was utter chaos. With this gentle giant here ending up with little Ted's head in his mouth. And it was not friendly. And I think the only reason that Max didn't come out without any marks is because little Ted has got no teeth. But it was absolute chaos. Now I have thought about this a lot. That actually although it was kindly motivated, it was incredibly arrogant of me to think that a dog that had been through everything that little Ted had could be fixed in a moment by one of my bright ideas. Now you all know I'm a bit of a fixer. That's how I work. I like to fix. And if I can't fix, I get frustrated. Now I want you to move on two years. And Isla knows this. Two years on little Ted has been at Liz's and he's not perfect. but he's a completely different dog. And it wasn't Max that did it. It was Liz who took the long view. Faithful, consistent love, discipline, security, acceptance, boundaries, and the determination that said, and I admire her for it, she said, no matter what, you are my dog. And that has been a faithful commitment over two years. What I thought I could fix in a moment, Liz has with her faithful commitment to this dog over two years begun and is continuing a transforming work in this dog. Now he's not perfect but I tell you what, he's a million miles better than he was. And I just want to encourage you because that's what the Holy Spirit does in us. He is working Jesus in me. And it's not a one-time fix. I didn't say the sinner's prayer and suddenly all the issues that I deal with or all the issues that are as a result of my broken character, they're not dealt with in a way abracadabra but a steady, patient transformation from the inside out and out working of the Holy Spirit in me. Yes, Amen. I looked back as part of this message, I looked back and saw what God has been doing. So he goes on to say it's changed from one degree of glory to another. I want to encourage you that small degrees are still a work of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the big jumps, don't we? Wow, look how much that person has changed. But then we often look at ourselves and yeah, but look at me, I'm really rubbish at this or what is God doing? Celebrate the small things that the Holy Spirit is doing in you and then don't despise the small things that the Holy Spirit is doing in someone else. Are you still with me? Okay, so it's the power of the Holy Spirit, aware of time. When does transformation happen? When? Well, it starts the moment the veil is removed, the moment we surrender to God. In fact, that in itself is a work of the Holy Spirit. To be able to see is a work of the Holy Spirit. But then the Bible goes on to say that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. There's the promise, he will do it. Completion, there's the fulfilment. When we stand before Jesus on that day, we will be like him in entirety. But in the process, we are being changed. The Spirit began it, he sustains it, and he completes it. Good with that. So now we know what, and we know why, and we know how, and we will know when. What does that mean? If the Spirit does it all, does that just mean we get to sit around and go, Holy Spirit, change me? No, we don't. The Bible says in that scripture, it says, those who contemplate, behold, look upon, they're the ones being transformed. In Romans 12, 2, it says, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the of your mind. Paul is not talking about gaining more information. He's not saying we should all go home and read a concordance. Information is not transformation. But we do all have mindsets. We all lean towards something, and the Bible says either we are conforming to the world or we are being transformed. There is no neutral ground. So either we are leaning into the spirit and we are allowing him to change us, or we can have a lean into things of the world. And he's talking about mindsets. And so when we are thinking about the renewal of our minds, we are thinking about what position has my mind taken? What is the posture or the lean or the attitude of my mind? If it leans towards the things of the world, we will by nature be conformed to the patterns of the world. But if we, with unfilled faces, contemplate his glory, lean into the spirit, then he is faithful to begin that work within us. Still with me? Minds are never neutral. Sometimes they lean our minds towards fear or self-reliance or pride or negativity or shame. That's just some. That's the pattern of the world. But when the Holy Spirit renews our mind, he wants to straighten our lean so that we lean into him. So instead of fear, we begin to trust. I'm learning that a lot when I have one of my children on tracker. They've allowed me to have them on tracker. But when that little green thing stops flashing and it's three o'clock in the morning and and they're no longer, you know what I'm talking about, right? They're no longer live and you, last time they were connected to the internet was 20 minutes ago and it's three o'clock in the morning and they're in the middle of Luton coming out of the airport walking. My mind in the middle of the night goes down the road of fear. As natural as that. And I'm learning, last night, learning to drag it back. And say, I trust you, God. I trust you. My mind has a lean towards fear. My mind can have a lean towards grumbling if I'm not careful. But the Holy Spirit wants to lean me into an attitude of gratitude. As you can see with Max, my mind has a lean towards pride instead of humility, thinking I could fix something. It can lean towards despair instead of hope. Or rebellion instead of obedience. Or criticism instead of compassion or worry instead of worship. Am I the only person in this room? Yeah, let's be honest here. Come on. Renewal isn't about knowing more, but it is learning to think differently. And that's what the Bible says. So, we need to position ourselves. We position ourselves to contemplate him, to think about him, to look over him, to have our minds changed by his truth, and allow him to renew our minds in order that the transforming work of the Holy Spirit can continue freely. I'm going to ask the musicians if you could come back for me. Please. How do you know if your mind is leaning in the right direction? And let's say, just begin to play something. I'm going to ask us to respond. Because maybe you've realised this morning that you do have a slant towards something of a worldly pattern of thinking, a mindset, an attitude. Maybe your mind automatically goes towards fear or control. My mind goes towards control or pride or worry. And the way I think about it is, or the way I discern it in my own life is to listen to the words that I use. Because you know that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And when we speak, not when we speak to our friends and we're putting on a costume, but when we speak in the privacy of our own hearts, what are the words that we use? Because that will tell us which way we are slanted. Do I talk about Jesus but really and truly I trust myself? Or maybe you can tell because peace is not the norm for you, it's the exception. We've been called to a life of peace and part of the transformation of our minds and of our lives is to recognise that we are completely safe in him. That's the truth. Maybe we go down the road of controlling everything and thinking if it's hard it mustn't be God or I need to somehow control it in order for it to work out well. You know, God is great and all that but he really needs my help. Maybe you just feel exhausted but you feel you can't stop pretending or performing. Could be an indicator of where our hearts and our minds are leaning. It might be that you know your heart is sharp about something or someone but you know that Jesus' heart is soft. well there immediately is a what do they call a disparity. It's forming him, Jesus in us. Or maybe it's living in fear so more influenced by the headlines than by scripture. Or maybe faith is tired and hope feels naive. Well it's all very well to have faith but we need to be people that live in the real world. Have you heard that before? Or maybe it's just really simply I know that Jesus, yeah he's part of my life but he's not really the centre. Those things lean us into conforming to the patterns, the mindsets, the postures of the world. And the way we recentre and lean into Jesus is by beholding or contemplating him. So I just wonder if we could stand together. Maybe we need to surrender some of these things to God and actually name them for what they are. I have recognized, and I'm being really open here today, I have recognized how easy it is for me to live in a place of fear. Not about everything, but about certain things. I live in a place of fear and see how my mind goes down that road. It's just like a light switch, it goes down that road. And I know that I have to keep bringing that to God and surrendering it to Him and saying, I trust you. And it might be that's where you're at today and you just know, you know that there's a lean and there's an imbalance. We're leaning into the logic or the understanding or the wise words of the world. Lord, as we worship, I would just love for us to respond together. Holy Spirit, thank you for the transforming work of your power within me. Thank you that you are faithful to complete that which you've started. But our Father, I also know that I have a role to play in all of this. Forgive me for believing the lies of the enemy. Forgive me for my prideful heart that thinks that somehow I can fix things. And if you feel that the Holy Spirit's been pointing something in your heart or highlighting something, just we've got a few minutes. Let's come down to the front and join me here. Let's just pray together. As we surrender our lives, Holy Spirit, we want to be transformed to be like Jesus. I don't want mindsets that don't look like Jesus in my life. I don't want that. I don't want to proclaim freedom and Jesus with my mouth and yet live in bondage in my heart because of something that I'm scared to let go of. If the Holy Spirit's been speaking to you, come and join me as we worship together.

🕊️ Sermon Summary: Transformed by the Spirit of God This week, we were blessed to hear from our speaker, Erica Lugg, as she continued our series on "Life in the Spirit" with a powerful message titled "Transformed by the Spirit of God." Erica's message focused on the profound promise of transformation found in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18. Key Scripture and Context The message centred on 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NIV): "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all who with unveiled faces, when we contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."  Erica first set the scene by explaining that the "veil" Paul refers to is no longer needed because of Jesus' sacrifice. The barrier that once separated people from God's glory, as with Moses' veiled face in Exodus 34, is now removed for all who turn to the Lord. This means everyone can freely come into God's presence and encounter His glory. Understanding Transformation Erica explored the question: What does it mean to be transformed? More than "Change": The Greek word used is metamorpho, the root of metamorphosis. This is far deeper than simply "changing clothes" or improving our appearance. The Butterfly Analogy: Transformation is likened to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. The caterpillar doesn't just get "wings"—it dissolves into an unrecognisable form where every single cell is broken down and reformed. A New Creation: God's vision is not for us to be a "better version of ourselves" (a "caterpillar with wings") but a completely brand new creation. This transformative work is from the inside out and is done by the Holy Spirit. Why Does God Transform Us? God transforms us because He is restoring His original image in us. The Original Image: Mankind was made in the image of God to walk with Him in a relationship characterised by natural joy, peace, and freedom from shame and sin. The Broken Image: Sin broke that image, like "hot tar" thrown on the relationship, shattering the natural flow of joy and peace. Restoration, Not Improvement: The Spirit is not "improving" us but restoring, reforming, or reborning the image of Jesus in us, back to how it was meant to be. Power vs. Self-Help: This transformation is God's power at work, not "costume Christianity" or self-help. Information is not transformation. The world offers tips, but the Spirit offers transformation and freedom. The Process of Transformation Erica used the moving story of Little Ted, Liz Patton's rescue dog, to illustrate the nature of the Holy Spirit's work. It's a Process, Not a Moment: Erica's initial idea to "fix" the anxious and fearful dog in one moment by introducing him to another gentle dog was a disaster. The true transformation began only through faithful, consistent love, security, and boundaries over two years. Steady, Patient Work: The Holy Spirit's work is not a "one-time fix" or an "abracadabra" moment. It is a steady, patient transformation from the inside out. Celebrating All Progress: We are changed from "one degree of glory to another". We must celebrate the small degrees of change, as they are still the work of the Holy Spirit. Our Role: Contemplating His Glory While the Spirit sustains and completes the work, we have a role to play: Contemplate, Behold, Look Upon: The scripture says, "those who contemplate, behold, look upon, they're the ones being transformed". Renewal of the Mind: Romans 12:2 says, "be transformed by the renewal of your mind". There is no neutral ground; we are either conforming to the pattern of the world or being transformed by the Spirit. Mindsets to Surrender: We need to discern the "lean" or "posture" of our minds. Do we lean towards: Fear instead of Trust?  Grumbling instead of Gratitude?  Pride instead of Humility?  Worry instead of Worship?  Positioning Ourselves: We position ourselves for transformation by beholding or contemplating Jesus, allowing His truth to renew our minds. Erica concluded by encouraging us to listen to the words of our own hearts to discern our mind's "slant" and to surrender those worldly mindsets to God, committing to be transformed to be like Jesus. Transcript We pray. Amen. Good morning, everybody. Really good to see you all. We're continuing in our theme. My microphone is at the hem of my jumper. There's always a drama with this when I'm speaking, isn't there? There's always something I haven't done. There we go. Is that better? Great, okay. Good morning, everybody. Great. It's good to see you all again. We're following our series on being in life in the Spirit. We've looked at what it means to be led by the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and there'll be more of that coming as we go on in the next few weeks. But the title of my message this morning is Transformed by the Spirit of God. And we're going to be looking at 2 Corinthians 3, verses 16 to 18, if you've got your Bibles on you, or this is a great opportunity to get out your phone, and you could even pretend to be on games. And people will think you're reading the Bible. Except the Holy Spirit sees, you know. He sees everything. Just saying. So 2 Corinthians 3, verses 16 to 18, and I'm going to be using the NIV version. Karen mentioned last week about using different versions of the Bible, which I like doing, but the NIV uses a word here that I think is really important. Now, before I come to reading that scripture, I want to kind of set the scene a little bit, because we've kind of arrived at the end of, or in the middle of, Paul's thoughts to the church in Corinth. And if you want to know more about the church in Corinth, you can look that up in Acts chapter 18. So they were a vibrant church, a passionate church, but also they were a bit of an immature church. And although they loved Jesus, they were easily swayed by all the different snazzy teachings that were coming up. And so what Paul is doing is establishing a foundation, and that's where we come to. And before we get to our verse this morning, Paul is reminding the people about an encounter with God that Moses had back in Exodus 34. So those of you that will remember where Moses fits into the picture, if you don't, Exodus 34 and the chapters before will fit you in. But Moses goes up Mount Sinai, he has this incredible encounter with God, separate to the people that he's leading, and God's glory shone so brightly on him that as he comes down from Mount Sinai, that glory is radiated all over his face. And there is this veil that covers the glory of God to protect the people from the shine, but also so that the people couldn't see the glory of God fading, because that's what happened. And what Paul is saying before we come to our scripture is that that veil, that protection isn't needed anymore. That with Jesus, there isn't an elite bunch of people that can encounter God, and those that weren't elite that just got the ends of everything, but all of us, we can come freely into the presence of God and encounter his glory freely because of the sacrifice of Jesus. That when we turn to Jesus, he removes everything that blocks us from truly seeing him, and that's the work of the Holy Spirit. With me so far? Okay. Thank you, Cornelius. I'm looking out for your amens there, the rest of you. Okay. So, 2 Corinthians 3, 16 to 18 says this. Paul is saying to the people, but whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. What's the criteria? Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. This thing that separates, this barrier. Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Now, you can read it the other way on that says if the Spirit of the Lord is not involved, whatever we are experiencing is not freedom. Looks like freedom, masquerades of freedom, but where the Spirit of the Lord is, that is where there is true freedom. Good so far? Good. And we all who with unveiled faces, these are the people that have turned to the Lord. Nick, if I could have a glass of water, that would be really good. Thank you. We all who with unveiled faces, when we contemplate the Lord's glory, so contemplate means to behold, to look upon, to think upon, to be at the presence of, are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Verse 16 is the promise. Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. So if you have given your heart to Jesus, and you have opened your life to him, God removes the veil, that barrier is taken away, which means we have the opportunity not only to see God, to encounter his glory, but for that glory then to be reflected out of us to the people around. Which is great news. Paul says, we all can see and reflect the Lord's glory. This is not just for spiritual elite, this is for all of us. And then he goes on to say, the Lord is the Spirit. And I just want to... Is this yours, Roland? Yeah. It's in my space. I nearly drank it. Is there vodka in there? Just checking. The Lord is the Spirit. It's important to remember that the Holy Spirit is not an it, or a force, or a vibe, or a thing, or an emotion, or a tingle down the spine, or a moment in the church service. The Lord is the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is God himself in our presence, here with us today. He's a person. So we all, who with unveiled faces, contemplate or look upon the Lord's glory, we are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory. And that is the verse that I want us to kind of look at today. And there are four questions that I want us to ask. I want us to ask what it means to be transformed. I want us to ask the question, why are we being transformed? How does it work? And when does it happen? And then, I also want to ask the question, what does that mean for me tomorrow morning, Monday morning, at work, Tuesday morning, in the middle of all the things that I'm going through? What does this scripture mean for me? And how do I apply it to my life? So, some translations, we're going to ask the question, what does it mean to be transformed? Some translations use the word changed. We are being changed. But I feel that that is really a very weak word. Because we change clothes all the time, don't we? We change appearance all the time. Cut our hair, grow our hair, dye our hair. Some of you haven't got any hair. That's okay. But we change things all the time. I'm a different person to how I was when I was a lot younger. There's a lot about change that I can do myself. But the scripture here is talking about transformation, which is a deeper thing. In fact, the Greek word is the word metamorpho, which is the word that Paul uses in this translation, which is where we get the word metamorphosis. Is that how you pronounce it? Metamorphosis. When you say that word, what does it remind you of? Caterpillar and butterflies. Okay. Thank you very much because that's in the notes. Ten points for Jules over there. It's the same word that we use to describe what happens to a caterpillar. Now, a caterpillar starts small. It crawls around on its belly on the ground. It is incredibly limited. It has a very limited lifespan. And then there comes a moment when it spins a cocoon and then something incredible happens inside the cocoon. Any of you that have done biology before, what happens inside that cocoon to that caterpillar? It dissolves. It does what? It dissolves. It dissolves. It mulches down into an unrecognisable blob of something. It's good, isn't it? A blob of something. Very technical. Every single cell changes. Thank you. Every single cell changes. It's the same word. It's the same word in here, the transformation. And it becomes unrecognisable. And in the process of the cocoon, where every single cell is broken down, something is then reformed or reborn, and out comes... Thank you. Out of the cocoon comes a butterfly. It doesn't come and become a caterpillar with wings. Because that's what change does, isn't it? When we change ourselves, we become caterpillars with wings. But what God is speaking about here is that the old has gone, the shape of the caterpillar, all of that is gone. And out of this cocoon is reborn something completely brand new because every single cell has been broken down. And out comes this thing that we call a butterfly. And which is the thing that we ooh and ah at when we see? Do we ooh and ah at the caterpillar or do we ooh and ah at the butterfly? It's the butterfly. And it somehow becomes from this grovelling on the ground kind of creature to this beautiful, unlimited, expansive life of freedom that this butterfly has. I remember once... Was it you or was it Aidan? We went to... Oh, no. When I was a TA in a school, went to the butterfly farm in Cleethorpe. Have you ever been in there? And we walked into the butterfly house and a butterfly landed on... His name was Charlie, actually. A little boy's Charlie's head. And one of the kids said, Oh, look, Charlie, there's a butterfly on your head. And he went... That's just a bit of an aside. It's nothing to do with the scripture. No one's going to start whacking you on the head or anything like that. It's just a... Okay. So, and that's the Holy Spirit work in us. When we turn to Jesus, he begins to transform us from the inside out. He breaks down the cells. He mulches us into something, bit by bit, so that out of it comes this new creation. That's what it means to be reborn. God's vision is not that we become better versions of ourselves. I have to admit that I've used that in some of my evangelistic spiel and said, you know, what God wants to do is to make you kind of the best version of yourself. God knows. He's breaking everything down and transforming us completely, not into caterpillars with wings, but into butterflies. Isn't that amazing? Okay. So that's the first question. That's what it means to be transformed. We are not being edited or adjusted or tweaked or... improved. We are being changed. We are being transformed from one degree of glory to another. So why does God want to transform us? And to answer that question, which is point number two, we have to go back to the beginning. In the beginning, God made mankind in his own image. No other creature on the face of the earth is made in the image of God. No other creature. We are completely different to the rest of God's creation. We were made in the image of God. And you have that wonderful picture of God walking in the garden with his creation, those that were made in the image of him. And in that relationship, because of that uniqueness of it, it was shame-free and blame-free and sin-free and peace and joy were natural. Can you imagine a world where peace and joy comes naturally to us? Put your hands up this morning if peace and joy flow naturally out of you all the time. David, I'm going to ask Jen. I'm going to ask Jen. She's my friend. She'll tell me. But imagine that, where peace and joy flow naturally. That's what the relationship used to be like. And that is because we were made in the image of our creator. So there was that natural sense of relationship. and then we all know the story that a lie was told and a lie was believed and humanity, we weren't content to be like God. We wanted to be God himself and so all of that. And basically, what happened in that moment, it was as if somebody came along with hot tar and threw it up against that beautiful relationship, up against that image of God that was in us. And then that relationship, the natural flow of joy and peace, shame free, sin free, all of that was destroyed. And that is because the image of God in us became broken and damaged. Still with me? Okay. And that natural relationship was shattered and separation came. Now, before Adam and Eve ever knew how to even ask for forgiveness or ask for a way back, we already see God beginning his restoration process, process, don't you? And that's why you can see Jesus all the way through the Old Testament. So, we were made to bear God's image but sin covered the image with self and when the spirit comes along to transform us, he is not improving us, he is restoring or reforming or reborning the image of Jesus in us that was there right back at the beginning of time. because he's not changed his mind, he's actually saying I want it back the way it was, I want you to know, I want you to experience what it means to live in the natural place of joy and peace and relationship with God. Ezekiel 36, 26 says this, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you and that's the difference between costume Christianity and spirit transformation because we all can wear costumes can't we? We all do wear costumes. I know that it's a gift that I've learnt over many years how to put a costume on but that's the difference between costume Christianity and spirit transformation. We can change our image, what we look like on the outside but only God can transform the identity within us and I don't want to live from a place of costume Christianity, I want to know day by day what it means to live the identity of Christ, Jesus in me, Christ in me, the hope of glory. That's why we need power. Not self-help or how to be a better person podcast. Those things are good because they help us to manage habits but they can't make us new. They polish the outside but only the Holy Spirit can change the inside of who we are. In fact, we can't change the inside of who we are and we're arrogant if we think we can somehow change the core of who we are. You can read every book and still feel stuck because information is not transformation. That's why we need power. The world offers tips but the Spirit offers transformation. The world will give us advice but God is the only one that gives us power and the only one that gives us freedom through the Holy Spirit. Now I want to tell you a story this morning about a dog. If I could have his picture up here. Oh, I knew that would get you. Do you know who he is? Little Ted. His name is Little Ted. So I kind of want to use this story. He's really had a huge impact on me. This story to try and give us a bit of an idea of what I mean. So all of you know Liz Patton. Yes. So this is Liz Patton's dog. And by the way I have asked permission to put him up on screen this morning. He's allowed to be streamed by the way. It's all right. We've got permission. Now Little Ted was a rescue dog until about two years ago. And two years ago I had the privilege of going to the rescue center to meet him. And Liz and I took him out for a walk and immediately could see that he was an incredibly anxious and fearful dog. You could tell from his behavior. And also really reactive to other dogs. Really I've never seen anything quite like him and his response. And all you could imagine was what has he experienced in his little life to have got to the stage where he was such a distressed and sad to say trauma. So sad. Is that the word? Trauma? I can't. And when we went to the shelter and inquired about him, Liz obviously had to go away and make up her mind. And so she said to the owner of the shelter, do you mind if I let you know on Friday? I think this was probably Wednesday. And the woman said, oh don't worry about it, let me know any time because nobody wants him, he'll still be here. I know, doesn't it pull on your heart strings? And I didn't say a word to Liz, I thought I can't say anything, I can't even look at her and went to where I thought because my heart was already like well I can't leave him behind. Anyway, within just a few hours Liz had decided that she was going to have him and I don't know that whether or not at the very beginning of having him she thought maybe it had been a mistake because he was incredibly, incredibly difficult dog because of what he'd gone through. Anyway, I had this idea, I said I know what will help him and because he's reactive to other dogs and he's scared of other dogs, I'm going to introduce him to Max. Oh. He died in January. Oh. Max is like a big baluba bear, just a real big therapy dog, everybody loved him, in fact when he died in January the condolences I received were just, everybody loved Max and I thought I know what I'll do, I'm going to invite Liz and little Ted over and we're going to introduce little Ted to Max and there's going to be this huge, just like this amazing transformation as little Ted comes into contact with Max. What a brilliant idea you've had Erica and Liz was saying to me all the time, do you think it will work? And I'm going, absolutely it will work. First of all it's my idea and my ideas generally work, isn't that right Nick? Yeah. And also we're talking about Max here, I mean, and she said to me, are you sure? And all the way in the car, yeah, yeah, I'm absolutely sure. So we pulled up to the house and little Ted started barking in response to Max and then we put them out in the garden together and guess what? It was a disaster. It was an absolute disaster. It was utter chaos. With this gentle giant here ending up with little Ted's head in his mouth. And it was not friendly. And I think the only reason that Max didn't come out without any marks is because little Ted has got no teeth. But it was absolute chaos. Now I have thought about this a lot. That actually although it was kindly motivated, it was incredibly arrogant of me to think that a dog that had been through everything that little Ted had could be fixed in a moment by one of my bright ideas. Now you all know I'm a bit of a fixer. That's how I work. I like to fix. And if I can't fix, I get frustrated. Now I want you to move on two years. And Isla knows this. Two years on little Ted has been at Liz's and he's not perfect. but he's a completely different dog. And it wasn't Max that did it. It was Liz who took the long view. Faithful, consistent love, discipline, security, acceptance, boundaries, and the determination that said, and I admire her for it, she said, no matter what, you are my dog. And that has been a faithful commitment over two years. What I thought I could fix in a moment, Liz has with her faithful commitment to this dog over two years begun and is continuing a transforming work in this dog. Now he's not perfect but I tell you what, he's a million miles better than he was. And I just want to encourage you because that's what the Holy Spirit does in us. He is working Jesus in me. And it's not a one-time fix. I didn't say the sinner's prayer and suddenly all the issues that I deal with or all the issues that are as a result of my broken character, they're not dealt with in a way abracadabra but a steady, patient transformation from the inside out and out working of the Holy Spirit in me. Yes, Amen. I looked back as part of this message, I looked back and saw what God has been doing. So he goes on to say it's changed from one degree of glory to another. I want to encourage you that small degrees are still a work of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the big jumps, don't we? Wow, look how much that person has changed. But then we often look at ourselves and yeah, but look at me, I'm really rubbish at this or what is God doing? Celebrate the small things that the Holy Spirit is doing in you and then don't despise the small things that the Holy Spirit is doing in someone else. Are you still with me? Okay, so it's the power of the Holy Spirit, aware of time. When does transformation happen? When? Well, it starts the moment the veil is removed, the moment we surrender to God. In fact, that in itself is a work of the Holy Spirit. To be able to see is a work of the Holy Spirit. But then the Bible goes on to say that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. There's the promise, he will do it. Completion, there's the fulfilment. When we stand before Jesus on that day, we will be like him in entirety. But in the process, we are being changed. The Spirit began it, he sustains it, and he completes it. Good with that. So now we know what, and we know why, and we know how, and we will know when. What does that mean? If the Spirit does it all, does that just mean we get to sit around and go, Holy Spirit, change me? No, we don't. The Bible says in that scripture, it says, those who contemplate, behold, look upon, they're the ones being transformed. In Romans 12, 2, it says, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the of your mind. Paul is not talking about gaining more information. He's not saying we should all go home and read a concordance. Information is not transformation. But we do all have mindsets. We all lean towards something, and the Bible says either we are conforming to the world or we are being transformed. There is no neutral ground. So either we are leaning into the spirit and we are allowing him to change us, or we can have a lean into things of the world. And he's talking about mindsets. And so when we are thinking about the renewal of our minds, we are thinking about what position has my mind taken? What is the posture or the lean or the attitude of my mind? If it leans towards the things of the world, we will by nature be conformed to the patterns of the world. But if we, with unfilled faces, contemplate his glory, lean into the spirit, then he is faithful to begin that work within us. Still with me? Minds are never neutral. Sometimes they lean our minds towards fear or self-reliance or pride or negativity or shame. That's just some. That's the pattern of the world. But when the Holy Spirit renews our mind, he wants to straighten our lean so that we lean into him. So instead of fear, we begin to trust. I'm learning that a lot when I have one of my children on tracker. They've allowed me to have them on tracker. But when that little green thing stops flashing and it's three o'clock in the morning and and they're no longer, you know what I'm talking about, right? They're no longer live and you, last time they were connected to the internet was 20 minutes ago and it's three o'clock in the morning and they're in the middle of Luton coming out of the airport walking. My mind in the middle of the night goes down the road of fear. As natural as that. And I'm learning, last night, learning to drag it back. And say, I trust you, God. I trust you. My mind has a lean towards fear. My mind can have a lean towards grumbling if I'm not careful. But the Holy Spirit wants to lean me into an attitude of gratitude. As you can see with Max, my mind has a lean towards pride instead of humility, thinking I could fix something. It can lean towards despair instead of hope. Or rebellion instead of obedience. Or criticism instead of compassion or worry instead of worship. Am I the only person in this room? Yeah, let's be honest here. Come on. Renewal isn't about knowing more, but it is learning to think differently. And that's what the Bible says. So, we need to position ourselves. We position ourselves to contemplate him, to think about him, to look over him, to have our minds changed by his truth, and allow him to renew our minds in order that the transforming work of the Holy Spirit can continue freely. I'm going to ask the musicians if you could come back for me. Please. How do you know if your mind is leaning in the right direction? And let's say, just begin to play something. I'm going to ask us to respond. Because maybe you've realised this morning that you do have a slant towards something of a worldly pattern of thinking, a mindset, an attitude. Maybe your mind automatically goes towards fear or control. My mind goes towards control or pride or worry. And the way I think about it is, or the way I discern it in my own life is to listen to the words that I use. Because you know that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And when we speak, not when we speak to our friends and we're putting on a costume, but when we speak in the privacy of our own hearts, what are the words that we use? Because that will tell us which way we are slanted. Do I talk about Jesus but really and truly I trust myself? Or maybe you can tell because peace is not the norm for you, it's the exception. We've been called to a life of peace and part of the transformation of our minds and of our lives is to recognise that we are completely safe in him. That's the truth. Maybe we go down the road of controlling everything and thinking if it's hard it mustn't be God or I need to somehow control it in order for it to work out well. You know, God is great and all that but he really needs my help. Maybe you just feel exhausted but you feel you can't stop pretending or performing. Could be an indicator of where our hearts and our minds are leaning. It might be that you know your heart is sharp about something or someone but you know that Jesus' heart is soft. well there immediately is a what do they call a disparity. It's forming him, Jesus in us. Or maybe it's living in fear so more influenced by the headlines than by scripture. Or maybe faith is tired and hope feels naive. Well it's all very well to have faith but we need to be people that live in the real world. Have you heard that before? Or maybe it's just really simply I know that Jesus, yeah he's part of my life but he's not really the centre. Those things lean us into conforming to the patterns, the mindsets, the postures of the world. And the way we recentre and lean into Jesus is by beholding or contemplating him. So I just wonder if we could stand together. Maybe we need to surrender some of these things to God and actually name them for what they are. I have recognized, and I'm being really open here today, I have recognized how easy it is for me to live in a place of fear. Not about everything, but about certain things. I live in a place of fear and see how my mind goes down that road. It's just like a light switch, it goes down that road. And I know that I have to keep bringing that to God and surrendering it to Him and saying, I trust you. And it might be that's where you're at today and you just know, you know that there's a lean and there's an imbalance. We're leaning into the logic or the understanding or the wise words of the world. Lord, as we worship, I would just love for us to respond together. Holy Spirit, thank you for the transforming work of your power within me. Thank you that you are faithful to complete that which you've started. But our Father, I also know that I have a role to play in all of this. Forgive me for believing the lies of the enemy. Forgive me for my prideful heart that thinks that somehow I can fix things. And if you feel that the Holy Spirit's been pointing something in your heart or highlighting something, just we've got a few minutes. Let's come down to the front and join me here. Let's just pray together. As we surrender our lives, Holy Spirit, we want to be transformed to be like Jesus. I don't want mindsets that don't look like Jesus in my life. I don't want that. I don't want to proclaim freedom and Jesus with my mouth and yet live in bondage in my heart because of something that I'm scared to let go of. If the Holy Spirit's been speaking to you, come and join me as we worship together.

