Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to the World Changers Church Gold coast podcast. Join us as we listen to today's message.
[00:00:05] Amen. Come on, give the Lord a hand clap for praise. Amen.
[00:00:12] You know, as we pass around the buckets. And Lisa, thank you for sharing with us this morning.
[00:00:20] Amen. Not only your heart, but a vision.
[00:00:24] And God is so good. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for what you're doing in and around our lives.
We thank you for the service we get to be a part of this morning.
We thank you, God, for the truth you're about to reveal.
We ask, Lord, that we are ready to receive, ready to give, ready to walk out in diligence what you've called us to do. In Jesus name, Amen.
Want to thank a couple of people this morning. Thank Jeremy and Sam for stepping up to the plate this morning.
[00:00:59] You know, Paddy is out this morning. He had to have her. He had to have some procedure done on Friday and Claire's at home with him and the family. So we're praying for them and their recovery as they also got hit with a seasonal flu which we know they are healed. In Jesus name, amen, you say? Pastor, what about your voice? Well, this is the evidence of someone that is a polar bear living in Australia trying to keep IT aircon at 16 and going in and out of the house.
This is nothing more than someone that needs to just embrace Australia heat. Amen.
Hallelujah.
But praise God, he is so good.
Amen.
So if you're afraid to hug me today, it's okay.
I am not contagious.
Hallelujah. Only of Jesus, as you've noticed. Also, we got some decorations up. So we thank the team that came by and did that on Wednesday.
[00:02:06] Jeremy that braved with a young man scaffold, little wobbly table that he stood upon because we forgot the ladder.
[00:02:17] I didn't say that you get to see Jesus sooner than Amen.
But this morning I'm actually taking my time because this week I have experienced and we usually don't talk about it.
[00:02:33] And we usually don't give any attention to it, but I believe this season we need to probably talk more about what's happening in our lives. And when God revealed to me what I'd be preaching this week, the message title is Balance in Bethlehem.
[00:02:54] I thought, great, we get to write a sermon. He said, no, I'll let you know what you're talking about on Sunday morning. Which there's enough in me because I study all week long. So, you know, I want as I talk about that for no one to begin to develop an idea that ministry is just this loose, carefree shoot from the hip thing.
There is word that gets in you that the Holy Spirit pulls from.
And this week, there's been this heaviness that's tried to settle on not our church, not me, but just the world.
As we enter into what is supposed to be the most joyous time of the year, it seems like everybody's rushing around, honking horns, cutting you off, telling you happy birthday and that you're number one all at the same time.
[00:03:41] And it's just like, man, what's wrong? This is supposed to be a good time. It's like the holidays, but it doesn't feel like a holy day.
Amen.
As you're rushing around, and especially on black. You know, I didn't even know it was Black Friday because I just disconnect Black Friday from Australia. And Tina sent me out because we were celebrating Thanksgiving on Black Friday. And I went out and people were mean. I mean, mean, like, wanna take your buggy type mean, like, you got something in your buggy that they want. They wanna grab your buggy like it's not yours.
Amen. And I only wanted some turkey I was looking for. And so I'm looking around, I was like, what's going on? And I saw this one guy and he's coming out of Big W with this, like. I mean, he's a tattoo dude, right? I mean, he's. And it's okay. It's good to have tattoos. I got them, too. But he was tattooed from, like, here down. He's a big old boy, and he's got Barbie.
[00:04:39] Like, so much Barbie that it was. It was concerning.
And I looked at it. I said. I just looked at him and said, there's got to be something going on.
And then I realized it's Black Friday.
[00:04:51] Everybody's rushing to get the present for their kid. And then, you know, we went to go get decorations for the church because I did what I did because I had my decorations for the house. I thought, surely Costco will have decorations. And I had to go to Spotlight Costco and everywhere because, man, they wasn't nothing left. Bunnings. Thank God for Bunnings.
All these Christmas decorations came from Bunnings. Amen. But everybody, it's like, I went two weeks ago, and there was so much Christmas stuff at Costco, I thought, surely Costco will have it. And no, they didn't have it. Well, Pastor, what you preaching about today? I'm just trying to loosen you up. Because there's a lot of, like, spiritual pressure during this season. And I do have a message that I believe is for us today. But I don't want you to feel condemned.
I don't want you to feel convicted. And I definitely don't want you to feel this, what feels like demonic pressure from the consumerism of this. Of this Christmas season.
As you can tell, it's my favorite time of the year.
Amen.
And trust me, I used to be one of those guys.
