Changes the world (Commitment Sunday 2013)
Series: The Church
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 23rd November 2013
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Gracious Father, we thank you for your word.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 Thank you for your church.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 I pray that as we look into your word this morning
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 that we might see something of our heritage
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 and that as we look to the future
00:00:13 --> 00:00:17 that we might be committed to the name Christ
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 and seeing that name declared and glorified
00:00:20 --> 00:00:21 throughout this area of Chatswood.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 We pray for your sake. Amen.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:32 St. Paul's first ministry in the Chatswood area
00:00:32 --> 00:00:37 began almost or just over 112 years ago
00:00:37 --> 00:00:42 with a Sunday school on the 1st of September 1901.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 It wasn't a great start because no one turned up.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 The weather wasn't so great.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 Three children turned up the next week
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 and the first official church service
00:00:54 --> 00:00:55 was a couple of months later
00:00:55 --> 00:01:00 on the 8th of December 1901.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 The official opening of St. Paul's
00:01:03 --> 00:01:08 was conducted on the 15th of December 1901
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 by the Archdeacon of Cumberland,
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 the Venerable John Langley,
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 to whom my wife Natalie is a direct descendant.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 So I am married into St. Paul's history
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 more than most.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 A new church doesn't just pop up.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 It doesn't just arrive one Sunday.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 Many things happen over a period of time
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 before any church,
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 and a church like St. Paul's comes to be.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 And as always, with anything,
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 there are different motives and agendas at play
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 in order to see something like a church pop up.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 And some of those agendas and motives
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 lack any sort of vision.
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 There are those who are dissatisfied
00:01:59 --> 00:02:00 with the ministry of another church
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 and figure it's much better to start our own thing.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 There are those who felt that the church
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 was a good place for social activities.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 For others, it was a place for mutual support
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 and friendships and family interactions
00:02:13 --> 00:02:14 and cultural pursuits.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 For others, the church is a healthy place
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 for young people of marriageable age.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 That is St. Paul's the dating service
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 before RSVP and all those other things
00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 came into being.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:28 On the other hand,
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 there are those with a real gospel vision.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 There are those who are doing evangelism
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 on steam trains.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:43 A boy riding the district on horseback
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 to break the news of a Sunday school
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 and a church coming into being.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:49 There were the four young men
00:02:49 --> 00:02:53 who in the summer of 1901-02
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 met weekly for prayer before dawn
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 out in the bush
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 and spent time walking around
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 looking for potential church sites
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 to plant a church.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 And so here we are,
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 112 years later,
00:03:09 --> 00:03:10 on the site that was chosen.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:13 It's Commitment Sunday.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 We're thinking about commitment
00:03:17 --> 00:03:21 to the mission and vision of St. Paul's
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 here in Chatswood
00:03:22 --> 00:03:27 as we look ahead to 2014 and beyond.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:31 And my question for us today
00:03:31 --> 00:03:35 is what is it about our beginning
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 that will most define our present
00:03:38 --> 00:03:42 and our future as a church?
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 Is it St. Paul's the dating service?
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 Or is it a gospel-driven vision?
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 And so in thinking about that question,
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 what is it about our beginnings
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 that will so define our present,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:00 our future,
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 I want us to take us back to the beginning?
