Good morning. Today's Old Testament reading is from Isaiah chapter 56, verse 1 to 8.
Isaiah chapter 56, verse 1 to 8.
This is what the Lord says.
Maintain justice and do what is right.
For my salvation is close at hand, and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.
Let no foreigner who has bind himself to the Lord say,
The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.
And let not any eunuch complain, I am only a dry tree.
For this is what the Lord says.
To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleads me, and hold fast to my covenant,
to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it, and who hold fast to my covenant,
these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,
for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
The sovereign Lord declares,
He who gathers the exiles of Israel, I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.
Hi, my name is Derek and I'm one of the members here at Brunsfield,
and it's been my privilege this morning to have been asked to read from God's Word,
from the New Testament in the Book of Acts, chapter 16, verses 11 to 40.
From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace,
and the next day we went to Naples, and from there we travelled to Philippi,
a Roman colony and leading city of that district of Macedonia,
and we stayed there several days.
On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river where we expected to find a place of prayer.
We sat down and began to speak to the women there who had gathered there.
One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia,
a dealer in purple cloth.
She was a worshipper of God.
The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.
When she and her members of her household were baptised,
she invited us to her home.
If you consider me a believer in the Lord, she said,
come and stay at my house.
And she persuaded us.
Once when we were going to the place of prayer,
we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she had predicted the future.
She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting,
These men are the servants of the Most High God
who are telling you the way to be saved.
She kept us up for many days.
Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned round and said to the spirit,
In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her.
At that moment, the spirit left her.
When her owners realised that their hope of making money was gone,
they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace
to face the authorities.
They brought them before the magistrates and said,
These men are Jews and are throwing our city into an uproar
by advocating customs,
unlawful for us Romans to accept or practise.
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas
and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.
After they had been severely flogged,
they were thrown into prison
and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
When he received these orders,
he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stalks.
About midnight,
Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God
and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Suddenly, there was a violent earthquake
that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
At once all the prison doors flew open
and everyone's chains came loose.
The jailer woke up
and when he saw the prison doors open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself
because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted,
Don't harm yourself.
We are all here.
The jailer called for lights,
rushed in and felt trembling
before Paul and Silas.
He then brought them out and asked,
Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
They replied,
Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you will be saved,
you and your household.
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him
and all the others in his house.
At that hour of the night,
the jailer took them and washed their wounds.
Then immediately,
all his household were baptized.
The jailer brought them into his house
and set a meal before them.
He was filled with joy
because he had come to believe in God,
he and his whole household.
Then it was daylight.
The magistrates sent their officers
to the jailer with the order,
Release those men.
The jailer told Paul,
The magistrates have ordered
that you and Silas be released.
Now you can leave.
Go in peace.
Now,
but Paul said to the officers,
They beat us publicly without a trial,
even though we are Roman citizens,
and threw us into prison.
And now,
do they want
to get rid of us quietly?
No,
let them come themselves
and escort us out.
The officers reported this
to the magistrates.
When they heard that Paul and Silas
were Roman citizens,
they were alarmed.
They came to appease them
and escorted them
from the prison,
requesting them to leave the city.
After Paul and Silas
came out of the prison,
they went to Lydia's house,
where they met with the brothers
and sisters
and encouraged them.
Then they left.
Amen.
Well,
good morning,
folks.
It's lovely to have you with us.
Let me invite you
to grab a Bible
if you have one there
and come with me
to the book of Acts
and to chapter 16.
This is where we're going to be
over the next little while.
We're going to be thinking about
and seeing
what happened
when the gospel
that is the good news of Jesus
when that message
hit Europe.
So to get us into this today,
let me just ask you
a question.
What do
a bull,
an electric fence,
and an expensive lawyer
have in common?
Okay,
it's going to be really painful
if any of them
charge you.
Okay,
so one day,
I really hope that joke
gets a laugh,
but not today.
But see,
while we're on the topic
of things that people
have in common,
let me ask you
another question.
What do
a businesswoman,
a slave girl,
and a prison guard
have in common?
Now,
that sounds a bit like
it's the beginning
of another joke,
and just before you turn off,
let me tell you
that it's not.
