Kingdom Metrics 2 - Seeing Him at Work

I want to talk about seeing God at work. We continue from last week. So here's a question

I wanted to ask. Is there anywhere, is there any village, town or city, is there any home

in Richmond where the Spirit of God isn't actively moving? See, if we begin to think

like this, we will realize that the kingdom of God is still just spreading all over the

world. But the reason we don't think like this is if you and I don't have an access

or if you and I don't have a flyer that goes into the house or a Christian TV that is working

in the house, we think stuff is not happening. But here is a question. Is there any village

on the face of the earth, any town on the earth, any city on the earth? Is there any

home in Richmond where the Spirit of God isn't actively moving? Actively moving. The answer

is no. He's not just moving, he's actively moving in every home in Richmond. So here's

another question. Is there one living person on earth that he isn't hovering over? That

he isn't needing like he would need clay, that he isn't wooing, that he isn't intervening?

Is there any living person on earth that he isn't hovering over? That he isn't needing

like he would need clay, that he isn't wooing, that he isn't intervening? Is there any living

person on earth that he isn't trying to make new or work towards making new? Is there

even one person on earth that he isn't doing this? You know, this is not how we think.

We think that he is trying to make new or work towards making new. Is there even one

person on earth that he isn't doing this? You know, this is not how we think. We think

that he is trying to make new or work towards making new. Is there one person, there are

eight billion people on earth, is there one person on earth that the Spirit of God is

not actively hovering over? One person on earth that he is not needing like one needs

clay, wooing as in drawing in, intervening, disrupting things that could destroy them,

trying to redeem, trying to topple them from pedestals that will prevent them from finding

God, trying to restore. What do you think he was doing with Nebuchadnezzar? The man

sat and said, I am this, I am that and in seven days he was toppled and he was like

an animal in the forest, claws grown long, hair long and then he comes to his senses

and he says, this God is God, toppling people, restoring people. Is there one person on earth

over whom he is not working towards making them new? If I don't think like this, I will

not enter into his work, I will work on his behalf. The second option is not bad, but

it ain't excellent. The trick then is to discern where he is at work. Because there's

not a moment when he is not doing this. How does he do it? Hey, I mean he doesn't live

in the world of permutation and combination. He isn't playing with the world of permutation

and combination. He isn't playing with the limited like eight numbers and turning them

around so that they form how many ever numbers. He doesn't live in that realm. He is infinitely

creative. We don't understand that. So I would say to you that often we the church are really

like Jacob in Genesis 26, 18 where he says in Genesis 26, 18, God is here and I did not

even know it. So I would say to you that often we the church are really like Jacob in Genesis

26, 18, God is here and I did not even know it. Why don't we know it? Because our eyes

are not open. Why are our eyes not open? Because our minds aren't open. We are not open. We

have become highly aware of God in us. And therefore our minds are relatively shut. Our

minds aren't open to the work he is doing on a daily basis with every life, every square

inch of the earth, every city town village. When you and I arrive there he is already

at work. It's not you and I that initiate the work. Sometimes this idea of pioneering

has so gotten warped that we think we are pioneering a work. No. We just happen to be

the first to join God in a particular thing that he has been doing for the last 6,000

years. So can I see him at work? I've been trying this out. It's liberating. Can I see

him at work? In every stranger I pass by. These are intentional ways of functioning

so that it becomes normal. So today we were going through our lobby to my apartment and

I saw this Spanish lady who is a janitor on weekends and she had mopped a certain area

and she was telling us not to step on that. And instead of looking at the places that

I should not step on, I was looking at the places that I should not step on. And I was

looking at her because I want to see the work of God in her life and if there is anything

that I need to do to add to it or not. And if I don't, at least I saw her full face and

walked past her. But if there was something that I should not step on, I would have to

walk faster. But if there was something that I was supposed to do, I would have known

it because God has already been at work in her life since the day she was born. The question

is has she found him the way he is supposed to be found or not? Regardless, if we begin

to think like this, it will mess your mind and your life up and it will mess others'

lives up. This is when we leave the church and become the kingdom. We carry the kingdom.

