Graham speaks at our first gathering of 2023 and talks about our prophetic foundations and how they should shape us into the future. We look back at what God has done and look forward in faith to all we believe He will do.

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Well, welcome back to QUAD, it’s good to be here isn't It after a couple of weeks of not meeting. I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year, or does it seem like a long time ago already? I think it seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? You have that thing called Christmas, it wasn't that long ago, but it just seems to feel like it by the time you get to this part of January.

So, this morning what I wanted to do is to bring a message to start the New Year. So, whether you're here in the room at QUAD or whether you're watching online it's great to see you and have you join us!

If you're watching online or later, what I want to do is to bring us a message to help us step into the New Year and step into what I believe God has for us as we start 2023 and also to remind us of a few things along the way, so this will not be a normal preach!

So, if you're not familiar with our normal preaching style at Jubilee, we would usually start by opening up God's word, saying this is the passage of Scripture we're going to look at and then we preach through it and ask God to speak to us.

I will not be doing that this morning, sharp intake of breath by some of you, I will not be starting with a Bible passage! However, there will be some Bible that we will refer to as we go, so you can rest easy and don't worry, it will be there and we will get to it! So that's why I'm doing this morning. It’s a bit of a different message, but I'm trusting it will spur us on into all that God has for us this year. Does that sound good?

So, let's get straight into it! One thing that lots of people do at this time of year and maybe you have done this already, is to look back and look back over the previous year and sort of consider some of the things that have happened over the previous 12 months or so. Maybe you've considered what were the highs for you? Or maybe what were the lows for you, be it for you personally or for you as a family. Maybe you thought about some of the prayers that God answered for you in the last year. Maybe you've considered how you've grown as a Christian in the last year and maybe you'll be able to think about some of the things that you're still asking God for as you look back and consider the last year or so.

We did this as a family around the dinner table over New Year, we reflected on our favourite parts of the last year or so and the things that happened. We talked about the babies that had come and gone in our lives as foster carers and that there were quite a lot, I think and there's a real mix of emotions in that some joy and some sadness but then often looking back, we then look forward to the year ahead and talked about some of the things that we knew were coming up, we knew that God was leading us into and we'll come to looking ahead shortly.

Some of you I know may journal and may sort of record some of these things, maybe even in an old school paper type notebook. Some you still got one of those things with a well, yeah, there it is with a pen or pencil, not just in a digital version. If you do, it's actually quite good to do that, because you can look back in another year and go, “hey look what God has done. Look how God has spoken. Look how he's answered some of the prayers that maybe you've been praying”.

As well as doing that personally or as a family, I think it's good for us to do that as a church family together. As a church community to look back over the last year and say what has God done? How has he led us? What has been happening in the last year or so? Surely before Christmas we met as an eldership team with Jeremy & Ann Simpkins and Graham Anns from the ChristCentral team. That's the family churches that we're part of and that we are involved in serving as well. They came to be with us for a morning and Jeremy started off by saying, well tell me some of the things that are going on. Tell me some of the things that you know you're rejoicing over and you're thankful to God for.

Initially we sort of looked at each other and there was a sort of awkward silence, but then suddenly, as we started to think about some of the things that God has been doing in our church, we were saying “oh yeah, we'd forgotten about that and oh yeah, isn't this good?” and “oh yeah, then this person has been added to us and this ministry has been started and God's doing this over there and He's doing this here.” Suddenly as we start to talk about these things and reflect upon them there's such a sense of wow, isn't God good! Not that was a surprise to us! Just to be clear, we do know that, theologically, that is true but it's good to reflect and say, “hey, look at what God has been doing” and we started to do that, as a leadership team and it was a helpful exercise, in the busyness of life, you forget stuff, don't you? In the busyness of everything that's going on, you forget some of the good things that have been happening.

So, we were talking about things like the recent baptisms. People professing faith in Jesus, new people joining. Our LoveDerby initiative across the city and that's something that I want to pick up on, particularly because actually I think that's probably one of the most significant things which God has been doing in us as a church over the last year or so.