Actually,
it's the riddle
that's at the heart
of our passage
in Acts chapter 16,
because this is what
we're going to see today.
We're going to meet
three very different people.
Three very different people,
and we're going to hear
their three different stories
about how each of their lives
has been transformed
by the one same Savior.
So these three different people
are miles apart
in terms of who they are,
in terms of what they do,
and in terms of how life
has turned out for each of them.
You could not pick
three more different individuals.
And we meet them all
in Acts chapter 16.
So as you're turning there,
let me just bring you up to speed
with where we are
in the book of Acts.
Because the gospel,
that is the good news
of the crucified,
risen, reigning,
and one day returning
glorious Jesus,
has been taken
into the world
by the twelve apostles.
And despite some pretty
severe opposition
at times,
every so often
in the book of Acts,
Luke gives us
the repeated phrase,
the word of the Lord
continued
to multiply.
The word of the Lord
continued to multiply.
So in other words,
nothing is going to stop
the momentum
of this message
as God,
through the power
of His Holy Spirit,
is deeply convicting
men and women
of their sin,
of their need of God,
and at the same time
is pointing them
and drawing them
to the message
of Jesus,
the one in whom
is found forgiveness
and newness
of life.
And people are
becoming Christians
in their thousands.
And one of these
people
is this man
named Paul.
This former
persecutor
of Christians
who is stopped
in his tracks
by the risen Jesus
as he is on his way
to make sure
that Christians
are put in jail.
He encounters
the risen Jesus
and his life
is transformed.
And this former
persecutor
becomes a preacher.
And he's got a heart
to take
the news of Jesus
to the peoples
of the nations
who have yet
to hear
about him.
So this is where
we are in Acts
chapter 16.
16.
So this guy
Paul guided
by the Holy
Spirit
has made
his way
to Europe.
And he's made
his way
to this city
called
Philippi.
And so it's in
this Roman
and in this
prestigious city
that God
births
a church.
So here's
what I want
you to imagine.
Imagine these
guys are having
their first
ever church
meeting.
Right, we'll
stick with theme
and we'll call it
Philippi Evangelical
Church.
Here they are
having their
first meeting,
right?
Someone's brought
the quiche.
Someone else
has brought
the schlore.
Someone else
has brought
their guitar
complete with
rainbow strap
and is handing
around the lyrics
of Shine
Jesus Shine.
And once the
novelty of that
awkward icebreaker
game has worn
off, somebody
turns and
addresses the
room and
says, you
know what,
why don't we
go around the
room?
Why don't each
of us tell us
why you are
here?
Why don't each
of you tell us
why it is and
how it is that
you came to
know Jesus as
your saviour?
And since we've
got a bit of
manners here,
why don't we do
the ladies come
first?
Kind of thing.
And so, but what
about you, Lydia?
Lydia, how did
you come to
trust Jesus?
And so here,
verses 11 to
15 in the text,
is the story of
a lady who heard
something different.
You see, here's,
and come with me,
here's what Luke
tells us about
Lydia, verse 14.
She's originally
from this place
just down the road
called Thyatira.
And she's most
likely probably in
Philippi on
business.
And do you notice
how she's not
just in any
old business?
She is a
seller of
purple goods.
And what we
need to understand
is that purple
was the
rare,
expensive,
and sought-after
dye of the
day.
Right?
So put that
together in
modern-day terms.
Lydia's working
for the first
century equivalent
of Ralph Lauren
here.
She is the
Karen Brady
of her day.
She's used to
hanging out with
and connecting
with the well-to-do,
and all the while
she's rocking a
stylish gilie like
there's no tomorrow.
I mean, Lydia,
as we meet her
here, Lydia,
the lady's got
class.
And she's also
a worshipper of
God.
You see,
Luke tells us
that.
Which means
that even though
she's not a
Jew,
she recognizes
and she
worships
the gods
that the
Jews
worship.
She's a
God-fearer.
This is
Lydia.
And Paul and
his traveling
companions,
they meet Lydia
at this place
of prayer
down by the
river.
And what do
they do?
They simply
share the
gospel with
her.
And I love
how
gentle
what happens
next is.
Because as
they were
telling her,
her eyes
are opened
and her
heart lights
up because
what they
were saying
is everything
that she'd
been searching
for.
