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[0:00] I have our sisters and friends a joy to gather once more in the Lord's Day to worship him. It's a reminder of course of our fellowship after evening service. Please do come along, even if you haven't been before, you're very much invited with Jeff, Reverend Jeff Murray, it's hard with a classmate, Reverend Jeff Murray speaking to us about his work in church planting.

[0:24] So please do come along in the church hall afterwards for some tea and a chat with Jeff. We can carry on our public worship of God, singing God's praise from Psalm 85.

[0:38] All our worship this evening is the Scottish Psalter. Scottish Psalter, Psalm 85. The Scottish Psalter, Psalm 85.

[0:54] Verses 1 down to verse 5, it's on page 339. Psalm 85, page 339.

[1:05] O Lord, thou hast been favourable to thy beloved land. Jacob's captivity thou hast recalled with mighty hand. Thy pardon thy people hast of their iniquities.

[1:16] Thy all their trespasses and sins hast covered from thine eyes. Psalm 85, verses 1 to 5. God's praise. Amen. position say whatever else is for the record of Christ.

[1:28] Thy all courage to pray. Say whatever you are to say whatever you are to say. Psalm 96, verses 2 down to verse 5, it's on page 339.

[1:40] Come today songs say whatever you are to say. shocking lovely athletics, it's on page 339. Toắm 56, verses 3 down to verse 5. geschrieben sente Dominic coffee, 249. In記憶 chouxiscition and 2005. The new cup of chapter 239.

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[2:52] From thy wrath to the restless, Turneth your heart on heaven, Back of thy rocket's dust to see, Of thy death's pleasure, Lost and drew by his star, With the dead, For the future generations

[3:52] Of thy anger for the self.

[4:08] So join together again in a word of prayer. Let's pray. Lord, as we gather once more before you ask again, You would bring us together just now to a place where we are In a right mind, in a right spirit, in a right heart, To worship you, A holy God, A sovereign God, A living God, The only God who is true, The only God of all power.

[4:38] Help us, Lord, then, to, For this short time together this evening, To lay aside all that will distract us, To lay aside all that will undo us from this time of focused worship, This time around your word, This time with brothers and sisters.

[4:56] As we engage in this worship, We understand that we are joining in with the worship of your people, Not just locally, The worship of your people across our island, Across our nation, Across our world this evening.

[5:10] And more than that, We join in with the worship of your people, Of many years ago, Of generations ago, We join in with the worship of glory, As both their voices and our voices combine, To worship you, our living God.

[5:26] Help us, then, to have that global picture, That eternal picture of who we are, That we are your people. And right now we are those who will live forever.

[5:37] Yes, in this body we will die. Yes, in this body our bones will turn to dust. Yes, in this body we will one day close our eyes. But our souls will live forever.

[5:51] For a while back to you, Awaiting that glorious resurrection day. And then, In the resurrected bodies, Incorruptible, For all time.

[6:04] On that day we will see him, As he is. On that day we will join him, The new heavens and the new earth, To begin, An endless eternity, In your presence.

[6:20] We understand so little of what that future will mean for us. So little of a wonder. So little of the activity we will be engaged in.

[6:32] But what we do know is that it is a future, That is full of nothing, But glory, And peace, And love. There is no more sin. There is no more darkness in us or around us.

[6:45] No more backsliding. No more pain. No more misery. No more dying. No more tears. Until, Lord, We see that day of beauty, And that eternal day of peace.

[7:01] Help us to serve you well, Where we are, And whilst we are still here. Pray just now, Once more, For our families and our loved ones. Pray just now, Especially for those who are heavy on our minds.

[7:13] We bring before you, Once more, The many of our own number, Of our own congregation here, Who are missing from us today. Who are ill.

[7:24] As we understand, There are so many, Who are suffering just now. Especially, Lord, As the, Covid seems to make an appearance again, In our village, And across our island. And we ask you, Be with them, And be close to them, And comfort those who are, Distressed just now, Because of their health.

[7:42] We also remember just now, Those who, Over many years, Have longed to be here, But, Because of ongoing health issues, Cannot be here as often, Or at all, Anymore.

[7:56] We ask Lord you remember them. They would know that, They are kept and they are known, And they are loved, And they are remembered. We ask just now, For our own loved ones, Those we have been praying for, Who we would long to see, In this place of worship.

[8:12] Who as of yet, Have shown, No gospel interest. Those who have no gospel care. Those who have no worry, For their souls. We ask Lord, You would, Bring to them, A sense of the danger they are in.