Some of you would have been with us and you would have remembered, maybe you've locked this out of your memory, but remember those lockdowns, the COVID seasons and you know, as we were sort of locked down and shut away and locked up and there were many challenges to that. We were wondering well what is it that God wants to do in his church through that season? We knew that God was speaking to us, and almost every prophetic voice anywhere was saying God wants to do a new thing. Things are going to look different when we come out of this, and that was not a surprise to us. But we're saying “God, what is it that you want to do in Jubilee. What is it you want to do with us as a as a church? How are you leading us on?”

If I'm really honest with you, I think coming out of that season, I felt that we'd probably become too inward looking and God wanted to turn our focus outward to look at the city that He has called us to and the communities He has placed us in and say how can we serve? How can we be a blessing? How can we bring the love of God. It's not unusual for churches to get a bit inward looking sometimes, that’s the natural trajectory of most churches, or most small groups within churches. Unless you challenge this, unless you sort of consciously make an effort to reorientate things every now and then, that's the natural trajectory.

Every now and then we need to say "hang on”, we probably need to start looking other than ourselves and ask what God wants to do. We started to do that I made some notes on all this, but I've ended up crossing it all out because I haven't got the time this morning to go through the journey of how God spoke to us. It's an exciting journey and you can listen back to a previous preach if you want to know about that, if you've missed it, but it's a wonderful story of how God spoke to us and how He led us into what we're now doing with these LoveDerby initiatives.

It's so important, we understand friends that what we're doing through these initiatives, and there's another one coming up in in the next month or so. It's not just we might think it's a good idea, or isn't that something that's worth trying. No what we're doing is responding to what God has spoken to us about! What we're doing in these things is trying to be obedient to how God has been leading us. They are a response to God speaking to us prophetically.

It's not an extra project, in addition to church, you know real church you might say! No, it is church! It is us as a church family together, being obedience to what God has called us into, and it is something for all of us, not just the keen ones, but actually something for all of us to get caught up in and say, how can we be a part in responding to what God has been speaking to us about?

As I look back that's been an exciting journey for us over the last year. Of course, I know there's some challenges in that, it's not always straightforward. There's an issue sometimes, and it's sometimes tricky with young children working out how we can get involved as families, and that isn't always straightforward, but show me anything that's worth doing that is straightforward! Actually, there are some challenges, but there's some wonderful opportunities.

So, as I look back over the last year or so, that has to be one of the highlights as we've reorientated some things and said you know what, every few months is a church family on a Sunday morning, our key gathering time, we're going to meet but not meet here within 4 walls of QUAD but meet out there in the city, amongst 1/4 of a million or so people who don't know Jesus yet! We're going to bring the love of God and the mercy and grace of God to them, where they are!

One of my favourite passages in Jeremiah is in Jeremiah 29. I'm reading through Jeremiah in my Bible readings at the moment and some of it's quite hard going! I'm like come on, let's just get to 29 and I love chapter 29. Because in Jeremiah 29 you find God speaking through Jeremiah, and he says “this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to those I carried into exile in from Jerusalem into Babylon, God says. Build houses, settle down plant gardens, eat what they produce, marry, have sons and daughters find wise for your sons and daughters in marriage, so they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there do not decrease and also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I've carried you into exile, pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you two will prosper.”

Now I don't for a moment think God has carried us into Derby in exile, but I do think that for most of us in the room God has called us here! Whether you grew up here and God's called you to stay, or whether you grew up somewhere else and God has called you to this place, be it God spoke to you about Derby (that's my story) or be it that you came here for a marriage maybe or a job maybe another opportunity that God led you in; God has called us to this place. He has called us to pray for it, to seek the prosperity of it, to seek the peace of it, to bring His Kingdom to it. They're told, aren't they the people of God, not to retreat and disengage, but to be on the front foot, and to engage and be part of what God wants to do! It's a plan that they have to make a difference in the place God has called them to and friends, that's our plan as well, to make a difference in the place that God has called us. To be a blessing to bring in His Kingdom and that's what we've begun to seek to do LoveDerby being one of those initiatives that we're using to do that.

I thought you might like to know how it's been going. There is a slide that will help us with this, which will magically appear on the screen just like that. So, since November 2021 this is what we have done as a church family together. These are some stats for you.

So, as we look back over the last year or so, that is one example of what we have done as a church family together. Isn't that good? Isn't that amazing? Couldn't that be even more over the next year or so? It really could, but that's a wonderful example and thank you to Fiona and David for putting the stats and the graphic together because it's great to go to see what we've done!

