Hello and welcome to our podcast here at Elim church in Swanley. Your joining myself, Reverend Ben Cooper and layout we are gathered around the mics and it is a few days and the sleep forgot to lead return
Leya:somebody come in at six o'clock this morning so 3 sleeps for slaves. Yeah free sleep free sleep until baby J is born.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Free sleeps until we celebrate Christmas. You cannot close Christmas, my friends at number 10 We love you.
Leya:I love what you said earlier. You can't furlough Jesus. You
Reverend Ben Cooper:can follow. You can follow you can follow Jesus.
Leya:But you can't furlough Jesus.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Good afternoon. We have layout across the table sitting in front of us and we are gathered. It is 10 past five on what does it is
Leya:changed most early this week. It's Tuesday, Tuesday because first day is Christmas Eve so save. We're all gonna go and stand around a stable. Yeah. And wait for a little donkey to a wife.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, yeah. Or we might be hanging around the shops because the channel is shot got hiveage on a balmy world.
Leya:It's crazy. And
Reverend Ben Cooper:she's crazy. We have an abundance.
Leya:And I that's the thing my mom said to me the other day well, the supermarket can't get carriage can't get there. She can't get that. But you go to the farm shops, where they're actually growing it themselves. You can get it. Yeah, it's just because you want everything
Reverend Ben Cooper:now because that's the way the world has made us. Yeah. Now how in the world war Jesus. That's what we want strawberries in the seven stars. You can have it now. Yeah.
Leya:You can never No no, no. Honestly December. Yeah. UK? No,
Reverend Ben Cooper:if no bananas in the land.
Leya:No. Well Bora to again,
Reverend Ben Cooper:no potatoes. No carrots, but straight. kebab shops.
Leya:Yay. I've got a kebab shop.
Reverend Ben Cooper:I was growing up. My mom nurtured me on kebabs.
Leya:It's the past the past
Reverend Ben Cooper:my mom was allowed to die. She would be on the phone now. How dare you say that so correctly. Sorry, mom. I know you're upstairs with Jesus. And I just love kebabs. I love love kebabs. the chairman's but already inside they like him. It's just I don't like
Leya:I've been there a little bit like Pot Noodle you smell him anything gorgeous. And when you eat them you think not so gorgeous.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Oh, do you know me? Yeah,
Leya:you get really good one then Yum, yum, yum,
Reverend Ben Cooper:yum, yum, yum. Anyway, we're recording this.
Leya:We are recording.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So Saturday afternoon podcast.
Leya:Usually we have a nice subject
Reverend Ben Cooper:when the subject
Leya:is, well, we're not going to have a subject. We're just talking. We're just talking about God. Now the reason being is because we're in Tier four.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, yes, we are
Leya:people all over the world. What that means is we can't do nothing.
Reverend Ben Cooper:But hang on. McDonald's is open. So we can't do nothing but we carry as normal.
Leya:Yeah, well, we can't do anything on Christmas Day can ya when you can only
Reverend Ben Cooper:you can only see what it is
Leya:you can you can't join together as families. So a lot of people are going to be alone at Christmas or alone in their pairs or alone in their threes. I'm very lucky in that I do we live alone so I am forming.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Let's remove that out of your unbelief vocabulary. There is no luck. There is no Jesus was Jesus. Yeah. We have Swanley speech. Yeah. And in it, in it. And it. Jesus loves me. He loves me.
Leya:He wants me
Reverend Ben Cooper:as a Jesus wants me for a son.
Leya:Thank you. I love him when he say that. Yes, so a lot of people there. They're not going to have a very good Christmas this year in terms of being with their families and such and also this happened sort of four days before Christmas. So
Reverend Ben Cooper:interesting,
Leya:haven't got their children presents, they haven't got their children. They've got their food. So they haven't know they were gonna go and spend it with other families and now they're caught so that some people might not have had the money to feed themselves and their families so we're relying on the fact that they go to their moms for Christmas another con, so they're not going to have anything yeah. No festive cheer. Thank you. Two
Reverend Ben Cooper:very cute to
Leya:hear for no festive cheer for this tea for this too. You know I like to don't shed a tear though. Because Jesus is here.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Oh,
Leya:come on. See what it is. Yeah,
Reverend Ben Cooper:so he did you bought music stretching every time
Leya:I made. Look,
Reverend Ben Cooper:this is really interesting to me. Okay, go back a while. Yeah, a little while. Farewell. Could number of months maybe a couple of years. Do you remember when the old GDPR coming?
Leya:You said go back. I went back to when I was about five. Not that far back. We didn't have that much. I've got an orange in a sock. Do you know me?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Christmas go back. I'm referring to where we sit today. Bye. Talk about basically we're looking at loneliness. Yeah. How the word bubble? What bubble is an interesting word because it makes you feel all bubbly.
Leya:effervescent, well, yeah. It's it's a it's a.
