WEBVTT 00:04.945 --> 00:06.066 [SPEAKER_02]: Well, good morning, everyone. 00:06.086 --> 00:08.328 [SPEAKER_02]: So good to be with you. 00:08.348 --> 00:13.993 [SPEAKER_02]: I wanted to join me in a word of prayer as we get ready to jump into the message this morning. 00:14.693 --> 00:16.595 [SPEAKER_02]: Father, thank you for being with us. 00:17.416 --> 00:17.936 [SPEAKER_02]: Here are already. 00:17.976 --> 00:22.840 [SPEAKER_02]: I thank you for this beautiful sense of your presence in the room as we have worshiped together. 00:23.901 --> 00:30.887 [SPEAKER_02]: And I pray as Rob has already said that you would be Lord Jesus at the center of everything that we do. 00:31.848 --> 00:52.619 [SPEAKER_02]: But all of this is for you about you, for your glory, for your renown, and we ask that you would, as we think about the future of our church, what you're doing among us, what you want to do among us in the future, that we would keep our eyes on you so that we can run our race with diligence and with faith. 00:53.760 --> 00:55.061 [SPEAKER_02]: And we pray this in Jesus name. 00:55.681 --> 00:56.001 [SPEAKER_02]: Amen. 00:56.401 --> 00:56.721 [SPEAKER_02]: Amen. 00:56.801 --> 01:00.203 [SPEAKER_02]: So yes, as you've heard, we're in the middle of vision month, week two. 01:00.663 --> 01:04.204 [SPEAKER_02]: We're talking about what it means for us to reimagine. 01:05.045 --> 01:13.028 [SPEAKER_02]: Ministry and our mission as we take some big steps of faith together as a church into the future that God is preparing for us. 01:14.108 --> 01:18.070 [SPEAKER_02]: As Paul says in Ephesians 320, a passage that we're kind of anchoring this 01:23.072 --> 01:34.645 [SPEAKER_02]: He writes, now, to him, who is able to do, immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that's at work within us. 01:35.620 --> 01:42.422 [SPEAKER_02]: to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever amen. 01:43.082 --> 01:52.544 [SPEAKER_02]: So we're taking that as an encouragement for us to trust God to do the Amesrablee more that we could ask or imagine as we follow his lead into our future. 01:53.104 --> 01:55.765 [SPEAKER_02]: In fact, I love how the Old King James puts it. 01:55.785 --> 01:58.125 [SPEAKER_02]: Instead of saying Amesrablee more, which is the 02:04.767 --> 02:08.371 [SPEAKER_02]: we say that together exceedingly abundantly above. 02:08.472 --> 02:08.952 [SPEAKER_02]: I love that. 02:09.973 --> 02:21.527 [SPEAKER_02]: This means as I said last week, if I've understood Paul correctly here, that if we have asked it or imagined it, then we have not yet even come close. 02:22.108 --> 02:25.209 [SPEAKER_02]: to what is possible in the kingdom of God by the power of the Spirit. 02:25.249 --> 02:32.132 [SPEAKER_02]: So I take this as a challenge, as an encouragement, as an exhortation to lift our vision higher. 02:32.693 --> 02:41.677 [SPEAKER_02]: So as Paul saw often in courage to church throughout his letters, to where Christ is, he would say, lift your vision up to where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 02:42.657 --> 02:45.138 [SPEAKER_02]: In Romans 835, you'll remember Romans 8. 02:45.178 --> 02:48.098 [SPEAKER_02]: We did that last year, Romans 835. 02:48.138 --> 02:55.880 [SPEAKER_02]: He says, look to where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, where he now eternally intercedes for us. 02:56.381 --> 03:03.662 [SPEAKER_02]: And if that is true, then he goes on to say, if Christ is interceding for us, then who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 03:04.102 --> 03:05.983 [SPEAKER_02]: Shall trouble or hardship? 03:06.603 --> 03:19.380 [SPEAKER_02]: or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword, know in all these things, do you know how this verse ends, in all these things we are, more than conquerors through him who loved us. 03:20.181 --> 03:22.544 [SPEAKER_02]: In measure of the more, more than conquerors. 03:22.864 --> 03:35.807 [SPEAKER_02]: You get a bit of a theme in Paul's letters that there's so much more going on in us and through us and around us in Christ Jesus than we ever are truly aware of with our physical eyes, with our natural perception. 03:36.287 --> 03:40.688 [SPEAKER_02]: And so this is the confidence that we have in Christ in the power of the gospel. 03:41.028 --> 03:43.289 [SPEAKER_02]: So let's remind ourselves of these things. 03:43.309 --> 03:52.051 [SPEAKER_02]: I think it's good to get together on a Sunday and remind ourselves of what God is doing, of what is possible in His kingdom and stir up some faith for that. 03:53.071 --> 03:54.492 [SPEAKER_02]: for even what is impossible. 03:54.993 --> 03:56.874 [SPEAKER_02]: Could we stir up some faith for that as well? 03:56.914 --> 03:57.434 [SPEAKER_02]: Leave with me. 03:58.635 --> 04:00.656 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, if you think, wow, there's one person, awesome. 04:01.297 --> 04:01.837 [SPEAKER_02]: Are you with me? 04:02.418 --> 04:03.078 [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, come on. 04:03.538 --> 04:08.442 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, if you think of a railway track, there are two rails, as you know, to a railway track. 04:09.242 --> 04:11.824 [SPEAKER_02]: And we kind of think of our vision along those same loads. 04:12.525 --> 04:17.528 [SPEAKER_02]: There's two elements to the vision that we believe God is calling us to in this season. 04:17.548 --> 04:21.311 [SPEAKER_02]: It's the first rail, really, is us reimagining our calling. 04:22.051 --> 04:29.675 [SPEAKER_02]: So we're exploring in this season who we're called to be for the sake of this city at this time in this cultural moment. 04:30.175 --> 04:40.560 [SPEAKER_02]: So as Paul says in Ephesians 320, and I just want to highlight a few things here, he calls us to be a church that glorifies Jesus through our life together. 04:41.101 --> 04:43.662 [SPEAKER_02]: That is making disciples of all generations. 04:44.242 --> 04:47.444 [SPEAKER_02]: That is growing in the power of the Spirit that has been given to us 04:51.866 --> 04:59.651 [SPEAKER_02]: not just in the church, not just when we gather here on a Sunday, but I think for who we're called to be our engagement in the world as well. 05:00.131 --> 05:10.958 [SPEAKER_02]: So we're asking what it will look like for us then to join Jesus in His ministry in the world, which every church should do, every church has to do, in every generation. 05:12.099 --> 05:16.121 [SPEAKER_02]: Knowing of course that this is not our mission, this is Jesus 05:21.448 --> 05:22.848 [SPEAKER_02]: And in fact, we can't do this. 05:23.649 --> 05:27.010 [SPEAKER_02]: We have no natural capacity to do the ministry of Jesus. 05:27.110 --> 05:30.510 [SPEAKER_02]: It depends entirely on the power of God, as Paul says here. 05:31.231 --> 05:34.632 [SPEAKER_02]: But remember God has always chosen to work through people. 05:35.192 --> 05:39.313 [SPEAKER_02]: He works through us, His body, through ordinary people like you and me. 05:39.953 --> 05:44.337 [SPEAKER_02]: And that means it's measureably more, not ours. 05:44.357 --> 05:50.203 [SPEAKER_02]: We're not called to try and stir this up by our best efforts, but to trust God and walk by faith. 05:50.783 --> 05:51.964 [SPEAKER_02]: And so that's what we're called to. 05:51.984 --> 05:56.288 [SPEAKER_02]: And I love how Paul describes this dynamic in second Corinthians 3. 05:57.349 --> 06:04.976 [SPEAKER_02]: In this context here in Corinthians, he's been criticized by some members of the church for not really being a true apostle. 