Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] God, we just want to thank you. We can be here together this morning. We just thank you that we can gather here in peace and security.
[00:00:06] Lord God, we just want to acknowledge our faults and our flaws before you. The sin in our lives, the things that we've said and thought and done that fall short of your standard, Lord. And we want to say that we're sorry. We want to ask for your forgiveness. We just pray for your cleansing. We just pray that you would protect this time now, that you'll bless this time, that you would lead us and guide us, and there would be your voice that's speaking to us. And. And so we commit this to you in your precious name. Amen.
[00:00:31] Amen.
[00:00:32] So for those who are visiting here, my name's Dan. I'm just one of the people here at the church. The context to this morning, I guess, is that as Janine alluded to in her prayer at the start, we don't have a pastor heading into 2026.
[00:00:49] And so there are a number of people from within the church that will be speaking, and we will be following through the book of Matthew. So as has wonderfully read to us already by Lurz, we're looking at Matthew 10 this morning, verses 5 to 15. So please keep your Bibles open if that helps you. And as a cross reference as well, you can find this. It is highly likely that the same event happens in Luke. In chapter 10. In Matthew's gospel, we read that it's the 12 disciples that have been sent out. In Luke, we actually realize it's much larger than just the 12. It's about 72 followers of Jesus that are sent out. And so we'll look into this as we move forward.
[00:01:35] This is what we're looking at this morning. Whenever you say this is what we're going to look at, it makes more sense when we hit on it, but it gives you a structure, I guess, as to the sequence of how we're going to follow through with things. And so the first thing we'll take a look at is actually defining evangelism. So in this passage here that Lulz has read out to us, the disciples are going out to evangelize. Now, this is a Christian, and sometimes people know what it means and other times they don't. But literally, it comes from the Greek euangelion, which means the good news or the gospel. Where do we get the V sound? It's when it's translated into the Latin.
[00:02:20] But in the Greek, the EU part just means the good angelos, or where we get the Word angel means messenger. So a messenger of the good news is literally, and evangelists. And I guess the first challenge for us as we head into 2026 is that we're all called to evangelize. It wasn't just the disciples. It's not just those who have been to Bible college. It's we're all called to evangelize.
[00:02:46] And in a nutshell, could you describe what the gospel is, what the good news is? You know, because if you think that it's about good works, earning your way to salvation, you're off the mark. If you think all roads lead to the top of the mountain, you know you're off the mark.
[00:03:04] If you can say that God created all things and he gave us free will. And with that free will, we stuffed it up. We choose to sin. We do and say and think things that are wrong and are sinful, and it keeps us apart from a holy and perfect God.
[00:03:21] And because God knew that, you know, I knew that we couldn't climb our way, climb the ladder of works to salvation or paradise. Instead, because he loved us, because he's a relational God, he sent his son down to us.
[00:03:34] And God showed his love for us by dying for us on the cross. He took the punishment, the penalty for our sin. And he showed that he wasn't just a mere mortal, he wasn't just a man, that he didn't stay dead, but he conquered death.
[00:03:50] And so for those of us who choose to put our faith and our hope in him, you know, we don't perish, but we have everlasting life. It's not based on what we do. It's based on what Christ has done for us. You know, are you comfortable explaining the gospel to people around you? Or is it still something you're like, oh, you know, what is it? You know, can you do it?
[00:04:14] So evangelism, the sharing of the good news or the gospel, the thing with evangelism is sometimes some people think that it belongs to other people. It's someone else's job. It's not my responsibility. There are other people out there. There are missionaries, there are pastors, there are ministry workers.
[00:04:37] And the Bible makes it very clear that we are all called to evangelize. It is not just left to someone else. And when you look at the.
