WEBVTT

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 Hi everyone, my name is Adrian Wong,

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 and I'm one of the members of the staff team at this church.

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 It's great that I can bring the word of God to you today.

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 And I'm also a regular user of Facebook,

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 and I've seen some memes that try to capture this time in a lighthearted way.

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 The best one that I have seen is the four stages of quarantine.

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 You might have that on screen with you.

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 I love this one because it captures this moment perfectly.

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 From the stresses of homeschooling or work,

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 and the potential wage gain of being housebound.

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 And I just really hope that for myself,

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 that I won't come out as a more haggardly fatter version of myself

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 at the end of this time.

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 And we live in a time of drastic change.

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 In this section of the Bible,

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 we can also see and meet a group of Jesus' followers

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 who also went through a drastic change.

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 Well, it's easy to bunk up and have a siege mentality during this time.

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 Just look at all the ludicrous examples of hoarding.

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 But today, I hope to challenge you to live differently,

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 both for right now and also to aim for what we can be at the end of this time.

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 I'll pray to God now so that we can do this.

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 Dear God, as you change the disciples through Jesus,

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 through your word,

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 pray that you can do a similar work in us.

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 We pray this in Jesus' name.

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 Amen.

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 So please keep the Bible open up at Luke 24,

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 so that we can read through this.

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 What we have here is a before and after picture.

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 In verses 36 to 43,

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 we have the before picture.

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 The disciples were in a state of shock,

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 even when Jesus appeared in bodily form.

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 Let's look at verse 37.

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 They were described as startled and frightened.

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 They thought that they saw a ghost.

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 We can see that Jesus tried to show in different ways that he is real.

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 In verse 40, he said,

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 When he had said this,

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 he showed them his hands and feet.

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 And while they still did not believe it

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 because of joy and amazement,

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 he asked them,

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 Do you have anything to eat?

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 The disciples here still couldn't believe what they saw.

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 So now that we have the before picture,

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 let's look at the after.

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 The after picture is in verses 50 to 53.

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 I'll read from verse 52.

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 Then they worshipped him

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 and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

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 And they stayed continually at the temple,

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 praising God.

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 We must ask ourselves this question.

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 How did they change from fear and confusion

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 to worship and proclamation?

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 To do this, we need to understand what caused the change.

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 The first thing that caused the change

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 is the disciples realized

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 what Jesus means from the Old Testament

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 because Jesus showed them what he means.

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 In verse 46, he told them,

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 This is what is written.

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 The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.

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 Jesus' death isn't just a cruel execution

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 or an accidental death.

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 But as the Messiah, God's chosen servant,

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 he willingly suffered so we can be forgiven.

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 Jesus is also God's chosen king,

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 rising on the third day

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 to show that he can defeat the ultimate enemy, death.

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 Secondly, the disciples understood

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 Jesus' work and its significance.

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 In verse 47, it says,

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 Repentance for the forgiveness of sins

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 will be preached in his name.

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 So here, preaching isn't about just what happened to Jesus,

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 but what his actions has achieved.

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 So, what does repentance and forgiveness

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 in his name mean?

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 So let's look at the idea of repentance.

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 Dictionary.com defines repentance in this way.

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 Firstly, deep sorrow or contrition for a past sin,

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 wrongdoing or the like.

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 The second way is regret for any past action.

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 Is this the kind of repentance that Jesus has in mind?

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 We often function with this dictionary definition,

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 but that wouldn't be what is described here.

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 You see, if we function with that definition,

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 it has nothing to do with Jesus.

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 Repentance is not only about giving up your moral vices,

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 but it's actually turning,

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 turning away from those things to Jesus as the king.

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 In the same way, forgiveness in Jesus' name

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 is not mainly about forgiving other people

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 or seeking forgiveness from others

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 or trying to forgive yourself to clear your conscience.

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 When we turn to Jesus,

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 we realize that we need forgiveness

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 and the only way we can do that

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 is through the death of Jesus

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 so that our wrongdoing can be paid for by Jesus.

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 So look at the task that Jesus gave to the disciples.

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 We can see that in verse 47.

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 And repentance for the forgiveness of sins

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 will be preached in his name to all nations,

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 beginning at Jerusalem.

