Talk 3 - Building Gospel Bridges (Core Value - Witness)

0:00 · Speaker 1 So, we conclude our three-week focus that we've been on here, as I've mentioned earlier, on our priority areas for building this church as we move, as I said again in the first week, towards the 40th birthday of this church in 2028. And it's been so encouraging over the last couple of weeks to both see after services and hear as well stories of immediate response to what we've been praying about and what we've been talking about on prayer, especially in the first week on maturity last week. And so we move this morning then to this focus that we've called building gospel bridges. This focus on our call as Christ's church to be witnesses to the gospel. And our core value, we've got nine of these core values. Our core value on witness says the following. We believe we are called to share our faith and hope in Jesus with others. And then it adds a little detail to that.

1:02 · Speaker 1 It says we desire to communicate the hope of the gospel to our families, our friends, our neighbors, and colleagues. We want to equip and support every member to give a reason for the hope that they have in Jesus with those in their own sphere of influence. and we want to be a welcoming, authentic, and accessible community to new followers of Christ and to those who are searching to find him. And again, as I've shared each week, our prayer and our hope for Glen Abbey as elders in the coming years, we want to be a church that is growing in confidence, that is growing in boldness, that is growing in urgency to share that good news that is ours, that good news that we have sung about so far with others. And we are so grateful to God for how he has already led us in that direction in recent years, both in encouraging and supporting overseas missions. So many of us know about that from Community Admissions at Six and other things, how that's become such a core part of who we are as a church. And you'll hear even more of that. Let me just highlight a podcast that's coming out on the 27th of September, interviewing some of our young people who've recently served on short-term missions across the globe.

2:29 · Speaker 1 But then also how we have become, and we can thank God for this too, how we have become a much more outward focused church in terms of engagement in our own community. Yes, through our own direct work, but mainly through our engagement with all sorts of gospel partners. And you can see this took three or four slides to put up all the different groups and partners and so on that we are engaged with in that way. And we are so grateful to God for that. Our opportunities to serve our community have grown, and therefore our opportunities to share the gospel have grown with those. However, we do believe, and if we're being totally honest, that we do still need to place more of a priority on this specific area of personal witness, of us sharing our faith individually with friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, those, as the core value says, in our sphere of influence, and as well as that supporting each other in that task. So for the next few minutes, I just want to remind us of that calling on us as disciples. That's all.

3:42 · Speaker 1 Remember what I said about each of the talks over these three weeks. They're just beginning to make us think. That's all. Pointing us in a particular direction, challenging where we are right now. I want to remind us of that calling as the church, but also as the specific roles that we have within this. So the roles that we have as leaders, as elders of the church, the roles that we all have together as members of the church, as disciples of Christ. But then also, and this is absolutely crucial, and often the one that we forget, the role that God has to be God in all of this. So let's do that again.

4:26 · Speaker 1 I'm just going to talk for a few minutes, and then I'm going to chat with another of our elders, Mark Jones, who's been thinking about and talking to others about this for the last number of months. So I'm going to have a bit of a chat with him as we've been talking with others throughout the last couple of weeks. So first of all, our role, our responsibility as elders, as leaders, what is that? Well, let me refer back to them, where we have been before. We read this section of Ephesians 4 last week, and it says this, so Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, or the shepherds, or the elders, or the teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith, and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and become mature, attaining to the full measure of the fullness of Christ. So our role is to equip his people for works of service. Our role is to equip you for works of service. It is not to do the service for you.

5:40 · Speaker 1 It is not to be the witness for you. It's not to say, well, all you have to do is persuade somebody to get in the room and then we're going to put a proper evangelist up in front of that person and then they can do the work for you. That's not what it's about. Our role, we believe, is to equip each person for the work of service that God has prepared for them in advance. And so to follow on from last week, we want to take that role seriously. We want to do more and better at that and we are focused on doing that. We want to equip each of you, each of us, ourselves included, to grow in confidence and grow in boldness and grow in clarity and creativity as we together prayerfully witness to those within our spheres of influence. We want each person, each member here to be better equipped than they are today to share that reason, and that defense for the hope that they have when others ask them about it.

