INTRODUCING JESUS // One Church Podcast, 6th February 2023

We Are One church. We love God love.

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Welcome to the one Church podcast.

Hello, I'm Tom and welcome to the one Church podcast today.

It's Monday the 6th of February. And yesterday that Sunday, the

fifth we gathered from one church together, and if you were

there, you'll know, it was a precious time for a youngest

child up to our oldest grown up. And if you didn't, you can catch

up with the whole of our 11:30 service on the One Church

YouTube channel. So head there and you could

watch the whole service. But today, if you're out and

about at home, however, you're tuning in, we're so glad you

could join us for the podcast in Romans 8, we read that we can

come to our guard and because we have been brought about to an

adoption to sonship. We can cry Abba, Father, today,

let it sink into your heart and would, you know, again, the

Because of Jesus, by the power of the spirit, every one of us

can come to God. And cry Abba Father and met.

You know the love of God closer and deeper today.

Coming up now is a message from Josh Smith spoken, a Taiwan

church together, Gatherings. It's a message that introduces

the introducing Jesus Series, so be inspired Again by The Wonder,

and the OR at the person of Jesus.

Enjoy. Well, if you don't know me, my

name is Josh, married to Alice. He's my little boy.

Levi is out with kids for the second service in a row.

He came to me at the end of the first service and he said to me,

dalla time to pack down now. So I want to, we got one more

kid, is very excited to pack the drums away.

He's always up for helping and serving in the house.

I don't know whether he's helpful or a nuisance, but the

heart is good and Ezra are little one on the front row.

Six months slept through my message, last time is about to

sleep through it again. Oh, man.

And I get the opportunity and the privilege to open the Bible

with us this afternoon. The last service in this

building, as we know, and it just feels an immense honor to

do so standing on the shoulders of giants and all that kind of

stuff. Thank you, Pastor D, pasta us,

the privilege of allow me to speak.

What an amazing example of leadership.

You guys are empowering us. We're very grateful.

I have the privilege of starting our series that we're going to

continue in our sights next week called in.

Reducing. Jesus.

This morning. We're in John 4.

This is possibly one of my favorite passages in the entire

Bible. Verses 3 through 242.

I'll read the majority of it with you.

We're in the NLT. This is what it says.

So he Jesus left Judea and returned to Galilee.

He had to go through Samaria on the way as I thought when I was

a child. I thought it was some area.

This is a general piece of land. He had to go through Samaria on

the way. Eventually he came to the

Samaritan Village of sychar Jacob's.

Well, was there? And Jesus tired from the long

walks at wearily beside the well around new time soon as

Samaritan woman came to draw water.

And Jesus said to her, please give me a drink.

He was alone at the time because it's disciples had gone to the

Village to buy some food. The woman was surprised for

Jews, refused to have anything to do with Samaritans.

She said to Jesus you're a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.

Why are you asking me for? Drink Jesus replied.

If you only knew the gift, God has for you and who you're

speaking to you? You would ask me and I would

give you living water, but sir, you don't have a rope or a

bucket. She said, and this well, is very

deep. Where were you get this living

water and besides to you think that your greater than our

ancestor? Jacob, who gave us this?

Well, how can you offer better water than he and his sons and

animals enjoyed? I said this in the first seven,

so I feel it's important to say. Again, I was reading this again

last night as I was do the last bit of prep for this morning and

I've read this passage of the Bible more times than I can

count. And I can count up to at least

eight and I've never been struck with this in the same way that

it was. As, I was reading it last night.

Jacob. After whom the, well, is named

was the man who wrestled with God and out of that, he was

renamed Israel out of him. Israel came the 12 tribes of

which Jesus Jesus, the lion of Judah is now sitting at this

very well and here Jesus. The lion of Judah is sat at the

site of Israel's well, about to open the gates of Living Water

to the Gentiles out of The Well of Israel comes Abundant Life

for those who are not born into the family of Abraham.

And what a moment Jesus is sat there, and he knows this, he

knows it, he's seeing the journey has seen the beginning.

He saw Jacob, dig the well, and he goes one down going to stand

there. And I'm going to Proclaim that

salvation is not just for the Jews.

Hold on a moment, I'm so thankful Jesus replied the

woman, anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty

again but those who drink the water I give will never thirst

it, becomes a fresh bubbling spring within them, giving them

eternal life. Please, sir.

The woman said, give me this water then I'll never be thirsty

again and I won't have to come here to get water.

