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Welcome to the Harvest Centre.

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Everyone for those who are here those who are still in the CAF

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Come along, we're about to start.

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Well, I hope you had a good week.

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I thought that after almost seven years,

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well, living in Brandenburg at least,

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that you kind of...

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I thought I had an idea of how the weather works here,

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but after this last week, I was like,

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warm, cold, warm, cold, warm, cold, cloud, sun.

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It was like, oh my goodness, where is the spring?

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Anyway, today was supposed to be nice and warm,

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but still there is not actually any sun.

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Nevertheless, we are here.

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It's good to be here, it's good to see you here.

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And we are here because we want to worship God together.

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Today we've got different things happening.

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Anna is going to be speaking today.

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But it's like, it's your heart, it's about your heart.

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And as I like to say, every son, it's about the way how you came here.

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If you've got something to give to God, if you're ready to receive,

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then God is going to give you what your hearts need.

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The Bible says that we don't receive sometimes because we don't ask.

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So it's like one of the first rules in order to experience God's goodness in our life is to ask.

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But it's not just a request that comes from me actually formulating the request.

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It's about having a heart that has a need and really wants to receive something from God.

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So it's something that is connected, yes, what I say with my mouth,

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Lord, I need you, but as well, you know, how am I involved with my heart?

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Do I really, I'm really desperate to receive something from God?

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And I just want to read something because, you know,

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sometimes between us receiving something from God is our nature, our sinful nature.

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We kind of messed up on the way and we feel that we don't deserve God's goodness.

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We feel that we don't deserve God's love.

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We feel that we don't deserve like to receive anything from God.

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So I just want to read a reminder to all of us here.

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I'm going to read from Romans chapter 8, just a few verses at the beginning of the chapter.

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Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

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because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life

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has set you free from the law of sin and death.

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For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,

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God did by sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.

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Because sometimes it's like this is our heart.

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I've tried so hard, Lord, I can't.

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You know, I really didn't want to do that.

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I really didn't want to say that.

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I didn't really want to find myself again in this place and here I am.

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But the good news for us that God knows about that.

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And that's why he sent Jesus, because Jesus accomplished something

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that for us with our own strength, with our own knowledge,

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with our own skill was impossible to accomplish, which is our salvation in Christ Jesus.

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So if you're here today and your heart is with God and you know,

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you're passionate about God and your desire is to receive from God,

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then please remember that there is no condemnation on you

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because Christ has paid the price on the cross.

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Why don't we all stand?

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And I would just pray, as you can see, that it's not banned behind me.

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So we're just going to sing along some videos here.

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But we will pause, by the way, the live stream for those who are following us from home for copyright reason.

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We'll have to pause the time of worship because we cannot broadcast music.

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But let's start with a time of prayer.

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And we want to remember Ken.

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I don't know how many of you are familiar with him.

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He's a man who went through the Alpha course.

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He has been around church here for, you know, for some time now.

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And we just had the news last week he collapsed and he, you know,

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I'm not sure exactly how he's doing right now.

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I don't have any latest news, but you know, from what I heard last, you know, he collapsed.

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He was not well.

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We don't know exactly what happened there, but we know a God who can do all things.

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Amen. So we just want to pray for him.

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We're going to pray for the service.

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We're going to pray for each one of us here today.

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Lord God, we thank you.

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We thank you because, first of all, we thank you because we are your children.

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We thank you for the cross because what was impossible for us to achieve,

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which was holiness and perfection before you, actually you achieved that for us.

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We thank you, Jesus, because you paid, you know, a massive price for us on the cross.

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You purchased us with a high cost, Lord God.

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And we thank you so much, Lord, because we don't deserve anything,

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but all the things that we experience, all the good things that we experience in life

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come from you, from your goodness, from your love.

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And I pray, Holy Spirit, as we gather together, we worship together,

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as we're going to listen to the word, as we're going to be involved in this service,

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Holy Spirit, I pray, may you have your ways among us.

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I just speak, Holy Spirit, and I pray that you will touch the life of all of us here today,

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that you will break any chains that need to be broken,

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that you will open doors that, you know, are shut, and that you will just move among us.

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We invite you, Lord, Holy Spirit, to come and to touch our life today as we worship your name, Lord God.

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We thank you, Lord, and we pray for Ken, God.

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Lord, we pray for this man, Lord God, we pray that whatever he is right now,

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whatever he is doing happening in his body, we just want to bring him before you, God,

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and we want to pray that you will stretch your healing hands over his body,

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that he may experience you as the God who heals,

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that he will experience you as the God who can do impossible things, Lord God.

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And we want to pray, we want to pray for him right now, touch his life, whatever he is, Lord God.

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Holy Spirit, that he will not feel, we pray that he will not feel alone,

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that he will not feel forsaken, but that he will feel embraced by you, God.