[00:06:03] I really was. When I first got saved, I was like, cause I can't. I used to deal drugs to the cults and stuff like that. I used to deal drugs to people. And I was around people that had a lot of knowledge about things. And they said, you know, that December 25th is the winter solstice, and that's a fertility item.
That's pagan worship. And I'm like, listen, guys, you will make it what it is.
Amen.
And I am determined to take Christmas back for Jesus, to keep the Christ in Christmas. Amen. I don't care about winter Soldus. I don't care about paganism. I don't care about this, that, and the third, and everything else. You know what I care about? I want to keep Christ present in every season. If that's Thanksgiving, if that's Anzac Day, if that's whatever other day. I want to keep Christ at the center. Because Christ is what we need in every remembrance day, every moment, every heartache, every habit, every up and down in life.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
[00:07:05] So I want to say this to you, that we have to have balance in Bethlehem.
Oh.
[00:07:15] They have the balance. We have to have balance in Bethlehem. Amen.
One of the things that we're looking at is one of our biggest problems this morning is finding chairs for people to sit in. Isn't that awesome?
We're a growing church. We have good problems.
Hallelujah.
Let's not make it.
[00:07:38] About this.
[00:07:42] I gotta address this because we're such a small congregation that we can make our problems about a decoration, we can make our problems about the busyness of the season, but there's gotta be balance in Bethlehem. And you know, as I know as a Jewish man, somewhere around October is probably a more appropriate time when Jesus was born.
[00:08:04] My scholar over there, he has a little bit different one.
Me and him are in a debate right now.
Amen. But somewhere between October and January.
[00:08:15] October and July.
Okay, we got that one. All right.
But it.
The beautiful thing about it is that we get to come together corporately and Celebrate it. And it's the balance between what we say and what we feel. So everything I just talked about has nothing to do with what I'm gonna preach. It's just the pressure that we're under this holiday season has created so much spiritual imbalance because we're focused on so many other things other than Christ.
Amen.
And so what I wanna talk to you about this morning is I wanna break some realities.
Do you know that Mary carried the Messiah? How do you know that?
Yeah, do you know that?
All right, cool. But she also carried something else.
When her future husband had to make a decision whether to take her out and be stoned or to trust her, there was a human factor that we don't talk about there, that she had to have a faith that overcame fear.
Amen.
And then you got Joseph. Nobody talks about Joseph much, but he's my dude. Joseph is my dude.
You know why?
Cause Joseph is about to marry someone that is having a baby.
And she ain't been with nobody.
[00:09:32] Bruh.
That takes faith. Joseph carried obedience while he also carried questions.
So many questions.
So many questions that the Lord had to visit him in a dream.
Amen. There's got to be balance to Bethlehem. We deny all that human stuff all the time because we want to be perfect. If we could be perfect, a messiah wouldn't have had to be born.
Amen.
[00:10:00] With all your holiness. It doesn't add up to what Christ did by being born and what God did by giving us that gift.
So faith and feelings, whether you agree with it or not, in Bethlehem, stood side by side.
Amen. Too many times we condemn people for how they feel. My wife. Sorry, honey, that I must say this, but I'm praying for my wife because this will be her first Christmas without a very valuable person in her life.
Amen.
And we, the rest of the family, can forget that, but feelings are gonna be in her.
Amen.
Amen. Now, I'm not being callous by talking about that, but our life as pastors is lived in front of all y'. All.
[00:10:50] And I get to live my fifth Christmas without my father.
I think it's my fifth or sixth or seventh or eighth, actually.
But these things that we go through, there are feelings that we deny. That God is saying, I didn't come for you to cut out how you feel. I came so I could give FAI to how you feel.
That's the balance. He didn't ask us to become robots. So I've been thinking about something. As we get into these holy days, these holidays, I'VE been thinking about balance, not perfection, balance.
And you ever feel like your faith is like a tightrope?
[00:11:27] You ever tried to walk on a tightrope?
I tried. I did a somersault, a flip, and a double backwards.
It was not pretty. I landed on the top of my head and my feet at the same time. I think they call that a scorpion.
Amen.
It's not easy to walk a tightrope.
And God didn't call us to walk a tightrope. He called us to walk a narrow path.
Amen.
So one of the things I look at is it's interesting how seasons always reveal where we're really at.
[00:11:59] If I say Jesus is my peace, but I'm stressed out in my mind, it doesn't mean something's wrong with my faith.
It just means something out of balance with the way I think.
Amen.
I love the fact that we have two mothers using this mother's room over here. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah.
Don't you love it that we got life upstairs, life downstairs, and life in the room?
Amen.
