WEBVTT 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:12.699 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.699 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast, 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:20.879 you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.359 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.079 message from our preaching team. Thanks for coming 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:30.820 and hanging out. I want to start today by talking 00:00:30.820 --> 00:00:35.539 about my mate, Adam. That's right. That's a that's 00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:37.500 a guy who knows Adam. That's the right response 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:40.600 if you know my mate gangers, right? So Adam is 00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:44.579 a super talented drummer He's a really gentle 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:48.619 soul, but he has a very biting sense of humor 00:00:48.619 --> 00:00:52.759 He reaches out to me constantly just to check 00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:57.000 in We have kids of similar ages. Our wives are 00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:59.909 basically sisters at this point and we enjoy 00:00:59.909 --> 00:01:02.090 nothing more than splitting a six -pack over 00:01:02.090 --> 00:01:06.069 a big tray of chicken wings. Yeah, that's right. 00:01:06.670 --> 00:01:10.030 I received that. So, long before I came to church 00:01:10.030 --> 00:01:12.409 for the first time and way, way, way before I 00:01:12.409 --> 00:01:14.510 had a relationship with Jesus, Adam was busy 00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:18.349 planting seeds. With each seemingly random text 00:01:18.349 --> 00:01:21.569 message, With each shared album recommendation, 00:01:21.909 --> 00:01:24.469 Adam will send you random indie artists that 00:01:24.469 --> 00:01:26.849 you just have to listen to, according to Adam. 00:01:27.510 --> 00:01:29.829 With every beer, with every chicken wing, Adam 00:01:29.829 --> 00:01:34.989 had been planting seeds. Now Adam knew my history, 00:01:35.670 --> 00:01:38.390 which included a militant stance against organized 00:01:38.390 --> 00:01:43.930 religion, self -professed atheism, which I now 00:01:43.930 --> 00:01:46.989 know was really just kind of like arrogant agnosticism. 00:01:48.549 --> 00:01:52.030 and Adam went to work. Initially he was just 00:01:52.030 --> 00:01:53.670 kind of, this is what I needed by the way at 00:01:53.670 --> 00:01:55.769 that point in my life, Adam was just kind of 00:01:55.769 --> 00:01:57.829 showing me that Christians can be super normal 00:01:57.829 --> 00:02:00.950 people. I didn't think that was necessarily, 00:02:01.109 --> 00:02:03.510 I'm a changed man okay, like I didn't know that 00:02:03.510 --> 00:02:05.409 at the time so he knew that's what I needed right. 00:02:07.010 --> 00:02:09.229 And so what he did is he planted all these seeds 00:02:09.229 --> 00:02:10.969 and then he began to water seeds based on what 00:02:10.969 --> 00:02:13.710 it was that I needed. Some of those things that 00:02:13.710 --> 00:02:16.560 I needed is that Adam, better than anybody I 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:20.719 know normalizes vulnerability. He normalizes 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:23.240 care from one man to another man, which I think 00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:25.439 most people in this room would acknowledge is 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:27.219 probably not always something that guys are super 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:33.060 good at. He modeled a model of generosity that 00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:35.740 I hadn't really seen before. As I looked back 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:37.500 as I was writing this, I thought, how did I not 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:39.280 realize that pretty much every beer we drank 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:42.699 came out of his fridge and not my esky? And then 00:02:42.699 --> 00:02:44.840 the amount of times we'd go to pick up takeaway 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:46.740 and it was met with a, nah, you're good, man, 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.539 you get the next one. I realize I am in the red, 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:55.219 friends. I owe that man some chicken wings. And 00:02:55.219 --> 00:02:59.620 I just didn't see it. But what he was doing was 00:02:59.620 --> 00:03:02.460 just continuing to plant these seeds and modeling. 00:03:03.640 --> 00:03:07.159 a life that he believed in, that he saw. And 00:03:07.159 --> 00:03:09.180 then he watered those seeds by introducing me 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:11.960 to Christian friends and not by going like, hey, 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:15.599 this is my Christian friend Stu. He would just 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:17.560 introduce me to the people in his life that he 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:19.120 loved and that loved him and cared about him 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:21.500 and vice versa. And the bigger thing that he 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:24.120 did to water those seeds that he'd been planting 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:26.680 is he just never hid his Christianity from me. 00:03:26.919 --> 00:03:29.159 He never once for a second hid the person that 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:31.460 he was, what Jesus meant to him, what it meant 00:03:31.460 --> 00:03:33.120 to his family, and the commitment that he had 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:39.180 made to that. And as, again, after he planted 00:03:39.180 --> 00:03:40.900 all these seeds, seed after seed after seed after 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:42.240 seed, and then watering, watering, watering, 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:45.500 watering, watering. So encounter terminology, 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:49.580 if you will, I was Adam's plus one. So plus one 00:03:49.580 --> 00:03:51.340 for those who don't know all the encounter terminology, 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:53.780 and I hope you do by now. That's just a non -Christian 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:58.189 friend who we are actively working to bring into 00:03:58.189 --> 00:04:02.490 a relationship with Jesus. Now he had planted 00:04:02.490 --> 00:04:04.490 these seeds, which were all based on actions 00:04:04.490 --> 00:04:07.289 fueled by Jesus's example, by the way, and he'd 00:04:07.289 --> 00:04:09.009 watered them by bringing others along for the 00:04:09.009 --> 00:04:10.969 journey, whether they were aware of it or not, 00:04:11.270 --> 00:04:14.870 and all of that was done for no personal benefit 00:04:14.870 --> 00:04:17.810 for him. It was all done to actually see me refreshed, 00:04:17.829 --> 00:04:22.149 to see me made anew. And then here came the critical 00:04:22.149 --> 00:04:27.569 part, is he'd been praying for me. actively and 00:04:27.569 --> 00:04:30.790 regularly. Actually, his whole family had been 00:04:30.790 --> 00:04:32.470 praying for me because his whole family had been 00:04:32.470 --> 00:04:37.250 praying for the Horners. Adam recognized that 00:04:37.250 --> 00:04:40.990 he was but a man and he could only do so much, 00:04:41.009 --> 00:04:44.050 which he did do, but here he was interceding 00:04:44.050 --> 00:04:49.230 on my behalf. Holy Spirit, we pray, fall on text, 00:04:49.290 --> 00:04:52.509 bring him into relationship with Jesus. Change 00:04:52.509 --> 00:04:55.230 his life in a way that only you can because I 00:04:55.230 --> 00:04:59.399 can only point to it. Now for those that know 00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:02.339 my testimony, it's been tweaked and not tweaked, 00:05:02.339 --> 00:05:04.540 that sounds awful. It's been manipulated. No, 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:07.160 I'm joking, right? For those that know my testimony, 00:05:07.220 --> 00:05:09.100 it quite often starts with this idea and this 00:05:09.100 --> 00:05:11.459 concept that Cadence invited me to church, which 00:05:11.459 --> 00:05:14.060 is not untrue. The bit that kind of gets left 00:05:14.060 --> 00:05:15.620 out, because this will make part of Cadence's 00:05:15.620 --> 00:05:17.759 testimony, is that it was Adam's daughter Gracie 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:20.079 that first invited Cadence to church and then 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:23.339 in turn Cadence invited me to church. So Gracie 00:05:23.339 --> 00:05:26.579 and Adam were a team. The ganglions, seeds and 00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:29.350 water. with an imploring of intervention from 00:05:29.350 --> 00:05:31.449 the Holy Spirit set a path for the horners that 00:05:31.449 --> 00:05:34.670 changed our lives forever and those seeds that 00:05:34.670 --> 00:05:37.410 were watered with hope and prayer played no small 00:05:37.410 --> 00:05:44.029 part in the seeds that turned into a literal 00:05:44.029 --> 00:05:49.790 plant in Encounter Henley. Woo indeed. So we 00:05:49.790 --> 00:05:52.730 have spent a lot of the last month hearing about 00:05:52.730 --> 00:05:55.389 the revival and the Hebrides, right? How many 00:05:55.389 --> 00:05:58.439 people in this room have googled What is, where, 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:02.439 how and when are the Hebrides? None of you? I 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:05.180 had to, right? I was sitting in this room like, 00:06:05.319 --> 00:06:07.319 yeah, man, revival and the Hebrides and then 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:09.160 going, somebody's got to help me out here, right? 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:13.040 So, revival and the Hebrides, it's like this, 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:14.680 you know what, I'm not going to, you Google it 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:17.379 later, right? So I had to, you do too. Basically 00:06:17.379 --> 00:06:19.399 what happened is this region where in the UK, 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:22.800 where these two women in their 80s, one blind 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:25.939 and one who was crippled with arthritis, sowed 00:06:25.939 --> 00:06:27.920 their seeds in the only way that they knew how. 00:06:28.620 --> 00:06:30.779 Now the only way that they knew how was through 00:06:30.779 --> 00:06:34.160 prayer and they would pray for five hours a night, 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:37.160 sometimes finishing three, four in the morning. 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:40.259 Don't forget to book your hour in the 24 -7 prayer 00:06:40.259 --> 00:06:42.560 room. We're only looking for one hour, five hours, 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:45.079 come on. You can book our five if you want. So 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:47.000 they planted seeds with prayer because that's 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:49.230 what they had. and they warded them with tears 00:06:49.230 --> 00:06:51.610 of desperation, and then their works in prayer 00:06:51.610 --> 00:06:53.889 actually helped to spark a nationwide revival. 