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 Back past 112 years
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 on the lower north shore of Sydney,
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 back past the Anglican Church
00:04:13 --> 00:04:17 starting with chaplain arriving
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 with the first fleet,
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 back past the act of supremacy
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 in November 1534,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 that brought the Church of England
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 into existence,
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 back to the first century
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 and the church in Antioch.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 The church in Antioch
00:04:35 --> 00:04:36 is our mother church.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:38 It is our ancestry.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:40 It is our bloodline.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 In the first half of chapter 11,
00:04:44 --> 00:04:48 Peter is up in front of the leaders
00:04:48 --> 00:04:49 in Jerusalem explaining
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 why he, as a Jew,
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 had gone to the house of a Gentile
00:04:54 --> 00:04:55 and eaten with them.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:57 He went to explain
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 how Cornelius
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 and his family
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 had received the Holy Spirit
00:05:02 --> 00:05:03 and came
00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 to put their trust
00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 in the Lord Jesus.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:08 It's the first instance
00:05:08 --> 00:05:09 of Christian faith
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 breaching Jewish circles.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 And so,
00:05:14 --> 00:05:15 in chapter 11,
00:05:15 --> 00:05:16 verse 18,
00:05:16 --> 00:05:17 we have the response
00:05:17 --> 00:05:18 of the leaders
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 of the church in Jerusalem.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:22 When they heard this,
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 they had no further objections
00:05:24 --> 00:05:25 and praised God,
00:05:25 --> 00:05:25 saying,
00:05:26 --> 00:05:26 so then,
00:05:27 --> 00:05:28 God has granted
00:05:28 --> 00:05:29 even the Gentiles
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 repentance unto life.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:34 And so,
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 this means that
00:05:36 --> 00:05:37 unless you are a Jew,
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 Antioch,
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 in the very next verse,
00:05:43 --> 00:05:44 is your mother church.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 As the first Gentile church,
00:05:49 --> 00:05:49 my hope is that
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 something of its heartbeat
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 might define
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 something of our heartbeat.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:56 And there are a number of things
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 you could pull out of here
00:05:58 --> 00:05:58 in this,
00:05:59 --> 00:06:00 but I just want to pick on a few.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:02 A number of the characteristics
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 of our mother church
00:06:04 --> 00:06:05 that we must commit to
00:06:05 --> 00:06:06 emulating
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 as we look to the future
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 at St. Paul's.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:12 Notice,
00:06:12 --> 00:06:13 first of all,
00:06:13 --> 00:06:14 our mother church's commitment
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 to representing Jesus
00:06:15 --> 00:06:16 where God had placed them.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 Verse 19,
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 Acts 11.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:20 If you haven't got your Bibles,
00:06:21 --> 00:06:22 you need to have your Bibles open.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:26 Or your iPads
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 or whatever it is you've got.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 Acts 11.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:32 Verse 19.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:33 Now,
00:06:33 --> 00:06:34 those who had been scattered
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 by the persecution
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 in connection with Stephen
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 traveled as far as Phoenicia,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 Cyprus and Antioch,
00:06:40 --> 00:06:40 telling the message
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 only to Jews.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:43 Some of them,
00:06:43 --> 00:06:43 however,
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 men from Cyprus and Cyrene
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 went to Antioch
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 and began to speak
00:06:48 --> 00:06:49 to Greeks also,
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 telling them the good news
00:06:52 --> 00:06:53 about the Lord Jesus.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 The Lord's hand was with them
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 and a great number of people
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 believed and turned to the Lord.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 So chapter 11,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:02 verse 19,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 takes us back
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 to chapter 8,
00:07:06 --> 00:07:07 verse 1,
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 and the scattering
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 of the believers
00:07:09 --> 00:07:10 as a result
00:07:10 --> 00:07:11 of the persecution
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 relating to the martyrdom
00:07:13 --> 00:07:14 of Stephen.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:15 And some of these
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 persecuted believers
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 went as far
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 as Antioch,
00:07:19 --> 00:07:20 the capital
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 of the Roman province
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 of Syria
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 and the third largest city
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 in the empire.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 And as they went,
00:07:28 --> 00:07:29 as they were scattered,
00:07:30 --> 00:07:31 they simply
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 talked about Jesus.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 What was in their hearts
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 came out of their mouth.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 These unnamed Jews
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 from the island of Cyprus
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 and Cyrene
00:07:44 --> 00:07:45 with no official direction,
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 no human instruction,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 no precedent to follow,
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 nothing but a burning
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 love for Christ
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 took the good news
00:07:56 --> 00:07:56 of the Lord Jesus
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 to Antioch.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 They were probably
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 not even aware
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 that they were doing
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 something radical,
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 no clue about their,
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 the revolutionary
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 greatness of their act.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 They were the first believers
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 to bring the explosive
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 light of the gospel
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 into the pitch black
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 darkness
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 of paganism
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 in Antioch.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 Antioch was evangelized
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 not by apostles,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 but by average
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 members
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 of the body
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 of Christ
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 who just simply
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 represent Jesus
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 because Jesus
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 had pushed them there.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 Wherever
00:08:44 --> 00:08:45 these refugees
00:08:45 --> 00:08:45 landed,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 Jesus was on display.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 Sharing Christ
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 to them
00:08:50 --> 00:08:50 appears to be
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 as natural
00:08:51 --> 00:08:51 as tears
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 to sorrow
00:08:52 --> 00:08:52 and as smiles
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 to happiness.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 Everyday believers
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 empowered
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 by the Holy Spirit
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 blew away
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 the hold of paganism
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 on needy souls
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 and the result
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 was a great harvest
00:09:03 --> 00:09:04 in Antioch.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 Verse 21,
00:09:06 --> 00:09:06 the Lord's hand
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 was with them
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 and a great number
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 of people believed
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 and turned to the Lord.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 We see it again
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 in verse 24,
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 a great number
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 of people
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 were brought
00:09:16 --> 00:09:16 to the Lord.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:21 Luke is very
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 careful here
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 to stress
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 the sovereign
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 providence of God
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 behind the growth
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 of this church.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 It was the Lord's hand,
00:09:31 --> 00:09:31 did you see that?