[00:12:24] So here's the thing I want to look at. The Bible says a tree is known by its fruit.
And I think that's true for us, too.
Right.
What we believe about Jesus should eventually show up in how we live, respond, and carry ourselves. Especially in a season that's meant to be about joy and peace, the fruit of our life gives an honest picture into our inner world.
See, you can say whatever you want to say. You can act however you want to act, and you can have all the knowledge about the Bible, but your face can look like a bulldog.
[00:13:01] And everybody's going to wonder what's up with that bulldog. Well, there's a growl that comes from the inside. There's a problem that's going on because you're not friendly.
Gossipers usually surround themselves with other gossipers.
[00:13:14] Fruit will bear fruit, and fruit will gather together.
Amen.
Hallelujah.
I've just learned how to check people's fruit before I hang out with them. Because I don't want my fruit to go bad.
[00:13:27] Doesn't mean I just stop hanging out with people. Just means I pray from them in a safe distance.
Amen.
So fruit gives us an honest picture of our inner world.
This season doesn't expose that fruit to shame us.
It brings clarity to know how God is wanting to grow us.
So here's the beautiful thing. I know about me and this ministry.
I had somebody come up to me one time, Lisa, and they said, you know what? You're A very confronting individual.
[00:14:00] No.
[00:14:03] I'm just like, nah, I'm a nice guy.
And your ministry, every time, it just. I face myself in the mirror every time I come in your church, and I don't like it.
And you know what I did on the inside?
I did one of those little claps.
[00:14:21] I'm doing my job.
I am making you look in the mirror and actually view yourself from the word. But you are being a hearer, not a doer, so I don't feel bad.
[00:14:33] And then I realized how wrong that was to think judgmental, critical.
[00:14:39] It's true.
And I thought, well, Lord, how can we be confronting without condemning.
[00:14:47] Clear, without overly convicting in the flesh? And he said, all you have to do is minister Christ.
And one of the things I look at is that this word, it shows us that this season will expose whether we're at joy or at rest.
[00:15:05] When we went out Thursday and we fed like, I don't know, 60 or some odd families and a hundred came through and.
[00:15:13] Me and Paddy and Jeremy and Kim and Danielle and Sam, it was easy.
[00:15:21] It was easy. The whole day. We had to prep with two days notice to do it. It was easy. It was sweatless. You know why? Because we had no expectations.
We were just going with Jesus.
We had no thought about, we got to do this. We got to make sure we get photos. We got to make sure we get a photo op and a food drop. We got to make we impact, we change the world. Make mamas know that Jesus is their savior. And if they're alone, they're not alone because the Holy Spirit will give them a hot dog.
[00:15:49] No, we were a present. Hope. You know what happened? That was pretty awesome. We fed the staff for free and they paid anyway.
[00:15:59] It was donation only. And you know that the staff that we were trying to give this to, this hope, too, they were given large donations because they began to see the cause was for back to school and for Christmas. The reason for the season, the pure religion to help those in need.
Amen.
[00:16:20] Matthew 12:33, which I think they've already put up there, says a tree is known by its fruit. Either make the tree good of its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad. For a tree is known by its fruit.
[00:16:34] If you're mad, it's kind of like my dad used to say to me, my stepfather, he said, son, you plant an apple tree, you're going to get apples. And if you expect oranges, you're just going to get disappointed.
I said, what if I plant an orange tree and an apple tree in the same hole. Dad, will I get both out of the same tree? He said, no, you're going to get the most dominant seed.
[00:16:59] And I said, I thought about this later on Live. And I said, hmm. So whatever is the most dominant in me is the fruit that will produce from me.
Amen.
[00:17:11] And that's what we need to see in this season, is that God is wanting to change our inner picture and change our inner fruit long before our external.
Amen. So we gotta be honest.
And here's another thing everybody talks about. Don't be stressed out right now. Me and you talk a lot, right?
And we talk about UFC most times, but we have a good relationship. But we don't hide our stress. I'll call you. You call me. We pray, you know, and we do it at least once or twice a year. We contact and say, hey, man, just keep me up in prayer. You know what I'm saying?
I say, hey, man, I need to have a real talk. I'm gonna call Ryan, right?
I'm gonna call certain people when I need to have a real talk, because I don't need you to fix me.
I don't need you to lecture me. I don't need you to preach to me. And maybe I need you to pray for me. But sometimes my stress isn't a sign of my weak faith. It's a sign that I need a fresh alignment.
Amen.
[00:18:09] If my peace is slipping, it's not failure.
[00:18:14] It simply means my focus needs to shift back, shift back to Jesus.