6:48 · Speaker 1 We want to further each member's knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, as Paul talks to Titus in Titus 1, growing you in your knowledge of the word to be better equipped for that. We want to encourage you. We want to pray for you and with you, and we want to bring this calling to be witnesses, to share the gospel even more to the center, to the heart of the culture and the conversation and the prayers and the stories of this church family on Sundays, yes, but also throughout the week. And kids, and youth, and young adults, and in home groups, all the way up to Monday Club, that this is at the heart of what we're thinking about and talking about and praying about and encouraging each other in. And we want to provide you as well then with helpful and positive opportunities throughout the year for invitation as we seek to be that welcoming and that accessible community. And as well as that, we want to take seriously our call to be models of what it is we're asking you to do. We want to be leaders who practice what we preach. And we need your prayers in that, and we need a lot of help from the Holy Spirit in that too.

8:12 · Speaker 1 And we'll talk more about what we want to do as a church and support you when I chat with Mark in a little bit. But that's where we are. We want to equip each person here for the works of good service, including witnessing. So your role then, or better to say our role, because we're all in this together, our role as disciples. And to help us think that through, I just want to look at a couple of passages from 2 Corinthians that provide a pattern, a framework for our calling. First chapter 5, from verse 18, Paul says this, we are, sorry, I'm going to read a wee bit back from that actually. All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That God was reconciling the world to himself and Christ, not counting people's sins against him.

9:07 · Speaker 1 And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. God has committed to each of us his glorious message of reconciliation through Christ, and we are called to be ambassadors. We're called to be heralds of this message of forgiveness and reconciliation, imploring others on Christ's behalf to be reconciled to God through him. so just think of that word ambassadors then second corinthians 4 also helps further i think in grasping this calling here's what here's what paul says a chapter earlier therefore since through god's mercy we have this ministry isn't that amazing that that the ministry the opportunity to actually share our faith with others is part of god's mercy to us we don't often think of it that way i would imagine but that's the reality since through god's mercy we have this ministry we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.

10:30 · Speaker 1 On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God who said, let light shine out of darkness, this God of creation, made his light shine in our hearts, the God of salvation, to give us the light of knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.

11:22 · Speaker 1 It is God who makes his light shine in our hearts. So it's through God's mercy that we have this ministry then, this calling. And look at what is at the heart of our message as ambassadors. very simple. We are to preach Jesus Christ as Lord. That's our responsibility. In our lives, in our words, to preach Jesus Christ as Lord. That's our responsibility.

12:02 · Speaker 1 It's not our responsibility. And let me say this very clearly. It is not our responsibility to convert people. It is not our responsibility to change people's minds, people's hearts. Our responsibility is to preach Christ. I was really encouraged by something I heard Rico Tice say once. He was asked by someone about a mission he'd spoken at. And the person asked him how many people had been converted.

12:35 · Speaker 1 And his response was, that's the wrong question you're asking me. The question you should be asking me is, did I preach Christ? Our responsibility is to preach Christ. Not necessarily the way Rico Tice did at some mission. Not necessarily, of course, the way that I'm standing up here this morning. and doing that, it doesn't mean to preach Christ, does not mean to deliver a sermon. Simply means proclaiming good news. It's simply to talk about him in our own words, in our own way, out of our own experience, out of our own lives.

13:20 · Speaker 1 It is in the words of this passage, to the best of our ability to seek to set forth the truth about Jesus as Lord plainly. plainly. It's to avoid the temptations to distort the gospel. You know the ones I'm talking about, to underplay the hard stuff. Somebody asks us about sin or somebody asks us about repentance or somebody asks us about judgment or the holiness of God or whatever it is. It's to avoid the temptation to distort. It's to be honest about the gospel. It's to be honest about ourselves.

14:04 · Speaker 1 It's to serve others well by being ambassadors of the true message. But simply to set forth the truth about Jesus plainly when we get the opportunity. That is our responsibility. And then thirdly, we've had our role as leaders. We've had our role as the church. now we have God's role as God. Once we have preached Christ in our lives, in our words, well then we pray.

