Good morning Forward Church in Cambridge and in Kitchener.
So glad to be with you this morning.
I'm going to ask you to open your Bibles.
To John chapter 15 verse. 16 here in Cambridge, if you have
one of the Pew Bibles under you and you don't have your own
Bible, you're you're welcome to take that, make that yours.
That's our gift to you. If you don't have your own
Bible. Page number there is 950. 8 It's
been a joy for me the last. Couple of weeks, 2 weeks ago.
I was at our brand site preaching there and last week I
got to be. With our Kitchener location.
And worship with them. In just talking with Pastor
Khalil over the past couple weeks, I'm so encouraged.
But what God is doing at all of our sites, At all of our
locations? How?
God is on the move and God is working, and I just ask you to.
To continue to pray for our church.
Continue to pray. For all of us, that we would be
the church that this moment in this country, these cities that
were in need, Pray especially for Pastor Khalil.
And for our Arabic site, you know.
We are in a spiritual battle, but when you are going up.
Against Islam, you're like white.
Knuckle, you're like, it's bare knuckles.
Fighting and so they're they're in combat with the lives of
Islam as they go out and try and reach Arabic people for Jesus
and so. Just be praying especially.
For them we've. Kicked off this fall with this
series that is called Devoted. We're in our last week of this
together and week 1 I just. Want to kind of remind?
Us where we've been Week one, we were in acts.
Chapter 2 and I was up here and I talked about the fact that.
It's not about what we do. It's about what Jesus has done.
That that is the foundation of our faith.
That is the foundation of our church, that it's all about what
Jesus did. But if we believe in what Jesus
has done, it will begin to change what we do.
And so Peter preaches about all that Christ did on the cross on
that Acts 2, on that start of the church, he gives a gospel.
Message and then the. People say, OK, what should we
do in light of what Christ has done?
He says repent and be baptized. Just believe it.
Receive what Christ? Has done for you.
And then it says, and they devoted themselves, and it
starts to give some practices that the early church entered
into on a regular. Basis and so.
For the last couple weeks, we've entered into this conversation
here at Forward Church. What are the core practices that
we would ask you to participate in and step into in order that
you could grow as disciples of Jesus who first, love God and
second, love others? And there's been a progression.
We've walked through John 15, one through 15 at this point.
We're going to be 16 and 17 today.
And Jesus starts with this call to his followers, to everyone
who is a disciple. He says, here's what I want you
to do. I want you to remain.
I want you to abide or dwell in, sink your roots down deeply into
me. That he's the vine and we're the
branches. And he says apart from me you
can do nothing. Back to that.
Do word right. It's about what Christ has done.
And if we're not rooted in what Christ has done, we can't do
anything. That's why we need to abide.
And then he says particularly here's what you need to abide
in. He says abide, dwell, sink down,
make space for the fact that I love you remain in my love and I
love the CSB and and remain is a fine word to use here, but I get
so worried when I I see that word that will read that word
and we'll think through all of the things that we need to do in
order for God to love us. But that's not what he's saying.
He's saying I love you. Just dwell in that thought,
remain in that thought, be present in that thought.
It does not mean don't mess up my love.
It does not mean don't get on my bad side.
It says every it's it means every day.
Would you just be so rooted in the reality that you are so
loved by God that he sent his one and only Son to save you?
And when that truth that we claim to believe as Christians,
when it moves from here to here, that's what begins to change
everything. The Gospel is not just how we
start in our salvation, it's how we move forward in our
salvation. And then he says this.
Obedience, what you do is directly related to your
understanding of that love, he says.
If you keep my commands, you'll remain in my love.
That there's this connection between obedience and love.
At the heart of every obedience issue that we struggle with is
this it's a love issue. Do you recognize that the reason
you struggle to obey is the is because you struggle to
understand God's deep love for you?
Love is what allows us to obey the the the knowledge, the the
deep trust and the fact that the Father loves us and only wants
what is best for us and would only do what is best for us.
That's what allows us then to say yes to Him.
