1 00:00:02,736 --> 00:00:07,146 Have you ever asked yourself, am I truly making a difference in the world? 2 00:00:07,626 --> 00:00:14,586 Because life around you points to the same old routine and it just feels a bit. 3 00:00:15,456 --> 00:00:16,266 Ordinary. 4 00:00:16,806 --> 00:00:20,136 Maybe you are struggling to work or maybe struggling to find work. 5 00:00:20,166 --> 00:00:24,756 Maybe work is not your problem and you're driving around in your Volvo 6 00:00:24,756 --> 00:00:28,926 with your 2.4 kids, or perhaps you're still single, but climbing the corporate 7 00:00:28,926 --> 00:00:31,896 ladder at the pace that you planned. 8 00:00:32,076 --> 00:00:33,216 Life might not be okay. 9 00:00:33,221 --> 00:00:39,516 Life might actually be okay, but it all just feels a bit ordinary. 10 00:00:40,401 --> 00:00:45,981 Maybe like me, you've read stories of amazing people doing incredible things. 11 00:00:46,511 --> 00:00:52,521 I've read books like on Churchill can't be inspired by Uh, I 12 00:00:52,521 --> 00:00:54,161 watched recently the Michael J. 13 00:00:54,161 --> 00:00:55,311 Fox documentary. 14 00:00:55,671 --> 00:00:58,931 What an incredible story that was. 15 00:00:59,801 --> 00:01:03,251 And if you're a Christ follower like me, maybe you have well been 16 00:01:03,251 --> 00:01:07,691 inspired by stories from missionaries that have escaped death, or people 17 00:01:08,321 --> 00:01:12,821 that have transformed communities and witnessed continuous incredible 18 00:01:12,826 --> 00:01:17,801 miracles like they're standing under an outpouring of heaven every day. 19 00:01:19,671 --> 00:01:20,571 Let me ask you a question. 20 00:01:20,601 --> 00:01:26,451 What was in fact the most inspiring book that you have recently read? 21 00:01:26,751 --> 00:01:29,901 Mainly cuz I'm on the lookout for new books, new suggestions, new 22 00:01:29,906 --> 00:01:31,941 things to read and be inspired by. 23 00:01:32,181 --> 00:01:34,791 You know, I like books like on people like Smith Wigglesworth and all 24 00:01:34,796 --> 00:01:39,531 kinds of crazy people like that where they see the miraculous every day. 25 00:01:40,011 --> 00:01:44,961 And whilst I do feel inspired by these books. 26 00:01:45,411 --> 00:01:47,451 I also have this habit. 27 00:01:47,511 --> 00:01:52,401 Maybe it's just me of comparing their story and my story. 28 00:01:52,761 --> 00:01:57,321 I'm wondering if I'm missing it somewhere, especially because my life doesn't 29 00:01:57,326 --> 00:01:59,721 mirror what I read on those pages. 30 00:02:00,141 --> 00:02:07,431 It kind of makes me feel just a bit ordinary and I wonder, I just wonder 31 00:02:07,461 --> 00:02:11,451 if you have ever felt the same, maybe. 32 00:02:12,096 --> 00:02:16,806 You were brought up in a house or that wonderful generation that was constantly 33 00:02:16,806 --> 00:02:21,966 told that you were special and a history maker, so you had big dreams 34 00:02:21,966 --> 00:02:26,946 and big plans, and you enter the labor market ready to change the world, but 35 00:02:26,946 --> 00:02:29,736 it doesn't deliver what it promised. 36 00:02:30,336 --> 00:02:36,726 Work delivers something well ordinary, boring even. 37 00:02:37,176 --> 00:02:43,146 And so you start to actively disengage quietly quitting is the modern phenomenon. 38 00:02:44,466 --> 00:02:47,556 Of course there is some good news in all of this though. 39 00:02:47,796 --> 00:02:53,136 There's a golden thread that seems to weave its way through every page 40 00:02:53,166 --> 00:02:58,746 of scripture and a truth that can be found in just about every story. 41 00:02:58,776 --> 00:03:07,056 And it is this, that God uses ordinary people to create an extraordinary impact. 42 00:03:08,136 --> 00:03:11,136 If life just feels a bit flat. 43 00:03:12,456 --> 00:03:14,946 Well, let me tell you, you are in great company. 44 00:03:15,216 --> 00:03:19,746 Everyone we come across in the Bible, it seems, feels the same. 45 00:03:19,746 --> 00:03:23,076 They too had to deal with the ordinary. 46 00:03:23,076 --> 00:03:27,156 They had to deal with this tension that we face every day. 47 00:03:27,516 --> 00:03:34,776 That tension between feeling inadequate in some way versus the limitless 48 00:03:34,776 --> 00:03:37,806 potential of God that lives within us. 49 00:03:39,036 --> 00:03:40,116 It's incredible, really. 50 00:03:40,116 --> 00:03:43,626 I mean, can you think of a time when you've seen ordinary 51 00:03:43,626 --> 00:03:45,306 people do extraordinary things? 52 00:03:45,546 --> 00:03:46,836 I would love to know the story. 53 00:03:46,836 --> 00:03:52,056 Write it in the comments below, because today we are gonna carry on 54 00:03:52,056 --> 00:03:53,646 our study through the Book of Acts. 55 00:03:53,646 --> 00:03:56,736 We're gonna see this tension unfold before our eyes. 56 00:03:58,536 --> 00:03:59,496 And we're gonna get into it. 57 00:03:59,556 --> 00:04:00,306 Oh, yes, we are. 58 00:04:00,366 --> 00:04:03,696 Now, over the last three weeks, we have discovered, uh, discovered 59 00:04:03,696 --> 00:04:08,196 we have discussed Stephen, who was martyred for his faith. 60 00:04:08,646 --> 00:04:15,756 And at this point in the story, the Bible introduces us to a rascal called Saul. 61 00:04:16,146 --> 00:04:20,436 And the chapter opens up with this statement that Saul 62 00:04:20,466 --> 00:04:23,526 approved of their killing him. 63 00:04:25,251 --> 00:04:29,871 Saul approved of the killing of Stephen, tells you everything 64 00:04:29,876 --> 00:04:31,041 you need to know about Saul. 65 00:04:31,431 --> 00:04:34,611 This is important as we are gonna see Saul's name come up 66 00:04:34,971 --> 00:04:37,341 a lot in the next few chapters. 67 00:04:37,671 --> 00:04:42,741 He is gonna have an astonishing conversion, uh, fairly soon 68 00:04:42,746 --> 00:04:43,601 to the Christian faith. 69 00:04:44,391 --> 00:04:45,441 That's not happened yet. 70 00:04:45,711 --> 00:04:48,531 And we, people in this story don't know that's gonna happen. 71 00:04:48,801 --> 00:04:54,561 And so what we are gonna see is the full force of his hatred towards Christians. 72 00:04:55,521 --> 00:05:01,041 It says that on that day, a great persecution broke out against the church 73 00:05:01,101 --> 00:05:06,621 in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered through Judea and Samaria. 74 00:05:07,626 --> 00:05:13,206 Now in this story then a great persecution breaks out against the church, and this 75 00:05:13,206 --> 00:05:18,816 point is critical because the backdrop for God creating extraordinary impact 76 00:05:18,816 --> 00:05:25,006 through ordinary people is persecution, is tough times, is things going wrong, 77 00:05:25,106 --> 00:05:29,136 is life not going down a course that we had planned it to go 78 00:05:29,136 --> 00:05:31,836 down, how tough were they? 79 00:05:32,466 --> 00:05:33,446 That's the question though. 80 00:05:33,966 --> 00:05:34,776 It's not going well. 81 00:05:34,806 --> 00:05:36,276 How not well is it going? 82 00:05:36,546 --> 00:05:41,646 Well it says that Saul began to destroy the church going from house to house. 83 00:05:41,646 --> 00:05:46,896 He drags off both men and women and puts them in prison. 84 00:05:48,321 --> 00:05:49,281 It's not going well, is it? 85 00:05:49,281 --> 00:05:52,611 I mean, he's totally taking it to the next level. 86 00:05:53,121 --> 00:05:56,361 Uh, his mission is to destroy the church. 87 00:05:56,421 --> 00:05:59,421 It's not a great mission if you're in the church and he seems to be 88 00:05:59,421 --> 00:06:04,071 entering the most sacred space people's homes and dragging them 89 00:06:04,071 --> 00:06:05,941 off to prison, men and women. 90 00:06:07,461 --> 00:06:11,991 But Paul, it seems has got it all wrong. 91 00:06:12,351 --> 00:06:17,091 He thought that he could destroy the church by unleashing 92 00:06:17,096 --> 00:06:18,741 a torrent of persecution. 