Latest / The Last Supper Club / STOP TRYING TO DO IT ALONE | The Last Supper Club · John 15
Transcript
- speaker-0: Welcome back to season three of The Last Supperclub. What a lovely audience is always 10 out of 10. You never have to worry about the audience. This is The Last Supperclub for anyone who is hungry to know more about Jesus or just hungry, which is good because the table is ready to go. On tonight's menu, we have got a very wine-central menu because we're in John 15th. Just because that's a Bible society and the everyday faith bible. We've written John 15 where Jesus says, I am the true vine, and you man are the branches. So that's what we're gonna tuck into, which is why I've made a black grape sponge cake. We've also got a passion fruit cheesecake. Because who knew passion fruits grew on a vine? I didn't, I didn't, I was today is old. But hey, that's for dessert. Forget dessert for a moment. This is the dinner. We've got coco vin. Woo! With a red wine. We have got potato doaf in what we've got a salad. Made by her very fair hand. It's Femi in the House. And we've got, yeah, all the drinks, we've got black grapes and we've got white grape. Because we're really trying to do speaker-2: Great, great, great. speaker-0: We've also got frozen grapes. Wow, for the ice cube. So, this is the last supper club. Jesus got a lot to say about abiding in him. What does it mean to abide in him and then live a fruitful life? I want to be looking like a black grape in my Christian life. So that's what the conversation's about. This is the menu. Let's eat. Woo! Woo! speaker-4: Yeah. speaker-0: We are in John 15 this evening and Jesus has a lot to say. We reach another big claim. He starts by saying, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine grower. But I love that Jesus talks about friendship. Like I just find that, yeah, he's got a lot of stuff to say about friendship. And so before we look at it, I would love to know round the table what has been one of the greatest acts of love that maybe a friend has done for you or you have done for a friend. it could be it could be big, it could be like, yeah, really big. Or it could be a small act that meant a big thing to your friend or meant a big thing to you. so yeah, where have you done something for a friend or where has a friend done something for you that's been quite a big act of love? speaker-4: one of it was actually your husband. Christmas has always been a sensitive period for me because I've not really been as tight-knit with my family and he bought me food. I was on my own and he came over and bought me food and you know I've always thanked Kobe for that because it really, really helped me at that point. I've got like Two more. and then another one was quite recent. One of my friends, yeah, having a newborn, being in newborn trenches is crazy. And she came at 3 a.m. and literally put my baby to sleep and slept. So we all slept on the coat, you know, on the couch together. And that was wow. And as for me, helping someone with an addiction go to rehab. Yeah. Yeah. speaker-3: Thank you. speaker-0: Okay. speaker-2: Put my sisters on the spot over here. yeah, my sisters to my left. so for me, speaker-3: Me! speaker-2: it was 2022. and I was about to get baptized and I was under attack, left, right, and center. my phone got stolen, my mum had COVID and I had to leave the house for two weeks. yeah, it was just one thing after the other after the other, and I was just like, do I still get baptized? for no, my first baptism got Cancelled because of COVID. So literally, COVID had not touched the church. And when I'm about to get baptized, church is locked off to the point, no service, the building was closed. Thankfully, I didn't get COVID, but it spread. So now it's my second baptism, Easter Sunday, thank God. And there were just these mysterious, mysterious things going on. So in the card, I opened up my baptism card and it was just like, when you open this card, message me. And when I sent the message, Monzo flashed up and yeah, my sisters blessed me with I won't disclose the amount, but yeah, money that can really change your life and I burst out crying. first out crying and it was like I'm trying to give it back like no I've sorted things out like I've replaced things like no sis like you've actually been a lot you've been for a lot in this season actually we just want to bless you as a church so love my people speaker-0: Yeah, we love you. speaker-5: I've got another food related one. A lot of love in food, isn't it? When we had twins, there was a lady in our church at the time who was in her 80s and she came without announcement with the most enormous box of home cooked food. She must have been cooking for hours and hours and hours. She's a Jamaican lady and she my days, the food was unbelievable. It was incredible. And again, it's happened when our son's been in hospital. My husband and I laugh with each other that we eat better when we're suffering in some way. So we get catered for incredibly. Yeah, our fridge and freezer is always full. It's amazing. speaker-4: Ooh. speaker-3: . speaker-1: So, for me, it's a mixture of both receiving gifts and acts of service. So last year, about ten years later, I finally moved out on my own. So I finally moved out of my mum's house, finally, in my thirties, early thirties. and just the way my friends were showing love. So obviously when you move into your own place, there's so much