WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.520 But following a theme this evening, and it's the last in the theme of the one another's, 00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:14.000 such an important part of biblical New Testament teaching, there's various counts about how 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:17.879 many there are, there are at least 27, 28, one another's, and we haven't obviously gone 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:23.440 and we've kind of grouped them together into a series of four. 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:31.040 And it's really this evening, what I want to do is I want to think about this for a 00:00:31.040 --> 00:00:38.320 short while, and then I would love you, I know it's not the theme of our Wednesday evening 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:46.159 city groups, but I would love you to think more and more about this in your communities 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:53.959 and all of us as a church. And it's so important to recognize these one another's. 00:00:53.959 --> 00:01:01.199 You know, as I said in the pre-time is really short. And it's easy for us to get into the 00:01:01.199 --> 00:01:07.560 Word. It's easiest to hear it preached, to walk away untouched, to read the Bible, to 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:15.400 be podcasted to death, and yet to let that stuff not permeate into our heart, to the 00:01:15.400 --> 00:01:20.359 deepest part of our hearts, so that we are being molded and remolded and changed all 00:01:20.359 --> 00:01:27.760 the time by the gospel. So, this evening we're going to look at four aspects to this 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:36.160 gospeling one another, okay? That is, I don't know how best to explain it other than good 00:01:36.160 --> 00:01:43.280 newsing one another, talking to and being with and sharing our faith in Jesus Christ 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:50.000 with one another. I think it's something we're not great at doing. I know I'm not great 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:56.519 in many ways at doing that in a casual, relaxed, conversational way with my friends and others 00:01:56.519 --> 00:02:01.319 around me. And remember always, when we're looking at these one another's, it's a reciprocal 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:08.039 pronoun. So, it's what is done to us and what we do with others. It's two way. It's how 00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:12.599 we live our lives as Christians. So, I just want, in gospeling one another, I want to 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:19.079 say four things. The first is that we are teachers. We read that in Romans chapter 15 00:02:19.079 --> 00:02:26.719 in the passage that we read together, verses 14 to 16. I myself am satisfied about you, 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.879 my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness filled with knowledge 00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:37.199 and able to instruct one another. And so, there's this great emphasis that as believers, 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:43.679 we can instruct, we can teach one another. Now, we know that God has set apart some people 00:02:43.679 --> 00:02:49.879 with specific preaching and teaching gifts and are called to serve in that way. Just 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:56.039 as we know, He's called some people to have specific gifts of generosity or hospitality 00:02:56.039 --> 00:03:00.639 or giving or administration. But it doesn't mean that the rest of us don't need to do 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:06.159 any of these things. And the same is true with teaching. We all have a responsibility as 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:14.199 one another's to teach one another, to instruct one another with the goodness and knowledge 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:22.879 that we've received from Christ. It's an interesting verb here that is used to teach, 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:29.599 to instruct. And it's used exclusively in the New Testament about the Scriptures. It's 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:34.199 not teaching one another about sport or not teaching one another about business. It's 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:39.000 about Scripture, and it's used in that context in the Bible all the time, that we are to 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:45.959 point one another to the truth with that. Because we are full of goodness and we are 00:03:45.959 --> 00:03:51.560 filled with knowledge, we are able to instruct one another. That's not making a presumption 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:58.159 there that saying that's what we can do, that we have this responsibility to point one another 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:03.719 in our Christian lives, our friends, our neighbors, the people in city groups, the people around 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:09.960 us, our husbands, our wives, our children, pointing each other to the truth of the gospel, 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:15.280 highlighting the promises that may apply to someone in a very difficult situation, speaking 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:21.439 the prayers of the gospel to one another, pointing people to the person of Christ. You're 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:30.240 competent so to do as a Christian. You have the knowledge and you have the goodness that 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:35.160 comes from the Holy Spirit who's living in you. And the challenges, they were to develop 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:40.480 that and to grow in that knowledge and to grow in that ability to one another. It's not 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:50.319 enough for us, I don't think, to simply rely on good books, good ministers or bad ministers, 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:55.319 or just for you to stay ignorant as a Christian. It's not enough just to say, well, I became 00:04:55.319 --> 00:04:58.920 a Christian a few years ago, but I'm not going to bother learning and growing and maturing 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:05.980 