Because they
told her
about Jesus.
Now, just
before we get
the impression
that Paul's
rocked up here
and delivered
the ultimate
two ways to
live demonstration,
see what Luke
tells us about
what's really
going on behind
the scenes.
What's
happened here?
Well,
the Lord
opened her
heart to
respond to
Paul's message.
See, this is
Jesus.
Jesus is on
the move.
Jesus took
the key and
unlocked the
door of her
heart.
He opened the
curtains into
her dark
heart and
light came
flooding in.
And just like
that, Lydia
got it.
Silently,
gently, but
boy, did
she get it.
And the
thing is, how
many of us
have stories
just like
that?
Right?
There was no
dramatic
moment.
There was no
angelic
encounter.
I mean,
Netflix didn't
ring us up and
ask if they
could make a
documentary about
our journey to
faith because it
would be the
most boring
documentary ever.
But make no
mistake that
every single
person who
decides to
follow Jesus
is an
example of
a miracle
of mercy.
Because there's
nothing unspectacular,
is there, about
God taking a
spiritually dead
person and
breathing into
them life.
I love what
happens next.
What does Lydia
do?
Does she say,
that's great,
and she moves
on with her
life?
No, she gets
involved in
gospel work.
Do you see
it?
And so Lydia
starts using
the things that
she has, which
will have been
many, and she
becomes a patron
for gospel work.
I love that.
Many of you will
know my
predecessor here,
John Gemmel.
He now works for
an organization
down in London
called the
Proclamation
Trust.
And really, it's a
Bible school that's
training people how
to handle the
Bible, and it's
just sending them
out into the
world.
And the vision
for the
Proclamation
Trust came
from a man
called Dick
Lucas.
Many of you
might have
heard of him,
and Dick
Lucas, he had
the vision for
the Proclamation
Trust, but he
lacked the
contacts and the
money to make it
a reality.
And he met a
wealthy Christian
businesswoman
rather, called
Ronnie Wilcox,
and he shared
with them the
vision.
And instantly,
Ronnie Wilcox
bought into the
vision, and he
gave Dick
Lucas the seed
money to start
the Proclamation
Trust.
And now they
reckon that 1,500
people have come
through that
course, and the
vast majority of
them are still
working somewhere
in the UK.
Isn't that
fantastic?
You see, Lydia
plays that role
here in
Philippi.
She gets
involved in
gospel work.
She becomes a
gospel patron.
In fact, she's
most likely the
one who's hosting
this little church
as it meets.
I love that.
That's something
that some of you
as you're watching
this might want
to consider.
We all need to
consider it.
How can we use
what the Lord
has given us
for his work?
So this is
Lydia.
Right, we're
back in this
first church
meeting of
Philippi Evangelical
Church.
Lydia's finished
her story and
she tags to
her right.
And we move
from a lady who
heard something
different to a
girl, and this
is verses 16 to
24, a girl who
received something
different.
Because you see,
if Lydia is a
woman who in a
sense has got
everything going
for her, she's
got everything
she'd ever
need.
Well, here is a
girl who's at
the other end
of the spectrum
who has absolutely
nothing going for
her.
Here is this
slave girl.
In fact, do you
notice in the text
that she's a
double slave?
Do you see that?
Because not only
are her owners
treating her like
property, which is
frightening in
itself to think
about what that
might have meant
for this young
woman.
woman, she's
also demon
possessed.
And you take
those two things
together and join
them, and that is
a situation that
should break our
hearts.
And what this
slave girl has
done for days,
do you see it?
She's followed
Paul and Silas
around, and she
just shouted at
them the whole
time.
And it seems
that verse 18,
that Paul gets to
the point where
he's had enough.
Now, the word
that we get in
verse 18 there
is annoyed.
It says Paul was
greatly annoyed.
And we hear that
and we think to
ourselves, yeah, I
know what that
means to be
annoyed.
When that person
cuts me up in the
bypass, that is
annoying.
When my internet
connection cuts out
on the vital part of
that Zoom call, that
is annoying.
Is that what Paul is
feeling?
