"The Significance of this Season"

[Music] Welcome to the podcast with the Way Church in Adelaide, South Australia. Well, today is an exciting day. We have a friend of ours with us, Joel. I'm just, maybe I'll just invite you now. I'll say a few words just as you come up. We are, this is sort of last minute for Joel, okay? So he found out that he was going to be sharing with us this morning. I think it was on like Friday or something, right? Friday, yeah. He doesn't mind. He loves it. But, you know, like he's been preparing his whole life, right? So he's okay. But, you know, we're in a season of growing in our partnership with the NCMI team and with the guys across our city. Joel is on the NCMI team. There's a whole lot that we need to talk around that. So I'm not going to say too much. We would love to hear, you know, just some things about that, just who you are and how you relate to the team. And some of, we'd love to hear how you were called here and church stuff. I know that you can only cover so much. So we'll leave that with you. But Joel is going to be in Gateway for a short season with Mark and Donner and the guys at Gateway there. And so, yeah, look, what am I trying to say? We're wanting to build relationship here across our city. And so Joel's going to be leading a church in our city and not too distant future. And we would love for us as a church to be connected through relationship across this city. There is one church in this city. There's a city church. We are a small part of the church that's in our city. And the picture that I have this morning is that, you know, we're here building our part of the wall here this morning. And, you know, in this season that God has the way church here, there's work to be done. And we're building. We're building for the King and His Kingdom. So we're building a section of the wall in like in Nehemiah. Joel's going to be building another section of the wall. But it's the same wall that we're building together. And so we want to get to know these guys, Joel and the team guys in our city. Not just that they could input into us, but that we could relate to them in a real way, in a personal way. And that's why we want more than just for Joel to stand here and speak to us as a church. We want for us as a church to know him. That's going to take some relational context. That's going to take being around each other. So that's what we want to do. So that's probably enough for me. But thank you for being here. And do you mind if we just pray? Is that OK? Of course it's OK. Lord, we thank you for the word that you've put in Joel this morning. We pray, Lord, that you would lead him powerfully Lord and speak only the things that you would have him speak, that your word would move powerfully in this place. We present ourselves at your age to this morning, Lord, living sacrifices, Lord. And Lord, our hearts are yours. They belong to you. And we pray, Lord, that your word is so in as good soil into our hearts this morning and that there would be a harvest, Lord, from your word in this place this morning. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. Amen. Thanks, David. Thank you, David and eldership team. Thank you for this opportunity. Delighted to be here. Good morning, everyone. How is everyone doing today? Good, very well. Good. It is so good to be back in Adelaide and it is incredible to be able to say that from the pulpit for the first time now in 17 years as an IZ who lives back here in Adelaide is crazy. It's been a surreal few days. I landed Thursday evening here in Adelaide here on your beautiful shores. And again, no longer as just someone who's visiting. What's that? Exactly our beautiful shores. And it's just been so surreal the last few days just realizing and recognizing every day when I'm waking up. Like, I live here now. For those of you that don't really know this story as much, I was born, I don't want to make this about me, so I'm going to go quick about me and then we're going to get to the word of God and actually hopefully some importation this morning. But I was born in 2000 in Los Angeles, California, if you've ever heard of that place before. And I was there for about a little less than a year of my life. And then in 2001, we moved as a family over here to Adelaide Australia, myself and my parents, my younger brothers weren't born at the time. And we moved out to, yeah, here to come and take over a wonderful church, coastlands church, if you remember coastlands. And that was a great season. We spent nine years here in Adelaide. And these are my wonderful grandparents in case you didn't remember that from last time. Dudley and Anne, they're my heroes at every single level. But had a great nine years here with them and with that church. And just with what God is doing in this nation and this region. And then in 2010, God called us as a family to relocate back to America to a city called Denver, Colorado. And to plant a church out there called Redemption City Church. And we started in 2010. It's been an incredible journey, an incredible season out there. And I was released from that local church, sent out from that local church just this last Sunday from that church. So this is my first Sunday not connected to that local church, which is absolutely like just crazy to me. So 17 years in that church. And then the last few years, God's actually been just speaking to me about relocating back to Australia. And just over the years, his really just made it clear between a few different things, between the stirrings in my heart, to come back here to eyes to plant a church. And then also just through confirmation from those who have no idea around the world, people have confirmed it prophetically, which is also a really helpful thing and really encouraging. And then also just thirdly with those people that I'm accountable to have all sensed, this is right, this is God's season, this is God's timing, time to get back on a jet plane and head on a one way to Adelaide, Australia and come and