It's always a love issue. At the heart of an obedience
issue. It can also be a love issue in
that our love for something else out shines and outweighs the
love that we have for our Father.
And so we love something more. We desire something more.
We chase after something more. Then we chase after him.
But at the heart of. Every obedience issue is a love
issue. God loves us, God loves you.
There's nothing that you did or that you will do to earn that
love. He but he has proven his
unbelievable love for you and what he has done through Jesus
Christ. So we devote ourselves to
creating space, to spending time in the Word and in prayer so
that we can be reminded of that love.
We devote ourselves to being present and coming together for
congregational worship. So we can sing these songs and
we can hear God's Word preached us and we can be reminded of
God's love for us. We don't do those things to earn
checkmarks from God. We don't have to earn His love.
He loves us. We need to come and be reminded.
Of that. And as we do that, our heart
grows in trust and in. Trust we obey and what?
Then does obedience look like? What is it that Jesus would have
us say yes to? What is he asking?
Us to do, Jesus tells us in verse. 12 This is my command
that you would love one another as I have.
Loved you. And that's what Pastor.
Kirk talked about last week and I can imagine if I was there in
that room as Jesus said that is one of those 11 disciples Judas
is out of the room right now likely going to get the
authorities as. He is there and he is teaching
these men. I would.
Say like like all the others it would.
Could it be enough to love one other?
But do I like Jesus? You saying I have to love all of
them? And so Jesus repeats.
Again in verse 17, this is what I command.
You love 1. Another the progression is this
the more we understand God's love for us, the more we will
obey Him out of. Love and obedience to Him.
Looks like loving others the way that he's loved us.
That's what the Christian life ought to look like.
Do you know there's approximately?
59 I think Pastor Kirk said this last week. 59 other one
another's in the new. Testament.
You cannot love another without another.
Some of you think you can do the Christian life alone.
You cannot. You simply cannot obey God
without being in community. You cannot love one another
without another. And so we're calling you if.
If this is your home church, become a member at Forward
Church. If this is your home church, get
involved in the discipleship group.
Have that intentional community where you can practice the one
and others together and serve on a team like God.
Use the gifts you have to be a blessing and to strengthen and
to encourage His church. Devote yourself to doing those
things. Why because of the way Jesus has
loved you love one another is I have loved you but there's one
last thing that Jesus says that we will devote ourselves to that
we'll. Participate in that we need to
talk about and it's found here in John 15 verse 16.
So we'll continue on in this. Passage Jesus says You did not
choose me. But I chose you.
I appointed you to go and to produce fruit, and that your
fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in
my name. He will give you.
So if you are a disciple, if you have come to the point where you
have believed and received what God has done for you in the
person of Jesus Christ, that he has died for your sins to wash
you clean, that he didn't stay buried, but he rose again on the
third day. And if he rose again, you will
too. If you believe that to be true,
then you will abide, you will dwell, you will remain in the
truth of that incredible love that God has.
That love will work its way out in how you treat and love other
people. And you'll go and produce fruit
through the work of Jesus. The work that he has done works
itself out, not just in here and not just in here in in this room
in the church, but it's something that is supposed to be
taken out there. That's the progression here.
He says, listen, if you're my disciple, here's what you need
to know. You're chosen.
If you're my disciple, you're chosen.
Now that is true of the direct audience that Jesus is speaking
to. That's obviously true, right?
These guys are literally, we were in Luke back in the spring.
You'll remember this. If you were here with us, we saw
him call these guys out and invite them to be the ones who
would. Follow him.
He chose them. But it's also true for every
single person who is watching in Kitchener, here in Cambridge,
listening online, watching at some other point, that you, if
you're a disciple, you have been chosen first.
Peter 29 says that we, if we're disciples of Jesus, are a chosen
race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation of people for his
possession. Ephesians 14, Paul says, For he
chose us in him before the foundation of the world, to be
holy and blameless in love before him.
In First Thessalonians 14, Paul writes to the church in
Thessalonica. He says, for we know brothers
and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you.