06:05.797 --> 06:24.237 [SPEAKER_02]: So they're trying to discredit him and discredit his ministry and in response to that he writes them a letter and he says this like are we beginning to commend ourselves again like is this where we are or do we need like some people Let us of recommendation to you or from you like do you want me to write out my resume, is that what you guys need? 06:25.378 --> 06:35.466 [SPEAKER_02]: Or do we need, like, sorry, he goes on to say, well, let me tell you what my resume is, verse two, you yourselves are our letter written on hearts, known and read by everyone. 06:35.966 --> 06:39.810 [SPEAKER_02]: You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry. 06:40.717 --> 06:47.481 [SPEAKER_02]: written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. 06:48.022 --> 06:50.203 [SPEAKER_02]: So did you catch the dynamic going on here? 06:50.703 --> 06:52.484 [SPEAKER_02]: Like Paul says, it's my ministry. 06:52.584 --> 07:04.132 [SPEAKER_02]: I came and I served you and I brought the gospel to you and you are the letter that has been written as a result of my ministry, but it wasn't written by my power or my effort alone. 07:04.552 --> 07:06.113 [SPEAKER_02]: It is a work of the Holy Spirit. 07:06.173 --> 07:09.495 [SPEAKER_02]: So anything that we do in the kingdom of God is a partnership. 07:09.835 --> 07:15.622 [SPEAKER_02]: It is you working with the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit to do what would otherwise be impossible for you. 07:16.003 --> 07:18.746 [SPEAKER_02]: That's the dynamic of life in the kingdom that we're called to. 07:19.407 --> 07:25.054 [SPEAKER_02]: So he goes on to say that such confidence then we have not in ourselves but through Christ. 07:25.775 --> 07:32.740 [SPEAKER_02]: Not the work competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 07:33.441 --> 07:48.691 [SPEAKER_02]: He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter kills, that is our good works, works of the law, the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. 07:49.512 --> 07:50.893 [SPEAKER_02]: So, not of us a competent, 07:51.873 --> 08:00.719 [SPEAKER_02]: If you thought you were competent to do the ministry of Jesus, I'm here to tell you this morning that you're not, but he has, he has made you competent by his power. 08:00.739 --> 08:06.744 [SPEAKER_02]: And I think sometimes we have this view of God and of the ministry that we're called to. 08:07.444 --> 08:12.966 [SPEAKER_02]: that he kind of only really works through people who are like especially righteous. 08:13.686 --> 08:23.028 [SPEAKER_02]: You know, have jumped through like whatever hoops we think that God requires in order for us to kind of prove ourselves, or that we've reached some sort of level of spiritual maturity. 08:23.048 --> 08:31.351 [SPEAKER_02]: We've climbed high enough on the ladder that at certain point you get to run like 54 and God says, right, now you've made it, now I can use you, right? 08:31.851 --> 08:33.952 [SPEAKER_02]: No, that's not how it works. 08:34.012 --> 08:34.892 [SPEAKER_02]: Paul is saying, 08:35.612 --> 08:38.835 [SPEAKER_02]: that none of us are competent and we never will be. 08:39.215 --> 08:44.879 [SPEAKER_02]: There is no point in your development of spiritual maturity where you're cross over from incompetent to competent. 08:45.280 --> 08:48.162 [SPEAKER_02]: You are incompetent, but God makes you competent. 08:48.502 --> 08:50.704 [SPEAKER_02]: And that's how we have to learn to walk with Him. 08:50.764 --> 08:56.428 [SPEAKER_02]: In an understanding that without Him we're powerless, but with Him we can do all things through Christ, your strength and me. 08:56.969 --> 08:57.729 [SPEAKER_02]: So here's the thing. 08:58.210 --> 08:59.591 [SPEAKER_02]: This is the good news, I think. 09:00.634 --> 09:04.297 [SPEAKER_02]: maybe not for those who really love to can I have an A type personality? 09:04.617 --> 09:07.619 [SPEAKER_02]: But here's the thing, there's no whoops to jump through. 09:08.359 --> 09:10.801 [SPEAKER_02]: There's no levels in the kingdom of God. 09:11.301 --> 09:22.649 [SPEAKER_02]: What we have, what we're called to, it's kind of like what we were doing earlier as we were worshiping, is to take up a posture of humble surrender and mustard seed faith. 09:23.009 --> 09:23.209 [SPEAKER_02]: Right? 09:23.269 --> 09:24.230 [SPEAKER_02]: That's what it takes. 09:24.670 --> 09:32.796 [SPEAKER_02]: Humble surrender, trusting that God will do what God only God can do through us if we surrender ourselves and we walk by faith. 09:32.877 --> 09:33.537 [SPEAKER_02]: What is faith? 09:33.937 --> 09:37.480 [SPEAKER_02]: Faith is trusting in something that is greater than you. 09:37.800 --> 09:41.023 [SPEAKER_02]: That's what we do when we walk by faith, trusting in the greatness of God. 09:42.003 --> 09:46.265 [SPEAKER_02]: And so we believe as we do this, that we will see great things happen. 09:46.365 --> 09:48.065 [SPEAKER_02]: God will do amazing things through us. 09:48.125 --> 09:55.288 [SPEAKER_02]: And one of the places that we see this, this kind of posture and this attitude over and over again, is in our alpha courses. 09:55.808 --> 10:00.829 [SPEAKER_02]: Like, alpha is one of the ministries that we are going to keep on investing in. 10:00.849 --> 10:03.070 [SPEAKER_02]: I've said before, it's not about alpha itself. 10:03.790 --> 10:08.492 [SPEAKER_02]: You know, if another program comes along that kind of does what alpha does but better, we'll use that. 10:09.152 --> 10:36.317 [SPEAKER_02]: Um, but the thing that's so powerful about Alpha is that it's a space where anyone can come and we see God work through ordinary people like our amazing table leaders who make themselves available, who give some time, just to sit with people who are seeking for answers, who are seeking what it might look like to follow Jesus and over and over again, we just see through these ordinary encounters around the table talking about life and about faith. 10:36.937 --> 10:40.499 [SPEAKER_02]: God doing incredible transformative things in people's lives. 10:40.919 --> 10:43.360 [SPEAKER_02]: And what we want to do is just share one of those stories with you now. 10:43.420 --> 10:57.606 [SPEAKER_02]: Someone who connected with our church in a time of crisis who was searching, came on an alpha course, and that kind of eventually led them through a series of through a number of events to have an experience of the life-transforming love of Jesus. 10:57.626 --> 11:00.447 [SPEAKER_02]: So I just want to turn your attention to the screen. 11:00.467 --> 11:01.948 [SPEAKER_02]: We're going to play that video. 11:05.422 --> 11:07.264 [SPEAKER_01]: Hi, my name's Aiden Hyden. 11:07.684 --> 11:09.806 [SPEAKER_01]: I am 39, nearly 40 years old. 11:10.647 --> 11:20.615 [SPEAKER_01]: I live in Ringwood East currently working at Box Hill Hospital, East and Health, and I have been coming to one church for approximately eight months now. 11:21.236 --> 11:23.298 [SPEAKER_01]: I suppose the thing that really keeps it off is I got sick. 11:24.439 --> 11:25.419 [SPEAKER_01]: I got really sick. 11:25.600 --> 11:31.104 [SPEAKER_01]: I lost everything, I lost my house, lost my car, lost my job, lost my cat over the course of. 11:32.023 --> 11:33.063 [SPEAKER_01]: two and a half years. 