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So we thank you. We thank you because we can come before you with an open heart,

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with our prayer requests, because we know that you are a good God,

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and that you take care of us. In Jesus' precious name, amen.

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Hallelujah, church, we are worshiping a holy God.

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We are worshiping a God who gave his life for us.

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And I just want to invite all of you, you know, usually you do the appeal at the end,

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but I want to say right now, the beginning of the service,

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if you want to receive something from God, would you raise your hand right now in this moment?

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Come on, stretch your hand to say, Lord, I want to receive something from you today.

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Lord, touch my life today. Lord, have your ways in me today.

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Lord God, we praise you. Lord God, we worship you. You are a holy God.

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And we invite you, Lord Jesus, to move among us today,

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move in my life today, move in our lives today, that we will all understand

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your holiness, your greatness, and your love that you have for us.

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We thank you, Father God. We raise our hands.

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We ask you, Holy Spirit, have your ways in us.

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In Jesus' precious name, amen. Amen.

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Amen. Please take your seat for a moment. Today Sarah is not here,

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so I'm going to do some notices, and I've got a list because I've got a few of them.

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Okay. Well, first of all, we've got Gareth here. Come on, stand up.

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Now, Diane and Odelia. Odelia.

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I'll need some time to get around the pronunciation of this name.

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You know, they had a bit of a rough day yesterday, so they're not here today.

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Nevertheless, you know, he has brought back all the dishes and plates

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that you've been, you know, so kindly preparing for them,

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and he's going to leave them at the end of the service in the kitchen.

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So, if you were among the people who cooked something for them during the week,

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and you would like to have back your dishes, please just, you know,

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have a look in the kitchen after the service.

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Also, a reminder, we are still collecting—I'm not going to get lost here with knickers and pans.

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I'm going to call them underwears.

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We're still collecting underwears for children, for Ken and the team

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that are going to Uganda to bring, you know, they will deliver them to the kids.

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So, if you, when you go shopping, you know, please do buy some of them.

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I think the age range was six to eight, we said, right?

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Six to eight years old children for boys and girls.

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Just bring them down to church so that we'll be able as well to bless them in this way.

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Now, there is an outreach coming up on Saturday the 3rd.

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I had a leaflet somewhere here.

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Where is my leaflet? I think, Joshua, you're sitting on it.

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Or Jane, actually, you know. There you go.

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We did print some leaflets here, and there are some in the calf available.

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If you know any friends or any, you know, families, people that would like to join us, you know,

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just, you know, feel free to grab a hold of a few of these at the end of the service

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and just to give it to them.

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It's going to be Saturday the 3rd of June from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Hopefully, it's going to be warm on that day.

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It's going to take place here at the Harvest Center.

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So, we're going to open the grounds for the community.

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The people will come down and we will organize different activities from them.

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We're going to have like some kids games and crafts, face painting.

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The bouncy castle is going to be out and, you know, other bits and pieces here and there.

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So, I would like to ask you, you know, to put this date down on your diary

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and to make it to come here, you know, to spend a few hours, you know, with us.

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And those who want to come and help, please come early in the morning

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so you can help us to set up.

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And that's 9 o'clock, a couple of hours before the event.

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So, that's for Saturday the 3rd of June.

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As well, for this occasion, we're going to have the IBTI students coming along to help us.

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Do you remember? Show me your hands.

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How many of you remember the IBTI students?

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Yeah. So, they're coming up, eight of them plus three members of staff.

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They're going to spend the day with us.

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On Saturday, they're going to help us out, you know, with the outreach.

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And then they're going to join us, you know, for the service on Sunday.

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They're going to share some of their testimony.

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They're going to lead the worship.

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So, and like we do every year, you know, we need people who can host them.

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You know, those of you who have hosted them in the past, you know,

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you always came back to me saying they were such a blessing for you.

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And so, I would like to invite you again to, if you've got a spare room, a spare bed,

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you can have one student, two students, you know, just to let me know.

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So far, we hosted only four people, no, five people, sorry.

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We need six more beds.

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So, please just, you know, let me know if you've got any availability of your place.

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They're all young people. If you've never seen them, they're aged probably from 18 to 25.

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They study at the Bible College, which is a Bible college on the south of England.

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And, you know, and they come, you know, during the year,

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they do visit different churches and help them out with their programs.

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And so, they come as well once a year to see us and to help us out with the summer outreach.

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So, please consider about, you know, hospitality, you know.

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Hospitality is very important.

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Also, in a Christian house, you know, God in His Word teaches us about the importance of being hospitable.

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So, please do come and let me know if you do have some spare beds.

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Another important announcement, we've got the Life Group.

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They're commencing on the week that starts on the 5th of June.

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So, it's the first week of June.

