23rd July 2023 - Teaching Service - Dave Food - Church is important

Something's going to come and bite us, and so church is important to us.

Church is also important to other believers. There are people moving into Egham

on a daily basis. I don't know that factually. I'm just I'm not

saying that's prophetic. Other I'm just saying, actually, there are people moving

all the time, aren't they? You see for sale signs up. Here's

just a little thing that I don't know what you do. But when you're

in your street you see a for sale sign appear, do you ever go

and talk to the people who are moving out, say, oh, where

are you moving to? Maybe you know them? Yeah, where are you

going? What's happening? Just as it? Just maybe you could pray for

them. But then here's the thing. When people move in, when I

see the van outside, ah, new neighbors, and I want to do

something with that, you know, I think. I can't say I've done

this every time, but I try and do it every time. When somebody

new moves in, I buy a plant and I just go and knock on

their door and introduce myself and say Hi, welcome to the street. My

name's Dave. It's a face. So next time I see them, I

can wave at them. It's not weird, you know, because I bet

them I stood on their doorstep and said hello to them. So there are

people moving in, and there are people moving in. There are Christians moving

in there. So the Christians moving in they need a church and this might

be their church. The first thing I say to whenever I get the opportunity

to be involved with the Christian Union church fair, if I've got opportunity to

say anything, the first thing I say is find a church. I don't

care to be honest, whether you find our church or another church, but

find a church because actually, again you end up being one of those sheep

out in the field munching on some grass, not going to church. And

then you get to the second term as a student and suddenly you're not doing

church at all. And then you go home at Christmas, so you don't

want to go to church with the family, something you used to do before

you went to university and now you're not. So church is important for other

believers. Church is also important for non believers, for people who don't believe,

or people who have another faith, because actually that's what we're called to

do. We're called to reach the world and so actually, the church is

not just for us. If it's just for us, it's a clique.

The church is for everyone. And when somebody walks through the back door and

maybe they've got a really crazy hairstyle, maybe they've got some really crazy dress

sense, I guess I've got a bit of a crazy dress sense. This

morning, I put one of my favorite shirts on this morning. I don't

know how that's going to work on the camera. I thought about it.

There's one particular shirt I will not wear on camera because it's got checks all

over. And if you've ever been on camera, any camera on zoom cameras

don't cope with check shirts. They all go crazy. So I won't wear

that one, not because I shouldn't, just because it's better not to.

So church is important for non believers. Church is also important for the community.

Whatever that community is, the community of egg and the community of Englefield

Green, the community that you work in. I sat that I had the

privilege of sitting in a very posh place. On Wednesday, I went to

the Institute of Engineers to go to a presentation. I walked through this fantastic

entrance hall, walked up these grand stairs. I thought well, I feel

like I feel like the king. And then I realized the building was called

Prince Philip House and I thought, okay. So I was walking up these

grand stairs. I sat down and in the second session a guy came down

and sat next to me said, Dave, we've never met before, but

thank you for sharing church online. And I thought okay. I said,

how do you know me? He said, I don't know you. I

said, so, how did you find church online? He said, well,

I know someone who knows you and they share church. It's not somebody

who comes to church. It's someone I work with professionally, and from time

to time they share your service. And he said, I come. I'm

a Christian and I've been encouraged. I've listened to on other Sundays when I've

got some time, when i've been traveling, I've been listening to your church.

I said, hey, thank you, thank you. So church is

for community, whatever that community is. It might be the street that you

live in, it might be the you know, the community were actually worshiping.

As a building. Church is also there for the nation. And I

don't want to put too much pressure on our CF here. So when I

say the church now I'm not just talking about RCF and talking about the broader

church, the Church, the Church incarnate, the Church. You know that

Christ called us to be you know, our nation will be touched, the

nations of the world will be touched through the Church doing what it should do,

and then ultimately the world. You know, the church is important for

the world, and if the church isn't doing what it should be doing,

then the world will miss some stuff. So you might say, yeah,

that's all fine and good, but that's isn't that just about institution? No,

no, no, please, I've said this many times. I've said

it before. Church is not a building. Church is not a bit.

I can say that very simply from our point of view. I'm sure I've

seen people pull up out side and look at our digital presence as a church

and they go, oh, it's a bit of a small building. But

you know, we've got a big heart, we've got a big faith,

we've got big belief in God, and so it's not about the size of

the building, because it's about the size of the building. Once you've built

your building, that's it. Actually, we will move into bigger spaces.

We will move into bigger faith spaces. We'll move into bigger faith moments.

