WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.040 Good morning, everyone. Can you all hear me okay? Yeah, great. Okay, so in some old translation 00:00:09.040 --> 00:00:13.700 of the Bible, they talk about talents, but I think that the NIV version that we've just 00:00:13.700 --> 00:00:20.660 heard, when it explains it as bags of golds, is really helpful. And the point being that 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:27.400 it's a lot of wealth that's been entrusted to the servants. And in Luke 28, 48, it reminds 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:34.859 us there, to whom much is given, much is required. And I wonder if over the course of the pandemic, 00:00:35.579 --> 00:00:40.939 whether you've had a chance to think about how you're spending, or maybe I should say 00:00:40.939 --> 00:00:48.820 investing your life with all that you've been given, what is required of your life. And 00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:53.840 as we've been regathering as a church, this series that we're doing on Christian disciplines 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:59.920 has been really challenging, I think, and getting us to rethink and review all areas of our life, 00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:05.659 as part of this Christian community, our prayer lives, our worship, our giving, things like 00:01:05.659 --> 00:01:12.240 that. Because our lives matter, all of it, as part of God's story of renewing all things. 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:18.280 In our home and work lives, it's important to remember that we follow a God who cares not 00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:24.079 just about the engineers, but about engineering, not just about lawyers, but about the law, 00:01:24.540 --> 00:01:29.659 not just about teachers, but about what they teach, and not just about us as parents, but 00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:36.040 how we parent. And if we're retired, he cares what we do with our retirement too. So our work 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:42.599 matters, our lives matter with what we do with them. And yes, our lives should matter in regard 00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:48.640 to spiritual things. But God also cares about what we create, and what we invest in, and 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:56.780 how we steward them too. And if Pauline can put up, there's a couple of pictures here. During 00:01:56.780 --> 00:02:08.519 the week, I've been reading about, sorry, sorry. We have a cautionary tale here of a couple 00:02:08.520 --> 00:02:14.500 that were part of the Tetra Pak industry. They were heirs to the Tetra Pak industry. And 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:18.240 this is an example of lives that haven't been lived so well. And can you just put the other 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:25.500 picture up as well? Yeah, this couple here. So I remember reading about them. They were 00:02:25.500 --> 00:02:30.660 really rich. They'd got on the surface everything that you could possibly want in a privileged 00:02:30.660 --> 00:02:37.860 life in British society. And yet, their lives were a mess. They were heirs to a five billion 00:02:37.860 --> 00:02:44.480 pound industry. And at one stage, the wife was arrested for trying to smuggle cocaine into 00:02:44.480 --> 00:02:50.080 the United States of America embassy, which wasn't a great idea. And tragically, she was 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:58.300 found dead from a drug addiction, from a drug overdose. So the wealth that a lot of people 00:02:58.300 --> 00:03:05.680 aspire to had only actually brought, you know, misery and infamy and addiction. And then we 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:13.620 then look at compare this to another entrepreneur. So this guy here, I've been reading about the 00:03:13.620 --> 00:03:18.680 life of the Christian entrepreneur, who started the toy shop, the entertainer, and his name 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:24.140 is Gary Grant. I keep referring to him as Carrie Grant for some reason. But anyway, whatever. 00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:31.480 So he started a massive toy shop industry. And in Bristol, there is a big shop there that 00:03:31.479 --> 00:03:36.299 my children used to spend hours and hours looking around trying to spend their pocket money and their 00:03:36.299 --> 00:03:43.139 Christmas money. Now, this guy is a Christian. He describes himself as a charismatic Christian. 00:03:43.739 --> 00:03:52.399 And he founded the entertainer in 1981 when he was just 22. And it's grown to over 170 stores. 