1
00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:05,080
We are one church. 
We love God, love people, love 

2
00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:06,960
His mission, and love His 
church. 

3
00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,440
Welcome to the One Church 
podcast. 

4
00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:17,760
We're. 
Just continuing our series on 

5
00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:20,960
people of power. 
And the aim of this series 

6
00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,400
really is to kind of restate 
some of who we are, some of our 

7
00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:28,640
culture, our core values, and 
who God has called us to be as 

8
00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,880
one church. 
But also we want to equip you as

9
00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,080
the body of Christ in your 
spheres of influence to be 

10
00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:39,120
people of power where you are. 
So far we've looked at the power

11
00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:43,400
of surrender, the power of 
giving, the power of miracles. 

12
00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:47,200
Last week the power of prayer, 
and today the power of family. 

13
00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:49,560
And so we're going to look at 
three different kind of 

14
00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:51,320
elements. 
Today we're going to look at 

15
00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:53,560
what the one church family looks
like. 

16
00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,560
We're going to think about the 
the days of the early church. 

17
00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,800
What did family look like in the
days of the early church, and 

18
00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:01,960
what can this look like for me 
today? 

19
00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:03,440
That's really where we're going 
to hone in. 

20
00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,680
We're going to look at what this
really can mean for you in the 

21
00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,760
room today, whether this is your
first time or whether this is 

22
00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:12,280
your church family. 
What can the family of God look 

23
00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,880
like for you? 
All families look different. 

24
00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,080
Some are big, some are small. 
Some are loud and chaotic. 

25
00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:22,880
Some are calm and compassionate.
Some are strained and distant. 

26
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:26,000
Some are intimate and close. 
There are many things that 

27
00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:27,800
family can be. 
And I would just like to 

28
00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,560
acknowledge at the outset that 
when we speak about family, I 

29
00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:34,600
can appreciate that that can 
bring up some difficult emotions

30
00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:39,280
in people based on experiences. 
And I just really feel that God 

31
00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,400
would like to bring some healing
to you in the room. 

32
00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,880
So if you carry wounds, if you 
carry pain, whether that's from 

33
00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,440
the church family or from 
biological family, be open and 

34
00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,920
ready because I believe God does
want to bring healing to us 

35
00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:53,360
today. 
All families have their own 

36
00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:55,440
culture and their own way of 
doing things. 

37
00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,240
Something in our family, the 
remote control is called the 

38
00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:01,320
buttons. 
I think it's basically a bit 

39
00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,200
hard when you're teaching a 2 
year old how to speak to say 

40
00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:07,280
remote control. 
So we went for the buttons and 

41
00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:08,759
it stuck. 
So that's us. 

42
00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,840
And another thing, we eat 
breakfast together every morning

43
00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,640
and we do Lectio for families, 
which is a prayer devotional app

44
00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:18,760
for families to do together. 
And we did have this moment the 

45
00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,040
other week where we thought 
maybe we're the only people in 

46
00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,560
the world that use this app 
because for two weeks it hadn't 

47
00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,000
been updated and I had to get in
touch with them to tell them 

48
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,280
that it hadn't been updated. 
I thought, are we the only 

49
00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:31,720
people that do this? 
Well, I'm grateful if we are the

50
00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,520
only people that use that app. 
I'm grateful they do it for us. 

51
00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,200
Our kids love it. 
They love the memory verse. 

52
00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,800
Their favourite memory verse is 
as the deer pants for the water 

53
00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:46,160
because it means they get to say
pants family culture at one 

54
00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:47,800
church. 
So you can hear more about this 

55
00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:51,680
in detail on the 9th of November
at our Newcomers Night. 

56
00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:54,920
And just to say that if you 
wouldn't consider yourself as 

57
00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:58,120
new, but you haven't been to a 
Newcomers Night, can I really 

58
00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,520
urge you to still come along? 
It's a brilliant opportunity. 

59
00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,440
If this is the only experience 
of one church you've ever had in

60
00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:08,280
this building, it's an amazing 
chance for you to hear about the

61
00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,800
breadth of one church and 
holistically see what we do 

62
00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,520
across the city and also in the 
world as well. 