But the church is not about the building. The Church is us, and

so what can I say about us? Well? In Matthew chapter five,

verse thirteen, it says, you are the salt of the earth. Church,

We are the salt of the earth. What does salt do? Salt

sterilizes. I'm not going to get into a salt sermon today, but salt

sterilizes, Salt brings out flavor. Are we doing that as Christians? Are

we doing that as church? Are you bringing out flavor at work? Are

you bringing out flavor in your family? Are you bringing out flavor in your

friends? And then in Matthew chapter five, verse fourteen, it says you

are the light of the world. Are we bringing light into dark places?

You know, when a friend says to you, I've had a really dreadful

week. Do you bring some light into that conversation? Do you lift their

eyes and say there is some hope? Because we can bring hope. And

this this verse also goes on to say, we're also a city that is

set on a hill that cannot be hidden. I remember many many many years

ago when the Internet was first starting and I was trying to encourage you.

A Christian ministry that met in Virginia water and I wanted to encourage them because

they had a great ministry and some great stuff going on. Say, why

don't you share it online? Oh, well, the enemy might come along

and have a pop at us. And I went, don't you think he

already knows what you're doing. I wasn't criticizing them because it was you know,

But the point I was making is, actually the enemy knows. But

therefore we do not need to be hidden. We do not need to be

hidden. We need to be proud of who we are in Christ and what

Christ has done in us. So a church is salt, and like we

are salt, and like we bring flavor. We've been cleansing. We bring

light to dark situations. I could go on, but I'm not going to.

At what points I'm making this, we as church can make a difference,

I wonder what would be a good example. Well, Phoebe, who

comes up in Romans chapter sixteen, verses one and two, was commended.

I commend you, Phoebe, our sister who is the servant of the Church

of Saint Church Cherier, that you may receive her in the Lord in a

manner worthy of the saints, and a sister in whatever business she has need

of you. For indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself.

Also, what a great recommendation if somebody, if you had that,

somebody turned up at your doorstep and said, you know, and maybe they

arrived with this from Clem, just you know, can you help? I'd

be helping them. The recommendation is there, New Testament Church. We need

help. We need to work with one another. We need to encourage you

one another. We need to bless one another. We need to be different

too. And in Hebrews chapter two, verse eleven, it says, for

both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one,

for which one reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren. I am

proud to call you brothers and sisters. I talk about you, not necessarily

in your name, but i'll talk about someone at church. I you know,

I love telling stories if people, if it's nothing better than telling a

story. And if you can tell a story, people remember those stories,

people engage with those stories. And if I haven't got my story, then

I'll share your story. I remember many, many times Margaret, who's gone

to be with the Lord now. She talked one day she got up in

a testimony. She used to live on the other side of Egham, and

she talked about how she was standing in her kitchen one day doing her washing

up, and she described it graphically with carrots and tomatoes floating in the dishwater.

And she said, I was praising God as I was doing the dish

washing, as Juliet encouraged us this morning. And she said, in that

moment, I met with God. And she said, my TOMATOI carroty hands

went up in the air. And there I was standing in my kitchen worshing

God, worshiping God, being church. I've told that story a number of

times because sometimes people say I can't find time to worship, Say, well,

you know during the washing up. If you're pressed for time, then

worship God anyway, Worship God on the train, on your commute. And

so what do we do as church? What can we do as church?

Here's some encouraging comments that we can do as church. We can love one

another, we can be devoted to one another in brotherly love. We can

honor one another. And I'm going to pick out some of these just to

call them out. I'm not going to cover all of them today because I

wanted to give you a break than the depth of content today, just to

just maybe to look at ourselves and go, Okay, do I love everybody

at church? Am I devoted to them? I just like you to imagine,

let me pick let me pick on Jonathan. He's got broad shoulders.

I just like you to imagine that you're you end up having a coffee with

somebody in Starbucks, Yegan, and both the person you're talking to and you

know Jonathan, and then this person's out Jonathan. He's a horrible chap.

He's is always scowling, and he is no good with money, and he

beats his wife. And I'm making it all up, by the way.

I'm making it all up, by the way. But I just want to

give an illustration because that's not the Jonathan I know. So if somebody started

saying that to me, I'm not going to leave that hanging in the air.

I'm gonna say, well that that's not my experience, that's not what

I know. I know him as a faithful, reliable husband with a good

wife, you know, and I would declare those things because otherwise those words

are hanging in the air. And if you don't say anything, then people

it must be true because you didn't disagree with me. And so I want

to honor one another. So I want to hold one another up in honor

and respect. So when somebody bad mouths my friends, my family, I'm

going to at least stand up say that's not my experience, and therefore we

can live better in harmony. Do you know what if we listen to rumors

all the time, they'll get stuck in the back of our brain and they'll

run around in the back of our brain, and then we'll have doubts about

our friends. So we have to choose what we listen to. Have to

choose. People can say things, but we don't need to hear them.

