I'm going to invite Liz to come and read God's word for us,
and then I'll hand over to Harris straight after that.
Romans chapter 15, verse 13.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters,
that you yourselves are full of goodness,
filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
Yet I have written to you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again,
because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus, the Gentiles.
He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God,
so that the Gentiles might become an offering,
acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.
I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me
in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done,
by the power of signs and wonders,
through the power of the Spirit of God.
So from Jerusalem all the way around to Ilequim,
I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
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.
Rather, as it is written,
those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.
This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.
Yeah, it's great to be with you here
and speak to you from this passage.
So it's almost on the end of the book,
and you might be thinking,
why is he preaching from the end of the book
and not the beginning of the book?
But the Lord impressed me with this passage quite a while back,
and I've been developing it
and just thinking about it for myself.
So I'm just bringing this to you
in terms of what the Lord has been teaching me
and hopefully teaching us together.
So let's just pray a bit.
Father, we thank you for your word,
and as we've even sung,
that God, you are great God,
and Lord, in the greatness,
you've given us your holy, inspired, infallible,
without error,
fully sufficient word of God
for us today and forever.
So Father, we pray that this word,
your living word,
by your Holy Spirit,
will instruct us this morning
and build us up in our faith
for worship and witness.
Pray this in Christ's name.
Amen.
So, you know, this passage,
I'll just start with this story.
I often get a message,
almost on a monthly basis,
from what we call a diaspora network.
It's almost quite a big number,
almost 60 to 100.
I don't know exactly.
But it comes every almost month,
once or twice,
I get a feed.
And this feed is showing
some clergy of another faith
standing outside a church,
somewhere in remote England.
I don't know exactly the place.
And it signs are that this church is closing
and this guy is brandishing.
This church is closing
and demise of Christianity
as irrelevant
and the rise of this other faith.
And it's going quite
at a vitriolic
and almost passionate way
that Christ is irrelevant,
Christianity is irrelevant,
is on decline,
and this other faith
or other faiths
are the only ones
that will fill
the longing of the human hearts
and souls
in our post-Christian culture.
And my response was,
wow,
this is discouraging.
And suddenly God awakens me
and says,
no!
Christ has ascended,
Christ is reigning,
Christ is sending His Spirit,
and He is changing lives
as you heard and saw.
And as we are here,
even gathered in this small place,
worshiping Jesus
as Savior and Lord.
And I said, no!
So I respond to this person
in a whole narrated text.
This is furthest.
By the way,
this news feed
probably originated
somewhere in India.
They picked up this
from some YouTube,
downloaded it,
and are spreading it.
And I said,
this is the furthest.
And we need to know
the history
of the faith of God's people,
both Old and New Testament,
and the current status.
Yes, we might be
with our backs
on certain things.
But the Savior
is the great God.
And He has given us
a great gospel
to believe in
and to be thrilled
and to have lives changed
and to be His ministers
to see lives transformed
of people
in some of the darkest situations,
even in our great city
and in our neighborhoods.
It is striking
that this gospel
is still the power of God
unto salvation
to those who would believe,
those who would hear,
those who would understand
and believe.
So I was,
in the midst of that,
I was thrilled.
And I shared this whole feed
with some of my colleagues.
and I said,
don't let this news
or any other forms
discourage us.
On the whole,
let it be a turning to Christ
in a new,
fresh way
by His Spirit
to transform us,
as we heard,
changing us now
so that we become
the worshipful community
and the witnessing community.
So this morning,
I have some,
three quick points here.
One is,
first,
that this gospel,
Apostle Paul,
is commanding
the Roman believers
in a very,
as it were,
a dark world,
Roman oppressive,
Roman tyrannical rule,
Roman rule
against the faith
of God's people.
He's commanding them
for their faith.
Then he's,
there is a consecration
to worshipful service.
And finally,
how he's calling us,
his church,
to a continued expansion,
be instruments,
his instruments,
in continued expansion
of Christ's kingdom.
So, you know,
Paul starts there
in the,
in verse 14.
I am myself convinced
of you all,
my brothers and sisters,
that you all,
all of you,
all ourselves,
yourselves,
are full of goodness,
complete,
complete in the knowledge.
Another translation says,
filled with all knowledge.
And are competent
or able
to instruct
or admonish
one another.
So first,
he's giving this
commendation
that these Roman believers
in Rome,
against all odds,
are staying the ground.