be part of what God's doing out there. And so if I can just say we, I'm not here to, I'm not here, I haven't moved here to Adelaide, Australia to come and change everything up. We recognize that God's doing things, we recognize what's already on the ground and what's already taking place. We just want to come in and add to what God's already doing here. And so just want to say it's an incredible privilege and honor for me to be here in the same nation in the same region as you, in the same city and for the same purpose as every single one of us. And that to be honest is to establish an advanced God's kingdom everywhere all the time. And so just just really excited for this next journey. A lot of unknowns for me, a lot of things that are still like still trying to figure out in God. And I took such encouragement from Genesis 12 verse 1 that where God just said to Abram, leave your country, your father's household and go to the land that I will show you. Amazing. I think most people, they, they're like, Lord, I'll go, but you need to make this clear. And what about this, this and that? But God said to Abram, go to what I will show you. And I've just taken such encouragement from that. I felt God speak to me directly from that that actually God will make things a lot more clear in this season, but it required me getting out, stepping out of the boat and actually obeying God and getting on a plane and getting out here and just starting to venture out and just see what God's doing. And so it's been a good few days. So fight. It's been surreal. It's so, so, so surreal just being here and just seeing you guys all as my fellow Adelaide mates is really cool. And so I appreciate it. Appreciate the opportunity. And it's really, really good to be here. I'm so excited for what God's doing in this season. Are you? Are you excited? We have to be excited about what God is currently doing and what he's wanting to do. But this is a great season together. As David said, there's a season for us to build relation with guys in our region. Can I say there's an order to impact Adelaide and South Australia and Australia and the nations of the world. It's going to require us working together way more. I love the way church, but you guys are not enough to establish the fullness of what God's wanting to do in this region, in this nation. I'm going to be planting a church, hopefully in the next few months, we'll see how it all goes. And God started to make clear kind of where I'm feeling and where I'm sensing. And I've got a huge height for Glenelg. I'm staying in Glenelg at the moment. And God just opened some incredible doors into Glenelg. And we, I think we need a base church in Glenelg. That's, that's my heart. And what I feel like God's stirring me with, it's such a vibrant community. And we need some new testament base churches in through and from Glenelg to the nations of the world. What I was trying to say is that that church is going to be hopefully planted in the next few months. That church that I will be leading will not be enough to establish the fullness of what God's doing. We need each other. And I'm grateful we have each other. We have these friendships. We have these relationships with churches across the city, across the region. That's going to be the only way that we impact this beautiful city of Adelaide, South Australia, and the nations of the world for Jesus. And so I'm excited about our partnerships we have across the region. I hope that that excites you. I get really, really, really excited about that. And God's doing some crazy significant things. This is a significant season. I just, when you just look, and you look prophetically, and we look at our spiritual eyes, you just get that sense that God is starting to stir something big. God is starting to, to build something here in Adelaide. that is profound, that's stuff we used to see years ago, but also the same time, that's new. God is doing a new thing, Isaiah 43. He's doing a new thing, and our job is to perceive it, to see what God's doing, and to perceive what God's doing, and I want to say what God's doing in this season is spectacular and miraculous, and it's only God. It's only God, and it's us in partnership with Him, and we play our role, and He will do His role, but I'm telling you, it's God who's doing some significant things in this season, what He's bringing together, what He's building, what He's calling forth, what He's calling us into together, is so profound and significant. And I think of Isaiah 41, I'm gonna, if it's cool, you asked me to share some stuff about NCMI too. I've been on the team now, sorry, I've mentioned it real quick, been serving on this incredible NCMI team. I mean, I know there's a bunch of teams around the world, this is the best team, man. NCMI, this is the best team. You know what I love when we, when we connect as an NCMI team, my dad, my parents are currently leading that team, and when we do NCMI team training, do you know what we do? We pull out the scriptures, and we say this is what we're called to be, this is who we're called to be, and so I think this is the best, greatest team on the planet, and I say that absolutely unapologetically, and it's been a privilege to serve on this NCMI team for the last maybe five or six years, and loving every minute of it, and just seeing what God's doing around the world, we appreciate our friendship and our partnership with you guys as a local church, and so thank you for being connected to the team, and we come in as gifts to equip you guys as a local church, according to Ephesians for works of service, so that you guys can be built up. That's the point is actually to see you guys as a local church, when you guys get these gifts into your local church, the point is actually to see you guys equipped for what God's called you to do, but you walk into a greater maturity in Christ, and actually to be honest, you begin outrunning us as a team in what God's called you to, and so I'm hoping for that impartation and