14:40 · Speaker 1 And we pray, and like the persistent widow, we pray. And we leave the results to God because as this passage says, it is him and him alone who can work the heart miracle of recognition of who Christ is and a response of repentance. It's him and it is him alone who can make light shine in hearts to give the light of knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. It's him and it is him alone who can heal the blindness imposed on minds. Imposed by the God of this age, by the devil. So that they can see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ him and him alone. God and God alone can do this. and that reality is so vital to grasp.

15:32 · Speaker 1 Because we often, so often, and I know I've been so guilty of this in the past, put the wrong pressure on myself. If I don't think I have the right words or the right arguments or whatever, I say to get somebody across the line, then I don't even start in. But that's not what we're being called to do. this is liberating. It means that we can preach Christ in our lives. It means that we can preach him and how we love others and how we serve others and what we say to others, not hiding anything, not distorting the message, but speaking with integrity and honesty and absolutely the creativity that God has given us to actually bring this and make this apply to where people are in their lives in their hearts right now, but always recognizing that their response is not in our power and their response is not in our responsibility. We can preach Christ in whatever way we can, and then we can turn to God and in prayer say, over to you, God.

16:47 · Speaker 1 Open blind eyes. Shine your light in to hearts. So we need to remember what our role is. But of course, to have the opportunity to preach Christ, we need to be doing what the title of this morning is. We need to be building gospel bridges. We need to be building relational structures for the gospel to actually travel along. We need to be, and this is a challenge I would imagine for all of us with busy lives, with involvement in service in this church, with all sorts of things going on, we need to be spending time with people. We need to be where they are.

17:36 · Speaker 1 We need to be building friendships. We need to be good friends and neighbors and fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters. We need to be, in Paul's words later in Ephesians, we'll keep going back there, we need to be children of the light. We need to serve people well. We need to love people well. We need to live such good lives that the only offensive thing we will ever offer them is this gospel of repentance. But we do need to offer them the gospel. We do need to cross the pain and fear line.

18:19 · Speaker 1 We do need to preach Christ and then we do need to leave the results to God. And to encourage you in this, we actually do have a little building gospel Bridges story that we recorded as a podcast on Friday evening, and we'll hopefully release that as long as the file was properly recorded. I'm hoping it was. That'll be released this Friday. And you can see in the photo with me, you can see Carol Ann Crow, and you can see Jenny McClelland, and you can see Gemma Potter. And they were so good to come along and agree in their nervousness to come along and have a conversation with me in our podcast room upstairs and to tell me this story. a story that they would say is a very, very ordinary story of building the gospel bridge of friendship, but a story that did culminate in God making his light shine in Gemma's heart and her coming to faith in Christ. So in one sense, yes, it's a very ordinary story.

19:23 · Speaker 1 And another, it's a story of a miracle. So we're going to release that on Friday, and I hope that A simple story, if you get the chance to listen to it, encourages you. So much more, I could say, and we will over time, we'll talk about this more over time. But for now, I just want to leave you like I have done before Mark comes up with the questions of challenge that I've left each week so far. So have a think through these just this week and pray through them as you get the opportunity. The first one then is more as a question for reflection. it's not a question for any of us to beat ourselves up with but just to understand where we are and how difficult and challenging this is when was the last time I truly fulfilled my role as an ambassador of Christ as a herald of God's message of reconciliation how long has it been second question then, what one gospel bridge can I intentionally begin to build or continue to build in the year ahead?

20:32 · Speaker 1 And when you hear that podcast later in the week, hopefully that'll encourage you just about the simplicity of that. Thirdly, how can I equip myself in the year ahead to become a better ambassador for Christ? What can I read? What can I listen to? Who can I pray with? Who can I ask for help? All of those sorts of things. What opportunities can I take to make myself and equip myself to be a better ambassador?