Go and get your husband's Jesus told her I don't have a husband.

The woman replies. Jesus said, you're right.

You don't have a husband for you, have had five husbands.

And you aren't even married to the man that you're living with.

Now, you certainly spoke. The truth.

I really enjoy that in the middle of this conversation,

Jesus affirms her for telling the truth, rather than rejecting

her for having five husbands, He doesn't, he doesn't focus in on

her sin and I passed no mistakes rather what he does.

He said you've been honest with me in the little that you've

given away. He sees the detail.

Sir, the woman said you must be a prophet.

I've cut this part out in the middle but feel free to read in

your own time they have a conversation about worshiping.

There's a great takeaway here because women at the time would

not be allowed to sit at the feet of a rabbi and listen.

But yet she sat there at the feet of the Messiah here in

about true and proper worship, something that her husband would

have never yet heard, the woman said, I know the Messiah is

coming. The one who is called the

Christ, when he comes he will explain everything to us.

Then Jesus told her. Can you can you picture the

scene? I am the Messiah.

A moment has been 400 years of Silence between the last

prophetic words about the coming Christ.

And Jesus conversation with this woman.

In a moment, everything changed. I wonder how she felt. the one

that she's been waiting for a longing for suddenly appears to

her, if there's ever a mic drop moment in the Bible, is this

He's coming. I know he's coming, I don't know

when he's coming back, I believe there's a messiah.

I am the Messiah. So dropped an atomic bomb on my

goodness. The world on never look the

same. There's only one place in

Scripture that potentially has a better mic drop and that is ax5

with ananias and Sapphira. If you know the passage of your

of Christian, you've read it before.

The story is one of them's already come in and we've given

all that. We have all that we receive for

the land, lied dead. The best bit now, best bit.

It's a bit harsh to call it the best bit.

Anyway, they've dragged the drag that body out body.

Number one, high body count in this story, incomes person.

Number two. Are you sure that that's all the

money received from the land? Yeah, it's all the money we

receive Milan's, the apostles. But number one is already

outside and you will now join them dead.

Whoa, what am I drop? Moment very sad.

But also pretty cool that the power not the powder.

They had the power that Jesus gave them.

Hallelujah. Our men.

Anyway, just then in the first story not ananias and Sapphira,

Jesus disciples came back and they were shocked to find him

talking to a woman but none of them have the nerve to ask.

What do you want with her? Or why are you talking to her at

that moment? I meant that woman left her

water jar beside the world, and ran back to the Village.

Telling everyone come and see a man who told me everything I

ever did, could he possibly be the Messiah fast forward a

little. It says this many Samaritans

from the village believed in Jesus, because the woman had

said, he told me everything I ever did.

Then they came out to see him, They begged him to stay in their

Village so he stayed for two days long enough for many more

to hear his message and believe, then they said to the woman.

Now, we believe not just because of what you told us that because

we have heard him ourselves. Now we know he indeed is the

savior of the world. Father, I pray over these next

few minutes and moments that we have together.

Do you speak to me? And through me?

Would you receive all the glory? The honor and the praise.

Give us ears to hear a nice to see what you're doing is saying

in Jesus, beautiful name. I love going on a journey for a

honeymoon. Alison died.

Which is now 8 years ago. Whoa.

You're all thinking. Why?

You don't look that old. The none of you are thinking

that that's encouraging. We decided instead of spending

lots of money on a fly instead, we'll spend a little bit of

money on buying a second-hand car.

We bought a Mazda MX-5 which we named Ruby.

We decided to drive to Italy. We were incredibly ill-prepared.

We had no map. We had no Breakdown Cover.

We had books, no, accommodation for the drive there or the

return journey. And to be honest, I don't even

know if I was legally old enough to drive in Europe but we set

off and the Lord kept us safe, we did a road trip a couple of

years after that against Italy that time did have Breakdown

Cover and that time did break down sketchy.

We were up one of the mountains in the Alps and the brake discs

clamp shirts and it was very very sweaty indeed.

Anyway on this trip day one. One France.

No problem. It's been a breeze day to

Switzerland. Lovely.

Beautiful views day. 3, Italy. And we're heading to our

accommodation via Lake Como for a pit stop over lunch.

Suppose one of the most breathtaking views and all of

the world it was decidedly average.