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 The idea we see here

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 also appears in Luke, in Acts,

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 which is a sequel to Luke.

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 In chapter 1, verse 8, it says,

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 The disciples carried out the instructions from Jesus

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 from Luke 24, verse 47,

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 in the book of Acts.

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 There are two paths to Jesus' instruction,

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 which is to preach repentance and forgiveness,

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 and who to preach it to,

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 to all nations.

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 We can see the disciples

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 proclaiming this message

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 in the book of Acts.

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 Let me read you some examples

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 from the book of Acts.

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 In Acts, chapter 2, verse 38, it says,

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 Repent and be baptized, every one of you,

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 in the name of Jesus Christ

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 for the forgiveness of your sins.

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 Acts 10, verse 43, says,

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 All the prophets testify about him

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 that everyone who believes in him

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 receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

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 Acts 14, verse 15, says,

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 We bring you good news,

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 telling you to turn from these worthless things

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 to the living God.

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 Acts 17, 30,

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 In the past, God overlooked such ignorance,

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 but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

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 In Acts 26,

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 I preach that they should repent and turn to God

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 and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.

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 And in the sermons that I've quoted from,

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 they also fulfilled the prayer

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 to preach to all nations,

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 with Peter preaching in Jerusalem in Acts 2,

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 and at the end,

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 near the end,

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 Paul reaching Rome at the end of Acts.

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 So, let's look at the third thing.

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 How are we to proclaim Jesus now?

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 It's fairly obvious that none of us

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 are old enough to see Jesus

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 or have been taught by the disciples.

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 And we are not eyewitnesses like the disciples are.

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 And although we won't proclaim Jesus in the same way,

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 the brief to us is similar.

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 We are to proclaim Jesus to all nations.

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 So, let me give you two practical ways

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 for each part of the brief.

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 Firstly, how do we reach the nations?

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 The first way that we can do that

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 is to deepen our existing relationships.

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 So, I'll give you an example from one of my friends.

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 He, like me,

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 we like playing board games,

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 and we meet once every two or three months to do so.

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 As a parent with young kids,

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 I don't get to do this often,

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 so that's all we can do,

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 once every two or three months.

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 He's also a Christian,

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 and he really wanted to deepen his relationship

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 with his high school friends

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 that he hasn't met that much.

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 So, he organized to play board games

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 and chat.

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 He found that this way of playing,

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 people were much more willing to meet.

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 He has organized three of these meetings

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 in the last month already.

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 And he had time to delve into more

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 one-to-one relationships after the games.

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 The example of what he did

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 is something that we can emulate.

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 I'll just break it down into steps

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 so we can sort of think about

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 how we do that in our own context.

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 The first thing is,

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 we need to encourage

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 our existing physical communities

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 to keep in touch in virtual communities.

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 The second thing

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 is once you form these communities,

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 be an active participant

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 and initiate conversations.

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 And when you're in these conversations,

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 be genuine and caring.

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 And work out how they are feeling

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 and use it as a bridge

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 to invite people

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 to our online church

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 or community groups.

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 This season of fear and uncertainty

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 means that people are more willing

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 to open up.

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 Somebody at church shared with me

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 that he felt during the last month

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 he has much deeper conversations.

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 He thinks that it would take years

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 to achieve the same level of death

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 under the normal circumstances.

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 The second way that we can reach nations,

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 besides building deeper relationships,

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 is to make new ones.

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 So for a lot of us,

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 social distancing is quite tough already.

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 But imagine doing this by yourself,

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 as a student,

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 or a worker on a working visa

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 from overseas.

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 And they can't return home overseas

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 because of travel restrictions.

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 And they have no way

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 of connecting with their family and friends.

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 We have a great opportunity

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 to connect with many people like this.

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 especially in the area of Chesford.

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 In this local council area,

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 just more than half,

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 50.6% of people,

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 were born overseas.

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 The nations have come to Chesford.

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 And the nations need to know Jesus,

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 especially in this time.

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 So I'll show you some ways

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 that people at this church

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 have tried to take hold of this opportunity

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 to connect with people during this time.

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 So some people,

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 during their exercise walks,

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 have been dropping notes to their neighbours,

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 either the neighbours

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 or the same people in the apartment complex,

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 offering help,

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 like picking up groceries,

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 offering their number for a friendly chat,

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 to establish goodwill.