93 00:06:19,491 --> 00:06:24,681 But instead, that is not what happens. 94 00:06:25,011 --> 00:06:28,911 The the church refuses to sink. 95 00:06:29,121 --> 00:06:32,061 It doesn't merely survive in this time. 96 00:06:32,451 --> 00:06:34,101 It thrives. 97 00:06:34,101 --> 00:06:41,421 God seems to have other plans and it grows stronger with every wave of persecution 98 00:06:41,421 --> 00:06:44,001 that seems to crash against it. 99 00:06:44,841 --> 00:06:49,281 It seems that if you want the church to grow, remove its comfort. 100 00:06:50,136 --> 00:06:54,426 And we discover this actually, uh, later with Constantine, the emperor 101 00:06:54,426 --> 00:06:56,076 who converts to Christianity. 102 00:06:56,496 --> 00:07:00,336 And he, it changes the whole culture around Christianity and what 103 00:07:00,336 --> 00:07:05,856 happens, the church gets, sort of falls into a state of comfort and it 104 00:07:05,886 --> 00:07:08,706 inadvertently ushers in the dark ages. 105 00:07:09,216 --> 00:07:12,756 And in today's western society, I wonder if we've fallen into a similar 106 00:07:12,756 --> 00:07:17,586 trap, uh, constantly pursuing a better lifestyle and more comfort. 107 00:07:18,111 --> 00:07:22,191 That's not always a bad thing, let me tell you, but part of me does 108 00:07:22,191 --> 00:07:25,551 wonder if it is always a good thing. 109 00:07:26,721 --> 00:07:31,461 Every memorable tale in history, every hero's journey begins 110 00:07:31,461 --> 00:07:33,051 with a disruption of comfort. 111 00:07:33,681 --> 00:07:38,121 Something happens that knocks them sideways. 112 00:07:38,751 --> 00:07:40,011 And that's what we see in Acts. 113 00:07:40,311 --> 00:07:45,021 Heroes are thrust into unfamiliar territory and their response 114 00:07:45,021 --> 00:07:50,061 to this disruption, uh, and discomfort, shapes their destiny. 115 00:07:50,331 --> 00:07:55,196 You take Abraham, for example, right back at the beginning of the Jewish faith. 116 00:07:55,496 --> 00:07:59,401 A pretty wealthy guy living, just hanging out in Haran. 117 00:07:59,671 --> 00:08:02,131 Uh, and one day God calls him out of his homeland. 118 00:08:02,611 --> 00:08:06,841 Well, this disruption of comfort was a radical shift for Abraham. 119 00:08:06,991 --> 00:08:08,731 He didn't actually know where he was going. 120 00:08:09,061 --> 00:08:14,131 Uh, but still, Abraham rose to the challenge and God uses this ordinary 121 00:08:14,136 --> 00:08:19,771 guy to create an extraordinary impact on history that still 122 00:08:19,771 --> 00:08:23,731 resonates today when you think about it, thousands of years later. 123 00:08:24,921 --> 00:08:27,771 But Abraham chose to obey God there. 124 00:08:28,011 --> 00:08:32,631 But sometimes the disruptions in our lives aren't a choice that we make. 125 00:08:33,291 --> 00:08:36,771 You look at Joseph, for example, he was sold into slavery by his 126 00:08:36,771 --> 00:08:41,031 brothers, or Ruth, a beautiful woman in the scriptures who was forced 127 00:08:41,031 --> 00:08:45,171 to navigate a path of uncertainty following the death of her husband. 128 00:08:45,321 --> 00:08:48,171 Now, these weren't choices they made for their lives. 129 00:08:48,681 --> 00:08:53,961 Yet when you read the end of the story, they turn their trials into triumphs. 130 00:08:54,321 --> 00:08:59,931 They didn't just survive them, they thrived in them, and their extraordinary 131 00:08:59,936 --> 00:09:05,771 impacts are woven into the very fabric of our faith, ordinary people 132 00:09:06,391 --> 00:09:09,591 having an extraordinary impact. 133 00:09:09,801 --> 00:09:13,461 And this isn't just a tale confined to the pages of the Bible either. 134 00:09:13,491 --> 00:09:14,211 Oh no. 135 00:09:14,541 --> 00:09:19,411 There are people literally scattered throughout history, uh, like Dietrich 136 00:09:19,431 --> 00:09:25,941 Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian who defied the horrors of the Nazi regime. 137 00:09:26,161 --> 00:09:26,761 Good on him. 138 00:09:27,061 --> 00:09:32,851 He chose to disrupt his comfort leaving the safety of the United States to join 139 00:09:32,851 --> 00:09:38,161 the resistance in Germany, and he was arrested and he was executed by the 140 00:09:38,161 --> 00:09:42,211 Nazis, but his legacy still lives on. 141 00:09:42,211 --> 00:09:47,881 He still inspires Christians worldwide with his writing, reminding us the cost 142 00:09:47,881 --> 00:09:51,571 of discipleship and the power of faith. 143 00:09:53,016 --> 00:09:56,796 It may be then for some of you, God is calling you out of something 144 00:09:56,796 --> 00:10:01,446 comfortable and into something that feels a bit uncomfortable, like Abraham. 145 00:10:02,376 --> 00:10:06,756 For others events may have happened to you in life that you didn't plan for, that 146 00:10:06,756 --> 00:10:11,106 you didn't ask for, that may have even knocked you sideways like Joseph or Ruth. 147 00:10:11,606 --> 00:10:16,716 Either way, let me tell you, you are in the perfect place for God to create 148 00:10:16,716 --> 00:10:19,206 an extraordinary impact through you. 149 00:10:20,046 --> 00:10:26,721 Ordinary people having an extraordinary impact, and it might not impact a whole 150 00:10:26,721 --> 00:10:29,931 nation of people like Abraham did. 151 00:10:30,081 --> 00:10:34,461 You might actually just impact the lives of a few people around you. 152 00:10:34,461 --> 00:10:36,801 Maybe you're a parent and you are impacting the lives 153 00:10:36,801 --> 00:10:38,721 of your kids, but that's 154 00:10:39,891 --> 00:10:40,581 awesome. 155 00:10:40,821 --> 00:10:44,421 Let me tell you, because remember we are in the New Testament. 156 00:10:44,421 --> 00:10:48,651 We are in the Book of Acts, not in the Old Testament, in the book of Numbers. 157 00:10:48,771 --> 00:10:51,741 It's not about the numbers, it's about the acts. 158 00:10:51,921 --> 00:10:56,181 So whether God uses you to reach the 99 or the one, it is 159 00:10:56,186 --> 00:10:59,031 still just as extraordinary. 160 00:11:00,126 --> 00:11:02,556 That is a beautiful thing. 161 00:11:02,856 --> 00:11:05,766 Now, we all face moments when we doubt our worthiness for 162 00:11:05,766 --> 00:11:07,446 God to use us like this, right? 163 00:11:07,446 --> 00:11:07,896 We do. 164 00:11:07,986 --> 00:11:08,526 We just do. 165 00:11:08,526 --> 00:11:09,366 It's human nature. 166 00:11:09,786 --> 00:11:14,856 We might face the fear of failure, rejection, or simply feeling that we 167 00:11:14,856 --> 00:11:17,256 are not qualified to make a difference. 168 00:11:17,686 --> 00:11:22,776 That internal belief that that resonates through our heads that 169 00:11:22,776 --> 00:11:26,856 whole time that we don't have enough and that we aren't enough. 170 00:11:28,266 --> 00:11:32,316 Do me a favor, grab a bit of paper, uh, or pick up your phone and write 171 00:11:32,316 --> 00:11:37,506 down that internal belief that you have that you feel holds you back. 172 00:11:38,136 --> 00:11:41,886 Or if you're brave enough, put it in the comments, uh, and 173 00:11:41,886 --> 00:11:42,846 share it with the rest of us. 174 00:11:42,846 --> 00:11:44,826 But name that belief. 175 00:11:45,126 --> 00:11:46,926 We all have them. 176 00:11:47,571 --> 00:11:51,231 Give it a name, and then let's repeatedly remind ourselves that the 177 00:11:51,231 --> 00:11:55,401 key to overcoming these obstacles is not found in our own strength. 178 00:11:55,401 --> 00:11:57,201 It's not found in our own abilities. 