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 It was the Lord's hand
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 that was responsible
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 for the success.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 No apostles,
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 no parish council,
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 no ecclesiastical structure,
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 just the Lord's hand
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 and a tremendous
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 number of new believers.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 But it doesn't negate
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 the personal witness
00:09:53 --> 00:09:54 of the disciples
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 who chose
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 to accomplish
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 his sovereign purpose.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 This is his appointed means.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 Christians
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 representing Jesus
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 where he has put them,
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 wherever that might be.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:17 Now let me say,
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 there would be
00:10:20 --> 00:10:20 few churches
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 that would confess
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 that they have
00:10:23 --> 00:10:23 no interest
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 in mission.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 Many operate
00:10:27 --> 00:10:27 like they have
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 no interest
00:10:28 --> 00:10:28 in mission,
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 but there'd be
00:10:29 --> 00:10:29 few who would
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 confess they have
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 no interest
00:10:31 --> 00:10:31 in mission.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 Most want to be
00:10:35 --> 00:10:35 a light
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 in a dark place.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 Too many,
00:10:41 --> 00:10:41 however,
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 I fear
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 operate
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 like a lighthouse
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 in a dark place.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 Our focus
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 is illuminating
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 the far off distances,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 but leaving
00:10:56 --> 00:10:56 the area
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 around our base
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 plunged in darkness.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:02 no church
00:11:02 --> 00:11:02 will ever
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 become a missionary
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 church
00:11:04 --> 00:11:04 unless it
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 possesses
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 a vigorous
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 grassroots
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 concern
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 for mission
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 to the non-Christian
00:11:11 --> 00:11:11 world
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 where they
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 are.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 This is
00:11:17 --> 00:11:17 our mission
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 field
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 right here.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:24 if we are
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 not concerned
00:11:25 --> 00:11:25 for the good
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 news of the
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 Lord Jesus
00:11:27 --> 00:11:27 increasing
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 and spreading
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 where God
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 has put us,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 there is no
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 genuine concern
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 for gospel
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 impact
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 thousands of
00:11:37 --> 00:11:37 kilometers away.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:41 the commitment
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 to local
00:11:42 --> 00:11:42 mission
00:11:42 --> 00:11:42 for this
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 church
00:11:43 --> 00:11:43 at Antioch
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 did in fact
00:11:45 --> 00:11:45 flow over
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 to the rest
00:11:46 --> 00:11:46 of the world.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 Acts
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 chapter 13
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 we see
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 Barnabas
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 and Paul
00:11:53 --> 00:11:53 are sent
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 from Antioch
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 to the rest
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 of the world.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 Antioch
00:11:57 --> 00:11:57 became the
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 launching pad
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 for global
00:11:59 --> 00:11:59 mission.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 it was the
00:12:01 --> 00:12:01 base for
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 Paul's
00:12:02 --> 00:12:02 missionary
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 journeys
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 and it
00:12:05 --> 00:12:05 started with
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 disciples
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 representing
00:12:07 --> 00:12:07 Jesus
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 right there
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 in Antioch.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 To represent
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 Jesus
00:12:13 --> 00:12:13 where he's
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 put us
00:12:14 --> 00:12:14 in Chatswood
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 is to keep
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 in step
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 with our
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 mother church.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 It is our
00:12:20 --> 00:12:20 heritage,
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 our bloodline.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 Representing
00:12:24 --> 00:12:24 Jesus
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 as written
00:12:25 --> 00:12:25 into our
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 mission statement
00:12:26 --> 00:12:26 is one of
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 the reasons
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 that we exist
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 local and
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 global impact
00:12:30 --> 00:12:30 is one of
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 our core
00:12:31 --> 00:12:31 values and
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 mobilizing
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 members for
00:12:33 --> 00:12:33 local mission
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 is one of
00:12:34 --> 00:12:34 the five
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 strategies
00:12:35 --> 00:12:35 that we
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 are working
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 on in order
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 to accomplish
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 vision 2020.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 Our stated
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 ministry
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 objective