00:03:53.579 --> 00:03:58.379 And even during the pandemic, it's actually remained quite strong. He's got a really good online 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:05.500 presence as well. And during the pandemic, he's helped give loads of money to charity. He's worked 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:12.439 with the food bank and Trussell Trust. He used his warehouses to store food and stuff that Tesco's 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:16.339 were giving to the food bank. And then he actually used his vans and stuff to go and deliver it 00:04:16.339 --> 00:04:23.120 to people that needed it. And part of the interview that I read upon that he had with the Guardian 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:34.019 says this, every one of us can be a philanthropist. It's about getting on the journey of how can I be 00:04:34.019 --> 00:04:39.100 generous. People can be generous with their skills, their time, their efforts, and their assets, 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:46.759 just as with their money. And he talks about building a culture in his business that encourages 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:53.920 staff to give a percentage of their monthly wage to charity. And also, he set up this platform 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:58.719 called Pennies. And it's like if you go into the shop and you pay £4.99, if you round it 00:04:58.719 --> 00:05:06.579 up to £5, all of those pennies that are collected is put towards charities. And they've managed 00:05:06.579 --> 00:05:11.740 to raise over £750,000 a year just from collecting pennies. 00:05:11.740 --> 00:05:21.040 So he has had a life well lived. He started out with one shop, and now I think he's in 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:27.319 his early 60s. He's a model of what it looks like to live with a kingdom focus. And I think 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:33.160 that's what this passage today is all about. It's about using the gifts and blessings and 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:38.759 opportunities that we are given for our Master, who is our Heavenly Father. And it gets us to 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:43.219 think about what we're doing with our lives, not just about our wealth, as we're going to 00:05:43.219 --> 00:05:49.099 talk about, but the totality of what we've been given. Our education, our families, our 00:05:49.099 --> 00:05:55.039 strengths, our community life, our giftings, our service, our careers, our generosity, our 00:05:55.039 --> 00:06:02.620 homes, and so on. And rather than just settling for what most people do, for a pleasurable life, 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:08.019 where we just sort of focus on our own family, maintaining our own families, having a nice house, 00:06:08.019 --> 00:06:14.859 a nice car, maintaining our privilege, and not looking beyond ourselves, it's much better 00:06:14.859 --> 00:06:20.959 and fulfilling to have a life that takes our strengths and our opportunities to build something 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:27.579 that can be used for the benefit of others. And our goal should be to want to get to a place 00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:33.219 where life has meaning because we're using our gifts for others, and in doing so, we have 00:06:33.220 --> 00:06:40.000 invested the totality of our life well. Let me say that again. We've invested the totality 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:47.240 of our life well. Basically, we're having a go. So let's look at this passage and get a few insights 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:51.240 into what Jesus is talking about when he's talking about building the kingdom of God. 00:06:51.960 --> 00:06:57.620 So three servants are given five, two, and one bags of gold while their master goes away. And on his 00:06:57.620 --> 00:07:03.020 return, the first two servants have doubled what they were entrusted with and are rewarded for being 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:08.779 good stewards of their wealth. The final servant, though, just buries his bag of gold and has nothing 00:07:08.779 --> 00:07:14.939 to show with what he's been entrusted with. He's punished and called a wicked and a lazy servant. 00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:22.120 So some insights into this parable. The first thing, it seems on the face of it that the wealth 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:27.359 entrusted to the servants is about what we do with our money. But I think it's more broader than that. 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:35.100 It's about what we do with our life. David Wenham is a New Testament scholar, and he points out that 00:07:35.100 --> 00:07:42.620 the Greek word is talanta, which was the equivalent to the wages of a worker for 10 years. So the first 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:49.819 servant, the master, is giving 100 years worth of income in one go. Wow. This is about a life's worth 00:07:49.819 --> 00:07:56.019 or value about what you do with all that God has entrusted you with. And Wenham says, this is about 00:07:56.019 --> 00:08:02.060 how we spend our lives. And our master is our heavenly father. He's given us all our gifts and wealth and 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:07.500 opportunities. And while not everyone is given by God the same life choices and opportunities, 00:08:08.159 --> 00:08:11.279 we are all given things to do according to our abilities. 