63
00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,880
So we would really encourage you
to be part of that on the 9th of

64
00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,600
November. 
But just briefly, the the vision

65
00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:22,880
of one church is 4 simple 
things. 

66
00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,360
Firstly, that we love God. 
That means that we're Jesus 

67
00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:30,200
centred, we're passionate about 
the Father heart, we're Bible 

68
00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,280
believing and we're spirit 
filled. 

69
00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,280
And what spirit filled means is 
that we believe in the power of 

70
00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:39,000
the Holy Spirit operating 
through his church, the body of 

71
00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,120
Christ today. 
Secondly, we love people. 

72
00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:44,520
We love all people. 
That means that everyone's 

73
00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:46,800
welcome here. 
We love all nations. 

74
00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,680
Next week, we're so excited 
about Nations Day, the 

75
00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,200
opportunity to celebrate over 60
nationalities, part of one 

76
00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:55,160
church. 
And if you're from a nation, you

77
00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,720
could come and wear something 
that represents your nation or 

78
00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,880
your heritage, then please do 
come ready to celebrate. 

79
00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:04,400
And we love getting to see the 
breadth of the body of Christ 

80
00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:06,480
from so, so many different 
nations. 

81
00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,880
We love all generations. 
So from babies in the room right

82
00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,880
the way through to our precious 
seniors in their 90s. 

83
00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:17,079
And we're all disciples, so we 
long that all would grow and 

84
00:04:17,079 --> 00:04:19,200
thrive in their faith. 
And Jesus. 

85
00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:24,200
We love God, we love people, we 
love his mission reaching the 

86
00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,880
lost. 
The church is here for those not

87
00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,440
yet part of it. 
We love his mission, serving 

88
00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:32,560
those in need. 
Maybe you've heard of Open 

89
00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:34,800
Hands, which is our compassion 
charity. 

90
00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:39,720
It began very simply in 2006 and
now supports hundreds of people 

91
00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:41,640
every week with the basics in 
life. 

92
00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,200
Things that maybe you and I 
would take for granted, like 

93
00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:48,040
food, clothing, furniture, 
English classes for people as 

94
00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,600
they move to the country, and so
much more. 

95
00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:53,880
Again, you can find out more 
about that at Newcomers and 

96
00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:56,400
Changing the World. 
We have a variety of missions 

97
00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,440
partners, including 
organisations who support 

98
00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:03,640
fostering and adopting families.
We support an organisation that 

99
00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:08,000
supports persecuted church and 
missions work across the globe 

100
00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,200
as well. 
So considering people in India, 

101
00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,400
Ghana, Kenya and beyond. 
And there's so much more I could

102
00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:15,080
say, but I'll save it for the 
9th. 

103
00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:18,920
And we love His church, love 
God, love people, love His 

104
00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,080
mission and love His church. 
We're committed to continuing 

105
00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,880
planting sites, so this is one 
of five sites across Leicester 

106
00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,680
and Loughborough and there will 
be more planted in the future. 

107
00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,760
Practising Unity We are 
passionate about the United 

108
00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,520
movement in Leicester and 
partnering with other local 

109
00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:38,440
churches in Leicestershire and 
Loughborough. 

110
00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,120
We simply cannot fulfil the 
Great Commission on our own. 

111
00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,120
As wonderful as one church is, 
it requires the Body of Christ 

112
00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,200
across the globe to fulfil the 
Great Commission. 

113
00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:53,000
And we believe in servant 
leadership and empowering men 

114
00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,520
and women. 
These are our family values as 

115
00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,240
one church. 
These are fundamental things 

116
00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,760
that we believe every area of 
church life should align with. 

117
00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,360
And to be part of this family, 
probably you're going to need to

118
00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:09,400
feel that you can align with 
those four values as well in 

119
00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,120
order to play your part and be 
part of the family. 

120
00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,640
We long to know you. 
You are needed in this place to 

121
00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,320
play your part, and we long to 
know you as well. 

122
00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,360
We long for those two things to 
go together, needed and known. 