00:06:55.269 --> 00:06:58.189 Bars were emptied, crime rates plummeted, courtrooms 00:06:58.189 --> 00:07:01.149 were empty, 20 ,000 people came to faith in the 00:07:01.149 --> 00:07:05.889 first five weeks alone. Generations transformed 00:07:05.889 --> 00:07:09.129 by the Holy Spirit as it ripped through the countryside. 00:07:10.850 --> 00:07:12.949 Pastors were beginning to preach in fields because 00:07:12.949 --> 00:07:14.670 the churches were no longer big enough to hold 00:07:14.670 --> 00:07:19.420 that many people, by the thousands. And it feels 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:21.399 a little bit beyond comprehension when you kind 00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:23.399 of hear it spelled out that way, which is good 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:25.439 because sometimes movements of the Spirit should 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:31.259 feel a little beyond our comprehension. So if 00:07:31.259 --> 00:07:34.699 revival is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, 00:07:35.220 --> 00:07:37.259 with the Holy Spirit being both the architect 00:07:37.259 --> 00:07:39.819 and the sustainer of these miraculous events, 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:44.959 do our words, do our deeds, do our seeds and 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:49.269 plants, do they even matter? Now I would love 00:07:49.269 --> 00:07:51.930 to ask that question of the church leaders in 00:07:51.930 --> 00:07:56.569 a little town called Stornoway. So as this revival 00:07:56.569 --> 00:08:01.649 is ripping through this area, right? Stornoway 00:08:01.649 --> 00:08:03.329 is the capital of the Isle of Lewis, which is 00:08:03.329 --> 00:08:05.089 one of the islands in this area, and is part 00:08:05.089 --> 00:08:08.410 of the Hebrides. And during the revival, where 00:08:08.410 --> 00:08:10.790 literally entire towns are being changed, do 00:08:10.790 --> 00:08:13.170 you know what happened in Stornoway? Anyone want 00:08:13.170 --> 00:08:20.759 to take a guess? No. Oh, that was a good guess. 00:08:20.839 --> 00:08:24.360 It was like a 50 -50. Nothing happened in Stornoway. 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:29.199 Nothing. That's what everybody said. But you 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:31.399 are ahead of the game. Nothing happened in Stornoway. 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:33.519 Now as you go back, by the way, and the reason 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:35.179 for this is believed, there are still people 00:08:35.179 --> 00:08:37.259 who are alive now today, by the way, that were 00:08:37.259 --> 00:08:38.960 alive during the revival of the Hebrides. So 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:41.470 this is not hearsay. This was... this is present, 00:08:41.590 --> 00:08:42.889 this is our people, you can go and talk about 00:08:42.889 --> 00:08:45.690 this. The ministers and the church leaders in 00:08:45.690 --> 00:08:48.789 Stornoway openly opposed the revival as it was 00:08:48.789 --> 00:08:53.470 happening. And most believe that is the reason 00:08:53.470 --> 00:08:56.570 that the Holy Spirit simply circumvented the 00:08:56.570 --> 00:09:05.350 town of Stornoway. So if you think that our actions 00:09:05.350 --> 00:09:07.370 and our seeds and our watering and the way that 00:09:07.370 --> 00:09:09.350 we handle our business doesn't impact the Holy 00:09:09.350 --> 00:09:11.840 Spirit, I'd ask you to consider if you think 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:14.460 the residents of Stornoway would agree with you. 00:09:16.700 --> 00:09:18.440 Now in Paul's letter to the Corinthian church 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:21.580 from today's text, he's writing, because a bit 00:09:21.580 --> 00:09:23.419 of a divide has actually been created in the 00:09:23.419 --> 00:09:26.000 Corinthian church. Some are very eager to follow 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:28.679 Paul, because Paul is the one of course who planted 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:32.840 the church. Others are very eager to follow Apollos 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:35.700 who is the current leader of the church. Paul, 00:09:35.820 --> 00:09:38.320 if you will, is the planter of the seed. Apollos 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:40.320 is the one over here holding the watering can 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:45.200 as we speak. And this part of Paul's letter, 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:46.799 it's a long one, you should go and read it. The 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:49.139 part of Paul's letter intends to make one thing 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:51.840 incredibly clear. He humbles the whole situation, 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:54.179 he brings it down to his bare bones. Pretty quickly, 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:57.720 which is basically this, Apollos, Paul, who cares? 00:09:59.929 --> 00:10:03.169 It's not about either of them. And by the way, 00:10:03.169 --> 00:10:04.629 not about either of them is either of us because 00:10:04.629 --> 00:10:07.730 the person writing this letter is Paul. Each 00:10:07.730 --> 00:10:10.850 of us has played our part. We've had a role to 00:10:10.850 --> 00:10:12.710 uphold and we've either done so or we're currently 00:10:12.710 --> 00:10:16.750 doing so. It is through us that you have believed. 