trusting for that this morning, and so just wanted to mention that, because Dave asked me to, how I've been on this team, Isaiah 43, "What I wanna do today if it's cool with you, "I just wanna share some scriptures "of what I sense God's wanting to do prophetically, "not just for you guys as the way, "but in us, me as a fellow Adelaide, "Adelaia, what do I say? "I've gotta figure out all the lingo, "I'm learning it all again, I'm just figuring it all out, "but I wanna just share some stuff "of what I feel like God's wanting to highlight prophetically "for us, some scriptures of what God's doing in this season, "and then also just a bit of encouragement "for you guys as a local church." And so Isaiah 41, verse 19 and 20, if you wanna turn there, you can, hopefully it'll come up on the screen. Do you guys, you say Isaiah too, hey? Okay, I'm sorry if I say anything still in my Americanism kind of accent, it's gonna take a little while to get used to, but Isaiah 41, 19 and 20, I sense, this is what God's doing right now, as He's building, as He's bringing all these churches, and I know Paul and Nicole are gonna be planting in the east of Adelaide, I believe, and just figuring out all that season and me coming in and God's doing something spectacular, significant and miraculous. And I sense it's some of what we see in this picture. And Isaiah 41, 19 and 20, this is, God says this, He says, "I will put in the desert." Adelaide is straight there. Bit of a desert here, right? Bit of a dry land here. It says, "I will put in the desert, the cedar, the accacia, the mortal, and the olive." I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together. I love that word, together. And basically what God's saying here, He's gonna take all these tree shrubs, bushes, and plants that don't all naturally belong together and don't all naturally belong in the desert. And He's saying, "I'm going to put those things together." Again, those of us that don't naturally belong, you might look around this room and say, "We don't naturally fit together." And that's a good thing. When we look with our natural eyes, we begin to see the issues. We begin to see the culture differences. We begin to see the age difference and the different generations and how different we are. But friends, when we look with supernatural eyes, we recognize God's putting something together that's supernatural. That's how we don't get in issues with each other. That's how we can build as David say, relationally with our churches across the region, across this nation. When we can say, you know what, God's putting all of us together, tree shrubs, bushes, and plants in the desert. We don't belong in the desert, but He's putting us here in the desert and we don't all belong together, but He's putting us here supernaturally. And it's actually for this very reason, He reveals it in verse 20. He says, "So that people may see and know that they may consider and understand that it's the hand of the Lord that's done this. That it's the hand of the Lord that's done this." See, for me, that when I read those two verses, it's these three key things. Number one, is we have to keep our eyes on the supernatural and not on the natural. I know I just mentioned that, but friends, we've got to keep seeing the supernatural nature of what God's doing and not get so focused and carried away on the natural. Secondly, we have to be alive, full of life. When I read these scriptures, here you see tree shrubs and bushes for Cyprus, all these different kinds of trees. They, what's the one common thing they all have? They're all alive. The desert's dead, but they are all alive. And I just want to say and encourage and remind us, we've got to be alive. We've got to be alive, full of life. If we are not full of life, I don't know how we're going to impact people for the gospel. When we talk to people, God's called us to impact them, to advance His kingdom, His rule and reign in people's lives. How will we do that? If we are not full of life and full of life, are we declaring and demonstrating that Jesus is alive? It's both of those things, friends. I think sometimes we get to that place where we can declare that Jesus is alive, declare that Jesus is alive. But to be honest, the way we live our lives and the demonstration of our lives is we are living as if Jesus is dead. Or the other way around. Sometimes we're demonstrating in our own lives, Jesus, you're alive, you're alive. I'm having such amazing quiet time with the Lord and in my own personal walk of Jesus, in my devotions, me and the Lord, oh, it's so life-giving, but I'm not declaring that Jesus is alive to the world. It's gotta be both for us, friends. Are we declaring and demonstrating that Jesus is alive, that the kingdom of God's alive, that Jesus is fully alive? And thirdly, the thing that I see here is that the point is Jesus receiving the glory for it and not us. That's what you see. That's what verse 20 says. So that people, God puts us together, He's putting something together in this season and it's for this very purpose. So that people may see and know and consider and understand actually it's the hand of the Lord that's done this. In other words, it points back to Him and not to us. I mean, it's great for people to rave about our churches and what God's doing, but friends, they should be giving glory to Jesus. I just sense this for us in this season that if we don't care about who's getting the credit, but we only care about who gets the glory, we will be so much more effective for God and for His kingdom. And I'm speaking, I'm speaking that to myself too 'cause I know how easy it is to get in that place where we're like, gosh, we want the credit. We want the credit, when we do something, we want to be seen, we want it to be recognized, we want it to be acknowledged by people, I understand friends, but I just feel for us, we cannot be so focused on getting the credit. All that really matters is who's getting the glory. And we focus on that, that Jesus is