123
00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,840
So that's the one church family 
that you're part of here today. 

124
00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:28,240
But what about the early church 
family? 

125
00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:32,320
So in the days after Jesus 
ascended to heaven and the Holy 

126
00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,800
Spirit was poured out, it was an
exciting time to be a believer. 

127
00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:39,280
It says that the Lord added to 
their number daily with those 

128
00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:42,480
who were being saved, sometimes 
even by the thousands. 

129
00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,080
Why were people finding faith in
Jesus and sticking it out? 

130
00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:48,720
I believe it had everything to 
do with family. 

131
00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:51,360
Here's a picture of what the 
early church looked like. 

132
00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,760
This is Acts chapter 2 from 
verse 42 to verse 47, and we'll 

133
00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,160
just break it down as we go. 
Says they devoted themselves to 

134
00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:02,520
the apostles teaching and to 
fellowship, to the breaking of 

135
00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,920
bread and to prayer. 
So they devoted themselves. 

136
00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:08,360
So a healthy family requires 
commitment. 

137
00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,720
We have to be intentional. 
Yes, we are intentional in our 

138
00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:16,000
decision to follow Jesus, but 
also intentional in our decision

139
00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,640
to be part of the family. 
It says they devoted themselves 

140
00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:22,600
to fellowship. 
So a healthy family spends time 

141
00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:26,040
together. 
Relationships require time and 

142
00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,320
energy for a family to grow. 
And often that can be really 

143
00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,480
difficult on a Sunday to to go 
deeper, go beyond just kind of, 

144
00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,440
hey, how was your week? 
And that's why we believe in 

145
00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,640
small groups as our most 
effective form of pastoral care,

146
00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:43,040
of discipleship and of 
community. 

147
00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:45,280
And you can come and ask us 
questions or head to the Connect

148
00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,880
point if you want to know more 
about small groups today as 

149
00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:49,840
well. 
And it says that they prayed 

150
00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,120
together. 
So a healthy family prays 

151
00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,800
together. 
We have the prayer army on Zoom 

152
00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,760
on a Friday morning. 
We pray in small groups. 

153
00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,160
And through January we're going 
to be having three days of 

154
00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:03,800
prayer and fasting, which is for
the whole family. 

155
00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,760
We're going to ask that people 
come, commit some time back to 

156
00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:11,280
God before the the kind of rest 
of the activity kicks in. 

157
00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:13,720
And we would implore you to be 
there, be part of that. 

158
00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:17,040
Come to at least one session and
let's seek God together in 

159
00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,880
prayer as a family and believe 
that we're going to see amazing 

160
00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:22,840
things. 
From verse 43, it says everyone 

161
00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,920
was filled with all at the many 
wonders and signs performed by 

162
00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,760
the apostles. 
All the believers were together 

163
00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:33,280
and had everything in common. 
They sold property and 

164
00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:35,760
possessions to give to anyone 
who had need. 

165
00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,120
So it says they were together. 
A healthy family has a common 

166
00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:42,120
aim and vision. 
They were together and had 

167
00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:44,960
everything in common. 
As I shared at the beginning, 

168
00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:47,880
the one church heart. 
We love God, we love people, we 

169
00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:49,640
love his mission, we love his 
church. 

170
00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:54,040
Common aim and a common vision 
as a family says that they gave 

171
00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:57,960
to anyone who had need a healthy
family bears one another's 

172
00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,840
burdens. 
We cry together, we laugh 

173
00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:03,760
together and if we can help you,
then please speak up. 

174
00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,080
If there are practical or 
spiritual things that we can 

175
00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,760
support you with ongoing, then 
let's come alongside one another

176
00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,480
when we're in need. 
Often we help people with moving

177
00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:18,160
house or cooking meals when a 
new baby comes to join a family 

178
00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,720
or driving somebody to a an 
appointment that maybe they're 

179
00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:24,080
worrying about so they don't 
have to go on their own. 

180
00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,120
We bear one another's burdens as
family. 