179 00:11:57,441 --> 00:11:59,841 It is not about what I do have. 180 00:11:59,931 --> 00:12:02,121 It's not about what I don't have. 181 00:12:02,301 --> 00:12:07,221 It's not about the job or the state of my house or the assets I have or 182 00:12:07,221 --> 00:12:13,726 the resources I have at my disposal, but it is about trusting Gods who work 183 00:12:13,726 --> 00:12:19,306 through our weaknesses and discomfort because he is bigger than all of them. 184 00:12:19,936 --> 00:12:22,216 And the church in Acts knew this. 185 00:12:22,726 --> 00:12:26,656 Even as Saul was persecuting the church, pulling people out of their 186 00:12:26,656 --> 00:12:28,126 homes and putting them in jail. 187 00:12:29,706 --> 00:12:30,696 It's kind of a tough time. 188 00:12:30,696 --> 00:12:31,926 It's not an easy time, is it? 189 00:12:31,926 --> 00:12:36,936 It's not plain sailing for the believers at this point, and it does seem like 190 00:12:36,936 --> 00:12:40,506 and feel like everything is falling apart as you get torn out of your 191 00:12:40,511 --> 00:12:45,786 home and thrown into jail and then they scatter across Judea and Samaria. 192 00:12:45,996 --> 00:12:50,286 That is not great, you know, having to scatter your homeland. 193 00:12:51,471 --> 00:12:53,631 So what does the Bible say happens next? 194 00:12:53,841 --> 00:12:57,321 Will those who had been scattered preach the word wherever they went. 195 00:12:57,711 --> 00:13:03,081 And let me tell you, this sentence for me beautifully tells us 196 00:13:03,111 --> 00:13:08,211 everything that we need to know about having an extraordinary impact. 197 00:13:08,721 --> 00:13:09,561 And that's this. 198 00:13:10,101 --> 00:13:16,731 The church had a mission that transcended the suffering that they were enduring. 199 00:13:17,451 --> 00:13:21,921 They had something that they believed in, something that they were so committed 200 00:13:21,921 --> 00:13:27,681 to, and that mission is to tell the story of Jesus wherever they go. 201 00:13:28,611 --> 00:13:35,601 His story is what kept them going, telling and spreading that story, 202 00:13:35,721 --> 00:13:40,071 and persecution couldn't stop it because his story is steeped in 203 00:13:40,076 --> 00:13:42,081 divine love and grace, isn't it? 204 00:13:42,321 --> 00:13:46,336 It holds the power to transcend anything life throws at us. 205 00:13:46,636 --> 00:13:48,886 It's a story that doesn't just touch lives. 206 00:13:49,066 --> 00:13:57,226 It radically alters them, cramming hope into uh, every harsh circumstance and 207 00:13:57,226 --> 00:13:59,716 light into the deepest of darkness. 208 00:14:00,166 --> 00:14:05,386 His story brings his life, which rejuvenates us and transforms us all. 209 00:14:05,776 --> 00:14:10,971 The tale of Jesus isn't just a regular old story. 210 00:14:11,061 --> 00:14:16,251 It's an unstoppable force of change impacting the world around us. 211 00:14:16,761 --> 00:14:19,881 It's an awe inspiring mission. 212 00:14:21,021 --> 00:14:24,921 And this is what they carried in the Book of Acts. 213 00:14:25,131 --> 00:14:29,481 How does God use ordinary people to have extraordinary impact? 214 00:14:29,871 --> 00:14:36,261 Well, we trust that God will move even when our life is disrupted and we have 215 00:14:36,321 --> 00:14:38,871 a mission that is bigger than we are. 216 00:14:38,901 --> 00:14:43,401 We have a mission that is not about us, but about him. 217 00:14:43,671 --> 00:14:47,421 A mission to tell the story of Jesus. 218 00:14:48,666 --> 00:14:52,416 So now we have scattered people on a mission and they are 219 00:14:52,416 --> 00:14:54,066 sharing the story of Jesus. 220 00:14:54,066 --> 00:14:59,076 And as a result, the church grew quicker than it had ever grown. 221 00:14:59,526 --> 00:15:05,676 What Saul and the enemy trying to destroy, uh, the church with ended up causing it 222 00:15:05,676 --> 00:15:09,936 to flourish and to shine and to grow. 223 00:15:11,526 --> 00:15:16,686 Now, Up until now, we just know this is a group of believers, and here's the 224 00:15:16,691 --> 00:15:21,666 thing about God, have an extraordinary impact through ordinary people. 225 00:15:21,936 --> 00:15:23,106 We don't always know the names. 226 00:15:23,106 --> 00:15:27,126 They don't always write books about us, but history bears 227 00:15:27,456 --> 00:15:30,726 testimony to their impact. 228 00:15:32,016 --> 00:15:34,986 Most of us in those stories are faceless. 229 00:15:35,106 --> 00:15:40,536 We don't have our names, but in the Bible, It does center in on one chap 230 00:15:40,536 --> 00:15:44,856 called Philip, and I think it does this not to make him, uh, to elevate 231 00:15:44,856 --> 00:15:49,416 him more than the others, but just to give us a flavor of the extraordinary 232 00:15:49,416 --> 00:15:52,716 happening in ordinary lives at the time. 233 00:15:53,016 --> 00:15:56,886 And it says this, Philip went down to a city in Samaria and 234 00:15:56,891 --> 00:15:58,656 proclaimed the Messiah there. 235 00:16:00,996 --> 00:16:01,896 So Philip, right? 236 00:16:01,896 --> 00:16:03,846 He's one of the guys who's tightly scattered. 237 00:16:03,996 --> 00:16:06,906 He's one of the original seven that was serving in the church. 238 00:16:07,146 --> 00:16:09,096 His life has turned upside down. 239 00:16:09,366 --> 00:16:11,916 He seemed to have it all together and it was all going great, and 240 00:16:11,916 --> 00:16:13,266 it all goes a bit pear shaped. 241 00:16:13,536 --> 00:16:18,096 But regardless of all of this, he still has his mission and he takes 242 00:16:18,096 --> 00:16:24,096 the gospel, the story of Jesus across cultural and ethnic boundaries. 243 00:16:24,096 --> 00:16:27,276 To the Samaritans, this is important. 244 00:16:28,431 --> 00:16:31,041 Because the Samaritans were a group of people. 245 00:16:31,041 --> 00:16:37,761 Philip as a Jew would've grown up marginalizing and looking down upon, 246 00:16:38,391 --> 00:16:43,851 and maybe this is why the Bible brings us into the story of Philip, because 247 00:16:43,851 --> 00:16:49,011 maybe just maybe God wants you to start in a place you wouldn't expect to. 248 00:16:49,341 --> 00:16:54,441 Where people don't expect God to do stuff like Philip with 249 00:16:54,441 --> 00:16:55,761 the Samari, uh, Samaritans. 250 00:16:56,001 --> 00:17:01,131 Maybe like Dietrich Bonhoeffer who ended up in the Nazi concentration clamps or 251 00:17:01,131 --> 00:17:08,376 maybe like Mark Lutz, who's, uh, a pastor planting a church, a digital church 252 00:17:08,616 --> 00:17:11,676 into the gaming community using Twitch. 253 00:17:11,946 --> 00:17:13,326 I think it's awesome. 254 00:17:13,956 --> 00:17:16,866 Now, you might think, I don't have a theological degree, I don't 255 00:17:16,866 --> 00:17:20,736 have any special skills, and I definitely don't wanna run a church. 256 00:17:20,736 --> 00:17:20,826 Matt. 257 00:17:21,666 --> 00:17:25,146 Can God really used me to do extraordinary things? 258 00:17:25,596 --> 00:17:29,886 Remember the story here centers on Philip, but there are hundreds, thousands 259 00:17:29,886 --> 00:17:33,516 of ordinary people doing extraordinary things at this point in time. 260 00:17:34,086 --> 00:17:35,736 And look at the disciples, right? 261 00:17:36,696 --> 00:17:39,216 They were a ragtag bunch of fishermen, weren't they? 262 00:17:39,516 --> 00:17:42,666 Tax collectors and everyday ordinary people. 263 00:17:42,666 --> 00:17:45,816 Yet Jesus chose them to be his closest followers. 264 00:17:46,116 --> 00:17:50,586 They weren't educated or particularly skilled, but they managed somehow to 265 00:17:50,586 --> 00:17:56,406 turn the world upside down with Jesus' guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit. 266 00:17:57,366 --> 00:18:01,416 So we need to confront, I think, our fears of failure and rejection. 267 00:18:02,361 --> 00:18:07,011 Feeling kind of apprehensive about stepping out in faith, I think 268 00:18:07,161 --> 00:18:11,601 is totally natural, especially when sharing our beliefs might 269 00:18:11,601 --> 00:18:13,671 expose us to ridicule or judgment. 270 00:18:14,631 --> 00:18:20,031 But we read in this story about our brothers and sisters here in the Book of 271 00:18:20,061 --> 00:18:25,491 Acts who faced far greater persecution than I'm facing right now, and they 272 00:18:25,496 --> 00:18:27,471 remain faithful to their calling. 