So, as we look back and see well, that's what we've done. Let's think about what the next year or so might hold. We've looked back, the next thing to do naturally after looking back is to look forwards. Looking forwards at the beginning of a new year, gives us an opportunity to think to pray, to dream.

To ask God to fulfil some promises that maybe he's spoken. So, I wonder what are you asking God for this year? What are you asking God for this year? I'm just going to pause for a second and let you answer that question internally.

What are you asking God for this year? What are you looking forward to? For you, for your family, what are your hopes, your dreams and goals? What does He put on your heart for the year ahead? What are of some of the dreams may be, perhaps, the prophetic words that he's spoken previously? That his breath breathing fresh life upon.

As I was praying and preparing this week, I felt God speak to me about this bit and I felt for some of you there was like a dusty shelf with a folder of some things that God had said in the past to you, that you are still waiting to see fulfilled. But it's like it was like way up in the corner, in a sort of a dusty shelf, a dusty corner. It's like you haven't looked at it in a while, you. You haven't got it out to review it or think about it, it's like I saw a collection of papers in this folder of some things you'd written down that God had said to you and I feel like it's time to get that folder down and blow the dust off and bring them to God again.

Maybe some hopes and dreams in God that you had, some things that you felt him talk to you about, things you might be involved with. Maybe it's even about places, or people, or situations? Does that relate to any of you, a dusty folder, I feel it's time to get it down it's time for it to come off the shelf and bring them to God in prayer again. Say “God would you breathe fresh life on this”, and if that's you, if you, if you think, yeah, that's me, I would love to know what that is for you so I can pray for you! We'd love to know as an eldership, what that is for you so we can pray for you and support you, and encourage you in that.

I felt God speak to me just for a few people individually, just as I was thinking about this and praying over it and I just want to bring a few of those words now as we as we work through this. I’m just trying to see where people are in the room.

Sandra and Jonathan, I feel God wants to speak to you guys and say not to give up on things of the Spirit. Because you've led us in stuff before and I feel it's time for you to get that folder out once again. I feel like you’ve got some things to lead us into, even if the method seems unusual! Some of the things you've done with us, we might think oh that seemed crazy but God has spoken and God has provoked and challenged and encouraged through what you've led us into, and I feel it's time for you to guys to do that again.

Caroline, I feel that it's time to step out of your comfort zone and even the fact you chose a challenging song this morning (which you did brilliantly, by the way, it was fantastic). I felt it was a picture of that like you stepping out of your natural comfort zone and trying something new and going further with things, that I felt that was maybe an example what God wants to do with you this year, to step out of some comfort zones for you and God was going to lead you into some new things.

Jordan and Sophie - I felt that God wants to plant you deeply and the word I had was “roots”, like a plants root and I feel it's a year of your roots going deeper in him and that you were to look for. Opportunities and times for that to happen and as you do that, and as you sort of step into that, I felt that God was going to bless you through it and you're going to grow in him. You might think oh but you know you look at the plant and you get excited about the flowers and the budding and everything else, don't you but it only happens as a result of the roots. I felt that this year was a root year for you; not there wouldn't be exciting things going on, there would be, but it's a year of planting you firmly and being established and as that happens, I believe God's got amazing things for you guys.

David - where are you? You're over there. I know you've got a folder, I'm not sure if it's physical or electronic. It might may be both for you, but I know it exists. That's not prophetic. I know you've written some stuff down and I feel that God wants you to get that out again and look over some things. There's some stuff that he's spoken to you about that, he wants you to bring before him again and pray through again.

So, can I just pray for you if I've mentioned you would you mind for a second, would you mind standing where you are please and I just want to pray really quickly. If you're near one of these people, can you just reach out your hand to them and? And pray for them this prayer for God's blessing.

Father, we thank you for each of these dear people and Lord, I believe you want to speak to many of us about bringing some promises to you again, but I pray specifically for these folk now for Jonathan and Sandra, for Caroline, Jordan and Sophie, and David and I pray that God you would speak to them as they bring some things to you. I pray that this year will be a year of them stepping into new things, with you growing them and as a result of that, that God, your church will be blessed, encouraged and would grow. Father, we rejoice in what you're doing in their lives, would you bless us as a result of it! We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, father.