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:21.899 The second thing is, the first two servants have the same attitude to what they were given. 00:08:23.119 --> 00:08:28.619 It's sometimes really easy to fall into the trap of playing the comparison game. You know, 00:08:29.119 --> 00:08:35.079 so-and-so was given so much more than me, so-and-so is so much more cleverer than me. And I think of my 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:41.960 own life growing up as a white woman, growing up in the UK, in a fairly comfortable, fairly middle-class 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:47.379 family, and then being married to my husband. And whilst not having a lavish lifestyle, we've had a 00:08:47.379 --> 00:08:52.660 good life with all the opportunities that have been given to us. And I compare that to some of the 00:08:52.660 --> 00:08:57.240 friends that I've known that have been born into very different kinds of families with all sorts of 00:08:57.240 --> 00:09:03.500 struggles to overcome in early life. I now never cease to be delighted when I see them doing well 00:09:03.500 --> 00:09:09.399 when they're going back to college, retraining, getting jobs, or becoming loving and caring parents. 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:16.820 And they've had so many hurdles to achieving this. But what is important in this parable is not the 00:09:16.820 --> 00:09:22.139 fairness of life's opportunities or giftings or blessings, but what we do with what we're being 00:09:22.139 --> 00:09:30.080 given by God. The third thing is, the first two servants invest their wealth wisely. They invest 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:34.120 their lives wisely and bring a great return from what they've been given. 00:09:36.259 --> 00:09:40.100 To whom much is given, much is required. And they pass that test. 00:09:41.400 --> 00:09:48.040 Gary, sorry, Gary Grant has used his wealth to give back to the local and wider community in so many 00:09:48.040 --> 00:09:54.759 ways. And he's become a man of influence, overtly Christian for good, for the kingdom of God. 00:09:54.759 --> 00:10:00.620 To whom much is given, much is required. And to those found faithful, much more will be given. 00:10:02.179 --> 00:10:07.840 And then the final servant, on the other hand, is lazy and wicked. He treads water. He neither loses 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:13.759 the wealth nor gains more. He's buried what's entrusted to him, and he never allows himself the 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:19.679 opportunity for growth or multiplication with his life. So that servant is reprimanded for not doing 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:26.199 what is expected of him. He's called wicked and lazy and useless. And this shows the need for work 00:10:26.199 --> 00:10:32.019 and productivity with what you're entrusted with, as opposed to laziness and timidity. 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:40.139 This is like the passage Matthew 5.15, and hiding your lamp under a bowl. Use what God has given you. 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:46.419 Let your light shine. Have a go. I really love the parables that Jesus tells, 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:52.899 and I find that a lot of them are about spreading the kingdom of God. Whether it's a small seed that 00:10:52.899 --> 00:10:57.279 is planted and grows to become one of the biggest trees where all the birds of the air can come and 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:05.399 find a home, or whether it's a little boy's lunchbox that feeds 5,000 people. And so if we too think of 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:11.319 our lives in these kingdom terms, we need to want to be expectant to see the kingdom of God coming 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:16.780 through how we invest our lives. And part of this has been intentional about how we live the other 00:11:16.780 --> 00:11:23.160 six days of our lives, not just our Sundays. It isn't that church isn't important. It isn't that 00:11:23.160 --> 00:11:29.640 evangelism is important. It isn't that growing in your spiritual giftings aren't important. But God 00:11:29.640 --> 00:11:35.160 makes us stewards of the whole of creation, and we are actively to be involved in every aspect of our 00:11:35.159 --> 00:11:41.959 lives in creating resources, opportunities, and being a blessing wherever we are. Going back 00:11:41.959 --> 00:11:45.980 through history, Christians have always applied their Christian gifts and their talents and their 00:11:45.980 --> 00:11:52.240 dreams to this task, to create more just, more kind communities and cultures of good news. 00:11:52.699 --> 00:11:56.659 They've opened schools and hospitals, orphanages and youth clubs. 