Welcome to the Harvest Centre.
Everyone for those who are here those who are still in the CAF
Come along, we're about to start.
Well, I hope you had a good week.
I thought that after almost seven years,
well, living in Brandenburg at least,
that you kind of...
I thought I had an idea of how the weather works here,
but after this last week, I was like,
warm, cold, warm, cold, warm, cold, cloud, sun.
It was like, oh my goodness, where is the spring?
Anyway, today was supposed to be nice and warm,
but still there is not actually any sun.
Nevertheless, we are here.
It's good to be here, it's good to see you here.
And we are here because we want to worship God together.
Today we've got different things happening.
Anna is going to be speaking today.
But it's like, it's your heart, it's about your heart.
And as I like to say, every son, it's about the way how you came here.
If you've got something to give to God, if you're ready to receive,
then God is going to give you what your hearts need.
The Bible says that we don't receive sometimes because we don't ask.
So it's like one of the first rules in order to experience God's goodness in our life is to ask.
But it's not just a request that comes from me actually formulating the request.
It's about having a heart that has a need and really wants to receive something from God.
So it's something that is connected, yes, what I say with my mouth,
Lord, I need you, but as well, you know, how am I involved with my heart?
Do I really, I'm really desperate to receive something from God?
And I just want to read something because, you know,
sometimes between us receiving something from God is our nature, our sinful nature.
We kind of messed up on the way and we feel that we don't deserve God's goodness.
We feel that we don't deserve God's love.
We feel that we don't deserve like to receive anything from God.
So I just want to read a reminder to all of us here.
I'm going to read from Romans chapter 8, just a few verses at the beginning of the chapter.
Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life
has set you free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,
God did by sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.
Because sometimes it's like this is our heart.
I've tried so hard, Lord, I can't.
You know, I really didn't want to do that.
I really didn't want to say that.
I didn't really want to find myself again in this place and here I am.
But the good news for us that God knows about that.
And that's why he sent Jesus, because Jesus accomplished something
that for us with our own strength, with our own knowledge,
with our own skill was impossible to accomplish, which is our salvation in Christ Jesus.
So if you're here today and your heart is with God and you know,
you're passionate about God and your desire is to receive from God,
then please remember that there is no condemnation on you
because Christ has paid the price on the cross.
Why don't we all stand?
And I would just pray, as you can see, that it's not banned behind me.
So we're just going to sing along some videos here.
But we will pause, by the way, the live stream for those who are following us from home for copyright reason.
We'll have to pause the time of worship because we cannot broadcast music.
But let's start with a time of prayer.
And we want to remember Ken.
I don't know how many of you are familiar with him.
He's a man who went through the Alpha course.
He has been around church here for, you know, for some time now.
And we just had the news last week he collapsed and he, you know,
I'm not sure exactly how he's doing right now.
I don't have any latest news, but you know, from what I heard last, you know, he collapsed.
He was not well.
We don't know exactly what happened there, but we know a God who can do all things.
Amen. So we just want to pray for him.
We're going to pray for the service.
We're going to pray for each one of us here today.
Lord God, we thank you.
We thank you because, first of all, we thank you because we are your children.
We thank you for the cross because what was impossible for us to achieve,
which was holiness and perfection before you, actually you achieved that for us.
We thank you, Jesus, because you paid, you know, a massive price for us on the cross.
You purchased us with a high cost, Lord God.
And we thank you so much, Lord, because we don't deserve anything,
but all the things that we experience, all the good things that we experience in life
come from you, from your goodness, from your love.
And I pray, Holy Spirit, as we gather together, we worship together,
as we're going to listen to the word, as we're going to be involved in this service,
Holy Spirit, I pray, may you have your ways among us.
I just speak, Holy Spirit, and I pray that you will touch the life of all of us here today,
that you will break any chains that need to be broken,
that you will open doors that, you know, are shut, and that you will just move among us.
We invite you, Lord, Holy Spirit, to come and to touch our life today as we worship your name, Lord God.
We thank you, Lord, and we pray for Ken, God.
Lord, we pray for this man, Lord God, we pray that whatever he is right now,
whatever he is doing happening in his body, we just want to bring him before you, God,
and we want to pray that you will stretch your healing hands over his body,
that he may experience you as the God who heals,
that he will experience you as the God who can do impossible things, Lord God.
And we want to pray, we want to pray for him right now, touch his life, whatever he is, Lord God.