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So, there are some sign-up lists at the back on the table with all the days,

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the people who will lead the group and the time.

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So, please do go and sign up for one of the groups.

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We've got two, now I'm just going to memory, we can involve, they do Tuesday night at 7 o'clock,

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if I'm not mistaken, at their place.

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Tuesday night, 7.30, Sarah and Steve will lead the First Steps group.

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This is not a normal home group.

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This group is designed for those who maybe are coming out from the Alpha course

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and would like to explore more the basic of the teaching of Christianities,

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or maybe those who are new to the faith, then you can sign up for that group.

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They are specifically designed, you know, for people who want to go through the basic of our Christian faith.

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Then there is a Wednesday night, there is another group with me and Anna, 6.30, it's a family-friendly group.

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You can come along with your children if you want.

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We've got Giuseppe and Tina Thursday night, 7 o'clock.

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They're going to do as well a group, and they're going to do a Bible study on the book of Habakkuk.

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So, it's like one of the books that maybe you're not very familiar with.

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It's like maybe you didn't even know it's in the Bible.

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So, if you want to know more, just, you know, sign up as well for their groups.

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I think I've said them all, right?

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One, two, three, four, yeah.

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So, the list are at the back.

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As well, you can sign up on the website, you know, you can do it online.

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Just, you know, send an email there so we know who is going where.

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And, you know, please do sign up for a group.

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It's like fellowship is important, you know, that we spend time together.

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We get to know each other.

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We are journeyed together.

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And as we fellowship together, we can actually help each other in the journey.

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You know, it's like how can I pretend to be helped by people if nobody knows about my situation?

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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?

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And this is the purpose of our life groups is these, to build strong connections even during the week.

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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.

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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.

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Very important.

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So, please do sign up for the life groups.

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Unfortunately, last time we had a life group, there was not a nice response.

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Let's say it was not many people, you know, signed up for the groups.

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And it's a shame really because, you know, you miss so much on fellowship and on as well learning new things.

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Now, one more announcement is about the baptism service.

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It's Sunday the 9th of July.

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We're going to have a baptism service.

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I've got a name already if someone who said he wants to be baptized.

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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,

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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.

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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.

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So water baptism is not just something that we do because it's like, you know, church do that by something so important.

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It's something biblical is an act of obedience and is very powerful.

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I remember when I got baptized is it's difficult to describe what you feel.

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All people, they explain different things.

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But for me, it was amazing.

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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.

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And I that was like when I came out from the water said, Lord, I want to serve you with all my heart.

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It was almost the moment in my life where I really expressed the desire of of of serving him.

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So it is something powerful. It is something wonderful.

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So please do sign up.

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Sign up. Please let me know if you want to be baptized.

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We're going to have Colin Cooper as a guest speaker on that Sunday.

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So that's very good. Bring friends and family.

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It's going to be a wonderful service together as well for new people.

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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.

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Now, these were all the announcements and then Anna will come afterwards.

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OK, before I start, there is just one more announcement to make.

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I know there's been quite a few announcements this morning and I have announced it a couple of weeks ago.

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Our evenings on parenting.

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OK, so we have got our dates now.

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We're going to have an evening Sunday evening, seven o'clock throughout June.

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So starting from the first one, Ken and Val are going to do the first one, which is lovely.

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And then we're going to have Sarah and Steve. They're going to do the second and the third one.

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And Sam and I, we're going to do the last one. And it's going to be different topics.

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It's going to be on Christian values in the family, Christian discipline, a godly home.

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It's going to be screen time and social media when it comes to kids.

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And it's also going to be behavioral difficulty.

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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,

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it is open to everybody who is interested and I personally can invite some friends as well.

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And, you know, it's not just for Christian parents.

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You know, I believe it could be really helpful for parents, parents, you know, not just Christian, the Christian bubble.

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So do invite people to come along. I believe it's going to be really, really helpful.

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So my topic today is, as you can see in this lovely, lovely screen, thanks to Liana and Jordan,

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God wants to do something new.

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I don't know about you, but I absolutely love to get something new. Right.

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There is always excitement connected to something new, even if it's just a £3.50 top from a charity shop.

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You know, and it is your size, Lee's way, you know, it's your size and it's your color.

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And you're walking home with that top and you are excited because it gives you joy.

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And there is always this hope. And, you know, it's just a positive feeling.

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And, you know, you won't excite Sam so much with a charity shop t-shirt.

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But if you buy him something to do with technology like Bluetooth, wireless earphones,

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you know, he's going to be excited. He got something new and it is amazing.

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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.

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It's there next to them when they sleep and they get up. It's the first thing they grab.

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And, you know, they want to take it everywhere you go.

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There is something connected to something new. Right.

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There is a feeling of joy, a feeling of excitement.

