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 --> 00:00:18,160 Welcome to the One Church podcast in August 2022. 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:23,120 In fact, can I say that today it is 18 years since Susan and I 5 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:29,520 came to Leicester? I just today and that first 6 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,160 Sunday turning the corner of Upper Titchbourne St, we parked 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:37,760 our car in the school car park. That spark and her got dented by 8 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,760 some guys playing football and we turned. 9 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,680 I was wearing a grey suit trying to look my absolute best. 10 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:48,240 We turned the the corner to be there and gosh, I was so 11 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:49,600 nervous. I was so nervous. 12 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:56,280 Will they like me? I don't think it's so much now. 13 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:58,640 Just one person likes me in the room. 14 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:03,520 That's good. But in August 2022 we became one 15 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,800 church when All Nations Church and Trinity Life Church felt 16 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:12,680 called by God to walk together. Three years later, look what the 17 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:15,880 Lord's done. We've walked in unity and 18 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:19,040 blessing and presence and without conflict together. 19 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:24,040 Many, many people have been saved and baptised and filled 20 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,960 with the Spirit and healed and impacted by Jesus. 21 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,240 Hundreds of people have been added to the house as we 22 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:36,360 together broke 1000 people and are now around 13150 people of 23 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,960 all ages from around 70 nationalities, with many more on 24 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:44,160 our database and hundreds more impacted every week through our 25 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,200 ministries. We thank God, don't we? 26 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:52,280 Nearly £3.8 million has been given through ties and 27 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,000 offerings, vision offerings and giving for mission and 28 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:57,680 compassion in the last three years. 29 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,960 And we have been privileged to give away in that period nearly 30 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:07,040 £580,000 to our compassion work to mission to people in need in 31 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,800 one church in our denomination. And thousands of people have 32 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,120 been helped and loved through Open Hands and the Oak Centre 33 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:15,960 and Way Coffee. We were able to invest over 34 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,400 £2,000,000 into the renovation of this building and the removal 35 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:24,160 of the ramp at #12 and we've been able to pay off 400,000 lbs 36 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:26,920 off our mortgage. New policies and procedures 37 00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:31,000 alongside excellent financial audits have left us stronger and 38 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,040 ready for more. And our senior leadership team, 39 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,960 our eldership, our trustees, our staff, our leaders and the 40 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,480 church family are walking in unity, humility and blessing, 41 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:45,080 carrying great faith and expectation for the next part of 42 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,600 our history. And I want to say thank you and 43 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:53,240 as we pause and celebrate. None of this would have happened 44 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,640 without Jesus. He is the centre of it all and 45 00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:02,360 in him everything holds together all the glory to him. 46 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,600 Why don't we just applaud Jesus in the room? 47 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:16,240 Come on man Jesus, Jesus. And as we look ahead, we're 48 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,600 carrying both a passion for being together and meeting 49 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:26,160 insights, and in time, planting others who feels called to go 50 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,760 again, who feels called to be trained to lead a site. 51 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,720 We're expecting to have an even deeper journey as a house to 52 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,240 smaller groups. May we see dozens and dozens 53 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:39,360 more planted in the next 12 months. 54 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,280 We're about to see, I believe, an expansion of our young adults 55 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:46,480 work. Around 50% of our church is 56 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,680 under 30. And we're about to see an army 57 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,040 of students and young adults arrive back in Leicester. 58 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,080 We know that there's an even stronger day ahead for our 59 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,840 children's ministry. And there's an excitement as we 60 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,920 join all of our youth together in the one centre every Friday 61 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:06,160 night with a real expectation of growth and great days ahead. 62 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,040 And, and allow me to take this opportunity to urge you as 63 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:15,760 parents to do everything you can to get your children and young 64 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,600 people into our Children and Youth midweek groups. 65 00:04:18,959 --> 00:04:20,680 We had a prayer meeting here on Friday night. 66 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:22,200 There's a Leicester game in town. 67 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:23,680 It's incredibly difficult to get in. 68 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,440 It's very rarely like that, but it costs to come in. 69 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:32,600 But with respect to every other group, your children's do, if 70 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,040 it's helping them read a bit better or learning how to play 71 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,280 tennis, all of those, we celebrate those, but bringing 72 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:42,800 them to encounter Jesus with other young people so that they 73 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:45,240 learn a habit that they never forget. 