WEBVTT 00:00:09.940 --> 00:00:12.679 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.679 --> 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 --> 00:00:20.839 you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:24.379 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:29.460 message from our preaching team. Thank you for 00:00:29.460 --> 00:00:33.909 bringing your gifts and your Braille Bible. That 00:00:33.909 --> 00:00:40.109 was awesome. Let's pray. Holy Spirit, we want 00:00:40.109 --> 00:00:42.729 to be a Bible -fed and Spirit -led church here. 00:00:43.229 --> 00:00:45.210 And we need you to do that, Lord. So we pray 00:00:45.210 --> 00:00:47.850 that you would just come and feed us by your 00:00:47.850 --> 00:00:50.270 word and lead us by your Spirit. And we just 00:00:50.270 --> 00:00:52.229 pray, Lord, that you would do your work here 00:00:52.229 --> 00:00:56.829 today. In your name we pray. Amen. Amen. If you 00:00:56.829 --> 00:00:58.630 don't know me, I'm Tim. I'm one of the pastors 00:00:58.630 --> 00:01:01.950 here. Approximately 40 years ago, I was not alive 00:01:01.950 --> 00:01:13.290 then. A 16 year old was invited to fish and chips 00:01:13.290 --> 00:01:17.290 at Henley Beach by a friend at school and he 00:01:17.290 --> 00:01:20.790 accepted and because the girls were pretty when 00:01:20.790 --> 00:01:22.930 they said we are going back to church to have 00:01:22.930 --> 00:01:24.930 a prayer meeting before the service would you 00:01:24.930 --> 00:01:28.769 like to come he said yes. So a young man who'd 00:01:28.769 --> 00:01:31.900 never been inside a church before never even 00:01:31.900 --> 00:01:34.319 considered Christianity at all, had no family 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:36.959 history of faith, no context for any that went 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:38.799 wrong to what he would describe as the weirdest 00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:41.540 experience of his life, which is a circle of 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:44.159 women and men just absolutely going for it in 00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:47.620 prayer. But he came back. Maybe he came back 00:01:47.620 --> 00:01:49.560 because the girls were pretty, but he decided 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.879 within himself that if anyone pushed him to become 00:01:51.879 --> 00:01:54.920 a Christian, he was out of there. But no one 00:01:54.920 --> 00:01:57.780 did. And three months later, he had a moment 00:01:57.780 --> 00:01:59.719 of clarity and a conversation with God and he 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:03.409 came to a realization. that the reality with 00:02:03.409 --> 00:02:05.790 the Christian God at its center was more logical 00:02:05.790 --> 00:02:08.469 than any other reality he'd come across. And 00:02:08.469 --> 00:02:12.150 a few days later, someone asked him, what are 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:15.050 you going to do about this Jesus? And there and 00:02:15.050 --> 00:02:17.729 then he committed his life to become a Christian 00:02:17.729 --> 00:02:20.069 and a follower of Jesus. And it all started with 00:02:20.069 --> 00:02:22.930 fish and chips at Henley Beach. Now that 16 -year 00:02:22.930 --> 00:02:27.909 -old was my dad and Steph's dad as well. His 00:02:27.909 --> 00:02:30.680 conversion, he's coming to faith. in Jesus radically 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:32.939 changed the trajectory of the Littleford family. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:36.479 Both my both our parents came to faith as teenagers 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:38.099 and without both of them having an encounter 00:02:38.099 --> 00:02:41.060 with Jesus in the western suburbs of Adelaide 00:02:41.060 --> 00:02:44.400 neither Steph or I would probably be here. You 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:46.759 might wonder why in hosting every week we say 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.419 encounter Henley exists to see every person from 00:02:49.419 --> 00:02:51.479 city to beach have an encounter with Jesus that 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:54.240 changes their lives. It's not just a good saying 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:58.539 that we like it is the story of our family. Our 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:01.319 parents lived from city to beach and our parents 00:03:01.319 --> 00:03:03.379 had an encounter with Jesus and that encounter 00:03:03.379 --> 00:03:08.340 changed their lives and our lives And since Jesus 00:03:08.340 --> 00:03:10.719 ascended to heaven and the church was born God 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:14.020 through spirit has done this this exact thing 00:03:14.020 --> 00:03:17.740 is Doing this and will continue to do this which 00:03:17.740 --> 00:03:19.819 is reconciling people back to himself through 00:03:19.819 --> 00:03:22.599 Jesus Bringing people who are not even considering 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:27.460 faith Have no context for faith into relationship 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:32.800 with himself. God is as we say on a mission and 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:34.860 this is clear from the scriptures and from church 00:03:34.860 --> 00:03:37.280 history in every place and every time and every 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:41.120 culture. God has done this. God has brought people 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:44.319 to faith in him and in those times and places 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:46.900 where the powers that be have most strongly tried 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:50.460 to crush and oppose faith are the times when 00:03:50.460 --> 00:03:53.400 God seems to bring an abundant harvest of souls 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:56.819 into saving faith with him. This is something 00:03:56.819 --> 00:03:59.979 that happens. But to see people have an encounter 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:02.360 with Jesus that changes everything for them is 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:04.759 probably the thing that most of us want more 00:04:04.759 --> 00:04:06.680 than anything, would give anything for, for certain 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:09.099 people in our lives, those that we love, so that 00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:11.099 they would know the love, peace and resilience 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:14.699 that comes with faith. And yet it's the thing 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:19.079 we're least in control of. In encounter we talk 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:21.160 