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And the Bible is full of things that are new. Right. Brand new things.

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The Bible is full of them. The Bible frequently speaks about a new song. Right.

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You read through the book of Psalms and I don't even know how many times you come across a new song.

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Right. A new day. A new heart. A new spirit. A new heaven and earth. Right.

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A new revelation. A new name. A new covenant. You can just go on and on about all those new things.

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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.

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Right. Because the new that God makes is eternal. Right.

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There is a huge difference. And our God is a God of new beginnings.

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I'm going to read several scriptures, you know, to just let the Bible speak for its health. Right.

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The first one is from Isaiah 43 19. It says, see, I am doing a new thing.

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Why is this new thing? We're going to look at it in a minute.

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Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?

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I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

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Let me tell you, there is no water in the wasteland, but God says there's going to be streams in the wasteland.

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Right. Jeremiah 31 31 to 34.

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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.

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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.

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And it goes on. It speaks about a new covenant. Right.

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It's not just God is not about that covenant that was with the fathers.

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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.

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We are living in the new covenant. Ezekiel 11 19.

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It says, I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them.

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I will remove I will remove from them the heart of stone and give them a new heart of flesh.

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It speaks about a new spirit and a new heart.

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The old heart is as hard as this pulpit, as hard as a stone.

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Right. It's probably full of bitterness, full of unforgiveness.

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It's not a life anymore. It doesn't feel anymore.

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But God says, I will take that heart away and I will give them a new heart.

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Isaiah 65 17. It says, see, I will create new heavens and new earth.

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The former things will not be remembered nor will they come to mind.

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Sometimes we think we are struggling in the now and some of us are.

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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.

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I mean, how encouraging is that? Right.

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God is making something new. Lamentations 3 23 says, because of the Lord's great love,

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we are not consumed for his compassion's never failed.

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They are new every morning. His compassion new every morning.

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You know, you feel up, you wake up guilty. You wake up dreading the day.

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No, God is doing a new thing. His compassion's are new.

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And so is his faithfulness. And then one more scripture, Revelations 21 5.

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You know, this is from the chapter that is the chapter before the last chapter in the Bible.

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Right. You think surely you read through the Bible, God would have done all the new things that he was planning to do.

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And God says the page before the last, he says, he who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new.

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Right. He doesn't, the new doesn't stop.

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Forgive my excitement. You get to the last chapter of the Bible.

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The new doesn't stop. God goes, you know what? I am just making everything new.

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And that's how the gospel is. The gospel is always new.

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The gospel is always fresh. It doesn't grow old. Right.

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The power of Jesus is a constantly renewing power. And he has not forgotten about your illness.

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He has not forgotten about your situation this morning.

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You think he has made you a promise five years ago and since then put you on the shelf.

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No, a new thing is happening because Jesus's power is constantly being renewed. Right.

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A renewed mind. Romans 12 chapter 2, do not conform to the pattern of this world,

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but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

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We all know how the old mind thinks. Right. Because it's tempting us every day.

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It's pulling us away from scriptures, pulling us away from the presence of God.

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But how does a new mind think? You know, a new mind reacts to situations in a different way.

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A new mind depends on God. Right. A new mind prays with confidence.

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A new mind accepts discipline. A new mind asks for direction. Right.

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That's how a new mind thinks. It believes in the promises of God.

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It faces challenges with the authority of Jesus Christ.

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He's a different mind. A renewed mind. And then the new day.

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You know, what is this thing? Why does the Bible all the time speak about a new day?

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What does this mean? Why is it always a new day?

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Psalm 118, 24. This is the day which the Lord has made.

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Let us rejoice and be glad in it. And you know, the meaning of this scripture is that this is the day.

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Today is the day that the God has made. And we are supposed to enjoy today and be glad in it today.

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You know, there are two reasons why we can't enjoy the today sometimes.

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You wake up in the morning and you dread the next day.

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Sometimes we wake up and we are scared to face the new day because we think of all the things ahead.

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We are scared. Anxiety. You know.

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And it can either be because we're looking back and we had a bad past and we are traumatized by the past.

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So we can't enjoy the today. We're looking that way.

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Or it's because we project everything into the future and say,

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once I have a bit more money, I will enjoy my today.

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Once I have my healing, I'll enjoy my today. But the Bible says, no, it is about now.

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It is about today. Today is the new day.

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And I came across an interesting scripture last week during my daily reading. Deuteronomy 28.

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You know, Deuteronomy is an interesting book, doesn't it? You read through it.

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And Deuteronomy is almost all about this.

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It's what life is going to be like if you follow God, right?

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In a lot of detail, the blessings are mapped out very detailed.

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And over here, this is what your life is going to be if you don't follow me.

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And this scripture is from the part if you don't follow God, right?

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This is what it says. It's an interesting scripture.