There's one group of people that I felt we should pray over this morning. Just thinking about these words particularly, I felt I wanted to. I didn't plan this; this was not planned. I didn't think of this until we were in our worship time a bit earlier, but I'd love us to pray over our worship teams! So, you need to do this really quick. Running out to the front if you are part of one of our worship teams, can you come and get down here? Worship and tech. OK so worship and tech teams. Can you just come and get down here really quick please? If you're part of one of our worship or tech teams, I know not everyone's in the room. I know some people aren't here or are serving elsewhere at the moment. That's fine.

I felt I wanted to pray over you guys and I'm going to ask Sarah to come and pray in a second. So, if you can, sorry I didn't give you any warning, I’d love you to pray with them in a second. I felt that this year was to be a year of creativity and you guys help us in that, you lead us in that, I know there are other people involved as well who are not in the room but you are representative of those who lead us in this area both on stage and off stage, and both are equally important!

So, whether you are part of the tech team, or whether you are part of the stage team, I'm seeing it all as all as one and I feel like this year will be a year of creativity and increased depth in worship and you're to go for that and you're to take risks in that, and you're to be adventurous in that and you're to step out in that, that you will lead us in that! Is that, OK?

So, are you happy to pray over them for that? Is that good. So, let's pray together. Thank you, Lord.

Sarah:
Yeah, just as Graham was talking just a minute ago, I just felt that God would say to you that actually worship comes from your heart and it starts with him and it starts with you just soaking in all that God's got for you. As you spend time with your Heavenly Father as you as you spend time worshipping, as you spend time in that quiet place and God will use you mightily as you lead us into worship. But God says, it starts with your heart!

This morning I just feel that God just wants to capture your hearts again today. Whether it's worship or however God is using you. God is saying to you, are you going to, are you prepared to spend time with me, not just on a Sunday morning, but as you go through life every day?

It's in those quiet mornings in those quiet moments that you have with him, that he's going to talk to you, that he's going to speak to you, that he's going to meet with you. So, God, I pray right now, that God, that you would increase passion, that you would increase that passion for these guys to spend time with you on their own, in that quiet place. Lord, whether it's you know in their bed and as they're walking into work, as they're driving, I pray that every moment you would just be so close to them. I pray God that right now, God, you would give them fresh ears to hear your voice. That God, you'd give them a heart after your heart, Lord Jesus, Lord, as they serve week after week, Lord God, would you bless them? Yes Lord!

I just feel just that you should reach your hands out to God, right now, just reach your hands to him. Yeah, come Lord. Do you know what God is here? The Holy Spirit is here and he wants to meet with you. He says to you, well done, my good and faithful servants, well done for all that you give, all that you do, and God just wants to give you a double portion right now of his love of his Holy Spirit. He says you cannot run on empty. You cannot serve. On empty, it's as you spend time with him. It's as you just spend time with him. That he is just going to use you mightily. So, God increase that passion right now. Increase that zest for you right now. God blow on these all children of God. Lord Jesus God do great things with them. This year Lord Jesus increase. They're anointing Lord Jesus. Holy Spirit, we thank you for them. We thank you for their, their servant heart, Lord God and God, I pray that you would increase their passion, you'd increase their portion for you, Lord Jesus. You'd increase their anointing, Lord. Jesus and I pray that they would go on to do more than they could ever dream or imagine, Lord Jesus, so bless them right now. God, Lord, let this church be known for the worship, for the amazing worship that we have. For how you meet with us, for how our worship leaders and our tech team and our musicians help us to draw near to you. So, bless them, Lord God, I pray in Jesus' name. We thank you for them, Amen.

Graham:
Amen, well We've talked about doing this exercise personally, as like getting the folder off the shelf and reviewing some things that God has said. But similarly, we can do that as a church as well, and I feel it would be good to review some of the things that God has spoken to us as a church, not just in the last year, but over the years.

What are some of the things that God has said to us and we don't have time this morning to go through all of them. We don't have time to do it in loads of detail, but I thought it would be good to give you some headlines.