Once we begin to live like this, you will see the invisible river of the Spirit giving

fresh life to swamps, marshes, the streets you work, the rivers you work, the rivers

you live, to swamps, marshes, the streets you work and plane. And what do we do like

the fishermen in Ezekiel 47 verse 9 and 10? It says the fishermen stood, the fishermen

Ezekiel 47:9

of Ngedi stood with their nets ready because the fish began to swim like crazy. You become

aware that maybe the Spirit of God is doing something here and he's been doing it for

14 years and you just turn up and you say one word and they become citizens of the kingdom.

Any questions on this before we go on? Any questions? We can only do this if we slow

life down even while being busy. So it's not, our lives are busy, like it or not. We can

do it. Yeah? So it'll be hard to dial down the busyness, but you can slow life down

in busyness. That's the condition of the heart. You see that with couples that are in love,

they're busy doing stuff, running and all this stuff, but they still do that side glance

and a quick... What? You guys haven't seen that?

Tell them Derek. I don't know why I'm picking on you today. Derek's thinking if my dad and

mom could drive, I would send them on their own for these services. Any questions guys

on this bit? You know it's so blooming simple and yet so not part of our lives. I want to

show you some pictures.

To the naked eye, it's a group of miscellaneous people eating and walking around. I was looking

at these pictures. I asked Sen to send them to me on Friday. I was looking at these pictures

and I heard God say, do you see what I see?

This was a man who was blind who heard about the neighbor fest and asked that he be brought

to it and people from here went and got him. I love this picture. Every table has someone

from the church sitting at it with people that they don't know. This was some politicians

asking for prayer at the prayer tent. Do you see what I see? His response is, this is

a glimpse of a shalom filled kingdom of God breaking through and the people of the church

stand at work through his people. We don't think so, but he thinks so. We thought we

were doing a neighbor's fest, but you see some of those pictures? You see that man on

Janelle's hand? You see them sitting there and you suddenly realize that you are participating

in something that God has set up and he sees it differently. It's a glimpse of wholeness

filled kingdom of God breaking through and at work through whom? Through his people.

Not a group of guys eating and drinking. While we thoroughly enjoy that, we must become aware

of something else that is at work. With no ulterior motive, we are not able to see the

people. The intent is not to get them saved. The intent is to let the spirit of God work

through you so that he can bring to pass. We will touch on that. Any questions before

we go on? Does this dilute the zeal of the church? No. The zeal of the church is not

the zeal of the church. Any questions? Suddenly small non-Christian things will become kingdom.

Suddenly everyone can get involved in it without having to preach or lead worship. Suddenly

you will be doing what Jesus did for the first 30 years of his life. Luke 13.29. Luke 13.29.

It says, People will come from east and west and north and south of the world. They will

take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last

who will be first and the first will be last. People will come, man. People will come and

we will. Neighborfest taught me one simple thing. We will do this again and again and

again. Different variations of it. Till people long to come because when they enter the space

that we seem to occupy, things begin to affect their lives. Their children start playing

happily. Husbands and wives go home not understanding why they are doing better. Some get prayed

for, some don't. Some just come for hot dogs and fill their stomach and go. This is going

to be a strange way of functioning and the guys that will struggle with it the most are

the pastors here. Jacob, Derek, Tooney, May, Gillian, Sheldon, Jane. These are the guys

who will struggle the most but why? Because we see it done differently. For me this is

a struggle. What mindset is that? Surprisingly Jacob is a pastor. He is a pastor. He is

a religious mindset. Maybe I threw all of you in it. Let me just pick on Tooney and

me. He and I have this mindset. The rest of you look free of this. Yeah. Just Tooney and

I. Yeah. I would say that if you are 55 and over you already have this mentality. Dhillna

you just made it.

So the in breaking of the kingdom of God. Remember what we said is the internal kingdom

metrics and the external kingdom metrics. Internal kingdom what we learn here is rest.

Start again. Righteousness which is right relationship through right living through

right relationship. Peace, joy, power, rest in the Holy Ghost.

What's external kingdom metrics? What do we show at neighbor fest? What do we show every

day in our streets at work and places like that? Right living through right relationship.

Justice which is love your neighbor just as you love yourself. Shallow which is bringing

wholeness into their lives and equity which is fairness. This is what we practice inside.

This is what we grow in. This is what we practice outside. This is what we grow in inside. Any

questions on that? We said your maturity as a believer depends on how's this working?

And your witness as a believer depends on how's this working?