273 00:18:28,011 --> 00:18:30,711 So if they can do it, So can we. 274 00:18:31,371 --> 00:18:34,881 You see, it's about us being willing to step out in faith, 275 00:18:34,941 --> 00:18:41,121 trust God, and let him work through us to accomplish his purposes. 276 00:18:41,961 --> 00:18:45,501 And what happens when we do that? 277 00:18:45,681 --> 00:18:48,321 Ah, let's read the rest of the story, shall we? 278 00:18:48,831 --> 00:18:53,661 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all 279 00:18:53,666 --> 00:18:56,181 paid close attention to what he said. 280 00:18:57,051 --> 00:19:01,311 For with shrieks impure spirits came out of many, and many who 281 00:19:01,311 --> 00:19:03,981 were paralyzed or lame were healed. 282 00:19:05,631 --> 00:19:06,711 Sounds amazing, right? 283 00:19:06,711 --> 00:19:10,521 They all paid close attention to what Philip said. 284 00:19:11,601 --> 00:19:15,291 So what did he say? 285 00:19:16,481 --> 00:19:18,541 He simply proclaimed the Messiah. 286 00:19:18,541 --> 00:19:22,371 In other words, he told them the story of Jesus. 287 00:19:23,721 --> 00:19:27,411 But they also saw people getting healed and lives getting transformed. 288 00:19:27,921 --> 00:19:35,061 So Philip told them the story of Jesus, but he also shows them the story of Jesus. 289 00:19:36,021 --> 00:19:40,551 Ordinary people having extraordinary impact involves 290 00:19:40,556 --> 00:19:42,661 people telling the story of Jesus. 291 00:19:43,761 --> 00:19:46,431 And showing the story of Jesus. 292 00:19:46,941 --> 00:19:50,091 Jesus isn't just an empty story from pages past. 293 00:19:50,151 --> 00:19:53,301 He's still real and relevant and alive today. 294 00:19:53,331 --> 00:19:56,151 He's not just something to hear about. 295 00:19:56,331 --> 00:20:00,261 He's someone that you can experience and connect with. 296 00:20:00,321 --> 00:20:05,091 And Philip tells these guys, these Samaritans that they can 297 00:20:05,091 --> 00:20:10,956 experience Jesus, they, he tells them his story, Jesus' story. 298 00:20:11,106 --> 00:20:20,316 And he shows them his story that this God in heaven is interested in their lives 299 00:20:20,616 --> 00:20:22,236 and wants to come and transform them. 300 00:20:22,446 --> 00:20:26,076 And the result of all of this, what do you think happened? 301 00:20:27,216 --> 00:20:30,756 So there was great joy in that city. 302 00:20:31,431 --> 00:20:32,751 Well, of course there was. 303 00:20:32,931 --> 00:20:34,551 How do you transform a city? 304 00:20:35,301 --> 00:20:37,581 We've just had the Eurovision here in Liverpool, brilliant. 305 00:20:37,641 --> 00:20:39,501 Transform the city for a weekend. 306 00:20:39,531 --> 00:20:42,231 There was great joy, a lot of good stuff going on. 307 00:20:43,281 --> 00:20:47,061 But let me tell you, three or four weeks later, it's all forgotten 308 00:20:47,061 --> 00:20:49,551 about how do you transform a city? 309 00:20:49,556 --> 00:20:51,201 How do you transform nation? 310 00:20:52,881 --> 00:20:53,211 God. 311 00:20:54,936 --> 00:20:58,686 The city was filled with remarkable joy here in Acts. 312 00:20:58,956 --> 00:21:00,846 The persecution hadn't ceased. 313 00:21:01,056 --> 00:21:05,016 The trials and tribulations hadn't been magically whisked away. 314 00:21:05,016 --> 00:21:08,466 They were still there, still real and still raw. 315 00:21:09,426 --> 00:21:13,386 But the joy it seems, wasn't dependent on the persecution ending. 316 00:21:14,481 --> 00:21:18,951 Because it was born in God's unrelenting grace. 317 00:21:19,131 --> 00:21:23,211 There was great joy in that city, all because Philip told 318 00:21:23,211 --> 00:21:28,101 them the story of Jesus and he showed them the story of Jesus. 319 00:21:28,746 --> 00:21:32,406 And as a result, people had this personal encounter with Jesus and 320 00:21:32,406 --> 00:21:39,696 became part of his story, ordinary people having extraordinary impact. 321 00:21:39,786 --> 00:21:42,186 And this isn't just a story from the past. 322 00:21:42,396 --> 00:21:46,636 Like I say, this truth is real and it is relevant today as 323 00:21:46,636 --> 00:21:48,646 it was in the early church. 324 00:21:48,856 --> 00:21:53,446 Each of us, you, me, everybody watching has unique talents and 325 00:21:53,446 --> 00:21:55,426 gifts and callings from God. 326 00:21:55,426 --> 00:22:00,796 They are irrevocable and he wants you to use them to serve others. 327 00:22:02,346 --> 00:22:04,176 Now, I know many of you serve already. 328 00:22:04,176 --> 00:22:06,516 You serve in, I know people that watch this. 329 00:22:06,521 --> 00:22:07,656 You serve in food banks. 330 00:22:07,656 --> 00:22:08,886 You feed the homeless. 331 00:22:08,976 --> 00:22:10,446 Outreach to sex workers. 332 00:22:10,446 --> 00:22:14,406 Some of you give lifts to your neighbors or take around cakes to your local 333 00:22:14,406 --> 00:22:20,676 school just because you can, and that brings joy to the people that you serve. 334 00:22:21,336 --> 00:22:25,641 Now if you're a Christian watching this, let me encourage you to trust 335 00:22:25,641 --> 00:22:31,221 in God's ability to use your ordinary life for extraordinary impact. 336 00:22:31,521 --> 00:22:36,531 Look for the opportunities to share his story and to show his story to the 337 00:22:36,531 --> 00:22:42,711 world around you, knowing that he is gonna guide you every step of the way. 338 00:22:43,581 --> 00:22:47,181 And if you're not a Christian watching this, let me encourage you to consider 339 00:22:47,481 --> 00:22:51,741 the positive impact you can make on the world around you as well, and be open 340 00:22:51,741 --> 00:22:57,351 to exploring this faith that underpins this principle and how Jesus might 341 00:22:57,351 --> 00:23:00,411 offer meaning and purpose to your life. 342 00:23:02,001 --> 00:23:07,191 This week I want to challenge each of you to identify one specific way that 343 00:23:07,191 --> 00:23:11,931 you can tell and show the story of Jesus. 344 00:23:12,486 --> 00:23:16,506 Maybe it's by volunteering at a local charity or by offering to pray for a 345 00:23:16,506 --> 00:23:19,086 coworker who's going through a tough time. 346 00:23:19,926 --> 00:23:25,776 Whatever it is, commit to it and take that step in faith, write it in the 347 00:23:25,776 --> 00:23:30,766 comments, share it with all of us, and bring your stories in the next few weeks. 348 00:23:31,971 --> 00:23:32,751 Can we do it? 349 00:23:32,991 --> 00:23:35,391 Can we rise to the challenge? 350 00:23:35,991 --> 00:23:37,941 I genuinely think we can. 351 00:23:38,421 --> 00:23:43,851 So let's embrace the extraordinary potential God has placed within each 352 00:23:43,856 --> 00:23:50,001 of us and commit to using our ordinary lives for his extraordinary glory. 353 00:23:51,096 --> 00:23:54,816 Together we can make a real difference in our communities and beyond 354 00:23:55,146 --> 00:23:59,436 following in the footsteps of people like Philip, you know, and countless 355 00:23:59,436 --> 00:24:05,226 others throughout the history, uh, records other ordinary people who were 356 00:24:05,226 --> 00:24:08,526 used by God in extraordinary ways. 357 00:24:08,996 --> 00:24:13,166 If times are tough, if events have knocked, uh, our control 358 00:24:13,166 --> 00:24:15,036 and have knocked us sideways. 359 00:24:17,061 --> 00:24:19,911 And we've had a huge disruption of comfort in life. 360 00:24:20,181 --> 00:24:26,661 If you struggle with that tension between the relentless grace of God and that 361 00:24:26,661 --> 00:24:32,451 internal belief that you don't have enough and that you aren't enough, just 362 00:24:32,456 --> 00:24:37,641 remember we have a mission that transcends the suffering, that we are enduring. 