PARACLESIS - Choosing // One Church Podcast, 20th March 2023

We Are One church. We love God love.

People love his mission and love his church.

Welcome to the one Church podcast.

Hello, and welcome to the one Church podcast is so good to

have you tuned in with us. It is Monday, the 20th and in

Leicester. Well, it's all right.

It's a little bit cloudy slightly gray full of drizzle,

but let me tell you, the Lord is still on.

The throne said everything's going to be.

All right, we have a phenomenal message coming up.

Shortly from Pastor, Susan, Green from our North site

recorded yesterday. You're going to be blessed by

that and inspired by it. As we continue our series on

parekh leases. But before we get into that, let

me share this with you. This is from Philippians 1, and

it's Paul's message to the church, but also, our

encouragement for you, wherever you are right now.

It says this from verse 3, every time I think of you, I give

thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my

request for all of you with joy. For you have been my partners in

spreading. The good news about Christ from

the time you first heard it until now, and we are so

grateful. It's all of you listening in and

those who make up our church, for being our partners in the

gospel, the full of joy. When we think about one another,

and we're excited to see what God is going to do in this

season ahead. If you don't know me, as I say,

my name is Susan, I'm a part of the leadership team here in the

north sites. I'm married to Rob, we've been

married, almost 44 years. Sure how that happened but We

are Rob says, we were in nineteen year old couple with

over 40 years experience, I was like that.

It's like that. We have three married sons and

we have seven grandchildren, six girls, and a boy, and the eldest

grand daughter she's now at Uni. Again, I thought how how did

that happen? But it did.

So I thought just some other facts about myself.

We were playing some card games with three of our granddaughters

recently and we played a game called Go Fish.

I think it's called and the idea is that you have a set of cards

in your hand and you have to try and get as many sets of those

cards like four jacks or four Kings or something.

And you ask for a car from somebody else, nobody can see

your cards. And the idea is you try to form

a set and personally forms the most sets wins the game.

So I didn't quite catch on to this that quickly.

And I asked several times for a king, a king in my hand and

anyway, nobody else had them. And anyway and then we get

further down the car. And then Rob system me.

Have you got a king hand? Me a king?

I said, no, no, I said, no, I'm not giving you my king.

That's not good. I know.

I said, no, you know, you're not having my king so then the

children are saying nunny. You have to do it, it's the

rules of the game. Anyway, eventually out to act to

give in, and give him my king, didn't like it at all.

And then we played the game called cheat.

And with that, the idea of that is that again, you have some

cards and you You cheap I put in some cards down the ideas.

You get rid of the hand as quick as you can, and you say some

things that are probably not in your hand.

Disturbing thing is, I was very good at that, so it got a

cheating. So but I what I like to think

about myself is that I am determined and I'm creative.

That's how I'd like to think of it.

So there are two other facts about me.

So anyway, we're going to continue our series called

Pericles Isis, which is all about coming alongside It's all

about being others centered. And the call verse regarding

this series is from 2 Corinthians 1.

And this is what we read, all praise to God.

The father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

God is our merciful father and the source of all comfort.

He Comforts Us in all our troubles so that we can Comfort

others. When they are troubled, we will

be able to give them the same comfort that God has given us

for the more we suffer for Christ.

The more God will show showers with his comfort through Christ.

Even when we are way down with troubles, it is for your comfort

and salvation. For when we ourselves are

comforted, we will certainly comfort you.

Then you can patiently, enjoy the same things we suffer.

We are confident that is you share in our sufferings, you

will also share in the comfort that God is giving us.

Mary spoke last week about journeying together.

How we come alongside one another listen to one another.

We carry one another's burdens and we go the extra mile and

have empathy for one another today we still on this theme of

perak leases and we're going to look at the subject of Tuesday.

We've already made choices this morning survivors.

Haven't we with this? We chose to got up.

We've chose maybe chose something for breakfast.

Toast, with peanut butter on it. Be not everybody's choice.

I chose what, you know, what to wear, whatever it might be.

And we've chosen to be here which is all a good choice.

And we're going to look at a story in the Bible today.

Where Jesus gives a lame man, a choice.

It's in John 5 verse 12 13 and I'm going to read it from The

John 5:12

New International Version. And this is what we read

sometime later. Jesus went up to Jerusalem for

one of the Jewish festivals. And now, there is in Jerusalem

near the Sheep gate, a pool Which in Aramaic is called

Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered Colonnades one,

who was there, had been an invalid for 38 years.

