The walk of the cross

A friend is visiting, Brittany said.

I don't know how you do it. Yeah, standing up here must be

as nervous as can be. Actually, no, I have to pinch

myself. The privilege of standing and

serving in this season, it is absolutely remarkable and at a

time of. Three Cr's History where

anything can happen. Grab your Bible.

Open up to the Book of Acts as we continue our series.

We're going to be in Acts Chapter 16 this morning and if

Acts 16 · chapter mention

you were here last week. Last week, the way I define it,

in a word it we were talking about the.

Work of the Cross This week we're going to change gears.

We're going to look at. The Walk of the Cross.

I'll explain it like this. A friend of mine was telling me

he had the an opportunity to relocate with his.

Business to the Seychelles. And I'll ask him the question

that I'm going to be asking you this morning.

Like how do you know if God's in this?

How do you know that this is an opportunity?

Or a trap? How do you discern?

How do you? How do we hear?

God's voice. I mean the Seychelles.

It's a given. That's God.

But yes, like what if we said Bloom Fontaine, you know, how do

we know? How do we discern?

Because. To you, it just looks like a

relocation or maybe a promotion. Maybe it's the opportunity to

buy a business, or sell a piece of land, or move schools that

you're teaching at, or marry her.

But what you might not know is behind that is a nation changing

generation, shaping Kingdom creating moments that you don't

even know. You wouldn't be any.

The wiser. So we're going to look at this

through the lens of Acts Chapter 16 and see if there are some

Acts 16 · chapter mention

some things that we can learn as a community in the season where

anything can happen, but we want what God wants to happen.

All right, So let's take a look. We're going to be picking.

Up in verse four of chapter 16. And then we'll just unpack some

of these essences of of the nature of the Kingdom of God and

the ways of. God through this SO Act 16.

Four before I read last last week, we were looking at Chapter

15, where? It was the gospel plus.

And so the disciples and the apostles got together just to

make sure that they were all on the same page in terms of what

Jesus had taught. And so now we find Paul actually

taking that decision through the ancient Near East and verse.

Four says as they traveled from town to town, they delivered the

decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem

for the people to. So the churches were

strengthened in faith and grew daily in numbers.

And take a look at this first six.

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Frigia

and Galatia, having been. Kept by the Holy Spirit from

preaching the Word in the province of Asia, verse seven.

When they came to the border of Messier, they tried to enter

Bethania but the. Spirit of Jesus would not allow

them to, so they passed by Messier and went down to Troas.

During the nights Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia

standing and begging him come over to Macedonia and help us.

After Paul has seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave

for Macedonia concluding. That God had called us to preach

the gospel to them. From Troas we put out to the sea

and sailed straight for Sumatra, since the next day we went on to

Mneapolis. From there we travel to Philippi

Roman Colony in the leading city of that district of Macedonia,

and we stayed there several days.

Now at at first read you might be going like.

OK, this is a little bit above my pay grade.

Like seeing visions and dreams and the Holy Spirit.

Like, you know, it's like, I'm just going to go on Facebook.

I'm not going to learn anything from this.

You know this. Is this is for the big dogs You

know the A grade the real super Christians.

I know that it can. It can be a little overwhelming

when. We're talking about like, how do

you decide am I going to have? To wait for the Holy Spirit to

give me dreams. But I want to.

I want to just distill this down to actually three very common

things. Before we apply it to ourselves,

and here's the first the first thing you notice from this is

that Paul had to be listening ongoingly.

OK, very simple. He was just listening ongoingly.

We'll see a little later that actually he was.

He had a completely different plan.

It wasn't just that he wasn't allowed into.

Asia Universe 6 And it wasn't allowed into Bethany, and the

spirit was stopping him from the get go.

From the very start, it seemed like he was wanting to go this

way, and God sent him the. Other way he he started.

He didn't take a step without inquiring of God, without being

open. To God.

OK, so ongoingly we'll look at in depth a little later.

The second thing and I want to dig into this one.

Was that Paul had to believe that God's plan was best.