about having plus ones, those people that we 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:23.199 are in our lives that we're earnestly praying 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:27.250 for them to come into God's family. But our control 00:04:27.250 --> 00:04:29.629 over whether they come to faith or not is is 00:04:29.629 --> 00:04:33.389 pretty much next to nothing We can share faith 00:04:33.389 --> 00:04:35.769 with them we can pray for them, but we can't 00:04:35.769 --> 00:04:38.990 make anyone find faith in Jesus We can't force 00:04:38.990 --> 00:04:42.970 anyone and as tempting as surprise baptisms are 00:04:42.970 --> 00:04:47.490 I'm not sure they're that helpful So, how do 00:04:47.490 --> 00:04:50.970 we make sense of this God is on a mission to 00:04:50.970 --> 00:04:54.100 reconcile all people back to himself And we don't 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:57.560 really have control over it. But do we still 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:01.980 have some part to play? This month is mission 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:04.839 month for us. And over the next two weeks, we're 00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:08.800 going to have compassion come and open doors. 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:11.319 And both of them are great international justice 00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:13.600 ministries. They're trying to, in some ways and 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:17.459 in some places, put the world right. But I wanted 00:05:17.459 --> 00:05:19.959 to start mission month this week, not with the 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:24.410 global, but with the local. with us. What is 00:05:24.410 --> 00:05:26.949 our mission as followers of Jesus and as a church? 00:05:27.990 --> 00:05:29.910 Now we use mission. If you're around church for 00:05:29.910 --> 00:05:31.850 a while, we use the word mission a lot in the 00:05:31.850 --> 00:05:33.829 church, but it's also used a lot in the business 00:05:33.829 --> 00:05:38.930 world. This is my favorite outdoorsy brand, Zirali, 00:05:39.089 --> 00:05:42.069 which my Zirali drink bottle is down there. This 00:05:42.069 --> 00:05:45.649 is their mission. We're on a mission to renew 00:05:45.649 --> 00:05:47.910 the human spirit through time spent in nature. 00:05:48.410 --> 00:05:51.879 How good. There's a sense that mission is like 00:05:51.879 --> 00:05:55.279 a kind of higher purpose that drives action Mission 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:57.839 is a kind of higher level purpose that drives 00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:00.899 action and having a mission is great for your 00:06:00.899 --> 00:06:03.879 business Because if you like me and I think that 00:06:03.879 --> 00:06:05.779 the human spirit is renewed through spending 00:06:05.779 --> 00:06:07.519 time in nature and we spend way too much time 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:10.759 on our screens and in concrete jungles Then you 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:13.100 align with their mission which I do and then 00:06:13.100 --> 00:06:14.839 you get sucked into buying all their stuff, which 00:06:14.839 --> 00:06:20.839 I have But what does mission mean theologically? 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:25.480 What does it mean in terms of God? Well, we want 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:28.040 to be like a meat and three veg kind of church, 00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:31.399 right? So let's briefly unpack a theology of 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:34.639 mission. David Bosch just defines it as this. 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:38.259 Mission is alerting people to the universal reign 00:06:38.259 --> 00:06:42.100 of God through Christ. This is our higher level 00:06:42.100 --> 00:06:45.769 purpose that drives our action. This is the mission 00:06:45.769 --> 00:06:48.209 that every single person who has had faith in 00:06:48.209 --> 00:06:51.370 Jesus since the church was born has had. And 00:06:51.370 --> 00:06:54.509 this is our mission if we have faith in Jesus. 00:06:55.350 --> 00:06:58.730 Jesus is Lord of all. He reigns across space 00:06:58.730 --> 00:07:01.990 and time and people need to know about it. They 00:07:01.990 --> 00:07:05.589 need to be alerted. Now how do you alert someone 00:07:05.589 --> 00:07:09.449 to something? There's two key ways through proclamation 00:07:09.449 --> 00:07:12.910 and demonstration. I wondered, where were you 00:07:12.910 --> 00:07:16.689 when the Oz Alert went off? I was in my office. 00:07:16.889 --> 00:07:21.209 Do you know what the Oz Alert was? No? I was 00:07:21.209 --> 00:07:23.370 in my office. I'd forgotten about it. I forgot 00:07:23.370 --> 00:07:25.029 it was going to happen and it scared the poop 00:07:25.029 --> 00:07:29.910 out of me. Oz Alert was a proclamation, a very 00:07:29.910 --> 00:07:32.009 loud and off -putting one, that, hey, guys, we 00:07:32.009 --> 00:07:34.470 have a new national emergency warning system, 00:07:35.089 --> 00:07:39.629 as you can see and hear. The government alerted 00:07:39.629 --> 00:07:42.370 us to this fact. They proclaimed it. But there's 00:07:42.370 --> 00:07:43.949 another way to alert someone to something, and 00:07:43.949 --> 00:07:47.050 that's to demonstrate it. We can alert someone 00:07:47.050 --> 00:07:50.350 to a reality by living in such a way that shows 00:07:50.350 --> 00:07:53.610 that it's true. And that would have been clear 00:07:53.610 --> 00:07:57.009 to those who didn't get an Oz alert, but the 00:07:57.009 --> 00:07:59.850 reality of it was demonstrated by everyone else 00:07:59.850 --> 00:08:02.889 in your office or their office pooping their 00:08:02.889 --> 00:08:07.600 pants because they were so shocked. by this Oz 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:10.459 alert. And the sheer sense of FOMO they would 00:08:10.459 --> 00:08:15.240 have felt to have missed out on it. Mission is 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:18.199 alerting people to the fact that Jesus is Lord 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:22.399 of all. And we do that by proclaiming it, by 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:24.759 talking about it, by writing about it, by sharing 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:27.980 about it, by speaking out your own story of faith, 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:31.060 by telling your own biography of your faith. 