So when it comes to the in breaking of the kingdom, when it comes to the in breaking

of the kingdom, it's covert as in it's secret. It's revolutionary as in it does not let status

go and it's disruptive as in it shifts me, you, the church. I'm so glad that God keeps

shifting Acts 29 like crazy every four or five years. It just shifts us out of the way

we stand on everything that we are so passionate about. He just comes and covertly and then

in a very revolutionary way and then disruptively brings us into something that we do not have

a handle on. And good on you that you move with it. And so on one hand it's covert,

it's revolutionary, it's disruptive. On the other hand we as citizens begin to practice

a culture, practice customs that are congruent with Isaiah 61, 1 to 5, Isaiah 58, 6 to 12,

James 1, 27, Matthew 5, 1 to 10, the Beatitudes. We begin to have culture and custom that's

congruent with or aligns with Isaiah 61, 1 to 5, Isaiah 58, 6 to 12, James 1, 27, Matthew

5, 1 to 10, the Beatitudes. We begin to have culture and custom that's congruent with or

aligns with Isaiah 61, 1 to 5, Isaiah 58, 6 to 12, Isaiah 1, James 1, 27, Matthew 5,

and it really makes life difficult. Meanwhile when we meet, righteousness, peace, joy, power,

rest is still increasing. But this becomes how we live. We talked about these scriptures

before so that's why I'm not going over it again. And so while we do this God will topple

the proud, he will raise the bankrupt. When the kingdom is active the proud are toppled,

the bankrupt are raised, and things are made right and new. And this will happen first

in the church and then through the church. That's the beauty of it. It will start in

the church. The sifting always, when a new move of God comes because he wants it to take

good root, he will sift the church first. So if I am proud there will be a toppling

of the proud. If you are bankrupt there will be a raising of the bankrupt. And things will

be made right in our lives. Things will be made new in our lives. This is a good time

to hold up things that are not right and things that are old and decaying. I see us being

here for the next three or four years. Two things that God will do in this church over

the next three or four years. Bring us to a place of oneness and bring us to a place

of functioning in a way that lives out the righteousness, justice, equity, and shalom

of God outside, not inside. If we do that then Isaiah 58, 6-12 will go into effect,

which is what you guys will have your gardens watered by me and your healing will rise over

you. My healing will rise over you. We won't have long lines of healing here. It will be

outside. We have everything we need because we have him. We should get tired of still

crying out to him. Not because we don't have a need, but because we should be assured of

what is met because we are in him and he is in us. Any questions?

No questions? What do you guys eat for the break? Dinna, are you okay?

Caviar.

Caviar? Okay. Mark Butler is not here.

Take one question.

What? I was just kidding. I didn't mean. Sorry, go ahead.

Okay, so you got three kids, right? Is there anything that will actively prevent you from

doing everything you can to help them even when they reject you? Yeah. This is crazy

man. And he is at least three trillion times better than you.

But you know that there is the verse that says God gave them up to their reprobate minds.

Yeah. So he gives them up to their reprobate minds and still goes after them. There is

not a gay person on the face of the earth who God is not seriously interested in. There

is not an adulterer who God is not seriously interested in. There is not, I mean, I'm just

taking two sexual preferences and talking about it that God is not seriously interested

in.

Is giving up a reflection of him giving us exercise?

Can you say it a little louder?

Is that an evidence of him giving us free will?

Yeah.

He's giving us free will.

And he gives us free will so we can choose. On the other hand, he does not give up his

free will where he chooses to keep coming after you. See, free will that we have is

a result of the free will that he has. He was under no obligation to like me. It's a

free will choice he makes to like me and to like you.

Maybe that came out slightly wrong.

It was you Kamal. Let's not go further.

We are called to be on hand. We are called to be on hand for God's kingdom, which is

at hand. And God uses our little hands to disclose, engage, and to give us free will.

Announce what, where, and how he is at work.

We are on hand as in ready. I'm on hand. Not on a Sunday, not during a service. It's most

of the kingdom work is done between you leaving here and the next time you come here. We are

on hand, ready. This is why we need to notice where he's at work, who's he at work with,

what is he doing, is there a role I have to play in this?

Which is at hand. His kingdom is at hand. It's not fully consummated. It's at hand.