Christian, if you are a disciple, here's the truth for
you, you are chosen. He picked you, He chose you.
There's a theological term for this that theologians called
election. It's a much better election than
the type. Of elections we have.
And there's lots of discussion that we could have.
On all that this entails. And this is going to come up
again. We'll talk about this.
I know when. We get back into Luke, we're
going to have some conversation about election.
It will come. Up again, we'll teach.
About an equipped class. But for today, without getting
bogged down and into the weeds, God's Word is clear.
If you're a follower of Jesus, he's.
Chosen you, now we. Need to make a choice to follow
Jesus, to repent of our sins and to place our faith in him.
God's words also clear on that. But but two things can be true
at the same time. That we have to choose Jesus and
that Jesus chose us because the Bible says both of those things
in that reality. That God chose you and that He
chose me, you. Know what that should do?
That should put us in awe. You want to have your heart
stirred and move towards worship.
Think about the fact that God chose you.
Like, think about the men that he's saying this to in the room.
This is not the cream of the crop.
He he didn't choose these guys because they were the best of
the best. So we go through the gospel of
Luke. We're going to continue to see
these are not guys who had it all together.
They did not get it right all. Of the time.
He chose them in spite of who they were.
He chose them in spite of the fact that they weren't the
obvious choices. And that's why he chose you and
me too. He didn't choose you because he
needed you. He didn't have a job.
And he's like, I can't get this job done without them.
I need them now. He chose you because he loves
you. He didn't choose you because he
couldn't get it done without you.
He chose you because he didn't want to do it without you.
He didn't choose you because you're awesome and amazing.
I'm sure you are. You know, I'm, I'm sure your
mother's have told you that it's great, but that's not why he
chose you. He chose you because he's
awesome and amazing. Let those truths when you sing
and when you pray, inform your worship and inform your songs
and inform your praises. I'm sure my own reality is this.
There is absolutely no reason that I should be up.
Here this morning some of. You who know me well, you'll,
you'll know. This like I'm an introvert.
I I don't. Need a lot of.
People in my life. And I don't need to be the
center of attention of anything like this.
What I'm doing right now, and you can ask my wife, she will
tell you 100% full truth. This has never been an ambition
of my life. It is not my worldly passion and
ambition. I I was a terrible public
speaker. When I was a kid.
That's so nervous in front of people.
There was nothing in me that you would look and if you had seen
12 or 13 year old Derek, you'd say.
That's the guy he'll choose to someday preach to people.
Nothing. Nothing except one thing.
When God grabbed the hold of my heart, I prayed one prayer to
him at the age of 13. God, whatever you want me to do,
wherever you want me to go. I'll do that.
Now, I had a whole bunch of caveats in my mind at that
point, but God took that unsteady promise and he said,
OK, here's what I want you to do.
And then he's just led me step by step along the way.
God, God. Used me for my purposes.
That was my prayer. I want, I want to let you know.
If you're a disciple. If you're a.
Christian if you're a follower of Jesus.
You have been chosen for a purpose.
That's not what I'm saying. That's what Jesus says.
He says I chose you. And I appointed you I.
Chose you for a reason. Some of you today.
You're here today and you're wrestling, trying to figure out,
God, what is your purpose for me?
What? What am I, what am I supposed to
do with my life? Or what am I supposed to do with
my retirement? What am I supposed to do with
the days that you have granted me?
How should I invest myself? What should I give myself to?
Why does my life even matter? Because if God chose you, he
appointed you. If God chose you, He has a
purpose for you, and His purpose was more than just being about
you. Yeah, the blessings that we
receive in Christ through salvation are unbelievable.
There's too many to list. You can just go through
Ephesians. 1. And list out all of the things
that are ours in Christ Jesus. In Ephesians 1/3, Paul says
we're blessed in Christ Jesus with every spiritual blessing.
Every spiritual blessing belongs to you through Jesus.
And then he goes on. He talks about the fact that
we're made holy and we're made blameless.
We're loved, we're adopted, we're forgiven, we have an
inheritance. All of those things are
incredible that the Holy Spirit is in you.