[00:04:47] The Bible as well, like a frequent fear that people have, I guess, is that they are not qualified. You know, they are not a pastor. They are not good up the front. They can't sing. They can't explain things well, you know, but there's that cliche Christian saying that God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called. When you look at the disciples, there are three professions that we're aware of amongst the 12, and that was there are a couple of fishermen, there was a zealot, you know, someone who wanted to overthrow the Roman Empire and get rid of the occupation, and there was a tax collector. None of them had done Bible college. None of them were preeminently qualified for evangelism, except for the fact that they were obedient and followed the call of Jesus. When he said, come, follow me, they dropped what they were doing and they followed him. And when the disciples were sent out in this passage in Matthew, you've got to understand, they've probably only been sitting under Jesus's teaching for maybe a few months, maybe a year. It's not that long in the scheme of things. And he sent them out like the sheep among the wolves to have a crack, to evangelize, to have a go.
[00:06:01] And like, again, they wouldn't have been perfect. They would have seen God's power move, but they wouldn't have been perfect. It wouldn't have been polished in everything that they said and did and saw and experienced. And like, I remember reading this article from a guy called Michael Frost where he looked at Christian leaders in the past decade who had fallen because of moral failings. And he said, you know, sometimes in churches we're looking for people with charisma and people with giftedness. And he said, we need to start emphasising, you know, character over charisma. We need to emphasise godliness over giftedness. And then I came up with the O1. You'll be pleased to know this. You know, I just said obedience over ordinariness.
[00:06:48] It really doesn't matter who you are, what your background is. We're all called to be messengers of the gospel, to evangelise. And if we are obedient and go with God, his power will work in us and through us. My dad went to Bible college with a guy and he said he was very average. This other guy was so average in so many ways. And yet, because he was obedient to his calling, God has used him to do remarkable, remarkable things.
[00:07:18] It's not who we are, it's what God does in us and through us as we step out in obedience to him.
[00:07:29] When Jesus sends the disciples out, he uses this phrase. He says, do not go out among the Gentiles, the non Jews, or into any town of the Samaritans, the Samaritans were like the.
[00:07:43] To put it crudely, a physical and spiritual half breed.
[00:07:48] The Jews and the Samaritans hated each other. It's sort of like Sunni and Shia Muslims, or it's like Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland.
[00:07:55] They shared some distinct similarities in history and culture, but there were some vast differences that separated them and caused them animosity. So Jesus says, don't go to the Gentiles. Don't go the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. And you might think, oh, is that a bit exclusive? You know, is that a bit elitist? Is that a bit closed off to other people? But really, it provides the perfect starting ground for the disciples, you know, because it's their people, it's their language, it's their history, it's their culture, it's their faith. They are familiar with these people and can speak to them on the same wavelength. And in many ways, I think that's a good lesson for us, that people are called to overseas missions or they're called out of their comfort zone into difficult and challenging situations. But it's not a bad start with evangelism to go to the lost sheep of Israel in your context, your family, your friends, your colleagues at work, teammates on a sporting team, you know, whatever. Who's the lost sheep of Israel for you that you can start with, to evangelize to and understand that the gospel went to the Jew first. It started in Judea, it started in Galilee, but it very quickly spread across the whole world. And we see that with Cornelius, you know, a Roman, and Peter visiting him, you know, we see that with Philip ministering to an Ethiopian eunuch. We know that Matthew, it's highly likely he was killed in India.
[00:09:31] Evangelizing, ministering to people. So the gospel starting in Israel, what is now Israel, was just the start point. And then it spread like wildfire around the world.
[00:09:47] Jesus said to the disciples, as you go, proclaim this message. The kingdom of heaven has come near. Now, this is the most crucial bit, you know, and it requires an active response from people.
[00:10:00] You know, Jesus is here. The kingdom of heaven is near. What are you going to do about it? It can't be a passive, just, oh, that's nice. It has to be an active response to that message. And the sign of that, you know, Jesus said, this is not him now. This is the disciples, the plain, average, ordinary disciples acting in obedience through the power of God. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons freely. You have received Freely give, don't charge for this. You know, these signs and wonders, these miracles, this change of heart, don't charge for it. You've been given this freely, freely give. And it raises an interesting question, I guess, that with evangelism, like, what does it look like?