00:10:17.889 --> 00:10:20.950 However, I need to remind you that we are not 00:10:20.950 --> 00:10:24.490 whom you believe in. Your salvation is through 00:10:24.490 --> 00:10:30.620 Jesus, not us. We are not the focus here. And 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:32.940 Paul needs them to know that we can do all the 00:10:32.940 --> 00:10:34.840 work we want, but it's God that makes everything 00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:38.720 work. It's God that makes everything grow. And 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:40.340 I love this next bit. I don't actually need to 00:10:40.340 --> 00:10:42.379 add any flourishes to this next bit of text. 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:47.080 It's basically, it doesn't matter who does the 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:50.679 planting or who does the watering. What's important 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:56.179 is that it's God that makes the seed grow. When 00:10:56.179 --> 00:10:58.179 Paul's writing, he wants to make darn sure that 00:10:58.179 --> 00:11:00.139 we don't entertain the idea of being concerned 00:11:00.139 --> 00:11:03.179 about who is getting the credit for the building 00:11:03.179 --> 00:11:06.399 of God's church. Because the credit isn't ours 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:09.559 to assign and it certainly isn't ours to claim. 00:11:13.500 --> 00:11:15.419 This message isn't about which helper is more 00:11:15.419 --> 00:11:19.000 than or which jobs are more important. The message 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:23.740 here is that God brings people together so that 00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:26.649 they can help us and we in turn can help them, 00:11:27.509 --> 00:11:29.330 but we're doing it all for the glory of God. 00:11:32.129 --> 00:11:34.230 Great, so I don't have to do anything. Pause. 00:11:34.809 --> 00:11:37.529 No. You'll note that nowhere does Paul say there's 00:11:37.529 --> 00:11:43.450 no work to be done. Quite the contrary. Paul 00:11:43.450 --> 00:11:45.289 goes out of his way to affirm that yes, there 00:11:45.289 --> 00:11:47.830 is planting to be done, there is watering to 00:11:47.830 --> 00:11:51.169 be done, but both must work together towards 00:11:51.169 --> 00:11:54.590 the same purpose. Not only are we working together, 00:11:54.610 --> 00:11:57.809 but we're actually working as a trio because 00:11:57.809 --> 00:11:59.750 we're also working in conjunction with the Holy 00:11:59.750 --> 00:12:03.009 Spirit. As with the revival and the Hebrides, 00:12:03.129 --> 00:12:06.529 if God wants to, He can and will do all of the 00:12:06.529 --> 00:12:09.929 necessary work without us. But I need you to 00:12:09.929 --> 00:12:15.250 hear me church, this is not His preference. God 00:12:15.250 --> 00:12:18.230 holds you Hear me on this. God holds you, each 00:12:18.230 --> 00:12:20.649 and every one of you, in such high regard that 00:12:20.649 --> 00:12:25.629 He wants you involved in His mission. Church, 00:12:25.649 --> 00:12:28.909 we are pursuing a miraculous and expedited movement 00:12:28.909 --> 00:12:32.370 of God. Revival is about the restoration of God's 00:12:32.370 --> 00:12:35.210 presence to His people, and He wants His people 00:12:35.210 --> 00:12:37.750 not just as recipients of that, but He wants 00:12:37.750 --> 00:12:39.769 each and every one of us as an active participant 00:12:39.769 --> 00:12:44.029 in that. So in order for that to happen, it has 00:12:44.029 --> 00:12:46.669 to personally convict seeds. I'm going to keep 00:12:46.669 --> 00:12:48.649 on using this, you know, like it's right there 00:12:48.649 --> 00:12:49.850 in the title. I'm just going to keep on seeds 00:12:49.850 --> 00:12:51.470 watering, get used to it, right? So he has to 00:12:51.470 --> 00:12:53.789 personally convict which of those seeds and then 00:12:53.789 --> 00:12:55.590 there's changes that can happen from the overflow 00:12:55.590 --> 00:12:58.049 and the watering and that creates that perfect 00:12:58.049 --> 00:13:00.190 fertile environment in which the Holy Spirit 00:13:00.190 --> 00:13:04.789 can move. It's in that that the Holy Spirit will 00:13:04.789 --> 00:13:11.669 spark a revival. Now Tim Keller tells us that 00:13:11.669 --> 00:13:13.289 there are actually three movements that will 00:13:13.289 --> 00:13:16.620 tend to happen during a revival. And the first 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:18.600 two are really, as we're following along, you'll 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:20.139 see these are kind of the ones that we've been 00:13:20.139 --> 00:13:23.019 speaking into thus far in this series. So I'm 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:24.720 week five, we tried to work this out before, 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:27.139 I'm week five of the series, week six, Pastor 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:29.419 Michael bringing us home at the All In next week. 00:13:30.299 --> 00:13:32.159 But you'll probably notice some themes as I talk 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.259 about some of these that we've already kind of 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:38.000 raised. The first movement during a revival is 00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:42.879 that sleepy Christians wake up. The conviction 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:44.919 of sin and the assurance of who you are in Christ, 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:47.440 the assurance of God's love, it simply wakes 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:49.059 up sleepy Christians. Now when we talk about 00:13:49.059 --> 00:13:51.059 sleepy Christians, we all know some of these 00:13:51.059 --> 00:13:53.720 guys, they're probably, you know, yeah, I'm a 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:55.899 Christian, I go to church every Easter and every 00:13:55.899 --> 00:13:58.080 Christmas as long as somebody really pushes me 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:00.580 to get there. Right, so step one of the revival 00:14:00.580 --> 00:14:02.259 is those people, they might have a faith, they 00:14:02.259 --> 00:14:04.500 might have that tiny seed of a faith and it gets 00:14:04.500 --> 00:14:06.480 a woken up and then they get woken up, sleepy 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:09.139 Christians woken up. The second movement of a 00:14:09.139 --> 00:14:12.620 revival is that nominal Christians are converted. 