1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:05,080 We are one church. We love God, love people, love 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:07,000 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 --> 00:00:21,120 Today is a significant day for us as a house and we look back 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:25,320 at the last three years since we became One church and we see the 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,720 undeniable blessing of God in the house. 7 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,759 Hundreds of people saved, many baptised, hundreds added to the 8 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:35,280 One church. Family growth blessing 9 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,120 everywhere and all our needs met. 10 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:43,280 And what a joy to hear already, even before today, that we bring 11 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,920 our gifts that so much has already been given and we get to 12 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,920 be part of that. On Thursday, we gathered with 13 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,160 our senior leadership team, our elders, our trustees, our site 14 00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:56,720 pastors, and our ministry heads, and we heard stories of what God 15 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,280 is doing through the ministries of one church. 16 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,760 And we say this morning all glory to him Our incredible 17 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:08,120 compassion charity open Hands reaches so many people with the 18 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:10,920 kindness of Jesus through different ministries. 19 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,240 The Oak Centre, A thriving community centre being a light 20 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,480 in Braunstone Way coffee here in our building a stepping stone 21 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,400 for so many into church life. Hand in hand preschool impacting 22 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,080 families and impact reaching out to young people in the 23 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:28,840 community. The Hub, a safe place for five 24 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,680 to elevens in the community are three different what little 25 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:37,120 reaching families and carers and what about one church ministries 26 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,080 here rise and reach for five through elevens. 27 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,680 OC youth for elevens to eighteens, young adults for 18 28 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:48,160 to 20 fives our 50 plus small groups loving later life for 29 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,600 over 70s. All this and more alongside our 30 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,440 five sites in Leicester and Luftburg reaching people of all 31 00:01:55,440 --> 00:02:01,080 ages from over 75 nationalities. And we also heard on Thursday 32 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,240 evening from all our mission partners expressing how the 33 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,640 support from one church makes a difference to them. 34 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:11,800 Locally in our city through Sapphires and Raft and united 35 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,960 and blessing of the churches nationally through the 36 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,360 Evangelical Alliance, Mao's Israel, UKCSW and the Assemblies 37 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,560 of God and internationally in Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Tanzania, 38 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,600 India, Nigeria and Belong and beyond. 39 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:33,360 We believe in this next season there's more Jesus is Josh just 40 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,120 referred to that in during our worship time. 41 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:42,080 Jesus is the name above every name here in Leicestershire. 42 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,160 He has many people in this city and beyond, and he has measured 43 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:50,880 off even more blessing for us. We are seeing and we will see an 44 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,040 awakening of young people and adults coming to Jesus. 45 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,040 We are helping, and we'll continue to help 10s of 46 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:00,200 thousands of people through kindness and generosity and 47 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,320 love. And we as a house will give more 48 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:06,640 away, support, more churches, and be champions of hope in our 49 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:09,480 ministry. May we always be champions of 50 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,760 hope. Our best days are without doubt 51 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:17,520 ahead of us as a house and Jesus is with us and I love his words 52 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:22,000 in Revelation 3 where he says here I am, I stand at the door 53 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,240 and knock. If anyone hears my voice and 54 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:30,600 opens the door, I will come in. Of course this is for people, 55 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:35,520 yes, who need to become Jesus followers, but it's also for us, 56 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,240 here I am. The Father is speaking to you 57 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:42,840 this morning. This afternoon, Are you 58 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:46,040 listening for us? There's a house here on Vision 59 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:48,400 Sunday. The father is speaking to us. 60 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:52,640 Are we listening? I stand at the door and knock. 61 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,600 He says the father is knocking today on your door. 62 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:02,000 Can you hear him for us? There's a house on Vision 63 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,520 Sunday. The father is knocking. 64 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:08,360 Can we hear him? If anyone hears my voice and 65 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:10,640 opens the door. The father is speaking and 66 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,760 knocking today. Are you ready to open the door 67 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:17,040 and for us? There's a house. 68 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,160 The Father is speaking and knocking. 