[00:10:49] So if we in 2026, as a church, send people out, are we going to see signs and wonders?
[00:10:57] Is the disciples experience to be our experience? Will we see blind people, see deaf people, hear dead people raised to life?
[00:11:08] Possibly, but also maybe not. And we need to be prepared for that. God did amazing things. Jesus was doing amazing things. God, I believe, still does amazing things. That doesn't mean it happens every single time.
[00:11:26] In the church. You'll see these terms like continuationists, cessationists. There are those who believe that the gifts of the Spirit are still operating now. You know, healings, tongues, all that sort of stuff. There are people who believe that those things finished with the ear of the apostles. There's Pentecostals who believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a separate experience. Experience to, you know, when you become a Christian. And the sign of that is speaking in tongues. There are charismatics who believe the gifts of the Spirit operate. But different people have different gifts. We don't all need the same one. The point is our God is a miracle working God. For me personally, I still believe strongly there are signs and wonders, there are miracles. I don't think we see it to the same scope that we saw in the time of Jesus.
[00:12:14] And I want to encourage people too. Like, first of all, some people build this thing up. Like, they get excited about the supernatural and it is because it's incredible and it's amazing and it's literally sort of beyond this world, beyond our understanding. But I've seen people go to churches and Bible colleges where this sort of thing is built up and then they come out of that environment. And I remember being told about one person who walked away from.
[00:12:40] Because he didn't see miracles every day and he didn't see signs and wonders every day.
[00:12:45] All of us need to remember that the greatest sign, the greatest wonder, the greatest miracle was the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is what Christianity hinges on, that one event.
[00:12:57] And to see someone's heart transformed with that knowledge is really the greatest miracle of all, you know, that should be enough for us. You look at the ministry of John the Baptist, and in Matthew 11 it says, or Jesus was saying, truly, I tell you, among those born of women, there is not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.
[00:13:17] But where were the signs and wonders that John did. Where were the miracles that John did if he performed them through the power of God? They are not mentioned at all. And yet he fulfilled his mandate, his mission, his calling. He was a powerful messenger of God who fulfilled that mandate to prepare the way of the Lord.
[00:13:39] Don't get caught up on seeing signs and wonders. Get caught up on being obedient to God, on fulfilling the great commission, on making disciples and seeing people's hearts and lives transformed by the gospel.
[00:13:55] So what does evangelism look like? You know, is it the signs and wonders? Is it street preaching? Is it fire and brimstone that is you are going to hell if you don't repent? Or is it more the gentleness and the respectful approach? Is it friendships and relationships? Is it hospitality? Is it church programs and ministry? Is it the use of social media to try and hit a wider audience? Is it apologetics?
[00:14:20] You know, I remember someone once trying to tell me, and I understood what he was getting at. He's like, there's four ways you can evangelize. And like, he wasn't wrong. But I guess in the military we work on dealing with end states. The end state is we want people to hear the gospel. We want people to hear the good news.
[00:14:40] The method is up to us, how we do that. In many ways, all these things could be considered evangelism.
[00:14:48] Are we speaking the gospel? Are we pointing people towards Jesus?
[00:14:52] Then that's evangelism. Some people have the gifts, the gift of being an evangelist in here. Some people are more comfortable with it. But I guarantee you, all of us are capable of evangelizing. All of us could probably find one thing within there or others that we fit into.
[00:15:10] You know, are we spreading the good news as we head into 2026, or are we just keeping it within this building, within this, ourselves each week?
[00:15:22] An awesome example here is from a lady called Rosaria Butterfield. Now she's got a really powerful and interesting story about evangelism. She used to be a very left leaning, sort of Marxist girl power professor in a university in the United States. And she wasn't a fan of Christians or Christian Christianity or God. And she wrote an article really attacking Christianity, attacking the American church.
