SIGNAL CHURCH CAPE TOWN
Terran Williams:- Build: Jesus Building A Giving,Serving & Multiplying Church Pt.6
- Before I speak, I want to call up on Guy and Kelly, some of my best friends in the world. I've known Guy since he was in his early, early 20s. Hey, well, you're like 21 or 20 when I met you. - 19. - 19, I'll take that back, 19. - And I'm in four, yeah. (laughing) - And, and Kelly. Anyway, I ask them just to share, because a lot of people drive in. I need a nightclub in town, a lot of people live in town, but a lot of people, for whatever reason, are willing to drive all the way to signal. From pole, milk bus, cleverly, you know, edge meat, Somerset West, heart bay. But I just thought to ask some people that are very involved in our church, even that they're very busy human beings. Guy is a hard-powered man in business. I mean, it doesn't look like it looks like such a chill dude, but he carries a huge load in his life. And I wanted to ask you three questions. The first one is, "What did you come to signal?" So many other churches. - Okay, so we were prepped, so we have some thoughts. (laughing) Off the top of my head. We, yeah, we came now from Turbo. We've been very involved in church up there about two and a half years ago, and we actually needed a place that was restorative for us. That was the real, that was the first reason to come. And we, for about a year, I suppose, really we're just built up from zero, zero app, we're tired. And we just gained so much from what Kelly will speak to, some of the values and the experience of God in this church. So that was the first reason. - Yeah, so I think the other thing is that we, yeah, sorry, I'm really sure it competes you guys. The values, yeah, of this church was just something that we really resonated with, just at a, yeah, at a core level. You guys have just experienced prophetic worship, and it was beautiful, you know, and that's something that we really resonated with, the desire to, on an ongoing basis, practice the prophetic and experience the prophetic. And so that was, yeah, really key to us. The other values about being intergenerational and diverse and welcoming and generous. Yeah, it's just, it was something that we just felt, like this is a match and we are meant to be, so yeah, from a values perspective, it was very aligned. - Yeah. - And now, if you drive from Somerset West and you've got kids and you're busy and tired, which is what a lot of what life is for you guys and the boobs, you're still so involved. Oh my goodness, you get every excuse not to be as involved as you are. How hard did it happen? - It's what you think about it. - We almost gave in this morning. Our kids pushed us right to the literal edge this morning. But I suppose, you know, part of what attracted me to the church actually was not feeling like, you made the point about, we're not, we promise not to burn you out. Not feeling like, oh, there's a guy who's been involved in churches before. Can you, can you leave a light nightclub tomorrow? Which could be the right thing, for us it wasn't at the time. But the flip side of that is at a point for us to really feel like church is a meaningful part of our lives and it has to be something that we're really part of, you know. And so getting involved felt like a need at some point that came up. We want to be connected in relation. You want to be part of what this thing is as opposed to just kind of receiving from it. And so that kind of happened a bit naturally. I wanted to get involved with playing my guitar a bit. So there was a space for me to do that. And then Kelly's got a bit more of a story of getting involved there. But before she does that, just the one picture I've always found helpful with church is if church is a family, in a family, no one's called to peel potatoes. But if the potatoes need peeling, whoever's closest to the peeler does the peeling, you know. So that's kind of our approach to getting involved in church, you're like, okay, well, you know, what potatoes need peeling and we've gotten a bit involved there, you know. Not big, like getting involved in kids. For me, it's not a calling per se. It's a peeling potatoes and there's joy in that, yeah. - Yeah, I just wanted to touch on another thought that I've been having this morning. You talking about it, it would have been easy for us not to be here. But I think it depends on like, from what perspective you're looking at. If you're looking at it from a worldly perspective, yes. So easy not to come, not to be here. But if you're looking at it from a spiritual perspective, they need to be rooted in a community is the most important thing. And for me and for Guy, for our family, we really want to live out that value and be authentic in our relationship with the Lord. It's not just about, yeah, attending a church on a Sunday, any church that is convenient, but about being in the place where we think that he wants us to be. - Yeah, and so I hope that for all of you as well, I just wanted to share a little bit about myself getting involved in kids. Just so that you know, my background is finance, like your science insurance, okay? This is not a preschool teacher. That is not my strength and it's definitely not what I've had lots of practice in, borrowing my own children. And so when we joined, I don't know, two years ago, we first started out, my kids were quite disregulated as you could imagine. They always wanted me to be upstairs with the kids. So I had to literally spend the whole service upstairs with the kids. And at that point, we had a lady named Celeste leading, who was lovely, but our kids, even at that stage, were ranging from