God takes up residence in His people when they come to faith.
We are recipients of an unbelievable amount of mercy and
grace, but we're not supposed to be the final destination for
that mercy and grace. One of the blessings He bestows
on you and on me, if you're a follower of Jesus, is this.
It's not all about you. It's not all about you.
If God has chosen you, if Jesus has appointed you and saved you,
it's for a purpose. And he says this.
If you're a disciple, you've been chosen for the purpose of
going. Out.
You did not choose me, but I chose you, and I appointed you
to go. Not to sit, not to stay, not to
soak, to go and produce fruit if you're a disciple of Jesus.
You are not called on the team to just warm the bench.
You're appointed to get into the game and bear fruit.
Listen, you can't produce fruit on your own.
We talked about that apart for me.
Jesus says you can do nothing, but he also says healthy
branches, branches that are abiding produce fruit.
If you're chosen, you've been appointed, you have a purpose.
That purpose is to go and produce fruit.
What is the fruit, then that is produced in us as we're?
Rooted in Christ Jesus? Well.
First, our lives are transformed.
It's the fruit of transformed lives.
In this passage. We've already talked about it.
Verse 12, he says if you're abiding in me, here's what's
going to happen. You're going to love other
people. That's going to grow in you.
It's not going to happen all at once.
It's probably going to be a pretty painful process at times,
but you are going to grow in love for other people.
In Galatians 5/22/23 we get to hear about the fruit of the
Spirit, Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, all these things
that God grows up in us. This fruit.
Colossians 110 we bear fruit in every good work.
That there's actually things that God wants you to do in this
world that make a difference. Matthew 38, John the Baptist
says that we ought to bear fruit in keeping with repentance, that
our lives in big ways and small ways are constantly and always
being transformed by Jesus at work in US.
Changed hearts lead to changed actions.
If there's no change, there's no fruit.
And if there's no fruit, you aren't in the vine.
But the here's what else happens when our lives are transformed.
Change people, change things. Changed people changed things.
When people are being made different, it makes a
difference. Like love is a verb.
It's not just a warm feeling, it's action.
If you're going to love people, you're going to go out and do
things. When husbands and wives love
each other like Christ loves us, then families get different.
When we love our neighbors, we love the communities that we're
in. Then communities get different.
They get transformed. This I don't know.
If you've paid attention at all to the goings on in the States,
and in some ways they're different, but in some ways
they're not a lot different from Canada.
In, in, in the midst of everything that is happening, in
the midst of all of the polarization that has taken
place and is taking place and the battles people are fighting.
I can't tell you how moved and how struck I was by seeing Eric
Kirk step up and talk about the fact that at the heart of the
gospel is Jesus forgiveness. And then to look out and say
that she would forgive the young man who shot her husband dead.
And what what's been incredible to me is I, I try and listen to
voices all over the cultural spectrum.
How the Gospel cut through. All of it from left.
To right and everywhere in. Between the only thing, the only
thing. The only hope that we have in
this world is the gospel. The only thing that is going to
bring people together is the most counter intuitive reality
that we could ever imagine was we're going to lay down our
lives for others. We're going to love our enemies.
We're going to do everything the world doesn't want to do.
And when that happens, when Christians get serious, when
we're transformed by the gospel man, it changes things, people
who are being made different. They'll they'll make a
difference. Because they'll direct people to
the only one who's the actual difference maker.
I I have to say this I. I find especially.
If you're younger. Especially if you're a young man
or maybe a middle-aged man too. I think we struggle with this.
Your purpose is not to change the world.
Hear me on this your. Purpose is not to change the
world. Your purpose is to point people
to the one who made the world and who is changing your world.
And when that happens, the world gets changed.
You're, you're not. You don't have to go out there
and do big things for God. God did the big thing.
You point people to the big thing that God has done.
You let that change your life. It'll change everything and let
God determine how big your impact is.
All you're called to do is be faithful.
That's your job. Be faithful.