There are four categories, if you like, I guess so, some of the things that God has spoken to us about previously includes. Gathering centrally on a Sunday with small groups meeting around the city to impact local communities. There being a massive increase in people and resources. God Speaking of expansion and growth and significant numbers. God speaking of us having our own building somewhere to call home. I can hear some hallelujahs there already. So that was like one sort of category about, you know, increase, in growth and buildings and so on.

Another category was this: Jubilee being a people of worship, of freedom, of supernatural encounter. Being a place of miracles, of signs and wonders. There being a release of the prophetic an outbreak of the Spirit, compassion coming from this church, the supernatural flowing out of this church, worship flowing out of this church, the prophetic that will flow out of this church. Wonderful, isn't it? Hey, it's good!

Another section this one that describes the sort of church that God wants us to build here. “You are a church which is a city set on a hill and you are a bright light, like a lighthouse, but this is not a warning light. It's an attractive light which is going to draw people from all areas of the city. That we will be a church big in compassion ministries. That God will send us both the CEO's and the most broken and vulnerable. There'll be a healing anointing, particularly around the areas of mental health. There'd be a setting up and being part of something with women, women's refuges, and homes. There’d be extraordinary favour with the city council that God will open doors for us.

Quote “I saw you in years to come working with the local council in areas of fostering and adoption. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to the Lord that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you are not a people but now you are the people of God's. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy a version 1 Peter 2.

Then another section, another sort of category if you like, about the sort of influence that we would have wider than just here in Jubilee, that the Jubilee is like a massive oak tree where others will want to come under our branches. This isn’t just about individuals, but churches, that Jubilee will be a place where many, many would come to drink of the Spirit. It would be a safe place where leaders of other churches would come and want input and wisdom. This is talking about me serving apostolically like on the team I talked about earlier (ChristCentral) and there being a connection to other nations, that people would come and go.

I'll comment on those in a minute but I have to admit, as I was preparing this, this week and going through some of these notes and sort of writing them down again and praying over them it was quite an emotional exercise, to look at, what God has said over the years and think, well, that's what God has said, I wonder what he's leading us into.

Even just reading this out again, it's like, it's quite an emotional, which is unexpected. I don't get emotionally easily, as you would know, but I found it quite an emotional exercise then and even reading it again now. Because these are things, friends, not that we've made up these are things, that we believe God has spoken to us about that He wants to lead us into. This is not a list of Graham's good ideas, it wouldn't be that long, and it wouldn't be that good! These are some things that God has spoken to us about through trusted people, often at more than one time, over numerous occasions. Have we seen the complete fulfilment of them yet? No, we haven't! Have we begun to see God working in some of these areas? Absolutely, yes, we have.

So let me make some comments as we look forward to the year ahead and I know time is running away with us, but I feel this is important for us to do this morning, so I trust, you'll bear with me as we do this and before we do that, we need to remind ourselves that Jubilee is God's Church! This is not my church, this is not your church, this is His church. So, we're called to be obedient in following Him, what He wants for His church He's the one in charge, not us!

So, our job is to say God, what are you doing here? What do you want to lead us into? How can we be obedient in that? So firstly, God has promised us growth, it is wonderful to see new people join us recently and others looking in and maybe even this morning if you're looking and thinking, I'm not sure, maybe God wants me to be a part of what He's doing here, maybe He does. But it's important that we realise we don't want growth, for growth's sake. It's not just about numbers, although numbers are important, be that people or resources or finance or other things. It's not for the sake of growth. It's for the sake of Kingdom impacts. For the sake of what He wants to do in this city and beyond.

Yes, as we grow, things will feel a bit different. You might not know everybody in the same way. It might not be the same, as it was. But that's OK because God's at work and He wants to do some things here. Yes, we do want somewhere to call home as a building and this is important, we understand this. It's not just for our own comfort and convenience but actually it's somewhere to reach more people and to serve more people. Yes, it will be comfortable and convenient for us but that's a spin off, it's not the driver, the driver is: How can we reach more people with the gospel? How can we serve more people in this city? Would a building help us do that? Yes, it probably would, and as a spin off would it be easier on a Sunday morning? You bet it would! But the driver is reaching more people with the gospel. Seeing more people saved added into his Kingdom, seeing more people served and loved and blessed and reached. So yeah, then we should be praying into that, absolutely.

