It's on page 1141 if you're using a church Bible.
So as our focus today is on the Court Kerry project,
we're just taking a break from 1 Peter.
And today we're going to think about proclaiming, planting, partnering.
There's notes being handed round if you'd like to take notes.
Which helps you to focus.
Just put your hand up if you want a pen as well.
They're being passed around too.
So Romans chapter 15 on page 1141.
We're going to start at verse 14.
To verse 33, we're going to look at that passage together.
So let's pray.
Our Father God, we ask that through your word and by the power of your Holy Spirit,
you would captivate our minds and give us understanding.
That you would captivate our hearts so that we are aligned to you
and fit in with all that you are doing.
And we ask that you would capture our will, our very being and all that we have.
So that we might respond in service to you.
Lord, we ask for your help.
For your work to be done amongst us today
and amongst all the churches that we've been thinking about this morning
and indeed in all the churches that are seeking to serve you across this island.
We ask for your help now, we pray.
Amen.
So when you think about church,
what do you think the purpose of the church is?
Like, here we are, gathered together today,
as we do every Sunday.
What is the purpose of our existence here in Carrigline?
What are we doing here together?
Are we simply here to meet as friends and hang out and have a chat over tea and coffee?
Are we here to organise programmes for our kids to attend?
Or maybe we're here to provide some kind of practical care for people in need.
Or perhaps our vision is to be bigger
and we're to send people overseas to dig wells and build houses
for those who don't have it.
Now all of those things are good things to do
and we should do them
but they are not the primary purpose of the church.
The Apostle Paul tells us in this text
what his purpose is, what his ambition is.
Have a look at verse 20, chapter 15, verse 20.
Here's the Apostle Paul speaking.
He says,
It has always been my ambition.
This is my purpose in life.
This is my drive in life
to preach the gospel
where Christ was not known.
Paul's ambition in life,
his purpose is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ
to all people in all places
and now he's calling on the church
to support him
and to partner him in that task.
So look at verse 23.
But now he says,
there's no more places for me to work in these regions
because there's already churches here.
And since I've been longing for many years to see you,
I plan to do so when I go to Spain.
I hope to visit you while passing through
and have you assist me on my journey there
after I've enjoyed your company for a while.
So we can see the purpose of the church,
and it's there on the screen,
is that we together would proclaim the gospel of Christ
to all peoples in all places
and to partner together with churches
who are preaching the same gospel.
That's what we're about.
That's in summary what we're about.
Proclaiming the gospel of Christ to all people
in all places
and to partner with churches
who will preach this same gospel.
So we're going to look at this
under three headings this morning.
Three Ps, all very easy to help us grasp
and understand what it's all about.
First, proclaiming the gospel of Christ.
So here he is writing this letter,
this big long letter,
to a church in Rome
that has heard the good news about Jesus.
These people have come to trust in Jesus as their saviour.
They've come to experience
the death of Jesus on the cross for their sins,
his resurrection from the grave,
giving them new life,
and the impact of this gospel on their lives is obvious.
Look at verse 14.
Verse 14.
I myself am convinced my brothers and sisters
that you yourselves,
that is because of the gospel,
are full of goodness.
Their love, their kindness,
their goodness is evident to see.
They are complete in knowledge.
Their understanding of who Jesus is
and what God has done is complete.
And they are competent to instruct one another.
They're meeting with each other
to encourage and support one another.
They've experienced the gospel in such a way
that it has got deep down in their lives.
It has radically changed them.
But here's the point.
He wants them to go further.
He wants them to look out beyond themselves
and beyond their little church
and join him in this ministry
to reach all places and all peoples.
Look at verse 16.
This is his plan, his desire.
He says,
I want to be a minister of Christ Jesus
to the Gentiles
with the priestly duty
of proclaiming the gospel of God
so that the Gentiles
might become an offering acceptable to God.
This is a summary, if you like, of his ministry.
And that is what he is calling the church
to be involved in, to partner in.
Look what he says, verse 16.
He says we have this priestly duty
of proclaiming the gospel of God.
The imagery here is of the Old Testament priest.
You know, the Old Testament temple
and the priest who was at work there
and his primary job was to bring offerings,
to bring thanksgiving offerings to God
on behalf of the people.
Now, says Paul,
that's what our role is,
except for we're not going to be offering things to God.
We're not making sacrifices anymore.