in the faith. You have that responsibility to be a teacher and to receive teaching and 00:05:05.980 --> 00:05:14.240 instruction from others, young people instructing and discipling one another, older people doing 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:21.439 it for younger people, younger people doing it with older people and recognizing that 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:29.000 responsibility. We are teachers, gospeling, good newsing one another because we need that 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:38.240 in our lives. I wonder if you've ever considered yourself an instructor, a teacher to others, 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:43.920 and would you regard others as teachers to you? I think sometimes we'd get a bit prickly, 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:49.279 wouldn't we? You know, why is he saying these things to me? Why is she saying these, but 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:57.959 it's not in that kind of... The whole basis of it is in that context of a loving, trusting, 00:05:57.959 --> 00:06:06.439 open community of believers together who are in that relationship. So we are teachers, 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:15.519 but can I say also that we are singers together? Ephesians 5, 15 to 21, you're going to read 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:22.120 that for us at this point. 00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:27.759 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:33.240 because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish but understand what the will of 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:38.959 the Lord is, and do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery, but be filled with 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:45.000 the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:49.959 making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:56.000 God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.000 for Christ. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:04.319 Okay, that's Ephesians 5 and it speaks about addressing one another, speaking to one another 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:10.800 in hymns and psalms and spiritual songs, and then in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 16 and 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:18.319 17, it says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching again and admonishing 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:25.040 one another in all wisdom. It's kind of following, in all wisdom singing psalms and hymns and 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:28.840 spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God, and whatever you do in word 00:07:28.840 --> 00:07:32.280 or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the 00:07:32.280 --> 00:07:33.280 Father through Him. 00:07:33.280 --> 00:07:39.080 See, there's this whole sense of being soaked in the knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:50.399 and what that means for us, speaking in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God and to one 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:51.399 another. 00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:56.439 Now, it's quite interesting, isn't it? Because we always think of, for example, our gathering 00:07:56.439 --> 00:08:00.719 together and when we sing together, we think of that purely in terms of offering worship 00:08:00.719 --> 00:08:06.719 to God and praising Him and worshiping Him. But I do believe that the corporate nature 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:16.520 of worship is more than just the worship vertically of God, however hugely significant 00:08:16.520 --> 00:08:28.200 that is. It is also an opportunity to recognize the encouragement and the blessing we gospel 00:08:28.200 --> 00:08:31.200 one another when we sing with one another. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:40.000 Now, singing, singing praise to God as it's referred to in these verses is more than simply 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:45.319 the sung praise, but it's certainly not less than that. It's speaking just really about 00:08:45.319 --> 00:08:50.480 the melody of our lives as well, isn't it? The way we live our lives, the theme of our 00:08:50.480 --> 00:09:01.720 songs that are important to us in our lives, singing is such a basic human, beautiful reality. 00:09:01.720 --> 00:09:07.800 And we, through that, we express our worship to God, but we also speak to one another and 00:09:07.800 --> 00:09:12.680 we encourage one another and we refresh one another. And you see the difference in that 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:20.599 Ephesians verse between being filled with a spirit, where we refresh one another in 00:09:20.599 --> 00:09:26.000 Sam's hymns and spiritual songs and being drunk on wine. It's such a great parallel, 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:30.479 isn't it? Filled with a spirit, but not drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. It's 00:09:30.479 --> 00:09:40.479 the foundation of our lives, what's important to us and what matters to us. I really believe 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:46.039 in the power of sung praise in our lives. I think it's very important. It's not just 00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:52.159 an add-on to the worship. It's a significant, important part of our offering, not only to 00:09:52.159 --> 00:10:02.399 God, but also as we share great gospel truth in song and in Sam's with one another. 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:11.799 Singing is the most basic and palpable interpretation, but also that whole idea of the theme of God's 00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:17.559 praise being the theme of our lives, as we live our lives together, that we have this 00:10:17.559 --> 00:10:26.439 thankful praise-worthy characteristic that we share with others. And we allow the theme 00:10:26.440 --> 00:10:33.600 of God's truth inspiring us, but also even warning us. You know, Sam's are great, aren't 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:39.240 they? For teaching us about the justice, the character, the holiness of God. And so we 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:46.880 will even admonish one another in the reality and in the truth of these songs that we know 00:10:46.880 --> 00:10:54.280 and that we sing. But as we meet together, as we live our lives together, as we share 00:10:54.279 --> 00:11:01.240 houses together, as we share company with one another, what is the theme of our lives 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:08.919 and the theme of our conversation? Is it a discordant song that we're often singing? 