Reject Apathy Embrace the Gospel Accept Responsibility Lead Boldly Remember this line: "I think it's time we take our relationship to the next level"? We're going there! We asking you to consider if it's time to move from the crowd to the committed. To be a partner of FREE Church. We use the word partner rather than member because our idea of membership is shaped by the gym or country club, where we pay fees to use the facilities, and it drives a consumer ethos. partnership speaks of active participation, ownership, commitment and responsibility - words which might trigger a little phobia, but which are integral to what Jesus calls us to. Paul uses the word partnership in Philippians 1:5 "because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." This word really means fellowship. While he does use the word "member" too, it is always the context of body parts - members of one body. FREE Dinner is the moment where we share what it means to be a partner. So, if you joined us at the last FREE Dinner, please, please get those partnership questionnaires back to us! Here's why: on 22 May 22, we want to take a moment to make this official, pray you in as partners of FREE Church! The next FREE Dinner is coming up on 15 June 22, and you can book your place here We believe that committing to a local church is absolutely key to following Jesus! Church attendance is infected with a malaise of conditional loyalty which has produced an army of ecclesiastical hitchhikers....The entire Christian life is about commitment — first and above all to Christ, but also to the Church, to family, to marriage, to friendship, to ministry. None of these will ever flourish apart from commitment. R. Kent Hughes In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Paul explains that God has given (entrusted to) us M&M's - the ministry and message and reconciliation. Ministry means to "carry of the commands of". Reconciliation means "restoration to divine favor". "Us" means those who follow Jesus, i.e. the Church. Another way to say this is that God has charged those of us who follow Jesus to be His representatives here on earth, to release life, bring hope, stand against injustice - to actively participate in sharing the good news of the Gospel and be a co-worker in the advance of his Kingdom. In essence, to set things right. And we do it together, in the context of the Church - the body of Christ. Paul gave his life to and for this purpose. He boldly declared the Gospel no matter what opposition he faced. There was one moment in particular that he wrote about, where he and his co-workers were accused of turning the world upside down. 1 Thessalonians 2:2 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. Ref Acts 17:1-9 This accusation was levelled against them, not because they caused a riot, but because they were rebels against the prevailing world system - the Roman Empire. The declared a king greater that Caesar, a peace greater than Rome could delivered, and called people to turn from worshipping idols and follow Jesus. They were setting things right! To turn the world upside down is not to start a riot, but to set things right. The Gospel, the M&M of reconciliation has the power to set things right. It empowers us to overcome the desires of the flesh, to transform the way we think instead of conforming to the ways of the world, and to push back the kingdom of darkness. Many of us would like to see change, but to actually make it happen, experience #REALCHANGE, even when things are difficult, dangerous and uncomfortable, we must be prepared to: Reject Apathy Embrace the Gospel Accept Responsibility Lead Boldly That means, like Paul, deciding to commit, to understand the Gospel in a greater way, to accept the message and ministry of reconciliation, and to lead courageously, even in the face of difficultly, danger and discomfort! You can find the full video and audio message here Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash

Luke 22 (CSB) 67 They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I do tell you, you will not believe. 68 And if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” Mark 16 (CSB) 19 So the Lord Jesus, after speaking to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. These two bookends of the crucifixion and resurrection captivated me as I read through the Gospel accounts in the week leading up to Easter. Jesus made this masterstroke statement declaring his superior and ultimate authority over those who sat in judgement over him. It gave them what they needed to sentence him to death (they perceived it to be blasphemy), but it also established a truth that has eternal ramifications. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God because his work on the cross is finished. The debt paid in full. The seat at the right hand is a place of favour. And it is also the place of the "right hand man" - the one who has authority. So, seated at the right hand of God, Jesus has rest, favour, and authority. Rest. Favour. Authority. Here's how it applies to you and I: Ephesians 2 (CSB) ​1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift ​— ​ 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. Often we talk about what God has done for us - giving his Son to die for our sins. While true, we need to pay more attention perhaps to what God has done with us. He has made us alive with Christ. He has raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. So, Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and those who have come to salvation are raised up and seated with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus. This means, really, that your spirit is in Christ, seated where he is seated. By implication, you have rest, favour and authority. Often it doesn't feel like that, perhaps because we miss the difference between soul and spirit. The soul: body, mind, will and emotions. The spirit: the part that was dead, but comes to life by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. The soul is where the battle takes place. In the passage above, Paul writes about the fleshly desires, the ruler of the power of the air, and ways of this world. Here we see three areas that are opposed to the will of God. Our fleshly nature, the ruler of this world, and the world system. So, we have this tension between a spirit that is fully alive, seated in the spiritual realm (heavens), and a soul that is a work in progress in the physical realm. There are many passages that talk about this progress, and this is where our hope lies. Phil 1:6 "....will bring it to completion..." 2 Cor 3:18 "....we are be transformed..." Phil 3:12 "....have not attained but press on..." Rom 12:2 "....be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Gal 5:1 "....don't submit again to the yoke of the evil one..." A big part of our faith journey is yielding to the will of God in our souls. By the power of the Spirit, and understanding that our spirit fights from victory (rest, favour, authority) and not for victory. It is imperative to realize the authority that our spirit has in Christ Jesus! And with that realization should come a recognition of responsibility. I'm seated in the heavenlies and I'm stewarding here Sometimes, we don't realize how willing God is to share his power and majesty with us. We don't recognize the privilege that we have to be the stewards of the earth. We are waiting on God to do something, he is waiting on us to step into the authority he has already given to us. Imagine how different things might be if, from now on, we truly stepped into the rest, favour and authority that we already have?