181
00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:32,000
Verse 46 says every day they 
continue to meet together in 

182
00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,800
temple courts. 
They broke bread in their homes 

183
00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,760
and ate together with glad and 
sincere hearts, praising God and

184
00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,040
enjoying the favour of all the 
people and the Lord added to 

185
00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:44,280
their number daily those who 
were being saved. 

186
00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,640
It says that they ate together. 
I hope you're excited about 

187
00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:49,200
that. 
I'm excited about eating 

188
00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:51,760
together. 
A healthy family eats together. 

189
00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:55,280
Maybe you're outside of the 
young adults brackets. 

190
00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:59,200
Or why don't you take on the 
mantle of feeding a young adult.

191
00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,760
I promise you that they're less 
scary than they look, or most of

192
00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:06,200
them are at least, and they will
bite your hand off for free food

193
00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:10,280
and the the potential of having 
Leicester grandparents, parents,

194
00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:12,200
aunts and uncles. 
So please do. 

195
00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:16,160
Let's come alongside our young 
adults and one another and eat 

196
00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,720
together with glad and sincere 
hearts. 

197
00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,680
A healthy family displays love 
and affection to each other. 

198
00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:27,560
So that's the early church 
family of God. 

199
00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,960
But what about for me and you? 
What about my family? 

200
00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:32,920
What about this church family 
here? 

201
00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,320
How can I play my part in that 
and receive from that? 

202
00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:38,920
We're going to read 1 
Corinthians 12 together. 

203
00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,400
It's titled One body with many 
parts. 

204
00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,960
The human body has many parts, 
but the many parts make up one 

205
00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,560
whole body. 
So it is with the body of 

206
00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:52,200
Christ. 
Some of us who are Jews, some 

207
00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:54,720
are Gentiles, some are slaves 
and some are free. 

208
00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,120
But we have all been baptised 
into one body by 1 spirit and we

209
00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:03,000
all share the same spirit. 
Yes, the body has many different

210
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:07,160
parts, not just one part. 
If the foot says I'm not a part 

211
00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:10,400
of the body because I'm not a 
hand, that does not make it any 

212
00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,720
less a part of the body. 
And if the ear says I'm not a 

213
00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:17,000
part of the body because I'm not
an eye, would that make it any 

214
00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,520
less a part of the body? 
If the whole body were an eye, 

215
00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,280
how would you hear? 
Or if the whole body were an 

216
00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:25,480
ear, how would you smell 
anything? 

217
00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:30,960
But our bodies have many parts, 
and God has put each part just 

218
00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,480
where He wants it. 
How strange a body would be if 

219
00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,640
it only had one part. 
Yes, there are many parts, but 

220
00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:41,240
only one body. 
The eye can never say to the 

221
00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:45,000
hand I don't need you, and the 
head can't say to the feet I 

222
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,520
don't need you. 
In fact, some parts of the body 

223
00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:50,800
that seem the weakest and least 
important are actually the most 

224
00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:53,680
necessary. 
And the parts we regard as less 

225
00:11:53,680 --> 00:11:56,200
honourable are those we clothed 
with the greatest care. 

226
00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:59,600
So we carefully protect those 
parts that should not be seen, 

227
00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:03,000
while the more honourable parts 
do not require this special 

228
00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,720
care. 
So God has put the body together

229
00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:08,920
such that extra honour and care 
are given to those parts that 

230
00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:12,360
have less dignity. 
This makes for harmony among the

231
00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,720
members, so that the members 
care for each other. 

232
00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:19,720
If one part suffers, all the 
parts suffer with it, and if one

233
00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:22,200
part is honoured, all the parts 
are glad. 

234
00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:26,960
All of you together are Christ's
body and each of you is a part 

235
00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:30,520
of it. 
So what does this church family 

236
00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,760
look like for you and for me? 
I think three things for us 

237
00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,120
today. 
The 1st is taking 

238
00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,880
responsibility. 
Sometimes I think it can be easy

239
00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:44,360
to assume that your gift and 
what you bring to the table, 

240
00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:48,560
your part in this family, is not
as valuable or not as important.