00:08:32.139 --> 00:08:34.279 By doing as the scriptures say always being ready 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:37.600 to give an account of the hope that we have But 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:41.419 we also do that by demonstrating it By living 00:08:41.419 --> 00:08:43.419 and acting in such a way that it shows that it 00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:46.620 is true By allowing the fruit of the Spirit to 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:49.779 come out of your life love joy peace patience 00:08:49.779 --> 00:08:53.039 kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and 00:08:53.039 --> 00:08:56.399 self -control By working to put the world right 00:08:56.399 --> 00:08:58.899 through compassion meeting the other needs the 00:08:58.899 --> 00:09:00.820 needs of others giving of yourself and working 00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:03.059 for justice. Those are ways that we can alert 00:09:03.059 --> 00:09:06.120 people to the reality that Jesus is Lord of all. 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:10.200 Proclaiming it and demonstrating it. Speaking 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:13.580 it out and living it out. Now there's a popular 00:09:13.580 --> 00:09:16.620 quote which is attributed to Saint Francis of 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:18.919 Assisi. You may have heard of it, you may love 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:21.659 it, I'm sorry if you do. It says preach the gospel 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:26.100 at all times and if necessary use words. I'm 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:29.909 sorry but Saint Francis never said that. And 00:09:29.909 --> 00:09:34.149 I think it's wrong, right? Because not only do 00:09:34.149 --> 00:09:36.370 I think it's wrong, I think it's been used as 00:09:36.370 --> 00:09:39.169 an excuse. It's become an excuse not to proclaim 00:09:39.169 --> 00:09:41.490 the gospel with words. Because I'm living it 00:09:41.490 --> 00:09:46.110 out. Here's the thing, true mission is neither 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:50.309 one or the other. It's not either proclamation 00:09:50.309 --> 00:09:54.950 or demonstration. It's both and. It's both proclamation 00:09:54.950 --> 00:09:57.129 and demonstration. Here's what happens if you're 00:09:57.129 --> 00:09:59.529 only doing one over the other. If you speak out 00:09:59.529 --> 00:10:01.230 that Jesus is Lord, but you don't live in such 00:10:01.230 --> 00:10:03.269 a way that shows that it's true, then you're 00:10:03.269 --> 00:10:06.309 just everyone's favourite stereotypical hypocritical 00:10:06.309 --> 00:10:09.710 Christian, whose words do not align with their 00:10:09.710 --> 00:10:15.289 actions. But if we live out in such a way that 00:10:15.289 --> 00:10:16.929 shows that Jesus is Lord of all, you know, we're 00:10:16.929 --> 00:10:18.710 loving and we're kind and we seek to put things 00:10:18.710 --> 00:10:20.370 right in the world and we work for justice, but 00:10:20.370 --> 00:10:23.480 we never proclaim with words. that we live this 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:26.039 way because Jesus is Lord of all. Then we become 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:28.279 everyone's favorite volunteer social worker and 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:32.019 basically good person. Everyone will think that 00:10:32.019 --> 00:10:35.220 you're incredible because you're incredible and 00:10:35.220 --> 00:10:37.000 not because Jesus has done something incredible 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:39.480 in your life. And those around you, they'll get 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:42.279 a glimpse of the kingdom of God because it's 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:45.179 pouring out of your life and that might make 00:10:45.179 --> 00:10:47.639 us feel good but those people will never get 00:10:47.639 --> 00:10:50.370 to hear about the king. And it's only through 00:10:50.370 --> 00:10:52.330 the king does anyone have access to the kingdom 00:10:52.330 --> 00:10:56.750 in its full. Romans 10 says, for everyone who 00:10:56.750 --> 00:10:58.529 calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 00:10:59.250 --> 00:11:01.830 But how can they call on him to save them unless 00:11:01.830 --> 00:11:04.230 they believe in him? And how can they believe 00:11:04.230 --> 00:11:06.789 in him if they've never even heard about him? 00:11:07.029 --> 00:11:09.230 And how can they hear about him unless someone 00:11:09.230 --> 00:11:15.029 tells them? True mission is speaking it out and 00:11:15.029 --> 00:11:18.539 living it out intricately held together. As mission 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:20.399 with integrity, it's the way that mission should 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:25.460 be. But hang on. That kind of definition of mission 00:11:25.460 --> 00:11:27.460 seems to make it seem like we're in control of 00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:31.759 this. But we know that we're really not. Well, 00:11:31.820 --> 00:11:34.120 human beings, we love cause and effect, right? 00:11:34.220 --> 00:11:35.700 We love knowing that we can put something in 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:37.519 the microwave, push a button, and it will come 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:40.240 out hot. And I think this is why we struggle 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:43.320 with the idea of mission sometimes. The cause, 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:45.899 the action that we take, does not reliably and 00:11:45.899 --> 00:11:49.799 always produce... produce the effect, the result 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:52.879 we think should happen. And this is the way I 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:55.440 think we need to think about it. The idea of 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:58.840 mission is speaking out and living out the reality 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:02.059 of Jesus is Lord of all, is the cause that we 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:03.940 can and must take. This is the action that we 00:12:03.940 --> 00:12:06.879 are in control of. We are control of how we live 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:11.000 our lives and what we say. But the effect that 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:13.580 is in God's hands, the result, whether someone 00:12:13.580 --> 00:12:15.720 comes to faith or Jesus or not, and we have to 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:18.730 be okay with that. The action is in our hands, 00:12:18.730 --> 00:12:21.649 but the result of the action isn't and that's 00:12:21.649 --> 00:12:23.570 okay because the mission of God does not actually 00:12:23.570 --> 00:12:27.289 belong to us We are not it's not activated by 00:12:27.289 --> 00:12:30.610 us. It is God's mission and we are just participants 00:12:30.610 --> 00:12:34.169 in it We get to play our part we get to take 