You can find links to the podcast and YouTube message here. In Joshua Ch10, we read about Joshua praying a bold courageous thing - that God would literally stop the sun in the sky. He doesn't start with "Dear Lord", and he doesn't end with "amen". He doesn't even pray the right words scientifically. And yet, God invents the first PVR! There are many theories of how this happened. The question I have, though, is if you are trusting for miracle, are you more concerned with how it happens, or who is doing it? What is your “Sun, stand still” prayer? It’s easy to believe that God would do something like that for Joshua, but would he do it for you too? It’s time to believe God for the impossible! While many of the prayers that we pray are good, sometimes they are a bit small. Our prayers are directly related to what our view of God is If you're ASK is not big, maybe your view of God is too small? Paul shares this amazing prayer: 2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NIV) With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. There are three things in there: Orientation. Invitation. Determination. Orientation - living a life that is turned towards God; worthy of that calling that He has made us worthy of. In short, choosing to do the right thing, even when we have made mistakes.00 Invitation - that by His power, God would bring to completion desires for goodness. The will of God is good, pleasing and perfect (Rom 12:2) Determination - that by His power, the actions we take will have impact, a faith filled determination. The same three things are evident in the Joshua / Sun, Stand Still story. The miraculous outcome begins with a mistake. Israel makes a treaty with the Gibeonites in Ch9, without enquiring of the Lord. This leads to some complexity when they turn out to be neighbors and not travelers from far off. However, Joshua chooses to do the right thing. Not the easy thing. Not the popular thing. But the right thing. He sticks to his word, even when the rest of Israel wants to take the Gibeonites out. And then, he rallies the troops to fight on behalf of the Gibeonites when they are attacked by the 5 king coalition. I wonder if the way Joshua acts, with integrity and honor, after releasing a mistake had been made, was not the set up for the miracle. It's an orientation toward God, doing the right thing, once a mistake is realized. There must have come a point in the battle where Joshua remembered what God had promised, that none of the enemy would be able to stand against them, and what he was seeing didn't line up with what God had said. This may have been the prompt for him to pray his bold prayer - and invitation for God to do the miraculous. To see the sun stand still. He linked his prayer to a promise of God, and he prayed it publicly. There is something in this; praying a big bold prayer publicly - because when it happens, people will know, it is only God that could have done it. Perhaps the prayers we pray should be crazy enough to make people think we are crazy! What Joshua prays for is telling. He doesn't pray for an outcome. He prays for an opportunity to be part of the journey to the outcome. Basically he is saying, "God, keep they lights on, so that we can finish the job". Determination, prompted by faith. A lot of the prayers we pray are outcome focused. What if we began to shift them to be opportunity focused. Instead of praying for God to save this or that person, how about praying that God would give you the opportunity to be the one who leads them to salvation? Orientation. Invitation. Determination. I'm trusting that this message is just a catalyst to change the way you pray. To raise the faith in your heart. To believe God for the impossible. What is your Sun, Stand Still prayer? Will you be bold enough to pray it, and ask for an opportunity to be part of the journey to the outcome? Ephesians 3:20-21 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

You can watch the full service here or listen to the message podcast here We have been working through the book of Joshua and following the story of the Israelite nation as they move from a season in the wilderness (a desert like place they were in for 40 years after their escape from Egypt) on route to the land that God had promised them…The Israelites are moving into an unknown geography, are nomadic (no fixed buildings or fortresses to hide behind), limited supply chain and I imagine they needed serious courage for the battles ahead of them. In Chapters 6, 7 and 8 there are three battles. Battle 1 - Jericho (Ch 6) Can you imagine the elation they must have felt - their first battle a triumphant success! They had taken the strategic city of Jericho and it was the perfect start to their campaign in the promised land.. Take notice of the strategy and how God did things differently to how man would in the story - not sure if this had ever been used as a military strategy before (marching around a walled city 7 times)…But they trusted the word of the Lord - acted on it and it leads to an incredible victory! It doesn’t end here though- this was the first of many battles they would fight… Battle 2 - Ai (Ch7) They follow their own plans and suffer defeat the city of AI. A series of things then happen and they identify Achan and his family as guilty of having kept some of the plunder. Battle 3 - Ai v2 (Ch8) This time, they follow the plans of God and defeat the city of AI. There are two big themes here in the context of finding courage: The perspective of God The presence of God Perspective of God First thing we see in the 2nd battle (Ch 7) is that they don’t go into it with a promise or a plan from God…Call it the perspective of God..Israel seem to place more emphasis on the perspective of the spies/soldiers than they do on the perspective of God… At Jericho…Their confidence was in God…In his presence he gives them a promise (The Lord said..) of victory and then a plan (march 7 times - his perspective) to win the battle based on what He could see. They follow his plans obediently, which unlocks his power and he delivers victory for them… They underestimated the enemy and overestimated their own strength. The danger in placing our confidence/courage in what we can see and control is that 1 - we have a limited perspective compared to God (he sees it all) and 2. when the things we can see or control change or shift, we can often find our confidence disappears. It applies when we don’t have courage too - at times see things from out perspective and look at our lack or what we don’t have and disqualify ourselves - How can we? I don’t have? What if? Look at them? Which brings fear and doubt into our situation. Israel had lost the perspective of God. Put another way, they had lost God’s thoughts