Reverend Ben Cooper:It's a fun word. It's a bubble. But
Leya:really, Shakespeare invented the word bubble.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Today he did. He did. Julia, it comes with GDPR let me be serious for 30 seconds. GDPR right. We're talking about loneliness. Now GDPR GDPR basically stopped us contacting people in the world of, you know, before that you could send a text you know, if he was a church, let's say, contact people quite freely. But if you didn't fill the form in blah, blah, blah, correct. You cannot contact me, but this is really interesting to me. Just the way my little brain thinks. That came in before COVID was ever a rumbling now. Yeah. So when you didn't, and when you maybe have looked at them forms or not correctly, ticked the boxes? Unfortunately, I don't have it now. Text I don't know. I believe it was the devil lining things up for where we sit today. Oh, that's an interesting theory. Because think about this. A few years ago. It was put out there. It was Genoa, like, normally the world does it. It's got to be done there. GDPR all that stuff got to be done. If you don't do that, you're gonna get fined in a bit in prison. Don't text me. Don't send me an email. I'm gonna get you in trouble for texting me. I'll get you I'm gonna get you to tell me that you love me. I'm gonna. So the church and businesses and everywhere sent me out to live by this rule that you can't text or contact that person if they tick a box. Yeah. I think what's happened is people in the world of the church have tick boxes that the boxes they didn't mean to tick, because I was doing it absentmindedly. Oh, yeah, yeah. Tonight, ticking the box. Have
Leya:you got this house? I've got that. I put this much money in the dice. Yeah, I do this I do that ticking box. Yes.
Reverend Ben Cooper:I believe the enemy was line is lining up for now. Because what we've got no talking about loneliness. There are certain people in our system that I cannot contact because they tick the box.
Leya:And that's sad
Reverend Ben Cooper:to know, I mean, but talking about loneliness how the enemy works. Yeah, Brexit as well. Yeah. So we had GDPR we got seven years of Brexit. Yeah, Boris is jumping about, you know, I mean, all this stuff. the Channel Tunnel is clogged up with French sticks and red wine we can't get we can't move it. We read one. And that's a close.
Leya:It's loaded. They've had to close down the motorway. So they
Reverend Ben Cooper:know they had to cut down in my way. My mouth that's closed down.
Leya:way that leads to Dover, because France has closed its borders, borders, borders, borders, the borders, the borders, auto from baudin that close the borders so that nothing can get in and out of the country. So we are an island. Frank, you know, yeah,
Reverend Ben Cooper:but there is right so with GDPR coming back what you're saying GDPR bricks, it now we got the word of on the street on the street, literally statement on the street browser has gone out, but we've only have X amount of days left of food, and then we're gonna be in trouble. So everybody's going kind of crazy. So we've had Brexit GDPR not been our contact people. Now we've got the COVID thing
Leya:being closed down at specific times of the year.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah. So there is this tack on an attack on humanity. And on freedom. Freedom. Calm come upon a front not coming out front door. So this time of year when Baby Baby Jesus. Yeah, it's just about pop out of Mary. He's Yeah. But isn't it interesting? Herod is in town. Trying to close crimbo Yeah, trying to knock it out of Park. Yeah, can't do it impossible. But this is what we call persecution. So we've got can't contact me. So if you can't contact me that suddenly I become isolated. Yeah. Now we're even more isolated. Now. This is the time when you really wanted to be contacted. If I've ticked the right box in the church box. Email text. Yeah, everything. Yeah, I'll be having the contact to that group that I have.
Leya:And it's where you got that crack waiver. Exactly. People's isolation and loneliness. Yeah, that's where Satan gets in. Exactly. That's where he gets his foot out. As we were saying, foot, foot. foot. Don't give up. Don't give the devil for old. I know we're laughing but but no, but in all seriousness, yeah. There are some people that are just completely alone and isolated. And this is gonna go out on Saturday. He's just going to go outside. On Sunday
Reverend Ben Cooper:this weekend go out Yeah, Rudolph is gonna pick it out. So
Leya:this Boxing Day,
Reverend Ben Cooper:Boxing Day yet? Sure. I'm sure Sure,
Leya:okay, I'm sure so this is gonna go out on Boxing Day which is the day after Christmas when people people have spent at least 48 hours possibly on their
Reverend Ben Cooper:their regular Yeah,
Leya:so what I'd like us to do yeah is to offer some comfort to those people so the devil can't get a foothold That's correct. How did you feel about 100%
Reverend Ben Cooper:now
Leya:he's got didn't have any GDPR
Reverend Ben Cooper:he did. He didn't have no choice what he did to a degree just knocked on a door knocked on the door. Yeah,
Leya:he just knocked on the door.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So what we got we're talking about loneliness, isolation GDPR Brexit that we talked about Brexit for? What's that? Got it? It's the fear of what ifs? Is everything is fear driven by fear. See, when fear comes along, it makes us react and deal with things so I've got I can't be contacted. So I feel alone. So you've got GDP, I can't step out the door. furloughed now you've got businesses, you've got tons of ways jam packed the channel is jam packed with red wine, French sticks that need some Gaviscon I mean that could.
Leya:God is gone,
Reverend Ben Cooper:God is gone. Maybe the French need some God the sky maybe the loaves and fishes Gemini. But he's so so you gotta look at it spiritually. So everything over the last 10 years have been leading up to a point like this where the enemy has been working to bring isolation when isolation comes in. What we're leading up to marriage for the Antichrist. The platform has been that
Leya:it's like puff, it's Christmas. This chat. Sorry.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Sorry. Sorry. So we got GDPR we got Brexit we got isolation. We got bubbles. That's like it's not is it is heavy. It's not
Leya:like that's why I think we need to show that's what's
Reverend Ben Cooper:bringing the loneliness is we gotta let people know that you are not alone. You are
Leya:not
Reverend Ben Cooper:alone. Do not worry about the French sticks that have got jammed in the tunnel. Di
Leya:kw, Rs knows.