See. Because it seemed like God was

blocking him all the way and I don't know if anything like me,

I just. Sort of pushed right through

that, that roadblock, and then things fall apart and then it's

all God's fault, you know? But it seemed like Paul has this

discernment that actually God's plan is best and he blocks us

because he wants to. Bless us.

I don't know if you've ever been.

Blocked by the Holy Spirit, so blocked by God in a decision

that you wanted to make and if you responded to that and

allowed him and. There I had I think one simple

example when. I was at Bible college, one of

the. Rules of Bible College was that

you're not allowed to date. As long as you're studying

there, you're not allowed. To date, which means that I was

planning to date. So I'm in my first year, I'm

running with my my roommate Charles.

And so the plan was what I'll do is is I'll ask you out during

the holidays and then the leaders won't know and we can

just sort of keep it on the down low.

So I'm running with Charles. I'm telling him my story, my the

plan that I've had, and he asks the questions scripture is

asking of us this morning. How do you know God's in this?

Obviously must have said something because the leadership

has said no. But.

Clearly God has said yes. So why?

You know? And I lied through my teeth,

because the real answer was I didn't ask.

Because I had the sneaky suspicion God would block me,

and I grew up with a deep, unbiblical theology.

It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

So that was my plan, right? Now you won't be surprised to

know that it was possibly the worst relationship known to

mankind. It got me to the point where I

was so sick and tired of this dating nonsense.

I thought, you know, maybe. The easy way out is just never

to marry. I'm going to live single for

Jesus, properly burnt out and broken and offended.

And it was like when when I eventually got over it, because

I met a former swimsuit model, I couldn't help myself.

But when we started dating Cath and my ex had this falling out

with the the mom and everything in the shops, it was terrible.

It was an. Absolute disaster, because God,

it would have said no if I bothered.

To ask. I didn't want to ask, and so now

I carried the consequences. Okay.

Now this is this is boyfriend girlfriend thing.

This is insignificant. Or is it?

Maybe this is a Seychelles thing.

Maybe this is a buying or selling.

Maybe this is a discerning who to employ because.

What happened was there's this church called 3 CR and we

weren't in it. Actually, we weren't in any

church. We were newlyweds.

I'd been offended by church and we were just floating.

And yeah, I'm going to do this on my own.

Maybe this is a word for someone here.

I just. Figured you know what Who needs?

The church I got Jesus, but actually I didn't really have.

Jesus, because we got cold and cynical and bitter, our marriage

was taking strain. We didn't have anyone around us,

and my wife decided she's going to go hunting for a church.

I didn't need one. She realized we did, and she

came across three CIS, she said. Babes.

This is the church for us. So I visited and I loved it.

You can't. Love 3 CR Unless your ex.

Is in it then it's the worst place in the world.

Not only was she in three CR, she was married to one of the

elders and I had to sit under his preaching.

I'm like I said to Kay. Thanks, but no thanks.

No, we can find another. Yeah.

Let's keep trying. Let's keep looking.

Surely there must be another church out there that we can go

to. So that was like 20 something

years ago and. If you look at that decision,

okay, I didn't bother. To ask God.

Now I've made some really dumb decisions.

Now I'm facing certain consequences, but the cost of

not recognizing that God's plan is.

Actually, Best could have finished us, so thankfully my

wife of substance. Actually crossed that border and

made a treaty actually when they when they relocated into

Germany. It was like saying goodbye to

our best friends when her and her husband.

Left because God did such a work.

But here's the here's the point I'm trying to make because of

that one moment of not wanting to inquire.

Of God the consequences we would never have known.

I would never have known. What was at stake by hopping

over? There's one simple.

Bible College rule because I stood at the door of three CR

saying I don't want any part of her, which would have meant a

marriage. Who knows what would have

happened with our marriage when you left on your own with

someone like myself. I needed godly men and women

around us to carry us and care for us, and we're only in a

place now, married 25 years. I think because the last 20

years we were carried by this community and we wouldn't have

had that, and we wouldn't have had the privilege of ministering

into into youth and we wouldn't have our kids getting saved and

baptized in this church. I wouldn't have had the

privilege of getting to know you and being in this place where we

stand and go like, God, what are you doing here?