Holy Spirit, that he will not feel, we pray that he will not feel alone,
that he will not feel forsaken, but that he will feel embraced by you, God.
So we thank you. We thank you because we can come before you with an open heart,
with our prayer requests, because we know that you are a good God,
and that you take care of us. In Jesus' precious name, amen.
Hallelujah, church, we are worshiping a holy God.
We are worshiping a God who gave his life for us.
And I just want to invite all of you, you know, usually you do the appeal at the end,
but I want to say right now, the beginning of the service,
if you want to receive something from God, would you raise your hand right now in this moment?
Come on, stretch your hand to say, Lord, I want to receive something from you today.
Lord, touch my life today. Lord, have your ways in me today.
Lord God, we praise you. Lord God, we worship you. You are a holy God.
And we invite you, Lord Jesus, to move among us today,
move in my life today, move in our lives today, that we will all understand
your holiness, your greatness, and your love that you have for us.
We thank you, Father God. We raise our hands.
We ask you, Holy Spirit, have your ways in us.
In Jesus' precious name, amen. Amen.
Amen. Please take your seat for a moment. Today Sarah is not here,
so I'm going to do some notices, and I've got a list because I've got a few of them.
Okay. Well, first of all, we've got Gareth here. Come on, stand up.
Now, Diane and Odelia. Odelia.
I'll need some time to get around the pronunciation of this name.
You know, they had a bit of a rough day yesterday, so they're not here today.
Nevertheless, you know, he has brought back all the dishes and plates
that you've been, you know, so kindly preparing for them,
and he's going to leave them at the end of the service in the kitchen.
So, if you were among the people who cooked something for them during the week,
and you would like to have back your dishes, please just, you know,
have a look in the kitchen after the service.
Also, a reminder, we are still collecting—I'm not going to get lost here with knickers and pans.
I'm going to call them underwears.
We're still collecting underwears for children, for Ken and the team
that are going to Uganda to bring, you know, they will deliver them to the kids.
So, if you, when you go shopping, you know, please do buy some of them.
I think the age range was six to eight, we said, right?
Six to eight years old children for boys and girls.
Just bring them down to church so that we'll be able as well to bless them in this way.
Now, there is an outreach coming up on Saturday the 3rd.
I had a leaflet somewhere here.
Where is my leaflet? I think, Joshua, you're sitting on it.
Or Jane, actually, you know. There you go.
We did print some leaflets here, and there are some in the calf available.
If you know any friends or any, you know, families, people that would like to join us, you know,
just, you know, feel free to grab a hold of a few of these at the end of the service
and just to give it to them.
It's going to be Saturday the 3rd of June from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hopefully, it's going to be warm on that day.
It's going to take place here at the Harvest Center.
So, we're going to open the grounds for the community.
The people will come down and we will organize different activities from them.
We're going to have like some kids games and crafts, face painting.
The bouncy castle is going to be out and, you know, other bits and pieces here and there.
So, I would like to ask you, you know, to put this date down on your diary
and to make it to come here, you know, to spend a few hours, you know, with us.
And those who want to come and help, please come early in the morning
so you can help us to set up.
And that's 9 o'clock, a couple of hours before the event.
So, that's for Saturday the 3rd of June.
As well, for this occasion, we're going to have the IBTI students coming along to help us.
Do you remember? Show me your hands.
How many of you remember the IBTI students?
Yeah. So, they're coming up, eight of them plus three members of staff.
They're going to spend the day with us.
On Saturday, they're going to help us out, you know, with the outreach.
And then they're going to join us, you know, for the service on Sunday.
They're going to share some of their testimony.
They're going to lead the worship.
So, and like we do every year, you know, we need people who can host them.
You know, those of you who have hosted them in the past, you know,
you always came back to me saying they were such a blessing for you.
And so, I would like to invite you again to, if you've got a spare room, a spare bed,
you can have one student, two students, you know, just to let me know.
So far, we hosted only four people, no, five people, sorry.
We need six more beds.
So, please just, you know, let me know if you've got any availability of your place.
They're all young people. If you've never seen them, they're aged probably from 18 to 25.
They study at the Bible College, which is a Bible college on the south of England.
And, you know, and they come, you know, during the year,
they do visit different churches and help them out with their programs.
And so, they come as well once a year to see us and to help us out with the summer outreach.
So, please consider about, you know, hospitality, you know.
Hospitality is very important.