It will come to pass fully. And our little hands, these little hands, this is where Trump

might be disqualified, these little hands, we, sorry, shouldn't have gone there at all.

These little hands disclose, engage, announce what, where, and how he is at work. And that's

the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is God's rule that is benevolent, that is kind,

that is drawing in, that is full of righteousness, that loves right relationship, that enjoys

wholeness, that loves justice, that believes in fairness. That is what he wants to bring

into people. And he brings it into people through my little hands and through your

little hands. As we keep thinking of this, we'll soon understand what kingdom is.

So let's go over that again. This God wants to bring his benevolent, kind, fatherly reign

or rule into the earth. He wants people to have shalom as in the wholeness of body, soul,

mind, spirit. Relationships are precious to him. He likes right living where you're in

right relationship with him, with creation, with each other, with yourself. He loves doing

this. Anybody who enters his kingdom, it's his desire that you savor this, you taste

it, you like it, you live it. And then you distribute it. He loves equity, fairness.

He's loved it since Exodus when manna fell, saying everyone will have enough. And he loves

justice. He's the fairest person on the face of the earth and he loves justice. He loves

justice because what he loves for himself, he loves for me. Crazy. Part of being justified

or made right with him is the reason now he says, go and make right things. Go and make

things right in the world. You have been justified. You've been set right with me. Just as he

says, love your neighbor as you love yourself, he did the same thing. Jacob, I love you just

as I love my son. Everything that I want for my son, I want for you. Co-heirs. But

he does it through our little hands to disclose, engage, and announce what, where, and how

he is at work. What he's doing, where he's doing it, and how he's doing it. And the trick

is very simple. Can you discern it? Can you discern it?

If you go to Mark 1.15, Mark chapter 1 verse 15, I'll read it from the Passion Translation.

Mark 1:15

Mark 1.15. I don't often choose that translation, but this is one of those occasions. Mark 1.15

from the Passion Translation. His message was this, Jesus' message was this, at last

the fulfillment of the age has come. It is time for the realm of God's kingdom to be

experienced in its fullness. Turn your lives back to God. Put your trust in the hope field

gospel. He wants others to experience the reality of the kingdom. The question is, am

I realizing it? Am I experiencing the reality of the kingdom in my life? Is peace, joy,

right living, right relationship, hope, rest, power? Is this a reality in my life? You can

only give to others what you already have in your life. So press towards it, eh? We've

got to press towards it so we can give it. Such as I have, give I thee. Acts chapter

Acts 3 · chapter mention

3. So discern his activity. Discern his activity. Discern his activity. Become aware. Become

aware. Always remember Luke 12.32. You know what he says there? I love these words. Do

not be afraid. Then he uses this tender word, little flock. Do not be afraid little flock,

for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. So, he says, do not be afraid.

We'll just put it through you because we have received it. Do not be afraid little flock.

As in, this is almost reminiscent of the letter to the Church of Philadelphia. I know you

have little strength, but behold, I placed an open door before you. Do not be afraid

little flock. So discern, eh? And to discern, I mean, let's just take a few things that

we need to discern. They're very simple things. Look to see. That's where we start. We discern

by looking to see. Not just looking. Looking to see. Look to see. Once you see, one of

the things I was thinking about was this church has over the last 20 years learned

how to hear. This church is a hearing church. I'm not talking about hearing from the pulpit.

Most people who come to this church in a matter of two or three years know how to hear God.

And that's how we operate. We hear God. Now you see how critical this hearing is. You

look to see and you are able to hear. How do you want me to be involved with God? What

are you doing in this life? I mean, I'll read you a story on Desmond Tutu, the Bishop of

South Africa. When you hear that story in the end, you'll realize that some of the things

that change a life and then affects a nation are such ridiculously simple things that you

will yearn to be part of the work of the Spirit of God amongst 8 billion people over every

inch of the earth. But look to see. Just start there. That's all we are asking for discernment

this week. Look to see. That's it. Look to see. Look to see him at work. Look to see

where people are at. Look at them. Look to see. It'll be fun. You'll enjoy. You'll suddenly

begin to enjoy people. It doesn't matter who it is, the cruelest tyrant in not being able

to get out of the country. It doesn't matter where. God is actively needing the clay of

their life because they were made in his image and he wants them back. Look to see. Do you

become citizens of the kingdom through any other means? No. Let me make it very clear.