The most loving thing that you can do is point someone to the
Jesus who loves them, to the God who loved them so much that he
died to redeem them. If you're going to do that, you
got to abide in that. You got to be rooted in that.
You got to be so gospel saturated.
And then go out in that. Apart from me, you can do
nothing. But I I've appointed you.
To go and produce fruit, I've appointed you to go do
something. Now, this is not next level
Christianity. This is simply Christianity.
This is what it looks like to be a Christian.
If you don't have to take my word for it.
Here's an example. The Samaritan woman at the well.
She didn't know anything. She was not theologically
astute. She just met Jesus, didn't know
anything other than this Jesus. He knows everything about me.
And. This is wild and it's changing
my life. So in John 4/29 she just goes
out and says, come see a man who told me everything I ever did.
Could this be the Messiah? And God uses her to bring a
whole village over to learn about Jesus.
That's all she needed to know. I think this guy, he might be
the real deal. Some of you the the one thing
maybe that God is asking you to do is to find one person in
your. Life.
Who you're going to bring to Alpha, You just know Jesus is
changing my life. He's changed my life.
I want him, I want other people to know about him.
I love other people, so I'm going to invite somebody to come
with me. To alpha that starts tomorrow.
Night, that might be your one thing that you need to.
Do as a difference maker this. This week, abiding in Jesus,
loving each other, serving, living different, making a
difference for the world like these are.
This is not three different things.
This is 1 rope. Love God, love others, serve the
world. One rope.
That's what it means to be a disciple.
Collectively we do all of it. Not, not three separate steps
all at once, all together. I chose you and I appointed.
You to go and produce fruit now. Some tough news for you.
The going won't be. Easy, Jesus says in verse 18.
Hey, if the world hates you. Get this.
It hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the
world would love you as its own. However, because you're not of
the world, because I've chosen you out of it, the world hates
you. Remember the word I have?
Spoken to you A. Servant is not greater than his
master. If they persecuted me, they will
also persecute you. If Jesus suffered, guess what?
You're probably going to suffer. In fact, here's why I'd say.
If nobody ever dislikes you. You got to.
Question whether you're really following Jesus.
You think, well, why would anybody?
Push back against the message. Of love and hope that Jesus
brings, because there's an enemy who came to steal and kill and
destroy. And.
If we're going to go out and win people to Jesus, we need to
understand who the enemy is and who it isn't.
The enemy is not flesh and blood.
The enemy is not other Christians.
The enemy is not your political opposition.
The enemy is not the people that Jesus died to save.
They're the prize. The devil is the enemy, and so
you're going to go out and you're going to be at war and
there are going to be times where you take some hits and you
take some blows. Sharing the love of Jesus
requires sharing the truth of Jesus, that we're sinners who
can't save ourselves, that we're headed to hell and a crisis
eternity unless and until we accept what Jesus has done on
our behalf. It requires living differently
than the world around us, and you should live differently than
the world around you. There shouldn't actually be
anybody who ultimately at some point doesn't get annoyed or
offended by you living in the way of Jesus if they're not
Jesus followers. Like I expect in this world
where we kind of polarize everything right and left, if
you're a Jesus follower, you'll offend people on the left and
you'll offend people on the right.
If you don't, maybe you're not following Jesus.
Maybe you're following the left or the right, but you should be
offending everybody because Jesus doesn't have a political
party. Followers of Jesus follow Jesus,
living for Jesus. It looks a little bit like this.
It looks like being at a concert.
Music is blaring. But you.
Have headphones in? You're listening to a totally
different tune and dancing to a totally different drummer.
That's what fallen Jesus. Looks like in the world.
You're not dancing to everybody else's tune and people laugh at
you and people point at you and people get annoyed at you and
then what's? What do you say?
You say, well, why don't you? Listen to the tune I'm listening
to, and then maybe you understand the way I'm dancing.
That's what fallen Jesus looks like in the world.
But. Yes, it won't be easy.
But you also won't be going alone verse 17 when we go.
Out to bear fruit like we've been appointed, he says.
So whatever you ask the Father in my name.
