God's plan - or no plan

Darren Pepper

Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

1 Corinthians 9:19–23

1 Corinthians 9:24–26

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The New International Version Chapter 3

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight. g

Introduction.

Who am I?

Jenny, Alice and Andrew.

Work in industry four days a week,

We took over the Vine from the Podbury’s in October 2018

The T-minus 12 month plan – get somebody else to do it.

When God puts something on your heart you brain can argue all the reasons it want’s but

The 6 month vision – don’t close, don’t divorce.

What we took on…

A church

- No worship

- A reduction in preaching staff from 3-1

- A reduction in Operational Staff from 3 to 1.not a lot.

- A loss of a family.

A promise that God would put people alongside us to carry the weight.

A library service – that was staffed predominantly with church members – now with two less volunteers

A building.

A community outreach project - Assist -

What is Assist.

One two one support

2 Dementia support groupsS

Everytime we have placed someone in a position of they are essential for us to operate, God has removed them. Either for a short time or permanently.

God has caused us to alter our horizons.

The wider church

The blend of believer and seeker.

Since the start of the project we have worked with 559 people of which 138 have been dementia related.

To those people we offered one to one support, telephone befriending, advice and information and the opportunity to attend our Dementia Support group if appropriate. Many people took advantage of more than one of our services.

In this last year since March 2019: -

· We have visited 115 people at home and

· Over 30 people have attended our Dementia Support Groups.

· We have given advice and information to 66 people.

· We have telephone befriended 21 people.

Some Beneficiary Stories

NB Names have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals

Jane was referred to us by Age UK as she was lonely and isolated after the death of her husband and latterly the death of her son. She was also suffering from several health problems which limited her mobility and made her tired and lethargic but also meant she spent most days alone at home and she was starting to develop Dementia too. Jane used to drive and can no longer do this and she walks with a stick which means she can’t get out of the house very easily. Sometimes she is so lonely she goes and sits in the park just in the hope of seeing someone!

When our Assist volunteer took Jane under her wing her mood was really low, she didn’t feel like making the effort to go out and said she had become lazy! Our volunteer gently encouraged her to come to the Assist Support Group and although she was reluctant Jane didn’t want to refuse her volunteer helper so she came along. Now Jane is really pleased she went to the group and says she enjoys it a lot. Her Assist visitor always transports her to the group in her car, sits with her and looks after her while she is there. She likes the group because she enjoys being with people and it is something different to being in the house. Often when her volunteer arrives to take her she doesn’t feel like going but Jane doesn’t want to let her volunteer down and once she gets there she enjoys it.

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Sarah suffers from various physical problems including a trapped nerve and Parkinson’s disease. Her mobility is limited and she needs to walk with a walker. Her daughter helps her when she can but Sarah spends a lot of time on her own. This has led to Sarah developing depression and feelings of isolation, loneliness and frustration.

Sarah says her Assist volunteer has been there when no-one else is. When her back was better Sarah’s volunteer used to take her out to garden centres and coffee shops. She has also taken her to medical appointments. Sarah says “It’s good when she’s there but I miss her when she’s gone and it’s good to have someone to offload my problems too”

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Tom was contacted by Assist more than two years’ ago following the loss of his wife: he also has a history of depression and anxiety. He has been visited by members of Assist on a regular basis to provide help with practical matters and to offer friendship and support.

Tom has received help to deal with his financial matters including assistance with budgeting and payments, from CAP (Christians Against Poverty). Although still finding money matters a challenge, the work of CAP and Assist has helped him organize his finances and helped his family to manage money more effectively.

Tom has particularly severe anxiety and this currently prevents him from working: Assist have helped Tom to review his current benefits entitlement and apply for further assistance.

Due to his health and disability issues, Tom has regular appointments with a range of health professionals. Assist workers have helped facilitate Tom’s contact with the NHS and assisted him in navigating the bureaucracy that often exists within the health service.

Isolation is a big issue for Tom; it is therefore important for him to get out into the countryside to enjoy a change of scene and leave his worries behind for a few hours.

According to Tom, perhaps the biggest benefit he gets from his contact with Assist is the friendship and opportunity to have a conversation with another interested adult who is there to befriend and not to judge.

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Janet says of experience of Assist “When I first contacted Assist I was deeply depressed. I had no contact with the small amount of family I have and was feeling suicidal. Assist were there for me and helped me through it. If it hadn’t been for Assist I would have had no one. Now although with their help I am no longer suicidal I still suffer greatly from stress and they are still there for me and I am so very grateful”

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Josephine rang the office in a very anxious state. She suffered with back problems and as she had previously been a very active person this had led to depression. She had been asked to attend the job centre for a meeting and the letter stressed that she may lose her benefits if she didn’t attend. Not only would it have been physically impossible for her to get there alone, her anxiety levels were so high that the thought of attending terrified her. Josephine found this all very embarrassing as she had previously been a very confident lady and couldn’t understand why she couldn’t just “snap herself out of it”. In response, we arranged for a volunteer to collect her and accompany her to the job centre and attend the meeting with her. This was very difficult for Josephine as walking was very painful and she also found this very emotional and traumatic. However, the volunteer being there made all the difference and it was a successful visit that Josephine was very grateful for.