00:12:34.169 --> 00:12:36.029 the action of speaking it out and living it out 00:12:36.029 --> 00:12:39.190 and leave the results to God Christopher right 00:12:39.190 --> 00:12:41.210 is an Old Testament theologians explains it so 00:12:41.210 --> 00:12:44.730 by saying this don't think about it being like 00:12:44.730 --> 00:12:49.399 God's Church having a mission. Like Zirali has 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:52.139 a mission to renew the human spirit through time 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:54.779 and spend in nature. God's church doesn't have 00:12:54.779 --> 00:13:00.659 a mission. God's mission has a church. The locus, 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:03.600 the responsibility for the mission is in God, 00:13:04.100 --> 00:13:07.820 not in us. It's not our mission for God like 00:13:07.820 --> 00:13:11.200 some kind of crusade. It's God's mission with 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:14.649 us. We're not the protagonist of this story, 00:13:14.649 --> 00:13:19.429 God is. And the church is God's strategy to fulfill 00:13:19.429 --> 00:13:23.350 his mission. The church, just a ragtag group 00:13:23.350 --> 00:13:25.970 of ordinary people, living ordinary lives with 00:13:25.970 --> 00:13:28.289 families and jobs and flaws and wounds and vulnerabilities. 00:13:29.990 --> 00:13:33.169 Ordinary everyday people, but with an extraordinary 00:13:33.169 --> 00:13:36.350 opportunity to participate in what God is doing 00:13:36.350 --> 00:13:38.929 in the world. This is the way it's always been. 00:13:39.659 --> 00:13:42.139 Now in terms of a strategic plan on God's end 00:13:42.139 --> 00:13:44.659 you you probably couldn't rely on less reliable 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:47.659 people than Christians like Christians through 00:13:47.659 --> 00:13:52.159 history and Today have been just disappointing 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:55.700 to say the least in so many ways Christians have 00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:58.240 been so deeply unhelpful to the mission of God 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:04.039 and I'm like first in that category and Yet somehow 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:06.620 God continues to bring people to faith and always 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:09.840 has Somehow people are alerted to the fact that 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:12.759 Jesus reigns over all. And God does this through 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:16.220 the imperfect, anxious, half -baked demonstration 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:19.559 and proclamation of ordinary Christians. Isn't 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:24.100 this great? Through invitations to Hanley Beach 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:28.519 for fish and chips. Our best friend, Leslie Newbegan, 00:14:28.580 --> 00:14:29.879 he's our best friend because I quote him all 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:33.100 the time, says that actually this makes perfect 00:14:33.100 --> 00:14:36.600 sense. How is it possible, he says, that the 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:39.679 gospel should be credible? That people should 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:41.620 come to believe that the power which has the 00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:45.139 last word in human affairs is represented by 00:14:45.139 --> 00:14:50.620 a man hanging on a cross? The only answer is 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:54.759 a congregation of men and women who believe it 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:58.840 and live by it. How is it possible for people 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:00.840 to come to understand that a crucified Jesus 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:03.779 is Lord of all? It's a community of crucified 00:15:03.779 --> 00:15:07.700 people. A community of flawed, suffering, vulnerable 00:15:07.700 --> 00:15:10.799 people who actually believe the gospel and live 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:14.100 by it to the best of their ability. It's not 00:15:14.100 --> 00:15:17.059 our strength as a church or our polish or our 00:15:17.059 --> 00:15:19.139 social media or our budget or our public image 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:22.960 that makes the gospel credible to people. It's 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:26.259 actually our weakness. It's our authenticity. 00:15:27.700 --> 00:15:31.179 It's our faith and determination to live by and 00:15:31.179 --> 00:15:34.610 believe the gospel. despite the things that happen 00:15:34.610 --> 00:15:38.090 in our lives, in our problems, in our sufferings, 00:15:38.330 --> 00:15:41.389 in our vulnerabilities, and in our flaws. It 00:15:41.389 --> 00:15:45.210 is the crucified Christ Lordship demonstrated 00:15:45.210 --> 00:15:47.990 in the lives of ordinary, weak, broken, flawed 00:15:47.990 --> 00:15:51.169 people like you and me that makes the gospel 00:15:51.169 --> 00:15:54.830 credible to the world. It's a community of women 00:15:54.830 --> 00:15:57.649 and men who would pick up their cross and go 00:15:57.649 --> 00:16:00.090 and be crucified with Jesus. This is what makes 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:02.980 to gospel credible. Is there any wonder that 00:16:02.980 --> 00:16:06.179 Jesus says to the Apostle Paul, my power is made 00:16:06.179 --> 00:16:11.019 perfect in weakness. God's mission has a church 00:16:11.019 --> 00:16:14.679 but has a fragile church and it's always been 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:17.960 this way. Our reading which Amy did a great job 00:16:17.960 --> 00:16:20.580 of is from the missionary journeys of the Apostle 00:16:20.580 --> 00:16:24.100 Paul and Paul's journey dominates the book of 00:16:24.100 --> 00:16:26.889 Acts from his conversion in Acts chapter 9. And 00:16:26.889 --> 00:16:29.090 they're described as missionary journeys because 00:16:29.090 --> 00:16:33.470 Paul is a missionary. He is on mission. It's 00:16:33.470 --> 00:16:36.509 in the word. And his mission is to alert the 00:16:36.509 --> 00:16:39.149 Jews and Gentiles, which is a casual word for 00:16:39.149 --> 00:16:42.289 all non -Jews, to the universal reign of God 00:16:42.289 --> 00:16:45.090 through Christ. And if you read through Acts 00:16:45.090 --> 00:16:49.710 9 to 18, you see a pattern. Paul goes to a town. 00:16:49.889 --> 00:16:51.490 He starts sharing with the Jewish community. 