We could say, I'm not accepting I'm sorry, that's not my experience.

So we can live in harmony with one another. As it says in Romans

twelve sixteen, we accept one another. Do you know the church is not

full of perfect people. The church is not full of perfect people. What

does that mean? That means we're imperfect. That means we've got flaws,

We've got habits that other people don't like, you know, let me pick

up a couple of simple little things. Some people bite their fingernails. Some

people find that really annoying. I'll give you one that I know that annoys

Julia. I do not sit still. Yeah, my feet move all the

time. You know, we're sitting watching the television and my foot's going up

and down and not because there's music on the television. Now, I know

that annoys Julia, and I don't deliberately do it, but she still loves

me. She still loves me. And so when someone annoys you at church,

either decide to get over it or talk about it. But don't sit

there and do nothing, because it just eats away at our relationship. So

we accept one another, greet one another with a holy kiss. Well,

I know, since COVID, a lot of greeting has gone away, you

know, sometimes high or the elbow or the fist pump or all those.

But let's at least greet one now. If you don't want to kiss people,

that's fine, But if you do and they want to, that's fine

too. A holy greeting. Do you know I can learn from you,

and hopefully you can learn from me. It doesn't matter how long you've been

a Christian, you could be cut. You know, there could be somebody

I'm looking around. I don't think it's to be true of the crowd today.

But let's say somebody new came in today, they became a Christian today.

They could teach me today because they've got a life experience that I haven't

got. And so sometimes I need to listen, and I know other people

need to listen to how we might teach one another. We might learn from

one another when we do Bible study on a Tuesday or a Wednesday. It's

not me leading or someone else leading. It's a conversation and as different people

share things I never thought like that. I've never thought about that before now,

And we can serve one another. We can serve one another, hopefully

in love, but we can serve one another. There's a lot of service

that goes on in church. You know. One of the things I think

church ought to be known for is a church that blesses, that's generous,

that gives. And I see it, you know, when somebody new walks

in, I see people talking to that new person, making them feel welcome.

So church is we know church who it's for, But church is also

a place where we can be kind. I think there was a speech that

I heard this week where somebody talked about how cruelty is such a limiting thing.

Let's be kind, Let's be compassionate, Let's be generous to one another,

and as the family grows, there'll be more opportunity for that. Let's

encoura one another, as we see in Hebrews chapter ten, as we see

the day approaching, encouragement can be a lot of things around of applause,

a tap on the shoulder, a smile, good job, a thumbs up.

But in the digital world we live in, where we've got busy,

let me encourage you to do that as well. I've seen it more and

more now on our WhatsApp prayer groups, where people are putting praying hands and

thumbs up. You know, if you don't want to respond with words,

at least you're showing someone Hey, I've seen it, I've read it.

I'm with you again. Remember that the enemy loves to isolate, and so

I know people have asked me this. Sometimes people have said I put something

up on WhatsApp and no one responded. I know that's been experienced for a

number of people in the room, you know, and maybe people were busy,

maybe people didn't think even a thumbs up or praying hands or something gives

an indication that it's a bit like I'm with you, So encourage one another,

off hospitality to one another. But do you know what, it's something

I want to I think will happen. There will be more need in this

as we push forward. I'll just give you an example many many many years

ago, so this story will only be known by a couple of people in

the room. We're connected to Life Links, the network we're part of around

the world, and three young men came to the UK to spend a year

working with some of the Life Links churches in the UK and their family who

I knew, I knew, I knew one of the parents were One of

the guys said Dave, we're going to come and see our boys in the

UK. Can we We're going to fly into Heathrow. Can we stay with

you for a couple of days and then can we go on to Sheffield which

is where Sheffield and Stafford and a couple of other places. Said yeah,

that's no problem. So this was a discussion that happened in October and they

were coming in March in January. They said, Davis, it's still okay

if we come. All three parents want, all three boys parents want to

come. So that's six people, you know. So immediately I'm thinking,

okay, yes, six we can probably manage. So in faith I said

yes. We got a bit closer, and then we got a phone call

and had a chat with Ron, who was organizing the group. Said Dave,

we're still coming. He's that okay? Yes? I said, yes,

how many He said, twenty two people? Twenty two people now.