69 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,800 Are we ready to open the door to the fullness of His presence, 70 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:24,960 His blessing, His purpose for us? 71 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:30,440 There's a cry from the heart of God in His bride today. 72 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:32,880 Can you hear it? He's saying this. 73 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,880 Who will go for me? Who can I send? 74 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:39,480 I pray that our hearts responses. 75 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:45,160 Here we are. Lord, send me, send me. 76 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:46,600 That's my heart response this morning. 77 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:48,840 Here I am, I stand at the door and knock. 78 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:53,680 If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in. 79 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:58,920 It's not a hope or a wish. It's a promise and a certainty. 80 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:01,920 He, the King of all, will come in. 81 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:07,320 And today for us is a pivotal moment as a house because we're 82 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,760 hearing the knock and we're opening the door and the King of 83 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:14,880 the universe is coming in to speak to us and to meet with us. 84 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:19,400 And I'm so grateful for that. So grateful that my little baby 85 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:23,840 sister is on the front row as she is four years younger than 86 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:32,800 me and her husband Alex. We're just so thrilled they're 87 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:34,640 here. We love them dearly and 88 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:36,880 wonderful people come and talk to them at the end. 89 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:42,520 Come and just overwhelm them with with love and yeah, very 90 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:44,120 good. If you speak German, come and 91 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:45,600 speak to them in German. They'll love it. 92 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,800 They'll just be brilliant. Acts 2 is a foundational passage 93 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,880 for us as a house. Devotion is a foundational 94 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:57,360 pursuit for us as a house. Let's talk about it for a few 95 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,000 minutes. Here we are in Acts chapter 2. 96 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:06,720 They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to 97 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,840 fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 98 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,600 And everyone was filled with all of the many wonders and signs 99 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,960 performed by the apostles. All the believers were together 100 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,640 and had everything in common. They sold property and 101 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:25,440 possessions to give to anyone who had need, and every day they 102 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:27,760 continued to meet together in the temple courts. 103 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,680 They broke bread in their homes, ate together with glad and 104 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,840 sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the 105 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:37,000 people. And the Lord added to their 106 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,840 number daily those who were being saved. 107 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:43,640 I love this picture of the church as it's meant to be. 108 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,240 And the focus of the Acts 2 church says this. 109 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:53,600 The Father is devoted to you. He loves you with an everlasting 110 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,760 love. This week I heard of a child 111 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,720 who, as we worshipped our baptism service last Sunday 112 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,600 night, felt someone come very close and stand with them and 113 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,920 they had an encounter with God because the Father wants all 114 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,840 children to know they're loved. This week I shared about a young 115 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,240 person who suffered a lot with anxiety. 116 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:17,720 She was bought by a friend to OC Youth and got saved. 117 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:20,520 And recently she got up in front of many of those young people 118 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,320 and explained what God had done for her in her life. 119 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:26,080 The Father wants all young people to know how much he 120 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:28,600 believes in them. And this week I shared about a 121 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:31,760 young adult in our church who's recently come to Jesus. 122 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,960 And now three more members of their family have become Jesus 123 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,000 followers. And the Father wants all young 124 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,160 adults and whole families to know how deeply he cares for 125 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:43,880 them. The Father is devoted to you. 126 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:47,880 He knew you before you were conceived. 127 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:50,920 He made you fearfully and wonderfully well. 128 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:56,880 He knows your name, the hair's on your head, and He's kept your 129 00:07:56,880 --> 00:08:00,440 tears in a bottle. The one who hears the voices of 130 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:05,840 8 billion people at the same time, whilst holding every 131 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,960 planet in the universe in its rightful place. 132 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:13,760 This one is devoted to you and his hands of grace. 133 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:18,000 They stretch through our sin and our failings and our regrets and 134 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:22,160 our sadnesses. And He invites us to experience, 135 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:27,480 is embraced, to be embraced by the Father that you've always 136 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,040 been looking for. He invites us to come to him and 137 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:33,679 be changed by his kindness. And even if you've become 138 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,840 distracted or you've lost a little of your passion for him, 139 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:41,159 or perhaps you've been a bit wounded in church life and it's 140 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:44,200 drowned out his voice and the knock on the door is a little 141 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:46,920 bit fainter today. He comes in the room and he 142 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:51,000 says, I'm devoted to you more than you can ever comprehend. 