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 And as a result,

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 quite a few of them

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 have gotten to know their neighbours

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 a bit better.

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 And others have tried to do this

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 in quite creative ways.

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 For example,

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 they got the kids to play on the driveway

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 instead of in the backyard,

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 just to get more chances

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 to bump into the neighbours.

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 I encourage you to think of creative ways

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 that you can do this

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 in your own context.

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 For those that are watching the service online,

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 and are meeting as a group,

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 why don't you meet after the service

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 and brainstorm ideas

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 of how you can make more connections

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 and make deeper connections as well.

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 So let's look at the second part of the brief,

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 which is how to proclaim Jesus.

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 So it's unlikely that many of us

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 will stand in front of 3,000 people

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 like Peter or more

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 and proclaim Jesus.

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 But let me suggest two ways

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 that we can do this in our context.

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 The first thing that we have already seen,

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 that we have mentioned,

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 is to invite people

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 to our online communities,

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 both the large ones

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 like the live streaming

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 that you are a part of right now,

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 or the small ones

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 in our community groups.

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 So I'll show you why that's important.

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 In the past,

00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:14.019
 the typical path

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 for people to become a Christian

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 is for them to figure out

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 what the Bible means

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 before joining a local church.

00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:22.919
 Nowadays,

00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:24.080
 quite a few of us

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 want to see and experience

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 what things are like

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 for believing.

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 Putting it another way,

00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:32.200
 in the past,

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 a lot of people

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 want to believe

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 before they belong.

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 Now it's more likely

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 the other way around.

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 People want to belong

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 before they believe.

00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:42.080
 Now this statement

00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:43.659
 doesn't only apply

00:13:43.659 --> 00:13:45.399
 to those that grew up

00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:46.620
 in the postmodern West,

00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:48.440
 but it also applies

00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:49.100
 for cultures

00:13:49.100 --> 00:13:49.820
 that never heard

00:13:49.820 --> 00:13:50.740
 of the good news of Jesus.

00:13:50.740 --> 00:13:53.000
 When these people

00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:56.240
 see and hear

00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:56.879
 and experience

00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:57.620
 the good news of Jesus

00:13:57.620 --> 00:13:58.159
 in action,

00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:00.500
 they would want to work out

00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:01.659
 what Jesus means

00:14:01.659 --> 00:14:02.539
 for them in real life.

00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:04.360
 I'll give you

00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:05.460
 an example of this.

00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:07.820
 A few years ago,

00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:09.360
 I was talking to

00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:10.120
 a grandpa

00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:11.139
 from mainland China

00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:13.419
 here on a one-year visa

00:14:13.419 --> 00:14:14.419
 because he was here

00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:15.519
 to look after his grandkids.

00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:17.980
 We went to the same church

00:14:17.980 --> 00:14:19.980
 and as we were

00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:20.720
 standing outside,

00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:22.100
 he noticed

00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:22.699
 how the kids

00:14:22.699 --> 00:14:23.159
 were playing.

00:14:24.179 --> 00:14:24.779
 He said to me,

00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:26.139
 I can see that

00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:26.899
 you guys are different.

00:14:28.059 --> 00:14:28.779
 The kids are taking

00:14:28.779 --> 00:14:29.460
 care of each other

00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:31.319
 and the parents

00:14:31.319 --> 00:14:31.620
 were willing

00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:32.299
 to help the kids

00:14:32.299 --> 00:14:34.139
 and not just

00:14:34.139 --> 00:14:34.639
 their own kids

00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:35.319
 but other kids

00:14:35.319 --> 00:14:36.259
 if they needed help.

00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:39.419
 That was attractive

00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:40.120
 to this grandpa

00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:41.879
 so he decided

00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:42.639
 to hang around

00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:43.419
 this church community

00:14:43.419 --> 00:14:44.019
 for a while.

