Anniversary Dinner

Your Pic’s Questions

How many hats - 6

What colours were the 2 monkeys in the tree? - Dark blue (and pink with a lines of green,) and Blue and orange

How many donuts can you see in the box? - 8

How many different people were under blankets or duvets? - 8

What colour was the football under the trampoline? - yellow

What did Tim say right at the end of the video? - Magic

Future

We’ve thought a little about the Past - Jeab told us...

(recap Jeabs)

And in reality - unless there was a past there would be no present.

None of us would be sitting here.,

We wouldn’t have played those games - or more importantly we wouldn’t be able to encourage each other in our faith and walk with Jesus.

unless some had sacrificed much and worked hard to bring the gospel here, then some of us would not even know Jesus.

And none of us would have the church family we have here today.

And so that raises the question of the future.

Do we want to say thank you very much as we look back and well put our feet up?

Thank you very much, let me,

let us now just worry about our own complicated lives - without thinking about others?

Or do we want to continue to work hard,

to love Jesus and others,

to keep spreading the gospel that Jesus is Lord.

To save lost sinners like us, from hell and for Heaven - for Jesus?

Oh, but Sam, that’s hard work.

Yep, it is - we’ll think about how hard it is to live for the glory of God in tomorrows sermon passage.

But - our efforts, our sacrifice, our future,

is not actually to play a part in our thinking

Something else is:,

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NIV

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

We no longer live for ourselevs - we live for JEsus.

He died for us, so that we can all die to our sin.

He rose again to give us new life in Him - and a life that belongs to him.

Our future is therefore unconditionally,

uncontrollably

His.

And I’m not sure there is any better future than that is there?

One where we live for Jesus not oursleves.

Where we share the gospel of Jesus as Lord,

so other may die to their sin and judgement

and be raised to eternal and glorious life for Jesus.

The staff of Co-Mission our network

, including the GC staff, were reminded this week at a conference,

from this very passage

- that our future is not based on our ability to love Jesus - but on the FACT that he loves us.

2 Corinthians 5:14 (NIV)

For Christ’s love compels us,

If our sacrificial gospel spreading,

people loving future

was based on our love for JEsus - then it would be as up and down as a Covid lock down, roller costas, bitcoin values!

but no - it is the love of Christ Jesus FOR us - proven beyond doubt as he died for you and me -

That Compels us -

The word compels is sometimes translated controls us, or constrains us!

What else can a child of God,

-loved unto death- do?

other than be compelled,

contained,

controlled by the love of Jesus - who loves us enough to give us his life.

I was thinking about what could give us a vision moving forward as a church to motivate and inspire, to encourage.

As our 2 services are almost full and we might need to think about a 3rd, or a church plant, as rotas grow and commitments change,

as we see the lostness of our fiends, neighbours, colleagues who don’t know Jesus and face His right judgement,

What could inspire us to move forward into the future as sacrificial, obedient, gospel sharing, people loving, humble servants of Jesus.

Well; it’s obvious when you read God’s word isn’t it.

The Love of Jesus is our vision, our motivation.

Fix your eyes on Jesus.

on his Love - which compels us to give our lives to him.

Pray.