age three until grade seven. So a massive range and it was just her. And I was like, wow Lord, this is interesting. Like the little kids were not able to get in on what was going on. And so I felt led to just talk to the little kids. You know, not a big thing. And I prayed about it. And yeah, God gave me an incredible grace for just being, he promised me it was just a season. He said to me, and I love my children and I love all of your children. But it's like I say, it's just not my natural thing. And I've learned now and God's grown me in doing that. And I've made relationships with other people that are volunteering. So it's been an amazing experience. But God did say it's for a season, Cel. And just be with these little kids, help to set up some structures. And yeah, and that's how I got involved in. And that's how I roped guy in. And now we've got this amazing kids ministry leader. And it's in a different place and I'm able to move out. But I think just to encourage you, you don't have to be particularly gifted in the area that you wanna serve in. And maybe God wants to grow you and challenge you in that area. So, yeah, that's my little story about kids. (audience applauding) - Other than you're referring to our children as potatoes that you peel, do you have any final encouragements to the person who's like, I wanna get involved, but she's next week and I might go away or the one after that. And you just procrastinate forever, actually committing to be part of some volunteer team. - And I mean, the main thing I'd say is that volunteering maybe sounds, it's the wrong term 'cause you miss out what you're actually getting, what you're getting is belonging. So, do it for the belonging. Find a place to get stuck in and you'll feel more like you belong here, yeah. (audience applauding) - I just want to reiterate what Jen was saying about volunteering. If you don't know where to start, volunteer kids. - Yes, we're desperate. - Or at kids, or at kids, you know, just sign up there like 100 volunteers needed so you can definitely volunteer in the kids' space. (laughing) No, but um. - But seriously. - No, but seriously, I think on a, yeah, just on a daily functional level, just prioritise it. You know, it's a choice. Every day it's a choice. Are we gonna choose to prioritise it or not? - If your name is on a list and on the 13th of November you're meant to be there, but now your friends invite you to a weekend away. Can you swap weekends or serving? - Yeah, yeah, no, I mean, you must just assist that in your own heart, pray to the lord, who I feel hurts, but (laughing) but no, I mean, it's so, it's so relaxed. It happens all the time, you know, last week the day before a girl got sick, it's normal with humans and so it's not, there's no heavy on people. We'll always make a plan. If not, we'll just deal with the kids by ourselves, but no, it's, yeah, it's so relaxed, so don't feel any pressure. - Thanks, Guy and Kelly. - Yeah, cool. (audience applauding) - So, let me get into my message. Guy and Kelly, thank you so much for that. I'm Jen, your picture about the tree was magnificent because it's the root system that actually is gonna determine the quality of this tree. We've got a granodilatory that's vast, across our swimming pool fence and the thing has died and apparently because the root system is pretty weak. And there is a beautiful root system in this church that was, yeah, before I got here and it's so wonderful to see what God is building off that. I think one of our great needs, thank you, Andre. Andre was working till one o'clock last night. He still gets here today. (audience applauding) One of the great needs in our generation is rootedness, rootedness. Last week, Julie read from this social media influencer called Freya India, you got a picture up at the back there. And I'll just read again something that Julie said and a bit more, Freya India, 23 years old, says, not a Christian, as far as I know, what's missing, I think, is the sense of stability, of being part of something bigger, something more enduring. I think young people today are desperate for that deeper connection. I sense it everywhere, this feeling that everything is so empty now, feeling that we are all clowing for something, anything that is permanent, that isn't commodified and cheap, something that lasts exclamation mark. Can you pass me that word up? Our entire lives are just a collection of things. - Thanks so much. - I've got a cold. Our entire lives are just a collection of things that can crumble at any moment. We keep our options open, we play it cool. Our long-term relationships fall apart the second someone loses feelings. Even if we do get deep commitment, it's all a big joke, now marriage vows are funny, the ceremony is a perfect moment for a prank, divorce is a celebration, meanwhile we strange ourselves from our families. We try at different places, try on different identities, we take the message of therapeutic culture seriously enough, if we do, we're in danger of ending up so well adjusted that no one needs us and we need no one. And so I think when young people talk about what's plaguing them, situationships or the climate crisis, what they're often getting at is the transience of everything. Everything uprooted, everything unstable, they don't feel attached to anything, anyone, anywhere. They don't even feel like the earth will stick around, nothing in our lives does, our parents couldn't even hold it together. We say our problem is patriarchy and climate change and election results and the cost of living crisis, but I think there's something deep behind deeper loss and longing that no material