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

4
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:19,480
Well, this is the last week of 
our series on people of power 

5
00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:24,720
and the heart of this series has
been to clearly restate some key

6
00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:29,080
aspects of who we are as a house
and to do some training within 

7
00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:30,240
that. 
We've looked at the power of 

8
00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,040
surrender, the power of giving, 
the power of prayer, the power 

9
00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:35,920
of miracles, the power of 
family. 

10
00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:39,640
And today I'm going to talk 
about the power of vision. 

11
00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,040
Couple of weeks ago Susan and I 
went for a few days to the 

12
00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,480
Norfolk coast and I was feeling 
very relaxed to call in our 

13
00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:48,000
local doctors to pick something 
up. 

14
00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:52,200
And the lady at reception said 
we're doing free blood pressure 

15
00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,520
tests today, would you like 1? 
And I thought, I'm as relaxed as

16
00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:57,680
I'm ever going to be. 
Of course I'll have one. 

17
00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,600
So I popped behind the screen. 
There were two ladies sat there 

18
00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:02,720
doing their thing. 
And I thought, this is a moment 

19
00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:04,560
to talk about Jesus. 
That was a little throwaway 

20
00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:06,400
comment. 
So we began to talk about Jesus.

21
00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:08,960
And as they wrapped the thing 
around my arm, there we were 

22
00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:11,680
going. 
And I got more and more 

23
00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,840
animated, sharing about heaven 
and what it means to know Jesus.

24
00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:16,560
And all of a sudden one of the 
ladies stopped me. 

25
00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:20,640
And she said, excuse me, Mr 
Hynde, your blood pressure is 

26
00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:26,280
very high. 
Let's do it again. 

27
00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:31,480
And this time you sit there 
quietly and don't say anything 

28
00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,080
at all. 
Some of you wanted to say that 

29
00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:38,680
to me for years. 
And so I sat there quietly and 

30
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,880
breathed deeply, my blood 
pressure completely normal, 

31
00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:44,680
absolutely perfect. 
What it's made me realise is 

32
00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,080
this. 
When I talk about Jesus, I get 

33
00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,760
animated, I get encouraged and 
my blood pressure rises. 

34
00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:55,640
Why is vision important? 
Well, vision, if I'd seen in 

35
00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,960
that doctor's surgery, was to 
sit quietly. 

36
00:01:57,960 --> 00:01:59,800
I need to see something 
differently. 

37
00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:04,520
Vision is the state of being 
able to see, the ability to 

38
00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:07,800
think about the future with 
imagination. 

39
00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,960
Perhaps you're in this room and 
to think about the future is 

40
00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:17,640
dread for you. 
Well, the Lord wants to put a 

41
00:02:17,640 --> 00:02:21,040
vision in you today that can 
turn that around. 

42
00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:27,640
Vision is important because life
passes quickly and it's so easy 

43
00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:33,280
to be aimless in life. 
Work, eat, sleep, work, eat, 

44
00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,120
sleep, maybe holiday, work, eat,
sleep, death. 

45
00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:43,400
Life's gone so quick and it's so
easy for us to live less of a 

46
00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,840
life than the 1 He chose for us.
And if we don't carry a vision 

47
00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:52,400
from God for our life, we can 
drift off course and miss what 

48
00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,320
God wants us to do. 
Where there's no vision, the 

49
00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,320
proverb writer says the people 
are unrestrained or they cast 

50
00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:04,000
off restraint. 
But a God-given vision enables 

51
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,560
you to be focused on Him in your
life. 

52
00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,160
And we're going to read a few 
verses from the story of 

53
00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,840
Zacchaeus and just draw some 
points out about vision. 

54
00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:18,240
This morning Jesus entered 
Jericho and was passing through,

55
00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,000
and a man was there by the name 
of Zacchaeus. 

56
00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,120
He was a chief tax collector and
was wealthy. 

57
00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,600
He wanted to see who Jesus was, 
but because he was short, he 

58
00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,320
could not see over the crowd. 
So he ran ahead and climbed a 

59
00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,800
Sycamore fig tree to see him. 
And since Jesus was coming that 

60
00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:38,040
way, and when Jesus reached the 
spot, he looked up and said to 

61
00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,960
him, Zacchaeus, come down 
immediately, I must stay at your

62
00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,960
house today. 
So he came down at once and 

63
00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,360
welcomed him gladly. 
And all the people saw this and 

64
00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,440
began to mutter, He's gone to be
the guest of a Sinner. 

65
00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,320
But Zacchaeus stood up and said 
to the Lord, Look, Lord, here 

66
00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,240
and now I give half of my 
possessions to the poor. 

67
00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,160
And if I've cheated anybody out 
of anything, I will pay back 

68
00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,840
four times the amount. 
And Jesus said to him today, 

69
00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,560
salvation has come to this house
because this man too is the son 

70
00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:09,640
of Abraham. 
For the Son of Man came to seek 

71
00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:14,960
and to save the lost. 
The power of vision. 

72
00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:21,120
Firstly carry in your life a 
Christ centred vision. 

73
00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:26,600
Zacchaeus wanted to see who 
Jesus is, who he was in that 

74
00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,160
moment. 
He wanted to see he with all his

75
00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,840
wealth, his prominence, his 
natural success. 