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in

this condition for a long time. He asked him.

Do you want to get? Well, sir, the invalid replied.

I have no one to help me into the pool.

When the water is stirred, while I am trying to get in, somebody

else goes down. Down ahead of me.

And then Jesus said to him, get up, pick up your mat and walk at

once. The man was cured, he picked up

his mat and walked the day on which this took place was a

Sabbath. And so the Jewish leaders said

to the man who had been healed, it is the Sabbath of the Lord

forbid you to carry your mat. But he replied the man who made

me well said to me pick up your mat and walk.

So they asked him, who is this fellow who told you to pick it

up and walk? Walk and the man who was healed,

there had no idea who it was for.

Jesus had Slipped Away into the crowd, that was there.

And so what can we learn from this story about choosing about

making choices? Here are three things, I believe

that we can we can see from this story.

First of all that we can choose to bring life to one.

Another Jesus was aware that this man had been sick for a

long time. He recognized that the Manda

probably lost all hope and he saw that he was in need of a

miracle. The man had been an invalid for

38 years. I find it interesting, we put

this into context that Bethesda means House of Mercy.

I would like to think that we are House of Mercy and the

belief was that his people lay by the pool, an angel, would

periodically disturb the waters and whenever they did, whoever

got to the water first would be healed, they'll be many sat

around there, that would be there would be blind, lamed

paralyzed in some way disadvantaged.

And so they were all trying to get to the water and it would be

the first one. Who got there, that's what they

believed would get the miracle, but you see?

Then Jesus, he walked into the scene.

He notices this man above all the others and goes over to him.

Jesus came alongside the man despite his condition.

Despite his appearance and said to him, do you want to be

healed? He gave him a choice.

Interesting. The man didn't answer his

question, really. He just he gave an excuse.

He just said why I couldn't get to the water.

He says there's no one to help me.

The man chose to give an excuse. Fortunately for the lame man.

Jesus chose not to listen to the excuses.

He chose to bring life. He chose to bring healing

instead. There's a story in the Old

Testament where the people of God and there are about to enter

the promised land and Moses, the leader says to them today.

I set before you said before your choice, really of life and

prosperity, death or destruction, I command you today

to love the Lord, your God to walk in obedience to him and

keep his commands, and then you will live and you will increase.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient.

If you bound down to all the gods that If you worship them I

declare you will not live long in the land that you are about

to enter. I have set before you life, I've

set before your death blessings and curses now choose life.

You know which obviously which is the better choice.

We should choose live, shouldn't we Jesus in this story?

When we look at this was offering Life To The Man in the

form of healing. The man was honest with Jesus

about he how he felt he obviously told him how he felt.

I can't get there, you know, and all that he gave excuses but

Jesus didn't lose listen to that.

Instead he offered life. You know, when we're seeking to

help one another coming in, at alongside one another we also

need to be christ-like and listen.

But, at the same time, we after offer life be prepared to listen

to people, listen to their story.

Everyone has a story and their story to us affect them.

We understand that this past week, I went to visit her a

young woman whose husband had recently, been tragically killed

and had never met this lady before.

And I found out that she was in another site and the part of our

church and I went to visit her and when I went into our home, I

said, I don't know what to say to you.

So what do I say to someone who's just in their 40s?

Who has lost a husband? She had children, but then I

thought, what I did, I just listened to her and then I said

we now have you got a photo of him and and we just talked about

the man who was her, husband, the man who was the father?

And then we pray together. And I'd like to think that I

brought life in some way by bringing comfort, you know, we

bring life to one another and it looks different in different

ways, but we still choose to bring life.

I choose to listen, we choose to spend time with people, we

choose to bring love and we choose to bring life, Susan, I

listen to her message again. Recently about Pericles this

about be having a culture of that having a culture of care

and a culture of helping people to make the right choices, you

know, fortunately for the lame, man, Jesus offered life and you

chose to accept it even though it didn't make sense, choosing

what God asks us to do, does not always make sense.

It doesn't always make sense. And if you have been lame for.

So for instance, if you blame for 38 years and someone tells

you to just get up, that doesn't make sense.

It doesn't make sense. If someone is struggling

financially and maybe they speak to you and tell you if their

struggles, it doesn't make sense.

But the word of God says, if you will bring your ties and your

offerings into the storehouse test me, that's what John says,

test me. It test me in this and I will

prove to you that I am the God who provides, that's what the

word says, that's what the scripture says, and that is

life. And we have to To choose to

bring life to people. And sometimes that is not easy,

you know, when we pray for one another, when we speak the word

one another, when we challenge one another, in a positive way

we are bringing life. And as I say, that's not always

easy. But Jesus always brought life.