363 00:24:38,091 --> 00:24:41,931 A mission to tell his story and to show his story to people 364 00:24:41,931 --> 00:24:44,151 like you and people that you. 365 00:24:44,496 --> 00:24:47,406 People that aren't like you, people that you know, people that you 366 00:24:47,406 --> 00:24:52,326 don't know, communities maybe that you've never been to before, to 367 00:24:52,331 --> 00:24:55,536 bring great joy to those around you. 368 00:24:56,166 --> 00:24:57,546 Imagine a church that does that. 369 00:24:57,546 --> 00:25:01,866 Imagine where every member, regardless of their background or stage in life, 370 00:25:01,871 --> 00:25:08,106 steps out in faith to serve others and to share his story and to show his story. 371 00:25:09,456 --> 00:25:14,106 Imagine the joy and fulfillment that would be experienced by each of us as 372 00:25:14,106 --> 00:25:21,186 we allow God to use our ordinary lives to create an extraordinary impact. 373 00:25:31,386 --> 00:25:33,576 Coming up, we have Conversation Street. 374 00:25:33,636 --> 00:25:37,266 But before we get into that, here's a clip from our podcast. 375 00:25:37,266 --> 00:25:42,936 What's the story which you can subscribe to on all your favorite podcast apps? 376 00:25:46,356 --> 00:25:48,816 And I just felt God whisper to me, Evelyn. 377 00:25:49,626 --> 00:25:53,556 Well, even if you didn't get here on time, if the outcome is not what you 378 00:25:53,556 --> 00:25:57,126 hope it will be, will you yet praise me. 379 00:25:57,936 --> 00:25:59,796 Do you really trust me? 380 00:26:00,336 --> 00:26:01,356 Am I worthy? 381 00:26:02,316 --> 00:26:03,546 Do you believe I'm good? 382 00:26:04,296 --> 00:26:06,996 And I broke cuz in a split second. 383 00:26:07,416 --> 00:26:08,676 I wasn't out there very long. 384 00:26:08,886 --> 00:26:14,316 It feels like when eternity and our, if our timeline collide, it felt like a 385 00:26:14,316 --> 00:26:16,296 long time, but now it was just seconds. 386 00:26:16,701 --> 00:26:20,241 That all those questions came flooding in and in the car I just raised my 387 00:26:20,241 --> 00:26:21,951 hand and said, God, I will praise you. 388 00:26:22,461 --> 00:26:27,021 I will love you because you are my all in all. 389 00:26:27,591 --> 00:26:28,701 You are enough. 390 00:26:41,246 --> 00:26:42,426 Well, welcome back. 391 00:26:43,776 --> 00:26:47,166 Um, yeah, great talk from Matt there wasn't it. 392 00:26:48,016 --> 00:26:48,816 I loved it. 393 00:26:48,996 --> 00:26:50,016 I really loved it. 394 00:26:50,856 --> 00:26:55,836 There was, um, just a little Bible verse popped into my mind while he was talking. 395 00:26:55,896 --> 00:26:56,826 Can I share it, Dan? 396 00:26:56,826 --> 00:26:57,216 Is that alright? 397 00:26:57,216 --> 00:26:58,046 Yeah, please. 398 00:26:58,266 --> 00:27:02,436 And it was, um, it's from one of the Psalms, which I think are a great place 399 00:27:02,441 --> 00:27:07,656 to go when you have been, when you are distressed and you are out of comfort. 400 00:27:08,016 --> 00:27:12,336 Um, and this one is Psalm 56:8, and it says that God 401 00:27:12,336 --> 00:27:14,916 keeps track of all our sorrows. 402 00:27:15,286 --> 00:27:21,376 That he has collected all our tears in, in his bottle, and you've 403 00:27:21,376 --> 00:27:23,116 recorded each one in your book. 404 00:27:23,446 --> 00:27:29,026 And I just thought, you know, um, when I've been just distraught 405 00:27:29,031 --> 00:27:33,046 or, you know, in despair, you know, that verse really brings me. 406 00:27:34,116 --> 00:27:40,836 Uh, solace and real comfort that yeah, God knows he's, those, those 407 00:27:40,836 --> 00:27:44,376 tears aren't, um, shed in vain. 408 00:27:44,706 --> 00:27:46,926 He's, he's, he, he collects them. 409 00:27:46,926 --> 00:27:49,116 He, they're, they're, they're precious to him. 410 00:27:49,446 --> 00:27:51,986 And so I think that that should be something that we're maybe mindful of 411 00:27:52,236 --> 00:27:54,426 as we, as we have our conversation. 412 00:27:54,636 --> 00:27:57,276 I don't know, you know, but there's so much in there. 413 00:27:57,276 --> 00:27:59,516 I thought it was a brilliant talk from Matt. 414 00:27:59,586 --> 00:28:02,226 But some of these comments as well, uh, are amazing. 415 00:28:02,256 --> 00:28:02,316 So, 416 00:28:03,331 --> 00:28:03,621 Yeah. 417 00:28:03,711 --> 00:28:04,621 know over to you. 418 00:28:06,851 --> 00:28:07,431 That's great. 419 00:28:07,751 --> 00:28:07,871 I. 420 00:28:09,336 --> 00:28:13,986 We probably say this every week, but the Bible is ordinary people. 421 00:28:14,016 --> 00:28:18,516 It's extraordinary God, ordinary people, which means we can be included. 422 00:28:19,026 --> 00:28:21,786 It just makes me go, ah, that's okay. 423 00:28:21,786 --> 00:28:23,486 He can use me. 424 00:28:25,851 --> 00:28:26,241 Yeah. 425 00:28:27,371 --> 00:28:27,861 What is it? 426 00:28:27,861 --> 00:28:29,271 There's, there's a verse, isn't there? 427 00:28:29,271 --> 00:28:30,411 The scum of the earth. 428 00:28:31,411 --> 00:28:34,341 Sometimes feel a bit scummy. 429 00:28:34,656 --> 00:28:34,956 yeah. 430 00:28:36,266 --> 00:28:38,901 I was, um, at church today. 431 00:28:39,261 --> 00:28:43,941 The, there's a Polish church that's linked to our church and they've had a conference 432 00:28:43,941 --> 00:28:48,801 and the, and the bishop from Poland came over to do a talk and he was speaking 433 00:28:49,521 --> 00:28:51,421 and talking about ordinary people. 434 00:28:52,221 --> 00:28:56,301 He talked about being on fire for God, but he talked about Moses 435 00:28:56,361 --> 00:29:00,651 and the burning bush, and he said this bush was in a wilderness. 436 00:29:00,921 --> 00:29:02,091 There was nothing around. 437 00:29:02,661 --> 00:29:03,621 Just bushes. 438 00:29:04,686 --> 00:29:08,706 And in his, in his sort of polish English, and he said, I looked up the word bush 439 00:29:08,706 --> 00:29:11,526 to see what type, and it was just bush. 440 00:29:12,336 --> 00:29:16,896 It was very ordinary, but it changed history and I like that. 441 00:29:16,896 --> 00:29:20,436 But you know, even this ordinary bush, if a bush can change 442 00:29:20,436 --> 00:29:24,186 history through God, then I think we can change history as well. 443 00:29:24,801 --> 00:29:27,801 Yeah, and there's donkey, the Balaam's donkey as well isn't 444 00:29:27,801 --> 00:29:30,951 there, which is always a real encouragement to say to me if I've 445 00:29:31,101 --> 00:29:35,711 spoken outta turn, oh, there we go. 446 00:29:36,231 --> 00:29:36,571 Yeah. 447 00:29:38,286 --> 00:29:38,706 Yeah. 448 00:29:38,711 --> 00:29:39,256 Brilliant. 449 00:29:40,296 --> 00:29:45,456 Um, I mean, I, I just thought, um, you know, there's, I mean, another verse 450 00:29:45,456 --> 00:29:49,866 that had come to mind about considering it pure joy whenever we face our 451 00:29:49,866 --> 00:29:55,236 trials, you know, and it, it, for me, it's that, uh, there's a question. 452 00:29:55,236 --> 00:29:59,046 I think Sharon had put it in the comments as well about what that internal. 453 00:29:59,586 --> 00:30:04,886 You know, Hope is, I think Matt had asked and Sharon wrote 454 00:30:04,886 --> 00:30:06,096 it hopefully in our comments. 455 00:30:06,096 --> 00:30:06,966 Well done Sharon. 456 00:30:06,966 --> 00:30:07,806 Thank you for that. 457 00:30:08,196 --> 00:30:14,736 Um, uh, the, for, for me, I think it, you know, the disruption of 458 00:30:14,736 --> 00:30:20,286 comfort drives me to Prayer and I think that can only be a good place. 459 00:30:20,466 --> 00:30:26,406 But for me it's probably that sense of that actually my vision of God, 460 00:30:26,436 --> 00:30:28,296 my understanding of God's character. 