But not only,
not only just standing still,
but they're gaining momentum.
They're gaining ground.
And this is exciting
because it shows
that the power
of gospel
was at work.
And Paul is calling them
people from a different
religious heritage,
his fellow brothers.
No,
he's not saying,
I'm apostle,
look at me.
And look at all that,
my accolade,
other places,
he does that.
But here,
he's saying,
you,
folks,
fellow brothers,
whom God has called you
from the whole vast world
of whatever could have happened.
And now you are in Christ.
So the gospel
of this Lord Jesus Christ,
his person and work,
was able to transform them
from all the deep-seated brokenness
and religious ideologies
that they were pursuing
to fulfill their lives.
and the class,
caste,
clan divisions
that were so prevalent,
God had broken through them
and brought this good news.
And this good news,
I forgot to get the date,
but I don't know
if the date of Romans' writings
is around 55 or 58 AD.
So you can say
around 20 years
the Roman church
has been in existence.
20 to 25 years
because possibly
the first believers
at Rome,
they were obviously
what they call
proselytized to Jewish
who had gone to Jerusalem
and on the day of Pentecost,
suddenly they heard
in their own language
the good news
of the resurrection of Jesus
and his spirit came on them
and they became devout believers
and they returned back.
So for over 25 years,
combined with the old heritage,
heritage of the Judaism
plus the New Testament faith
in Jesus and his spirit
had combined
and unleashed
an amazing community
of believers there.
And that's what Paul is saying.
You are all filled
with this goodness of God.
God,
the great God,
the true God
who alone is good
and he fills them
with goodness.
And they were quite,
you know,
Paul is here even
as he's saying,
I'm satisfied
or I'm convinced.
He's saying,
you know,
you pass
the ultimate test
of a believer.
you have a sound MOT
or a health check.
You know,
sometimes you go to MOT
and they'll give you caution.
Oh,
your tire is just
one millimeter down
but within few.
There was no caution.
He's commanding them.
What a resolute thing
that turns them
to further,
energizes them
and encourages them
to further live
for this great God
who has saved them.
Secondly,
he points out
in that,
I just want to say
something about
this goodness
because it was
quite evident
in the unique life
that the Roman
or the early
Christian community
as his people
lived out.
Just listen.
Their identity
was in a ridicule way
called resident aliens.
They were not
of this home.
They were not
totally at home
in present Rome
or whatever government.
And it was
because of their lifestyle
and their social reality
that spread
all over the Roman world
and he transcended
about the Roman culture
and religious life.
They were known
as citizens
of another king.
That was Jesus
and not an earthly
Roman Caesar.
The Christian
congregations
expressed their reality
by corresponding
with other churches.
So their vast
Christian communities
were known
to provide
hospitality
for each other
and especially
strangers
and travelers.
And they would
support
their fellow
Christians
who may have
been illegally
imprisoned.
because of
faith issues.
The early
Christian community
were marked
by economic
sharing
and social
care for the poor.
This is what
one of the
Caesars
around 350
AD
says.
He cited
these Jews
and Christians
that though
they were being
disgraced
that no Jew
would ever
beg.
and these
impious
Galileans
that is
these Christians
who were
from the
sect
of Galilee
of this
Galilee
preacher
called Jesus
they would
not only
support
their own
poor
but they
would support
ours as well.
All men
see that
our people
who are
pagans
lack
aid from
us.
There was
no state
welfare.
The Christians
were the
welfare
community.
So these
communities
were known
for their
faithful
work of
gospel
in displaying
this goodness.
Secondly,
they are saying
they are filled
with knowledge
there.
He says
that you
are complete
in knowledge
or filled
with all
knowledge.
Now we
even sung
a lot of
things.
And can
it be
that God
should save
a person
like me?
His immense
and free
grace.
Why are you
able to sing
that?
Why are you
able to hold
even in your
dark days
that very
dear?
the person
of Jesus
Christ that
has been
made known
to us,
revealed us.
Really,
you know,
I haven't
seen the
face of
Jesus,
you know,
but the
person of
Jesus and
his work
is so
real by
faith because
I've heard
and understood
the gospel
and his
spirit has
applied it
to my
heart.
So I
really
understand
and know
this true
living God
the Father,
the Son,
and the
Holy Spirit.
The one
unique God
who says,
I alone
am God
and there
is none
else,
none
besides me,
none
equal to
me.