[00:15:52] And she received a lot of hate mail for it.
[00:15:55] But amongst all the different envelopes and letters she got, there was one from a pastor. And I guess she, you could see God's hand in it. She took this letter and she read it and it resonated with her. And the pastor didn't attack her. He Just introduced himself. And he was polite and respectful in what he wrote. And he said, I'm interested to hear about how you arrived at this conclusion. How did you get to the positions you've taken? And he, like, I guess at the end of the letter, he invited her to his place. He said, I'd love to chat to you. You're welcome at my home. We'll cook you a meal. We'll talk further. And she took him up on the offer, a complete stranger, but, you know, God was doing. Doing something.
[00:16:38] And I guess they didn't agree on everything for starters, but over meals and time spent together, they conversed.
[00:16:46] And something started to stir in her heart. And I remember very clearly in the book, she said, I woke up one morning next to my lesbian lover and something changed. And she said, I went to church and I gave my life to Christ.
[00:17:02] And it's this remarkable transformation. And the evangelism that was done was simply through a letter and then through hospitality.
[00:17:11] And so whilst that first part of her, like her conversion story, if you like, is remarkable, she also wrote this book that the gospel comes with a house key. Because her big focus for her family and her philosophy with evangelism and ministry is reaching out to people by opening a home and having people in and sharing food and meals together and seeing how relationships can deepen through that, which then gives opportunities to share the gospel, you know, and if I think about here, like growing up, lurls did this all the time, you know, and it wasn't just a way to connect people within the church, but it's a way to invite people from outside of the church as well, in a safe space where we can build friendships, where they can eventually hear the gospel, either straight away or eventually, you know, as people discern.
[00:18:03] And so maybe for some of us, the calling as we head into 2026 is that the gospel comes with a house key. Evangelism can be as simple as having people over for a coffee, going and hanging out with people for a coffee, having people in your house. If you. If you're not confident with cooking, that's fine. Just have people over, you know, have hot drinks and things, have meals, if you're up for it, and use as an opportunity to deepen bonds and share the good news with others.
[00:18:38] Within the church itself. What do we see as to how we have been evangelizing? So we can't. We can't just be standing here with a magnet expecting people will come to us. And so over the years, so this is now, and in the Past we've seen the street evangelism, the guys that are going out on Friday nights, I think, and boldly starting conversations with people in the hope of planting seeds and pointing them towards Jesus. We've seen community outreaches, you know, the vision Stu has had and that he's really driven and the Christmas tree parade and the Christmas lunch and stuff like that. We've seen Tyler Village, Chad and shoes youth group, Rahab. We ran an Alpha course. We're looking at the Bible discovery method. There are people who've done school scripture when it was allowed. There was people who've done school chaplaincy. As a kid, I remember when there were those here that faithfully ran the drop in centre for the youth in the community.
[00:19:33] There's been mentors sent out to summit our primary school. There's been things that I've missed and I apologise for that. On top of that, from Launceston, Tasmania, from Summerhill Baptist Church, there have been missionaries that have gone to all parts of the earth, you know, some of whom are there now, some of whom are about to go.
[00:19:54] We need to maintain this, you know, we need to strengthen it and build on it because all of us, all of us are called to evangelism to deliver the good news to people.
[00:20:11] There's an interesting thing with this though, an interesting sort of caveat. So Jesus says to the disciples, do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts. No bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff for the work. I is worth his keep. You know, it's a real faith based approach to ministry. Go out and really trust that God will provide your needs. Not your wants, but your needs. And this is interesting for me and I'm kind of glad this morning as I look around that, you know, Jared and Megan aren't here, Phil and Jan aren't here, some of our other missionaries aren't here because this, this is me and this is something I find interesting.