00:14:45.820 --> 00:14:46.799
 Can you see that

00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:47.820
 in this example

00:14:47.820 --> 00:14:49.779
 when a community

00:14:49.779 --> 00:14:51.320
 even as young as kids

00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:53.320
 express their repentance

00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:54.960
 turning away

00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:56.460
 from living for themselves

00:14:56.460 --> 00:14:58.779
 for caring for each other

00:14:58.779 --> 00:15:00.820
 it gives us

00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:02.139
 a living example

00:15:02.139 --> 00:15:02.740
 of repentance

00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:04.139
 and the opportunity

00:15:04.139 --> 00:15:05.180
 to speak about

00:15:05.180 --> 00:15:06.139
 the message of Jesus.

00:15:06.139 --> 00:15:09.059
 Even though we can't

00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:09.720
 meet in person

00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:10.220
 right now,

00:15:11.199 --> 00:15:11.980
 we can invite people

00:15:11.980 --> 00:15:13.220
 to online communities

00:15:13.220 --> 00:15:15.500
 and there are some

00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:16.720
 unexpected advantages

00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:17.620
 for us to do this.

00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:19.039
 Well,

00:15:19.939 --> 00:15:20.600
 when people can

00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:22.399
 live stream church

00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:23.159
 at home,

00:15:24.460 --> 00:15:25.220
 they don't have to worry

00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:25.899
 about fitting in.

00:15:26.059 --> 00:15:26.600
 They can do it

00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:27.639
 from the comfort

00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:28.299
 of their own home

00:15:28.299 --> 00:15:30.360
 and it's not that far

00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:30.779
 to,

00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:32.439
 it's right here at home

00:15:32.439 --> 00:15:33.460
 so it's not far

00:15:33.460 --> 00:15:34.279
 for you to go to church.

00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:37.100
 And the best thing is

00:15:37.100 --> 00:15:38.059
 people are opting

00:15:38.059 --> 00:15:38.740
 into church.

00:15:39.259 --> 00:15:40.299
 They can opt in

00:15:40.299 --> 00:15:42.039
 as their own accord

00:15:42.039 --> 00:15:43.000
 and watch this

00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:43.919
 and work out

00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:44.779
 what Jesus means for them.

00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:47.299
 The thing is

00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:48.240
 the way that we

00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:49.120
 express community

00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:49.840
 right now,

00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:51.340
 whether we are warm

00:15:51.340 --> 00:15:52.059
 and inviting,

00:15:53.379 --> 00:15:54.000
 impacts the way

00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:54.620
 we meet together

00:15:54.620 --> 00:15:55.159
 when we do

00:15:55.159 --> 00:15:55.860
 come back together.

00:15:57.960 --> 00:15:59.139
 So my first challenge

00:15:59.139 --> 00:15:59.759
 for you is

00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:01.240
 are you willing

00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:02.059
 to invite people

00:16:02.059 --> 00:16:02.500
 to community?

00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:04.500
 An easy way

00:16:04.500 --> 00:16:05.179
 for you to do that

00:16:05.179 --> 00:16:06.339
 is just to post

00:16:06.339 --> 00:16:07.839
 the live stream links

00:16:07.839 --> 00:16:09.279
 every week

00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:09.959
 for church

00:16:09.959 --> 00:16:10.759
 on Sunday

00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:12.379
 and work out

00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:12.939
 how to do

00:16:12.939 --> 00:16:13.819
 a personal invite

00:16:13.819 --> 00:16:15.099
 for your community groups.

00:16:16.779 --> 00:16:17.719
 The second way

00:16:17.719 --> 00:16:18.799
 that we can proclaim Jesus

00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:20.759
 is to use our stories.

00:16:23.339 --> 00:16:24.379
 When people see

00:16:24.379 --> 00:16:25.120
 the experiences

00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:26.319
 of our repentance

00:16:26.319 --> 00:16:26.959
 and forgiveness,

00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:28.699
 not just the facts

00:16:28.699 --> 00:16:29.459
 of what Jesus did

00:16:29.459 --> 00:16:31.159
 and not just

00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:32.079
 how you were converted,

00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:34.720
 but how you experience

00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:35.320
 it every day

00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:37.259
 is a concrete example

00:16:37.259 --> 00:16:38.000
 for people to see.

00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:39.940
 So I'll give you

00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:40.639
 a second challenge

00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:41.500
 of how to do that.