Immediately my response immediately was oh my goodness. They weren't fitting our house.

And so we reached out to some friends in other local churches, and we

reached out to the church. And we had a three bedroomed house at the

time, and we had I think two lads living with us at the time,

and we'd offered to put up Ron and his wife and his two kids,

Yasmin and Ryan. I was thinking, okay, how are we going

to do this? Well, how do you fit extra people in when you've

got family staying, how do you fit them in? Well? We slept

on the floor, we slept or we slept downstairs. Anyway, so we

gave one bedroom to the two kids. It's on one bedroom to the couple

who are visiting and with us, and one of the lads slept downstairs for

two nights. And I had Terry, who was in the church at the

time, is going to be with the Lord now. I shared this story

with him. He said, well, we could do that too, So

they had somebody and they slept downstairs and gave their bedroom to somebody. As

I'm not saying everybody needs to do that. I just think sometimes we look

through a certain lens and we think in a certain way and we think it's

not possible. Twenty two people were put up. We had a great time.

It was a good time. So we can offer hospitality and above all,

let's offer love to one another. Now a while ago, I don't

know whe there anybody's still got. I tried to find my bracelet what would

Jesus do? WWJD. I used to have a rubber bracelet that I think

I got from Soul Survivor, and that stands for what would Jesus do?

I'd just like to ask the question, if Jesus was in your day to

day, what would he do? Now? When we put that bad job,

and we think what would Jesus do? We kind of think about,

Okay, what would Jesus do, what's the what's the I want to go

even further with this this morning. I want to say, if Jesus did

your day today, so Jesus replaced you. So whatever your day, or

maybe Monday or Tuesday, you pick a day in the week, just think

about it. If Jesus now is going to do what you normally do,

so suddenly he's become you and he's going to do so He's going to work

with your boss, he's going to go to the meetings that you're going to

do, not with you, He's going instead of you. I wonder what

he would do differently. I really wonder what he would do differently. I

wonder whether I'm just thinking about my own self. If I was traveling on

the train, whether I took he talked to more people on the train.

I wonder whether he's he's pause for the people who whenever you go into Waterloo,

there's always someone who's reaching out for money. I wonder whether he'd stop

and talk to some of those. What would Jesus do? I'd love to

give you a moment and ask you to think about if Jesus took over your

life for a day, if Jesus did your life today, what would he

do differently? Because that's really what WWJD means, what would Jesus do.

It's not just about a theory. Oh will he do this and do that?

Because I want to be more like Jesus, don't you? And in

bring more like Jesus, I get changed, and sometimes that's uncomfortable. Sometimes

that's not easy. Philippians chapter two says this, which I think is an

encouragement in these moments. Then it says this, let this mind be in

you, which was also in Christ Jesus, the mind of God, the

heart of God. Because the heart of God changes the world. The heart

of God in us causes us to step outside ourselves and do things in faith

way way more than we ask or believe. And we're encouraged in Ezekiel.

And I think this is something that I find very encouraging. In Ezekiel chapter

thirty six, verse twenty six. I will give you a new heart and

put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out

of your flesh and will give you a heart of flesh. You know there

are moments when I know I get hard hearted, when I'm overwhelmed by need.

The only way I can cope is to just shut down. Almost now,

I'm the kind of person. I was watching some of the football this

week as the Women's World Cup was kicking off, and I was watching these

women standing there passionately singing their national anthems. Your tears are rolling down my

I can't understand and a word they're singing because it's in a language that I

don't understand. But there is some passionate connection going on there. You know

that they're near in worship. You know this is them representing their country,

singing their national anthem in front of thousands, if not millions of people,

And in that moment, I kind of go, I start crying, And

so I just know sometimes I'm hyper sensitive to certain things, and so the

only way I can cope is I put on a coat and just protect myself

from some of the pain and the suffering. I just find it hard.

But do you know what, maybe that's the way we protect ourselves. But

maybe we need to take that coat off from time to time, because otherwise

we wear every time we add a little more hardness to our heart. You

know, our heart funk doesn't function quite as well as it used to.

And if we allow that hardness to overtake, then ultimately our heart of flesh

becomes a heart of stone. And God loves us so much. God loves

you and me so much. God loves our neighbors so much. And people

know the difference, particularly young people, know the difference between reality and superficiality.

You know, when you say I really care about you, you know

whether it's real or not. There's something about the relationship and the way people

say it and the way they look at you that means how real it is.