you need to just spend money on. One of the things that I had to compromise on was a fridge. So I didn't have a fridge for like the first two months. so I moved in May, just a bit just to give you a bit of context. My birthday is the end of July. And I just get a knock on the door one day. it was a delivery man. Just saying, I've got delivery for you. He has a massive parcel in front of him. Like I I didn't order anything. I I thought he misdelivered something. Lo and behold, my friends bought me a fridge for my birthday. Like I just couldn't believe it. I would just like I was like my face was an emoji at the time. I'm telling you, I I just couldn't believe it. Yeah. So that's that. And the second thing, so my place has a garden. And the garden was getting out of control. One of my friends, he doesn't live in London, but mind you, he lives in Milton Keynes. He said he wants to come to London, come to my place and mow the lawn. And he just did it. So, yeah. Those are the most recent ones that I can think of that acts of love that my friends have done for me. speaker-4: Thanks. speaker-3: I can jump in. I think there's been moments where I've loved people in ways that I didn't anticipate meaning quite as much as they did. So I've recently had, I can't believe I'm saying this, I recently had friends that celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary. 10 year wedding anniversary. And like, obviously, praise God for 10 years, but, you know, they got married relatively young, they made it to 10 years. and we did a surprise dinner for them. And we were really giddy, like, organizing it, keeping it secret. We had quite a lot of fun organizing it. You you've to have dinner with your friends. You have to have with your friends all the time. Obviously, it's a surprise. It's going to be a surprise. But that's that. When they got there, I think they were overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness, at the kind of being kept in mind, being, yeah, thought of being celebrated. And I was... It's funny because you're doing something to serve somebody else, but I felt so joyful in seeing their joy. And I'm going to go on the flip side in terms of being loved by friends. My friends have been, I've got amazing friends, praise the Lord, and I've been so loved. There were some, there were big ways and there were small ways to love people. I always feel so kind of caught off guard when people remember things. I know you're talking to somebody at church and you say, yeah, I've got this on Thursday, and I talk at 2,500 miles an hour. I'm saying all kinds of things, God knows. And then you'll get a text on Thursday being like, I hope that thing went well. I'm like, how, what, I forgot. I almost forgot that thing. How have you remembered that thing? Those moments I think feel really loved. Maybe the most loving phrase I've ever heard is just on top of that is I get the kettle on. Get the kettle on. Love language. That's my love language. Let's get the kettle on. Yeah, so big things, small things, I think. Yeah, communicate love in lots of ways. speaker-0: Yeah, I love that all these stories, they just they are they are big and they are small, but they communicate that you feel you feel seen. and it's a great way of then thinking, God sees me. And and that's funny because Jesus speaks about friendship, but he speaks about it among his friends. He's talking about friendship whilst at dinner with his friend. so if you jump with me to verse 12, I'm just gonna read from verse 12, says, Jesus speaking, this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friend if you do what I command you. I guess, yeah, there's so much to say about friendship, but Jesus speaks about abiding in him. Just a big word for saying, remain in me, stay in me. so just keeping on the topic of friendship. How do you stay in friendship? I think in life it's just so busy and we're coming and we're going and work is working and life is life in. But any top tips on what it's looked like for you to remain in a good friendship and what that looks like to then thrive? Like what what does a good friendship look like and how has that been a healthy place for you to remain in before we get to what Jesus is speaking about and remaining in him? yeah, go for it, fam. speaker-4: What makes good friendship in my opinion is having a level of fr of vulnerability because, you know, everyone's busy, everyone has, you know, most people will say, Yeah, I'm okay, but like really when someone says, How are you, it's good to open up and express, you know, what's going on. mutual effort because again, everyone's lives are busy, you know, everyone's got, you know, do the food job or get the laundry done, you know, clean the house. but if you know, just picking up the phone and responding to a text or speaker-5: all. speaker-4: s blocking out a bit of time in your day to actively listen to whoever it is you're speaking to as a friend on the phone really helps. and for for my relationships like just wanting and requesting prayer and giving prayer to to those to your friends when you after they've opened up their vulnerability. 