Reverend Ben Cooper:That'd be rock hard. Yeah,
Leya:exactly. To make bread, salsa, do nothing now. And I'm sure that there are people one year one year we all come from my family was raised on
Reverend Ben Cooper:council money. Yeah, yes, he called Universal Credit.
Leya:It was a DSS when I was
Reverend Ben Cooper:pushing push my
Leya:social services or something like that. So we were a single parent family. Yeah. And one year we didn't have money for a lot. So we had sausages for Christmas dinner. And they were frozen sausages and we had frozen vege. And it was one of the best Christmases my mom still talks about it and says it was the most amazing Christmas that she'd had. Because it wasn't about what we had. No. But the world is about us being together. Forever. Turkey.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, he's ever true. Yeah. You've got money. You've got the latest check box. You've got the latest PlayStation. Yeah, you've got have all your iPads, you've got everything. And when
Leya:she says that actually she spent less time in the kitchen. She spent more. I know, I know we've just been doing about women in the Bible and issue I've talked about above chain to the kitchen sink. But she had less time doing those things that are supposed to be supposed to do the commitments that we put on ourselves for Christmas
Reverend Ben Cooper:overcommitted.
Leya:Exactly, and she had more time with us. And we had more time with her. So we really enjoyed it sort of more into what you were saying on Sunday as part of the sermon as well. It's not about having all this latest stuff. It's not about all that. It's about being together. It's the reason for the season. I've made up a rhyme. We're sober. It's about who you're with, not what you give.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Oh, gracious me. Yeah, really? Holy. The softer. Yeah,
Leya:exactly. And aka Ryan, could you say oh,
Reverend Ben Cooper:I can tell ya. That's
Leya:mine. But mine does not work on podcast not done.
Reverend Ben Cooper:No. can't work. It's almost impossible
Leya:that I just did try to get out of a room. Now one could say mates go
Reverend Ben Cooper:quiet loneliness. Isn't it interesting how the enemy now so?
Leya:The enemy? It's Boxing Day.
Reverend Ben Cooper:No, that's what he's Boxing Day yet. What I'm trying to say is we are not alone. You're never alone. We are never alone. He will never leave you as orphans. We have the father in debt. But what I'm trying to say is the world will tell you by the restrictions and put you in a prison within your own house when actually I'm free. But look who the sun sets free is free. It's free in the chain. What? Yeah,
Leya:not that one. But I've got a bit randomly I just got my iPad open and I picked
Reverend Ben Cooper:it up. Yeah.
Leya:And I found this thing. I would have overlooked what was gorgeous. We Bob quotes. And the first one that comes up for me is, this is so what we're talking about revelation 320, behold, a stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the doors, I will come into him and eat with him. And he with me, does that know what we're talking about?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Is Christmas, I will leave it there. They will.
Leya:You might think that you're sitting at a table exactly on your own. But oh, there is another there is another place. What
Reverend Ben Cooper:was that reference? Again? Was the revelation 320. Revelation for it to me. Yeah. And can you read that again,
Leya:they hold a stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him. And he with me?
Reverend Ben Cooper:What final words than that from the Word of God? I know that. Ask. And it will be given Yeah. Knocking on a door will be open. Yeah, seek and you will find we are never alone.
Leya:All you got to do is ask the door and ask.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So whoever is alone over these next few days, this period of time, wherever that may be, we've got to emphasize you are not we are not alone. We have the savior of heaven, and he will bring peace. But isn't it interesting, though, that you can still be in a big family but still be alone?
Leya:Yeah, that's the choice.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, you can be in a big party. You can be a big place. Even though you've got people around you. You can workplace can be around with people. It can be like a train station or actually the day that the moment overnight. You can be in a big area with a lot of people in a big family but still feel lonely. Yeah, exactly. So
Leya:you could be with the people that you love the most. And that love you the most. Yeah. And you can still feel alone.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Because of the spiritual vacuum. Yeah, you
Leya:can have a vacuum in here. You can have a vacuum. But the thing is, there's one thing that fills that vacuum and as our Lord God, so the feeling is the God of Israel. Yeah. What I'm what I'm trying to say is that, like, you might be sitting at a table with one place in, but there's somebody else sitting with you. And you can talk Oliver on. Yeah, talk to God all the time.
Reverend Ben Cooper:But that prayer, yeah, that's how it should be. There's even if we're in large families, married, whatever, we should be speaking to God. Yeah. And I would clearly say that those that are alone and doing that have a better relationship than those that are in a large family. Because we
Leya:love
Reverend Ben Cooper:relationship. Yeah, because you're always speaking
Leya:and I rely on him. There you go. Yeah. Speak to him every day. Well up
Reverend Ben Cooper:all day, I would say God, God has got you. God has really got you you are in a in a really good place. Because you have the time you have this connection that people believers don't have the privilege of grabbing because kids are running around the wall, husbands or wives. You know, all this stuff. Families, brothers, sisters, the house is so chaotic. So there's no time to go. I love you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus. There's
Leya:no time to say thank you as always, we've
Reverend Ben Cooper:always we've always time,
Leya:but is in is a honor to think of him as he is in your heart. Yeah, that's all cool. So it's maybe it's just over your shoulder. It's just waiting for not sitting on your shoulder. a carton of rubbish, but he's there with you all the time. 100% backing you up.