00:14:14.120 --> 00:14:15.980 You mean Christians are converted? We're talking 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:18.379 people who think they're Christians already. 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:22.000 They might have been baptized, they might be 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.639 members of the church, they might be... Worship 00:14:25.639 --> 00:14:28.480 leaders, they might be varistas, they might be 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:33.299 serving in the preaching team. And during a revival 00:14:33.299 --> 00:14:35.519 they'll be so convicted that they'll quite often 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:37.659 be heard be saying like, I thought I was a Christian 00:14:37.659 --> 00:14:41.700 and now I know that I never really was. I never 00:14:41.700 --> 00:14:44.240 really understood what it meant to be saved by 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:47.659 faith. This is, I don't know if you ever have 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:49.399 this when you're singing a song sometimes or 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:52.019 you read a section of the Bible and it's almost 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:54.960 like you're hearing it for the first time. I 00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:56.659 remember the first time Pastor Mike and I were 00:14:56.659 --> 00:14:58.740 having a conversation he tried to explain the 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:01.279 concept of grace to me and I just, you might 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:03.379 as well have tried to explain to me like a decimal 00:15:03.379 --> 00:15:05.679 point to infinity. Like I just couldn't get my 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:07.799 head around it and I still can't sometimes but 00:15:07.799 --> 00:15:10.899 I think I'm starting to get there. It's that 00:15:10.899 --> 00:15:13.840 kind of reinvigoration, that kind of reawakening 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:16.539 that happens inside of you. that is what happens 00:15:16.539 --> 00:15:19.740 when nominal Christians are converted. Now these 00:15:19.740 --> 00:15:22.600 first two groups and these awakenings, they become 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:25.620 that really vital foundation upon which the third 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:28.379 group will tend to grow from. This is where I 00:15:28.379 --> 00:15:30.200 came from, this is potentially where many of 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:32.179 you came from, and potentially where many of 00:15:32.179 --> 00:15:34.779 you are still sitting in. The third movement 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:37.279 during a revival is that conscious non -Christians 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:43.500 come to faith. Because when sleepy Christians 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:47.370 wake up, when nominal Christians get truly converted, 00:15:48.330 --> 00:15:50.289 the result of that is that it beautifies the 00:15:50.289 --> 00:15:55.629 church. The church becomes an attractive place 00:15:55.629 --> 00:15:59.090 to be, and on top of that it becomes a powerful 00:15:59.090 --> 00:16:04.789 place to be. Now these first two groups through 00:16:04.789 --> 00:16:07.250 their conviction, they change, their behavior 00:16:07.250 --> 00:16:09.690 changes, their action changes. They begin to 00:16:09.690 --> 00:16:11.470 reach out to their neighbors in a way they weren't 00:16:11.470 --> 00:16:14.789 doing before. They begin to interact with their 00:16:14.789 --> 00:16:16.870 colleagues differently, with their wife differently, 00:16:17.289 --> 00:16:20.649 with everybody in their surroundings, start to 00:16:20.649 --> 00:16:23.629 see this real change in them. Their neighborhoods 00:16:23.629 --> 00:16:25.950 become better places to live. Their workplaces 00:16:25.950 --> 00:16:28.590 become nicer places to go on a Monday. Their 00:16:28.590 --> 00:16:32.539 home becomes a more inviting space. people will 00:16:32.539 --> 00:16:35.059 hear about that or they will see it or they will 00:16:35.059 --> 00:16:37.820 feel the benefits of it and it's this noticeable 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:41.879 tangible change is where the good news really 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:46.720 starts to spread. Where whole churches end up 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:49.519 being filled with unconnected people, some coming 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:51.659 in because they're curious and in other cases 00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:54.360 they come in because they've been brought in. 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:57.740 There's last two points, some are curious and 00:16:57.740 --> 00:17:00.639 that's amazing. What's really powerful for me 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:03.980 in that is that some are brought in to the church. 