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 out there
00:12:44 --> 00:12:44 on the
00:12:44 --> 00:12:44 door
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 on the
00:12:45 --> 00:12:45 way out
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 is that
00:12:46 --> 00:12:46 by the
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 end of
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 next year
00:12:48 --> 00:12:48 is to
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 see 500
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 people
00:12:50 --> 00:12:50 attending
00:12:50 --> 00:12:50 church
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 each week
00:12:51 --> 00:12:51 here at
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 St. Paul's.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 That's our
00:12:55 --> 00:12:55 mission,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:55 that's our
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 focus,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:56 that's our
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 objective.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 we are
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 praying and
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 laboring to
00:13:00 --> 00:13:00 see people
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 come to
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 a saving
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 faith in
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 the Lord
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 Jesus,
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 not transferring
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 from another
00:13:09 --> 00:13:09 church,
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 not interested
00:13:12 --> 00:13:12 in that.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:15 That doesn't
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 mean I'm not
00:13:16 --> 00:13:16 interested in
00:13:16 --> 00:13:16 you,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 if that's
00:13:17 --> 00:13:17 what you've
00:13:17 --> 00:13:17 done,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:18 I'm just
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 saying our
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 focus is
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 to see people
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 come to
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 know Christ.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:23 Christ.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 praise God
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 for the
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 person in
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 five o'clock
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 congregation
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 who responded
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 to back to
00:13:36 --> 00:13:36 church Sunday
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 invitation,
00:13:38 --> 00:13:38 went immediately
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 into Christianity,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 explored and gave
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 their life to
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 Christ two
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 Sundays ago,
00:13:44 --> 00:13:44 I think it
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 was.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:48 Make a
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 commitment to
00:13:49 --> 00:13:49 pursue this
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 goal in
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 2014,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 here today on
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 Commitment
00:13:54 --> 00:13:54 Sunday.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:58 Notice also
00:13:58 --> 00:13:58 our mother
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 church's
00:13:59 --> 00:13:59 commitment to
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 establishing
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 believers in
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 the faith.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:02 Again,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 this is
00:14:03 --> 00:14:03 something of
00:14:03 --> 00:14:03 our heritage
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 and our
00:14:04 --> 00:14:04 bloodline that
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 we want to
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 emulate today.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 In verse
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 22 we see
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 the church in
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 Jerusalem gets
00:14:10 --> 00:14:10 a wind of
00:14:10 --> 00:14:10 all that's
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 happening in
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 Antioch and
00:14:12 --> 00:14:12 so they send
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 one of its
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 main men to
00:14:14 --> 00:14:14 check it out.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:15 And Barnabas
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 likes what he
00:14:16 --> 00:14:16 sees,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 verse 23,
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 when he
00:14:18 --> 00:14:18 arrived and
00:14:18 --> 00:14:18 saw the
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 evidence of
00:14:19 --> 00:14:19 the grace
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 of God,
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 he was glad
00:14:21 --> 00:14:21 and encouraged
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 them all to
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 remain true to
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 the Lord with
00:14:24 --> 00:14:24 all of
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 their hearts.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:26 You see,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 he liked what
00:14:27 --> 00:14:27 he saw,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 but his
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 concern was
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 to nurture
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 this young
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 multicultural
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 church in
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 Antioch.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 And in
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 verse 25 we
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 see he brings
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 in extra help
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 to make sure
00:14:39 --> 00:14:39 it happens
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 effectively.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:41 It says,
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 then Barnabas
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 went to
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 Tarsus to
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 look for
00:14:46 --> 00:14:46 Saul.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 That's about
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 a 160
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 kilometer
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 journey.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 And when
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 he found
00:14:51 --> 00:14:51 him, he
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 brought him
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 to Antioch.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 And so for
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 the whole
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 year, Barnabas
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 and Saul
00:14:55 --> 00:14:55 met with
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 the church
00:14:56 --> 00:14:56 and taught
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 great numbers
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 of people.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 Great numbers
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 of people were
00:15:01 --> 00:15:01 taught.
00:15:02 --> 00:15:02 And what were
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 they taught?