Amen.
[00:18:22] I began to think about, like, what Tony preached last week about grace, and grace is sufficient. You know, in 25 years, I've never had God say to me, my grace is sufficient. Until this Thursday.
[00:18:33] I was saying, God, if I had this, if we had this building, if we had that, if I had this money, and if I had these people and these people did this and we did that, and it would be amazing. God, can we do that? And he said, my grace is sufficient.
[00:18:46] I now know how Paul felt.
I was not happy when I heard that.
[00:18:52] I'm sure that Paul, maybe Paul is more holier than me.
[00:19:03] Maybe just a little.
At least our truth there is right on the front row.
[00:19:10] Amen.
But me, I didn't have the same responsive. Thank you, Jesus.
I said, but God.
And I realized in that moment that Isaiah 26:3 simply means our focus needs to shift.
He will keep perfect peace, the ones whose mind is stayed on him.
[00:19:36] Just because you're stressed out doesn't mean you need to condemn yourself, or someone needs to tell you you need to have more faith just because you're going through a hard time. And maybe you've had a worry moment or you've had. God forbid, you actually are human, right?
[00:19:52] If that's happening, no one should condemn you, but someone should help encourage you to see Jesus again.
[00:19:59] And if you got nobody, you need to encourage yourself to focus on Jesus, because that is what matters.
This too shall pass. Right?
Amen.
In this season, I've learned, you know, like I told my boys this, you know, 20 now, so I guess I can do that 20 and up. And I told my boys, I said, this holiday season, don't expect no gifts.
Just expect good food and fun.
[00:20:26] But they still got a mama that says, I'm gonna buy them this, this, this, this, this, and this.
Amen.
Praise God.
Hallelujah.
So what's the point? I could get stressed out about that because the reason I said no gifts is because of what I'm planning for the next year.
But my wife has faith that says it doesn't matter what was coming, it's a matter about now.
Amen.
You can remove the good things in your life because you're trying to plan and prepare for something. You don't even know how it's gonna turn out. And you cannot enjoy right where you are, right where you're living the convers conversation. You're in the moment. You're having the worship that's going on, the sermon that's being preached. You can be right in the middle of that and not enjoy it.
[00:21:12] Because you're not stayed on him and you're trying to prepare for something. You don't even know how it's going to turn out yet. Live now and live in Jesus.
Amen. There's balance in Bethlehem.
[00:21:26] Joseph, like I said earlier, had questions that he carried along with his obedience.
Guys, I know what it's like to walk.
[00:21:37] Not knowing how it's gonna turn out. But there's a point where you just stop caring about what may or may not happen and you just trust God.
There's a point where you let go of all the worry, all the doubt. And I want to encourage you, there is a point in your faith, in your journey, in your walk with all those hard times and all those difficult moments and all those sleepless nights and all those times you don't know how it's gonna turn out, and the sweat and the pressure and the wr. Gut stress. There is a time that comes when your faith takes over and releases all that.
[00:22:09] And you don't worry about any of it anymore. And you just live in the freedom that is found in Christ by the greatest gift we can receive.
Amen.
And that's when you're being led by the Spirit.
That's when you're living by the Spirit because you've let go of all the worry, the doubt, you know?
[00:22:29] And my son Alex, me and him were talking this morning and I realized I've created not a mini me. Cause he's not mini anymore, but I've created a version of myself. He has my work ethic. And we were talking about it.
And see, I used to live 15 minutes at a time.
And me and him were talking about how he works. And he's just a doer.
[00:22:50] Man.
[00:22:51] I'm actually praising you for this. He lives an hour at a time, so he's doing better than me.
But there's one thing I know. When rubber hits the road, he knows how to pray.
[00:23:04] He knows how to sit still and worship. He knows how to lean on Jesus because I've seen him do it in his life. So no matter his ethic, I know who he turns to when he doesn't have the strength.
Amen. And I know that you have the same strength on the inside of you that you just gotta let go of the thing you think is important and grab ahold of Jesus.
Amen.
Because the grace that is supplied to you, what Jesus has done for you, it's finished, it's complete. You can rest in it and walk in obedience of what he has supplied to your life.
Amen.
So stress isn't a sign of weak faith. It's a sign that you're focusing on the wrong thing.
[00:23:46] So what we believe about Jesus should eventually show up in our responses.
[00:23:51] If the fruit doesn't match the confession, then where is Jesus calling us into balance again? I was talking about health last year.