He will give to you. God is going to give you
everything that you need to accomplish the mission that He
calls you into. Whatever you ask in my Father's
name, accord that means according to His will, according
to His character, according to the mission that He has given to
you, He'll give you what you need.
So it's not going to be easy, but you're not going alone.
Our enemy, he's tough, there's no doubt about it.
He's he's described as a as a lion on the prowl looking for
someone to devour, but he's nothing, nothing, nothing
compared to our God. Ephesians 610 finally be
strengthened by the Lord and his vast strength, which is so much
more strength than a lion. The going may be tough, but you
aren't going into. This alone.
You got big backup and the going will be worth it, so I appointed
you to go and produce fruit. And didn't talk about this.
Last part it says and your fruit will remain.
There are a lot of things you can give.
Your life for and your life too. We can, we can bear all sorts of
fruit. In this.
World your life. Can bear the fruit of.
Fame. Your life can bear the.
Fruit of power. Your life can bear the fruit of
money and pleasure, but the fruit of power and money and
fame and pleasure rots the fruit of faith.
Love and pointing people to Jesus remains forever.
If you spend your life chasing professional success, you might
find it. In fact, it's a good chance
you'll end up finding that success that you're looking.
For but if it's. Success just for your own sake.
It doesn't matter at all. It's going to be fruit that.
Rots on the vine. But if you.
Use your business to fund the business of the gospel.
If you use your professional success not to get glory for
yourself. But to point people to the glory
of Jesus Christ? If you use your influence to
bring justice into this world, that's fruit that remains.
Fruit that Remains isn't isn't doing everything that you can do
to set your kids up to be high achievers in this world.
Fruit that Remains is doing everything that you can do to.
Connect and point your kids. To Jesus, that's.
Fruit that remains as a. Parent, a life that bears fruit,
that remains is a life that makes a difference in this world
for Jesus because Jesus is making you different in every
area of your life. If you're a follower who is
abiding, who's growing in your love for God, that looks like
loving one another. And when we live as people of
love, especially in a world of hatred and division, it makes a
difference in everything that we do.
It will, I promise you, I promise you, I promise you, I
will make a difference. I've got 2000 years that
illustrate the fact that when the love of Jesus so impacts the
people of Jesus that they go out and love their world, it changes
things. Billions of lives have been
transformed because of that reality.
Charities that the the entire idea that we have in the Western
world of what charity looks like exists because the people of
Jesus brought it into existence. There have been people, millions
and millions of people, who God's people, have reached into
their poverty and their addiction and love them and care
for them. And seeing those chains broken,
hospitals founded, schools founded.
The value of human life and dignity that our culture takes
for granted is only there because the people of God were
transformed by their God to see that every single life, every
single person, is made in the. Image of God and has value.
We talked. About a men's event do justice,
men, I would just encourage you. We need men to rise up and do
justice. We need men who see the
brokenness and darkness in this world and say God's made me
different to make a difference. And I'm going to.
I'm going to live in such a way that I'm going to help women who
have been taken into human trafficking, and I'm going to
help see them get out when the followers of Jesus understand
that they've been. Chosen and appointed for the
purpose of going out and bearing much fruit.
That our lives are meant to. Be lived to bear fruit that
remains. It changes things.
I want to just talk here briefly at the end with a couple people.
If you're in our Kitchener side, I'm going to ask, I'm going to
have you guys go. Pastor Steve's going to come up
and talk about some steps that. You can take.
To step into this reality of going and stepping into your
purpose and bearing fruit in Cambridge, I'm going to invite.
Out Crystal Mora and Tammy Bull. Right now to come and just
share. Some of the ways that we.
Want to be able to help support you take next steps or take a
step into being a? Church and a people.
That serve the world and I'm going to.
Start with Tammy. Tammy overseas, our community.
Engagement here at Forward Church and gets.
To really, her job is to help empower all of us to take those
steps to be people who go out and serve.
The world so. Tammy, what are some steps that
you'd like to? Share with people.