00:15:03 --> 00:15:03 Acts 20
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 verse 27
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 leads me to
00:15:05 --> 00:15:05 believe that
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 they were
00:15:06 --> 00:15:06 taught the
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 whole will
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 of God.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 The emphasis
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 on establishment
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 is again seen
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 in chapter 14
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 verses 21 to
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 23 where the
00:15:18 --> 00:15:18 missionaries are
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 returning from
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 the first
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 missionary journey
00:15:21 --> 00:15:21 and it says
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 they were
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 strengthening the
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 disciples and
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 encouraging them
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 and appointing
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 elders.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 I want to
00:15:29 --> 00:15:29 suggest to you
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 that everything
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 that this church
00:15:31 --> 00:15:31 is and does
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 here at
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 Antioch comes
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 back to God's
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 grace and the
00:15:35 --> 00:15:35 fact that they
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 were well
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 established in
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 the truth and
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 they were
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 growing in
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 maturity in
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 Christ.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 People coming
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 to know
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 Jesus is not
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 the only reason
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 we exist.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:47 We want to
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 see people grow
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 into maturity
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 in Christ and
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 becoming more
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 like him.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 We want to
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 see people
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 standing firm
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 and secure
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 in Christ.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 Barnabas'
00:16:00 --> 00:16:00 desire for the
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 church at
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 Antioch is
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 for them to
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 remain true to
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 the Lord with
00:16:04 --> 00:16:04 all of their
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 hearts and that
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 ought to be our
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 desire as well.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 And that's why
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 our missionary
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 objective is not
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 just to have
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 500 people
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 sitting in
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 church but to
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 see growth in
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 core membership
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 to 150.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 As I've said
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 a number of
00:16:18 --> 00:16:18 times,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 core membership
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 is really
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 simple and
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 practical.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 It's just a
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 visible expression
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 that I as an
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 individual are
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 living out what
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 we value here as
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 a church.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 That's all it
00:16:33 --> 00:16:33 is.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 Devotion to
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 prayer,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 Christ-centered
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 Bible saturation,
00:16:38 --> 00:16:38 humble authenticity,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 treasuring Jesus
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 together,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 servant leadership,
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 radical generosity,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 local and global
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 impact.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 commitment.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 And so here on
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 Commitment Sunday
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 2013, make a
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 commitment to
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 grow in those
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 core values next
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 year.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 And especially to
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 grow deeper in
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 knowing and
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 treasuring Jesus by
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 saturating yourself
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 in the scriptures.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:11 notice too that
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 there is an
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 attitude expressed
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 here in the
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 Barnabas-Saw
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 relationship at our
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 mother church that
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 would have impacted
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 the way that this
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 whole church served
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 and I believe we
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 need to follow in
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 their footsteps here
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 something of our
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 bloodline that we
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 need to emulate.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 Barnabas is not an
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 apostle but he is
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 one of the main men
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 in the Jerusalem
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 church.
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 Barnabas' goodness
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 was expressed in
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 his generosity of
00:17:37 --> 00:17:37 the church in
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 chapter 4 and
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 also in him
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 sticking out his
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 neck to commend
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 Paul to the
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 apostles in
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 chapter 9.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 But here we find
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 something I think
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 even more beautiful
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 than chapter 4 and
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 chapter 9 because
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 Barnabas would soon
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 yield his
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 preeminence to
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 Paul.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 Barnabas was
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 older.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 Barnabas was
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 more respected,
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 more widely known
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 and in many ways
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 he was way more
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 experienced than
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 Paul.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 But when he
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 asked Paul to
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 come and help
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 him in Antioch
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 in verse 25
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 and when they
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 later commenced
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 their missionary
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 journey together in
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 chapter 13,
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 Paul began to
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 play a greater
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 role than
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 Barnabas.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 It begins with
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 Barnabas and
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 Saul and
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 soon it
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 becomes Paul
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 and Barnabas
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 and it
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 stayed that way
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 to the end.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 Barnabas to
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 Paul was like
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 John the
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 Baptist to
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 Christ.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 He must
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 become greater,
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 I must become
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 less.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 And it
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 wasn't because
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 Barnabas is like
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 I'm a little
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 old now,
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 it's retirement
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 time,
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 need someone to
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 come and fill the
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 shoes that I've
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 been running,
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 ministries I've
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 been doing.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 What I see
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 here is an
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 attitude of
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 humility and
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 an attitude of
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 strategy.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 In Acts
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 chapter 9 we
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 read of the
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 miraculous conversion
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 of Saul.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 God then says
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 this about
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 Saul in
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 verse 15 of
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 Acts 9,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 this man is
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 my chosen
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 instrument to
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 carry my name
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 before the
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 Gentiles and
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 their kings.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 And at the
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 end of
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 chapter 9,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 Barnabas is
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 the one who
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 takes Saul to
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 the apostles and
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 commends him
00:19:36 --> 00:19:39 for all that
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 he's been
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 doing.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 And so
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 Barnabas must
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 have known that
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 it was Paul's
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 calling to be
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 apostle to the
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 Gentiles.
