Encouragement

[0:00] Hebrews chapter 3, reading from verse 12 here, it says, Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

[0:25] It says, verse 13, exhort one another daily. And you could put that equally, encourage one another daily.

[0:37] Encourage one another daily. And that's what I'd like to share with you today, encouragement. Who needs some encouragement? We all can do with that, can't we? The word encouragement, I'm told, the word encourage stands for and, put into, and core stands for heart.

[0:56] So it's talking about taking heart. It's talking about God encouraging your heart and being encouraged. And there's power in encouragement. There's power in encouragement.

[1:08] There's power in discouragement too. But we're talking about encouragement. And how you can be an encourager, how you can be encouraged, how the word of God can encourage you, how you can encourage your own heart, as David did.

[1:21] He encouraged himself in the Lord. And how you can be an encourager. We need to encourage one another. That means you. That means me.

[1:33] That means all of us. Encourage one another daily while it is called today. So, unless it's tomorrow or yesterday, you can't do it.

[1:45] But today you can do it. And today you should do it. It tells you today, while it is called today, do it. In other words, do it today. Do it now.

[1:55] Do it daily. Day by day, every day. Exhort one another. Encourage one another. Daily. Day after day after day after day. Encourage one another.

[2:06] Remember, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. So, discouragement, I reckon, is attached to deceitfulness of sin.

[2:20] Discouragement. Departing from the living God. You know, I was talking with someone just yesterday. A man who's been in ministry. A man who's not currently.

[2:32] And the discouragement of not being encouraged. And it's not someone I don't think is widely known here that you wouldn't know. But a man who, he said to me that he wasn't really, he didn't get that encouragement.

[2:48] And friends, we can all come to that place where we don't get the encouragement. We can get disheartened. But we can take heart. That's what encourage means. Take heart. Be an encourager.

[2:59] You can encourage one another. You can encourage people by your example. By your service. By the words you use. You can encourage others to trust in Christ.

[3:10] To be a witness for him. To tell others about the life that Christ can give. The life worth living. The ever living life. The everlasting life that Christ promises to those that would receive it.

[3:23] There was a person visiting a dear lady in a nursing home. And the man asked her, is there anything you need today? She said, yes, there is something I need.

[3:37] I need encouragement. She was being honest. We can all use a bit of encouragement. We can all appreciate encouragement. To be appreciated.

[3:47] And everyone has times of discouragement. Times where things get on top of us. Times where we're burdened by things that weigh us down. By doubt. By fear. By discouragement. Every Christian.

[3:58] You won't be human without having some sense of discouragement from time to time. Of that sense of being weary, perhaps. Where we struggle with temptation.

[4:10] Where we face pressures of finance. Of family, of work concerns, of health concerns. When the future seems unclear. When it's easy to be discouraged.

[4:23] To be discouraged. And David said that in Psalm 142 verse 4. He says, I looked on the right hand and beheld. But there was not a man.

[4:35] There was no man that would know me. Refuge failed me. No man cared for my soul. He got down. He got discouraged. He got disappointed.

[4:48] No man cared for my soul. Discouragement is a thief. Someone put it like this. They said, Discouragement is a thief.

[4:58] It can steal your joy. It can steal your peace. Your zeal. Your encouragement. Your contentment. If discouragement dwells along with you.

[5:09] Its friends will soon join in. Their names are fatigue. Hopelessness. Despair. Self pity. Depression. Doubt.

[5:20] And bitterness. Sometimes discouragement can be so strong. That you don't even want to go on living. Discouragement.

[5:31] Is dissatisfaction with the past. Distaste for the present. And distrust of the future. It's the result of blindness. It's ingratitude for the blessings of yesterday.

[5:46] Indifference to the opportunities of today. And the insecurity regarding strength for tomorrow. It's unawareness of the presence of God.

[5:58] Unconcerned for the needs of your fellow man. And unbelief in the promises of God's word. Friends. Don't succumb to discouragement.