We are, in thanksgiving to God,
going to offer people to God.
That's going to be our offering of thanksgiving.
We will offer the priestly duty
of proclaiming the gospel of God
so that the Gentiles might become an offering
acceptable to God.
He wants to give.
He wants to offer people to God
who have come to believe and trust
the good news of Jesus Christ.
Now, that's the greatest thing
that we can ever give to God.
If we're wanting to respond
to what God has done for us,
if we are wanting to give
a thanksgiving offering to God,
the very best gift that we could give to God
to say thank you to Him
is to proclaim the gospel to people
so that they trust in the Lord Jesus
and follow Him.
But he doesn't just want to offer believers to God.
Look at the end of verse 16.
to offer them so that they will be acceptable to God
and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
To be sanctified by the Spirit
is to be set apart for God.
It's somebody who is going to be in the service of God.
So we can see that not only are they believing in the gospel,
but they are now beginning to proclaim the gospel to others.
Verse 17.
Therefore, I glory in Christ Jesus
in my service to God.
This is my ambition.
This is my desire.
I long to proclaim the gospel
so that others will join me
in proclaiming the gospel to.
Now that's simply
what's happening through the Court Kerry Project.
It's people like you and I
where we are every day
in our places of work,
in our school,
in our neighbourhoods.
It's our churches together in partnership
seeking to reach out
and to bring an offering
that is acceptable to God.
Shane explained how they're seeking to do that in passage.
You remember on the video,
he talked about the Bible studies that they're having,
the events that they organise,
the relationships that they have with people,
whether with tidy towns or something else.
Their purpose is to build up those contacts
and to introduce people to Jesus,
to share the good news with them.
And that's simply what we are seeking to do.
Each one of us,
where we are,
where God has placed us
in the relationships that we have,
is to be those who are seeking
to bring an offering,
to say thank you to God
for what he has done
by just proclaiming
and bringing that to those people.
But as we think about that,
let's remember
that anyone who does become a believer in Christ
is God's work,
not ours.
If anybody's going to become a Christian,
it's God who will do it.
Look at verse 18.
He says,
I will not venture to speak of anything
except what Christ has accomplished through me.
What Christ has accomplished through me
in leading the Gentiles to obey God
by what I have said and done.
You see,
we can't make anyone a Christian.
I can't convince anybody
to turn and see that Christ is the way.
Everything that Paul did in his life,
in his ministry,
everything he did and he said
was done,
verse 19,
by the power of signs and miracles
through the power of the Spirit.
As Paul went about his ministry,
as an apostle,
he did many signs and miracles.
And those signs and miracles
were to confirm
that the gospel he preached was true,
that Jesus did die on the cross,
that Jesus did rise again from the dead,
and that he did ascend into heaven.
These were the testimony
that the gospel can be trusted
and believed,
that it is real.
But his point is
that everything through his ministry,
all that he said,
all that he did,
was all done
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
It was a work that God accomplished in people.
So let's be real about this
as we go about our ministry,
whether it's in Passage,
or Carigline,
or Kinsale,
or Yaw,
we can't save anybody ourselves.
We can't convince anyone.
It is Christ working through ordinary people like us
in the power of the Holy Spirit
that will convince somebody
that Christ is real.
So our purpose together as churches
is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So that's the first big thing.
The second big thing
is this,
that we would be planting gospel churches together.
You see,
as Paul went about his work,
he not only proclaimed the gospel,
as people came to believe in Jesus,
they began to meet together
and form together as local churches.
Look at the middle of verse 19.
So he says,
from Jerusalem
all the way round to Illyricum.
Now,
those countries today,
it's like working all the way.
We've seen Syria on the news,
but that's part of the work where he was,
through Syria,
into Turkey,
then across to Greece,
up to Macedonia,
to Kosovo,
and Albania.
all these areas,
the Apostle Paul had travelled.
And as he went,
people came to believe in Christ
and local churches were established in these places.
We can read the book of Acts
and we can see these churches being established.
But he's not content with what he has done.
He's looking to new areas and new places.
Look at verse 20.
He says,
it has always been my ambition
to preach the gospel
where Christ was not known
so that I would not be building
on someone else's foundation.
In other words,
he's looking to areas
to plant churches
where there are no other churches.
He longs to go to places
and situations
where there is no witness.
His ambition
is that people
in all places
will hear
the good news of Jesus.