[00:20:56] I read an article from a missionary in Bolivia, a guy called Joe Holman, from memory, and it was really interesting. Like he said, I love being a missionary and there's so many awesome things. I think his family spent decades in Bolivia and in the last few years they've moved to Ghana to work with Muslims there.
[00:21:16] And this missionary noting that, that he's American and it comes from an American context and it may not apply to the missionaries that we've been blessed to work with and know, but he raised some really interesting points and he said, you know, one thing was missionaries always need money, and we hate asking for it.
[00:21:38] And he said something along the lines of, back home in the US There was a guy that they knew who played guitar at, like, coffee clubs and stuff like that and was producing an album. And the guy put a GoFundMe up for, you know, can people support me with this venture? Can you help me out? And he raised $4,000 just for that.
[00:22:00] The missionary fellow said, in Bolivia, one of our ministries was offering dental support, I guess, to the locals, and we needed equipment that was worth $7,000 up. At the same time as this guitarist, we put a GoFundMe up saying that we needed $7,000 for something that was practical help, you know, and really important.
[00:22:22] And we got 210. So the other guy in the coffee club got four grand for an album. The missionaries got 200. And I guess this guy was saying, I wrestled with that, I struggled with that. He also raised the point that as a missionary, he said, I feel like I'm shortchanging my kids.
[00:22:39] And he said, you know, because of social media, you look on and you compare to what others have got. And he said, I saw kids in the States with, you know, doing sport and dance and I guess, riding on boats and having their shacks and all this sort of stuff. And he said, my kids have none of that. He said, sure, we've got some awesome photos doing cool things in the jungle of Bolivia. But he said, I look at what others have got and I feel like I'm shortchanging my kids.
[00:23:07] Don't get me wrong. You could hear this guy and some people be like, oh, he's whinging, you know, blah, blah, blah. I thought he was being really honest. I thought it was a really interesting insight.
[00:23:16] The final or wasn't the final? One of the other points he made about finances was he said, I felt like as a missionary, I had to contain my joy for doing things and hide what we were doing. Less people judge us and think that we were loaded with cash. He said, for my wife and I, our wedding anniversary, we want to do something really fun. But I told the kids, don't put this on Facebook. Keep it on the down low. Because he said, when I go back to America, I will get snide comments and there will be some people that will potentially pull their donations to us and all that of sort, sort of stuff. He felt like he had to hide that. And he said when it was either his dad or grandfather died, he got a $19,000 inheritance and he's like he had quite a large family. He said, I want to do something nice for the kids because again, we've shortchanged them so often. I want to take them to Disneyland. But again, because of social media, I guess some pictures went up. And he said they did get some snide comments from the sending church back in the States. And he said there was at least one person that stopped donating, stopped supporting them financially, because the assumption was, if you've got the money to do that, we don't need to support you financially.
[00:24:32] And I just say this to remind us, like, I wouldn't consider myself an overly ambitious person, and yet I feel the pull of the world. Frequently. I look at people, nice houses, they're nice toys, they're nice things, they're nice holidays. And I feel the pull of it. And I'm convicted. And I'm reminded again that the most important thing in life is knowing God and making him known.
[00:24:57] And God blesses us with finances and how we choose to spend that is, you know, an individual decision or a couple's decision or a family decision.
[00:25:09] But if we are making an idol out of things, that's empire building, if you like. And we're not funneling our finances into kingdom building, maybe in 2026, we need to check ourselves.
[00:25:24] You know, evangelism is costly in many regards, and financially is one of those areas. And the challenge for us is, are we putting back into into the kingdom if we're not out there on the front lines? Are we supporting those who are in time, in prayer, in practical support, and in finances?
[00:25:44] You know, Jarrod and Megan, Mitch and Chloe, they won't be up here banging on about money all the time. I bet you they need it, though. I bet you it's a blessing to them. I bet you it's healthy and helpful to them in the work that they do. There are ministries here that probably need finances.
