Latest / Citipointe Church Caboolture / Engage in the Vision | Ps Graeme Politanski

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Engage in the Vision | Ps Graeme Politanski · Citipointe Church Caboolture

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Hey, welcome to the City Point Church podcast.
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Thanks for joining us. Every day is an opportunity to
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take hold of. So we hope this message inspires
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you and build your faith that it helps you have more of a God
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perspective for your day. Enjoy how?
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Amazing is that? Hey, can we just declare out
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loud altogether today? My heart is open, my ears are
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alert to grow and change. And never be the same.
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Amen, Amen. Please be seated.
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You always know the pastor means business when the glasses go on.
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Thank you Lord, God. So today I've titled the message
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Engage in the vision. Engage in the vision now, quite
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simply, people have a vision for their lives and I believe that
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God gives, gives us a vision. I know when I was about 14
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somewhere I always say 12. Everything was 12 when I was
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younger, but when I was 12. I had a.
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Vision for my life and I could see myself on platforms
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preaching the gospel, people being healed, people coming to
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to Jesus to know Jesus and the name of Jesus just being.
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I testified and lifted up just, you know, through ministry that
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God had for my life. But at some point in my life I
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had to engage in that vision. And if I just looked at the
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vision and just prayed for it to be fulfilled, it would never
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come to pass Because God requires you and I to have more
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than words and even sometimes more than action.
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But we need to have a confession that lines up with the action.
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Because you can confess death and look like you live for life.
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And the world that is being formed around is the world that
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you're confessing. And the world that will be
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realized is the one that you're living.
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The Bible says out of the heart, the mouth speaks.
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So sometimes we have this facade.
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In the old days we used to call it, you know, like fake
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Christianity and things like that.
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But it's got nothing to do with Christianity or being fake or
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whatever. It's just about the very fact
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that broken people give their lives to God and go on a journey
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of wholeness. So you and I were those broken
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people and some of us still are pretty broken, and that's
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completely OK. This is why iron sharpens iron.
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In other words, brothers and sisters in the House of God walk
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the journey of restoration with other brothers and sisters.
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And that's how we end up with a healthy church.
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We don't, we don't, we don't say I stand for the precepts of God
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and the things of the Kingdom of God, but not walk or uplift with
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our tongue that brother and sister.
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We don't curse brothers and says, oh, look at them.
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Look at their Christianity. They say that they're great
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Christians, but look how they talk in their life groups.
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You know, that is using our words for cursing and yet we
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wear a suit on Sunday. And so your actions and your
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confession don't line up. But this church, in this church,
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we are a church a healthy. How do I know that we are a
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healthy church? Because I'll look at the
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confession and I'll look at the action and I go, God, you're
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moving. There is health in this place.
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I love it. I love it.
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I love the cafe after churches. Please don't go home straight
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after the service. Go out to the cafe.
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You'll be full of rich conversation.
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If you feel still by the end of this, if you still feel a bit
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down or that issue is is still just the number one thought that
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you're having, just go out to the conversation.
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Sit at the table and just go. People come sit at my table and
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talk because that will lift you up.
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That will build you up. This is what the church is,
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right? It's what it's ought to be, but
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it's what this Church is. And so engaging in the vision.
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Now today I'm specifically talking about why you would be
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participate in faith, love, hope two weeks faith, love hope
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program. Now what is faith love hope many
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would be asking here today. It's it's faith in action, It's
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love in action and it's hope right.
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So the idea is, is that as every city point church around the
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world, once once a year, we take up this massive offering.
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Now what? This offering isn't OK.
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There's two things I've got to really tell you.
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I've been busting to preach because I've just been wanting
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to tell you this. It's just so important is is the
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offering is our participation in the vision.
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What it isn't is you're not giving an offering to Mel and I,
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and you're not replacing your weekly ties.
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With your faith, if you make a pledge over the next 12 months,
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we're going to give as a family this much to the faith of hope.
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That doesn't mean you do a wave of tithing.
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They're two different things in the Bible.
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That's why in the church we often we often tie them together
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by saying ties and offerings because they're two different
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things. OK, so you're so your tithe or
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your pledge doesn't outdo your your weekly sorry, your offering
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doesn't outdo your weekly tithing.
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OK. And you're not doing?
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To Mel and I, Mel and I won't be here forever.
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It's pretty sad. I know.
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I can see all your faces. You know someone out the back
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crying already. Like it's OK, Mel and I won't be
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here forever. But this church will get
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stronger and stronger and stronger.