Reverend Ben Cooper:He says I'll never leave you nor forsake you. exactly to the very end of this age. Exactly. He said I will not leave you as often so we are not left alone. Exactly. And when we talk about loneliness, you know, it's not the amount of people that you've got around you it's who's within you is within you King of kings and the Lord of lords Yes, his greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. Yeah. So there's no wonder there's so much unrest because we don't get chance to rest Hmm, the bigger the family the more the draw off everything else work everything. So if you are in your home that we've just you, you're not just you you've got the Trinity. So there's four you must have a four bedroom house cuz
Leya:spirit free invisible rooms. But yeah.
Reverend Ben Cooper:It's really important to understand that the world, society makes us sense and tells us that if you're on your own, you're lonely when actually no, it can portray that and he could be very careful because the devil is a liar. Yes, there are people have said it and I'm going to say getting large families rammed with people yeah, and lonely because they don't have Jesus. That's absolutely 100% true. What's really important is if you are on your own and You've got Christ now, you need to give him a praise because I honestly believe that is a very privileged position to be in, to be able to have the freedom of communication whenever you want, wherever you want, without any of the restrictions or the other stuff so that what
Leya:monks and nuns do is nice actually. Yeah. Communication between
Reverend Ben Cooper:God and the person. Yeah, you're walking around your house, doing what you're doing and you're living and you're continually talking
Leya:to God I am the neighbors must think I'm insane. But I'm not I mean, same for Jesus baby. Yeah, radical radical for Jesus. But I do know that there are a lot of people at the moment that are heartbroken because time That's correct. We the people that they want to spend their time.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yes.
Leya:And, you know, I think we need to sort of bang on about it that Jesus is there to comfort you
Reverend Ben Cooper:he's there to comfort us. Yeah. He will give you comfort he will give you peace. He will give you stability he will. He will. We've got to keep our feet upon the rock. It's not about how many people are around us. It's who's within us yeah, who we are following Yeah, it's Who are we following it this season? Yeah. Are we following foreign gods are we are we following the King of kings and the Lord of lords if you're following the King of kings and the Lord of lords all as well? But the world will make you feel that you've got a big social network the world told you you gotta have more people on social media then you can modify you got you got me loaded but then people I mean, staffing. Exactly they wrong.
Leya:They only ever put up the best of their lives. Yeah, the worst. So it doesn't matter any worse. That's when we that's
Reverend Ben Cooper:when you find out help. Seek help. 5000 pounds My
Leya:friend is just over your shoulder
Reverend Ben Cooper:is in your heart is in your heart is sitting down.
Leya:saying Yeah, you're sitting there watching EastEnders on Christmas Day. Yeah, I'm telling you is with your baby J. Whoa.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, he's there. He's listening to the coin speech.
Leya:He is
Reverend Ben Cooper:speech that he created the coin. He knows it was gonna say, but he's still sitting there. Go down, go and change the
Leya:Church of England.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, I could be bombing Oh, yeah. So what's interesting about social media, it, it creates a falseness, doesn't it?
Leya:It does. But it can open out so many amazing avenues.
Reverend Ben Cooper:But on the lonely side of things, you can still be in a large family, you can look at your social media, network and connections and look how many friends and and that can put you in a false impression as well. Yeah, if you don't get 10 people liking an hamburger. Nobody loves me. Oh, you know what I mean? So
Leya:it was delivered by drone?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Leya:A little bit. Keep up with it.
Reverend Ben Cooper:McDonald's and a kebab. Would McDonald's ever do that? Would they partner with kebabs? Bad burger, my barber. as complicated as it is, is Yeah. Is loneliness. Look, we are never alone. Whether they're just
Leya:even when Jesus was on the cross, and he was he, he was dying. He was talking to God. He was having a conversation with God and, and the peoples next to him. He was having a conversation with those people. So even when you're, you think that you're at your lowest point in your human body? Yes. Yeah. You are not alone. No, you are not forsaken. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. And, and if you think that you've sinned so much, and that's why you're alone and you're being punished. No, no, a lot of people are saying that. Am I What am I was to get me in this position? Absolutely not done anything. Your loved We love you. We do. God loves you. He does. Jesus died for you. He loves you. Come on, baby. You will right you're going to be okay. That's what I'm trying to say. To God gave us a spirit of fear but of power love and self control. Come
Reverend Ben Cooper:on. The Word of God is so supernatural. so inspiring. So encouraging. so powerful. There's nothing new under the sun. Yeah,
Leya:there's nothing new under the sun. Dance about it. Stick on the Christmas chains. Yeah, I know you've probably had a little bit too much for Christmas dinner. Oh, under the top button. Stick on a Christmas tunes get up and have a dance for Jesus Come on.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Come on California us
Leya:that's foreign. Foreign. Yeah, you could do the
Reverend Ben Cooper:artist will not be an okie Yeah. Wow. He couldn't do on a cloud. real special place when
Leya:can you imagine guys Was there you know, there
Reverend Ben Cooper:was the added more to our collection? You said it.
Leya:Yeah, it was always there
Reverend Ben Cooper:is always nicking the fun was there.
Leya:Is it Michael? Yeah, Mike was there Gabriel's there baby j and older J. Mary Queen of Heaven.
Reverend Ben Cooper:We've got a large family
Leya:God is there yeah for all of these signs around his throne. That lion I've got an angel with all the eyes. Oh,
Reverend Ben Cooper:boy. There we go. Yeah, we get packed. I'm overloaded with people in a bubble with
Leya:all the eyes so take it doesn't have to sit too close to the telly you can say from anywhere.
