Let's start as we mean to go on

• At some point in your holidays you could say, “Oh, this is heaven”. For me it was floating in a blue sea under a blue sky, no lap top or mobile phone for miles, and being blessed with a meal with Josh and Sam.

Heaven is God-given times, God-given places and God-given people.

• But we look for heaven in our day-to-day lives, too. We look for it in our acts of corporate worship
• And we definitely look for it in the plans and programmes that we have made for the Autumn – we want to see the Kingdom of Heaven in and around us.

So at the start of new season we want to set our expectations right. Some things are re-starting, or starting new. The danger is to get into all kinds of programmes and activities. But it is not about that. It is all about God – God’s plan, God’s purpose, and also his power, his ministry. If we don’t see God at work we might as well scrap the programmes.

I call on you to take STEPS and sow seeds. God grows and brings the harvest. We do what we are called to do, and let God take care of the rest. For some of the things we are planning we still do not yet have all the resources in place – people, money, time. Where you can get involved?

In what way are you looking at things?

• This is going to be hard work.
• I will watch with great interest – but let them do it.
• They have a big staff team, they can do it.
• I am afraid of this, it will take time and effort and money and force me to do things I’ve never done before.
• Some of you think, “What shall I do? Shall I do this or that? Can I do both?”
• Some of you can’t wait
• Some are excited

I need to say that this is not a staff run organisation. Everyone gets to play. If you don’t do it, it won’t happen. What we can all do is take STEPS, sow seeds, and wait for God to bring in the harvest, leave the results in God’s hands.

It is about our expectations. Let’s start as we mean to go on. Start with the realisation that it is in God’s hands, not ours.

Some of us spent 10 days recently ministering in Berlin to help the Vineyard there get off the ground. One day I wandered around Check Point Charlie and noted JFK’s words “Ich bin ein Berliner”.

He also said, at his inauguration:
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

But, it doesn’t actually work like that in the Kingdom. I would like to re-phrase it like this:

And so my fellow Vineyarders, don’t ask what you can do for God but what can he do for others through you.

That is a shift from what I can do and want to do for God, to asking what God is already doing, and whether I can join in with that.

Let's look at an historical account from the bible which guides us in how we should approach challenges and questions in life:

 

The Queen of Sheba

2 Chronicles 9:1-12

When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness."
Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.


What can we learn from this about how to approach the work of Kingdom?

1. She came to the right place

Israel was an incredibly wealthy, safe, well governed kingdom. For Jewish historians it typified their understanding of the Kingdom of God, the idea of shalom, what it is like in the Kingdom of God. Solomon was wise and wealthy: botanist, zoologist, poet, writer, philosopher, farmer, politician, architect. The Kingdom was so rich that silver was worthless.

Israel was an incredibly wealthy, safe, well governed kingdom. For Jewish historians it typified their understanding of the Kingdom of God, the idea of shalom, what it is like in the Kingdom of God.

The Queen of Sheba came to see the kingdom of God in action.

Whatever our power, wisdom, wealth – we must approach the Kingdom of God.
Where do we go for an example of Shalom, of the Kingdom of God? Which Jet2 destination? Which country? Which capital city?

In the current chapter, the one in which our part of the story is told,  in the big story of God and us, there is no territory yet. There is a people and a ruler, but not yet a Kingdom.

We are a bit like an ambassador representing the king in a foreign country.
Or we are a bit like an employee of a multinational company obeying orders of a foreign boss.

When people asked Jesus where the Kingdom of God is, he said:

Luke 17:21. “…nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.”

Where you are is where God is (as well as elsewhere) – people are looking at you to see God expressing his rule and reign, to see the Kingdom of Heaven.

So we come with our fears and doubts, questions and problems, sin and skeletons – to see where the King is ruling and reigning:
a. where there is a gathered community living out their lives as followers of Jesus
b. where his words are taught and explained
c. where his power, grace, and mercy are expressed through ministry
d. where his presence is felt in worship

I am not saying the church = the Kingdom of God, but it is the primary expression of the Kingdom of God. The Queen of Sheba brought gifts but the main thing was that she went to the right place.