[00:24:00] And when I went to Israel, I didn't realize how like, you know, like. Paddy, man, Paddy, I hope you listen to this message and you know that I'm complimenting you. Paddy, man, he can put on a 10k vest and jump out with them Superman calves that he's got.
Yep, I had the same reaction.
And just go on a run.
[00:24:22] And just run.
I went running with Paddy one day. I'm thinking, I'm skinnier than him. I can do this.
I was the one stopping every five minutes.
[00:24:34] Shape doesn't determine health.
[00:24:39] What you can do determines health. And when I went to try and climb that mountain, walk 22,000 steps a day in Israel, I realized I was not healthy, that my cardio was low, and if I'm speaking health, my life should have health in it.
If I'm speaking finance, my life should have finance in it. If I'm speaking truth, my life should have truth in it. Whatever my confession is, eventually it should become such a true foundation in me that it actually begins to produce fruit in my life. It's not a coverup. It's not a cliche, it's not a bumper sticker. It's not something I say in church. It's not something I do to avoid talking about my emotions. It actually is what I believe.
Amen.
[00:25:24] That's what I loved about last week's message with Tony is it was these confessions at the end. They're not just things we say to sound good. They're actually what we believe. And they shape the direction of our life and the faith responses that we have.
Amen. Amen.
So think about this.
[00:25:43] John 15, 4, 5 says this.
We got that scripture. Yep, there we go. Abide in me, and I in you, as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself.
Point taken. Jesus.
[00:25:58] Let'S stop right there.
[00:26:01] You are trying to produce fruit, whether it's by your actions, your deeds, your beliefs, whether you're grace, word of faith, holiness, whatever it may be, you're trying to produce fruit of yourself. This scripture tells me that without Jesus, there is no fruit of the Spirit in me.
[00:26:21] Unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. Verse 5. Amen.
Without him, I can't produce fruit. I don't care how much you know, man. I know scholars. I'm talking Bible college scholars that. That don't produce the fruit of Jesus. They're gossipers. They're backbiters, they're mean.
And I know people that can't remember one scripture that got more Jesus in them than a Bible scholar and vice versa. I've seen both sides of that coin. People that know nothing and people that know everything. It doesn't matter what you know. It's about who you follow and is his name Jesus.
Amen.
Can I tell you this? It does matter what you know, though. Let me not. Let me fix that a little bit.
It does matter what you know. Cause it is the truth that sets you free.
[00:27:22] But as you're starting this journey as someone that just maybe got saved or you've been in it for only a year. Just follow Jesus like a child follows a son. I mean a child follows a father.
Mimic the father.
Look at people around you that are bearing much fruit and ask them questions.
Stop putting the pressure on yourself to perform.
Amen. Cause God's not looking for a performance. He's looking for your presence.
Amen. Is that true?
Hallelujah.
So let me look at this.
So when we talk about this balance.
I came from word of faith. I still have word of faith. I just believe I have a revelation of grace because faith didn't leave to go to grace and grace didn't leave to come to faith. You need both just like you need truth and love.
My actions now are less self effort. They're more in only believe. And I believe in what Christ has done for me. Amen.
So no matter what doctrine you come from, stop trying to manifest a savior personality. Because he is the only Lord, he is the only Savior and He's the only one that can.
Amen. Does this make sense?
Yeah. Amen.
The fruit of the Spirit shows us what is possible when life is aligned with him. Now if I looked at what we've been preaching for the last few weeks.
[00:28:55] Simon asked me, did Tony give us a. Now this is me not picking on you.
Did Tony give us a title for his message? I said no, he didn't give us a title. I don't think he walked up with a Bible or notes.
[00:29:09] The Gospel. Let's call it the Gospel the Good News.
Because that's what he preached. Amen.
Too many times we can't handle the Good News. We feel like we got to work for it.
We feel like I come from something. If somebody gives you something, they want something in return.
[00:29:29] And so when I came to Christ, I had to realize it's not about personality. It's about spiritual health. God is wanting us to be mature. He's wanting us to be healthy. He's wanting us to walk in fullness. He's wanting us to have all the good in exchange for all the bad.
[00:29:47] Beauty for ashes.
Dancing for mourning. God wants to take every pain in your life and exchange it for a revelation of the good News. That this too shall pass. Jesus is with you. He's for you. And if God be for you, who can be against you? He shall supply all your riches according. He shall supply all your needs according to his riches and glory. I can do all things through Christ Jesus, who strengthens me. For God so loved the world that he sent his Son to die for us. And whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. I mean, when you really begin to believe the good news, it changes your perspective about what you're going through.