21:00 · Speaker 1 And then lastly, and I think this is so vital, because I'm not sure how much we talk about this and we should be talking about it a lot more with each other? How can I avoid making this a solo project and engage others in mutual prayer and support and accountability? How can I do that in friendships? How can I do that in cell groups and home groups and all of those sorts of things? How can we bring this, as I said at the beginning, to the center of the culture of this church and to the center of our conversations and our prayers and everything else. So have a think about those this week. Mark, I'm going to ask you to come and hopefully bring me something to sit down on as well and I'll move this out of the way and we'll have a little bit of a chat for 10, 15 minutes or so.

21:49 · Speaker 1 Thank you very much. Now, you said this, I'm not saying it. You were wondering whether your feet would fit.

22:10 · Speaker 2 I'm officially taller than Jill.

22:11 · Speaker 1 That's good. Are you sure you're just not sitting forward a bit further? Is that all that is?

22:16 · Speaker 2 Be who I am.

22:17 · Speaker 1 No problem. Good, Mark. Listen, for those, a lot of people here, of course, will know you. But for those who don't, maybe just introduce yourself to us. Tell us a little bit about yourself, first of all.

22:26 · Speaker 2 So, my name is Mark. I am the shortest elder. Also the youngest. Possibly the best looking.

22:35 · Speaker 1 And the most humble.

22:37 · Speaker 2 Yeah, that goes with it, doesn't it? I'm married to Louise, who is at home at the minute. She'll be her second service. And I am father to Ewan, Lydia and Katie, 18, 17 and 15. I think that's right.

22:57 · Speaker 1 Well done. Well done. We can look that up in Church's Feed after him, see whether you're right or not, but we'll see.

23:02 · Speaker 2 She just had a birthday, so I think it's 15. And I am a software developer by trade.

23:09 · Speaker 1 And how long have you been serving on Eldership with the rest of us?

23:14 · Speaker 2 Is it two years?

23:16 · Speaker 1 I'm asking you. I'm not here to answer your questions for you.

23:20 · Speaker 2 Thanks for the help, Chris. It's very encouraging. I think you're right. I think it's approaching two years, if it's not two years. And before that, I served on the missions team here, and Louise and I run a home group together. and I've done a few other things, started around different times.

23:34 · Speaker 1 So that tells us a little bit about you. Obviously then I mentioned at the beginning that you've been thinking a little bit about this stuff and talking to others for the last few months about it. Before we get into that though, I suppose it might be nice to ask you a question just in terms of what we've just talked about. Is there anything in particular out of that? I asked Jill a very similar question the first week. Anything in particular that has sort of resonated or struck you specifically out of that?

23:58 · Speaker 2 There really is. Actually, as you went through your three points, of which I had read beforehand, but this didn't hit me until you actually said it, you know, you had the, you know, our role as a church, which is your equipment role that we talked about last week. You had God's role at the end, which is, you know, that kind of penitent position, that prayerful role, and then the role in the middle of witness. And it's just interesting to me, and I said this to you on Friday night, like none of these things, we don't witness sometimes, and some of us are witnesses, and some us are prayers and it's almost, you know, it's all linked in. You know, as we witness, as you said last week, part of become more mature is serving. As we witness, we will get more mature. And as we get more mature, we will pray more and then we'll witness more. And then we'll, you know, or any other combination of said circle.

24:41 · Speaker 2 And that really struck me. I don't know if you planned it that way with the three points, but.

24:45 · Speaker 1 I'd love to say I did.

24:47 · Speaker 2 Well, it just kind of linked the whole thing together and even being part of the journey, you know, as we sat down in venue three. what was it, January 20 something, 23. And we started the conversation. This has been going for a while. You know, that wasn't in our head, you know, and the way that those linked together and the way that those will go together, you know, to take just to glorify God ultimately more in this place, you know, and it's just neat to see it come together, to see that, you know, see God in it and to see him working and see him developing us as a church and developing us as leaders and so on. So that's what I took from us.

