WEBVTT 00:00:23.980 --> 00:00:31.120 Wonderful to be with you. Isn't it great? I like 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:35.799 being here. So there should be a PowerPoint coming. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:39.600 As many of you know, I've had a tradition of 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:44.039 many years. And I know that you're not so interested 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:45.920 in seeing me. You're interested in seeing the 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:49.320 family. So those of you who weren't here yesterday, 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:53.810 that's... My wonderful girl with her husband. 00:00:54.070 --> 00:00:57.369 They're now in Melbourne, in Sydney. Those are 00:00:57.369 --> 00:01:02.250 the three grandchildren. Three. Look, that's 00:01:02.250 --> 00:01:05.090 little Cooper. I come from Oxford, so we like 00:01:05.090 --> 00:01:09.030 having a mini Cooper in the family. Next one. 00:01:09.609 --> 00:01:13.810 We cock through very fast. Or as fast as it will 00:01:13.810 --> 00:01:18.060 help us go. That's my boy with his wife and I'm 00:01:18.060 --> 00:01:21.519 going to have my fourth grandchild in September 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:27.959 and at last I get one in England. Yay! And so 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:31.459 what am I going to speak this morning? Well I 00:01:31.459 --> 00:01:35.859 want to speak this morning about think big. Think 00:01:35.859 --> 00:01:39.579 big. Big. I'm going to preach two different messages, 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:42.500 so the next service will be slightly different. 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:44.980 I'm not sure how much of this I'll get done, 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:49.060 but I pray that Jesus will communicate what needs 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:51.480 to be done. We already had that prophetic word 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:53.799 this morning. Come on, take the ceilings off. 00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:58.560 Take the lid off. Time to break. forth. And this 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:02.340 word really began to resonate in me last year 00:02:02.340 --> 00:02:05.120 when I was up in Pennsylvania and I walked into 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:07.799 a church where I was going to minister and a 00:02:07.799 --> 00:02:10.800 man came out the prayer room and he got right 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:14.159 into my personal space and he said, Rachel, God's 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:18.560 got a message for you. Think big or you'll limit 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:22.860 me. And so immediately I thought this was for 00:02:22.860 --> 00:02:25.590 me. And I thought, this is my message to me. 00:02:25.689 --> 00:02:28.150 But I suddenly realized as he was saying it, 00:02:28.169 --> 00:02:30.449 Holy Spirit said, no, I've got a message for 00:02:30.449 --> 00:02:33.979 you to carry. And it was when I had arrived in 00:02:33.979 --> 00:02:36.520 America and I just felt that God was saying, 00:02:36.580 --> 00:02:39.379 come on, it's time to think big. Because you 00:02:39.379 --> 00:02:41.379 see, when we're kingdom people, we always have 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:44.620 to live and think in the opposite spirit to the 00:02:44.620 --> 00:02:47.560 spirit of the world in which we live. And so 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:51.219 there's downsides contained, pull in, be careful, 00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:54.719 push down, hold in, withdraw. But actually Holy 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:57.460 Spirit is saying, no, this is a season for advance, 00:02:57.740 --> 00:03:01.259 acceleration, increase, think big, stretch out. 00:03:01.689 --> 00:03:05.990 Don't hold back. Think big. So I'm thinking about 00:03:05.990 --> 00:03:09.789 this and going back to my hotel room and my son 00:03:09.789 --> 00:03:13.729 has just emailed me and he says, the girl that 00:03:13.729 --> 00:03:16.310 you led to the Lord two years ago, Emma, has 00:03:16.310 --> 00:03:18.969 just got married and we need the next one up. 00:03:20.530 --> 00:03:25.669 Now, I've done a lot of weddings in Oxford. Over 00:03:25.669 --> 00:03:28.090 80, Gordon and I did in five years, but never 00:03:28.090 --> 00:03:30.550 yet have I seen that as a backdrop to the wedding. 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:34.210 So I'm, dear Emma, I'm really sorry, but you 00:03:34.210 --> 00:03:38.310 didn't catch me first. It was the backdrop. I'm 00:03:38.310 --> 00:03:43.550 thinking, oh my word. Think big. Say it with 00:03:43.550 --> 00:03:49.469 me this morning. Then I moved to the next place. 