Now,
this isn't just Paul's little idea
that he has for himself.
This is to be the vision of the church.
This is to be the vision
of Carigaline.
This is the vision
of the Cork-Cerry project.
So,
what would that actually look like
for us
here today?
Well,
have a look at this
on the screen.
Here's a few stats for you.
Our resident statistician
has already told me
that it should be 4.8 million.
So,
you can add on another,
what,
half a million there
to the population in Ireland.
But,
think of that.
All those people
roughly,
and these are just
rough figures,
240 evangelical churches.
That is,
people who hold
that the word of God
is true,
that it's God's authority
for our life
and what we believe.
They are people
who trust in Jesus Christ
for salvation.
So,
there's many flavours
of that,
but,
that's about
how many churches
there are
and about 80
in attendance.
You can do the maths
how many people
that add up to.
Roughly speaking,
around 0.5%
of the population
of Ireland
follow,
trust,
and love
the Lord Jesus.
That's one of the lowest
in the whole of Europe.
The lowest
in the whole of Europe.
Look at the bottom
two figures there.
31 towns,
well,
look at the top one,
5,000.
Passage is a town
of 5,000.
There's 71 other towns
across Ireland
like Passage.
71.
31 towns
of a population
of 10,000
or above.
Maybe
Cowering a Line
kind of fits
into that category
with no
evangelical witness.
It's not that
they can just
travel down the road
two miles
to a church.
Some of these
can be
30 miles away
from their
nearest church.
You see,
it's great
to watch the video
and see new churches
planted in Yaw
and in Kinsale.
It's great to hear
of this new work
in Passage West.
We thank God
for what he's done
in amazing ways.
Not just amongst
Baptist churches,
but amongst
many other churches
that are seeking
to do the same
thing.
What about
the rest of Cork?
I know of
just one church
that is seeking
to reach out
with the gospel
of Christ
in the north
part of the city.
What would it
mean
for people
to work
into that?
What would it
mean to pray
for that to happen?
And when we
look at this,
we can go,
how on earth
is that going
to be achieved?
It seems impossible.
How on earth
will this happen?
Well,
look what motivates
him to do this.
Verse 21.
As it is written,
those who were
not told
about him
will see.
Those who
have not heard
about Christ
will
understand.
Now,
this is a quote
that comes right
out of Isaiah 52,
which is a big
section telling us
of God's
great promise
of salvation
that's going
to go
not just
to God's
people,
Israel,
but to
all the nations.
Let me read
you just
one verse.
Isaiah 52,
verse 10.
The Lord
will lay
bare his
holy arm
in the sight
of all
the nations
and all
the ends
of the earth
will see
the salvation
of our God.
This is God's
global plan
that his
salvation
would go
to all nations.
So,
in the quote
here,
verse 21,
those who
are not
told about
him,
they will
see,
they will
get it.
Those who
have not
heard,
they will
hear and
they will
understand.
That's
the promise.
This is the
motivation,
the drive
for Paul
and for the
church at Rome
to keep on
going because
God has given
this promise,
not just to
them,
but to us
also.
that as we
go and
proclaim the
good news,
as the
good news
is proclaimed
in passage,
hearts will
be captivated
by the
beauty and
the greatness
of Jesus
Christ,
that people
will come
to faith
and churches
will be
planted.
It's not
us,
it's God's
promise
power
working
through us
people,
ordinary
people like
you and
I.
Now we
might think,
well,
that's alright
for some of
the other
churches,
they're bigger,
they're better,
look at the
stuff that
they can do,
what can we
do?
Look at us,
look at us,
rattling
about in this
huge big
hall,
what can we
do?
Together,
as people
who love
the Lord
Jesus,
our resources,
our gifts,
God's
promise,
God's
power,
working through
people like
you and
I,
with this
great promise
that those
who have not
heard will
understand.
Our purpose
is that new
churches will
be planted.
So,
that's the
second big
thing.
Proclaiming
Christ,
planting
churches,
and the
last,
our
partnership
in the
gospel.
We can
only do
this in
partnership
together.
As Paul
travels from
place to
place,
he's not
expecting that
everybody is
gifted in the
same ways that
he is or
that he has
the same
calling.
He's not
saying that
everybody will
go where
he's going
or will do
what he's
doing,
but he does
expect
partnership,
that this
is something
that we can
all do
together,
we all play
our part
in it.
