Vision 2024

INTRO: Review of 2023. Growth across all demographics. Stats across all ministries - not just Sunday.

REVIEW OF 2023

Members 180. More than 40 chose last year to make C3 their home.

Average attendance 113. Up by 30+

REVIEW OF 2023

Salvations 30. Up by 30

Re-commitments 56. Up by 50

Baptisms 17. Up by 14

Very much seeing growth across all demographics. ppl are growing spiritually in their r/ w with God and we are seeing fruit. Isn’t God good?

2 new CGs started. Outreach to Richmond Village started by Shebah - going v well, seen fruit. Anyone want to volunteer in this fantastic outreach pls speak to Shebah. We are now running Alpha every term due to the increased demand. CAP work has also expanded.

Give glory to God. He is building His church. Massive thanks to each and every one of you here. You have all been instrumental in this. You are a wonderful church & it remains a delight to be your pastor. Thank you for making it such a joy for Angie and myself. We are delighted to see you grow in passion for Jesus and His kingdom. Bless you all.

So let’s come to this new year 2024 and return to our mission.

Matthew 22:37–40 NLT

Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Matthew 28:19 NLT

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Everything flows from here. Our vision of IBTC. We BC by love and we TC by making disciples. All done empowered by God’s love and HS.

1 John 4:19 NKJV

We love Him because He first loved us.

Gospel

The pursuit of Jesus is the most important thing we can be doing and the most effective way to a highly fruitful life. It fulfills our mission and our our vision as a church.

It is as we soak in God’s love that we are empowered to:

love God back, love others, (1John 4v19)

obey God (John 14v 23)

be fruitful (John 15v5)

TEACH HOW TO SOAK. Pause, be still. Thank Him that He loves u completely. Praise Him 4 it. Often I will confess that I need His love - simply to humble and open my heart to receive a greater exp of Him.

Ezekiel 47:1 NLT

In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side.

Ezekiel 47:6–10 NLT

He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.

Ezekiel 47:12 NLT

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”

Notice that the river faced east in the direction of the dead sea. And it healed that which was sick and brought to life all that was dying. This is now our call. We are the temples of the HS. And we are called by God to move in the HS for the benefit of a dead and dying world. We are to allow the love and life of Jesus to flow out of us into our communities and see ppl saved, restored, healed, with new hope.

This is the impact we can have with God’s love/ HS flowing thru us. IBTC isn’t a glib phrase. It means to:

take the presence & power of God into every street

take the light & love of Jesus into every community/ every sphere of influence you have.

It means we are purposeful, front-footed seeking to change atmospheres with God Himself.

That everwhere we go we make friends and make disciples. Fuelled by the love & presence Of God.

Everywhere we demonstrate and declare love of God. We choose to build Gods kingdom. In our homes/ streets/ neighbourhoods/ workplaces. In whatever sphere you are working in, wherever you live you are a kingdom influencer.

And all of this achieves salvations/ love transmitted/ ppl knowing their true worth/ life lived to the fullness of ppls potential.

Ppl have decided to join our church family last year for a whole variety of reasons. Some cos they saw transformations in friends and family. Others came into contact with authentic loving ppl in church who told them about Jesus and about our family. They came, got saved and added to us. But everyone who came did so cos someone here invited them. Told them about Jesus & about the love & acceptance they would find here. This is how u made the Kingdom grow this year. Huge well done!!!

The intentional part of the vision is just that. Where we make the most of every opportunity to build with others.

E.g. Keith & Julie

I could tell u about a lot of others but there’s not the time.

As a church this year we will be doing:

2nd service once a month from Sept.

Discipleship course (Design slide please Sally)

starts in March and will run once a month for 8 months. If you are looking to take your r/w with God to a deeper level, you want 2024 to be a year of real transformation this is for you. Ltd places. You have all been emailed the application form today with the brochure. [show brochure] Ali B running it - should be amazing.

Leadership training

Creating new CGs as we continue to expand. Not just in Chelt also in Tewkesbury & Glos as we seek to widen our influence. Always on the look out for new CG leaders. CGs are a major way in which ppl are discipled and disciple one another. Great to have so many of you in a CG. Its as we ourselves are transformed by discipleship/ presence/ love/ word that we we transform our communities.