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So you're not tithing into us. You're tithing into the vision
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that God has upon this church. And we are the carriers of it
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all the leaders of it in this season of our life, which I hope
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will be till Jesus comes. All right, that's, that's my
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prayer. So Jesus has around 10 years.
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I'm not saying I'm leaving in 10 years, but I want to be in my
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prime when he comes, all right? So I'm kind of doing that
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heavenly prayer, you know, I'm praying to the armies in heaven,
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the heavenly armies, you know, come on, guys, you know, and I'm
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sure they're listening to me, right?
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And all, anyway, OK, I'm just going, please.
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So anyway, the other thing is, is you have to be, this is just
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real serious, just for like 10 seconds, OK, and serious.
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And then I'll say something funny when you do giving
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finances. Now, it came out in Rachel's
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message this morning, but there's a story in the Bible of
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Ananias and Sapphire, if you know that story.
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Whenever you pledge, you need. To know who you're pledging
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before it's the great I am. Please don't pledge beyond your
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means mixed with a portion of faith.
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Please don't pledge just according to your means.
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Mel and I aren't really that interested in people living
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according to their means. Mel and I are mostly interested
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in people who live by faith. So I believe and I always
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practice that when it comes to things like that.
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I've been part of this my whole life.
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I've given to church things every year like this forever.
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And I remember, you know, when you, when you go from giving
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like $8000 to $10,000 over the next 12 months, the $8000 you
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can do, you just don't feed your children for a year or you give
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them minimal survival level, right?
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You drink water because it's kind of free from the, you, you
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pay your taxes and rates and all that anyway.
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But so you, you go for water, minimal food in the house and
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down to 1 car and you can make 8 grand work, right?
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And so we could make 8 grand work, but we can't make 10.
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And so we pray about that and we just go.
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Now I'm just using an example of numbers, OK, it could be for
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you. It could be moving from 100 to
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$200.00 / 12 months. The 200 factor is the faith.
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OK God, faith is the currency of heaven.
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And whenever we're going to play around faith with money, I
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believe you need the heavenly currency.
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And so faith is where we go. God, I really believe you spoke
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to me and my my wife or my husband and we are in agreeance
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that you want us to move from $50.00 to $100 or 8000 to 10,000
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or 15 to $20,000 this year. We're in agreeance on this.
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But Father God, we can't calculate it on paper.
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It's stretching us a bit. It's not silly stretch.
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Please don't do silly stretch. Not interested in that.
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We want real faith growth to come in this church this year.
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And so, but God, we, we, we have to say, we commit, we will take
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the steps as far as we can. But father like Abraham when he
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had his son tied up, we'll do the tie, We'll go that hard of
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this, we'll even lift the knife. We'll go that hard.
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But our faith is what we confess to our son.
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That was the key in Rachel's message this morning.
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The confession will be my God will provide the sacrifice.
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He didn't say that's why you're here son.
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See Abraham even till the end of obedience still had the faith
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portion which is my God will provide.
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He always has. Why wouldn't he now?
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He's done it before, I'm pretty sure he's going to do it again.
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Has anyone had that level of faith?
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It's how I want to encourage you.
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So this is what Faithful of Hope is.
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It's a massive stretch. It's literally a season where we
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call the church to come together with one vision, one vision, 2
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visions is division two leaders is a monster.
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It's 2 heads. There is one, one vision given
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by God in this church. And the pastors Mark and Lee.
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And we unify and then we go, I can do this, but I believing,
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I'm believing for this in faith. And if we do that, we lift up.
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Is this OK? Like am I, am I going places not
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even on my message? But anyway, we've got the title
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out. That's pretty good.
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What's the the Kingdom of God when he's when God stretches us
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in prayer, Let's use prayer. Just take money aside for a
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moment. When God is is stretching you
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and he's calling you to more time in prayer and you like God,
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I can't. I like I only have so many hours
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in the day. I've got kids, I've got family,
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I've got work. I don't finish work till 5:30.
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I don't even get home till 6:30 as it is.
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Where do I fit in this prayer? But when you when you go but but
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Gods, I say yes. And when you just make it
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happen, What happens is not only can God stretch time because
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he's the. Author of it, right?
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He will then reward that faith. But he might not reward the
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faith by asking for more prayer. But next time you pray for
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healing, you see a miracle. You're what the Bible calls a
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trusted person where he can trust you with his presence.
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You're not a church member that that takes it all for granted,
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but you come into the House of God and you're a contributor.
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You're you're a person that he can trust with his presence, but
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you're also a person that he can trust with his power.
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How does he know it? Well, maybe put the prayer aside
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for a moment and we come back to the finances because he says
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this person is about getting into the mission.