11:33.384 --> 11:38.266 [SPEAKER_01]: I had over 180 different tests and no one could figure out what was going on. 11:39.346 --> 11:41.947 [SPEAKER_01]: Turns out my entire nervous system had died. 11:42.267 --> 11:43.748 [SPEAKER_01]: Basically, it stopped working. 11:44.348 --> 11:46.449 [SPEAKER_01]: I can't really felt like my head was exploding. 11:47.049 --> 11:51.371 [SPEAKER_01]: When I was five my my father committed suicide and he was getting migraines. 11:51.451 --> 11:51.611 [SPEAKER_01]: That 11:53.132 --> 11:56.513 [SPEAKER_01]: no longer diagnosed that they didn't know where they're coming from, how they're coming on. 11:56.693 --> 12:06.877 [SPEAKER_01]: When I was going through that, that final experience with the pain, I finally sort of come to realise what he may have been going through. 12:06.897 --> 12:15.121 [SPEAKER_01]: I just went, okay, if this is what you went through, then I forgive you because I was holding on to a lot of resentment for him that was leaving, abandoning me when I was a kid. 12:15.441 --> 12:19.442 [SPEAKER_01]: From that, I finally was like, okay, well, that all actually happened to me and was pretty great. 12:19.522 --> 12:20.003 [SPEAKER_01]: It was pretty 12:21.283 --> 12:25.005 [SPEAKER_01]: And I forgave myself as the final thing for the things that I've done. 12:25.506 --> 12:31.369 [SPEAKER_01]: Then final thing, as I just said, I'm like, God, if you're real, can you prove, can you show me, can you show me that you are? 12:32.330 --> 12:35.292 [SPEAKER_01]: And if you do, I will dedicate my life to you. 12:35.572 --> 12:38.774 [SPEAKER_01]: Every moment, every, everything, from now on, will we talk with you? 12:39.975 --> 12:41.276 [SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, he did. 12:42.540 --> 12:52.049 [SPEAKER_01]: Christ had become real to me about a week and a half later when I had the results from another CT scan and the sister was gone. 12:52.629 --> 13:07.443 [SPEAKER_01]: I felt joy and just amazing in the depression was gone and anxiety was gone and all that was gone, there was still a seat of doubt when I got the results the second CT scan back and the Jeep my doctor sat there and dumbfounded and 13:08.163 --> 13:17.729 [SPEAKER_01]: Because within two and a half, two and a half weeks the sister got from being there to not being there and you couldn't explain it No, I'm gonna explain it. 13:18.189 --> 13:31.537 [SPEAKER_01]: So that's when I rock down when okay, so I suppose I'm I'm a Christian now My entire life what I thought was wrong and Crossed is the way I just jumped into the Bible and started reading and 13:32.628 --> 13:34.530 [SPEAKER_01]: everything makes sense. 13:34.750 --> 13:40.715 [SPEAKER_01]: Every decision I make now is based off parables and stories of stories that I've read in the Bible. 13:40.755 --> 13:44.058 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm still, obviously, no one here and I've even read half of it. 13:44.178 --> 13:47.581 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm just keeping reading it over and over and over again to try to make sense of things. 13:47.781 --> 13:54.467 [SPEAKER_01]: If Christ can forgive us for what we do and the sins that we commit, forgiving others is just the job and the good job and the ocean I think. 14:02.069 --> 14:03.491 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, amazing praise God. 14:03.751 --> 14:06.475 [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much, Aiden, for sharing this story with us. 14:07.556 --> 14:11.942 [SPEAKER_02]: So two things that we will be investing heavily into in the coming years. 14:12.502 --> 14:14.545 [SPEAKER_02]: One of those is Alpha of course, we love Alpha. 14:15.106 --> 14:20.132 [SPEAKER_02]: And alongside that, we, and this kind of came up out of our survey that we ran earlier in the year. 14:20.773 --> 14:25.554 [SPEAKER_02]: Lots of people are asking for help to kind of grow in their ability to share their faith. 14:26.034 --> 14:42.419 [SPEAKER_02]: So we're going to start offering some evangelism training next year for those who do want to grow in that their ability to share their faith have those conversations that you know that could lead to an invitation to Alpha or to read Scripture together or come to a Sunday service or pray together, whatever it is. 14:42.899 --> 14:47.160 [SPEAKER_02]: So those two things are going to be a core element of our vision moving forward. 14:47.820 --> 15:03.510 [SPEAKER_02]: And as I said last week, you know, by God's grace, we have experienced some significant growth as a church over the last couple of years across many of our ministry areas, but especially among our families, our youth, young adults, and those exploring faith at alpha. 15:04.150 --> 15:10.835 [SPEAKER_02]: And so we feel a deep burden and a burning passion that we must ensure that our church is 15:11.395 --> 15:21.621 [SPEAKER_02]: Effectively raising up the next generation of disciples to equip them to take up the call of Christ, to lead our church forward in the purposes of God and that we cannot leave this to chance. 15:21.641 --> 15:24.022 [SPEAKER_02]: Like we have to be strategic about this. 15:24.582 --> 15:30.546 [SPEAKER_02]: Like every generation of the church has to do this, as they say, God has no grandchildren. 15:31.046 --> 15:32.807 [SPEAKER_02]: There's no grandchildren in the kingdom of God. 15:32.827 --> 15:34.548 [SPEAKER_02]: We're all children of God. 15:34.628 --> 15:37.490 [SPEAKER_02]: So along with reaching the last, through evangelism, 15:38.451 --> 15:42.555 [SPEAKER_02]: through things like alpha, making new disciples, which we're passionate about. 15:42.595 --> 15:50.043 [SPEAKER_02]: We also believe that investing in our children, a youth, a young adult, is going to be absolutely essential. 15:50.503 --> 15:56.269 [SPEAKER_02]: It's actually one of our key mission fields, because as we know, so many young people walk away from faith, 15:56.890 --> 16:04.254 [SPEAKER_02]: when I get to uni and they've got kind of assaulted by the culture of the world around us, and they start to drift. 16:05.094 --> 16:06.895 [SPEAKER_02]: But we don't believe that that's inevitable. 16:07.155 --> 16:11.918 [SPEAKER_02]: And in fact, we've been seeing among our young people in this church. 16:11.958 --> 16:14.639 [SPEAKER_02]: Like, God is doing something remarkable among them. 16:15.079 --> 16:18.361 [SPEAKER_02]: There's a real growing hunger for God, a passionate, 16:18.841 --> 16:43.485 [SPEAKER_02]: devotion to Christ, an incredible commitment to being disabled and to leading those who are younger than them, so right across our church, like our young adults lead our teenagers and our teenagers lead our children and there's just an abutiful kind of generational flow of discipleship happening and we want to really invest in that and to make sure that that is something that becomes a cornerstone of how we operate as a church community. 16:43.905 --> 16:46.028 [SPEAKER_02]: and we know that God calls young people don't we? 16:46.348 --> 16:48.190 [SPEAKER_02]: We just spent several weeks in Daniel. 16:48.570 --> 17:03.927 [SPEAKER_02]: Daniel was just a teenager when he went through those experience of being taken into captivity and Babylon and being feeling a calling, a strong sense of calling to stand up for the Lord and the midst of those incredibly difficult circumstances, just as a teenager. 17:04.488 --> 17:06.349 [SPEAKER_02]: David was called when he was a teenager. 17:06.830 --> 17:13.454 [SPEAKER_02]: Mary, the Apostle John, we believe, was probably a teenager when he was first called to follow Jesus, right? 