The 12 month vision – stabilise = Gods vision grow.

Everytime we have placed someone in a position of they are essential for us to operate, God has removed them. Either for a short time or permanently.

*** God has caused us to alter our horizons.

The wider church

- like minded individuals - First

Methodist 3 2

Anglican 6 0

Vine 3 6

Catholic 6 5

Alive 2 0

No fixed 2 0

non believers 5 2

Formal relationships - forging new links with the local churches, national churches, christians across schools.

- unity not uniformity.

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Assist Figures

Since the start of the project we have worked with 559 people of which 138 have been dementia related.

In this last year since March 2019: -

· We have visited 115 people at home and

· Over 30 people have attended our Dementia Support Groups.

· We have given advice and information to 66 people.

· We have telephone befriended 21 people.

We have prayed with a large number of these.

We have an expectation that we will pray. – We offer to pray on almost all occasions, -

Have any come to church – yes, a few some to our church, some we have linked with others, some we have assisted to go to a church

The blend of believer and seeker.

When we started and before - the focus was on Christian Volunteers only.

Gods Plans not our plans.

We kept strategising -

TST - Kids work. planned to stop - God said not. Planned for older kids - God gave us tots.

Access to parents.

All of this is great but we do not want to be Godly people doing a good job.

We want to be doing a kingdom Job.

We have prayed with a large number of these.

We have an expectation that we will pray. – We offer to pray on almost all occasions, -

Have any come to church – yes, a few some to our church, some we have linked with others, some we have assisted to go to a church

The 24 month vision – be intentional.

We had a minus 12 month vision. – that was contrary to God’s

We had a 6 month vision that God honoured but corrected.

We had a 12 month vision that was too small and contained for God.

As you can see we have a really good track record. – This year we are following God’s vision.

A word that is one that I would share with anyone. It chimes with themes I am hearing from prophetic and apostolic sources around the UK and the world. Who are talking about a new decade, aligning ourselves to the new actions of God.

A word for the church this year was to be intentional. This was brought for two purposes

1. To make sure we are not drifting.. To be clear in the things we start, we maintain and we finish.

2. To make sure that the real purpose of what we do is kept as the real purpose for what we do

A clear plan to be Godly not Good

We do not want to be Godly people doing a good job.

We want to be doing a kingdom Job.

We have an expectation that we will pray. – We offer to pray on almost all occasions, -

Have any come to church – yes, a few some to our church, some we have linked with others, some we have assisted to go to a church

That is where we are now.

Operating a church that is growing - numbers are a useful measure but they are a measure of the myopic

There has been growth in numbers but the real growth is in the health, the maturity of the church.

That is where we are investing in the church we are intentionally looking to strengthen the health of the church both our own and the wider church.

We are operating a library - a community hub but a Kingdom asset.

We started with the view that Christians would staff it as a way to reach non Christians - come in for a book, leave with a salvation.

we now see the library service we provide as a multi facet approach

Normalisation

Contact

evangelism - staff and clients

Investing into the life of the volunteers as much as the customers - E’s story.

A post office, not because it is a valuable and missing service to the community but because it serves our Kingdom approach.

Every thing we do we are intentionally apprising how it serves our Kingdom purpose.

We then take part in that activity open eyed both in the natural - where are we spending our cash our efforts - and spiritually - how God can you use this.

Conclusion

Gods plan or you have no plan - calling, vision - obiednece

Your limits are not God’s limits - What about the promise of those people who would come around us to carry the load.

God’s delivery mechanisms are not yours

We are called to be intentional - in our walk

For a personal and corporate perspective we challenged ourselves and our folks to be in intentional in how we

Seek Him

Worship Him

Engage with Him

Acknowledge Him (refer)

Represent Him

We extend these areas across all our operations and activities

Does it point to God

Does it bring adoration to Him

Does it Give Him glory

Does it make Him famous. - are we overt that this is a God focused thing?

And does it represent Him Well

If the answer to any of first four is no - We do it anyway, as long as we understand why

Like Paul we flex to allow us to penetrate society.

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 NIV

19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

The final one though that is not negotiable does it represent Him well. if the answer to that is no - we stop -

1 cor. 9:19-

There is a final one though that is not negotiable does it represent Him well. if the answer to that is no - we stop -

1 Corinthians 9:24–26 NIV

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.

1cor. 9:24-

We focus on the kingdom purpose, we change our approach, our form of service, but the Kingdom message is the Kingdom message, no compromise. When we honour God with that, He honours us with sucess beyond our abilities.

Appeal for volunteers

Appeal for referals

The New International Version Chapter 9

Paul’s Use of His Freedom

The Need for Self-Discipline

Related Media

Related Sermons

God's plan - or no plan

Introduction.

Introduction.

The T-minus 12 month plan – get somebody else to do it.

The 6 month vision – don’t close, don’t divorce.

Some Beneficiary Stories

The 12 month vision – stabilise = Gods vision grow.

The blend of believer and seeker.

Gods Plans not our plans.

​

The 24 month vision – be intentional.

A clear plan to be Godly not Good

That is where we are now.

Conclusion