and his Word about their situation which led to them being paralyzed in fear and their courage melting away. You could say it like this then, when the Word of the Lord disappeared, they lost courage and were paralyzed with fear. Or better, the Word of the Lord is our source of Courage. We too can find perspective and courage in the word of God - he knows and sees everything and then speaks it into being. He has gone before us and he will reveal things to us through his spirit. Similar to when I was a kid and the light was switched on - When I saw things for what they were - call it truth - and I experienced peace and courage. His revelation and his truth are in his Word. Are we seeking his perspective and revelation/word and willing to follow that obediently like in the battle of Jericho? Or are we still looking at things from our perspective and trying to fight our battles on our own? Trusting in ourselves? Relying on what you can see? Your perspective? What is in your hands? What is not in your hands? Or is God perhaps calling you to surrender those things at his cross… Why didn’t they have the perspective of revelation of God at this battle? 1 - It could have been an over-confidence in themselves after the battle of Jericho…perhaps even an arrogance... or maybe an ignorance of the presence of God among them…Perspective issue 2- Or was it due to the sin of Achan and the consequences - God not wanting to remain in their presence…Presence issue I think it could be a combination of these things…But lets take a look at Joshua’s response… Presence of God In a situation like this, I think it is so easy to blame others or circumstance when things don’t work out the way we expect or where things don’t go as planned…Take a look at Joshua, we don’t see him blaming of the spies or pointing of fingers at them to find fault. We don’t see anger at the soldiers for running away…Instead, we read the following… 6Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the Lord until evening. 7Then Joshua cried out… This is a picture of humility and surrender. In God’s presence - Joshua receives a fresh perspective / revelation from God Being in His presence gives us access to his perspective and in n His presence we get access to His plan to get out of his place of despair/fear… In his God’s presence we gain his perspective and his plan… I think there are things in our lives that God wants us to surrender in order to experience his presence, before he is able to unlock his promises in our lives…I think at times, like Joshua, we are not aware of some of the things in our heart that God desires…Things he is asking us to address…There are parts of our hearts that are sacred, areas that he wants us to surrender to him…Things of this world that we sometimes fight to keep hold of (or worship) and place before him, money, work, status, people, spouses, bosses, material things, lust, greed, jealousy, power etc. I think he sometimes asks us to surrender these things, to set them aside in order for us to experience the fulness of his presence and then see him work in the other areas of our lives to bring about his promises. God wanted to deal with things in their hearts before he delivered things in the land… A picture of victory in the spiritual before victory in the physical…Sometimes we only look to the external battles we are facing and don’t look internally at what is going on…Sometimes the battle is internal and external…And when we conquer internal, God can then change the external… Purify yourselves…The heart of God is pure…While Israel had a ritual to follow and priests to access God on their behalf…We have Jesus who takes us from a ritual into a relationship…What do I mean by this? For Israelites - they had to perform rituals and sacrifices to be made right with God..For us, through Jesus’ work on the cross, we can all experience the presence of God…Through faith in his works, not our own..When we accept the free gift of salvation, placing our trust in Jesus, we too are seen as pure before God and are welcomed into his presence… In Ephesians 3:12 Pauls says, It is Because of Christ and our faith in him, that we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. In the week ahead, won’t you join me in taking the posture of Joshua - let’s pursue the presence of God. Imagine if we all spent time in his presence, asking him to show us those things he needs us to surrender to him and then purify ourselves before him by asking for and receiving his forgiveness…Like for Israel, I wonder what promises and victory lie on the other side of that obedience for us… After purification and the sin has been removed, the chapter ends with.. So the Lord was no longer angry. The Promise and Power of God In Chapter 8 we see Israel Purified and restored into the Presence of God - armed with the Perspective/Revelation of God some incredible things start to happen as he moves from working on their internal struggles to the external promises he has for them… Chapter 8 1Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land. 2You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town.” The chapter then goes on to describe a detailed account of valleys and an ambush set up through the night, the city being burned to the ground, the enemy army surrounded on both sides and every living thing in Ai being killed and it ends with the King impaled on a pole. Talk about a turn around!! Take a look at some of the things going on here… The Lord reminds Joshua of his original promise from Joshua Chapter 1 - Do not be afraid or discouraged for I am with you…Incredible picture of the redemptive nature of God…I have a promise for your life, my word will not return void. Yes, you have messed up, but guess what - my grace is bigger than what you have done..You are forgiven..Get up! Lets go - for I am with you and my promises are still true! We see His presence - “Then the Lord said” - he was with them We see His promise/revelation - “I have given you..You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho” We see His Plan - “Set an ambush” Israel then obediently follow the Lord’s Plan… We then see His Power unlocked We then see His Promises fulfilled - Victory in the battle Joshua finds fresh courage in the presence of God Joshua finds fresh courage in the perspective of God - or rather, he finds fresh courage in the Word of God, in two ways here: Word of God - There is a Promise Word of God - There is a Plan To bring it all together we could say it like this… Purified, they experience the Presence of God. In his presence they receive the Perspective or Word of God - the Promises and Plans of God..When they obediently followed the Plans of God it unlocked the Power of God and delivered the Promise of God in their lives.