00:03:49.870 --> 00:03:53.250 And as I'm walking in, a man comes out the prayer 00:03:53.250 --> 00:03:56.150 room. I like men that pray and hear God. And 00:03:56.150 --> 00:03:58.050 he comes right out and he said, I'm really sorry 00:03:58.050 --> 00:04:00.949 if this seems strange, but I've got to get close 00:04:00.949 --> 00:04:03.370 and personal. And God said, I'm to say it three 00:04:03.370 --> 00:04:07.550 times in your face. Think big, think big, think 00:04:07.550 --> 00:04:12.569 big. So I've got to say it three times in your 00:04:12.569 --> 00:04:16.839 face. Think big, think big. Why? Because you 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:19.720 see, I believe God is calling a people who will 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:23.680 inspire hope. And if we can't think like God 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:28.339 thinks, how can we inspire hope? Faith is the 00:04:28.339 --> 00:04:32.689 thing. The substance of things hoped for. And 00:04:32.689 --> 00:04:35.649 so you see, God is asking you, can you see the 00:04:35.649 --> 00:04:38.589 big picture? Or have you become contained and 00:04:38.589 --> 00:04:41.769 limited in your understanding? Are you only able 00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:44.889 to look at the immediate crisis at your foot? 00:04:45.029 --> 00:04:48.110 Or can you see the big story in the journey? 00:04:49.290 --> 00:04:52.009 How many of you have to admit that in difficult 00:04:52.009 --> 00:04:55.529 times, something has been born? Something's come 00:04:55.529 --> 00:04:59.189 full. Out of crisis, God seems to bring a catalyst 00:04:59.189 --> 00:05:03.829 full and something does come from it. Matthew 00:05:03.829 --> 00:05:08.689 22, 37 to 38. And Jesus replied, you shall love 00:05:08.689 --> 00:05:11.449 the Lord your God with all your heart, with all 00:05:11.449 --> 00:05:16.029 your soul and with all your mind. This is the 00:05:16.029 --> 00:05:19.110 first and greatest commandment. Those of you 00:05:19.110 --> 00:05:21.189 who came to the seminar yesterday, you'll know 00:05:21.189 --> 00:05:23.730 I'm a mean preacher because I like giving you 00:05:23.730 --> 00:05:28.189 work. I like making you go away and do the thinking. 00:05:28.329 --> 00:05:31.850 I don't like to be too prescriptive. You answer 00:05:31.850 --> 00:05:35.370 the questions. You sort it in your world. I want 00:05:35.370 --> 00:05:38.350 to say, how are you, and this is your homework 00:05:38.350 --> 00:05:41.490 from this morning, how are you going to upgrade, 00:05:41.629 --> 00:05:44.470 go forward in the way you love God with your 00:05:44.470 --> 00:05:49.720 mind? A lot of our teaching is about heart issues. 00:05:49.819 --> 00:05:53.079 Would you agree? But you see, God doesn't say, 00:05:53.180 --> 00:05:55.959 love the Lord with all your heart, then you get 00:05:55.959 --> 00:05:59.879 80 gold stars. Love God with your mind, you get 00:05:59.879 --> 00:06:04.410 20. Somehow in the church we feel that if we 00:06:04.410 --> 00:06:06.430 love God with our heart, that's better than if 00:06:06.430 --> 00:06:09.189 we love God with our mind. But I think, come 00:06:09.189 --> 00:06:12.170 on church, it's time for an upgrade, an advancement 00:06:12.170 --> 00:06:16.410 of using what's between our ears. How many of 00:06:16.410 --> 00:06:18.589 you know the devil likes to use what's between 00:06:18.589 --> 00:06:23.009 our ears? Many of us get messed up with the way 00:06:23.009 --> 00:06:27.009 we think. Would you agree? And so God says, come 00:06:27.009 --> 00:06:31.779 on, it's thinking big time. If you turn to Colossians 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:35.300 chapter 3 verse 2, in verse 1 it says set your 00:06:35.300 --> 00:06:37.939 heart, but in verse 2 it says, read it with me 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:41.639 from the screen, set your mind on things that 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:46.259 are above, not on things that are on the earth. 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:51.060 That word to set literally is an intentional, 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:56.860 almost like setting your GPS. It's like you're 00:06:56.860 --> 00:07:00.779 making an intentional decision to track a way 00:07:00.779 --> 00:07:06.300 of thinking. Set your mind deliberately, intentionally. 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:12.240 I was flying in. I'm afraid I do live a lot of 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:14.800 time on an airplane. But I was really excited. 00:07:14.980 --> 00:07:17.319 I was returning home to London, been away a long 00:07:17.319 --> 00:07:20.620 time. And in my dream, I'm thinking, you know, 00:07:20.660 --> 00:07:24.709 bright, sunny day. Let's see the sunshine. I 00:07:24.709 --> 00:07:27.790 packed my coat, maybe that was part of it. And 00:07:27.790 --> 00:07:33.529 at 10 ,000 feet, London looked awesome. It was 00:07:33.529 --> 00:07:37.449 clear, blue, beautiful. I could see for miles. 