143 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:55,840 Shall we start again? The Father is devoted to you, 144 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:59,080 and he also sends out an invitation to us. 145 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:07,240 Be devoted to Him. They devoted themselves in the 146 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,000 early chapters of Acts. They were talking with Jesus, 147 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,520 they were listening to Jesus. They were filled with the 148 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:14,480 Spirit. They were in wonder because he 149 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,640 had risen from the dead. They were emboldened. 150 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:22,560 They were captivated, passionate in prayer, passionate for him, 151 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:25,200 and their hearts were full of devotion. 152 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:30,600 They devoted themselves. I love that our church is filled 153 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:35,280 with people who are devoted to Jesus, and because of their love 154 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:40,000 for Jesus, they serve and they love and they pray and they 155 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,160 give. And yet for us, there is more 156 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,160 sometimes in the seasons of life. 157 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:52,320 I love the seasons. I know some of you prefer it 158 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:54,240 when it's lighter and a bit warmer. 159 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,000 I understand that. But you can ask the Spirit to 160 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,000 give you joy in every season. You really can. 161 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,400 You don't have to live with sadness like that. 162 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,520 Allow him to just impact you. But we look at the seasons and 163 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:11,040 we think it'll go on forever. But the days are short and the 164 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:14,040 return of Jesus is nearer than we think, and the world as we 165 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,960 know it will come to an end. And the only thing that will 166 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:20,800 ultimately matter is the degree to which we've loved him and 167 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:23,080 done what he wanted us to do with our lives. 168 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:26,520 It comes down to that. We've recently buried a number 169 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:30,480 of precious Christian people, and I've been struck more than 170 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:37,760 ever that all of our lives finish in a box with no 171 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:42,080 possessions, no certificates, no bank balances. 172 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:46,080 It's simply us and the life we've lived till the end. 173 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,880 And the Father is inviting you even this afternoon to be 174 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:54,240 devoted to him. You know he loves you with your 175 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:56,480 family. The the different expressions of 176 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:02,680 family in the room for those who do life with friends, those who 177 00:11:02,680 --> 00:11:06,280 do life looking after their family, those who do life in 178 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,120 marriages, and many things in between. 179 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,760 He loves you in your family. He loves you in your career. 180 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:16,680 We are many of us to live out our faith in the career he's 181 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:20,880 given us and that as a ministry is as important as anything I 182 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:25,160 would ever do here. He loves you in your hobbies. 183 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:29,120 Some of the hobbies in this room are very different. 184 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:33,240 I was talking to a man this week who leads a church in Leicester 185 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,440 and he was telling me that he loves it and a number of men 186 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,800 from his church, they love going into a certain place and 187 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:45,960 exchanging Star Wars cards. I had to shut my mouth because 188 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,520 my mouth was hanging open at his excitement. 189 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:53,400 He was practically dribbling at the thought of exchanging these 190 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,920 Star Wars cards. Perhaps some of you love that. 191 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,880 You love that, dear. You love. 192 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:02,720 Well, I didn't talk about Star Wars, although I've never really 193 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:08,960 understood it. But God loves us in our 194 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,880 different hobbies and he loves us in how we invest the time 195 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:16,320 that we have the simplicity of life sometimes. 196 00:12:16,560 --> 00:12:19,040 But the one who loves you more than anyone else says this. 197 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:22,680 Please be devoted to me, Jesus follower. 198 00:12:22,680 --> 00:12:25,520 There's more. There's more grace, there's more 199 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:28,400 love, there's more Holy Spirit, there's more closeness, there's 200 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,480 more freedom. Let's be even more devoted to 201 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:34,240 Him. Let's forgive more quickly. 202 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:38,360 Let's love more deeply. Let's be fully in in our faith, 203 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:43,480 never wavering. Some of you, you waver in your 204 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:45,880 faith. You would call yourself a 205 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,920 Christian, but you know, it's kind of give or take. 206 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:54,920 Today you need to get serious. This is a little D-Day for you. 207 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:57,600 You've been brought here. Perhaps you've been dragged by 208 00:12:57,600 --> 00:12:59,840 somebody who's with you, who now is nudging you going. 