I have to pinch myself. That I have this privilege

because of a simple decision where I wouldn't recognize that

God knows best, so it's important.

That we see this because on my scale it's interesting.

On Paul scale, it's unprecedented.

I want to show you some maps I've been ministered to this

week by maps. I'm sorry, we're going to geek

out and you're going to think I'm very strange, but.

Hopefully you see what I've seen.

Right. So this those red line that's

that's the journey that that Paul eventually.

Took as God led him okay. The second picture is what is

his plan? I've overlaid.

There was the dinky little journey that he was planning an

EX15. He says Let's.

Just go back to the the towns and villages we've administered

to. That's what it looks like.

So the first thing you see is like God's plan is A.

Heck of a lot bigger than my plan.

My plan was just find a church where my ex is not at.

God's plan is you will have the opportunity to serve thousands

of people on a Sunday, you know. So that's the first thing.

But now if we zoom in, I want you to see this.

Okay, so this is the portion of X15.

That we looked at. If you see Antioch, there's sort

of middle, right? Okay, this is where.

The portion we started reading, he wanted to go to Asia because

there's no not there, so he keeps on going north.

He gets to the border of Bethania because there's no not

there. He's like, OK, what else do I

do? So he goes along the mountain

range or miss here to troez and troez.

God sends a vision or a dream and he heads over across into

Europe and if you look there their names like Philippi,

Thistle, Anaka, Corinth, Ephesus.

None of that would have happened if.

If he hatched his plan, right? But Philippi?

Yeah, you can take it all. Philippi becomes his favorite

church. There's such a deep love.

Philippa was his three CR that he would not have gone to if he

went straight through that roadblock and did his own thing.

He hopped over to Philippa. Not only was it his.

Favorite church, But they supported him financially for

the next 20 years, which means. The rest of that dotted land

came as a result of their financial support that he would

never have received if he had done his own thing.

And then you went to Thessalon. I can to Corinth into Ephesus,

which means you and I sit as the beneficiaries.

Most of the New Testament came as a result of those moments of

obedience. We got blocked him, and then

blessed him, and blocked him, and then blessed him, and

blocked him, and then blessed him.

So you and I sit with one and two Thessalonians, one and two

Corinthians. The pastoral letters, because he

was taking Timothy and Silas and Tartus with him.

We have the book a mark from all of this, from those acts of

obedience. But.

He also presses into Philippa, which is in Europe, and the

Gospel spreads from there. If you go a little further, it's

Greece. And then Hungary, Budapest,

Germany, France, the UK. The Gospel spreads from this

crossing over the simple act of obedience.

And you know where. We receive the gospel from guys

coming down from Europe. We are indirectly a result.

Mass salvation is. Indirectly, a result of Paul

simply believing that God's plan is best minister to by maps.

How big is our God? Exceedingly abundantly above.

And then the third thing is that Paul was not led by what was

seen, but by what was unseen. And I want to camp here.

Just for a little led by what was seen or unseen.

See, he uses a term to describe Christians, pneumatic costs.

People of the spirit, we're led by the spirits.

What is unseen? I think here in the city and

definitely in my life, I'm not a pneumatic Cos.

I'm a new opportunity. Cos led by situations, so I want

to see. You know what works best in my

favor. I don't know if you've.

Ever used this phrase? God opened the door for me.

It's funny how God opens the door to Cape Town but never to

bloom from time. Hey, yeah, God opened an

opportunity and we're going to now go to New Zealand.

We're going to start a fresh there.

No crime. But that's not not how Paul

operated, you know? Jonah could have said that God

says go this way. He goes to the harbor and it

just happens to be a boat going that way.

God opened the door for me. The enemy can open the door.

For you actually, your own gift set can open.

Doors for you. I have a friend who buys and

sells mines and he's only got a standard 6.

He is so gifted in the business world.

Everywhere he goes, he is able to open.