25:24 · Speaker 1 That's great. So clearly encourage people with one of those questions there in the year ahead to think through how they're going to build their own gospel bridges. I suppose, as I've reflected on a lot of this stuff, one of the concerns I would have at times is that so many of us say we're not evangelists, and that what we need to do is we need to get somebody along to a mission so that somebody can actually explain the gospel to them properly, or we need to get them in front of Gilbert on a Sunday, whatever it is, right? We need to do that. And actually at times then that feels like we're franchising out the work, the service. And maybe that goes back to also a different time whenever a lot more people were churched and all of that sort of thing. We're not going to be able to get into a full conversation on that this morning. So I think what we are trying to emphasize here is that idea and the podcast that'll come out later in the week will do that.

26:20 · Speaker 1 We're trying to emphasize that the gospel bridges that need built are personal ones. And the responsibility is in us as individuals, as married couples, as families, as groups of friends, whatever it is. And that what we do as a church here centrally is more to be a place of support and equipping. And so I know that's some of the stuff that you've thought about a little bit. Almost like if we think about our gospel bridges that we're thinking about, what are the support pillars that we can put in place? for people to build their own bridges and help them on that, in that building. So I suppose, what sort of things would you see potentially happening in the year, years ahead that would help people in that? And maybe just talk a little bit more about that.

27:06 · Speaker 2 I'll go right back to the start. I think it's really neat the way you pull that out. You know, where our responsibility ends and where God's responsibility takes over. And I started reading a wee book by John Lennox that I can't remember the title of, but it's something around witnessing. And just in that first chapter, he kind of pulls out that verse from Timothy. Is it always prepared to give a reason for the hope that's within you? You know, points out that that's that's a very personal verse and it's a verse that plays itself out in conversation. You know, so as you're sitting there going, I'm not a vansist, I'm not an apologetic or, you know, I'm not as smart as Chris and I can't work all of this out.

27:41 · Speaker 2 That's not what it's about. And actually the podcast that's going to go out, I happen to be in there. I was behind the photo, in the photo, because she still wanted to see me in a photo. But it's my favorite podcast so far, so maybe that'll advertise it. But it's just such a beautiful story of people who just wanted to be Christ in a loving, friendly way. And they wanted to just love being with the person. And then faith came a part of that, and that bubbled out. And then God stepped in, and God done his part.

28:15 · Speaker 2 And that's what we're talking about here. It's not about going and get your master's in theology. It's not about that. It's about the fact that if you're here and that you have a faith and that you've met Jesus and you're a child of God, it's about being Christian or being a little Christ, being friendly to somebody, getting involved in their life, talking to them, helping them out. And as questions come out from them, you take the opportunities and you share the hope that's within you. which is in essence the same hope that's within me but it's a different story that you're going to tell than the story that I'm going to tell or the story that Chris is going to tell or the story that anybody else is going to tell and then what we're going to do as a church because you mentioned equipment we're getting kind of landing things that are going to go throughout some of them are equipping it's going to mainly happen through home groups we hope because that's a great setting to do it but there's going to be other events that are going to be in this church or possibly not in this church and we'll announce them as they come up we're looking at some big question nights where we might just put a question on, bring a speaker in to take it. But the idea here is not that you hand a wee sort of six by four card and put it through somebody's letterbox.

29:22 · Speaker 2 It's that you come along with someone to this. You sit with them, and then as they have conversations or questions afterwards, you're there to help them answer it or direct them in the right place or say, I really don't know, but I'll find a book that might answer that or I'll find a person that might be able to answer that and facilitate the conversation. There's also going to be other events that, you know, our sports ministry put on, all different people put on that might be more fun, there might be less contact, and just get people used to being about the place, and maybe you can then put your arm around them and come to church with them. We're going to do something around the sort of, those courses for people to kind of journey them through. Like Christianity Explored. Like Christianity Explored, that sort of thing. We're going to put a course like that on at some point as well. And just different things, and we'll announce them as they come up.

30:10 · Speaker 2 And we would have loved to announce them today, but I'm not a great detailed person and planner, so they're probably a little bit behind. But we're playing catch up. But as they come, we'll announce them, we'll highlight them. But the big thing that I want to land, I guess, is that if you're sitting there going, I've never witnessed before, this sounds really difficult. So I'm going to say from the front, this is ridiculously difficult for me. This is not natural. I'm not an extrovert at all. It is hard, but that doesn't mean we don't do it.