Also, in a Christian house, you know, God in His Word teaches us about the importance of being hospitable.
So, please do come and let me know if you do have some spare beds.
Another important announcement, we've got the Life Group.
They're commencing on the week that starts on the 5th of June.
So, it's the first week of June.
So, there are some sign-up lists at the back on the table with all the days,
the people who will lead the group and the time.
So, please do go and sign up for one of the groups.
We've got two, now I'm just going to memory, we can involve, they do Tuesday night at 7 o'clock,
if I'm not mistaken, at their place.
Tuesday night, 7.30, Sarah and Steve will lead the First Steps group.
This is not a normal home group.
This group is designed for those who maybe are coming out from the Alpha course
and would like to explore more the basic of the teaching of Christianities,
or maybe those who are new to the faith, then you can sign up for that group.
They are specifically designed, you know, for people who want to go through the basic of our Christian faith.
Then there is a Wednesday night, there is another group with me and Anna, 6.30, it's a family-friendly group.
You can come along with your children if you want.
We've got Giuseppe and Tina Thursday night, 7 o'clock.
They're going to do as well a group, and they're going to do a Bible study on the book of Habakkuk.
So, it's like one of the books that maybe you're not very familiar with.
It's like maybe you didn't even know it's in the Bible.
So, if you want to know more, just, you know, sign up as well for their groups.
I think I've said them all, right?
One, two, three, four, yeah.
So, the list are at the back.
As well, you can sign up on the website, you know, you can do it online.
Just, you know, send an email there so we know who is going where.
And, you know, please do sign up for a group.
It's like fellowship is important, you know, that we spend time together.
We get to know each other.
We are journeyed together.
And as we fellowship together, we can actually help each other in the journey.
You know, it's like how can I pretend to be helped by people if nobody knows about my situation?
How can I pretend to be well, like how do you say, familiar with a group of people if I don't spend time with them?
And this is the purpose of our life groups is these, to build strong connections even during the week.
Because sometimes, you know, we realize on a Sunday in the church it's difficult to get hold of everybody and just, you know, to get to know everybody.
But in the context of a small group, it's so much powerful besides learning new things from the Bible, you know, just spending time in fellowship together.
Very important.
So, please do sign up for the life groups.
Unfortunately, last time we had a life group, there was not a nice response.
Let's say it was not many people, you know, signed up for the groups.
And it's a shame really because, you know, you miss so much on fellowship and on as well learning new things.
Now, one more announcement is about the baptism service.
It's Sunday the 9th of July.
We're going to have a baptism service.
I've got a name already if someone who said he wants to be baptized.
If you want to be baptized, if you've not been baptized as an adult and you want to be baptized as a sign of,
yes, I want to spend my life for Jesus, I want to follow Christ for all my life, then please, you know, come and talk to me.
Because the Bible says, you know, believe and be baptized is like, is an act of obedience to the Lord, but as well as a public declaration that we belong to God.
So water baptism is not just something that we do because it's like, you know, church do that by something so important.
It's something biblical is an act of obedience and is very powerful.
I remember when I got baptized is it's difficult to describe what you feel.
All people, they explain different things.
But for me, it was amazing.
You know, just when I came out from the water, I was just overwhelmed by emotions and by, you know, I felt the presence of God powerful and never before.
And I that was like when I came out from the water said, Lord, I want to serve you with all my heart.
It was almost the moment in my life where I really expressed the desire of of of serving him.
So it is something powerful. It is something wonderful.
So please do sign up.
Sign up. Please let me know if you want to be baptized.
We're going to have Colin Cooper as a guest speaker on that Sunday.
So that's very good. Bring friends and family.
It's going to be a wonderful service together as well for new people.
And as well, we're going to have church lunch afterwards so we can just have some fun and fellowship at the end of of the service.
Now, these were all the announcements and then Anna will come afterwards.
OK, before I start, there is just one more announcement to make.
I know there's been quite a few announcements this morning and I have announced it a couple of weeks ago.
Our evenings on parenting.
OK, so we have got our dates now.
We're going to have an evening Sunday evening, seven o'clock throughout June.
So starting from the first one, Ken and Val are going to do the first one, which is lovely.
And then we're going to have Sarah and Steve. They're going to do the second and the third one.
And Sam and I, we're going to do the last one. And it's going to be different topics.
It's going to be on Christian values in the family, Christian discipline, a godly home.
It's going to be screen time and social media when it comes to kids.
And it's also going to be behavioral difficulty.