00:17:04.859 --> 00:17:07.240 Both of these the result of those movements of 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:11.059 the spirit and Christians that are normally born 00:17:11.059 --> 00:17:13.380 out of a recommitment to repentance and holiness 00:17:13.380 --> 00:17:19.059 of believers. Changes that are so big that they're 00:17:19.059 --> 00:17:25.339 not only intriguing they can't be ignored. That 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:29.339 combination of seeds being watered. plants growing 00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:34.240 with the Holy Spirit's inflection just creates 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:40.759 a beautiful crop ready to be harvested. Now Andrew 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:44.099 A. Bonar puts it like this, revivals begin with 00:17:44.099 --> 00:17:47.930 God's own people. The Holy Spirit touches their 00:17:47.930 --> 00:17:50.730 heart anew and gives them new fervour and compassion 00:17:50.730 --> 00:17:54.430 and zeal, new light and new life. And when He 00:17:54.430 --> 00:17:57.269 has come thus to you, He next goes forth in the 00:17:57.269 --> 00:18:02.210 valley of dry bones. Oh, what responsibility 00:18:02.210 --> 00:18:05.970 this lays on the Church of God. If you grieve 00:18:05.970 --> 00:18:08.349 Him away from yourselves or hinder His visit, 00:18:08.589 --> 00:18:11.750 then the poor, perishing world suffers poorly. 00:18:14.059 --> 00:18:17.099 In this room are worshipers, prayer warriors, 00:18:17.339 --> 00:18:19.779 meal trained participants, meal trained recipients, 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:22.640 small group hosts, and yes, I believe future 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:25.559 church planters. Your ability or desire to do 00:18:25.559 --> 00:18:27.660 one and not the other doesn't render you more 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:32.619 or less useless than the other. More or less 00:18:32.619 --> 00:18:35.900 useful than the person next to you. When your 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:38.180 abilities and your desires have been shaped and 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:40.480 formed by Jesus by the Holy Spirit, you will 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:42.819 be transformed and out of that transformation, 00:18:43.119 --> 00:18:45.180 you're able to partner with other believers and 00:18:45.180 --> 00:18:47.380 with the Holy Spirit for the transformation of 00:18:47.380 --> 00:18:50.660 others. Those are the plants that we want to 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:54.799 see grow. You personally, I love you all, you're 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:57.400 amazing people of God, but you personally cannot 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:04.400 convict others. You can live in the light of 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:07.000 personal conviction You can live in the light 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:10.799 of the changes that come from that In a way that 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:13.059 is so compelling to your non -christian friends 00:19:13.059 --> 00:19:19.480 that they can't help be intrigued Now it's this 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:23.640 point I really want to remind everybody Despite 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:28.359 what it sounds like this isn't faith and religion 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:33.730 is not about behavior modification But it's about 00:19:33.730 --> 00:19:39.690 conviction. And it's about accepting Jesus' invitation 00:19:39.690 --> 00:19:44.670 to your life, to live it in abundance, and then 00:19:44.670 --> 00:19:49.069 to live out of that overflow. Hear me when I 00:19:49.069 --> 00:19:53.769 say, your salvation is assured. You are saved 00:19:53.769 --> 00:19:56.069 by grace. You are not saved by works and deeds. 00:19:58.250 --> 00:20:00.130 But that doesn't mean there isn't work to be 00:20:00.130 --> 00:20:07.119 done. Dallas Wheel Art offers us this. You may 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:09.640 be very sure that if your sincere intent is to 00:20:09.640 --> 00:20:12.019 glorify God and bless others in your efforts 00:20:12.019 --> 00:20:15.180 and you are not motivated by unloving attitudes, 00:20:15.400 --> 00:20:18.380 you will see the hand of God move with you as 00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:22.180 you expectantly do your work. And your part is 00:20:22.180 --> 00:20:25.119 simply to expect it, watch for it, give thanks 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:27.640 as you see it and on the basis of your experience, 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:33.569 encourage others to do the same. Willard is just 00:20:33.569 --> 00:20:35.430 one of the greatest Christian voices in history, 00:20:35.450 --> 00:20:37.509 so if he has a quote it's normally worth listening 00:20:37.509 --> 00:20:40.609 to. This is the part that jumped out to me in 00:20:40.609 --> 00:20:44.269 this. Your part is to expectantly do your work 00:20:44.269 --> 00:20:49.269 and then to simply and sincerely expect the hand 00:20:49.269 --> 00:20:57.309 of God to move with you. Because if we're expecting 00:20:57.309 --> 00:21:01.009 God to be with us in our works, then we can expect 00:21:01.009 --> 00:21:03.230 that God will work to make the seeds that we're 00:21:03.230 --> 00:21:05.210 planting and the watering doing, the watering 00:21:05.210 --> 00:21:07.109 we're doing, we can expect that God will make 00:21:07.109 --> 00:21:11.210 those plants grow. And church, here's my fear 00:21:11.210 --> 00:21:16.009 is that we've actually forgotten to expect for 00:21:16.009 --> 00:21:19.950 