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It says, you will live in constant suspense, filled with dread, both night and day,

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never sure of your life. In the morning, you will say, if only it were evening.

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And in the evening, if only it were morning, because of the terror that will fill your hearts

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and the sight that your eyes will see.

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I don't know if you've ever felt like this when you woke up in the morning, right?

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But the truth is, with God, every day is a new day.

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You know, don't forget that His mercies are new every morning.

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His compassions are new every morning. Blessings are new every morning.

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Today is a chance to change.

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Today is the opportunity to show your God's love and your life to people around you,

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because we are meant to be rejoicing today, not tomorrow.

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Okay? A new song. What is this thing about new song in the book of Psalms?

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You know, you step over it all the time, all the time.

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Psalm 9 to 6, 1, it says, sing to the Lord.

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A new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth.

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You know, sometimes you think, why does Rob introduce new songs?

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Because it's so hard to learn a new song.

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You know, especially if you're not musical like me, you know, sometimes the melody,

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you don't understand the melody.

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But it is because Rob is filling the new wine in the new wine skins, right?

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Rob is looking for that new song.

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Psalm 40, verse 3, it says, he put a new song in my mouth.

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It's not me who's not musical coming up with the perfect melody and the perfect lyrics

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and then delivering it with a beautiful voice. No, it's not about entertainment.

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God puts a song in your mouth. Right? A new song.

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Because that old song is great and it was relevant back then and we love the old favorites.

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That's great. But today is a new day.

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And guess what? It's a time for a new song. Right? That is relevant for today.

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Now, new in this context, by the way, means, you know, if you look it up, it means original.

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It means fresh, one of a kind, something that hasn't been seen or heard before. Right?

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And why is that? Because God is not stuck in his ways.

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He's a creative God and he does not want us to get stuck in our ways.

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And he wants us to become creative too.

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And the new song, there is that fresh response to praise and worship. Right?

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It is when you open your mouth because your heart is overwhelmed by the presence of God.

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When you see the hand of God moving your life, you see it.

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And your heart can't help but burst into a new song.

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You know, it's freshness that fears joy, that breathless awe when you stand in wonder

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and you think, wow, God, you are so good. Raise your voice.

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That's what the new song is about.

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And then the new thing we read before, Isaiah 43, 19, it says, forget the former things.

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Forget them. Forget what happened in the past.

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Do not dwell on the past. I am doing a new thing.

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Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?

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I am making a way in the wilderness and the streams in the wasteland.

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In other words, as God can do the impossible possible in your life,

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there's going to be streams of water in the wasteland.

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What is wasteland? Wasteland is where your dreams waste away, basically.

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And God says, I'm not just going to give you a drop of water, not a cup of water.

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It's just going to be a stream. Expect a stream of fresh water.

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God can change your life upside down.

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Isaiah 43, 16 to 17.

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This is just a couple of verses before what we just read.

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It says, this is what the Lord says,

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He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,

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the God of the possible or the impossible.

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So God is about to do a new thing in your life.

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Don't get stuck. Don't get happy with where you are now.

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Don't accept the illness that you are facing now.

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Remember the power of Christ being renewed all this time.

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And then it says, don't look back.

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Because that's when we get discouraged sometimes, you know.

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When the people of Israel look back, that's when they grumbled.

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That's when they became unhappy.

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That's when they became, oh, we want to go back.

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Really, you want to go back to the slavery?

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Can't you see? God says, can't you see the new thing that I'm doing?

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00:33:21,380 --> 00:33:23,480
Just trust in the new thing.

429
00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:28,980
God is making paths through our problems this morning.

430
00:33:28,980 --> 00:33:33,480
And the desert can be a lonely place, you know, including a spiritual desert.

431
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:35,280
You know, there's the heat.

432
00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:40,580
And God is saying, I want to set you free from the heat, from the fatigue,

433
00:33:40,580 --> 00:33:48,480
from the wrong direction, from misdirection, from confusion,

434
00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:51,480
from despair, from disappointment, you know.

435
00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:55,180
The barren ground should become fertile ground.

436
00:33:55,180 --> 00:33:58,380
The dry places should become wet places.

437
00:33:58,380 --> 00:34:01,180
The old places should become new places.

438
00:34:01,180 --> 00:34:04,980
Nothing is impossible for God.

439
00:34:04,980 --> 00:34:09,680
And then there is this thing about the new wine skins.

440
00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:16,280
You know, I love the scripture about the old and the new wine skins, right?

441
00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:19,580
I don't know if you ever had a wine skin in your hand.

442
00:34:19,580 --> 00:34:22,080
I mean, I never, never actually seen one.

443
00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:23,580
You see them in films, right?

444
00:34:23,580 --> 00:34:31,480
It's like an ancient type of a bottle made from leather animal skin, right?

