Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Great. Well, some of you will no doubt have seen these leaflets. They're not new. They've been around for a number of years. And these leaflets are our attempt to capture what we call our DNA or our values. You know, one of the things that you notice that there's likeness in families. And so we went in to meet our, a grandson on Thursday this week. And who does he look like? Well, he looks like his dad and he looks like his mom, because there's family likeness, there's traits, there are things that flow through people that give that sense of identification.
There are some things that we pick up apart from our culture, and there are other things that we pick up because of our DNA. And we have a vision as a church. We have things that we believe God's called us to do, that we looked at last week like apest, the rising up of the apostolic, the prophetic, the evangelistic, the shepherds and the teachers. But we also, beneath all of those things, we have what we believe is the DNA, the culture that God has called us to have the values, if you like. And we cannot change these values to get a bigger vision. We always have to operate in these values. How the journey of these values came about was that after we've been here probably about five or six years, we went on a journey with the elders of the church to really ask, what do we sense God is saying specifically about us? What are the things that just feel like they're rediscover? They feel like there's something that's intrinsic into the likeness of who we are. And we began a process of trying to assimilate, that, try to find ways of communicating it. Because when people join rediscover, they're not just joining a Sunday activity, but we believe that we are called to take on, like, a likeness, an imprint of the culture of the church and what God is doing. You say, well, shouldn't that be the same for every church? Well, there are certainly things that should absolutely be common to all churches. We should all be places of a people of worship, a people of prayer. We should all be a people of the Gospel. We should all be people of the word. So, yes, there are some things, but I also believe that there are certain things that God calls certain congregations and churches to take on a special emphasis, and we believe that these capture our values as a church. If you've not seen this leaflet or you don't have a copy to hand, then on your way out, you can pick one from the reception desk over there and take it home and read it. And over these next three weeks, I'm going to unpack these in a little bit more detail for you, and we're going to look at our three values. Live courageously, love extravagantly and thrive authentically. Today, we're going to concentrate on live courageously.
And so I would like you to. Is this booming a little bit? Can we just turn the volume down a bit as we look at this? Live courageously. And when you get these leaflets later, it says inside a list of things that are contained within each of those values. And what I'm going to do today is I'm going to look at live courageously and we're going to look down at those items together.
So live courageously. The first thing we believe that as a church community, we're called to be is spirit filled.
We got a couple of spirit filled people in the room.
It goes on to say in this document we produced that we rely on the active empowerment, the wisdom and the provision of God.
Let's look at some verses together. John, chapter 15, verse five. These are the words of Jesus. He said, I am the vine, you are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing.
We were at a wedding yesterday, Archie and Amelia's, and we were given these lovely cones with confetti in them. And the confetti was made up of petals of flowers. They were beautiful, but they were dead because they had been removed. They'd had their season, they had their time. They'd been collected over the last six months and gathered. And it's a lovely sort of, what's the word? Organic way of being able to throw confetti, because you know that it's just thrown into nature. But these petals, they weren't alive. They looked pretty, they looked wonderful, but they weren't living. And Jesus is saying, if we're not connected into him, we can look the part. We can look attractive and pretty, but there is no life apart from me. Jesus said, you can do nothing. Well, that's a tough one to digest, because I think we can do some things without Jesus, can't we?
Some of you not so sure what the right answer is. Well, I know that before you came to Christ, you weren't abiding in Christ, and you still managed to work, you still managed to do some things. But what Jesus is saying is that with him there's an eternal fruitfulness that comes from our life. And unless we're connected into him, the things that we accomplish are only temporary. We need to know eternal fruit, and that is impossible unless we are connected into the vine, unless we're filled with the Spirit, unless we allow the vine and the life that comes from the vine of Jesus to flow through our lives and to flow out of our lives, then the fruitfulness of our life is temporary. It is not of eternal permanence.
The message, which is a paraphrase version of the Bible, in the same verses and extend in a couple of more, it says these words, I am the vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant, separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is dead wood gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me, and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my father shows who he is. When you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples, I don't believe it's a choice for us to be spirit filled. I believe it's a call of God on his people, and we can be filled with many things. And I'm reminded of an expression of this in the Bible we read in Ephesians five, verse 18, these sort of fairly stark warning, and it says, and don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living. Now, that has been used by all sorts of church traditions over the years as an antialcohol statement. I grew up in an environment where I think it was sort of regarded evil to walk past a pub, nevermind in one.