God to move with us. To do the things that we 00:21:19.950 --> 00:21:28.190 deem impossible. To expect it. Matthew 6 .33 00:21:28.190 --> 00:21:31.190 tells us, but he said, what is impossible with 00:21:31.190 --> 00:21:35.829 man is possible with God. Guys, that word with 00:21:35.829 --> 00:21:37.750 is what we're going to keep on focusing on at 00:21:37.750 --> 00:21:41.470 the minute. God can do this alone and He wants 00:21:41.470 --> 00:21:45.369 to do it with... you and with me and with the 00:21:45.369 --> 00:21:48.069 person next to you. That is His preference with 00:21:48.069 --> 00:21:50.869 God. That is why we work in partnership with 00:21:50.869 --> 00:21:53.549 the Holy Spirit because only through Him can 00:21:53.549 --> 00:21:56.450 we live out of faith that can help to spark a 00:21:56.450 --> 00:22:00.890 revival. That revival starts within ourselves 00:22:00.890 --> 00:22:04.930 and in such a way that it has to become undeniable. 00:22:13.420 --> 00:22:17.759 So how do we partner with God in our lives and 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:22.220 in the lives of others? Bandai may be a bit premature, 00:22:22.259 --> 00:22:29.799 but you can probably come on up. I was going 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:31.259 to say the slides not up yet. Does anyone want 00:22:31.259 --> 00:22:32.559 to take a guess based on what I've been talking 00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:34.119 about today? What is the first thing that we 00:22:34.119 --> 00:22:36.460 can do to partner with God during this time? 00:22:39.629 --> 00:22:41.990 So close. Plant the seed. I'll give you a guess 00:22:41.990 --> 00:22:43.970 at number two after this. The first thing we 00:22:43.970 --> 00:22:46.730 can do is plant the seed. Now we're going to 00:22:46.730 --> 00:22:48.069 plant the seed. I believe we should be starting 00:22:48.069 --> 00:22:51.829 with planting the seed internally. So I challenge 00:22:51.829 --> 00:22:54.029 you, what work are you letting Jesus do in and 00:22:54.029 --> 00:23:00.490 through you when no one else can see it? Are 00:23:00.490 --> 00:23:02.470 you a sleepy Christian that simply needs waking 00:23:02.470 --> 00:23:09.319 up? Pastor Jen talked about holiness, talked 00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:11.759 about falling to our knees, the begging for the 00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:17.039 intervention of God, that pursuit. We plant seeds 00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:20.740 in deep and fertile soil in order to help them 00:23:20.740 --> 00:23:24.859 grow. What are you doing in the secret place? 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:28.160 What are you doing in the deep? What are you 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:34.799 doing in the dark? Second way we can respond 00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:36.980 to this. Anybody? We've planted the seed. We 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:43.440 now water the plant. I'm so close. We water the 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:45.339 plant. We plant the seed and then we water the 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:50.160 plant. Now again, Paul makes it incredibly clear 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:54.279 that making the plant grow is an independent 00:23:54.279 --> 00:23:58.170 exercise. When Paul talks about us working in 00:23:58.170 --> 00:24:00.710 partnership, it's also about finding those people 00:24:00.710 --> 00:24:02.849 that have offsetting skill sets to compliment 00:24:02.849 --> 00:24:06.049 each other. We're gonna compliment each other's 00:24:06.049 --> 00:24:07.569 strengths, and we're gonna compliment each other's 00:24:07.569 --> 00:24:12.009 weaknesses. Where are your gaps? Are you aware 00:24:12.009 --> 00:24:13.869 enough to know where those gaps are? Are you 00:24:13.869 --> 00:24:15.450 able to find someone or a few people to help 00:24:15.450 --> 00:24:17.769 you fill them? I'd remind you, we are a team, 00:24:18.789 --> 00:24:21.009 we are a family, and I think it's time sometimes 00:24:21.009 --> 00:24:29.789 that we act like it. And the third part of this, 00:24:29.789 --> 00:24:30.690 I'm not going to ask because you're going to 00:24:30.690 --> 00:24:32.109 say pray again and that's not what's coming up. 00:24:32.230 --> 00:24:36.950 The third part of this is that we expect God 00:24:36.950 --> 00:24:41.430 to make things grow. How do we do that? There 00:24:41.430 --> 00:24:43.470 is actually no more important relationship. I 00:24:43.470 --> 00:24:46.309 believe outside of your relationship with God 00:24:46.309 --> 00:24:48.450 and your relationship with, you know, your partner, 00:24:48.589 --> 00:24:50.509 significant other, there's no more important 00:24:50.509 --> 00:24:53.390 relationship you can have than a deliberate relationship 00:24:53.390 --> 00:24:58.119 with a non -Christian. So I challenge you, do 00:24:58.119 --> 00:25:05.259 you have a plus one? And if you don't, why not? 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:11.660 And if you do, what are you doing with that plus 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:15.240 one to bring them a little bit closer to Jesus? 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:19.480 I hear beer and chicken wings are a great start. 00:25:21.139 --> 00:25:22.579 Maybe you're already at that point. Maybe you're 00:25:22.579 --> 00:25:24.099 past that point. Maybe you've done the coffee. 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:26.339 Maybe you've done the dinners. Maybe you've done 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:28.480 the going out to the fringe together. Maybe you've 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:30.880 done all those things where you're really starting 00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:33.519 to sow into someone and show them that you care 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:36.099 and that you are interested in their well -being. 