Maybe that's just it was an overcast day and we put the

details of the Villa, into our sat-nav in the sat-nav said to

us will arrive at 8:15. Last check-in. 9 p.m. happy days

will make it on time. Everything's going to be okay.

And we arrived to our Villa to see this absolutely glorious

building to get out of our car and realize that that was not

actually our Villa. And so what we did was we drove

around in circles hoping to speak to an Italian who spoke

English. In fact, what we found in Italy,

funny enough was Italians, who spoke Italian it's very

unhelpful for me. Do you know that's what all

British people do a broad, isn't it?

We speak to them in English. Hello.

Do you know where this Villa is? And if they don't understand, we

say, even louder still in English.

Hello Yes, I can hear you anyway I learn a phrase.

I had translation app on my phone side of a La Vela

Argentina / for a come on, come on.

To my dismay. Nobody understood a word of what

I said. And nobody knew our Villa was.

So we aimlessly drove around until he came to a moment where

we were stuck. And there's a cliff face on one

side and a drop on the other. And we didn't know what to do at

this point. Alice was looking on the stat.

Now, for nearby hotels, And Along came a little yellow Fiat.

Drove up towards us and a guy got out of the fear and he said

to us in Italian, are you looking for this Villa and the

name the place where were supposed to say?

Yes. Yeah, we are.

We are. We are.

Yeah, so we got in our car, he got in his car and we followed

him. He drove us to the gates of the

Villa complex. And then I promise you, this is

a true story. We got out of the car to say,

thank you to him and the car. And the man will just simply

vanished I believe that we were led to our honeymoon Villa by an

Angel. Pretty cool, right?

Pretty cool. But that's not, that's not the

point of the story, The Point, the stories to illustrate the

Journey of Jesus, but we'll get there in a moment.

You see, when we tell the story of our honeymoon, we don't often

talk about the destination but it often talk about the Villa.

We don't talk about the day, I am Royal more Sienna.

What we talk about is the small Italian man in the little yellow

fear in the middle of the story because often the journey is

more important than the destination.

In this passage, Jesus is on a journey.

He is headed from Judea to Galilee what I find.

So, interesting In this passage is that John writing says he had

to go through Samaria. Now, if you do the research, he

didn't have to there were in fact, two ways to get from Judea

to Galilee only one of which led through Samaria.

So, is it, is it there a discrepancy in John's writing?

As he got something wrong? Or is it trying to emphasize the

need for Jesus mission? Which was much more important

than Jesus navigation. I feel that he was trying to

say. He didn't have to go through

Samaria, but he had to go. Go through because a destination

was going to be more important when he met the woman at the

well in sychar. And just to give you a bit of

background for the passage, we're looking at this morning

Jews and Samaritans, did not get on.

So for Jesus, to go through, Samaria felt like an ill-made

decision. As he said, it's the boys were

following him. I imagine they would have been

going. Are you sure?

You know, they're not like us. And that part of the world

there. There is another way.

Jesus said, we have to go and there was a boundary line, there

would have been an impasse There was passed down from generation

to generation. The Samaritans hated the Jews

and the Jews. Hated the Samaritans, both were

taught systemic racism from birth, they were brought up to

despise and reject that other opposing culture, you see.

Samaritans believed they had a right to the Messiah, but the

Jews believe they did not and their forms the impasse yet

everything within Jesus required him to take The Road Less

Traveled. I want to say, if you feel in

the room this morning that you are out of the reach Of the love

of God. I'm going to say that he came

here just for you, just like he had to go to Samaria to meet the

woman at the. Well, he had to also come to the

cross for you, and I, you are not out of the reach of the love

of God. Maybe you're here in the

morning, you don't feel good enough, you're not. but Jesus

has It's not on your merits, not my achievements.

It's all on who he is. Maybe you feel ashamed of your

past you live in fear of your future or started this woman,

sat at the well, and threw her have Village and then the

generations after her were transformed You see, Jesus

worried little about cultural Customs, social scripts, or

religious restrictions. Rather he cared about those who

are cast out, he saved those who have shunt and He restored,

those who have been rejected. This is who he is.

I'm going to give you three thoughts from this passage and I

pray that make sense to you as we go through them together.

My first thought for us is this that Jesus sees her if you're

making notes, that's Point number one.

The passage says, the woman was surprised for Jews.

Refused to have anything to do with Samaritans.

She said to Jesus, you're a Jew and I'm a Samaritan woman.

Why are you asking me for a drink?