17:13.914 --> 17:28.324 [SPEAKER_02]: God uses our young people, and we wanna make sure that we're the kind of church where we really invest in that across all generations, making sure that we're effectively passing on our faith to those who are coming behind us. 17:29.328 --> 17:33.874 [SPEAKER_02]: So we feel that we must resource and strengthen these ministries as much as we can. 17:33.914 --> 17:35.697 [SPEAKER_02]: No one has a long history of doing this. 17:36.177 --> 17:41.004 [SPEAKER_02]: You know, we're building on incredible foundations here, but we really want to take that to the next level. 17:41.604 --> 17:46.050 [SPEAKER_02]: And we also sense that there's something significant going on culturally at the moment. 17:46.611 --> 18:01.321 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not sure if you've noticed this, but people I think are starting to realise that experiencing community and relationships primarily mediated to us through screens and devices has left us feeling lonely over-dosed on dopamine, disconnected, and longing for connection. 18:02.421 --> 18:08.866 [SPEAKER_02]: And along with the rise of AI, it's becoming increasingly difficult to trust anything that you see online, especially on social media. 18:09.286 --> 18:12.148 [SPEAKER_02]: And we sense that there is a desire. 18:12.188 --> 18:17.672 [SPEAKER_02]: We've seen this growing desire to rediscover in-person connection. 18:18.313 --> 18:21.175 [SPEAKER_02]: And I think that's going to be one of the most significant cultural shifts. 18:21.775 --> 18:26.719 [SPEAKER_02]: that we'll see taking place across Australia, not just Australia, but around the world, it's already happening. 18:27.279 --> 18:38.007 [SPEAKER_02]: In fact, those who predict these things are saying that this is going to be a hugely growing area of our economy, something that has been called curated in-person events. 18:38.647 --> 18:42.230 [SPEAKER_02]: So there's all these businesses appearing that are trying to address this need. 18:42.830 --> 18:44.691 [SPEAKER_02]: One of those is called the offline club. 18:45.772 --> 18:48.194 [SPEAKER_02]: One that's been kind of homegrown here in Melbourne 18:49.895 --> 19:01.844 [SPEAKER_02]: which is literally an organization that hires nightclubs and people go to those nightclubs, and instead of listening to duff-duff music and dancing or whatever, they all just sit around and read books together. 19:02.444 --> 19:04.506 [SPEAKER_02]: Like this is crazy, but this is happening and 19:06.087 --> 19:07.809 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I actually want to go to one of these things. 19:07.849 --> 19:08.690 [SPEAKER_02]: I think it would be awesome. 19:09.251 --> 19:11.453 [SPEAKER_02]: It just tells you everything you need to know about being right there. 19:11.974 --> 19:13.635 [SPEAKER_02]: But anyway, booked off. 19:14.136 --> 19:16.578 [SPEAKER_02]: It's, you know, people sitting around reading. 19:16.819 --> 19:21.143 [SPEAKER_02]: And when these, when ticket sales go online for this stuff, they sell out in minutes. 19:21.932 --> 19:24.074 [SPEAKER_02]: Like it's great, it's becoming a bit of a phenomenon. 19:24.754 --> 19:28.837 [SPEAKER_02]: I have course things like Park Run and lots of other things. 19:29.277 --> 19:46.370 [SPEAKER_02]: I've noticed that restaurants, in many places, requiring people to kind of put away their phones or turn them off entirely or even put them in bags, if you want to eat in the restaurant, just so that they can foster a sense of that you're there with people and you're there to share a meal and connect, and that's really important. 19:47.360 --> 20:00.952 [SPEAKER_02]: So it's predicted to be a multi-billion dollar industry in Australia, and here in fact this how one had for one of these companies put it, you know, and if you can cue the breathy ad voice, it went like this, real life is becoming the premium product. 20:01.532 --> 20:06.336 [SPEAKER_02]: My firm belief, the more digital first we become, the more we'll crave the opposite. 20:06.997 --> 20:12.861 [SPEAKER_02]: Everything's been digitized and commoditized, and somewhere in that we've confused collaboration with connection. 20:13.542 --> 20:15.404 [SPEAKER_02]: You can collaborate through a screen all day. 20:15.484 --> 20:17.727 [SPEAKER_02]: Connection is a different thing entirely. 20:18.228 --> 20:21.331 [SPEAKER_02]: That's why, in a company name here, is leading the way. 20:21.792 --> 20:26.337 [SPEAKER_02]: Events, cafes, restaurants, venues where you put your device in an envelope at the door. 20:26.758 --> 20:27.298 [SPEAKER_02]: I love that. 20:27.779 --> 20:28.800 [SPEAKER_02]: We need to be connected. 20:29.221 --> 20:30.182 [SPEAKER_02]: That's not a trend. 20:31.003 --> 20:31.884 [SPEAKER_01]: That's being human. 20:34.494 --> 20:37.876 [SPEAKER_02]: Of course, the irony here is that human connection is being commodified. 20:38.376 --> 20:44.479 [SPEAKER_02]: By these businesses, it's just offline now instead of online and double irony, that totally sounds like it was written by AI, doesn't it? 20:45.400 --> 20:50.683 [SPEAKER_02]: All right, remember, Zulanda, the essence of witness, kind of has that bit of that kind of vibe. 20:51.143 --> 20:52.524 [SPEAKER_02]: Anyway, it's a brave new well-fokes. 20:53.144 --> 20:59.429 [SPEAKER_02]: The thing is, the church has actually been doing in person connection for centuries. 20:59.789 --> 21:02.191 [SPEAKER_02]: Like this is who we are, this is what we were made for. 21:02.652 --> 21:11.338 [SPEAKER_02]: I believe we're so well placed to meet this incredible need in our city, I think it's gonna be one of the key drivers of our mission moving forward. 21:11.458 --> 21:18.664 [SPEAKER_02]: And as our neighborhoods continue to grow, according to the Victorian Government Housing Report, White Horse is going to need another 80,000 homes by 2050. 21:21.166 --> 21:33.474 [SPEAKER_02]: And that's just to keep pace, that's not for growth, that's just to keep up with demand, and much of that is going to be in medium to high-density residences, so like many more apartments and townhomes like the ones that have been built just down the street. 21:34.155 --> 21:48.204 [SPEAKER_02]: And so people living in high-density communities need something that sociologists call third spaces, third places, a home away from home, a place that's not work, not home, but a third option where you can meet with others, build connection, build community, 21:48.724 --> 22:03.794 [SPEAKER_02]: You know, things that are, you know, used to be built when they developed new communities like community centers, pubs, sporting clubs, cafes, and of course one of the main ones that used to be built in the center of every town that was developed across the country was the church. 22:03.814 --> 22:07.617 [SPEAKER_02]: It was often one of the first things built before they built everything else around it. 22:07.917 --> 22:11.840 [SPEAKER_02]: And sadly many of these third places have been disappearing off the landscape. 22:12.800 --> 22:19.728 [SPEAKER_02]: And though, as I said, church is used to be one of the main kind of community hubs in many towns and cities, that's not true anymore. 22:20.109 --> 22:32.423 [SPEAKER_02]: However, I think that as people wake up for their need for connection and start searching for it, churches and our church, I think in our neighborhood will become one of the key ways that people will be able to do that. 22:32.883 --> 22:49.220 [SPEAKER_02]: In fact, I think there's going to be a desperate need for churches to be these kinds of third places again, not just auditoriums and teaching rooms, but open friendly inviting communal hospitable spaces where people can feel at home and connect with others. 