We
prioritize
our support
for church
planting.
So,
look at
verse 23.
He's writing
this letter
to a church
and this
is what
he's asking
of them.
He says,
now there
is no more
places for
me to work
in these
regions,
so these
areas have
already got
churches.
We don't
want to
plant a
church where
there's
already a
church there.
And since
I've been
longing for
many years
to see you,
I plan
to do
so when
I go
to Spain.
I want
to go
to Spain
because
there's
no
churches
in Spain.
And I
hope to
visit you
while passing
through and
to have
you assist
me on my
journey there
after I've
enjoyed your
company for
a while.
So Paul's
ambition,
his desire,
is he wants
to get to
Spain to
bring the
good news
because there's
no church,
but if he's
going to do
that,
he needs
the partnership
and the
support of
the church
around him.
So he
says in
verse 24,
I hope
to visit
you while
passing
through and
have you,
the church,
assist me on
my journey and
in my work.
Now that
word assist is
a really helpful
term because
it's about
mission support.
That's what it
is.
It's about
mission support.
It's about
providing the
practical needs
that Paul will
need.
It's about
sending people
who can go
with him
to support
him in
his work.
It's about
giving finances
to make it
happen,
to pay for
his rent,
to pay for
his food.
It's about
equipment and
resources and
everything else
that will be
needed for
Paul as he
seeks to
make that
journey and
to plant
churches in
that area.
He knows he
can't do it
on his own,
so he looks
to the church
and says,
support me in
what I'm
seeking to
do.
Now a
big part of
that support
for him
and indeed
for the work
that we're
seeking to
do through
the Court
Kerry project
is financial.
It will
need money
to make it
happen.
People need
places to
live.
People need
to put petrol
in the car.
They need to
eat food.
They need to
be able to
live life
to enable
them to
do the
work that
God has
called them
to do.
So look at
verse 25.
Now,
however,
he says,
I'm on my
way to
Jerusalem in
service of
the saints
there.
So we're
getting a bit
confused here
because rather
than heading
towards Rome
to the church
where he's
looking for
help so he
can get to
Spain,
he's going
in the other
direction back
to Jerusalem.
So why
is he going
all the way
back to
Jerusalem first?
Well,
read on.
Verse 26.
For Macedonia
and Achaia,
so the churches
in Macedonia
and Achaia,
were pleased
to make a
contribution
for the poor
among the
saints in
Jerusalem.
They were
pleased to
do it,
and indeed
they owe
it to them.
For if the
Gentiles have
shared in the
Jews spiritual
blessings,
they owe it
to the Jews
to share
with them
their
material
blessings.
Now,
this is just
a big
subtle hint
with a big
mallet on
top of their
heads,
basically.
Listen,
guys,
you should
be doing
the same.
You see
the churches
in Macedonia
and Achaia,
they're giving
of their
resources and
their finances
to help
the church
in Jerusalem.
Now,
you should
be doing
the same
to help
other areas
where there
are no
churches.
He's reminding
them,
you've received
the blessings
of the
gospel from
the Jews.
The gospel
first came
to the
Jews.
It went
from them
to the
Gentiles
to other
people.
You have
salvation
because of
them.
You've been
blessed
spiritually
because of
them.
And because
you've been
blessed
spiritually,
give
financially.
Now,
I make
no excuse
for what
I'm saying
here.
That should
be exactly
the same
for us.
The gospel
has overflowed
into our
lives.
We are
spiritually
blessed.
We have
been given
so much.
We have
the right
to be called
children of
God.
We have
a future
inheritance
that is to
come that
we've been
looking at
1 Peter
that will
not perish,
spoil or
fade.
We've got
an inheritance
that is
ours that
will be
kept for
us.
And guess
what?
Nothing that
we have in
the here and
now we're
going to
bring with
us to
that
inheritance.
And because
we have been
blessed
spiritually,
we are to
give
financially so
that other
people,
get to
receive the
spiritual
blessings of
the gospel.
Every penny
or every cent
that you
have,
every euro
that you
earn is a
gift from
God given
to you
and to
me to
be administered
for the
building up
of his
kingdom.
It is not
our money.
It is a
gift given
to God
to us
so that
we might
release it
so that
the work
is done
so that
churches are
planted and
people are
reached.
And let me
be very
clear,
this isn't a
plea, a
personal plea
to fill the
pastor's
pockets.