See this conversation with a Samaritan woman would have led

Jesus to be condemned by the Jewish law and the claim that he

makes after this to be the Messiah, was the very reason why

those in Nazareth attempted to push him off the hillside in the

Book of Luke. But he went to Samaria, just for

her. Before Alice and I got married.

We were headed to Nottingham to meet a photographer and in the

city center, does a man selling big issues and you've seen them

around people that need to make some money in order to live.

But I've also seen probably how a lot of secular culture and at

times us if we're in a rush treat, these kind of people and

he was in the middle of not again, Rashad and big issue, big

issue and everybody's walked past.

No one gave him any attention. Now we had no money and what we

did next was not groundbreaking I simply The man and I said I'm

really sorry I have nothing to give you but have a great day

and he turned around and he said to me thank you for noticing me.

And it chilled me in that moment and it lives within our we live

in a society of people that long to be seeing that long to be

noticed and Jesus lived in the same society and yet he wanders

all the way to this dangerous area to meet with one woman.

Why? Because he sees her, I want to

say that if you're sat in the room, if you don't know him this

afternoon, he sees you and he knows you and he came from

Heaven through to Ascension via the cross just for you.

Jesus sees you, he said to the woman go and get your husband,

she responded. I don't have a husband to, which

Jesus said, you're correct. You've had five husbands and

you're not married some money to live with.

Now, you've certainly spoke the truth.

You see in Middle Eastern culture, a woman would not have

the legal right to file for divorce.

So the fact that she has had five husbands does not mean that

she's finished with them. It's means that they have told

her that they are finished with her.

She's been rejected by five different men on five different

occasions and now the man that she's currently living with and

sleeping with does not even give it a Dignity of being called

wife She is defiled discarded, unwanted, and unmarried, and

Jesus sees her mess. And he chooses to sit with her

in the middle of it. Anyway, Wherever you find

yourself this afternoon, he sees you.

He sees you. I wonder if there's someone in

the room and if I'm wrong on this, it's all right.

But is there someone in the room?

You some of the story of this woman feels quite irrelevant to

you. You were, you're abused by a

family member at the age of five or six and it's left a trauma,

any that you can't quite Shake. I'm not asking you to put your

hand up now or respond, but just in the quiet of this moment on

say that he sees you. And that he's here for you in

the same way that He restored this woman, he wants to restore

you. He wants to take you back to

that moment and fix you and and bring you to Holiness.

He's got a plan for your life, that is not determined by your

past. If that is you if you're in the

room which you cannot find one of our prayer team at the end of

would love to pray with you and journey through with you.

And I is that. All right?

Point number one for us this afternoon.

He sees her Point number two, he saves her.

The woman said, I know the Messiah is coming, the one who

is called Christ and when he comes, he will explain

everything to us. She's told her I am the Messiah.

Now, she's been waiting longing and hoping for one who would see

her and love her, she's found failed, affection, and five

different men. Yet a long walks Jesus, and in

the middle of her mess, he sees it, but then he also brings the

through to Salvation what she's looked for in human effort, what

she said. Attempt to Define in her own

strength and understanding has not been possible until one

encounter with Jesus. And here at the, well of Israel

salvation is opened for the Gentiles, he saves her.

He knows her past, he sees her shame, he loves her in the

middle of it, See this one was condemned even by her own people

yet Jewish Jesus would die to pay the price of her sin to

bring her Restoration in the love of the father.

In one moment, she was transformed.

If you read the passage before, you may be aware, she used to go

and draw water and the Heat of the day.

This was not to top up her tan. You know, the phrase, Mad Dogs

and Englishmen only got and the midday Sun that's because it's

actually hot into the parts of the world.

She would've avoided normal society doesn't go out to draw

water in the middle of the day. You got to draw water in the

cool of the morning of the call of the evening yet, she's here

on her own isolated abandoned by her community.

Yet, one encounter with the Messiah, sends her running back

shouting to the ones, who condemned to the ones who no

longer wanted her. She's transformed in a moment.

I believe the disciples would have told this story.

Can you imagine the conversation between Peter and mrs.

Peter How was the trip? Yeah, it was really good.

We saw some cool things. Jesus did some amazing stuff and

then we went to this well in Samaria and the Miss Peter goes

What area? They don't like us there.

And Peter goes that was what I told Jesus.