209 00:12:59,960 --> 00:13:03,840 That's you. It's D-Day because there's 210 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:08,040 nothing better than to give your life fully to Jesus and the live 211 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:11,360 it full out, a life lived for Him. 212 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,640 And today you're going to get a little chance to make another 213 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:16,360 step. Be devoted. 214 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,080 Don't be lukewarm. Embrace passion again. 215 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:24,920 It's worth it giving everything for him and embrace a fresh call 216 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:26,880 on your life. He's devoted to us and he 217 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:31,800 invites us to be devoted to him, but he also urges us to be 218 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:36,480 devoted to one another. They devoted themselves to 219 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,640 fellowship and they broke bread in their homes and ate T-shirts. 220 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:43,680 Ate T-shirts. That's that's my next story. 221 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,960 But they they did not. I thought it's a new Bible 222 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:48,720 version. They ate T-shirts. 223 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,040 Come on, David, stay, stay, stay focused. 224 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:54,800 That's great. I was just checking you were 225 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,920 listening. They broke bread in their homes 226 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:04,040 and ate together. At least it's not on the live 227 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:08,920 stream. With glad and sincere hearts. 228 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:13,080 You know, someone told us this week, today they said I met a 229 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:18,960 man on the bus who recognised me in my 1 church kids T-shirt. 230 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:24,200 You see how I got there? And he told me on the bus he 231 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:27,240 often goes to Wake Coffee even though he's not a Christian. 232 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,200 And he praised one church in Wake Coffee for building 233 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:33,000 community. And when I got off the bus, he 234 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,920 was telling another man about Wake Coffee and was praising the 235 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:38,800 church for its dedication to community and mission. 236 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,400 I love that it's powerful. That's worth a little ripple of 237 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:47,360 applause. Someone else wrote to us on 238 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,960 Thursday and said this. I would like to say a heartfelt 239 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:54,080 thank you to you for your amazing kindness and support to 240 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:56,600 the celebration of Nelly, who passed away recently. 241 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,800 The service for her was so carefully thought out to make 242 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,240 such a terribly sad occasion, such a wonderful tribute to an 243 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,320 amazing lady. The Christian love is apparent 244 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:10,560 in one church as soon as you walk through the door, and the 245 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:12,480 service was a great comfort to me. 246 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:18,400 I love that when we're devoted, we can't help helping others. 247 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:25,640 Here's three stories of what you have done in helping people in 248 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:30,320 Kenya. This is Alice C Amanda, she's 249 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:34,600 part of our Dorcas project and she was struggling to make ends 250 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:38,000 meet and she was determined to find a way to support her 251 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,760 children and saw tailoring as her opportunity. 252 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:45,440 And through the programme that we partner and set up, Alice not 253 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,120 only learnt how to sew but also gained the confidence to start 254 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,880 her own small businesses in January this year. 255 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:55,520 And with the skills she acquired, she now takes orders 256 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:59,160 from neighbours and friends, creating custom dresses, bags, 257 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,280 mending clothes. She's no longer just surviving, 258 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:05,880 she's thriving and serving as an inspiration to her fellow 259 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:09,880 students and the community. This is testament to this life 260 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:14,720 changing impact of this project. I love that this is Baraka 261 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:17,400 Kanye. He's a boy on the autistic 262 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,560 spectrum who lives with his grandmother. 263 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,720 Someone in our church has his photo on their fridge because 264 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:29,840 every month they give money to support him through Change One. 265 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,080 He joined All Nations school three years ago after having 266 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:36,640 lots of challenges in different schools, and through the 267 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:40,040 school's Change One programme, he receives assistance with fees 268 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:43,320 and learning materials, and he's thriving academically and 269 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:47,480 socially. Baraka's improvement has 270 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,360 inspired many other learners to believe in themselves. 271 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:57,640 This is Ian Mathui, he's #175 on our database of Change One 272 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:01,360 children and his photo is one of on one of your fridges. 