00:07:37.589 --> 00:07:41.129 And then we began slowly descending and the captain 00:07:41.129 --> 00:07:44.269 comes on, you know, we'll be ready to land in 00:07:44.269 --> 00:07:46.870 15 minutes. And then it's bump, bump, bump, bump, 00:07:46.949 --> 00:07:51.470 hit the runway. And it's doom and gloom, more 00:07:51.470 --> 00:07:56.449 Seattle weather. And I thought, what happened 00:07:56.449 --> 00:08:03.110 to the awesome day at 10 ,000 feet? And you see, 00:08:03.230 --> 00:08:08.490 it was about where I was looking. Think big or 00:08:08.490 --> 00:08:10.509 you're going to limit. Set your mind on the things 00:08:10.509 --> 00:08:14.250 above. Don't have your reference point from earth 00:08:14.250 --> 00:08:17.050 below. God wants to give you a word. Put your 00:08:17.050 --> 00:08:21.079 head in the clouds. Begin to get. heaven's perspective 00:08:21.079 --> 00:08:24.540 on earth. And so often we think, oh, that girl, 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:27.199 she's real irritated. She's just got her head 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:30.439 in the clouds. No, I believe as a church, we 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:33.720 need to get a different perspective. Then it's 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:37.279 not so selfishly centered. Thinking about my 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:41.399 crisis, my world, my thing. But when we get the 00:08:41.399 --> 00:08:44.419 big picture in our journey, we can think big 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:47.919 and be generous. Would you agree with me? Unfortunately, 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:51.279 our natural way of thinking usually has a default 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:57.909 setting. And we usually tend to think negative 00:08:57.909 --> 00:09:00.250 rather than positive. You in America are much 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:03.190 better than us British, but you can still be 00:09:03.190 --> 00:09:06.990 negative rather than positive. You can still 00:09:06.990 --> 00:09:09.889 think more your weakness rather than your strength. 00:09:10.169 --> 00:09:14.129 Most of us are still happier to say, these are 00:09:14.129 --> 00:09:16.250 my weaknesses, than we are to say, I'm awesome, 00:09:16.370 --> 00:09:20.649 these are my strengths. But you see, God says, 00:09:20.730 --> 00:09:23.750 I've given everyone one talent, some five, some 00:09:23.750 --> 00:09:27.009 ten. So there's some amazing strength out here. 00:09:27.409 --> 00:09:30.389 So how many ten talenters have we got? You know, 00:09:30.409 --> 00:09:33.210 if I say, show me the one talents, yeah. How 00:09:33.210 --> 00:09:38.590 many tens? Oh, everyone. Because we've got a 00:09:38.590 --> 00:09:41.429 default setting. We've got a wrong understanding 00:09:41.429 --> 00:09:45.389 of what it means to be arrogant. And what it 00:09:45.389 --> 00:09:47.909 means to be confident in who Jesus has made me. 00:09:48.009 --> 00:09:50.529 Come on, we need to set our mind into what God 00:09:50.529 --> 00:09:53.370 has called us to be. And it's not that we say, 00:09:53.429 --> 00:09:55.730 oh, look at me, aren't I clever? But God and 00:09:55.730 --> 00:09:58.730 me together are an amazing combination. If I 00:09:58.730 --> 00:10:01.649 really let God in my world, what could really 00:10:01.649 --> 00:10:08.029 happen? Set your mind on things above. Because 00:10:08.029 --> 00:10:10.710 if we don't do it, we end up in the wrong place. 00:10:10.750 --> 00:10:14.419 How many of you know that? If you look at Philippians 00:10:14.419 --> 00:10:18.779 chapter 3 verse 19, it says this, their end is 00:10:18.779 --> 00:10:22.559 destruction. Well, how did they get there? What 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:25.200 was that journey? Well, let's read the rest of 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:29.860 the verse. Their God is their belly and they 00:10:29.860 --> 00:10:35.799 glory in their shame with their mind set on earthly 00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:39.600 things. So you see, you set your mind in the 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:42.000 wrong place. Guess what? You end up at the wrong 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:46.460 destination. So if you're just thinking all the 00:10:46.460 --> 00:10:48.340 time, what's happening at my feet? What's going 00:10:48.340 --> 00:10:51.639 on here? What's going on there? Your end is destruction 00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:54.299 because you get the wrong worldview. How many 00:10:54.299 --> 00:10:57.080 of you know what I'm talking about? And so Jesus 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:00.519 has sent me with a message and I found it fascinating. 00:11:00.600 --> 00:11:04.019 It was landing in America, in Pennsylvania, that 00:11:04.019 --> 00:11:08.480 birthplace, you know. He said, you've got a message. 