But this is not really the emphasis. This is not the emphasis on the alcohol or the wine, because actually, if it was, there's a bit of contradiction in the Scripture because Paul said a little bit of wine is good for the stomach, but it's the abuse of these things that's the problem. And if you're finding your relationship with alcohol to be one that's unhealthy, then allow the Lord to help you. Don't run and hide, just allow the Lord to deal with it. I don't want to ever be in a situation where the Lord could speak to me and I'm not in a place where I can hear him properly. I never want to be in a situation where I'm so filled with something else that I can't be filled with him. I never want to be in that situation.
And I not just think about alcohol in that regard. It could be so many other things that we're filled with, they could put all sorts of things. Do not be filled with social media that leads to depression and doom, scrolling and comparisons.
Don't be filled with ambition just to strive and become successful in your work which leads to broken families and difficulties. Don't just be filled with pride, because all of these things that we have the propensity to be filled with, they can take the place that's meant to be filled with Christ.
Do not get drunk on wine which leads to reckless living, but be filled with the Spirit. Be filled with the Spirit. We believe God's called us to be Spirit filled. What does that mean? Does it mean that you come to a front of a service and someone lays hands on you and you open your hands and you say, fill me, Holy Spirit. I grew up on those conferences where we'd run to the front and some famous preacher would lay hands on you and you say, Fill me, Holy Spirit. Any of you remember those occasions and times in your life? Fill me, Holy Spirit.
And it's great, it's powerful. It's beautiful to have those moments of encounter when we're gathered with the people of God. But being filled with the Spirit is not a feeling you have after someone has laid hands on you in a service. It should be a daily, hourly, weekly reality in our lives that we are filled with the Spirit, that we're continuously saying, I need to get the other stuff out of my life that's filling my life, and I need to create space to be filled with the Spirit. What's in us comes out of us, particularly when we're under pressure.
What is it that comes out of your life when you're frustrated, when you're tired? Because that's a good indicator of what's in us. I find it really beautiful to be around believers who have followed Jesus all their life. They have given themselves to serve the purposes of God. They've been faithful in season and out of season. They pray, they read the Scriptures, their language and their conversation is seasoned with grace. And then a difficulty happens in their life. And in that difficulty, they still seem to let out the beauty of the grace of the Lord. Why? Because that's what's in them. Because the Spirit is in them. And it's not enough just to stand and raise your hands and say, fill me, Holy Spirit. It's not enough just to sing the songs of, I want to be full of the Spirit of God, but it's what is manifest in our life and when we abide in him and he in us. His Spirit fills us. If I was to create a scale of one to ten and ask you, how full of the Spirit are you? Or how full of other things, or maybe how full of yourself.
I've had some conversations with people in recent months that not people in the church, but people I've met in life.
There have been a few conversations within a minute. I think, gosh, you are so full of yourself. Like, they could have started off the conversation saying, let's talk about my favorite subject, me. They could have done that, and it would have been no different to what they went on to say.
We can be full of ourselves, full of our desires and our dreams. But the Lord calls us to be filled with the Spirit.
And I wonder if one is. I'm really not living in communion with the Lord and I'm not full of the Spirit. I've got other things in my life. Or five is. Yes, I am overflowing with the Spirit. I wonder where you would score yourself on that one to five scale. I'm going to ask us to pause and I'm going to ask us to bring that honest reflection to the Spirit of the Lord and say, would you help me? Or thank you if you're a five? Thank you. Say, thank you, Jesus, for being in my life. If you're a one, don't leave this place feeling a failure this morning. Come with an honest reflection before the Lord who sees and knows everything. And just say, I need you, Lord. I've got some stuff to work out. Can we just pause a moment? Close your eyes.
Bring your honest reflections now just in the silence.
Thank you. That you desire to fill us, Spirit of God, I pray that you'll give us the courage, give us that courage to live making the decisions and abiding in you. In Jesus name, amen.
Amen.
The next item on the list on the live courageously is word aligned. Wow. How crazy is it that we are living our lives subject not to the cultures and the philosophies of this world, but subject to a book that was written over thousands of years, a long time ago? Why would we do that?
It feels like wisdom is changing all the time, isn't it? I'm mindful that the books that Nita and I read when we were first parents seem to have contradictory advice to the books that our kids now read when they're bringing their kids up. It feels like wisdoms and knowledge and understanding seems to change all the time. So how can we put our confidence in a book that was written so long ago? Surely the changes of the world and the society and the understanding of science surely should get us to review the contents of this and align our lives to a selection, a pick and choose approach to this.
But no, that could be the case if this was a group of philosophers that had written a range of advices. But that's not what this is. This book is, I believe, divinely inspired by the hand of God.
I believe he has orchestrated it and he has used flawed people.