241
00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:51,920
Maybe you think where the role 
of the preacher or the prophet 

242
00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:55,080
or the worship leader, the 
evangelist is much more 

243
00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,160
important or valuable is simply 
not true. 

244
00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:01,560
I would say today that if your 
gift is hospitality for example,

245
00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:04,760
that your gift could be the 
difference between somebody 

246
00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:09,520
experiencing the heart of God 
and experiencing a man made 

247
00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,600
system or structure. 
Maybe if your gift is 

248
00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:15,720
administration, then your gift 
could be the difference between 

249
00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:19,240
people feeling equipped and 
empowered in a team or feeling 

250
00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:23,720
lost and insecure. 
If your gift is encouragement, 

251
00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,560
then using your gift could be 
the difference between somebody 

252
00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:30,840
feeling spurred on in their 
faith and into who God has 

253
00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:34,760
called them to be or being stuck
in the chains of their old life.

254
00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:40,000
Every single part of the body is
gifted so that they can play 

255
00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:44,880
their part in the functional 
operation of the body, he says. 

256
00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,000
I'm not a part of the body 
because I'm not an eye. 

257
00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,600
You would never say that we 
would all consider the IA part 

258
00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:53,680
of the body, right? 
But maybe you've caught yourself

259
00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:57,000
saying, well, I'm not an 
evangelist or a prophet or a 

260
00:13:57,000 --> 00:13:59,760
teacher, and so my part is not 
as important. 

261
00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,560
But the passage goes on to say 
that so you should earnestly 

262
00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:06,880
desire the most helpful gifts. 
And I would say that the most 

263
00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,640
helpful gift that you can have 
is the one that God has placed 

264
00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:14,560
inside of you to bless His body.
Firstly, we take responsibility.

265
00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:18,440
Acknowledge today that your gift
is important and it really 

266
00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:22,960
matters. 
Secondly, for us, accepting 

267
00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,920
limitation, Maybe for you it's 
actually the opposite feeling 

268
00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,000
and you kind of feel like 
actually I've got this life as a

269
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,160
believer covered, I've got this 
down. 

270
00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:36,160
I know God, I know how to seek 
him for myself, I know how to 

271
00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:39,800
share him with my world. 
But perhaps you've been hurt by 

272
00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,640
church and as an organisation or
by Christians. 

273
00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:46,880
As a broad people group. 
We have to accept our 

274
00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,960
limitations. 
We simply cannot be everything 

275
00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:53,800
or have everything when we find 
ourselves in isolation. 

276
00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,360
You might say, well God is 
enough for me, Yes, God is 

277
00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:00,280
enough for you, but he made me 
to be in community with others. 

278
00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:04,520
In the very beginning. 
God made companion for Adam. 

279
00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,280
He said it is not good for man 
to be alone. 

280
00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:11,440
And so companionship and company
and community was God's idea 

281
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,880
from the beginning. 
It would be wrong to not pause 

282
00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:19,160
here and just acknowledge that 
if you do carry her from a 

283
00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,840
previous church family, from 
this church family, or even from

284
00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,640
your biological family, then I 
acknowledge that that pain is 

285
00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:29,040
real. 
But I feel that the Father would

286
00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,760
come alongside you, put his 
gentle arms around you, and say 

287
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:37,000
it's time to go again in the 
body of Christ, in the family of

288
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,800
God. 
You know, God is big enough to 

289
00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,880
carry you through to healing and
wholeness from the pain that 

290
00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,680
you've carried. 
And let me say on behalf of the 

291
00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:50,920
church that I'm sorry for any 
time that a believer has wounded

292
00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:53,680
you. 
Let's let this place be a place 

293
00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:57,880
where we are safe, and this is a
safe place for people to be 

294
00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:01,520
vulnerable again. 
Here's a story from a lady who 

295
00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:05,480
joined one church 3 years ago. 
I started coming to 1 church in 

296
00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,320
2022. 
I would arrive late and leave 

297
00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:10,520
fairly quickly after the service
had finished. 