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I gave Graham Mel that vision, the I am grave, Gray and Mel
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that vision. And so when we partner with
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that, we're not partnering with Gray and Mel.
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We're bypassing us and we're going, we're partnering with the
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call of God on this church and he goes that faith that they
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exercise Holy Spirit move on their faith, they've moved
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heaven. When we say the word currency,
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it's not always talking about money.
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It's the currency of heavenly release.
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It's the currency where where the windows of heaven are.
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This is what tied in is weekly this making sense.
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And so this is what we are calling you to be part of this
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year. Let me use some notes and some
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scripture, all right. So engage in the vision now, the
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vision of City Point. City Point Church has a vision.
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It's clear. It's on the wall out there to
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unmistakably influence our world for good and for God.
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Who can unmistakably influence their world for God?
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If people hate them, Don't lift your hand is a trick question.
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We have to do good as a church for people to open their hearts
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to the words you have to say. This is what feeding and, and
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things like global care that we do at the two locations, Bribie
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Island and and here global care. We, we TJ is a weapon, right?
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We all love TJ, but he gives people food and then shares the
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gospel and they go thank you with an open heart of receiving
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and then boom, Jesus is right in there.
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You know, we, we give people food for a purpose, sure to
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feed, but Jesus said in his scriptures, the hungry will
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always be with you. He actually said the poor, the
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poor will always be with you. So it's not about fixing the
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world crisis of of poor people, but what it is, is God has also
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then said to make sure that you feed the poor.
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So what does he want? Like he feed the poor, but he's
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not going to fix the poor. Like the poor crisis.
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You know what I mean? It's like, what do you want from
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us, God? Well, when we feed the poor, we
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can share Jesus. We don't live on bread alone.
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The bread alone doesn't fix it. They need Jesus.
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They need the revelation of who the one is.
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Is is what? What's happened in the life of
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this person that's given them the bread, that's given them the
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food, the transformation that's happened in their lives, That's
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what will change our generation and our Shire.
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Amen. So it's engaging in this.
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So this is our purpose and this is the why we exist as a church.
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It's the stamp that we want to leave on Morton Shire if we
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engage in it. Vision gives meaning to life.
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I have spoken to way too many Christians in my life who still
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struggle with meaning, who struggle with the waking up
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every day and what's what's the reason?
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I'm on planet Earth and they're Christians.
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The reality is, is if you're a Christian today, you have so
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much meaning and purpose in your life.
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It's absolutely ridiculous because the creator of the
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universe now lives in you through the power of his Spirit,
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Amen. And your words have the ability
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to form what's your meaning? Speak life over someone else.
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Reform their the bubble that they live in or called their
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life. Help them reshape.
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Let's lift up brothers and sisters in Christ.
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Let's feed the poor and get the name of Jesus out there.
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We must leave a stamp on the Shire so we engage in this
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vision. Now let me read a scripture of
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how Jesus brought this to his disciples and the extra people
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around. And you'll find it in the book
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of Matthew, chapter 28, verse 16.
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It says this, we've titled it in the New King James Version, the
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Great Commission, so maybe you've heard it before.
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It says then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee to the
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mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.
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When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted
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and Jesus came and spoke to them, saying that Jesus said
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this. All authority has been given to
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me in heaven and on earth. You know what that means?
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Nothing has power over your life when you declared Jesus nothing.
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There is not a thing man the the the enemy.
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The enemy is so weak. Now I'm going to qualify what
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I'm about to say, OK, But he is so weak.
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It's shameful. Shame on him.
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Like he literally what what we, what we got to understand is
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there is no battle. Now we've read the book of
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Revelations and we know Armageddon's coming.
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There's going to be this great spiritual, but what you got to
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understand is, is there's no battle in the sense of get your
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armies and get their armies and and God's armies are here going,
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Oh my goodness, that's a big army.
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Like I'm not sure we can do this.
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Father, are we going to be? Able to do it, yes, Spirit, we
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will be able to do it. And Jesus is going, oh guys, I'm
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not sure. Like that's a really big army.
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They're giants from the book of Genesis.
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They're the real giants. It's not like that.
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It's absolutely not, not like that.
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The devil just literally goes, OK, devil armies, let's come
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together. We got to do it anyway because
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we're bad people, so we got to do bad stuff, so let's do it
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anyway. But Jesus just goes like that.
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It's it's just it's we now what? I'm not saying that he's my
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qualification, OK if you give. The devil, a foothold in your
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life, he'll. Destroy you so the.