00:11:56.659 --> 00:12:02.699 Can you just put the last slide up, Paulie, just to show Cadbury's world? 00:12:03.719 --> 00:12:04.799 That's great. Yeah, thank you. 00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:11.039 So my daughter lives in Birmingham, and she lives quite close to the village of Bourneville, which is where 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:16.240 the Cadbury factory is. Now I think Cadbury's now have been taken over by an American company, 00:12:16.339 --> 00:12:21.720 unfortunately. But their history, and the history of the Cadbury family, is fascinating. 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:27.220 They were Protestant Christians, and they were Quakers. And beside giving us chocolate, 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:32.399 they were at the forefront of treating their staff with unheard of dignity and opportunities. 00:12:33.040 --> 00:12:39.000 And they built this entire village of homes and schools and churches for their employees to save them, 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:43.980 in George Cadbury's words, from the evils of modern, more cramped living conditions. 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:49.180 So what is the dream that God has placed on your life? 00:12:49.179 --> 00:12:54.979 This isn't about comparing yourself to others, but asking, with what God has given me, 00:12:55.859 --> 00:12:58.000 what am I going to do to steward it well? 00:12:59.199 --> 00:13:01.479 So just look at three areas of our lives. 00:13:01.899 --> 00:13:05.139 Our home and family, our work, and our church. 00:13:05.819 --> 00:13:10.479 Of course, there's so much more to our lives, our hobbies, our health, creativity, friendships. 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:15.060 But with a vision for investing what God has given to us in these areas, 00:13:15.500 --> 00:13:21.320 what would it look like to steward the gifts when it comes to family, work, and church? 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:25.300 Could it be said that the Christian life is about growing in responsibility 00:13:25.300 --> 00:13:27.860 with what has been entrusted to you? 00:13:29.560 --> 00:13:33.519 So you know, in your home and family, whatever they might look like for you, 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:38.860 we have such an opportunity to live counter-culturally and kingdom-orientated. 00:13:40.079 --> 00:13:42.699 And so using your Christian imagination and gifts, 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:48.579 what could your family do to invest what you have to bless others with what you have 00:13:48.579 --> 00:13:52.259 and share the good and transformational news of Jesus that you have? 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:57.519 Maybe there's a great cause or a Christian charity like Compassion or Open Doors 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:01.319 or one of the Ugandan charities that Terry and Deb talked about last week 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:03.220 that your family could get involved in. 00:14:04.020 --> 00:14:06.480 Or maybe being the kind of home that is open 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:09.780 and allows other kids and families to be welcome and blessed. 00:14:11.040 --> 00:14:13.560 Maybe you could break generational patterns and sins 00:14:13.560 --> 00:14:17.760 and start a whole new family lineage that knows and walks with God. 00:14:18.640 --> 00:14:22.020 So think about how you can invest whatever your family looks like 00:14:22.020 --> 00:14:25.280 to be used wisely and faithfully for the kingdom of God. 00:14:26.640 --> 00:14:27.980 And then we consider work. 00:14:27.980 --> 00:14:31.360 We've already talked about Gary Grant and Mr. Cadbury. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:33.720 But again, with some Christian imagination, 00:14:34.420 --> 00:14:37.720 what would it look like not to simply go with the flow or tread water, 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:41.460 but to be someone who uses the whole of their lives as a blessing? 00:14:42.420 --> 00:14:45.240 Whether that be creating cultural change in your workplace 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:50.580 or as a business owner, taking Christian ethics and applying it to what you do. 00:14:51.580 --> 00:14:54.560 For some people, I imagine a small amount of people really, 00:14:54.559 --> 00:14:59.059 their legacy might be that their professional career on a big scale 00:14:59.059 --> 00:15:01.739 may change the direction of their industry. 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:05.719 Or if you're extremely lucky, I have to say I've never been, 00:15:06.139 --> 00:15:10.159 you might earn vast amounts of money that you can generously give away. 00:15:11.219 --> 00:15:13.399 But for most of us here, I imagine, 00:15:14.199 --> 00:15:16.579 it's going to be the deep and profound impact 00:15:16.579 --> 00:15:18.559 on the lives of all that you meet 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:21.739 through your Monday to Friday, your nine to five. 00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:25.720 And then finally, we look at our faith and church 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:28.899 as we're gathering and reviewing our lives. 