So if you are a parent or if you're planning to be a parent or if you're a great grandparent or a kids worker,
it is open to everybody who is interested and I personally can invite some friends as well.
And, you know, it's not just for Christian parents.
You know, I believe it could be really helpful for parents, parents, you know, not just Christian, the Christian bubble.
So do invite people to come along. I believe it's going to be really, really helpful.
So my topic today is, as you can see in this lovely, lovely screen, thanks to Liana and Jordan,
God wants to do something new.
I don't know about you, but I absolutely love to get something new. Right.
There is always excitement connected to something new, even if it's just a £3.50 top from a charity shop.
You know, and it is your size, Lee's way, you know, it's your size and it's your color.
And you're walking home with that top and you are excited because it gives you joy.
And there is always this hope. And, you know, it's just a positive feeling.
And, you know, you won't excite Sam so much with a charity shop t-shirt.
But if you buy him something to do with technology like Bluetooth, wireless earphones,
you know, he's going to be excited. He got something new and it is amazing.
And, you know, our kids, you buy them a small toy and it's only this big, but they are excited for the next two days.
It's there next to them when they sleep and they get up. It's the first thing they grab.
And, you know, they want to take it everywhere you go.
There is something connected to something new. Right.
There is a feeling of joy, a feeling of excitement.
And the Bible is full of things that are new. Right. Brand new things.
The Bible is full of them. The Bible frequently speaks about a new song. Right.
You read through the book of Psalms and I don't even know how many times you come across a new song.
Right. A new day. A new heart. A new spirit. A new heaven and earth. Right.
A new revelation. A new name. A new covenant. You can just go on and on about all those new things.
And those things that God gives us, they're going to be so much more fulfilling than a new pair of jeans or a new pair of shoes.
Right. Because the new that God makes is eternal. Right.
There is a huge difference. And our God is a God of new beginnings.
I'm going to read several scriptures, you know, to just let the Bible speak for its health. Right.
The first one is from Isaiah 43 19. It says, see, I am doing a new thing.
Why is this new thing? We're going to look at it in a minute.
Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Let me tell you, there is no water in the wasteland, but God says there's going to be streams in the wasteland.
Right. Jeremiah 31 31 to 34.
It says, behold, days are coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
And it goes on. It speaks about a new covenant. Right.
It's not just God is not about that covenant that was with the fathers.
It is about a new covenant. In fact, we are living in the new covenant where we don't have to sacrifice animals anymore to forgive our sins because Jesus was sacrificed.
We are living in the new covenant. Ezekiel 11 19.
It says, I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them.
I will remove I will remove from them the heart of stone and give them a new heart of flesh.
It speaks about a new spirit and a new heart.
The old heart is as hard as this pulpit, as hard as a stone.
Right. It's probably full of bitterness, full of unforgiveness.
It's not a life anymore. It doesn't feel anymore.
But God says, I will take that heart away and I will give them a new heart.
Isaiah 65 17. It says, see, I will create new heavens and new earth.
The former things will not be remembered nor will they come to mind.
Sometimes we think we are struggling in the now and some of us are.
But the Bible says once we see the new heaven and the earth, we are not even going to remember our struggles in the now.
I mean, how encouraging is that? Right.
God is making something new. Lamentations 3 23 says, because of the Lord's great love,
we are not consumed for his compassion's never failed.
They are new every morning. His compassion new every morning.
You know, you feel up, you wake up guilty. You wake up dreading the day.
No, God is doing a new thing. His compassion's are new.
And so is his faithfulness. And then one more scripture, Revelations 21 5.
You know, this is from the chapter that is the chapter before the last chapter in the Bible.
Right. You think surely you read through the Bible, God would have done all the new things that he was planning to do.
And God says the page before the last, he says, he who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new.
Right. He doesn't, the new doesn't stop.
Forgive my excitement. You get to the last chapter of the Bible.
The new doesn't stop. God goes, you know what? I am just making everything new.
And that's how the gospel is. The gospel is always new.
The gospel is always fresh. It doesn't grow old. Right.
The power of Jesus is a constantly renewing power. And he has not forgotten about your illness.
He has not forgotten about your situation this morning.
You think he has made you a promise five years ago and since then put you on the shelf.
No, a new thing is happening because Jesus's power is constantly being renewed. Right.
A renewed mind. Romans 12 chapter 2, do not conform to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
We all know how the old mind thinks. Right. Because it's tempting us every day.
