Called to Mission

As we've been looking through the last few weeks, we've been looking at our vision for Christchurch

and what we were given many years ago. And this week we're focusing on God's calling to us in our

community for those people that we're called to reach and achieving what we are called to be

and what we're called to do. I don't know what you'll like at sharing good news or how you share

good news. For our offer courses, we use some clips at the beginning and here's what some people have said,

how they convey good news.

Good news?

I don't know. Recently. Yesterday maybe.

Today when I got told I'd get 20 quid for an hour.

My best friend's having a baby girl.

No, I don't have any. You go first. No, you've got good news.

Baby slept through the night.

I think it was one of my GCSE was on.

I found out I was getting a better job, I guess.

It was my brother getting into university.

I'm quite loud, so I'll just shout it to everyone.

Twitter, Facebook, stuff like that really.

With my friends, it's usually food.

Oh my God, guess what?

You know?

Like I just tweet most of my stuff.

Jumping off and down.

I tell them face to face. I don't do like Facebook or all that sort of stuff, so.

Is it good news if you can't tell anyone?

I suppose all good news is worth sharing.

To make everybody else happy.

So people can celebrate with you, right?

Yeah.

All good news is worth sharing.

It was a day you don't forget.

It was the 9th of December.

It was 1986.

It was 7.42 in the morning.

The Countdown by Europe was number one in the charts.

Miami Vice, if you remember it, was headlining on the television.

I actually did own one of those white jackets with the padded shoulders.

We'd just finished decorating our house in Taunton.

I had just sold my glorious Mark II Ford Capri to buy a Ford Fiesta Mark I.

The good news was that at 7.42 on that morning, I became a dad.

And in those days before mobile phones, before social texting, before any media,

like every other dad in that maternity wing,

I was armed with a bag full of 10 pence pieces.

Because I knew with that bag of 10 pence pieces,

I was going to share the most important and exciting news

with all the people that Mandy had put on this list.

All in the right order to make sure that we knew.

The good news was that life had changed forever.

That Mark Wesley Jennings had come into the world.

And I couldn't wait to share that news.

It was natural.

It was exciting.

And so it should be.

Because when we've got good news to share,

that's the way it should be.

And I didn't care who I told.

After on my way home, I told the bloke from the paper shop in Galmington.

I told the postie on the way past.

I told my neighbours as I took the dog out,

I told everybody the great news.

I am a dad.

I didn't care who knew.

When we read this passage this morning,

I've got to ask,

how do you hear this news?

How do you hear it?

How do we hear it?

Honestly,

because for years I'll tell you

that I heard this as something a little bit mediocre.

As though it wasn't the most exciting thing to do.

Because for me,

I knew all about Jesus.

I knew my Bible.

I was in the choir.

I can even remember the hymn numbers on the page.

Three times a day,

you don't forget that sort of thing.

But being sent out like sheep amongst wolves

isn't perhaps the most cheery thought

that we've got to go and share our good news.

I went to Secondary Modern,

and I'll tell you,

I'd seen a few lambs savaged.

But the disciples are learning.

And they are still learning.

They are being discipled as to what to do.

So I am asking myself,

this scripture,

is it a game changer for us?

You see,

the disciples are having a theory lesson

before the hands-on stuff actually happens.

Jesus throws in a line,

and it's a great line for them,

and it's a great line for us,

and it comes right at the end of that scripture.

For it will not be you speaking,

but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

God speaking through us.

And that's got to be good news.

Because you see,

for many,

they didn't get it.

They still didn't get it

until the Pentecost moment.

They were having a theory lesson here

of what was to come,

because they were going to experience

the good news

of Jesus died,

rising again,

and then that powerful Pentecost moment

when everything that Jesus had been saying to them,

which we hear in the scripture today,

they actually went out and did.

This was a preparation moment

for sharing the good news.

And it was good news,

and Jesus knows

that they weren't going to be fully effective

until they'd actually experience

this Pentecost moment

when the world would be changed and transformed.

Good news for the world,

good news for a generation.

And Russ said last week in the preaching

as we were looking through this,

you know,

it's not about us.

It's always about him.

It's about him,

and it's for him

that we share the good news.

You see,

in the power of the Holy Spirit,

life is changed.

We have the words.

We have a fresh confidence.

And the word that's been coming through this morning

in our music

and in our scriptures

is authority.

And he handed them authority

to go and share

the good news.