You can listen to the full message here or watch it on YouTube here Joshua 5 tells the story of the Israelites first few weeks inside the promised land. It is a pause moment; a time of preparation and alignment to get them battle ready! Testimonies pave the way to new territories In the very first verse of the chapter, we read about how the news of what God had done traveled ahead of the Israelites, all the way to the coast, and unsettled the opposition. When we tell testimonies about what God has done, those stories have power to stir faith and silence the opposition, preparing the way for us to move into new territories! What story are you telling? Faith is the key to covenant The testimony of God's power put the enemy on the back foot, and just as well, because what came next put the Israelites in a vulnerable place. God required this new generation to go through the process of circumcision - something that had been neglected since they left Egypt. This was a mark of the covenant made with Abraham back in Genesis 17, and was a requirement for celebrating the Passover meal. This would be the third Passover - the first was the original one in Egypt, the second a year later at Mt Sinai, and now this one, some forty years on. Following the circumcision and Passover, God then told them their reproach from Egypt had been removed. In essence, this is a picture of restoration to Divine promise, a mark of the covenant, a reminder of God redemption, and their shame being removed. For us, the key to covenant is not circumcision, but simply faith in Christ. See Galatians 5:2-6 When we believe in the Lord Jesus, we are moved into covenant, redeemed and our shame is removed. Do you find your self trying to do things to get into covenant, or simply believing in faith that you are in covenant and your shame is removed? It is by grace through faith that we are saved! Moving from consumer to producer is a sign of progress Once the Israelites had been through this process, the miraculous manna that they had been living off stopped, and they ate of the produce of the land. They moved from being consumers to producers. This would have been the first time this generation had eaten anything else, and the first time they would have sowed and harvested. Moving from consumer to producer is a sign of progress in our faith journey. It's something that happens in a response to what God has done for us. Likely, the Israelites would have brought the firstfruits offering, something God had instructed Moses about way back in Leviticus 23. The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. This is why we encourage and teach the principle of the first - honoring God with the first - and the Biblical concept of sowing and reaping. As the Israelites began to eat of the produce, and farm the land, they were taking ownership, and it was opening up options for them - new kinds of food they had never tasted! There is blessing attached to sowing and reaping. In fact, if you go back to Genesis 2, you see in verse 15 that Adam was instructed to work the land and care for it - and this was before the fall. So, one can see that sowing and harvesting is a kind of restoration to God's original plan. The reasons we sow with time, treasures and talents is in are firstly as a response to God's goodness, secondly their is blessing attached to it for us, and thirdly it aligns us with purpose to be a blessing to others. Are you a consumer or a producer? What step can you take to make a shift from consuming to producing? Perhaps it is beginning to return the tithe to God, or, joining the Dream Team to sow with your time and talents? Perhaps it is investing time with your family by being fully present with them? This is God's battle, not ours! The chapter ends with a strange encounter that Joshua has with the commander of the army of the Lord. There are a few things that we can learn. First, God is committed to the battle. Second, this is God's battle, not ours. The response to Joshua is telling - I'm not on your side, neither am I on your enemy's side. In other words - God is not on the side of one people group (or church), and not on the side of another. Rather, he is on the side of redemption of humanity, and against darkness and evil. And instead of asking him to fight our battles, it's better to ask him where our rightful place is in his army in his battle. It is in that place that we will find purpose and victory. Whose command are you under? Are you under the command of the commander of the Lord's army, or are you trying to be the commander of the commander of the Lords army? Testimony. Covenant. Provision. Commander. When we understand that the testimony of God goes before us, that we are in covenant by faith and not by works, that there is a move to make from consumer to producer, and that we have a commander under whose leadership it is good to submit, we are on the way to being battle ready for what lies ahead!

