Bloom Where You Are Planted | Nicky Gumbel

I want to talk to you today about bloom where you are planted the last words of Jesus on earth to his disciples calling in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 are these you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses going to receive he says God's love that's what the Holy Spirit brings an experience of God's love you're going to know God's love deep in your heart Holy Spirit is going to come and live with you and you're going to be my witness you every single person here all of you Atlanta Square that's what you're called to be a witness to Jesus your whole life to witness to Jesus Christ and it says you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem that's your city for us that's London in Judea and Samaria that's a surrounding countryside that's the UK for us and to the ends of the earth to the whole world how are we going to do that the New Testament tells us that we are to bloom where we are planted wherever you are planted however difficult your circumstances may be you may say to me you don't understand how bad things are in my workplace with my health in my relationships with my finances you don't understand if I could get out of this situation then I could bloom but I cannot bloom where I am things are just too hard that you feel like you're planted in a desert but you can bloom even in the toughest of circumstances look at this picture here is blooming in the most difficult of circumstances I took a photograph this morning of a tree that I walked past this morning and this look at this this tree it seems to be planted in come but look at what it's doing to the fence that was in the way he's not taking any notice of that fence it's not saying our difficult growing with the fence nearby it just swallows up the fence and what some Paul writes is this don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else where you are right now is God's place for you bloom where you're planted where you are is where you're supposed to be and you can make a difference right where you are in your school maybe some of you young people joining us right now in on so square in your school or in your university many students here you may say it's a really tough place it is a tough place your workplace may be a tough place it you you may not be in the perfect job you may be I don't know you may be surrounded by some really difficult people in your workplace they may be I don't know there may be control freaks they may be gossips they may be just discouraging you may be you may feel I'm planted amongst weeds or you may have a really difficult boss who you're underpaid underappreciated but at the end of the day you're not working for your boss you're working for the Lord that's what the Apostle Paul says whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord not human bosses life is short don't wait until everything is perfect that's what I want to encourage you today don't wait now is the moment you can bloom right now however difficult your circumstances right where you are you can do what you can and you can make a difference whatever place that you're in if you're maybe watching this somewhere else and you're planted in a village you can bloom in a village if you're planted in a town you can bloom in a Jesus was planted in a village there all his ministry in a town climax of his ministry was in a city and we are planted in London and I'm so thrilled to be planted in London because cities are places of such influence I came across a book about called why cities matter and it said that every city in the world is known for something so Washington DC you associate power Bangalore innovation Silicon Valley success Las Vegas pleasure Paris romance London influence London is the city of influence John Wimber used to say if you can change London you can change the world 300 languages spoken here 15 million visitors a year what an extraordinary privilege to be planted in a place of such influence and we're cooled as a church to help shape London together with other amazing churches that are planted in London what could happen in London if everyone here everyone at on so Square you all bloom where you're planted you know what happened in the early church was that some Paul took the gospel from city to city but all his letters are written to cities he went from Athens Corinth Rome Philip I these were the great cities of the greco-roman world and by the 180 there were 25,000 Christians in 40 Christian communities in cities around the Mediterranean world by 310 there were 20 million over half the citizens in the world were Christians and reach the countryside 90% of the countryside was pagan but the influence of the city is such it flows from the city to the villages to the towns if you think about it that the places of influence tend to be in the cities governments businesses arts entertainment educate centers of Education universities that's why if you can change the cities you can change the country the river of influence flows from the city and look what happens in the city this this is the place that attracts young people it attracts creativity entrepreneurs aspirin or aspirational people it's also attracts the poor the majority of the world's poor live in cities what an opportunity for the church that's what the church has done down the centuries they've been the ones that have cared for the poor also attracts the elites the elites tend to live in cities they don't that they feel too obvious to notice outside of the cities but in a city they can be a bit more anonymous the city is the place of massive creativity and influence and also it's now London is a city where the entire world is gathered and therefore you can kind of like in the old days you talk about foreign mission and home mission now you the whole world is here amazing opportunity and if you're from a different country and you're here it's so wonderful to have you here and if you're going to go back to to your to the country that you come from think of what an influence you can have in that country this is a moment of amazing opportunity and you and God has planted you in a place of huge influence and opportunity and you may not be comfortable where you are you may not be comfortable in your workplace or the situation the circumstances that you find yourself in but bloom however uncomfortable your circumstances are being comfortable is not the secret of success in life in fact you're meant to be uncomfortable because this is not your home you're an exile some pita writing to the church says you are foreigners and exiled your home is in heaven you're never going to feel totally comfortable until you're with the Lord in heaven then you'll be very comfortable but right now