[8:25] Bring to them, A sense, That there is no hope, But the side of Jesus. And use us Lord, We ask as salt and light. Use us to point them, Towards a saviour, Who has done all the work for them.

[8:37] A saviour who is ready, And able to forgive. We ask Lord, You give us the wisdom then, To be a people, Who are engaged in this ministry, Of reconciliation.

[8:52] Of pleading. Of begging. Of doing all that we can do, To make, The cause of our saviour known. Help us then, To be good neighbours, To be good friends.

[9:05] Help us to be valuable parts, Of this community. Help that all that we do, And say and think, Be to your glory. That all who see us, All who know us, Would see in us, The love and the care of our saviour.

[9:17] Help us then, To be salt and light. Help us to be that, City on a, On a hill. For those in a dark world, Can look at us, And say there is something about them.

[9:31] That I want to have in my life. Would you pray once more, For our own community. Mindful of the many, Who have no gospel understanding.

[9:44] Who have never heard the good news. Who have never heard, Even the simple basics, Of what the gospel is. That we ask you to come to hear. We ask you to come to understand. And in your time, We ask you to bring them, To a saving knowledge of yourself.

[9:58] We are also mindful of our, Place in the world wide, Church just now. As we do pray for ourselves. We pray, Wively just now. We pray for the vacancies locally.

[10:11] Pray for the vacancies, In Shawbost. A vacancy in Park. In North Uist. In South Uist. There are now vacancy arising in Stornoway.

[10:22] And soon, A vacancy in Calanish. Lord, You are in full control of these things. We ask for it in your time. We'd find men, Servants, Who will serve you in these places.

[10:36] We pray just now, For a wider denomination. The work of the free church. We thank you, As we have prayed last week. We pray, Lord, For that new congregation, That joined us. Newton Merns, Free Church.

[10:47] We thank you for them. We ask you to continue to bless them, In the early days of them being, A new part of our denomination. Lord, We thank you for them. We thank you for a gospel church, Of gospel-centered people.

[10:59] Who wish to live gospel lives, And proclaim our risen Savior. Thank you, Lord, For them, And for all we have done, To leave where they once were, And to join in now with us.

[11:12] The sacrifices they made, To make that happen. We ask, Lord, You bless them, And be with them. Pray just now, Lord, For the wider work of our church. Pray just now, Lord, For all the churches, That are seeking, To be rejuvenated.

[11:27] All the churches, That are seeking, To breathe life, And health again, Into their churches. We also pray just now, For the church plants, The various, Many church plants, In our denomination.

[11:39] Thank you, Thank you, Lord, That in places, Where the gospel has not been heard, The true gospel has not been heard, For many years. We're now seeing, Your people there, Seeking to plant, And seeking to serve you.

[11:52] Pray once more especially, Lord, For Jeff. We thank you for him. Pray for him and Maddie as a couple. Pray for them, In their ministry. Pray for them, As they seek to serve you well, In Kerkoddy, And in Leaven.

[12:06] Pray for them as a family. Pray for them, Pray for the boys, For Ali and for Billy, Lord, We thank you for them as a family. We ask you to strengthen them, As they go back to their work soon, And go back to the mission field soon, And as they engage once more, With the various many tasks, Of seeking to build a people.

[12:27] Seeking to establish a congregation, And all the duties, And all the burdens that comes with. Lord, for your name's sake, And for your glory, We ask we would see, And one day hear, Great news, Of great growth, In the Leaven area.

[12:45] Lord, That the hard work of Jeff, And whoever may follow after him, Lord, We would be blessed to the people there. You bless your word. We know, Lord, That your word is the same.

[12:57] And the need is the same. Whether in Tulsa, Or Leaven, Or across the world. Where our lost people, Head into our lost eternity, Who need to hear the life-giving good news of the gospel.

[13:08] Lord, help us then to pray, And to remember Jeff and Maddie, And the work that's going on in that congregation. Thank you Lord for the privilege we have, Of being able to have evenings like this, Where we can spend a short time together, Around a cup of tea, And discuss and share, The brother and the Lord, Of how you are working your power, And are a part of the vineyard.

[13:34] Let's pray for ourselves. We pray across our whole nation. We give you praise as we hear of the growth, In some areas. Pray also, Lord, Again, for the worldwide church. We're mindful that we are meeting here, In such safety and such security.

[13:48] We remember just now, Brothers and sisters, Who are suffering. We remember the ongoing conflicts, We're conscious of the ongoing conflict, In Ukraine. Pray just now for brothers and sisters there.