Whilst this isn't a giving talk, it might be worth saying that things like that are costly and expensive. So probably there’s a challenge in there for us as to how our giving's doing. Now it's our response to God's call to give into his church and Kingdom. How are we doing with that in in the year ahead?

Secondly, Jubilee is to be a church full of the Spirit. We've had different seasons than this where it seems to be of greater importance or not perhaps but listen, we must not lose that in the up and ups and downs of church life. God wants Jubilee to be a church full of the Spirit. Our vision is: to be a vibrant community shaped by the Spirit, equipped by the word and sent to the nations. That's what God has for us, so we need to make sure we're allowing him space to break in and do His thing. What He wants us to do, ensuring that we're being shaped by Him, you know it might sound so obvious, but unless we keep reminding ourselves, it's easy to drift. It's easy to get into a routine. It's easy to get into this is how we always do it but let's be open to what He wants to do! Word and Spirit, not Word or Spirit, Word and Spirit.

It's also about something flowing out of us. Did you pick it up in those words? Something flowing out of Jubilee to the city around us, to the nation, and indeed to the nations. The sort of church that God has got for us, He wants us to be is, is a diverse church, a mix of the CEO's and the most vulnerable and broken. Where else in society would you find those two categories of people, I don't like the word categories, but let's use that for a moment. Where else would you find those two categories of people, sitting side by side, it's in the church, isn't it? That's what He wants to do here.

Being part of something like a women's refuge or homes. Working with the Council in areas of fostering adoption. A church big in compassion ministries, bear in mind these were things that were said some time ago before we were doing a whole bunch of the stuff we're doing now! Yet this is one of the sorts of things we're doing with the LoveDerby initiative.

Well, we're working with some fairly broken people sometimes. Those who are finding life challenging and difficult and yet, we're beginning to work with them. We've got some fantastic people in Jubilee, leading some amazing organisations. Our links with Faith, Hope, and Enterprise and with Hope City Furniture and Mountain Homes all organisations lead by people in Jubilee.

There are some amazing links that God has given us just in our church family and I know there are others as well. A church big in compassion ministries! I mean, what is LoveDerby if it's not a compassion ministry, demonstrating the love and the goodness and the grace of God.

So much of what we're doing together is about showing God's compassion and love and mercy and grace to others. As we look to the year ahead, friends you want to step into more of that. Those stats I shared earlier were great. The things we've done in the last year or so, well done for being part of that but God has got more for us in the year ahead!

As for the fostering adoption thing. Well, when Juliette brought that word to us back in, I think it was May 2015. Sarah and I only just begun our journey as foster carers we were right at the beginning of that and I don’t think we particularly had links with the Council we were just on newly recognised carers. But as we look back now and see the links that God has given us and some of the opportunities that have come our way and some relationships we have with fairly senior directors in the Council, God has opened that door to us and I feel there's more opportunity there still to come. Because God's doing something, He spoke about it, He's done it and there's more to come.

Finally, Jubilee being in my words and “an apostolic resource base”, if you like is one way of describing it, but a church where other churches are encouraged, served, planted from where leaders are ministered to and nations are reached. This is happening, you look at some of the people that came on our Pursuing His Presence, conferences and training courses, it was leaders from other churches who said, “yeah, we see what God's doing here, can we come and be served refreshed, blessed”. That's been happening, that is happening even now, out of Derby, we're planting a church in Burton on Trent just down the road. Matt and Lou are doing a great job leading that with John and Julie and others. We'll continue to support them and encourage them, and work with them and help them in that.