[6:11] Take heart today. Take heart. In his word today. If we have nothing to rely on. Or if we forget our blessing. And look to our circumstances. Then that is when discouragement.

[6:22] Encouragement. Begins to take hold. Instead. What we need is. Encouragement. Encouragement. We need hope and peace.

[6:33] And the knowledge that the Lord knows our troubles. He does. Know our troubles. He has great concern. And compassion for us. He's not leaving us.

[6:44] Unloved. Or uncared for. He says I will not leave you comfortless. Got the same sense there. And. It's got the sense that.

[6:55] He will not leave us as orphans. He will come to us. He doesn't leave us. If you're feeling. Fatherless. He is your father. He is there for you. He always is there for you.

[7:07] Keeping your eyes on. The Lord Jesus is the best way. To be encouraged. To be looking unto Jesus. The author. The finisher of our faith. In him you can have comfort.

[7:17] And peace. And encouragement. And you need to find his words. And put them in your life. In your heart. Take heart. In the word of God.

[7:29] And rest in him. Joseph received a vision. Way back in his life. The man Joseph in the Bible. That God would. Use him.

[7:40] In a wonderful way. To rule. And to. Have a. An important role. To play. In serving. In serving. The Lord. But what happened to Joseph.

[7:52] He was thrown into a pit. As a slave. He joined the house of Potiphar. And then. He was placed in prison.

[8:02] Just went. Bad to worst. Did he become discouraged? He could have. But he stayed faithful. He stayed faithful to God. Even when God didn't seem.

[8:14] Faithful to him. And in due course. Because he didn't lose heart. God blessed him. God. Used him. God took him from the prison. Where.

[8:26] He was taken to the palace. To rule and reign. And fulfill. God's promises. He's never failing. His word. Will not fail you.

[8:37] He has promised. So much for you. And encouragement. Is something that we all need. We all need it. Day by day. Every one of. Us here today.

[8:48] Especially when we face. Life's disappointments. And. The turns and. Trials of life. At times. Don't always. Turn out how we'd like them to. But he is with you.

[9:00] He is with you. He says. I will never leave you. Or forsake you. Never. Never leave you. Nor forsake you. He emphasized it. To underline it.

[9:11] And especially when we face these crises. And hardships of life. An author put it. The deepest principle. In human nature. Is the craving.

[9:23] To be appreciated. We all want to be appreciated. And encourage means. To give courage. To give comfort. To inspire others.

[9:33] With a renewed spirit. Or renewed hope. An encourager. Is someone who comes alongside. It's got this sense of it. Where the Holy Spirit. Is our comforter. It's the same word.

[9:44] You could say the Holy Spirit. Is our encourager. It's the same word. Comfort. Encourage. Paracletos. Come alongside to help. That's the sense of it. That's who we need to be to others.

[9:55] To come alongside to help. To put our arm on their shoulder. To come alongside. To minister to help. To urge them forward. To press them forward in the race together.

[10:07] To guide them. And support them. Encouragement. To encourage. The Greek word it means. Call to the side of.

[10:19] Call to the side of. To encourage someone is to comfort them. Or challenge them. At times it might mean. Stir them. With the word. Provoke them.

[10:30] With the word of God. In such a way that they're motivated. To lead. A Christ filled life. And continue in his service. Now I've been encouraged. I'm encouraged this morning.

[10:41] Aren't you? Preach it brother. Preach it. Preach it. I need a few more like my dad here. I've got to keep him under control sometime. But you know.

[10:53] I'm encouraged today. Because there's people that are here today. I know there's at least a couple of people. That work a six day week. They work a six day week. This could be their day off.

[11:04] This could be the day they could be. I mean we all could be doing something different today. But you're here today. That's an encouragement to me. That's an encouragement that you take in the effort. When you work a six day week.

[11:15] To spend today. This time. Together. With the saints. That's an encouragement to me. I'm encouraged. I was encouraged on the way to church. Even before I got here. I thought.