[14:02] Pray just now, Especially for the pastor of Brother Sergei, As he continues to serve in Kiev. As he continues to be a frontline worker there.

[14:13] As he spends today around your word. And the front lines of an area of Ukraine. As he does his work as a chaplain. Putting himself in considerable danger, Each and every day.

[14:26] Lord be with him and his family. We thank you for them. Pay off, Lord, as always for brothers and sisters, And every side also of the conflict. Brothers and sisters in Russia. Who themselves, Face many trials, And many issues, And many worries.

[14:41] For sharing and engaging in their faith. In that nation. Also mindful of the ongoing conflict, Lord, Across sub-Saharan Africa. Lord, You know the details of what seems to be such a complicated for us political situation.

[14:57] It is not complicated to you. There is suffering. And there is dying. There is sin being shown in the worst way as possible. Remember all the ongoing conflict as we find it, Lord, Being fought in the Middle East.

[15:12] Again, When we find such complication and such political issue, Lord, We find ourselves at times perhaps at a loss. But you are not. Pray just now, Lord, For your people, Both in Palestine and in Israel.

[15:26] Your ancient people, Especially in the area of Gaza, Where you have been many years. Many hundreds of years have served you there. Encourage them. Encourage your people in Israel, Who themselves face at times a hard time, From the state itself, For their profession of a living Saviour.

[15:46] Lord, we come and we feel so far away from these situations. So far from the suffering and the pain and the bloodshed. That we know that you are not. That where your people are, That there you are in their midst.

[15:58] And you see the pain. And you hear their cries. Lord, We leave them with you, Knowing that you are in full control of them. And you care for them more than we ever will.

[16:10] Help us, Lord, then, to serve you well. Thank you for the freedom we have in our country to share the gospel. Help us to make the most of the freedom, Whilst you afford it to us. Help us to be wise with that freedom.

[16:22] And to make the most of it. We pray once more for our government, Especially given the election coming up shortly, Lord. We ask for peace in our land. And for some measure of stability.

[16:34] That your will will be done regardless, Lord. And that we ask for peace and for prosperity for our nation. But we ask, as always, That on top of peace and better than prosperity, Be the spread of the knowledge of the gospel across our nation.

[16:48] Until we see these days of glory, We ask for wisdom. We ask for strength. To keep serving you just now, In this day of small things. Help us to be faithful servants.

[17:00] And to make full use of what you've given us. As all these things, confessing sin. Acknowledging that in and of ourselves, We have no right to come near you. Quite the opposite.

[17:12] But because of the finished work of our Saviour. Because we are clothed by his righteousness. Because we find now our home in him and him in us. We can come just now boldly to the throne of grace.

[17:25] Asking all these things. In his name and for his sake. Amen. Let's read together. 2 Corinthians chapter 5.

[17:37] 2 Corinthians chapter 5. That's page 908. Page 908. In the church bibles.

[17:48] 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Let's hear again the word of God.

[18:05] For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed. We have a building from God, A house not made of hands. Eternal in the heavens.

[18:17] 3 Corinthians chapter 5. For in this tent we groan, Longing to put on our heavenly dwelling. 4 Peter 2. If indeed by putting it on, We may not be found naked. 5 Corinthians chapter 5. For while we are still in this tent we groan, Being burdened, Not what we would be unclothed.

[18:32] but that we would be further clothed so what is mortal may be swallowed up by life he who has prepared us for this very thing is God who has given us the spirit as a guarantee so we are always of good courage we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord for we walk by faith not by sight yes we are of good courage and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord so wherever we are at home or away we make it our aim to please him for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body whether good or evil therefore knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others but what we are is known to God and I hope it is known also to your conscience we are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart for if we are beside ourselves it is for God if we are in a right mind it is for you for the love of Christ controls us because we have concluded this that one has died for all therefore all have died and he died for all that those who live may no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised from now on therefore we regard no one according to the flesh even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh we regard him thus no longer therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation the old has passed away behold the new has come all this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation therefore we are ambassadors for Christ

[20:46] God making his appeal through us we implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God I might give praise to God for his holy and his perfect word let's again sing to God's praise again from the Scottish Psalter this time Psalm 107 Scottish Psalter Psalm 107 Psalm 107 we can sing verses 1 down to verse 8 of the psalm Psalm 107 verses 1 down to verse 8 Praise God for he is good for still his mercy is lasting be let God's redeem and say so whom he have made enemies handed free and gathered them out of the lands from north, south, east and west we strayed in deserts pathless way no city found to rest