461 00:30:28,916 --> 00:30:29,036 I. 462 00:30:29,061 --> 00:30:33,351 Whether it's his goodness and his love for people who don't know him yet or 463 00:30:33,351 --> 00:30:39,261 whether it's his, um, the power that he makes available to us as followers 464 00:30:39,266 --> 00:30:45,411 of Jesus or whatever, you know, some aspect of his character just isn't 465 00:30:45,591 --> 00:30:50,571 in my head and in my heart enough to, cuz I think, you know, it is the love 466 00:30:50,571 --> 00:30:52,851 of God that compels us, isn't it? 467 00:30:53,331 --> 00:30:57,831 And um, you know, I don't think particularly it's. 468 00:30:58,236 --> 00:31:02,016 You know, it's other things that I think it's that and that saddens 469 00:31:02,021 --> 00:31:09,096 me and I, I, you know, you know, you know, we, um, we do, we do need 470 00:31:09,101 --> 00:31:11,046 that to be disrupted, don't we? 471 00:31:11,051 --> 00:31:16,536 To, to, to hunger after, after God and his way and his character, 472 00:31:16,566 --> 00:31:17,796 his presence in our lives. 473 00:31:18,246 --> 00:31:20,136 How Yeah. 474 00:31:20,136 --> 00:31:20,656 about you Dan? 475 00:31:20,676 --> 00:31:22,176 Did you have any thoughts about that? 476 00:31:22,851 --> 00:31:23,151 Yeah. 477 00:31:23,151 --> 00:31:26,481 I think like you, that, uh, is interesting what you said there. 478 00:31:26,481 --> 00:31:28,231 It, it, it saddensyou. 479 00:31:28,251 --> 00:31:32,991 It is, isn't it, that sometimes we have to be in, often we have to be in 480 00:31:32,991 --> 00:31:40,341 a harder place to, to, to rest more or trust more in God and find out more 481 00:31:40,341 --> 00:31:42,021 about him when things are going well. 482 00:31:42,291 --> 00:31:46,401 He's just like, oh, and we just miss out on the stuff that we learn. 483 00:31:46,821 --> 00:31:50,211 When we really get into, oh God, what's going on? 484 00:31:50,901 --> 00:31:54,501 And yeah, do really miss out on that. 485 00:31:54,951 --> 00:32:01,131 It was, um, Matt, um, said what as actually name it and what 486 00:32:01,131 --> 00:32:02,601 hold you back, give it a name. 487 00:32:03,741 --> 00:32:09,621 Um, and Matt Crew, um, wrote rejection and, and I put down fear of failure. 488 00:32:09,621 --> 00:32:14,151 Similar thing that sometimes that that's what can hold us back. 489 00:32:15,226 --> 00:32:15,516 Yeah. 490 00:32:17,116 --> 00:32:17,406 Yeah. 491 00:32:18,026 --> 00:32:18,406 And you. 492 00:32:18,676 --> 00:32:20,706 Yeah, and, and and yeah. 493 00:32:20,976 --> 00:32:23,366 There's nothing to fail, is there that like cuz. 494 00:32:23,511 --> 00:32:23,631 it's 495 00:32:23,841 --> 00:32:29,121 A, if we fail, like God can pick it up and you know, and we all know, don't we? 496 00:32:29,121 --> 00:32:30,921 That actually, what is it? 497 00:32:31,011 --> 00:32:33,261 Um, was it Edison and his light bulbs? 498 00:32:33,261 --> 00:32:36,831 I think he'd tried to, tried to do it like 300 times or whatever, 499 00:32:36,836 --> 00:32:38,781 but you know, it was on the 301st. 500 00:32:38,786 --> 00:32:39,951 I know that that's not accurate. 501 00:32:39,951 --> 00:32:40,311 Whatever. 502 00:32:40,971 --> 00:32:42,951 Somebody, somebody Google it and find out for me. 503 00:32:43,311 --> 00:32:45,201 But I, but you 504 00:32:45,366 --> 00:32:47,796 And he said it was something like, it's just a, it was just 505 00:32:47,796 --> 00:32:50,586 a 367 step process, isn't it? 506 00:32:50,586 --> 00:32:52,126 That's the quote, whatever the number was. 507 00:32:52,196 --> 00:32:52,486 Yeah. 508 00:32:52,851 --> 00:32:54,291 yeah, yeah. 509 00:32:54,651 --> 00:32:58,301 And, and you know, and we aren't perfect are we? 510 00:32:58,701 --> 00:33:04,941 We, you know, you know, we just really aren't and, and, and, but it is God's 511 00:33:04,941 --> 00:33:07,956 power made perfect in us, isn't it? 512 00:33:07,956 --> 00:33:08,916 In our weakness. 513 00:33:08,916 --> 00:33:12,906 And, and I, I, you know, I mean, I, I was thinking of some of the, you 514 00:33:12,906 --> 00:33:17,046 know, incredible things over the years I've seen and, you know, so often, 515 00:33:17,916 --> 00:33:23,646 you know, I think, I think sometimes we, our view of success or what is 516 00:33:23,651 --> 00:33:26,406 incredible is, is a bit skewed, isn't it? 517 00:33:26,406 --> 00:33:28,386 You know, cuz straight away, I think back to. 518 00:33:28,731 --> 00:33:32,871 You know, when I've been on missions abroad or you know, different times 519 00:33:32,871 --> 00:33:37,161 where I feel like I've really been living like, so, like a really 520 00:33:37,161 --> 00:33:39,621 exciting fi, faith-filled life. 521 00:33:40,011 --> 00:33:46,371 But actually, you know, uh, you know, Fri on Friday at work, I 522 00:33:46,371 --> 00:33:51,231 was crying with a patient in their living room and that actually is. 523 00:33:51,696 --> 00:33:53,601 Showing God's compassion, isn't it? 524 00:33:54,111 --> 00:33:59,391 In a, you know, in a, in a really valuable and in a real way. 525 00:33:59,391 --> 00:34:04,761 And, and, and that's just as important, you know, it is just sometimes our 526 00:34:04,761 --> 00:34:08,151 brains sort of make things more important than they are, don't they? 527 00:34:08,526 --> 00:34:08,856 Yeah, 528 00:34:09,311 --> 00:34:09,601 Yeah. 529 00:34:09,741 --> 00:34:13,626 Graham's put in the comments that in serving God, we want to sow. 530 00:34:13,626 --> 00:34:14,856 We don't always get to reap. 531 00:34:15,576 --> 00:34:18,306 Um, and I think that's very true, that it's just our, 532 00:34:18,331 --> 00:34:18,531 Hmm. 533 00:34:19,236 --> 00:34:22,296 it is our job to sometimes reap and sometimes sow. 534 00:34:22,836 --> 00:34:25,266 I remember, like you said, uh, on mission. 535 00:34:25,271 --> 00:34:29,766 I used to do, um, giving out teas or coffees in Liverpool city center 536 00:34:29,946 --> 00:34:33,366 until about like, I dunno, it was two, three in the morning, just, uh, 537 00:34:33,426 --> 00:34:35,466 anybody that would want it and to talk. 538 00:34:35,466 --> 00:34:39,696 And we talked to loads of people and it was only years after I found that we 539 00:34:39,696 --> 00:34:42,936 talked to a lady and, uh, I dunno if you. 540 00:34:44,091 --> 00:34:48,581 Might be sure my age, but adverts, remember the, um, the crumbliest 541 00:34:48,581 --> 00:34:51,351 flakiest chocolate and Yeah, 542 00:34:51,786 --> 00:34:56,226 Only the crumbliest, bit of karaoke. 543 00:34:56,241 --> 00:35:01,661 was a, a famous, um, model who was in that and she, um, yeah. 544 00:35:02,091 --> 00:35:05,451 And she, she was in the bath and the bath was all running over. 545 00:35:05,511 --> 00:35:10,011 Um, but she really had a hard time and went into drugs and stuff. 546 00:35:10,011 --> 00:35:12,681 And she was one of one of the ladies that came and spoke to us. 547 00:35:13,011 --> 00:35:16,371 And found out years, a few years later that she'd come 548 00:35:16,371 --> 00:35:18,621 back and she became a Christian. 549 00:35:18,951 --> 00:35:23,691 You know, not just lots of people having that impact in someone's life and you 550 00:35:23,691 --> 00:35:28,191 don't hear, you might not ever hear, but we've got to just do that little 551 00:35:28,926 --> 00:35:29,316 Yeah. 552 00:35:29,481 --> 00:35:30,381 step, haven't we? 553 00:35:30,386 --> 00:35:31,851 And, um, and say, 554 00:35:32,556 --> 00:35:32,916 Yeah. 555 00:35:33,246 --> 00:35:36,606 And, and I think that is, that's a, it is a really good reminder, 556 00:35:36,606 --> 00:35:41,331 Graham, thanks for that because it is, It, it's, it's, it's that it's 557 00:35:41,331 --> 00:35:43,021 not having delusions of grandeur. 558 00:35:43,161 --> 00:35:47,211 It, you know, like the, we're the, the big one or whatever it is. 559 00:35:47,211 --> 00:35:50,931 We, we are that step in in someone's journey. 560 00:35:51,201 --> 00:35:53,631 I, you know, but it might be really important for us. 561 00:35:53,631 --> 00:35:55,131 It might be dead scary. 