273 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:06,920 He's a great team, inspiration to our team they run. 274 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:11,640 Ian was born with the condition of mild albinism and also has a 275 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:15,160 swollen back. He requires costly medications 276 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,200 to manage his health and his family faces significant 277 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,200 financial challenge as his father does not have stable 278 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:23,680 employment and his mother isn't unemployed. 279 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,200 Without the Change One programme it would be impossible for Ian 280 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:30,640 to access education. He's doing very well at school. 281 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:35,200 Thank you again for being such dedicated partners in this vital 282 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:37,040 work. If you go home today and there's 283 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:39,960 a picture on your fridge, just stop and say thank you. 284 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:42,920 And if and if there's not, we have a few more children who 285 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:46,360 need supporting. It's £12 a month and it's worth 286 00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:50,280 it. The Acts 2 community were 287 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:53,280 devoted to one another. They they devoted themselves to 288 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,280 fellowship. They broke bread in their homes 289 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:59,320 and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. 290 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:03,600 And they needed one another and so do we. 291 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:08,240 We need one another and never forget, we're stronger together, 292 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:11,560 We are stronger together. We're called to be devoted to 293 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:15,000 one another, to build stronger communities together, to open 294 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,840 our hopes to one another, to break down any walls between us, 295 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:21,960 to love one another as we have been loved. 296 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,840 And just look at the next slide. And if you're not in a small 297 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:28,840 group, why not take your camera out and just pop it on that 298 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,400 little thing at the side and it'll come up the option to join 299 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:35,800 a small group. You can also join our newcomers 300 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,000 coming up next Sunday night for anyone new in the church. 301 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,760 But we want every person to be connected to a small group. 302 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:48,160 And why not join one now? Because there you can learn to 303 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,520 do community together in a small group. 304 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:52,720 Want to ask the person next to you? 305 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:55,960 Are you in a small group yet? Would you like me to help you go 306 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:58,520 on the QR code to get you connected in? 307 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:01,960 Do you exchange Star Wars cards? Ask them. 308 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:04,120 Whatever you want to ask the person next to you. 309 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:14,910 Come on, fill it in, get on it. Get on a small group. 310 00:19:15,150 --> 00:19:17,430 Get connected into community devotion. 311 00:19:17,830 --> 00:19:20,920 The Father's devoted to you, be devoted to Him. 312 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:24,280 Come on, be, be well behaved, come back in, be devoted to one 313 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:30,680 another. The Axis community were also 314 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,000 completely devoted to reaching people. 315 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:38,760 They devoted and the Lord what He added to their number daily 316 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:42,120 those who were being saved. One of our missions partners 317 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:43,840 wrote to me recently and said this. 318 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:48,000 A few weeks ago, a young cook in the farm guest house we stayed 319 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:52,240 in Chishamba, Zambia, gave her life to Christ and the following 320 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,640 day she LED her colleague to Christ and two days later she 321 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:58,840 LED another person to Christ and on the third day we baptised 322 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:00,800 her. A few days ago in a phone 323 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:04,800 conversation, she said I'm still pressing on in Christ and being 324 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:06,960 a witness. And recently she's LED three 325 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:10,320 other people to Christ. You know, there've been so many 326 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:14,360 stories of people finding Jesus in one church, whole family is 327 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:18,080 being impacted, people being rescued by grace, exploring 328 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:20,200 faith, people beginning to search. 329 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,800 If you've recently become a Christian, tomorrow night at 330 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,640 7:00 here you can join foundations, which is just 331 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,760 helping you get grounded and stronger in your faith in a 332 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,560 really brilliant community. Just I really recommend that to 333 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:38,240 you. We say more Lord, we say we must 334 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:44,520 stay devoted to reaching people. We are to we are to honour God's 335 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:49,880 creation, to care for what he has made in the planet. 336 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:57,440 We are to care for animals, we are to have concern about other 337 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:01,320 issues. But people are always God's 338 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:05,760 highest priority, and He is passionate about lost people 339 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:08,920 being found. When someone dies, we don't know 340 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:12,960 what happens to them in the last few breaths of their life. 341 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:20,480 We don't know, and the Lord will always do what is right. 