30:40 · Speaker 2 So my challenge that I'm landing down on everybody is to first of all, along the lines of Chris's questions, take this to God in prayer today, after this service. Doesn't need to be a big sort of two hour prayer session. Just a couple of minutes prayer and just say, God, put a person into my life, onto my heart. Just one person. And then pray to God continually for that person. Pray for opportunities. Pray for a chance to speak to them. And then let's see where it goes.

31:13 · Speaker 2 And let's see what happens. One of the verses as elders that we landed on was that God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine through his power. And often we stop there when we quote that verse. But it actually says through his power that works in us. That's the NIV. And so if you're sitting there going, I can't. God's power is right inside you if you're a child of God, so you can. And not only that, as Chris has demonstrated, that's actually our job and our role and our responsibility.

31:45 · Speaker 2 So did that answer the question?

31:47 · Speaker 1 Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. A couple of things to highlight, I think, just in what you said there. First of all, you mentioned the John Lennox book. I think the book you're talking about is Have No Fear. That's the one. So if you want to answer the last question about how do I, or one of the questions was how do I equip myself in the year ahead? That might be, it's a very, very thin book.

32:04 · Speaker 1 I think think that was brought out around sort of pandemic time, that I'm sure it would be easily accessed, and that might be a good place to start. So that would be one thing. I think the other thing to mention about any of those things that happen, and again, this is where I want to sort of, I really want to be careful that we flip the mindset, and that it's not, let's say we put on a big questions night, for example, it's not necessarily a win if you get somebody along to that, and it's not a loss if you don't. For each gospel bridge that you build, that might be a good structure for you to invite somebody along to based on the journey you're on with that person but actually on the other side that they might not be asking the big questions that's answering so to not get them along is not a big deal I think if I listen and thinking of the the podcast that we did on Friday night I'm not sure a Gemma in fact would have necessarily wanted to go to a big questions thing other people will so I think we need to realize that those are there to support and help then that's not you've done your job now and I get tick the box I got them to a big questions night that's it done and so I think that's important as well another question then just to ask you I suppose as you look to the year and the year ahead the year ahead do you do you do that with with apprehension or with excitement or with a bit of both and why I suppose would be the question there.

33:27 · Speaker 2 I think I'll say a bit of both so in your first talk in prayer and Again, I don't know how you plan these things out, but you sort of said that, you know, you spoke to us as elders directly and said, you know, we need to be doing this, you need to hold us accountable. And it follows in this too. So there is a little bit of apprehension. As I said, I find this hard. And so as I look at the year ahead, I'm going to be trying to do this. You know, I want to befriend some of the people that live around me and that I work with a little bit more and see what opportunities come up and be able to answer the question. So like, just to be honest, that is apprehensive, but actually it may override an emotion is excitement. In the last 12 months, there's been a number of people who have come to faith.

34:05 · Speaker 2 And every time we hear about it and it goes around the kind of WhatsApp, the elders WhatsApp group, it is exciting. You know, that's someday to give the gospel in five seconds that has been plucked from an eternity that's going to be apart from God to an eternity that's going to be part of fellowship with God. That is huge. And sometimes we miss that. And I'm excited to see what God is going to do, To see the stories that we're maybe going to be able to tell sometimes in podcasts where somebody comes and says, this is my journey to faith. This is how it worked. And to see it happen lots and lots and lots. And to see God move in our area, you know, and whatever that is for the people here, you know, Ballyclare, Carrick, Clingon, Gormley, Antrim, or if I've missed you out, you just name it in your head.

34:49 · Speaker 2 And what is God going to do? And there's some really exciting things happening. We chatted about this too. My kids are involved in Ballyclare High School. and my middle daughter is helping on the committee there in the SU. You know, there's a tiered lecture theater thing there. They put more people that could fit in that in this senior SU meeting in Ballyclare High School. That's exciting.