76
00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:37,480
He needed something more in his 
life and his actions showed 

77
00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:40,440
that. 
He wanted to carry a different 

78
00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:44,000
kind of vision. 
The Westminster Shorter 

79
00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,080
Catechism is a summary of 
Christian doctrine that was 

80
00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,200
written about 350 years ago. 
It's used more within the 

81
00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,240
established church in our 
country. 

82
00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,960
And question 1 is this. 
What is the chief end of man? 

83
00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:03,600
And the answer is this man's 
chief end is to glorify God and 

84
00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:08,880
to enjoy him forever. 
This is the vision for your 

85
00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:15,200
life, to glorify God with your 
life, with the breath he's given

86
00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:19,600
you, with the 5060708090 a 
hundred years that you've been 

87
00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:24,600
measured out, and to walk with 
him for every one of those years

88
00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,800
and moments. 
Of course, we carry a wider 

89
00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,760
vision to reach our potential, 
to study hard, to train well, to

90
00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,000
be successful in our career, to 
to make a difference with our 

91
00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:39,680
lives. 
But we are never, ever defined 

92
00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:43,040
by what we do as a career or the
education we have. 

93
00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:48,120
When some plans don't work out 
as we thought, you can always do

94
00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:50,080
something different. 
Always. 

95
00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:52,200
Because you're not defined by 
that. 

96
00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,600
Perhaps you love the title that 
you have. 

97
00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:58,800
Perhaps you have love the 
letters you have. 

98
00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:01,160
And well done. 
If you've studied hard, 

99
00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:05,160
congratulations. 
But the vision of your life is 

100
00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,520
bigger than that. 
Recently I preached at the 

101
00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,360
funeral of somebody who, when 
they realised they couldn't do 

102
00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,440
the career they wanted to do, 
made a tragic decision with 

103
00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,360
their life that the world would 
be better off without them. 

104
00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,400
What their parents and what I 
would love to say to them and 

105
00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,120
I've said to them in that moment
is just do something different 

106
00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:28,160
with your life than that. 
Do this, do that. 

107
00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:30,960
Do anything that He caused you 
to do. 

108
00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,400
When you get the right goal of 
vision in your life, other 

109
00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,920
things fall into place. 
When you have a purpose that 

110
00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:43,440
you're going to glorify God and 
walk with Him, other things fall

111
00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,120
into line because your gaze is 
somewhere else. 

112
00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,840
To worship Him with deep 
devotion and to walk with Him 

113
00:06:51,840 --> 00:06:54,280
every day and be available to 
Him. 

114
00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:58,200
This is a Christ centred vision.
Carry one, but also take action 

115
00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,920
in the vision. 
Because He was short, he could 

116
00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:06,040
not see over the crowd, so we 
ran ahead and climbed a Sycamore

117
00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,120
fig tree to see him. 
There was a passion and a hunger

118
00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,040
in Zacchaeus. 
He was short, but he refused to 

119
00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,160
be discouraged by the 
circumstances. 

120
00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,400
He had to run, but he refused to
give up. 

121
00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:20,680
He had to climb, but he refused 
to be overwhelmed. 

122
00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:23,880
My mother told me I'd be over 6 
foot. 

123
00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:30,160
She lied. 
Even with stocks, I never even 

124
00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,760
stocks and exaggeration and a 
little bit of lifting up at the 

125
00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,640
feet, 59 and a bit was as high 
as I ever got. 

126
00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,840
Two of my sisters are huge. 
They're over 6 foot. 

127
00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:47,560
It's not fair. 
But ultimately the size I am 

128
00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,360
does not matter. 
I am a giant inside. 

129
00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:55,680
By the way, Zacchaeus was short 
and he could have seen it as a 

130
00:07:55,680 --> 00:08:00,560
discouragement, as a limitation,
but he still wanted to see 

131
00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:02,960
Jesus. 
He still, he had to run ahead, 

132
00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:07,480
probably unaccustomed to running
culturally, but maybe as an 

133
00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,240
individual. 
It's probably because my picture

134
00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,120
is of him. 
Zacchaeus is a small kind of 

135
00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,080
route, ratun sort of man, 
sitting behind the booth. 

136
00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:19,000
I think it's probably a 
programme I've seen. 

137
00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:22,560
He had to run, but he also had 
to climb. 

138
00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:24,600
But he refused to be 
overwhelmed. 

139
00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:29,480
We have to put feet on our face 
and vision and take action. 

140
00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,720
You're going to face, like 
Zacchaeus, discouragements and a

141
00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:34,960
temptation to give up and feel 
overwhelmed. 

142
00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:39,120
That's part of life. 
But if you keep it simple and 

143
00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,880
you say, I'm going to live a 
life with a vision to glorify 

144
00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:45,160
God and walk with him forever, 
then you can take action. 

145
00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,720
You'll face discouragement, yes,
but you can keep going. 

146
00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,320
You may have to run ahead at 
times when it's tough, put your 

147
00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,840
shoulder to the wheel because 
nothing comes easily. 

148
00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:01,360
You have to press through in 
prayer and believe God, but you 

149
00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:06,600
continue to walk, not to be 
overwhelmed but to keep climbing

150
00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,440
and growing, staying close to 
him. 

151
00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:15,320
Thinking of the last 40 years of
my privilege of walking with 

152
00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:19,920
Jesus and the last 20 here 
almost in Leicester, of some of 

153
00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,400
the challenges we faced as a 
house, some of the tests that 

154
00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:25,800
have come, some of the 
discouragements we've had to 

155
00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,800
walk through. 
And yet as we've continued to 

156
00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,600
say, you are #1 and we're going 
to keep going with you. 