changes could solve. We're looking for something we can place our feet on that won't fall away. We're looking for something we can place our feet on that won't fall away. We're looking for something more than this life where people have so few loyalties to each other. Because when young people don't think they can get anything real and lasting, they give up. Obviously, Gen Z said they are rebelling against old-fashioned responsibilities and restraints. We are empowered, I'm not so sure. We call it a revolt, feels more like resignation. No point having kids, no point committing, no point building any sort of foundation with anyone, life is hopeless. No wonder we're drawn to the gospel of self-love and obsessively managing our own mental health. When everything is transient, might as well live for ourselves. The only one left to rely on. My guess is that what we need most in this rapidly changing world is rootedness. Could just be me, but when I listen to the misery and confusion of my generation, beneath it I hear a heartbreaking need and need to be bound to others, bound to a community, bound to a moral code, bound to something more. India Fray then says, I want to be bound more, bound to people, bound to places, bound to right and wrong. I read it and I want to call up India and I want to say, hey, do you want to come to signal or any other church on Clue Street? And they're, I won't bump it over, or any other church on Clue Street. That is, hope, union chapel is. Jubilee, there are other churches. The church of Jesus is what young people need today more than ever before. Ephesians chapter two, beautiful picture of the church. You are no longer foreigners and strangers, says Ephesians two, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of his family built on a foundation of the apostles and the prophets. With Christ, Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone. In Jesus, the whole building of people is joined together, life on life, and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord, built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit. What is God doing in the world? He is building a temple, living stones, interlocking with other living stones upon the chief cornerstone. Jesus Christ inhabited by the holy spirit. You don't get more rooted, you don't get more permanent, you don't get more substantial than that. Paul said that to a small community of people in Ephesus, they were surrounded by a city of huge pagan temples. Paul can't we get a temple to build one up? He said, you're the temple. You can outlast these other temples, 2,000 years later, those temples are ruins. But the people of God flourish. Jesus, in Matthew 16, verse 18, says, I will build my church. Not our church. I never use the language, my church. And if I do, you can slap in my hand. You caught me in an orty. Jesus is church. Jesus is church. And we get to build it with him. But he's the main builder. He's got the blueprints. He's building it. We're invited to build it with him. But where's the blueprint? What kind of church is Jesus building? And we've been going for six weeks through Acts chapter 2, a beautiful description of some of this blueprint. It's the first church in Jerusalem, AD 33, verse 42. They, this little community, actually, not so little. They grew pretty quickly, devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to pray. Can we have that slide up on the screen? They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to pray. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Imagine that. Some of us live in Araneus Erchte. Frasné, Fréné, sell your house. You rock the church. He has the money from my house. That's my Betty's Bay property. I mean, it's just, I'm not saying do it. I mean, I think you're crazy if you do it. I mean, that's all, but yeah, they're doing it. They're doing it. I wouldn't think you're crazy. I would think you're crazy. I would believe that God is real. I would believe God is real. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with gladness and seer hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people and the Lord added to their number, daily those who were being saved. This is actually up to two. It's a beautiful description. And what we've done is we've broken up into like 19 or 20 different components and recalling them colors. And Eli and Finn are using 19 or 20 different pastel colors on paper they told me is terrible, because it does slides off. And they're drawing a version of the church. Every church, I think that's biblical, should have these components. But the same way that artists would mix up those colors in a fresh expression, Signal Church is one more expression of these basic color palette that's given to us in Acts chapter two. So in week one, we spoke about how Jesus is building a Jesus magnifying church. It's the most important point. Next week, we've finished with our Build Series. We're coming back to Jesus. And we are slowly exploring the life of the most magnificent person who ever lived who happens to still be alive, Jesus Christ. And I keep thinking, my goodness, people move every few years nowadays. The people I'm looking at, I don't know, four, five years. You're living somewhere else. And maybe you're not in the church anymore just because of the fact of mobility. So we've got you for four years. What do I hope in your time in Signal gets imprinted in you that you will carry for the rest of your life? And it's this a detailed vision of Jesus Christ. Little bit by little bit. So next week, we are coming to the next panel in our Sistine Chapel version of Jesus. And the next panel, like Michael