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:13.519 Think big. You're going to limit me. Think big. 00:11:14.620 --> 00:11:18.620 So how do we set that mind? What do we need to 00:11:18.620 --> 00:11:23.200 do? Well, Romans 8 verse 5 and 6 says this. I'm 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:26.440 sorry if I'm going fast, but the clock is not 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:58.990 my friend today. One, two, three. is life and 00:11:58.990 --> 00:12:08.090 peace. Amen. So I'm going to set my mind on a 00:12:08.090 --> 00:12:11.669 spirit way of thinking. Why don't you just pray 00:12:11.669 --> 00:12:17.149 with me this morning? Holy Spirit, help me set 00:12:17.149 --> 00:12:25.169 my mind and my thinking on the Spirit. In Jesus' 00:12:25.330 --> 00:12:30.950 name. Amen. Because you see, thinking big is 00:12:30.950 --> 00:12:35.990 not dangerous and it's not irresponsible if it's 00:12:35.990 --> 00:12:40.169 inspired by Holy Spirit. In fact, it's utterly 00:12:40.169 --> 00:12:44.769 necessary. If we're not thinking bigger than 00:12:44.769 --> 00:12:48.710 who we are and our ability, then we've got that 00:12:48.710 --> 00:12:51.809 ceiling lid on us. We are contained. We're only 00:12:51.809 --> 00:12:54.870 living half the life that God has called us to 00:12:54.870 --> 00:13:01.190 live. Every dream that you have from God should 00:13:01.190 --> 00:13:06.210 seem impossible. Because it should be bigger 00:13:06.210 --> 00:13:09.409 than you. How many of you know what I'm talking 00:13:09.409 --> 00:13:13.070 about? Because God puts your head in the clouds. 00:13:13.190 --> 00:13:16.909 He shows you the big picture, big story. And 00:13:16.909 --> 00:13:19.870 the dreams given to you are meant to take a lifetime 00:13:19.870 --> 00:13:25.169 to fulfill. So where does common sense fit in? 00:13:27.529 --> 00:13:30.029 You know, because then we think, well, you know, 00:13:30.029 --> 00:13:32.690 let's have some rationale. Let's process this. 00:13:32.870 --> 00:13:35.230 We come from Oxford. And I didn't really know 00:13:35.230 --> 00:13:38.210 the word process until I went to Oxford. But 00:13:38.210 --> 00:13:44.870 in Oxford, everyone, it's process. And of course, 00:13:44.870 --> 00:13:49.090 there is wisdom in counsel. I'm not saying that. 00:13:49.269 --> 00:13:53.029 But if we already downgrade and delete everything 00:13:53.029 --> 00:13:56.860 because it doesn't make sense. then we lose so 00:13:56.860 --> 00:13:59.279 much of the common sense of the Holy Spirit. 00:13:59.480 --> 00:14:03.399 What is common sense? You've got a whole life 00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:06.860 to live that dream that God put in you and it 00:14:06.860 --> 00:14:12.259 will take your life to hit it. Oscar Wilde, this 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:15.279 is your Oxford moment. Oscar Wilde said this 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:19.240 and I love it. Common sense is no more common 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:25.179 than general knowledge is general. In other words... 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:27.299 How many of you have noticed your common sense 00:14:27.299 --> 00:14:30.500 doesn't seem to be somebody else's? Maybe you 00:14:30.500 --> 00:14:35.220 employ someone new and what to you is stark obvious 00:14:35.220 --> 00:14:38.600 to them is rocket science. And you think, what 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:42.940 is your problem? That's just normal common sense. 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:47.639 But you see, it's the same in the church. I believe 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:51.879 that once we get Holy Spirit revelation, what 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:54.740 to us just becomes part of our nature, becomes 00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:57.399 a normal way of thinking, a normal perspective 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:01.299 of life, a normal obedience and character value 00:15:01.299 --> 00:15:04.899 system. To us, it's common sense. To others, 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:07.600 they're going, whoa, that's amazing. How many 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:09.519 of you know what I'm talking about? And you need 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:13.360 to realize you're carrying something amazing. 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:17.860 What to you is obvious to so many around you 00:15:17.860 --> 00:15:22.559 is amazing revelation. You've got to start to 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:34.620 think big. Isaiah 55 verse 8 says this. And if 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:38.620 you look at the Hebrew, the way that's constructed, 00:15:38.700 --> 00:15:41.919 it's quite a poetical language. And it is more 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:45.399 than just that. fleeting thoughts the way you 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:48.500 think is not. It's the whole process of thinking, 00:15:48.679 --> 00:15:51.700 the whole way you come to make a decision. God 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:54.700 says, where you start, process, think. Your whole 00:15:54.700 --> 00:15:57.539 thinking journey is not my thinking journey. 