157
00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:38,240
Look what the Lord has done. 
You've got this Christ centred 

158
00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:42,360
vision. 
Take action, spend time to pray 

159
00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,480
and listen to him. 
This morning I, I got up early 

160
00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:51,720
and it was foggy outside. 
I'm just sitting there. 

161
00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:54,440
It was quite cold in the room 
where I was. 

162
00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,400
But I realised that though there
were many things to pray about, 

163
00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,880
the Lord wanted me just to stop 
and let him love me and love on 

164
00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:07,200
me. 
When we set time to pray, it's 

165
00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,720
taking action in the vision. 
When we listen to worship music 

166
00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:14,120
and we worship him and we speak 
it out and we read the Bible, 

167
00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,680
it's, it's taking action on the 
vision. 

168
00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:18,560
He's got us. 
When we talk about Jesus to 

169
00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:23,800
others, it creates a difference.
I got a free pass recently to go

170
00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,480
to a a local gym. 
Now Susan and I are privileged. 

171
00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,840
We've got a little gym in our 
garage and I have a running 

172
00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:33,520
machine, she has a a rowing 
machine and we basically just do

173
00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,800
our thing. 
And ultimately the walk between 

174
00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:40,360
the house and the garage means 
we get there quite regularly. 

175
00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,240
But on this occasion I got a 
free pass in one of the nicer 

176
00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:46,600
gyms of less than. 
So I went there for the morning.

177
00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:50,320
I like, I like going to a gym. 
You meet the man who thinks that

178
00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:52,880
you've come for your guest pass 
and that you're going to take a 

179
00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:56,640
year's subscription and he takes
one look at you and you go, he 

180
00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:59,760
goes, you realise he's 
discouraged because you've just 

181
00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,360
come for the freebie. 
We walked in and I go on the 

182
00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,440
machines and I try and work out 
different ones of the cardio 

183
00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:11,560
machines and you, you burn off 
enough calories to justify half 

184
00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,720
a chocolate bar that you eat at 
the end of the session. 

185
00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:18,000
Put it all back on. 
I know it's more than that. 

186
00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:21,600
And Susan went swimming. 
I walked past the pool and went 

187
00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:24,600
in the sauna. 
I like to go in a sauna to talk 

188
00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:26,720
to people about Jesus. 
Now there were a lot of ladies 

189
00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,680
in there that wouldn't have been
appropriate me to talk to, but 

190
00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:35,360
there was one man sat in the 
corner, chiselled, not an ounce 

191
00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:39,360
of flab on him, looking like 
Hercules. 

192
00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:42,760
So I thought pretty similar body
shapes. 

193
00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:47,760
I'll go and sit next to him. 
When sat next to him and he got 

194
00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,920
his eyes closed, everything 
about this man said don't talk 

195
00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:56,760
to me. 
So I waited and I sat next to 

196
00:11:56,760 --> 00:12:00,280
him and waited, and I'd lost 
about half my body weight with 

197
00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:03,360
the heat of the sauna by the 
time I was near that point where

198
00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:09,680
I would need to be carried out. 
And he opened one eye, I kid you

199
00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:12,680
not, sat next to me, He opened 
one eye. 

200
00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:14,760
I was in there like a flash. 
Hi, mate. 

201
00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:16,960
Hey, there's a nice gym. 
This, isn't it? 

202
00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:20,960
You could see the joy in his 
heart that I was talking to him.

203
00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:24,000
It's a great gym, isn't it? 
Nice Small talk, small talk, 

204
00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:26,880
small talk. 
And I said quite a few people 

205
00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:28,280
upstairs. 
He said, aye, there's lots of 

206
00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,720
people here on a Monday trying 
to get rid of their weekend 

207
00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:35,280
sins. 
It was like an invitation from 

208
00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,320
him for me. 
I said, that's fascinating. 

209
00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,600
I said, do you know that you can
never get rid of your sins? 

210
00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,880
It's a gym. 
For that you need Jesus. 

211
00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:48,880
And he said, I've heard that. 
And then he closed one of his 

212
00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:52,960
eyes and I got the feeling that 
if I'd have said any more, his 

213
00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,960
chiselled frame would have 
removed me from the sauna. 

214
00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:58,520
But I left him with that 
thought. 

215
00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,240
See, when you talk about Jesus, 
something happens. 

216
00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:06,320
We take action, we take action 
the routine of including him, 

217
00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:08,840
walking with him, we carry a 
Christ centred vision. 

218
00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:11,640
We take action in the vision, we
walk with others in the vision. 

219
00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:14,360
Look Zacchaeus, come down 
immediately. 

220
00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:20,000
Jesus stands under the tree. 
Hey Zac, down you come. 

221
00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,520
I'm going to stay at your house 
today. 

222
00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:26,280
I wonder if his first thought 
was we haven't had the Hoover 

223
00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:30,640
round. 
So he came down at once and 

224
00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:34,680
welcomed him gladly and in 
response to Jesus call, he 

225
00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:38,760
immediately invites Jesus into 
his house and he invites others 

226
00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:43,800
come and his life is changed and
he gets a new vision for his 

227
00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:46,200
life. 
I want to encourage you to keep 

228
00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:52,040
including Jesus in your vision. 
Nothing wrong with having plans.