This is
about letting
that money
be released
so that
people can
go and
proclaim
Christ.
Those who
are gifted
to go and
plant churches,
people like
Shane,
people like
Craig,
others like
them,
so that they
can go and
do this
work.
Partners
together in
this work.
And that is
what we are
seeking to do.
You can check
out our
finances,
ask Nick,
he's not here
today,
ask one of the
elders.
we seek to
give to
this work.
We give to
help people
like Craig
Maiden in
Kinsale to
enable him
to do that
work.
So, we
give support
financially
and we do
it while
praying for
gospel work.
And we just
finish briefly
with this,
verse 30.
I urge you
brothers and
sisters, by
the Lord
Jesus Christ
and by the
love of the
Spirit, join
me in my
struggle by
praying to
God for
me.
This work
is a
struggle.
There will
be opposition,
there will
be persecution.
It's not
easy to
be at
work in
a town
like
passage.
It's not
easy to
be a
Christian,
as we've
been looking
at in
1 Peter,
where you
go to
work and
in your
college and
in your
school.
It's
hard,
it's
tough.
And so
we need
the prayer
support of
one another.
We cannot
do it
alone.
And we
must never
underestimate the
power of
prayer.
Look at his
prayer.
Pray, verse
31, that I
may be rescued
from the
unbelievers in
Judea, that my
service in
Jerusalem may be
acceptable to the
saints there, so
that by God's
will I may come
to you with
joy together
with you and
be refreshed.
You know,
Paul on his
journeys went
to Jerusalem.
When he
arrived in
Jerusalem, he
was lynched.
They were
vying for his
blood.
They were
wanting to
kill him.
The only
way that he
actually got
security and
protection was
when the
Roman soldiers
came in and
arrested him and
put him in
prison.
That was the
only way he
could be kept
safe.
They put him
on a ship
that got
shipwrecked and
eventually he
ended up in
Rome under
house arrest.
His prayer to
them at this
point is saying
pray that I
will get to
Rome and
that I will
be able to
continue on
my ministry.
God answered
that prayer but
he ended up in
prison and he
got shipwrecked
but God
answered the
prayer.
He kept him
and preserved
him to enable
him to do
what he had
to do.
Don't
underestimate
the power of
your prayers
for your
brothers and
sisters at
work in
this way.
That is why
we are asking
us to pray
when we are
in our home
groups for
this work.
Pray that
people's eyes
would be opened
up to the
truth of the
gospel.
That their
ears would be
unlocked to
understand who
Jesus is.
Pray that in
the midst of
the toughness
and the
difficulty of
the work
churches will
be planted.
Never ever
underestimate the
power of
prayer as we
talk to God.
This is the
way in which
we partner
for each
other.
And I
want to
encourage us
as a
church as
we have
been praying
keep on
praying.
As you
have been
giving keep
on giving.
As you
seek to
reach out
and partner
with the
churches keep
doing it
more and
more with
the promise
of God
that with
his power
he will
change lives.
so the
purpose of
the church
proclaiming
the gospel
of Christ
to all
peoples in
all places
to partner
with churches
who will
preach this
same gospel
to see new
churches planted.
Give thanks
for what God
has done
and let us
together continue
to work on
in all that
he will do.
Let's pray
together.
Father thank
you for
giving us
an insight
into the
work that
you have
been doing
through the
centuries
through people
like Paul
through the
church in
Rome.
Thank you
that as we
follow that
story
right up to
now we see
churches across
the world
following that
same vision.
Thank you
that people
have come to
see and
understand.
Thank you
that this
island in
which we
live has
many churches
and many
people who
love you
and follow
you.
Thank you
for the
believers that
are gathered
here today.
Thank you
for saving
each one.
Thank you
for bringing
them to
Christ.
Thank you
for giving
them the
hope that
they have.
And we
pray Father
that we
would take
on board
this wonderful
promise that
you would yet
see your
salvation go
to the ends
of this
earth.
Not just
here in
Cork but
beyond the
boundaries to
the rest of
Ireland and
beyond Ireland
to the rest
of the world.
that you
would accomplish
your work in
the power of
your spirit
through your
people.
So please
encourage us
today.
Please Father
do your work
in this area.
Raise people
up.
Call people
who will do
this work
for your
honour and
for your
glory.
We pray
this in
Jesus name.
Amen.