It's pulling us away from scriptures, pulling us away from the presence of God.
But how does a new mind think? You know, a new mind reacts to situations in a different way.
A new mind depends on God. Right. A new mind prays with confidence.
A new mind accepts discipline. A new mind asks for direction. Right.
That's how a new mind thinks. It believes in the promises of God.
It faces challenges with the authority of Jesus Christ.
He's a different mind. A renewed mind. And then the new day.
You know, what is this thing? Why does the Bible all the time speak about a new day?
What does this mean? Why is it always a new day?
Psalm 118, 24. This is the day which the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it. And you know, the meaning of this scripture is that this is the day.
Today is the day that the God has made. And we are supposed to enjoy today and be glad in it today.
You know, there are two reasons why we can't enjoy the today sometimes.
You wake up in the morning and you dread the next day.
Sometimes we wake up and we are scared to face the new day because we think of all the things ahead.
We are scared. Anxiety. You know.
And it can either be because we're looking back and we had a bad past and we are traumatized by the past.
So we can't enjoy the today. We're looking that way.
Or it's because we project everything into the future and say,
once I have a bit more money, I will enjoy my today.
Once I have my healing, I'll enjoy my today. But the Bible says, no, it is about now.
It is about today. Today is the new day.
And I came across an interesting scripture last week during my daily reading. Deuteronomy 28.
You know, Deuteronomy is an interesting book, doesn't it? You read through it.
And Deuteronomy is almost all about this.
It's what life is going to be like if you follow God, right?
In a lot of detail, the blessings are mapped out very detailed.
And over here, this is what your life is going to be if you don't follow me.
And this scripture is from the part if you don't follow God, right?
This is what it says. It's an interesting scripture.
It says, you will live in constant suspense, filled with dread, both night and day,
never sure of your life. In the morning, you will say, if only it were evening.
And in the evening, if only it were morning, because of the terror that will fill your hearts
and the sight that your eyes will see.
I don't know if you've ever felt like this when you woke up in the morning, right?
But the truth is, with God, every day is a new day.
You know, don't forget that His mercies are new every morning.
His compassions are new every morning. Blessings are new every morning.
Today is a chance to change.
Today is the opportunity to show your God's love and your life to people around you,
because we are meant to be rejoicing today, not tomorrow.
Okay? A new song. What is this thing about new song in the book of Psalms?
You know, you step over it all the time, all the time.
Psalm 9 to 6, 1, it says, sing to the Lord.
A new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth.
You know, sometimes you think, why does Rob introduce new songs?
Because it's so hard to learn a new song.
You know, especially if you're not musical like me, you know, sometimes the melody,
you don't understand the melody.
But it is because Rob is filling the new wine in the new wine skins, right?
Rob is looking for that new song.
Psalm 40, verse 3, it says, he put a new song in my mouth.
It's not me who's not musical coming up with the perfect melody and the perfect lyrics
and then delivering it with a beautiful voice. No, it's not about entertainment.
God puts a song in your mouth. Right? A new song.
Because that old song is great and it was relevant back then and we love the old favorites.
That's great. But today is a new day.
And guess what? It's a time for a new song. Right? That is relevant for today.
Now, new in this context, by the way, means, you know, if you look it up, it means original.
It means fresh, one of a kind, something that hasn't been seen or heard before. Right?
And why is that? Because God is not stuck in his ways.
He's a creative God and he does not want us to get stuck in our ways.
And he wants us to become creative too.
And the new song, there is that fresh response to praise and worship. Right?
It is when you open your mouth because your heart is overwhelmed by the presence of God.
When you see the hand of God moving your life, you see it.
And your heart can't help but burst into a new song.
You know, it's freshness that fears joy, that breathless awe when you stand in wonder
and you think, wow, God, you are so good. Raise your voice.
That's what the new song is about.
And then the new thing we read before, Isaiah 43, 19, it says, forget the former things.
Forget them. Forget what happened in the past.
Do not dwell on the past. I am doing a new thing.
Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and the streams in the wasteland.
In other words, as God can do the impossible possible in your life,
there's going to be streams of water in the wasteland.
What is wasteland? Wasteland is where your dreams waste away, basically.
And God says, I'm not just going to give you a drop of water, not a cup of water.
It's just going to be a stream. Expect a stream of fresh water.
God can change your life upside down.
Isaiah 43, 16 to 17.
This is just a couple of verses before what we just read.