People didn't always like it but he brought life into a

situation, you know, the religious people in the

background and they were just more concerned, that it was a

Sabbath that this was going on on a Sabbath rather than the man

being healed. You know, let us know.

Not be like that. Let us make sure that we are

choosing life. We are choosing life.

We're choosing to focus on Grace, with choosing to focus on

bringing life to one another and not being judgmental.

And so we choose to bring life and then we choose I believe to

make an effort with one another Jesus gave this man, The Power

of Choice, he said to him, he can eat.

You can either act in obedience and Obey what I'm saying to you

or you can stay there and the man had to make an effort, he

had to get up. Basically, you know, if we want

to come alongside one another and allow others to come

alongside as well, then we have to make an effort of some kind.

We have to choose to be proactive.

Active. I like gardening.

And I know many of you probably, not keen on it, but we have a

big garden and I remember asking God at least 20 years ago.

Now, I remember asking God, I want you to house, when we're

about to move, I wanted a house with a mature garden.

I remember asking him and, and I did, we got a house with a

mature garden, but a mature garden requires effort just as

much as a minimalist God, and it still requires effort.

I remember some of you don't know who Alan titchmarsh is, who

does the Learning programs. And I remember him saying once

that there's no such thing as a low maintenance Garden, you

know, our lives, our relationships with God, can be

likened to the maintenance of a garden.

We have to look after it just as a God and we have to tend it

sometimes. We have to prune things back and

sometimes we have to get rid of. What I did things, anything

that's out of control, we have to deal with it.

That's what our spiritual lives. Look like, that's what actually

are lies with our relationship with God.

Looks like we have to tend it. We have to look after it.

If we do and you and I have a choice, we have a choice as to

how much time we give to our relationship with God and it's

just the same with our relationship with one another.

We have to choose to make an effort, if we're going to have a

culture of Pericles in this house, a culture of care where

we notice others, then we have to spend time with one another,

in some way, we have to, have time to listen, time to Tech,

maybe just send a text sometimes.

It's think I just think of somebody.

And then I just send a text We have time to visit them, maybe

send them a card, maybe cook them a meal.

You know, if they're in a certain set of circumstances

that's all a choice on our part. It says, in Philippians, do

nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather in

humility value, others above yourselves in your

relationships. One another have the same

mindset as Christ Jesus. What did Jesus do?

Jesus noticed people. People Jesus looked out for

people. Jesus went over to people.

Let us be like, let us be christ-like in the way we do

things. I didn't want to encourage you

to be a part of a small group that requires effort.

Especially if you've been at work all day, we understand

that. But we're encouraged you to make

the effort to do that. I do honestly believe that it is

worth all the effort to do that. We get to learn from one

another. We get to encourage one another

and are a great believer in eating together.

I think that's great and it's a great source of life.

We had life through this week and at the moment we are, we are

talking about prayer and we're doing the prayer course by Pete.

Greg, which is a great course. I do believe when we were

talking about unanswered prayer and you know, we've all got

unanswered prayer in some way things, we do not understand and

we were sharing about that and then we were sharing about here,

what was it? One time was called a campus

somewhere. You don't know what's called a

bone motley's campus. And we talked about some things

that we Look to God, some healings and things that they

didn't happen, but we don't know why they don't happen.

And I dare say, we will never know why, but we were just

talking about that and I believe we helped one another, I believe

we encourage one another. And so, let me say to, you know,

do do make the effort, do you find out about small groups?

You know, you've not been for awhile for whatever.

Reason, let me encourage you to get back into the habit of being

a part of a life group. As we look at this subject of

Pericles is of Together. Let me just encourage you to

make the effort connect when one another and be a part of a small

group. And so we choose to bring life,

we choose to make an effort and then we choose to believe the

best for one another. Jesus said to the man get up and

walk, I believe he did that because he wanted the best for

the man. You know for those who are our

parents or maybe your grandparents or maybe work for

children in the room, we have to choose.

We do we want to choose. What's best for our kids?

Don't way even if at times. They don't like it.

Tell you what, you know, our children are grown up now.

Remember one that I could remember where one of our sons,

I can remember the day he said to us, you know, mum you were

right. So many things I say that that

does. You got it?