Reverend Ben Cooper:You can say from anywhere
Leya:he can he can be invited to seminars funny glasses that people were meeting.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Good load of angulo for sense of humor you we got a laughter is good. Medicine. laughter is good for the sarway is good for your being for your buddy for your well being. You know, we got a laugh. Just look around the world and go This is crazy. It's crackers. This is crazy.
Leya:Insane. How can it be that this time last year we did not even contemplate that this would be a reality. And now it's our normal lives. Oh, it's my normal life that when I want to talk to my mom, I stand on a doorstep and talk to her. You're wearing a piece of cloth over.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Exactly. Is that God Colin on the phone as a phone ringing? Yeah, it's a phone ringing.
Leya:It's such a strange reality that we live in.
Reverend Ben Cooper:I think Yeah, like he got out last Christmas. Not so don't don't sing that song. No, don't don't
Leya:get it.
Reverend Ben Cooper:llama Turkey is this.
Leya:But this is it last Christmas. Okay, I've got my heart. But the next day, he kept it. Put it in his pocket. Keeps it forever. That's a bit of cheer.
Reverend Ben Cooper:That's a bit much better. Listen. Last Christmas. Who'd ever thought that this Christmas, blue or be sharp? Just Just take that for a minute. That isn't the the world of commercialism. The world of materialism is an animal on its own is a base that has to be fed continually, continually, continuously. Do you think normally people would be reminiscent of that effort Christmas Day, I've got to get about six o'clock in the morning Boxing Day. I can't get the next or somewhere yet. Now. He shot that, that. that fascinates me to think that suddenly these this big world, the corporate world, this world of not even thinking about the church clothes, but the church really isn't closed. So you've got the corporate world, you've got the world of retail, you've got all this these areas that are closed over Christmas. I can't believe I actually can't believe that there will be no one in India.
Leya:Yes. Because I have small businesses. That's a frightening position to be in.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yes. Massive.
Leya:Massive like supermarket corporate Yeah,
Reverend Ben Cooper:a mega leaps of thinking rich on money. They're getting richer and stronger off of the strength of smaller ones struggling and go for a hardship. Can
Leya:I tell you what I've just been listening to in the car.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah. Last Christmas Exodus, Exodus.
Leya:Now, Egypt, that was a land rich off the back of Yes. The small people exactly. You know, I mean, 100%. And one of the things that struck me when I was listening to it is really is not not a nice story. But there's a nice Bible study that was this day. And one of the things that really struck me about it was that God never gives us an easy trial. Do you know I mean, Moses, he waited till Moses was 80. And then said, at the end of your life, when everything else has gone south, and you think you failed, this is when I'm going to use you. Exactly. And I'm going to use you to go and talk to me, in a burning bush in the desert,
Reverend Ben Cooper:his countenance changed. And at
Leya:the end of the day, he could have God could have clicked his fingers, his his God fingers, and everything could have gone the way you wanted it to be. So don't do that. He uses people to go through trials, so that we as human beings learn consent.
Reverend Ben Cooper:James says, You're right, Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds. Consider it pure joy. Why is that because my faith and my trust has to be in my God. Now. The world has many gods. So when we talk about God, we're talking about the God of Israel. The God from Genesis to Revelation and the scripture says from King James, I consider it pure joy when you go through trials of many kinds, the he says,
Leya:though for me, Moses, I mean, oh, gosh, you're
Reverend Ben Cooper:thinking about
Leya:he was a prince, the next minute is a shepherd.
Reverend Ben Cooper:And he's like, Oh, my land for X amount of time. Yeah, it's a weapon with it with.
Leya:It's talking to a burning bush, he can't put his his kebab on that is
Reverend Ben Cooper:nowhere allies. Like
Leya:Lenin, God says to him, I want you to go and tell tell these people that not only are you going to be setting the slaves free, which is the backbone of your economic society, yeah. But also, you're going to send them free, and you're going to give them loads of money. So they're going to come out rich, and then we're going to walk to a new place and
Reverend Ben Cooper:go, well, who am I gonna tell him it's sending me? I am
Leya:going to go and say, Oh, yeah, the I Am. He says, You've got let's go give us all your money. So we will take every slice that you've got, so that you can't make any more money off a chariot
Reverend Ben Cooper:when you study the life of Moses. is interesting, though, because the church ramps it up that all the time. And when you become a believer, you're going to be floating on a cloud, there's going to be lovely and beautiful. roses and tea pie is a line on the sofa and benefit grapes. And every it's going to be okay. But the reality of being a Christian is that you are going to be persecuted. You're going to find times of loneliness, you're going to be in a desert experience. Yeah, you're going to be around people that won't understand what's going on in your life you're going to be God is going to drop something in your spirit, God is going to call you to do something and your family won't get it. And you're gonna call you're gonna be filling it do you you're gonna fit within yourself that no one really understands you. You can almost find yourself in an area of if I got this right. It's good, really around, because suddenly you see things spiritually rather than in the wild.
Leya:Yeah, when I first came to Christian, he used to say that and I must be on some sort of thing with God because I am loving, loving this. This is the you know, I feel like Jesus. Yeah. And just recently Yeah, I mean, that sort of dark. But execute its price. But But I've still got the backbone of my life is God.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yes.