Did you know you can listen to the full message here ? We all need courage to face the many things going on in our lives, in our country and in the world today. In January this year, our son James became really, really sick, and after a few days of sky-high fevers, many doctors’ visits and test, I eventually carried him into the hospital looking for answers as he could no longer walk. A turning point came when a medical professional in the radiology department chose to go the extra mile in her search for a diagnosis. She is a hero in our family! She saved our sons life! After being admitted to hospital James went for an MRI… This moment was the moment I had to muster all of the courage I could find as horrible medical and permanent words went flying through my brain as I watched him go into that terrifying machine. James’ one prayer was that he wouldn’t need surgery. We prayed together that God’s will be done… but also, that he wouldn’t need surgery. James was diagnosed with an infection in his spine and two abscess next to his spine. He spent seven days in hospital on IV antibiotics and slowly began to walk again. James is still on antibiotics, but we look forward to the day in about 3 weeks’ time, when we are officially off the meds. The MRI was on a Friday, on the Monday the neurosurgeon walked into James’ hospital room and declared that he would most definitely have taken James straight into theatre if he had seen him on the Friday, because “You nearly died!” Well, that’s encouraging isn’t it! Actually, it was encouraging, because now James has a BIG testimony of how God answered his prayer… he didn’t have surgery and he got better! God heard his cry and answered. I tell you this story, not to get sympathy, but because I believe that the enemy of Heaven is out to get us as Christ followers and He often attacks our fruitfulness… that can often look like our children. This is not to scare you, but rather I hope to give you courage. You see even if you look at the story of Moses. At the time Moses was born the Pharaoh of the time was getting concerned that the Israelites were growing in number and strength, he worried that they would overpower the Egyptians. So, he ordered that all baby boys be killed. Moses’ parents were courageous in the face of such an order and decided to hide their beautiful baby boy. When they could no longer keep him in hiding anymore, they put Moses into a basket and sent him down the river, only to be discovered by Pharaoh's daughter. So instead of being killed, Moses was raised in a palace! Brought up knowing all kinds of things about the Egyptians, that he may never have learnt otherwise. This is the same Moses that went on to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land. The very thing that Pharaoh feared came true by someone raised in his palace! My point is, that in this story and similarly in the time when Jesus was born, the enemy attacks the children. That’s why I think that Joshua chapter 4 is such an important chapter for us to read. Because I believe that in this chapter we will find fresh courage, not only for us, but for our children. Joshua 4: 4- 9 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go across to the ark of the Lord your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes, 6 so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 you should tell them, ‘The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off.’ Therefore, these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.” 8 The Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded them. The twelve men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there. 9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle[b] of the Jordan where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are still there today. It must have been wonderful to be those 12 men, after the chaos and the crowds had passed through the Jordan river on dry land, they got to walk around in the miracle and really see what God has done. To linger and look and LIVE IN THE MIRACLE MOMENT. How often do we pray for God to do a miracle and then just march right through the miracle and carry on with our lives? Do we stop and actually digest all that God has done? Do we take time to take note and tell others of the goodness of God? In vs 6 it says: “When your children ask in time to come”… God knows children ask lots of questions, and I think He knows our forgetfulness. So he tells them to build a memorial from stones so that when their children ask, they will remember to tell them all about the goodness of God. Now we don’t have to build a memorial from stones every time God brings a breakthrough in our lives… we can take photos, write in our journal, publish the goodness of God in our lives in many creative ways! But more than that, we get to be living testimonies of God’s goodness because we have become those memorial stones by the finished work of Jesus on the cross. 1 Peter 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We are living testimonies of God’s goodness. We get to tell our children that God is a personal God who keeps His promises! God keeps His promises to His people because He has a PURPOSE for each one of us! He has individual purpose for each of us, but He also has one overall purpose for all of us who call ourselves Christ followers. That is simply to REVEAL GOD AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. In every encounter we have we get to tall people of God’s great love. We get to bring hope into dark places simply because we are living testimonies of God’s goodness. We get to always be looking for opportunities to share hope in this dark world… and hope has a name, His name is Jesus! Joshua 4:20- 24 goes on to say: And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea[b] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” Do you see the progression? In the beginning of the chapter it refers to the children, at the end the language changes to descendants. God is a multi-generational God. He knows that their great-grandchildren will need courage too. So, He tells them to build a lasting memorial so that for generations to come they will know the goodness of God. God wants us to be people that BULD A LEGACY OF FAITH. We should be telling our children and grandchildren about God’s goodness so that they in turn will know that God is good. Not just through stories about other people, but our personal testimony of how God has brought breakthrough, so that they will know God is a personal God who wants to be included in their lives too. You may have lots of children; you may have none. As a community have many children, and I believe God is wanting us to rise up in courage for the future generations. To tell the children of FREE Church about the goodness of God. We have an incredible Kids Church, so if God is speaking to you about the future generation, that’s a great place to get involved. But we are not there until we are all there… and our teenagers are not there yet! Our teenagers are facing things we never faced as teenagers. These past two years have been incredible hard for them. Suicide rates have escalated, gender-based violence is extreme, cyber bullying is taking it’s toll and our teenagers are struggling with chronic loneliness. We have a responsibility to tell a generation of teenagers about God’s great love for them. To pray for them and introduce them to the hope of the ages who stands outside of time and calls them by name. He who has a hope and a future for them, is ready to do great and mighty things in their generation. FREE Church, we can build a legacy of faith for our children, our children’s children and our children’s children’s children. It starts with us saying a simple yes to pray for our youth, to serve our youth and to build a legacy of faith by telling stories of God’s miraculous power in our lives. Amy