00:16:52.379 --> 00:16:54.600 In the synagogue, he'll alert them to the fact 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:56.440 that Jesus is along the way to Messiah, the King 00:16:56.440 --> 00:17:00.000 and Lord. Some will believe and some won't. And 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:03.519 then he moves on to the Gentiles. And he will 00:17:03.519 --> 00:17:05.859 alert them to the Lordship of Jesus. And some 00:17:05.859 --> 00:17:08.400 believe and some don't. He plants a church with 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:11.099 those people. And then there is some kind of 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:13.680 uprising against him. He gets beaten up or arrested 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:16.500 or driven out. And then he moves on to the next 00:17:16.500 --> 00:17:24.420 town. That is Paul's pattern. Paul is on mission. 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:28.359 He's there speaking out about Jesus and living 00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:30.420 out Jesus' Lordship. And some believe, but some 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:32.859 just don't believe. In fact, they actively oppose 00:17:32.859 --> 00:17:36.559 him and persecute him. And notice that Paul seems 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:38.880 to be far more interested in the actions that 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:41.460 he can perform to preach the gospel than the 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:45.680 results he sees from his preaching. He controls 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:47.359 what he can control. And when they don't believe, 00:17:47.799 --> 00:17:49.619 he shakes the dust from his clothes and moves 00:17:49.619 --> 00:17:51.380 on. And that's exactly what he does here in Acts 00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:54.759 18. He arrives in Corinth, which is a major Greek 00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:58.180 city from Athens, goes to the synagogue. He does 00:17:58.180 --> 00:18:01.480 his pattern. He tries to alert the Jews to the 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:03.579 reality that Jesus is Lord and they insult him 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:05.500 and they oppose him. And so he dusts his feet 00:18:05.500 --> 00:18:09.339 and moves on. And as has always happened, Jews 00:18:09.339 --> 00:18:12.759 and Gentiles come to faith in Jesus. But something 00:18:12.759 --> 00:18:15.420 curious happens then, which is recorded in Acts 00:18:15.420 --> 00:18:18.240 18. A vision that Paul has from the Lord. The 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:21.940 Lord says to him, do not be afraid. Speak it 00:18:21.940 --> 00:18:24.539 out Don't be silent for I'm with you. No one 00:18:24.539 --> 00:18:26.400 attack you and harm you for many people in the 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:30.819 city belong to me The only reason why the Lord 00:18:30.819 --> 00:18:34.900 would say do not be afraid to Paul It's because 00:18:34.900 --> 00:18:40.079 Paul's afraid Paul's afraid You know, sometimes 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:42.539 I think we have this caricature of Paul that 00:18:42.539 --> 00:18:46.039 he's like this type a plus plus apex predator 00:18:46.039 --> 00:18:49.619 extrovert like who's just totally driven and 00:18:49.619 --> 00:18:51.920 unflappable and doesn't matter what you do he's 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:54.420 like a raging bull in a china shop he's just 00:18:54.420 --> 00:19:01.019 get out of his way but paul's afraid paul's afraid 00:19:01.019 --> 00:19:04.319 here and something like seven times before this 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:06.160 in the book of acts and this is just what's recorded 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:08.599 in acts alone we have a record of paul being 00:19:08.599 --> 00:19:10.859 opposed and insulted in his preaching has resulted 00:19:10.859 --> 00:19:14.500 in something like jail beatings or plots against 00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:17.470 his life and all other kinds of misery, seven 00:19:17.470 --> 00:19:20.329 times. And Paul is afraid that this will happen 00:19:20.329 --> 00:19:25.150 again. Paul is afraid of the consequences of 00:19:25.150 --> 00:19:28.250 speaking out. But Jesus comes to Paul in a vision 00:19:28.250 --> 00:19:31.730 and says, don't be afraid, speak out. I'm with 00:19:31.730 --> 00:19:33.829 you, no one will harm you. So many in this city 00:19:33.829 --> 00:19:38.450 belong to me. Basically, Paul, you're safe. Get 00:19:38.450 --> 00:19:42.470 to work. And I find this little interaction deeply 00:19:42.470 --> 00:19:46.460 comforting because Paul is like me. Paul is like 00:19:46.460 --> 00:19:51.539 us. Paul is afraid of the consequences of speaking 00:19:51.539 --> 00:19:55.559 out about Jesus. And this is the barrier that 00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:58.900 I think most of us have in our culture towards 00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:02.700 the idea of mission. We're mostly happy to live 00:20:02.700 --> 00:20:05.819 it out, but we are afraid of the consequences 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:07.720 of what will happen when we speak out about the 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:11.059 Lordship of Jesus. Paul is afraid of being beaten 00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:18.900 up and thrown in jail. Why are we afraid? We 00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:21.420 are not liable to be beaten and jailed and driven 00:20:21.420 --> 00:20:25.839 out of town for speaking about Christ. Why are 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:30.079 we afraid to speak out? I think we're afraid 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:33.740 because just like Paul's declaration that a crucified 00:20:33.740 --> 00:20:36.539 man was the Messiah, which is offensive to the 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:41.529 Jewish worldview, claiming that a man crucified 00:20:41.529 --> 00:20:44.509 2 ,000 years ago is alive and is Lord of all 00:20:44.509 --> 00:20:48.029 and will reign and rule over everything. That's 00:20:48.029 --> 00:20:52.369 offensive to a secular worldview. Australian 00:20:52.369 --> 00:20:54.569 theologian John Goldsworthy, he gives us four 00:20:54.569 --> 00:20:57.150 marks of secularism. They should be up on the 00:20:57.150 --> 00:20:59.670 screen. They're big words, so write them down 00:20:59.670 --> 00:21:05.470 and Google them later. Autonomous individualism. 