298
00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,120
I wanted to be in God's 
presence, but I wasn't looking 

299
00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:18,080
to be a part of a community. 
My mind just equated it to just 

300
00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:19,960
being constantly hurt and 
dismissed. 

301
00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,840
I loved God, loved people, but 
hated the church. 

302
00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,800
It just didn't feel safe. 
This went on for about a year, 

303
00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,720
me intermittently attending 
until one of the pastors 

304
00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,480
approached a friend of mine 
because I probably would have 

305
00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:37,600
run away and in the most loving 
way through her, challenged my 

306
00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:41,600
evasiveness, showed compassion, 
and left the door open for a 

307
00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:43,800
response. 
They said something along the 

308
00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,920
lines of we can see she's 
hurting and just want her to 

309
00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,400
know that this is a safe place. 
There's no expectation for her 

310
00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:53,440
to have to serve in a particular
way, we just want her to know 

311
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,800
that she's loved and for her to 
be in community because she is 

312
00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:59,640
part of the body. 
They asked my friend to relay 

313
00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,600
this to me as they knew she was 
someone I felt safe with. 

314
00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,960
Cut to me sobbing as my friend 
recounted this to me. 

315
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,240
So I signed up for a welcome 
evening following this. 

316
00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:12,400
It's been a journey of allowing 
people to show up for me and 

317
00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,720
love me in my mess, not just 
because of what I'm able to do 

318
00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:19,240
for them, as well as allowing 
God to redefine the meaning of 

319
00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:21,119
church. 
Getting to grips with the 

320
00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:25,280
reality that to be in community 
is to be vulnerable and to allow

321
00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:29,600
yourself to be hurt by people, 
but also to be loved, which is 

322
00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:32,160
what I have seen and experienced
at one church. 

323
00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:35,840
Is it perfect? 
No, we're still human. 

324
00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:39,280
But this community has 
consistently shown up in love 

325
00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,440
for myself and others through 
word and action. 

326
00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:46,240
Choosing to display Jesus to the
person in front of them and a 

327
00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:49,360
willingness to walk out their 
pain with them, no matter how 

328
00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:52,360
stubborn that person may be. 
That's family. 

329
00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:56,880
It's messy and it's beautiful 
and there's a space for us all. 

330
00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,360
Isn't that amazing? 
We have to accept our 

331
00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:04,840
limitations. 
If you're an I, you really need 

332
00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:08,400
the ears, the nose, the mouth, 
the body, the feet. 

333
00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,720
We need each other to 
effectively fulfil the mission 

334
00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,920
that God sets out for us because
the mission was given to the 

335
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:21,280
church, not just me, not just 
pastors to the church. 

336
00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:26,880
And when you find community and 
when you value community, then 

337
00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,600
even when you go through a 
season where you feel disconnect

338
00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:33,040
from God, but maybe you feel 
frustrated with God, but staying

339
00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:36,280
in community because you have a 
genuine love for other believers

340
00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,600
then puts you in a position 
where you can hear the voice of 

341
00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:43,080
God both through gatherings but 
also through fellow believers. 

342
00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:48,440
Don't isolate yourself. 
Maybe you find yourself 

343
00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:52,120
resisting community for the fear
of losing your freedom. 

344
00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:56,160
It can be scary to lean into 
accountability within community 

345
00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:58,600
because maybe somebody's going 
to bring you some wisdom that 

346
00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,440
says I love you, but I think the
Lord would call you to do that 

347
00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,720
differently. 
But humanity thrives within 

348
00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:07,880
boundaries. 
So don't see community as a 

349
00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:12,200
potential loss of freedom. 
See it as filling the plot that 

350
00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:17,440
God has set out for you. 
And then thirdly, maintaining 

351
00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:22,160
unity within diversity. 
So, so God has put the body 

352
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:26,520
together and then it goes on to 
say if one part suffers, all the

353
00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,920
parts suffer with it and if one 
part is honoured, all the parts 

354
00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:32,080
are glad. 
All of you together are the body

355
00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:34,360
of Christ and each of you is a 
part of it. 

356
00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,200
You know God put the body 
together. 