getting the glory and when people see the way we work together, I'm trusting for this testimony, as us in partnering churches in this region, in this nation, when people see the way we work together, the way we love one another, the way we encourage one another and careful one another, the way we edify each other and build each other up, that when people see that, they see Jesus, that when people see, and that's what David was saying this morning, actually it's by the way we interact our unity when he was speaking out of John 17, our unity will point back to God. It goes so in line also with what Jesus says in John 13, verse 35. Amazing, that's scripture, Jesus says this, he says, "By this, everyone will know you're my disciples." And he says this, "By your love for one another." Isn't that amazing? It's not even just a handful. Jesus is saying, "By this, every single person will actually know that you're my disciples." By the way, you love one another. Believers and unbelievers are like, how do we love like Jesus? It has to be real and tangible. It has, seriously, the only way that everyone will be convinced that we are Jesus as followers is if our love is real, tangible, genuine, if we genuinely care, then people will know that we belong to Jesus Christ. I'm getting so ahead of my notes and that's okay. But I've been here now for, I think this is my third day. This is my third day here in ours. And a couple of days, I've just been trying to get out and just venture out and just walk the streets of Glenelgo. I'm starting to try to look for church buildings. But do you know what I'm trying to do more than all those things? I am trying to shine the light of Jesus to every single person. This whole church planting journey has made me so much more intentional with people. And I trust that you guys, 'cause you guys have-- How long has this church been going, two years? 30 years, come on, 30 years. So you guys are three years ahead than me. You might be looking around this room saying, gosh, I wish it was more people. I'm telling you, I'm sitting here right now as the only person that's part of this church that I'm planting. And I'd be longing and dreaming for this number in this room. And so just like counts your blessings for sure, but this church planting journey has made me so much more intentional. And so the last few days, I joined a gym in Glenelgue, I want to say fit and healthy, but I also just, like that's such a way to be able to connect with people and just invest and build into the community. And I've started praying every single day. When I wake up, like since I landed in eyes, I wake up and every single day I pray, Lord, who have you got on the path for me to connect with today? Who's on the path today that I could so easily miss, but Lord, help me not miss who you're wanting me to connect with? And I've prayed it every day for the last three days, which I know is not that impressive, but I'm going to keep praying it. Six months from now, I trust some still praying that every day. But I have found God has answered that prayer every single day since I've got here. Every single day, guys at the gym, the guy who owns the gym, I just hit it off within the other day and we connected and chatted for an hour and I'm just like, Lord, this is who you had on the path today. Then I connected with another person that works at the gym. And then yesterday, they were like, like that guy who owns the gym, he introduced me to some lady yesterday who lives over there in Glenelg, not part of a church, not even saved. And just like this lady was so friendly and kind to me and we chatted at the gym for about 30 minutes yesterday in between my workout and part of me was like, "Oh, I just want to get a good workout in." But I realized, actually, this is people's eternity that we are, to be honest, neglecting if we are so focused on ourselves and our own lives. And I've just found God has answered that prayer. Who have you got on the path today? Who is it today? Who is it today, Lord? And God will bring people. As we go about following Him and walking with Jesus, there are people every single day. And if I can say this to us, our mission field is so much bigger than we think. I think some of us think it's a handful, it's one or two people. I'm telling you, as we go out and live our lives, we start to see supernaturally the mission field that people, God's called us to impact is so much more than we think. It's so much more. And I think, friends, we've got to continue to minister out of interruptions. Jesus did that. He ministered out of interruptions. He was on his way to do something and on the way, he was interrupted and people needed him. People needed to be healed and people needed to be restored and people needed to get saved and people needed to respond to him. People needed to talk to him. We've got to realize, friends, that it's worth stopping. Someone's eternity is worth stopping for. Do you agree? The kingdom of God advancing in someone's life, that is worth stopping for. Can I even say this, that even sowing a seed in someone's life is worth stopping for? And I know that we'd long to be the person that leads people to Jesus and we lead them through the prayer and we see like this dead person made alive in Christ or when we lay hands on them, we want to see them fully healed and restored. We want to see the dead raise the laugh. I agree. We want to see those things and we should long to see those things. But sowing seeds is also what God's called us to. I think we neglect sowing seeds. You know the parable, the sower. Amazing, that says a farmer went out and scattered seeds. And he wasn't concerned at all about what soil it fell on. His job, his role was just to throw seeds and sow seeds everywhere he went. That's us friends. I think sometimes we get so focused on, is there soil ready, is there heart ready, is the soil ready? What soil is it falling on? Or is it a good day for me to throw this seed? Friends, our role is just every day. Throw the