Transcript Today I'm going to be interviewing a dear friend of mine, someone I've gotten to know well over the years, travelled a lot with and I'd like to introduce the lovely Michelle Lovely. But as she comes I would just like to do this. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Michelle. Happy birthday to you. Thank you. Okay we're gonna do this as an interview and many of us know you as a part of a long-standing church family. But I'm sure that there are many in here that don't know you and so could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself, your family and how this church has been part of your life. Sure yeah I feel like a bit of a part of the furniture here really, I've been there so long. But my name is Michelle, I am married to Mark Lovely, that is his name, honest. And we have two children, Sam and Eliza, they're not kids anymore, they're 22 and 19, they don't really know how that happened but there we go. So we've lived in Sheffield forever basically apart from four years in Ireland where we left this church, went over there and then we came back and came home basically. So I've been part of MCF for well it's over 30 years, I'm just gonna leave it at that, I was considering it was my birthday today, I don't want to think about how old that is. But yeah over 30 years, came as a teenager and then actually you guys have seen me through all stages of life,Transcript you know, teenager, university, year out, getting married, having small children and then you know having adult children. And currently I run a charity called Your Kids Around the World, probably I say can be harping on it but yep, so I do that, that's down in wood seats, charity shop and then I also work for a charity as a project manager, managing relationships with projects here and abroad. That's kind of me. Brilliant, so you've grown up in a Christian family and in this church, how did your personal faith in Jesus become real to you and what helped shape it along the way? So initially obviously yes, Christian family, you know my parents, Graham and Karen are in the church. So yeah, so I kind of, I always knew Jesus was real, it just, it never was an issue for me, you know, he's always been there. But when I was six, Billy Graham came to Sheffield and did Mission Sheffield and Mum and Dad were leading Dorontotley Christian Fellowship at that time and they were involved in being the prayer team and the ministry team for that and we actually, we had to go two nights and I'm sure it was because one of the nights they couldn't get a babysitter but I'm really glad that happened because that was the night I decided that Jesus was for me and I actually needed to make that decision. So that was the start but obviously as a six year old you don't really know very much do you? So it was much later, excuse me, when I was a teenager and you know, God had been part of my life for all that time, you know, being in a Christian home, being part of a church, you know, they were church leaders, it's not something that you walk away from really, it's all, it's every day. But when I was a teenager, you know, you hit those times where you start to have to think a little bit more for yourself and yeah, and so one of the things that was really pivotal for me in my faith journey was that I was just watching Telly one day and some of you will remember Challenge Annika? Yes, love that program, I thought she was fantastic. But she went out to a Romanian orphanage and I was just sat there, you know, having quite a nice time watching Telly and she walked into this disgusting place. It was awful, it was absolutely awful and I am going to cry, don't worry about it, it's kind of how it is, ignore it. But I remember just sitting there and my heart broke. I don't know the way to describe it and God broke my heart for those children, just seeing the mess that they lived in and the lack of joy or hope really that they had. And I just sat there and I said, God, if you ever give me the opportunity to do something about that, then I'll do it. And I was somewhere between 12 and 14 at the time. And it's kind of a bit of an innocent that possibly loaded prayer to say that. And I think I probably didn't realise the consequences at the time really, if I was honest, about what that would mean to do that, to leave family and friends and go out and do something like that. But that was what he put on my heart. So when I was about 14, 15, I started to say to mum and dad, you do realise I'm not actually going to be here forever, don't you? I'm going off to Romania. And they were like, oh, okay. But Jeff and Pauline, bless them, had a contact in Romania for a Romanian charity. And then so the ball started rolling to put that in place. And I ended up out there for a year. But in terms of kind of faith journey, really, the year before I went, I made some really bad decisions. I was 17. I just made some really bad decisions. And so when I did get to go, and I'm really grateful to God that he still got me out there, I got out there and I was kind of an arrogant teenager at that point. I was like, yes, God's going to go and use me. Anti-great. And I got out there and it was only a few weeks in where actually, I realised God had taken me out there to use me. But he'd taken me out there to rescue me from my stupid self. And actually, had he not done that, the rest of my faith journey wouldn't be what it has been. Because that year was absolutely pivotal in really planting my feet on the rock and saying, this is my life. This is where I want to put myself. I put myself in Jesus hands. Sorry. Okay. Yeah, it's interesting, isn't it? How we take, we look at God's plans. It means, and he's like, well, actually, it means something else. You're now married with two children and still very active in Christian charity work, very active, especially through your role chairing the charity shop that supports children overseas. And I just want to say that kids around the world support seeker overseas and have faithfully over the last few years and we're very grateful. How do you see faith shaping your leadership and motivation in that sphere? Yeah, you want to add anything on to that? Trying to stick to the script. Okay. So, I mean, I'm very motivated by the need for us to do better because there is so much injustice in the world and there is so much inequality in the world. And from my point of view, it's unnecessary because there is enough. There's enough to go around, but it's distributed really badly and it's the children that suffer. So, and I kind of have that view of leadership as well that actually we have to be honorable with what God's given us. And he's given me a leadership role, which I mean, I'm a real introvert. I'm not the kind of person to be like, you know, a stalwart leader. I'm not, I'm not an Erica and I love you very much. You know, but I tried to lead with grace, I suppose, and with relationship. And I think that probably makes me a bit of a soft leader at points and a soft manager, some would say. But I always want to put people first and acknowledge them and try and build them up as well. Because I'm not a leader that leads from the top. I'm someone that will be that person shoving you up the ladder. But to me that's really importantTranscript actually that, you know, we all have skills, we all have gifts. And sometimes because of situations we're not, we're not able to use those and we need somebody to give us that leg up and that encouragement to go out and be everything that you can be that God's given you and use those gifts. So I try to lead that way. That said, I don't always get it right, surprise, surprise. And I'm very grateful to the people that I've got around me. I've got a fantastic board of trustees of which Dylan Butters is one of them. I don't think he's here yet, is he? And Colin, who's at the back doing PA, is also on the board as well. And I'm really grateful to them because actually it's very much a team effort. And if you ever try to lead on your own you're doing it wrong. So yeah, so I think, you know, in terms of that inequality, I don't, I've seen so much stuff by going out to lots and lots of different places. And I always think, you know, the faith that you see when you go out to somewhere like Zambia is amazing. These, there are people living in mud huts with no running water who can't get out the door because they're disabled. And yet they know Jesus. And that really speaks to me. However, I would also say that it should never be a struggle for somebody to survive. And the other thing that was really poignant about going out to Zambia the first time was that everybody we spoke to had a story about death. Everybody. And it wasn't just death because somebody had got old. It was death because of malaria or death because of, you know, a car accident or death because they actually, because of poverty. And I think there's no need for that. We should be trying to get people to live their lives that Jesus has given them but without that desperate, that desperation because he has so much more, doesn't he? He gives us so much. And seeing that in that, seeing God in that environment where there is so little is really powerful. And I would never want to detract from that. But I also don't want to see people struggle so much because it's horrible. How much money did you give? Because I know you support lots of charities. But how much money did you give away to charities that support children like, for instance, last year or? So last year we gave £88,000 away. £88,000 away. Okay. Do you know, amazing. Absolutely amazing. Do you know how much you have given away in entirety over the years that the charity has existed? I'm looking at Colin. £680,000 given away to charities that support children over the world. I mean, let's just give God the glory for that because that's absolutely incredible. Okay. So looking back over your journey, from growing up here to overseas mission to family and leadership, as you think back over the joys and challenges and disappointments, what would you tell, I love this question, what would you tell your younger self knowing all that you know now? I'd probably wrap my myself quite heavily initially and say it's not been stupid. But I'd also say just follow him, follow where he leads. Although I'm an introvert, I am a control freak, it has to be said. And I like to know what's happening and where I'm going next and what the plan is and so you don't really get that with following God, do you? He kind of says you've got to leave it up to me and you've got to trust. And I think I'd tell myself, just trust more and listen more. If you don't know how to listen to God, I encourage you to learn because you really need to. You can't get very far if you don't. Thank you very much. Okay. Just as we come to the end of this, is there a verse, a thought, or truth that has been especially important to you in your life and work? There is, yes. And I will read it for you. So yeah, so I think partly because I do see quite a lot of hard things, it's not easy working with charities that are working with people that are very poor, for want of a better word. But more than that, actually there's charities that are doing incredible things in Sheffield, not just abroad. But there's a lot of mess that comes with that. And it is messy working with people with addictions. It's messy working with people that don't have what they need and are fighting for their families. It's messy working with people whose children are dying because of medical conditions or whatever else. And it's really easy to focus on those things. So the verse I'm going to read is Philippians 4. Yeah, so it's actually 4 to 9. And I love it. It says, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ. And this is the bit that I really want to point out. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me put into practice and the God of peace will be with you. And I just love that because I just think we could concentrate on all the mess that we see. But actually there's a higher purpose. And we sometimes have to go through that mess to get to see God. And I think we need to fix our eyes on him, don't we? It's as simple as that. Fix your eyes on Jesus. We want to pray for you. Thank you. Is that okay? Yeah, if you want to reach out your hand or whatever, we're just going to pray. This is a great opportunity to pray for Michelle and Mark and for Sam and Eliza. Is there anything specific that we can pray? You can pray for them because they're not Christians. Okay, we're going to pray for Sam and Eliza and for the family. Lord Jesus, I want to thank you for this lovely lady. I want to thank you for all that you've done in her life, for her story, for her journey of faith, how you got hold of her as a young person and that, Lord God, you led her to Romania where you changed her from the inside out and you've not stopped doing that, Father. Thank you for the stories of kids around the world and all that that's achieving and the work that she's doing for this other organization. Lord God, continue to bless the work of her hands that she, in turn, would begin to continue to bless other people, other homes in this city and in countries around the world. Father, we pray today for her family. We pray for Mark and for Sam and Eliza. Lord God, I pray that for Sam and Eliza that they would know you, Lord Jesus, as their personal Savior. Father, in the same way that you got hold of Michelle all those years ago, I pray that you would get hold of them and that they would know you for themselves, that they would one day be able to testify like she has, that Jesus got hold of my life and I've never been the same again. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that wherever our young people are, you can reach them. And Father, as we say, pray for Sam and Eliza. There are other people in here that pray for your own children as well. Holy Spirit, that you would meet them wherever they are and intercept their lives and come face to face with them so their lives would have purpose and meaning and have eternal value. We pray for this lovely lady. Lord God, continue to bless her. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you very much.

Transcript Today I'm going to be interviewing a dear friend of mine, someone I've gotten to know well over the years, travelled a lot with and I'd like to introduce the lovely Michelle Lovely. But as she comes I would just like to do this. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Michelle. Happy birthday to you. Thank you. Okay we're gonna do this as an interview and many of us know you as a part of a long-standing church family. But I'm sure that there are many in here that don't know you and so could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself, your family and how this church has been part of your life. Sure yeah I feel like a bit of a part of the furniture here really, I've been there so long. But my name is Michelle, I am married to Mark Lovely, that is his name, honest. And we have two children, Sam and Eliza, they're not kids anymore, they're 22 and 19, they don't really know how that happened but there we go. So we've lived in Sheffield forever basically apart from four years in Ireland where we left this church, went over there and then we came back and came home basically. So I've been part of MCF for well it's over 30 years, I'm just gonna leave it at that, I was considering it was my birthday today, I don't want to think about how old that is. But yeah over 30 years, came as a teenager and then actually you guys have seen me through all stages of life,Transcript you know, teenager, university, year out, getting married, having small children and then you know having adult children. And currently I run a charity called Your Kids Around the World, probably I say can be harping on it but yep, so I do that, that's down in wood seats, charity shop and then I also work for a charity as a project manager, managing relationships with projects here and abroad. That's kind of me. Brilliant, so you've grown up in a Christian family and in this church, how did your personal faith in Jesus become real to you and what helped shape it along the way? So initially obviously yes, Christian family, you know my parents, Graham and Karen are in the church. So yeah, so I kind of, I always knew Jesus was real, it just, it never was an issue for me, you know, he's always been there. But when I was six, Billy Graham came to Sheffield and did Mission Sheffield and Mum and Dad were leading Dorontotley Christian Fellowship at that time and they were involved in being the prayer team and the ministry team for that and we actually, we had to go two nights and I'm sure it was because one of the nights they couldn't get a babysitter but I'm really glad that happened because that was the night I decided that Jesus was for me and I actually needed to make that decision. So that was the start but obviously as a six year old you don't really know very much do you? So it was much later, excuse me, when I was a teenager and you know, God had been part of my life for all that time, you know, being in a Christian home, being part of a church, you know, they were church leaders, it's not something that you walk away from really, it's all, it's every day. But when I was a teenager, you know, you hit those times where you start to have to think a little bit more for yourself and yeah, and so one of the things that was really pivotal for me in my faith journey was that I was just watching Telly one day and some of you will remember Challenge Annika? Yes, love that program, I thought she was fantastic. But she went out to a Romanian orphanage and I was just sat there, you know, having quite a nice time watching Telly and she walked into this disgusting place. It was awful, it was absolutely awful and I am going to cry, don't worry about it, it's kind of how it is, ignore it. But I remember just sitting there and my heart broke. I don't know the way to describe it and God broke my heart for those children, just seeing the mess that they lived in and the lack of joy or hope really that they had. And I just sat there and I said, God, if you ever give me the opportunity to do something about that, then I'll do it. And I was somewhere between 12 and 14 at the time. And it's kind of a bit of an innocent that possibly loaded prayer to say that. And I think I probably didn't realise the consequences at the time really, if I was honest, about what that would mean to do that, to leave family and friends and go out and do something like that. But that was what he put on my heart. So when I was about 14, 15, I started to say to mum and dad, you do realise I'm not actually going to be here forever, don't you? I'm going off to Romania. And they were like, oh, okay. But Jeff and Pauline, bless them, had a contact in Romania for a Romanian charity. And then so the ball started rolling to put that in place. And I ended up out there for a year. But in terms of kind of faith journey, really, the year before I went, I made some really bad decisions. I was 17. I just made some really bad decisions. And so when I did get to go, and I'm really grateful to God that he still got me out there, I got out there and I was kind of an arrogant teenager at that point. I was like, yes, God's going to go and use me. Anti-great. And I got out there and it was only a few weeks in where actually, I realised God had taken me out there to use me. But he'd taken me out there to rescue me from my stupid self. And actually, had he not done that, the rest of my faith journey wouldn't be what it has been. Because that year was absolutely pivotal in really planting my feet on the rock and saying, this is my life. This is where I want to put myself. I put myself in Jesus hands. Sorry. Okay. Yeah, it's interesting, isn't it? How we take, we look at God's plans. It means, and he's like, well, actually, it means something else. You're now married with two children and still very active in Christian charity work, very active, especially through your role chairing the charity shop that supports children overseas. And I just want to say that kids around the world support seeker overseas and have faithfully over the last few years and we're very grateful. How do you see faith shaping your leadership and motivation in that sphere? Yeah, you want to add anything on to that? Trying to stick to the script. Okay. So, I mean, I'm very motivated by the need for us to do better because there is so much injustice in the world and there is so much inequality in the world. And from my point of view, it's unnecessary because there is enough. There's enough to go around, but it's distributed really badly and it's the children that suffer. So, and I kind of have that view of leadership as well that actually we have to be honorable with what God's given us. And he's given me a leadership role, which I mean, I'm a real introvert. I'm not the kind of person to be like, you know, a stalwart leader. I'm not, I'm not an Erica and I love you very much. You know, but I tried to lead with grace, I suppose, and with relationship. And I think that probably makes me a bit of a soft leader at points and a soft manager, some would say. But I always want to put people first and acknowledge them and try and build them up as well. Because I'm not a leader that leads from the top. I'm someone that will be that person shoving you up the ladder. But to me that's really importantTranscript actually that, you know, we all have skills, we all have gifts. And sometimes because of situations we're not, we're not able to use those and we need somebody to give us that leg up and that encouragement to go out and be everything that you can be that God's given you and use those gifts. So I try to lead that way. That said, I don't always get it right, surprise, surprise. And I'm very grateful to the people that I've got around me. I've got a fantastic board of trustees of which Dylan Butters is one of them. I don't think he's here yet, is he? And Colin, who's at the back doing PA, is also on the board as well. And I'm really grateful to them because actually it's very much a team effort. And if you ever try to lead on your own you're doing it wrong. So yeah, so I think, you know, in terms of that inequality, I don't, I've seen so much stuff by going out to lots and lots of different places. And I always think, you know, the faith that you see when you go out to somewhere like Zambia is amazing. These, there are people living in mud huts with no running water who can't get out the door because they're disabled. And yet they know Jesus. And that really speaks to me. However, I would also say that it should never be a struggle for somebody to survive. And the other thing that was really poignant about going out to Zambia the first time was that everybody we spoke to had a story about death. Everybody. And it wasn't just death because somebody had got old. It was death because of malaria or death because of, you know, a car accident or death because they actually, because of poverty. And I think there's no need for that. We should be trying to get people to live their lives that Jesus has given them but without that desperate, that desperation because he has so much more, doesn't he? He gives us so much. And seeing that in that, seeing God in that environment where there is so little is really powerful. And I would never want to detract from that. But I also don't want to see people struggle so much because it's horrible. How much money did you give? Because I know you support lots of charities. But how much money did you give away to charities that support children like, for instance, last year or? So last year we gave £88,000 away. £88,000 away. Okay. Do you know, amazing. Absolutely amazing. Do you know how much you have given away in entirety over the years that the charity has existed? I'm looking at Colin. £680,000 given away to charities that support children over the world. I mean, let's just give God the glory for that because that's absolutely incredible. Okay. So looking back over your journey, from growing up here to overseas mission to family and leadership, as you think back over the joys and challenges and disappointments, what would you tell, I love this question, what would you tell your younger self knowing all that you know now? I'd probably wrap my myself quite heavily initially and say it's not been stupid. But I'd also say just follow him, follow where he leads. Although I'm an introvert, I am a control freak, it has to be said. And I like to know what's happening and where I'm going next and what the plan is and so you don't really get that with following God, do you? He kind of says you've got to leave it up to me and you've got to trust. And I think I'd tell myself, just trust more and listen more. If you don't know how to listen to God, I encourage you to learn because you really need to. You can't get very far if you don't. Thank you very much. Okay. Just as we come to the end of this, is there a verse, a thought, or truth that has been especially important to you in your life and work? There is, yes. And I will read it for you. So yeah, so I think partly because I do see quite a lot of hard things, it's not easy working with charities that are working with people that are very poor, for want of a better word. But more than that, actually there's charities that are doing incredible things in Sheffield, not just abroad. But there's a lot of mess that comes with that. And it is messy working with people with addictions. It's messy working with people that don't have what they need and are fighting for their families. It's messy working with people whose children are dying because of medical conditions or whatever else. And it's really easy to focus on those things. So the verse I'm going to read is Philippians 4. Yeah, so it's actually 4 to 9. And I love it. It says, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ. And this is the bit that I really want to point out. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me put into practice and the God of peace will be with you. And I just love that because I just think we could concentrate on all the mess that we see. But actually there's a higher purpose. And we sometimes have to go through that mess to get to see God. And I think we need to fix our eyes on him, don't we? It's as simple as that. Fix your eyes on Jesus. We want to pray for you. Thank you. Is that okay? Yeah, if you want to reach out your hand or whatever, we're just going to pray. This is a great opportunity to pray for Michelle and Mark and for Sam and Eliza. Is there anything specific that we can pray? You can pray for them because they're not Christians. Okay, we're going to pray for Sam and Eliza and for the family. Lord Jesus, I want to thank you for this lovely lady. I want to thank you for all that you've done in her life, for her story, for her journey of faith, how you got hold of her as a young person and that, Lord God, you led her to Romania where you changed her from the inside out and you've not stopped doing that, Father. Thank you for the stories of kids around the world and all that that's achieving and the work that she's doing for this other organization. Lord God, continue to bless the work of her hands that she, in turn, would begin to continue to bless other people, other homes in this city and in countries around the world. Father, we pray today for her family. We pray for Mark and for Sam and Eliza. Lord God, I pray that for Sam and Eliza that they would know you, Lord Jesus, as their personal Savior. Father, in the same way that you got hold of Michelle all those years ago, I pray that you would get hold of them and that they would know you for themselves, that they would one day be able to testify like she has, that Jesus got hold of my life and I've never been the same again. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that wherever our young people are, you can reach them. And Father, as we say, pray for Sam and Eliza. There are other people in here that pray for your own children as well. Holy Spirit, that you would meet them wherever they are and intercept their lives and come face to face with them so their lives would have purpose and meaning and have eternal value. We pray for this lovely lady. Lord God, continue to bless her. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you very much.

In today's message, our guest speaker, Andy, shares a powerful and practical word about growth, love, and what it looks like to be a flourishing church community right here in our estate. Using a personal story about his attempt to grow a "beautiful manicured hedge", Andy draws a vivid analogy for our life as a church. He shares how his hedge was attacked by caterpillars that began to destroy the plants. The only solution was to prune them back severely—a process that looked like a "genuine massacre" but was essential for saving the plant and allowing new, healthy life to emerge. Andy connects this to God's plan for our church. God, the master gardener , wants us to be a vibrant, fruit-bearing expression of His kingdom here in Jordanthorpe. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Just as Andy had to remove the pests from his hedge, the Father sometimes needs to prune our lives and our church.This "pruning" can feel like a painful loss or a difficult change, but it's His way of dealing with the "caterpillars" of unforgiveness, jealousy, or unresolved hurt to bring about healthier and more fruitful growth. The key to navigating this process is found in Jesus's repeated command to "love one another". This love is the glue that holds us together through change. Andy challenges us to ensure our connection to Jesus, the vine, is a vital, love-based relationship, not one based on duty. When we are truly connected to Him, His life flows through us, and we can't help but bear fruit together. This encouraging message calls us to see change not as something to fear, but as a good thing from the ultimate gardener. It's a call to allow Him to work in our hearts, to submit to His pruning, and to commit to loving each other, so that we can become the healthy, thriving church He has planned for us to be. Bible References from Today's Talk: John 15:1-13  John 15:16-17  Philippians 2:7-8  Hebrews 2:10  Hebrews 12:2 

In today's message, our guest speaker, Andy, shares a powerful and practical word about growth, love, and what it looks like to be a flourishing church community right here in our estate. Using a personal story about his attempt to grow a "beautiful manicured hedge", Andy draws a vivid analogy for our life as a church. He shares how his hedge was attacked by caterpillars that began to destroy the plants. The only solution was to prune them back severely—a process that looked like a "genuine massacre" but was essential for saving the plant and allowing new, healthy life to emerge. Andy connects this to God's plan for our church. God, the master gardener , wants us to be a vibrant, fruit-bearing expression of His kingdom here in Jordanthorpe. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Just as Andy had to remove the pests from his hedge, the Father sometimes needs to prune our lives and our church.This "pruning" can feel like a painful loss or a difficult change, but it's His way of dealing with the "caterpillars" of unforgiveness, jealousy, or unresolved hurt to bring about healthier and more fruitful growth. The key to navigating this process is found in Jesus's repeated command to "love one another". This love is the glue that holds us together through change. Andy challenges us to ensure our connection to Jesus, the vine, is a vital, love-based relationship, not one based on duty. When we are truly connected to Him, His life flows through us, and we can't help but bear fruit together. This encouraging message calls us to see change not as something to fear, but as a good thing from the ultimate gardener. It's a call to allow Him to work in our hearts, to submit to His pruning, and to commit to loving each other, so that we can become the healthy, thriving church He has planned for us to be. Bible References from Today's Talk: John 15:1-13  John 15:16-17  Philippians 2:7-8  Hebrews 2:10  Hebrews 12:2 

Seen: When Jesus Meets You Where You Are Ever feel like you're completely unseen? Like you're wrestling with things on your own and no one gets it? Or maybe you feel like you're just another face in the crowd, hoping to be noticed. In this talk, Nick takes us to a hot, dusty afternoon in Galilee and a story about a man named Nathanael. Nathanael is cynical and sitting alone under a fig tree, wrestling with his own doubts and questions. He's probably thinking what many of us think: can anything good really happen here? But then something incredible happens. Jesus sees him. Not just a quick glance, but He sees right into Nathanael's heart. He lets him know, "I saw you in your private moment, I know what you're about, and I'm calling you." This is the heart of Nick's message: You have a "fig tree" – a private place where you deal with your failures, your shame, and your worries. The amazing truth is that Jesus sees you there. He knows you completely, not the polished version you put on social media, but the real you. And He doesn't turn away. His love is a relentless, powerful force that pushes through all our "buts" and objections, lifting us up when we feel we're crashing down Being seen by Him changes everything. It's not about joining a movement; it's about a personal encounter with the God who sees you, knows you by name, and says, "Come, follow me. You think this is amazing? You will see even greater things." Bible References Used Here is a list of the Bible passages that Nick referred to during his sermon: John 1:43-51: This was the main passage for the sermon, telling the story of Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael. Genesis 28:10-19: Referenced when Nick talked about Jacob's dream of a ladder to heaven, which Jesus compares himself to. Revelation 1:14 & 19:12: Alluded to when describing Jesus having "eyes like burning fire," seeing into the heart of who we are. Hebrews 10:25: The principle of this verse was mentioned as an encouragement to not give up meeting together as a church.