We didn't seem to care. We went there and then we went

out to get food because me and the boys were hungry because

it's been a long walk and you see Jesus he's not too fussed

about eating real food because he only eats with his father

gives him. But we went out to get food and

then we came back and we find him talking to a Samaritan

woman. Mrs. Peter goes I would have

told the story. And Peter says, you know,

thinking about it, he did say that we had to go through

Samaria, and I told him, I said, boss there's two Roots, one of

them leads around, would have to go through.

And he says, I've got a mission there and then we got back and

we find him talking with this woman at the well, and then

believe it or not. She's got a load of husbands,

our life's, a mess and hey, mrs. Pete, you'll never guess this,

but after she met Jesus, she ran back to her Village and they all

got saved, and then they fed us for free for two days.

Whoa, See when we talk about our honeymoon, we don't often talk

about the views, we don't often talk about the Villa.

We talk about the little Italian Man in the Yellow Fiat.

I believe that this group of lads, after this trip, probably

didn't talk too much about Judea for.

He didn't talk too much about Galilee, but when they were

asked the question, they would have remembered the story of the

rejected Samaritan woman by The Well of Israel.

The journey I want to tell you that Jesus is still passing

through. He still passing through his

passing through our City's past ensure our nation, he's still

walking on the face of our Earth, by the power of Holy

Spirit, embodied in the church and he is still on a mission.

He came here for you. See the Journey of Christ was

not just from Judea to Galilee a via Samaria, but it was in fact

from Heaven to Ascension via the cross.

And this story gives a beautiful glimpse of what's about to

happen. And the same way he had to go to

Samaria for the sake of this Village.

He also had to come to the cross for the sake of you and me.

And this is who he is fully. God fully, man, the all-powerful

Creator and sustainer of the cosmos who was born in the body

of a baby destined to pass through the cross, to open the

door of relationship between God, the father and Humanity.

This is Jesus, the God who sees the God, who saves The God, Who

restores The God? Who heals?

And in the same way that he saved her, he's here in the

room. If you don't know him to save

you, firstly, he sees her. Secondly, he saves her thirdly.

And lastly, as we come to land, he sensor.

The woman left her water jar beside the well, and ran back to

the Village, telling everyone come and see a man who told me

everything I ever did, could he possibly be the Messiah?

The passes goes on to say many Samaritans, The Village believe

in Jesus because the woman had said he told me everything I

ever did her testimony transform the lives of those with in her

Village. She went from being someone who

was scared. To being someone who is sent.

I wonder do, you know, him this afternoon.

He wants to send you again. Relationship with Jesus is not

just for your Eternal salvation it is but it's that we can be

sent to bring others to Eternity with him.

Her life was never the same after meeting Jesus.

Her eternity was secured her past was covered and her future

was for the first time filled with promise.

The turnaround is utterly remarkable.

We had a guy come into the city site about a year ago and he had

a bit of a past. He was involved in a number of

gangs and some drug related stuff and he was currently

awaiting trial. And he came to church and he

found Jesus. And the transformation in his

life was remarkable. When you see someone's life,

flipped upside down by the grace of God, and suddenly feeling

that they are sent, instead of sentence, let me tell you,

everything begins to change and he came to me at the back end of

last year. Hindi Hindi, that he was going

to prison, you know. That was that was that was how

the rolling was going to go. It had to go because of what had

previously done and he came to me, he said can you baptize me?

Because I want to go to prison knowing that I'm right with God

and sent out to make a difference.

And we got the privilege of baptizing him at the back end of

last year, he called me on Saturday morning, last week.

First, I've heard from him since he's been inside and he said

Josh, it's not fun, but I'm here to make a difference.

Come on. Because once we meet Jesus, we

can never be the same. I want to tell you.

If you're here in the room and your sat on the fence, the fence

is a destination. Indecision is your decision

either you're in or you're out, Jesus says himself there, either

for us. Or against us.

Where do you sit this morning? The Samaritan lady rejected.

Defiled abused abandoned became the first biblically documented

evangelist. A woman who was uneducated,

despised who the Jews would have said had no share and no right

to the Messiah. Brings absolute transformation,

tear Town her community, and the Gentile World from that moment.

Forts he saves her. And then he sensor.

If you know, Jesus this afternoon, let me encourage you,

we are called to go. So I was celebrated at the start

of the message, the guys, on the see you are about to do events

week. Doing what they can to make a

difference. What about you?

And I, and our places of work and our influence in our

families with our friendships in our football clubs.