00:16:42.540 --> 00:16:43.740
 I'll film myself

00:16:43.740 --> 00:16:45.100
 sharing a story

00:16:45.100 --> 00:16:46.740
 of how I turned

00:16:46.740 --> 00:16:47.200
 to Jesus

00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:48.400
 and how it's

00:16:48.400 --> 00:16:49.300
 impacted my life.

00:16:50.180 --> 00:16:50.840
 And I would like

00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:51.800
 to invite you

00:16:51.800 --> 00:16:52.160
 to take up

00:16:52.160 --> 00:16:52.980
 the same challenge.

00:16:53.940 --> 00:16:54.460
 Record a video

00:16:54.460 --> 00:16:54.940
 of yourself,

00:16:55.879 --> 00:16:56.420
 tell others

00:16:56.420 --> 00:16:57.340
 how the good news

00:16:57.340 --> 00:16:57.780
 of Jesus

00:16:57.780 --> 00:16:59.240
 has impacted you

00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:00.120
 and posted

00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:00.820
 on social media.

00:17:02.539 --> 00:17:02.980
 Remember,

00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:04.059
 we can share

00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:04.920
 both our successes

00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:05.599
 and failures.

00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:07.460
 When we are genuine,

00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:08.799
 others can see

00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:09.519
 that the impact

00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:10.519
 of Jesus has on us.

00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:12.460
 It's actually,

00:17:12.700 --> 00:17:13.839
 especially in our failures,

00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:14.880
 that people can see

00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:16.079
 how repentance

00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:16.640
 and forgiveness

00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:18.019
 is about in action.

00:17:20.220 --> 00:17:21.019
 So as we come

00:17:21.019 --> 00:17:21.620
 to a close,

00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:23.380
 I would like to think

00:17:23.380 --> 00:17:24.180
 of us to think

00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:24.740
 of church

00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:26.019
 in the form

00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:26.539
 of a meme.

00:17:27.420 --> 00:17:27.980
 So what would

00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:28.720
 we be like

00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:29.559
 at the end

00:17:29.559 --> 00:17:30.299
 of social distancing?

00:17:32.140 --> 00:17:32.940
 Imagine a church

00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:33.559
 that takes

00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:34.380
 the task

00:17:34.380 --> 00:17:34.860
 of reaching

00:17:34.860 --> 00:17:35.980
 the nation seriously.

00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:38.740
 Imagine a church

00:17:38.740 --> 00:17:39.579
 where every regular

00:17:39.579 --> 00:17:40.039
 member

00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:41.779
 has built

00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:43.039
 five deeper

00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:44.440
 or new relationships

00:17:44.440 --> 00:17:45.500
 with those

00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:46.539
 in our community.

00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:49.180
 Imagine a church

00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:49.480
 that takes

00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:50.519
 proclamation seriously,

00:17:51.360 --> 00:17:52.720
 that invites people

00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:53.579
 to our church

00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:54.819
 and community groups,

00:17:55.640 --> 00:17:56.539
 and is ready

00:17:56.539 --> 00:17:57.000
 to share

00:17:57.000 --> 00:17:57.640
 the good news

00:17:57.640 --> 00:17:58.059
 of Jesus

00:17:58.059 --> 00:17:59.039
 in their stories

00:17:59.039 --> 00:17:59.740
 of how Jesus

00:17:59.740 --> 00:18:00.559
 has impacted them.

00:18:01.980 --> 00:18:02.639
 Wouldn't that be

00:18:02.639 --> 00:18:03.259
 a change worth

00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:03.819
 aiming for?

00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:05.700
 So what I would

00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:06.919
 like to do now

00:18:06.919 --> 00:18:07.579
 is for us

00:18:07.579 --> 00:18:08.720
 to have 15 seconds

00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:10.039
 to jot down

00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:10.579
 what you want

00:18:10.579 --> 00:18:11.059
 to change

00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:12.259
 and James

00:18:12.259 --> 00:18:12.659
 will lead us

00:18:12.659 --> 00:18:13.099
 in prayer

00:18:13.099 --> 00:18:13.919
 after this time.

00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:25.720
 with the law

00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:27.360
 to bring us

00:18:27.360 --> 00:18:27.480
 into that

00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:32.800
 and

00:18:32.800 --> 00:18:33.380
 in their

00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:33.740
infirmed