This
uniqueness
is a
knowledge by
the gospel
and it's
just not a
head knowledge,
it's a
living faith,
daily
experience in
my heart
as I
live it out
and communicate
with words
and hands
and feet
into his
of who
he is.
So we
know,
we know
now God
personally,
we know
he is
gracious,
he is
compassionate,
he is full
of steadfast
love,
kindness,
he is slow
to anger
because
that's
the reality
that is
dawned by
his spirit
in my heart.
It's just
not a
pie in
the sky,
it's a
reality and
this reality
is so
striking so
that he
commends
them and
you know
friends,
this is
good news,
this is
good news
that the
world is
looking for.
You know,
part of our
work is
just
retraining
the church,
retraining
ourselves
to understand
the gospel
for ourselves
and articulating
it,
saying it,
how this
gospel is
so real
and indeed
it is good
news for the
world,
a world
that has
been,
that is
straying
away,
that is in
an utter
lost condition
and that
a good
shepherd has
come in
the savior
to seek
and save
the lost
even in
the utter
conditions.
And you
know friends,
people are
looking to
hear that.
They are
looking to
hear that.
They are
looking for
people who
will understand
them,
empathize
with them,
journey with
them and
explain this
good news.
as good
news to
me,
but also
for them.
You know,
we say in
our saying,
if God
could save
a Hindu
man like
me for
over 40
years and
keep me in
his path
through many
highs,
but many,
many,
many lows
and depths
of valleys,
he can do
that for you
and for
others outside
here.
and this
is the
commendation
we bring
to our
community.
A Muslim
lady comes
and she's
arguing,
wrestling,
who is this
son of God?
Why do you
call him
son?
And she
is fixated
in her
faith view
that son
means some
prodigy
of a human
invention,
male,
female,
God and
some human.
And we
say to her,
that is
furthest
from what
the Bible
says,
even Jesus
himself
says as
son of
God.
He's a
descendant of
human,
Adam,
but he's
totally divine.
He's the
eternal
son of
God,
who is
the,
as we
heard earlier,
the atoning
sacrifice for
your sins
and my
sins.
And we
proclaim that.
In a Hindu
view,
a lady
comes and
says,
oh,
I'm seeing
visions.
I had this
money.
I took out
some notes.
They were
all brand
new notes.
I went
home.
I put
them in a
bundle.
And suddenly
when I was
opening them,
I saw this
picture of
one of my
gurus.
And how
do you
explain that?
She's all
into signs
wonders and
images and
all that.
And I
said,
look,
this is
okay.
You might
have some
security or
stability,
but it
won't answer
your deep
seated
questions.
Why?
vision means
you need
another vision
to keep
that vision
above.
You will
need
repeated.
But if
you hear
the words
of Jesus
that I
have come
to seek
and save
the lost,
that in
me is
eternal
life,
I have
come to
give you
fullness of
life.
He that
comes to
me,
even though
he die,
yet shall
he live.
In the
gospel of
John,
we read to
her.
I said,
when you
hear these
words,
the words
of the
Lord and
the words
of spirit,
they can
set you
free so
that you
know God
personally.
And she
says,
oh,
I don't
know,
I don't
think,
you know.
He said,
just help
us to
help you
to see
and understand.
And she's
persevering
with us
for a
while.
So here
we are
filled,
you see,
we are
filled with
goodness.
We are
all with
knowledge.
And then
just in
a short,
they are
able to
instruct
each other.
Now,
friends,
you know,
this is
the hard
bit.
You know,
hard bit.
You know,
I've got
accent,
yeah?
So my
accent,
sometimes,
I don't
know my
V and
my W.
Okay?
So,
Volkswagen
and window.
Okay?
Now,
my wife
particularly
will come
and say,
oh,
you didn't
say that
right.
Or I'm
saying
something,
like I'm
saying,
Jesus is
the true
wine.
I might
have said
it right,
but I
might have
said Jesus
is the
true wine.
So she's
saying,
what did
you say
that?
And I'm
saying,
man,
it's okay,
man.
They got
it.
But she's
trying to
instruct me.
She's trying
to correct
me.
And I'm
getting a
bit jittery
in the midst
of that.
And I'm
saying,
no,
just leave
it.
But friends,
this is a
very important,
if you can
say,
component or
part of
our life
as Jesus.
You
will make
me a
better
follower of
Jesus.
And a
servant of
Jesus.