Alpha slide please Sally running from Friday 12th Jan. Creche available for parents.

Please pray and consider who to ask. Ask them to try one session rather than commit to all of it. Tell them they’re coming to a free lunch. Excellent course for the basics of C faith to explore it if ppl are curious or getting a foundation of the core beliefs.

Alpha will run each term again this year, some daytime, some evening courses.

On top of this Nest/ chatterbox/ cafe/ foodbank/ lego club/ richmond v are all outreach ministries that will continue to run

“Attracting other Christians doesn’t fulfill our mission. Reaching people for Christ fulfills our mission.”

So, We need to pray. If a vision is possible without God, without Prayer, it’s not big enough. We need to stop aiming only for what’s naturally possible and start aiming for what’s supernaturally possible. It’s time to start aiming high enough in our own lives that God‘s power is absolutely vital. Where we prayer is vital to see our vision happen. God has a bigger vision for our lives, church, then we can see. We may catch a glimpse of it and then quickly reduce it because we think it can’t be done. We think it’s not possible. But God will always give a vision for what is impossible . God works in the impossible. He works best in the place where “it can’t be done.” That’s where we learn to depend on him. So let God make your world bigger in 2024. Let’s hear and believe God‘s outlandish vision for us individually and as a church this year. And let’s turn to prayer to see God move. As has already been said....

Prayer & fasting for the next 6 weeks. pick 1 day a week for next 6 weeks to fast food (or something else). Carves out more time for prayer (doesn’t twist God’s arm but tunes us in to His heart and voice more). Every Tue during Jan we will be holding prayer meetings here.

Jesus has called us to make disciples. He has called us to preach good news to the poor. Amen? God never asks anything of us that He won’t empower. We are anointed to preach the gospel and see salvations. Make disciples. Let’s expect this. This is the power you carry on you. An anointed, powerful minister of the gospel. See yourself as such.

PROPHESY.

john 4:35-36

John 4:35–36 NLT

You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!

“Preach the gospel everywhere and you will see fruit. [Not bible bashing but] within genuine relationship. As u tell ppl the difference God make 2 u, why you can remain calm when things are hectic, why you hope, why u have Jesus in your life. Because God is saying the harvest is ready. Ppl are ready to hear the good news of Jesus. Be faithful here and you will see fruit.”

APPLICATION

soak in God’s love, buid your r with Him, let Him energize you.

Know that you are called to be fruitful, anointed

Be intentional

God desires to have a close, eternal r with every single person on the planet. A r that holds the promise of complete peace, joy and hope. Jesus loves us completely. He desired that r with us so much that He came to this planet and died instead of us that we may have our sins forgiven. Wiped clean. A fresh start. Today is a day to make an extremely important decision.

In a moment I am going to pray and you may find yourself in one of the following three categories. Can I have every head bowed please.

1. You don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. You have never had a r with Him and would like to make the decision to follow Him today. To receive forgiveness and begin a r with Him.

2. You used to walk with Jesus and would like to re-connect with Him today.

3. You’re not sure of your salvation. You’re not sure that at the end of your life you will be going to heaven and you desire that certainty that Jesus offers.

If you relate to any of those 3 then please pray along with me now, repeating these words out of your own heart.

Lord Jesus, I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I ask You to forgive me for all my wrongdoing, and receive me as Your child. I commit my life to You now. Amen

With every head still bowed could I ask you to raise your hand if you prayed that prayer?

Pause

Anybody else?

PAUSE – pray for these ppl to receive God’s peace and presence

Thank you Lord for you all incredible love that you have showed us. Pour out your presence. thank you that for everyone today who raised their hands have entered into a most wonderful relationship with you and can be assured of their salvation.

MIN

Ephesians 3:16–20 NLT

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

During this last song if u would like prayer for anything please come to the front.

Esp If you would like soak in God’s love, that you may grow in love for Him, others and in power and fruitfulness.

WoK: knee, left hip and ribs. Chest pains