229
00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,920
I want to tell you though, every
holiday comes to an end and it 

230
00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:59,640
will never fulfil the need in 
your heart. 

231
00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,080
I love holidays. 
I love chilling, I love 

232
00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,640
stopping. 
I love Sabbath resting. 

233
00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:10,200
I love a cooked breakfast. 
I like pancakes three more than 

234
00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,960
Susan has. 
I love peanut butter. 

235
00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:20,440
I enjoy life. 
I love laughing, I love crying. 

236
00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:23,760
I love stuffing. 
I enjoy a movie. 

237
00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:28,920
Watching my football team lose 
still moves me emotionally. 

238
00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:32,840
I love all those things. 
But at the end of it, all those 

239
00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:37,080
things come to the end and only 
Jesus remains. 

240
00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:41,960
I was so stark this week as we 
put the coffin of Margin to the 

241
00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,440
ground in a beautiful little 
private family gathering. 

242
00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,880
I want to tell you there were no
possessions in that coffin. 

243
00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,520
Nothing she'd ever bought was 
there. 

244
00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,600
War with others in the vision, 
war with Jesus. 

245
00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:03,560
Keep including Him in your 
vision. 

246
00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:05,240
What do you want me to do with 
your life? 

247
00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:10,040
What do you want me to do today?
You say I'm 60, I'm 70, I'm 80. 

248
00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:11,560
What am I meant to do with my 
life? 

249
00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:16,800
Stop love Him and say want me to
do anything today. 

250
00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:22,720
You will be amazed what happens 
in your life when you place Him 

251
00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,520
at the centre of your vision, 
when it becomes about you. 

252
00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:29,800
I meet some people and their 
lives are so small. 

253
00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:34,680
Their lives are the things in 
their garage because where their

254
00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:38,440
treasure was, their heart is 
gadgets that they'll use 

255
00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:42,800
occasionally. 
Things that will drift away make

256
00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,200
something greater. 
The call in your life. 

257
00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,880
A person wrapped up in 
themselves, somebody wrote, 

258
00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:52,240
makes a very small package. 
But when you are united with 

259
00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,560
Jesus, you can do all things as 
He gives you strength. 

260
00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,040
Pray about everything. 
Consider what He thinks. 

261
00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,000
Apply His word to the decisions 
you make. 

262
00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:07,800
So much pastoral work is picking
up the bad decisions that people

263
00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:11,480
make in their life where they 
didn't get wisdom from others. 

264
00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:15,120
People come and say, you know, 
I'm unhappy in this 

265
00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,160
relationship, this job, I've 
moved house, it's not working, 

266
00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:20,640
all these things. 
And now and you want to say, did

267
00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:22,800
you pray about it before you 
made those decisions? 

268
00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:25,240
Did you include Jesus in that 
decision? 

269
00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:27,680
Did you say, I've got this 
vision to do all these things? 

270
00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:32,320
What do you think? 
It's much easier to give wisdom 

271
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:36,080
than to rescue, to say don't do 
that. 

272
00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:38,440
Let's pray and wait a bit 
longer. 

273
00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:43,240
Including Jesus in your vision, 
but also including others. 

274
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,680
The Proverb writer says this. 
When you walk with the wise, you

275
00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:50,920
become wise. 
I received so much wisdom from 

276
00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:54,760
other people when when I first 
became a senior leader. 

277
00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:57,880
You know, you could feel like 
you've got to have all the 

278
00:16:57,880 --> 00:16:59,840
answers. 
I watch leaders now and you talk

279
00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:01,640
to them. 
And when they talk, it's as 

280
00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,079
though they're trying to teach 
you in everything that they've 

281
00:17:04,079 --> 00:17:05,599
got. 
I'm the church leader. 

282
00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:07,359
I've got all the wisdom you 
need. 

283
00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:11,400
Well, I need to disillusion you 
about your senior leaders here. 

284
00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:18,359
We're wonderful people. 
We've got some great ideas and 

285
00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,960
we've got a bit of wisdom, but 
ultimately we're simply 

286
00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,760
listening to him and doing what 
he wants us to do. 

287
00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:28,400
And let me tell you, you need to
be in a church like that, not in

288
00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,880
one where it's all together and 
they think they know everything.

289
00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:36,120
Staying humble as iron sharpens 
iron, so one person sharpens 

290
00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:38,360
another. 
I'm so sharpened by the people 

291
00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:40,560
around us. 
The gifts surround us, the 

292
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:44,480
talents surround us. 
I sometimes sit at my desk and I

293
00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,080
go, I can't believe it, Lord, 
all these people you brought to 

294
00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:51,400
work with us. 
And I go back to me at 19 with 

295
00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:57,480
my OC DS and my sadness and my 
regrets and my complete lostness

296
00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:00,200
and I go, God, look what you've 
done. 

297
00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,720
All the glory to you. 
Keep involving yourself with 

298
00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:05,360
others. 
It's why small groups are so 

299
00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:08,400
important. 
Listen, if you only come here on

300
00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:12,720
a Sunday, one in three weeks, I 
want to call you to a real 

301
00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:16,920
faith, something deeper. 
Because when you fall in love 

302
00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,560
with Jesus, it impacts your 
diary, it impacts your wallet, 

303
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,520
it impacts your decisions, it 
impacts your calendar. 

