1 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:12,280 Have you been with us for the last few weeks? 2 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,160 You will know that over the kind of last kind of month, month and 3 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:19,000 a half, we've been working through a series considering 4 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,600 what we in the Vineyard call doing this stuff, which is in 5 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:26,240 summary, when we partner with the Holy Spirit in everyday life 6 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,600 to naturally do the supernatural works of Jesus. 7 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:32,439 As we've worked through this series, we've talked about 8 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,080 things like hearing from God, living in expectation that he 9 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:39,680 will move, praying for healing, stepping out in faith to 10 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,960 evangelise, and breaking people free of the things that hold 11 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:44,960 them, which Phil spoke about last week. 12 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:47,960 And today, as we move towards the last few weeks of the 13 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,960 series, I want us to consider how we create rhythms of doing 14 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,400 the stuff that are sustainable. How we create a life that 15 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,960 doesn't just allow us to do the stuff today or in small group 16 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:02,280 this week or next Sunday morning. 17 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:05,239 Which helps us to ensure that we will still be standing 18 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:10,040 emotionally healthy, serving the Lord, doing the stuff with joy 19 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,000 for months, years, and even decades to come. 20 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,680 For many of us, the first step into doing the stuff is just a 21 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,920 moment where it suddenly clicks in our heads and our hearts. 22 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:24,080 Hey, I'm called to do this stuff to you. 23 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,040 We have this realisation of the truth that is the foundation of 24 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:30,280 what we've been talking about in this series, that the stuff 25 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,920 isn't just the job of the leaders or people who've been 26 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,440 Christians for years, the Super spiritually mature. 27 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,360 This is something that every single believer is called to be 28 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,120 part of. Maybe for some of us this 29 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,160 preaching series has been that clicking moment. 30 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,360 And many times there's something in us that feels drawn in and 31 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,800 excited when we realise that. But at the same time there's 32 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,440 often there hesitation. We begin to question whether 33 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:57,240 we're good enough or ready enough. 34 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,800 We feel the nerves ramping up at the thought of stepping into 35 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:02,680 everything that God might be asking of us. 36 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,440 What if I get it wrong? What if I pray and nothing 37 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:07,560 happens? What if I step out and I just 38 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,840 feel awkward? And yet the truth that we see in 39 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,440 Scripture is that this call isn't based on our confidence or 40 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,440 our experience. It's based on God's design and 41 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,880 his invitation to us. Ephesians 210 says For we are 42 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:27,200 God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 43 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,280 which God has prepared in advance for us to do. 44 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:34,440 Doing the stuff isn't an add on or something we do because it's 45 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,800 nice to do or we think we probably should do it out of 46 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,760 obligation. It's an everyday part of how God 47 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,520 designed us to live. It's part of what God prepared 48 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,320 for us in our lives, and what's more, it's part of what Jesus 49 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:52,320 modelled for us as believers, Mark 1045 says. 50 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,320 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve 51 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,400 and to give his life for the ransom for many as ransom for 52 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,120 many. Jesus came and he served his 53 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:03,760 disciples and those who followed him. 54 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,960 He showed us what a life doing the stuff looked like in real 55 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:12,200 time, healing the sick, casting out demons, kneeling to serve 56 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,920 his disciples, feeding the hungry, evangelising to huge 57 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:20,520 crowds of thousands of people. And then in Matthew 20, verses 58 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:24,920 26 to 28, we see that he flips that and also asks this of his 59 00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:29,720 followers. And when we realise this, that 60 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:32,240 this is something that we're meant to do, that it's what 61 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,440 Jesus modelled and then called his followers to do and that 62 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,040 that was for all of us, we get excited when it really sinks in, 63 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:40,880 we get excited to partner with God. 64 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,320 This is this is the new kind of new found willingness to step 65 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:48,400 out for the first time, to pray, to listen, to take the risk, to 66 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,360 serve one another, even if there is still that little bit of 67 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,160 trepidation. And honestly, it is amazing, 68 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:55,960 right? It's one of the most incredible 69 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,720 parts of how God has called us to live in community with one 70 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,840 another, filled with the Spirit actually doing the things that 71 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,800 we see in Scripture. It's a big part of what first 72 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,960 drew me to the Vineyard when I was exploring faith, because 73 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:11,280 seeing people genuinely live this out felt so different to 74 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,080 anything that I'd ever experienced before. 