And it has to be good news

because it's what the world is looking for.

It's bubbling out of them.

Can I suggest,

we have been given these little booklets

and we're going to take them.

It's the 11 days of prayer

that starts on the 10th.

And we're going to pray

with people across this world

that those five names

that we put on the inside,

that they will come to hear that good news.

But who will they hear it from?

And I pray that maybe,

as a church,

as we look at our vision,

that we will bubble out of us

so much

that people are drawn to us.

I took the dog out on Friday morning.

Friday morning,

it's nice to go out in a dry weather,

isn't it,

lately,

with the dog.

Makes a bit of a change.

And I got to the top of the hill

and I was suddenly confronted by balloons.

And I thought,

my goodness,

that's really cheery.

There's balloons at the top

by the bowling club.

Not the sort of normal thing

that you see outside of the bowling club.

Balloons on a Friday morning.

And as I got closer

and I saw that there was

a small gathering

around these balloons,

people had stopped

to read the notice.

And it was for

a women's group

that was meeting here

on a Friday morning.

And it was inviting women

to come and have cakes

and enjoy themselves.

I thought,

that's good news.

I was really encouraged by that.

Albeit that I'm not a woman

and I couldn't attend.

But I was still pleased

for you all

of those who could attend.

But I thought,

what a great way

of sharing the good news.

It was bright.

It was alive.

It said who we are.

And we are being discipled.

And I want to encourage you

this morning.

Whatever stage we are at,

whatever stage we may be,

that we are being prepared

to share that good news.

And we have got good news

to share.

And I want to encourage you

this morning

to know the good news

and live the good news.

Maybe we're all

at different stages

of where we are

in our discipleship.

But I want to encourage you

and whoever's listening

on this podcast,

wherever you are,

God has given you

authority

to share the good news.

And he will empower you afresh

in the power

of the Holy Spirit.

They had the theory

and then came

the power of Pentecost.

And they didn't care who knew.

And they were given

opportunities

which they had never,

ever thought they would have

to share the good news

in different languages,

in different ways.

And maybe like me,

for many years,

you had this little

closed idea

that you should just go

and maybe

embarrassingly

hand somebody a tract

with Scripture on it

and then run away.

Maybe God is showing us

a new way

in which he will give us words.

He will give us ways.

He will give us opportunities.

He will put us in places

that we never,

ever thought

that we would be.

And then,

in the power of the Spirit

as we pray,

he will give us words

that will draw people

not to us,

but to him.

I'm going to end

with a story

because it is

something

that is really,

I feel,

sense for many of us

that have thought,

what difference

do I make?

Because we become vulnerable.

That's what he was saying

to his disciples.

Go out,

be vulnerable,

but in the power

of the Holy Spirit,

I will give them

message which is authentic,

which is real,

which is powerful,

which is lasting,

which is empowering,

life-giving,

and life-sharing.

There was a pastor

who was

in World War I

and much of his job

was to minister

to those

who were dying,

to minister

to those

who were in the trenches.

And he remembers

very clearly,

and as he wrote,

that he held

an 18-year-old

in his arms

as he was dying.

And this young lad

had said to him,

will you do one thing

for me, Pastor?

Will you promise me

one thing?

And he said,

yeah, whatever it is,

just tell me.

He said,

I want you

to go to this person

at the end of the war,

and I want you

to go and tell them

that by sharing

the good news

with me

all those years ago

has made a difference

into the way

in which I can die today

because I know

Jesus is my saviour.

And I have no fear.

Would you go

and tell him that?

And he promised him

and he said he would.

And after the war was over,

the pastor made his way

to a small Welsh village

in the valleys

and found this man

and his wife

and found them out

and told them the story.

The man broke down

and cried

and he said,

I feel so ashamed

because I've been

a Sunday school teacher

all my life

and yet three years ago

I gave up

because I didn't think

I was making a difference.

Can I encourage you

this morning,

can I encourage all of us

that we are anointed

and we are appointed

to go and share

the good news

in every season,

wherever that is.

and we ask

to do that

and maybe this morning

as we take communion

you would ask

to do that afresh

in the power

of the Holy Spirit.

to do that.

To do that

I would observe

that you otherwise

tend to be

a normal service

or to the other

part without

taking aary

acry

and keeping

a bit

zie

them

because

you

have

you

have

a

acord

of the

Afterwards

to do it

you

and