[21:52] Psalm 107 verses 1 to 8 to God's praise of God sing The cross From north and east and west Your spirit and north

[22:56] Sess pathless free No sweet and to rest For first and hour The heaven and grace That so much pure and surprise The crown of God The Lord and King The cross of the land of strength They've also earned a way

[23:57] To all the time The silver time The blue and blue The silver time The silver time The amber and the eye O love A wrap The Lord will give Trace all His goodness And all His works Of wonder down And to the sons of men

[25:06] Let's turn back just a short time to the chapter we had there 2 Corinthians chapter 5 Focusing mostly on verses 11 down to verse 21 We take up verse 11 for our text just to help us Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others For we're known as known to God and I hope it is known also to your conscience and so on down to the end of the chapter As you know we'll be working through slowly plodding through Galatians with breaks This won't be a long break just this week and next week a break and we'll carry on and we'll get to the end of Galatians then God willing by the end of the summer and then start a fresh series likely starting in Acts all being well so Acts after the summer So why are we here this evening?

[26:09] Well this is actually what we've been covering again bit by bit in our prayer meetings We've been looking over the last half a year the seven characteristics of what makes a healthy gospel church This is what the free church is aiming for Our goal as a church in terms of humanly speaking is to establish a healthy gospel church in every community in Scotland And to God's glory we are here and we've been here since 1948 and we know long before that there were people worshipping the Lord in North Tulsa and calling this place or I guess there next door the ruins the home So to help us this evening and this has come to the end of this series just in the light of the last few weeks as we saw the Lord answer our prayers as we saw new faces come out to church as we saw again over both weeks we saw 13 or so more depending on how you work it out 13 or 14 new or returning faces

[27:20] That's no small thing we praise the Lord for that Just encourage us then we can conclude that series this evening and ask a question What does mission look like?

[27:36] Now we've asked that question before and we've answered that question before in various ways but just to remind ourselves this evening from our text here from verse 11 down to verse 21 what does mission look like?

[27:50] How does Paul remind the Corinthians here of what their job is what their duty is? Of course when it comes to mission I don't know about yourselves but even now my own mind always goes away I think far flung places I think of the missionaries that come to us I think of the SGA gentlemen I think of them talking about radios being dropped in Tibet and all that my mind goes to the big things all good things my mind goes to the missions we know go on to brothers and sisters and to those outside of the Lord in areas across the world I think of Steadfast Global as they serve mission work underground in Central Asia and in China and India and that is mission and we're to support that mission as a congregation praise the Lord that you're a kind giving congregation and to God's glory you give a lot to mission outside mission foreign mission as we perhaps used to call it the idea of mission being only foreign mission perhaps skews what mission really is we all know the phrase whether it's right or wrong that charity begins at home whether that's right or wrong it's not for me to talk about what is right is that mission mission begins at home who is your mission field or where is your mission field even as as as you think of North Tulsa just now where is your mission field well actually take it right back to yourself who do you live with who do you live beside who do we interact with the most who do you see the most who do you see in the village who do you work with across the island who are your friends who are your connections that is our mission field and yes we support mission far away and we praise lord for that mission and we encourage young men and young women and older men and older women to go and to seek out and to join foreign mission that is where we find the lord calling them but for us right now right here at this moment this new week starting right now this brand new week our mission is here it's at work it's at home it's in north tolsta it's across the island our mission is with unsaved husbands and wives brothers and sisters friends close family and so on so how do we understand mission then just two simple headings to help us from this text first of all who we are and secondly what is our duty who we are and what is our duty from these verses when it comes to mission first of all who we are when it comes to mission

[30:58] Paul gives at least four reminders as to who we are four descriptors that describes who we are as Christians when it comes to mission there's more than four but just this evening looking at four first of all then together verse 11 therefore knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others first of all who are we we are those who know the fear of the Lord brothers and sisters that is the first thing that defines us in these verses we know what it is to know the fear of the Lord many in our community and many in our congregation perhaps and many around us fear the Lord in terms of they are scared of him they are terrified of what he is there for in their lives they are scared of him as a

[31:59] God of wrath as a God who rightfully has justice against them they need to be fulfilled but we know ourselves the fear in verse 11 is not speaking of that brothers and sisters this evening and it's just brothers and sisters we know the fear of the Lord what does that mean then for us well of course it means fear in terms of awe we have come to know the Lord we have come to love the Lord but with that knowing him and with that loving him and with knowing that he knows us and that he loves us that does not remove from us a sense of reverence and awe with coming to know the Lord there is an intimacy that is only shared between a father and a son we said recently we can call God our father and know it to be right and true at the same time as we call him father we are aware we are calling God father a God who is sovereign