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Bible says we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but
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principalities and powers. You are nothing compared to the
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devil. He's the real deal.
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But he is like that when it comes to God.
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God's the real deal, the real deal.
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Me and my son, we're just, he goes to kindy and I say, son,
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you're big. And he goes, no, daddy, I'm not
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big and I say you're bigger, you're bigger big.
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He goes, yeah, Daddy, I'm bigger big anyway, so he's the greater
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greater anyway, so. What I'm trying?
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To get at that's just some personal dialogue.
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OK, I just shared it with you. It's all good.
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But what we got to what we got to understand is when we can
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understand this and we stop fighting in the natural and
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start fighting in the spiritual, then it's a no joke contest.
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OK, But while you stay in the natural in your fights, like,
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well, how do you fight in the spiritual then?
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Well, it's actually it's, it's actually pretty simple as well.
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But you do have to grow in it. OK, It's and it's your prayer.
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You can do things like fasting. OK, fasting is a real conqueror.
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It's a real deal. It's a real thing in your life,
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man. When I fast, what happens?
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What happens when I fast? When I fast, I winch, but just
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to my wife. OK, so I winch.
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I generally like I generally go to bed and I have a good dinner
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and I say honey, in the morning I'm going to start fasting and
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I'll wake up in the morning. I'm already a mess like and I
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haven't really started. It's just a she's like it's all
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in your head grave. Although I think it must be like
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it's just knowing about them. Like I'm not a good faster.
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I've got to be quite honest, but I fast like all the time.
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OK, And the reason why is I can't really explain what
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happens except for I become more of a victorious person.
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Clarity comes, OK, so if I'm fasting or just praying like
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crazy, like I'm just like this week, I'm just going to pray
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absolutely as much as I can. I get clear, man.
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I just get sharp. Like I, I'm just, I just start
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getting words of knowledge. I'm just like, got to settle
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myself down, you know? It's like sharpness comes.
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Clarity comes in your life, purpose comes in your life, but
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a sense of power comes now it's not powering me, but it's just a
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power in knowing who's I am and who I am in Christ.
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And when I don't do these things in my life, the opposite become
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starts to happen. Now you know exactly what I'm
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talking about. I I actually start to feel
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weaker. My manhood starts to feel more
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wussier. I don't know what the right word
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is that'll do from it's a council word, so.
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It's all right, I'm from towns. Alive, I've got permission.
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I, I my manhood. So man, you know what I'm
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talking about. OK, you, you just don't feel
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like you're the man that you should be.
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There's just something. This is because you're not
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praying. You're not you're not reading
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the word of God enough. Now, you might be praying, but
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praying over dinner, That's a religious prayer.
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Oh, man, I want to talk about it right now, but I won't.
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It just falls into religion. OK, That's not what God says.
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Pray like I'm saying, get up when your wife falls to sleep.
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You hear her fall asleep. Be the man that gets up and goes
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and just spends half an hour in the living room and just, hey,
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God, here I am. Don't know what to say.
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I'm going to practice that heavenly language I got at
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church the other week and I'm going to pray in tongues, what
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we call tongues. And I'm just going to pray and
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just be. Here in your presence or you
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will do what the pastor exampled on Sunday.
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You know, just all this morning at church where he's just got us
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all just to be quiet and just to lift our hands.
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And he taught me something there, God, even when I don't
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know what to say, You're with me because I'm a Christian, so
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you're with me. And so Holy Spirit.
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Holy Spirit, thank you Jesus, and you just invite him into
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your world, and the dove comes on your shoulder, and you go,
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God, I want to practice waking up tomorrow with the dove still
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on my shoulder. I want to see how long I can go
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on my day with just this flesh, knowing and understanding that
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you're still on my shoulder. Now, what I'm not saying is that
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he just leaves you, but you do have to cultivate the presence
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of God in your life. Anyway, I'm preaching about
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vision, apparently. So Jesus said all authority.
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Has been given to me in. Heaven and on earth, Go there
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for this Is it ready? Go there for.
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And make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
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name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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Teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you.
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And LOL, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
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What did Jesus just do? When Jesus spoke these words, he
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gave the people a vision for their lives.
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It's a commissioning for their lives.
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They could now see what their purpose of life is, and it's to
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carry the presence via power and the authority because Jesus
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started by saying all authority in heaven and on earth.
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Oh, that's where I went off track and and on on earth has
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been given to me. And then he gives it to them, to
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you church and to me. He gave it to us.
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The one that carries all answers, all authority has been
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given to us. Amen.
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So it's a vision for you and I to engage in.