357
00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:42,000
He knew that we would be 
different to each other, with 

358
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,880
different strengths, different 
weaknesses, different passions, 

359
00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:51,360
different opinions, and that's 
why He put us together so that 

360
00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:55,480
our unity would bring proper 
function to the body of Christ 

361
00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:59,360
in its complexity. 
If you consider for a moment all

362
00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:02,840
the people that are not yet part
of this congregation, they're 

363
00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,880
going to relate to certain 
people in this room more than 

364
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,360
others because of their unique 
set of circumstances and 

365
00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:13,040
experiences. 
For me, if ever I meet a 19 year

366
00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:16,440
old who is looking to get 
married, and I'm telling you 

367
00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:20,040
that is quite a unique set of 
circumstances, but I say let me 

368
00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:22,160
tell you my story because that 
was my story. 

369
00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,120
But maybe there's somebody in 
the room that comes in and they 

370
00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:27,000
say I'm training to be a 
midwife. 

371
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:31,200
I might say have you met Georgia
or somebody that says I need a 

372
00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:33,440
job in physio? 
I'll say talk to Meg, she's got 

373
00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:37,000
a new job in physio. 
And that's the beauty of the 

374
00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,080
body of Christ. 
Our diversity is what makes us a

375
00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:43,680
place where others can see we're
not carbon copies of each other.

376
00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:48,720
We're a whole array of people 
that in our diversity are united

377
00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:51,160
in our focus to know God and to 
make Him known. 

378
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,040
You know the reason we bang on 
about serving teams so much? 

379
00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:58,440
There's a few reasons, but two 
of them. 

380
00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:00,840
Firstly, it's easy to get to 
know people when you serve 

381
00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:03,520
alongside them. 
I mean, if you look across this 

382
00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:06,560
room, that's a lot of people to 
try and talk to on one day. 

383
00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:08,720
Maybe you think, where do I even
begin? 

384
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,680
But if you're on a serving team,
you've got your little team of 

385
00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:14,120
four or five people that you can
get to know. 

386
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:16,480
And then from there you can 
branch out and talk to another 

387
00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:18,560
four or five people serving on 
that team. 

388
00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:21,000
It's an amazing way to get to 
know people. 

389
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,280
But also we love putting people 
in roles that lean to their 

390
00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:30,000
God-given gifts because when we 
don't do that, it doesn't really

391
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,480
honour the body. 
If we're all serving in areas 

392
00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,560
that we're not gifted in, we're 
actually depriving somebody who 

393
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:41,280
is gifted in that area to serve.
God can use us in anything and 

394
00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,360
and he will bless you as you 
fulfil A gaffe. 

395
00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:47,240
I'm convinced of that as well. 
But the body and the individual 

396
00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:50,160
can thrive when they're 
strategically placed where 

397
00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:52,480
they're called. 
But that's only possible if 

398
00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:56,400
everyone plays their part. 
Everyone serves, everyone leads,

399
00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,200
everyone loves, everyone comes 
alongside. 

400
00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,280
Because you're different to me, 
praise God, you're different to 

401
00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:04,320
me. 
That means you can fulfil things

402
00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:08,960
that I cannot fulfil. 
And your role in this house goes

403
00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:12,080
beyond a slot. 
Serving on a rota and A1 in 

404
00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:16,040
three rotation. 
It's serving and blessing the 

405
00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:21,560
people that God loves so dearly.
So ask a question today about a 

406
00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:26,120
team or I bet if you opened your
emails, if you're on the one 

407
00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:29,680
church database, you will have 
an e-mail you've not read day to

408
00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:30,880
read. 
It might be interesting. 

409
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,840
And then maybe be willing to 
serve somewhere and then give 

410
00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,280
your all as you serve as if you 
were serving God and not just 

411
00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:40,640
people. 
This is family. 

412
00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:45,400
Family takes responsibility, 
accepts limitation, and 

413
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,760
maintains unity within 
diversity. 

414
00:22:50,360 --> 00:22:54,040
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine 

415
00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,080
upon you and be gracious. 
To you. 

416
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,960
The Lord turn his face towards 
you and give you peace.