342 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,520 But we must never forget when a person has died. 343 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:30,240 There are no more chances just because it sounds nice. 344 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:35,800 Just because we think it would be good, the truth is that 345 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:40,640 separation from God is not temporary or reversible outside 346 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,480 of this life. We must never sanitise it to 347 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:49,280 make it sound easier for us. Heaven and hell are real, and 348 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:53,720 the level of joy in heaven and terror in hell are truly beyond 349 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:56,840 our comprehension. And it's critical. 350 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,960 We must reach more people. We are to run into the world and 351 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,520 reach more young and old, rich and poor, from every tongue and 352 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:08,360 tribe. Let's reach more this Christmas. 353 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:12,960 Some of us, people in our businesses, our schools, where 354 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,080 we are, they know that we're nice. 355 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:19,960 Perhaps one or two of them know that we maybe have something 356 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:25,600 sort of to do with church. This Christmas is your moment of 357 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:28,600 what was the phrase I used in the first one of reveal. 358 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:32,480 That's it. It's your Christmas of reveal to 359 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,320 your school and your office and on the bus and to the lady or 360 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,120 gentleman at the checkout to your neighbours. 361 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:42,520 I'm a Jesus follower. Would you like to come to the 362 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:46,000 Joy Christmas production? You'll love it. 363 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,200 For those listening earlier would know when it was if you 364 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:59,720 were listening. 14th I think the 14th I can't remember. 365 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,840 Come on, let's be active in sharing Jesus. 366 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,360 Your whole workplace might find him this Christmas. 367 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:13,200 Give you all sorts of things to do with your lunch, Bible 368 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:15,400 studies, prayer with people, helping people. 369 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,880 Amazement as the whole office comes to see somebody baptised 370 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:22,120 and you think, God what are you doing? 371 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:25,600 You got confident in sharing Jesus. 372 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,480 Let's never Tyre of reaching our worlds. 373 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,680 Sometimes churches can get so inward looking at things that 374 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:38,880 are so unimportant it does not matter, but people matter and we 375 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:43,280 must keep the focus on reaching more and stretching more and 376 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:45,680 believing more for lost people to be found. 377 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:50,400 As we go into 2026, the word of the Lord to us today, the 378 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:54,080 fathers devoted to you, be devoted to him, be voted to one 379 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:56,920 another and be devoted to sacrifice. 380 00:23:57,080 --> 00:24:01,160 This new army of believers, as I finish in Acts, had been 381 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:04,760 transformed by Jesus and they were passionate in their faith 382 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:09,320 and together they were devoted to sacrifice, they devoted 383 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,400 themselves. All the believers were together 384 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,600 and had everything in common and they sold property and 385 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:19,320 possessions to give to anyone who had need. 386 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:23,760 This year, from our normal tithes and offerings giving as a 387 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:28,800 house, we will send nearly 200,000 lbs away from ourselves 388 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,840 to the poor, to our mission partners, to our denomination 389 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:36,960 and to those in need among us. And this year around 60,000 of 390 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:42,520 that will go towards our partner church in the Makuru slum in 391 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:46,120 Kenya. It'll help care for the over 240 392 00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:49,360 children through the Change One programme on the projects that 393 00:24:49,360 --> 00:24:53,280 we run there into the slum. And earlier this year you as a 394 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:56,760 church went further to help the school that was there. 395 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,200 And this is their letter to you today on Vision Sunday. 396 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:04,000 Dear friends at One Church Leicester and the One Church 397 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:08,200 family, you've truly gone above and beyond through your 398 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:10,280 generosity. The entire school has been 399 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,760 professionally painted, creating a bright, welcoming and child 400 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,720 friendly atmosphere. The successful installation of 401 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,040 electricity in the new building has meant pupils can now attend 402 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:23,240 class and extend their revisions both in the early morning and 403 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:25,240 late evening without fear of darkness. 404 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,920 We acquired new desks and tables which provide a comfortable 405 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:32,040 seating arrangement for all our pupils during lessons. 