00:15:29.700 --> 00:15:33.060 As Christians, we are to be seekers first of the kingdom of God. 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:37.820 The expectation is that every servant puts what he is given to use 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:41.379 for God's redemptive plans of making all things new. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:46.080 Paul in Romans 12 speaks of the different gifts given to each 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:48.740 and urges that they are to be used for good. 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:52.220 And Ephesians 4 speaks of Christ as his ascension, 00:15:52.400 --> 00:15:54.520 giving gifts to each one of us. 00:15:54.620 --> 00:15:57.700 Grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:01.220 And in order to see God's kingdom grow 00:16:01.220 --> 00:16:04.160 and this church enable to get on with the mission of God, 00:16:04.759 --> 00:16:07.060 how are you investing the whole of your life 00:16:07.060 --> 00:16:09.759 towards the growth of the people of God? 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:12.919 I'm really aware that in Clevedon, 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:15.980 a lot of people are involved in really great charities here 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:19.720 and groups and organizations that are outside of the church. 00:16:20.740 --> 00:16:22.819 But as Christ Church put here, 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:26.799 we are called to be the local church put here 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:30.620 to help with transformation of this town and the nation. 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:34.080 And that you've all got skills and gifts 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:36.480 that are completely needed 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:39.159 if we are to fulfill our mission. 00:16:40.500 --> 00:16:42.039 And so as we step out, 00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:45.159 as opposed to sitting on what we've been given to us, 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:47.159 it's important to remember that 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:49.440 we're never really sure, 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:51.200 there's never a good time, 00:16:51.560 --> 00:16:52.580 and you're never really ready. 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:54.360 But at some point, 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:57.320 we need to take a stand to have a go. 00:16:58.500 --> 00:17:00.940 Now, most of you have probably received 00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:03.139 through the emails or through posts 00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:06.879 a list of opportunities that there are at the church 00:17:06.879 --> 00:17:07.839 to get involved in, 00:17:08.139 --> 00:17:10.339 to actually help with the mission and outreach of the church. 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:11.639 And as we're regathering, 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:14.539 we're really asking people to seriously look at this, 00:17:15.139 --> 00:17:16.680 to pray about it, to think about it. 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:18.639 Maybe there's one or two things 00:17:18.639 --> 00:17:20.460 that you could get involved in. 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:24.500 There's vast opportunities here, 00:17:24.519 --> 00:17:26.119 but I'm just going to name a couple of them. 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:27.980 So maybe children's work. 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:31.680 Maybe you want to get involved in the TLG mentoring programs. 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:33.200 That's been amazing outreach. 00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:35.220 Or maybe with the kids and the youth, 00:17:35.360 --> 00:17:36.820 or the little fish toddler group, 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:38.140 or the fridge. 00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:40.580 Now, maybe you don't want to actually hang around 00:17:40.580 --> 00:17:41.140 with the children. 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:42.620 It's not my favourite thing. 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:44.620 But actually coming and helping to set up 00:17:44.620 --> 00:17:46.680 or pack away to enable that to happen 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:47.320 would be amazing. 