Angelo's Sistine Chapel's broken up into panels, is Jesus a person for people. Jesus was a person. What kind of person was he? And how did he relate to people? We're going to answer that question for the rest of the year. Starting next week, we're going to learn about Jesus' humanity. And then the week after that, Jesus as an example. And then the week after that, we've gotten Cosinati back from the church that he's now leaving 22nd of September. And he's speaking about Jesus' humility. I mean, this is life-stain changing stuff. Really encourage you to just be a Sunday after Sunday taking it all in. If Jesus magnifying church, and if you are not yet a believer, it all starts with an understanding of who Jesus is. And we'd love to be a church that takes their journey with you and helps you understand Jesus so that you can attach your life to him properly. So, a Jesus magnifying church, and then a spirit-filled church. Second most important thing next to a Jesus magnifying church is a church that has the presence of God where God shows up so lovely on Wednesday night of the nightclub that I'm leading in town. And we had Carol playing a piano, and she led us in one song. And the presence of God came in this beautiful, dining room overlooking Table Mountain. And it snowed on the mountain the day before, but the presence of God. I mean, it's the most important thing. It's the distinguishing mark of a church should be. You walk in, oh, there's more people here that they're dressed like people at the shopping center. What's different about these people, this God is in the room. And to be a spirit-filled church, we need to be spirit-filled people. Where does the presence of God come from? Not out of those little air-conditioning units. The people of God carry the presence of God. Before anyone came this morning, there was not much of a presence of God in the room, but once you guys started coming, those of you who are filled with the spiritual in the week, you bring the spirit of God with you. I heard somebody saying to someone the other day, "Couldn't a stirring worship as you came and stood next to me?" I was just overcome with the presence of God. What a lovely thing to say. What a gift you could give to other people to be a carrier of the presence of God. And a go-and-tell, come-and-see church. What we have is too good to keep to ourselves. So we go and tell, we share our lives with others. We careful people far from God. We share interest in them. You know, no Bible beating, just love. Listen to their story. They might say, "Tell me your story, tell your story." And you say, "Come-and-see, come to church." And every Sunday, we're delighted when those of you who are new to church arrive. It's a come-and-see church. And it's a sissy-serving church that Jesus is building. And then in week two, we spoke about us being a gathering church and a welcoming church. Well, it's Matthew, right? Matthew and Tyler. Look at you guys, how many weeks have you been coming to Signal now? Three or four, hey, three weeks ago. I still remember you walking in, and they said to me, they said, "We've been living in town for a few years. "We didn't even know Signal existed, "but then Dan, my neighbor, invited us to his house. "We had a lack of chat. "These are my words, not yours. "And he brought us to church." And then I heard the other bit of the story afterwards. Mark Day, apparently, you came and spoke to him, and you said to him, "I've never felt so welcome in a church before." Are those the words that it's not broken telephone, hey? I mean, a welcoming church. We want to be what, for you guys, we want to be there for the city of Cape Town. You're welcome. You know, you go to other groups of people, especially in Cape Town, everyone's too cool for school. Everyone's going to be happy to see you, unless they're your best friends, you know, and your granny. No, but when you come to the people of God, we need to be a people that are happy to see the next person that comes. We're happy to see each other. We break off Cape Town cool. We are extrovertedly warm. We send the clearest messages possible. We're so happy to see you. You're welcome here. You don't have to have your life sorted. Just come. And then a family church. Night clubs meeting around the city. Family church. You know, we busy with night clubs, and we, I think, 17 new people join night clubs this time around from the beginning of the year. So exciting, hey? If we just meet on the Sundays, you end up being a bit of a crowd. It's when you get into homes that you become a family. And then the week after that, we spoke about being a devoted church, a word church, a sacramental church. And sacramental means baptism and communion. By the way, the 26th of October, I think that's the Sunday, 26th of October, we're gonna baptize people on Camps Bay Beach off to church. Anyone wanna get baptized? There's an expression of your faith in Jesus. Last year we baptized quite a few people. So, and if the wind is howling, not a problem, we got a cliff and a fourth beach protected from that south-easter. Say it again? Not the temperature. You're a lot of wear a wet seat, but come on, if you are Cape Tony and you want the cold, we'd about tell you, like, can I stay in longer? Like 20 more minutes. I still think that hot water is far more healing than cold water. I think everybody's been duped by this cold water thing. (laughing) (audience laughing) A supernatural church, week four, a praying church, a praising church. Week five, a well-led church. Julie spoke about the importance of leadership, but we don't wanna be a leader-centered church. It's possible that you have