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 And here is
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 Barnabas now in
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 Antioch seven,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 eight years
00:19:52 --> 00:19:55 later with all
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 these Gentile
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 conversions
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 surrounding him
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 and he must
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 have thought
00:20:00 --> 00:20:03 Paul's the
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 man.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 This is
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 Paul's domain.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 This is what
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 Paul has been
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 set apart to
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 do.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 And so
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 Barnabas
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 puts his
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 ego to one
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 side and
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 allows Paul
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 to rise up
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 over him.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:24 all for the
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 sake of the
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 word of God
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 increasing and
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 spreading.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 It is a
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 glimpse of
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 genuine
00:20:36 --> 00:20:39 humility and
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 it's a glimpse
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 of gospel
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 strategy and
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 it's a glimpse
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 of sacrificial
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 leadership.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:49 You see
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 when Paul
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 and
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 traveled with
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 Barnabas to
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 heathen Antioch
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 they were the
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 original dynamic
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 duo before
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 Batman and
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 Robin came into
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 being.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 They
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 complemented one
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 another beautifully.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 Barnabas
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 soft,
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 gentle,
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 pastoral,
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 heart,
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 son of
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 encouragement,
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 known for
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 that.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 Paul,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 sharp,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 legal mind,
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 argue with
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 anyone.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:16 They
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 complemented
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 one another
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 beautifully
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 thanks to
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 the expert
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 orchestration
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 of the
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 Spirit of
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 God.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 Barnabas
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 sensitive,
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 empathetic,
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 gracious,
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 Paul had a
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 brilliant hone,
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 razor sharp,
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 lawyer's
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 intellect and
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 together the
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 Spirit of
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 God worked
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 together
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 powerfully
00:21:38 --> 00:21:40 and together
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 humbly
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 appreciating one
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 another,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 they were
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 almost
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 inconquerable.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 And so I
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 want to
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 encourage you
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 as
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 Commitment
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 Sunday
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 2013,
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 make a
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 commitment
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 to use
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 your gifts
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 to serve
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 the body
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 of Christ
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 and to
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 serve with
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 this kind
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 of heart
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 and this
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 kind of
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 strategic
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 thinking,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 a heart
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 that says
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 whatever
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 serves the
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 advancement of
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 the gospel
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 through this
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 place,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 I will do
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 it even if
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 it means I
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 step down.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:20 Notice also
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 our mother
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 church's
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 commitment to
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 generosity,
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 again this
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 is something
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 of our
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 heritage and
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 our bloodline
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 that we
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 must emulate
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 today.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 Verse 27,
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 during this
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 time some
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 prophets came
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 down from
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 Jerusalem to
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 Antioch,
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 one of them
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 named Agabus
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 stood up and
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 through the
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 Spirit predicted
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 that a severe
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 famine would
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 spread over the
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 entire Roman
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 world.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 this happened
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 during the
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 reign of
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 Claudius,
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 the disciples
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 each according
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 to his
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 ability decided
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 to provide
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 help for the
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 brothers living
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 in Judea and
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 this they did
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 sending their
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 gifts to the
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 elders by
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 Barnabas and
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 Saul.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 Luke's main
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 concern here in
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 letting us know
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 this is not so
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 much the
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 fulfillment of
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 Agabus'
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 prophecy as
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 with the
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 generous response
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 of the church
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 in Antioch.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 There was a
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 need and they
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 responded.
00:23:08 --> 00:23:12 They gave to
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 the need each
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 according to
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 his ability is
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 what it says
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 there.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 I want to
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 suggest to
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 you that
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 generosity is
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 a plain
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 biblical principle
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 and generosity
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 should characterize
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 the family of
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 God as it did
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 right in our
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 very beginning
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 as a church in
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 Acts 2 in the
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 way they shared
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 with one
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 another.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:38 I was really
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 encouraged and
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 significantly
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 challenged by a
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43 pastor who
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 said recently
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 that he and
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 his wife made
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 a commitment to
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 grow in
00:23:47 --> 00:23:49 generosity every
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 year of their
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 marriage.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 Every year of
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 their marriage.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 And under God
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 they made a plan
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 to increase the
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 percentage of
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 what God gave,
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 what they gave
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 away year by
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 year to
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 ministry, to
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 all sorts of
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 other needs.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 And after many,
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 many years of
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 marriage, they
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 are now giving
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 away 94% of
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 all income that
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 comes in.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 Friends, we
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 need to see the
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 opportunity that God
00:24:21 --> 00:24:23 has given us in the
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 wealthy West to
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 meet needs and
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 demonstrate the
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 character of our
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 generous God.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 And what we
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 are doing here
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 today in
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 pledging off a
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 tree and making
00:24:33 --> 00:24:36 gifts to see the
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 word of God
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 increase and
00:24:37 --> 00:24:40 spread is in
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 our heritage.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 Way back,
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 way back to our
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 origin in Antioch
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 in first century.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 Also happens to be
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 in our heritage.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 It supports
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 Chatswood.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:56 It says here
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 that voluntary
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 subscriptions,
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 payable any
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 time during the
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 year to the
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 stipend and
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 building funds,
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 are earnestly
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 solicited from
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 all those
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 desirous of
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 assisting in
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 the movement.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 That is, the
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 movement of
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 seeing the
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 gospel go to
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 Chatswood.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 It is
00:25:14 --> 00:25:17 decided on
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 here that no
00:25:18 --> 00:25:20 bazaars, sales
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 of works or
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 morning teas
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 be resorted
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 to obtain
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 funds.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 It is
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 hoped that
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 every member
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 of the
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 congregation
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 will at
00:25:28 --> 00:25:30 once notify
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 their promise
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 of subscriptions.