It says, this is what the Lord says,
He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,
the God of the possible or the impossible.
So God is about to do a new thing in your life.
Don't get stuck. Don't get happy with where you are now.
Don't accept the illness that you are facing now.
Remember the power of Christ being renewed all this time.
And then it says, don't look back.
Because that's when we get discouraged sometimes, you know.
When the people of Israel look back, that's when they grumbled.
That's when they became unhappy.
That's when they became, oh, we want to go back.
Really, you want to go back to the slavery?
Can't you see? God says, can't you see the new thing that I'm doing?
Just trust in the new thing.
God is making paths through our problems this morning.
And the desert can be a lonely place, you know, including a spiritual desert.
You know, there's the heat.
And God is saying, I want to set you free from the heat, from the fatigue,
from the wrong direction, from misdirection, from confusion,
from despair, from disappointment, you know.
The barren ground should become fertile ground.
The dry places should become wet places.
The old places should become new places.
Nothing is impossible for God.
And then there is this thing about the new wine skins.
You know, I love the scripture about the old and the new wine skins, right?
I don't know if you ever had a wine skin in your hand.
I mean, I never, never actually seen one.
You see them in films, right?
It's like an ancient type of a bottle made from leather animal skin, right?
And then, you know, sort of put together in order to store and transport drink,
usually water or wine, right?
And this is what Luke 5, 37 to 38 says.
It says, no one pours new wine into old wine skins.
No one.
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the new skins.
Oh, sorry, the old skins.
The wine will run out and the wine skins will be ruined.
No, the new wine must be poured into new wine skins.
You know, speaking about new things.
So in this scripture, you have got like two parties.
You've got two things.
You've got the wine.
The wine is obviously very essential.
Why is the wine essential?
Because if it wasn't for the wine, you wouldn't have the wine skin, right?
So the wine skin is not as important, not as essential as the wine,
but still very useful and very necessary, right?
So the qualities of new wine.
I had to look this up.
I didn't know this, but brand new wine expands, right?
It becomes bigger.
So if you would take old wine and pour it into a container,
it would stay the volume, it would stay the same, but not with new wine,
not the fresh wine, right?
And then the quality of the wine skins, when they get older,
they dry out.
They crack, right?
They become rigid.
There is the scripture in Joshua 9.13.
We're not going to discuss the context of it because, you know,
that's a different story, but there is the scripture that gives us
information about wine skins.
It says, your servants have come from a very distant country because of the
fame of the Lord your God, for we have heard reports of him.
All that he did.
Oh, hang on. This is not the scripture.
13. Oh, sorry.
Sorry. Sorry.
13. And these wine skins that we filled were new, but see how cracked
they are now, right?
So it just gives us that bit of information.
An old wine skin is going to be rigid and dry and cracked, right?
So if you pour the new wine that expands into it, it's going to burst, right?
You're going to waste a good wine.
Okay?
So what does this scripture mean for us as a church?
You know, the wine is the gospel of Jesus Christ, right?
The wine never gets old.
The gospel of Jesus Christ never gets old.
It never goes out of date, right?
It is constantly fresh, new and expanding.
That's the quality of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And then what are the wine skins?
The wine skins is everything man-made around the gospel.
So that could be this church building.
That could be the songs that we sing.
That could be the traditions.
That could be the way we do things.
This is what we have built around the wine, right?
It is all man-made.
So if we, as a church, if we want to be fruitful, we have to ask God to show us
what is the compatible wine skin for the fresh wine in this generation, right?
When Kennan Valley, when they planted this church,
they have not used a strategy that was great 300 years ago.
No, they have prayed for a new wine skin that was compatible with today's time.
And that was the new wine skin that they have used to store the wine.
It was compatible with the gospel.
And we are, you know, today's society is changing and we as a church have to be open-minded
to always make sure our freshest wine is stored in a brand new wine skin
that is compatible with today's society.
This is why sometimes we try new things.
This is what sometimes Rob introduces a new song and everything in us goes,
oh, I don't understand this song.
But well, it is the new wine in the new wine skin being encouraged to learn the new song
because it is relevant for us today.
Right? Christianity needs new approaches, right?
It needs new creative ways.
It needs new traditions and it needs new structures.
That's what we're going to speak about parenting soon, you know,
because parenting, you know, today's society is going with the parenting this way
and we have to say, whoa, what is the Christian way to parent?