Doors, But it doesn't mean that you're being led by the Spirit.

You're being led by what is seen and that's not what we see Paul

doing here. You see, it goes on to.

Say the following. This is probably four or five

verses, verse 25 of that same chapter.

So he's pulls over in Philippi and he gets himself thrown into

prison like Paul often did, and then we pick up in verse 25 of

that chapter says, About midnight.

Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the

other prisoners were listening to them.

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the

foundations of the prison were. Shaking at once all the prison

doors. Flew open.

God open the door for me and everyone's change came loose.

The jailer woke up and when he saw the prison doors open, he

drew his. Sword and was about to kill

himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul shouted. Don't harm yourself.

We're all here. The jailer called for lights,

rushed in and fell, trembling before Paul and Silas, and then

brought them out and asked us what must I do?

To be saved. I want you to see there.

The Bible does talk about doors being opened, and the Bible does

talk about God opening doors, but if that is the only dictator

of. What we do and how we know is

Seychelles an option. Do I employ this person or that

person? We're in for trouble.

Because we're being led by what is seen.

So Paul chains off Midnight. Prison doors are open.

Clearly, he's not from the bluff.

Because if he was, he would have been out there very quickly.

But God had told him, this is part of my plan.

Don't use this open door. As a way to escape.

And because he stayed, the man was saved and so was his

household, which meant if he had gone through that door, that man

would have taken his own life and his family would never have

been saved. It's important to add into the

mix when we're going like. Oh Lord, what are you doing

here? That we are not governed first

and foremost by while he opened the door?

It's an opportunity. It looks so good.

It looks so good. It always does.

So what do we do? I want to leave you with these

three. Throughout the Bible, we find

that we are led. By three things.

Scripture by the Spirit of God and by strong community

Scripture. Spirit of God and strong

community. Very simple.

Nuts and bolts, keys and mesh message, but the nations and the

generations and the Kingdom creation that comes.

Out of it is unprecedented. So very simply, Scripture we are

led firstly. By Scripture, the Bible says

your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Now, I haven't seen it in Pretoria, but on the bluff.

They have these. I don't even know what it is the

kind of. Spotlights that you know that

they used to use maybe to hunt down the airplane during war.

I don't know if you've seen it when and we on the bluff they

put. It at all.

The pubs and bars, all that you know, whether it be tram sheds

or dungeons or whatever, you can see it from far in the middle of

the night. You've got these.

Strobe lights sort of streaking through the sky, this is not.

What the Bibles refer to when it says your word is a lamp to my

feet and the lights in my path, it means your next step.

The Scripture will shine light on that, and the next step shine

light on that because. That's what we see with Paul,

remember? Ongoingly.

It blows my mind. And this, you know, maybe it's

personality. I'm like, Lord, will you just

tell me okay guys, we're going to.

Philippa, Then we'll we'll make our way there.

Why do you have to block Asia and block Bethania?

And because God's more interested in the journey than

the destination. He wants a journey.

With us as part of relationship, he wants us leaning in and being

drawn to him ongoingly. And so he says.

You know your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.

Just that. Next.

Step I was so deeply challenged a few years ago, I don't know if

you remember Nico from America sharing at the call conference.

Hey. He got up and all he did was he

took his Bible and he took his like a journal and a daily

devotional and he walked. Us through his business, So

what? What we used to have is one of

the sessions when we had the call conference.

One of the sessions was devoted to the marketplace, to the

business world. And so Nico got up and he said,

well, back in 1992 I felt God really calling me to have an

influence in in the education system.

And he said so. I'm like, oh Lord, I don't.

Know, I don't know if that's really me.

He was heading in a different direction and then he read to

us, he said. And so on whatever day.

Whatever he goes, I'm read here. And he said the following He

says, you know, don't despise the day of small beginnings.

He's like Okay. We'll start small, so he

gathered a few people together. Apparently there were like 6

people showed interest and five of them left.

So it's him in someone else like Okay.

Don't despise the day of small beginnings.

And then a few years later, he felt this thing start taking

shape. Which it now is, which is.