304
00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,200
It impacts everything of your 
life because you want to put in 

305
00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:28,760
first. 
Don't be a one in three person, 

306
00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,720
be in a small group, build a 
community with others, share 

307
00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:40,360
food with people, do life in an 
appropriate way with people and 

308
00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:45,880
be in the house regularly. 
I know sometimes sports clubs 

309
00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:48,200
meet and it can be a challenge 
with your children. 

310
00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:53,640
I know, but my boys are 36 and 
35 and I still believe. 

311
00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:56,240
I want to say I know it's not 
easy at times. 

312
00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,880
I still believe. 
Seek first the Kingdom of God 

313
00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,720
with your kids. 
Let them see you worshipping in 

314
00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:03,560
church. 
I sat in the first service this 

315
00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:06,800
morning, the three little boys 
behind us on that second row and

316
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,480
in the worship, these boys, I 
think the oldest was 9. 

317
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:15,920
They sang their hearts out a 
little bit of heaven on row 2. 

318
00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:19,840
And you see your kids come to 
church and they, they, they get 

319
00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:22,960
involved and they, they, they 
get make friends. 

320
00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:26,080
And then they come on Friday 
night like it was in here, this 

321
00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:29,400
room full of young people, seven
of them giving their lives to 

322
00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,200
Jesus. 
Atmosphere, noise, mess. 

323
00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:36,640
I love it. 
I don't want to be in it every 

324
00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:40,360
week, but I love it. 
I want to celebrate it from a 

325
00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:43,360
distance. 
I, I am so excited by, by what 

326
00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:45,720
happens. 
And you bring your kids and, and

327
00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,200
just perhaps you get them 
friends and you get them and you

328
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:49,520
find them. 
And then one day they say I want

329
00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:52,840
to be baptised, and then they 
come back and they say I've been

330
00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,040
filled with the Spirit. 
And then when they're older, 

331
00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:01,840
they love you. 
They love him the greatest. 

332
00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:04,240
I've got to tell you, probably 
the greatest joy in my life is 

333
00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:08,280
that my kids love Jesus. 
And I know that is painful for 

334
00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:09,960
some of you. 
Don't give up praying for your 

335
00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:11,120
kids. 
You're the prodigal. 

336
00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:13,120
As we pray, they'll come home. 
Don't give up. 

337
00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:15,560
They're just working on their 
testimonies. 

338
00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,880
But listen. 
Let your kids be passionate 

339
00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,480
about Jesus. 
Small groups counsel things I 

340
00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:25,320
know so important. 
Walk with others, carry a Christ

341
00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:28,120
centred vision, take action, 
walk with others, Speak life 

342
00:20:28,120 --> 00:20:29,800
over your vision. 
The people swore what was 

343
00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:33,840
happening began to mutter. 
You got mutterers around your 

344
00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:38,160
life. 
Do you need to get some new 

345
00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:45,480
friends who speak life into you?
I know we want to be witnesses, 

346
00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:47,400
but you don't have to surround 
yourself with gossip and 

347
00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,640
criticism and negativity and 
hate. 

348
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,120
You take love in there, build 
yourself up. 

349
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,040
He's gone to be the guest of a 
Sinner, they said. 

350
00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:57,760
Zacchaeus stood up and said to 
the Lord. 

351
00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:00,760
Look, Lord, here and now I give 
half of my possessions to the 

352
00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:03,320
poor, and if I've cheated anyone
out of anything, I'll pay back 

353
00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:05,960
four times the amount. 
Can you imagine the queue the 

354
00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:11,240
next day outside his house, 
everybody queuing up? 

355
00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:19,200
Thank you, everyone got paid. 
I believe Sakis was criticised 

356
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:24,000
for even thinking of having 
Jesus in his house, they 

357
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,760
muttered, but the decisions 
changed his life. 

358
00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:31,840
When you have a Christ centred 
vision to glorify him and walk 

359
00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:33,480
with him, you may face 
opposition. 

360
00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:38,000
The world hates you, Jesus said 
If it does, it hated me first. 

361
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,240
They persecuted me. 
They will persecute you. 

362
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,200
They treat you like this because
of my name. 

363
00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:48,720
Following Jesus can be offence 
to many people when you carry a 

364
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:52,400
vision from him to love him and 
walk with him. 

365
00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:58,240
The enemy hates it because if he
can get you focused on things 

366
00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:03,080
and followers on your social 
media and distractions and spend

367
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:08,160
your whole life looking forward 
to a holiday, if he can do that,

368
00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,440
that's great. 
Distraction keeps you away from 

369
00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,600
serving Jesus and winning your 
neighbours for Christ and 

370
00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,400
inviting your friends to come 
and hear about the gospel. 

371
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:23,160
The power of vision. 
Speak life. 

372
00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,200
You know your tongue has the 
power of life and death. 

373
00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:28,320
We should, we, you should think 
about that. 

374
00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:31,880
We should all think about that. 
The power of life and death and 

375
00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:33,240
those who love it will eat its 
fruit. 

376
00:22:33,360 --> 00:22:36,280
Some of us too often speak 
negatively over ourself. 

377
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:43,680
I should do that. 
I am that I'm useless, I'm 

378
00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:45,840
rubbish. 
Change your language. 

379
00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,240
I'm loved, I'm precious in his 
sight. 