[33:03] God who is Yahweh who needs no one and nothing who is eternal who is unchanging who is outside of time and space he is God he is to be feared he is full of awe again often we sing in the Psalms and the Psalter that God is awful we will try and translate it to our modern mind when God is awful more awful as this changed over the years awful I didn't tell you a linguist to work it out means full of awe God is full of awe full of amazement brothers and sisters only we actually know God the world may fear him the world may be terrified of him only we know him and only we can say truly we fear the Lord because we know the awe of the Lord because only we can say we've met him only we can say that he has made himself known to us that he has entered into our lives in time and in space and through the work of his son he has reconciled himself to us he has brought us to himself he has rescued us transformed us given us a new mission a new heart a new life a new purpose given us new eyes as it were and allowed us to know him and to serve him and to be filled of love for him and that leads then for us to be full of awe doesn't it therefore knowing the fear of the Lord we want to serve the Lord because we love him we want to serve the Lord because he is worthy of our service but also turning that around we want to serve the Lord we want to share the good news of Jesus because we know that

[35:06] God is just that God is a just judge and that none will escape his just judgments none and we think of loved ones and we think of those who are close to us and our neighbours and our friends and our family and I'm sure we do and I hope we do when we find ourselves on our knees we're physically on our knees and our heart praying for them when were you last moved at least to tears perhaps but moved in general thinking of your loved ones who as of yet don't know the Lord brothers and sisters that is our mission field we know the fear of the Lord but if they and if our friends and family if those who as of yet don't know the Lord don't come to know him they will only ever fear him but not know the fear of the Lord they'll only ever fear him as judge as wrathful and right judge as just judge they will never know what it is to fear him unless they come to him as he said recently in a few weeks how can they come unless they've been invited unless they've heard unless we've shared the gospel with them it is worth us feeling embarrassed and awkward and strange and a bit arach or a bit no no it's worth us feeling these many words for them to hear the gospel or them to be invited to church just think ahead next month with the

[36:47] Lord's help as we run and seek to run our hope explored course it's a hard thing to give an invitation to a course to someone who's a family member or a friend but many of you managed to do it with back to church Sunday and the Lord blessed that there's invitations coming professional made invitations proper invitations not ones I made myself proper invitations coming therefore that compels us to engage in mission and sharing the good news the second description of who we are is verse 14 verse 14 for the love of

[37:56] Christ controls us because we have concluded this that one has died for all therefore all have died perhaps better verse to that verse saying the love of Christ compels us it's exact same root word there being used compels I argue captures it better it gives a sense of what's being said there the love of Christ for the love of Christ compels us because we have concluded this that one has died for all therefore all have died we are compelled and we are convinced by the gospel truth that is the second descriptor of who we are we are compelled and we are convinced by the gospel truth because brothers and sisters we know our saviour loves us because we know right now we stand in the shadow of his love because right now we know we have a saviour in glory who knows us who cares for us who has sworn to us again in scripture who has made an oath to us we read in the psalms who promises again and again he will not leave us nor forsake us nor forget us because we have a saviour who loves us that first of all compels us that compels us to be mission minded compels what a strong word what a challenging word and challenging it to us in a sense of if we ask ourselves when was the last time we felt compelled to share the gospel to someone else obliged maybe harangued maybe we felt bad so we gave the invite we felt bad so we asked along we felt that we should compelled but when was the last time we felt compelled a convicting question for myself and for all of us we said recently and brother

[40:14] Jeff will back this up don't think for a second just because ministers are ministers that witnessing to friends and family is any less terrifying but it's for anyone else when you think of folks you want to invite to church I know none of my people live here but I think of people who I'd long and love to go to Graver and folks who I still think I should text them I should message them I should phone them and tell them to go to this or that thing going on in Graver oh the hands start shaking the heart starts going you think oh man what do I say how do I word this what do I say no brothers and sisters were in this together we're in this together it's a challenge for us to think when was the last time the love of our saviour the love we have for him and the love we understand he has for us that compelled us to share the good news that compelled us to share the gospel as we continue to share the good news in North