00:21:06.809 --> 00:21:12.809 Narcissistic hedonism. reductive naturalism absolute 00:21:12.809 --> 00:21:17.569 moral relativism these are big technical words 00:21:17.569 --> 00:21:20.329 write them down Google them later but these four 00:21:20.329 --> 00:21:24.390 paint a kind of story the secular worldview is 00:21:24.390 --> 00:21:28.589 a kind of story about how life works it says 00:21:28.589 --> 00:21:33.930 you do you boo you don't need anyone else don't 00:21:33.930 --> 00:21:36.250 let anything get in the way of your dreams and 00:21:36.250 --> 00:21:40.119 your pleasure your happiness. It's all just atoms 00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:45.980 and chemicals. That's just your truth. But the 00:21:45.980 --> 00:21:48.460 Lordship of Jesus Christ tells a different, completely 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:52.059 different story. You are a highly dependent relational 00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:55.220 creature, unique community. You are most alive 00:21:55.220 --> 00:21:56.759 when you don't live for yourself but you give 00:21:56.759 --> 00:21:59.920 yourself away in love to others. The universe 00:21:59.920 --> 00:22:02.519 isn't just atoms but it's laced with beauty and 00:22:02.519 --> 00:22:05.960 meaning and praise to God. And that Jesus is 00:22:05.960 --> 00:22:08.440 the way, the truth, and the life, the only way. 00:22:10.579 --> 00:22:13.420 The Lordship of Jesus is in so many ways opposed 00:22:13.420 --> 00:22:16.660 to the secular worldview. In a culture that says 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:19.619 that every truth is valid, articulating a worldview 00:22:19.619 --> 00:22:23.140 that says that the story about Jesus is actually 00:22:23.140 --> 00:22:25.740 the true story of the universe. And therefore, 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:27.619 if this story is true, then everyone else's is 00:22:27.619 --> 00:22:30.240 wrong. It feels like we're being offensive, or 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:33.140 we risk being offensive. And we love people. 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:37.140 and we don't want to offend them. So what do 00:22:37.140 --> 00:22:40.779 we do? Well our best friend Leslie Newbegin, 00:22:41.559 --> 00:22:44.700 he's our bestie, he says that even though we 00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:47.740 may hold this story about Jesus to be true personally, 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:49.940 which is what we're encouraging our culture, 00:22:49.980 --> 00:22:51.839 this is your personal, that's your personal, 00:22:51.940 --> 00:22:55.420 that's what you believe, we hold it with universe, 00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:57.559 we hold this story to be true with universal 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:01.779 intent, which means we hold Jesus to be as Lord 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:05.359 to be true for everyone universally regardless 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:07.920 of whether they agree or believe. It's true for 00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:11.660 everyone or it's not at all. And this is the 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:15.119 test of our faith Leslie says in this story about 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:17.299 Jesus and our willingness to publish our belief 00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:20.940 about it. He says we believe that the truth of 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:23.839 the human story has been disclosed in the events 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:26.890 which form the substance of the gospel. We believe 00:23:26.890 --> 00:23:29.190 therefore that these events are the real clue 00:23:29.190 --> 00:23:32.609 to the story of every human person. For every 00:23:32.609 --> 00:23:34.569 human life is a part of the whole human story 00:23:34.569 --> 00:23:37.789 and cannot be understood apart from that story. 00:23:38.990 --> 00:23:41.329 So it follows that the test of our real belief 00:23:41.329 --> 00:23:45.849 is our readiness to share with all peoples. Publishing 00:23:45.849 --> 00:23:49.849 is a great word. When you publish something, 00:23:50.130 --> 00:23:51.809 I imagine, because I've never published anything, 00:23:51.970 --> 00:23:54.849 but you're putting yourself out there, right? 00:23:55.509 --> 00:23:57.329 You're writing down your thoughts about something, 00:23:57.470 --> 00:24:00.910 your opinion. You put your work into concrete 00:24:00.910 --> 00:24:04.569 and shareable terms. And the very act of publishing 00:24:04.569 --> 00:24:08.009 something invites others to engage with it, wrestle 00:24:08.009 --> 00:24:11.190 with it, accept it or reject it, critique it. 00:24:11.869 --> 00:24:13.750 In publishing what you believe, you're putting 00:24:13.750 --> 00:24:17.410 what you believe out there in concrete and shareable 00:24:17.410 --> 00:24:22.869 terms. I am a Christian because I believe Jesus 00:24:22.869 --> 00:24:27.920 is Lord because. inviting everyone, others, to 00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:33.140 accept or reject. But publishing is a hugely 00:24:33.140 --> 00:24:36.539 vulnerable thing to do, precisely because it 00:24:36.539 --> 00:24:39.799 opens you up to both acceptance and rejection, 00:24:40.539 --> 00:24:47.000 to praise and to criticism. And I think that 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:51.059 is what we are most afraid of. What if I say 00:24:51.059 --> 00:24:54.779 the wrong thing? What if I tell my best friend 00:24:54.779 --> 00:24:56.740 the truth about what I believe about Jesus and 00:24:56.740 --> 00:25:00.420 they reject me? What if I write an Instagram 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:02.220 post about what Jesus done in my life and someone 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:07.000 calls me an idiot? What if and we end up like 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:10.079 Marty McFly's dad from back to the future He 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:11.920 never publishes his work because he doesn't think 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:17.160 he could take that kind of rejection Publishing 00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:19.759 is a great word because it runs down the highway 00:25:20.309 --> 00:25:24.250 of the secular mainframe of ideas. We live in 00:25:24.250 --> 00:25:26.930 a culture of a multitude of truths, many mutually 00:25:26.930 --> 00:25:29.049 exclusive, all held together in this melting 00:25:29.049 --> 00:25:31.349 pot we call pluralism. You can write that down 00:25:31.349 --> 00:25:33.849 and Google it later. It's a melting pot of ideas 00:25:33.849 --> 00:25:37.809 about the true story of the world. Every religion 00:25:37.809 --> 00:25:42.730 in our culture has its own ultimate story. Atheism 00:25:42.730 --> 00:25:45.089 has its own story. Agnosticism has its own story. 00:25:45.630 --> 00:25:47.950 Just being a good person is an ultimate story 00:25:47.950 --> 00:25:50.519 about the universe. You can even make up your 00:25:50.519 --> 00:25:53.579 own. And in the midst of all these stories, you 00:25:53.579 --> 00:25:56.460 as a Christian, if you are, you can publish yours. 