a team of leaders and that we exaggerate their role and they're almost like mediators between Jesus and us. They're like the next level, and we're here. And forever, you stand between us and God. Now, the goal of leadership is to bring everybody along. That's why leaders have to be number one, an example. And they show the people the ropes. The leaders are multiplying leaders. They're working in teams. They're serving hard. They're empowering. We've been praying as a leadership team. God keeps on giving us this verse, Ephesians 4, verse 11, which says that God gave to the church, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. And it's almost describing a leadership team that is diversely gifted. We want a diversely gifted leadership team. And then an intergenerational church. Last week we learned that we got 100 people in signal that are under the age of 18. How cool is that? And a diverse church. A church where regardless of your industry that you're part of, the culture you come from, your ethnicity, your pigment color, a diversity. We actually love diversity. We would prefer to sit around a table in a nightclub and everybody's so different from everybody else. It is nice when you meet people like you. Birds of a feather flock together. But you can't stay there. If you want a rich life, you want to have people different from you at the table, unless you want to just stop in your growth in like you're 13. And then you never grow again if you just surround yourself with people just like you. A diverse church. A giving church, and then today I'm seeking money, giving church a serving church a multiplying church. So let me get right into it. This is the last points. A giving church, in Acts chapter two, it says their sole property gave possessions to everyone. Acts four, all the believers were wanting at heart. No one claimed any of their possessions as they owned. They shared. From time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the cells and put it to the apostles' feet and was distributed to anyone who had need. Acts chapter 10 speaks about how Cornelius was generous to those in need, pray to God regularly. And on and on, this generosity is a work of God in the human heart. And the people of God need to be marked by unusual, lavish generosity. My wife is a full-time writer. She works with different clients. She's had a recent writing assignment, writing an autobiography of an exceptionally wealthy person in the city of Cape Town. Who happens to be a believer whose faith in Jesus is translated into a generous approach to finances. So I asked Julie if I could without naming the person, just snatched the pot in the book where this guy speaks through his autobiography on the importance of generosity. He writes this. If you ever had a pile of cash, real notes, in any great amount, if you have, you'll know as I do that money literally stinks. It's filthy. It has the smell about it that's difficult to wash off. If you chase money, you won't ever get enough of it. Life is not about money. It's about creating opportunities for others. That's why I still work so hard. He doesn't need to work hard anymore, obviously, to create more opportunities for others, to maximize what I've been given. That's what motivates me now. Most days, I pray a simple prayer. God, help me to make it good for other people. Like Abraham, we are blessed to be a blessing. Isn't that so much more rewarding? In my opinion, there's nothing better. Whatever you do, don't ever chase the money. Don't do this or that because you're gonna earn this or that. Never be money-driven. Money is not bad in and of itself, but the love of money is evil. If you don't use it correctly, it will bring you much more hardship than joy. Rather spend your life thinking about what you can build. And don't wait until you've got this or achieved that before you start trying to positively impact others. Use what you've got right now. I often meet young people who have one goal to make money. You can tell that they're more interested in what they're going to earn from the still in the deal itself. And it creates a kind of blindness. I always say to this young person, never look at the money, look at the deal itself. Is it a good deal? Is it good for the buyer and the seller and the people at impact? If everyone is happy and benefiting, go for it. Money is the byproduct of doing good business. Don't fall in love with it. It's only visiting. Just like any friend, if you don't treat it well, it will leave. We stay free from the love of money by using it well and giving it away generously. I've seen this throughout my own life and the more you give the more you receive. Some people just seem to always have an abundance. They freely spread their wealth many ways and it uplifts many people, never runs out. But others try to hold on to it and keeps all for themselves. And it has this kind of power over them. Instead of using money, money is using them. I see those with all kinds of people. Not only rich people, but poor people. A poverty mindset can sit in and you think you have a power over others, but it is money that has a power over you. I've discovered that happiness doesn't come from how much money you keep but how much you can give away. A typhus can never receive. But if you open your hand, you never run out. If you feed people, you will never go hungry. Giving like this gives me such pleasure. In fact, I believe it's one of life's greatest choice. It's pretty motivated to be more generous of during that section of the sky's autobiography. There's a specific kind of generosity that the New Testament teaches and that's giving to