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Vision is the fruit of faith. We have a picture of the future,
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so that's where we apply our faith to Vision is the fruit of
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faith. Now that is interesting because
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most people think it's the other way around.
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Most things people think it's faith and then you receive the
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fruits. But vision is the fruit of
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faith. When you have faith in your life
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in God, you have faith in the vision he puts on you.
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When you have faith in the I am and he says you have my
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authority, then it's fulfilled. So vision is the fruit of faith.
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Vision is the why we exist, why we can't wait to get out of bed
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in the morning. If you're struggling to get up
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in the morning, you need more vision in your life because let
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me tell you my favorite day honestly, I'm going to just be
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honest is Sunday. But Monday is like right there
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because what I Sunday to me is I just get so edified, which means
26:52
I get so overwhelmed with the love of God, the presence of
26:55
God, the company of God and the church, the testimonies, the
27:00
worship, right? But I, it makes me just buzzing
27:04
for Monday. I love my job.
27:07
I I've got the best job on the earth.
27:09
I'm sorry guys, but I really do have the best job on the earth.
27:13
And I come to church and I'm like in vision mode, man.
27:16
I'm like, how do we change this whole Shire for Jesus?
27:20
You know what I mean? This is the why we get up out of
27:22
bed. Vision gives us goals to achieve
27:27
without vision in your. Business, You don't know what
27:29
you're going to achieve today, but when you have a.
27:32
Clear vision. A clear vision.
27:35
Not a muddy vision, not an influence by outsiders vision.
27:40
When you've got a clear vision, you know what your purpose for
27:42
today is, and if you achieve it, then you can achieve tomorrow's.
27:46
Goal it gives you. Clarity.
27:48
Vision is the best friend of momentum.
27:52
Vision keeps us on track, Vision gives reason for everything, and
27:58
vision stops us perishing. Now, disclaimer, I want to get
28:03
to the end of my message, so I'm going to go really, really fast.
28:07
Are you ready? 1.5 speed.
28:10
Here we go. When we have a vision, we have
28:13
personal value. When we have a vision, we have
28:16
direction. When we have a vision, we have a
28:19
purpose. We have something to engage in
28:23
here at City Point Church. Vision is designed to put
28:27
momentum in our lives and keep us in unity for the great 'cause
28:33
churches that are out of unity are out of vision or the visions
28:37
on the wall, but there's no clarity in the church.
28:40
Proverbs 2918 says where there is no vision that people cast
28:45
off restraints. I view it like this.
28:49
Where there is no vision, there is monsters.
28:54
OK, you don't know what I'm talking about, OK.
28:56
All right, let's just move on. So Proverbs 2918 in the New
29:00
Living Translation says when people do not accept divine God
29:05
guidance, they run. Wild.
29:07
So that's the other way to say it.
29:09
What was I saying with monsters when there's no clear vision?
29:14
The people in the church create their own.
29:18
What am I talking about? Oh, OK.
29:20
Well, why doesn't city point north?
29:24
Do this program. They should be doing this
29:27
program. And then your life groups like,
29:29
yeah, why don't they? Do you know why?
29:32
No, I don't know why Pastor Gray's never told me, say we
29:37
should be doing that. Why don't we put something
29:39
together? Now there's another vision
29:42
formed. So you've just LED 12 people in
29:46
your life group down a different vision.
29:49
So that's now division. Now, I know no one he has done
29:53
that, but I'm just talking about in workplaces, all right?
29:56
So yeah, it's OK. I can see everyone just staring
30:00
at me just like, my God, I just did that last week.
30:09
It hasn't come back to me yet. But don't worry, I'll give you a
30:12
phone call anyway. But that's that's what happens
30:16
when you get division. You've got 2 heads, you've got 2
30:20
leaders. 2 heads is a monster, two visions is division.
30:28
So when the vision is clear and plain, the people don't perish
30:33
or run wild. We stay in one accord.
30:37
Faith, love, hope is the greatest opportunity for you and
30:41
I to get back on the page. If you feel your spirit man
30:44
start to wander, or maybe you've been looking at your church and
30:48
kind of going, you know, I don't know where we're going.
30:51
I don't know what we're doing. This is a good opportunity for
30:54
you just to go. But God, this is your church.
30:57
I believe that you are still the head.
31:00
So I'm going to be part of this vision.
31:03
Would you give me clarity of what it actually is?
31:06
Because I'm I'm struggling to see it, but I know that I want
31:10
to engage with the vision. And so today is a call.
31:14
Would you engage in the vision in Wales meant to be going fast.