[11:25] Oh I'm looking forward to this today. I'm looking forward to church. Aren't you? Amen. I'm looking forward to being together with you today. And we can be encouraged. We can take heart. And encourage ourselves in the Lord.

[11:36] And yeah. Even in worldly examples. Think of encouragement. The power of encouragement. There's an example about how Weight Watchers started. This woman. She was 97 kilos.

[11:47] Desperate to lose weight. She went to the doctor and got a special diet. And two months later. She was getting discouraged. About the 20 plus kilos still to go.

[11:59] And she invited six overweight friends home. To share the diet. And to talk about how to stay on it. And today 28 years later. It's probably a bit longer now. One million members attend Weight Watchers.

[12:15] Every week. 25,000 meetings in 24 countries. Because she stuck at it. And she thought. If I encourage others. It's going to encourage myself too.

[12:25] To do what I want to do. To make some progress. And to help people take controls of their lives. And when asked about. Why did you do this? This lady Jean. And Jean tells the story.

[12:38] She says. When she was a teenager. She used to cross a park. Where she saw mothers chatting. While the toddlers just sat on their swings. With no one to push them. And she said.

[12:48] I'd give them a push. And you know what happens. When you push a kid on a swing. Pretty soon. He's pumping. Doing it himself. That's what my role in life is.

[13:00] I'm there to give others a push. Maybe you can help push some other person along. In the Christian life. Push someone along. In the day by day life. In just encouraging one another.

[13:12] Even in. Not necessarily Bible ways. But just to be an encourager. Be someone. That puts a smile. On someone else's face. Be someone. Who lifts someone else up.

[13:24] And encourages them. Another author. William Barclay said. One of the highest. Of human duties. Is the duty of encouragement. The duty of encouragement. It's easy to laugh.

[13:35] At human ideals. It's easy to pour cold water. On their enthusiasm. It's easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty.

[13:46] To encourage one another. Many a time. A word of praise. Or thanks. Or appreciation. Or cheer. Has kept a person. On his feet. Blessed is the one.

[13:56] Who speaks such a word. Hebrews 10. A familiar passage. In 24. It says. And let us consider one another. To provoke. To stir up. One another.

[14:07] Unto love. And to good works. Not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together. As the matter of some is. But exhorting. Or encouraging. One another. Encouraging. One another.

[14:18] As. As. So much the more. As you see. The day approaching. It says. Exhorting one another. Or encouraging one another. The same word. Is translated in the King James.

[14:29] Likewise. Encourage. Can we aspire to be. A church of encouragers. Let us consider one another. To provoke. Unto love.

[14:40] To stir up. To provoke. I think it's got the sense. I was meaning to illustrate my message today. By having a. Having a stick. And holding it here. And getting a pen knife out.

[14:52] And sharpening the points on it. And then to go around. And prompt some people. That's the sense of it brother. That's the sense of it sister. It means a sharp stick. You know if you need a sharp stick this morning.

[15:04] You're in the right place. Because I want to provoke you. I want to stir you up. I want to. Unsettle you. Discomfort you. So that you can be comforting.

[15:15] To provoke. To get a. You know. A little jam here and there. Under the ribcage. That's what we need sometimes. To provoke. To stir one another. Unto love. And to good works.

[15:27] It's not talking about. Stirring one another. To annoy anyone. No. Although. It's nice. It's good fun to do that sometimes. Remember when I was a little boy.

[15:38] What I used to be like. With my sisters. Annoying them. But you know. But this is a good kind of stirring. A good kind of provoking. A provoking unto love. And to good works.

[15:48] That's what we all need today. Let's get a good dose of it this morning. And pass it on. Encourage one another. As you see the day approaching. Let's be the church. That is a church that encourages.

[16:00] Where people want to be here. They just can't miss it. Amen. They just can't get enough of it. They just can't wait for the next time. Amen. Because they're so encouraged when they're here.

[16:13] Just couldn't keep me away. Amen. Encouragement. It builds people up. Encourage one another daily. Take every opportunity daily. Regularly.