[41:21] Tulsa it requires us to have a high and a higher view of who our saviour is and the more we seek to know him and to love him and to serve him and to know him and to love him and to serve him the higher view we have of Jesus of how wonderful he is of how beautiful of how glorious of how powerful he is the more we will feel compelled then to serve him and the more we're compelled to serve him the more we will witness to the good news of his glorious finished work it doesn't happen overnight brothers and sisters we know that no one wakes up overnight and becomes the best evangelist in the world no one wakes up overnight and becomes easy to share the gospel of others as we grow and seek to grow together as a family in our love for Jesus that should then translate and transform to us feeling compelled compelled to share that good news for those around us a high view of

[42:32] Jesus a high view of who he is what he has done a high view of the love of Jesus leads to a high desire to share that same love to everyone in North Tulsa and across the island and across the nation and across the world but also engage in mission because we know it's true it's not just theoretical it's not just theological we know it to be practical to be real for us we are compelled yes but also we are convinced again halfway through verse 14 because we have concluded this that one has died for all therefore all have died Paul says it's been concluded we understand we have a full understanding not full in terms of we don't know everything all the details but we know this much there's a saviour for all who come to Jesus there's a saviour to be found for all who lay aside themselves and come to him that he will save them and we're persuaded by that we ourselves believe that we can never share the gospel and not believe it will work because we ourselves are products of the gospel working in our lives are we not for many of us brothers and sisters inviting people to church and coming to church and coming to things and going to fellowships and engage in gospel work 30 years ago 20 years ago 10 years ago you would never believe perhaps you'd be doing that and now you find yourself engaged in gospel work we are evidence we are living witnesses that we believe this to be true and because it's true and because he is real and because he has changed us we now seek to serve him so first of all we know the fear of the

[44:36] Lord and that compels us to mission then we know the love of Jesus and are convinced by the truth of who he is and that compels us to mission and thirdly a verse we know so well in verse 17 we are new brothers and sisters we are new and that compels us to mission we are living walking breathing examples of the gospel power every one of us if you ever lack assurance and worry and stress about is it all real well look to yourself look to our brother and sister beside you and think you are a living witness once you wanted none of us once you cared nothing for Jesus once you cared nothing for the gospel but now you want everyone to know who he is you want everyone to know that he is lord that he is king that he is just that he is good you want everyone to know what it is to come and to put their hope and their faith and their trust in him because he is real and all that is true now for you because what because you're a new creature many Christians brothers and sisters maybe it's you think well

[46:08] I'm such a poor Christian you know my my weekly walk of the Lord is often such a complete shambles my prayer life is a disaster my reading perhaps isn't good and I'm in church but perhaps I don't really listen that much sometimes and I worry my growth isn't very good I've not grown much as a Christian and I feel like I'm slow compared to other Christians I feel I'm not really attaining a level good enough to start sharing the gospel and so on and so on and so on if you speak to an older Christian think of one just now think of any Christian you know just now who you have great respect for great respect who has proved and shown themselves to be a worthy brother and sister who has been serving the Lord and walking with the Lord for years if you were to ask that brother or that sister how well they think they're doing in the walk I would always guarantee they'd say the same thing oh not great you know

[47:12] I've had a bad few weeks a bad few years I haven't grown much and so on brothers and sisters we are a new creation we are a new creature whenever we think whenever we feel that side we are new in the Lord the old is gone we are here and our walk might feel slow our walk might be slow but we are new creations and every one of us the one here feels the strongest to the weakest every one of us as new creations have been given the same duty the same job we see that in a second we are all called to be servants of our saviour the one who made us new not one of us gets to escape that duty or escape that calling now how we exercise that duty how we exercise that calling is different it doesn't mean we have to do public facing things like preaching or door to door knocking with invitations but every one of us has to be engaged somehow in the gospel work there is no getting away from that for us brothers and sisters we are new creatures we are new creations the spirit of god now lives inside me and you he is there and he is active and he leads and he guides us that is no small thing and we'll cover that in the lord's time in their prayer meetings for these in the trinity that's a reality right now as you share the good news as you speak to a friend as you speak to your neighbor and say with your heart beating in your hands getting a bit damp you say have you ever wondered or have you followed by coming to church have you ever wondered what life is like or have you ever wondered what the point of life is or perhaps you word it differently perhaps I say to them have you ever wondered what goes on in this building and we discovered we discovered recently that many in our community are not reluctant to come to church they've just never been invited they've just never been invited as you stress and strain as we worry what we're going to say next and of what we're saying god's spirit lives inside you we are new creatures new creations as you bring as it were your loaves and fish your small offering of service and as you try and invite someone to church or try and share the good news about Jesus the lord will use that the lord will use that faithfulness for his glory as horrible as it might feel as awkward as it might feel because you're a new creation a new creature because he lives and moves in you he will use your service for his glory no matter how small it is or how faltering it is we're a people who are new also finally we're a people who are reconciled verse 18 verse 18 we're a people brothers and sisters who are free reconciled we've been made right as it were with god we've been bought back and brought back we are his because we are his this is the duty he has given us to do again it's not optional for us who are we we are those who know the lord who are compelled and convinced by the truth of the gospel we are new people and we are reconciled people that enables us to do mission so what then does mission look like for us for verse 11 we see now three examples verse 11 verse 18 and verse 20 of what it is or who we are we should say what is our duty verse 11