I need
the fellowship
of the
community,
of the
believers,
to make
me that.
And even
in our
teams,
we have
teams,
I come
across as
something,
and my
colleagues
will come
across
something.
And I'm
thinking,
wow.
And then I
have to go
back and
have to start
speaking the
truth in
love to
address the
situation.
So friends,
brothers and
sisters,
be alert
about that.
You know,
there is two
cultures here,
two or maybe
more.
I was just
thinking of
our very
British
reservedness,
English,
right?
So you
will see
something,
but you
might say,
you already
cross,
the guy is
jumped in
between you
in the queue
in the bus,
and he's
now,
friends,
we need to
find a
framework.
This is
where a
wider
fellowship and
cross-culture or
interculture
plays it.
How do you
address that?
You need to
learn to,
hey,
brother,
sister,
can I just
express something
which I've
noticed?
and you
find a
way.
And you
know what,
they might
just reject
it,
but you
keep at
it in
the spirit
of love
and in
patience
persimacy.
And that
makes a
difference.
Because that,
let me tell
you,
this is very
unique.
This is
absolutely
unique,
even in
11 o'clock
London time.
people from
all different
parts,
almost at
least 6,
8,
10,
12 countries
gather together
to worship
and to
acknowledge each
other as
brothers and
sisters.
This is
unique,
even in
London,
let me tell
you,
many
congregations.
And this
is what we
are trying
to do,
even in
our work
with churches.
How can
we incorporate
outsiders?
Because we
are incorporating
insiders.
You see,
incorporating
insiders,
meaning we
incorporate
outsiders.
Because the
aching void
outside is
the same
aching void
inside me.
They are
looking for
an acceptance.
They are
looking for
a welcome.
They are
looking for
a word
or in
season to
help them
understand
life's
complexity
and things.
so they
are looking
for it.
And we
have it in
here among
us.
So we
can amplify
that.
Anyway,
quickly,
so this is
just in
Paul's
teaching,
how he
is so
commanding
believers.
And through
that
commendation,
literally,
what he's
doing is,
he has
created
almost a
mini
explosion
of the
power of
the gospel.
Boom!
As they
are hearing
this.
Quickly,
I'll just
finish in
this,
is that
how Paul,
it says
that I
glory in
Christ in
my service
to God.
The other
translation,
it says,
I am
proud of
my work
in Christ
Jesus.
Wow!
What
is it?
Paul,
you must
be mad!
You are
a man of
grace,
how can
you be
proud?
But you
can see
he can
boast.
And he
boasts
first here
of a
gospel
service,
which he
uses two
words.
One is
worshipful
service,
a worshipful
offering
of oneself.
That's what
he calls
ministry,
the gospel.
And then
the second
thing he
calls
is how
he
is
priestly,
in his
priestly
function.
He
says,
I am
offering
myself
in my
priestly
duty to
proclaim
the gospel.
And that
is the
priestly
duty,
the royal
priesthood
that is
being
bestowed.
So there
is a
form and
a function.
Form is
doing the
offerings
of yourself,
but the
function,
or that's
the function,
and the
form is
because you
are priestly,
you are
royalty.
Another
place,
the same
word that
is used
of priestly
duty is
used of
officials,
government,
and rulers.
So here
we are
offering
ourselves,
and he's
commanding
them,
or as he
commands them,
he says,
consecrate
yourself to
a fresh
service and
worship of
this God.
and finally
there is
his
commanding,
as he
commands them,
he's also
calling them
to join
with him,
or join
literally with
Christ,
with God,
in his
continued
expansion of
the kingdom
of God.
You see,
as I said,
the Roman
believers were
not standing
there still.
There was
no stand
still moment.
The gospel
was continually
advancing,
claiming
frontiers.
So,
you know,
one of the
things in
our partnership
we monitor
or help
churches
engage with
is crossing
frontiers.
What new
frontier are
we crossing?
And,
you know,
even this
area,
there could
be a
frontier.
For example,
there might
be certain
children that
are being
missed out,
or certain
groups of
people
or certain
areas where
there is
evidence of
a good,
what we
call social
act,
social work,
but there is
no presence
of word.
And we
say,
could you
have a team
just go there
and while
they are
serving,
can they
pray with
somebody on
the side?
Now,
that is
you are
crossing a
frontier.
Here,
right in the
midst of all
these things,
we are crossing
frontiers as
we engage.