00:25:57.759 --> 00:26:01.579 You can publish the story of your faith. I had 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:03.319 an encounter with Jesus that changed my life. 00:26:04.180 --> 00:26:06.319 I believe he is Lord of all. What do you think? 00:26:07.619 --> 00:26:11.980 What's your story? No secular person I think 00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:13.779 will find this conversation offensive. In fact, 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:15.460 I think they'll just find you very fascinating. 00:26:17.299 --> 00:26:20.000 But here's why the conversation is so important. 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:22.380 Here's why we must be courageous enough to speak 00:26:22.380 --> 00:26:27.579 out. The secular story is failing. It is failing. 00:26:28.579 --> 00:26:32.299 It's failing them. It's failing those who hold 00:26:32.299 --> 00:26:35.559 into it because it appears to be solid, but it's 00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:38.619 actually hollow at the core. It promises things 00:26:38.619 --> 00:26:41.900 it can never deliver on. You know, there's four 00:26:41.900 --> 00:26:44.259 marks of secularism, autonomous individualism. 00:26:44.380 --> 00:26:49.700 We're in a loneliness epidemic. narcissistic 00:26:49.700 --> 00:26:52.180 hedonism, we're probably the most dedicated and 00:26:52.180 --> 00:26:57.240 depressed culture ever. Reductive naturalism, 00:26:57.519 --> 00:26:59.259 I don't think anyone really believes that anymore. 00:27:00.539 --> 00:27:03.299 An absolute moral relativism, we're finding out 00:27:03.299 --> 00:27:04.880 in so many different ways that that actually 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:09.559 doesn't work in reality. The secular story is 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:12.259 leaving a trail of devastation of the people 00:27:12.259 --> 00:27:14.660 who believe it in our society and in our children. 00:27:15.450 --> 00:27:17.869 But the Lordship of Jesus tells a better story. 00:27:19.109 --> 00:27:21.809 It's a better story because it is the truth story 00:27:21.809 --> 00:27:26.710 on publishing my belief. And you are a part of 00:27:26.710 --> 00:27:28.829 that better story if you have faith in Jesus. 00:27:29.809 --> 00:27:31.809 What would happen if you published what you believe 00:27:31.809 --> 00:27:36.710 to those around you? But maybe for you, you wouldn't 00:27:36.710 --> 00:27:38.809 say that I believe in Jesus or I've had an encounter 00:27:38.809 --> 00:27:41.609 with him. But I want to say to you, if that's 00:27:41.609 --> 00:27:44.130 you, if you're... If you're here, it's because 00:27:44.130 --> 00:27:48.190 God is drawing you towards Himself. Through the 00:27:48.190 --> 00:27:49.829 things that you hear and the people that come 00:27:49.829 --> 00:27:51.609 into your life, through the tugging of your heart 00:27:51.609 --> 00:27:54.549 for a better story. God is always doing this. 00:27:54.589 --> 00:27:58.430 He is always inviting people into a better story, 00:27:59.329 --> 00:28:02.630 into the true story. My question for you, if 00:28:02.630 --> 00:28:03.950 that's you, is what are you going to do about 00:28:03.950 --> 00:28:13.880 it? What will you do with it? Josh, can you get 00:28:13.880 --> 00:28:19.960 on the piano? God has a mission and He has invited 00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:25.039 you to participate in it. To be an ordinary person 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:29.779 caught up in an extraordinary purpose. But there 00:28:29.779 --> 00:28:33.500 is an entry price to participate in the mission 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:37.519 of God. Do you want to know what it is? The entry 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:44.559 price is courage. Courage. Paul had courage. 00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:47.640 He had the courage to keep speaking out even 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:50.440 though he knew he'd probably get bashed for it. 00:28:50.599 --> 00:28:55.559 Thrown in jail, thrown out of town. Every person 00:28:55.559 --> 00:28:57.000 who has ever played a part in the mission of 00:28:57.000 --> 00:29:00.740 God did so with courage. The courage to speak 00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:02.799 out, the courage to demonstrate the reality of 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:06.119 Jesus' Lordship. I want to play a video for you 00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:09.180 and I really hope it works. It's from Diary of 00:29:09.180 --> 00:29:11.940 a CEO, which is one of the most popular podcasts 00:29:11.940 --> 00:29:15.039 on the planet right now. That's an interview 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:20.279 with Professor John Lennox, who is a mathematician. 00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:22.900 You should just be able to click on it, it should 00:29:22.900 --> 00:29:35.460 work. It should be embedded, sure. All right, 00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:38.779 basically what he says, he... John Lennox is 00:29:38.779 --> 00:29:41.039 a mathematician and he went on and he's also 00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:43.440 an apologist So they're talking about a lot of 00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:45.700 different faiths and he ends the interview Stephen 00:29:45.700 --> 00:29:51.859 who's The guy who hosts he says look The most 00:29:51.859 --> 00:29:54.059 compelling argument for faith in Jesus Christ 00:29:54.059 --> 00:29:57.339 isn't anything that you've said It's not anything 00:29:57.339 --> 00:30:01.059 that you've articulated The most compelling argument 00:30:01.059 --> 00:30:03.000 for the Christian faith is not what you've said. 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:07.519 It's actually you You have a piece Every Christian 00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:10.000 I've had on this show they have something that 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:12.720 stands out that I haven't seen anywhere else. 00:30:13.259 --> 00:30:16.220 The most compelling argument is actually you. 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:20.859 And that's the same for you, friends. The most 00:30:20.859 --> 00:30:22.380 compelling argument for the Christian faith is 00:30:22.380 --> 00:30:24.900 not the words you have to say, it's not how articulate 00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:26.799 you are about the gospel, it's actually just 00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:31.140 you. Authentically living it out and being willing 00:30:31.140 --> 00:30:34.700 to speak out about it. So I want to give you 00:30:34.700 --> 00:30:37.640 some Henley homework. It's back. Everyone's favorite 00:30:37.640 --> 00:30:41.720 sermon segment. Your Hanley homework is find 00:30:41.720 --> 00:30:44.960 one way that you can publish your faith to those 00:30:44.960 --> 00:30:48.440 around you this week. Just one. It doesn't have 00:30:48.440 --> 00:30:52.660 to be big. Just put it out there. See what happens. 