00:15:57.879 --> 00:16:01.120 Your whole thought process is not my thought 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:04.220 process. Your whole way of approaching your decision 00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:07.539 is not my way. I want to take you up. I want 00:16:07.539 --> 00:16:10.120 you to set your mind. I want to teach you to 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:13.659 think big. Come on, church. It's time to love 00:16:13.659 --> 00:16:21.120 the Lord your God with all your mind. So what 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:24.139 about these big thinkers? What about advancing, 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:27.279 upgrading? What about stretching out, staking 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:30.139 ground? What about that? Well, it takes a different 00:16:30.139 --> 00:16:34.070 way of thinking. How many of you know? We can't 00:16:34.070 --> 00:16:36.750 think small if God gives us large. We've got 00:16:36.750 --> 00:16:42.370 to shift, upgrade. And I believe that there is 00:16:42.370 --> 00:16:46.149 a Daniel season coming. If you think of Daniel, 00:16:46.350 --> 00:16:53.029 he was accelerated, advanced right into positions 00:16:53.029 --> 00:16:56.509 of prominence in a time when his nation needed 00:16:56.509 --> 00:17:00.710 some serious thinkers. They needed, there was 00:17:00.710 --> 00:17:03.789 the whole kingdom of Babylon going through all 00:17:03.789 --> 00:17:07.250 their shifting and changing. And he was a refugee. 00:17:07.329 --> 00:17:10.109 He didn't have the status. He didn't, you think, 00:17:10.109 --> 00:17:12.329 have the grading. But you know that young boy, 00:17:12.450 --> 00:17:15.529 he got into God. He used his heart to love God, 00:17:15.609 --> 00:17:18.309 but he used his mind to love God. And when they 00:17:18.309 --> 00:17:20.690 did the assessment for Harvard, Yale, Princeton, 00:17:21.089 --> 00:17:24.890 Oxford, of course, he came out 10 times better 00:17:24.890 --> 00:17:29.829 than any other applicant. He creamed it. Because 00:17:29.829 --> 00:17:33.210 he had learned to let God expand his whole way 00:17:33.210 --> 00:17:36.250 of thinking. And then if you read in Daniel chapter 00:17:36.250 --> 00:17:39.670 5, the king answers and says to Daniel, you're 00:17:39.670 --> 00:17:42.369 Daniel. You're one of those refugees. You're 00:17:42.369 --> 00:17:44.950 one of those marginal people. But I've heard 00:17:44.950 --> 00:17:47.849 great reports about you. I've heard that the 00:17:47.849 --> 00:17:51.869 spirit of the gods is on you. Now you might not 00:17:51.869 --> 00:17:53.970 like the language. It's a bit like saying you 00:17:53.970 --> 00:17:56.710 channel power. You're a bit of a new ager. But 00:17:56.710 --> 00:18:00.269 all he's trying to do is find language for what 00:18:00.269 --> 00:18:04.299 he sees as being supernatural. remember I got 00:18:04.299 --> 00:18:08.259 into a train cabin one time, traveling late at 00:18:08.259 --> 00:18:10.579 night to get to a conference when my plane had 00:18:10.579 --> 00:18:13.140 been delayed. And a young man had come to collect 00:18:13.140 --> 00:18:15.079 me because all the other speakers had been taken 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:17.920 to the retreat center. As I got onto this train 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:21.640 cabin in Norway, I sort of gate crashed a goth 00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:23.500 party. Do you know what I mean by goths? You 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:26.240 know, the black guy. And Norwegians are big dudes. 00:18:26.380 --> 00:18:29.059 So there's about this six foot eight goth guy 00:18:29.059 --> 00:18:33.680 with his back standing in the people doing whatever 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:36.859 at midnight. And so I'm with this guy and I can 00:18:36.859 --> 00:18:39.599 see him sort of freeze and think, oh, help. And 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:42.799 at that moment, the big dude swings around. He 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:46.359 goes, respect. I thought, I like that sentiment. 00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:49.779 And he looks at me and said, I like the power 00:18:49.779 --> 00:18:57.059 you're channeling. It's strong. I believe that 00:18:57.059 --> 00:19:00.930 something needs to shift. We need to think bigger 00:19:00.930 --> 00:19:03.789 rather than being victim. Actually, the greater 00:19:03.789 --> 00:19:06.309 is he that's in us, that's in the world. There's 00:19:06.309 --> 00:19:08.990 something that God is setting his people in places 00:19:08.990 --> 00:19:12.309 of influence. And I believe kings, people in 00:19:12.309 --> 00:19:14.549 authority are going to say, wow, the spirit of 00:19:14.549 --> 00:19:17.210 the gods is in you. There's light, there's understanding, 00:19:17.490 --> 00:19:19.930 excellent wisdom. And then I love the end of 00:19:19.930 --> 00:19:23.420 verse 15. It says, I've been told that you know 00:19:23.420 --> 00:19:27.220 how to interpret problems and solve problems. 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:31.440 How many problem solvers? How many of you got 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:35.180 a problem on your desk in your workplace? How 00:19:35.180 --> 00:19:37.859 many of you need some divine upgrades for solutions? 