75 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:17,160 And I don't know about anyone else, but I always, still, all 76 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,320 these years later, still just find it absolutely mind blowing 77 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,960 when you see God move, when we see God bring healing, when we 78 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,520 see him speak into someone's life in a way that just can't be 79 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,760 explained by anything else, We realise that this isn't just a 80 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,040 theory. We have a living God who's 81 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,200 active amongst us and working through ordinary people. 82 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:39,880 And that realisation is just when that really starts thinking 83 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:44,120 and just so exciting because honestly, who wouldn't get 84 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:47,160 excited when you see how amazing our God is and all that he's 85 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:49,520 doing. And that often leads to us 86 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:54,280 jumping head first in going all in 1,000,000 miles an hour, 87 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,760 serving on 8 teams at once, always saying yes, pitching up 88 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,880 early, leaving late, leaning in instead of running away. 89 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,080 When Phil or Lisa say what would it look like? 90 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:09,240 So there's some people laughing who've learnt that lesson. 91 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,800 And there's nothing inherently wrong with that. 92 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,480 For a start, most of you will know that I'd be an absolute 93 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,200 hypocrite if I stood here and said that jumping into ministry 94 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,200 is a problem. In fact, it's in our values to 95 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:24,280 be people who are faith filled and big thinking and risk 96 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:26,440 taking. And Scripture says that we are 97 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,960 called to love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our 98 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,960 soul and all our mind and all our strength, and that we're to 99 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,720 do everything we do in our lives in the name of Jesus. 100 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,520 So I'm not by any means saying that jumping in head 1st and 101 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,760 being totally sold out for Jesus and the gospel is anything but 102 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,880 positive. But I am saying is that because 103 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,360 it's so exciting, because we recognise that we are called to 104 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,240 be those people who do this stuff and live our whole lives 105 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,600 for the Kingdom of God, it's also equally important that we 106 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,080 understand how to do that in a healthy way. 107 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,560 And that's what we're going to be speaking about in Mordack 108 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,920 this morning. Some might remember that in the 109 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,440 first half of this series, both in church and in our small 110 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:13,760 groups still, we've been looking at emotionally healthy 111 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,000 spirituality, what it looks like and why it matters. 112 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,040 And we've intentionally put that alongside doing the stuff, 113 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:24,080 because these two things are meant to go hand in hand. 114 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,040 If we're not emotionally healthy, we won't be able to 115 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,600 live out what God's calling us to do in a sustainable way. 116 00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:34,760 But often, without realising it, we split them into two separate 117 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,440 boxes. Our inner life with God goes in 118 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,600 one box. My personal development and our 119 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:42,360 serving in ministry goes into another. 120 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,440 They're connected, we acknowledge that, but we treat 121 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:48,200 them separately. But they were never meant to be 122 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,760 separate. Our ministry flows from our life 123 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,280 with God, and our life with God is shaped as we step out and 124 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:59,200 follow Him in obedience. When we separate them, we drift. 125 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:03,440 We either stay focused inward and never step out to all the 126 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:07,280 things He's calling us to, or we serve continually without the 127 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:09,720 depth of personal faith to sustain it. 128 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,840 And the life that Jesus invites us into is more integrated than 129 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,240 that. Being with him and being sent by 130 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,280 him a part of the same rhythm. And it's that rhythm that makes 131 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,280 it sustainable. Because doing the stuff was 132 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,760 never meant to be a Sprint, a rapid fire kind of Usain Bolt 133 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:31,480 moment. It's a lifelong marathon that we 134 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:36,360 have to learn to walk with Him as Galatians 6 verse 9 puts it. 135 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,440 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we 136 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:45,920 will reap if we do not give up. This is a long, slow paced 137 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:50,040 process. This is a perseverance and a 138 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:52,920 promise built into the life that God calls us into. 139 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,480 And it's only when we learn to live in that rhythm, that steady 140 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:02,880 spirit LED faithful rhythm, that we can find a way of doing the 141 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:06,600 stuff that we can carry, not just for this season, not just 142 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:10,600 until it burns us out, but in a way that is sustainable for the 143 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,640 long haul. So what does this look like? 144 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:17,680 I want to suggest 4 simple ways that we can start building 145 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:19,640 healthy and sustainable ministry. 