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:39.099 You're interested in them as a human being. Maybe 00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:41.779 you're at that. So what's the next step? What's 00:25:41.779 --> 00:25:43.759 the next seed that you can plant and begin to 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:47.059 water? Because I'll be honest with you church, 00:25:47.099 --> 00:25:50.299 we have to learn to kill apathy in this space. 00:25:53.269 --> 00:25:55.470 Apathy is probably the biggest hindrance in revival 00:25:55.470 --> 00:26:00.750 because it shows a lack of concern for the salvation 00:26:00.750 --> 00:26:03.049 of the lost and in turn for the glory of God. 00:26:04.549 --> 00:26:06.789 So I'd say the next step in this has to be that 00:26:06.789 --> 00:26:12.809 we are bold in this. We get those first stages 00:26:12.809 --> 00:26:18.430 and then what's next? How about this? I'd love 00:26:18.430 --> 00:26:20.869 to read the Bible with you if you'd be interested. 00:26:23.889 --> 00:26:25.869 Ask them if there's anything you can be praying 00:26:25.869 --> 00:26:28.609 for for them. Most people will receive that quite 00:26:28.609 --> 00:26:31.509 well, even if they're non -Christians. Shows 00:26:31.509 --> 00:26:32.849 that you care. You've already shown them you 00:26:32.849 --> 00:26:35.329 care, but it reinforces that. Maybe they're open 00:26:35.329 --> 00:26:37.190 to you praying for them. Maybe invite them to 00:26:37.190 --> 00:26:47.569 pray with you. One of my favorite things now 00:26:47.569 --> 00:26:49.210 is when I see people where somebody says, Oh, 00:26:49.210 --> 00:26:51.289 can you be praying for me? And they're actually 00:26:51.289 --> 00:26:55.099 open to that. and then people go, sure will man, 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:58.339 on my list and they walk off. If somebody asks 00:26:58.339 --> 00:27:00.400 you to pray for them, ask if they'd be okay if 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:05.559 you do it right now. Take the time, be bold. 00:27:07.900 --> 00:27:13.859 But don't you dare do nothing. Now if you're 00:27:13.859 --> 00:27:16.019 a bit confused and the question is still lingering, 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:19.700 just like text, is it my job to do the work? 00:27:20.220 --> 00:27:22.759 Or is it my job to let the Holy Spirit do the 00:27:22.759 --> 00:27:29.259 work? And the answer to that is yes. We've got 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:31.920 to do both. We've got to do it in partnership. 00:27:32.859 --> 00:27:36.960 We do it as a group. You do the deep work by 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:39.940 yourself. You do the communal work with somebody 00:27:39.940 --> 00:27:42.559 else. And then you work together with the Holy 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:48.769 Spirit to bring it all together. I don't know 00:27:48.769 --> 00:27:52.710 about you. It sounds crazy. I want a revival. 00:27:54.450 --> 00:27:57.990 I want to see generations transformed. I want 00:27:57.990 --> 00:28:00.289 to see a nation rebuilt from the ground up in 00:28:00.289 --> 00:28:04.910 God's image. I want His people drawn closer to 00:28:04.910 --> 00:28:09.549 Him than they have ever been. All I'm asking 00:28:09.549 --> 00:28:11.970 you to do to partner in that is to plant small 00:28:11.970 --> 00:28:17.339 seeds of faith to be in that. You can water them 00:28:17.339 --> 00:28:21.420 with your prayer. But then you need to be bold 00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:28.579 enough to expect a holy intervention. Jesus was 00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:31.920 willing to sacrifice everything in order to see 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:37.200 us restored to the Father. Again, Jesus still 00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:40.039 did the work. He spent years ministering, preaching, 00:28:40.420 --> 00:28:43.460 performing miracles, teaching. He didn't just 00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:47.470 kind of like sit back and be like, well... crucifixion 00:28:47.470 --> 00:28:49.450 is coming, the Holy Spirit will take over from 00:28:49.450 --> 00:28:51.529 there, I guess I'll just not worry about it. 00:28:51.930 --> 00:28:56.450 Day after day, year after year, doing the work, 00:28:56.769 --> 00:29:01.109 bringing us closer to the Father and then leaving 00:29:01.109 --> 00:29:03.490 the Holy Spirit in His place to make sure that 00:29:03.490 --> 00:29:05.609 that connection was never lost, to ensure that 00:29:05.609 --> 00:29:12.390 we always had access. He spent His time here 00:29:12.390 --> 00:29:15.849 on earth planting and watering and planting and 00:29:15.849 --> 00:29:20.250 watering and expecting those plants to grow. 00:29:22.289 --> 00:29:28.730 All for us and all on our behalf. We cannot take 00:29:28.730 --> 00:29:31.089 that for granted and we cannot keep it to ourselves. 00:29:34.009 --> 00:29:36.349 Thanks so much for tuning into this week's message. 00:29:37.009 --> 00:29:40.089 If you felt challenged or need prayer, we'd love 00:29:40.089 --> 00:29:42.509 to hear from you on Instagram at encounterhemmy. 00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:45.440 or if you're interested in how you can support 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:49.420 this ministry, please go to our website encounteradelaide 00:29:49.420 --> 00:29:53.579 .com .au Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:29:53.579 --> 00:29:53.920 you.