Edduplex and this was in. The Year 2, 1000 and this is now

getting bigger than he ever expected it to be.

And like Lord can I? And then he read.

To us, he said. Oh, and then the Lord gave me

this verse in Zechariah. For this is it's not my mark nor

my power, but by my spirit. Okay.

So I'm not going to be governed by what I see.

I'm going to be led by your spirit.

And so I carried on. Two years later, they're facing.

Bankruptcy to you. Thanks for that, Lord.

I could have done without. This what do I do now?

Do I declare bankruptcy and we see, you know a whole bunch of

people hurt and offended and and we go down that.

Rabbit hole. Or do I go after the bankers?

Maybe we can get financed or or do I ask of some contacts that I

have some influential men? What do I do?

Lord. And he prayed.

And he prayed, and he waited. And then the Lord let.

This the there will be a lamp to his feet.

Just the next step, and it was Psalm 2714.

Wait patiently. For the Lord, be strong and

courageous. Yes, I tell you, wait patiently.

So he waited. In 2002 he waited and.

Over the next 10 years while the rest of the.

World went through that financial crisis of two.

Thousand 8910 His business multiplied 1000% and there was

just the start of the story, and he went to the next day, and the

next decision, and the next Bible verse, and the next step

that he took. And I was so captivated by that

because I'd. Grown up in a missionary home,

knowing the Bible, I studied theology.

But I'd. Never once seen it applied like

that as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path and.

When you see it, you see it throughout the scripture.

That's all the Saints of God did.

Lord, what do we do with this situation?

What do I do? With this employee I just.

I could kill them. Your word is lamp him to my feet

and a light to my path, and he'll show you.

And we're led by that, so much so that if.

If you were to ask me like what's my life verse, it's

governed around this moment. It's from some father.

In the message it says Morning by morning I lay the pieces of

my life on your altar every step.

Ongoingly, morning by morning, here I am, your invited guest.

I love that you're invited. This is what he invites us to.

Here I am, your invited guest waiting for direction to get me

through enemy lines. That's is what we see

throughout. You want to know how to discern,

say, shells, New employee, bar. Sell, marry her, get the girl.

You want to know these life decisions.

What you do is you trust that the word will.

Be a lamp to our feet, a lot to our path.

And then secondly, the Spirit, the same pause, busy talking to

the Galatians that he eventually did get to and eventually did

plant the church. That's also very interesting all

the places. Got blocked and from he went.

Eventually went back because God's timing is perfect.

And there was fruitful results of his work.

So he's in Galatian. In Galatia, he's writing the

letter back to them, and in one sense that.

In chapter 5, it's almost as if he begins to explain this so

that you know what this is all about.

And he starts talking about walking by the Spirit, being led

by the Spirit, and keeping in step with the spirit.

So you got the word, but you also got the spirit and.

When I read that and prepping for today, I can't help but

think of Rory. But there's one guy I know who's

led by the spirit. Like, radically, it's Rory.

I think one day we're going to publish a book.

Just. Using the accounts that come

through our elders WhatsApp group.

You know, I mean this the last 10 days won't give you too much

detail because I know he's going to share them in depth.

You know, Rory, it's like, hey guys.

You won't believe what happened. I was having my haircut and

right next to me and we started a conversation and turns out

he's my neighbor's neighbor. And ten years ago we moved in

and I got to know my neighbor. And he's gotten to know that

neighbor. And he's brought him to three

CA. And he's talking about how his

life has been radically changed over six months.

It's amazing. I'm just going like, what?

That's incredible. And then the next day, hey guys.

You won't believe it, but I filled in.

Yeah, putting in petrol at my garage in Montrose.

I'm busy heading out and as I get to the stop St. waiting for

cars and I get a message from a girl who's also putting in.

Petal at our garage and she just messaged me saying, I'm sitting

at your garage and I'm looking at the mountain that you

preached on and I just wanted to let you know I feel safe at

Tricia and so Rory says. So I did a quick U-turn, went

and knocked on her window. Yeah, How's it?