'cause sometimes you don't have the answer 'cause their phase in life is different from what your phase in life is. but they've been bold enough to share what they're going through. and I found that for myself. Like I don't know, the Lord the Lord gives me bars or and then I remember it and I'll s say it and I'll speak it and I'll t or I'll text it. and I find even in my own case, like that is helpful. So I think that is what what can help friendships, yeah. for me I think it's being intentional speaker-2: So speaker-4: making efforts with friends and, you know, maybe a tech psych. speaker-2: let's go out. speaker-4: So actually being intentional. speaker-2: in your relationship just as goods like speaker-3: you will. speaker-2: a marriage or and I also feel like having to the word. So if you're struggling if you're doing something word speaker-4: or with your family and stuff like that. a friend that can hold you accountable to the word in with something or even if wrong, they can take you back to the speaker-2: and say, no, this is this is wrong because the word says this or this is wrong because the word says speaker-4: Right. This is so yeah, I think that's speaker-3: Yeah. speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-4: I think what I find that's quite important is words of affirmation. I think there's power in the tongue and it's been amazing to just have friends where you can speak life to them. Do you know what I mean? And vice versa, you know, that could change one's day, change one's life. So constant reminder of who they are and positive affirmation is what strengthens friendship to me. speaker-0: Okay. speaker-1: for me, my vantage point, I've been thinking about my friends and a lot of my friends are unbelievers. Either they're unbelievers or they like follow a another religion or don't believe in anything. but I'll say the reason why we're friends is because we understand each other. It's that simple. They understand me, they understand I'm a believer, so they obviously know there's certain things I won't do. even though they live a certain worldly life, if I can put it like that. and I understand them. I mean, that's the life they live, and vice versa. They know the life I live, they understand it. It's that simple, yeah. speaker-2: echoing what Femi said, but from a different angle, there's vulnerability, but I think there is an importance of the best time I can give it is neediness, but not how the world sees it. Because yeah, we live in a world where there's so much self-sufficiency. And if that person doesn't answer me, like I let it go. But actually, as we heard on Sunday, we need one another. We were actually built for community, and actually there's nothing wrong with, yeah, friend, I need you, or Can we meet each other? Like there is, yeah, you can be so proud sometimes. I don't need anybody, but we do. And that's how we were created. So I think there is a humility and vulnerability that we take that actually I haven't spent time with my sis. I haven't spoken to my bro in a while. Actually, if it means I'm messaging many times, I'ma do it because at the end of the day, I need my friend and my friend needs me. So actually just Yeah, being okay with that, because there's no shame. If we said that we're walking along each side each other, if we're doing life with one another, no one should feel I'm messaging the other too much or d actually it's not a competition. We're actually yeah, we love one another and love, you know, covers a multitude of sins. So there's times where you're lifting someone up and there's another time that they're lifting you up. But we should be okay with showing that, yeah, we need one another. So yeah, I think that maintains, yeah, good friendships. Yeah. speaker-0: And just to jump on that as well, I just love when people are direct with me. Sometimes I'm like, I'm not a mind reader, like I just need to know what you need. And and it can be, you know, sometimes friends are like, I just I just need dinner. Like, I just need this, and I don't like this pasta dish, or I don't sometimes the more direct, the easier it is to love someone because you can just get there a lot faster. and I love it's the Lord is so funny. Just read it with me, verse one from chapter 15. Think about all the things that you guys have just said about remaining in a friendship, things that you love about friends and how they pursue you. Listen to the words of Jesus. I am the true vine, and my father is the vine grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes to make it bear more fruit. If you've already been you have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you, abide in me, remain in me, stay in me as I stay, or I remain, or I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in me, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. I just love that. Yeah, Jesus opens up with like, you've got to remain in me. I am the life-giving source. All friendships are great friendships, all good things, they're good things, but they point to the ultimate friend, they point to the ultimate good thing that we have in Jesus. And to be a believer, you can say, Yeah, God lives in me. I am in him, he is in me. It's just a wonderful, wonderful truth. and so I wonder what has the Lord done to show you his friendship, to show you his care or his pursuit of you. it's a weird, not weird, but I think when I first became a Christian, I never thought of God being my friend. It's it just, you know, God is father. Okay, I understood that. God is my savior, okay, I understood that, but God is my friend. Feels really intimate, it feels really close, he listens and he cares, he's not a far-off friend. So in what ways does this speak to the way in which Jesus