seeds, sow the seeds, scatter the seeds and we leave the rest in God's hands. We leave it in God's hands. God brings the increase. So we believe that still. That the only way something can bear fruit is by the spirit, it's by God himself. And so friends, I just want to encourage us just for a moment that there are people all around and our job is sow seeds, throw seeds, grocery stores. Do we call them that here? What do we call them? We call them grocery stores, supermarkets. I'm learning all the lingo and grocery stores and clothing stores and out getting coffee. Ah, Aussie coffee is so good, sorry I'm getting distracted but loving the coffee here. But friends, just everywhere we go, being it. I want to encourage us, be the light. Don't just shine the light. Don't just, don't just do witnessing. Be a witness, Jesus says. Acts one verse that you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. God's called us to that, friends. We want to care for people. Do you agree? I want to encourage you, the way church, we have to care for people genuinely. And can I say that people know if we actually care for them or not? People can read into that. People will know if we genuinely, they can tell if we genuinely care for them or not. You know what's amazing is, when it came to healing people in the Bible for Jesus, Jesus wasn't results driven when it came to healing people and praying for people. You see, Jesus healed out of compassion. That was his motive. It was actually out of a place of compassion. It wasn't result driven. And I just feel for us, it's, and I get to that place so often. Like Lord, I want to pray for someone and imagine when they get healed, how they're going to rejoice and give glory to you. Imagine how that broken leg they healed and they're going to be running back and forth and they're going to be glorifying God. But my motivation comes out of this place of like result. Result, and the high is good because we want to see God's glory advance. We want to see people praising God. But friends, when you look at Jesus, he healed out of compassion. He prayed for people out. There was that context of compassion. That's what compelled him was. He was compelled by compassion, not a result. And so if I can encourage us, my dad's been saying this recently. Oh, by the way, they said to say hi. Sorry, I need to just say hi. My parents said to say hi. My brother in South Africa, who lives in South Africa said to say hi. My other brother lives in the US said to say hi. So they send their love. But my dad's been saying this recently that if we don't aim for results, we actually will see way more results. This is paradox. If it's not the goal, the goal is not results. The goal is, or the motivation is Lord, I'm just compelled by compassion. You remember Jesus, he looked at them. He said he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. That's what's got to motivate us as we go out as we be the church, as we pray for people. And out of a place of compassion, I reckon we're going to see way more results. We're going to see way more people healed, restored, delivered, set free, and then praising God and giving glory to God, getting saved, all those things. Is that cool? Will you turn please with me to John chapter four? Please, we're going to read just a few more things. I sense this scripture, John chapter four, this is for us to take a hold of in this season here in Adelaide, Australia and beyond. Remember, it's the nations of the world. It's not just this city. But John chapter four, I want to read verse 34, please. Just 34 and 35. I just, this is so profound for us in this season. As I've been moving over here just these last few days, I just sense this so much in God that this is a prophetic, this is a word for us in this season. John four, verse 34, this is Jesus speaking again. And he says this, he says, My food said Jesus is to do the will of him who sent me. I just want to stop and say, "Sense, that's a really cool word." You agree, that word sent. Yeah, there you go. But those of you that don't know, the church that I'm going to be planting, we're really thinking and praying and believing it's going to be called Sents Church. SCNC, Sents Church, that the church doesn't just send out, but we live Sents every single day. And so I just wanted to make a quick reference to that, sorry, that was a bad joke. But Sents Church, coming, hopefully soon. But it says, "My food said Jesus is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." Another version says, "My nourishment and my pleasure is to accomplish and completely finish his work." Verse 35, Jesus says this. He says, "Don't you have a saying that it is still four months until the harvest." And this is what I'm trying to get to this morning. It says, "I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields." They are ripe for harvest. I feel that's a word for us to take a hold of. These few words were Jesus says, "Open your eyes and look." Open your eyes and look. And Francis, not just physical eyes, our spiritual eyes, we've got to open our eyes and look. And I want to say the field is ripe. The field is ripe now. Another version of that scripture says, Jesus says, "Why would you say the harvest is another four months away?" It's into the future. He says, "Look at all the people." people coming. Now is harvest time. Now. And it says this, it says their hearts are like vast fields of ripened grain ready for harvest. Isn't that amazing? So what we're seeing in this scripture is Jesus is saying you say it's four months away. You say harvest is coming. You say it's coming in the future. But I say, Jesus says I say the harvest is now. I want to tell you friends, there is such a harvest in this season. And not tomorrow, today there's a harvest. I look around at Aussies. I look around as I've connected with Aussies the last few days and in this season, I look around the world as we get to travel the world to see what God's doing around the world. There is such an openness in people's