This week, I head about the latest World Bank report that puts South Africa as the most unequal country in the world (that’s #1 of 164 countries). We live in a society where 10 percent of the population owns more than 80 percent of the wealth. Martin Luther King Jr spoke about America having islands of poverty in oceans of prosperity. For us, it’s the other way around. Things are desperately wrong. And it’s going to take more than a few key role players to make a difference. Making a difference is going to take all of us. It’s going to require a collective breakthrough. We’re not there until we are all there. Amy and I attend a conference this alongside people with people who want to make a meaningful difference. One of the speakers shared this quote The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won’t make a life meaningful either” ― Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years Then he reminded us that we are invited into the most epic and meaningful story – God’s story of redemption, healing, hope as He masterfully weaves the threads together to take the world to a future of perfection and good. God is all about about redemption. Take what is broken, making it beautiful. Taking the oppressed, and setting them free. Bringing dead things to life, and light to the dark. You and I have a choice to be part of what God is doing. To move when he moves, to walk in faith and obedience. And we need fresh courage to do that. We’ve learnt that courage is the strength to persevere. The ability to act in the face of danger, discomfort and difficultly. It’s the willingness to let go of the old and step into the new. Courage is committing even when you know you can't control the outcome. Courage is a choice. Courage is contagious. Courage can be cultivated. Courage is one of the greatest virtues. Sometimes courage is starting something new. Sometimes courage is letting go of something old. Sometimes it’s a new direction. Sometimes it’s the same direction with fresh determination. Joshua 3 is a story about collective breakthrough. It tells of the heart of God, how he removes barriers and invites us to move forward, together. There is so much in this chapter, and you can take a listen to the podcast or catch up on YouTube for the full message; these are just a few big thoughts. One of the key things that stood out for me in this chapter, is that the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had to STEP into the river before the flood waters STOPPED. That is the essence of faith! Moving before seeing. Perhaps God is prompting you to take a step of faith before he moves in power to remove some barriers that are holding you back. Don’t wait for things to change before you take a step. Take a step and then watch God change things! In the story we have PEOPLE: The people of God; All they knew was the wilderness! PROMISED LAND: the destination PROBLEM: great barrier - the Jordan River in full flood! PROMPTING: God speaks to and through Joshua PRESENCE: The ark of the covenant, a sign of God’s presence) Mentioned at least 10 times. PRIESTS: those who served between the people and God, and carried out sacrifices PERFECT FAITH: Joshua, who hears what God says, and tells the people how to work that out. POWER: God’s might power that supersedes natural law and rolls the river back 20 miles, and dries out the river bed. I could put it like this. Here are the people of God, with a promise ahead. But there is a problem between them and the promise. They have the presence of God, the priests of God, and the prompting from God. When Joshua responds in perfect faith, the people follow in obedience, and the power of God is released to remove the problem, so that the people can walk through into the promise. The essence of metaphor is understanding and experience one kind of thing in terms of another. So if we take this text and apply it to our lives. PEOPLE: The people of God. You and me. All we know is our current reality. PROMISED LAND: this could be a deeper knowledge of God. More intimacy with Him. More peace. Greater freedom. New joy. More kingdom influence. PROBLEM: great barrier that is in the way. This could be fear, doubt, anxiety, insecurity, you name it. And then we have Jesus. Jesus the PROMPTING: The Word of God - Jesus John 1:14 The Word became flesh and lived among us. Jesus the PRESENCE: Matt 1:23 and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Jesus the great high PRIEST: – Heb 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, Jesus with PERFECT FAITH Heb 10:23 for he who promised is faithful. Yip, spoiler alert: in the story, we are not Joshua. Jesus is. Here we are the people of God who only know our current reality, but desire a promise ahead – there is more!. But there is a problem between us and the promise... We have the presence of God (Jesus), the high priest of God (Jesus), and the prompting from God (Jesus) and perfect faith (of Jesus). When we follow in obedience to what Jesus says, like the Israelites did with Joshua, the the power of God is released to remove the problem, so that the we people can walk through into the promise. And here is the kicker: PURPOSE. why did the Israelites have to move forward? It was NOT just to have a nice place to live! It was so that they could be part of the promise to be a blessing to all nations. So, when the people of God respond, in faith, to the prompting of God, God releases power to remove the problem so the people can walk through into the promise and fulfill their purpose. And as a side note - Don Smith points out in his commentary Portraits of Christ, as a metaphor of people walking into salvation, the river / barrier is removed all the way back to Adam. Surely not coincidence?! This is a story about how Jesus removes barriers for his people to walk from the past into the future. All it takes is for us to follow him in obedience. The essence of faith. The Jordan river is usually 30 meters wide. Assuming it’s a little wider when flooding, let’s say 90m, a person could walk through that dry river bed in under one minute. Yet the priest stayed in the river bed until ALL the Israelites had crossed over. There may have been close to 2 million of them, so it would have taken a lot more than a minute. We often focus on personal breakthrough in our westernized / individualistic culture. I wonder if God is not reminding us here about the power and purpose of collective breakthrough? We’re not there until we are all there. Imagine the Church breaking through as a collective. In faith. In prayer life, in knowing God in a greater way. Is the kingdom advancing, across the country, the world? We’re not there until we are all there. So the purpose of collective breakthrough, really, is to make a meaningful difference to the people around us. What are you waiting for? What are we waiting for? People. Promise. Presence. Priest. Prompting. Perfect Faith. Power. Problem (removed). Purpose.