Seen: When Jesus Meets You Where You Are Ever feel like you're completely unseen? Like you're wrestling with things on your own and no one gets it? Or maybe you feel like you're just another face in the crowd, hoping to be noticed. In this talk, Nick takes us to a hot, dusty afternoon in Galilee and a story about a man named Nathanael. Nathanael is cynical and sitting alone under a fig tree, wrestling with his own doubts and questions. He's probably thinking what many of us think: can anything good really happen here? But then something incredible happens. Jesus sees him. Not just a quick glance, but He sees right into Nathanael's heart. He lets him know, "I saw you in your private moment, I know what you're about, and I'm calling you." This is the heart of Nick's message: You have a "fig tree" – a private place where you deal with your failures, your shame, and your worries. The amazing truth is that Jesus sees you there. He knows you completely, not the polished version you put on social media, but the real you. And He doesn't turn away. His love is a relentless, powerful force that pushes through all our "buts" and objections, lifting us up when we feel we're crashing down Being seen by Him changes everything. It's not about joining a movement; it's about a personal encounter with the God who sees you, knows you by name, and says, "Come, follow me. You think this is amazing? You will see even greater things." Bible References Used Here is a list of the Bible passages that Nick referred to during his sermon: John 1:43-51: This was the main passage for the sermon, telling the story of Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael. Genesis 28:10-19: Referenced when Nick talked about Jacob's dream of a ladder to heaven, which Jesus compares himself to. Revelation 1:14 & 19:12: Alluded to when describing Jesus having "eyes like burning fire," seeing into the heart of who we are. Hebrews 10:25: The principle of this verse was mentioned as an encouragement to not give up meeting together as a church.

Click to see larger versin The Power of the Holy Spirit is For You, Today. What is the Holy Spirit? Is it a ghost? A weird feeling? Or something more? In this week's powerful message, our guest speaker, Cornelius, gets real about the Holy Spirit. He shares his own incredible story – from a life-changing encounter as a young man that left him seeing stars, to seeing God move in miraculous ways in one of the toughest places on earth. This isn't about abstract theology; this is about a real power that is available to every single one of us, right here, right now, in Jordanthorpe. Cornelius breaks it down for us, looking at three key moments: In Jesus' Life: The Holy Spirit wasn't just a nice extra for Jesus; He was essential. He was the power that Jesus operated in to heal the sick, free those trapped in their struggles, and kickstart His whole mission. Jesus showed us the blueprint for a life filled with God's power. In the Early Church: After Jesus left, He didn't leave his followers on their own. He sent the Holy Spirit, and everything changed. Normal, everyday people like Peter were suddenly filled with a new boldness. They spoke out, they saw people healed, and they started a movement that spread across the world. Cornelius reminds us that this power wasn't just for a special few, but as the Bible says, for "you, your children, and for all who are far off" – that includes us! In Our Lives Today: This is where it gets personal. Cornelius shares openly about his own struggles, including a time of deep depression in his ministry when nothing seemed to be working. He discovered that a half-hearted approach wasn't enough. Through prayer and fasting, he experienced a "suddenly" moment where God's presence changed everything, turning failure into incredible fruitfulness. The message is simple but profound: The same Spirit that empowered Jesus and the first disciples is not just a story in a book. He is here for you. He gives us gifts – not to make us look super-spiritual, but to make a real difference in the lives of people around us. He gives us power to overcome the challenges we face and to bring God's life and hope into our community. If you've ever felt like there must be more to faith, or if you're facing a situation that feels impossible, this message is for you. Get ready to be encouraged and challenged to ask for the power of the Holy Spirit in your own life. Bible References from the Sermon: Acts 1:8 Luke 4:1-14 Luke 4:18-19 (quoting Isaiah 61) Matthew 16:15 Acts 2:39 Acts 10 (The story of Cornelius) Acts 10:38 1 Corinthians 12 (The Gifts of the Spirit) John 10:10 Transcription Hallelujah, I'm excited, and you don't know what I'm excited about, well I'm excited because there's lots going on in MCF. This week we were in Baitmore with Ross and Steve in the park which was amazing, yesterday we were here with Lily's Cloth Bank, it was amazing. You know, MCF is doing so much stuff in the community, reaching people, right there, amen. Today I'm going to speak about an amazing topic, when Nick sent me a text, can you speak on, can you put the first one on, what is that? The Holy Spirit, it's not the Holy Spirit, it was only like a dove, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus, like a dove. But there are many pictures of the dove, I've got a few pictures for today just to help emphasize the message, as well I put some verses in there to help you understand, because this morning I'm going to talk about the Holy Spirit, it's powerful, the Holy Spirit is emotional to me, because I've got a history with the Holy Spirit, and therefore I want to bring this morning the Holy Spirit to you, and I want to pray that the Holy Spirit will work in you, and come to you, and therefore open up your hearts and let God do a work. First of all, what are the most important events in a person's life, there are a few you think may be like, you know, getting married, or whatever, you know, getting your first car, no no no, I'm going much deeper, for any person, most important thing is to be born, amen, you're here on earth because God created you, he loves you, he wants you, you are wanted, and that's how you came on this earth, amen, number one. Number two, Jesus coming into your life, when you receive Jesus, something happens, when you start to believe what he has done, something comes in you, because God loved this world so much that he gave his only son, for you, if you believe, you will not be condemned but receive eternal life. So the second most important part for your life is that you receive Jesus. Now the third part, the third most important event is, next verse, the first I'm going to talk about today, the verse I received, Acts 1 verse 8, you will receive power from on high when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Now it's very controversial because there are many different denominations and churches who talk about it or don't talk about it, but my experience, most important part, was first to receive Jesus, secondly to receive the Holy Spirit in my life, that's what I'm going to talk about this morning, I want to make it as easy as possible for you to understand, we're going to go into the word, can you do the next one, go into the word and I want to look at the Holy Spirit in three parts, in three periods, I'm going to look at Jesus, how the Holy Spirit worked in Jesus and then secondly, the apostles, when Jesus left this earth, we want to look at the apostles, what he did and then we want to look at 2025, today, is the Holy Spirit still operating today, is he still working today, so that is where we are going. So when I started writing my notes, I came quickly up to ten pages because there's so much to talk about the Holy Spirit, but don't worry, I'm very good at summarizing so I'll bring it back to, watch the time, watch the time, we're going to start, the Holy Spirit, I'm talking about most important events in your life, but the biggest event in history, of course, was when Jesus came to earth, when Jesus stepped into time, from heaven into time and he started his ministry, I mean, for the world, people say like, you know, the most important event in history might be the empire or this king or that king or that battle, but we all know, really, the most important event in history is when Jesus stepped into this earth, massively important, because it changed everything, amen? So when Jesus came, he was baptized and the Holy Spirit came upon him, like a dove, not as a dove, like a dove, and then he went into the desert, and he went, it says, in Luke 4, he went in the desert, full of the Holy Spirit, I'm talking about the Holy Spirit today, so you're going to hear that word a lot, full of the Holy Spirit, he went into the desert, and there something happened in the desert, because then, verse 14, he comes out of the desert in the power of the Holy Spirit, so something in that time of the desert, something happened, he went in fasting and praying, and there he met the devil, he came into a time, something, he went into a battle, and by the word of God, he conquered the temptations the devil brought to him, he came through, and it gave him power and authority in that desert, and after that, he started his ministry. Now therefore I say, when you go through difficulties, don't worry too much, don't worry too much, make sure you come through it well, with the word of God, you will come through with the word of God, with the promises God has for you, you will come through, and you will gain power and authority by overcoming those battles, Jesus came out of it in power and authority, and then he started his ministry, and he went to Nazareth, and there he went into the synagogue, and next slide, he brought up his first sermon, and he said, no no no, previous one, the spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, to send me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners, boy do we need that, freedom to the prisoners, and recover the sight of the blinds, release the oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor has arrived, the kingdom of God has come, that's what Jesus preached, the kingdom of God has come, this is what he preached, that was his vision, Jesus laid out his vision before the people, they didn't like it because they pushed them out of the church all the way to a cliff, trying to throw them off the cliff, it was not appreciated what he brought, but this was the vision he brought, the spirit of the Lord is upon me, the power and authority of the spirit of God is upon me to break the powers of the enemy, Jesus had come, hallelujah, he made himself known, Jesus had come, and that's how he started, and many places it said Jesus, he healed all, he started to cast out demons, and we can read the gospels, he was manifesting the spirit of God, he was manifesting himself and showing that the kingdom of God had come, and then even halfway, John, the disciples of John, the Baptist, John the Baptist was in prison, they come to him and they say, are you the one we expect, are you the Messiah we are to expect, or then Jesus says, look around you, the sick are healed, the people are being set free, the dead are raised, he said, the kingdom of God has come, I am, and so he continued a little further on and then he comes to a point and then he talks to his disciples, the disciples say to him, yes, some say you are Elijah, some say you are John the Baptist, because by that time John the Baptist was already killed, and then Jesus says to them, next one, but who do you say I am? Very important, very important, because Jesus was doing all that stuff, he was showing the kingdom of God to people, and now, after two and a half years, the disciples being with him, he says, who do you say I am? Did you get it? Do you understand who I am? It's a question to us as well, who do you say he is? Then Peter stands up and Peter, he says, you are the Christ, the Son of God, very powerful, Peter now understood, and it was like Jesus saying, thank God they understand, because by then, the last half year, he knew, Jesus now had achieved what he had to achieve, the disciples understood, he is the Messiah, the Son of God, who came to this earth to bring the kingdom of God, and now he knew he could go on to Jerusalem, to the second part of his ministry, which was his suffering, the dying on the cross, the resurrection, that was the second part of Jesus' ministry, and so it went, he went to Jerusalem, and there he was going into his suffering, and he died, and then he rose from the dead, and there is that period, comes that period, he rose from the dead, and there he showed himself to 500 witnesses, but that period, the disciples were not quite sure what they were doing, and there was a time even they went off to go fishing again, because they were not quite sure what was going to happen, and then Jesus called them, and he said, I'm going to my father now, now listen well, I'm going to my father now, he said, but you wait, wait, because something is happening, you wait, next verse, he said, you will receive power, this is the verse, where it's all about, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, till the ends of the earth, so the disciples who were with Jesus, who recognized Jesus as the Messiah, they got it, now, he said to them, I'm going now, it's now going to be in your hands, and therefore wait, the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and then he says, second part, I'm going to give you a job, I'm going to give you a purpose, a plan and a purpose, you are going to be my witnesses, here in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, till the ends of the earth, you are going to do the work now, everything I did, Jesus said, everything I did, now you are going to do it, and that's what happened on the day of Pentecost, you know, many churches that have Pentecost, don't know quite how to get about Pentecost, don't quite understand what it works, what it is about, but I'm showing you today, the Holy Spirit is there for you, hallelujah, next one, so the Holy Spirit came, I've got another picture, I found another picture, there are lots of beautiful pictures on the Holy Spirit, I love them, this picture is so clearly shown, like a dove, like a dove, it's not the Holy Spirit, like a dove, he comes, he came, suddenly, suddenly, now listen to that word suddenly, because that comes across quite a few times, because the Holy Spirit is not to be controlled, the Holy Spirit just comes as he comes, the Holy Spirit suddenly came when those disciples were together, they were praying and waiting, and suddenly the Holy Spirit came, and they started to speak into new tongues, they started to prophesy, there, 120 of them were in that upper room, together, something happened, suddenly, and the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit was upon them, and the people outside, because there was a feast in Jerusalem, they were outside, and they were talking like, are those people drunk, they're speaking in tongues, what are they doing, they asked them, Peter came out, and Peter started to preach and explain what was going on there in the upper room, next verse, Peter speaks on what will happen, he speaks the gospel, he teaches them the gospel, he says what happened, that Jesus had come, that Jesus now had left, and that the Holy Spirit had come, and he said, we received the Holy Spirit as he promised, and he said, this gift of the Holy Spirit is for you, and your children, and for all of those who are far off, Peter preaching, you know, Peter saying, it is for all of you who believe in Jesus, who have repented, and now the Holy Spirit is there for you to receive, for you, your children, and for all those who are far off, is that clear, amen, nothing difficult about it, the Holy Spirit came for all who are far off, amen. And so, the Acts, the book of Acts, we move to the second part, the book of Acts speaks on all those actions of the disciples, it's not really of the disciples, it's of the Holy Spirit, and the book of Acts is really the book, the Acts of the Holy Spirit, we can read how Peter went out with John, and there was a man sitting who was begging, and they said, silver or gold, we haven't got, but what we've got, we give, stand up in the name of Jesus, they started to heal, they started to cast out demons, and it even says Peter walked through the temple, and people were sitting on the sides, and his shadow would fall on the people, and people would be healed, so the power and authority of the Holy Spirit was upon them, and so this whole book shows us how Peter and later on Paul, how they moved into the Holy Spirit, actually, first I want to go to a man named Cornelius, because everything was still among the Jewish people, and then there was a change coming, because God intended it for all men, like he said, the ones who are far off received the Holy Spirit as well, and so Peter was called to a man called Cornelius, Cornelius was a Roman soldier, a Roman centurion, the Romans were enemies of the Jews, so they were not very liked, very loved by the Jewish people, so Peter was inefficient, was called to go to this man, this centurion, Cornelius, Cornelius was a God-fearing man, and it says, he had a vision of an angel, and the angel said, your prayers and your giving has come as a memorial before God, wow, that's amazing, can you imagine that is said about you, your prayers, your giving has come before God as a memorial, wow, hallelujah, your prayers, your giving, MCF, has come before God as a memorial, and one for six comes to pass, hallelujah, amazing, so Peter was called to go to Cornelius, this Gentile, this Roman, to go and preach the gospel, to explain what was going on, so Peter went, you can read the story in Acts 10, he went and went to speak and preach, next one, and he says, he said two verses which are very important in there, because he says, Jesus, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, and when you read that verse, suddenly my mind goes, I was in the northern hospital on Wednesday, and you're in that waiting room, and there is so much going on, and there's so much suffering, and you really feel like, God, break out, Holy Spirit, that song, I hope we're going to sing it later, break out, because that's really needed here, there's such a need for Jesus to come and touch people, for the Holy Spirit to move, and that is, that verse, Jesus came with the anointing to break the power of the enemy, when we go out into Jordanthorpe and Baitmore, we see, like this week, the power of the enemy is all over, but Jesus came and we received the Holy Spirit to break that power of the enemy, amen? Second verse, and as Peter, as he was speaking, the Holy Spirit came upon all who heard the message, amazing, the Holy Spirit was just, he was speaking, and suddenly the power, the Holy Spirit was moving, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, hallelujah, that's what we need, amen. So, that is the book of Acts, how the Spirit of God came in power and was moving, and the Gospel was going out, and the Gospel was being spread, and from there, it went to Europe, it went to Asia, it went to Africa, the Gospel spread, and that's why we are here today, because, next one, 2025, I'm going into a different section now, different period, 2025, today, is the Holy Spirit working now? How is the Holy Spirit working? You know, when I was a youngster, I went to church, and I was serious, and one day, one Sunday, I went to church, and in the morning, and that verse, which was the first verse of Acts, we bring up Acts 1, verse 8, the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you, it bothered me. I didn't understand it. I struggled with it, because I didn't see it in the church. Where is that power of the Holy Spirit? I haven't got it. I said, what is it? If God is God, if this is the Gospel, the good news, I don't want to be stuck there in, I'm saved, hallelujah, I'm saved, I'm moving on with my own life. No! If this is true, that there is a power of the Holy Spirit working, I want it. I need it! I was so bothered by it. That afternoon, I went home, I had my lunch, I was sitting on the sofa, I was pondering on that verse, going over it again and again, when suddenly, the presence of the Holy Spirit came into the room, came upon me heavily, and it brought me down on my knees, falling on the floor. It was heavy, and the fire burned in me, and I saw stars, and after about half an hour, really, I saw stars, really, in my head, and after about half an hour, I was like, my head was spinning, what's going on, what's going on? I received the Holy Spirit. I had only one desire, and that was to serve God. My whole idea of career, of money, of whatever, was gone. I just wanted to serve God. I wanted Jesus to work on my life. And that same, after that same period, I immediately worked in ministries, I was open to whatever God brought to me, and there was a ministry working with refugees, I went with them, we went into those centers, we did Bible studies with all the groups, and, you know, I had received the Holy Spirit, and I was just going about, as I felt led by the Holy Spirit, and there we prayed for each one. Every day, every week, we prayed for everyone. And then there was one man, he was called Stephen, and he came from Sierra Leone, and he was so, his heart was so damaged because of where he went through, that he had to go to a special medical unit. I prayed for him, we prayed for him, I prayed for all of them before they left, and that was it. I went home, and then a week later, I was called, Stephen called me, and Stephen said, you need to come, because Stephen was going to a special medical unit, because his heart was so damaged, he needed treatment. Stephen called me, he said, you need to come to the unit, you need to come to the unit. He said, the director wants to speak to you. When I came to the place, he had organized all those people from the medical unit to sit around, because he wanted me to pray for them, because Stephen was healed. And the director wanted to know, he had the medical report before and after, and he wanted to know, what have you done? I hadn't done anything. I was just a young guy who was, you know, praying and doing just little things like that. But the Spirit of God was moving. The Spirit of God was already operating and using, and I prayed for all those people. And just let it go when the Spirit of God comes upon you. You just move. As he wants you to pray for people, what Jill, who was it, just spoke about when that comes upon you, that idea that you need to pray for someone, call someone, do it, indeed. Let the Spirit of God work in you. So that is sort of how my life went. And then on the top of our ministry in the Hague, we lived in the Hague, I got married to the most beautiful woman, my Sarah. And Sarah had a similar experience as I did, so we were together 37 years ago or something. And then we, on the top of our ministry, God called us to Mozambique. And there in Mozambique, everything was hunky-dory, everything was fine, and we had a wonderful life, and that was it. No, not really. Not really. Because after about eight years in Mozambique, I became very depressed because we had very little fruit. There was nothing. We just had problem after problem after problem after problem, and I could not see a way forward. And I felt like, God, if this is for us to be here and to have so little fruit, what are we doing? Was it really from you? Was this really you, God? So I had my doubts, and then God spoke. And he said, your whisper of prayer is not going to change anything. And I said, I thought, like, what is he talking about? Now, I had built a prayer house because I was passionate about prayer. I built a prayer house. We went into the prayer house. We prayed in the prayer house. But God showed me my prayers were not good enough. He said, your whisper of prayer because quickly go in and out. I'm so busy. I'm so busy. I haven't got time to pray a lot. I haven't got prayer. Just my quickly pray. Guys, you pray, I'm going quickly. So God rebuked me and said, your whisper of prayer, I'm not going to do anything. In fact, he said, that story of the disciples trying to cast out a demon, and they couldn't. And Jesus said, now that type only comes out by prayer and fasting. And so I had fasted before, but sort of a day or two days, whatever, a little, little. I felt like, okay, okay, God, okay, I'm going to give it one year. I'm going to put fertilizer around that tree. You know that story? I'm going to put fertilizer around that tree to see if it brings some fruit. I'm going to see if it's going to do something. I'm going to fast and pray. God, okay, I'm going to give myself to fasting and prayer. And I gave my car away, and I started to get into the prayer house every day, moved into the prayer house. I started with a 21-day fast. And I was there, and I read the Word, and I prayed in tongues, and my tongues developed very fast. And after 21 days, did something happen? No, nothing happened. And then I continued. After three months, did something happen? No, nothing happened. So I was still quite discouraged, because I was doing it. But I said, I'm going to give it one year. So I'm not going to give up. I'm quite disciplined and routine, and I feel like I'm going to do it till the end. I'm going to do it till the end. I will finish by the end. And then more problems came. Bigger problems came. And then God said, those three guys who caused those problems, invite them into the prayer house and let them fast and pray, 21 days. So I did another 21-day fast. And so as those guys came with me in the prayer house, about the 13th day of that time of prayer and fasting, suddenly, and therefore I say that suddenly with the Holy Spirit you need to have that suddenly, suddenly the presence of God came into the prayer house, and it changed everything. Because then those boys, they didn't, they confessed everything they could confess. They gave themselves to the Lord. I saw the angels fighting with swords. Everything changed. It was like the presence took over our ministry, and from there on, instead of this negative depression, everything, like I always say it like, it is like you're pushing up a truck up the hill, up the hill. Now it's very difficult to push up a truck up a hill. But now the truck was going down, and I was running up behind it, because everything happened at once. So much were going for the good. God was just moving. And by the end of that year, we had so many people wanting to fast and pray, and we had the prayer house. Every night was full, people praying and fasting. And then I felt like I should start a Bible school. And I did. I started a Bible school with five students. And you know what? Our Bible school, last year we had a thousand graduates. Every year we have over 1,500 applicants. The Bible school, and I'm not even there. And it just goes, because the Spirit of God goes and does and moves whatever he wants to do. And that's how it went. So that is the story of how the Spirit moved. And then suddenly, we're here in Sheffield. We're here in Sheffield. Jerusalem, Jordanthorpe. Jerusalem, Jordanthorpe. Here we are in Jordanthorpe. When we came two years ago, I had no idea what are we doing here, what are we doing here, what are we doing here. You know, I love the church, but that's good, that's nice, but that doesn't do much to me. I love the church, Jordanthorpe. I believe God has something for Jordanthorpe. I believe God wants to move in Jordanthorpe. He wants to do something in Jordanthorpe. He wants to bless Jordanthorpe. The Spirit of God wants to move in Jordanthorpe. And that's why the Holy Spirit, I believe, wants to empower us. And, can we bring up the next one? Have I forgot a few slides? Yeah. I want us to move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You know, Paul brought all those gifts, what Jesus did, what the disciples did, he brought it together into nine gifts. And those nine gifts are what Jesus used, what the disciples used to bring the kingdom of God. And I said to Nick, I said, the gifts of the Spirit we really should bring into the home groups. And we should discuss it and exchange experiences, because people have questions. But it is very, very much for all of us. Because there are two things I want to say about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are for everyone. No one to be left out. They are for everyone. You don't need to be a super saint to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. No. The only thing you need is the Holy Spirit. You need the foundation as the Holy Spirit. And the rest, like I said, I didn't even know that healing just occurred. And I did. And in Mozambique I've seen all those gifts operating. God just uses those gifts and they will just come forth when the Holy Spirit is upon you, when the Holy Spirit is in you. And therefore we need really another morning of teaching to go through all those gifts, which I'm happy to do. But I think it's a good thing to really use them in your home groups. Bring those into your home groups. Because all of them are there for us. They're powerful. The tongues, I put them into threes. Threes. The gifts of declaration, or the gifts of proclamation, which is really proclaiming the heavenlies into the earth. What we did to prophesy, that little clip we saw for the giving, that is proclamation. That is the speaking out of the prophecies. Heavenly words. Speaking out into the earth. And we do this over Jordan Thoth. Heavenly words. Speaking out. Over the earth. That is what we do. We bring down heaven. When we speak, prophesy. When we speak in tongues. The heavenly language. It starts with speaking in tongues. Now I can give you lots of testimonies of what that has done to me. And we're going to leave that for another day. But that is sort of the word of knowledge we've just heard. The word of wisdom. Discernment. Discerning spirit. You really need it here. Here out. These days, the days we live in, everything goes. Everything is possible. But in God's economy, not everything goes. Because there are demons operating everywhere. And you need to have discernment to know what's going on. Yesterday in the clothes banks, isn't it, Ant? You need discernment of seeing what's going on. You need to discern those spirits which are not there to bless you, but to steal, kill, and destroy. So it's good to have the gifts of the spirit operating in your life. Gifts of faith, healing, and miracles. I've seen miracles happen. We had two years, no rain in Mozambique. We had a drought. Serious drought. A famine. And we prayed and fasted. And the last time we prayed and fasted, we all came together. One Saturday we all came together and we prayed for the last time. Four o'clock in the afternoon, a little cloud came. And it became darker and darker. And the rain fell and it didn't stop for three days raining. That was the end of our drought, of our famine. So there's miracles, healing. I can tell you stories. But that is the operation, the spirit of God operating, manifesting in your life. The gifts of the spirit. If we want to be different from the world, that's what needs to operate in your life. That's what needs to manifest in your life. We want to be different. We see what's happening in the world. We read the news. We see the news. And we see what's going on. We need to be different. We need to have the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit operating in our life, manifesting in our lives through the gifts of the spirit. And then we will see, the church will fill up. Then you will see how people will come in. In every ministry of MCF, when the spirit of God, the gifts of the spirit starts to operate, we see life. Jesus came to, the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came to give life more abundantly. And through the spirit of God operating in our lives, he will do that. He will work that out. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. We have a little bit of time left. And therefore I say, if you never receive the Holy Spirit, I say put your hand up. We'll pray for you because really, if you want the Holy Spirit to operate in power, it's for you. It's for all of us. No one to be left out. No one to be left out. It's for you. And we need him. This day and age, we need him. And therefore I say, if you haven't got the Holy Spirit, if you feel like I need the power of the Holy Spirit, come here. The music is going to play. Right? The music is going to play. We'll pray for you. I'll pray for you because I'm passionate about the Holy Spirit. I have a history with the Holy Spirit. I love him. Amen? Let me say a prayer first as they come up. I want to honor you, Holy Spirit. I want to thank you, Holy Spirit, for being with us. I want to thank you, Holy Spirit, that you come and lead and direct us, that you come and work through us to bring the kingdom of God. We thank you, Holy Spirit, for being here. And I pray, suddenly, may your presence come upon each one here. Holy Spirit, as we worship, Holy Spirit, touch each person. Touch each person. Fill each person. We need you. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Jesus, for giving your Holy Spirit. Thank you for being with us, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Click to see larger versin The Power of the Holy Spirit is For You, Today. What is the Holy Spirit? Is it a ghost? A weird feeling? Or something more? In this week's powerful message, our guest speaker, Cornelius, gets real about the Holy Spirit. He shares his own incredible story – from a life-changing encounter as a young man that left him seeing stars, to seeing God move in miraculous ways in one of the toughest places on earth. This isn't about abstract theology; this is about a real power that is available to every single one of us, right here, right now, in Jordanthorpe. Cornelius breaks it down for us, looking at three key moments: In Jesus' Life: The Holy Spirit wasn't just a nice extra for Jesus; He was essential. He was the power that Jesus operated in to heal the sick, free those trapped in their struggles, and kickstart His whole mission. Jesus showed us the blueprint for a life filled with God's power. In the Early Church: After Jesus left, He didn't leave his followers on their own. He sent the Holy Spirit, and everything changed. Normal, everyday people like Peter were suddenly filled with a new boldness. They spoke out, they saw people healed, and they started a movement that spread across the world. Cornelius reminds us that this power wasn't just for a special few, but as the Bible says, for "you, your children, and for all who are far off" – that includes us! In Our Lives Today: This is where it gets personal. Cornelius shares openly about his own struggles, including a time of deep depression in his ministry when nothing seemed to be working. He discovered that a half-hearted approach wasn't enough. Through prayer and fasting, he experienced a "suddenly" moment where God's presence changed everything, turning failure into incredible fruitfulness. The message is simple but profound: The same Spirit that empowered Jesus and the first disciples is not just a story in a book. He is here for you. He gives us gifts – not to make us look super-spiritual, but to make a real difference in the lives of people around us. He gives us power to overcome the challenges we face and to bring God's life and hope into our community. If you've ever felt like there must be more to faith, or if you're facing a situation that feels impossible, this message is for you. Get ready to be encouraged and challenged to ask for the power of the Holy Spirit in your own life. Bible References from the Sermon: Acts 1:8 Luke 4:1-14 Luke 4:18-19 (quoting Isaiah 61) Matthew 16:15 Acts 2:39 Acts 10 (The story of Cornelius) Acts 10:38 1 Corinthians 12 (The Gifts of the Spirit) John 10:10 Transcription Hallelujah, I'm excited, and you don't know what I'm excited about, well I'm excited because there's lots going on in MCF. This week we were in Baitmore with Ross and Steve in the park which was amazing, yesterday we were here with Lily's Cloth Bank, it was amazing. You know, MCF is doing so much stuff in the community, reaching people, right there, amen. Today I'm going to speak about an amazing topic, when Nick sent me a text, can you speak on, can you put the first one on, what is that? The Holy Spirit, it's not the Holy Spirit, it was only like a dove, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus, like a dove. But there are many pictures of the dove, I've got a few pictures for today just to help emphasize the message, as well I put some verses in there to help you understand, because this morning I'm going to talk about the Holy Spirit, it's powerful, the Holy Spirit is emotional to me, because I've got a history with the Holy Spirit, and therefore I want to bring this morning the Holy Spirit to you, and I want to pray that the Holy Spirit will work in you, and come to you, and therefore open up your hearts and let God do a work. First of all, what are the most important events in a person's life, there are a few you think may be like, you know, getting married, or whatever, you know, getting your first car, no no no, I'm going much deeper, for any person, most important thing is to be born, amen, you're here on earth because God created you, he loves you, he wants you, you are wanted, and that's how you came on this earth, amen, number one. Number two, Jesus coming into your life, when you receive Jesus, something happens, when you start to believe what he has done, something comes in you, because God loved this world so much that he gave his only son, for you, if you believe, you will not be condemned but receive eternal life. So the second most important part for your life is that you receive Jesus. Now the third part, the third most important event is, next verse, the first I'm going to talk about today, the verse I received, Acts 1 verse 8, you will receive power from on high when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Now it's very controversial because there are many different denominations and churches who talk about it or don't talk about it, but my experience, most important part, was first to receive Jesus, secondly to receive the Holy Spirit in my life, that's what I'm going to talk about this morning, I want to make it as easy as possible for you to understand, we're going to go into the word, can you do the next one, go into the word and I want to look at the Holy Spirit in three parts, in three periods, I'm going to look at Jesus, how the Holy Spirit worked in Jesus and then secondly, the apostles, when Jesus left this earth, we want to look at the apostles, what he did and then we want to look at 2025, today, is the Holy Spirit still operating today, is he still working today, so that is where we are going. So when I started writing my notes, I came quickly up to ten pages because there's so much to talk about the Holy Spirit, but don't worry, I'm very good at summarizing so I'll bring it back to, watch the time, watch the time, we're going to start, the Holy Spirit, I'm talking about most important events in your life, but the biggest event in history, of course, was when Jesus came to earth, when Jesus stepped into time, from heaven into time and he started his ministry, I mean, for the world, people say like, you know, the most important event in history might be the empire or this king or that king or that battle, but we all know, really, the most important event in history is when Jesus stepped into this earth, massively important, because it changed everything, amen? So when Jesus came, he was baptized and the Holy Spirit came upon him, like a dove, not as a dove, like a dove, and then he went into the desert, and he went, it says, in Luke 4, he went in the desert, full of the Holy Spirit, I'm talking about the Holy Spirit today, so you're going to hear that word a lot, full of the Holy Spirit, he went into the desert, and there something happened in the desert, because then, verse 14, he comes out of the desert in the power of the Holy Spirit, so something in that time of the desert, something happened, he went in fasting and praying, and there he met the devil, he came into a time, something, he went into a battle, and by the word of God, he conquered the temptations the devil brought to him, he came through, and it gave him power and authority in that desert, and after that, he started his ministry. Now therefore I say, when you go through difficulties, don't worry too much, don't worry too much, make sure you come through it well, with the word of God, you will come through with the word of God, with the promises God has for you, you will come through, and you will gain power and authority by overcoming those battles, Jesus came out of it in power and authority, and then he started his ministry, and he went to Nazareth, and there he went into the synagogue, and next slide, he brought up his first sermon, and he said, no no no, previous one, the spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, to send me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners, boy do we need that, freedom to the prisoners, and recover the sight of the blinds, release the oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor has arrived, the kingdom of God has come, that's what Jesus preached, the kingdom of God has come, this is what he preached, that was his vision, Jesus laid out his vision before the people, they didn't like it because they pushed them out of the church all the way to a cliff, trying to throw them off the cliff, it was not appreciated what he brought, but this was the vision he brought, the spirit of the Lord is upon me, the power and authority of the spirit of God is upon me to break the powers of the enemy, Jesus had come, hallelujah, he made himself known, Jesus had come, and that's how he started, and many places it said Jesus, he healed all, he started to cast out demons, and we can read the gospels, he was manifesting the spirit of God, he was manifesting himself and showing that the kingdom of God had come, and then even halfway, John, the disciples of John, the Baptist, John the Baptist was in prison, they come to him and they say, are you the one we expect, are you the Messiah we are to expect, or then Jesus says, look around you, the sick are healed, the people are being set free, the dead are raised, he said, the kingdom of God has come, I am, and so he continued a little further on and then he comes to a point and then he talks to his disciples, the disciples say to him, yes, some say you are Elijah, some say you are John the Baptist, because by that time John the Baptist was already killed, and then Jesus says to them, next one, but who do you say I am? Very important, very important, because Jesus was doing all that stuff, he was showing the kingdom of God to people, and now, after two and a half years, the disciples being with him, he says, who do you say I am? Did you get it? Do you understand who I am? It's a question to us as well, who do you say he is? Then Peter stands up and Peter, he says, you are the Christ, the Son of God, very powerful, Peter now understood, and it was like Jesus saying, thank God they understand, because by then, the last half year, he knew, Jesus now had achieved what he had to achieve, the disciples understood, he is the Messiah, the Son of God, who came to this earth to bring the kingdom of God, and now he knew he could go on to Jerusalem, to the second part of his ministry, which was his suffering, the dying on the cross, the resurrection, that was the second part of Jesus' ministry, and so it went, he went to Jerusalem, and there he was going into his suffering, and he died, and then he rose from the dead, and there is that period, comes that period, he rose from the dead, and there he showed himself to 500 witnesses, but that period, the disciples were not quite sure what they were doing, and there was a time even they went off to go fishing again, because they were not quite sure what was going to happen, and then Jesus called them, and he said, I'm going to my father now, now listen well, I'm going to my father now, he said, but you wait, wait, because something is happening, you wait, next verse, he said, you will receive power, this is the verse, where it's all about, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, till the ends of the earth, so the disciples who were with Jesus, who recognized Jesus as the Messiah, they got it, now, he said to them, I'm going now, it's now going to be in your hands, and therefore wait, the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and then he says, second part, I'm going to give you a job, I'm going to give you a purpose, a plan and a purpose, you are going to be my witnesses, here in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, till the ends of the earth, you are going to do the work now, everything I did, Jesus said, everything I did, now you are going to do it, and that's what happened on the day of Pentecost, you know, many churches that have Pentecost, don't know quite how to get about Pentecost, don't quite understand what it works, what it is about, but I'm showing you today, the Holy Spirit is there for you, hallelujah, next one, so the Holy Spirit came, I've got another picture, I found another picture, there are lots of beautiful pictures on the Holy Spirit, I love them, this picture is so clearly shown, like a dove, like a dove, it's not the Holy Spirit, like a dove, he comes, he came, suddenly, suddenly, now listen to that word suddenly, because that comes across quite a few times, because the Holy Spirit is not to be controlled, the Holy Spirit just comes as he comes, the Holy Spirit suddenly came when those disciples were together, they were praying and waiting, and suddenly the Holy Spirit came, and they started to speak into new tongues, they started to prophesy, there, 120 of them were in that upper room, together, something happened, suddenly, and the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit was upon them, and the people outside, because there was a feast in Jerusalem, they were outside, and they were talking like, are those people drunk, they're speaking in tongues, what are they doing, they asked them, Peter came out, and Peter started to preach and explain what was going on there in the upper room, next verse, Peter speaks on what will happen, he speaks the gospel, he teaches them the gospel, he says what happened, that Jesus had come, that Jesus now had left, and that the Holy Spirit had come, and he said, we received the Holy Spirit as he promised, and he said, this gift of the Holy Spirit is for you, and your children, and for all of those who are far off, Peter preaching, you know, Peter saying, it is for all of you who believe in Jesus, who have repented, and now the Holy Spirit is there for you to receive, for you, your children, and for all those who are far off, is that clear, amen, nothing difficult about it, the Holy Spirit came for all who are far off, amen. And so, the Acts, the book of Acts, we move to the second part, the book of Acts speaks on all those actions of the disciples, it's not really of the disciples, it's of the Holy Spirit, and the book of Acts is really the book, the Acts of the Holy Spirit, we can read how Peter went out with John, and there was a man sitting who was begging, and they said, silver or gold, we haven't got, but what we've got, we give, stand up in the name of Jesus, they started to heal, they started to cast out demons, and it even says Peter walked through the temple, and people were sitting on the sides, and his shadow would fall on the people, and people would be healed, so the power and authority of the Holy Spirit was upon them, and so this whole book shows us how Peter and later on Paul, how they moved into the Holy Spirit, actually, first I want to go to a man named Cornelius, because everything was still among the Jewish people, and then there was a change coming, because God intended it for all men, like he said, the ones who are far off received the Holy Spirit as well, and so Peter was called to a man called Cornelius, Cornelius was a Roman soldier, a Roman centurion, the Romans were enemies of the Jews, so they were not very liked, very loved by the Jewish people, so Peter was inefficient, was called to go to this man, this centurion, Cornelius, Cornelius was a God-fearing man, and it says, he had a vision of an angel, and the angel said, your prayers and your giving has come as a memorial before God, wow, that's amazing, can you imagine that is said about you, your prayers, your giving has come before God as a memorial, wow, hallelujah, your prayers, your giving, MCF, has come before God as a memorial, and one for six comes to pass, hallelujah, amazing, so Peter was called to go to Cornelius, this Gentile, this Roman, to go and preach the gospel, to explain what was going on, so Peter went, you can read the story in Acts 10, he went and went to speak and preach, next one, and he says, he said two verses which are very important in there, because he says, Jesus, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, and when you read that verse, suddenly my mind goes, I was in the northern hospital on Wednesday, and you're in that waiting room, and there is so much going on, and there's so much suffering, and you really feel like, God, break out, Holy Spirit, that song, I hope we're going to sing it later, break out, because that's really needed here, there's such a need for Jesus to come and touch people, for the Holy Spirit to move, and that is, that verse, Jesus came with the anointing to break the power of the enemy, when we go out into Jordanthorpe and Baitmore, we see, like this week, the power of the enemy is all over, but Jesus came and we received the Holy Spirit to break that power of the enemy, amen? Second verse, and as Peter, as he was speaking, the Holy Spirit came upon all who heard the message, amazing, the Holy Spirit was just, he was speaking, and suddenly the power, the Holy Spirit was moving, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, hallelujah, that's what we need, amen. So, that is the book of Acts, how the Spirit of God came in power and was moving, and the Gospel was going out, and the Gospel was being spread, and from there, it went to Europe, it went to Asia, it went to Africa, the Gospel spread, and that's why we are here today, because, next one, 2025, I'm going into a different section now, different period, 2025, today, is the Holy Spirit working now? How is the Holy Spirit working? You know, when I was a youngster, I went to church, and I was serious, and one day, one Sunday, I went to church, and in the morning, and that verse, which was the first verse of Acts, we bring up Acts 1, verse 8, the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you, it bothered me. I didn't understand it. I struggled with it, because I didn't see it in the church. Where is that power of the Holy Spirit? I haven't got it. I said, what is it? If God is God, if this is the Gospel, the good news, I don't want to be stuck there in, I'm saved, hallelujah, I'm saved, I'm moving on with my own life. No! If this is true, that there is a power of the Holy Spirit working, I want it. I need it! I was so bothered by it. That afternoon, I went home, I had my lunch, I was sitting on the sofa, I was pondering on that verse, going over it again and again, when suddenly, the presence of the Holy Spirit came into the room, came upon me heavily, and it brought me down on my knees, falling on the floor. It was heavy, and the fire burned in me, and I saw stars, and after about half an hour, really, I saw stars, really, in my head, and after about half an hour, I was like, my head was spinning, what's going on, what's going on? I received the Holy Spirit. I had only one desire, and that was to serve God. My whole idea of career, of money, of whatever, was gone. I just wanted to serve God. I wanted Jesus to work on my life. And that same, after that same period, I immediately worked in ministries, I was open to whatever God brought to me, and there was a ministry working with refugees, I went with them, we went into those centers, we did Bible studies with all the groups, and, you know, I had received the Holy Spirit, and I was just going about, as I felt led by the Holy Spirit, and there we prayed for each one. Every day, every week, we prayed for everyone. And then there was one man, he was called Stephen, and he came from Sierra Leone, and he was so, his heart was so damaged because of where he went through, that he had to go to a special medical unit. I prayed for him, we prayed for him, I prayed for all of them before they left, and that was it. I went home, and then a week later, I was called, Stephen called me, and Stephen said, you need to come, because Stephen was going to a special medical unit, because his heart was so damaged, he needed treatment. Stephen called me, he said, you need to come to the unit, you need to come to the unit. He said, the director wants to speak to you. When I came to the place, he had organized all those people from the medical unit to sit around, because he wanted me to pray for them, because Stephen was healed. And the director wanted to know, he had the medical report before and after, and he wanted to know, what have you done? I hadn't done anything. I was just a young guy who was, you know, praying and doing just little things like that. But the Spirit of God was moving. The Spirit of God was already operating and using, and I prayed for all those people. And just let it go when the Spirit of God comes upon you. You just move. As he wants you to pray for people, what Jill, who was it, just spoke about when that comes upon you, that idea that you need to pray for someone, call someone, do it, indeed. Let the Spirit of God work in you. So that is sort of how my life went. And then on the top of our ministry in the Hague, we lived in the Hague, I got married to the most beautiful woman, my Sarah. And Sarah had a similar experience as I did, so we were together 37 years ago or something. And then we, on the top of our ministry, God called us to Mozambique. And there in Mozambique, everything was hunky-dory, everything was fine, and we had a wonderful life, and that was it. No, not really. Not really. Because after about eight years in Mozambique, I became very depressed because we had very little fruit. There was nothing. We just had problem after problem after problem after problem, and I could not see a way forward. And I felt like, God, if this is for us to be here and to have so little fruit, what are we doing? Was it really from you? Was this really you, God? So I had my doubts, and then God spoke. And he said, your whisper of prayer is not going to change anything. And I said, I thought, like, what is he talking about? Now, I had built a prayer house because I was passionate about prayer. I built a prayer house. We went into the prayer house. We prayed in the prayer house. But God showed me my prayers were not good enough. He said, your whisper of prayer because quickly go in and out. I'm so busy. I'm so busy. I haven't got time to pray a lot. I haven't got prayer. Just my quickly pray. Guys, you pray, I'm going quickly. So God rebuked me and said, your whisper of prayer, I'm not going to do anything. In fact, he said, that story of the disciples trying to cast out a demon, and they couldn't. And Jesus said, now that type only comes out by prayer and fasting. And so I had fasted before, but sort of a day or two days, whatever, a little, little. I felt like, okay, okay, God, okay, I'm going to give it one year. I'm going to put fertilizer around that tree. You know that story? I'm going to put fertilizer around that tree to see if it brings some fruit. I'm going to see if it's going to do something. I'm going to fast and pray. God, okay, I'm going to give myself to fasting and prayer. And I gave my car away, and I started to get into the prayer house every day, moved into the prayer house. I started with a 21-day fast. And I was there, and I read the Word, and I prayed in tongues, and my tongues developed very fast. And after 21 days, did something happen? No, nothing happened. And then I continued. After three months, did something happen? No, nothing happened. So I was still quite discouraged, because I was doing it. But I said, I'm going to give it one year. So I'm not going to give up. I'm quite disciplined and routine, and I feel like I'm going to do it till the end. I'm going to do it till the end. I will finish by the end. And then more problems came. Bigger problems came. And then God said, those three guys who caused those problems, invite them into the prayer house and let them fast and pray, 21 days. So I did another 21-day fast. And so as those guys came with me in the prayer house, about the 13th day of that time of prayer and fasting, suddenly, and therefore I say that suddenly with the Holy Spirit you need to have that suddenly, suddenly the presence of God came into the prayer house, and it changed everything. Because then those boys, they didn't, they confessed everything they could confess. They gave themselves to the Lord. I saw the angels fighting with swords. Everything changed. It was like the presence took over our ministry, and from there on, instead of this negative depression, everything, like I always say it like, it is like you're pushing up a truck up the hill, up the hill. Now it's very difficult to push up a truck up a hill. But now the truck was going down, and I was running up behind it, because everything happened at once. So much were going for the good. God was just moving. And by the end of that year, we had so many people wanting to fast and pray, and we had the prayer house. Every night was full, people praying and fasting. And then I felt like I should start a Bible school. And I did. I started a Bible school with five students. And you know what? Our Bible school, last year we had a thousand graduates. Every year we have over 1,500 applicants. The Bible school, and I'm not even there. And it just goes, because the Spirit of God goes and does and moves whatever he wants to do. And that's how it went. So that is the story of how the Spirit moved. And then suddenly, we're here in Sheffield. We're here in Sheffield. Jerusalem, Jordanthorpe. Jerusalem, Jordanthorpe. Here we are in Jordanthorpe. When we came two years ago, I had no idea what are we doing here, what are we doing here, what are we doing here. You know, I love the church, but that's good, that's nice, but that doesn't do much to me. I love the church, Jordanthorpe. I believe God has something for Jordanthorpe. I believe God wants to move in Jordanthorpe. He wants to do something in Jordanthorpe. He wants to bless Jordanthorpe. The Spirit of God wants to move in Jordanthorpe. And that's why the Holy Spirit, I believe, wants to empower us. And, can we bring up the next one? Have I forgot a few slides? Yeah. I want us to move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You know, Paul brought all those gifts, what Jesus did, what the disciples did, he brought it together into nine gifts. And those nine gifts are what Jesus used, what the disciples used to bring the kingdom of God. And I said to Nick, I said, the gifts of the Spirit we really should bring into the home groups. And we should discuss it and exchange experiences, because people have questions. But it is very, very much for all of us. Because there are two things I want to say about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are for everyone. No one to be left out. They are for everyone. You don't need to be a super saint to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. No. The only thing you need is the Holy Spirit. You need the foundation as the Holy Spirit. And the rest, like I said, I didn't even know that healing just occurred. And I did. And in Mozambique I've seen all those gifts operating. God just uses those gifts and they will just come forth when the Holy Spirit is upon you, when the Holy Spirit is in you. And therefore we need really another morning of teaching to go through all those gifts, which I'm happy to do. But I think it's a good thing to really use them in your home groups. Bring those into your home groups. Because all of them are there for us. They're powerful. The tongues, I put them into threes. Threes. The gifts of declaration, or the gifts of proclamation, which is really proclaiming the heavenlies into the earth. What we did to prophesy, that little clip we saw for the giving, that is proclamation. That is the speaking out of the prophecies. Heavenly words. Speaking out into the earth. And we do this over Jordan Thoth. Heavenly words. Speaking out. Over the earth. That is what we do. We bring down heaven. When we speak, prophesy. When we speak in tongues. The heavenly language. It starts with speaking in tongues. Now I can give you lots of testimonies of what that has done to me. And we're going to leave that for another day. But that is sort of the word of knowledge we've just heard. The word of wisdom. Discernment. Discerning spirit. You really need it here. Here out. These days, the days we live in, everything goes. Everything is possible. But in God's economy, not everything goes. Because there are demons operating everywhere. And you need to have discernment to know what's going on. Yesterday in the clothes banks, isn't it, Ant? You need discernment of seeing what's going on. You need to discern those spirits which are not there to bless you, but to steal, kill, and destroy. So it's good to have the gifts of the spirit operating in your life. Gifts of faith, healing, and miracles. I've seen miracles happen. We had two years, no rain in Mozambique. We had a drought. Serious drought. A famine. And we prayed and fasted. And the last time we prayed and fasted, we all came together. One Saturday we all came together and we prayed for the last time. Four o'clock in the afternoon, a little cloud came. And it became darker and darker. And the rain fell and it didn't stop for three days raining. That was the end of our drought, of our famine. So there's miracles, healing. I can tell you stories. But that is the operation, the spirit of God operating, manifesting in your life. The gifts of the spirit. If we want to be different from the world, that's what needs to operate in your life. That's what needs to manifest in your life. We want to be different. We see what's happening in the world. We read the news. We see the news. And we see what's going on. We need to be different. We need to have the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit operating in our life, manifesting in our lives through the gifts of the spirit. And then we will see, the church will fill up. Then you will see how people will come in. In every ministry of MCF, when the spirit of God, the gifts of the spirit starts to operate, we see life. Jesus came to, the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came to give life more abundantly. And through the spirit of God operating in our lives, he will do that. He will work that out. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. We have a little bit of time left. And therefore I say, if you never receive the Holy Spirit, I say put your hand up. We'll pray for you because really, if you want the Holy Spirit to operate in power, it's for you. It's for all of us. No one to be left out. No one to be left out. It's for you. And we need him. This day and age, we need him. And therefore I say, if you haven't got the Holy Spirit, if you feel like I need the power of the Holy Spirit, come here. The music is going to play. Right? The music is going to play. We'll pray for you. I'll pray for you because I'm passionate about the Holy Spirit. I have a history with the Holy Spirit. I love him. Amen? Let me say a prayer first as they come up. I want to honor you, Holy Spirit. I want to thank you, Holy Spirit, for being with us. I want to thank you, Holy Spirit, that you come and lead and direct us, that you come and work through us to bring the kingdom of God. We thank you, Holy Spirit, for being here. And I pray, suddenly, may your presence come upon each one here. Holy Spirit, as we worship, Holy Spirit, touch each person. Touch each person. Fill each person. We need you. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Jesus, for giving your Holy Spirit. Thank you for being with us, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Life in the Spirit: Beyond the Obvious This week, Andy continued our series on "Life in the Spirit," diving deep into what it truly means to be led by the Holy Spirit. He challenged our common assumptions, moving beyond ideas of just "hearing God" or "experiencing the Holy Spirit" to uncover a more foundational truth found in Paul's letter to the Romans. Andy opened with a vivid story from his recent trip to South Wales, where he and Angie encountered an ultra-marathon photographer. This photographer was positioned near the end of a gruelling 100-mile race, ready to capture the exhausted but exhilarated runners. He highlighted the crucial role of arrows pointing the way to the finish line, but more importantly, the extensive training the runners undertook to even begin such a race. This analogy set the stage: while guidance and exciting experiences are part of the Spirit's work, there's something far more fundamental – the "training" that equips us for the long haul of faith. Turning to Romans 8:12-17, Andy explained that Paul, despite his own profound encounters with the Holy Spirit (like on the road to Damascus, Acts 9), doesn't focus on visions or gifts when describing being "led by the Spirit." Instead, he points to a radical, daily transformation. The context of Romans 8, Andy reminded us, is the tension of living in the "now, but not yet." As Christians, we've inherited a glorious future free from pain and death, yet we live in a present reality filled with challenges. The Holy Spirit, he explained, is actively at work in this tension, helping us navigate it. Andy then broke down several key works of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the earlier verses of Romans 8: Freedom from sin and death (Romans 8:2): The Spirit sets us free from the old law of sin and death, establishing new consequences for our lives. A new mindset (Romans 8:4-5): We are called to live according to the Spirit, having our minds set on what the Spirit desires, not on our sinful nature's desires. This is a profound shift from a self-centred life to a God-centred one. Life and peace (Romans 8:6): A mind controlled by the Spirit leads to life and peace, in stark contrast to the death that comes from a sinful mind. Andy emphasized the ongoing "war" within us, urging us to choose to follow the Spirit's leading. Life for our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11): If the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, He will also give life to our mortal bodies – a stirring promise of hope and resurrection power at work within us now. The core of Andy's message, drawn from Romans 8:13, revealed what it truly means to be led by the Spirit: "If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." This is strong language. It's not about tolerating sin, burying our heads in the sand, or just "putting up with" our sinful nature. It's about actively, with the Spirit's power, killing off those self-centred desires and actions that cut us off from God's plan and the fullness He has for us. Once something is dead, it's dead. This is the "engine room" of our spiritual lives, the foundational work that enables us to grow and develop. Andy then linked this to Romans 8:12, explaining our "obligation." Before Christ, we were obligated to our sinful nature, driven by selfish desires. But now, having surrendered our lives to Jesus and with the Spirit at work, we have a different obligation: to live according to the Spirit. This isn't about rules or duty, but about responding to God's love and His desire to bring joy, peace, love, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness into our lives. The glorious outcome of being led by the Spirit in this way, as highlighted in Romans 8:14-17, is that we become children of God. We are no longer slaves to fear, but adopted sons and daughters, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, inheriting all that Jesus has. This relationship frees us from a life of duty and rules, inviting us into a loving relationship with our Heavenly Father. Andy concluded with practical steps on how to live this out: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin: What does He want us to deal with? Learn and stand on God's Word: Memorize verses like Romans 8:11 to use as a weapon against temptation. Kiss goodbye to feelings as a driver: Choose to believe God's Word over fleeting emotions. Fix our eyes on Jesus: Remember it's about relationship, not rules. Confess our sins: As 1 John 1:9 says, if we confess, God is faithful to forgive and purify. This breaks sin's stranglehold. Challenge assumptions: Don't cling to "this is just who I am." The Spirit has made you a new creation! Stop dressing up sin: See it for what it truly is – a deceptive lie from the enemy. Christ died to free us from everything opposed to God. To be led by the Spirit means a radical rethinking of our lives, learning to put sin to death and choosing instead to stand in the life Jesus promised. You are a son or daughter of God – it's time to walk into more of your inheritance! Bible References: Romans 8 (specifically Romans 8:2, 8:4, 8:5, 8:6, 8:10, 8:11, 8:12, 8:13, 8:14, 8:15, 8:16, 8:17) Acts 9 (implied, road to Damascus) 1 Corinthians (implied, communion) 1 John 1:9 James (implied, confess sins to one another) Transcript pray for me in order to fit the microphone in the pocket of these trousers, I've had to give my wallet to my wife. So, it's always a risky thing. So, we're continuing our series this morning on what it is to, on what life in the Spirit is all about. Nick kicked it off last week. If you've got a Bible or an app or whatever, you might want to turn to Romans 8. We're going to be looking at some verses in there in a minute. But I wonder if I asked you a question, what does it mean to be led by the Spirit? I wonder what sort of answers I would get because I kind of think probably most of us would say, well, it means about hearing God, doesn't it? It means about God guiding us. It means about experiencing the Holy Spirit and getting a sense of what that is, which is kind of your initial reaction. But as we're going to see, actually, when Paul got the opportunity to write about it, that's not what he said. So, we're going to look at that in a minute. Just a couple of weeks ago, Angie and I had a chance to get away for a few days in Pembroke in South Wales. And one of the days there, we were walking along the coastal path there. And as we were walking along the path, we come across this guy sat on a chair, banging the middle of the path. And he had one of these massive cameras with him. And I thought, oh, he's doing some wildlife photography or something like that. And so, we started chatting to him. He wasn't doing that, actually. He was a sports photographer. And apparently, there was a race taking place. And he was sat there on the path because he was expecting some runners to come. And he lined himself up to get a beautiful backdrop. And he's really sweaty runners to come around and capture their photograph. And it turns out there was a race going on called an ultra. Who knew? Some of you probably do. And in an ultra race, apparently, you run 100 miles. Whoa. And so, these were guys that had set off running at midnight the previous day and were still running. And the race was going to finish in the village next to where we were. So, he was set up near the finishing line to capture if anybody actually made it. But Angie and I went and sat down. And actually, it was quite a nice day. We sat down in the field and had a bit of lunch. And we could see the runners coming along. And we noticed as they ran along the coastal path, you come to sort of a stile to get to the next bit. And there were these big arrows on the stile pointing them to go up the field and leave that coastal path. And the arrows, obviously, were really important because if you run, like, 99 miles, you don't suddenly want to find yourself going the wrong way, do you? So, they were showing them the way to the end. And obviously, when they got to the end, I mean, A, they'd be really exhausted, for sure. But you can just imagine the sense of exhilaration, of celebration, and achievement, and excitement that you've done about that race. And yet, as I thought about it, you know, that's great, isn't it? But actually, what's really important for those runners is they all had to do an awful lot of training in the first place to get their bodies in the kind of shape and fitness and stamina where they could cope with running 100 miles. And that in some ways is far more important for them than the arrows pointing in the right direction or the sense of celebration when they finish. Because if they put the training in, if they manage what they eat, if they put the exercise in, they get up early and go practicing and they build up the stamina to run that sort of distance, then they can go on and do it again and again and again. And in some ways, what we're going to see this morning is that, you know, we think about the Holy Spirit being something that leads us, like those arrows, points