146 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:23,320 The first part of what makes this sustainable right from the 147 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,960 start is recognising that this was never ever something we were 148 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,480 meant to carry on our own. Scripture is really clear that 149 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:34,039 we are called into this together, each of us bringing 150 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:38,320 something completely different. In One Corinthians 12, verses 12 151 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,320 to 27, Paul talks about the church as a body. 152 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:45,240 Many parts, but one body. The first section of this verses 153 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:49,480 12 and 13 says, For just as the body is 1 and has many members, 154 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,760 and all members of the body, though many are one body, so it 155 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,400 is with Christ. For in one spirit we were all 156 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,960 baptised into one body, Jews, all Greeks, slave slaves, all 157 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:02,200 free, and we all were made to drink of 1 spirit. 158 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,680 And then later in the passage in verses 18 to 20 it says, But as 159 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:09,600 it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as 160 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,080 He chose. If all were a single member, 161 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:15,240 where would the body be? As there are there are many 162 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:19,080 parts, yet one body. We're not all meant to be doing 163 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:23,480 the same things or carrying the same weight, but every single 164 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:27,120 one of us has a part to play, and the body only functions as 165 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:31,600 it should when every single part is engaged and working together. 166 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,720 And the same idea comes up again in Ephesians 4, where we're told 167 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:38,040 that God gives different gifts across the church. 168 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,640 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the 169 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:44,520 shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for the work of 170 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:48,200 ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we attained 171 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:51,400 all attained to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of 172 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,000 the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the 173 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,040 stature of the fullness of Christ. 174 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:00,720 The body is all of us. The church is built up by the 175 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:02,720 things that Jesus gave for the church. 176 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,640 So yes, we're all called to do the stuff, but we're not all 177 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:10,040 called to do it exactly the same way as one another, and we're 178 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:12,000 definitely not called to do it on our own. 179 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:16,320 We are meant to share the load, to support one another, to build 180 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:19,440 something together. It remains sustainable for each 181 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:22,400 of us as individuals only when we recognise this. 182 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,960 Because the moment that we start trying to carry more than our 183 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:30,480 part or operate as if everything depends on us, we move out of 184 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:32,960 the way of how God designed the body to function. 185 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:37,400 But when we understand that we're one among many, gifted, 186 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:42,080 needed, but not alone, it brings freedom and responsibility. 187 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:47,040 Freedom from the pressure of trying to be everything, and 188 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,960 responsibility to faithfully play the part that we've been 189 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,120 given. And it's in that shared 190 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:56,040 dependence on one another and on God that ministry becomes 191 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:59,120 something that we can actually keep up and sustain over the 192 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,200 long term. Because when life happens and 193 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:04,840 things get challenging, what we do in the church doesn't have to 194 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:07,560 fall apart because we're not carrying it alone. 195 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,480 For me, last year, at the start of last year, where I was going 196 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:16,000 through one of the most difficult seasons of my life, I 197 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,080 didn't need to worry about whether everything I do in the 198 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,600 church would collapse because I'm only one tiny little part of 199 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:24,400 a much bigger body. And I experienced that body 200 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:26,600 carrying the weight in really practical ways. 201 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:29,920 It looked like members of the teams that I LED stepping up and 202 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,280 filling in gaps without anything even needing to be said. 203 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:34,680 It looked like not making it through a single week for 204 00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:38,040 genuinely I'd say probably 3 months without somebody feeding 205 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:41,080 me at least once a week. It looked like gentle 206 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:43,840 encouragement and prayer and people just being present for 207 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:46,240 me. It looked like extra hugs on a 208 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:49,200 Sunday morning and a community that didn't question why I was 209 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,120 on all my rotors less during that season. 