74 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,440 Honestly, if you want that in your kids life, you will do 75 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,400 everything you can to bring your kids to reach on a Tuesday night 76 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:57,240 to OC youth on a Friday night. And it's incredibly important. 77 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,400 And as we start again this week, nothing should be more 78 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:01,680 important. Honestly, I just want to say 79 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,520 that to you. And and if you don't have 80 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:07,640 transport and it's difficult or talk to the team, we will help 81 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,280 you do all you can. And in this next season, we've 82 00:05:10,280 --> 00:05:14,600 also been thinking about buildings and what next. 83 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:17,760 We're grateful for Beaumont Lee's school. 84 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,720 I'd read an article yesterday that Daljinder sent me just of 85 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,000 them celebrating what we did through the GO weekend in making 86 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,920 a difference in a garden at the school, celebrating, if I could 87 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,040 say one church and the difference it makes in the 88 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:33,000 school. I love that. 89 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:36,040 We're grateful for Charmwood Dance School and Manor High 90 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:40,160 School and the Oak Centre and people are meeting Jesus in 91 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,360 these buildings and they're part of our heart. 92 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:46,400 And alongside them, these amazing buildings on Frog Island 93 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:51,360 and this whole plot have been given to us as a house from the 94 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:55,920 Father and they are to be used and expanded and developed for 95 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,520 His glory. Even if you're based most weeks 96 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:04,080 in another One Church building, the developments of This site is 97 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,360 all of our privilege and responsibility to do together. 98 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:13,240 In 2024, we looked extensively at the options for number 12 99 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:15,320 Frog Island. And we looked at whether to 100 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:18,840 leave it as it was, to demolish it, to refurbish it, to rebuild 101 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:22,600 it, or to sell it. And we concluded that Number 12 102 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,360 Frog Island is part of our One Church future. 103 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,040 And we concluded that it would need to be fully levelled to the 104 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:32,880 ground and rebuilt. And last year, he asked us to 105 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,520 take down the ramp. Now, some of you don't know what 106 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:40,800 the ramp was at the side, but you, you didn't miss a lot. 107 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:47,160 But we did it as a first fruits. And we're announcing today that 108 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:51,160 as early as we can in 2026, after our vision offering in 109 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:55,000 November, we will bring down #12 and prepare the way for a 110 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,760 miracle so we can rebuild. It's going to tidy the site. 111 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:01,960 It's going to help us because we're closing that building from 112 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:06,520 all use. It will provide around 50 new or 113 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,600 more accessible parking spaces and we're aiming to do it by 114 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,000 Easter 2026. In the weeks ahead, we're going 115 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,440 to talk about our next vision offering in November and our 116 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:20,440 November vision offering will bring down #12 it's going to 117 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,840 cost around £250,000. It will also bring down the 118 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:27,080 mortgage. We have a heart to be a debt 119 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:30,800 free house. It will bring up accessibility 120 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,880 by installing a lift at the side of the stage here so that no one 121 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,320 is ever excluded from coming onto the stage and being part of 122 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:42,440 productions and what we do. It'll build up one church 123 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:46,240 compassion by expanding the compassion and justice ministry 124 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,320 and voice of one church. It will build up new community 125 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,920 by running a second year of GO, taking the United vision 126 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:56,440 forward, expanding site community projects, preparing 127 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:01,000 for a new gap year in 2026, refreshing and equipping sites 128 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,120 with some small improvements in a small couple of small building 129 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,280 projects. And when we talk again about 130 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:11,080 bringing down and building up a second year, we're asking 131 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,080 everyone again to take time to pray and listen and have the 132 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:17,760 faith and courage to respond to what God says. 133 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:23,720 These last three years, £1.2 million given in the house 134 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,360 through our vision offerings and through gifts given on the 2nd 135 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,400 of November this year and pledges brought, we will be able 136 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:32,120 to do all that He's called us to do. 137 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:38,440 And I, I want to urge you in our vision offering this year to sit 138 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,400 in God's presence the same way that Susan and I have already 139 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:43,240 done. We're already ready. 140 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,720 God has spoken to us. I can't wait for that morning, 141 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:50,080 but let's do something extraordinary together. 142 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:52,400 Let's do something extraordinary together. 