Amen. Now, can I ask an honest question? And somebody actually needs to see you be honest. How many of you are going through something right now? Or maybe let's. Let's. Hold on, hold on. Let me say this, Super Saint. How many of you are flying over your problems right now?
[00:30:39] Anybody want to be honest?
Ain't nobody got a problem in the world.
Amen. Well, I don't want to admit I got a problem because that means I'm exchanging for a promise. Amen. I know, I know, right?
But here's the thing.
[00:30:55] Here's the thing that I'm trying to say to you.
No matter what you're journeying through, you have a world that is against the Jesus in you.
[00:31:06] Right now. We're facing a harder time than we've ever faced in Christianity.
They're not only wanting to silence Christ and Christmas, they actually want to take the whole holiday away.
[00:31:19] They not only want to take the whole holiday away, they want to take your ability to sit in this church on Sunday mornings. Did you know that?
[00:31:26] And while you sit there and act like you can just be favor ain't fair. God is saying, I need my people to stand up and be seen as a light in the world. And that's what we're going to do this Christmas.
Amen.
Pastor Kyle, why are you doing so much more this Christmas? Because Christmas is so much under attack. And it's under attack because it is seen as a Christian holiday.
[00:31:51] And we have allowed them to take room and take space and let the enemy just have fun. Because we can't even agree over dunk or sprinkle.
[00:32:04] Tongues or no tongues.
Guys, stop the arguments and let's start living for Jesus.
Let's bring the balance of Bethlehem back. The Messiah has come. Immanuel God with us. Let's celebrate the great joy which is Jesus in our lives. Amen.
[00:32:25] Oh, man.
[00:32:31] My wife tells me often that the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness.
[00:32:35] Fruit of the Spirit shows what's possible when your life is aligned with him. It's not about personality. It's about spiritual health. Galatians 5, 22, 23.
[00:32:45] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.
Against such, there is no law.
[00:33:01] When you walk in the Spirit, when you walk in this grace that God has supplied.
When you get out of the debates, the dogma the false religion.
When you get out of King James only or niv, or you get out of Sunday or Friday or Saturday, you get out of Christmas trees or crosses.
You get out of all those debates because you know what the enemy's most afraid of?
Our unity.
[00:33:29] Because one can send a thousand to flight and two can send 10,000 to fly. Imagine what would happen if the body of Christ stopped debating with itself.
[00:33:39] Christ came to end the debate.
[00:33:44] To end who's right and wrong.
[00:33:48] And to establish a way, the way, the door, the truth and the life.
And somehow we've allowed the enemy to come in and get it out of balance. Guys, I hope that this church will begin to just focus on Jesus, the leading of the Holy Spirit and the grace that God has given.
Hmm.
[00:34:13] God wants our inner world healthy because it shapes everything else.
Can I be honest with you?
[00:34:23] Christ didn't call us to fit in.
He didn't call us to be perfect.
[00:34:29] He didn't call us to be dogmatic and to argue with each other over such simple things.
I have been in more debates in the last three weeks. This is the truth. I'll tell you. I've been in more debates in Australia in the last three weeks than I've been in my whole Christian life.
[00:34:50] And you know what was over the moment they found I was putting a Christmas tree up in my church.
[00:34:58] So you're not telling me that you want to get on side with me with Pauline Hanson about the burka, that you don't want to see the political problem that we have in Australia that I left America for, and I don't care if America hears this, that 10 years ago, we gave our space, our voice in government as Christians. We stopped praying in schools. That was 20 years ago. We stopped allowing God in and the devil took over.
[00:35:30] And Australia is sitting back and arguing within their four walls about what church is wrong and what church is right and that mega church. And how dare we sit there and celebrated Joel and Evelyn going through what they went through at GLOW Church.
[00:35:45] Guys, repent.
Have a change of heart and mind. Quit debating with the pastors that get up in the pulpit and lay their lives down.
[00:35:57] Amen.
[00:36:02] Quit debating with the worship team. You know they said Christmas carols. And.
[00:36:12] I know what Michelle goes through.
[00:36:16] I know what her husband goes through.
I know what my sons go through.
[00:36:24] I don't know yet, but I'm pretty sure Paul goes through something.
[00:36:29] I haven't had a chance to have coffee with him, but I'm pretty sure it's not all perfect.
And Juels man, she may be happy, smiley, sprinkly all the time and full of rainbows and everything and talking about her puppy dogs, but I'm sure she goes through something every once in a while.
And Don may be quiet, but I know what Don goes through.
I know what Sam had to do to get here this morning. I know Jeremy's outside cooking sausage sizzles because no one else stood up to do it.