00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:57.920 Courage is the price of entry. And we have no 00:30:57.920 --> 00:30:59.940 greater model of courage in the mission of God 00:30:59.940 --> 00:31:04.150 than Jesus Christ. Facing down. the fear of what 00:31:04.150 --> 00:31:06.250 was to come and yet stepping forward into God's 00:31:06.250 --> 00:31:09.809 mission with courage and trust. We have no greater 00:31:09.809 --> 00:31:12.490 moral than Jesus Christ allowing himself to be 00:31:12.490 --> 00:31:15.849 crucified enduring its pain and its shame so 00:31:15.849 --> 00:31:19.089 that we can be reconciled to God forever. Jesus 00:31:19.089 --> 00:31:22.369 courageously went to the cross to save us. There 00:31:22.369 --> 00:31:25.410 is no greater model of courage than Jesus Christ 00:31:25.410 --> 00:31:28.450 on the cross doing for us what friends we could 00:31:28.450 --> 00:31:32.700 not do for ourselves. You think Jesus felt no 00:31:32.700 --> 00:31:38.720 fear about being nailed to a tree? And yet he 00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:42.519 chose to do it anyway. You think Paul felt no 00:31:42.519 --> 00:31:44.900 fear facing down mobs and jails and beatings 00:31:44.900 --> 00:31:48.740 and attempts on his life? He was afraid. And 00:31:48.740 --> 00:31:51.440 yet he chose to do it anyway. Courage is not 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:53.839 an absence of fear, but choosing to do something 00:31:53.839 --> 00:31:57.920 that frightens you. I wonder friends, what are 00:31:57.920 --> 00:32:03.509 you really afraid of today? I can almost guarantee 00:32:03.509 --> 00:32:07.450 that a 16 year old boy named Cameron felt some 00:32:07.450 --> 00:32:10.650 fear inviting a massive six foot six teenager 00:32:10.650 --> 00:32:13.710 whose love language is making fun of you. Which 00:32:13.710 --> 00:32:18.650 is my dad. To come back for a prayer meeting 00:32:18.650 --> 00:32:22.509 at church? Imagine the content that he was handing 00:32:22.509 --> 00:32:28.150 him on a platter. But this guy who I've never 00:32:28.150 --> 00:32:31.980 met, he felt the fear and he did it anyway. and 00:32:31.980 --> 00:32:34.940 it changed the whole trajectory of my family. 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:40.240 Friends, I wonder if you'd be willing to stand. 00:32:45.240 --> 00:32:47.619 And I want you to close your eyes if you're willing 00:32:47.619 --> 00:32:50.680 and put your hands out in front of you. And to 00:32:50.680 --> 00:32:54.079 finish today, I just want to invite you to close 00:32:54.079 --> 00:33:00.140 your eyes. And we're going to confess our fear 00:33:00.140 --> 00:33:08.220 to the Lord if you're willing to do this. And 00:33:08.220 --> 00:33:10.519 so for those of you in the room, if you're like 00:33:10.519 --> 00:33:15.200 me and you have to say, God, I confess I'm afraid 00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:18.200 and that is why I struggled to speak out. I want 00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:20.339 you to lift up my hand. I'll put my hand up first. 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:24.880 God, I confess I'm afraid and that is why I struggled 00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:29.509 to speak out. If that's you. If you want to ask 00:33:29.509 --> 00:33:31.049 God for courage today, I just invite you to lift 00:33:31.049 --> 00:33:37.210 your hand. I want to pray for you. Lord Jesus, 00:33:37.250 --> 00:33:41.170 we confess that we have been afraid. We confess 00:33:41.170 --> 00:33:46.049 Lord Jesus that we have put our fear in the way, 00:33:47.269 --> 00:33:49.329 that we have thought more of what is the impact 00:33:49.329 --> 00:33:51.990 is going to be on us than on those that we can 00:33:51.990 --> 00:33:55.670 share the good news with. Let's go. We say we're 00:33:55.670 --> 00:33:59.740 sorry. And we say Lord, please drive fear out 00:33:59.740 --> 00:34:01.900 of our life We know perfect love drives out fear 00:34:01.900 --> 00:34:04.460 fill our hearts with your love so that the fear 00:34:04.460 --> 00:34:07.819 may go Lord give us courage Even when the fear 00:34:07.819 --> 00:34:11.860 is there to speak out For we're surrounded by 00:34:11.860 --> 00:34:15.519 women and men whose story about the world is 00:34:15.519 --> 00:34:21.579 failing them And we have a better story So come 00:34:21.579 --> 00:34:23.440 Lord Jesus for every person who have put their 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:24.960 hand up physically or they've put their hand 00:34:24.960 --> 00:34:27.579 up in their heart Lord fill them with your Holy 00:34:27.579 --> 00:34:31.239 Spirit fresh in in you. Fill them to overflow 00:34:31.239 --> 00:34:34.780 Lord with their life flow from their belief in 00:34:34.780 --> 00:34:37.159 you and from their willingness to live it out 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:40.500 Lord. We pray that and I ask that many people 00:34:40.500 --> 00:34:43.059 would come to faith in you through the women 00:34:43.059 --> 00:34:46.199 and men that are standing here today. That the 00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:48.659 churches of Adelaide would be filled with women 00:34:48.659 --> 00:34:53.039 and men who have heard about Jesus through the 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:55.969 lips of these people in this room. who have seen 00:34:55.969 --> 00:34:58.769 with their eyes what a life abandoned, surrendered 00:34:58.769 --> 00:35:02.250 to you looks like. And we pray for every person 00:35:02.250 --> 00:35:04.329 that they've heard the gospel or they've heard 00:35:04.329 --> 00:35:06.110 about the kingdom or they've seen it with their 00:35:06.110 --> 00:35:08.110 eyes, Lord, that they would come and meet you, 00:35:08.110 --> 00:35:10.650 the King, and that they would bow their knee 00:35:10.650 --> 00:35:13.570 to you, and that they would find life and life 00:35:13.570 --> 00:35:16.610 to the full in you, Jesus. We pray this in your 00:35:16.610 --> 00:35:22.150 name. Amen. Friends, let's continue singing and 00:35:22.150 --> 00:35:25.380 giving our praise to God. the One who has come 00:35:25.380 --> 00:35:33.000 for us. Thanks so much for tuning into this week's 00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:36.219 message. If you felt challenged or need prayer, 00:35:36.780 --> 00:35:39.500 we'd love to hear from you on Instagram at encounterhenley. 00:35:40.199 --> 00:35:42.440 Or if you're interested in how you can support 00:35:42.440 --> 00:35:46.500 this ministry, please go to our website encounteradelaide 00:35:46.500 --> 00:35:50.559 .com .au Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:35:50.559 --> 00:35:50.960 you.