Vision Morning; Welcome One Another

Tim Dobson sharing some Vision with the leaders, ahead of them church planting Woodlands East

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Okay. So here we go. So these are the four things we've got to think about. And those of you that have been around some of the evenings that we've done before will know that when we've planted churches in the past, there's kind of 18 or so topics that it's kind of we think it's really good to process together as a group. So we've already done the kingdom of God, we've done the nature of church, what does a neighbour or community look like? And so this morning we're going to try and hit on some of those things around how does the welcome work, what does it look like to welcome here, how does preaching work and teaching work, how does um worship work, and how do we see the supernatural work? So that's our kind of what we're gonna head up on today. So first of all, um uh the first W around what is this new church plant gonna look like? And uh the first thing is um we're gonna welcome people. So the church plant isn't for you. It's not kind of uh, well, if you've been part of Woodlands, yeah, we decided Woodlands is too big. We want we want something slightly smaller. Or for those of you who are part of Chelsea, actually, we've missed having uh Sunday gatherings here for the last few months. Actually, we can't wait for Sunday mornings to be here so that once again I can be with friends and we can not have to drive to church and kind of um actually church isn't, I'm afraid, predominantly when we plant church for you. Actually, church when we plant church, it's for people who don't yet know Jesus. Now, how do we welcome people and how do we see that impact happen? And I think the first thing to think about is what are we welcoming people into? And I think there is a real kind of curiosity uh amongst people. I think 10, 15 years ago there was a real antagonism towards church. Uh, maybe people had bad experiences kind of growing up or of institutional church. Actually, now most people don't have experiences of church. I mean, particularly when Claire was sharing the other time about the neighbourhood here of being a significant proportion uh from uh a different ethnic background and maybe Islamic, and again, 40% that ticked the census box saying they're atheists, and only 20% that tick the box saying Christians. Actually, we're dealing with a community that probably has no kind of gripe with church at all because they have had no experience. So when they come and encounter church here for the very first time, what kind of church are they gonna encounter? What kind of church are we welcoming people into? So that's probably kind of um our first little stop here before we look about kind of exactly kind of how we're gonna have the worship and how we can have the chairs and what we're gonna do for the kids, and we can get into the kind of the practicalities of running at Sunday. I suppose what kind of church are we gonna gather to form? And that's why I love the Bible, because um the Bible gives us a vision of um of what church should be like. Um, and predominantly, if you read through this book, it doesn't tell you an awful lot of what happens on Sundays. So you might be thinking, I'm I'm really pleased we've got this morning because I'd love to find out what's going to happen on Sundays, kind of for church. Actually, it doesn't say an awful lot about what happens on Sundays, but it does say what kind of a people you should be, what kind of a community, if you're a Jesus foreign person and we're invited to be put into a Jesus-following community, actually, here's the kind of things and and um uh Paul and other writers would kind of significantly put in uh this idea of one another. Actually, how are we going to be a community with one another? Um and it and it's I mean I'm so excited to be here this morning. I've got about 40 people, uh, normally when you have a church plant, um, the the core, which is the keen ones, are about a third of the church uh when you plant the church. So you have a third that's kind of at the core keen, you have a third that probably kind of they'll be they'll turn up, um, and then you have a third that are either just having a little look, or hopefully those who aren't yet believers. Um to have 40 around as the kind of the core, that kind of is really good news for this church part. Um and to see the diversity of of ages uh uh here as well is great. Uh slight shines around uh ethnic diversity, around which we'll maybe mention a bit later on, but uh I'm really excited to see what's going on. So first session then is how if as you look around the room, and maybe you know uh four or five people because you're part of church, maybe you know 10 or 20 people. Actually, I'm not sure if everyone will know everyone. But the deal is when we form church, we're forming new kind of committed friendship and relationships together. Um so um the Bible says, I mean, Jesus says this a new command I give you that you must love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. I mean, how has Jesus loved you? If you try to describe how Jesus loved you, I mean actually he loved you right to the end, didn't he? Right to give up everything. Actually, does Jesus really mean we're to love one another as Jesus has loved us? Well, I think Jesus, I mean that's Jesus' words, not mine. Actually, there's something about how when we form this kind of new community together, how do we arrive feeling that do you know what? These people who I maybe I've forgotten their names, I kind of recognise their faces, actually, we're being called to love one another as Jesus loved us. Now, I mean that's just a that is a profound um demand, a profound request. But actually, do you know what people are looking for love in a world that's broken and fractured and fragmented, where relationships are fickle and