underwrite God's work through the local church. And this is really important because giving to God's work through the church focuses on changing lives. The money underwrites the advance of the gospel and life changing the work of God in our city. I love that the money that comes into signal, we're turning that money into love as we give. So many boys and girls, men and women, people in our church, people beyond our church, people whose suffering will benefit from the ministry that every ran releases. So, you know, Jodi, all the staff are part-time staff, interestingly. But one of the people that is on the staff is Jodi who heads up the pre-teens but we also give, we also cover his work with Scripture Union. And what he does is he works into some schools directly but he also trains youth workers and the moment he's training 25 youth workers from churches around, kept on many of them being disadvantaged areas. And giving to God's work through the church is an investment in eternity. Jesus said, we should stir up our treasures in heaven. Most wise investors say, invest for 30 years but Jesus is the chief financial officer of the universe and he says, no man, invest for 30 million years. We cannot take our money with us but we can't, by the way, Jesus didn't literally say that. Paraphrasing him. For those of you who need a church, you're like, oh, where's that verse? We cannot take our money with us but we can cause it to echo into eternity when we visit in lives, change for God's glory, we change the eternal landscape a little. I hope you can hear that I don't want your money. I want something for you. I want you to know the joy and the freedom and the reward of being a generous person in your life and generous to underwriting the work of God in our city through Signal Church. I've got such a sense that the money doesn't come from you anyway, it comes from God. It comes through you. But there's a sense that God will provide in Turkey I had this hour of God speaking to me so thickly about Signal Church. And I felt God say, I will so richly resource the Church's ventures and ministry costs. I look to God, we as a leadership team look to God to provide, give us the provision for the vision. But the way God provides we know is through his people. Open your hands, experience the liberality and the liberty of being generous. So God, Jesus building a generous church. Secondly, Jesus is building a serving church. He's building a serving church. And you get the sense that these guys were like whatever it takes. It feels like the Acts to church, they were all potato peelers. It's just like, what needs to be done? As the church developed, then they started teaching about find your spiritual gift. But as they drew some churches, that teaching hadn't yet arrived. It's like something needs to get done, do it. I love that analogy, potato peelers, potato peeling for the Lord. Just do what needs to be done. I still remember the sheer embarrassment the previous church I was part of. I ended up being on the leadership team for almost two decades. But when I first joined the church, I was socializing, socializing as the meeting was ending. And they were packing away the chairs, but I was socializing hard. And then one of the staff said, "Taren, can you just help pack the chairs?" But I knew that I had to leave right now to the next thing. So I said, I'm so sorry, I've got to go now. Didn't think it was the thing of it until the pastor organized a coffee with me to address this issue. Said, "Taren, this is true." That while everyone was packing chairs away, one of the staff asked you to help, and you said you were too busy. I was so embarrassed. I became a chair packer, potato peeler. (audience laughing) (audience laughing) I've got full confidence in your volunteering and the welcome team. If you are an effervescent human being that has got the knack to just say high to someone in a way that makes them feel special, get on the welcome team. Sound team. I mean, Andre's got to screen the right people, but Andre wants to train people, media team. My kids have been volunteering in that for years. I think we, there's some other people that can know the joy of volunteering in that way. I'm fucking be honest. I don't feel any sense of correcting you, but if I reflect on my three years in signal, I would say that it's strong in so many ways, but it's been weak in a serving instinct. I'm just gonna be honest. I'm not speaking about right now. Today, for all I know, many of you gone on LinkedIn and already clicked on the Join the Kids team or, you know? But actually, when Mike and Julia have just joined the staff arrived, she said to me, "Terran, I've been struck by how many people "have said no when I ask them for help." And she asked the question. She says, "Do you think it's got something to do "with being a charismatic church?" So I said, "Sorry, I don't understand." She says, "Well, charismatic church, you arrive "and you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit." And basically, it can actually generate quite a self-orientated spirituality. I denied it, but as I reflected on it, I was like, "It might be something to it." Then you realize, when the Bible speaks about being Spirit-filled, it actually means being Spirit-spilled. And the Bible speaks about Spirit-filled. The picture isn't of you as an empty jar. "I need a few more drops in me." The Bible speaks about it's being Spirit-filled. It's because you've got, you're flowing over with the Holy Spirit. So, by all means, come empty-handed and receive the touch of Jesus. I need it every week of my life. But don't stop at needing the touch of God. Become