[16:24] On a regular basis. Encouragement. Builds people up. And speaking of building up. Someone said. There are two kinds of people in the church. The pillars.

[16:37] And the caterpillars. The pillars hold the church up. And the caterpillars crawl in and out every week. Let's be a pillar. Amen.

[16:47] Let's be a pillar of the church. To be one that's going to stand strong and firm. And encourage one another. And in that way you can help others to grow.

[17:00] Romans 14.19. It says. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace. And the things wherewith one may edify or build up one another. Look for the things that you can do to build up another.

[17:13] You know. I like to see Ian. He's got a smile on his dial. That's an encouragement to me. You know. I love seeing Ian's face. I praise the Lord for my brother in Christ. I want to build up another.

[17:24] I want you to be built up. In Christ. I'm not meant to go nutty this morning. But just to be encouraged. I'm encouraged. To belong to the kingdom of God.

[17:35] Aren't you? To be part of his family. To know where I'm going. To know he's waiting for me. With open arms. And for you. It's encouraging. It's encouraging. I'm encouraging.

[17:45] Someone rang me. And said. I can't make it to church today. And I thought. That's a shame. But she's here today. She changed her mind. Hallelujah.

[17:57] I was encouraged with that today. I was encouraged that she came today. Even though she said she wasn't able to make it. That's an encouragement to me. That she's here today too. And 2 Corinthians 1 verse 3.

[18:08] It says. Blessed be God. Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father of mercies. And the God of all comfort. And that word comfort. Means encouragement too.

[18:20] He's the God of all comfort. He's the God of all encouragement. It's the same sense. Comfort. Encouragement. He's the one who can comfort you. And it says. He comforts us in all our tribulation.

[18:31] So. We can comfort. Or encourage. Other people. God does not comfort you. It's make you comfortable. He comforts you. So you can comfort others. He encourages you.

[18:42] So you can encourage another. Let's not be selfish. With our encouragement. Let's pass it on. Someone said. Lighthouses are built. By shipwrecked sailors. They realise the value of it.

[18:53] They realise. Yeah. This is important. Roads are widened. By mangled motorists. You know. They make a fuss. When someone gets hurt. They say this road needs to be fixed. Hospitals are built.

[19:04] By those who are sick. Where nobody suffers. Nobody cares. When you suffer. You learn to care. Likewise too.

[19:14] God's given you seasons of trial. Of testing. So you can grow. And so as you grow. Others can grow too. As you help others. To grow through your learning. And your encouragement.

[19:26] That is why God does not comfort us. To make us comfortable. But to make us comfort us. So take the encouragement today. Find someone who needs something. To encourage them.

[19:38] I've heard it said. If you see someone without a smile. Give them one of yours. So pass it on. I'm not meaning to talk about this in a way of levity.

[19:48] Or lightness. Or a fake kind of thing. But that it's real. That it's real. It comes from me very hard. I was at a wedding as I say yesterday. And just to see the moment.

[20:01] It was just brought. You know. That sense of tears to me. You know. It brought tears to my eyes. To see the joy there. To see the love there.

[20:11] To see that moment. And if we can just see that moment of Calvary. If we can just see. As our brother shared. That the cross today. We see the love that Christ has given to us.

[20:21] That unfailing love. Love that never fails. Our God never fails. And we've got so much to be thankful for. So many blessings to count. Countless blessings. And he gives us so much.

[20:32] We need to just stop and think. Of how God is so good to us. Don't delay to encourage. It says why it's called today.

[20:43] Don't wait for tomorrow. Don't think. Oh. There's someone I've been meaning to. Say something to encourage them. I'll talk to them later on.

[20:53] Tomorrow never comes. As the saying goes. While it is today. Do it now. Do it today. You know. You hear a song that. Oh. You know. I heard lately a friend of.

[21:05] Well not a close friend. But someone I knew. Passed away. A preacher. John Napier. A preacher of old. A respected man of God. Passed away. Of late. And I thought. You know.