[51:12] first of all then we are to persuade therefore knowing the fear of god we persuade others again no one's ever argued into the kingdom no one is ever such a good debater but someone's debated into God's kingdom but nonetheless we are called to persuade we persuade others brothers and sisters does someone persuade you perhaps at one point persuade you to start reading a bible persuade you to come to church persuade you to actually listen persuade you to lay aside yourself and to turn to Jesus we are called to be persuasive that means living a life that is persuasive having conduct that is persuasive an attitude that is persuasive as you said before perhaps in our history we have gone far away from that perhaps in our history our village on the island villages might see the church as being quite the opposite unlikable and we are never called to become part of the world but we are called to persuade and we do so firmly we persuade firmly we never water down the gospel truth every event we do every effort we make every sermon we preach we have a family service or a normal service or a back to church

[52:47] Sunday we have a Christmas event or a school assembly or outdoor event whatever we seek to do for God's glory we never water down the gospel we never hide the truth of the gospel we seek to persuade firmly but also we are called to persuade gently are we not gentle as doves the instructions given to us by our Lord to be gentle as doves being firm in our convictions does not mean we are battering those with these convictions there's a way to be firm and not move but also share the gospel and share the good news and persuade in a gentle way to come alongside with love and care those we want to bring in to the church or those we want to bring in to the gospel bring in to the kingdom to be genuine neighbours to be genuine friends to genuinely care for them and from that care we then share in our lifestyle and in our words the gospel we persuade firmly gently and in love we aren't seeking to grow numbers we praise the Lord as we see as we saw this morning pretty much if all our kids were out on one Sunday we'd have a pew and a bit needed and in

[54:20] God's glory in the last year we started off with half a pew then we've got a whole pew and a few more seats whose glory is that for is it my year of wondrous ministry in North Tallsta no is it the years of hard work the teachers have done and we should be praised for the hard work no it's to God's glory these 13 or 14 or so people coming out who's that for it's for God's glory we're to persuade for God's glory for our love of the Lord compels us the love of Christ compels us to share the good news we're to persuade also then verse 18 and verse 19 we're to share the good news of reconciliation the good news of reconciliation verse 18 all this is from

[55:24] God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against him and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation and what do we share we share the message here summarised in verse 20 therefore we are ambassadors for Christ God making his kill through us we implore you on the behalf of Christ be reconciled to God so many people in North Tolstoy this evening think that they have no hope of God no hope they have gone too far away from him their lifestyle is too dark for him that their sin their badness is too big for him they think that God has no care for them no time for them no interest in their safety or salvation and the gospel message is be reconciled to

[56:28] God to everyone who will listen the messages for you to our neighbours to our family to our friends to those who think they have no hope of God and no time God has for them God says to you come back to me and be reconciled for Christ to Christ because of who Christ is and what he has done there is no real eternal hope for you if you just come back or just come to God be reconciled to him finally we're to be ambassadors that word there in verse 20 we're ambassadors therefore we are ambassadors for Christ same conclusion for us that word is a very precise word that Paul uses several times and brothers and sisters that word summarizes very well for us our duty perhaps to our shame and perhaps to our own detriment we forget at times what it is we're here to do we're not here to maintain tradition or history although

[57:43] I'm not saying we abandon anything either that's also not wise but what are we here to be or to do we're here to be ambassadors and to do the work of ambassadors that is our job that is our title that is our job title that's our CV we're here to be ambassadors it reminds us that we are foreign to this place we're just passing through this land there are some here and your ties to go back plenty and if you were to say to me on a human level that I was anything other than a grabber boy I wouldn't be best pleased I am very much off the area from Cal Boston really going right back I can go back to 16 whatever it is and my people are from Cal Boston or Cal Boston and Lem Bay brothers and sisters our cultural ties aside we are foreigners in this land we are foreigners in North

[58:45] Tulsa we are foreigners we are passing through we are here as ambassadors we live here for a while 50 years 60 years perhaps our whole life we live here but we're just passing through we're passing through as ambassadors what does an ambassador do?