380
00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:53,360
There's a lady said a little 
picture over her bed that says 

381
00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,600
today I will not should on 
myself. 

382
00:22:57,360 --> 00:23:01,680
Think about that. 
Speak life over your yourself. 

383
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,400
Carry this vision, take action 
on it, walk with others, speak 

384
00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:10,120
life over it. 
I have to tell you that I am 

385
00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:13,040
doing my best to live like this.
I carry a Christ centred vision.

386
00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:15,240
This is my life. 
I want to do what He wants me to

387
00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:17,120
do with my life, wherever He 
takes me. 

388
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:21,960
To finish strong, to die empty. 
I take action on this by praying

389
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:26,200
and stopping. 
I think as I get older I'm going

390
00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:29,880
to stop more and realise that I 
cannot do it without Him. 

391
00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,720
In fact, as I look at the vision
ahead of the house and what God 

392
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:38,640
wants to do, as I look at our 
journey to further develop this 

393
00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:43,240
site to Createspace for people 
who are currently lost, it's 

394
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:46,640
beyond me. 
But it's not beyond Him. 

395
00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:49,480
And we're just called to be 
servants. 

396
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,280
I walk with others in the 
vision, keeping myself 

397
00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:57,400
accountable, talking, 
reflecting, listening, speaking 

398
00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:01,440
life over the vision, telling 
stories, reminding myself of His

399
00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,520
goodness. 
I live as a loved child of God 

400
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:07,720
and as a church we we carry a 
Christ centred vision. 

401
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,640
If you've had experience with 
church that's hurt you, I'm 

402
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:15,840
sorry, but don't let that be 
your finish post We're sorry. 

403
00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:18,200
Get some healing and start 
again. 

404
00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,840
Because the church's people and 
people sometimes can hurt, but 

405
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:27,120
ultimately the heartbeat of 
Christ in the church is love and

406
00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:30,120
you can be part of it. 
We carry a Christ centred 

407
00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:33,720
vision, which is why as a house 
we love God, we love people, we 

408
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:35,560
love his mission and we love his
church. 

409
00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:38,960
We take action on it. 
We love God by staying Jesus 

410
00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,520
centred and father hearted. 
The revelation of the Father 

411
00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:45,320
Bible believing, spirit filled. 
We love people. 

412
00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:49,960
All people, all nations, all 
generations, all disciples. 

413
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:54,200
What an honour. 
Last week, 76 nationalities in 

414
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,280
our nation's day, across the 
day, across the whole of what we

415
00:24:57,280 --> 00:24:58,920
are, with all our sites 
together. 

416
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:03,040
If you missed that, watch it on 
our YouTube site, The 11:30 

417
00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:04,560
Gathering. 
We love His mission. 

418
00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,640
This is why the vision of this 
house is to reach the lost, 

419
00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:09,880
serve the poor, change the 
world. 

420
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,960
And we love His church by 
planting out, by celebrating 

421
00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,440
other churches and by being a 
servant leadership house. 

422
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:21,120
And as a church, we walk with 
others in our trustees. 

423
00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:24,920
Here we watch over the financial
integrity, the practise and 

424
00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,480
health of the church, the care 
of the staff. 

425
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:29,720
We were together. 
This Thursday was a precious 

426
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,400
time in our eldership. 
We watch over the doctrine of 

427
00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:37,600
the house, the prayer of the 
house, the people of the house, 

428
00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:39,680
the prophetic heartbeat of the 
house. 

429
00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:42,760
And working with others, we 
celebrate unity. 

430
00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:46,360
And as a church, we speak life 
over the vision, which is why we

431
00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:49,880
talk about it regularly, which 
is why we share stories, which 

432
00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:51,640
is why we say what we're 
believing for. 

433
00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:53,920
And sometimes we go, this is 
hard. 

434
00:25:56,480 --> 00:26:01,000
A few days ago, I sat at the the
bedside of a lady who was about 

435
00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,920
to go and be with Jesus. 
And it was hard because we 

436
00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:08,400
wanted something different. 
We wanted her to be healed and 

437
00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,600
to go on in life and able to 
love her kids. 

438
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:18,920
But even in that moment he is 
enough and to be able to just 

439
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:23,520
say to that Lady that he was 
going to come and take her to be

440
00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:25,680
with him and everything was all 
right. 

441
00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:31,280
You have a vital part in the 
vision. 

442
00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,360
Never underestimate it in your 
own life. 

443
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:39,920
Recently we, Susan and I, wrote 
to everyone who is part of the 

444
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:41,160
house. 
If you didn't receive a letter, 

445
00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:44,240
it's because you've just joined 
and that's why you didn't 

446
00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:46,400
receive them. 
But we signed around 1000 

447
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:50,680
letters and sent them to every 
couple or individual adult in 

448
00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:54,680
our church. 
Takes a long time, but it's 

449
00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:59,320
always such a privilege. 
And we talk about our vision and

450
00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:02,720
our vision offering that we're 
about to come to the 4th 1:00 

451
00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:05,760
and we talk about the story. 
And I want to just share that 

452
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:10,320
with you for a few moments here 
because we joined one church 

453
00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:15,320
started about 3 years ago, two 
churches coming together, laying

454
00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:18,400
down their their names and 
becoming one church. 