We talked about what the gospel of the kingdom was. It is required that I receive the invitation

of King Jesus to enter his kingdom and recognize his life, death, resurrection and ascension

to be a citizen in that kingdom. That does not change. Birthright citizenship is a kingdom

thing unless you be born again. That doesn't change. So don't take this and say universalism

is not. Kingdom is universal. Citizenship is not. You know Jesus wanted his disciples

to get this and so one of the methods he would use was parables and parables was basically

when he would say what can we compare? Mark 4.30 actually uses those words. What can we

compare the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of

God. What can we compare the kingdom of God to? That's usually how he would use it and

let's look at some parables. Matthew 13 verse 31 to 33. Matthew 13, 31 to 33. Matthew 13,

Matthew 13:31–33

31 to 33. We'll be having communion before we leave. Matthew 13, 31 to 33. Matthew 13,

33. Let's pick on two. He told them another parable. So he's trying to compare the kingdom

of heaven to something that you and I can understand. He told them another parable.

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. You know I want to pause here and tell you

something. Jesus didn't try to explain the kingdom of heaven to you. He didn't try to

explain the kingdom of heaven by comparing it to kingdoms on the earth. We do. And I'm

saying to you that there's something about it that does not ring true. You cannot take

the kingdoms of the earth and examine what a kingdom on the earth has and then say this

is how the kingdom of heaven looks. It does not translate. There are writers who write

that way and I'm saying that's not how Jesus, Jesus had only kingdoms. He had no democracies

when he was living on earth. Yeah? So that's not an accurate comparison. When he compares,

he compares to bring out not how a kingdom is ordered. He tries to bring out the nature

of the kingdom. Let's keep that in the back of your mind. So what can we compare the kingdom

of Matthew 13, 31 to 33? He told them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard

seed which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your

seeds, yet when it grows it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so that

the birds of the air come and perch in its branches. He told them still another parable.

The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of

flour until it worked all through the dough. That's all. Such simple stories. So the parable

of the mustard seed, the idea is tiny seed, insignificant, sowed in a field. And the field,

guys, is always in these, in Matthew 13, the world. What happens to this tiny seed, insignificant,

sowed in a field? It becomes a large tree where lepers, multitudes, sick, rich, poor

can gather. The next parable of the yeast, yeast is covert as in secret. The next parable

of the yeast is the world. Fifty liters of flour. This woman comes, puts a tiny bit of

yeast in it. And then, again, the flour represents the world. The yeast is the kingdom. The world

is corrupt. What is she trying to do? She's trying to corrupt the corruption. The world

is corrupt. That's what we're doing, guys. We are corrupting the corruption. We are

taking a tiny bit of justice or righteousness, right relationship, right living, shalom.

We're taking it and we're putting it into the world that is corrupt, that does not know

it, but we are corrupting the corruption. That's what we're doing. When you take yeast

and mustard, you realize that a tiny act of yours will change everything. We don't believe

it. You know how hard this is for me? It is as hard as believing eight years ago that

two people or more constitutes a church. Eight years ago when I was told that two or more

people constitute a church, I mean there are more things that constitute a church, but

that two or more people constitute a church, that's one of the hardest things for a pastor

to accept. That two or more people constitute a church. I'm finding it the same way here.

That really a small act or 84 small acts between now and next Sunday is going to have the kingdom

spring alive in lives that could one day affect a small town, a nation, a city because of

what I do. And it's not going to be my preaching. It's not going to be my healing someone who

is sick. By the way, most of the people that we heal that are sick are usually in the church.

It's never outside if you realize. That when 100 of us do this, that the effect is ridiculous

because now it's 8,400. Took 800,000 blows to bring down the Berlin Wall. 800,000 blows.

Not together. It was people coming, young people coming, standing near the wall after

Reagan made his speech and they began to hammer at the wall. 800,000 blows and at one point

that blooming wall that had stood for so many years just began to crumble because it could

not handle it anymore. And it was not organized. It was not as we sing on the fourth beat,

together. No, nothing. It was random, guys, man. But the wall came down. Always remember

the field of the world. The field of the world. Your effort of love, mercy, and love, and

mercy, peace. He will take and weave into the tapestry of his reign. He's at work before

you get there. He's at work while you are doing what you're doing. He's at work after

he, after you leave. Today, when I saw that woman, the Spanish lady, he was at work before

I got there. He was at work when I was looking at her. He was at work in her and he was at

work in me. And he was at work after I left and went up to my apartment. What do you think

will happen the next time I meet her? What do you think will happen? I don't know. But

I know that this is a God who's active in the lives of 8 billion people the same way.