Leya:And so I don't fit around not because
Reverend Ben Cooper:James, the book of James Consider it pure joy. My rose, when you go through trials and testings of many kinds, there is nowhere in the scripture that you will find a woman that was called by God, a man of God, you will not find none of it. When they flow in through on a Segway of their cloud. Exactly. from birth to death. Yeah, they they went through so many so much stuff. Yes. But the church the church doesn't talk about the trials and the tribulations of the saints. If it spoke about all the stuff that they went through. Yes. We wouldn't have to me we won't have so many Christians with their heads down going, you know what I'm, I'm like I am because I've sinned. I'm got healed because I said that
Leya:is absolute truth. I lie this week from people's mouths alone because I've sinned.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, rubbish. Yeah. It's really like it because it's spiritual attack. And the church hasn't taken up Matthew, Mark, Luke, and john and preach the gospel of Jesus tried Christ. Oh, and told you how to live in a crisis. So tissues
Leya:in here? And yeah, you know, to shoot again. But what are we left with? Now? Me and Ruth is using them? They went for those hardships. So they could be used. Yeah. And Moses, I'm sorry. I'm going back to it. I mean, that book, I mean, that book accident that that, that that's What amazed me was that he was he was an 80 year old man. Yeah. And we think about Christmas, bringing it back to Christmas. See what I'm doing there? Yeah, we think that we think about old people at Christmas, our elderly people. Yeah. And we think, oh, I don't want them to be alone. And yeah, Moses was a and God came to him.
Reverend Ben Cooper:And she's, like, yeah, kingdom of God is is not an issue with God.
Leya:When your eye is out. You got all that beautiful wisdom,
Reverend Ben Cooper:and you find the end or not at the end of your life that may not have been talked about. Do you know what I'm saying? When you get further up the ladder of age, you become like I said, you're more wise God shows you things God. You see things differently. God uses you in a different way. But that is normally the greater time when you see God's power. At work, yeah, is when you want to ask another scripture that don't know puts a hand to the plow Don't look back, but we're not looking back to that. What we're saying is is, is that with such emphasis on the youth, yeah. When actually we should meet the youth, the youth. We should be lifting up and looking after that. older generation. Yeah. Man. Yeah. But the church is so good at letting this go knock him off the peg. When I get a certain age. Boy, you're no good to us. We want the young blood. Yeah.
Leya:Unless you put us in your will. Oh, then we'll
Reverend Ben Cooper:go pick you are? Yeah. But the church is always looking for young pastors, young leaders, young musicians, young, young, young, young, young, what actually we should be looking. I
Leya:know we do that as well with our youth band. Amina said it is important,
Reverend Ben Cooper:but but there's a generation, that generation that we should be looking at and taking more care of. Absolutely. Not because of the age but because of their experience. They should be
Leya:allowing them to take care of us.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah. And their Godly wisdom and the trials that they've been through. Look and go Do you know what I went through that this is this? Yeah, God will get you through.
Leya:Yeah, exactly. Which we should be allowing them to take care of us. That's what Moses is teaching me. Yeah, because I've seen Charlton Heston film and the book of Exodus is not like Charlton Heston film muscley and handsome looking.
Reverend Ben Cooper:He's got stuff I mean, he's got a starter Yeah, it's got a beard. Yeah. Been groomed. Yeah. I must. I must have had a period where lockdown
Leya:did and it went into the next country. Yeah. But Allah, Allah, Allah, I just thought it was such a good analogy of Christmas at the moment in that you know this thing about us commercialism and, and the fact that he went in and took those people out took that away to that away. I would put
Reverend Ben Cooper:the worldly Christmas is closed. The real Christmas is alive. A shop on the Natacha double edged sword. He is not shocked at the worldly Christmas. The Devil's Christmas is close. Yeah. But the kingdom of God. Yeah. is pressing is alive. Yeah, Christmas is alive. Yeah. If you are a believer, and there are restrictions on believers of family restriction, we get that. But when we look at the spiritual Christmas Christmas is bumping and bumping and grooving along nicely and powerfully. Yeah, the world's Christmas the devils Christmas is going to tell you it's close. Yeah, yeah, it's close. But pack the tree up. Go away. There's no baby.
Leya:It's only one day but Jesus season of Christmas. Yes,
Reverend Ben Cooper:sir. fo so what is Christmas? We are basically carrying remember in the birth of Jesus. You call the shop.
Leya:closed on for 2000 years.
Reverend Ben Cooper:300 odd years. Yeah. person. Yeah. Pressing, pressing. So yeah, authorities around the world can try and close it. The world Christmas, you can close the worlds Christmas, you can close the doors are very Tao. You can turn the lights off at Blue Water. You can do all that you can close at Christmas. But you can't close the Christmas,
Leya:Christmas the word Christ mass. You cannot close the class mass.
Reverend Ben Cooper:You cannot close heaven. You cannot close down the kingdom of God. Now the more you try to squash it, the more it reveals itself. Yeah. The more you try to bring darkness onto light, the more the light exposes the darkness because that's what is happening. The light is exposing the darkness around us. Yeah. Christ is everywhere. Christmas is every day. Exactly. Every day we find Jesus it's because you remind yourself every day he came to this earth. But what God is saying is he was destined to die before he was born. Yeah. The only one on planet earth in all creation that was created to die. Yeah, we wasn't created to die now but I found out about Adam and Eve. Other little to do in the garden.
Leya:Yeah, yeah, I think they call it the Savior's day, but it's not the Savior's day.