445
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:36,680
And then, you know, sort of put together in order to store and transport drink,

446
00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:41,280
usually water or wine, right?

447
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:46,480
And this is what Luke 5, 37 to 38 says.

448
00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:54,280
It says, no one pours new wine into old wine skins.

449
00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:55,680
No one.

450
00:34:55,680 --> 00:35:00,880
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the new skins.

451
00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:02,580
Oh, sorry, the old skins.

452
00:35:02,580 --> 00:35:07,680
The wine will run out and the wine skins will be ruined.

453
00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:13,680
No, the new wine must be poured into new wine skins.

454
00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:16,380
You know, speaking about new things.

455
00:35:16,380 --> 00:35:19,880
So in this scripture, you have got like two parties.

456
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:20,780
You've got two things.

457
00:35:20,780 --> 00:35:22,080
You've got the wine.

458
00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,680
The wine is obviously very essential.

459
00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:26,080
Why is the wine essential?

460
00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:29,880
Because if it wasn't for the wine, you wouldn't have the wine skin, right?

461
00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:35,380
So the wine skin is not as important, not as essential as the wine,

462
00:35:35,380 --> 00:35:41,680
but still very useful and very necessary, right?

463
00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:45,180
So the qualities of new wine.

464
00:35:45,180 --> 00:35:46,180
I had to look this up.

465
00:35:46,180 --> 00:35:51,480
I didn't know this, but brand new wine expands, right?

466
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:53,880
It becomes bigger.

467
00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:58,480
So if you would take old wine and pour it into a container,

468
00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:02,480
it would stay the volume, it would stay the same, but not with new wine,

469
00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:04,980
not the fresh wine, right?

470
00:36:04,980 --> 00:36:09,280
And then the quality of the wine skins, when they get older,

471
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:11,480
they dry out.

472
00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:13,680
They crack, right?

473
00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:14,680
They become rigid.

474
00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:19,980
There is the scripture in Joshua 9.13.

475
00:36:19,980 --> 00:36:22,480
We're not going to discuss the context of it because, you know,

476
00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:27,080
that's a different story, but there is the scripture that gives us

477
00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:29,480
information about wine skins.

478
00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:35,080
It says, your servants have come from a very distant country because of the

479
00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:41,080
fame of the Lord your God, for we have heard reports of him.

480
00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:42,180
All that he did.

481
00:36:42,180 --> 00:36:44,780
Oh, hang on. This is not the scripture.

482
00:36:44,780 --> 00:36:46,280
13. Oh, sorry.

483
00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:47,080
Sorry. Sorry.

484
00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:55,880
13. And these wine skins that we filled were new, but see how cracked

485
00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:58,080
they are now, right?

486
00:36:58,080 --> 00:37:00,780
So it just gives us that bit of information.

487
00:37:00,780 --> 00:37:06,180
An old wine skin is going to be rigid and dry and cracked, right?

488
00:37:06,180 --> 00:37:11,780
So if you pour the new wine that expands into it, it's going to burst, right?

489
00:37:11,780 --> 00:37:14,180
You're going to waste a good wine.

490
00:37:14,180 --> 00:37:15,480
Okay?

491
00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:19,280
So what does this scripture mean for us as a church?

492
00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:23,180
You know, the wine is the gospel of Jesus Christ, right?

493
00:37:23,180 --> 00:37:24,980
The wine never gets old.

494
00:37:24,980 --> 00:37:27,680
The gospel of Jesus Christ never gets old.

495
00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:30,380
It never goes out of date, right?

496
00:37:30,380 --> 00:37:35,580
It is constantly fresh, new and expanding.

497
00:37:35,580 --> 00:37:38,880
That's the quality of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

498
00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:40,980
And then what are the wine skins?

499
00:37:40,980 --> 00:37:45,980
The wine skins is everything man-made around the gospel.

500
00:37:45,980 --> 00:37:48,180
So that could be this church building.

501
00:37:48,180 --> 00:37:50,780
That could be the songs that we sing.

502
00:37:50,780 --> 00:37:52,680
That could be the traditions.

503
00:37:52,680 --> 00:37:55,180
That could be the way we do things.

504
00:37:55,180 --> 00:37:59,380
This is what we have built around the wine, right?

505
00:37:59,380 --> 00:38:00,680
It is all man-made.

506
00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:09,280
So if we, as a church, if we want to be fruitful, we have to ask God to show us

507
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:17,080
what is the compatible wine skin for the fresh wine in this generation, right?

508
00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:20,980
When Kennan Valley, when they planted this church,

509
00:38:20,980 --> 00:38:27,680
they have not used a strategy that was great 300 years ago.

510
00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:35,780
No, they have prayed for a new wine skin that was compatible with today's time.