is a good friend to you? What has, yeah, Jesus done in particular that as you've remained in him, he's shown you ways of, yeah, he's just shown up in ways that's helped you to know, wow, this is, yeah, it's life-giving to be connected to Jesus. speaker-5: I think one thing that strikes me again and again and often through times where it's very difficult is where I've really cried out to the Lord in tears, weeping, and I've prayed very specific things. And looking back, I can see that it's God that's brought me to pray those things, very specific things in time. And then He answers them. And I'm praying in the quiet of my own house. or like as a broken person, but he gives me the faith to trust that he will answer me and that he hears me in the first place and he wants to listen to my cries and they matter to him. And then he answers in incredible ways. Like if I've prayed something very specific, it's not uncommon for somebody to come and say that very specific thing back to me, whether it's an apology or whether it's... meeting a need or whether it's so many different circumstances, but just showing that God hears your prayers and He draws close to you as a brother, as a friend in those darkest valleys is beautiful. speaker-4: Nothing for me. speaker-3: for me. I feel like every speaker-4: Well, before then every year I used to write. speaker-2: in my notes like I wanna read the word, I wanna read the word, start reading the Bible. speaker-4: I'm starting the Bible. speaker-2: And I always used to start with Genesis and speaker-4: Then I'll speaker-3: Keep going. speaker-2: back to Genesis again because I'm I don't get it. until I'm like, speaker-3: news. speaker-2: why don't you start with the New Testament? Read the New Testament then go to speaker-3: And then. speaker-2: the old test. speaker-4: And I was like, okay, I'll try it out. speaker-3: Literally. speaker-2: I think from twenty twenty speaker-4: three twenty twenty four. speaker-2: I read the whole speaker-3: while speaker-2: and my notes, I speaker-3: I went back to my speaker-2: was like, my gosh, I said I wanted to read the Bible and I actually did it and I actually read the Bible from New Testament to Old Testament and I got like, yeah, God spoke to me through the Bible and I realized how graceful speaker-3: Just read out great. speaker-2: he was. speaker-4: that he gave me the gave me the chance, the opportunity to wake up you know, 'cause you could've speaker-2: every day to read. yeah, speaker-3: my last shot and be like... speaker-2: and then I wouldn't have got the opportunity to read speaker-4: Bible but yeah, that's being a friend. Being nice speaker-2: God to me and you know, passion beautiful. speaker-3: patient and speaker-2: So yeah. speaker-3: Yeah. speaker-0: It it's so fun, not to jump this conversation, but just to keep in mind. where is it? if you jump with me to verse 16, like the tail end of it, Jesus is saying, I want you to bear fruit, I want you to live fruitful lives, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. It's a funny thing that you the more you talk to Jesus, the more you remain in him, the more you're familiar with his voice, you start asking for things that he would have you ask and then he answers those prayers and then you're sitting here thinking, yeah, I wanted to read the Bible and then I've I've come away and I've read the whole Bible. It doesn't surprise it shouldn't surprise us, but it should in a good way to be like, Yeah, Jesus says, Ask for things in my name and the Father will give it to you. It's it's so encouraging. Yeah. speaker-3: Greetings. speaker-2: audio and maybe I'll lead like read like I don't know like the word of speaker-4: day or for some people who knows that I don't like sitting down and he knows I speaker-2: find that a bit boring sometimes. But this time I actually did it and that's how I knew that it was from Tobnuck. speaker-3: because I speaker-4: D that she I do get bought. speaker-3: So can you make it for speaker-2: Exciting for speaker-3: me? I mean, it's still the same thing, but I found... speaker-4: excitement in it reading, speaker-2: As I was reading. speaker-4: so I think I think Christ reminds me, you know, of his friendship 'cause he's consistent. You know what I mean? he's gentle, you know, you know, I think throughout my personal life, there's always been a gentle reminder that I'm here, but I'm not going to invite myself in it. Do you know what I mean? And he puts you in situations that sometimes it's rough, but in that in that suffering he constantly reminds you that he's there regardless you're never forsaken do you know what i mean so you're never abandoned there's not an essence of abandonment do you know what i mean because you always know he's at you know he's at your rear end and your front frontal and you just have to let him in and that gentleness is you know that's just a constant reminder of his friendship You know, and that connection I have with Jesus, yeah. speaker-0: Before I f before I flip the question to say, what does it look like when we're not abiding in him? Because I definitely know what it's like when you're just out the loop and I've not spoken to you, Jesus. And I just I feel the I feel the emptiness of my life. I actually really do feel it. But before I get there, what's yeah, some of the growth or some of the things that you're like, I've grown in this way. You know, he said, I want you to bear