143 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:54,720 But what about the next steps when it's down? 144 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,560 We saw some pictures recently, which we're not going to show 145 00:08:57,560 --> 00:08:59,960 you, of a development on this site. 146 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,120 A community centre at the front next door serving this area. 147 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:08,840 Some more office space above. Some space above for the deaf 148 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:12,360 centre and for one or two other charities to come and be based. 149 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:15,480 Some more space for us as a church on the 4th floor. 150 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:19,000 Some possible accommodation. The back here, a huge sports 151 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,920 hall for young people and our children to meet in potentially 152 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:26,600 for an affordable dance school, serving the school over the road 153 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:30,320 for the community, who knows? And there's also an extension on 154 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:34,440 this hall, both sides extended and a little balcony here taking 155 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:37,840 the capacity of this hall to 1200 people. 156 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,600 And then a car parking at the back of steel car park. 157 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:46,720 And we looked at it because the Lord, we felt Him speak to us to 158 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:50,080 get the plans ready. And the reality is it's going to 159 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,920 cost between 7 and 10,000,000 lbs. 160 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,960 And following the will of God does not always mean you have 161 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:02,760 the whole picture. We are simply invited to obey 162 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:07,680 and take the next step, which is why we must bring the building 163 00:10:07,680 --> 00:10:10,560 down. Now, are we going to build all 164 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:14,000 that I have said, I want to be full of integrity with you this 165 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:19,400 morning to say we don't know. But what we do know is this that 166 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:23,000 he wants us to do the next part that he calls us to do and 167 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,840 prepare the ground for a miracle. 168 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,080 And, and our journey with buildings is a journey of 169 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:30,800 surrender. And at the end of today, we're 170 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,280 going to do something which is a very precious act of worship. 171 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:37,680 We'll bring a little table forward and we're going to bring 172 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:41,840 every area of the life of our ministry together and put 173 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:45,840 something that represents that ministry on the table and give 174 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:48,160 it back to him. And as part of that, we're going 175 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:53,120 to bring the drawings for this plot and lay them down and say, 176 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:55,040 Lord, we've done what you asked us to do. 177 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,400 Your move. Come and do something so 178 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,600 incredible that we all kneel down and say only God. 179 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:07,120 And it's so important in the journey of life to regularly 180 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,000 stop and place Jesus at the centre. 181 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:15,840 The older I get, the more I realise that I I'm nothing and I 182 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:20,400 can do nothing without him. I'm more aware of my 183 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:24,760 vulnerabilities than I've ever been and the fact that I need 184 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:29,640 Jesus for everything, that I need him every second to make 185 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:33,400 it. And I also deeply long with a 186 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,320 passion to finish well and hear him say well done. 187 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,600 You did what I wanted you to do with your life and I pray that's 188 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:42,960 the passion of your heart this morning. 189 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:49,400 Let's never seek prominence and position and wealth and fame and 190 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,280 success. You will never be defined by how 191 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,480 many followers you have on some social media app. 192 00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:02,240 Let's seek Jesus 1st and simply live a life surrendered to Him. 193 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:06,880 And I want to urge you today as I share, to let Holy Spirit 194 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,200 speak to you because today is a church. 195 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:14,160 We stand on the precipice of a new surge forward in this next 196 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:16,880 season. Between now and Christmas, we're 197 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:19,280 going to see many people find Jesus. 198 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,560 The church is going to grow and He's going to lead us. 199 00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:26,600 And I believe today the Father is calling us as we prepare for 200 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:31,880 that, to pause and surrender. And today we begin our series. 201 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,560 I'm only going to preach for a few minutes, but the series is 202 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:39,480 called People of Power. And we're going to re establish 203 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,600 what we believe and what we are as a house. 204 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:46,160 And we're going to do some training throughout the next 205 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:47,640 seven weeks. We're going to talk about the 206 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:52,280 power of giving, the power of miracles, the power of prayer, 207 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:56,680 the power of family, the power of being together, the power of 208 00:12:56,680 --> 00:13:00,640 vision, and today, for a few minutes, the power of surrender. 