He sees her, he saves her. He Sunset, that's my place of

influence. What's yours?

What is your Samaria? Not some area.

But some area where you are deliberately sent and called by

the purpose of God's make a difference, some of you in the

room, work in education, work in the NHS.

Some of you who may be working on the bins, come on your sent

to an area to make a difference for such a time as this because

why does a path that leads to destruction and many?

Many find it. I called to show people the

narrow way. I want to maybe you need a new

commissioning this morning, not a new commission.

What it says in Matthew 28, is more than sufficient going to

world and make disciples actually oh cool.

That's why we're still on Earth. That's why we're not transformed

and transported to heaven when he finds us the world around.

You is heading to a lost eternity and we hold the key to

eternal life. I wonder do you need to be sent

again church? This morning.

Let's be bolder than we've ever been before.

Let's take more risks in our faith.

He is the god who sees you. He saves you and his son, gee.

I wonder all around the room. Just for a moment.

As we respond, why don't you bow, your head and close your

eyes? It's not for any religious

reason. It's just to protect the privacy

of the people around you. I'm going to give you the

opportunity to respond to things.

Firstly, maybe you need to come to him to find your salvation

this morning, either, you don't know Jesus at all and maybe this

is your first experience in church.

I pray that you've had a great time with us.

If it is, but you're here and he is here for you and maybe you

used to walk with God, but you've lost your way.

You've been caught up in some stuff and you've found yourself

drifting. I want to say that this morning.

He is here for you to bring you in to bring you home to restore

you to then You again. So if you're not a Christian or

a long way from God, I'm going to give you a chance to say I'm

in I want this Jesus the source of eternal life, the source of

Living Water who's going to transform me from the inside

out. I want him I'm going to give you

the chance to respond and secondly if you are here and you

are a Christian you are a follower of Jesus and maybe

you're getting excited about being sent again.

Then I'm going to give all of us a chance to respond as well.

You see this Jesus Who Sat by The Well of Israel with the

Samaritan woman to open the gates of salvation for those who

are gentiles Went on a journey from Heaven to Ascension via the

cross. Then the story and the

understanding of Christianity is incredibly simple guard at the

beginning out of his love made humankind for relationship and

in relationship. The beginning, he walked to the

Adam and Eve in the garden and they lived together And then

Genesis cells that sin entered the world.

Sin is anything that I do that is contrary to his will and his

agenda. It's about independence.

The root of sin is Independence. I choose I want, I need

regardless of what he says and When sin entered the world, it

caused a fracture in the relationship between God and

between Humanity because God is perfect.

He can't be near anything imperfect that because he's so

desperately loves the ones he created.

He could never look away. God gave his people rules to

live by. And if you obeyed each one of

these, you'd attained, the status of perfect, and then we

can have relationship because Perfection can be near

Perfection again, but it was never the case because Humanity

keeps on messing up. And then enter Jesus.

The man sat here by the side of the well ready to lead this

broken beaten woman. Into relationship with the

heavenly father, for which she has craved, and long as he is

the same Jesus, who died on a cross to carry your sin, your

shame, my mistakes, my terrors. The Bible tells us that the

penalty for sin or the wages of sin is death, you and I deserve

to die. For the wrong that we do.

But Jesus died to pay the price that we could never fulfill.

The passage goes on to say, but the gift of God, the gift free

gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus, because of the sacrifice

of Christ on the cross. And because of his resurrection,

when the father looks at you, if you choose to accept Jesus, he

doesn't see you in eyes, our sins deserve rather, he sees us

as of righteousness, and the Perfection of Christ's that,

once more, perfect, God and perfect, Humanity can come

together through the sacrifice and atoning death of Jesus.

That's the gospel. But we will have a decision to

make. Yes, God, I want the gift that

you've given or I'm content to walk on my own.

Jesus also says this that if you try to hang on to your life you

will lose it, but if you give up your life, for my sake will find

it. See coming to Jesus Through the

cross. It's not just about him being

your savior. It's also about being your lord,

your king, the one who, then dictates your steps.

If you're in the room this morning this afternoon and

you're not yet a Christian or you used to what we've got and

you've lost your way, I'm going to give you an opportunity to

stand up in your seat. There's just a couple of Marty

I'm looking so we can know and then we're going to pray for you

and by standing what you're saying is I want to get myself

right with God this afternoon, I'll make a decision to say yes

to Jesus and accept the eternal life that he brings some simply

going to count from three, two, one.