35:13 · Speaker 2 That's really, really exciting. You know, in this past year, that same SU put on a meeting here in Glen Abbey and 210, 220 young people, 11 to 18 from 18, 19 schools, came here and about a third of them weren't Christian. And they spent, I think there were 16 songs on the set. So you guys need to pick it up, Ian. You know, lift your standards. So, you know, and they sang and I was, and actually I was standing up there in that dude out there. And, you know, I was crying a little bit because of what I was saying. You know, on stage we had, sorry about this, I'm doing a Garth McCartney.

35:50 · Speaker 2 And on stage there was only kids. And the whole thing was organized by kids. and the whole thing was run by kids. And the only time that changed was the person who spoke to him to be an adult. That's exciting. And we need to be excited about that. And we need to be praying into that. And then we need to be looking at the teenagers and going, they're doing it.

36:11 · Speaker 2 We need to be doing it. We need to be doing it more. And we need to be realizing that we worship a really, really big God, a massive God that can do amazing things here exactly where we're at, right here and whatever this road is, Pallycoogie Road and wider and on out.

36:30 · Speaker 1 So thank you. A couple of things to pick up on that. First of all, absolutely. I think you're right that there's a lot that we can learn from our teenagers at the minute. And I include myself in that. And definitely we have seen that it worked and we're so grateful for that. And I think what you speak of is something that I've talked with quite a number of people here. I know I've I've had chats with Gareth Black and so on about this, that there is this real sense of spiritual openness in a different way right now than I think there was five years ago, ten years ago.

37:04 · Speaker 1 We're seeing that in our young people. I think we're seeing that and hearing that in conversations. And I think we need to be exploiting those opportunities and taking those opportunities as they come. So I suppose I'll answer that question as well. I'm exactly the same. Lots of excitement. and lots of anticipation as we carry out this task together. And the big thing that did strike me as I was looking at these passages was that limitation of our role and how liberating that is.

37:38 · Speaker 1 That really did speak to me in a fresh way. And I really need to take that on board in terms of what all I have to do is to preach Christ in the situations that I am in. And again, I didn't get the chance to talk about this in the talk, but again, a couple of things I've heard Rico Tice mention on that regard in the past. He talks about what it means or what it might look like to preach Christ. And he talks about the first part of that is to celebrate other people as made in God's image, to be people who genuinely celebrate the people that we come into contact with, to serve them well and to love them well. That's another part. And to do that. And actually, the podcast, again, that we record on Friday night, is a little image of this.

38:27 · Speaker 1 Then, when the opportunity arises to give the hope that you have, to actually, as I mentioned earlier, cross that pain line and actually talk about Jesus and actually talk about your faith and be open and actually speak about him. But then this was another thing that really liberated me as well. He also said if the shutters come up, if people make it very clear they have no interest in talking about that sort of thing, well, he talked about that idea of wiping the dust off your feet and just exiting out of that and moving back to celebrating and serving again and doing that and waiting for the next opportunity. So it's not that we have to batter people's doors down in that way, but to actually preach Christ that way and to have that mindset as we do that. We've run out of time. Hopefully this has been thought-provoking for you. Hopefully it's been encouraging. I hope you continue to be encouraged both through that podcast with Carol Ann and Gemma and Jenny, and also the one with some of our teenagers and our young adults in the Short-Term Missions podcast the following week as well.

39:35 · Speaker 1 I'm going to pray. I'll make the band back up, and we'll finish off our service now. Father, thank you for your mercy in our lives. Thank you for the hope that we have. Thank you for the eternal future that is ours from this very moment until when your son returns. and all the way into eternity.

40:11 · Speaker 1 We thank you for that. We want to be people who are involved in your work of bringing more people into your kingdom. So for each individual here, we ask for you by your spirit to prompt hearts, to point people in the direction that you would have them go, to really just bring this to the front and center of minds, of hearts, of prayers, of our discussions and conversations and community together. And we ask that you would, yes, you would just shine your light into hearts. And that this would be a place that is growing in new shape. And we ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.