22:49.260 --> 22:51.582 [SPEAKER_02]: So that is also going to be a core driver. 22:52.163 --> 22:53.364 [SPEAKER_02]: behind our vision as well. 22:53.464 --> 23:04.796 [SPEAKER_02]: So we believe that with some changes, especially to our foyer and our kid spaces, and a few others, our facility could become an incredible resource in our community for that to happen. 23:05.196 --> 23:05.957 [SPEAKER_02]: We're already seeing it. 23:06.377 --> 23:10.582 [SPEAKER_02]: Midweek, lots of people gathering for different things like mainly music, play groups, 23:11.062 --> 23:13.963 [SPEAKER_02]: But our young adults, we run these lounge nights, and they just come in. 23:14.003 --> 23:16.404 [SPEAKER_02]: It's a bit like bookdough, you know, or the offline club. 23:16.844 --> 23:21.806 [SPEAKER_02]: They just hang out, play board games, connect, share food, you know, build relationship. 23:22.127 --> 23:24.868 [SPEAKER_02]: That is becoming a key driver of ministry admission. 23:25.288 --> 23:28.549 [SPEAKER_02]: So there's four core elements to this first rail of our vision. 23:29.029 --> 23:35.132 [SPEAKER_02]: Number one, significant investment in evangelism training and discipleship opportunities, especially Alpha. 23:36.372 --> 23:53.103 [SPEAKER_02]: Number two, raising up the next generation in faith, equipping them for ministry throughout kids, youth, young adult ministry, the leadership institute, small groups, of course, and one very exciting initiative that we're wanting to roll out across the whole church, which Darren's going to share in just a minute. 23:54.358 --> 24:09.505 [SPEAKER_02]: But also number three by becoming a church that's actively building community with our neighbors with one another, we do that already with the food pantry midweek ministries, but reimagining how our facility might support that and number four finally want to continue to press in. 24:10.085 --> 24:17.987 [SPEAKER_02]: to the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit because as we've heard from Ephesians 3, none of what we are called to is possible without that. 24:18.427 --> 24:28.309 [SPEAKER_02]: According to the power that is within you, Paul says in Ephesians 3, according to the power that's within you, that's how we live into the ministry of Jesus. 24:28.349 --> 24:37.671 [SPEAKER_02]: So next year we're going to be creating lots of opportunities for people to experience the gifts of the Spirit to grow in that together, to pray and worship together in ways 24:40.892 --> 25:03.277 [SPEAKER_02]: And so to make room for the growth that God's been bringing us to create a hub for building community and connection to our neighborhood, to reimagine how we use our facility for our children, youth young people, for seekers exploring faith at alpha courses, on course, seniors ministry, our food pantry clients, parents and kids who connect midweek and so many other things. 25:03.957 --> 25:09.540 [SPEAKER_02]: We have a second rail to this vision that we're pursuing, where we are reimagining our facility. 25:10.101 --> 25:11.982 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, this building is an incredible resource. 25:12.562 --> 25:14.803 [SPEAKER_02]: I said last week, and I really mean it. 25:14.823 --> 25:22.748 [SPEAKER_02]: We are so thankful for those who gave and sacrificed and served to build up this place and to enable it to be what it is. 25:24.108 --> 25:33.734 [SPEAKER_02]: So, we are so thankful for that, but it isn't working for us as well as we need it too for the ministry that we see coming down the line in the future. 25:33.894 --> 25:43.040 [SPEAKER_02]: And so we want to make some upgrades to our building, to some of our spaces, and also to kind of catch up on so much needed maintenance work that's been needed to be done for a while. 25:43.760 --> 25:46.302 [SPEAKER_02]: And last week we showed you a video that kind of explained 25:47.183 --> 25:50.025 [SPEAKER_02]: What we're doing, I'm not going to show you that video again. 25:50.065 --> 25:53.168 [SPEAKER_02]: If you want to see it, it's online on our website. 25:53.188 --> 25:54.529 [SPEAKER_02]: We have a reimagined page. 25:54.569 --> 25:59.674 [SPEAKER_02]: You can check out all of the stuff that we're talking about through this month, the videos there. 26:00.095 --> 26:02.216 [SPEAKER_02]: We have a digital copy of the booklet there as well. 26:02.857 --> 26:14.867 [SPEAKER_02]: So we aren't going to go over that much on Sundays as Linda said, but what I do want to do is just very quickly talking about AI before we've used an AI tool to animate some of our spaces for you just to enjoy to see what we're thinking of doing. 26:15.628 --> 26:18.070 [SPEAKER_02]: And just a couple of notes before you watch this. 26:19.290 --> 26:24.731 [SPEAKER_02]: The kids ministry spaces in particular what you're going to see on the screen are kind of concepts that we're working with. 26:24.751 --> 26:27.712 [SPEAKER_02]: We haven't completely finalised those, but we're getting very close. 26:28.352 --> 26:33.793 [SPEAKER_02]: So, let's just give you an idea of what we're thinking and I can't promise that there's going to be table tennis tables upstairs. 26:35.134 --> 26:39.015 [SPEAKER_02]: But there might be who knows, but we're definitely putting the basketball hoop in as you'll see. 26:39.095 --> 26:40.215 [SPEAKER_02]: Let's watch the video together. 27:32.640 --> 27:37.742 [SPEAKER_02]: All right, hopefully that gives you a feel for what we're thinking. 27:38.422 --> 27:46.846 [SPEAKER_02]: The heart behind it really is to enhance the facility so that it really can be a resource for us to use for ministry and for connection to our community. 27:47.346 --> 27:49.187 [SPEAKER_02]: So there's four things you can do to get involved. 27:49.907 --> 27:51.008 [SPEAKER_02]: Get a copy of the booklet. 27:52.348 --> 27:55.710 [SPEAKER_02]: If you haven't got one already, they're out in the FOIA, you can grab one after the service. 27:56.530 --> 27:59.692 [SPEAKER_02]: As I said, they're also all online as well at this. 28:00.792 --> 28:02.433 [SPEAKER_02]: of this website. 28:02.473 --> 28:02.933 [SPEAKER_02]: There we are. 28:04.274 --> 28:07.596 [SPEAKER_02]: There's a weekly devotional that we have produced along with daily prayer points. 28:07.616 --> 28:14.020 [SPEAKER_02]: If you'd pray about the vision and pray about the project, you can come to one of the information sessions we're running. 28:14.040 --> 28:20.104 [SPEAKER_02]: We've got one on tonight, after the 530 service and another one next week on Wednesday. 28:20.925 --> 28:28.810 [SPEAKER_02]: But we really want you guys to pray also about making a financial pledge over the next three years that will enable us to achieve all of this. 28:29.750 --> 28:30.971 [SPEAKER_02]: Every gift is a blessing. 