[21:15] Sometimes you only. You only just get the news. And you don't get time to. To say hi. To say anything to them. To encourage them. Take the moment now. Tomorrow. Tomorrow could be too late. To say.

[21:26] An encouraging word. Tap them on the shoulder. And say. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your good work. We're behind you. Thank you. We're praying for you. Encouragement.

[21:36] Take the time. Take the effort. Step outside the comfort zone. Think about people that. You could. Say. A word to. Extend a helping hand to.

[21:47] Give a word of appreciation. Stand with people in support. We all need fellow Christians in our lives. Who will come alongside day by day.

[21:58] And speak God's truth to us. Might be just a little thing that you do. Can mean so much. You don't know. You're not standing in their skin. You're not knowing what they've been through.

[22:09] The word that you say might mean so much to them. That it's. It could be. Beyond your comprehension. What that could mean to them. That appreciation you can give. And great needs.

[22:20] They're all around us. Maybe sitting next to us today. In church. People who need an encouragement. Word. People who need an encouragement. People with money concerns. Relationship worries.

[22:30] Health concerns. Job needs. People weighed down by life's loads. Friends. Open your eyes. Sometimes we just look at the one in the mirror.

[22:43] We think. Oh. Woe is me. We have a pity party. And oh. Everything's too hard. And we just think. Oh. You know. It's all about me. And self. And what's going wrong for me.

[22:54] But look at your brother. Your sister. Your friends here today. The folk about you. We want to be a church that cares. And not just putting that in token language. Not tokenistic things. But real.

[23:05] Real care. Real concern. Real compassion. And day by day. As God's word moves in us. We'll share God's word to others. Think of those about you.

[23:16] That might have huge regrets of the past. You don't know the hurts they're carrying. The chips on their shoulders. You don't know that. It says in Job 5.7. That man is made for trouble.

[23:26] As the sparks fly upwards. It's like when you're standing around a campfire. And the flood. They just go up. It's natural. Trouble comes. It's natural. It's to be expected. It's predictable.

[23:37] It's the way life is. And friends. You need to think about others about you. Instead of just yourself. Your encouraging words. Can change someone's life. What does it mean?

[23:47] A word. A smile. An encouragement. An effort. To step outside. Your own. Selfish world. And think of another.

[23:59] Think of another. There's people who are not here in church today. Maybe they're not well. I know Milan is not well. And he's feeling a bit down today.

[24:13] There's people in our circle of friends who need our encouragement. And you all have got a phone. I think. You've all got a pen.

[24:24] You can put in your hand. And put on a piece of paper. And write a note. You know. It might cost you 55 cents to send a letter. But it's worth it. It's worth it.

[24:35] Because someone else is at the other end getting a blessing. That's what makes it worthwhile. It's worth your time. It's worth your taking the effort. Please do. Encouragement.

[24:48] Something that you can do. As a Christian. You can do it. You don't have to have any particular training to do it. You can do it. It should come naturally. And you don't have to live in a world of hurt and doubt.

[25:00] If you're feeling discouraged today. You don't have to live in that solitude. You've got the body of Christ here. Sing out. And talk to another brother. You know.

[25:10] If you're needing encouragement. Come and sit alongside someone. Chat to someone today. Don't sit in your corner. On your own. Step out. And maybe by you encouraging another. You can be encouraged.

[25:21] That's often what happens. Isn't it? And you can grow. And be lifted. As you do that. You have the God of encouragement. The God of all comfort. Waiting to use you.

[25:32] To comfort another. To encourage another. An old saint encountered a wrote this note. If he earns your praise. Bestow it. If you like him.

[25:44] Let him know it. Let words of true encouragement be said. Do not wait till life is over. And he's underneath the clover. For he cannot read his tombstone.

[25:56] When he's dead. Friends. It's true isn't it? Now is the time. Today. Today. Today. Today. Today. Today. Today. Now is the accepted time. Don't put it off.