31:17
So our vision keeps us unit united and pushes back division
31:23
for the people of City Point Church world worldwide.
31:27
We are engaged in the vision to unmistakably influence our world
31:32
for good and for gone. This vision statement, it's our
31:37
commissioning as a church. We take it personally, take it
31:43
personally, we apply it, we work towards it daily.
31:50
We are City Point Church and we are here for this purpose.
31:56
I write that. Here because it's not this is
31:59
City Point Church. It's not I go to City Point
32:02
Church, it's I am City Point Church.
32:06
So for the unmistakably influence our wealth for good
32:09
and for God to be fulfilled. I have to pay my part, play my
32:14
part, otherwise there's an element that won't get
32:18
fulfilled. We take it personally.
32:21
We take it upon ourselves. This vision statement is what
32:25
God has given to our senior pastors, Mark and Lee Ramsey.
32:29
So run with it, God said in Habitat 22 to three said, write
32:36
the vision and make it plain on tablets that he may run.
32:41
Who reads it? Church, Would you run with this
32:44
vision? Would we have the problem in
32:47
this church where Mel and I has to ask people to slow down
32:51
rather than to get going? Could you be our problem this
32:56
year? Could you be the one that is
32:59
coming up at our staff meetings all the time, which is between
33:04
me and Mel because we're the only staff?
33:06
And so could you be our marriage issue where we're like, how come
33:11
these people are just running and running?
33:13
We can't keep up and we can go back to the scriptures and go
33:17
because it's so clear and they're so full of passion and
33:21
hunger. They've owned it for themselves.
33:24
We are the ones that need to get running a bit faster.
33:27
Wouldn't that be a great problem in the life of church health
33:31
transformation? Good works, the name of Jesus.
33:35
I've just said them because I'm about to come to something.
33:38
In a minute. The key to vision, a vision like
33:42
this, unmistakably influenced, isn't to just be a statement on
33:46
the wall, or a slogan or a sticker.
33:50
Our vision needs to get inside of us.
33:53
People leave churches when they don't know the vision because
33:59
it's just a slogan on the wall. It's just all, I can take that
34:03
even further. This is good bit of gold.
34:06
It gets set on the platform but doesn't get exercise through the
34:10
leader. We can say in our life groups
34:16
leaders, life group leaders in this House, in whatever
34:19
department demographic, you can say it, but if you don't do it,
34:23
the people. Will will move away from
34:25
following it. They might follow you, but not
34:28
the vision. So they can follow you out the
34:32
door because they don't have the vision.
34:36
The objective of every. Leader on every level is to get
34:39
vision into the people and us as the people here today it's to
34:44
allow the vision to soak into our lives and to say yes, God
34:49
and Amen, I am part of this thing Amen it's our
34:54
participation commitment to unmistakably influence our
34:59
wealth of. Good and God, it's our
35:01
participation commitment. I commit to participate in this
35:05
vision. The vision becomes our why we
35:08
are in this church in the 1st place and what we are set out to
35:12
do as a church army in our community.
35:16
Listen to this. In a lifetime, the average
35:18
person influences 80,000 people in 78 years of life.
35:24
And you thought that your life was coming to nothing.
35:28
You know, you used to think that before you gave your life to
35:30
God. You wonder, am I really doing
35:35
anything in this world? Well, let me tell you, you are
35:38
definitely doing something in this world, but without vision
35:43
and clarity. You can be doing something for
35:46
evil or doing something for good.
35:49
You can do. You can be leading people to
35:51
dysfunction because you're still on your journey.
35:56
Or you can be leading people in the same sphere of, of
36:00
understanding and maturity that you are.
36:04
Or you can have a greater vision and you can say, guys, don't
36:08
follow me, but follow the vision that's within me.
36:12
Don't follow the the lifestyle that I'm coming out of because
36:16
I'm still on my journey, but follow me to where I'm going.
36:20
That's what a vision is. It's a connection point.
36:24
A vision connects from the now into this great future.
36:29
In fact, a vision is even greater than you and I Yeah.
36:33
Are we getting this today? Are we feeling this vision is
36:35
greater than us? It's unattainable.
36:38
It's unachievable. That's why it's vision and not
36:43
today's goal or task. Amen.
36:47
We're influencing anyway, so we engage in the vision.
36:52
Of our lives, the church Mel and I see, and this is where I
36:57
wanted to get to. Mel and I have a vision for this
37:01
church. It's clear because we've done
37:04
some surveys and you didn't even know about it and we came up 10
37:09
out of 10. So it's pretty good.