28:31.051 --> 28:34.594 [SPEAKER_02]: The amount pledged is not what's important, but what is important to us? 28:35.214 --> 28:43.280 [SPEAKER_02]: What we're really hoping for is that everyone who calls one their home Has the chance to participate and get involved and what we believe God is doing 28:43.993 --> 28:51.139 [SPEAKER_02]: So, friends, at the heart of all this, we believe we're called to engage in a season of reimagining our church for the sake of our city. 28:52.160 --> 29:00.807 [SPEAKER_02]: And as you probably know, as a church, we don't have like a short snappy vision statement, but we do have four values that we're trying to live into that inform everything we do. 29:01.247 --> 29:03.890 [SPEAKER_02]: And I think you'll recognize how each of these four things 29:04.510 --> 29:12.359 [SPEAKER_02]: relate to the stuff that I've already been speaking about this morning that as a church we want to be a renewed humanity, growing together, serving Jesus together in love. 29:12.739 --> 29:17.425 [SPEAKER_02]: We want to be a people of the Holy Spirit empowered by the Spirit to do the ministry of Jesus. 29:17.865 --> 29:24.072 [SPEAKER_02]: We want to be a church of disciple makers, having an outward focus toward the last helping people of all generations. 29:24.713 --> 29:30.279 [SPEAKER_02]: to grow in some maturity and Christ to experience what aid and experience, the transforming love of Jesus. 29:31.120 --> 29:38.086 [SPEAKER_02]: And we want to be a priest to have all believers that all we believe fundamentally, that all believers are called to the ministry of Jesus. 29:38.107 --> 29:42.030 [SPEAKER_02]: Okay, it's not just about the people on the platform with a microphone. 29:42.671 --> 29:47.977 [SPEAKER_02]: But you're in spaces and you have spheres of influence that other people in this church can't reach. 29:48.597 --> 29:56.186 [SPEAKER_02]: And so we're really praying that as a church we can equip and help each other to be ambassadors of God in those places where He has sent you. 29:57.347 --> 29:59.830 [SPEAKER_02]: And we know that to do all this requires the whole church. 30:00.330 --> 30:05.634 [SPEAKER_02]: We need to help each other and support each other in this work, you know, following Jesus' hard. 30:06.074 --> 30:07.175 [SPEAKER_02]: I don't need to tell you that. 30:07.575 --> 30:13.219 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, we have so much that are there to help us in the power of the spirit and the life of the church. 30:13.639 --> 30:14.540 [SPEAKER_02]: But it's still hard. 30:15.020 --> 30:17.162 [SPEAKER_02]: It requires everything of us. 30:17.802 --> 30:36.841 [SPEAKER_02]: You know, and there are so many things that are against us in the world around a secularism, individualism, consumerism, digital escapism, church scandals, the ideological and political division that we see going on everywhere, just to name a few, and at times it can feel kind of exhausting having to deal with all of that. 30:36.941 --> 30:38.943 [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, but 30:39.584 --> 30:43.726 [SPEAKER_02]: We know then deeply that we can't do this alone, that we need each other. 30:43.806 --> 30:45.186 [SPEAKER_02]: We're not meant to do this alone. 30:45.606 --> 30:47.067 [SPEAKER_02]: It is the work of the whole church. 30:47.087 --> 30:51.629 [SPEAKER_02]: So if you look at Jesus' ministry, he didn't just preach a gospel of personal salvation. 30:52.289 --> 30:56.771 [SPEAKER_02]: He was forming a community of disciples who would serve him together. 30:57.151 --> 31:07.135 [SPEAKER_02]: And on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out, God just doesn't fill individuals with His power, but as Paul tells us right throughout the New Testament, that is the Spirit of God within us 31:09.456 --> 31:21.226 [SPEAKER_02]: The body of Christ is renewed humanity that we're being joined together in a mysterious and deeply transformative way because we all share something in common, the indwelling presence of the Spirit. 31:21.667 --> 31:32.717 [SPEAKER_02]: And so by the Spirit, we're kind of being built together, fit together to become a holy temple, a living temple in which is filled with the power and the glory of God. 31:33.297 --> 31:50.122 [SPEAKER_02]: So my point is that just attending Sunday services is just simply not going to form us into the kind of mature resilient passionate faithful people that can withstand the pressure to conform to the culture around us, like in order to do that. 31:51.202 --> 32:03.305 [SPEAKER_02]: Um, in order to grow into that kind of maturity, what we need to desperately discover or read discover is how to tell a better story than the story that our culture is telling us. 32:04.065 --> 32:12.688 [SPEAKER_02]: And to take it one step further, we need to learn together how to live into that story, so that it becomes the foundation of everything we do. 32:13.048 --> 32:14.008 [SPEAKER_02]: We've tried to express 32:14.748 --> 32:20.990 [SPEAKER_02]: some elements of that story by our values, but of course there's so much more to life in the kingdom than just those four things. 32:21.590 --> 32:32.333 [SPEAKER_02]: So in addition to Sundays and small groups, we have a new initiative that we're starting next year that we've been piloting through this year with a few people that we've called deep discipleship. 32:33.093 --> 32:36.096 [SPEAKER_02]: And Darren's going to come up and explain what that is in just a moment. 32:36.276 --> 32:37.457 [SPEAKER_02]: Actually, come on up now, Darren. 32:38.278 --> 32:48.168 [SPEAKER_02]: But as we said, we've been running that this year, and we believe this is going to be a key cornerstone ministry for how we're going to shape and form disciples of Jesus moving forward. 32:48.928 --> 32:49.569 [SPEAKER_02]: Over to you, Darren. 32:49.889 --> 32:51.911 [SPEAKER_02]: Let's appreciate you, Darren. 32:53.192 --> 32:53.733 [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks, Tim. 32:55.204 --> 33:05.447 [SPEAKER_00]: So deep discipleship is really something that's emerged out of lots of conversations that's emerged out of the surveys that we've done the last couple of years of the feedback that you've given us as a church. 33:06.107 --> 33:08.888 [SPEAKER_00]: There's only so much we can do on a Sunday morning in church. 33:08.948 --> 33:17.570 [SPEAKER_00]: And our Sunday mornings, we're actually trying to present the gospel to explorers, but also help those who are more mature in the faith to grow in their faith too. 33:18.017 --> 33:26.263 [SPEAKER_00]: We've seen the beauty of having an alpha course, which is a course designed specifically for the needs of those exploring faith. 33:26.443 --> 33:31.006 [SPEAKER_00]: And we've seen the benefits of just creating a course that's all about those questions. 33:31.527 --> 33:34.829 [SPEAKER_00]: And we've been asking the question, what would it look like to do a similar course? 33:35.269 --> 33:40.153 [SPEAKER_00]: It's for more mature believers of Christ. 33:40.313 --> 33:44.216 [SPEAKER_00]: Anyone really on that journey of following Jesus, 33:44.720 --> 33:50.081 [SPEAKER_00]: And so deep discipleship is what we've come up with, it's based on a course out of the U.S. that we've found. 33:50.622 --> 33:57.303 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a 24-week course this year, which sounds like a lot, but in this course, we go from Genesis right through to Revelation. 33:57.463 --> 34:00.484 [SPEAKER_00]: And we ask, what is the big story of the Bible? 34:00.544 --> 34:02.044 [SPEAKER_00]: What is the story of God? 34:02.385 --> 34:07.566 [SPEAKER_00]: We actually look at the stories, our cultures telling us, and put it up against the story that God tells us. 34:08.706 --> 34:13.688 [SPEAKER_00]: And so we walk right through the Bible and then we look at some of the core beliefs of the Christian faith. 