Reverend Ben Cooper:No
Leya:It's not the safest day there is. Yeah, but I heard something the other day and there were two there were saying, oh, the Savior's day and it wasn't Richard so Oh, but I was thinking and what it's not. It's not the same as day is to save his day he was born. But every day, yeah is born again. Every day for every person that turns there are two. There are, there are era to Jesus in a messiah
Reverend Ben Cooper:as you say, Isaiah not to know as i know
Leya:is a fear not for I'm with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God I will strengthen you I will help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Reverend Ben Cooper:What the real scripture reference,
Leya:OSI 4110
Reverend Ben Cooper:Praise the Lord. Yeah, that's really important. Isaiah 4110 Yeah, let's have it again.
Leya:Now can I do to rather me listen
Reverend Ben Cooper:to Rene drop the Swanley speech
Leya:Deuteronomy 31 six Be strong and courageous. You love that. So this is a this is in Ben's top 10 Yeah, Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them for it is the Lord your God who goes with you Come on
Reverend Ben Cooper:to what more do one
Leya:Hey will not leave you or forsake you.
Reverend Ben Cooper:That was good that the power Yeah, the word is power that it really you can feel it in your bones. You can you can feel it. You can feel the power of God fruit a word. Yeah. So supernatural so powerful. The first
Leya:time you write that one to me in church, I cried. Yes. First time I've cried in church. Yeah. Remember,
Reverend Ben Cooper:a lot of people cry my sermons
Leya:now that that one was a marriage. That was that's Deuteronomy 31 six. I'm gonna do one more. payments. Yeah, I 38 nothing. 39 four, I am sure that neither life nor death nor angels nor rulers, Pharaohs, nor things present nor things to come nor powers, nor height nor depth. Not anything else in all creation will be able to separate us for the love of God. In Christ. Jesus our Lord. There's nothing there, is it?
Reverend Ben Cooper:No,
Leya:you're sitting at home now alone. You're sitting in a group of people and you're alone. You're sitting on an over the top of a mountain and you're alone. You're sitting in your car when you're alone, but you're not alone.
Reverend Ben Cooper:You're not alone. You're not alone. You are a single parent. You're not alone. You're
Leya:not alone.
Reverend Ben Cooper:You won't be alone You're never alone. Even to the non believer You are not alone. You know I don't know exactly God is in the in the oxygen in the air he's in the February is in the DNA that he's in in the idea the atoms he's in. He's in he's in everything he is about a god is wrapped around you whether you're a believer or non believer, you cannot escape exactly the Messiah, you can expect the God of Israel. And so escape here some
Leya:great gifts can't be wrapped up some gifts of our moments, some gifts. A person smiling for no reason whatsoever. some reason some gifts are having a conversation with somebody random on the street, some gifts are somebody just being quiet, or being kind. You know, you can give gifts Bobby and coins you can accept gifts by accepting kindness. Just a smile.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah. Just a smile. Just the attitude of a person. Just the way you are listening. Looking someone in the eye. Yeah. Yeah, that's right.
Leya:You might be sitting in a family now with lots of people. And I've just received a gold plated watch. Yeah, and a massive Armani perfume and a beautiful Prada dress. And actually, the only gift that you really want is for someone to look you in the eye and listen to you.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, that's right.
Leya:Jesus is gonna do that
Reverend Ben Cooper:changes. It will be okay. Yeah. So you can have all the money you like. You can spend as much as you like, but you won't find peace. In material gifts. You will find peace. In the King of glory in the presence of God. The fruits of the Spirit is easy.
Leya:What? candied fruits of the Spirit.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Right? Classic.
Leya:I know that's not even on my screen
Reverend Ben Cooper:that is on your screen.
Leya:God I just showed you. You know. That wasn't that was the title.
Reverend Ben Cooper:There is power in the name of Jesus. You can be given you could have a lovely car out in your drive. You can be in a beautiful home. You can have all the material trappings but still be lonely, bored, fed up. tired, exhausted, you're gonna have to quit his job on planet Earth. If you ain't got Jesus, it's meaningless.
Leya:So he's knocking what you're gonna do. That's what I'm asking people and he's knocking what you're gonna do. Door to Door. You could open the door. Someone wants you to listen to him what you're gonna do, you're gonna listen to them. Listen, yeah, you could look someone in the eye and give them your attention. Yeah, not think about what you're gonna say next. bashing Listen.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Listen to them. give someone time and attention. Hmm. And be still and give them time. Yeah.
Leya:or listen to yourself. Yeah, you know, this God. That's God, baby. That's it. That's love. That's love. That's love baby.
Reverend Ben Cooper:JOHN 316. For God so loved the world. They go with one of them be gone, Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. You know, what God we serve? Yeah, he's the God of all. He created the heavens and the earth. He knows every demonic force out there. He created the heavens and the earth. He is the King of glory. There is nothing outside of God's framework that the devil is trying to do that God doesn't care about.
Leya:I've got a big smile on my face. And, and I just whispered, because I wasn't listening to what you were saying. I know you was Yeah. Hebrews, Hebrews. They might I do Hebrews. Hebrews a good cop.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Oh my god. Hey, Bruce.
Leya:Do you know what happened to me yesterday? Just to go off on a bit of a tangent here. I made myself a cup of tea. I don't drink coffee. Well, now I don't like it.
Reverend Ben Cooper:You choke is disgusting. Coffee. Coffee. is not sorry.
Leya:Coffee makes me feel really poor layout. And? Yeah, just because I don't like it. I think it's just all about t baby.
Reverend Ben Cooper:yolk. Yeah, yeah, totally.