Listen to the full podcast here Driving down the road last week, seeing the price of fuel on the BP signboard, I thought "Jesus, I need fresh courage for the future". Hearing the news from Eastern Europe, I thought "Jesus, we need fresh courage for the future". Courage: the strength to persevere, to act in the face of danger, discomfort or difficulty. To be willing to let go of the familiar. There is so much we cannot control, and we need courage to commit to moving forward, with confidence in a God who holds the future! EVERYTHING WORTHWHILE IN LIFE REQUIRES COURAGE. Visiting a church for the first time requires courage. Coming back to church after two years away requires courage. It takes courage to say "I'm sorry". It takes courage to forgive. To start something new. To ask someone out on a date. To wrestle with addiction. To face sickness. To get baptized. To come humbly before God. Everything worthwhile in life requires courage. Think through what you know of history, of the people you admire. What would the world be without courageous decisions that change destinies? Maya Angelou said that courage is the greatest virtue a person can have. Yet, it is far to often overshadowed by something darker, scarier and powerful - FEAR. We fear all kinds of things: rejection, failure, pain, discomfort, suffering, change, losing what we have worked hard to gain. Fear can become a barrier that stops us from moving forward. FEAR SHOULD BE A BRIDGE, NOT A BARRIER! Courage, is not the absence of fear, but courage is the choice to move forward in the face of fear. Fear should be a bridge to walk over into the future, rather than a barrier. Courage is a choice, and COURAGE CAN BE CULITVATED The more you choose to be courageous, the more courageous you become. So much can be accomplished in one moment of courage. And I believe God wants you to be courageous! Joshua 2 tells the story of Rahab and the spies. Here are two big thoughts from this power packed passage. THE PERSPECTIVE YOU HOLD DETERMINES THE COURAGE YOU HAVE This is second time spies go into the land. The first time, was forty or so years before. At that time, the report focused heavily on the people in the land, rather than God's promise of the land. ​Numbers 13:33 We even saw the Nephilim there ​— ​the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.” This time, the spies focus on Gods PROMISE of the land rather than on the PEOPLE that are in the land, and almost as an afterthought, they add that the people in the land are panicked. Joshua 2:24 They told Joshua, “The LORD has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us.” In the two accounts, it us the SAME land. The SAME people. The SAME promise. And DIFFERENT perspective. If our perspective we hold of ourselves is that we are shameful, insignificant, a failure - the courage that we have will run out. If our perspective we hold is God's, that we are overcomers, righteous, loved - our courage will grow! Perhaps it's time to see things from a different perspective? Sometimes it's not the things in front of us that stop us from moving forward. Sometimes it’s the things behind us that hold us back. YOUR PAST DOESN'T DISQUALIFY YOU FROM GOD'S PURPOSE Sometimes it prepares you… Rahab the proustite. The one with a label, a past, a reputation. She does what is necessary: She RECOGNIZES something is happening, God is doing something, and she aligns herself with that as best as she knows how. I know that the LORD has given you this land... The LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below. She does what is possible: She acts… not perfectly… not fully understanding, but she courageously, at great risk to herself, she hides the spies and lies to the King of Jericho. Then asks them to spare her, and her family. She does something that seems impossible She puts her trust in their promise, and she and her family are saved. She goes on to find a husband and start a family. And Rahab the proustite becomes the great grandparent of Kind David, because she courageously aligned herself with what God was doing! Matthew 1:5-6 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, 6 and Jesse fathered King David. First do what is necessary, then do what is possible, and before long you will find yourself doing the impossible. – Francis of Assisi – Rahab is mentioned again in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 where she is commended for her faith and action. No matter what your story has been, God invites you to believe in him for salvation and live out that faith through action. This is not a story about good or bad behavior but about faith and belief. It is the a story of redemption, of courageous decisions that cut off pasts and change destinies. It is the story of the Gospel. The first Joshua (Yeshua) sends his forerunners and the go to the outcast, broken. She find salvation, and is used in a powerful way to change lives now and for eternity. She is saved by putting her faith in a promise that by marking her household with a thread of scarlet. The second Yeshua (Jesus) - goes to the sinners, tax collectors, the beyond broken. They find forgiveness and salvation by putting their faith in promise that by marking their lives with the blood of Jesus. Do what is necessary - recognize the Kingdom of God is advancing and there is an invitation for you part for you to be part of it. Do what is possible - ask God for forgiveness and salvation, and put your faith in His promise by marking your live with the blood of Jesus And you will find God doing the impossible - bringing you to life, setting you free, cutting off your past and opening a new future. What courageous decision lies before you that needs to be taken today?