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:16.199 Is it spiritually off-tune so that we're not bringing thanksgiving and praise to God through 00:11:16.199 --> 00:11:20.480 our lives and through our interactions with one another, but we're actually pushing people 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:25.720 further away? What's the lyric of your life and the lyric of mine? What is it that people 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:35.680 hear when they hear this song that we sing? Is it reflective of lives that are lived in 00:11:35.680 --> 00:11:41.879 the light or in the darkness? You know, that whole concept, the whole idea of giving thanks 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:47.519 for everything and teaching one another God's great truth as we praise and worship as we 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:53.319 gather together and as we share the themes, the biblical true and significant themes of 00:11:53.319 --> 00:12:00.840 what we sing and what we know, Gospling one another. That's the second thing. The third 00:12:00.840 --> 00:12:08.079 thing is that as we gospel one another, I've taken, I've drawn these themes to, I'm sure 00:12:08.079 --> 00:12:13.679 there's a lot more that we could say always, but we're definitely teaching one another 00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:20.519 with the gospel. We're singing to one another with the gospel, but we're also spiritually, 00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:29.120 spiritual partners together as one another in the gospel. First Thessalonians 5, 8 to 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:32.639 11, and I think Catherine's going to read that for us. 00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:39.199 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:45.759 and love for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God is not destined us for wrath, but 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:51.400 to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we're 00:12:51.400 --> 00:12:58.680 awake or asleep, we might live with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another 00:12:58.680 --> 00:13:00.920 up just as you are doing. 00:13:00.920 --> 00:13:07.000 So that last verse, encourage one another and build one another up just as you're doing. 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:11.399 It's one of the great one another, isn't it? That we're called to do. We're called to 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:19.679 be those who build each other up in our Christian lives. You're to look for others to build 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:27.200 you up and you're to offer yourself as an encouragement in building another person up 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:33.559 spiritually. And it's such a great... That whole passage in First Thessalonians, we could 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:38.839 have just spent our time on that. Three times it speaks about encouragement. Now, I can't 00:13:38.839 --> 00:13:43.279 remember, maybe you'll tell me, maybe, or those who were at the conference yesterday, 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:50.159 was it today that Scott talked about encouragement or was it yesterday? Okay. It was yesterday. 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:58.599 Yeah. He talked about encouragement and that whole significance of being, encouraging to 00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:06.000 one another in the Christian faith. And again, what it's mentioned in Thessalonians, it's 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:10.800 often in the light of the second coming of Jesus. Keep on doing these things. Keep building 00:14:10.800 --> 00:14:19.680 one another up because Jesus is coming back. So build each other up. Now, that's the... 00:14:19.680 --> 00:14:26.840 The Holy Spirit is the one who matures and grows us and builds us up. We're to cooperate 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:31.600 with Him in the lives of other people in that work. We're to cooperate with God in that 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:37.440 work, in the lives of other people. It's too easy to be an island spiritually. It's too 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:44.240 easy simply to depend on your theological knowledge or your understanding of things without recognizing 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:50.759 that you have this reciprocal responsibility to receive building up from someone and to 00:14:50.759 --> 00:14:59.600 give it to someone in your Christian life, a reciprocal work. We find ourselves... What 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:08.000 comes naturally to you? I know what comes naturally to me is knocking people down. That's 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:13.240 an easy thing to do. Now, when it comes to DIY and the lads here who work in the church 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:18.600 will know this, I'm great at knocking things down. Excellent. I'm a great destroyer of 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:26.080 things. It's great if you've got an old shed to get rid of. I'm your man. I'll knock it 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:31.440 down because that's great and it doesn't require a lot of skill. It just requires a bit of muscle. 