209 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:06,960 Surrender is to stop resisting, to submit, to give up control, 210 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,640 to lay down our lives. Give in. 211 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:14,600 You may have had a child at one time in your family that was 212 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:19,040 strong willed and sometimes you saw them and even if you told 213 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:22,400 them they had to sit down, in their heart they were looking at 214 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:26,920 you and saying I may be sitting down but inside I'm standing up. 215 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:33,200 And you may have been like that in your journey with Jesus when 216 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:37,400 there's been a moulding and a breaking and a changing and the 217 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:42,800 struggle to submit. And John the Baptist would shout 218 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:45,440 out in the room for our journey as a house. 219 00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:50,400 We must become less and he must become more. 220 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:54,520 The Macedonians in Two Corinthians chapter 8 and the 221 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:58,440 verses will come up. What an inspirational people. 222 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:01,920 Now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the 223 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:04,000 grace. Let's say the word grace 224 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:11,120 together, the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches in 225 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:13,240 the midst of a very severe trial. 226 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,360 Their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in 227 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,800 rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as 228 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:24,400 much as they were able and even beyond their ability and 229 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,400 entirely on their own. They urgently pleaded with us 230 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:30,120 for the privilege of sharing in this service of the Lord's 231 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:33,600 people, and they exceeded our expectations. 232 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:37,680 They gave themselves first of all to the Lord and then by the 233 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:42,280 will of God, also to us. Paul had preached to the 234 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,520 Macedonians in response to a call from God to go and help, 235 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,640 and the people of this region were extremely poor due to Roman 236 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:54,080 oppression and civil war, and they had recently been subjected 237 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:56,640 to persecution. So their joy and their 238 00:14:56,640 --> 00:15:00,880 generosity is even more remarkable and Paul is writing 239 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:04,800 to a people in a testing time who are going through a severe 240 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,520 trial and yet they rise up and live differently. 241 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:12,320 They surrendered and it was dramatic. 242 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:17,880 How did they surrender? Well, firstly they gave 243 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:23,440 themselves to Jesus. They made a choice that they 244 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:26,640 would follow Him whatever the cost. 245 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:32,480 Whenever I hear that phrase, a part of me wants to stand and 246 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:38,320 say I'm in Lord, whatever, whatever the cost. 247 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,280 They were continuing to walk with Him, whatever they were 248 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:48,160 facing, poverty, restriction, limitation, challenge, 249 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,960 persecution, and they went beyond all expectations. 250 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:53,880 And what did they do in response to that? 251 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:56,760 They surrendered their hearts to Him. 252 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:03,560 They also gave themselves to one another, having chosen to deeply 253 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,720 follow Jesus. This move their hearts towards 254 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:09,920 one another. They went beyond all 255 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,680 expectations in love and community and care. 256 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:20,040 Thirdly, they gave of what they had, their resources as much as 257 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:23,840 they were able. Having chosen to follow Jesus 258 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:28,760 and move their hearts towards one another, they went beyond 259 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:33,080 all expectations and impacted the giving of their resources. 260 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:38,040 For me, this is the picture of Christian discipleship. 261 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:45,120 I remember even now, in our last vision, offering a couple in our 262 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:48,920 church who were already lovers of Jesus and already committed 263 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:53,520 weeping as the Lord spoke to them about bringing what they 264 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:55,960 could. It was so moving. 265 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,360 It's an act of worship to Him that I bring myself. 266 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:04,760 For me, this is the picture of Christian discipleship, 267 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:09,280 surrender. We start with Jesus, it leads to 268 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:11,960 others and it impacts everything we have. 269 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,560 This is what it means to be a follower of Jesus. 270 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:20,720 And today the Father is inviting US1 church to respond in the 271 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:26,200 same way of surrender. Firstly to give ourselves to 272 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:30,520 Jesus. They gave themselves first to 273 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:34,120 the Lord. We all have to make a choice as 274 00:17:34,120 --> 00:17:37,160 to how we firstly respond to the love of Jesus. 275 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:41,680 You're not a Christian because you were baptised as a baby, or 276 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:44,760 you were born in a Christian family or because you believe in 277 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:45,880 God. Lovely. 