and come and go, uh and actually people are looking for real relationships where so much of life is lived online. Actually, they're looking for people are looking for real relationships. And so, are we welcoming people into a loving community? Do we feel that we can look around the room and say, although I don't yet know these people, right at the start, if this church is going to work, we're gonna have to be a loving community. Actually, it we may talk about what the worship band's gonna be do, we might talk about the children's work, but in the end of the day, actually it needs to be a loving community. And are you up for that? Or do you just want a change, want something new, a new challenge? Actually, the new challenge is here's 40 people and could you love them like Jesus loves you? Actually, when people come to visit who are different to you, actually, could you have the challenge of loving them like Jesus loves you? And I just think it's like a, if we could do that, no, I just think it's like light shining in the darkness. I mean, we're a city set on a hill. I mean, there's something about what could happen in this community, if there's truly is a community that, irrespective of our upbringings, our educational backgrounds, kind of whether we work or not, kind of, if we can love one another, that's where, and actually by this, kind of if we love one another, by this, people will know that we're his disciples. I mean, that's the deal. It's not how well we can share the gospel, how well we can kind of run the service, it's by your love for one another. First little thing, one another. Um second thing, be devoted to one another, honour one another. Um I mean, people, I don't know if you find people awkward sometimes. I don't know if you find people annoying. I don't know if you feel that fine sometimes people let you down. I don't know if you find that people kind of just, ah, they're just not my kind of person. Actually, when we're called to be part of uh his body, actually we're called to be devoted to one another and brotherly love. Actually, being devoted, um I I grew up in my teenage years uh living in the Norfolk Broads. Our nearest football club was Norwich City. Oh yes. So as a teenager, I would go watch, go to Carrier Road on the train, I'd watch Norwich City. And I suppose at that point I became a devoted Norwich City fan. Now, irrespective of whether Norwich City win the premiership or in the first division, irrespective of whether they're when you're losing, if you're asked me about Norwich, they're the best team. Genuinely, they are the best team, kind of, because I'm devoted to Norwich City, the Canaries. Um, sometimes in church life, we can give space to grumbles, actually we can give space to gripes. We can say, oh yeah, they're not doing as well as they should do, or they're not putting their weight like I'm putting my weight. And actually, being devoted to one another is we think the best of one another. We hope the best of one another. Actually, we cheer one another on. Actually, we're people who said, actually, do you know what? I'm I'm devoted to you. Whether you deliver or not, whether you disappoint me or not, whether you let me down or not, actually, there's something about my commitment to this church plant, which isn't just to a new venture, it's to a new group of people. Are we devoted to one another, thinking the best of one another, hoping the best of one another, cheering one another on? In brotherly love. Sisterly love. Include that's well, shall we? Brotherly and sisterly love. Actually, is it something about we honour one another? I mean, honour is a strange word, isn't it? It's to do with kind of uh prestige and we can we can uh attribute it to all this there's people who are at the front or people who do this, that, the other. Actually, we just got to honour one another. Actually, we honour people who uh do things behind the scenes. We honor people who kind of uh are part of the church who do things that sometimes when you do things at the front, it's easy for people to say thank you. Actually, but it's it's honouring people who do things when you don't see actually, do you make space to honour one another for the contributions they make or a story that you hear or a sacrifice that they're making? And you say, Oh, well done you! That's just what Jesus would have done. And do we honour one another? There's something about uh living in harmony with one another. Uh, I'm not super musical, but I do know sometimes when I listen to a um a group uh when there's harmony, actually, it just lifts the melody, isn't it? See, kind of when you have harmony with the music, actually it just lifts the song. And actually, I think there's something about church life where there's harmony, where we each play our different parts, but it's it's in step with one another. Actually, live in harmony with one another, actually, it's a beautiful sound. And I think when we welcome people in through those doors, do they see in our relationships that there's a harmony with one another? Um Romans 14, 13. Um stop um therefore, let's stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stomach or obstacle in your brother's way. Stop passing judgment on one another. We live in a critical world, don't we? Where it's easy to pick holes in people to point the finger. They're not like us, they don't do things like us. Actually, we're gonna judge and be judgmental and we can be harsh. And and and and and what Paul's saying is actually within this kind of community, stop passing judgment on one another. I mean, culture will tell you to do that, and and it causes the separations of kind of you're old, I'm young, you're black, I'm white, you're male, I'm female. It will it will and we'll try and kind of box people in and judge people. And actually, here, what's the what's the new vibe of this? Actually, we're not gonna pass judgment on one another. Accept one