you're an exile and back in the Old Testament the Book of Jeremiah tells us what how to live as exile because the people of God went into exile that was a picture for us 597 they went the people of God went into exile and in 5/9 for Jeremiah wrote to the ex Isles the false prophets were saying oh don't worry the Exile will be over soon jeremiah says no no no no no that's not the case you're going to have to live in exile for the next decades and this is how your delivers exile and this tells us how we are to live in London today so Jeremiah 29 this is what Jeremiah writes this is what the Lord Almighty the God of Israel says to all those carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon build houses and settle down plant gardens and eat what they produce marryin have sons and daughters find wise for your sons and daughters give your daughters in marriage so that they too may have sons and daughters increase in number there and do not decrease and also seek the peace and prosperity of the city that the words their peace and prosperity that they translate one Hebrew word the trouble is that one Hebrew word is such a massive word there's no English equivalent that's why it has used the word peace and prosperity the word is Shalom it means homeless peace prosperity goodness every kind of blessing and good that's what we're meant to bring to London that's what we the church are meant to bring Shalom to London that's what your cool to bring Shalom in your school in your university in your workplace amongst your friends in your street you're supposed to bring Shalom that's all of us are called to seek the peace and prosperity of the city we want London to prosper too which I have carried you into exile pray to the Lord for it pray for this city that's what we're going to be doing this Tuesday here in the church we've been gathering as a church to pray for London to pray for the the that we can be an influence that we can shape London the Holy Spirit will change things here pray for the pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers you too will prosper so don't don't run away don't don't run away from being in exile don't try and escape from this world don't try and think that we have to be in a little cozy Christian corner know we are called to be involved not to assimilate not to live like the Babylonians but to be distinctly Christian in and involved in the city that were planted in to love it and to use every gift that you have bloom where you're planted use everything that that God has given you use it or lose it that's that the the biblical principle it's about three months ago I broke my arm it was totally my fault on my by doing something stupid I broke my arm and it was put in a sling I had a crack my elbow at what amazed me was this after two weeks the muscle in my arm totally atrophied it just disappeared I couldn't believe it I felt this muscle which was vine and this one totally gone I thought wow how is that just from two weeks of having it in a sling you might might say well alright I didn't take any exercise I didn't go to the gym I don't use my muscles but they don't atrophy like that they don't disappear my muscles are fine yeah that's true your muscles are fine because you use them you said well I didn't go to the gym yeah but you use them you use them every day you brush your teeth you brush your hair you you you open the door you you you pour the milk you're using your muscles you said well I don't use them very much you don't need to use them very much but if you don't use them at all you lose them and that's true of everything in life use it or lose it not only that I found two extraordinary thing after two weeks it was really painful to move my wrist even everything in my arm had frozen all the muscle that's what happens if you don't use it everything you can't believe how damaged your your arm becomes every other muscle because you haven't used those muscles and then you have to do physio and try and try and get them moving again you use it or lose it and this is a principle of of life of everything and that's what I want to encourage all of you today God has given you gifts use you're using them the vast majority of are of them are using them but what I'm saying to everyone don't do nothing in terms of how you serve Jesus because God has given you gifts and you use them or you lose them so what in practice douwe does that does that mean Pope John Paul the second said this great social changes are the fruit of small courageous daily choices you don't need to do massive things just use it or lose it pray pray it says here pray to the Lord for the city that's something all is all stems out of our relationship with Jesus seek the Shalom of the city everything you do sends a message every contact leaves a trace kindness hospitality patience wisdom gentleness joy your words are powerful choose to be a blessing to others wherever you are in your school you can really change your school it's amazing I've watched this over the years one person in a school can change a school one person they can chip I've seen this people at school inviting their friends to church to alpha and there's such an openness at that time that's an amazing opportunity same at University I'm so thankful to the people at University who introduced me to Jesus changed my life changed the life of all my friends these this is huge opportunity the workplace is a place of opportunity you may feel very constrained in your workplace but you know a third of your life will probably be spent in the workplace if you're anything like me a third of my life is spent asleep a third of it probably spent working at a third of it doing other things but the workplace is absolutely vital you're going to spend probably 20 90 2100 hours at work and you may feel very constrained of work you may feel your inner in a kind of a very small sphere of influence I read this week about a woman who worked in a supermarket Susan in a supermarket checkout and she she was the person you know who bags up your groceries rings up the thing and asks you to pay and her sphere of influence was six feet square every day she greeted her customers and with huge enthusiasm she remembered their names she asked about her fact about their families and she would end every conversation by saying she was going to pray for their family and over time this caused problems because everyone wanted to be checked out by her so the other other check outs would be empty and there'd be this huge long queue of people waiting to speak to her and when she died several years after her retirement the church was absolutely rampant standing-room-only and person after person got up and testified to how this woman had changed their lives she bloomed where she was planted