[00:26:02] Are we hoarding our wealth to ourselves or are we putting it in for kingdom purposes? No, because clearly here Jesus says to his disciples, don't take gold or silver, trust me, I guess is the implication. Go out and do the work of the kingdom. But it requires support from the tribe, from the team, you know, and that's us.
[00:26:26] Just as we wrap up, I guess, or getting close to the end, there is an interesting phrase that Jesus uses with the disciples here.
[00:26:34] And he talks about, you know, going into towns and villages and finding people that will have you and host you and stay with them. Let your peace be upon them. But he says if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words. Leave that home or town and shake the. The dust off your feet.
[00:26:52] Truly, I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. What does that mean? What does it look like? There's actually an example of this with Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13. They're ministering in Pisidian Antioch, so it's a Greek city in what is now part of Turkey. And the Jewish community there are not happy with them, and they stir up trouble and they. They expel Paul and Barnabas and they kick them out. And it says that those two men shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them. So what does it mean? Symbolically? It is a gesture that is like Pilate with Jesus washing, attempting to wash his hands of the matter. You know, to shake the dust off your feet with someone essentially means, I have to tried, I've been faithful. You are not receiving this. I'm moving on now.
[00:27:48] And so with evangelism, with the gospel, with spreading the good news, I think it's important to understand this is an interesting dichotomy. I'll call it the idea that two things that are the same can also be in opposition to each other. There are times with people where we're called to persevere, to be patient, to work through challenges and trials and difficulties until we see a breakthrough that God delivers for us. There is a call for that with evangelism. There are also times where you may need to seek the Lord and have discernment about when you need to symbolically shake the dust off your feet. That is, you are putting into someone, you are faithfully giving them the gospel, the good news. But it has been received with venom or hostility or a brick wall. Is it worth your while to keep doing that over and over, or is it better to move on somewhere else where there might be people who are more receptive to the message?
[00:28:51] You know, both things are equally true, I think.
[00:28:55] Seek the Lord's guidance. Ask for his discernment sermon about when you need to apply which approach to which situation.
[00:29:05] You know, I remember Claire saying to me when she did scripture at schools in New South Wales that one of the guys on her team pulled her aside after a lesson and said, hey, Claire, you need to discern who you know, when the kids are asking you questions, who just wants an argument and who actually, actually wants to have a conversation and learn more. You know, it is okay if you can say you have faithfully discharged your duty if you have faithfully shared the good news.
[00:29:37] But there's roadblocks there. There may be times where God is calling you to move on, as he did with the disciples.
[00:29:46] So as we head into 2026, there's a couple of slides here about, you know, things for us to think about as we head into this new year. And the first one is, where has God placed you right now in this season, in this year, so that you can evangelize to the lost sheep? You know, who are the lost sheep in your context? I remember some of our friends, Lindsay and Mike McKenzie. They work for Battelle in Spain, a Christian drug rehabilitation agency. And Lindsay told this story. I really liked it. He's like, I started off as a missionary in Spain. I'd be there on the street with my guitar and my Jesus pamphlets. And he said, but no one really paid much interest or attention except a small group of people, and they were all drug addicts.
[00:30:35] Oh, Lord, please send someone to bless these people. You know, send someone to work with them and do something in their lives. And then Lindsay realised, God has placed me here for these people.
[00:30:48] You know, who has God given you in your life that you can evangelize to? You speak their language, you get them, you hang out with them, you spend time with them, you are familiar with them. It is the perfect start point for you to evangelize this year.
[00:31:05] At the same time, are there people in this room who have been felt, you know, have felt a prompting to be sent somewhere, maybe out of your comfort zone, maybe with an unfamiliar language, maybe with people you wouldn't usually hang out with, you know, and what has.