the hands of Jesus. Not just Spirit-filled, Spirit-spilled. We can open up our homes. We can serve in all kinds of ways. And then the last one, Jesus is building a multiplying church. You're ready for some vision. You're ready to straighten to the future and just think what could be. I know I'm struck by how many of my friends are not that interested in the future. I'm like, "The future is everything." And they're like, "The future doesn't exist, Aaron." Where only the present exists. And like, that's quite a thought. Yes, but what we do now is going somewhere and where God is calling us, surely that'll call more out of us. The Jerusalem church multiplied. It multiplied disciples. Each one reached one. It multiplied homes. It starts off in one upper room. But then they start breaking bread in many homes. It multiplies leaders in Acts chapter six. And ultimately in multiplied churches. If I can just put up that slide. The New Testament, Acts chapter two, there's just one church in the world. And that lasts for six or seven chapters in the book of Acts. For all they know, the Jerusalem churches think this is it. We are the New Jerusalem church. What they don't know is that God is planning on multiplying them because by the time you hit the end of the New Testament, which is 80, 70, they are no less than 54 churches and now it's starting to grow exponentially so that by the time we hit 2024, we are on four million churches. When I first joined Signal, I, the metaphor that came to me strongest again and again was that we were a church by a spring. And there was just this infinite supply of the water of the spirit. And that was the distinguishing market signal. This unusual easiness in slipping into the presence of God. I don't want to say other churches don't have that. So I just, I felt that would characterize our church. Then second to that was the word multiply and the picture keep getting my mind. I drop off my kid at West of it. One of them in West of it. And I drive past the Newlands Springs. And you know, the Newlands spring, they used to have one tap and then the queues got longer and longer and somebody said, "Why don't we multiply the taps?" And there was no excuse because everyone knew there was an infinite supply of water. So they multiplied the Newlands spring taps and lonely hold every tap opens full. Multiply tap signal church. Multiply serving. We add stuff strategically in Signal church. I say to all the staff, your job is not to monopolize the ministry. It's to multiply the ministry. So we add stuff to multiply serving. We don't want to understoff, but we also don't want to overstoff. 'Cause you overstoff, then people go, yeah, basically they end up doing all the work. No, the joy of life is to get everybody doing the stuff. Everybody gets to play. Looking for stuff that multiply the ministry opportunities for others. Multiply serving. Multiply homes. So wonderful being in new homes. My nightclub week are in two different homes. One week, one week. Beautiful magnificent homes that were made, not just for a family, but the family of God. Multiply leaders when I was in Turkey, I'll tell you what God said to me. I'm adding so many leaders to Signal. Truly some of the most talented and anointed and skilled leaders. Identify them, bring them in, make space for them, train them, release them. Even as I say those words, I can't think of anything more exciting to do with my life than to see other people flourishing their gifting. I've had so many ministry opportunities when I was like 20. I was like, "Somebody give me a turn!" But no, I'm 50. I've had so many turns, like, I just want everybody to have turns. To kneel is on our staff, just one day a week. And I still remember saying the words don't monopolize the ministry, multiply the ministry, but they don't need to say to kneel, I noticed you hardly ever lead worship. She said, "Well, I'm multiplying the ministry." I said, "To kneel, I still want you to lead worship "from time to time." But you know what to kneel has done? She has stewarded the people that are coming in and has brought us to a place where we have seven worship bands. (applause) Body? Twelve worship leaders and seven worship bands. Yeah, if we can't have more bands, yeah. Seven's the perfect number, you're stuck. Okay, no more worship bands. To kneel keeps saying, "Can we multiply like meetings "so we can have more people turns?" Multiply churches signal. I love David Childs. I always call him David Child, but David, you know, David who preached two weeks ago. Did you read the newsletter? Oh, my gosh. I read it again and again. I was like, "This is the best newsletter I've ever read." He wrote this, "As I reflect on these past weeks, "it's evidence to me that the series was not "named 'Build Accidentity.'" We have been defining and refining values, priorities and practices that we will build with. I believe not only for this local church, but for churches to come and generations to follow. If our mindset for a church is limited to what happens on 55 A. Clue Street on a Sunday morning, or only what happens in 2024, even the next few years, we are thinking way too small. If we were to imagine ourselves as a seed, what a seedled church looked like 10 years from now. I've struck up a friendship with Mark Simpson, who heads up every nation church, and they're predominantly young people because they meet in their evenings, they start off in the city a few years ago, and I went to, I basically went along last Sunday night. I just wanted to see for my own eyes what's happening. And this beautiful community that just, Gareth is actually part of that community. And you've been part of that journey. And what did it start? That when did Mark arrive to take that little group into something? 