562 00:35:55,136 --> 00:36:00,591 We might have to, it might feel like a real step of faith to say. 563 00:36:01,551 --> 00:36:02,361 Oh, hi. 564 00:36:02,361 --> 00:36:05,001 I was just da da, da da thinking about this. 565 00:36:05,001 --> 00:36:06,081 Or Can I pray for you? 566 00:36:06,081 --> 00:36:08,871 Or, you know, whatever it might be. 567 00:36:08,871 --> 00:36:10,281 Or, you know, can I give you a hug? 568 00:36:10,381 --> 00:36:15,141 Or, you know, Jesus loves you, or something really, you know, whatever. 569 00:36:15,441 --> 00:36:20,561 But actually that can, that, you know, God's changing us through that as well as 570 00:36:20,961 --> 00:36:22,731 being part of that other person, isn't it? 571 00:36:22,881 --> 00:36:26,841 By us being obedient and humble and dependent on him. 572 00:36:27,291 --> 00:36:29,091 Um, yeah. 573 00:36:29,511 --> 00:36:29,841 Yeah. 574 00:36:30,696 --> 00:36:31,266 Absolutely. 575 00:36:31,266 --> 00:36:33,006 Matt and I, I wrote it down. 576 00:36:33,006 --> 00:36:36,036 He said, you, you are in the perfect place for God to use you. 577 00:36:36,576 --> 00:36:40,386 You know, you might not know that, and the situation you might think, 578 00:36:40,446 --> 00:36:45,696 is it, it's not possible, but he can use us when it's really tough. 579 00:36:45,756 --> 00:36:48,216 He can use us when it's going really well as well. 580 00:36:48,806 --> 00:36:49,226 Mm-hmm. 581 00:36:49,461 --> 00:36:49,821 Yeah. 582 00:36:50,281 --> 00:36:50,571 Yeah. 583 00:36:52,776 --> 00:36:55,946 Um, the. 584 00:36:58,191 --> 00:37:02,031 Although I just wanted to jump back to right back to the beginning and, uh, 585 00:37:02,061 --> 00:37:08,361 Matt was saying, have you, have you read any books that have inspired you lately? 586 00:37:08,571 --> 00:37:13,171 Um, only because I'd, I've read a good book and I thought, oh, I want to share, 587 00:37:13,731 --> 00:37:18,981 share It's, it's really old book, but if you are, if you're, if you are looking 588 00:37:19,101 --> 00:37:23,031 at the Christian faith and you've got loads of questions, there's a book called 589 00:37:23,031 --> 00:37:25,431 The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. 590 00:37:25,911 --> 00:37:27,141 Brilliant book. 591 00:37:27,501 --> 00:37:33,831 And he was a, a journalist in Chicago in the seventies and eighties, like, um, and 592 00:37:33,831 --> 00:37:38,001 he was on all the big cases and there's lots of corruption and stuff in Chicago. 593 00:37:38,006 --> 00:37:42,021 So he, he's his thing was looking through all the details, looking 594 00:37:42,026 --> 00:37:45,591 through the files, um, and his wife becomes a Christian. 595 00:37:45,591 --> 00:37:49,521 It's like, oh, what, what, what does that mean? 596 00:37:50,031 --> 00:37:56,151 And um, he goes on this journey to look through the Bible and is it, is it true? 597 00:37:56,211 --> 00:37:57,231 Well, how true is it? 598 00:37:57,236 --> 00:37:57,981 Which bits are true? 599 00:37:57,986 --> 00:37:58,941 Which bits aren't true? 600 00:37:58,941 --> 00:38:01,971 And, um, brilliant, brilliant book. 601 00:38:01,976 --> 00:38:06,981 I've, I've really enjoyed just, um, listening to his journey 602 00:38:07,836 --> 00:38:07,996 Hmm. 603 00:38:08,691 --> 00:38:14,931 spoiler alert, he becomes a Christian, but, but also just, uh, I love, I 604 00:38:14,936 --> 00:38:19,191 love facts and I love, um, little, you know, details about things and 605 00:38:19,191 --> 00:38:21,741 just, yeah, really put that there. 606 00:38:22,626 --> 00:38:23,136 Fab. 607 00:38:24,246 --> 00:38:25,116 That sounds really good. 608 00:38:25,806 --> 00:38:27,456 I, uh, confession. 609 00:38:27,816 --> 00:38:31,266 I've, I've not read a Christian book, so sorry. 610 00:38:32,826 --> 00:38:34,376 Nothing springs to mind. 611 00:38:35,841 --> 00:38:36,846 Well, Well I, 612 00:38:37,506 --> 00:38:39,546 trying to keep on track with the Bible. 613 00:38:40,006 --> 00:38:44,811 Yeah, I haven't for a while, but I do a lot of driving with work, so I just have, 614 00:38:44,841 --> 00:38:47,691 um, audio books and, um, and listen that. 615 00:38:47,991 --> 00:38:51,531 I'm so, I'm so old fashioned that I was like, imagining you with, 616 00:38:51,711 --> 00:38:52,791 you know, a book at the wheel. 617 00:38:52,791 --> 00:38:54,831 Like, yeah, don't do that. 618 00:38:55,821 --> 00:38:56,691 Very dangerous. 619 00:38:57,291 --> 00:38:59,241 Testing God to the extreme. 620 00:38:59,286 --> 00:39:00,396 Yes, yes. 621 00:39:00,396 --> 00:39:01,356 We don't advocate that. 622 00:39:01,956 --> 00:39:02,166 No. 623 00:39:03,216 --> 00:39:03,576 Yeah. 624 00:39:03,896 --> 00:39:05,046 Oh no, that's good. 625 00:39:05,046 --> 00:39:05,406 Yeah. 626 00:39:05,406 --> 00:39:06,156 Anybody else? 627 00:39:06,156 --> 00:39:08,436 Did anyone say if there was any books? 628 00:39:08,436 --> 00:39:10,146 I didn't remember seeing anybody. 629 00:39:10,386 --> 00:39:10,656 Oh. 630 00:39:10,716 --> 00:39:14,316 Um, I think Sharon had, um, put up the Cost of Discipleship by 631 00:39:14,366 --> 00:39:15,876 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, haven't she? 632 00:39:16,236 --> 00:39:21,066 Um, so, yeah, again, I think I've read some of his stuff and, uh, and it 633 00:39:21,201 --> 00:39:23,351 Graham's put the biography of Eric Liddell. 634 00:39:23,351 --> 00:39:23,381 Oh. 635 00:39:23,381 --> 00:39:24,141 Would like to read. 636 00:39:24,681 --> 00:39:27,111 Oh, chariots of fire guy. 637 00:39:27,201 --> 00:39:27,651 Yeah. 638 00:39:28,071 --> 00:39:28,431 Yeah. 639 00:39:28,491 --> 00:39:32,031 No, I, yeah, I, I can imagine that that would be really good. 640 00:39:32,661 --> 00:39:32,961 Yeah. 641 00:39:32,961 --> 00:39:36,711 I love, there's nothing more inspiring, isn't it? 642 00:39:36,711 --> 00:39:41,841 Just hearing of, and again, ordinary people, we do build them up. 643 00:39:42,021 --> 00:39:43,701 Like I love John G Lake. 644 00:39:44,091 --> 00:39:44,751 He was a, 645 00:39:44,971 --> 00:39:45,531 not heard of him. 646 00:39:45,531 --> 00:39:51,111 in the ah, as a preacher in the 1900s in Spokane, Washington. 647 00:39:51,381 --> 00:39:55,641 And the, the federal government declared Spokane as the healthiest 648 00:39:55,641 --> 00:39:59,631 city in the world when he was there cuz so many people got healed. 649 00:40:02,331 --> 00:40:02,631 Yeah. 650 00:40:02,691 --> 00:40:07,086 But he was an ordinary man that just loved God and, and trusted God 651 00:40:07,086 --> 00:40:11,056 that he could heal, and it just, yeah, just spirals, doesn't it? 652 00:40:11,316 --> 00:40:11,736 Mm-hmm. 653 00:40:11,781 --> 00:40:12,111 Yeah. 654 00:40:12,531 --> 00:40:12,891 Yeah. 655 00:40:13,291 --> 00:40:16,991 And, and, and I think that is the, that's, that's always the, 656 00:40:17,171 --> 00:40:19,851 the, um, the desire, isn't it? 657 00:40:19,851 --> 00:40:28,461 It's like, oh, we, you know, and, and staying, um, Trusting and not losing heart 658 00:40:28,491 --> 00:40:33,651 and dis being disillusioned when you know, you think, oh God, you are so powerful, 659 00:40:33,651 --> 00:40:35,061 why don't you just do it all now? 660 00:40:35,331 --> 00:40:38,031 You know, uh, uh, just wave that magic wand. 661 00:40:38,691 --> 00:40:42,411 Um, but um, but it is that process, isn't it? 662 00:40:42,416 --> 00:40:45,921 And, and, and that trusting and, you know, God's timing. 663 00:40:46,311 --> 00:40:51,561 Um, and, and us being obedient, you know, I think there's not very many, 664 00:40:52,301 --> 00:40:57,861 um, And the Bible talks about how all the nations of the world will be, 665 00:40:58,191 --> 00:41:02,471 uh, will have heard about, um, Jesus. 666 00:41:03,261 --> 00:41:04,761 And then the end will come. 667 00:41:05,001 --> 00:41:10,371 And with, with that, my, my revelation understanding is, is limited, but 668 00:41:10,376 --> 00:41:14,871 I, I hold onto that and, and there aren't actually that many nations 669 00:41:14,876 --> 00:41:19,461 of the world that haven't had the opportunity to hear about Jesus yet. 670 00:41:19,731 --> 00:41:25,551 But whenever I, um, is it Wickliffe or, um, that do Bible translation? 