And she's like, what the heck I was like, how did?

That happen. And then we had this coffee date

and God did an unbelievable stuff and restored and redeemed

by the spirit. Hey, guys.

You won't? Believe it.

I was driving through Sonic Pass and whatever.

And then it was sleeting and it was cold.

And so I pulled into our hotel and there's a couple, and you

won't believe they just needed a place to stay.

But there was no room in the inn until the boss arrived.

Then suddenly there was room. And you know who they are.

It's not just random strangers, it's Eugene's former boss.

And so so I get the privilege. Eugene.

This is all. Eugene.

So I get. The privilege of thanking the

man that taught Eugene his skills so that we could live in

the luxury of. You might believe I'm just no, I

can't believe it's like, So how was your day?

I, I But if you watch. Rory, when he preaches, he walks

and he looks and then he sees Butch and he's reminded of

something that and he takes the story that that he knows of

Butch's journey with Jesus and he links it to Chris's.

Journey and then he. Close our mouths and we got 400

people getting baptized and people getting poured on with

water and the holy. Spirit moves and live chains

because he's led by the spirits. So you don't get those, hey,

guys, out of a pragmatic daytoday rhythm.

You get it by being led by the Spirit.

Now you might look at that and go like, yeah, that's that's me.

I'm not really a words guy I'm or a spirit guy.

I go with my gut. That's not what I'm saying,

Steve, Paul says. You walk by the Spirit.

You're led by the Spirit. You keep in step by the Spirit,

but he. He preempts it by saying how did

we receive the spirit we received by faith and?

The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word

of God. And these two work together, so

we have an. Understanding of God in His ways

through His word. And then we had the freedom and

the awareness mass, the Holy Spirit in me resonating with the

Holy Spirit new, and the stories are joined.

And God does exceedingly abundantly above what we could

hopefully imagine. So you want to know how you

discern A Seychelles, or how you discern an employee or selling

that piece of land, or which cases to take?

You get in the word and you say, Father, would you show me?

Yeah, What would Jesus do? What?

What is? What is your?

Character and your nature here when you, when you constantly

driving past that person, begging for money at the robot

you go, you should get a job. Maybe you read like God.

Here's the cries of the poor. And you're like okay.

And then the next time the Spirit challenges you, you're

winding down that window and you're giving the 100 Rand led

by the the scriptures. We led by the Spirit.

And we led by strong community. For time's sake, I'm just going

to read this one verse. So remember the story, Paul?

Sort of. Hooked up from Antioch went

north and then he went across to Tro S.

To Corinthians 212. He says Now when I came to try

us to preach the gospel. Even though the Lord had

presented an opportunity for ministry, my spirit was not

addressed because I didn't find my brother Titus there.

So, I said. Cheers.

And went on to Macedonia. Like what?

Look at that. He presented an opportunity for

ministry. It's like I came and there were

these 2000 people saying we want to know more about Jesus, but

I'm looking like tart, this is not your.

Pete's here, but Eugene, no catch these guys.

I'm going. It's unbelievable the amount of

weight he gives to community. You know, I often think I wonder

what our parents marriages would have looked like if they were.

Surrounded by community, they say hey.

You don't treat your wife like that.

This is how a godly. Man looks after his family.

You're drinking a little too much, but.

But Paul knew it. So it's scripture.

It's a spirit. And it's strong community, which

is why Pete gets up here. And what does he say?

Get into a life group. Surround yourself.

Don't there be a mom. Without coming to Mom's group,

you're going to face some stuff that you never thought you'd

face. You're going to lose your stuffs

like you. Never thought you'd lose it.

You're. Going to look at this precious.

Little thing and think you're the devil Incarnate.

And then you're going to think I'm such a wicked mom until the

lady next to you said I've been there.

I've been there. Hey, surround yourself with

community, strong community. Going to leave you with two

pictures because I'm a pictures person if you knew the church

and you didn't. Maybe you don't give much

credence to scripture, or maybe you're only just starting to

learn this journey. I want to leave you with two

pictures to add. Some weight to what I've been

sharing. The first one is some of Pete's

origami handiwork. He wishes so.