278 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:50,280 We become Jesus followers. It's very simple when we come to 279 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:55,360 the cross, confess our sins and receive the gift of forgiveness 280 00:17:55,480 --> 00:18:01,560 and eternal life with Him. Inviting Jesus into my life was 281 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,680 without doubt the best decision of my whole life. 282 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:11,720 I would do it every second of every day again because it 283 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:15,080 changed everything. And if you're not yet a 284 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:17,280 believer, you have a choice to make. 285 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,560 But for many of us, having made a choice to follow Him, 286 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:24,600 surrender is the ongoing choice we're invited to make. 287 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:29,280 And it's here again this morning, shaking us out of our 288 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:33,600 apathy and indifference. Shaking us out of the challenge, 289 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:39,680 our complaints, our grumpiness. To continue every day to follow 290 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:43,840 Jesus. To continue every day, however 291 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:46,520 hard, to walk with him. To continue every day. 292 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:48,880 To surrender and place Him first. 293 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:53,480 My experience is that this involves A continued decision 294 00:18:53,880 --> 00:19:01,520 through every season. When it's easy and when it's 295 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,880 tough, When you've got answers and when you're carrying 296 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,320 questions with no sign of change. 297 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,920 We choose to surrender to Him. We choose to include Him in 298 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,120 every decision. We choose to humble ourselves 299 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:18,600 and embrace His will and not our own. 300 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:25,200 We choose to regularly acknowledge our need of Him, 301 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,960 bring our focus towards Him. When you stop and look up, 302 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:36,240 everything changes. Set a reminder on your phone if 303 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:39,880 it helps you, every 10 minutes, look up. 304 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:43,480 I mean, obviously if you're crossing the road at that time, 305 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:48,640 just be careful. Look up because whatever you're 306 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,240 involved in, if you look up, you remember it's going to be all 307 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:55,800 right. We choose to walk close in his 308 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:58,960 embrace. Why not pause now and look up? 309 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:06,920 Will you choose today to give yourself to Jesus if you want 310 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,600 the life He's planned for you? I want to tell you this, 311 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:14,920 surrender is the Jesus way. Having come to Him by grace, we 312 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:17,200 continue to walk with Him through surrender. 313 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:23,360 And flowing from this surrender of giving our hearts leads to a 314 00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:26,200 desire to give ourselves to one another. 315 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,640 They gave themselves to one another. 316 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:32,720 The Macedonians made a choice to follow Jesus and they move their 317 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:36,360 hearts towards one another. They went beyond all 318 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:40,520 expectations, and they served with generosity and great joy. 319 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:45,880 The result of surrendering to Him will always be a desire to 320 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:50,720 give yourself to others. Surrender never leads you to be 321 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:55,240 a hermit, separate. It brings you to others because 322 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,680 you long for them to live the same way. 323 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:00,400 When we are surrendered, we love people. 324 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:05,160 We are devoted to the Bible. We carry compassion for others. 325 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,120 We have a longing to build community. 326 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,920 We pray for others to grow and be blessed. 327 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:13,920 We are regularly in the House of God. 328 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:18,400 We're reliable and on time. We are rocks that others can 329 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:23,160 lean on, and we serve with joy. Welcome to the picture of being 330 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,080 a Christian. If you've believed anything 331 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:30,080 else, tear it up. It's everything you are. 332 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:33,280 It's everything, but it's worth it. 333 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,320 This is our journey, it's my journey. 334 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,240 This is our journey as a church and what God is doing among us. 335 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:44,680 And today we're invited to surrender to Him. 336 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:46,880 And it means we surrender to one another. 337 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:49,560 So what happens when we give ourselves to others? 338 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:55,400 Well, we continue to love and accept one another. 339 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:59,160 Our church, precious people from all over the world. 340 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:04,560 I love our church so much. We we celebrate one another. 341 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,520 We learn from our differences and from our cultures. 342 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:16,680 We learn by loving one another. Perhaps people who are different 343 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:21,800 to us, who who are challenging for us and and we don't allow 344 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:29,280 any division to come between us and we build community together 345 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:33,200 through small groups. As one church grows larger, we 346 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:36,200 must keep growing smaller in order to help people become 347 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:40,400 disciples, create places where everyone is known and finds 348 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:43,480 genuine community. The model in Acts looked like 349 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:45,360 this. They attended the temple in 350 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:49,600 Jerusalem for festivals and sacrifices, larger gatherings, 351 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:54,000 but they also had regular meetings in the temple courts in 352 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:58,280 smaller gatherings, and they regularly met in homes where 353 00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:00,320 they ate and built community together. 