455
00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:22,600
And instantly we found ourselves
in this building with the chance

456
00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,120
to develop it. 
It was, it needed development at

457
00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:29,240
that time. 
And in 2023 we shared this 

458
00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:30,560
vision. 
Some of you never saw this 

459
00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:35,160
booklet and it talked about how 
we were going to develop here, 

460
00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,040
that it would become the centre 
of our administration together. 

461
00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,640
This is before anyone gave a 
penny and it is now. 

462
00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:43,400
We talked about IT being the 
centre of many midweek 

463
00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:46,240
ministries for children, youth 
and students and seniors. 

464
00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,360
It is now. 
There were more children in our 

465
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:51,720
Sevens through Elevens group 
here on Tuesday night for a 

466
00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,040
normal Tuesday than at any other
time in our history. 

467
00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:58,080
That's this week. 
We talked about IT becoming a 

468
00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:00,640
training and releasing centre 
for the whole of our church. 

469
00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:04,000
It is becoming that. 
But IT being a community hub for

470
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:07,680
the area, well, it is and it's 
becoming more people walking in 

471
00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:10,800
from the streets, from the 
businesses, coming into Wake 

472
00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:14,280
Coffee, finding their way into 
church, getting saved, being 

473
00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:17,680
baptised. 
That was the story of somebody 

474
00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:21,720
last week who was baptised in 
this room, a barn for the bride 

475
00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,360
we said it would be. 
And it has a blessing for the 

476
00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:26,440
wider church, a building for the
city. 

477
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:30,560
It's here if you talk to 
anybody, try it. 

478
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:33,840
Which church do you go to? 
I go to the church on Frog 

479
00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:35,120
Island. 
I know that one. 

480
00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:40,600
It's, it's a prominent building,
which means there's no excuse to

481
00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:46,880
not invite anybody to it. 
And we prepared in 2023 and in 

482
00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:51,960
such a memorable moment, the 
people gave over 605,000 lbs and

483
00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,640
we renovated this building. 
We we sold another building, we 

484
00:28:55,640 --> 00:29:01,200
borrowed some money, £2,000,000 
development of what the Lord's 

485
00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:03,880
done and then it all as a 
church. 

486
00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:05,480
We carried a Christ centred 
vision. 

487
00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:08,640
We took action in that vision, 
we walked together in the vision

488
00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:10,480
and we saw life happen through 
the vision. 

489
00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:13,640
And then in 2024 we knew we 
needed to strengthen. 

490
00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,960
The church was growing, we had 
to put stronger things in place.

491
00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,320
We strengthened sight by 
planting our Loughborough site 

492
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:22,720
that's been meeting this 
morning. 

493
00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:26,360
We strengthen open hands our 
amazing compassion work which we

494
00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:30,080
love so much, with the centre in
Saint Matthews Estate reaching 

495
00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:34,800
hundreds and thousands of people
in a year, but many every week. 

496
00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:40,040
We strengthen plans by doing a 
study on the building next door 

497
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:43,920
#12 that is ours. 
Should we bring it down? 

498
00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:48,280
Should we renovate it? 
Should we sell it? 

499
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,320
We strengthened our citywide 
impact by investing more in our 

500
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:56,880
relationship with other 
churches. 

501
00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,320
You'll never hear us being 
negative about the wider body. 

502
00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:02,720
You'll only ever hear us 
celebrate what God is doing 

503
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:04,480
everywhere. 
That's the type of church we 

504
00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:06,200
are. 
We strengthen our buildings by 

505
00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:08,760
doing some repairs here. 
We paid off some of our 

506
00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:11,760
mortgage, we strengthened the 
reserves of the house and we 

507
00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:14,520
prepared the people. 
We wrote to the people and we 

508
00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:18,120
all gave together on that day in
November 24. 

509
00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:21,840
And over 300,000 lbs was 
invested and we strengthened. 

510
00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:24,880
And in in that journey we 
carried a Christ centred vision 

511
00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:26,760
together. 
We took action in the vision 

512
00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:28,880
together. 
We walked together in the vision

513
00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:35,000
and we saw life happen. 
And then at the end of 2024 for 

514
00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:38,640
our 2025 vision offering, we 
talked about bringing down and 

515
00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,120
building up. 
There used to be a ramp on the 

516
00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,280
at the end of #12 there we 
brought it down and put banners 

517
00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:48,800
up to declare to the city that 
He is the way, the truth and the

518
00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:52,080
life. 
We invested more in bringing 

519
00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:55,240
down our mortgage, building up 
the community by running our GO 

520
00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:58,400
weekend, which was dozens of 
projects with hundreds of people

521
00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:01,680
impacting the city. 
We trialled a new community hub 

522
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:05,280
here for children from the area.
Brought in a youth alpha from 

523
00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:08,440
Braunston, Began a new little 
ones in Loughborough, Increased 

524
00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:12,480
our emphasis on being together. 
Developed a new movable prayer 

525
00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,240
tent, continued to invest in 
refreshing the equipment in our 

526
00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:20,640
children. 
We prepared the end of last year

527
00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:24,040
and this year and the people 
have given and honoured pledges 

528
00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:30,000
all the way through the year. 
So much has been given and in it

529
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,040
all we carried a Christ centred 
vision. 