34:13.968 --> 34:23.651 [SPEAKER_00]: So what we actually believe as Christians, doctrines is the technical term for that, but what are the core things that we believe? 34:24.572 --> 34:27.232 [SPEAKER_00]: And how do we actually live those things out? 34:27.272 --> 34:29.533 [SPEAKER_00]: And so the third part of it is formation. 34:29.633 --> 34:37.296 [SPEAKER_00]: What are the disciplines that we want to put on the practice to actually go deeper in our faith? 34:38.088 --> 34:43.032 [SPEAKER_00]: Ultimately, it's a course that is really designed to help people love Jesus more. 34:43.353 --> 34:44.634 [SPEAKER_00]: Ultimately, that's what it is. 34:45.234 --> 34:49.097 [SPEAKER_00]: But it involves a lot of teaching and community discussion. 34:49.278 --> 34:55.463 [SPEAKER_00]: So we structure our nights around a supper, and then we have some good chunk of... 34:55.863 --> 35:16.990 [SPEAKER_00]: good biblical teaching this year was based on some video teaching next year we're going to be doing some more live teaching so myself and Kim Chan will be doing some teaching to actually walk you through these these beliefs walk you through the themes of the Bible and then there's table discussion you actually get placed on a table you journey through the whole course together 35:17.710 --> 35:25.193 [SPEAKER_00]: as a table, which I know for some of you is your worst nightmare as an introvert, but believe me, as an introvert, it's been the best part of the course. 35:25.553 --> 35:31.895 [SPEAKER_00]: The table that you put on is a really interesting mix of ages and stages of faith. 35:32.336 --> 35:41.619 [SPEAKER_00]: So my table this year, we've had everyone from a 20 year old, through to a 55 year old, people who are newer in the faith and more mature in the faith. 35:41.839 --> 35:46.161 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's that engagement with one another that has been wonderful. 35:46.901 --> 35:52.683 [SPEAKER_00]: Quite often in the church of our sites, we saw low people into a specific age group or a stage of life. 35:53.163 --> 36:01.146 [SPEAKER_00]: This is an opportunity to actually meet some other people in our church and to come together and to work through what do we believe together? 36:01.526 --> 36:11.129 [SPEAKER_00]: We've seen some informal mentorship type relationships flow out of this and some really beautiful things come out of that through the storytelling that we do. 36:15.298 --> 36:17.319 [SPEAKER_00]: which is running over three terms. 36:17.379 --> 36:20.401 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's basically something you're committing to for most of next year. 36:20.981 --> 36:24.883 [SPEAKER_00]: From February, right through to September, we understand you can't come to all of them. 36:25.063 --> 36:26.924 [SPEAKER_00]: We travel, we do those things as well. 36:27.244 --> 36:30.346 [SPEAKER_00]: We give you school holidays off as well. 36:30.446 --> 36:31.947 [SPEAKER_00]: So you get a little bit of a breather. 36:32.207 --> 36:36.409 [SPEAKER_00]: We've got a number of small groups who are considering doing it together as small groups next year. 36:36.489 --> 36:41.452 [SPEAKER_00]: We will mix you up, but you will get to be able to see each other as a small group as well. 36:42.152 --> 36:50.078 [SPEAKER_00]: And we are encouraging anyone who wants to do it to do it next to you, whether you are 18 or whether you are 89. 36:50.158 --> 36:51.199 [SPEAKER_00]: You are welcome at this. 36:51.359 --> 36:55.703 [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, we would love the diversity of ages and stages of faith. 36:55.763 --> 37:00.927 [SPEAKER_00]: This is a course for believers, and it's a course for adults, but apart from that, it's really... 37:01.944 --> 37:03.566 [SPEAKER_00]: something that is open to anyone. 37:03.666 --> 37:09.431 [SPEAKER_00]: We've got a website, a page on our website now, where you can actually express interest to join the course. 37:09.451 --> 37:11.192 [SPEAKER_00]: You're not committing to anything. 37:11.372 --> 37:19.399 [SPEAKER_00]: We'll run some information sessions later in the year to give you a bit of a taste of what we do and to answer any of the questions that you've got. 37:19.479 --> 37:20.100 [SPEAKER_00]: But if you've got 37:20.855 --> 37:24.878 [SPEAKER_00]: things that you'd like to ask about just come and see me after the service, I'll be at the welcome desk. 37:25.238 --> 37:27.960 [SPEAKER_00]: So, I hope you consider it for yourself. 37:28.260 --> 37:40.168 [SPEAKER_00]: And there's no cap on numbers that said, this year we kept it to 30 just so that we could do it together and work out what we're doing, but we're really open to it as many people as possible doing it. 37:46.717 --> 37:49.359 [SPEAKER_02]: Awesome, thanks so much Darren, that's super exciting. 37:49.940 --> 37:52.963 [SPEAKER_02]: And we'd love to see everyone, really. 37:53.123 --> 37:56.786 [SPEAKER_02]: We'd love everyone across our church to do that at some point. 37:57.707 --> 38:09.957 [SPEAKER_02]: Just as I closed, the German theologian Karl Bart, who was a resistor of the Nazi party in the Second World War, articulated what I think is kind of one of the most beautiful statements about the essence of the church. 38:11.138 --> 38:13.540 [SPEAKER_02]: And he writes this, that the church exists. 38:14.381 --> 38:25.906 [SPEAKER_02]: to set up in the world a new sign which is radically dissimilar to the world's own manner and which contradicts it in a way that is full of promise. 38:26.847 --> 38:45.551 [SPEAKER_02]: So notice what he says there is that we're not just contradicting the culture, we're not just opposing the culture, we're opposing or contradicting in a way that is full of promise, that offers a better alternative, that offers a better way of being human, a better way of living in this world. 38:46.051 --> 38:51.332 [SPEAKER_02]: And so I think that is what we're called to, and I would love our church to become a place 38:57.313 --> 38:58.834 [SPEAKER_02]: that we are both salt and light. 38:58.874 --> 39:01.616 [SPEAKER_02]: They can taste and see that the Lord is good. 39:01.636 --> 39:10.480 [SPEAKER_02]: A church that goes out into the city, in the power of the Spirit, with hope, love, goodness, mercy and grace to serve wherever God has sent you. 39:11.121 --> 39:18.605 [SPEAKER_02]: A church that is modeling, love through hospitality, welcome forgiveness and reconciliation that we are living the gospel together. 39:19.205 --> 39:27.913 [SPEAKER_02]: and a church that's committed to reaching the last and raising up the next generation of disciples, a church that's walking by faith and serving in the power of God. 39:28.514 --> 39:39.504 [SPEAKER_02]: And I have a sense, I can't predict the future, but I have a sense that God is doing something quite beautiful and remarkable across our city. 39:40.805 --> 39:44.427 [SPEAKER_02]: I said this last week but for those who weren't here, I want to see this again. 39:44.447 --> 39:54.473 [SPEAKER_02]: I have not seen such openness to the gospel in the last 25 years of ministry that I've been a pastor that I have seen in the last couple of years. 39:55.013 --> 39:57.155 [SPEAKER_02]: There are so many people asking big questions. 39:58.115 --> 40:15.184 [SPEAKER_02]: Bible sales across Australia have boomed, young men in particular seem to be buying the Bible in, you know, on mass and reading it and we've had so many of them just turn up here on a Sunday with big questions asking, what would it look like for me to follow Jesus? 