Leya:PG tips that mind Assemblyman Yeah, that mind. Map Spencer? No. No, that's rank. Oh, even even gods of heaven. Oh, great. Money came out of here. Yeah, Joe. Poor pakery. Anyway, Hebrews 13. Five. Yeah. Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have. To show you what Ben's eyes just did them. They nearly popped out on Stokes, where those cartoons go.
Reverend Ben Cooper:We're just experiencing Hang on.
Leya:I want to get to the end. Because you're gonna like it. Keep me my friend from love of money and be content with what you have for he has said I will never leave nor forsake you.
Reverend Ben Cooper:That's what it's about. It's complete opposite.
Leya:I don't need to say no more.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Because a 50 pay is going to run out. Yeah,
Leya:keep it free from love of money and be content with what you have. So the simple
Reverend Ben Cooper:I don't like to use that word, but so the way to go, it's just a follow Jesus. Indicating Yes, that is the swagger. Vanya. I'ma Jesus Faraj. I'm gonna be walking out this church tonight with swagger on me.
Leya:Jesus is my
Reverend Ben Cooper:homeboy. my homeboy, that T shirt says tonight, you know, I got I got the New Testament swagger. Yeah, you know, I got the Pentecostal moves on me that the vibes word
Leya:of dancing for Jesus dance. Due to the devils running.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, God got the King of glory with me. I'm
Leya:never alone all the time. All the time. All the time. The three of us prove us four of us. Four of us three of them down to a council
Reverend Ben Cooper:charge of bedroom tax.
Leya:I went to Can I just quickly say I went to a primary at the weekend. Primary Aylesford Priory, and there you can light three different colored candles. Okay. You can like blue for the Virgin Mary. Okay. You can like why for the Holy Spirit, or you can like read for the baby J. Wow. I went for read
Reverend Ben Cooper:myself. Go for Jesus. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Always Jesus when
Leya:the man came along, and I asked him why the three different colored candles. He said, Well, some people choose him for these different colors. I said, Well, you're gonna like this God. I chose Fred because I'm washed in the
Reverend Ben Cooper:cheese and the man was like, Yeah, he loved it. He weighed rochow. He
Leya:ate it and he had not smiled
Reverend Ben Cooper:the entire time but two years had been
Leya:The truth, he broke his vow of silence in order to be able to. But yeah, I said, because I chose red because I'm washed in the blood and he was like, Whoa, he really? But that
Reverend Ben Cooper:what, all these years? Yeah, no. Probably people say yeah, anyway, you've been listening to me Reverend kebabs. I mean, Ben Cooper is the time Let's wish Merry Christmas. Have a wonderful Christmas. Let's
Leya:have a little break prayer for you too. But some of these people may have a prayer.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before you right now. And Father, we thank you for joy. We thank you for human Yes, we thank You, Lord for the test. And we thank you for the trials. We thank you for this. Wherever we are on planet Earth right now because Lord, we are there because you placed us this not because of work not because of family, not because of where we're born not because of what we think but because of who we are being created by but right now, Lord, we pray Father, for whatever stoneware in your with us. Whatever mountain we are, at this moment, praising the Lord, you're with us wherever we are in life. You are with us whether we're in a packed auditorium, or we're home on our own, wherever we are now you are with us. So Father, we thank you but right now, Lord, we pray for those that are looking for salvation. Those are searching spiritual, things that they will find Jesus Lord, that the enemy Lord, Father, we pray for those that will come out of a cultic activity. We pray for those father that dabolim Weegee boards those devil, Lord in that cultic activity, those that paganism, Lord those father witchcraft, Father, God, white magic, black magic, it will be gone at the name of Jesus, sorcery. Father, we come against that a lot, and all the other occultic activities. And Father we pray right now, Lord, that the world will see Jesus Yes. We pray, we pray for this government. Father, bless this government, Father, take care of our government. No, we pray that they will be washed in the blood of Jesus, we pray that you will touch this nation father breathe over the UK, and every house over this Christmas period. Father, we pray that all we hear the voice of the Lord, we pray for single parents, we pray Father, for single families, we pray for those orphans, we pray for those Lord that have been bereaved right now at this moment. We pray for those that are going through loss at this moment. We pray for those that are in large families, those that are on their own father, they will find peace. You are the reason for this season. And we thank you that the world's Christmas is closed because of the Christmas. The Christ is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. Amen. And the kingdom of heaven cannot be affected by man's hand. So come Holy Spirit, bless all of us. Move around this world. Let us hear the roar of the Lion of Judah bless us we pray in the mighty name of Jesus. bring peace to this earth. In this time in Jesus name. Amen.
Leya:Man, as our mighty prayer.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Hallelujah. Jesus. We thank you for listening. We do we thank you so much for joining with us. It is what's today? It's Boxing Day. It's Boxing Day. Yeah. booksmart. Follow Jesus. Oh, yeah, box box box box. Thank you for joining us. Please share everything we do here. You know, we're going into some deep stuff. We got some wacky stuff. But we're always on Jesus. Yeah, he's always with us. We love chatting. We love discussing. Anytime you need to get ahold of us for any ways prayers, just a chat. We're here. Healing Church you've been listening to lovely sister Leah and myself, Reverend Benjamin Leonard Cooper kebabs. If I could change my name by depot, will it be
Leya:then Benjamin lamb kebab,
Reverend Ben Cooper:Reverend Benjamin light. Anyway, I have a great Christmas.
Leya:Merry Christmas.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Stay on to the blood of Jesus keeping the word Neela
Leya:it'd be all right.
Reverend Ben Cooper:All will be well, we'll see you next week. Stay safe. God bless