Don't you God. So any of you probably got

teenage children or whatever just hang on in there because

most of the time you are right. But you know God gives us all

free will doesn't lie. So, but just believe in your in

your So whoever children are in your life, you know, some weeks

ago, we chose should I say, we chose to pick up one of our

granddaughters from school on a Friday.

She came for dinner and then we took her to real which is the

youth group and then go back again and pick her up at 10:00

at on a Friday evening and we started to do that.

And then some weeks ago sister came along as well and went ice

skating. And so now I sisters go in as As

well. So now we're picking up two of

them and they come for dinner and we watch a film or

something. Then we go and we take them to

Youth and then we go back and we pick them up and then we take

them home. Why do we do that?

We do that because we believe that's a good choice.

We believe that's one of the best things we can do for them

amongst many other things that we seek to do for them.

But we do think that is a good choice, we choose to do it and

they enjoy it and it's great. And I just want to say to you

again, you know, get your kids to the groups.

You know, find out about them, get that, it's a great choice,

you will make by getting them to these different groups.

And then some weeks later we have one of them will embarrass

the but one of our granddaughters is here with us

today. And I thought, then there now

started to come Church. Some of the times and I just

think to myself make the right choices that is a good choice

and so it, you know, whatever that might be just do.

What is best? We think that it's, one of the

best things we can be doing for them.

We all have a choice, don't know what we do and we all want the

best. For whoever is in our life in

this is a choice, we have to make.

If we truly are going to have what we call a Pericles culture,

a culture of care, then we have to make the effort, we have to

get alongside one another and we have to seek to do what we

believe is best for that person and keep going.

We have to keep going. We doing what is right?

We have to keep going with the effort, we have to keep doing.

We have to keep choosing To do what is right and believe for

what is best for one another. And I just have to say to you

anyone who picks, anybody up, to get them, to any group of any

description, bring them to church, maybe on a Sunday, or

maybe a midweek group, or whatever it is.

I just want to say thank you and what you are doing is a great

thing, you might not. You might think it's a very

small thing, but I think it's a huge thing that you are bringing

somebody to one of those groups. And I just want to say thank you

for that. We were driving the other day by

John Lewis, and there's a big advert.

And he said, click today, collect tomorrow.

And I said to Rob, I said, really in some respects.

We tend to think. If we're not careful, we're a

society of Click today, collect tomorrow.

And I thought he's not like that necessarily in the kingdom of

God, we don't necessary. Click today, ask for something

and collect it tomorrow. It doesn't always happen like

that. Jesus didn't promise US that I

do believe that there are Suddenly I do believe that there

is a God of Miracles and a God of Wonders.

But often it's not like that often.

It's that we have to. We have to put in time and we

have to put in effort. I just want to ask you to keep

believing for one another. Keep doing the best, for one

another, keep contacting those who maybe are not with us.

Maybe they're not well, or whatever.

Keep noticing people, keep making the effort.

Keep reminding one another, what the word of God says, I thought

it's interesting to you. This didn't give up.

When the man brought his excuse, you still offered life is still

kept going to still believe for the best outcome and sometimes

that's how we have to be with one another.

Even if people will give excuses, we have to remind them

of what the word of God says. We have to remind them of what

is best for them. I am grateful that God wants the

best for me and other people in my life on the best for me and

they keep encouraged me. God believes in each one of us

and he wants the best for each one of us.

Rob and I we've been brought up in a church that really didn't

really believe in women in leadership really, the man was

expected to be the strong leader and then we came to what was

then called Trinity Life church and we were asked to become

after a period of time. We were asked to be the leaders

of what was then called Beaumont leaves campus our 60 at the

time. And that particular year, I went

to the Assemblies of God conference because this church

is a part of the Assemblies of God movement.

And I went, and I heard a lady there, I went to particular

seminar and she talked about women in leadership and she said

that she, she said it, she really.

She was a stronger leader than her husband and she thought to

herself. She would think to herself.

I should have been a man. Now, that might sound funny to

some of you but I remember thinking as a Do the same thing

and I heard this lady say that and I thought to myself that

that is me. I have thought to myself, I

should have been a man but it wasn't, God made me the person

that I am, you know, and you might think the stuff I should

have whatever it might be and I should have a different

beginning at the start of my life, I should have had more

opportunities. Maybe you think things like

that. But you know, God has got the

best for you. He's got a good plan for your

life. He Leaves in you wholeheartedly,

while I was still at work. I remember, we used to have tea

break and have that time used to read a newspaper in those days

of newspapers. And I used to read it.

And one day, I read an article and it was about people that

have become successful in their sixties.