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 Generosity
00:25:34 --> 00:25:37 is in our
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 heritage.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 And so make
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 a commitment
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 to see the
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 word of God
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 increase and
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 spread and be
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 generous in
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 2014.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 Let me just
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 take you to
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 I think one of
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 the most
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 wonderful and
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 heartwarming and
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 almost throwaway
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 statements in
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 this passage and
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 I think it
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 serves as an
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 overarching statement
00:25:55 --> 00:25:57 to describe our
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 mother church.
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 It's found, it's
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 almost, it is a
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 throwaway line
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 almost but
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 nothing's ever
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 really thrown
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 away in the
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 word of God.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 It is found at
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 the end of
00:26:05 --> 00:26:07 verse 26.
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 The disciples
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 were called
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 Christians first
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 at Antioch.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 In the first
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 century Antioch,
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 back first
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 century, Antioch
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 was a melting
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 pot of at
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 least five
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 different cultures.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 People came
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 far, to live in
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 Antioch, people
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 came as far away
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 as China to
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 live in the
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 Las Vegas of
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 the Roman Empire.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 It was known
00:26:36 --> 00:26:38 for two things,
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 its chariot
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 races and its
00:26:41 --> 00:26:43 deliberate pursuit
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 of pleasure.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:47 Antioch was
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 most famous
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 in terms of its
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 pursuit of
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 pleasure for
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 its worship
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 of the
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 goddess Daphne.
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 Apollo's
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 famous pursuit
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 of Daphne
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 was reenacted
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 each night
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 by the men
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 of Antioch
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 pursuing
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 the Daphne
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 temple
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 prostitutes.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 Every night.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 And throughout
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 the world,
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 the morals
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 of Daphne
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 was a
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 euphemism
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 for depravity.
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 A depravity
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 that has its
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 centre at
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 Antioch, a
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 city of
00:27:21 --> 00:27:23 sensuality and
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 depravity.
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 And if you've
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 been reading the
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 local papers
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 recently, you'll
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 notice that we've
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 got a whole lot
00:27:29 --> 00:27:32 of brothels
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 in Chatswood
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 and Crowsnest
00:27:34 --> 00:27:36 and it is
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 becoming the
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 red light
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 district of
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 Sydney.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 It's astounding.
00:27:40 --> 00:27:42 And the
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 church at
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 Antioch
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 was like a
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 flower growing
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 in a putrid
00:27:47 --> 00:27:49 bog, a
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 patch of
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 lush grass
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 in a desert,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 a gospel
00:27:51 --> 00:27:53 vitality now
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 burned in
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 the sensual,
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 depraved,
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 materialistic,
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 spiritual darkness
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 of Antioch.
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 Antioch.
00:28:02 --> 00:28:04 And this
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 new church
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 which had
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 formed in
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 Antioch,
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 this flower
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 in the bog
00:28:08 --> 00:28:10 was so
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 completely
00:28:11 --> 00:28:13 foreign to
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 the bleak
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 environment
00:28:14 --> 00:28:16 that it
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 altered the
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 vocabulary of
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 the city
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 and from
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 there the
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 world.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 When God's
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 people live
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 for Christ
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 in such
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 depth and
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 power that
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 those who
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 round them
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 have to
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 strive for
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 a new
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 term to
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 describe what
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 they see,
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 that's
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 astounding.
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 Now perhaps
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 there's a
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 jesting and a
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 mocking edge
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 to the
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 nickname,
00:28:41 --> 00:28:43 perhaps there's
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43 even a little
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 bit of rage
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 because these
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 people were
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 such a
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 contradiction to
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 the ethos of
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 Antioch.