210 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,640 And I share that not because it's a nice moment or a personal 211 00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:59,840 story, but it's what's the body of Christ is meant to look like. 212 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:03,280 That kind of support of people stepping in and carrying weight 213 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,800 and noticing needs without anyone anything being said and 214 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:08,480 simply being present with one another. 215 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:12,040 That's not accidental, that's intentional Kingdom life. 216 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,240 It's what happens when we stop thinking in terms of individual 217 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:19,600 ministry and start living as one body where the health of one 218 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:21,840 part genuinely matters to all the others. 219 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:25,840 And that leads us into another really important part of this, 220 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:28,760 because us being together in community, being one body, also 221 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,080 helps in a different but equally important way. 222 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:35,960 We're also called into community with one another, into the body 223 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:38,000 of the church family for accountability. 224 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:42,960 Scripture is clear that we don't follow Jesus in isolation. 225 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:47,440 In Hebrews 10 verse 24 to 25, we're told and let us consider 226 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,720 how to stir up one another to love and good works, not 227 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:53,560 neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but 228 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:56,280 encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day 229 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:59,680 drawing near. That phrase stir up carries the 230 00:12:59,680 --> 00:13:03,360 idea of actively provoking and helping one another to stay 231 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,760 aware of what God is doing. And not just passively watching, 232 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:09,720 but gently pulling each other back into God's plan when 233 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,360 someone drifts. And that includes helping one 234 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:17,240 another recognise when we are things are becoming unhealthy. 235 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,560 In Galatians 62, Paul writes, bear one another's burden and so 236 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:25,400 fulfil the law of Christ. Part of burden bearing is having 237 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:28,720 enough relationship and trust with one another to be able to 238 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,600 say, hey, actually I think you're carrying too much or I 239 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:34,520 think you're trying to do too much on your own. 240 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:38,560 And I want to be so clear. This is not about control or 241 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:42,040 correction from a distance. This is not about pointing 242 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:44,720 fingers or saying to people that we what we think they're doing 243 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:47,120 is wrong. It's about walking closely 244 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,080 enough together that we can help each other stay aligned with 245 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,200 what Jesus is doing in each of our lives. 246 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:56,280 Because because of that fact that we all hold different roles 247 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,240 in the body, unless we're in close relationship with someone, 248 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,240 we cannot hold them account to account in a healthy way. 249 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,720 Everyone will have their own individual capacity, their own 250 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:07,200 amount of weight that they carry. 251 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:09,480 They're in part of the calling we all share. 252 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,400 And when we try and speak into the lives of those that we don't 253 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:14,920 know well enough, we can sometimes end up having good 254 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,200 intentions but speaking into a situation that we don't fully 255 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,240 understand. Which is another huge part of 256 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,040 why God calls us into the kind of community where we live life 257 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:26,960 alongside one another. Because we build the kinds of 258 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:29,760 relationships where we're able to truly know each other and 259 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,800 understand each other and recognise when those around us 260 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:37,320 need loving accountability. This kind of relational 261 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:39,520 accountability is one of the ways that God protects us from 262 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:43,000 unhealthy striving. It keeps us from slowly slipping 263 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,920 into doing ministry in our own strength or carrying 264 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:48,200 expectations that were never meant to be ours alone. 265 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,360 And in that sense, the community becomes one of God's main ways 266 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:56,840 of sustaining us over time. And there's also a longer view 267 00:14:56,840 --> 00:14:59,320 to this. We don't just carry this for 268 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:03,880 ourselves in our church, family and our community as as we 269 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:07,360 currently are. We also pass it on, Paul tells 270 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,760 Timothy in two Timothy 2 verses one to two, you then, my child, 271 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,960 be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus and what 272 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,840 you would have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses 273 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,520 entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 274 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:27,600 In other words, healthy Kingdom life is always generational. 