another, just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to God. What does a welcoming church look like that accepts people? I know when we moved our when I led a community church up in North Bristol, we moved from West World Trim, a nice middle-class area, to uh to South Mead. Uh we did that to do that deliberately because we wanted to welcome in some of the uh the working class underclass into a what was quite a middle class area uh church. And there was a big deal about accepting people because they weren't like us, they did things differently from us. First Christing's service, we had to call the police because there was a fist fight at the back of the curve, kind of, and these two women, I mean literally pulling hair, fist in face, Christingle service, we'll be used to middle class kind of and and Christingal, you sat there with your candle and you sand carols, and here in South Mead suddenly we had people who were not like us. And the deal was we are to accept them. We don't necessarily accept the behavior, but in terms of people actually are, and are we prepared to welcome? I mean, for the community that that that were in here in East Bristol, are we prepared to accept people who come through the door here who are not like you, whose culture is not like your culture, whose first language may not be your first language? There's something about let's accept one another as Christ has accepted you. There's something about um I just put if you're all greet one another with a holy kiss. Ah, I'm going to people will often ask me, Tim, Tim, what's the difference between the holy kiss and the unholy kiss? And Tim, it's about 30 seconds, if you want to know. Actually, is there is there something about human affection? I mean, in those days, kind of it's a bit like the French, kind of that they would kiss each other on each other's cheek, and it's part of the kind of the warm, kind of brotherly-sisterly greeting. Uh again, we can be sometimes kind of super reserved, can't we? And and how does how does affection work as we greet one another, as we welcome people into the church here? Um uh be done soon. Uh here we go. You brothers and sisters, we're called to be free. Do not use your freedom to indulge your simple nature, rather, serve one another in love. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Actually, church can sometimes be a consumer activity. We come to be served. Uh, we may come here on a Sunday and we expect to be served by some great worship or some great teaching or our kids to be looked after in great children's ministry. And um, actually, uh, Jesus came to serve. And actually, the command is how can we serve one another? And that would be the deal, as we talk and some of the practicalities is as actually we'd love each one of you to have the space to be able to serve, to serve one another. Actually, that's part of the deal, isn't it? Of being a follower of Jesus. It's not to be served, but to serve. And actually, I look around the room, I think so many gifts and talents and abilities and perspectives, personalities. Actually, if we all had a space to serve, what an amazing place it would be. It's part of the biblical vision. Um another out of reverence for Christ. Actually, in our society, submission's got a um, it's probably because it's like a dirty word, because it's got its abuse and it's kind of demeaning and it's kind of uh actually Jesus submitted to the Father, not my will but your will be done. Didn't regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but gave his life. Actually, there's something about um about how we can uh submit to one another, and and you know what? Sometimes we can have really strong opinions, and other people have opposite strong opinions, and and and those opinions can but sometimes I I've learnt the lesson that sometimes, although I believe that I'm right, I choose to submit to the other person. Why? Out of reverence for Christ. It's not because they're right that I'm submitting to them, it's because I love Jesus and I love his church, and I know that we can't have two heartache argument stuff going on. So if it comes to the crunch, I'm gonna choose a love for Jesus over me being right or me winning. And I'm gonna choose to submit to one another. Why? Because it's out of reverence for Jesus and for his body. What kind of group are we gonna be um encourage one another? I mean, life's tough, isn't it, sometimes? Actually, life's tough quite often. Actually, sometimes we need courage, we need courage to keep going, we need courage to keep stepping out, we need courage to keep on believing in Jesus, which is why encourage is how can you give someone courage? And and we need to, in this venture, um, church planting is not an easy gig. It's it can be challenging, it's a spiritual battle, it's for the sake of the good news of Jesus, touching a brand new community. Um, you need encouragement. So, how do you choose actively to bring courage to people? How do you use your words to build up rather than to pull down? I don't know if you anyone do you know anyone who's a real encourager? When they just say things, you just leave feeling they've given something to me. Um I lived a little while in Lancaster and there was a hairdresser, and I know kind of when hairdressers do their things quite often, they'll chat. And this woman, part of our church, um, she was just the most amazing encourager. So people would go to have their haircuts, not only would they leave with a haircut that was kind of decent, but they left just feeling on the inside, just built up. And they would go there not because of the hairstyle, but because that to have half an hour of this woman just chatting and talking and just building them up. They just thought that was kind of money well spent. And I wonder if in the church here we could be encouragers of one another, giving courage to one another. Um, I wonder if we could consider how to spur one