406 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,120 Classes were fitted with new modern blackboards, creating 407 00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:37,920 more effective and comfortable teaching environments for our 408 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,160 staff. The installation of new cabinets 409 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:43,600 allows teachers to securely store and efficiently manage 410 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,360 their teaching materials. The computer lab has been 411 00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:49,280 furnished with new laptops, providing our children with the 412 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:52,600 crucial opportunity to gain knowledge and practical skills 413 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,080 in information technology and we were able to acquire the 414 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,240 required number of new curriculum textbooks, ensuring 415 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:02,480 our full compliance with Ministry of Education standards 416 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,160 and providing high quality learning materials for our 417 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:09,440 students. Your ongoing assistance enables 418 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:13,040 us to sustain our teaching team, ensure lottery, we can pay their 419 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:15,760 salaries every month. But most importantly, your 420 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:18,520 partnership ensures that children from impoverished 421 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:22,360 family backgrounds can access a high quality education that 422 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:25,080 their parents would otherwise be unable to afford. 423 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,160 Praise the Lord. Amen. 424 00:26:34,790 --> 00:26:37,710 They devoted themselves. All the believers were together, 425 00:26:37,710 --> 00:26:40,030 had everything in common. They sold property and 426 00:26:40,030 --> 00:26:43,350 possessions to give to everyone who had needs. 427 00:26:43,710 --> 00:26:48,830 They were devoted. They gave till it hurt. 428 00:26:49,750 --> 00:26:53,670 Some were able to give a little, some were able to give huge 429 00:26:53,670 --> 00:26:58,190 amounts. Together they play their part 430 00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:02,600 and because of this they were able to fulfil the Father's will 431 00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:05,000 and there were no needy persons among them. 432 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:13,000 I think this devotion really matters to God, Lets us a church 433 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,880 be devoted even more to sacrifice. 434 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,520 Be a giver when it hurts to give. 435 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:24,680 Play your part today, whether this is the bringing of a small 436 00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:28,200 offering or the selling of land or property to give it all in 437 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,960 the offering. Every gift is precious, and if 438 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:35,440 we live like this, every need we have will be provided for and 439 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:39,560 there'll be no needy people among us today. 440 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,520 Everyone is invited simply to do their part. 441 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:44,560 I wonder if I could if I could have a musician. 442 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:48,640 Please. Let's be devoted to sacrifice. 443 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:53,960 Father, thank you so much for the invitation to be devoted. 444 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:59,200 Thank you that you are with us and that you're watching over us 445 00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:03,960 and we are so grateful. In Jesus name, can I encourage 446 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:09,040 you to stand, please. Now in a moment, Susan's going 447 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:16,200 to come and talk to us and just give us some, some directions. 448 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:21,120 But before she does, I want to give you a chance to get right 449 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:24,280 with God, perhaps for the first time, or perhaps there's a 450 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:28,240 recommitment of your faith, or perhaps early you will just stir 451 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:35,400 that it's time to get serious about Jesus and this is a 452 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:37,200 morning that will change your life. 453 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:41,920 A moment here in the room online right now. 454 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,240 And I'm going to pray a prayer in a moment. 455 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:49,440 I'm just going to pray a prayer, give you some time to reflect on 456 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:53,320 the words, and we'll pray those words together out loud. 457 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:56,240 And then if you've prayed that prayer for the first time or as 458 00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:59,400 a recommitment, I'm going to encourage you where you are 459 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:01,720 boldly to lift a hand in the room. 460 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:04,920 And then I'm going to ask you to go to the back of the room where 461 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,720 somebody's going to meet you. And in our little prayer tent at 462 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:11,360 the back, pray with you, give you something, and then allow 463 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:14,280 you to come back into the service here. 464 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:20,280 This is a serious moment for us all, and I'm going to pray this 465 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:21,920 prayer. Please say it out loud. 466 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:23,520 What? Christians, why don't we say it 467 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:28,920 out loud together right now? Let's say this. 468 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,400 Thank you, God, that you love me. 469 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:39,160 Thank you that you made me to know you. 470 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:47,080 Thank you that the cross of Jesus was for me. 471 00:29:50,320 --> 00:30:00,960 He died so that I can be free. Today I come to the cross and I 472 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:08,000 invite Jesus into my life. Forgive me for my sin. 473 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:21,740 I give you me. The Lord bless you and keep you. 474 00:30:21,900 --> 00:30:25,580 The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 475 00:30:25,980 --> 00:30:29,460 The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.