Thank you, Pastor Derek. So there are so many different
ways for you to be an ambassador of Jesus in the world around
you. I want to highlight a couple.
Maybe you're like me. Maybe sometimes you see or hear
about something a little too late.
Oh, if only I had known. I could have made a meal for
them. Or I could have, you know,
screwed on that doorknob for that single mom.
Well, we have a care team here and we're looking for people who
love to help others with practical needs.
So if you're that kind of a person and you just want to hear
about those opportunities maybe once a month, that's the team
for you. And I am happy to get you
connected on that team. Another way to serve the world
is through one of our big catalytic events.
We have the next one coming up. Brace yourself.
I'm going to say Christmas ready sharing.
Christmas is coming up and it went so well last year.
We're going to do it again this year.
We're going to open the doors to hopefully twice as many people.
And if you have a creative gift and would love to use that to
share Jesus and what Christmas is all about with others, I'm
looking for some workshop leaders so we can talk about
that. And the third way that you can
get involved, I mean, there are others, but the one I want to
highlight today is discipleship groups.
So if you're a discipleship group leader, I'm speaking to
you right now. I want you to think about your
group and think about how often you've talked about serving as a
group. How do we grow as a group?
Serving as a group is one of the best ways to grow, and if you're
not already serving in an area together, come talk to me and I
can get you connected with ways to serve once a month.
Ways to serve 3 * a year. There are some agencies who
would love to work with you and your group.
Let me tell you, talk about fruit.
You are going to experience the fruit.
I can speak from personal experience where you are serving
together, growing together in Jesus name.
So those are my 3:00 today and I know that Crystal has something
special to share about too. Yeah, Crystal's going to talk a
little bit about a new initiative that's direct.
If you're a business leader, you have your own business.
We've got something that we're starting up.
Crystal, would you just? Share a little bit about that.
Thanks, Derek. And so the Canadian Christian
Business Federation has something called Biz groups, and
we are launching that for the first time here in our church.
So if you're a business owner or a workplace leader, this is for
you. It's a time like discipleship
groups, where you would come together, discuss biblical
principles, and then take those into your workplaces.
OK. And both of you will be out
there afterwards. If people want to connect, we
will. You'll be out in the lobby
afterwards. Any other?
Ways that people connect with you and and learn more about
what what we've talked about today.
Yeah, you can reach out to the church office.
It looks like you can. There are two different texts.
I don't think they're up there. STW for serve the World and biz.
So Canadian Biz for texting a biz group and.
What's the number for? Me, 226-212-7117.
That's why I put you on the spot, Church.
We have been called into the opportunity to go out and make a
difference in this world. And whether it's through these
opportunities, whether it's just waking up in the morning and
saying, Lord, show me who you want me to be a difference maker
to today show. Me how to?
Point people towards you today. We're.
All called out onto the mission that Jesus has given us to make
disciples and then go serve the world.
Just as I close up, I had the privilege yesterday of talking a
little bit with David Dykema on the passing of his mom.
And one of the things that struck me is he talked about the
fact that his mom to her very last day.
Was just. Living every day at Saint Luke's
for Jesus. Every day she was telling people
about Jesus. She was pointing people to
Jesus. She was inviting people to
church, even though it had been almost 20 years since she'd been
able to be out at church, and some of those people were coming
to forward church. You might be out there today
because Loretta Dykima invited you from Saint Luke's and she
couldn't even be here with you, but she loved you enough to.
Share that with you. It was just such a reminder of
of a woman who has lived her life on mission for Jesus.
And we said goodbye to a couple of those women this week.
But we need to all step into that reality.
We need to all step into that mission.
Let me pray, Father, thank you so much.
That you loved us. Help us to abide in that love.
We don't want to go out and do these things to earn your
pleasure and favour. No, we want to go out because we
know your pleasure and favour. We know how good it is to be
loved by you. We want to share that love with
others. We want to be people who are
being transformed by your love. And bring the love of Jesus.
To a world that is in desperate need of transformation, God we
pray that we would be a church that would go and produce much
fruit and fruit that would remain in Jesus name, Amen.