00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:41.759 I believe if you will take faith, this is a Daniel 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:45.079 season. Come on, think big. Don't see containment 00:19:45.079 --> 00:19:49.119 as limitation. See it as elevation. See it as 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:51.920 breakthrough. Say, oh God, I thank you that you're 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:54.259 going to upgrade me. I'm thanking you for divine 00:19:54.259 --> 00:19:58.900 solution finding. Does that make sense to you 00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:02.140 this morning? That God wants to enter that world 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:08.490 with you. So at one place we're going to be amazing 00:20:08.490 --> 00:20:11.529 minds, but I believe at the same time, and this 00:20:11.529 --> 00:20:13.869 is a paradox of our Christian life, we're foolish 00:20:13.869 --> 00:20:19.789 minds too. At one place we grow up and we're 00:20:19.789 --> 00:20:23.029 going to stun people with amazing wisdom, insight 00:20:23.029 --> 00:20:26.789 and problem solving. And I want to prophesy, 00:20:26.849 --> 00:20:29.710 come on some of you men and women in your marketplace, 00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:34.470 in your job places, where you need problem solving 00:20:34.470 --> 00:20:38.450 for management issues. Download it. Think big. 00:20:38.670 --> 00:20:43.109 Don't say, oh dear, back to work. Jesus wants 00:20:43.109 --> 00:20:49.250 to help you think. But we're always going to 00:20:49.250 --> 00:20:52.009 be foolish. Because you see, our understanding 00:20:52.009 --> 00:20:56.640 of Jesus Christ. Just messes with people's heads. 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:59.980 We broke bread this morning. The whole understanding 00:20:59.980 --> 00:21:03.500 of the bread and the wine does not make sense. 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:07.859 How many of you know? And people always get to 00:21:07.859 --> 00:21:11.400 fight it. We read in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, 00:21:11.579 --> 00:21:16.799 18 to 25. For the message of the cross is foolishness 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:21.019 to those headed to destruction. But we who have 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:23.819 been saved, we know. We know in our knower that 00:21:23.819 --> 00:21:27.759 we know. It's the very power of God. And when 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:31.079 we preach, I know Jesus. He was crucified for 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:34.640 me. People around us get offended. And the Gentiles 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:37.240 say, oh, that's nonsense. They can't get it. 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:42.579 But what I want to say to you is I believe it's 00:21:42.579 --> 00:21:46.019 a harvest time for the West Coast. On Friday 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:48.700 night, Helen did an awesome job preaching with 00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:50.259 the young people. I don't know how many of you 00:21:50.259 --> 00:21:53.759 were here. But 14 people came and gave their 00:21:53.759 --> 00:22:01.319 lives to Jesus. Absolutely new people. That's 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:04.299 salvation. And Dave and the others said they 00:22:04.299 --> 00:22:08.660 were newbies. Isn't that fantastic? And as I 00:22:08.660 --> 00:22:11.680 thought, 14, we're in the year 2014. And I felt 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:14.740 God say, new decade, one for every year. This 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:17.960 is a sign to you, a decade of harvest. Get ready. 00:22:17.980 --> 00:22:23.599 Think big. But so often we get ourselves in a 00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:26.700 mess because we try to explain things that can't 00:22:26.700 --> 00:22:32.019 be explained. I cannot explain how the blood 00:22:32.019 --> 00:22:34.839 of Jesus makes you clean. But I know it works. 00:22:35.079 --> 00:22:39.200 I cannot explain why it is the mercy of God to 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:43.059 take his son and crucify him. But it works. And 00:22:43.059 --> 00:22:47.160 this is my story. This is my song. And I'm not 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:51.160 ashamed of it. And we're going to think big. 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:55.119 But we're going to think foolish. And stun the 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:59.500 world with the brilliance. You see, as I said, 00:22:59.579 --> 00:23:02.839 we live in Oxford and I've had students and they 00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:07.880 confront you and I love it. And so I'm a scientist 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:10.039 by background, a clinical biochemist. He said, 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:12.460 if you're a real scientist, you would never believe 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:16.500 that God stuff. It's nonsense. I said, it's because 00:23:16.500 --> 00:23:19.180 I'm a real scientist, my brain can get around 00:23:19.180 --> 00:23:22.059 it and accept it. And he said, no. He said, if 00:23:22.059 --> 00:23:26.380 it's really true. Then you should be able to 00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:29.220 explain it. And I said, no, there are many things 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:32.279 in life that cannot be explained and have to 00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:35.559 be fully experienced. He said, no, that's just 00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:38.140 a cop -out. I said, no, it isn't. It's reality. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:42.220 I said, you're a student. I said, there are hundreds 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:46.259 of things in life that I cannot give you an ABC, 00:23:46.619 --> 00:23:49.720 one, two, three, rational explanation. But once 00:23:49.720 --> 00:23:52.519 you experience it, you know it and you come to 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:55.890 an understanding. I said, this is your God. He 00:23:55.890 --> 00:23:58.410 said, prove it. I said, okay, you asked for it. 00:23:59.150 --> 00:24:03.309 I said, I'm a clinical biochemist. So let's just 00:24:03.309 --> 00:24:06.509 think about a jolly good kiss. You're a student. 00:24:08.190 --> 00:24:11.190 Now, if we begin to think of two mouths coming 00:24:11.190 --> 00:24:14.809 together. As a clinical biochemist, and I rationally 00:24:14.809 --> 00:24:17.029 begin to explain it, I'm thinking, did he clean 00:24:17.029 --> 00:24:20.210 his teeth? What bacteria are on his teeth? What 00:24:20.210 --> 00:24:23.910 is in that saliva? If I really process everything 00:24:23.910 --> 00:24:32.109 in a kiss, it becomes worse, not better. And 00:24:32.109 --> 00:24:34.609 if I just ruined your kissing date, I'm real 00:24:34.609 --> 00:24:40.109 sorry. But you see, I can explain a kiss until 00:24:40.109 --> 00:24:44.109 we go and it mostly makes it worse. But come 00:24:44.109 --> 00:24:46.329 on, I've been married 33 years and Gordon is 00:24:46.329 --> 00:24:50.950 still a great kisser. I've experienced it. I 00:24:50.950 --> 00:24:55.529 want it. I love it. There are certain things 00:24:55.529 --> 00:24:58.369 that we need to stop being ashamed about that 00:24:58.369 --> 00:25:02.680 we can't explain. We need to just say. Try it 00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:07.339 and see. Taste and see. God is good. Because 00:25:07.339 --> 00:25:10.480 I believe in these days we need to be unashamed. 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:13.799 Romans chapter 1 verse 6. I'm not ashamed of 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:20.079 my message. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. Next slide. 00:25:20.500 --> 00:25:24.420 When I was in Oxford just recently. I'm on a 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:28.319 bit from you. Next slide. When we were in Oxford. 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:32.339 We set out the freshest table and we had all 00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:35.900 the kids come. We had 2 ,000 kids come to a table 00:25:35.900 --> 00:25:38.740 saying, come explore God, saying, I want to do 00:25:38.740 --> 00:25:41.579 it while I'm at university. A hundred kids came 00:25:41.579 --> 00:25:44.660 to the table and said, I'd already decided before 00:25:44.660 --> 00:25:47.900 I came to university, I wanted to sort the God 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:51.680 question in my life. Come on, it's in America 00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:57.720 too. Jesus says, unashamed. Number two, we need 00:25:57.720 --> 00:26:04.000 to be unashamed. Jesus heals. And even when we 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:09.079 can't add up the arithmetic and we lose people 00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:14.700 that are precious, we cannot back off that my 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:20.039 Jesus heals. I remember Jesus challenging me 00:26:20.039 --> 00:26:23.680 and say, Rachel, I want you to pray for the sick. 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:27.359 And I was like, I just thought, well, God, it's 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:29.400 sometimes good and it's sometimes bad. And he 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:33.960 said, no, nobody has ever died because you prayed 00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:40.380 for them to be healed. But some people have been 00:26:40.380 --> 00:26:43.900 healed. I can't say I've had 100%. I'm sure you 00:26:43.900 --> 00:26:45.740 can't say you've had 100%. But how many of you 00:26:45.740 --> 00:26:50.920 know you have got a story? You see, this year 00:26:50.920 --> 00:26:53.380 is my 30 years that we just clock through them 00:26:53.380 --> 00:26:58.579 quickly. 30 years ago, I've talked about my accident. 00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:01.680 I nearly died. That was a four -year journey. 00:27:01.720 --> 00:27:04.319 That's my little girl who's now grown up 30 years 00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:10.259 old in Melbourne. That wasn't fun. But I've just 00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:14.559 went back to the Oxford Research Orthopaedic 00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:16.380 Centre because they wanted to look at my bones. 