[26:07] And think about that. Every day you get up. God's given me another day. Another day to be an encouragement. Another day to serve him. To be a blessing. And to be blessed. It's said of a British painter.

[26:20] That his initial venture into the church. The arts. Was almost. Something that just never happened. It would almost end it in disaster. One day as a young boy.

[26:31] He was playing with his little sister. And his mum went and did an errand. And in his mother's absence. This young boy. Benjamin West. He discovered several bottles of coloured ink.

[26:41] And so he decided that he would paint Sally's portrait. His little sister. And in doing so. He made a great big mess. All over the place. And it got on the room. On the furniture. On the carpet.

[26:52] And soon his mother walked in the door. And she saw the mess. But she said nothing. Instead. She picked up a piece of paper. She saw the drawing.

[27:03] And then she said. Why? It's Sally. And then she stooped. And kissed Benjamin. And from that moment on. Benjamin West would say.

[27:14] My mother's kiss made me a painter. Encouragement. Encouragement. You know. We could think. These youngsters in Sunday school. They could do us some encouragement. Spend the moment.

[27:24] If you get a chance. Before the service starts. To be an encouragement. To these little ones. It could mean so much to them. You know. There's a story told about. An older.

[27:34] An older man. Who had. He had some artwork displayed. And there was a. An expert. Art person. Who came and looked at the artwork.

[27:45] And. And the man asked the. Art experts. Opinion. About the art. And the art expert said. Oh.

[27:56] These aren't much good. You know. Being honest. You know. He thought. Well. I'll be honest with you. I'll give you frank feedback. They're not really that good. Not really. Much use. And then the. Older artist. So.

[28:06] What about these ones over here. And he said. Oh. These have got. This. This. This. The one who did this. The. The young person who did this. This artwork. Got some potential. And the older man said.

[28:18] Well. Really. They were mine. And. And. Someone discouraged me. And I never. I never made any more. You know. He had potential. But it wasn't realised. It wasn't. He wasn't encouraged.

[28:29] At that moment. When it could have made the difference for him. You know. If he had an encouraging word. Maybe he could have been. A famous painter. But. He stopped. Because of the discouragement. And friends.

[28:40] We can stop. Because of discouragement. Doing what. God's gifted us to do. And enabled us. And is. Expecting us to do. Another story.

[28:52] Just to quote here. The best exercise. For strengthening the heart. Is reaching down. And lifting people up. If you're feeling down. Lift another up. There's a.

[29:07] A Jamie. A boy. That had learning difficulties. At school. And one day. He had a great big smile. On his face. He'd never been happier. And when he bounced into the car.

[29:17] He said. Mother. Mother. You're not going to believe it. I just got the best part. In the school's play. And his mother said. You did honey. That's great. That's wonderful.

[29:28] What part is it? And he said. Jamie said. Mum. I've been chosen. To clap and cheer. For all the others. You know. That's an encouragement.

[29:38] Isn't it? He wanted to be. An encouragement. To those. Even though he wasn't. On the stage. He thought it was great. He could. Encourage those. That were on the stage. He thought it was great.

[29:49] That he could encourage. Those who were in the play. And friends. Just to close. One more little account. And I know. I've talked about this. Before. There was a man. Who was involved. In a terrible accident.

[30:01] A car accident. They freed his mangled body. From the wreck. There was so little life. Left. That he was almost given up. For dead. And when the surgeons. Had finished with him. There remained.

[30:11] Only a wreck of a man. Both legs were gone. The left arm. Was missing together. With part of the collarbone. Only a finger and thumb. Remained on the right hand. There was only enough left.

[30:23] Of the man. That had been. To suffer. And remember. But he still possessed. A brilliant mind. Enriched with good education. And broadened with world travel.

[30:33] And it was all wasted. There was nothing. That he could do. But remain a helpless. Sufferer. A thought came to him. It was always nice.

[30:44] To receive letters. But why not write them. He could still use his right hand. With some difficulty. But who could he write to.