us in the right direction of where we want to go. Or we think about the experience of the Holy Spirit being exactly that, something that's exciting and stirring. But actually what we're going to see, there's something far more fundamental, far more foundational, far more set up to help us last the journey and cause us to grow and develop as we walk this race with Jesus. Walk this race, I didn't mean that. But, and it's interesting because we look at, you think about Paul who wrote these verses we're going to look at. This is Paul who encountered the Holy Spirit, encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. Wow, what an experience, right? And it was blinded and then led to the house of Cornelius where he's prayed for and eventually he's seized. This is the same Paul who writes in the book of Acts that the Holy Spirit prevented us from entering Asia and preaching the word. This is the same Paul who says we saw the vision of the man of Macedonia pleading with us to come over. And so in that sense he's led by the Spirit. This is the same Paul who is the only guy in the New Testament that gives us any detail about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And yet when he writes about what it is to be led by the Spirit, that isn't where he goes. That's not what he teaches us. So we're going to get into this. I'm just going to read Romans 8 verses 12 to 17 in the NIV if you've got that. And this is what he says. Paul says, Therefore brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to the sinful nature, but to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a Spirit again that makes you, the Spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you receive the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry Abba Father. The Spirit himself testifies of our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. So the context of this chapter, Paul is explaining how as Christians we live in this tension of living in the now, but the not yet. As Christians who have been born again, who have encountered Jesus and have chosen to follow Jesus, we have inherited something and we are heading towards a place where there will be no more pain, no more sickness, no more death. And we're heading towards all of that. And yet at the same time, we live in the tension of the now, that goes on now. And when we pray for healing, we're praying for the not yet to break through into the now and things like that. And we're called to do that, but it's difficult, isn't it? Because we live in this tension, but that is the promises of God that we will enjoy. But right now it's a bit of a challenge. So Paul is saying in this chapter how living in that tension, the Holy Spirit is at work in you and in me and helping us as we do that. Last week, Nick was talking about the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing us to Christ in the first place and how we choose to follow Jesus, the Holy, it's that work of the Holy Spirit to cause us to be born again in that language. What Paul is saying here, having done that, this is now the work of the Holy Spirit in your life and in my life day by day. And I kind of wonder, this is almost like the small print, right? Nicodemus got the headline story of you need the Holy Spirit to enable you to be born again, but this is the small print. Once you've done that, here's what's going to happen. And so as we read this, that's what Paul is talking about. And so in the early part of the chapter 8, he sets out a number of things that the Holy Spirit is doing in your life and in mine. So in verse 2 we read, the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death. So the first thing, the Holy Spirit has set you free. Why not feel like that? Well, come on to that. But the Spirit is at work in you. He has set you free from the law of sin and death. There are different consequences to our lives. Now we are following the Spirit of God than before we did that. In verse 4, Paul writes, we do not live according to the sinful nature, but we live according to the Spirit. And in verse 5, we do not live according to the sinful nature, having our mindset on what that nature desires, but instead we live according to the Spirit, having our mindset on what the Spirit desires. So Paul is saying as we follow Jesus and if we're the Holy Spirit is at work in us, then what we are doing, we are thinking about, what is it that the Holy Spirit desires? What does God desire for me? What does God desire for my life? What does God desire for the people that I am involved with? What does God desire for the community where I live? Because before we knew God, we had our mindset on what I want. And he's making this massive contrast between life following Jesus and life before we did that. And he goes on in verse 6, the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace, but the mind of sinful man is death. What is controlling your mind today? What is controlling my mind today? See, what Paul is painting a picture here, there's a war going on. And I think we all identify with this, right? And there's a voice saying, oh, this is what you should do. You should do what you want to do. And then there's another voice saying, hang on, Jesus gave his life for you and you're trying to follow him. You should be doing what he's asking you to do. And Paul is describing this war that goes on and this tension that goes on in our lives and how the Holy Spirit is at work. And he's making the point that he's urging us to be men and women who choose to follow what the Holy Spirit is saying to us in terms of how we live our lives. And he goes on in verse 11, if the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in us, he will give life to our mortal bodies. If the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in you, he will give life to you, to me. But I mean, that is such a stirring thing, right? We need to grab a hold of that and let that sink in and come back to that. He makes all these statements about the work of the Spirit in our lives in contrast to the works of what he calls the sinful nature, in contrast to a life that is about pursuing what we want and a self-centered thing that drives us. And then we get to our passage. And so in verse 14, we read, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. But when he says that, we need to understand what comes before because, right? Because he says something and then he says because those who are led by the Spirit of God. So what does it mean particularly to be led by the Spirit of God? And if we go back one verse in verse 13, we see that. We read this, he says, for if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit of God you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Or in another version, but if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. This is strong language. If by the Holy Spirit you put to death those deeds of the sinful nature, that work of the sinful, if by the Holy Spirit you put to death those things that are driven out of self-centeredness, that are driven out of what you want to do and that are not part of what God has in plan for you. He says we are to kill it. We are to put it to death. We are to get rid of it. You see, once something is dead, that's it. It doesn't come back. There's no more life. It is dead. He does not say, but through the power of the Spirit you put up with the sin in your life. He doesn't say through the power of the Spirit, don't worry about that, just keep going, don't worry about those things that are part of the sinful nature. He doesn't say through the power of the Spirit just bury your head in the sand and carry on as if nothing happens. No, he says through the power of the Spirit we are to be men and women who are putting to death those things that are cutting us off from God's plan for our lives and the richness and the fullness and the love and the passion that God has for you and we are to put them to death. And then he says that's what it means to be led by the Spirit. Wow, so it's a putting to death the deeds of our sinful nature. It's not about speaking in tongues, it's not about having visions, it's not about seeing signs although those things clearly follow, but it is instead what Paul is saying if we truly want to be men and women who are led by the Spirit then we are to be a people working with the power of the Spirit in our lives to put to death what he calls those deeds of the sinful nature and I kind of guess that most of you can think what they are in your own life. It's the Holy Spirit that is the active agent counteracting sin in our lives and a people led by the Spirit are allowing that to happen. That's why this is such a foundational fundamental thing because we are to go through our lives this never stops right then we have to go through our lives to keep doing this keep coming back to God keep coming back to Jesus and say Lord what else is there something in my life that needs to be dealt with needs to be addressed and then I want to trust the Holy Spirit to help me to put that to death. And then if we go back one more verse, verse 12, he says therefore brothers we have an obligation right if you rent a house you have an obligation to pay rent if you borrowed a mortgage to buy a house you have an obligation to pay it back and Paul is saying we as Christians as followers of we as Christians as followers of Jesus we have an obligation. He says but it's not to live according to the sinful nature so in other words before we were a Christian before we chose to follow Jesus we were obligated is that a word I think so we were we we had to follow the sinful nature there was no other option we had to follow our own selfish desires we had to do what we want to do and if you're outside of Jesus this morning afraid to say that's the way that life is lived it doesn't take much to see that around us but Paul is saying now we have surrendered our lives to Jesus and the Holy Spirit is at work in us we have a different obligation we are now obliged to live according to the spirit you know so often it feels the other way around doesn't it when we're battling with sin and we're battling with stuff it feels like it's just so easy to see and it's so easy to trip up or it's so easy to give in and it almost feels like the other way around which is why we got to stop trusting feelings but that's why Paul is at pains to point this out it's such a massive issue for us as we go through following Jesus day after day after day but it is such a massive win that Christ has won on the cross for us and poured out the Holy Spirit in your life and my life to bring us to a place where we learn to put these things to death and we are instead obliged to follow what the Holy Spirit wants to do in your life and in my life because he's got a calling for you he's got a purpose for you he's got a plan for you he is for you he desires to to give you good things he desires to see joy and peace and love and patience and kindness and goodness and gentleness and faithfulness growing in your heart and in your life he's for you and so he says we are obliged to live according to the spirit this is what it means to be a people led by the spirit yes it is the same spirit that produces the fruit of the spirit in our lives yes it's the same spirit that gives gifts to the church and it's the same spirit that might give us visions or over experiences and encounters with God but it's like addressing this is like the engine room of the ship it's where the action happens it's where the thing that matters you can have all sorts of stuff on a boat you know you think these super yachts or these big cruise liners that are enormous these days it seems to me with swimming pools and gyms and theatres and cinemas and everything else but actually if the if the engine room wasn't working that would all be irrelevant because that boat isn't going anywhere and so this is like the engine room of our lives that actually this is the place where God starts to drive us where he is calling us to if we take him seriously about tackling these issues in our lives are we feeling aimless this morning are we feeling we've lost direction are we feeling we're just drifting there may be that we need to look at the engine room of the work of the holy spirit in us what's he calling to mind what's he asking us to deal with what's he challenging us to say here is something you need to put to death and let's deal with this together you know maybe this is why paul writes um you know when he writes the letter to the church in Corinth and he describes about communion he talks about the detail around taking communion and he says this is why some of you have fallen weak and are sick because you're not addressing these issues of sin in your life and you're carrying on taking the lord's supper and you know because he's seen actually that we need to tackle this we need to be serious about it and address it but then if we go forwards from verse 14 there's more all right which is also just as important paul says if we're living like this if we're led by the spirit in this way and we're putting to death everything that sets itself up against god in our lives then what then you and i are children of god we are sons of god hallelujah you know that is good news it really is we are adopted as children of god himself for all who are led by the spirit are children of god no ifs there's no buts there's no exception clause if we are led by the spirit we are children of god we're no longer slaves to the form of things that enslaved our lives you know that's the argument that he's stating we're now children of god in fact he's very specific we're no longer a slave to fear and for a lot of us even as christians we still get enslaved to fears so often and paul is saying we're children of god we're led by the spirit god has made available to you and to me the ability to put to death those things that lead us into fear or anxiety or stress because in christ they can be defeated and so we're no longer slaves to the form of things before we were a christian we lived the slave to sin and the enticements and seductions of this world but no more we're now children of god heirs of god and co-heirs with christ getting the inheritance of jesus wow right wow you know we're of an age when we're thinking about inheritance for our kids as i'm sure some of you are and you know and we're going to inherit what is jesus because we're co-heirs with christ so what does all this mean what does all this mean it means we follow jesus and pursue righteousness in our lives not so much by obedience to a set of rules as living out a new relationship with god as his children conformed to the likeness of his son it's very easy just to kind of zone zone out almost and just pick and think this is about trying harder this is about i've got to do better that's not what it's about it's not about following a set of rules paul is saying it's in the context of a relationship with a loving heavenly father who gave his own son jesus for you and for me that we then decide we want to choose to work this out we want to choose to allow the holy spirit to address these things in our lives we want to choose to follow god for this and and be changed from the inside out not because we have to or because there's rules of duty but because we are now children of the living god and god wants to set us free from following a set of rules and instead he wants to be your father not with the shortcomings of an earthly father hallelujah but as a loving father who gave his only son for us and that out of that relationship everyone say lord i want you to deal with this stuff in my life i want you to deal with the crap that trips me up time and time again and i want to address it because i believe you've got something better for me you have something of greater freedom for me as being led by the spirit is evidence that we are children of god we have moved from slavery to sonship and as he goes on by him by that same spirit we cry abba father the spirit himself testifying of our spirit that we are god's children you see the holy spirit doesn't doesn't trample over our humanity or bypass it in some way but he redeems it and now works through it in your life and in my life he nor does he overtake or overwhelm us but he has come to do what the law could not do and write on our hearts the obedience in such a way that as god's people we want to follow god's ways that's the work of what he's doing in you and in me today that's the that's the stirring of the spirit that's what it needs to be led by the spirit paul is saying and so he's at pains to point out that you are a people that are led by the spirit because you are working with him to deal with those issues from our old lives and that christ the son of god died and was raised to life to bring us to life and he's now poured out his holy spirit into our life to set us free from and to deal with the mess the dross the things that trip us up don't you realize the holy spirit is at work in you verse 10 and 11 supports this but if christ is in you your body is dead because of sin yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness and if the spirit of raised who raised jesus from the dead is living in you he who raised christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit at work in you there is so much hope in this passage in a world that is crying out for hope how can i escape this how can i get out of that how can i stop doing it how can i stop all of us there is so much hope in this passage that no matter what are the things that trip you and i up there is hope that actually in god working with the holy spirit we can deal with these things that's what paul is saying here and he's pointing out for us therefore this means what does this mean practically well it means not putting up with stuff in our lives that we shouldn't be putting up with you know we can get to a place a plateau of tolerating sin can't we it's a bit like it's a bit like in your house right you can i don't know if you like me sometimes but you can just put off jobs can't you david's saying no you don't put some jobs is that right lennis you can put off jobs in your house in your cleaning jobs you know or cleaning behind the sofa you know anybody do that no it's like you always think you know if someone comes and visits oh it's nice it looks nice and clean but if they came and they pulled the sofa out or they lifted the cushions up or you know well yeah we put off jobs like that and in some ways that's how we tolerate sin and stuff in our lives we just kind of put it off we're dealing with bigger issues we're dealing with other things but maybe this morning the holy spirit is putting his finger on something else you know we're not to put up with it nor are we to play with fire in that sense you know there are times i know in my life when you kind of justify dabbling with sin you know we use the language like well i'm not as bad as that person it's not really harming anybody you know and we use language like that to kind of accommodate it and yet what paul is talking about here there is a radical approach that we need to take because of what god has been has done we need to stop being nice about sin in our lives and name it for what it is those anxieties those fears and insecurities we need to allow the holy spirit to deal with them and put them to death we need to walk away from statements like yeah but this is me or i have always been like this this is just who i am the holy spirit has made you a new creation in christ the old has gone the new has come and you can be new today even through the work of the holy spirit if you only cry out to him this morning it means tackling addictive patterns and habits and not managing them just in a medical sense but putting them to death the opportunity is there through god's spirit now how do we do this quickly at the end very quickly we need to ask the holy spirit can you show us oh god stuff in my life that you're asking me to deal with that's stopping me from growing on growing with you and going on with you we need to ask lord what can you see that i can't see like underneath those cushions of the sofa or whatever that we actually does need to deal with we need to learn god's word and stand on it we need to hold verses that say things like the spirit of him who raised jesus from the dead is living in you he who raised christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies and when you're facing the challenges and the differences and you're being tempted you hold those verses and as you memorize them and learn they become a part of you and you use them as a weapon say no i don't have to do this anymore because the spirit of christ the spirit that raised christ from the dead is at work in me and we need to let that happen we need to kiss goodbye to feelings as a driver for our life this used to be a nightmare for me as the young man it's terrible i don't feel jesus loves me i don't feel god loves me i don't feel this i don't feel that and i had to learn to hold to memorize some of those verses that trump feelings time and again and then make a choice and then choose not to believe feelings but choose instead to believe the word of god even though i didn't feel like it and we give too much sway to our feelings and our emotions and we need to learn to bring them under the word of god we need to fix our eyes on jesus it is about relationship and not about rules and we need to be free from seeing to do this as a sense of rules and duty we need to pick ourselves up brush ourselves down and start all over again when we trip up john puts it this way he says if we if we confess our sins god is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all and we all trip up paul talks about that elsewhere what do we do we we ask for forgiveness and we press on we need to we need to challenge our assumptions like i said earlier i've always been like this i quite like my insecurities it's who i am it's who god made me well guess what he's made you a new creation now redeemed by the death and resurrection of his son jesus for you we need to confess our sins to one another james writes that's a hard one but i tell you that is a hard one but there's nothing like that to break the stranglehold of sin in your life particularly personal private sins that you hold on to and that you're scared about telling others when you confess them to people it breaks the hold in your life and we need to tell it like it is we need to stop dressing sin up in our eyes as something glossy and okay and we need to see it because the devil is the father of lies he is full of deceit and false promises and destructive and death is the only end and so we need to stop dressing it up and see it as it truly is christ died on the cross to free you from everything in your life that stands opposed to god to be led by the spirit means a radical rethink about the stuff in our lives that is opposed to god it means living a life where with the power of god's spirit we are learning to put to death sin and its effects and we are choosing instead to stand in the life that jesus has promised you are a son or a daughter of god this morning it's time to walk into more of your inheritance amen

Life in the Spirit: Beyond the Obvious This week, Andy continued our series on "Life in the Spirit," diving deep into what it truly means to be led by the Holy Spirit. He challenged our common assumptions, moving beyond ideas of just "hearing God" or "experiencing the Holy Spirit" to uncover a more foundational truth found in Paul's letter to the Romans. Andy opened with a vivid story from his recent trip to South Wales, where he and Angie encountered an ultra-marathon photographer. This photographer was positioned near the end of a gruelling 100-mile race, ready to capture the exhausted but exhilarated runners. He highlighted the crucial role of arrows pointing the way to the finish line, but more importantly, the extensive training the runners undertook to even begin such a race. This analogy set the stage: while guidance and exciting experiences are part of the Spirit's work, there's something far more fundamental – the "training" that equips us for the long haul of faith. Turning to Romans 8:12-17, Andy explained that Paul, despite his own profound encounters with the Holy Spirit (like on the road to Damascus, Acts 9), doesn't focus on visions or gifts when describing being "led by the Spirit." Instead, he points to a radical, daily transformation. The context of Romans 8, Andy reminded us, is the tension of living in the "now, but not yet." As Christians, we've inherited a glorious future free from pain and death, yet we live in a present reality filled with challenges. The Holy Spirit, he explained, is actively at work in this tension, helping us navigate it. Andy then broke down several key works of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the earlier verses of Romans 8: Freedom from sin and death (Romans 8:2): The Spirit sets us free from the old law of sin and death, establishing new consequences for our lives. A new mindset (Romans 8:4-5): We are called to live according to the Spirit, having our minds set on what the Spirit desires, not on our sinful nature's desires. This is a profound shift from a self-centred life to a God-centred one. Life and peace (Romans 8:6): A mind controlled by the Spirit leads to life and peace, in stark contrast to the death that comes from a sinful mind. Andy emphasized the ongoing "war" within us, urging us to choose to follow the Spirit's leading. Life for our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11): If the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, He will also give life to our mortal bodies – a stirring promise of hope and resurrection power at work within us now. The core of Andy's message, drawn from Romans 8:13, revealed what it truly means to be led by the Spirit: "If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." This is strong language. It's not about tolerating sin, burying our heads in the sand, or just "putting up with" our sinful nature. It's about actively, with the Spirit's power, killing off those self-centred desires and actions that cut us off from God's plan and the fullness He has for us. Once something is dead, it's dead. This is the "engine room" of our spiritual lives, the foundational work that enables us to grow and develop. Andy then linked this to Romans 8:12, explaining our "obligation." Before Christ, we were obligated to our sinful nature, driven by selfish desires. But now, having surrendered our lives to Jesus and with the Spirit at work, we have a different obligation: to live according to the Spirit. This isn't about rules or duty, but about responding to God's love and His desire to bring joy, peace, love, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness into our lives. The glorious outcome of being led by the Spirit in this way, as highlighted in Romans 8:14-17, is that we become children of God. We are no longer slaves to fear, but adopted sons and daughters, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, inheriting all that Jesus has. This relationship frees us from a life of duty and rules, inviting us into a loving relationship with our Heavenly Father. Andy concluded with practical steps on how to live this out: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin: What does He want us to deal with? Learn and stand on God's Word: Memorize verses like Romans 8:11 to use as a weapon against temptation. Kiss goodbye to feelings as a driver: Choose to believe God's Word over fleeting emotions. Fix our eyes on Jesus: Remember it's about relationship, not rules. Confess our sins: As 1 John 1:9 says, if we confess, God is faithful to forgive and purify. This breaks sin's stranglehold. Challenge assumptions: Don't cling to "this is just who I am." The Spirit has made you a new creation! Stop dressing up sin: See it for what it truly is – a deceptive lie from the enemy. Christ died to free us from everything opposed to God. To be led by the Spirit means a radical rethinking of our lives, learning to put sin to death and choosing instead to stand in the life Jesus promised. You are a son or daughter of God – it's time to walk into more of your inheritance! Bible References: Romans 8 (specifically Romans 8:2, 8:4, 8:5, 8:6, 8:10, 8:11, 8:12, 8:13, 8:14, 8:15, 8:16, 8:17) Acts 9 (implied, road to Damascus) 1 Corinthians (implied, communion) 1 John 1:9 James (implied, confess sins to one another) Transcript pray for me in order to fit the microphone in the pocket of these trousers, I've had to give my wallet to my wife. So, it's always a risky thing. So, we're continuing our series this morning on what it is to, on what life in the Spirit is all about. Nick kicked it off last week. If you've got a Bible or an app or whatever, you might want to turn to Romans 8. We're going to be looking at some verses in there in a minute. But I wonder if I asked you a question, what does it mean to be led by the Spirit? I wonder what sort of answers I would get because I kind of think probably most of us would say, well, it means about hearing God, doesn't it? It means about God guiding us. It means about experiencing the Holy Spirit and getting a sense of what that is, which is kind of your initial reaction. But as we're going to see, actually, when Paul got the opportunity to write about it, that's not what he said. So, we're going to look at that in a minute. Just a couple of weeks ago, Angie and I had a chance to get away for a few days in Pembroke in South Wales. And one of the days there, we were walking along the coastal path there. And as we were walking along the path, we come across this guy sat on a chair, banging the middle of the path. And he had one of these massive cameras with him. And I thought, oh, he's doing some wildlife photography or something like that. And so, we started chatting to him. He wasn't doing that, actually. He was a sports photographer. And apparently, there was a race taking place. And he was sat there on the path because he was expecting some runners to come. And he lined himself up to get a beautiful backdrop. And he's really sweaty runners to come around and capture their photograph. And it turns out there was a race going on called an ultra. Who knew? Some of you probably do. And in an ultra race, apparently, you run 100 miles. Whoa. And so, these were guys that had set off running at midnight the previous day and were still running. And the race was going to finish in the village next to where we were. So, he was set up near the finishing line to capture if anybody actually made it. But Angie and I went and sat down. And actually, it was quite a nice day. We sat down in the field and had a bit of lunch. And we could see the runners coming along. And we noticed as they ran along the coastal path, you come to sort of a stile to get to the next bit. And there were these big arrows on the stile pointing them to go up the field and leave that coastal path. And the arrows, obviously, were really important because if you run, like, 99 miles, you don't suddenly want to find yourself going the wrong way, do you? So, they were showing them the way to the end. And obviously, when they got to the end, I mean, A, they'd be really exhausted, for sure. But you can just imagine the sense of exhilaration, of celebration, and achievement, and excitement that you've done about that race. And yet, as I thought about it, you know, that's great, isn't it? But actually, what's really important for those runners is they all had to do an awful lot of training in the first place to get their bodies in the kind of shape and fitness and stamina where they could cope with running 100 miles. And that in some ways is far more important for them than the arrows pointing in the right direction or the sense of celebration when they finish. Because if they put the training in, if they manage what they eat, if they put the exercise in, they get up early and go practicing and they build up the stamina to run that sort of distance, then they can go on and do it again and again and again. And in some ways, what we're going to see this morning is that, you know, we think about the Holy Spirit being something that leads us, like those arrows, points us in the right direction of where we want to go. Or we think about the experience of the Holy Spirit being exactly that, something that's exciting and stirring. But actually what we're going to see, there's something far more fundamental, far more foundational, far more set up to help us last the journey and cause us to grow and develop as we walk this race with Jesus. Walk this race, I didn't mean that. But, and it's interesting because we look at, you think about Paul who wrote these verses we're going to look at. This is Paul who encountered the Holy Spirit, encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. Wow, what an experience, right? And it was blinded and then led to the house of Cornelius where he's prayed for and eventually he's seized. This is the same Paul who writes in the book of Acts that the Holy Spirit prevented us from entering Asia and preaching the word. This is the same Paul who says we saw the vision of the man of Macedonia pleading with us to come over. And so in that sense he's led by the Spirit. This is the same Paul who is the only guy in the New Testament that gives us any detail about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And yet when he writes about what it is to be led by the Spirit, that isn't where he goes. That's not what he teaches us. So we're going to get into this. I'm just going to read Romans 8 verses 12 to 17 in the NIV if you've got that. And this is what he says. Paul says, Therefore brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to the sinful nature, but to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a Spirit again that makes you, the Spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you receive the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry Abba Father. The Spirit himself testifies of our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. So the context of this chapter, Paul is explaining how as Christians we live in this tension of living in the now, but the not yet. As Christians who have been born again, who have encountered Jesus and have chosen to follow Jesus, we have inherited something and we are heading towards a place where there will be no more pain, no more sickness, no more death. And we're heading towards all of that. And yet at the same time, we live in the tension of the now, that goes on now. And when we pray for healing, we're praying for the not yet to break through into the now and things like that. And we're called to do that, but it's difficult, isn't it? Because we live in this tension, but that is the promises of God that we will enjoy. But right now it's a bit of a challenge. So Paul is saying in this chapter how living in that tension, the Holy Spirit is at work in you and in me and helping us as we do that. Last week, Nick was talking about the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing us to Christ in the first place and how we choose to follow Jesus, the Holy, it's that work of the Holy Spirit to cause us to be born again in that language. What Paul is saying here, having done that, this is now the work of the Holy Spirit in your life and in my life day by day. And I kind of wonder, this is almost like the small print, right? Nicodemus got the headline story of you need the Holy Spirit to enable you to be born again, but this is the small print. Once you've done that, here's what's going to happen. And so as we read this, that's what Paul is talking about. And so in the early part of the chapter 8, he sets out a number of things that the Holy Spirit is doing in your life and in mine. So in verse 2 we read, the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death. So the first thing, the Holy Spirit has set you free. Why not feel like that? Well, come on to that. But the Spirit is at work in you. He has set you free from the law of sin and death. There are different consequences to our lives. Now we are following the Spirit of God than before we did that. In verse 4, Paul writes, we do not live according to the sinful nature, but we live according to the Spirit. And in verse 5, we do not live according to the sinful nature, having our mindset on what that nature desires, but instead we live according to the Spirit, having our mindset on what the Spirit desires. So Paul is saying as we follow Jesus and if we're the Holy Spirit is at work in us, then what we are doing, we are thinking about, what is it that the Holy Spirit desires? What does God desire for me? What does God desire for my life? What does God desire for the people that I am