511
00:38:35,780 --> 00:38:41,280
And that was the new wine skin that they have used to store the wine.

512
00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:43,380
It was compatible with the gospel.

513
00:38:43,380 --> 00:38:50,480
And we are, you know, today's society is changing and we as a church have to be open-minded

514
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:58,380
to always make sure our freshest wine is stored in a brand new wine skin

515
00:38:58,380 --> 00:39:01,780
that is compatible with today's society.

516
00:39:01,780 --> 00:39:04,480
This is why sometimes we try new things.

517
00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:08,880
This is what sometimes Rob introduces a new song and everything in us goes,

518
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,780
oh, I don't understand this song.

519
00:39:10,780 --> 00:39:16,080
But well, it is the new wine in the new wine skin being encouraged to learn the new song

520
00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:19,980
because it is relevant for us today.

521
00:39:19,980 --> 00:39:23,280
Right? Christianity needs new approaches, right?

522
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:25,280
It needs new creative ways.

523
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:29,280
It needs new traditions and it needs new structures.

524
00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:32,480
That's what we're going to speak about parenting soon, you know,

525
00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:39,080
because parenting, you know, today's society is going with the parenting this way

526
00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:43,080
and we have to say, whoa, what is the Christian way to parent?

527
00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:49,480
And how is that message, how is that fitting into the new wine skin

528
00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:52,280
that is compatible with today's society?

529
00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:59,080
Right? So we are lucky we're going to hear about the fresh wine but in the new wine skin.

530
00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:00,480
Right?

531
00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:05,280
Now, so the context of Luke, you know, when we read the scripture about the wine skin,

532
00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:10,780
the context is very interesting because just prior to this Bible verse,

533
00:40:10,780 --> 00:40:13,880
Jesus is asked this question, right?

534
00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:21,680
They go, why do your disciples eat and drink while John's disciples and those of the Pharisees,

535
00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:24,380
they fast and pray?

536
00:40:24,380 --> 00:40:27,880
So that's just immediately before the scripture.

537
00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:32,780
In other words, they just really irritated and unhappy with Jesus

538
00:40:32,780 --> 00:40:35,980
that he doesn't follow all their traditions.

539
00:40:35,980 --> 00:40:39,380
And then Jesus replies with the wine skins, but he also says,

540
00:40:39,380 --> 00:40:46,580
no one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one.

541
00:40:46,580 --> 00:40:48,180
Right?

542
00:40:48,180 --> 00:40:52,480
Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment

543
00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:57,180
and the patch from the new will not match the old.

544
00:40:57,180 --> 00:41:00,480
It doesn't match the old.

545
00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:03,380
It doesn't.

546
00:41:03,380 --> 00:41:07,580
And the Bible does say that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

547
00:41:07,580 --> 00:41:12,380
He does, but it doesn't mean that he's a static and a stationary God.

548
00:41:12,380 --> 00:41:15,080
Right? He wants to do something new.

549
00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:22,480
And the message of the gospel is one of newness and renewal all the time.

550
00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:22,980
Right?

551
00:41:22,980 --> 00:41:26,280
Somebody, you might have walked into the church today

552
00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:31,380
and you know, you hear the gospel and how Jesus died on the cross

553
00:41:31,380 --> 00:41:33,380
and how he's going to save you.

554
00:41:33,380 --> 00:41:39,780
And that is going to be as fresh to you as it was to me when I was 15 years old.

555
00:41:39,780 --> 00:41:41,780
You know?

556
00:41:41,780 --> 00:41:43,380
Because it's fresh.

557
00:41:43,380 --> 00:41:48,380
It's constantly fresh.

558
00:41:48,380 --> 00:41:53,180
The gospel is eternal, but the wine skins aren't.

559
00:41:53,180 --> 00:41:54,980
Right?

560
00:41:54,980 --> 00:42:00,280
Wine skins need replacing, not because the gospel changes,

561
00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:05,380
but because the gospel produces change.

562
00:42:05,380 --> 00:42:06,580
Right?

563
00:42:06,580 --> 00:42:09,880
So, I want to encourage you this morning.

564
00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:10,480
Okay?

565
00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:13,280
I'm going to be wrapping up in a minute.

566
00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:14,480
Who would have invited Rob?

567
00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:17,780
But Rob is not here this morning, so that's fine.

568
00:42:17,780 --> 00:42:23,780
But what we're going to do, we're going to invite the elders to come to the front this morning.

569
00:42:23,780 --> 00:42:31,780
And if you feel like you would like to respond to that newness that God has for you this morning,

570
00:42:31,780 --> 00:42:39,180
please do come and take that step of faith and let the elders pray together with you

571
00:42:39,180 --> 00:42:47,080
as an act of faith that you're ready for God to do something new in your life today.