He's used people that have got their own issues and their own mistakes. But I believe that God has, even through his sovereignty, has been able to compensate for their mistakes. It's a bit like if there was a stained glass window up there, it was a red window, and we wanted a certain color light to shine through. We would know that in order to change the red that the window will make of that light, we needed to put another filter in. And I believe that even though God has used flawed people to write this, he has worked out how to get them to write his divine inspired word. Because that's what sovereign God is able to do in spite of our weakness. And I believe that it says in two Corinthians 316 and 17, all Scripture, all Scripture is God breathed and is useful, all of it for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in all righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
You cannot be equipped for every good work just by attending some seminars, just by going to some college to get a theology degree. You cannot be equipped for every good work just by hanging out with other believers. You get equipped for every good work by allowing this book to shape you, to teach you, to correct you. And that's a real tough one in today's world. Correction. Because there is a bit of an anti establishment spirit in our age.
There is a lack of trust for any institution.
And let's be honest, institutions have failed and got it wrong, including the Church, including leaders in churches. We don't get everything right. We make mistakes and we get it wrong. So how can you trust when those are endemic within our society? But there's something more than that going on. There's a rebellion in today's world. There's a rebellion against anything of authority, and it's a demonic spirit across the world.
And it cultures us, it trains us that if someone says something that we don't like, then we walk away.
And the word of God, it cannot be approached in that way. We have to let it search us.
We have to let its words challenge the very depths of our being because it's all inspired by God and we have no authority or right to change this book.
And I believe those who try to redact it, to change it, to make it more socially, culturally acceptable, will give an account to God one day.
May God give us wisdom in dividing this word up and discerning the purposes of it clearly in these days. Psalm 119 says, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to our path.
I'm sure you've all used your phones and the light that's on the back of your phone to find your way around in the dark. It makes a big difference.
Nita and I were walking from the reception venue to our car park last night and it was in the middle of the country and it was very dark. And I was so glad that in my pocket I was able to pull out this torch on my phone and to illuminate the pathway and we were able to get to the car without stumbling or falling over or walking into a fence. It was so helpful. And in this world we need to know the word of God and to be aligned. Not just know it, but to be aligned to it. If there are things in your life, in my life that are not aligned, then the mercy of God wants to nudge us back into a place of alignment. And that's where the light is. That's where the truth is. That's where the freedom is in our lives. Moving quickly on the next on this list is that we are stewards and not owners. Says everything we have and every opportunity is entrusted to us for serving his purposes, not ours. Psalm 24, verse one says, the earth is the Lord's and most things in it.
Everything in it. Everything. Let's think about that. We know the mountains are his, the valleys are his, the stars are his handiwork too. You remember that one.
But what about the things that you hAve? I have. What about our car? What about our home? What about our bank accounts? What about the talents? What about those apex graces that are on your life? Are they his? Because the earth is the Lord's and everything in it.
So the question is, if they are his.
And I find that I feel an increased sense of responsibility when I'm looking after something for somebody.
It just feels different.
I don't like hiring a car because you just think if I return it with a single scratch on it, if somebody at the supermarket bangs their door and dents it, this is not my car. It feels like an increased sense of responsibility.
And in our lives, the things that we have the relationships that we have, the things that we have been entrusted with are the Lord's, and that should not make us slovenly. That should make us all the more responsible.
One Corinthians four, verse two says, moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
Lord, I pray that we will be faithful stewards.
Let's just pause. Let's look at the previous two word aligned. On a scale of one to five, how aligned is your life? How provocative. Do you allow the spirit of the Lord, through his word to challenge you? Are you hiding those scriptures that you know will challenge you?
Scale the one to five, how are you doing? Maybe in terms of stewardship, not ownership, how are you doing? How devoted is every area of our life to the Lord? Let's just pause.
Spirit of the Lord, we thank you that you're so merciful and gracious.
We ask that you would help us live our lives synchronized and aligned to your word.
Lord, if there are those of us that your word has become something that we only ever really hear on a Sunday, stir our hearts, O God.
Stir our hearts with a new rhythm and a new discipline to daily approach your word and speak to us, Lord and Lord, in terms of those things that you have entrusted into our lives, people, responsibilities, graces, gifts of things that we would call stuff as ours.
Lord, help us to bring it all as faithful service to you. In Jesus name, amen.
And two quick things before we go. Faith filled.
It says this, we innovate. We take kingdom minded risks. We refuse to settle knowing that there are many more God inspired adventures that are ahead.
If you've been around the church for a while, do you think with a settling sort, it doesn't fit us?
And I believe there's something of the spirit of the Lord that's not about our leadership style. I think there's something of the provocation of the spirit in our lives. He's calling us to be risk takers, to be kingdom minded. I always remember a number of years ago there was a church plant that had been started some time ago, and it wasn't working as people had hoped and people's dreams of what they were given themselves. They were traveling an hour every Sunday, more than that, to get to this place. And we sat together and we said, hey, you've been amazing, but do you think it's working? And no, it just doesn't feel like it's accomplishing what we hoped it would.