Well, do you see
the word in Greek,
it carries with it a
lot more of the
sense that when
Paul looked at
this girl and he
considered her
situation, that he
was deeply grieved in
his soul.
Because he looked at
this slave girl and
he thought to
himself, that is
not right.
That is not how it
should be.
And incredibly
through Paul, the
risen Jesus frees
this girl from her
double bondage.
Do you see it?
And do you see as
well in the text how
there's a hope
reversal?
How at the
beginning of this
episode, her
owners, they've got
all the hope of
making the money
here because they
can exploit this
girl.
But now at the
end of the story,
verse 19, they
recognize their hope
has gone.
Who's got the hope
now?
This slave girl has
the hope.
Now listen, it's not
explicit in the text
that she became a
Christian.
But I think the
fact not only that
Luke has recorded
this event, but
the fact that he
has sandwiched it
between Lydia and
the jailer who
will come on to
meet in just a
second, the way
that he's structured
that, I think we
can read that as if
she did.
And this girl with
nothing going for
her, we're not even
told here she's got
any kind of family
who would look after
her, she's welcomed
in to this family
of faith.
And just think on
that, right?
I love what that
tells us about the
God of the Bible.
Because here is a
slave girl who
probably spent her
life every evening
crying herself to
sleep, thinking to
herself, does anybody
care?
Does anybody know?
Does anybody see?
Well, what does this
tell you?
It tells you that God
sees.
And God knows.
And God cares.
And I love this in the
context of the book of
Acts.
What's this telling us?
It's telling us that
God cares about the
thousands.
And God cares about
the individuals.
Here is a girl who in
many respects to the
world is unseen.
And yet to the God of
the Bible, she is loved
and known.
Do you know what?
She's a girl who's
received something
different.
What has she received?
Well, through God's
people, she has received
the compassion of
Christ.
You know, one of my
fellow pastors in
Edinburgh, and one of
the guys I've got the
utmost respect for is a
man called Mez
McConnell.
And he ministers down at
Nidrae Community Church,
just down the road,
really around the corner
from where we live.
And his story of coming
to faith reminded me
this week of the slave
girls.
And he wrote his story
about how he came to
faith, and he simply
called it, Is
anybody out there?
I'll let you read it
and journey with him
in his story, but such
a big part of him
coming to faith was the
fact that when he was
in prison, some
Christians that he knew,
they didn't give up on
him, but actually they
kept on visiting him
and chatting to him
about Jesus.
And when Mez
eventually got released
because he had nowhere
to go and to save him
sliding back into old
patterns, these
Christians invited him
to come and live
with him, with them
rather.
And slowly but surely
Mez's life as he
heard the gospel
from these Christians
and as he saw
their lives, began
to make a massive
impact on his own.
And he gave his life
to Jesus.
And now the guy
runs a network
of church planters
targeting planting
churches in some of
the most deprived
areas, not just of
Scotland, but of the
world.
So there's a guy
who encountered
the compassion of
Christ through the
Lord's people.
And that's the slave
girl's story about how
she came to meet
Jesus.
So we're back at our
first church meeting,
right?
And after the slave
girls told her story,
she tags to her right
as well.
And we move
finally from a girl
who received something
different to a man,
and this is verses
25 to 40, a man
who saw something
different.
Because you know,
you see in the text,
there was a real cost
to the freedom of that
slave girl for Paul and
Silas.
It didn't go unnoticed.
The locals, what do
they do?
They've kicked off and
these two men have
ended up being flogged
and put in jail.
And the jailer,
do you see, he makes
sure that, boys, you
are going nowhere fast.
And so here is this
jailer.
He's our third person
on the scene here.
Now he's probably an
ex-Roman soldier who's
now been given a gig
looking after this jail
as a kind of easing you
into retirement kind of
thing.
And what does that
mean?
Well, it means that this
guy is an ex-Roman
soldier.
It means that he had
seen some serious
stuff in his life.
And given his new
job in this jail, he'll
have seen and heard
some serious characters
in his life as well.
Now he's probably, I'd
imagine he's a hardened
guy, right?
He's the kind of guy
that watches Ross Kemp
on gangs.
He's the kind of guy
that wears the tattoos.
And he's probably the
kind of guy that says,
religion, not for me,
thanks.