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:18.559 Because they've been tracking me and they want 00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:22.720 to see if I had osteoarthritis as a result of 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:25.700 the serious fractures. The doctor, and I haven't 00:27:25.700 --> 00:27:28.160 got time, he looked at my legs. He looked at 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:29.380 all the x -rays and he looked at me. He said, 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:31.920 do you know you're a miracle? I said, yeah, of 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:33.799 course I know. He said, no, I mean now. I've 00:27:33.799 --> 00:27:35.920 just looked at your bones. They're absolutely 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:39.140 straight. The density and the clarity of the 00:27:39.140 --> 00:27:42.380 white on that interior bone looks about 35 to 00:27:42.380 --> 00:27:48.210 37 years old. I'm 54. He said, I can't see where 00:27:48.210 --> 00:27:50.829 the fractures were. And my right leg was fractured 00:27:50.829 --> 00:27:53.470 in five places. My left leg in three places. 00:27:53.589 --> 00:27:55.789 And two of them were compounded and completely 00:27:55.789 --> 00:27:58.789 broken. The muscle thing. He said, I can't even 00:27:58.789 --> 00:28:01.529 see the creases and the calluses. These bones 00:28:01.529 --> 00:28:06.069 are so perfectly knit. And there's not even a 00:28:06.069 --> 00:28:09.329 speck of arthritis I'd expect in someone your 00:28:09.329 --> 00:28:18.900 age. And finally, we've got to be unashamed and 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:23.319 say, Jesus delivers. What do I mean by that? 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:26.500 Well, there's demons, evil spirits, but another 00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:29.859 word, legitimate translation is tormenting spirits. 00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:35.119 I believe we've got to start saying, I know Jesus. 00:28:36.220 --> 00:28:42.809 And he breaks torment. He breaks all the phobias. 00:28:42.809 --> 00:28:45.769 He breaks all addictions. He gets you out of 00:28:45.769 --> 00:28:52.769 a living hell. And he breaks the mind game. This 00:28:52.769 --> 00:28:59.069 is my Jesus. It's time to think big. Is there 00:28:59.069 --> 00:29:02.089 amen? Is that good? Will you stand with me this 00:29:02.089 --> 00:29:07.349 morning? Well, we ask you to come, Lord Jesus. 00:29:13.549 --> 00:29:19.089 And I want to ask you, think big. How many of 00:29:19.089 --> 00:29:22.150 you could already, in your mind, you know there's 00:29:22.150 --> 00:29:23.789 an area where God's saying, come on, I want an 00:29:23.789 --> 00:29:32.930 upgrade here. Break out. Think different. But 00:29:32.930 --> 00:29:36.049 you see, we can't think right unless we've got 00:29:36.049 --> 00:29:40.289 God in our life. Because we can try and sort 00:29:40.289 --> 00:29:42.529 it as much as we want, but it's the power of 00:29:42.529 --> 00:29:47.369 God that helps us. And maybe you're in the house 00:29:47.369 --> 00:29:49.849 this morning, and if you're really honest with 00:29:49.849 --> 00:29:52.609 yourself and with God, you know God isn't in 00:29:52.609 --> 00:29:55.890 the central place. And God is asking you to set 00:29:55.890 --> 00:29:59.410 your mind. Get hold of that GPS of your life 00:29:59.410 --> 00:30:01.750 and say, okay, God, I'm going to put in the right 00:30:01.750 --> 00:30:06.609 coordinates. I want you in my world. I want you 00:30:06.609 --> 00:30:09.299 to direct my path. And we're just going to come 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:11.140 and worship. And as we do that, if you're in 00:30:11.140 --> 00:30:14.019 the house today and you know you need to set 00:30:14.019 --> 00:30:18.559 your mind and life on a Jesus coordinate, I'm 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:20.319 just going to invite you to come down the front 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:25.049 and we'd love to pray for you. So wherever you 00:30:25.049 --> 00:30:26.809 are in the house, you don't have to wait for 00:30:26.809 --> 00:30:29.109 anything special. Just come. We'd love to pray 00:30:29.109 --> 00:30:31.410 with you. Some people go, oh, that's real scary. 00:30:31.569 --> 00:30:34.569 I know. But what God did for you was really awesome. 00:30:34.650 --> 00:30:36.630 Thank you, sweetheart. There's others of you 00:30:36.630 --> 00:30:41.250 here. You just know this is my day. I'm taking 00:30:41.250 --> 00:30:43.970 out that GPS of my life and I'm just saying, 00:30:44.029 --> 00:30:48.849 I need to put you back. I need to have you in 00:30:48.849 --> 00:30:51.069 my world. I need to get rid of all this wrong 00:30:51.069 --> 00:30:53.470 thinking. If you're here, just make room. Come 00:30:53.470 --> 00:31:04.809 on out because we want to pray for you. If you 00:31:04.809 --> 00:31:07.569 are interested in hearing other podcasts or contacting 00:31:07.569 --> 00:31:11.349 Life Bible Church, go to www .lifebiblechurch 00:31:11.349 --> 00:31:16.150 .org or call us at 541 -995 -8282.