671 00:41:25,851 --> 00:41:29,361 And I always just, I always just think, ah, Come on, you're 672 00:41:29,361 --> 00:41:31,281 doing an amazing thing there. 673 00:41:31,281 --> 00:41:34,371 To, to get the word of God into people's hands. 674 00:41:34,371 --> 00:41:38,721 That, that, that then they can hear for themselves in their own heart language. 675 00:41:38,721 --> 00:41:44,016 And cuz I, I think like, like what Philip was doing, You know, he 676 00:41:44,016 --> 00:41:46,176 went to the Samaritans, didn't he? 677 00:41:46,176 --> 00:41:51,246 And he went to people who were different from him and, um, and, but he spoke to 678 00:41:51,246 --> 00:41:53,466 them in a way that they could hear it. 679 00:41:53,916 --> 00:42:00,996 Um, and, you know, yeah, I mean that's, that's how we need to communicate, 680 00:42:01,001 --> 00:42:02,856 isn't it, in a way that people can hear. 681 00:42:03,036 --> 00:42:06,216 And I guess Crowd, Church is, is part of that, isn't that 682 00:42:06,216 --> 00:42:08,616 in a, in a, in a digital age. 683 00:42:09,396 --> 00:42:09,696 yeah. 684 00:42:09,756 --> 00:42:12,006 Well, Matt, Matt left us with that challenge, didn't he? 685 00:42:12,006 --> 00:42:13,896 To what can we do this week? 686 00:42:14,886 --> 00:42:15,906 What can we do with this week? 687 00:42:15,911 --> 00:42:19,456 Just to share, share God's love, whether it is, like you said, whether it's 688 00:42:19,461 --> 00:42:24,036 just saying God bless you to someone, or whether it's helping out somewhere, 689 00:42:24,096 --> 00:42:25,686 or whether it's praying for someone. 690 00:42:25,776 --> 00:42:28,686 Um, I, it doesn't have to be. 691 00:42:30,336 --> 00:42:35,271 I love that Prayer is, I was thinking about this when I was thinking 692 00:42:35,271 --> 00:42:40,101 about Crowd, Church, and today I was thinking some people are watching 693 00:42:40,101 --> 00:42:44,961 us live and we can, we could, you know, we can pray for you now. 694 00:42:45,531 --> 00:42:51,061 Some people are watching us in a month, a year's time. 695 00:42:51,471 --> 00:42:52,561 God's not outta time. 696 00:42:52,911 --> 00:42:53,541 Yeah. 697 00:42:53,571 --> 00:42:55,401 constrained by time. 698 00:42:55,941 --> 00:42:58,431 Is the ultimate time Lord, I love a bit of Doctor who, 699 00:42:59,061 --> 00:42:59,451 Yeah. 700 00:43:00,201 --> 00:43:03,981 So he can do stuff now and that now is wherever you are. 701 00:43:04,641 --> 00:43:06,141 Yeah, whenever you are. 702 00:43:06,741 --> 00:43:09,651 He's still there for us. 703 00:43:09,651 --> 00:43:14,781 He's there that week and that day and yeah, 704 00:43:15,606 --> 00:43:17,136 mm mm 705 00:43:17,751 --> 00:43:18,411 he's amazing. 706 00:43:18,941 --> 00:43:20,541 Thanks, Matt, for that talk. 707 00:43:20,541 --> 00:43:21,261 That's really 708 00:43:21,416 --> 00:43:21,706 Yeah. 709 00:43:21,921 --> 00:43:22,971 inspired me. 710 00:43:24,856 --> 00:43:26,436 Yeah, yeah. 711 00:43:26,436 --> 00:43:29,766 For this, for this week, and for the, just what's coming up ahead. 712 00:43:30,186 --> 00:43:31,416 Yeah, me too. 713 00:43:31,956 --> 00:43:32,376 Mm-hmm. 714 00:43:33,786 --> 00:43:37,506 We've got, well, that segues on quite nicely, isn't it too? 715 00:43:37,506 --> 00:43:37,716 What? 716 00:43:37,956 --> 00:43:38,946 What's coming up next week? 717 00:43:40,836 --> 00:43:43,206 So Matt and Sharon will be hosting next week. 718 00:43:43,266 --> 00:43:47,876 Matt is back from his, I was gonna say Jollies, but he had to. 719 00:43:47,876 --> 00:43:49,356 He's been working. 720 00:43:49,356 --> 00:43:51,786 He has seen lots of friends and traveled around, but he's back. 721 00:43:51,786 --> 00:43:56,106 So really good to have him back next week in the UK with Sharon. 722 00:43:56,196 --> 00:44:05,166 And if I press the right button here, I can actually find, uh, and Dave Connolly 723 00:44:05,586 --> 00:44:07,416 will be doing the talk and that's 724 00:44:07,701 --> 00:44:08,211 Fab. 725 00:44:08,526 --> 00:44:11,056 yeah, walking in step with the spirit. 726 00:44:11,476 --> 00:44:13,476 To the next part of acts. 727 00:44:13,626 --> 00:44:14,736 So looking forward to that. 728 00:44:15,071 --> 00:44:15,491 Mm-hmm. 729 00:44:16,341 --> 00:44:17,211 Sounds good. 730 00:44:17,451 --> 00:44:18,081 Great. 731 00:44:19,161 --> 00:44:25,731 Well, thanks very much for, um, getting involved, for putting your messages 732 00:44:26,061 --> 00:44:30,591 on the chat and thank you Claire, so much for, for joining us and helping to 733 00:44:30,696 --> 00:44:31,326 been lovely. 734 00:44:31,416 --> 00:44:31,926 Thanks. 735 00:44:31,956 --> 00:44:32,466 Thanks, Dan. 736 00:44:32,466 --> 00:44:35,526 I think we've, we've not had any echos and buffering this 737 00:44:35,531 --> 00:44:37,366 week, so that's really good. 738 00:44:37,366 --> 00:44:37,846 Well done. 739 00:44:37,846 --> 00:44:38,726 You've done a good job. 740 00:44:38,781 --> 00:44:39,921 Big, big thumbs up. 741 00:44:39,926 --> 00:44:44,481 Cause that was such a, it was only right to, I didn't even know till the 742 00:44:44,486 --> 00:44:47,001 next day that that was happening to. 743 00:44:47,646 --> 00:44:52,276 I put my, I put my phone on do not disturb, which was good, but then the 744 00:44:52,276 --> 00:44:57,096 texts I was getting about echoes I didn't see, so I'm very glad that stopped. 745 00:44:57,726 --> 00:44:58,866 Yeah, thanks very much. 746 00:44:59,136 --> 00:45:03,546 Uh, everyone, if you've got any, um, anything you want to find out, any 747 00:45:03,551 --> 00:45:06,336 Prayer requests, please do send them in. 748 00:45:06,696 --> 00:45:10,596 Um, we'd love to pray for you and love to see you next week. 749 00:45:11,361 --> 00:45:12,711 And is there a zoom? 750 00:45:13,236 --> 00:45:15,186 Yes, uh, there's a midweek zoom as well. 751 00:45:15,191 --> 00:45:21,036 So if you just fire an email, then, um, if you go to Crowd Church, um, 752 00:45:21,036 --> 00:45:24,426 and have a look on there and all the contact details, you can, uh, fire an 753 00:45:24,546 --> 00:45:28,486 email in and make contact and there's a midweek zoom on a on a Wednesday. 754 00:45:29,406 --> 00:45:30,096 Amazing. 755 00:45:31,956 --> 00:45:33,166 Have a great week guys. 756 00:45:34,686 --> 00:45:36,436 Thank Thank you Claire. 757 00:45:36,486 --> 00:45:37,056 Thanks everyone. 758 00:45:38,766 --> 00:45:39,306 Bye. 759 00:45:42,326 --> 00:45:46,126 Thank you so much for joining us here on Crowd Church. 760 00:45:46,546 --> 00:45:51,276 Now you are watching on YouTube, make sure you hit the subscribe button as well 761 00:45:51,276 --> 00:45:57,376 as that little tiny bell notification to get notified the next time we are live. 762 00:45:57,436 --> 00:46:01,606 And of course, if you are listening to the podcast, uh, the Livestream podcast, 763 00:46:01,606 --> 00:46:05,026 make sure you also hit the follow button. 764 00:46:05,326 --> 00:46:09,376 Now by smashing the like button on YouTube or writing a review 765 00:46:09,556 --> 00:46:11,656 on your podcast platform. 766 00:46:11,836 --> 00:46:15,531 It helps us reach more people with the message that Jesus 767 00:46:15,531 --> 00:46:20,121 really does help us live a more meaningful and purposeful life. 768 00:46:20,511 --> 00:46:25,371 So if you haven't done so already, be sure to check out our website, 769 00:46:25,471 --> 00:46:32,001 www.crowd.church, where you can learn more about us as a church, more about 770 00:46:32,001 --> 00:46:36,921 the Christian faith, and also how to connect into our church community. 771 00:46:37,671 --> 00:46:43,051 It has been awesome to connect with you and you are awesome. 772 00:46:43,141 --> 00:46:48,241 It's just a burden you have to bear and hopefully we'll see you next time. 773 00:46:48,391 --> 00:46:49,261 That's it from us. 774 00:46:49,261 --> 00:46:50,011 God bless you. 775 00:46:50,641 --> 00:46:51,151 Bye for now.