hearts to Jesus Christ. And I want to tell you friends, now is harvest time. Now is harvest time. We are missing out on a harvest field by delaying our surrender and our obedience. That's really what our response is every day. That's what I'm recognizing more and more is like, how do we respond to the things of God every day? To be honest, it's just this full surrender and full obedience. That's it. What other part of our response can there be? Yes, worship, and that comes from surrender and obedience. We've got to stop procrastinating the purposes of God. You know what procrastination is? If you were ever in high school, you remember those days and I did that a lot in high school procrastinating my homework and stuff. But friends, it's this delay delay. I'm going to get to it one day, one day I'll do it, one day I'll do it. What's God saying two day and we keep saying one day? I think this is one of those things. We keep saying one day revival, one day harvest, one day it's coming, one day God's going to do miraculous things. Friends, God's saying today, I really sense God's saying today. We put it off. We put it off. Can I say that we think of every possible reason why we can't do it? Can't, can't, what do you say can't? We think of every reason why we cannot do it. We think of every reason to quit, but friends by His Spirit receiving the anointing every single day to be who God's called us to be, to do what He's called us to do. When we receive that, we are more than able to be exactly who He's called us to be. Every day, please, let's not be those that procrastinate the plans of purposes of God. There are a matter of first importance to us. Now is harvest time. Now is harvest time. Amazing in this scripture, Jesus goes on to say that the context is about what others have sown and that there's a harvest waiting to be reaped. Others have sown and there's a reaping now. And I just sense that that's what's happening in this region and in this nation. There are many previous generations who have gone before us, who have sown seeds, who have laid foundations, even people in this room, who have sown incredible seeds and laid foundations for the church, not just a church, for the church, for the kingdom of God. And there's a harvest that's ready for us now in this season. Yes, it's been fruitful, but man or man, what God's called us to in this season, we need to take a hold of. We need to take a hold of. When I read the scripture, I almost see that what Jesus is saying is like it's easier to have faith for the future than it is to have faith for today. It's so easy to just say, yeah, one day, cool, great. Friends, what about our faith today? We need some now faith. Yes, we need future faith. Yes, it's good to have faith from what was in the past, but friends, we need now faith every day, today we've got some faith for what God's doing right now. I believe we need faith to believe and faith to obey. And I found sometimes it's way easier to believe in God, but sometimes I struggle to actually believe God. The reason is we get so caught up in what's around us. We start to look at the waves. We start to look at what's not working or what the lack is or what we haven't got. But the focus should be, what has Jesus given us? What's He called us to? We need to believe God every day. It's so easy to look up at, oh gosh, walking down Glenelg and looking at the beauty, believing in God, 100%. I don't know how you couldn't believe in God, but believing God, that's where we struggle sometimes. And we need to have faith every day that we believe God. We believe in, we're standing on His Word. We're taking a hold of these promises. No matter what we're seeing, remember, it's walk by faith, not sight. That means that we cannot rely on just our physical senses. We have a sixth sense, a spiritual one. And we walk, it's called faith. And that's what we walk by. That's what we move by and that's what we look with. God's been stirring me. I've, like I said, I've been here for two days. I just want to share just these two quick pictures, two pictures that I've actually seen. They haven't been like, they haven't been stuff that like, like God's revealed to me in visions. Like I've actually seen these pictures, but I've felt God print them and impress them onto my heart so much these last three days. I just cannot get them out of my head and hide. I just want to share them with us. The first is, just the, the city of Adelaide, like the CBD, when I was flying into Adelaide after like, flying for 30 hours from America to get here and just jet lagged out of my mind, I remember flying in and just seeing the beautiful city of Adelaide. And I just, my heart just leapt with joy. I'm just, it's just a picture I cannot get out of my head. And then the other one is planes. I remember going for a run about two days, like maybe the day after I landed a day and a half ago. And I remember just seeing this plane take off. And what's so cool about Glenelg is that, hey, right there is Adelaide Airport, but I saw this, just this plane taking off. I'll just begin, like, thinking for a second. I wonder where they're going. And I just, just these two pictures, I cannot get out of my head. The Adelaide City and planes taking off and friends, I just feel those two things, those are things we need to step into as churches in this season more than ever. I reckon, honestly, it's going to take all of our partnering churches working together to reach the city of Adelaide. We need something happening in that city. We need to partner with God and each other to see what God's wanting to do in that city. We've got to be impacting that city. But friends, at the same time, it's getting on planes together and going and making disciples of all nations. We've got to be committed to the nations like never before. And I just, honestly, feel this is like a season for us, prophetically, where we need partnering churches, traveling together, apostolic trips, going and sending, where we are sending teams out