fruit. There's there's fruit that comes from being planted and being sown into, and there's life from it. What things have brought you life because you've stayed in Jesus? speaker-2: I think being spake. speaker-4: Spiritually awake. speaker-2: So speaker-4: not seeing things in the world speaker-3: way. speaker-4: and now seeing things spiritually and seeing how the world understanding the world a bit more. speaker-3: send that though. speaker-2: The world is not there's God everywhere. speaker-4: And you just have to s sit still and and he's here. speaker-3: him and look for him. But I guess before, if I wasn't really like what I see. speaker-4: is what I believe. But with God is it's not what you see. It's speaker-2: It's all spiritual. speaker-4: So you have to believe then speaker-3: And obviously. speaker-4: it comes. But yeah, I think that makes does that make sense? speaker-2: Makes sense. speaker-0: Faith by sight, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. speaker-3: thinking of the friendship of Jesus, the friendship of God is, I think I find it challenging and wonderful because I think about my like earthly friendships, I'm tapping Chinelo. Because if I'm honest, yeah, in seasons of life, I've actually, she's laughing because she knows it's true, I can be a terrible friend. I'm not terrible, I'm not gonna do nothing, but like my coms can be in the bin, I've got rep for not texting back, the saints are patient with me. Yeah, I can be... I think I've had to work really hard at friendships in the sense of, because I can be so everywhere and I can, by God's grace, I can talk to most people in most places. So like the phrase is like wide but thin, like I can talk to everybody, but like depth for friendship, people that really know me, really know what I'm doing or not doing, saying or not saying. I'm not naturally inclined that way, I'm just everywhere. And so I've had to work really hard at having intentional friendships and what's made that really a blessing. is friends that bear with, friends that forgive, friends that are patient, friends that are, Sandy was saying, it's the consistency of God's friendship. And in some ways, the friendships that he's given me teach me a lot about his friendship, because he was, you're a terrible Christian, but I'm so prone to wonder, so prone to be distracted here, there, and everywhere, and I'm prone to not abide. I know we'll get onto it, but I'm prone to not abide. And I'm always going back like, I know I've not touched you back. I'm coming, I'm coming. And he's so graciously, patiently waiting. And I think that's one of the things I love about his friendship is that he's not almost, I don't take it for granted. I'm not saying it lightly, but I can't think of a better phrase. He's almost not stush. It's not like, you didn't, you didn't text me back. Cool. Whose number is this? Sorry. So I don't know who this is. He didn't delete my number. He's... He's so readily available. And I feel almost retrain that like, I'm gonna get off and Jesus is gonna be just there waiting. The grace of God, that means that like, I can be so all over the place. And I'm very, this is a bit of a scattered area for me. I'm a bit scattered. But even in my scatteriness, he calls me to himself. And then when I come, he's there. He's never frosty. He's not like, yeah, you didn't get onto me. You checked for your other friends. Go check for your friends now then. He's like, so available. In like the most humble way I can say that, he's so. arms open and this passage is kind of amazing in that way because the instruction is to abide, like stay with me. It's like the most epic invitation, like come and chill at the yard. Like come chill. Like his invitation is to come and be with him. Yeah and like that's what an invite to come and and chill. You ain't got to do nothing, you ain't got to, know, come and sit with me, come and be with me, come and be in my house, come and be in my kitchen, come and drink tea, I get the kettle on. Come and abide with me, stay like, abide, abode, live. Come and be with me. And all my scattiness and all my not checking in and all my forgetfulness for him to be constantly ready to welcome me back to abide with him is an excellent friend. That's an excellent friend. speaker-4: Cheers. speaker-1: It actually took me like a while to think about this when you asked the question. Cause I was really struggling to find an answer. But now that I do have an answer, I actually realised that it was actually when he first saved me. Like it's been a while, so it's been what 2012, 14 years ago. And back then I was just a just a normal 21 year old boy, just trying to find his feet in this world. Like I was in uni, I was a uni student, so I was living life as a uni student. And I don't even know how it happened. He just he just I think it was well not I think. Like my life just kept getting out of hand, like going through a lot of pain. And through that I guess he knew, but it was through that that I was able to find Jesus and turn my life to Christ. and so the reason this is my answer is because Like as things just got so difficult that I had to find Jesus. I just had to find Jesus. So I'm saying that to say that through all of his pain, I was able to find grace through it. I was able to find grace through his pain. But I was just a normal student, like just trying to find my feet in this world. Like nothing special about me whatsoever. Just