involved with? What does God desire for the community where I live? Because before we knew God, we had our mindset on what I want. And he's making this massive contrast between life following Jesus and life before we did that. And he goes on in verse 6, the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace, but the mind of sinful man is death. What is controlling your mind today? What is controlling my mind today? See, what Paul is painting a picture here, there's a war going on. And I think we all identify with this, right? And there's a voice saying, oh, this is what you should do. You should do what you want to do. And then there's another voice saying, hang on, Jesus gave his life for you and you're trying to follow him. You should be doing what he's asking you to do. And Paul is describing this war that goes on and this tension that goes on in our lives and how the Holy Spirit is at work. And he's making the point that he's urging us to be men and women who choose to follow what the Holy Spirit is saying to us in terms of how we live our lives. And he goes on in verse 11, if the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in us, he will give life to our mortal bodies. If the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in you, he will give life to you, to me. But I mean, that is such a stirring thing, right? We need to grab a hold of that and let that sink in and come back to that. He makes all these statements about the work of the Spirit in our lives in contrast to the works of what he calls the sinful nature, in contrast to a life that is about pursuing what we want and a self-centered thing that drives us. And then we get to our passage. And so in verse 14, we read, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. But when he says that, we need to understand what comes before because, right? Because he says something and then he says because those who are led by the Spirit of God. So what does it mean particularly to be led by the Spirit of God? And if we go back one verse in verse 13, we see that. We read this, he says, for if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit of God you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Or in another version, but if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. This is strong language. If by the Holy Spirit you put to death those deeds of the sinful nature, that work of the sinful, if by the Holy Spirit you put to death those things that are driven out of self-centeredness, that are driven out of what you want to do and that are not part of what God has in plan for you. He says we are to kill it. We are to put it to death. We are to get rid of it. You see, once something is dead, that's it. It doesn't come back. There's no more life. It is dead. He does not say, but through the power of the Spirit you put up with the sin in your life. He doesn't say through the power of the Spirit, don't worry about that, just keep going, don't worry about those things that are part of the sinful nature. He doesn't say through the power of the Spirit just bury your head in the sand and carry on as if nothing happens. No, he says through the power of the Spirit we are to be men and women who are putting to death those things that are cutting us off from God's plan for our lives and the richness and the fullness and the love and the passion that God has for you and we are to put them to death. And then he says that's what it means to be led by the Spirit. Wow, so it's a putting to death the deeds of our sinful nature. It's not about speaking in tongues, it's not about having visions, it's not about seeing signs although those things clearly follow, but it is instead what Paul is saying if we truly want to be men and women who are led by the Spirit then we are to be a people working with the power of the Spirit in our lives to put to death what he calls those deeds of the sinful nature and I kind of guess that most of you can think what they are in your own life. It's the Holy Spirit that is the active agent counteracting sin in our lives and a people led by the Spirit are allowing that to happen. That's why this is such a foundational fundamental thing because we are to go through our lives this never stops right then we have to go through our lives to keep doing this keep coming back to God keep coming back to Jesus and say Lord what else is there something in my life that needs to be dealt with needs to be addressed and then I want to trust the Holy Spirit to help me to put that to death. And then if we go back one more verse, verse 12, he says therefore brothers we have an obligation right if you rent a house you have an obligation to pay rent if you borrowed a mortgage to buy a house you have an obligation to pay it back and Paul is saying we as Christians as followers of we as Christians as followers of Jesus we have an obligation. He says but it's not to live according to the sinful nature so in other words before we were a Christian before we chose to follow Jesus we were obligated is that a word I think so we were we we had to follow the sinful nature there was no other option we had to follow our own selfish desires we had to do what we want to do and if you're outside of Jesus this morning afraid to say that's the way that life is lived it doesn't take much to see that around us but Paul is saying now we have surrendered our lives to Jesus and the Holy Spirit is at work in us we have a different obligation we are now obliged to live according to the spirit you know so often it feels the other way around doesn't it when we're battling with sin and we're battling with stuff it feels like it's just so easy to see and it's so easy to trip up or it's so easy to give in and it almost feels like the other way around which is why we got to stop trusting feelings but that's why Paul is at pains to point this out it's such a massive issue for us as we go through following Jesus day after day after day but it is such a massive win that Christ has won on the cross for us and poured out the Holy Spirit in your life and my life to bring us to a place where we learn to put these things to death and we are instead obliged to follow what the Holy Spirit wants to do in your life and in my life because he's got a calling for you he's got a purpose for you he's got a plan for you he is for you he desires to to give you good things he desires to see joy and peace and love and patience and kindness and goodness and gentleness and faithfulness growing in your heart and in your life he's for you and so he says we are obliged to live according to the spirit this is what it means to be a people led by the spirit yes it is the same spirit that produces the fruit of the spirit in our lives yes it's the same spirit that gives gifts to the church and it's the same spirit that might give us visions or over experiences and encounters with God but it's like addressing this is like the engine room of the ship it's where the action happens it's where the thing that matters you can have all sorts of stuff on a boat you know you think these super yachts or these big cruise liners that are enormous these days it seems to me with swimming pools and gyms and theatres and cinemas and everything else but actually if the if the engine room wasn't working that would all be irrelevant because that boat isn't going anywhere and so this is like the engine room of our lives that actually this is the place where God starts to drive us where he is calling us to if we take him seriously about tackling these issues in our lives are we feeling aimless this morning are we feeling we've lost direction are we feeling we're just drifting there may be that we need to look at the engine room of the work of the holy spirit in us what's he calling to mind what's he asking us to deal with what's he challenging us to say here is something you need to put to death and let's deal with this together you know maybe this is why paul writes um you know when he writes the letter to the church in Corinth and he describes about communion he talks about the detail around taking communion and he says this is why some of you have fallen weak and are sick because you're not addressing these issues of sin in your life and you're carrying on taking the lord's supper and you know because he's seen actually that we need to tackle this we need to be serious about it and address it but then if we go forwards from verse 14 there's more all right which is also just as important paul says if we're living like this if we're led by the spirit in this way and we're putting to death everything that sets itself up against god in our lives then what then you and i are children of god we are sons of god hallelujah you know that is good news it really is we are adopted as children of god himself for all who are led by the spirit are children of god no ifs there's no buts there's no exception clause if we are led by the spirit we are children of god we're no longer slaves to the form of things that enslaved our lives you know that's the argument that he's stating we're now children of god in fact he's very specific we're no longer a slave to fear and for a lot of us even as christians we still get enslaved to fears so often and paul is saying we're children of god we're led by the spirit god has made available to you and to me the ability to put to death those things that lead us into fear or anxiety or stress because in christ they can be defeated and so we're no longer slaves to the form of things before we were a christian we lived the slave to sin and the enticements and seductions of this world but no more we're now children of god heirs of god and co-heirs with christ getting the inheritance of jesus wow right wow you know we're of an age when we're thinking about inheritance for our kids as i'm sure some of you are and you know and we're going to inherit what is jesus because we're co-heirs with christ so what does all this mean what does all this mean it means we follow jesus and pursue righteousness in our lives not so much by obedience to a set of rules as living out a new relationship with god as his children conformed to the likeness of his son it's very easy just to kind of zone zone out almost and just pick and think this is about trying harder this is about i've got to do better that's not what it's about it's not about following a set of rules paul is saying it's in the context of a relationship with a loving heavenly father who gave his own son jesus for you and for me that we then decide we want to choose to work this out we want to choose to allow the holy spirit to address these things in our lives we want to choose to follow god for this and and be changed from the inside out not because we have to or because there's rules of duty but because we are now children of the living god and god wants to set us free from following a set of rules and instead he wants to be your father not with the shortcomings of an earthly father hallelujah but as a loving father who gave his only son for us and that out of that relationship everyone say lord i want you to deal with this stuff in my life i want you to deal with the crap that trips me up time and time again and i want to address it because i believe you've got something better for me you have something of greater freedom for me as being led by the spirit is evidence that we are children of god we have moved from slavery to sonship and as he goes on by him by that same spirit we cry abba father the spirit himself testifying of our spirit that we are god's children you see the holy spirit doesn't doesn't trample over our humanity or bypass it in some way but he redeems it and now works through it in your life and in my life he nor does he overtake or overwhelm us but he has come to do what the law could not do and write on our hearts the obedience in such a way that as god's people we want to follow god's ways that's the work of what he's doing in you and in me today that's the that's the stirring of the spirit that's what it needs to be led by the spirit paul is saying and so he's at pains to point out that you are a people that are led by the spirit because you are working with him to deal with those issues from our old lives and that christ the son of god died and was raised to life to bring us to life and he's now poured out his holy spirit into our life to set us free from and to deal with the mess the dross the things that trip us up don't you realize the holy spirit is at work in you verse 10 and 11 supports this but if christ is in you your body is dead because of sin yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness and if the spirit of raised who raised jesus from the dead is living in you he who raised christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit at work in you there is so much hope in this passage in a world that is crying out for hope how can i escape this how can i get out of that how can i stop doing it how can i stop all of us there is so much hope in this passage that no matter what are the things that trip you and i up there is hope that actually in god working with the holy spirit we can deal with these things that's what paul is saying here and he's pointing out for us therefore this means what does this mean practically well it means not putting up with stuff in our lives that we shouldn't be putting up with you know we can get to a place a plateau of tolerating sin can't we it's a bit like it's a bit like in your house right you can i don't know if you like me sometimes but you can just put off jobs can't you david's saying no you don't put some jobs is that right lennis you can put off jobs in your house in your cleaning jobs you know or cleaning behind the sofa you know anybody do that no it's like you always think you know if someone comes and visits oh it's nice it looks nice and clean but if they came and they pulled the sofa out or they lifted the cushions up or you know well yeah we put off jobs like that and in some ways that's how we tolerate sin and stuff in our lives we just kind of put it off we're dealing with bigger issues we're dealing with other things but maybe this morning the holy spirit is putting his finger on something else you know we're not to put up with it nor are we to play with fire in that sense you know there are times i know in my life when you kind of justify dabbling with sin you know we use the language like well i'm not as bad as that person it's not really harming anybody you know and we use language like that to kind of accommodate it and yet what paul is talking about here there is a radical approach that we need to take because of what god has been has done we need to stop being nice about sin in our lives and name it for what it is those anxieties those fears and insecurities we need to allow the holy spirit to deal with them and put them to death we need to walk away from statements like yeah but this is me or i have always been like this this is just who i am the holy spirit has made you a new creation in christ the old has gone the new has come and you can be new today even through the work of the holy spirit if you only cry out to him this morning it means tackling addictive patterns and habits and not managing them just in a medical sense but putting them to death the opportunity is there through god's spirit now how do we do this quickly at the end very quickly we need to ask the holy spirit can you show us oh god stuff in my life that you're asking me to deal with that's stopping me from growing on growing with you and going on with you we need to ask lord what can you see that i can't see like underneath those cushions of the sofa or whatever that we actually does need to deal with we need to learn god's word and stand on it we need to hold verses that say things like the spirit of him who raised jesus from the dead is living in you he who raised christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies and when you're facing the challenges and the differences and you're being tempted you hold those verses and as you memorize them and learn they become a part of you and you use them as a weapon say no i don't have to do this anymore because the spirit of christ the spirit that raised christ from the dead is at work in me and we need to let that happen we need to kiss goodbye to feelings as a driver for our life this used to be a nightmare for me as the young man it's terrible i don't feel jesus loves me i don't feel god loves me i don't feel this i don't feel that and i had to learn to hold to memorize some of those verses that trump feelings time and again and then make a choice and then choose not to believe feelings but choose instead to believe the word of god even though i didn't feel like it and we give too much sway to our feelings and our emotions and we need to learn to bring them under the word of god we need to fix our eyes on jesus it is about relationship and not about rules and we need to be free from seeing to do this as a sense of rules and duty we need to pick ourselves up brush ourselves down and start all over again when we trip up john puts it this way he says if we if we confess our sins god is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all and we all trip up paul talks about that elsewhere what do we do we we ask for forgiveness and we press on we need to we need to challenge our assumptions like i said earlier i've always been like this i quite like my insecurities it's who i am it's who god made me well guess what he's made you a new creation now redeemed by the death and resurrection of his son jesus for you we need to confess our sins to one another james writes that's a hard one but i tell you that is a hard one but there's nothing like that to break the stranglehold of sin in your life particularly personal private sins that you hold on to and that you're scared about telling others when you confess them to people it breaks the hold in your life and we need to tell it like it is we need to stop dressing sin up in our eyes as something glossy and okay and we need to see it because the devil is the father of lies he is full of deceit and false promises and destructive and death is the only end and so we need to stop dressing it up and see it as it truly is christ died on the cross to free you from everything in your life that stands opposed to god to be led by the spirit means a radical rethink about the stuff in our lives that is opposed to god it means living a life where with the power of god's spirit we are learning to put to death sin and its effects and we are choosing instead to stand in the life that jesus has promised you are a son or a daughter of god this morning it's time to walk into more of your inheritance amen

Life in the Spirit: Born of the Spirit – A New Nature Good morning, everyone! It was wonderful to gather this morning, and a heartfelt thank you to Chris and the worship team for creating such a powerful atmosphere. In these uncertain times, with global anxieties often dominating headlines, it's vital to step back, worship God, and remember His unwavering control. We've heard incredible stories of the Christian church's growth even in challenging regions like Iran, witnessing a true movement of God's Spirit. Today, our focus was on the profound meaning of being "Born of the Spirit." Nick shared a moving reflection from a friend in Belfast, who, amidst personal struggles, consistently reminds his wife: "You are loved, you are safe, and we will tell you no lies." This powerful statement perfectly encapsulates God's truth for each of us. Regardless of external turmoil or internal anxieties, we are deeply loved, eternally safe, and God's truth is absolute. This liberating message is one we are called to share with a world that often feels fractured and lost. This sermon launched our new series, "Life in the Spirit," guiding us through to Christmas. Our core passage was from John's Gospel, chapter 3, verses 1-8. Nick recounted the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, a highly respected Jewish religious leader. Nicodemus approached Jesus at night, acknowledging Jesus' divine origin and power through His miraculous signs. "Rabbi," he declared, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you." (John 3:2). However, Jesus' response went straight to the heart of the matter, transcending intellectual assent: "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). Nicodemus's confusion about physical rebirth prompted Jesus' clarification: "I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it wants, just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going. So you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8). The concept of being "born of the Spirit" is far more radical than mere religious affiliation or cultural identification as a Christian. Nick explained that Jesus speaks of a deep, transformative, and often rare experience. It isn't about our outward actions, opinions, church attendance, or the songs we sing. It's about a spiritual DNA – a fundamental, unchangeable identity imparted by God. Using the relatable analogy of his dog, Nick illustrated that just as an animal's inherent DNA dictates its nature, our human nature, tainted by sin, cannot simply be improved or altered through self-effort or intellectual understanding. The "born again" experience signifies a profound, spiritual rebirth – a radical shift in our very being initiated by Jesus. Nick shared his personal testimony of this rebirth: after a period of intellectual exploration, he realised understanding wasn't enough. He needed a direct, heart-level encounter with God, inviting Him to transform him fundamentally. This divine act, akin to John Wesley's "heart strangely warmed," irrevocably changed his nature. This transformative power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, enters our hearts, making us new creations. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Nicodemus, despite his high standing, needed this foundational change. His deep-rootedness, described as "trees swaying in the wind but with roots set in concrete," prevented him from fully embracing the new life Jesus offered. Jesus addressed this core need for spiritual rebirth directly. For our church, growth isn't primarily about numbers or filling our building; it's about spiritual birth. We are called to be "midwives of a move of God," challenging ourselves: "Are we born of the Spirit?" Jesus challenged the tradition that physical lineage defined one's relationship with God. John 1:12 clearly states: "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn, not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God." This rebirth is universally available, irrespective of background, upbringing, or nationality. It is the miraculous transformation Jesus offers, replacing a lifetime of striving with a new nature and the power to live a new life – the ultimate "deal" where we exchange our old life for everything He provides. This shift from a religious mindset to a Spirit-renewed mind enables us to live as God's children, no longer burdened by feelings of failure or inadequacy. We can acknowledge our weaknesses while confidently declaring that God has transformed us from the inside out. So, the personal challenge remains: Do you know that you are born again? Do you recognise the need for an encounter with the Holy Spirit to bring about this genuine, life-altering change? If you feel powerless or without hope, God desires to lift you, granting you a new identity, nature, hope, and future. For those already born again, Nick urged us to fully grasp how safe, secure, and grounded we are in God's completed work. It's about living out this transformation, shedding the need for performance or external affirmation, and simply resting in the knowledge that, as God's children, we are eternally loved and secure. Bible References Used in the Sermon: John 3:1-8 (The core passage discussed in detail) 2 Corinthians 5:17 John 1:12 Transcript Here's a shortened summary of Nick's sermon, "Born of the Spirit," for our podcast show notes. Life in the Spirit: Born of the Spirit – A New Nature Good morning, everyone! It was wonderful to gather this morning, and a heartfelt thank you to Chris and the worship team for creating such a powerful atmosphere. In these uncertain times, with global anxieties often dominating headlines, it's vital to step back, worship God, and remember His unwavering control. We've heard incredible stories of the Christian church's growth even in challenging regions like Iran, witnessing a true movement of God's Spirit. Today, our focus was on the profound meaning of being "Born of the Spirit." Nick shared a moving reflection from a friend in Belfast, who, amidst personal struggles, consistently reminds his wife: "You are loved, you are safe, and we will tell you no lies." This powerful statement perfectly encapsulates God's truth for each of us. Regardless of external turmoil or internal anxieties, we are deeply loved, eternally safe, and God's truth is absolute. This liberating message is one we are called to share with a world that often feels fractured and lost. This sermon launched our new series, "Life in the Spirit," guiding us through to Christmas. Our core passage was from John's Gospel, chapter 3, verses 1-8. Nick recounted the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, a highly respected Jewish religious leader. Nicodemus approached Jesus at night, acknowledging Jesus' divine origin and power through His miraculous signs. "Rabbi," he declared, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you." (John 3:2). However, Jesus' response went straight to the heart of the matter, transcending intellectual assent: "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). Nicodemus's confusion about physical rebirth prompted Jesus' clarification: "I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it wants, just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going. So you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8). The concept of being "born of the Spirit" is far more radical than mere religious affiliation or cultural identification as a Christian. Nick explained that Jesus speaks of a deep, transformative, and often rare experience. It isn't about our outward actions, opinions, church attendance, or the songs we sing. It's about a spiritual DNA – a fundamental, unchangeable identity imparted by God. Using the relatable analogy of his dog, Nick illustrated that just as an animal's inherent DNA dictates its nature, our human nature, tainted by sin, cannot simply be improved or altered through self-effort or intellectual understanding. The "born again" experience signifies a profound, spiritual rebirth – a radical shift in our very being initiated by Jesus. Nick shared his personal testimony of this rebirth: after a period of intellectual exploration, he realised understanding wasn't enough. He needed a direct, heart-level encounter with God, inviting Him to transform him fundamentally. This divine act, akin to John Wesley's "heart strangely warmed," irrevocably changed his nature. This transformative power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, enters our hearts, making us new creations. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Nicodemus, despite his high standing, needed this foundational change. His deep-rootedness, described as "trees swaying in the wind but with roots set in concrete," prevented him from fully embracing the new life Jesus offered. Jesus addressed this core need for spiritual rebirth directly. For our church, growth isn't primarily about numbers or filling our building; it's about spiritual birth. We are called to be "midwives of a move of God," challenging ourselves: "Are we born of the Spirit?" Jesus challenged the tradition that physical lineage defined one's relationship with God. John 1:12 clearly states: "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn, not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God." This rebirth is universally available, irrespective of background, upbringing, or nationality. It is the miraculous transformation Jesus offers, replacing a lifetime of striving with a new nature and the power to live a new life – the ultimate "deal" where we exchange our old life for everything He provides. This shift from a religious mindset to a Spirit-renewed mind enables us to live as God's children, no longer burdened by feelings of failure or inadequacy. We can acknowledge our weaknesses while confidently declaring that God has transformed us from the inside out. So, the personal challenge remains: Do you know that you are born again? Do you recognise the need for an encounter with the Holy Spirit to bring about this genuine, life-altering change? If you feel powerless or without hope, God desires to lift you, granting you a new identity, nature, hope, and future.Here's a shortened summary of Nick's sermon, "Born of the Spirit," for our podcast show notes. For those already born again, Nick urged us to fully grasp how safe, secure, and grounded we are in God's completed work. It's about living out this transformation, shedding the need for performance or external affirmation, and simply resting in the knowledge that, as God's children, we are eternally loved and secure. Bible References Used in the Sermon: John 3:1-8 (The core passage discussed in detail) 2 Corinthians 5:17 John 1:12

Life in the Spirit: Born of the Spirit – A New Nature Good morning, everyone! It was wonderful to gather this morning, and a heartfelt thank you to Chris and the worship team for creating such a powerful atmosphere. In these uncertain times, with global anxieties often dominating headlines, it's vital to step back, worship God, and remember His unwavering control. We've heard incredible stories of the Christian church's growth even in challenging regions like Iran, witnessing a true movement of God's Spirit. Today, our focus was on the profound meaning of being "Born of the Spirit." Nick shared a moving reflection from a friend in Belfast, who, amidst personal struggles, consistently reminds his wife: "You are loved, you are safe, and we will tell you no lies." This powerful statement perfectly encapsulates God's truth for each of us. Regardless of external turmoil or internal anxieties, we are deeply loved, eternally safe, and God's truth is absolute. This liberating message is one we are called to share with a world that often feels fractured and lost. This sermon launched our new series, "Life in the Spirit," guiding us through to Christmas. Our core passage was from John's Gospel, chapter 3, verses 1-8. Nick recounted the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, a highly respected Jewish religious leader. Nicodemus approached Jesus at night, acknowledging Jesus' divine origin and power through His miraculous signs. "Rabbi," he declared, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you." (John 3:2). However, Jesus' response went straight to the heart of the matter, transcending intellectual assent: "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). Nicodemus's confusion about physical rebirth prompted Jesus' clarification: "I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it wants, just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going. So you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8). The concept of being "born of the Spirit" is far more radical than mere religious affiliation or cultural identification as a Christian. Nick explained that Jesus speaks of a deep, transformative, and often rare experience. It isn't about our outward actions, opinions, church attendance, or the songs we sing. It's about a spiritual DNA – a fundamental, unchangeable identity imparted by God. Using the relatable analogy of his dog, Nick illustrated that just as an animal's inherent DNA dictates its nature, our human nature, tainted by sin, cannot simply be improved or altered through self-effort or intellectual understanding. The "born again" experience signifies a profound, spiritual rebirth – a radical shift in our very being initiated by Jesus. Nick shared his personal testimony of this rebirth: after a period of intellectual exploration, he realised understanding wasn't enough. He needed a direct, heart-level encounter with God, inviting Him to transform him fundamentally. This divine act, akin to John Wesley's "heart strangely warmed," irrevocably changed his nature. This transformative power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, enters our hearts, making us new creations. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Nicodemus, despite his high standing, needed this foundational change. His deep-rootedness, described as "trees swaying in the wind but with roots set in concrete," prevented him from fully embracing the new life Jesus offered. Jesus addressed this core need for spiritual rebirth directly. For our church, growth isn't primarily about numbers or filling our building; it's about spiritual birth. We are called to be "midwives of a move of God," challenging ourselves: "Are we born of the Spirit?" Jesus challenged the tradition that physical lineage defined one's relationship with God. John 1:12 clearly states: "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn, not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God." This rebirth is universally available, irrespective of background, upbringing, or nationality. It is the miraculous transformation Jesus offers, replacing a lifetime of striving with a new nature and the power to live a new life – the ultimate "deal" where we exchange our old life for everything He provides. This shift from a religious mindset to a Spirit-renewed mind enables us to live as God's children, no longer burdened by feelings of failure or inadequacy. We can acknowledge our weaknesses while confidently declaring that God has transformed us from the inside out. So, the personal challenge remains: Do you know that you are born again? Do you recognise the need for an encounter with the Holy Spirit to bring about this genuine, life-altering change? If you feel powerless or without hope, God desires to lift you, granting you a new identity, nature, hope, and future. For those already born again, Nick urged us to fully grasp how safe, secure, and grounded we are in God's completed work. It's about living out this transformation, shedding the need for performance or external affirmation, and simply resting in the knowledge that, as God's children, we are eternally loved and secure. Bible References Used in the Sermon: John 3:1-8 (The core passage discussed in detail) 2 Corinthians 5:17 John 1:12 Transcript Here's a shortened summary of Nick's sermon, "Born of the Spirit," for our podcast show notes. Life in the Spirit: Born of the Spirit – A New Nature Good morning, everyone! It was wonderful to gather this morning, and a heartfelt thank you to Chris and the worship team for creating such a powerful atmosphere. In these uncertain times, with global anxieties often dominating headlines, it's vital to step back, worship God, and remember His unwavering control. We've heard incredible stories of the Christian church's growth even in challenging regions like Iran, witnessing a true movement of God's Spirit. Today, our focus was on the profound meaning of being "Born of the Spirit." Nick shared a moving reflection from a friend in Belfast, who, amidst personal struggles, consistently reminds his wife: "You are loved, you are safe, and we will tell you no lies." This powerful statement perfectly encapsulates God's truth for each of us. Regardless of external turmoil or internal anxieties, we are deeply loved, eternally safe, and God's truth is absolute. This liberating message is one we are called to share with a world that often feels fractured and lost. This sermon launched our new series, "Life in the Spirit," guiding us through to Christmas. Our core passage was from John's Gospel, chapter 3, verses 1-8. Nick recounted the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, a highly respected Jewish religious leader. Nicodemus approached Jesus at night, acknowledging Jesus' divine origin and power through His miraculous signs. "Rabbi," he declared, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you." (John 3:2). However, Jesus' response went straight to the heart of the matter, transcending intellectual assent: "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). Nicodemus's confusion about physical rebirth prompted Jesus' clarification: "I assure you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say you must be born again. The wind blows wherever it wants, just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going. So you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8). The concept of being "born of the Spirit" is far more radical than mere religious affiliation or cultural identification as a Christian. Nick explained that Jesus speaks of a deep, transformative, and often rare experience. It isn't about our outward actions, opinions, church attendance, or the songs we sing. It's about a spiritual DNA – a fundamental, unchangeable identity imparted by God. Using the relatable analogy of his dog, Nick illustrated that just as an animal's inherent DNA dictates its nature, our human nature, tainted by sin, cannot simply be improved or altered through self-effort or intellectual understanding. The "born again" experience signifies a profound, spiritual rebirth – a radical shift in our very being initiated by Jesus. Nick shared his personal testimony of this rebirth: after a period of intellectual exploration, he realised understanding wasn't enough. He needed a direct, heart-level encounter with God, inviting Him to transform him fundamentally. This divine act, akin to John Wesley's "heart strangely warmed," irrevocably changed his nature. This transformative power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, enters our hearts, making us new creations. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Nicodemus, despite his high standing, needed this foundational change. His deep-rootedness, described as "trees swaying in the wind but with roots set in concrete," prevented him from fully embracing the new life Jesus offered. Jesus addressed this core need for spiritual rebirth directly. For our church, growth isn't primarily about numbers or filling our building; it's about spiritual birth. We are called to be "midwives of a move of God," challenging ourselves: "Are we born of the Spirit?" Jesus challenged the tradition that physical lineage defined one's relationship with God. John 1:12 clearly states: "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn, not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God." This rebirth is universally available, irrespective of background, upbringing, or nationality. It is the miraculous transformation Jesus offers, replacing a lifetime of striving with a new nature and the power to live a new life – the ultimate "deal" where we exchange our old life for everything He provides. This shift from a religious mindset to a Spirit-renewed mind enables us to live as God's children, no longer burdened by feelings of failure or inadequacy. We can acknowledge our weaknesses while confidently declaring that God has transformed us from the inside out. So, the personal challenge remains: Do you know that you are born again? Do you recognise the need for an encounter with the Holy Spirit to bring about this genuine, life-altering change? If you feel powerless or without hope, God desires to lift you, granting you a new identity, nature, hope, and future.Here's a shortened summary of Nick's sermon, "Born of the Spirit," for our podcast show notes. For those already born again, Nick urged us to fully grasp how safe, secure, and grounded we are in God's completed work. It's about living out this transformation, shedding the need for performance or external affirmation, and simply resting in the knowledge that, as God's children, we are eternally loved and secure. Bible References Used in the Sermon: John 3:1-8 (The core passage discussed in detail) 2 Corinthians 5:17 John 1:12