as local churches from Adelaide, not to just impact Adelaide, because it's not just about the CBD, but to impact the nations of the world. I just began just praying for nations. I haven't really prayed for in my life, like Pakistan and China and Bangladesh, all these countries. When I saw that plane taking off the other day and just began saying, "Lord, you're calling us. We need to say yes. We need to partner with you and we need to partner with each other in order to get this gospel out to the nations of the world." Can I encourage us and just say this, that you know, I was part of redemption city for 17 years. Sorry, that's the church back in, not home. This is home. It's good to be home here. Back in Denver, Colorado, I was part of a church called Redemption City Church. And if I can share a little, can I just share a little secret with you about redemption city church? A little secret of what God's kind of taught us over the last 17 years. Whenever we made redemption city church the focus, God would shake us to get us back to King and Kingdom. I just want to say to you guys, the way church, whenever you make it all about the way church, whenever you become too in focus, it's all about us, it's all about us. I just want to say, God will shake you to get you back to King and Kingdom. And I'm not saying that as a threat, please don't take that as a threat. This is encouragement. Keep it big picture. We've got to be those who are always looking up, looking up, looking out. If I can encourage you in your prayer meetings, look up, look out. If I can encourage you in your one-on-one prayer time with Jesus, look up and look out. We get so focused on praying for those around us and our children and our parents and our family and those we live with and one unsaved person around us. It's great to be praying for those people, but friends, what if we started up in upwards and outwards? What if we started praying for the nation's first and then making our way in and praying for the way church? Again, I'm not just saying in your prayer meetings. I'm saying, when you pray every day, when you spend time with God praying, let's be those who are praying upward and outward and then we bring it in. And then we pray for those closest in proximity to us. And I think in this season, we have to recognize more than ever that we're in partnership with God. We are in partnership with God every single day. Do we live like that? Do we wake up every day and realize, actually, Jesus, I'm in partnership with you today? And you've called me to do some supernatural things today by your spirit as I receive your anointing and you're empowering for today. It's about His plans and purposes, friends. I think that that's the most important partnership we have is our partnership with God. But to be honest, I think it's the one we forget about the most and the one we neglect the most is our daily partnership with God. And I just want to say that if we are in true partnership with God, we have to know what God is doing. We have to. And can I say, if we want to know what God is doing, we have to ask Him all the time what He's doing. How often do you pray and ask God, "What are you doing today, Lord? What are you doing?" Not in a way that's like I'm upset and mad and, "Lord, what are you doing and I'm hating this?" In a way that's intrigued and wanting, we want to get on board with God's plans and purposes. It's probably worth daily, daily, daily asking Him, "What are you doing, Lord? What are you doing today? What are you doing in this season? What are you wanting to do? What are you calling me to be part of? What is your will and how does the fullness of my life fit into your perfect will?" Someone once said, "If God is your partner, then you best make sure your plans are His plans." That's the same person also said, "If God's your partner, you best make sure your plans are large." Or you better always remember that His plans are always large. I've been hearing stories this week. Is it true Puppet and Granny that coastlands at one point met at Apollo Stadium? I mean, sorry, I'm not full Adelaide boy as much anymore, but is that like a stadium with basketball? Crazy. Thousands of people or what? Thousands of seats? Unbelievable. Hearing that this week. Just hearing these stories. I'm coming in saying, "Lord, I want to be in Glenell and stepping out of faith and if we can get a building with 10 people, 20 people, if we can get something that fits 20 people, then so be it. Thank you, Lord." I'm like, "That's incredible." And then I'm hearing these stories about stadiums filled with people. And I've just realized, you know what, we can so often, even me, I can so often shrink God's plans and purposes because of my own finite mind. But friends, if it's God's plans and purposes, it's always large. It's always too and large. It's like allowing the bigness of who Jesus is and the bigness of His kingdom. We allow that to invade our personal lives so that we're thinking big, dream big. I just feel for you guys, the way church, dream big, think big, but live in daily contentment every day with Jesus. That's the key, friends. So we can be content every single day in our walk with Jesus. And you know, that's what the Bible says, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." So it's like every single day inwardly, I'm content in my walk with Jesus, but I'm never satisfied. Don't ever be satisfied. Don't settle for anything less than all God's called you guys to as a church. Enjoy the journey. I just want to say this. I'll land by saying this. Is that okay? Pioneering is a privilege. I just feel to remind you guys of that. Pioneering is a privilege and it's so easy in the striving to stop enjoying. It's so easy. I've been getting into running a little bit lately, not like Justin, maybe one day, but I'm doing like 10k's tops right now. And so you guys from Adelaide are so fit. Getting into running a little bit and you know what happens is when you are pushing it, when you're running, it's