This is a summary of the message Gareth shared on Sunday 27 Feb 2022. You can listen to the podcast here. The most courageous person I can think of was my late dad. He was unwavering in his faith as he battled cancer. He stood for what he believed in, even when it wasn't popular. He stood against injustice time and again. I remember him jumping into his Cessna 182 airplane to chase after robbers who had just stolen a vehicle. He landed on the road, forcing them to stop and flee into the long arms of the waiting law. Courage is the strength to persevere. It is the ability to in the face of discomfort, danger or difficulty. Courage is the willingness to let go of the familiar. There are different types of courage. There is a courage of discipline, to remain steadfast through setback, challenge and rejection. Intellectual courage is a willingness to learn, change and adapt. Moral courage is standing against injustice, and empathetic courage is to be brave enough to try to see things from other person's perspective. Confidence and courage are not the same thing. Confidence is the feeling you have when you think you can control the outcome. Courage is when you commit, knowing you can't control the outcome. We can't control life (much as we may like to) so if we wait until we feel confidence, we will never move forward. We need courage to move forward. To grow. You will never do anything in this world without courage. Aristotle To TURN THE WORLD UPDISDE DOWN, we are going to need courage! In Joshua chapter 1, Israel is in a liminal space metaphorically, a transition zone. They are on the precipice of something new, but not quite there yet. The wilderness is behind them, the promised land is ahead. And things have changed - their leader of forty years Moses has died. ​1 After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’s assistant: BIG CHANGE IS A BIG CHANCE TO SEE TO WHAT GOD SAYS God is always speaking but big change can be an opportunity for us to lean in and pay attention. 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River ​— ​all the land of the Hittites ​— ​and west to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you. GOD ALWAYS POINTS US TO HIS PROMISES (NOT TO THE PROBLEM, NOT TO THE PAST) God speaks to Joshua and shares six promises in v2 - v5. God will always speak to our futures, and we should only look to the past to see how far He has brought us. Hope is not realized in yesterday! THERE'S A WALKING IN TO WHAT GOD HAS WON The verses above speaks of action, moving forward, PREPARE to cross over: there is sorting needed, what they will take with, and what they will leave behind. When we hear God speak about moving forward, part of the preparation is to decide what baggage we will leave behind. Every place where the sole of your foot treads - Do you remember the Reggie's Rush, where kids got a certain amount of time to load a trolley with all they could get off the toy store shelves?! None of them stood waiting at the door, hoping the toys would arrive in their trollies! Yet, sometimes we stand waiting for what God has won for us to, instead of walking into it! to stand against you - If someone is not able to stand against you, that implies you need to be moving forward! Phil 2:13-14 says that we work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. When you work out what God is working in you will start to see the fruit of that. You have freedom from the penalty of sin, so now walk into freedom from the power of sin! The problem is that it is not easy to switch from a lifetime of compliance, comfort and convenience to a new reality! In the wilderness, the Israelites were provided for - but with the promised land would come battles and farming - a move from consumers to producers. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance. 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully (i.e. carry out) the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. 9 Haven’t I commanded you: BE strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD (Jehovah) your God (Elohim) is with you wherever you go.” YOU NEED COURAGE TO A.C.T. Three times God instructs Joshua to be strong and courageous. Each mention is linked to something: to distribute the land (v6) to observe carefully the instruction (v7) to overcome fear (v9) [A]ccept the task ○ What God has for you is big!! ○ Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. [C]arefully Follow the Word ○ Heb 10:23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. [T]riumph Over Fear: I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Nelson Mandela Fear should be an indicator (that there is work to be done), not and instructor (that rules over you)! 2 Tim 1: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. COURAGE IS A CHOICE (AND IT'S CONTAGIOUS) God didn't tell Joshua to go on a leadership course, wait a few more years to learn how to be courageous. He simply said BE strong courageous. Psalms 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD. You can give your heart permission to be courageous. It is a choice, not a resource! Courage is not a "hope for the best" but a decision to stand on the promises of God. We can't control the outcome but we stand on a promise of the God who can. Many years later, Jesus said something very similar to what Jehovah said to Joshua: I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 (CSB) I don’t know what it is that you may need Fresh Courage for, but I do know that Jesus wants you to be courageous. Courage is a choice to believe and act upon the word of God. It is the strength to venture, persevere, and withstand. It is the ability to ACT in the face of discomfort, danger or difficulty and the willingness to say NO to the familiar so that you can say a bigger YES to the future. Perhaps, today you need a Fresh Start, and you need to make a courageous decision to say NO to your old life, and say YES to Jesus. Can you imagine how we could turn the world upside down by simply choosing to be courageous, rather than waiting until we felt confident?

On launch Sunday, Craig Clark (lead pastor of Urban Life Church, our sending church) shared an incredible word that will shape the future of Free Church! His message was anchored in the following passages: Is 43:18-19 Acts 17:1-6 1 These 2:1-16 You can listen to the full message here His charge to Free Church was to be people who turn the world upside down, through 7 practical ways: Boldly Declare the Gospel Please God not Man Be Gentle, Humble and always Honoring Impart your Life and Soul Work Hard - Love People Thank God constantly Preach the Word of God Declaration: May this church be Bold in declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ May this church Please God and see their prayers answered, be full of wisdom and knowledge, strengthened with joy and peace and possess their full inheritance. May this church receive grace enabling power as they walk Gently, Humbly and Worthy of God. May this church be a “Heart and Soul” people that hold nothing back May this church Work Hard and Love People through Exhortation, Encouragement and Challenging everyone to not look back. May this church walk forward looking back, always being Grateful for what God has done May this church Preach the Word of God in season and out of season. May Revelation produce wisdom to live lives that turn the world upside down.