275 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,240 It's not just about what we do now, but it's also about who 276 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:35,520 we're investing into so that they can carry it forward. 277 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,520 And that really sits right at the heart of who we are in the 278 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,560 Vineyard. We've always been a movement 279 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:43,760 that believes that ministry isn't meant to be contained in 280 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:47,880 just a few hands, but released to everyone, to ordinary people 281 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:51,400 learning to hear God and take risks and do the stuff in 282 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,680 everyday life. So part of maturity for us isn't 283 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:59,200 just learning to function well in ministry ourselves, but also 284 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:02,040 creating a culture where others are encouraged and released and 285 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:05,120 empowered to do it too. Because what we're stewarding 286 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,640 isn't just activity, it's a way of life in the Kingdom that's 287 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:11,560 meant to keep growing and multiplying and being handed on. 288 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:17,360 And that means that we're sharing the load when we pull 289 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,320 all of that together, being one body with our different roles, 290 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:23,760 carrying one another, keeping each other accountable, ensuring 291 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:27,080 that we all stay healthy, and then passing it on to others. 292 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:31,160 It shapes how we think about ministry at every level, not 293 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:34,000 just as something we do on a Sunday or in moments where we 294 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,520 gather together, but as something that's woven into the 295 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:40,600 everyday reality of our lives. It becomes about just as much 296 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,360 about the little moments on the phone, around dinner tables, in 297 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,520 the car on the way home as it is about Sunday services. 298 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:51,480 The final two simple ways that we can build something 299 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,360 sustainable and more personal. But they're just as important. 300 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:58,880 Because sustaining doing the stuff over the long haul isn't 301 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:01,760 only about how we live together. It's also about how we learn to 302 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:06,200 live individually, day by day. The small, often unseen choices 303 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,359 about how we look after our hearts, our faith and our 304 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,160 emotional health in the middle of our ordinary lives. 305 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:16,640 If we want to sustain this life over the long term, we have to 306 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:19,839 understand that looking after ourselves on this journey is not 307 00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:23,079 about occasional moments of self-care or the odd break when 308 00:17:23,079 --> 00:17:26,359 we feel completely worn out. It's about building a way of 309 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:28,880 life that we return to every single day. 310 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:32,920 In other words, this isn't about treating ourselves to a spa day 311 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:35,480 once every four months and calling it self-care. 312 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:40,280 It's about how we live our lives day-to-day, What keeps us 313 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,440 connected to God and able to carry what He's asked of us. 314 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:46,400 Jesus put this puts this simply in John 15. 315 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,240 He says abide in me, and I in you. 316 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:52,440 As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in 317 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,440 the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. 318 00:17:55,840 --> 00:17:58,040 I am the vine, you are the branches. 319 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,840 Whoever abides in me, and I in Him, he, he it is that bears 320 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:05,240 much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 321 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,960 That word abide, which in the Greek is meno, can also be 322 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:14,480 translated as to continue to be present or to be held or kept 323 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:18,000 continually. Jesus asks us to stay connected 324 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,920 to him, not just in big occasional moments, but 325 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:26,920 consistently to be continually present and held by Jesus 326 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,600 because unless we do that, we cannot bear the fruit that he's 327 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,840 asking us to bear. And this is where the idea of 328 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:36,120 daily rhythms that we've talked about a lot through this series 329 00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:39,200 becomes really helpful. What we're talking about is 330 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:41,840 building really simple, intentional practises into our 331 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:44,080 everyday lives that keep us healthy. 332 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,840 Things like taking time to pray, creating space to rest properly, 333 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:52,680 keeping a weekly Sabbath, looking after ourselves 334 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:55,080 physically as we've been talking about in Revelation Wellness 335 00:18:55,640 --> 00:19:00,720 Wellness class, slowing down enough to hear God and regularly 336 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,240 stepping back from activity to be with him again. 