37:10
Probably 9 out of 10 to be on. I'm just going to be honest, it
37:13
was 9 out of 10. It's clear.
37:16
But we are what's? Called painters.
37:19
Mel and I are what is called painters.
37:23
We paint the vision and so everyone can see the painting,
37:28
but we don't override past the mark and Lee's vision for City
37:32
Point churches, It is to unmistakably influence our world
37:36
for good and for God. So Mel and I under that have
37:40
painted a picture over the years of what that means to get that
37:46
into this community, to get that into this community because into
37:52
Carindale, it's completely different.
37:56
You know, you're you're talking about BMWs and two three story
38:00
houses and you know, lots of money and big business.
38:04
And then you come to Caboolt Caboolture.
38:06
Just try to dodge my own spirit. You come to Caboolture and it
38:11
needs to be outworked differently, All right?
38:14
Then you go to Redcliff, it has to be outworked differently.
38:18
Then you go in the West differently.
38:21
You go over into America differently.
38:23
You go to New Zealand. It's differently, but it's the
38:26
same vision with a different package or a different painting.
38:31
Mel and I see people from this church having God revelation of
38:37
how to partner with the mission to reach our community for
38:41
Jesus. Listen, we don't want you to
38:44
just reach our community. I love good works, OK?
38:49
We should be known for them. But good works without declaring
38:53
Jesus and seeing transformation in someone's life is just good
38:57
works. We, Mel and I, aren't here.
39:00
Listen, we aren't here for the church to be known for global
39:06
care. That's not why we're here.
39:08
We are here and I've been given, if you've ever been in my
39:12
office, I've got a big picture of it and God gave me a clear
39:15
vision. We are here to see Jesus as the
39:19
banner of Mortonshire, starting with our community.
39:24
And what does that mean? You don't have the banner of
39:27
Jesus just by declaring Jesus. Declaring Jesus is telling
39:33
everyone that we are the church, but they're not.
39:37
We've got to go further than just the declaration.
39:40
We have to walk with people and see transformation.
39:45
We have to not transform to us, but transform to the Word of
39:49
God. We have to spend the time with
39:52
our neighbors, our friends, our work colleagues and make sure
39:56
that they are being transformed by the gospel.
40:00
Because there is nothing else on planet earth that matters more.
40:04
Nothing. Not one thing.
40:06
Your business, the purpose of your business is to see this
40:11
vision fulfilled. I got no shame in saying that at
40:14
all. None at all.
40:15
We all have our gifts, we all have our purposes, but they're
40:20
all for the vision. The Great Commission, I read
40:23
before, all Pastor Marks vision is statement, is the Great
40:27
Commission reskinned? That's all it is.
40:30
It's just reskinned for the outworkings of it that God has
40:35
put in past the mark in Lee's hearts.
40:37
All Mel Mel's and my picture painting thing is, which is
40:41
weird. I can't even paint.
40:42
But. All that that is, is it's
40:45
reskinning directly for our community, all right?
40:49
It's just a reskin of the Great Commission.
40:52
This is where people need to be transformed, not into the good
40:56
things that the church does and what we're all known for.
40:59
If they're not being transformed for Jesus, I don't care how big
41:02
the church is at all. I want a church full of truth.
41:05
When people walk in this church, I know this already and I love
41:08
it about this. I'm so proud of this church.
41:10
But when people walk in, we just put our arms around.
41:13
We don't care what they look like, smell like, where they
41:16
come from. We don't care at all.
41:18
In fact, we just go, man, you're, you're one of us now.
41:21
Like, you know, what's the difference?
41:23
I wear a suit. Well, who cares?
41:25
Like, I just do that because I've got this funky thing inside
41:28
of me. I think I look younger than what
41:30
I am. It just doesn't matter what
41:32
people think about me. I feel good.
41:34
So I wear my jacket. It's not about looks.
41:37
Does this make sense? It's like this is, this is what
41:41
it is. This is the transformation of
41:43
the gospel of Jesus Christ. Anyway, I've still got SO.
41:47
Many more points the band wants me off.
41:50
OK, people from this church are so passionate to see
41:56
transformation in our community that sharing the gospel is a
42:00
must for us. A church so on fire for Jesus
42:06
and who he is that we worship and we pray.
42:09
Unreserved, unashamed like we we just when it comes to prayer
42:14
meetings like we already do Example this.
42:17
But this is just who we are as a church.
42:21
New ideas springing out of this place that helps others find
42:26
wholeness and joy. We want we want you to come up
42:30
with ideas. It doesn't have to all come from
42:32
Melani. If you're part of this church,
42:34
you're empowered. Go in Jesus name and come up and
42:37
great with great ideas to help people to love on people.