354 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:06,640 Listen, if when the Lord moves, we need to gather in, in bigger 355 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:09,920 context together, we'll do that because from time to time we 356 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,560 want to be together. But the house is never going to 357 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:16,640 be just about the gathering of the big celebration because we 358 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,280 want you to become all that you're called to be. 359 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:21,920 And it needs more than just this. 360 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:26,400 Our small groups are all about discipleship, getting stronger. 361 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:29,560 Because a small group is where you build communities, where you 362 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:33,040 connect with God, with others. It's where you grow in the Bible 363 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:35,960 and develop your understanding. It's where you support each 364 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:40,120 other as we go out to be light in the world. 365 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,840 And it's time to belong to a small group to give yourself to 366 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:45,600 others. We're about to talk about them 367 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:50,440 again in the life of church. We would like everybody, but I'm 368 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:54,920 praying 80% of the adults in this house are connected to a 369 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,840 small group. Because when we give ourselves 370 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,680 to God and we give ourselves to one another, it leads to 371 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:04,880 breakthrough. Will you choose to go again, to 372 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,040 go beyond all expectations in your surrender to Him and to one 373 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:09,360 another? Make a new friend. 374 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:13,880 Invite someone to dinner. Listen, it's beans on toast. 375 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:19,080 It's done with love. It's enough Do like Heinz beans 376 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:26,800 more than others, but other varieties are available and 377 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:31,800 definitely much less expensive. Show kindness to a family and 378 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,560 church life. Learn about a different culture. 379 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:38,280 Chat with someone about what it was like growing up over a meal. 380 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:42,120 See someone who perhaps is new to 1 church and bless them and 381 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:46,040 surrender to him and to one another by being on time. 382 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,720 I serve him with joy by keeping your words. 383 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:53,280 It's so important as the Jesus follower, your yes is your yes. 384 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:59,200 I'll be there, be there and pray with expectation. 385 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:02,640 When a church lives like this, a city has changed. 386 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:06,600 We've had a wonderful 3 days of prayer and here's a a loving 387 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:09,760 comment to us in January. We're going to pray for five 388 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:14,560 days. I urge you, I urge you to come 389 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:18,680 and join us for one session because something happens when 390 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,160 you pray. We listen without without him, 391 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:26,000 we cannot sustain what is here without reaching everybody that 392 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:29,360 needs Jesus. We got to pray more and kneel 393 00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:32,560 down and cry out and believe God together. 394 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:36,800 We read that when they raise their voices together, together, 395 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:40,760 the room shock situations were changed. 396 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:45,080 The power of God came. Oh, I urge you, Church, I urge 397 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,960 you this joy of surrender. I give myself to the Lord and I 398 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,600 give myself to others and it impacts everything. 399 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,800 I have just three minutes on this. 400 00:25:56,760 --> 00:26:01,160 We give again from what we have. The Macedonians facing poverty 401 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:06,720 chose to surrender to Him and it led to them loving one another, 402 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:10,800 but also out of their poverty, being generous and it moved 403 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:15,280 their hearts. And this message is the message 404 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:18,520 I'm sharing is really simple, but it's so powerful. 405 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:22,880 Give your life to him, include him in every part. 406 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:28,240 Give yourself to others, love them, value them, and give back 407 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,440 to God from what he's blessed you with in the 1st place. 408 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:35,200 It's, it's very simple. And I would like to ask you 409 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:41,920 today, I would like to ask you in the presence of God, to 410 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,760 please be a financial giver in the house. 411 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,360 Please. Hundreds of people giving this 412 00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:49,320 house. Thank you. 413 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:52,200 Be one of them. Start today. 414 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:57,920 Believe God to be a tiver in the house, to give regularly with 415 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:01,000 real joy. Set up a standing order because 416 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:05,800 as each of us lives like this and does their part, we continue 417 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,160 to be able to do everything He's called us to do. 418 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:13,360 Faced with the love of Jesus, the Macedonians chose to 419 00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:16,040 surrender and it had a huge impact. 420 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:20,280 So what about us and our response as we come to the 421 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:22,960 table? Will you surrender your hearts 422 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,320 to Jesus again? Who's in this morning saying 423 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,360 I've decided I'm going to follow Jesus? 424 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,280 Anyone joining me? Anybody up for it? 425 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,400 Anybody realise there's nothing else that's worth it? 426 00:27:36,360 --> 00:27:41,360 Here I am, Lord, oh God, here I am, wholly available to you. 427 00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:43,400 Will you surrender your heart to him again? 