I know what we go through to do what we do. And it's time to support one another and encourage one another and have joy and rest and peace in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
[00:37:10] Oh, God wants you healthy.
[00:37:21] Don't let her preach for a couple weeks. Not fruity, not fluffy. If the soul is steady, the rest will follow.
[00:37:31] We have spirit, soul, body.
My body wants a donut at midnight, and you figure out what donut you want at midnight. But I don't want to hear about it.
My soul, my mind, will and emotions are impacted by the thermostat of what I allow in and what I think about. And my spirit is at constant tug of war and a pipe flow of the two.
If your soul is steady with the word of God, if your soul is steady with your focus on him, you will have peace and the body and the spirit will align and you will see the manifestations of God in your life.
Amen.
So if you're lacking peace, get yourself aligned and don't do it on your own. Say, lord, what am I thinking? What am I doing that is taking me out of alignment? And you know what, guy? He still shows up when we're even. Not aligned. That's the crazy part.
[00:38:25] Somebody told me today that my wife shines, that she has a glow about herself that some people only see on angels. And I know that's true, because she's got to live with this.
[00:38:37] Y' all have no idea.
She is an angel in disguise.
Amen.
[00:38:45] Hopefully that wins me some brownie points, but praise the Lord.
[00:38:53] Third, John 2 says, May you prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers.
Amen.
So health is the foundation of every kind of health.
It's not just physical health, it's spiritual health.
Can I ask you a question? And it's going to be really like confronting. But I'm not trying to convict you. Are you happy?
I mean, are you really happy?
[00:39:22] And if you can't give me an honest answer, there's a real simple way to be happy.
[00:39:30] Change the way you think.
[00:39:34] Change the way you think about yourself.
[00:39:37] Change the way you think about Others, they're not all your enemy.
We do not war against flesh and blood. Change the way you think about church. Change the way you think about your marriage. Change the way you think about your family. Change the way you think about the world. The world is not all rotten. There is still pockets of people that are hungry for God.
Amen.
[00:39:59] The easiest way to be happy is to change the way you think and what you ponder on.
[00:40:16] So as we step into this holiday season, let's take a moment to check in with ourselves because there's so much about everybody else.
Did I get the present for the grandchild? Did I get the present for the sister? You better have.
[00:40:40] Father. We pray for this man that he gets a revelation that for another woman that's not enough.
That you may be a gift to what you think women.
But praise the Lord. No, I'm kidding. Shabba.
I. You know, I thought that. I really thought one time. Simon, I'm with you. I thought one time that I was a gift to my wife until I realized she was a gift to me.
[00:41:06] Amen.
I got a lot to make up for. Praise the Lord.
But guys, I'll say this just as much as my wife is a gift. We're a gift to each other because we carry the light of Jesus on the inside.
[00:41:21] So let us have this truth that is in us.
For I rejoiced greatly when my brethren came together and testified that truth. That's what the next verse says.
May you prosper and be in good health as your soul prospers.
[00:41:39] This is not a prosperity message about. Blab it, grab it.
This is a message of that because of Jesus, there is increase that has happened in your life. And it first came to your spirit, which, whether you know it or not, they did not have the power of the raising of the dead until Jesus.
They did not have a savior until Jesus. They didn't have the Holy Spirit resting on the inside of them until Jesus. They didn't have great and precious promises until Jesus. They didn't have a divine nature living on the inside of them until Jesus. What you have is so much easier than the saints of old, but so much harder because it's so close and so present that we take it for granted. So this year, don't make it about the presents. Don't make it about the trees or the decorations. Don't make it about the food or the holiday. Remember that every day is a holy day for Jesus, set apart for his purpose, that we can live according unto him, celebrating the great gift that is Jesus. Not only his birth, but his death and his resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit dwelling on the inside of us that gave us the ministry of regeneration that made us alive and redeemed until the day of salvation that we could enter in and he could say, enter in, my good and faithful servant.
[00:42:54] So may you live your life not busy, but at peace.
May you live your life without confusion.
[00:43:04] But peace.
[00:43:07] And may you experience real joy that is more lasting than something so fickle as happiness.
Because happiness is fleeting. It lives in the moment, but joy is everlasting.
[00:43:22] And yes, I get happy when I get to see my kids all in one house. And I get to have that moment that we're all in the same house together because I missed a lot of moments.
[00:43:34] I'm happy to hang out with friends and have good conversations because I've walked away from a lot of good conversations. So now I realize that every moment is filled with happiness. But my life can be filled with joy because of Jesus.
And I can live free.
[00:43:53] But I need to have balance in my Bethlehem.