Only does Jacob notice them every time he goes by because there is an opportunity for

the kingdom to use my little hands, however it functions, to love, mercy, or peace, to

bring about something that the king has longed for, for that woman since the beginning of

time. It's so blooming simple it's frightening.

Never forget that whether we believe it or not, the power, the power of the kingdom,

as in his benevolent rule that's full of justice, equity, shalom, and right relationship, the

power of the kingdom is, listen, Jesus said this, I better learn how to wrap my head around

this. It's irresistible. It is irresistible and is quietly transforming. That is what

we learn from the mustard and the yeast. Irresistible transforming. We will be unstoppable

if we catch this, eh? We become, we become God's counter story in the world. We become

God's counter story, as in, ah, so the world is going this way? Here. Here. Here. Here.

Here comes a salmon of, nice healthy looking salmon called Jacob swimming upstream. Counter

story. When your small hidden weak ministry discerns what God is doing and joins in that,

where he directs, you become the hurricane that God is creating in Richmond. When, when

you're weak, miserable ministry, poor, you don't know how to do much. But when that begins

to discern what God is doing, where he's doing it, and you listen to his direction and begin

to do it, that is when the kingdom that you exhale becomes a hurricane that begins to

take over a group of people or a city or a nation. And this is where hearing becomes

brilliant, because now as you hear, you just have to follow. In hindsight, I think to myself,

God, you're so brilliant, you taught us how to hear so that you could set us up at this

particular point in history so that as IKM keeps growing in us, EKM can begin to function.

What is the, what is the sheet or the cloth or the cloak that he covers kingdom activity

with? We said this last week, kindness, eh? Kindness. Remember, kindness is an expression

of God's goodness, which is an expression of God's glory. Work it backwards now. Kindness

is an expression of God's goodness, which is an expression of God's glory. It'll break

down barriers. It'll open doors. I mean, you should read Leviticus 19. Leviticus 19.

This is very old, man. It's not some newfangled thing that God came up with. Leviticus 19.

Nine onwards. This is kindness. This is kindness to the people outside the commonwealth of

Israel. It's not for the Israelite. It's for those that are outside of it, for the alien,

for the immigrant, for those that are not part of your family. Leviticus 19. Nine onwards.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or

gather the greenings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick

up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord

your God. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. Do not swear falsely.

Let by my name and so profane the name of your God, I am the Lord. Do not defraud your

neighbor or rob him. Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight. Do not curse

the deaf and put a stumbling block in front of the blind. But fear your God. I am the

Lord. Do not pervert justice. Do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the

great. But judge your neighbor fairly. Do not go spreading slander amongst your people.

Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the Lord. Do not hate your brother

in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not

seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people. But love your neighbor as

yourself. I am the Lord. This is the kingdom at work. You're talking about righteousness.

You're talking about justice, shalom and equity. This is it at work. And it's as old as Leviticus.

You know, our culture does not believe that God is good or God is kind. When they see

no strings attached kindness in us, it will address the distortion. It will open doors.

Our culture does not believe that God is good or God is kind. In fact, it's exactly opposite.

I'm saying to you that as we sit here in this room, there are people in this room that

do not believe that God is always kind and God is always good. We think he's neutral.

There are people in this room who think God is neutral. That he's neither bad nor good.

So if that's the case, in the pew, how much more? Outside. Where people really don't believe

God is good or God is kind. And then when they meet someone who has no strings attached

kindness. Remember my Amway story from last week. If you're going to sit and listen to

my testimony to sell me Amway, after I, when I find out that you were patiently listening

to my story to sell me Amway, I'll be pretty upset. When we show kindness because we want

someone to say the sinner's prayer, it's the same thing, man.

I know. It just sits here thinking, there's something wrong with this. We have to get

them saved. I know. Here's the thing guys. If you read the parable further, there's a

parable called the parable of the weeds. And in the parable of the weeds, the servant knows

that there are, there is wheat and there are weeds. There's a translation of the parable

which says, Oh, God lets them grow together because you might, you can't distinguish.