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:37.440 Even then, not that much. Just knock over. Destruction. It's good. That's what DIY is 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:46.879 all about. But building something up, building a wall, building something constructive, building 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:54.879 an Ikea bed, impossible. Katrina can do that. I can't do that because that requires skill 00:15:54.879 --> 00:16:00.919 and patience and time. But the same is true spiritually, we're to be those who build one 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:11.240 another up. Easy to knock people down. It's easy to deflect from our own failings by knocking 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:17.399 down other people destructively. But you know the world we live in, and can I just say it 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:22.639 to the young people especially, you know the world you live in. You know the social media 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:29.440 world that you and I, I don't live in it so much because I can't work it. But you know 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:39.279 the world you live in, it's a world of fear and insecurity and stress and bad news very 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:49.879 often. And people's tweets from 10, 15, 20 years ago are cast up on them so that they 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:56.919 are knocked down and they are rejected and they are isolated. And the Christian community 00:16:56.919 --> 00:17:04.200 must be different from that. As we've said that here before, this is to be a safe place. 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:11.960 This is to be a place where we build one another up. We share meaningful truth and we recognize 00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:20.279 the significance of the life we're living with the breastplate of faith and love belonging 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:27.640 to the day. Interesting, isn't it again? Let us be sober. The same attitude of being in 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:34.680 control of being filled with the Spirit, of being self-control with God's Spirit in our 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:43.960 lives. We recognize that we are to be building characters. And that's very important in terms 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:52.440 of the one another because I think part of the imagery of the one another is reciprocal, 00:17:52.440 --> 00:18:02.840 it's also I think face to face. I think that reciprocity is a good thing which you can 00:18:02.840 --> 00:18:08.039 do on tweets but it's much better face to face. Relationships are much better done face 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:16.400 to face because if you're annoyed or angry with someone, it's important to do two things. 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:20.559 One is to look at them face to face and be in their company. And the second thing is 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:26.119 to pray for them. Both these things, be face to face with God with them and face to face 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:38.079 with them and recognize that they are people and know their story and know their back story 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:44.119 because easy when we're out of people's company to tear down reputations, characters and personalities 00:18:44.119 --> 00:18:50.599 in our fellowship sometimes by the way we speak about them, not to them but speak about 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:58.879 them and the way we can judge them without knowing their situation. Now that doesn't 00:18:58.879 --> 00:19:12.599 mean that we're all just bland and shallow. It will mean that sometimes your friends in 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:17.039 the church or your people in the church that you know and love your community, you will 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:22.159 see that they have dodgy foundations, that there's things that are not right in their 00:19:22.159 --> 00:19:32.679 lives, flimsy behavior and you will point that out gently and in love in order to rebuild. 00:19:32.679 --> 00:19:37.639 Sometimes isn't it true, we need to knock something down and rebuild it and that can 00:19:37.639 --> 00:19:42.359 be true in our lives. So that's the third thing we're spiritual partners. The last thing 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:51.319 I want to say is from Hebrews chapter 10 verses 23 to 25 and James is going to read that. 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:55.259 Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised 00:19:55.259 --> 00:20:01.039 is faithful and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:05.799 neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:12.480 the more as you see the day drawing near. These are all from the writings, generally 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:17.720 speaking from the writings of Paul and there's a similarity as he teaches these truths to 00:20:17.720 --> 00:20:23.680 different churches. And the last thing I want to say is we're teachers, we're singers, 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:28.639 we're spiritual partners building one another up. And the last thing I want to say is we 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:36.240 are different, hopefully we'll be a little bit provocative, we are irritants. In a good 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:41.360 way, can I say that we're irritants? It says, let us consider how to stir up one another 00:20:41.360 --> 00:20:48.759 to love and good works and then it goes on and say not neglecting meeting together, especially 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:54.640 as a day approaches or spur on one another to love and good deeds. And the word there 00:20:54.640 --> 00:21:04.040 is just a word for provoking, stimulating, it could actually be jabbing, okay? So it's 00:21:04.040 --> 00:21:10.000 quite an aggressive word that we're being given here about the way we treat one another 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:17.880 were to be good irritants of one another. You know how the oyster is formed, don't you? 