[00:43:58] I need to have balance to the questions, to the feelings, to the concerns and the worries. And it can only be found in Jesus.
[00:44:08] When my mind is fixed on Him. The world doesn't matter.
[00:44:14] So we're inviting Jesus to every area of our life. Not just first place, but in all places, so that we can see balance.
[00:44:25] We're inviting Jesus to show us the adjustments that he showed David long before he ever appeared on this Earth. To make our inner world reflect what we say with our mouths.
[00:44:36] This season doesn't have to pull us off center.
It can be an anchor that is deeper into peace, into joy, into clarity, into a healthier rhythm with God. So I invite you to take this time to realign yourself with Jesus.
[00:45:01] My life used to be this.
[00:45:05] I know that means something different in Australia. Sorry. That means peace.
[00:45:10] My life used to be all about what you saw.
[00:45:16] The selfies I took and the story I told.
But I was so unhappy.
[00:45:26] And that was being a Christian.
That was while being with Christ.
[00:45:34] And then my life before Christ was filled with drugs and alcohol.
But something happened. Longed about, I don't know, five years ago when I realized that the most important thing is more important than the thing that I'm thinking about right now.
And the most important thing is Jesus.
[00:45:55] And man. I used to body shame like nobody else. Look at you. Them muffins.
You ain't never gonna have a six pack. You know what I say now my six pack is just in retirement.
[00:46:09] And you know what I Ain't here to impress nobody but my wife, and she likes me just the way that I am.
Amen.
I ain't looking to get nobody else's attention if she likes me how I am. Praise the Lord.
Hallelujah.
[00:46:23] We live a life that is so storefront.
Do not let Christmas turn into that. Do not let Easter turn into that. Do not let every holiday turn into another show which will make you perform for the rest of your life. Be happy with your.
Be happy with who God has made you and walk victoriously, unashamed, proud with who you are and exactly how God has made you.
[00:46:53] Walk in that and experience the freedom that is in Christ.
Father, we thank you today.
[00:47:08] We thank you.
[00:47:12] Yeah. Thank you, Siri.
[00:47:16] I don't want Siri to talk back to me again.
I don't know if that was a prophetic moment or what. That was pretty cool. I'll take it.
[00:47:28] I never knew God was Australian.
[00:47:31] No worries.
[00:47:35] I was trying to have a serious moment. Come on.
[00:47:40] Jesus. I didn't know you talked about it. She'll be right.
[00:47:51] Well, Christmas is all about joy.
[00:47:54] Oh, Lord, we thank you that even in this moment, accidents with phone and Siri brings us great joy and reminds us how easy joy is to access.
[00:48:10] Lord, we thank you for the love and the light that you give us.
If anyone here doesn't know Jesus or listening by podcast, it's a simple prayer.
Lord Jesus, will you come into our heart?
Will you become our Lord and Savior? And I leave this life living for sin and I start a life living for you, Jesus, my Lord, my Savior, my friend, my master.
[00:48:35] Introduce me to the Abba. Father.
[00:48:39] Grant me with the presence of the Holy Spirit so that I may live for you in Jesus name. We pray and we all say amen.
You have no idea how much fun I had preaching this message because I had my son and Timmy come back and pray for me because my voice was going.
[00:48:58] God is so good.
[00:49:00] We have fellowship Sunday today. Are we supposed to bring anybody up for announcements? Sam?
No, just pray.
So we have fellowship Sunday today.
Please have a sizzle. Jerry's been out there sweating.
Tell him thank you for stepping up to the plate.
Tell Sam thank you for stepping up to the plate. There's many people today that stepped up to the plate to make this service happen as we go to the next day.
May Monday bring you peace.
[00:49:33] May it be your new beginning.
[00:49:36] May it be the beginning of something fresh and something new because you have found freedom in Christ.
May you bless the food for the nourishment of our bodies. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Amen. Come on, Give the Lord a hand clap of praise.
Well, God bless you is my prayer.
I think they're outside ready for you. Make your way if you want to grab a coffee. Give Jojo a second to prepare it. He also stepped up to the plate today. Praise the Lord. God is good.
Next week we do want to remind you that we have night of worship. Is it next week? Yeah. Next week we have night of worship. Come here. Let's have more world changers than visitors. Amen.
Hallelujah. God bless you. I'll see you real soon. And merry Christmas.
[00:50:26] Thank you for tuning in to today's message. To connect or find out more, you can reach us online at worldchangers.life. Remember to subscribe for more uplifting messages from our pastoral team. And may you continue to walk in faith and transformation until we meet again.