337 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:06,840 Peter Scuzzaro, who's a pastor and the author of the 338 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:08,880 Emotionally Healthy Spirituality course that we've been doing in 339 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:11,680 small groups, calls this practise Developing a Rule of 340 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:15,800 Life, which sounds formal and maybe even a little bit kind of 341 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:18,520 rigid, but it just means thinking about the regular 342 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,680 habits and boundaries that help us to stay close to Jesus and 343 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:24,680 live well. It's not a rigid set of rules, 344 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:28,840 it's more like a framework that helps us to stay steady in the 345 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:32,200 middle of a busy life. For some of us, this might look 346 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,880 like an early morning moment with God before you do anything 347 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,120 else in your day. For me, I'm naturally a night 348 00:19:38,120 --> 00:19:39,880 owl. And if any of you have ever seen 349 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,480 me first thing in the morning at the church retreat or any of my 350 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:44,520 there's a couple of youth in the room, Any of those who've seen 351 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:47,360 me at Dreaming the Impossible or the team who've joined me, 352 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:51,240 Suzanne's laughing over there. Early morning. 353 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:54,240 Like really early morning. Not when I'm at my finest at 354 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,400 all. I also leave really early for 355 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,560 work every morning, so I choose to set aside time later in my 356 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:04,280 day because that's a rhythm of life that works for me and it's 357 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,720 sustainable for me. And this will look completely 358 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:10,640 different for all of us. There's no strict set of rules 359 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,200 to follow. But this is also not just extra 360 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,480 spirituality for a few people that we can kind of either take 361 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,120 or leave. It's central part of what it 362 00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:24,800 means to follow Jesus. Psalm 46 says be still and know 363 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:27,880 that I am God. Throughout the Bible, God 364 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:31,760 invites us into a way of living where we regularly pause, slow 365 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:33,800 down and recenter ourselves on him. 366 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:36,440 And we have to be intentional about this. 367 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:38,960 We are not just going to casually drift into healthy 368 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,560 spiritual lives. We have to build them 369 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:47,400 consciously and deliberately if we want to keep doing what God 370 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:49,200 is calling us to do over the long term. 371 00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:52,720 We have to have daily rhythms that keep our hearts connected 372 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:57,840 to Jesus, not just moments where we try and recover when we're 373 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:01,760 already running on empty. This is not like the petrol 374 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:03,520 station. We're not filling up at that 375 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:06,120 stage. It's about constant top UPS. 376 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,520 So as I said, going to a spa or on a big retreat to recover 377 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:14,320 doesn't replace the lack of daily routine in between times. 378 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:16,960 It might help, it might make us feel restored. 379 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:19,360 I'm not saying there's anything wrong with any of those things, 380 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:22,360 but it doesn't replace the daily rhythms. 381 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,680 There is no shortcut. And this is hard. 382 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:30,880 I don't want to imply it isn't. In a world that constantly tells 383 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:34,520 us that our productivity is connected to our worth and where 384 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:38,080 there's always something else to be done, it can feel impossible 385 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:42,000 to slow down like this. And sometimes our instinct when 386 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,600 we're busy is to stop doing the stuff of ministry and stop doing 387 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:49,320 our personal time with God. It often becomes the first stuff 388 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:53,280 that goes straight out the window and I've absolutely been 389 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:55,200 there. When I was first found faith, I 390 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,720 was a student, I was in medical school and whenever I was 391 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:00,960 struggling or busy, my serving, my attendance at church, my 392 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:03,640 attendance at small group, my personal prayer time was the 393 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:07,360 first thing straight in the bin. But what I learnt from that is 394 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:09,360 that that really isn't good for us. 395 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:14,240 When the first thing that drops off is time with God is time 396 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:17,920 engaging with our church family and partnering with God, we're 397 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:20,800 not solving the problem, we're removing the very thing that 398 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:25,360 sustains us in our busy periods. And what this really comes down 399 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:29,160 to is paying attention, noticing what stuff in our lives is 400 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:33,520 drawing us closer to God, and what stuff, if we're honest, is 401 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,400 quietly pulling us away. For me, that could be something 402 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,080 like doom scrolling on an evening. 403 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:42,560 And there's nothing wrong with being on my phone. 