Don't do that emotional
stuff.
I don't do that kind of
stuff.
But do you know what?
He's seen a lot of
stuff in his life, but
he's seen nothing.
He's seen like what he's
about to see this night.
And everything about this
scene is strange if you've
got it there, okay?
Notice three really
strange things that we get
in the text.
Here's the first thing from
the jailer's perspective.
Firstly, what's strange is
that he hears Paul and
Silas.
He hears them.
Now remember these two
men, their wounds are still
fresh and raw.
And what are they doing?
Are they crying?
Are they complaining?
What are they doing?
Verse 25, they're singing.
And they're not singing
always look on the bright
side of life.
They're in there.
What they're doing is
they're belting out,
kumbaya, my Lord.
And it's clearly that loud
because the jailer, do you
notice, and the prisoners
can all hear them.
Now there is an episode of
Songs of Praise I'd love to
see, wouldn't you?
The prison cell sessions.
That's what I'd call it.
But that is so weird
that these men are singing.
And second weird thing is
that there's an earthquake.
Reminds you a little bit,
doesn't it, of the earthquake
that happened just after
Jesus had risen.
In other words, this is no
natural disaster.
This is God's doing.
God is moving in this moment.
But what happens in this
earthquake is that all the
doors of the jail and all the
chains of the prisoners fall
off.
Do you see that?
Imagine you're a prisoner
in this evening.
I mean, this is a goal
against the run of play.
Here is freedom on a plate
with a knife and fork
and a serviette.
Your freedom is there.
Take it.
And the jailer goes to take
his own life.
That's what you would have
done as a Roman soldier
to save your dignity,
probably to save your bosses
from doing it.
That's the second weird thing.
The third weird thing,
get this, verse 28,
with their freedom right there
on a plate, they can have it.
What does he say?
He says, we are all still here.
Right?
Did you get that?
We are all still here.
So not just Paul and Silas,
but all the prisoners have stayed.
Are you kidding me?
They have stayed?
So rather than take their freedom,
what's going on here
is that they were so captivated
by what was going on
with Paul and Silas
that they chose to hang around
to see how this one played out.
They picked that over their freedom.
I mean, man alive, that's weird.
So the jailer puts all these
three things together.
The strange scene.
And he runs and he pleads.
Probably he's maybe even heard
about Paul and Silas
and what they're doing
in Philippi in the city.
And he runs, verse 31,
what does he say?
What must I do to be saved?
There is the Holy Spirit
bringing this deep sense
of conviction to this man
that he is not right with God,
that he's seen something here.
What does he say?
Tell me more.
Tell me how.
Tell me what this is all about.
And they spoke the word
of the Lord to him.
They told him about Jesus.
And just like that,
this man gave his life to Christ
and experienced the forgiveness
and the newness of life
that is found in him.
And he runs and tells his family.
Do you see it?
And his family come to faith as well.
They are baptized.
Praise the Lord.
What a wonderful scene.
Here's a thought for you.
Do you know,
I was reflecting on it this week.
I don't think the jailer
was converted here
because he saw a massive earthquake.
Right?
I'm sure he's maybe seen
some pretty spectacular stuff
in his life.
But I don't think
it was the earthquake.
Do you know what?
I think he came to know Jesus initially
because he saw
how God's people
reacted differently.
Looking at Paul and Silas
thinking,
what are they doing?
I cannot figure them out.
But you know what?
Boy,
is it compellingly attractive.
You see,
Paul and Silas,
I love this
and I find this
so challenging this week.
Do you see their utter confidence
in God's sovereignty?
In other words,
it might look like
utter chaos to us.
It might look to us
like the gospel
has run out of gas.
But do you know what?
We can trust
that God is our good father
and he is fulfilling
his good purposes
in this
and every single moment.
In other words,
Aslan
is on
the move.
We are here
for a reason.
So let's keep trusting.
Let's keep speaking.
And let's see
what he
is
doing.
Such is their confidence
in the sovereignty
of God.
Friends,
do you know what?
Let me encourage us
as a church
to take hold
of that mindset
just now.