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 The new
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 term which is
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 part Greek
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 and part
00:28:52 --> 00:28:54 Latin was a
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 mongrel name
00:28:54 --> 00:28:57 but it
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 said it
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 all,
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 Christian,
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 followers
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 of Christ.
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 Christ was
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 so much on
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 these believers
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 lips,
00:29:10 --> 00:29:12 they lived
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 so like
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 Christ that
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 no other
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 name would
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 do.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 Followers
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 of Christ.
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 Alexander
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 the Great
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 once learned
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 that in
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 his army
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 was another
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 Alexander
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 who was a
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 notorious
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 coward and
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 Alexander the
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 Great,
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 as you would
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 hopefully know,
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 conquered the
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 then known
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 world at the
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 age of 23.
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 He called
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 this young
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 coward before
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 him and he
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 said,
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 is your name
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 Alexander and
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 are you named
00:29:47 --> 00:29:49 after me?
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 And the
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 trembling coward
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 said,
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 yes sir,
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 my name is
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 Alexander and
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 yes I was
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 named after
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 you.
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 And the
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 Great
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 General looked
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 at him and
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 said,
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 then either
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 be brave or
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 change your
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 name.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 Fortunately
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 Christ
00:30:08 --> 00:30:10 doesn't say
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 that to us
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 but he does
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 call us to
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 be who we
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 are.
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 In two
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 Sundays,
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 it will be
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 112 years
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 since our
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 first services
00:30:23 --> 00:30:26 here in
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 the mission
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 field of
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 Chatswood.
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 St. Paul's
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 was once upon
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 a time a
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 young,
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 newly founded
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 North Shore
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 Antioch.
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 And praise
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 God that in
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 its 112 years
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 there has
00:30:38 --> 00:30:40 been generosity
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 and mission
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 orientation and
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 servant
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 hardness and
00:30:43 --> 00:30:45 it's been
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 disciple making
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 church.
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 church.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 But we
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 also know
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 something of
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 those things
00:30:52 --> 00:30:54 have been
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 lost or
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 not as
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 sharply
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 focused as
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 it could
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 have been.
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 There were
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 more people
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 in church
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 112 years
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 ago than
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 what there
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 are here
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 today.
00:31:03 --> 00:31:08 And as
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 we launch
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 into the
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 future,
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 my deep
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 commitment
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 is for us
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 to emulate
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 our mother
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 church's
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 vision and
00:31:16 --> 00:31:18 passion and
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 commitment to
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 display Christ
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 where he has
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 placed us.
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 Imagine if
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 there was
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 such a
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 Christ-centered
00:31:27 --> 00:31:29 spiritual dynamic
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 operating amongst
00:31:30 --> 00:31:32 us that it
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 caused for
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 people to
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 reach for
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 a new
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 name.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 And that
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 is what we
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 are committing
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 to today.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 We are
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 simply committing
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 to live out
00:31:46 --> 00:31:48 who we say
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 we are.
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 We are
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 committing to
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 be worthy of
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 the name
00:31:52 --> 00:31:55 Christian in
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 2014.
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 So let's
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 commit together
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 to know
00:31:59 --> 00:32:01 Jesus and
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 treasure Jesus
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 and represent
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 Jesus for
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 God's glory
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 and the
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 joy of
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 all people.
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 Let's
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 pray.
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 Let's
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 pray.
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 Our
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 gracious
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 Father,
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 help us
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 to be
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 loyal,
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 brave,
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 committed
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 followers of
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 Christ who
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 refuse to
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 turn back,
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 who dare to
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 stand firm
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 and to
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 make Christ's
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 name known
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 to all
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 around us,
00:32:27 --> 00:32:30 who desire
00:32:30 --> 00:32:32 to shine
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 the light of
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 the glory
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 of Christ
00:32:34 --> 00:32:36 in the
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 dark world
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 of Chatswood.
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 Enable us
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 with your
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 spirit,
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 by your
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 spirit that
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 we might
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 have such
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 confidence and
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 joy in
00:32:44 --> 00:32:46 Christ that
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 it might
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 overflow into
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 a growing
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 commitment to
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 live out our
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 purpose as
00:32:51 --> 00:32:51 your children.
00:32:51 --> 00:32:54 and we
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 ask that you
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 would open
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 us to new
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 horizons of
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 your expansive
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 purposes in
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 this world.
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 Save people
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 and build your
00:33:01 --> 00:33:03 church for
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 your glory.
00:33:05 --> 00:33:05 Amen.