a normal uni student. And I was just able to find Christ. Like I know it's it's weird to say that I'm still perplexed at it. after all these years. But when I say I was just a normal student, a normal just a normal twenty one year old boy. Just doing twenty one twenty-one year old stuff really. The way he just came and changed me, like to this day I'm still quite amazed by it. Like, why did you save me? Like, what was it about me? Like, this that's not me trying to, you know, just be humble. I'm not just trying to, you know, just sound like, you know, he shouldn't have done it or but whatever, but why did you save me off like what was it about me? I still can't figure it out. I mean I'm grateful of course. I'm very grateful, but I can't think why. Like he was just graceful to me, like his grace extended to me, like yeah, th I guess that's my answer. speaker-0: Verse 13, no no one has greater love than this to lay down one's life for one's friends. The spoiler is the gospel, isn't it? It's it's the fact that Jesus would come and lay down his life, not because we're great friends. I can so at my WhatsApp list at the moment is unbearable. And the amount of messages I should be getting back to, I'd be so far down on God's list if it was to be done on my own merit. But the truth is, we do nothing and we bring nothing to the gospel. He he dies on a cross for us to then make us his friends. And that's what what a what an invitation. What an invitation. And you know, for some of that fruit, that fruit is to be repentance. Some of that fruit to bear is you've heard that gospel message that you can bring nothing to the cross and you can add nothing to our own salvation. And yet. We live lives as though that's not true. and in here he there's a warning actually. There's two it's funny, there's one vine, there's one vine grower, the father, but there's two type of branches. one of them, verse four, abide in me as I abide in you, just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in me. Neither can you, unless you abide in me. I've lost it. well, one branch bears fruit. But the other branch, verse 6: whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch that withers. Such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burnt. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish and it will be done for you. Jesus is not sit saying this abstractly. He's sitting with Peter and he's sitting with Judas. We know what happens. Well, if you don't know, spoiler alert. But Judas is gonna be a branch that does not bear fruit. He rejects Jesus, doesn't he? He walks away from him. and all the disciples around that table, when Jesus says, Someone's gonna betray me, they all say, Is it me, Lord? They're quite humble and says, Maybe it's me, maybe I don't I don't think I'm I'm better than any of these guys. Is it me? and so maybe a thinking question or answer if you feel. where has God's fruit of like repentance and not just repentance that I feel bad that I've done this thing, or I feel bad that I've walked away from Jesus, or I feel bad about I feel deeply grieved that I could do that to someone who has laid his life down for me, who has died for me, not because I'm perfect, but because I'm in need of grace and mercy. yeah, what does it look like to bear fruit of repentance and actually repent and turn away and no longer do that thing? speaker-1: well just speaking on behalf of myself, just I'll use me as an example. there's nothing I'm proud of, obviously. But before I turned to God, I was really good at a couple of sins like lying and maybe even stealing at times. But like when I turned to God, like it's as if I didn't know how to do them anymore. Even like a simple white lie, like somebody will ask me, Are you okay? And I won't say the default yes, I'll just say the truth, basically. Even though it's something that they don't want to hear. so just I would say to answer the question, just like not loving the thing the old things of you basically before Christ. That's how I would define it. Yeah. speaker-0: Yeah, just to jump in, I think yeah, yeah. I got caught shoplifting, which is my story. This is my story. it's actually my story. But yeah, it's very true. But even now, I feel like my old self sometimes creeps in and it's actually for I don't trust God to always provide my needs. And so sometimes it can be so stupid at work. People know where I work. I just take pens. I just don't know what it is. I'll just be like, I like that pen, I'm just gonna take that pen, or I like this highlight, I'm gonna take. Sometimes the Lord really has to be like, empty your bag of pensoirs. Like just empty your bag of pens. I don't know. My my old self can sometimes come about and it's just like, I just want to take something because no one else is watching it. Just but you know who's always watching? Jesus. He's always watching. And but it could be different. It could be that I hear that and I ignore it. But actually, because I remain in him, by his grace alone. I hear that and I want to change. I actually want to believe you do provide for me. And so I'm not gonna just fall back into my own ways of not believing that. I'm choosing because I abide, I trust, I believe what you say, Jesus. You provide for me. I don't need to take every man's pen and their mum's pen in this office. I can leave the pens alone. But that is just a symptom of bigger things, you know. Just my money, I want to be tight with it. I