As we live
distinctly
different lives
during this
time of COVID-19
in the way
that we speak
in the way
that we act
in the way
that we love
in the way
that we pray
all of these things
testifying
to the fact
that we trust
and love
the God
of the gospel.
Because how many
of us have a story
just like the jailers
in that respect?
We saw
something different
as we looked
at Christians,
that they had
something
that we didn't,
that there was
something that was
true for them
that wasn't true
for us
and that made
us want
to find
out more.
And if that's
you here today,
maybe you've
tuned into this,
maybe you've
clicked on the link
as you found it
on Facebook
or something
like that,
we'd love to
get in touch
with you.
I know there's
some details
at the bottom
there if you
click on the
link you'll be
able to get
in touch,
we'd love to
be able to
connect,
maybe that's
you today,
maybe you want
to find out
more,
who is this
Jesus?
But just as
we close,
what do a
businesswoman,
a slave girl
and a prison
officer have
in common?
These three
different people,
we've heard
their three
different stories
about how each
of their lives
was transformed
by the one
same
saviour,
the one who
can change
any and
every heart
no matter
how unlikely
we think
that is.
And do you
know what,
see what's
true for
Philippi
Evangelical
Church here?
It is true
for every
church across
the world
and it is
also true
for Brunsfield
Evangelical
Church.
I know we
are a church
of very
different people,
all with
very different
stories,
but of how
we all came
to know
the one
true king.
And we're
going to hear
one of those
stories now
as one of
our members
tells us
how she
came to
know Jesus
as her
king.
Good morning
everyone,
my name is
Simona and
I'm one of
the members
here at
Brunsfield
Evangelical
Church and
today I'm
going to
tell you the
story of
how I met
Jesus.
I've always
believed in
God's existence
but never
thought he
would care
much about
what was
happening in
my life.
When I was
15, a
friend of mine,
who now is
my husband,
told me
about Jesus.
He said
that Jesus
saved him,
that Jesus
loved him
and cared
for him
and he
wanted to
share that
with me
to help
me understand
what it
would look
like to
believe in
a God
who is
not only
a distant
creator
but a
personal
saviour.
So we
started to
read the
Bible
together
and the
more I
knew about
God,
the more
I wanted
to know
and I've
learned a
few important
things about
God reading
the Bible,
that God
is perfect
and I
am not,
that there
are only
two places
where we
end up
once we
die,
with God
or without
God and
I am not
able to
earn a
place with
God because
I am not
perfect,
so I need
another way
in.
And the
Bible says
that this
way in
is Jesus.
He is the
only one
that loves
me enough
and is
willing to
cover for
all my
imperfections
so that I
can be
with God.
All this
was quite
clear in
my mind
but it
took years
to actually
understand that
with my
heart and
to realise
how real
and tangible
God's
presence was
in my
life.
God knows
me in a
way that
no one
else does
and yet
he loves
me.
I am
his child
and he
cares for
me.
And he
always cared
for me
even when
I couldn't
see it.
I know
that even
when things
seem out
of control
God is
in control.
And having
Jesus as my
saviour gives
me peace
because I
know that
dying on
the cross
and rising
again he
has done
all that
needed to
be done
so that I
can be
sure that
once I
die I
will be
with God.
I am
not special.
I don't
deserve what
Jesus did
for me and
I keep
messing up
but it's
a gift and
I decided to
accept it.
And the
beauty of
this gift is
that it's
not just
for some
people but
it's for
all who
want to
accept it.
God
and so if
you're
watching this
today and
you'd love to
find out more
about this
Jesus it would
be our
privilege to
be able to
tell you about
him and pray
with you.
We'd love to
connect with
you.
You'll find an
email address at
the bottom of
this YouTube
service.
You'll also find
all our details
on the website
so let me
encourage you to
connect with
us.
It'd be wonderful
to meet you
that way.
But just as we
finish let me
lead us in a
very short
prayer.
Father thank
you that you
are the
good God
of the
gospel
that can
transform
each and
any life.
And maybe
for some of
us tuning
in today
maybe even
for the
first time
may we know
the truth
as we
encounter
your son
Jesus
who said
I am the
way
and the
truth
and the
life.
So Father
thank you
for this
time.
We pray
these things
in Jesus'
precious name.
Amen.