Finding Your Purpose: Embracing God's Will for Your Life Today's message from Danny, "Finding Your Purpose: Embracing God's Will for Your Life," was a powerful and deeply personal exploration of discovering and living out God's divine plan, even in the most unexpected circumstances. Danny opened by inviting us into a moment of worship, acknowledging God as the sole recipient of glory and honor, whose voice endures beyond all others. He set the tone for a message centered not on human agenda, but on the expansion of God's Kingdom and the spiritual nourishment of His people. Danny then shared a poignant personal anecdote that served as the foundational revelation for his message. He recounted his time working as a cleaner in a church building, meticulously polishing floors in preparation for Sunday service. This seemingly mundane task was interrupted by a little boy, fresh from playing in the mud, who ran right across the freshly cleaned floor, leaving a trail of dirt and undoing Danny's hard work. In that moment of profound frustration and exhaustion, a divine revelation struck him. He described feeling a deep grief, mirroring God's own grief over humanity. It was in this ordinary, frustrating moment that God spoke to Danny from Matthew chapter 6 – though he later clarified the primary scripture for the sermon was from Matthew chapter 2. The Lord revealed that just as Danny felt pain watching the clean floor be messed up, so too does God feel when humanity, created in His own image, has their lives disrupted and destroyed by the enemy. This powerful analogy underscored God's heartbreak over humanity's fallen state and His desire to restore and cleanse. More profoundly, God revealed to Danny that his meticulous work of cleaning floors was a metaphor for a much greater calling: to "clean the hearts of men." This pivotal moment marked a turning point in Danny's understanding of his purpose, illustrating that God can use even the most humble tasks to reveal His grand design for our lives. Danny emphasized that this was a spontaneous message, birthed in prayer that very morning, demonstrating his reliance on the Holy Spirit's leading rather than a pre-written sermon. He then turned to the core biblical text, Matthew chapter 2, beginning from verse 1. He recounted the story of the Magi from the East who, having seen Jesus' star, came to Jerusalem seeking the "one who has been born king of the Jews." King Herod's disturbance and his subsequent inquiry of the chief priests and teachers of the law about the Messiah's birthplace led them to the prophecy in Micah 5:2, which states: "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are by no means least among the rulers of Judea; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel." This scripture, Danny explained, was the very word God spoke to him during his cleaning revelation. He connected it directly to his own experience, and by extension, to everyone in the congregation. Just as Bethlehem, seemingly insignificant, was chosen to be the birthplace of a King who would shepherd God's people, so too are we, regardless of our perceived insignificance or past circumstances, chosen and ordained by God. He stressed that even before we were born, God knew us and had a purpose for us. Danny passionately declared that our societal roles, family backgrounds, or past struggles do not disqualify us from God's plan. We may not fit society's molds or expectations, but God has uniquely fashioned each of us "to be a voice for the nations." He affirmed that God has done everything necessary to equip us to fulfill His purpose. This divine design means that God sees every tear shed, every cry uttered, and every struggle endured. He then addressed those who might feel inadequate or lost, perhaps not knowing how to read scripture or pray. He reassured them that "before the foundations of the earth, he chose you, he separated you and set you apart." God has purposefully made everything available to us to live out His will. The core invitation of the sermon was a call to hear God's voice and say "yes" to His will. Danny underscored the profound truth that the greatest treasure one can possess in life is not wealth or worldly success, but the pursuit and embrace of God's will. He testified to the transformative power of saying "yes" to God's will in his own life, emphasizing that it brought a change far more significant than any material possession could. He prophesied that embracing God's will would similarly transform the lives of individuals, their families, and future generations. The will of God, he explained, provides purpose, guidance through pain, and direction when we feel lost. It is the most valuable treasure we can ever obtain. Drawing on Deuteronomy, Danny presented a clear choice: "I place before you life and death, blessings and curses; therefore choose life." To choose life, he equated, is to choose the will of God. He rejected the notion that anyone in the room was there merely as a number. Instead, he affirmed that each person was "specially designed for this generation," with a unique space and purpose on earth "for such a time as this." God has deposited something special within each of us, His will, which is meant to bring light to those in darkness and to effect positive change in our generation, regardless of age. The ultimate question posed was: which will we choose – our own will or God's will? Danny concluded with a powerful illustration from Luke 22:42, recounting Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He described Jesus' overwhelming sorrow and burden as He contemplated the cross, the pain He would endure to bridge the chasm between a lost humanity and God. Even in the face of such immense suffering, Jesus prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." This profound example from the Son of God Himself served as the ultimate testament to the incomparable value of pursuing God's will above all else. Danny's sermon was a heartfelt plea and a profound encouragement to prioritize and relentlessly pursue God's will for our lives, assuring us that this pursuit is the ultimate path to purpose, transformation, and true life. Bible References Used: Matthew Chapter 6 (mentioned, but not read from for the main sermon) Matthew Chapter 2, verses 1-6 Micah 5:2 (quoted indirectly through Matthew 2:6) Deuteronomy (reference to choosing life and death, blessings and curses) Luke 22:42 (describing Jesus in Gethsemane) Transcript Yeah, it should be fine. Hallelujah. Is everyone all right? Good to see you this morning. Amen. Praise God. Wow, where do we start from? Let's pray. Father, we give you praise, we give you glory, we give you honor because Father, who else deserves the glory? Who else deserves the honor? The voices of men will rise and voices of men will fall, but your voice will forever live on. Father, we thank you that today it is not about me, it is not about anything else, but it is about your kingdom. We thank you for these people, precious people, that are seated before your praises. May you cause them to feast from your table, to drink from your cup. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen and amen. Hallelujah. Praise God. One day I was in a room like this. It was a bare room that afternoon because I was just finished polishing the floors. I was getting ready the church building for a Sunday service. So you can work out what my job was. I was a cleaner that was working at the church because at the church where I was, where Pastor Nick, Pastor Erica, at that time were my pastors, there we had a preschool which was being sponsored by seekers. And as we were, you know, that week as we were preparing for everything that we needed to do, I was, it was a Friday actually, it was a Friday afternoon. I was ready polishing the floors and so on and so forth. Had cleaned and worked very hard that afternoon, you know. So the children had gone out of the, out of the building. They were waiting for their parents to come and pick them up after, you know, after their classes. So each time they went outside then I had to come in and begin to clean the place and prepare the place for Sunday service. I was in one of the corners of the church and just about to finish. I don't know whether you know about this story. I was just about to finish polishing and then all of a sudden a little boy ran from outside where they were playing in the mud with very dirty shoes. The boy kept running right across where I just finished polishing. Man, my heart was almost torn because at that point my, my strength had gone. I had given it all that I could and I was ready to call it a day. And then all of a sudden this boy just runs and the whole place just became muddy. I sat down, gripped in my heart and said, Lord, is this all the best that you have for me? And then in that moment the Lord spoke a word to me from the book of Matthew chapter 6. Are you in the book of Matthew? Matthew is in the New Testament, you know. Chapter 2 verse 6, chapter 2 verse 6. And the Lord said to me that, you know, just the way you have been grieved to see these floors messed up, the way you have felt so bad that these floors that you have done everything that you can to clean and all of a sudden it has been messed up. This is how I feel concerning my people whom I have created in my own image and after my likeness. After all that I have given and done, the enemy's desire is to mess their lives up, to destroy them. And I have done this deliberately because what I wanted to show you was the fact that just as you are cleaning this floor, I have called you to go and clean the hearts of men with all the work and the years that you have spent in this place. This is what I was bringing you to so that you may know and understand what I have called you for. And then He gave me this scripture here that I'm going to read to you. By the way, I didn't prepare this. My ceremony is here, but we were praying, we were praying this morning and the Lord said something different. Amen. So I just want to talk to you this morning. Amen. Praise God. How many minutes have I got? Five? Praise the Lord. So the Bible, it took me to Matthew chapter two. I'll start from verse one. He says, After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of the king of arrows, a man from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed and owed Jerusalem with him. When he had caught together all the people of the chief priests and the teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. Verse five, In Bethlehem, Judea, they replied. For this is what the prophet has written. But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea are by no means the least among the rulers of Judea. For out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people, Israel. You, Bethlehem, Judea, have by no means least among the rulers of Judea. For out of you shall be born a king, a king that will shepherd my people, Israel. This is the same word. You may not be, have been a cleaner like myself. You may not have been in a place or in a dark place where I have been, but God somehow, somewhere has seen your journey. And this morning, this is what he desires you to know, that even before you were born or knitted in your mother's womb, he knew your name. He chose you regardless of how you were born or which family you were born in, regardless of what may have happened or not happened in your life. This one thing that God gave us this assignment this morning to come and do is to let you know that God has got his eyes on you. You may not fit in what society desires you to fit in. You as a church may not sound like what society is desiring you to sound. You may not walk like they desire you to walk like, but one thing is this that even before you were born in your mother's womb, God ordained you to be a voice for the nations. God has done everything he could in order to make you be what he has desired you to be. So this morning is Christ's desire is that you may begin to understand that this God has fashioned every cry that you cry, every tear that you have shed. God has seen it. God has seen it. Maybe you are there wondering, I don't even know how to read Scripture. I don't even know how to pray. I don't even know where to start from, but this one thing that God wants you to know that before the foundations of the earth, he chose you, he separated you and set you apart. With everything within you and about you, God has purposefully made it available to you. So no matter where you are today, he is calling you. He is calling you. Will you hear his voice today? Will you say yes to his will? Because the greatest treasure you can ever possess in this life is nothing else but to follow the will of God for your life. All other things will come and go, but when you come to a place where you can say yes to nothing else but the will of God for your life, you may live long, live a short life, but however long you may live on the face of the earth, if only you will be able to say yes to the will of God, you will have lived and lived indeed. The day that I said yes to the will of God in my life, my life has never been the same again. Not because I have got money, because I don't. Not because I've got anything else that this world may count to be the measure as the measure of life or success in life, but this one thing I plead with you, this one thing, if only you can find it for yourself, the will of God for your life. That afternoon, as for me, when I heard him say, I have called you and though you may be the least among the people of this city, yet out of you are we, there shall be born a king who shepherds my people Israel from that moment my life has never been the same again. Your life will never be the same again. Your family will never be the same again. Your children's children will never be the same again. If only you can say yes to the will of God. The will of God will give you purpose for your life. The will of God will show you how to handle pain when no one else can help you. The will of God will give you direction when you have no way and you don't know where to turn. The will of God is the greatest treasure that you can ever have in your life. You have two choices. I think my message, I think my time is finished. We have two choices this morning. Deuteronomy tells us that I place before you life and death, blessings and cases, therefore choose life. And to choose life is to choose the will of God for my life. Which one will you choose this morning? You were, you are not here just as a number. You were specially designed for this generation. There is space for you on the face of the earth for such a time as this. You were not designed simply to come and watch us talk from the puppets. There is something special that God has deposited in your life and that is God is will for your life and his desire is that you may find it because as you find it, it is the the thing that will bring light in darkness for those that are in darkness. When you find it, it will bring change and a difference to your generation and whether you are old or you are young or regardless of how old you are, God's desire is that you may choose between your will and the will of God. The question is which one will you choose? Because choosing the will of God is choosing life, choosing life. Lastly as I close, we know the Bible says that as he, I think it's Luke 2 20 49 as he gets to Gethsemane, the Bible says that Jesus was so sorrowful and wary and he was in agony. And he was so heavy laden that the burden that he carried in his heart made him to fall down. The Bible says he fell down and he prayed so endlessly and intensely that he swore it, his sweat was like the drops of blood. So heavy was the burden on his heart because when his mind and his eyes could see where you were, how lost you and I were, how much we were separated from God, how much the enemy had messed up our hearts. But in order for him to get to where we were and to bring us out of that darkness and out of that lostness, he had to go through the pain of the cross, he had to go, he had to endure the pain, he had to wear the crown of thorns and because it was so, it was going to be so painful and so alienating and separating that when he looked at it, it was so hard for him and yet the Bible says he even cried and said, Lord, if it is your will, please take away this cup from me. But then he says, Lord, not my will, but your will be done. Even Jesus the son of God discovered that there is nothing that is worth pursuing than the will of God. What is so important in our lives this morning that is worth, so much worth pursuing than the will of God. What are you pursuing? I encourage you, whatever you do, may the will of God for your life be your life pursuit. God bless you.

Finding Your Purpose: Embracing God's Will for Your Life Today's message from Danny, "Finding Your Purpose: Embracing God's Will for Your Life," was a powerful and deeply personal exploration of discovering and living out God's divine plan, even in the most unexpected circumstances. Danny opened by inviting us into a moment of worship, acknowledging God as the sole recipient of glory and honor, whose voice endures beyond all others. He set the tone for a message centered not on human agenda, but on the expansion of God's Kingdom and the spiritual nourishment of His people. Danny then shared a poignant personal anecdote that served as the foundational revelation for his message. He recounted his time working as a cleaner in a church building, meticulously polishing floors in preparation for Sunday service. This seemingly mundane task was interrupted by a little boy, fresh from playing in the mud, who ran right across the freshly cleaned floor, leaving a trail of dirt and undoing Danny's hard work. In that moment of profound frustration and exhaustion, a divine revelation struck him. He described feeling a deep grief, mirroring God's own grief over humanity. It was in this ordinary, frustrating moment that God spoke to Danny from Matthew chapter 6 – though he later clarified the primary scripture for the sermon was from Matthew chapter 2. The Lord revealed that just as Danny felt pain watching the clean floor be messed up, so too does God feel when humanity, created in His own image, has their lives disrupted and destroyed by the enemy. This powerful analogy underscored God's heartbreak over humanity's fallen state and His desire to restore and cleanse. More profoundly, God revealed to Danny that his meticulous work of cleaning floors was a metaphor for a much greater calling: to "clean the hearts of men." This pivotal moment marked a turning point in Danny's understanding of his purpose, illustrating that God can use even the most humble tasks to reveal His grand design for our lives. Danny emphasized that this was a spontaneous message, birthed in prayer that very morning, demonstrating his reliance on the Holy Spirit's leading rather than a pre-written sermon. He then turned to the core biblical text, Matthew chapter 2, beginning from verse 1. He recounted the story of the Magi from the East who, having seen Jesus' star, came to Jerusalem seeking the "one who has been born king of the Jews." King Herod's disturbance and his subsequent inquiry of the chief priests and teachers of the law about the Messiah's birthplace led them to the prophecy in Micah 5:2, which states: "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are by no means least among the rulers of Judea; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel." This scripture, Danny explained, was the very word God spoke to him during his cleaning revelation. He connected it directly to his own experience, and by extension, to everyone in the congregation. Just as Bethlehem, seemingly insignificant, was chosen to be the birthplace of a King who would shepherd God's people, so too are we, regardless of our perceived insignificance or past circumstances, chosen and ordained by God. He stressed that even before we were born, God knew us and had a purpose for us. Danny passionately declared that our societal roles, family backgrounds, or past struggles do not disqualify us from God's plan. We may not fit society's molds or expectations, but God has uniquely fashioned each of us "to be a voice for the nations." He affirmed that God has done everything necessary to equip us to fulfill His purpose. This divine design means that God sees every tear shed, every cry uttered, and every struggle endured. He then addressed those who might feel inadequate or lost, perhaps not knowing how to read scripture or pray. He reassured them that "before the foundations of the earth, he chose you, he separated you and set you apart." God has purposefully made everything available to us to live out His will. The core invitation of the sermon was a call to hear God's voice and say "yes" to His will. Danny underscored the profound truth that the greatest treasure one can possess in life is not wealth or worldly success, but the pursuit and embrace of God's will. He testified to the transformative power of saying "yes" to God's will in his own life, emphasizing that it brought a change far more significant than any material possession could. He prophesied that embracing God's will would similarly transform the lives of individuals, their families, and future generations. The will of God, he explained, provides purpose, guidance through pain, and direction when we feel lost. It is the most valuable treasure we can ever obtain. Drawing on Deuteronomy, Danny presented a clear choice: "I place before you life and death, blessings and curses; therefore choose life." To choose life, he equated, is to choose the will of God. He rejected the notion that anyone in the room was there merely as a number. Instead, he affirmed that each person was "specially designed for this generation," with a unique space and purpose on earth "for such a time as this." God has deposited something special within each of us, His will, which is meant to bring light to those in darkness and to effect positive change in our generation, regardless of age. The ultimate question posed was: which will we choose – our own will or God's will? Danny concluded with a powerful illustration from Luke 22:42, recounting Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He described Jesus' overwhelming sorrow and burden as He contemplated the cross, the pain He would endure to bridge the chasm between a lost humanity and God. Even in the face of such immense suffering, Jesus prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." This profound example from the Son of God Himself served as the ultimate testament to the incomparable value of pursuing God's will above all else. Danny's sermon was a heartfelt plea and a profound encouragement to prioritize and relentlessly pursue God's will for our lives, assuring us that this pursuit is the ultimate path to purpose, transformation, and true life. Bible References Used: Matthew Chapter 6 (mentioned, but not read from for the main sermon) Matthew Chapter 2, verses 1-6 Micah 5:2 (quoted indirectly through Matthew 2:6) Deuteronomy (reference to choosing life and death, blessings and curses) Luke 22:42 (describing Jesus in Gethsemane) Transcript Yeah, it should be fine. Hallelujah. Is everyone all right? Good to see you this morning. Amen. Praise God. Wow, where do we start from? Let's pray. Father, we give you praise, we give you glory, we give you honor because Father, who else deserves the glory? Who else deserves the honor? The voices of men will rise and voices of men will fall, but your voice will forever live on. Father, we thank you that today it is not about me, it is not about anything else, but it is about your kingdom. We thank you for these people, precious people, that are seated before your praises. May you cause them to feast from your table, to drink from your cup. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen and amen. Hallelujah. Praise God. One day I was in a room like this. It was a bare room that afternoon because I was just finished polishing the floors. I was getting ready the church building for a Sunday service. So you can work out what my job was. I was a cleaner that was working at the church because at the church where I was, where Pastor Nick, Pastor Erica, at that time were my pastors, there we had a preschool which was being sponsored by seekers. And as we were, you know, that week as we were preparing for everything that we needed to do, I was, it was a Friday actually, it was a Friday afternoon. I was ready polishing the floors and so on and so forth. Had cleaned and worked very hard that afternoon, you know. So the children had gone out of the, out of the building. They were waiting for their parents to come and pick them up after, you know, after their classes. So each time they went outside then I had to come in and begin to clean the place and prepare the place for Sunday service. I was in one of the corners of the church and just about to finish. I don't know whether you know about this story. I was just about to finish polishing and then all of a sudden a little boy ran from outside where they were playing in the mud with very dirty shoes. The boy kept running right across where I just finished polishing. Man, my heart was almost torn because at that point my, my strength had gone. I had given it all that I could and I was ready to call it a day. And then all of a sudden this boy just runs and the whole place just became muddy. I sat down, gripped in my heart and said, Lord, is this all the best that you have for me? And then in that moment the Lord spoke a word to me from the book of Matthew chapter 6. Are you in the book of Matthew? Matthew is in the New Testament, you know. Chapter 2 verse 6, chapter 2 verse 6. And the Lord said to me that, you know, just the way you have been grieved to see these floors messed up, the way you have felt so bad that these floors that you have done everything that you can to clean and all of a sudden it has been messed up. This is how I feel concerning my people whom I have created in my own image and after my likeness. After all that I have given and done, the enemy's desire is to mess their lives up, to destroy them. And I have done this deliberately because what I wanted to show you was the fact that just as you are cleaning this floor, I have called you to go and clean the hearts of men with all the work and the years that you have spent in this place. This is what I was bringing you to so that you may know and understand what I have called you for. And then He gave me this scripture here that I'm going to read to you. By the way, I didn't prepare this. My ceremony is here, but we were praying, we were praying this morning and the Lord said something different. Amen. So I just want to talk to you this morning. Amen. Praise God. How many minutes have I got? Five? Praise the Lord. So the Bible, it took me to Matthew chapter two. I'll start from verse one. He says, After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of the king of arrows, a man from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed and owed Jerusalem with him. When he had caught together all the people of the chief priests and the teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. Verse five, In Bethlehem, Judea, they replied. For this is what the prophet has written. But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea are by no means the least among the rulers of Judea. For out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people, Israel. You, Bethlehem, Judea, have by no means least among the rulers of Judea. For out of you shall be born a king, a king that will shepherd my people, Israel. This is the same word. You may not be, have been a cleaner like myself. You may not have been in a place or in a dark place where I have been, but God somehow, somewhere has seen your journey. And this morning, this is what he desires you to know, that even before you were born or knitted in your mother's womb, he knew your name. He chose you regardless of how you were born or which family you were born in, regardless of what may have happened or not happened in your life. This one thing that God gave us this assignment this morning to come and do is to let you know that God has got his eyes on you. You may not fit in what society desires you to fit in. You as a church may not sound like what society is desiring you to sound. You may not walk like they desire you to walk like, but one thing is this that even before you were born in your mother's womb, God ordained you to be a voice for the nations. God has done everything he could in order to make you be what he has desired you to be. So this morning is Christ's desire is that you may begin to understand that this God has fashioned every cry that you cry, every tear that you have shed. God has seen it. God has seen it. Maybe you are there wondering, I don't even know how to read Scripture. I don't even know how to pray. I don't even know where to start from, but this one thing that God wants you to know that before the foundations of the earth, he chose you, he separated you and set you apart. With everything within you and about you, God has purposefully made it available to you. So no matter where you are today, he is calling you. He is calling you. Will you hear his voice today? Will you say yes to his will? Because the greatest treasure you can ever possess in this life is nothing else but to follow the will of God for your life. All other things will come and go, but when you come to a place where you can say yes to nothing else but the will of God for your life, you may live long, live a short life, but however long you may live on the face of the earth, if only you will be able to say yes to the will of God, you will have lived and lived indeed. The day that I said yes to the will of God in my life, my life has never been the same again. Not because I have got money, because I don't. Not because I've got anything else that this world may count to be the measure as the measure of life or success in life, but this one thing I plead with you, this one thing, if only you can find it for yourself, the will of God for your life. That afternoon, as for me, when I heard him say, I have called you and though you may be the least among the people of this city, yet out of you are we, there shall be born a king who shepherds my people Israel from that moment my life has never been the same again. Your life will never be the same again. Your family will never be the same again. Your children's children will never be the same again. If only you can say yes to the will of God. The will of God will give you purpose for your life. The will of God will show you how to handle pain when no one else can help you. The will of God will give you direction when you have no way and you don't know where to turn. The will of God is the greatest treasure that you can ever have in your life. You have two choices. I think my message, I think my time is finished. We have two choices this morning. Deuteronomy tells us that I place before you life and death, blessings and cases, therefore choose life. And to choose life is to choose the will of God for my life. Which one will you choose this morning? You were, you are not here just as a number. You were specially designed for this generation. There is space for you on the face of the earth for such a time as this. You were not designed simply to come and watch us talk from the puppets. There is something special that God has deposited in your life and that is God is will for your life and his desire is that you may find it because as you find it, it is the the thing that will bring light in darkness for those that are in darkness. When you find it, it will bring change and a difference to your generation and whether you are old or you are young or regardless of how old you are, God's desire is that you may choose between your will and the will of God. The question is which one will you choose? Because choosing the will of God is choosing life, choosing life. Lastly as I close, we know the Bible says that as he, I think it's Luke 2 20 49 as he gets to Gethsemane, the Bible says that Jesus was so sorrowful and wary and he was in agony. And he was so heavy laden that the burden that he carried in his heart made him to fall down. The Bible says he fell down and he prayed so endlessly and intensely that he swore it, his sweat was like the drops of blood. So heavy was the burden on his heart because when his mind and his eyes could see where you were, how lost you and I were, how much we were separated from God, how much the enemy had messed up our hearts. But in order for him to get to where we were and to bring us out of that darkness and out of that lostness, he had to go through the pain of the cross, he had to go, he had to endure the pain, he had to wear the crown of thorns and because it was so, it was going to be so painful and so alienating and separating that when he looked at it, it was so hard for him and yet the Bible says he even cried and said, Lord, if it is your will, please take away this cup from me. But then he says, Lord, not my will, but your will be done. Even Jesus the son of God discovered that there is nothing that is worth pursuing than the will of God. What is so important in our lives this morning that is worth, so much worth pursuing than the will of God. What are you pursuing? I encourage you, whatever you do, may the will of God for your life be your life pursuit. God bless you.