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:50.720 Or maybe you're brilliant at DIY or gardening, 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:52.980 and you want to get together with a little team 00:17:52.980 --> 00:17:55.080 that comes here and helps keep this place 00:17:55.080 --> 00:17:57.860 looking good and working well 00:17:57.860 --> 00:17:59.680 for the many missional groups 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:01.400 and outreach projects 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:02.779 that are going on here during the week. 00:18:03.360 --> 00:18:05.380 Or maybe you want to get involved in the seniors 00:18:05.380 --> 00:18:07.840 or the pastoral work that we've got going on here, 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:09.500 so that we look after the people 00:18:09.500 --> 00:18:10.539 that we've already got here, 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:11.799 and we look after the people 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:12.820 that are coming in here 00:18:12.820 --> 00:18:15.480 with various problems, issues, 00:18:15.620 --> 00:18:16.660 things they're dealing with. 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:18.640 So we've got things like the grief cafe, 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:21.279 the care homes that go out to visit them, 00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:23.200 or just like providing transport. 00:18:23.820 --> 00:18:24.920 So there's no end. 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:27.700 So I really ask that if you get that form, 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:30.640 don't just like delete it on your email or whatever, 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:32.980 just pray about it and think about it. 00:18:33.180 --> 00:18:35.980 Because if we can all do one or two things, 00:18:36.320 --> 00:18:37.279 every single person, 00:18:37.360 --> 00:18:39.600 the whole of this church can do one or two things, 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:41.800 I'm sure we can fill all those gaps 00:18:41.800 --> 00:18:44.880 and just really get together for the mission. 00:18:46.100 --> 00:18:47.180 You see, at the end of your life, 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:49.180 the resources you have are not your own. 00:18:49.660 --> 00:18:50.480 They are the masters, 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:52.080 and they need to be returned. 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:53.919 And I hope for all of us 00:18:53.919 --> 00:18:56.500 that we will have a go for his sake. 00:18:57.259 --> 00:18:58.139 So as we finish, 00:18:58.259 --> 00:18:59.740 what is the challenge of this parable? 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:02.399 How do we go from burying our goal 00:19:02.399 --> 00:19:04.339 to bringing a great return to our master? 00:19:04.899 --> 00:19:06.480 I expect that the main challenge 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:07.639 will be how to implement 00:19:07.639 --> 00:19:10.419 what you think that God is calling you to do. 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:13.939 How do you transform inspiration to reality? 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:17.059 And in order to start implementing it, 00:19:17.220 --> 00:19:19.220 we have to start overcoming fear 00:19:19.220 --> 00:19:20.359 with the help of God 00:19:20.359 --> 00:19:22.579 and beginning to invest the whole of our lives 00:19:22.579 --> 00:19:23.859 for something greater 00:19:23.859 --> 00:19:25.899 than the ordinary, pleasurable life 00:19:25.899 --> 00:19:27.079 that most people are seeking. 00:19:27.919 --> 00:19:29.699 And remember, success or failure 00:19:29.699 --> 00:19:32.179 is not a one-off event. 00:19:32.979 --> 00:19:34.119 They go hand in hand. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:35.539 It's the regular rhythms. 00:19:36.179 --> 00:19:37.919 And success is often the result 00:19:37.919 --> 00:19:40.439 of repeated failures that we learn from. 00:19:41.439 --> 00:19:42.759 And then we should set goals 00:19:42.759 --> 00:19:44.919 and be accountable to each other from the start. 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:45.879 That's really important. 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:48.960 And then we need to take some decisive action. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:52.100 So pray, ask God to help you 00:19:52.100 --> 00:19:53.920 to want to live your whole life for him. 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:55.560 Ask him for opportunities 00:19:55.560 --> 00:19:57.060 that you might dream dreams 00:19:57.060 --> 00:19:57.920 and be inspired. 00:19:58.720 --> 00:19:59.480 Have a go. 00:20:00.020 --> 00:20:01.020 Don't tread water. 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:02.560 Start sowing 00:20:02.560 --> 00:20:03.980 and let the Spirit of God 00:20:03.980 --> 00:20:05.460 breathe upon your life 00:20:05.460 --> 00:20:07.420 and your faithfulness 00:20:07.420 --> 00:20:08.900 and see what happens. 00:20:08.900 --> 00:20:10.420 Amen.