And he's had a little article at the bottom.

It said, it's never too late to be what you might have been and

I wrote that down and I've put I wrote it down and I kept it in

my drawer. Work and every day, I would see

that I kept when I left work to take on the leadership here, I

took that piece of paper out of my drawer and I put it in the

study and it's still on the notice board there.

And he's never too late to be what you might have been.

I know it's not necessary scripture, but for me, I felt it

was something that God was saying to me.

It's never too late, you know, and I stepped into leadership

when I was 60 and I want to say to some of you in the house.

Whatever. Be in your heart.

Don't don't give up. Don't give them the thing that

maybe is in your heart, or maybe it's a change of career, a

change of Direction, you know, whatever's in your heart is

never never too late. And I just want to say to God

believes in you, he who believes in me and also the senior

leaders believed in me and they also believe in you here at one

church. We do believe, I honestly do

believe that. We all believe there is.

There's a purpose and A place for everyone, whatever might be

your age, whatever might be your background, whatever might be

your nationality, you know Robin, I will now leave the 65

plus Ministry and we believe they're very best for every one

of them. We believe that they are still

have a purpose for them. And one of our key verses is

there is still much work to be done.

There's still much land to be conquered so it doesn't matter

what age it, it you are, it doesn't matter what background

you have. There is still Mulch to do in

the kingdom of God. As a church, we choose to

believe in each. One of you says, in Ephesians.

We are God's Masterpiece. He has created as a new in

Christ, Jesus, so that we and that's all of us can do all the

good things that he has planned for us long ago.

You and I are God's Masterpiece, you know, even right down to

little Ethan. There we are all God's

Masterpiece. I don't know whether we're the

oldest. I'm not sure.

Yeah, but we are all, we are all God's Masterpiece and then I

thought about choosing, I thought himself ultimately.

God made a choice and he chose and he says in John 3, it says,

for God. So loved the world that he gave

his one and only son that whoever believes in him, shall

not perish but have eternal life.

And so just as I summarized as it were, I just want to say to

you, we are talking about a culture of Pericles has a

culture of care. And so I want to say let us make

the right choices. Let us choose to bring life to

one another. Let us choose to make the effort

with one another, you know, even today, you know, when when we

meet for tea and coffee, choose to, to maybe speak to somebody

who don't know. So well, especially if somebody

is on their own. You know not everybody finds it

easy to talk to one another. Let us choose to believe in one

another and then really God chose to Believe in Us.

You and I are God's Masterpiece just want just for just a

moment. I want you just to think about

what I have said and in your heart I just want you to think

to yourself. Is there anyone or are for

anybody that I need to be making an effort with is you know maybe

just for one moment just think Lord.

Is there anybody you're saying to me?

I want you to make an effort with that person.

You know? Is there some one or some

situation where God is saying to you, I want you to bring life, I

want you to be life into that situation into that person.

And if you've never asked Jesus into your life, if you've never

made that decision, like I just I just I made that choice when I

was 11 years old and here I am now in my 60s and it's the best

choice I ever. I've made and just choose it

because it's a choice of life. And if you have never done that,

I really can't ask you to speak to somebody at the end of this

Gathering. Okay?

Don't don't go away thinking. I've not done that.

Nobody will be interest. I'm telling you now, somebody

will be interested. If that is something you want to

do. Thank you, Susan for that

phenomenon message and I pray that you would be blessed in

hearing it and taking it in, letting it affect your week from

now on as we love and care for one another, as a body of

Christ, just a couple of bits of family news for us as we're

listening in this Sunday evening, the 26th of March 7

p.m. we have an encounter night at 12.

Frog Island. The would love to see you.

So excited and expectant for what God's going to do the last

few. We've put on have been well

attended and people have met with Jesus in a very powerful

way. So come along and join us, would

love to have you there. Other than that, from the 5th to

the 7th of April, in the lead up to Easter.

We are calling three days to pray and fast together.

We were praying on zoom in the morning and then in person in

the evening and on Good Friday, the 7th will break bread

together and will worship and encounter the Lord before

leading in to Easter Sunday on the 9th of April.

I'm a question for you. And I, as part of, Of one

churches who you bringing to church on Easter Sunday.

Let's not miss an opportunity to invite our world to hear the

good news of the resurrection of Christ.

Be blessed this week. Be encouraged be strengthened in

the Lord and will see you very soon.

The Lord bless you and keep you the Lord.

Make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

The Lord bless you and keep you the Lord.

Make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.