And if that she not a Christian or a long way from God and this

afternoon you're saying yes I want this.

Jesus then stand and I get two one.

Are you ready? If that's you 321, why don't you

stand right now? If that she got you buddy, well

done, see you over there. Well done.

See you mate. Well done.

Is there anyone else this morning this afternoon before we

pray? You're a long way from God or

you've never met him wild. And I see is that anybody else?

One. Last opportunity.

Before we pray. Well done, guys.

Alden. Well done water.

Well done. he came here for you, but without knowing that you

came here to meet with him, And the same God who loves that

woman is the same God who loves you and just as he transforms a

he wants to transform you from the inside out.

Why don't you pray? This with me if you're able to

do? So either internally or

externally, in fact Church, why don't we all pray this together

to encourage those who are standing say this out loud with

me. Thank you, God, that you love

me. Thank you that you know me.

That you see me? Thank you for Jesus.

Today, I understand that I have done wrong and it has a price to

pay. Today, I accept the gift of

Jesus. Come into my life.

Be my God, my savior and my king.

I give you me. Almond butter, you give these

guys a Round of Applause. Well, done for being brave.

This morning, feel free to take your seats.

If you stood up there, I want to pray with you at the end.

And lastly, if you're a Christian in the room, the

response for us together is really simple.

I'm excited to be sense again. I am also very frustrated that

Alice has more recent stories of her sharing the gospel than I

do. I need to be sent again.

Maybe you need to be sin again. She came in from going to the

dentist the other day. She took Ezra and Levi with her

and the way back from the dentist they went to X and in

walks this elderly, man. And somehow they have an

hour-long conversation. While.

Levi was just sitting there eating cake, and as we seems

quite content with a dummy and then Alice eventually talk to

this man about Jesus, and then get some signed up to go to O,

be a pretty cool. Let's be a cent for people.

How are you? Tell more stories?

Maybe that's your heart this morning, you know, Jesus and I'm

going to ask you if you know him and you want to say, I'm gonna

go out and be sent to make a difference.

Why don't you stand to your feet?

If that's your heart this morning?

Let me pray for us before I pass it back over to pass the DNS and

we celebrate a moment father thank you that you send us out

as you've had written in Matthew to make disciples of all

Nations. Lord, thank you.

That all the nations of the Earth are on our doorstep and

you send us to go to make a difference whether you put your

hands in front of your father. I ask right now that you give a

bonus to go just as that woman at the well was transformed in a

moment, having seen you and haven't been saved by you.

She then became sent by you. Father, would you thank you that

you see us, thank you, you save us but Lord, send us out again,

not give us a passion and a desperation for the loss in our

workplaces, in our universities, and our families, and our

football teams and our Sports societies.

And I'll give us a burden for lost.

People, that we wouldn't be able to shake it long as you, wake us

up in the morning, feeling, cooled to make a difference.

Father, we say yes to you again. We say yes to be in the people

that you sent in Jesus, beautiful name, amen.

Thank you Josh. What a powerful message.

Now, next week, wherever you are get ready for the second part of

our introducing Jesus series. But for now maybe there's

something that was said today that really struck a chord with

you and if you'd like to respond in any way know that we're here.

Get in touch with us by email call or let someone know we

would love to pray with you and support you in your journey with

Jesus. And now we want to keep you

Updated with what's happening in church life.

So here's your family news for the renovations, at 10:00 frog

Island have begun. And the one Center is about to

be transformed. If you'd like to stay up to

date, will be posting some photos each week to a shared

drive. And if you need the link to

that, just ask today because we'd love you to stay in touch

with what is going on and the changes that are taking place.

Next week We Gather in every one of our one Church sites, five

sites with seven services. And we're believing for amazing

things. So we hope to see you in person,

in bronston Central City north or owed be on the 17th of

February. We have United, young adults As

We Gather with churches, from around the county for a night of

encounter worship and growth together.

So, if you are of the age 18, 25 and want to know more, just ask

and we'd love to welcome you on the 17th of February.

And finally scores out, our half-term holiday clubs are

coming up in the February, half term, and the 21st to the 23rd

of February, we would love you to come invite any children

that, you know, who are in primary school, you can come and

volunteer, and if you're not able to come, then why not be

praying that we see amazing moments of Jesus impacting the

lives of children and Families, all around leicestershire, this

half term and that is your family News 4.

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.