[00:31:22] How have you felt that God has led you to go there? Because this is critical. People get up and say, God told me to do this. How did God tell you? How's he leading you? Because that can confirm if you're walking in his will or just forcing your own. In this path of ministry and evangelism, have you witnessed in your life signs and wonders as a believer? You know, what happened? What was the impact? How did your faith build because of that? How did the faith of others build? How were lives transformed and changed? And conversely, the challenge or the question I want you to ponder is, if you never saw signs and wonders in your lifetime, would it affect your faith knowing we have the word, knowing we know the nature of God, would that affect your faith? Or do you need to live off the high of seeing the thunder and lightning moments?
[00:32:14] Is there someone in your life this year that you still need to persevere with, you know, with sharing the good news. It's been hard going, it's been a long time, but you still need to persevere. One of the Bible studies we did many years ago, and I'm sure there are conflicting accounts of this, but it was an interesting stat from starting a connection with someone to conversion. One of the studies said the average time was seven years.
[00:32:40] To seeing someone give their heart and their life to Jesus, to repentance and belief in God. Seven years, you know, it takes time. It can take perseverance.
[00:32:52] Or is there someone you've been witnessing to and God is maybe prompting you? It's time to shake the dust off your feet. It's time to switch focus and to move elsewhere where there may be more fruit, where there may be, you know, people are going to be more receptive to it.
[00:33:09] Is God challenging you? Is God challenging us? On how we support those who are sent out, Whether it's overseas missions or whether it's local mission within the city, within our community.
[00:33:24] You know, when we hear the word revival, someone made the point once. It doesn't start out there, it actually starts within the church and then it spreads like wildfire. So whilst this morning was all about being sent out, sharing the good news and evangelizing, as we head into this new year, does it really got to start right here? It's got to start within our hearts, within our lives, within the church, you know, and then we push out and we share the good news with people. And it's not through anything we do. We see God's power at work, his ability to keep changing lives with the unchanging message of the gospel. Let's just pray together to finish off Lord God as we arrive into 2026 and have the next 12 months ahead of us.
[00:34:09] Lord, we just thank youk for who youo are and for what yout've done for us.
[00:34:14] Lord, we thank youk that yout love people unconditionally despite their backgrounds, their sin, their faults, their flaws, their failures yous loved people so much that yout sent yout Son to die for them.
[00:34:29] And Father, I pray that we wouldn't just contain that it in our own headspace, in our own hearts, in this building, in our homes. Lord, give us the boldness to share that with people, to share the good news, to share the Gospel, you know, that changes and transforms people's lives. Father, for those in here that don't feel qualified, who feel average and ordinary or lacking skill sets or charisma or personality, or whatever.
[00:34:59] Lord, bless them and encourage them and equip them when they step out in obedience, do great things through them so that we can all point to your goodness and your power.
[00:35:11] For those who are doing this already, who are on the front lines of evangelism, for the guys who go out on the streets, you know, and witness there, for those that are doing Rahab, for those that are meeting with people on an individual basis, reading the Bible, for all the different ministries at work in the church, we pray that you would empower people and that you would work in them and through them despite challenges and obstacles and hardships. Lord, that they would be a light in the darkness for people, that they would plant good seed that would bear fruit whether we see it or not. Just that it would bear fruit. Lord, we pray that you would use them to point people towards you, to point people's hearts, their eyes, their minds towards you. And that you would do something great in their life. Lord, help us not to feel the pressure to convert, to see salvation. Lord, our job is to be obedient before you and to witness and to be messengers of the gospel. And we trust that through your Holy Spirit lives would be changed. Lord, we repent for the times all the time where we have that pull of the world on us when we are chasing after things that is designed to build our own empires, which is distracting us from the most important thing, which is to love you and to love people, to know you and to make you Known.
[00:36:38] Lord, in 2020 26. Lord, let's be broken before you. Help us to be humbled before you.
[00:36:45] Point us on the right path back towards you. Lord, may our heart's desire marry up with your heart's desire to see people saved, to see people delivered from their sin, to see people's souls, you know, rescued so that they can spend eternity with youh.