don't want to be generous. You know, I I I want to be all my time, I don't want to give my time away. So I think, yeah, just not always believing. that God will provide. I have to wake myself up out of that. and by God's grace, He helps me to do that. speaker-4: I think for me is what repe repentance looks to me is I think Snapping out of that, basically making a decision to be daily crucified. Do you know what I mean? because that's a painful journey. And that's something that you really need to be locked in with Christ. And that is life. And I feel like that kind of brings me away from repenting. Because once you repent, you have to be, you have to make sacrifice, you have to be you know, daily crucified and to me that scares me at times. Do you know what I mean? But that's the truth of the matter, because Jesus that happened to Jesus. So you know, who who are we? Not to kind of follow suit, if that makes sense. So yeah, that that daily crucifixion is very speaker-3: tough. speaker-0: It's a cost, isn't it? Yeah. speaker-2: Yeah, I'm a student at the moment. and coursework is tough. And even my own supervisor is telling me, just lie, just lie. And I'm like, I can't lie. And he's like, you're a very honest person. I'm yeah, my beliefs. Like, you want me to change a couple words, and yeah, it doesn't seem big because who's going to know? But I know, and the Lord knows. So even this small thing, and even you know, the person that is in charge of me, you know, who who I go to for support at work. speaker-3: It's telling me just... speaker-2: What what is it? What is it to just and I'm like do such a thing? Like I can't. And he's just like, I think, yeah, that's just something that's like, wow. Like many years ago, yeah, it's easy for myself to just add a couple of words, take away a couple of words, who's gonna know? Because at the end there, only me and the child. So content I'm a therapist. Only me and the child knows what's said, but the marker doesn't know. So I could easily just add a full stop there, comment there, done. But actually if I'm remaining in Christ. I'm accepting that I am gonna look funny to the world. And even if it is such a small lie, I have to hold on to that and say, I'm not doing that. And hopefully, yeah, that fruit grows in other people. That actually this is such a small thing, but she's not willing to do that. Actually, what's going on? And who is this God that she's remaining in? So just trusting that as I remain in him, he will continue to grow through and people see that fruit. speaker-4: Yeah. speaker-5: To add to that, I wonder if the remaining aspect of it, it's helpful to highlight it's a relationship, isn't it? Whereas before you are following Christ, you're living for yourself and essentially you're loving yourself first. When you see what Jesus has done for you, you're loving Him first and you want to honor Him first and suddenly things that... I remember when I was really struggling as a teenager and I just saw the list of things you should do and not do in the Bible. I just thought, that is long. Long and I like spoiling my fun, to be honest. But then when you realize what Jesus has done for you, it's suddenly your love has changed because you realize how much you've been loved and you want to do those things. And your repentance therefore is, I don't want to live for myself anymore. I want to live for him, I want to honor him, I want to show how incredible he is. So that key relationship thing of abiding. speaker-0: Amen. Amen. I'm gonna pause us there because next week we get to get to we get to be introduced to the Holy Spirit. And what a gift the Holy Spirit is for all of what we have been sharing tonight. It's so true. I want to actually do these things, but in and of myself I can't do it. And Jesus says, Don't worry, my guy, I'm gonna send you a helper. And so I'm gonna even just say verse 26 is where I'm gonna leave you. When the advocate comes, aka the Holy Spirit, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You are also to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. The Holy Spirit's gonna give us help to bear fruit. I'm gonna wrap us and pray. And yeah, when we jump back in, Jesus got a lot of work to say around I am a I am the vine, you are the branches. Abide in me, you will be fruitful, but you won't do it in your own strength. You'll do it because the Holy Spirit is going to come. Let me pray. Let me pray. Father God, thank you so much that yeah, you are the vine dresser. You prune us, you you take out things in our life, Lord, that bear no fruit, and that then helps things that are bearing fruit in our life to bear even more. Jesus, you're the true vine, and you say, Stay with me, hang out with me, remain in me. yeah, for anyone watching. who wants that? Lord, I pray you'd help all of us who want that even more, that we would live fruitful, fruitful lives. And your word says, Lord, that you we can ask for anything in your name, and the Father will give it to us. Help our prayers to be shaped by what it is you want us to be praying for, what you want us to have. thank you for all that you have taught us tonight about friendship and how great a friend you are to us. May we experience your kindness and your friendship this week. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Well done, gang. Well done. Amen. Loads of lovely things there. Thank you so much for all your honesty and stories. Yeah. Great sesh.