Origami is creations like this out of one piece of paper.

So this guy was very clever. He used.

Whites and brown on the other side.

So the way that he felt that he gets it, there's a second.

Picture I want to show you. They say there's the most

complex origami work ever to be. 1 piece of paper here.

Crazy. So the guy's name is Satoshi.

Kamir, you can leave it up there for now.

Apparently it takes. Weeks to make it, but here's the

crazy thing. You give me a piece of paper, I

might, you know, make a jet if you're lucky.

You and I can make this thing. It is called a.

Reusion 3.5 in a while Reusion 3.5 You can make this because

what they do. Is once all the fanfare has

quietened down, they publish what is called a crease.

So the reusion. This is the crease pattern for

the reusion. Guys, it's just folding paper,

but not only do you have. The crease pattern, but you have

those Lovely. People with YouTube channels

Which we'll show you how to do it it.

Only takes 8 hours a day for three or four weeks.

But you can do it. You can take a boring, bland 2

dimensional piece of paper and create an artwork, A

masterpiece. Because you have two things.

Well 3 you have the crease pattern.

We get the crease pattern. This is how you fold.

This is what you do. You have the.

Spirit in the community with the YouTube channel and people

rooting for you to succeed, and that is what we're invited to.

Like getting stuck into the word, getting to know the ways

of God. Getting to know the crease

pattern, trusting the spirit as he shows.

No, not that. And those around us, listen,

I've done that before actually, if you.

Go to this point before. That point is a whole lot easier

and you have a masterpiece and your life becomes a masterpiece.

There's a verse in Proverbs 1320 says 26.

It says the one who walks. With the wires will become

wires, but walk with. Fools and watch your life fall

to pieces. You are.

That's the invitation. Come walk with the wires.

Take a look at that crease pattern.

And this is the second picture that I want to leave you with.

Gives me Hibi Jeebi's this one. I know what you're thinking

about it. For me, this is the most

incredible picture I have ever. Seen in my whole entire life.

It's my wallpaper on my computer.

I want to print it and put it on my wall.

It's taken. Sorry, it's taken by the Voyager

One. It was.

Launched in 1977, In 1990, something, it reached the very

edge of our solar system. And so the engineers had to just

turn over its shoulder. Take one last photo and it was

This photo is called the Pale Blue dot.

Can you see the Pale blue? Dot It's not a broken pixel.

It's planet Earth. Planet Earth.

It looks like a speck of dust. Suspended in a sunbeam 6 billion

kilometers away. Planet Earth.

On that pale blue dot, there's all the.

Decisions you have to make. All the mountains you face, all

the job. Opportunities and promotions.

And it's the lady you one day meet and marry, maybe.

And the children, you. Have to raise.

And that pale blue dot is. Also the miscarriages and the

broken dreams and the broken hearts.

And this is what God says in Jeremiah 33 verse three.

This is what the Lord. Says he Who made the pale blue

dots? Who?

Formed it and established it, says call to me and I will

answer you. Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not

know. That that was only at the

outskirts of our solar system. It wasn't even an interstellar

space. It wasn't our Galaxy, our solar

system. The God who created us has

called to. Me and I will answer you, and in

the the message translation it says, Call to me and I'll answer

you. I will tell you marvelous and

wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.

Marvelous and wondrous things you could never figure out on

your own. I've given you the crease

pattern. Not only that, the God who's

created all of this said. I will answer you and I will

show you and I will lead you. And if you still make the dumb

decision, I'll give you a wife who says let's let's try.

Again, let's see if we can mend this bridge, because maybe

there's something in our future 3C R and that is my

encouragement to you. That is what we see in the X

chapter 16. We see Paul who puts this to

practice. And we see the outworking me and

absolutely gobsmacked unprecedented result if we just

get into scripture. We open our hearts to the

Spirit. And the leading of the spirit

surround. Ourselves with strong community

and we watch God make. A masterpiece of our lives.

Good, Casey. Thank you.