[59:05] We're here on behalf of someone else we're here on behalf of our king are we not? The term ambassador reminds us we have very specific duties we are to put our duties before our self our history our situation we're called of course to pick up our cross to deny ourself and to get on with the hard work we've been called to do hard work but glorious work of being ambassadors of saying we are here to meet you the king has sent us and the king says this to you that there is hope and there is life and so on and so on and so on also reminds us that we're always in the business of mission all the time an ambassador is always an ambassador whilst the ambassadors in the foreign land he is serving he has no time off technically speaking it's fascinating actually if you actually read as I did this week some of the job descriptions right now of our ambassadors across the world

[60:25] British ambassadors technically they're never off work that's why they get paid the small fortune they do get paid we're never off work as long as they're off this country and in the foreign country as long as they've got feet on foreign ground morning noon and night every day every waking hour every sleeping hour they are ambassadors that is their function that is who they are that is what they are no time off no days off brothers and sisters we are always to be ambassadors in season out of season we said recently every occasion every chance the Lord gives us we're to say yes there is hope for you yes have you heard about Jesus yes can I tell you about my life and who changed me whatever situation it calls for we're always to be on the ball it's hard calling but it's a glorious calling because we are ambassadors to a king of a glorious country and a king who pays a glorious wage eternity spent in his kingdom brothers and sisters what else would we do who else do we go to who else do we go who else has the words of eternal life it's a hard calling to be an ambassador it's a hard calling to be a missionary but brothers and sisters we are called to be salt and light we're called to be of service here to the Lord in North

[61:58] Tulsa as we bring again our small offering our fish and loaves as we've seen in recent weeks the Lord blesses the faithfulness of his people and our call and our encouragement is we keep on going we keep on serving the Lord every chance we get good days and bad days encouragement encouragement new faces and losing faces quiet churches busy churches supposing this church was full next week the message is the same let's keep on going keep on sharing the gospel there's 400 odd people in North Tulsa 400 there were 75 here a few weeks ago say 20 next door 30 next door say that's 100 people 100 people hearing the gospel say 20 more outside the village somewhere else go to our congregations 120 maybe still leaves 300 plus people not hearing the gospel that's a mission field that's big enough to start off with as we go out as ambassadors we don't do it on our own we do it beside our brothers and sisters and we do it with the

[63:13] Lord going before us making the way for us let's be encouraged he is working in our lives he is working in North Tulsa and he is working through his word a word of prayer Lord we thank you for the encouragement also the solemn reminder from your word that we are indeed given such a great task to be salt and light to be light bearers to a dark world help us Lord with joy and peace to go out this new week and to share the good news of our saviour help us to enjoy ourselves this evening as we spend a short time in a small gathering of fellowship give us time as brothers and sisters to enjoy hearing from our brother and hearing the good and encouraging news of what's happening across the vineyard in this nation where we pray we see much more work being done help us to go home

[64:16] Lord in safety and in peace ask all these things in and through Jesus in his precious name sake Amen Let's conclude with a psalm we've been singing so often lately Scottish Psalter Psalm 127 Scottish Psalter Psalm 127 If you remember back to our planning evening a few months ago really the first two verses of this psalm is what we're basing our mission approach on we will seek to build the house we will put brick upon brick but it's the Lord's house we're building and we will seek to sow all the seed we can but it's the Lord's seed and he will cause it to grow Psalm 127 Accept the Lord to build the house the builders lose their pain

[65:19] Accept the Lord the city keep for watch men watch in vain tis vain for you to rise betimes relate from rest to keep to feed on sorrows bread so gives he his beloved sleep Psalm 127 to God's praise Ozeich oigned in Hy The Lord has set in thee, the Lord, the Lord, the Lord, the Lord, the Lord, to stand forill to rise.

[66:32] Theannah and Paleo YaniPalmé rom Right to Kindache sire. 10 Agenda of nisha pal ü tamso hommes Gustav良 music picks up.

[67:09] O children of God's clarity, that a world's forgiveness resumes.

[67:33] All of His afflictions are full of sound, March, the patreon playoff, the потер STEM Petrofi Project.

[68:08] The power is quick, the fruit of the earth.

[68:23] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[68:53]  The love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, both now and forevermore. Amen.