42:42
If you're a counselor in this house, let us know.
42:44
We'll use you so much. It's unbelievable.
42:47
But because we want to see wholeness and we want to see
42:50
people healed. I want to get healed.
42:53
We all want to get healed, Amen. We move into the things of God.
42:58
We want we see a church where repentance is flooding, this
43:02
church where we humbly lay our all down for God.
43:07
I am not too proud to say I have to repent daily.
43:12
I have to repent daily because until He gives me a new body,
43:17
new flesh, and a new mind, I'm not worthy.
43:21
I'm made worthy by Jesus and I'm grateful for that.
43:26
But I'm still. Conscious of my flesh.
43:28
And so I lay it down daily before God.
43:30
I go God I'm sorry for my stinky body that I thank you for your
43:37
grace. I'm sorry that my mind goes that
43:41
way and I lack the self-control so holy.
43:44
Spirit. Fill me with that.
43:47
But I thank you for your grace. I'm sorry that I in the flesh.
43:53
Sometimes I feel dirty, I really do.
43:56
I'm sorry for that. I repent of those things that
43:59
would make me feel that, but I thank you that they never change
44:04
or diminish my identity in who I am in Christ.
44:08
Does that make sense? It's the war.
44:10
The Bible says that we are the flesh wars against the Spirit,
44:14
and the Spirit wars against. Engage in the war.
44:18
Engage in it. Don't just let it happen and
44:21
then wonder what's going on. I feel like I'm a mess going
44:24
this way and that way. Engage in it.
44:26
Acknowledge there is a war between flesh and spirit.
44:31
And so I engage in that thing and I I get the flesh and I
44:37
renounce it thin and I thank God for his spirit and tell that
44:42
thing to get in line. But it doesn't change who I am
44:45
or the power I have or the anointing I walk in.
44:49
Remember I said right at the beginning, the devil has no
44:52
power. Your flesh, which is his realm
44:56
has no power. Anything you feel Christian in
45:00
this place, that world does not dictate to this.
45:05
This dictates to that if we keep it in submission, we see a a
45:11
church that flows in finance into this church to see the
45:15
mission realized where each member of this great church
45:20
lifting high the banner of Jesus for all to know.
45:24
An undeniable mark left on our community that testifies Jesus.
45:30
Melon. I see a church pursuing and
45:35
walking in personal health of body, mind, soul and emotions.
45:42
Do you know that in this very house we have had around 70
45:47
people a year for three years now get professional
45:50
counselling. Not because they're bad people,
45:54
but because they're becoming whole people.
45:57
Amen. Can I encourage you?
45:59
Why don't you do the same? I'm sure there's an area in your
46:02
life we have some contacts we can help.
46:04
We engage in it ourselves. Our whole leadership team of
46:08
this church has done it. Because we're all about getting
46:11
whole, not just saved. We want to become the best us we
46:15
possibly can, not just going to heaven, Amen.
46:18
So we want to see health in the body, mind, soul and emotions.
46:23
We see a church moved to see our Shire come into relationship
46:28
with Jesus Christ. Amen.
46:31
We see a church who embraces love, who embraces loves and
46:37
walks alongside newcomers to Jesus.
46:41
Jesus for. Our generation Amen.
46:46
Receive that. We are here to make a difference
46:49
and faith love hope offering in two Sundays time is a way in
46:53
which we can all be involved in this great vision.
46:57
This church has a vision to engage with this offering is
47:01
hell that we do it together. Engage in the vision received
47:05
that word today. It's pretty good, pretty good.
47:10
Thank you Jesus, Father God, just pray over this great
47:14
church. Today, many of us are deciding
47:20
in our hearts to engage. Today, we're like, you know
47:22
what? Being part of this church for
47:24
too long. Today is the day of engagement.
47:28
Father, I just. Pray Holy Spirit, would you give
47:31
them clarity and vision, show them how to engage Father with
47:37
faith, love, hope, obviously, but just in life, Father, for
47:42
everyone that's heard about faith, love, hope, maybe got
47:45
more understanding than ever before.
47:48
Holy Spirit, I just pray that you.
47:53
Would meet with us stretch our faith this year, but in that
47:59
teach us wisdom as well. And Father God, we just thank
48:04
you that this year for this church, our faith, love, hope in
48:08
this season will be the greatest that we've ever experienced in
48:12
this church. But father not just great
48:15
because of money. But great, because of the
48:19
stretch of faith that you have done in our lives, we call this
48:23
church to greater faith.