This week, Nick delivered a powerful and timely message, urging us to look beyond the exciting projects and outward appearances of our church to the core purpose of our faith: Jesus himself. With the constant theme of "pour out your presence, Lord, pour out your fire" resonating through worship, Nick laid out a vision for a church that is passionate about God's presence and not merely its own accomplishments. Nick started by reflecting on the palpable sense of God's presence and activity within the church, particularly at Hub Church. He spoke of new people coming to faith and others rediscovering their walk with God, a truly encouraging sign of God's significant work amongst us. However, he quickly issued a crucial warning: what we see and experience, what God uses us to do, is not the main thing. The challenge, he emphasized, is to keep the main thing the main thing. He referenced the letter to the church in Revelation, which speaks of a church that had much going on but had "forsaken its first love." This served as a stark reminder that even a vibrant, active church can miss the mark if its focus shifts from worshiping Jesus above all things. Nick shared a profound prophetic word given to a powerful church he knew, which, despite its impressive mission and worship, was warned that "the seeds of your downfall are already in your heart." This wasn't a condemnation, but a gracious challenge to remain undistracted and fully devoted to Jesus. Our calling, Nick stated, is not to be a "successful church with an impressive portfolio of buildings," but to use those things to become a community that worships only Jesus, knows His power, and trusts Him entirely. Drawing parallels to the biblical story of Nehemiah, Nick highlighted a man deeply passionate for God's ways and God's city. Living a comfortable and privileged life, Nehemiah was stirred when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins. His heart was grieved, leading him to mourn, fast, and pray. This grief propelled him to action, seeking permission from King Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. Nehemiah's story serves as an example of being awake to what is on God's heart and being prepared to step up and take responsibility, not for personal comfort, but for God's purposes in a society where "the walls are broken down." Nick vividly recalled how the sermons he first heard as a teenager about Nehemiah profoundly impacted his life, turning him from a path in the Royal Air Force to a calling for something more. He prayed that the young people present would experience a similar stirring, a yearning for "more than this" – a desire for the Holy Spirit to "breathe, blow, and burn" within them, preventing them from becoming merely "religious people going through the motions of church." Nehemiah's rebuilding of the walls, accomplished in an astonishing 52 days, was not the end goal, but rather a prelude to a national revival. The physical project provided the context for God to move in the hearts of the nation. Nick connected this to our own significant projects, like the refurbishment of the pub, 146. He stressed that our call is not simply to renovate a building, but for God to bring renewal, restoration, and revival on the back of such endeavors. The challenge remains: keep the main thing the main thing and don't get distracted. Nick shared about the recent "Big Bible Read," where over 30 people spent five hours reading the entire book of Genesis. This event, he explained, was a testament to a stirring and hunger for something beyond mere church organization or project management. It was a hunger for God's Word, and a powerful demonstration of a deeper yearning. He likened this to the people in Nehemiah's time who, after the walls were rebuilt, gathered with unified purpose as Ezra read the Law. As they listened, they wept, but Ezra and Nehemiah urged them to celebrate, for "the joy of the Lord is your strength." This celebration was unprecedented since the days of Joshua, highlighting a revival coming in the hearts of people who had only known ordinariness and struggle. Ultimately, Nick concluded, the project isn't what it's all about; Jesus is what it's all about. Even the powerful testimonies of lives being rebuilt and rescued from addiction are just a "prelude to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the discovery of what life is all about." He reminded us that God's plan A from the beginning was for us to know the fullness of His Holy Spirit. The cross, while central to our faith, is a "gateway to life," leading us to live "full of the Holy Spirit, in the fullness of the blessing of God, in the freedom of forgiveness." Our desire, Nick stated, is not for people to simply know "the Christian fellowship," but for Jesus to be a household name in this community. He shared a moving story of a man, deeply addicted, who, after hearing God speak to him in a mental health unit, found Jesus at the church and spent the rest of his life directing others to Him. This illustrates the core message: "He [Jesus] must become more, I [we] must become less." Nick specifically addressed the young people, emphasizing the crucial need to see Jesus, not just the church or its activities. He recounted his own conversion at 16, where he didn't commit to a church or project, but to Jesus himself. He prayed that our journey, despite wobbles and weaknesses, would always be characterized by that life-transforming encounter with Jesus. He concluded by challenging everyone, young and old, to seek after Jesus and nothing else. Attending activities and signing up for projects are important for building the "walls," but they are not the "main thing." God desires "more than this" for us – a constant hunger for His fire to fall. He spoke of the danger of filling our lives with Christian tasks while our hearts are far from Jesus. This is a call to lay our lives before God, inviting His fire to burn up anything that hinders our full pursuit of Him. For those who have never encountered Jesus, Nick urged them to reach out to Him today. For those who may feel nostalgic about past moves of God, he emphasized that we are not meant to dwell in the past, but to look forward to what God will do in 2025, 2026, and beyond. Our hope is not just for buildings or church growth, but for the fire of God to fall, stretching our vision and experience of His overwhelming love, leading to a fresh wave of testimonies. Bible References: Revelation (specifically referring to the letter to a church that had "forsaken its first love") Nehemiah Chapter 1 (The story of Nehemiah's grief and prayer for Jerusalem's broken walls) Nehemiah Chapter 8 (The gathering of the people after the walls were rebuilt, Ezra reading the Law, and the people's celebration) Joshua son of Nun (Referenced in Nehemiah 8:17, concerning a previous time of great celebration) John the Baptist (Specifically the phrase "He must become more, I must become less") Transcript Well, this is great. It doesn't even feel like 9.30, does it? Or 9.45. It feels like a lot earlier. That is great to see so many people as well. It's almost like spot the difference. I don't know what happened at 11 o'clock. Maybe there will be nobody here. But it is good to be together and to be setting out together on this new thing that God has for us, which is a great unknown, as I was saying last week. And I think the theme, as Jonathan and the team have been leading through, continuously hearing about, you know, pour out your presence, Lord. Pour out your fire. And the picture in my mind has been like us as a church coming together and having all that we are laid out before God, whether it's our two services, you know, all the things that we do through the week, all that we seek to be, all that we want to see God establish in our prayer. Continually, Lord, send your fire. Send your fire onto our offering, that our offering is that's all it is. It's an offering. But what makes sense of it, what makes it work is your fire, is your presence, Lord, is your, yeah, just the manifestation of who you are. And there's that theme coming through the worship this morning and I believe ties into what I want to speak about briefly this morning. We asked young people also to stay in. They might be thinking, what are we doing here? But I just felt strongly that there are things that God is doing amongst us. You might not understand all of how it all relates, but there are things that we need to know, things that God wants to speak to us, things that God wants to get into our hearts that goes way beyond just coming to church on a Sunday or just coming to youth or just going through the program of what we do as a church. There is so much that God wants to do in our lives and there's so many things that I could say on a day like today, but God is certainly calling us out of our comfort zone into something new. Like I said, our minds could be very much on what God wants to do, and on what part we need to play in it. And the story, as we've already alluded to, goes back over so many years, it brings us to this point. But also the exciting thing is though we also refer back, we look back, and we're grateful for the faithfulness of God over so many years. We're now standing on a threshold, like I said last week, looking forward into a great unknown, but accept that that old adage that says we don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. And that we walk forward with God into the future and what He's called us to. One thing we know is that He's called us to something great and the center of gravity of what He's called us to. Even though we come from many parts of the city, and we come from many parts of the world even, He's called us together at this time for something that He wants to do in this place as He pours out His Spirit. And we are seeing a really significant move of God. I was at Hub Church on Tuesday night. If you've never been to Hub Church, pop in one of these Tuesday nights. There were about 50 people in Unit 2. It was packed. The presence of God was there. It was just so good to see people worshiping God freely. There was just a relaxed sort of buzz about the place, and the presence of God was there. And I reflected as I sat on the floor, because there were no seats, that it's about three times bigger than the first church I led in Hub Church. I mean, it's just like, and there it is on a Tuesday night, and God is moving amongst us. There are people coming to faith. People are discovering Him for the first time. People are rediscovering Him for the hundredth time. There's something happening in the hearts of people, and that's so crucial. There's one vitally important thing, a warning actually, I believe, that the Holy Spirit wants to bring to us. That whatever we see, whatever we experience, whatever God uses us to do here on earth, that's not the main thing. And our challenge is to keep the main thing the main thing, because if we end up with a church that celebrates what it does, that celebrates what it achieves, that celebrates what we look like, then we'll have missed it. It's so exciting to be part of the church. That is growing. It's so exciting to be a part of the church. That is making a move for world domination, at least on Jordan Thought Precinct, like, you know, with the 146, and Unit 2, and all that goes on here, and two services. It's so great to have that sense of presence and activity in the life of the church. It's not something I've personally been used to as life has gone on over the years. You know, church life is not always full of so much activity, but it's not the main thing. There was the letter to the church in Revelation, it says, the gist of it is, you've got all this stuff going on. It's great, but you've forsaken your first love. And the one thing that we have to do is make sure that we're never in that position. A church that we were connected with, we weren't at that church at the time, but was such a powerful church. There was so much going on in its life. There were so many things that we looked at and we thought, that's the sort of church you want to be in. There was mission going on, there was worship, there was the presence of God, and yet they had a prophetic word. Now, you know, sometimes our prophecies can be, you know, I love you, says the Lord, and you're great, I think you're fantastic, and you're the best thing ever, says the Lord. And we say, oh thank you, Jesus. And that's when we go away. But sometimes prophetic words come in and they come in with an edge. And this one said that I see, basically, it's a bit like Revelation, I've seen all that you are, I've seen all that you've achieved, I've seen all that you've become, but the seeds of your downfall are already in your heart. I think, wow, thank you, Lord. That's not what you want to hear, you want to pat on the head, don't you? But what a challenge, because, and there's, it's a gracious challenge, it's not like a, you know, well you're a terrible church or anything, it's saying that I want you to be the best that you can possibly be, but I want you to experience the fullest that you can, but yet you can so easily get distracted, and our hearts can so easily get distracted from what the main thing is, which is lifting Jesus above all things. So our calling is not to be a successful church on Jordan, Thorpe and Baitmore, with an impressive portfolio of buildings. It's to use those things to become a community that worships only Jesus, that knows his power, that trusts him entirely, and we use our buildings and our resources and our everything that we've got in our pursuit of those aims. God forbid that we ever become a church so absorbed in our own work and projects that we obscure the vision of Jesus, that we, our hearts get distracted and we think, oh we've, we've got something here. And briefly this morning I want to touch on the story of Nehemiah. I mentioned it last week. Nehemiah was a man passionate for the things of God. He lived in Persia roughly 500 years before Christ was born, and he was an official of King Artaxerxes. That's a name to conjure with. King Artaxerxes. He was cupbearer to the king. He was comfortable, he was privileged, and he had no reason to think beyond that life. Everything was good for him, but there was something stirring in his heart that was, that wouldn't stay quiet, and it was all to do with his passion for God and for God's ways and God's kingdom and God's city. And he heard, he got a message, I'm paraphrasing it, you can look it up in Nehemiah. He heard that the walls of Jerusalem, his beloved city, were in ruins, and his heart was grieved about it. Even the king noticed, why are you so sad? He said, but how, you know, my, my heart said here, he got a message that said in Nehemiah chapter one, things are not going well for those who return to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down and the gates have been destroyed by fire. When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. I sat down and wept. And so in that grief, he took it upon himself to do something. He actually sought permission from the king to step away from his duties and go back to Jerusalem and to rebuild the walls, because there was a passion for that city and a passion for God's ways and a passion for for all that had been lost. And he said, I want to do something to put it right. I want to do something to rebuild those walls. And our challenge is to be awake to what is on God's heart, just as he was. More than that, to be prepared to step up and take responsibility, to take action, to serve the purpose of God, not just, not just pursue our own comfort, but to actually give ourselves, because individuals give ourselves as a church, give ourselves as a community, to what is on God's heart for a community and a society where the walls are broken down. And there was a pain in his heart. He said, I've got to do something. The first sermons I ever heard in my life were around the book of Nehemiah. It was at spring harvest, 1980 something, and it was spring fever. All these old geezers that you see preaching and now they were young chaps then. It was the same guys, but they were, but anyway, yeah, they stories of Nehemiah, how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things when moved by his spirit and motivated by what's on his heart. And it was those, and I think that's probably part of the year I have for the, you know, I can't do anything to connect God's word to your heart, but we pray that God's spirit opens it up. And I pray for our young people as well that they begin to see the sort of things that I began to see in those days when I was 16, 17 years old, and my life was set on joining the Royal Air Force. I had signed my life away. I'd got a contract until I was 37. There was, there was, everything was set and yet something broke into my heart on that day and in those days to say actually there's more to it than this. What will you do? A stirring, a bit like Nehemiah had a stirring to say I want to do something more. There must be more than this. We sang it this morning. There was that yearning like there must be more than this. Come breath of life. Come breathe within. And that was my prayer then and it's my prayer today that for we, for us as individuals and as a church and as a community that our prayer would become Holy Spirit. Breathe within us again. Don't let us just become religious people going through the motions of church. Oh we've got two services, great. And you, you know, we can enjoy ourselves and we can enjoy our worship and we can enjoy being together, but there's more, there must be more than this. Come breath of life. Come fire of God. Breathe and blow and burn in this place. And so he set about, he went to Jerusalem and he set about rebuilding the walls. He gathered people. He inspired people. He organized them. He managed them. There was opposition, fierce opposition and he handled it. It was a master class of leadership and in 52 days the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. But what we see then as we go on through the book of Nehemiah is that the, that was just the beginning. The purpose God had was not for Nehemiah to be a builder. That was an expression of the, the passion and the drive that Nehemiah had to say there must be more than this. We want to see God. I don't want to see the walls of God's city broken down and in ruins and the people scattered. I want to see revival and renewal in the national life of Israel. And so he, there was that drive for him. But the walls, once they were there, the walls only became a prelude to a national revival. The physical project became just the foundation, just provided a context, just provided a shape for God to then move in the heart of the nation. And as we, we've got so many wonderful projects. We've got 146 is a project to end all projects as far as we're concerned, but you know there's so much there, but ultimately we won't sort of get it all done, get it all built, get it all post signed off, have a ribbon cutting ceremony and say we've done it now. We've, we've refurbished a pub. That's not the call of God on our life, to refurbish a pub. But what God wants to do is to bring a sense of renewal and restoration and revival on the back of the restoration of a pub and all the other things that we've got going on. And our challenge is to keep the main thing the main thing and not to get distracted by all of those things. Nehemiah could have been distracted, but yet at the end of it all in chapter 8 we're told that the people gathered after the completion of the walls and they gathered with a unified purpose and a priest named Ezra read the book of the law and all the people worshiped. I don't know if you picked up, I'm sure you did, we've been mentioning for some weeks we had the big Bible read yesterday and that was just such a great event. Sheila did a wonderful job of organizing it. It went like clockwork. If you thought that we couldn't run meetings by the clock, you should have come to the big Bible read. We read the entire book of Genesis in five hours and every section finished on the dot by the grace of God. Anyway, that's not what I'm celebrating. What I'm celebrating is the fact that we had nothing else on the agenda. We had 30 plus people here, nothing else on the agenda for five hours except just reading the Word. And when we got to the end it was quite emotional. It was like, oh my goodness, this is powerful. And the only reason I bring that up is because there is something stirring in our heart that is bigger than just what we do, just how we function, just the organization of the church, just the management of projects. There is something that God is stirring. Why would we advertise, oh let's all get together and read the Bible out loud for five hours and 35 people turn up? You know that you'd think they wouldn't come, but they did. And there's a stirring and there's a hunger for something that's beyond. There must be more than this, we're crying. Anyway, that's a bit of an aside. They went through the instructions of the law of God and explained it to the people and some of these people began to see for the first time what they were understanding. You know they had, they just had, people had been born, this generation had been born into a situation where the walls of Jerusalem were broken down. Things weren't going well for the nation and these people knew nothing and they all they knew was the stories of the past, but they knew nothing of what was going on and here they were for the first time perhaps beginning to see the the law come to life in their time and Ezra and Nehemiah, they gathered the people with a unified purpose and they read the law and it says as they listened the people began to weep and then the priest said, don't weep, don't mourn, but celebrate, this is a good day. And then one of the things that I prayed this morning as we came into this new arrangement is that there's a lot to think about, there's a lot to be anxious about. No there isn't, you can't be anxious about anything because we cast all our burdens onto Jesus, but there are things that sometimes cause us a little bit of anxiety aren't there? Things that worry us, things that give us cause for a sleepless night and yet there was that sense of don't weep, don't mourn, don't take yourself too seriously, enjoy the fact that God is on the move, let there be joy in the house, let there be joy in the presence of God. And as Ezra and Nehemiah said to the people, the joy of the Lord is your strength and so they understood for the first time a lot of what they were hearing. And it says in chapter 8 in verse 17 that the Israelites had not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua son of Nun, since the days when they crossed the Jordan river and experienced the most amazing miracles, they've never celebrated like this and these people weren't even born then, this was hundreds of years gone and so they had been born into fairly humdrum drab existence, they're just going through the motions of their life and suddenly they were beginning to see their eyes were open, their hearts were open to begin to see the reality of what God was doing and what he was doing amongst them and they had not celebrated like they celebrated on that day since the days of Joshua. And so there was a real revival coming in the hearts of people, they've never known anything except the ordinariness and the struggle of life and then they've been caught up in this great project to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and then by surprise on the back of that rebuilding project, God visited them and renewed them and restored them and empowered them by his Holy Spirit. And that in a nutshell is really what I want to say today, that the project is not what it's all about, but Jesus is what it's all about. Even the restoration of our lives, it's great to hear testimonies and we've heard many recently powerful testimonies of people who have been baptized and it's so wonderful to see how God is rebuilding lives and rescuing people from addiction and rescuing people from terrible situations and struggle and difficulty and all of that. But ultimately even the rebuilding of our lives is just a prelude to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the discovery of what life is all about. I think it was Ali last week was saying, this isn't plan B, this was plan A. God's plan from the beginning was that we would know the fullness of his Holy Spirit in our lives and so the steps that we take towards it, even the cross, we celebrate, of course we celebrate the cross. The cross is our gateway to life, but that's what it is, a gateway to life. It's an opportunity that we come back, we remind ourselves of what Jesus went through, we remind ourselves of how he suffered, we remind ourselves of how he paid the price, but now because he's paid the price we live, we live full of the Holy Spirit, we live in the fullness of the blessing of God, we live in the freedom of forgiveness and all that that means for us rather than continually going round and round in circles. And so all these things are part of the story, they pave the way to where God has taken us, but he wants to glorify himself and exalt himself, that people wouldn't know MCF here but they would know Jesus, that Jesus would be a household name in this community because that would be our legacy. Not that when a message goes up on Facebook, do you know when you know where you can get a cup of coffee on a Thursday morning? Yeah, the Christian fellowship. People know about the Christian fellowship, but our prayer and our desire is that fire of God would fall so that people would know Jesus is in this place. Remember one man who came to our first church after a few weeks of us being there and he sat at the back of the church and he just stared at the floor, he didn't have any life about him at all and it turned out that he was a very seriously addicted alcoholic and he told me himself, he said he used to drink a bottle of vodka every night and his daughter used to have to carry him to bed. He was in such a state and he ended, he'd been at a Billy Graham meeting many, many years before in the 1960s and he'd given his life to Christ and he'd forgotten all about that and he'd walked away and he'd got, his whole life was in a mess and he ended up in a mental health unit in the local hospital section and he said while he was in there, he said he heard God speak to him, say why don't you come back to me and so he didn't know what to do, how to come back to God so he looked up the church, so he came to the church and he just, life transformed, nobody did anything to him or for him, God just touched his life and he became one of our premier worship leader in the church and he was just like so exciting to see his life transformed in that way but yeah and then, not but, that sounds like a negative doesn't it, but what I got from him was he said, I came back, he said and then people asked me how do you find Jesus, how do you find, so I just told him come with me, I met him at the church, come with me and you'll find him there and so he spent his whole, the whole of the rest of his life, he's still alive, directing people to Jesus because he said I found him, he came to me, he met me in the mental health unit and he called me to himself and now I just tell people to go and find him, you know, and if you can't, if you don't know where to find him go and look in the church. John the Baptist said he must become more, I must become less. Jesus must become more in our experience and in our ministry and in our, in our activity. Jesus must be magnified and glorified and that's why I want to ask the young people to be here today rather than be at specific activities because this is absolutely crucial for you to understand. You might actually think I'm only here because my parents want me to be here or because, you know, because this is, this is what's expected and at our extent Andy said earlier on our vision of God can be like this, shaped like the church, shaped like the youth activity, shaped like whatever we do and yet God is wanting to stretch our understanding and stretch our vision of who he is and what he can do and what he can be in our lives and my prayer for you is that he would open your eyes to see Jesus, not the church, not anything else but to see Jesus. He did it for me when I was 16. I didn't commit myself to a church or a project, I didn't know anything about church, but Jesus called me to himself and when they said do you want to, want to give your life to Christ, that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to go and find Jesus. I wanted to be filled with the spirit of Jesus. I wanted to understand who Jesus was. I wanted to follow Jesus. I wanted to, to, for other people to understand who Jesus was. That's all that mattered and that's what our prayer is, that that would be the hallmark of our revival and our renewal that goes on, that Jesus would change our life forever and I can say though I've had 30 plus years in leadership, I'm not a model believer or a champion prayer. From years back people bought me a booklet, this is how you learn to pray. I've never felt like an expert in anything to do with that, my faith has often been weak, struggles have been real, but something changed in my heart 40 years ago that's never changed back. The shape of my heart changed, the shape of my life, my outlook, my perspective, my understanding, my belief, my trust, everything changed and in the meantime it's been wobbly and it's been weak at times and there's been challenges and there's been issues and still there's so much for me to learn at my young age, but Jesus makes all the difference and it's our prayer that we don't just introduce people to what we do. It's great we've got our welcome packs and this is what we do through the week, but all of that are just walls, all of that is just shape, all of that is just a context in which we can meet God and so I would encourage you in your hearts, whether you're young, whether you're old, whether you get it, whether you don't, to be seeking after Jesus and going after Him and nothing else. You don't get points for how many activities you go to in a week or how many names you put on the sign-up sheet, you don't get points for that. It's great if you do it because we need it, it's the walls, but in actual fact that's not the point, it's not the main thing. God wants more for us, there must be more than this and so there is a challenge for all of us, whether we're young or whether we're old, we can't just bypass, you know this is a challenge for leadership, it's a challenge for me because in a way I have a full-time framework for what I do and I can and I can fill my diary with meetings, with projects, with things to do, with people to visit, with spreadsheets to fill in, I can do all of that. I think, wow, I'm a full-time Christian worker. I can do all of that and my heart can be far from where God wants it to be, my heart can be far from Jesus, and my prayer for myself as we respond to this is, is that God let your fire fall on me, that in this, you know there's a lot that I've seen in life, there's a lot that we've experienced, there's a lot to go back over, but yet looking forward that's what I want it to be, that's where I want to be, going forward, that's where we want to see the fire of God. I want to just tell stories of the past, stories of the past are important because they remind us of what God has done and how, how far we've come, but if we don't have anything, don't have any vision or hope or expectation for the future that the fire of God will fall, then we're going to, we're going to fail, we're going to, we're going to lose energy, we're going to run out of steam. When it comes to the nine o'clock meeting on the 13th of November or whatever it is, we're going to think, oh again, there needs to be that. And there's two categories of people, maybe you've never known what it is to give your heart to Jesus, maybe you've known, maybe no church, maybe you know, maybe you're trying your best, you're trying your best to to work it out, you're trying your best to, to give yourself, to build some religious walls around your life so that you can feel like a better person and you can feel like you've got things in order, but you've never known what it is to give your heart to the Lord completely. You've never encountered Jesus and the power of His love and that is crucial for you today, and if that is you today, don't leave this place without reaching out to Him. And there are those of us who do know, but we feel maybe it's all behind us, we knew that once, we're nostalgic. One of the things that was brought up at the conference last week that we were at was the issue of nostalgia, how easy it is to be nostalgic. For those of us of a certain age, there were exciting times in the 1980s, 1990s, the things that happened in the church. It's very easy to think, oh let's go back to that, but the whole point is not going back to that. It's about looking forward, about looking forward to what God can do in 2025, 2026, 2030. What stories are we going to tell then? Cornelius was praying this morning, don't mind me mentioning you, we were praying and he was saying, you know we've seen moves of God, we've seen Pensacola, we've seen Toronto, we've seen what God did in Mozambique, and yet there's a sense, there's a hunger for God to do something new and fresh here now. That's what we want. We need the stories of Pensacola and Toronto and Mozambique and all of that to encourage us and strengthen our faith and to focus our minds, but we're not just going to celebrate what that was. We're going to step into what God has for us, and it's much, much more than a building project. It's much, much more than a church with two services. It's much, much more than planting a church or whatever we do in the future. It's more than all of that. It's that the fire of God will fall, and so maybe you're not sure about what it all means for you now. We can be pleased about it. We can be pleased about what God is doing, but we don't know how we fit in. God is wanting to touch you with fire. God wants to touch your heart with fire, for you to see things, and His Word is absolutely relevant. We're like this. We've got God. We love Him. He's powerful. He's faithful to us. He does good things for us, but there's so much more, and He wants to stretch our vision, stretch our understanding, stretch our experience. Sometimes we're nervous of that word, experience. God wants to stretch our experience of Him, our experience of His love. Some of us can think back many, many years to times when we've really encountered the presence and power of God and the overwhelming love of Jesus, and yet it feels like it's all the way past. God wants to touch you again with those things, that you would have a testimony that we wouldn't be able to just say, does anybody have a 60-second testimony? Because it would throw the whole program out because of our experience of God, so we need to be hungry for Him. And so as we return, maybe the worship team could come back. Think about what this is. Lord, we're thankful, thankful, so thankful for what you're doing in our midst, so thankful for the shape of the church, thankful that we can have two services, thankful that we've got a building project, thank you that those things are coming together, but Lord, there must be more, there is more. Lord, let your fire fall, and what I want you to do is not just broaden this response, but look into your own heart. Like I said, young or old, whatever your circumstances, whatever the hang-ups, whatever the issues, whatever the things that are making you hesitate, bring it all to God. Lay it all out before Him and say, Lord, burn it up. Let your fire fall on the offering of my life. May I know you. Maybe you don't feel like you know Him. There's not a million miles, He's not a million miles away. Just reach out to Him, reach out to Him now as we respond. And if you want to come here, come forward, someone to pray with you, someone to help you, someone to encourage you, do that because we'd be more than happy and the space is here. Just come as we worship as Jonathan leads us and the team. Come and we will pray together and God's fire will fall upon us. Amen.