Many of you will know that I mentioned earlier, I'm part of the ChristCentral apostolic team working with churches here in the UK and much further afield abroad. But even we in Jubilee here, us together, are involved in supporting a church plant in Siem Reap in Cambodia. We're giving to that every month, out of what you give, we're giving into what's happening in Cambodia. I had a message from Sam just this morning, they're about 7 hours ahead of us, so they've had their Sunday meeting already, but he sent to me this this morning. OK, so I got this message as I was here: “this morning there are 23 people at our church plant meeting this morning. 2 new families together with three established families, including us and one single guy.” Wonderful, I mean, they've just started they're just emerging, they're just sort of putting the flag in the ground already. God is adding people to them. I'm meeting tomorrow another person tomorrow to talk about if his family might want to come along, and some German friends that they're also interested. A whole bunch of people looking for an international style church that not only has stuff for kids in it, it's great for them, but it wants to reach out to local people. Not just to be a church for missionaries for some westerners who happen to be there. But to be a church that not just reaches out, but totally integrates. They said “this morning we did 2 songs in English and but after that was after two songs in Khmer. Even their worship is multilingual and they put the words on the screen. It's like we have words in English and Ukrainian. They have words in English and Khmer. I've been in another church in Phnom Penh where they had English Khmer and then phonetic Khmer. So, for those of us like me who want to try and make an effort, but to no chance of reading it, there was this sort of phonetic version in English script but friends that us, we're involved with that. Sam and Abby have spoken here you've met them. We'll hear from them again this year, I know, but we're involved in supporting that.

I'm working with Marcus and Lear from Stafford as they begin to make plans to leave Stafford and to move and plant church in Chemnitz in eastern Germany, and I know Steve is very excited about that because it's Germany, which is on his heart, but we're involved in supporting them and encouraging them and working with them. They'll be with us, I think it's in May. They're going to be speaking here on a Sunday morning before they head out to Germany. Even in the past year, some of you have been involved in supporting the Stafford Church at their weekend away and leading worship for them so they could be blessed and receive, and as they were meeting together for their weekend away. Lots is happening for us as a region of churches here in the Midlands and also in Shropshire. There's much to be thankful for that God is already doing, but He has much more for us. Because He wants us to be a church that blesses and encourages other churches and other leaders.

So, listen, there are some amazing things that God has spoken over us and like I said, just reading it again this week and looking back over it and praying through some of them and looking at it again this morning. It is an emotional exercise because there are things that God has said. The things that God is leading us into and there are things that he wants us to pray into.

So, if you want to know if you want to say Graham, what are we going to be praying about in our week of prayer and fasting that James had only mentioned earlier. Coming up in a week or so's time, it's some of these things. Some of these things that God has spoken to us about but we haven't seen fulfilment of yet. I mean, we've begun to see fulfilment of some of it, but we know there's more.

We’re going to be praying about those things and you know what I believe God's going to speak to us about some other stuff as well but that seems like a good place to start! God, what have you said already? Well, here are some things. So, look we bring these back to you and say God, will you breathe fresh life on them? That's what I'll be praying about in that week, will you two? Yeah, you know, join me in that?

Hey listen, we're nearly done. As we look forward, well, first, we’ve looked back, haven't we? Over the previous year or so? We're looking forward not just hoping things will work out and things will be good, but we're looking forward to what God has for us as we head into the year ahead.

Before we finish, we need to look up. We've looked back. We've looked forward. We need to look up. Looking back and forward is important, but it's looking up that will centre us in Christ. It's looking up that will give us the right perspective on things, whatever the new year holds, looking up will make sure we see it and approach it in the right way.

So, I wonder, have you done that lately? We need to do that as a church as well! We can look back and either be downcast or encouraged depending on our perspective on some of the things that happened. We can look forward and be in terror or excited about what's going on again, depending on our perspective but we must look up at Jesus! We must look to Him and orientate our lives around him and what he is saying to us. We need to do that individually, as families and as a church.

As we do that, the looking back and forward, is in the right perspective because it's from the context and as a result of looking up. So, we're going to finish our time together the band are going to come up and lead us, and we're going to finish our time together by looking up. By worshipping Him by saying Jesus be the centre, be the centre of what you want to do, in my life and our lives, in your church. So can we stand together I’d love to pray and then we're going to sing as we close our time together.

Lord Jesus, I want to thank you for what you have spoken over this church. Thank you for the things that you have led us into. Thank you for all that has been accomplished in the last year or so but as we now look forward to the coming year, we say God would you breathe on some of these things you've spoken to us about? Would you breathe fresh life into your promises and right now we orientate our hearts and minds, our lives to you, and we look up and God, we say Jesus be the centre, be the centre of it all. Be the centre, that you may be glorified and receive all the honour and all the praise. We ask it in Jesus' name Amen.

Disclaimer: All talks on this website are the speakers own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the position of Jubilee Church, ChristCentral or Newfrontiers.