Or you
might say,
hey, it
was great
meeting you.
I would
like to
hear more
about you.
Is there
any time
we have
in the
week?
Or I
could come,
we could
have coffee
in Costa,
wherever,
you can
charge it
to pastor.
And,
you know,
over a
cup of
coffee,
you will
explain.
I want
to just
understand
you and
I want
to help
you understand
love of
God in
Christ that
can change
you.
And,
you know,
friends,
let me tell
you something.
By more,
I'm more
to admit
each day
that there
is more
opportunities
for gospel
than meets
the daily
presence of
Christians.
So many,
so every.
And you
are just
being used.
So that
is the
final call.
Paul is
saying,
look,
you have
seen how
I have
preached the
gospel all
the way
from Jerusalem
to
Illichram.
Illichram is
the present
day,
if you can
say,
the Soviet,
former Soviet
states of
Czech Republic
and all that,
including Greece
and Albania.
So even he
didn't include
there Rome.
But he had
preached there
everywhere and
there was no
soul, he
thinks,
that was left
unpreached.
Why was that?
Do you know
that?
Because he
had established
worshipful
witnessing
communities that
were able to
carry on and
sustain the
work.
So that is
another part of
our mission's
goal, that as
we work with
churches, there
will be a
sustainable
witnessing work
to those who
are least likely
to hear about
Jesus Christ
because they
have no
single friend
or family
member to
tell them
about this
love, this
great God
who loves
them and
who is there
to wonderfully
change them.
And he, we
are there.
We will be
there with you
and then you
will be there
along with the
church for an
ending season,
a new season.
So friends, I'll
just leave you
with this.
We had a
great Thanksgiving
service on
Thursday.
This is our
annual celebration
of God's
goodness.
189th year of
LCM.
It happened in
Westminster.
Vanessa and
Pastor Stephen
were there.
There were
a thousand
registrations.
Some were
had to go
online.
But for the
first time, that
church, Westminster
Chapel, probably
in probably a few
decades, even
50 years, it
was almost
full.
And we need
to have that
vision.
God, expand
our vision for
you and your
kingdom here and
regions beyond.
I'll leave you
with that.
And there are a
few questions that
you can ask
yourself.
I had two
questions.
In closing is
this, as you
think, and I'll
just pray a bit.
How is God
using you and
I today or
this week to
further strengthen
each other as
our body of
Christ?
Christ.
So this is
internal dynamics,
IA.
And then how
is God or
how am I
seeking to
be a minister
of the gospel
to further
King Jesus'
kingdom here
in Kilburn,
West Kilburn,
and beyond?
I pray those
questions will
help you
understand this
passage by
his spirit to
live out and
serve him.
So I'll just
close in a short
prayer and then
hand to a
pastor.
Father, we
thank you for
this morning.
We thank you
for the eternal
Son of God,
even a
descendant of
David, who
came amongst
us, the
living Lord
Jesus Christ,
and that he
is the good
news for us
and for our
needy world
around us.
We pray that
you will further
strengthen us
and make us
able as your
servants and
able to
teach each
other about
your greatness
and goodness,
about all the
things that
who our God
is, about all
the ways that
you've loved this
world and us,
and that will
further strengthen
us for a lively
witness in this
needy community
around us.
We pray this for
Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Thank you.
Thanks so much,
Harish.
Let me tell you
one reason why I
love Harish and
I love the work
of LCM is
because you
can't but catch
that excitement
for telling other
people about
Jesus.
I think one of
the easiest
things for us
as a church,
and even just
for us as
individuals,
is to become
really inward
looking and
really insular
and think,
oh well,
yeah, I
believe in
Jesus and
it's kind of
good news for
me, but I
don't think
anyone else
wants to
know.
And I hope
you're impressed
from what
Harish has said
to us this
morning and
from the
ministry of
LCM more
generally,
that actually
the good news
of the Lord
Jesus, which
in our hearts
we love and
we trust for
ourselves, is
good news not
just for us,
but is good
news for every
single person in
London, and we
want them to
hear that actually
the ache that
they have inside
will only be
met and can
only be met by
the good news
of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
There is no
one out there
who does not
need to hear
this brilliant
news as
there, and if
it's good
news for
Harish, and
good news for
someone like
me, and for
you, it's good
news for others
that you meet.
So let's pray
that the Lord
would continue
to help and
encourage the
ministry of
LCM and our
church.