And so we made a decision that we were going to end that church plant in that one particular location at that time.
But aware that these people had sacrificed so much, they'd given so much of their energy and their time and their abilities and their commitment and their passion and their vision to this, that there was a chance that they would feel like they had failed.
And how many of you know when Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water, he got wet, didn't he?
Because he did walk on the water, but he also sank when he began to look at the waves. Who was the most successful in that situation? Was it Peter who sank, or was it the disciples who never got out of the boat in the first place?
The most successful was Peter. He was able to tell his future generations, I walked a few steps on water.
None of the others could say that, but the others could have said, peter, what an idiot. What do you think you're doing, Peter? Look at the state of you. You're soaking wet. How embarrassing is this? That one of our number got to Such a degree that Jesus had to pull you out from the waves. But, hey, Peter walked on water, and Peter had the guts to get out of the boat and give it a go. And so we were sitting with these group of people that were planning this church and feeling like they were beginning to sink and it wasn't going as they hoped. And we said, you guys walked on water.
You guys stepped out of the boat. And on a following Sunday, we invited all of those to the stage. And I said, these guys haven't failed. These guys have stepped out of the boat, and they've given something a go for Jesus. And as they come to the stage, I want you to give them a hero's welcome. And I want you to shout and holler and whistle, stand on chairs if you want to. And I want you to give a reception to these people like they are heroes.
And I said, and also, as that sound goes up in this place, I want you to listen to it, because that's the sound that awaits you if you step out of the boat, whether you begin to go under the waves or not, just for the fact that you're stepping out of the boat. That's the sound that awaits you.
We won't honor just success. We will honor the desire to be adventurous in the Lord. We will cheer each other on. The issue is not whether everything works out. The issue is, will we get out of the boat. And we have to applaud those that feel like they failed because they had the guts to give it a go. And we want to create, believe God's helping us create a culture that says, hey, come on, it may go wrong. What happens if it doesn't work? Well, we'll get a bit wet.
But well done, heroes.
Well done.
I wonder if we could just take a moment to express the sound that will go up when you step out the boat, whether it works or not, but you're doing it because you believe that the spirit of the Lord is nudging you to do it.
I wonder, could we create that sound this morning? So just think about it. What are you going to do? Are you going to cheer? Are you going to politely British clap? What are you going to do? What's the sound that's awaiting the attempts in God, the faith, adventure in God? What's that sound going to be like?
Why don't you stand for a moment?
Are you ready, ma'am? We need drums to help us, so it's all on us.
So think about it. I'm going to count down from three, two, one. And then when I do that, just release that sound and let it break in you. Any sense of intimidation that I can't step up because it may not work.
Let this sound, now, this roar from within you, break that intimidation spirit. Someone had a word this morning. They shared that they felt, someone in this service has felt that God has called them, but they're now saying, it's too late, I'm too old. Let this sound break that intimidation of your life.
And if you have been cynical, if you found yourself rejoicing at the downfall of others, let this sound correct you let this sound change the cynicism of your heart to say, God, I believe that heaven roars with those who step out on adventures with you. And I'm going to synchronize the sound of my life with the sound of heaven. Here we go. Three, two, one.
[00:29:24] Speaker B: Yes.
Come on.
Come on.
Yes.
Come on, heroes.
Come on.
Hallelujah.
Well done.
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah.
[00:29:56] Speaker A: Every deceptive lie of the enemy that's been over your life that says you have to have everything lined up before you step out. I break now. In the name of Jesus.
God has called us for faith filled adventure.
In the name of Jesus. There's one more on the list that we won't. Is there?
Yes, there is. There's one I missed out about leading with humility. And just as we close our gathering, our commitment is not that people leave anything that we do talking about rediscover, but they leave talking about Jesus.
Humility is not thinking about ourselves less. It's thinking of him more.
It's not saying, oh, I haven't got anything to bring. I've got no talent. I've got no ability. That's not what humility is. Humility is I'm in a heart. This is. I want him to be seen.
I so desire. You've got no idea how much prayer and fasting I put into this. But my prayer is God. May people seek Jesus.
May they seek Jesus.
Not Brandon, but Jesus.
And in our final closing moments, I wonder if we could just raise our hands and say, Lord, I want people to see Jesus through me.
I want to see Jesus.
Oh, Lord Jesus, be glorified, be lifted up.
And I pray that all of us live courageously in the Lord.
So now, Lord, let your blessing be upon our lives, upon our fellow fellowship, upon our adventures, upon our devotion.
In the name of Jesus we pray.