When we're encouraged, God wants to put into us a new heart and

a new spirit in two Corinthians three, verse eighteen. And I find this

particular scripture quite challenging. But we all with unveiled faces beholding us in the

mirror. The glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image,

from glory to glory justice by the spirit of the Lord. You know,

when I look in the mirror, there are things I see that I don't

like. I was telling the guys this morning. I can look in a

mirror and I can shave and I can think that's okay. And then I

look at myself on zoom because of the digital cameras we've got, and I

can see bits I've missed. So I can't see it in the mirror,

but I can see it on zoom, And then I can look in the

I can look in the mirror. I can see that there's a few wrinkles.

I can look in zoom and see there's more wrinkles. Where did they

come from? Yeah? Have they've grown since I looked in the mirror.

But no, it's it's just it's just pixels and more pixels and more pixels.

But you know, I need to get to a place where I'm okay

with myself because God loves me. God loves me with all the wrinkles.

God loves me with all those wrinkles. And so I want to have an

unveiled face and get real with myself, get real with God, get real

with you, because that's the kind of reality that people are looking for in

church. And as I kind of bring this all to a close, then

in Romans chapter twelve, verse two, it says this, and do not

be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind

that you may prove what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God.

Transformation is a big word. Transformation is not a one time thing.

I mean, God can do miraculous things. So God can transform the bodily

function of your hand. Let just imagine maybe your hand's not working properly.

I know we prayed for people whose fingers the muscles have started to tighten in

their fingers, and liberty came as we prayed, So I know God can

do things in a moment like that. God can bring healing. But do

you know what a transformed life is not just transformed in a moment, continues

to be transformed. Otherwise we go from imperfection to perfection and that's it done.

And I think that occurs when we go heavenward. But here on earth

we're still working out our imperfections and therefore we will be transformed and we will

be moved and we will be touched. So let me pray, Father God.

I firstly want to pray for us as your church in this place.

Father, would you open our eyes to a little more of what you're doing

and what you're at work in the streets of our towns, in the schools

and institutions, in the places that we live, in the places that we

work. Lord, would you just give us a little bit more of a

glimpse of what you're doing. Father, Would you show us when one needs

and encouragement. Would you show us when someone has a need, and then

we can pray? And Lord, would you cause us to be bold?

Would you cause us to be filled with faith? And in those moments say,

can I help you? Because we expose ourselves to need, and exposing

ourselves to need, we make ourselves vulnerable. And making ourselves vulnerable, we

have to turn back to you, Lord, because we will get asked for

things that we cannot solve. We will get asked for things that we cannot

resolve. We will get asked for things that look impossible. But all things

are possible through you, Oh God, And so we can connect with you.

And in connecting with you, you can do immeasurably more than we ask

or imagine. And Father, help us to live that out in our days.

Help us to live that out where we find ourselves the Father, our

faith would be real, that our faith would be ready and available for others

too, that we stand in press we'd stand in the gap as intersessores sometimes

and we believe for breakthrough, for miracles, for overcoming. In Jesus' name,

Father, I know and you want to pray for us your church,

and I want to pray for the church around the world. Lord, would

you renew, revive, revitalize your church. Father, there are so many

pieces that are just going the world's way, trying to be politically correct,

trying to do the right thing, and yet Lord God, it's so far

from your word. And so Father, help your church to stand in these

times. Help men and women who are your church around the world to pray

bold prayers, to make confident declarations that we can see a world that is

broken start to begin to get restored. Help us to be holy and set

apart as a church. Lord God, help us not to compromise where compromise

is not appropriate. And Father, help us to walk your word in your

ways. We pray in Jesus' name a holy people, salt and light in

the world. Father, I pray for fresh saltiness for the church today.

Father, I pray for recharged batteries today in your church. For those who

are listening to my voice. I pray for refreshed saltiness and fresh power,

a re empowerment, Lord God, not just the jura cell levels, but

super super duper jura cell levels. Lord, I pray in your mighty name.

And finally, I pray for those that are known to us, Lord

who need church. They need You, They need the Body of Christ to

do what it should be doing, because they ultimately need Jesus. But Father,

if we can just be a small reflection of your son, Lord,

they will get a glimpse of heaven. I'll get a glimpse of you.

They'll get a glimpse of your Son, our Savior. And in those glimpses,

Lord, we pray that doors will be open, hearts will be ready,

responses would be made, and Lord, lives would be changed. So

I pray for a season of repentance and healing and restoration. Lord, Go

Father, I pray for a new life in this church. Lord. I

pray for new believers Lord, who would come to faith in this place,

that we'd need to baptize them to lorg and they be baptized in your spirit.

Hello, Louiah. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen, So

Julia, shall I do the notices okay, okay so