so crazy how. Like when you're striving, it can stop you from actually enjoying the journey and actually enjoying what's around. I think the best thing about running is you get to spend time with Jesus. You get to enjoy his creation, but my gosh, we get to enjoy our creator and just be with him while we run. But I find sometimes I'm so exhausted and sweaty and tired and the striving that I actually am realizing, I'm not even taking in what's around me. I'm like, gosh, look at the beast, look how beautiful it is. And then all of a sudden I'm exhausted but I'm still running and I'm like, wait a second, the beast is still there. I just feel for us and for you guys in this season. In the striving, don't let it stop us from enjoying. Enjoying Jesus, enjoying the journey, pioneering is a privilege. Can I say please don't let overwhelming moments derail us. And please don't let the mundane moments derail us. I've had a few of those in these last few days. It's been crazy, you know that 100% of my whole life has changed when I work up on Friday morning. New car, new area, new region, new bed, new food, new, like everything. Just nothing's the same. I don't even know, like, you guys do, like, kilometers here and KG, just everything is different when I work up on Friday morning. And it's been surreal the last few days and to be honest, I think the hardest, the craziest thing for me has been the driving here. Opposite of the road, opposite side of the car and by the way the laws you guys have in this country are wild. Like in America, I was speed racer there. You could speed in the US and you're good as long as there's no cop nearby. So I was flying down the road, I got my phone in my hand, not texting, changing my worship music, changing the song, okay, so don't freak out. Still, yeah, it's like it's, yeah, and I landed here, so I was speed racing in America and I got here and I'm borrowing a car and I'm so grateful for it, but I tried driving this car for the first time. I couldn't even figure out how to unlock the steering wheel. And I'm like, it took a, I like chuckle for a moment, I'm like, Lord, I was speed demon back in the US and now I don't even know how this car works and I drive so slow, I know you feel like your road is like, you feel like 40 is so slow, I'm like 40 kilometers on the other side of the road on the other side of the car is feeling really quick for me right now. So I'm driving like, just like a, yeah, I don't want to say it, but I'll quote her like a granny or whatever, I'm driving like that right now and I'm just like, it's so easy in these moments to just be like, it's derailing me, it's overwhelming. What am I doing? There's been a moment or two I'm like, what am I doing here? But friends, we cannot let these moments derail us and what I've had to do in those moments is actually look up, fix my eyes on Jesus again, not even on the race, not even on the journey, not even on the church, not even on the call. It's amazing. Hebrews 12 is talking about running our race with perseverance and it says the only way we're going to actually do that is fixing our eyes on Jesus, not even the race. You think, hey, if I want to run the race well, then I should focus on, my eyes should be fixed on the race. And yes, how we're running our race mad as well, but to be honest, the way we're going to run our race with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus, it says, and that's Scripture. So don't let those moments derail you, don't let them, don't let them mundane moments derail us. We respond to God in the significant moments, but we have to remain in God in the mundane moments. And I've had a lot of that just these last ten months and I want to stay in that place. But can I pray for you guys as a church? Is that cool, David? Lord God, we are so grateful that you call us first and foremost to you that every single thing you've called us to is meant to be through you, for you, and unto you, Lord. Everything is nothing you've called us to that's meant to be without you, Lord God. And I just thank you for our partnership with you, first and foremost, to just pray a fresh anointing upon the way church on every single one of these believers, these saints, this Lambstand that you've placed here, Lord God. Blesses me so much to see new faces, to see new people, to see them working together, but Lord, we know that there's so much more. And so we just pray your hand, you're blessing upon these people, I pray more of your presence in your Spirit and their life that they would be fully surrendered to you, to your plans and purposes, to your kingdom, not to themselves, not to their own lives, but to your kingdom. And Lord, I just thank you for this partnership that I personally get to have with them in this season. So grateful, Lord, that you put us in community, that teamwork is your vision, your strategy. You created Team God. You are the perfect team, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and you created us to do life together in community, Lord God. And I just thank you for that Lord. So this season, these things that we're sensing prophetically, that the time is now, I pray we'd respond with an excitement in our heart that we would step out of the boat, with a leap in our step, we would step out of the boat, we'd join our hearts, like Abraham, we would come out under the tents and we'd look out at the stars in this season. We'd see what you're doing. I pray Lord, show us what you're doing in this season, and we want to get on board with that. So, upon these people, these leaders, Lord, their best days ahead of them, Lord, what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard, what God has prepared for those who love them. And so we pray that and we speak that out over this church in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Amen. Thanks. Thank you for joining us for today's message. For more information about the Way Church, please visit our website at thewaychurch.com.au. Have a blessed day. [MUSIC]