2. She came with the right attitude

She could have been proud and aloof, but she came humble, and brought gifts.

She could have been proud and aloof, but she came humble, and brought gifts.

Lessons we can learn:

 

a. If you are rich and well endowed, educated and pretty? Don’t rely on that – it is not certain nor reliable. Go to the King – he will always give back much more than you bring;

 

b. Are you poor and powerless? You feel weak and sinful? You are facing redundancy and uncertainty? Go to the King – he will always give back much more than you can possibly ask for;

 

c. Our faith needs to embrace what we understand and what we don’t understand, what we see and what we don’t see. We have faith whether we can understand or not. The Queen of Sheba had enough faith that she would find answers to go to the Kingdom of Solomon. But she did not know what she would find until she got there.

3. She came to the right conclusion

She got it. She changed the way she thought. We call that repentance, metanoia, to change the way you think.

 

She realised it was not about wealth, or celebrity, or political power. It is about God.
We must repent, change the way we think, recognise that it is all about him – his plan, his purpose, his choice to use us. When we go to take steps, to sow seeds, we are just joining in.

It is not about a well-rehearsed band, state of the art PA/AV, not about well prepared and compelling preaching, not about one man’s ministry, bright clean buildings, excellent children’s ministry. It is about God’s plan and purpose.

The Queen of Sheba came to the following conclusion:

Verse 8
”Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”

She saw the evidence and looked for the source and the reason, and worked out that it was about God's plans and purpose. When the Kingdom of God comes into being it points toward God, towards the King.

The Queen of Sheba realised that God’s purpose was shalom – justice and righteousness – and that God was making it happen through Solomon and his people.

When John the Baptist wanted to know if Jesus was the Messiah/King he sent disciples to find out.
Jesus answered:
Matthew 11:4,5.
“Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”

Signs and wonders are not primarily for purpose of healing everyone, but about drawing our attention to the King and his purpose and plan. Complete restoration will come one day. We will see some of it now, but will see all of it later. In the meantime we are drawn to the King and invited into relationship with him. That is what it is about.

• If we seek God for riches and success we will be disappointed
• If we seek God for miracles, we will be disappointed.
• If we seek God to transform the world, we will be disappointed.

But if we repent, change the way we think, choose to obey, take STEPS, then we will see miracles, transformation and success.

One of our first values at the Vineyard is pursuing God:

The pursuit of God
We are hungry to know His presence, hear His voice, and follow hard after Him.

That is what we will do. We will pray, we will seek God’s will first, and then we will see:
• Healings
• Life-changing decisions
• Forgiveness
• Breaking of the power of pornography, theft, corruption, gossip
• Life-long afflictions healed and loosened
• Marriages, families, relationships restored
• Hungry fed and the lonely befriended

We will recognise God at work – bringing about his Kingdom with justice and righteousness. We do what we do here because we invite and know the presence of God in our lives and because he wants to extend his kingdom through us to others.

God has a plan for the Vineyard here.
God has a plan for the part you can play.
And we are all part of his much bigger plan to establish his Kingdom here, to establish his gracious rule and reign.

It is His plan, he can make it happen, we can see his Kingdom come.
He invites you to take STEPS, sow seeds.

And so my fellow Vineyarders, don’t ask what you can do for God but what God can do for others through you.

Let’s stand in awe and wonder at what he does.

I want people to

• Come with questions and challenges
• Come and change the way they think, repent
• Come and see God’s plan and purpose being expressed
• Come and receive

Do you want to see God’s kingdom, rule and reign in your life and those around you?
Are you willing to put your time, money, energy and life into this great purpose and calling? Will you take STEPS and sow seeds?

Shall we do this together and celebrate his Kingdom coming?

She could have been proud and aloof, but she came humble, and brought gifts.