40:15.244 --> 40:17.786 [SPEAKER_02]: I've been reading the Bible and I need to know more. 40:18.286 --> 40:23.509 [SPEAKER_02]: Of course, it's not just young men, but there's something going on across our city and I think across the Western world. 40:24.229 --> 40:38.017 [SPEAKER_02]: I just saw some stats out of the UK this week that showed that Gen Z and millennial men, like 50% of Gen Z and millennial men are reading the Bible in the UK on a weekly basis. 40:38.838 --> 40:39.078 [SPEAKER_02]: 50%. 40:39.198 --> 40:43.841 [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know how they came up with those stats, but if it's true, it's incredible. 40:44.921 --> 40:48.582 [SPEAKER_02]: And we know that God has done it before in Melbourne, and we believe that He can do it again. 40:49.122 --> 41:00.986 [SPEAKER_02]: My parents became Christians at the Billy Graham Crusade at the MCG in 1969, and I'm aware of, from folks of that generation, how radically those Crusades at Billy Graham ran. 41:01.986 --> 41:04.629 [SPEAKER_02]: transform the church landscape across Melbourne. 41:05.069 --> 41:07.071 [SPEAKER_02]: Churches that were empty were suddenly full. 41:07.571 --> 41:17.520 [SPEAKER_02]: And so I believe if God's done it before, not necessarily through a big name, stadium event, but through ordinary disciples committed to following Jesus and serving him in the power of the Spirit. 41:18.141 --> 41:19.822 [SPEAKER_02]: I think we'll see amazing things happen. 41:19.842 --> 41:23.286 [SPEAKER_02]: Like I don't need to tell you, the things aren't great in Melbourne right now. 41:23.746 --> 41:27.730 [SPEAKER_02]: In a number of ways, economy, cost of living, corruption and crime, 41:28.290 --> 41:35.752 [SPEAKER_02]: housing pressure, political and ideological division, but for all that, I think that this is one of the most exciting times to be a Christian. 41:36.232 --> 41:42.114 [SPEAKER_02]: It's not easy, but I think God is moving and is poised to move powerful in a way that we have not seen for a very long time. 41:42.995 --> 41:43.795 [SPEAKER_02]: So I'm excited. 41:44.595 --> 42:01.222 [SPEAKER_02]: And, uh, listen, I now believe that we didn't know it at the time that when God called us to come back to Melbourne, it was specifically to Melbourne, not just to Australia, but we had a really clear call from the Holy Spirit, uh, when we were in Canada serving God there, that God was calling us to come back to Melbourne or at least for me. 42:01.302 --> 42:01.982 [SPEAKER_02]: I was born here. 42:02.022 --> 42:05.424 [SPEAKER_02]: My wife wasn't, so it was heard to come to Melbourne for the first time. 42:05.964 --> 42:14.106 [SPEAKER_02]: But we believe that God has called us to come here for such a time as this to help build up the city of God in the midst of the city of Melbourne. 42:14.526 --> 42:19.567 [SPEAKER_02]: And the awesome thing is, you know, as we come into this building, Sunday by Sunday and we worship together. 42:19.587 --> 42:31.670 [SPEAKER_02]: You know, as I look across the room on the Sundays when I preach, I just see so much passion and potential and love for Jesus and commitment to this way of discipleship. 42:32.430 --> 42:36.131 [SPEAKER_02]: And so I think the most important thing is clear to me that we are not alone. 42:36.151 --> 42:37.132 [SPEAKER_02]: Just look around the room. 42:37.472 --> 42:41.613 [SPEAKER_02]: You know, maybe we're not as big as a nine o'clock service, but who cares, the eleven o'clock service is awesome. 42:41.954 --> 42:44.054 [SPEAKER_02]: Look around the room, look at the people who are here. 42:44.975 --> 42:55.138 [SPEAKER_02]: And remind yourself, because one of the things the devil tries to convince us of over and over again is that you're alone, that this all depends on you, that there's no one here to help you or support you. 42:55.158 --> 42:58.079 [SPEAKER_02]: You've got to carry this weight by yourself. 42:58.540 --> 42:59.480 [SPEAKER_02]: But when we gather, 42:59.900 --> 43:01.020 [SPEAKER_02]: as a church family. 43:01.320 --> 43:13.803 [SPEAKER_02]: One of the things we are surely doing is reminding ourselves that that is not true, that we are not alone, that we are a family, that we're united together in Christ, that we are commonly shared together in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. 43:14.103 --> 43:15.204 [SPEAKER_02]: That's our birthright. 43:15.484 --> 43:16.724 [SPEAKER_02]: So we're doing this together. 43:17.004 --> 43:28.067 [SPEAKER_02]: We are the body of Christ, and if that's true, then I believe God is with us, and He'll be with us always, and He will see His name glorified through us and through all the churches across this city. 43:30.127 --> 43:30.508 [SPEAKER_02]: Amen. 43:31.008 --> 43:31.369 [SPEAKER_02]: Amen. 43:32.149 --> 43:33.331 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to invite you to stand. 43:33.351 --> 43:36.053 [SPEAKER_02]: The band's going to come up and lead us in one last song. 43:36.854 --> 43:38.436 [SPEAKER_02]: But let's just do that together. 43:38.456 --> 43:42.500 [SPEAKER_02]: Let's just give glory and honor to Jesus together as we pray. 43:43.521 --> 43:48.166 [SPEAKER_02]: Lord Jesus, we thank you again so much for all that you have done. 43:50.178 --> 43:53.400 [SPEAKER_02]: You have done the impossible in our lives. 43:54.781 --> 44:04.867 [SPEAKER_02]: You have translated us from death to life, from slavery to freedom, from judgment to forgiveness. 44:06.748 --> 44:12.291 [SPEAKER_02]: And we are now your people, once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God. 44:14.222 --> 44:26.787 [SPEAKER_02]: And we've been called and equipped by the Holy Spirit to tell of the good deeds and the glory of Jesus to our culture, to those around us. 44:28.427 --> 44:33.569 [SPEAKER_02]: Lord, I pray, I pray this morning. 44:34.860 --> 44:50.536 [SPEAKER_02]: that you would stir in up, stir up in us, a fresh sense for each one of us, of how much we loved, but also of how much you love those around us. 44:52.838 --> 45:15.329 [SPEAKER_02]: of how your heart breaks for the people across our city who are hurting, who are suffering, who are alone, who are struggling with addiction, who are struggling with anxiety and fear, who are struggling with loneliness, who are struggling with mental anguish, who are struggling with the breakdown of relationships and family. 45:16.469 --> 45:23.155 [SPEAKER_02]: and who just feel like there's no hope and they read the news and it's just even worse and I pray Lord Jesus. 45:24.156 --> 45:30.822 [SPEAKER_02]: Not only for our church but for all the churches across this city that there would be a mighty uppouring of your Holy Spirit. 45:31.583 --> 45:39.691 [SPEAKER_02]: That would stir up in us a deep love the love that you feel for those around us who are lost and hurting and broken. 45:41.131 --> 45:46.153 [SPEAKER_02]: And that Jesus, that would be what inspires us, not guilt, not a sense of obligation. 45:47.253 --> 46:03.558 [SPEAKER_02]: Not a sense that, well, I've got to jump through this hoop or climb this ladder, but that we are moved by love, and that that's what motivates us to want to share our faith, to invite people to Alpha, to invest in the lives of those around us. 46:04.539 --> 46:14.790 [SPEAKER_02]: So that they might know the love that we have found, and that through that Lord Jesus, you would be glorified, and your name exalted forever, and ever, amen. 46:15.330 --> 46:16.792 [SPEAKER_02]: And amen, Jesus name.