572
00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:51,480
If you have been accepting things the way they are,

573
00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:55,280
take that step of faith because God wants to do something new.

574
00:42:55,280 --> 00:43:00,780
You know, Amber and Brian, we're going to miss you, but we believe God has got something new.

575
00:43:00,780 --> 00:43:07,580
Something exciting, and you might not see it yet, but it's going to blow your mind.

576
00:43:07,580 --> 00:43:11,880
Wherever you go, first it's going to be Mississippi, and it's going to be great.

577
00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:17,280
I believe those four or five or six weeks, it's going to be good.

578
00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:23,080
Even though you'll be thinking, oh gosh, we have to move again in a short time,

579
00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:30,280
but it's going to be good, and Texas is going to be great because God has prepared.

580
00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:39,680
No, if you're not feeling well this morning, God has got something new for you.

581
00:43:39,680 --> 00:43:46,880
Be encouraged. Don't leave this building without hope.

582
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:52,880
Don't leave this building knowing that there's a change coming.

583
00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:58,680
You know, maybe you need a new vision for your life, maybe you need a new vision for your family.

584
00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:05,780
Maybe you need that stream to flow through your wasteland and change things.

585
00:44:05,780 --> 00:44:13,680
You know, I'm just going to read one last scripture from 2 Corinthians 5, 17.

586
00:44:13,680 --> 00:44:24,480
It says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

587
00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:30,680
Another new thing. The old has gone and the new has come.

588
00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:33,880
Now, what does this mean? A new creation.

589
00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:42,580
That basically means that when we come to God, it's not about God re-educating us or rehabilitating us.

590
00:44:42,580 --> 00:44:50,780
You know, God is not a rehab. When we come to God, He recreates us.

591
00:44:50,780 --> 00:44:58,480
We are a new creation, which is different to re-education or rehabilitation.

592
00:44:58,480 --> 00:45:03,280
So, yeah, if the elders could come to the front, and if you would like ministry this morning,

593
00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:12,080
if you would like to take that step of faith for them to pray with you, please do come forward.

594
00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:17,680
Lord, we thank you because your presence is sweet among us today.

595
00:45:17,680 --> 00:45:25,580
We thank you because you love us. We are your children. You called us children. You called us friends.

596
00:45:25,580 --> 00:45:32,480
Thank you because we can partake in what you do in this town.

597
00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:36,980
As children of you, as being part of this church,

598
00:45:36,980 --> 00:45:42,280
we can actually partake in what you want to do with your will, your kingdom,

599
00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:46,480
expanding in Brandon and the surrounding villages, Lord.

600
00:45:46,480 --> 00:45:53,580
As we heard this morning, you want to do new things and we want to embrace, we want to welcome.

601
00:45:53,580 --> 00:46:01,580
Our desire is to see people coming to you, to see people saved, to see people healed,

602
00:46:01,580 --> 00:46:07,280
to see people having a breakthrough in their lives, to see people transformed.

603
00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:11,780
And we know, Holy Spirit, that you are the one who does the work.

604
00:46:11,780 --> 00:46:20,580
We are just instrument, signposting to you, but you are the one who moves and works in the life of people.

605
00:46:20,580 --> 00:46:25,980
So we want to welcome you, Holy Spirit.

606
00:46:25,980 --> 00:46:30,580
We thank you and we pray for the week ahead as we go out from this place

607
00:46:30,580 --> 00:46:34,080
that your presence will always follow us in all what we do,

608
00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:37,380
your protection, your love, your wisdom.

609
00:46:37,380 --> 00:46:40,580
Give us your eyes to see what you see.

610
00:46:40,580 --> 00:46:46,480
Give us your ears to hear what you hear.

611
00:46:46,480 --> 00:46:51,580
Give us your heart so that we can feel what you feel.

612
00:46:51,580 --> 00:46:57,580
And your mind so that we can be wise as you are wise.

613
00:46:57,580 --> 00:47:04,580
We thank you Lord, in Jesus' precious name. Amen. Amen.

614
00:47:04,580 --> 00:47:12,180
Now, just before going to enjoy a cup of coffee together, just something quickly about next Sunday.

615
00:47:12,180 --> 00:47:18,780
We're going to have a guest speaker. Samuel is going to be here, not me, but he is our man in Uganda.

616
00:47:18,780 --> 00:47:23,880
He's coming for the MFG conference, but he's going to spend a Sunday here with us.

617
00:47:23,880 --> 00:47:30,380
So he's going to preach next Sunday. So please do come, bring people along

618
00:47:30,380 --> 00:47:33,580
so that we can really be blessed together.

619
00:47:33,580 --> 00:47:37,180
Please do not rush away. Just go and enjoy a cup of coffee and tea.

620
00:47:37,180 --> 00:47:54,180
And see you next Sunday. God bless you.