428 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:46,360 And will you surrender your heart to others again? 429 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,600 I understand that it's not easy for some people to have people 430 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:57,080 in their homes. Come into wake coffee, invite a 431 00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:59,200 friend to have a coffee, and here we go. 432 00:27:59,360 --> 00:28:02,120 If you can't afford that coffee, we'll bless you. 433 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,840 Community, small groups, serving, carrying the load, 434 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,440 playing your part, never being on the periphery. 435 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,440 I can't think there's anything more frustrating in life than 436 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,040 being a lukewarm periphery seat filling Christian. 437 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,720 I really can't. But when you're a dynamically 438 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:22,480 hot seat, filling fully in, willing to give your seat up to 439 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:30,440 someone else Christian, And will you surrender your heart again 440 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:32,280 by letting it be the centre of everything you have? 441 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:35,760 And of course, when we think of surrender, let's think about 442 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:40,200 Jesus, the perfect example of everything we've talked about 443 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:41,440 today. Look at this. 444 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:46,720 Who being in very nature God did not consider put the scripture 445 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:51,440 up equality with God, something to be used to his own advantage. 446 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,600 It's just Jesus. Rather, He made himself nothing 447 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,840 by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human 448 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:01,600 likeness and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled 449 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:05,720 himself by becoming obedient to the death, even death on the 450 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:10,240 cross. Therefore God the Father exalted 451 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:15,000 him to the highest place, Come on, and gave him the name that 452 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:20,920 is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee 453 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:24,920 should bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every 454 00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:27,600 tongue acknowledged that He is the Lord. 455 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:33,040 To the glory of God the Father. He was and is holy God. 456 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:37,400 He surrendered his position in heaven and came to earth fully 457 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:42,880 God, fully man, awesome, beautiful, powerful, loving, and 458 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,520 the answer for every person on the planet. 459 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:50,160 He surrendered his life. And this is the way Jesus loves 460 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:52,880 us. On one occasion Jesus asked a 461 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,160 question. He was facing the challenge of a 462 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,440 lack of surrender in people and he said this. 463 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:03,480 How long must I put up with you? See, surrender's not easy. 464 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:06,280 It's a high call for some of us today. 465 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:08,160 We've been living less than He's planned. 466 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:13,640 Perhaps selfishness, greed, apathy, a lukewarm faith have 467 00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:18,080 gripped you. The discomfort you feel is not 468 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,440 my words. It's the Holy Spirit loving you, 469 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:22,960 pulling you, saying come on, start today. 470 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:27,080 And Jesus says to you, How long must I put up with you? 471 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,600 And when we look at how Jesus answered this question, it 472 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:35,480 changes us forever. How long will I put up with you? 473 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,040 And I love what Max Liccardo writes. 474 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:40,800 How long did Jesus put up with us? 475 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:47,120 Long enough to be called crazy by his brothers and a liar by 476 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:50,000 his neighbours. Long enough to be run out of his 477 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:53,440 town and out of his temple. Long enough to be laughed at, 478 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,480 cursed and slapped and hit and blindfolded and mocked. 479 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:02,000 Long enough to feel warm spit and sharp whips and to see his 480 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,800 own blood puddle at his feet. How long did he love us? 481 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:10,280 Until the rooster sings and the sweat stings on the mallet rings 482 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:14,160 and a hillside of demons smirk at a dying God. 483 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:17,160 How long did he love us? Did he surrender? 484 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:21,960 Long enough for every sin to so soak his sinless soul that 485 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:26,320 heaven will turn in horror. Until his swollen lips pronounce 486 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:28,800 the final transaction. It is finished. 487 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:34,520 How long did he love us? Until it killed Him, He 488 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:38,960 surrendered all. And our response must be 489 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:44,040 surrendering worship. We get one life and here's the 490 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:46,680 answer for your life. Surrender and give yourself to 491 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:48,760 Him. Surrender and give yourself to 492 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:51,280 others. Surrender and give back to Him 493 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:53,800 your time, your talents and your treasures. 494 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:00,880 The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine 495 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:05,080 upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face towards 496 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:06,800 you and give you peace.