And how is that message, how is that fitting into the new wine skin
that is compatible with today's society?
Right? So we are lucky we're going to hear about the fresh wine but in the new wine skin.
Right?
Now, so the context of Luke, you know, when we read the scripture about the wine skin,
the context is very interesting because just prior to this Bible verse,
Jesus is asked this question, right?
They go, why do your disciples eat and drink while John's disciples and those of the Pharisees,
they fast and pray?
So that's just immediately before the scripture.
In other words, they just really irritated and unhappy with Jesus
that he doesn't follow all their traditions.
And then Jesus replies with the wine skins, but he also says,
no one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one.
Right?
Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment
and the patch from the new will not match the old.
It doesn't match the old.
It doesn't.
And the Bible does say that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
He does, but it doesn't mean that he's a static and a stationary God.
Right? He wants to do something new.
And the message of the gospel is one of newness and renewal all the time.
Right?
Somebody, you might have walked into the church today
and you know, you hear the gospel and how Jesus died on the cross
and how he's going to save you.
And that is going to be as fresh to you as it was to me when I was 15 years old.
You know?
Because it's fresh.
It's constantly fresh.
The gospel is eternal, but the wine skins aren't.
Right?
Wine skins need replacing, not because the gospel changes,
but because the gospel produces change.
Right?
So, I want to encourage you this morning.
Okay?
I'm going to be wrapping up in a minute.
Who would have invited Rob?
But Rob is not here this morning, so that's fine.
But what we're going to do, we're going to invite the elders to come to the front this morning.
And if you feel like you would like to respond to that newness that God has for you this morning,
please do come and take that step of faith and let the elders pray together with you
as an act of faith that you're ready for God to do something new in your life today.
If you have been accepting things the way they are,
take that step of faith because God wants to do something new.
You know, Amber and Brian, we're going to miss you, but we believe God has got something new.
Something exciting, and you might not see it yet, but it's going to blow your mind.
Wherever you go, first it's going to be Mississippi, and it's going to be great.
I believe those four or five or six weeks, it's going to be good.
Even though you'll be thinking, oh gosh, we have to move again in a short time,
but it's going to be good, and Texas is going to be great because God has prepared.
No, if you're not feeling well this morning, God has got something new for you.
Be encouraged. Don't leave this building without hope.
Don't leave this building knowing that there's a change coming.
You know, maybe you need a new vision for your life, maybe you need a new vision for your family.
Maybe you need that stream to flow through your wasteland and change things.
You know, I'm just going to read one last scripture from 2 Corinthians 5, 17.
It says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
Another new thing. The old has gone and the new has come.
Now, what does this mean? A new creation.
That basically means that when we come to God, it's not about God re-educating us or rehabilitating us.
You know, God is not a rehab. When we come to God, He recreates us.
We are a new creation, which is different to re-education or rehabilitation.
So, yeah, if the elders could come to the front, and if you would like ministry this morning,
if you would like to take that step of faith for them to pray with you, please do come forward.
Lord, we thank you because your presence is sweet among us today.
We thank you because you love us. We are your children. You called us children. You called us friends.
Thank you because we can partake in what you do in this town.
As children of you, as being part of this church,
we can actually partake in what you want to do with your will, your kingdom,
expanding in Brandon and the surrounding villages, Lord.
As we heard this morning, you want to do new things and we want to embrace, we want to welcome.
Our desire is to see people coming to you, to see people saved, to see people healed,
to see people having a breakthrough in their lives, to see people transformed.
And we know, Holy Spirit, that you are the one who does the work.
We are just instrument, signposting to you, but you are the one who moves and works in the life of people.
So we want to welcome you, Holy Spirit.
We thank you and we pray for the week ahead as we go out from this place
that your presence will always follow us in all what we do,
your protection, your love, your wisdom.
Give us your eyes to see what you see.
Give us your ears to hear what you hear.
Give us your heart so that we can feel what you feel.
And your mind so that we can be wise as you are wise.
We thank you Lord, in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Amen.
Now, just before going to enjoy a cup of coffee together, just something quickly about next Sunday.
We're going to have a guest speaker. Samuel is going to be here, not me, but he is our man in Uganda.
He's coming for the MFG conference, but he's going to spend a Sunday here with us.
So he's going to preach next Sunday. So please do come, bring people along
so that we can really be blessed together.
Please do not rush away. Just go and enjoy a cup of coffee and tea.
And see you next Sunday. God bless you.