[30:56] Was there anyone shut in. And incapacitated. Like he was. Who could be encouraged. By his letters. He thought of men. In prison. They did have some hope.

[31:08] Of release. Whereas he had none. But it was worth a try. He wrote to a Christian organization. Concerned with prison ministry. He was told that his letters.

[31:19] Could not be answered. It was against the prison rules there. But he commenced. This one-sided. Correspondence. He wrote. Twice a week. And it taxed his strength. To the limit.

[31:30] But into. Those letters. He put. His whole soul. All his experience. All his faith. All his wit. And all his Christian optimism. It must have been hard. Writing.

[31:40] Those letters. Often in pain. Particularly when. There was no reply. Frequently. He felt discouraged. And was tempted. To give it in. But it was.

[31:52] His. One. Remaining activity. And he resolved. To continue. As long as he could. At last. He got a letter. It was.

[32:03] A very short. Letter. Written. On prison stationery. By the officer. Whose duty. It was. To censor. The mail. All it said was. Please write. On the best paper.

[32:14] You can afford. Your letters. Are passed. From cell to cell. Till they literally. Fall to pieces. Now what an encouragement. That was. This. This man. He took the trouble.

[32:25] To be an encourager. And. Friends. We sometimes. Can think of all the reasons. Why not. Why just to be selfish. And. Why just to be.

[32:38] Living in our own world. And not thinking of the others. Around us. And of what we could do. To minister. To share. To witness. We can all be selfish.

[32:49] I can be very selfish. I saw a. Video. Of a man. I know. Folk have talked about it. And seen it before.

[33:00] Of Nick Vukic. I think his name is. Life without limbs. There's a ministry. That he started. This man. Is. A man. With. Basically his torso.

[33:11] And a little. Piece of. His foot. Tied off his torso. Has anyone seen this? Yeah. It's amazing. Isn't it? And. Here's this man.

[33:22] And it's. It's such a testimony. That he can jump around. With his little foot. You know. And basically just the torso. As I say. Hop on some things. And hop on. Into things. And. Brilliant.

[33:34] Brush his teeth. And I don't know how he does it. But he does these amazing things. With his shoulder. And what not. And gadgets. And what not. And he preaches the word of God. He goes overseas. And he ministers. And he's got such a testimony.

[33:46] And if anybody. You'd think. What a hopeless case. You know. Well there's no way. That his life is going to be of any. Significance. And yet.

[33:56] God used this man. And still does. And what a testimony. For you and I. Who are more able bodied. Whilst we might be aging. And we've got. You know. We're in vessels of clay.

[34:07] And we know. All the aches and pains. And they get achier. And painier. As they go by. But. We know. You've got something to give. You've got a voice. You can. Give a word.

[34:18] You can. Encourage. Please. Let God use you. To be an encourager. As you see the day approaching. Today. As you see the day approaching. Let people know that you care.

[34:30] They're not going to know unless you say something. Do something. Congratulate people. Now there's people. There's some lovely people in this church. And I know.

[34:40] I don't always get to acknowledge every one of you. And I'm sorry that time fails me to do that sometimes. For all the little things that happen. And I know the sisters who bring cake.

[34:52] You know. They. They think through the week. They think. I'm going to bring such and such along on Sunday. And they take the trouble to think of that. To make the effort. To spend the money.

[35:03] To make the. Make the effort. And. And. And likewise with people who. I know. Someone came in on Saturday. And put all the chairs out.

[35:14] And. And I think. Wow. That. They didn't get a pat on the back for that. They didn't get any credit for that. They didn't. Nobody praised them for that. But. Thank God.

[35:25] It's the. The faithful ones. It's the quiet achievers. It's the folk who. Who. Who offer to do. Different things. Who are about the work. Who. Who. Take time to. To chat.

[35:36] You know. When church is finished. When the service is finished. It's still church. We're still here. Spend time with one another. Have a cuppa. Now the cuppas aren't there. So you can have a drink.

[35:47] They're so you can talk. They're there so you can. Minister to each other. That's church.