2020 and COVID. So 2020, there's a small group of people saying we need a pastor. Mark Simpson's arrives. Last Sunday night, there were about 450, 500 people gathering. The two different congregations met as one. It was so inspiring, I spent time with Mark, and he said, you know, we met in the city and people drive in. So he realized this, actually, you can't find bigger venues in the city. But then he, it dawns on him, as a city church, we specially poised when people are driving in to plant where those people are coming from. So a year ago, they're planted at, in Wisterford High, and it's grown to 160 people. And I'm praying with him, and now, God, please open up in Seaboard. There's a ton of people from the Atlantic Seaboard coming along. But as I spent time with him, I got thinking that I think we're on a similar track. I think something similar is going to be happening to us. We have so many people driving in. You can't find bigger and bigger venues in the city, not that I would want to. Honestly, I have led a church of over 1,000 people before, and it was wonderful. But in my heart of hearts, it's not like my vision for seniors to grow to 1,000 people. I would much rather four churches of 300 than one church of 1,200. Multiply churches. Early days, I'm not sure where we're going to go with this. But when I look at the talent and the gifts and the callings in the room, surely we can't keep it here. Surely it's going somewhere. And I would so kind to such an honor if I could be part of seeing men and women raised up to plant churches and lead churches and do such exciting work for God. And then my last point is multiply nations. While I was in Turkey, I felt God say, "Signal will send our church planners to so many nations." Raised leaders up with a view to sending them out. Camels laden in the mission of Jesus to other nations. As a general rule, I encouraged them first to lead a church here in Cape Town before planting a church there. I wonder what international impact this church will have. If that was the only word speaking to me in Turkey, because that definitely didn't take psychedelic so anything. It was just coming to me hard and strong. I wonder what the future has for us. Dave in his newsletter says, "When Notre Dame was built, it took 180 years to build that's around six generations who would have given their lives to construct something that the majority would never have completed. They had to trust the architect's plans. We need to trust his plans to build his church. If we had to join with Jesus as he builds his church so that the gates of hell do not prevail against it, then we must build with blueprints and plans and strategies that can be replicated and can lost the next few hundred years and generations to follow. I wish I could have a coffee with India Freya and say, "What are you looking for?" Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, you place your life on him. He is permanence and power all packed into one. Something so rock solid to build your life on. Knowing Jesus is the best thing you could do with your life. My 50th surprise party, my wife, caught me by surprise on Friday night. I had a surprise party. And then they asked me to do a quick speech after other people had spoken. And I can think of something instantaneously and only one thing, suddenly I remembered when I was 21. And I was actually, we used what's Jubilee Church in our venue as for our 21st, me and my fellow Christian friend. We used the church venue, we did a joint 21. And I remember sharing a verse from Jeremiah that says, "Let not the wise person boast in their wisdom, let not the rich person boast in their riches, let not the strong person boast in their strength, but let him who rejoices rejoicing this that he knows and understands God." And I shared that verse and I said, "This is the verse I'm choosing for my life." I want to know God. A generation holds up a false gospel and says the best thing you could do with your life is, you know yourself. Not true. No God. And I sit out on that path when I was 21 and then I suddenly, I'm 50 and I look back. And what in most, how many years is that? 29 years. And then he said 39. 29 years later. Did the path work? It worked fantastically. Build your life on Jesus Christ. There are cool things in the world. Don't chase off to them. Don't build your life on them. Build your life on the rock, Jesus Christ. He will build his church and on this rock. He will do it. Can I ask you to stand? I think we've run out of time. I took the gap to give you a lot of excitement about the future and an injection into the sense of who we are as a church. Can I pray for us? Can we have the band on the stage? Not on the stage. In front of the stage. Can we maybe just sing like one chorus if that's okay? Not a whole song. Just like one chorus. Jesus, we love you. We love you. And I pray for those of you that are new to church or back in church after a long time. I know we spoke a lot about the church. Maybe you're not interested in the church. But I hope you got a little interested in Jesus. The rock upon which you can build your life. The one in whom you can send the roots of your life down. Find such nourishment for your soul. Such joy, such peace, such strength, such wisdom, such perspective. In the signal church, dream, believe in God. You're a seed that the Holy Spirit is engrafted and genetic into. You're made to be multiplied. You're made for kingdom impact in this world. And you have a pot to play. Don't doubt it. (gentle music)