No, the servant comes and says to the master, we saw weeds among the weeds. So the servants

knew, but here's the wisdom of God. And sometimes when you say the wisdom of God, it's like,

you really don't know why. Here's the wisdom of God. He has decided that the good and the

evil will grow together till the end. And only then will there be a separation in his

wisdom. He has decided it. So like it or not, evil will continue in the world. But as evil

continues in the world, the kingdom is spreading. As evil continues in the world. And he very

clearly says, I am the son of man. I planted the sons of the kingdom into the world. But

while we were sleeping, the devil has planted sons of evil. Do not pluck them out right

now. Let them grow together. A day will come and that's his wisdom. And then there will

be a separation of the evil and the good, the good sheep. But till that day, you know

what bothers me more? When, when there's a counterfeit church, it's one thing to have

sons of evil. But when the sons of the kingdom begin to behave like the sons of evil, Jesus

talked about that. At one point he says, the sons of the kingdom shall gnash their teeth

and shall be cast into outer darkness. While people will come from the east and the west

and the north and the south and they shall sit at the table. Let me read you that story.

It highlights what kindness can do. What some of the things you and I can do this week,

how it will affect people. We should be the kindest people in our city guys, because it

is the character of the living God who resides in us. I should be the kindest. I and you

should be the, you and I should be the kindest people in the city because the character of

the living God who resides in us is kindness. Yeah, make an effort to be kind. And if kindness

is not tested, it's not kindness. You can be kind to your dog, but wait till you get

a cat and then your kindness is tested. Yeah. That's not a parable, I guess. Not everybody

caught that one. So, let me text an apology to Tommy before I continue my notes. But the

task that is placed in our hands this week, whether you're in Whistler, Surrey, at work,

or the backyard, chatting to your neighbor. The task that is placed in our hands this

week, whether you're in Whistler, Surrey, at work, or the backyard, chatting to your

neighbor. The task that is placed in our hands this week, as we await the consummation of

all things, is to plant plantУ eaten from your body, complete focus on your plants.

mustard seeds and mixed yeast into the world.

So here's the story.

So Desmond Tutu was a South African bishop.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize.

He died in 2021.

He was someone who worked with Nelson Mandela to bring about reconciliation after apartheid.

He had outspoken views.

He was a priest.

Quite a man, eh?

So he is, in case you don't know who he is, he died in 2021.

But here's the story.

This is him writing,

One of the earliest and most painful memories of my childhood is accompanying my father, a school principal, to the shop.

I think it was in this place called Wenter's Dorp.

And there I witnessed him being humiliated by a young white shop assistant who addressed him as,

Yeah, boy, by one much younger than himself.

And I watched as my father was forced to swallow his pride.

But I also remember a different sort of experience.

When he was quite young, when Desmond Tutu was young, he and his mother encountered a man called Trevor Huddleston,

A white Anglican priest whose fierce anti-apartheid stance cut deeply against the grain of most whites in South Africa,

even against many in his own church.

But when Desmond Tutu met Huddleston, he did not know who he was.

He was not aware of his prominence or his outspoken views.

For Tutu, Huddleston was just a man walking down the street.

But the experience of meeting him was life-changing.

Tutu said, I believe the most defining moment of my life occurred when I was about nine years old,

outside the Blind Institute at Rudaport, where my mother was a domestic worker.

We were standing on the step when this tall white man in a black cassock and a hat swept by.

I did not know that it was Trevor Huddleston.

He doffed his hat in greeting my mother.

I was relatively stunned at the time, but only later came to realize the extent to which it had blown my mind

that a white man would doff his hat to my mother.

It was something I could never have imagined.

The impossible was possible.

A simple gesture, the doffing of a hat in respect,

and yet it was a gesture that defied both the law of South Africa

and the prevailing culture of racial hatred, a gesture so outside the norm that Tutu called it impossible.

Tutu was so shocked by this action that he asked his mother why the man had done it.

Because he is an Anglican priest, his mother told him, he is a man of God.

When she told him that he was an Anglican priest,

I decided there and then that I wanted to be an Anglican priest too.

And what is more, I wanted to be a man of God, said Tutu.