404 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:45,080 But when it starts to take over a space that could be spent 405 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:49,760 resting or being more present or connecting with God, it starts 406 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,000 to have an impact and it will look completely different for 407 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,120 everyone in this room. But the question we need to be 408 00:22:56,120 --> 00:22:59,840 asking ourselves isn't is this activity allowed, but rather is 409 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,040 this activity helping me stay connected to God or not? 410 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:07,560 And this is a process of personal reflection of building 411 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,560 good rhythms that we have to continually do. 412 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:14,680 This is not a one off thing. We can't build good rhythms once 413 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:16,760 and then assume that that will carry us forever. 414 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:23,160 Life changes, seasons change, pressure increases, our capacity 415 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:26,960 changes and without realising it, we can slowly drift off 416 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,840 course. And that is why one of the most 417 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,720 important parts of sustaining a life of ministry and this final 418 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:35,360 one that we're going to consider this morning is learning to 419 00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:39,600 regularly pause and honestly check in with how we're actually 420 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:43,440 doing, not just spiritually, but emotionally, physically and 421 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,240 relationally as well. In 2 Corinthians 13, Paul 422 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:50,920 writes, examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith 423 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,320 test yourselves or do you not realise this about yourself, 424 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,360 that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed you fail to meet 425 00:23:57,360 --> 00:24:00,120 the test. In other words, Paul is asking 426 00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:03,520 us to take a second to look at our lives and ask how am I 427 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:07,760 really doing with God right now? And this is done with gentle 428 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,840 correction of ourselves. This is not about guilt about 429 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,480 what we have or haven't done, it's about maintaining the 430 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,120 self-awareness that we talked about right at the beginning of 431 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:18,160 this series when we talked about the pillars of emotionally 432 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,680 healthy spirituality. Because the danger is usually 433 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:24,640 not a sudden breakdown of all our rhythms and patterns. 434 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:27,680 We don't just wake up 1 morning thinking can't be bothered. 435 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,960 It's slow. It's a slow drift. 436 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:35,000 It's slowly getting busier, becoming more tired, losing 437 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:39,240 rest, slowly serving without joy and doing good things, but 438 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:42,400 without noticing that something in US is running low. 439 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:47,080 So part of following Jesus well is learning to regularly ask 440 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,040 simple but honest questions to ourselves and to God. 441 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:55,480 Like, am I resting well or am I just constantly pushing through? 442 00:24:56,360 --> 00:25:00,360 Am I still connected to God or mainly just doing things for Him 443 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:02,800 as we've spoken about in previous weeks? 444 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,200 Am IA human being or a human doing? 445 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,560 Am I carrying more than my part or am I in a healthy rhythm? 446 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:13,040 Do I need to adjust anything before this becomes 447 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,760 unsustainable? And this is what we mean when we 448 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:20,000 talk about intertwining our emotionally healthy spirituality 449 00:25:20,360 --> 00:25:23,920 without doing the stuff. Following Jesus is not just 450 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:27,960 about what we do for Him, it's also about paying attention to 451 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:32,000 what is going on inside of us whilst we do it, and building a 452 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,840 life where we don't wait until we're already burnt out to make 453 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:38,960 changes, but we regularly check in and adjust as we go. 454 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:44,000 Because wisdom in the Kingdom is not just about how much we can 455 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:48,520 do, it's about whether we can keep doing what God has already 456 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:53,000 called us to do in a healthy life, giving way over time. 457 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,480 So as we start to come to a close this morning, I think that 458 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:00,480 what this really comes down to is quite simple. 459 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:04,040 Doing this stuff isn't meant to be something that we just throw 460 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,600 ourselves into for a period and then burn out of. 461 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:10,920 It's something that we are invited to live in and to make 462 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:13,120 part of our lives for the long haul. 463 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:16,880 So it's not just the big moments that matter, it's the everyday. 464 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:19,640 It's the rhythms we build, it's the choices we make. 465 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:23,200 It's the way we stay connected to God and to one another to 466 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:27,080 allow us to continue doing His work because we were never meant 467 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,160 to carry it alone. We need that shared life, that 468 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:33,280 accountability, and at the same time, we also have a 469 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,880 responsibility to pay attention to how we're doing, to build a 470 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:38,920 way of life that actually sustains us. 471 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:42,640 And when those things do come together, we find something that 472 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,400 lasts. Not just a burst of activity for 473 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:49,360 a month or this year, but a steady, joyful life of following 474 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:54,880 Jesus and doing the stuff not just now, but also for years and 475 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:55,680 years to come.