530
00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,440
We took action in the vision, we
walked together in the vision, 

531
00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:37,840
we saw life happen through the 
vision and then you get another 

532
00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:41,400
letter. 
This is our vision offering for 

533
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:46,800
2026 that we will bring in 
November. 3 weeks today and 

534
00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:49,080
we're going to bring down the 
building next door because we're

535
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,640
closing it at the end of 
December and initially it will 

536
00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:56,920
be dozens of new parking spaces 
which we need, but the dream to 

537
00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,600
reinvest and see something for 
the glory of God and we're going

538
00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,120
to listen to Him on what that 
looks like. 

539
00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:05,240
We're going to continue to bring
down the mortgage. 

540
00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:09,480
You know that we've invested 
just over £400,000 into our 

541
00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:12,200
mortgage bringing it down over 
the last three years. 

542
00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:16,520
I'm so grateful for that vision.
Well done church, and we're 

543
00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:19,880
going to build up accessibility,
having a lift on the side of 

544
00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:22,720
this stage so everyone for 
productions and wherever can 

545
00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:27,000
find their way on this stage if 
they would like to. 1 Church, 

546
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:30,000
compassion, expanding the reach 
of compassion and mission. 

547
00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,760
And just this as a house, how we
bring that together, a second 

548
00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:37,400
year of go investing more in 
United, expanding site community

549
00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,800
projects, pioneering a new gap 
year course, etcetera. 

550
00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:44,400
And any all we're going to carry
a Christ centred vision and take

551
00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:47,040
action in the vision, walk 
together in the vision and see 

552
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:51,160
life happen through the vision. 
So what should our response be 

553
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,000
today? 
Well, firstly to the message I 

554
00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:59,160
brought, it should be this. 
And I urge you to do this, to 

555
00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:04,480
pause here on this moment and 
make this a holy moment for your

556
00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:09,200
life to say I, I'm going to for 
the rest of my life, carry a 

557
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,760
Christ centred vision. 
I'm going to take action. 

558
00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,360
I'm going to do things for the 
glory of God. 

559
00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,400
Here I am Lord available for 
you. 

560
00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:21,640
I'm going to involve others in 
my vision so that I make good 

561
00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,120
choices. 
And I'm going to speak life over

562
00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,600
the rest of my life. 
If you will do that honestly, 

563
00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,360
that response can change 
everything in you. 

564
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,800
And to our vision offering, how 
should we all respond? 

565
00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:38,840
Whenever we as a leadership 
write to the church about money,

566
00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,000
there's always been a pause in 
our hearts before. 

567
00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:47,560
Because I'm aware that this is 
already a generous house. 

568
00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,640
I'm aware that we already give 
so much away from what we are to

569
00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:57,920
different projects and people. 
And I'm aware that for some this

570
00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:01,960
is a testing time and a 
challenging time, but remember 

571
00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:06,480
this, Please remember this, that
whenever giving is talked about,

572
00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,320
it's never firstly a money 
thing. 

573
00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:15,639
It's always a heart thing. 
Lord, you can have my heart. 

574
00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:21,719
You can have everything. 
And what this opportunity for us

575
00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:24,639
this year, because we do, we 
need hundreds of thousands of 

576
00:34:24,639 --> 00:34:27,040
pounds and to do what the Lord 
has called us to do. 

577
00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:29,840
Yes, true. 
But it's firstly for you and me,

578
00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:33,600
it's a heart thing where we sit 
in the presence of God, as Susan

579
00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:38,360
and I did a few weeks ago. 
We say, God, I have my loafs and

580
00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:41,239
fish, what would you like me to 
do? 

581
00:34:42,199 --> 00:34:48,480
And the Holy Spirit speaks and 
you go, OK, with your help, I'll

582
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:51,159
do that. 
And some people bring big loaves

583
00:34:51,159 --> 00:34:54,120
and some people bring smaller 
loaves, and some people, what 

584
00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:56,040
they can bring maybe is just 
their heart. 

585
00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:58,560
And God values all of them 
equally. 

586
00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:03,240
And we do it together. 
I can't wait for the 2nd of 

587
00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:04,840
November. 
I can't wait. 

588
00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:07,120
I'm already decided. 
We're already in. 

589
00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:13,560
We're already getting ready. 
I love it, my little part of 

590
00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:19,240
what we do together. 
The power of vision. 

591
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:27,360
The power of vision in your 
life, the next part of your life

592
00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:29,440
can be the most significant 
part. 

593
00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:33,360
Stop thinking that things are 
over. 

594
00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:36,640
That's it. 
If you're in your 90s, I believe

595
00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:42,920
your last few years, months, 
weeks can be deeply significant.

596
00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:50,680
Firstly, you just have to come 
and say, Lord, here I am, send 

597
00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:54,840
me, I'm available to you. 
I wonder if you would do that 

598
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:59,000
even now. 
Are you willing as a Jesus 

599
00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,400
follower to say here I am, send 
me, I'm going to include you in 

600
00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:06,360
my vision. 
I want to carry it for you. 

601
00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:10,400
Go on, do it, do it and this 
house will be behalf of the 

602
00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:11,360
house. 
We're going to do that. 

603
00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:13,040
We're going to carry a Christ 
centred vision. 

604
00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:16,320
It's going to be more and more 
about you and less and less 

605
00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:25,680
about us. 
Do the journey over this next 

606
00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:30,040
three weeks. 
Please be here on the second. 

607
00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:33,680
Bring your heart. 
Let's do it together. 

608
00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:41,360
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine 

609
00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:45,600
upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord turn his face towards 

610
00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:47,320
you and give you peace.