another on to love and good works. I mean, that's the the deal here is that we're we're we're not planting a church for your benefit but for the sake of the community. And and actually there needs to be good works. Uh and whether it's um uh yeah, people like uh Vicky and Heather that are running the TOTS group here, actually it's it's it's to do good works, whether it is uh doing Christmas in a box in the local school in the next couple of weeks, actually we're we're doing good, actually we need to spur one another on as we try and reach out cross-culturally. Actually, that's a that's a tricky gig. We need to encourage one another, we need to spur one another on. How are we going to do this? How are we gonna do this well? Um, encouraging one another uh towards love and good peace. Um slide under one another. Actually, when things happen and you think, oh, why did they do that? Uh and maybe you find someone else who thinks, oh, why did they do that? Do you know what can happen is they can be kind of slightly negative, and and you can gather together, oh yeah, I didn't really like the way the worship went on Sunday, or oh, this kind of the this in that in the children's ministry, this isn't happening as well as I should have. And actually, what can happen is discontentment can actually become slander sometimes. And actually, let's be aware of what we're saying. Um, let's be honest with one another, talk to one another, um, but not let's not give space. Um finally, okay, here we go. Finally, I'll and this will be finally from here as well. Finally, all of you live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers and sisters, be compassionate and humble. I mean, what a little this there. I mean, what if the East Bristol Church plant could be known for that? I mean, wouldn't that be wouldn't that be a welcoming space to bring people into? What if they could be known for there's they're living in harmony, but they're so different. They're backgrounds, but somehow there's something here that God's up to that they're living in harmony. What if they come through the door and they see that you're sympathetic to who they are and their problems they're facing, the questions they've got? What if they find that there's there's a love for the brothers and sisters here? What if they find that you're compassionate and you're not arrogant and whatever, but you're humble? Actually, what could that do you to guests who walk through those doors and come into the church fellowship here? I think that is light. I think that's salt. I think that's what people are craving for and would love to see. And we have the opportunity in this church plant to be that. If we're up for it. If we make the choice. If we come to contribute rather than to consume, if we come to submit rather than insist. Uh I think God could do something here. And looking around the room, I know some of you, and I think, do you know what? God bless you, because if you choose to do this, this could be an amazing fellowship, an amazing group of people that would have an open door welcoming people in. Now we're going to talk about those in a moment, how we've got to put those into practice. Um again. When you when you start a church plant, in some ways you want to call things out to people. And and in some ways you have a choice, I suppose, of whether you're going to be part of the church here. Of whether and and for you, being part of the church might be, isn't this where I'm going to come to on Sundays? Actually, I think being part of this church is more than where you're going to come to on Sundays. Actually, I think being part of this church is, do you sign up to that? And so will you sign up to that? Actually, what I've got here is um I don't know. Um not now. Uh, but but what I encourage you to do is is take that, I'm just take that list out through, and uh and take a little bit of time. Take a little time on your own with God to think about these little church plans and read through those and think could I genuinely put my signature and put a date at the bottom of that list? Could I and I need to do it around the room now. Look at look around at the different faces of the room. I think could I read about To these people. Could I live in harm either with these people? Could I accept these people? Could I submit to these people? And the reality is that if you feel, again, we're not going to crack those in, we're not going to it's not kind of some kind of, you're not signing away your life. But if in some ways you're serious before God, that you'd love to be part of a church plant that's putting it into practice, just between you and God, it's not between you and Matt or anyone else, put a little signature, put a date, keep it in your Bible, and think actually, as we start this new church plant, this is the kind of thing that we'll welcome people into. Is that okay? Do you want to do that question, please?

SPEAKER_00 22:51

Yeah, we're going to collect all those in and decide those on. It's an amazing vision, isn't it? That's the vision that we're actually heading for as a community. But probably every single church ever in the history of church ever was trying to do this and knew the theory behind it and knew the chat, but the gap is between the chat and the practical. And so for us, we want to spend a little bit of time now in groups asking the question of what does this look like on the ground, and how do we welcome people not like us? So these are the two questions that we want it practically for us. What does this actually look like on the ground for us to live that amazing vision out? For us as we form community here, not just an internal community, but one that is pointing out to welcoming others in. What does that look like on the ground? And how can we welcome people that are not like us? So we've got a load of paper here because some people are chapters, some people are writers, some people are visual.