To realize that this small gesture by a follower of Jesus was pivotal for Desmond Tutu's life and vocation

is to witness the smallest of all seeds transformed into a tree

and a little bit countercultural yeast eventually leavening a whole nation.

Crazy, eh?

All strangers, guys, these are all strangers.

I love the question God asked when I was looking at these pictures, what do you see?

What do you see?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Made me aware of how sometimes critical it is to document things, eh?

See, we are not going to take this and build three little huts and dote on this forever.

That's not what we are doing. Peter tried doing that, that's not what we are doing.

This happened, we move on, but it just gives you an idea of how God works, man.

Yeah?

Let's break bread.

I want to read two passages as we break bread.

Can you go to Matthew 25? Matthew 25, 31? Matthew 25, 31?

Let's read from 31 to 40. If someone can read it, Matthew 25, 31 to 40.

Prosper, can you give someone the mic?

The mic is right up here.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Prosper, can you give someone the mic?

The mic is right up here.

Matthew 25, 31 to 40. If someone can read that, and then if someone else can read Luke 10, 25 to 37.

Luke 10, 25 to 37.

Matthew 25, 31 to 40.

Luke 10, 25 to 37.

And we eat and drink together, so if you get your bread and your grape juice, just hold on to it.

But when the Son of Man comes in his glory.

One sec, who's reading?

Oh, Karen, just wait for a second and read as loud as you can.

Thank you, thank you.

We eat and drink together, yeah, just hold.

Okay, Karen, go ahead.

But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.

And all the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

Then the king will say to those on his right, come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you invited me into your home.

I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me.

Then these righteous ones will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?

Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality?

Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?

And the king will say, I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.

Cool. Next one, Luke 10, 25 to 37.

Someone wants to read that?

Brandon.

You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor?

Jesus replied, a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

Now, by chance, a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.

Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.

Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?

He said, the one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, you go and do likewise.

Cool. Stories that we haven't read for a while.

Cool. So, Father, we just wanted to read those passages so that

we could remind ourselves of how you see things and how we will see things this week.

We have received much kindness from you.

I think it's in Titus where it says, where's that scripture, guys?

It's Titus.

Do you remember?

It talks about the kindness of God. Titus 3, verse 4.

Titus 3:4

Titus 3, verse 4. I'll read it from verse 3 onwards. Titus 3, verse 3 and 4.

Titus 3:4 Titus 3:3

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.

We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared,

He saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

so that having been justified by grace, we might become heirs, having the hope of eternal life.

Cool. So Father, on the night your son was betrayed, he took bread, he gave thanks,

and then he broke it and he said, this is my body which is broken for you.

We sit in remembrance of me and we eat together, Father.

Father, we are a covenant people, we are a community. What we do, we do together.

I pray, Holy Spirit, that you would give us one-mindedness, like-mindedness in this that you are teaching us.

You've given us an area to work in, Richmond.

Give us one-mindedness. We can't do it, you can do it.

The letter to the Philippians was about one-mindedness, like-mindedness.

Can you, as a people of the Spirit, discern what I'm doing and join me in what I'm doing in this city?

Can you do that with one mind? We want to say, yes, Abba.

I guess you didn't hear that, Father. We want to say, yes, Abba. Yeah, we do.

So looking forward to what you're going to do in our midst, Abba.

Not what you're going to do in our midst.

We are so looking forward to experiencing what kingdom looks like with people.

We don't want Nineveh to come into Goshen. We want Nineveh to become Goshen.

That's crazy, Abba.

We don't want Nineveh to come into Goshen. We want Nineveh to become Goshen.

Yes, evil will exist alongside good, but boy, you're up to something and we're so glad you're part of it.

And so on the night he was betrayed, after supper, he took the cup, he gave thanks, and he said,

This is my blood with which I write a new agreement with you.

A part of the new agreement was not just with us, but through us, for them.

One of the coolest statements he makes when people really wanted him was,

I got more sheep that I have to get from out there so I can join them to the herd.

So, Father, we raise up our glasses to you, O magnificent King,

who laid down your life not for Christians, but for all the eight billion people who exist.

We salute you and you say, We shall be worthy of the walk that you have called us to

and of the new thing that you're doing in our midst. And we as a church say, Yes.

So we bless you as we drink and we recognize that you're already at work.

All we are doing is joining you.

Let's drink together.