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:25.280 It's formed, sorry, the pearl is formed in an oyster shell, it's when an irritant gets 00:21:25.280 --> 00:21:33.400 in there, a piece of grit and the protective pearl is built around it and something beautiful 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:40.920 comes from it, it provokes a reaction. We've got a defibrillator at the front door, I hope 00:21:40.920 --> 00:21:47.080 we never have to use it, but what does it do? It shocks a heart that has stopped into 00:21:47.079 --> 00:21:55.399 action, it provokes a reaction. And I think it's right that we recognize that in our Christian 00:21:55.399 --> 00:22:04.399 lives we should be lovingly provocative sometimes of one another, provoking, competing, maybe 00:22:04.399 --> 00:22:11.359 that's not the right word, but pushing one another on. As you know, as you would with 00:22:11.359 --> 00:22:17.519 a friend, the kind of thing you would do with your best friend, there's a kind of edge, 00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:22.559 a loving edge to one another where you're spurring them on, where you say, you know, 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:29.959 you can do better than that. You can move forward, you need to pull out of this, not 00:22:29.959 --> 00:22:36.279 in any kind of arrogant or judgmental way, but because you have this great relationship 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:43.599 of honesty and truth with one another in friendship. And that's the kind of picture here, we're 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:50.960 provoking one another to love and to good deeds with one another, help one another overcome 00:22:50.960 --> 00:23:00.680 sometimes that spirit of apathy or a lack of belief in ourselves that sometimes we have 00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:05.440 or a denial of our gifts, oh, you know, God, God, God doesn't give me any gifts, I can't 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:13.400 do anything. No, you do. He has given you. Serve Him with what you are and with who you 00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:23.799 are. Provoke lovingly the people around you to serve. Don't let those closest to you in 00:23:23.799 --> 00:23:29.519 Christ hide behind their insecurities or be content with being in the spiritual shadows 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:35.200 as if they've got nothing to give and nothing to offer. We're all to be those who provoke 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:40.759 and encourage and instruct and teach and sing and build one another up. We've all got these 00:23:40.759 --> 00:23:47.480 gifts, we've all got these abilities in Christ. And so there's that sense of being good irritants 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:56.519 together. So you're looking to the Christian beside you and you're saying, don't give up, 00:23:56.519 --> 00:24:03.720 keep on going. Don't retreat from the front line. Don't give up meeting together. Why 00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:12.000 have you stopped coming to church or why have you stopped praying? Be that loving irritant 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:20.120 in the life of those that we are called to be beside and accept it from others in the 00:24:20.120 --> 00:24:26.000 spirit of love. Isn't that the hardest thing, the reciprocal nature of living that Christian 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:34.119 life where someone who takes us and puts his arm on our shoulder and says, come on. We 00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:41.319 don't recoil and we don't turn away and we don't become defensive and we don't walk. 00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:49.640 But we see the eyes of love and we see the eyes of Christ and we hear the voice of Christ. 00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:55.160 Sometimes you're going to have to say to someone, where else are you going to go? Jesus is 00:24:55.160 --> 00:24:59.720 the words of eternal life. And that's what we're provoking. That's why that's the days 00:24:59.720 --> 00:25:04.960 approaching, isn't it? I'm glad that day's approaching. Things are looking not so great 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:09.880 in the world in which we live. But the day is approaching. And so we encourage one another. 00:25:09.880 --> 00:25:16.759 So in conclusion, remind ourselves, these are challenging one another's, the gospeling 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:21.600 of one another. That is, is the keeping of Christ central to all that we are and all 00:25:21.599 --> 00:25:27.759 we do. And I guess the question coming from it in conclusion is, how well do we know one 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:35.599 another to enable us to do this? There's a level of love and trust needed, isn't there, 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:41.759 to live like this? I don't think it's easy for any of us to be as honest and committed 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:52.839 and vulnerable as these biblical one another's encourages us to be, to intentionally change 00:25:52.839 --> 00:26:00.640 our lives so that we are reliant on others and allow others to be reliant on us in our 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:10.799 Christian walk. It can only come as we stand at the foot of the cross in wonder. And was 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:22.399 He opened our heart, our hearts to the life that He created us to know through His crucifixion 00:26:22.399 --> 00:26:31.680 and resurrection and ascension, as we crucify our sinful natures and link arms together 00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:37.319 on the way to the house of feasting, where joy will know no bounds and where death and 00:26:37.319 --> 00:26:45.079 darkness are banished forever. One another, gospeling one another. I mean, let's pray. 00:26:45.079 --> 00:26:52.039 Father God, help us to be good gospelers of one another. We have good news. We've received 00:26:52.039 --> 00:27:00.319 good news as Christians. We are to live that good news with one another and all its aspects 00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:05.919 and all its challenges for us, but not in our own strength, Lord, we come and cry out 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:11.800 to you for forgiveness when we haven't for strength in order to do this. And just for 00:27:11.800 --> 00:27:17.600 that great perspective that helps us to see that in so doing, we're going to enjoy life 00:27:17.600 --> 00:27:23.840 to the full. I pray particularly this evening for any who are either watching online or 00:27:23.840 --> 00:27:31.200 who are here who don't know Jesus, who have not come to the foot of the cross and seen 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:41.039 a Savior who has died for them. And I pray that you would open their eyes and touch their 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:48.240 hearts this evening to see that. Lord, help us into this week that we've entered. Help 00:27:48.240 --> 00:28:04.279 us to be encouraged, may we go from here built up in the most holy faith. Amen.