and you can bloom wherever you're planted in the workplace in your school in your university in the media in arts in the medical profession wherever it is you can be a witness for Jesus in the office in the home in your street in the airport in the gym I used to be a barrister I had spent the work workplace and how tough it is now I'm have the blessing of working in the church which is a huge huge privilege but so my experience is more like in the gym where I belong to this squash table which is also gym and I've been a member there I think something like 27 years and I would love to tell you that due to my witness to Jesus so many people have come on alpha there's been revival in the gym you know we know how the praise music on instead of the normal music and there's been a transformation it's not like that do you know I was trying I had I don't think there's a single person who's come on alpha as a result of me going to the gym not one person not one of the staff not one of the other are the people down there you know I try to do my best on the squash court I say oh no no that's your point I say after you with that machine I try to be nice than all I tried to smile at them I learn their names but it's hard work I try to get someone often their marriages are in real trouble I sometimes do talk to them about their marriages and I tried really hard to get this friend of mine who's nice in trouble on the marriage course and I've even failed with that you know time and time again he said he's coming but he's never actually come it's hard work I have married a few of them and I've buried a couple of must fell when that's a great opportunity to preach the gospel but the only thing is that they're happy they do want to come to is the Carroll services here I have no problem with them in fact they asked me do you mind if I get some tickets the Carroll services they actually want to come to that and they bring their friends to that but but it's really hot occasionally you get do the other dad's checking to it too and they're a very interesting bunch of guys they're there many taxi drivers builders scaffolders there's one male stripper who's a good friend of mine but they're all so that when I was talking this guy's 257 years of age he he was a professional weight lifter but now he then he was a builder scaffold and I was talking to him and he said Hawaii so I'm really depressed I said why is that I said well both my parents are dying and we talked a bit about his his parents and he said you know it's just it's just there's no hope is there that's it that you die and that's the end and listen no no actually there is hope Jesus died and he was buried but God raised him to life and that means that there is hope beyond this life and we chatted for a bit until EFT you said Nick they can we Nick the Vic own it you've given me hope and we have a lot of Lascaux you said to me that they praise the Lord Nick but that's something we can do everywhere we go we can bring people hope this world lacks any kind of Hope Jesus is the only hope for this world and we're his witnesses wherever we go and it doesn't stop you are witness to Jesus doesn't stop as we leave Church it continues through the week but nor does it stop when we come into church we can serve Jesus everywhere and I want to encourage you all to get involved in not only serving Jesus by being a witness in the workplace in your you wherever you are but also involved in in the ministries of this church because this is how we will shape London this is how we'll change this place if everybody blooms where they're planted everyone here praying everyone giving everyone can give that's them that's a wonderful thing that's another muscle that you can use and the more you use it the more it grows and then there's serving you can find just don't do nothing I'm amazed how taking a long time to rebuild the muscle in my arm six weeks I couldn't use it at all and then I started doing but the more you use it the more it grows and it's the same principle in life get involved in something that where you serve in the church whether it be on the 18 for alphab Mary support couple there just so many areas we'll look at them at the end that Steven will talk about the different areas that you can be involved in but CHT be you know help with the children the youth the students they're just so many things that you can do Alec I think was that the the earlier service that that the drop-in shelter that we run in Queensgate night shelter we were going to start we have run in the winter for people who are living rough on the streets of London these are all places where you can you can volunteer alik I was talking to yesterday he that there various sessions that you can do you can do on Wednesday 9:00 to 11:00 or 11:00 to 2:00 Friday 9:00 to 11:00 or 11:30 to I said to him which ones do you do he said I do at the mall I said how long we've been doing that said two and a half years he's some I can do it that are the people who help who who were students or who work part-time this is an amazing blessing funny enough I was talking to one of my squash friend who did come around to see me and and he told me that he had suffered for years from from sleeplessness from insomnia and he said the funny thing was he went to help I think it there's another homeless shelter he said he helped in this homeless shelter and he went back that night and he slept like a baby said he's been helping him there ever since but it's a blessing to them and it's a blessing to us when we start to use our gifts the muscle starts to grow and what could happen if everyone blooms where they're planted it everyone starts to to use their gifts what could happen to London what could happen in the UK people think sometimes that the church there's all the church has always been here in England and just the last few years it started to decline and now it's kind of declining and going out of business nothing could be further from the truth of course the church hasn't always been here I was reading yesterday I was looking at Henry Chadwick professor Henry Chadwick great perhaps the greatest Church historian of the last hundred years his history of the early church and he says in in the second century the earliest references to Britain are in the second century church fathers and they refer to the distant barbarian island of Britain but by the middle of the third century there was there was a Christian foothold here and by the Council of ours in 314 it was attended by three British bishops London New York and Colchester and by the council Remini in three five nine the bishops were too poor to pay for their own traveling expenses nothing's changed and by 400 AD Roman Britain was a broadly Christian province within the now Christian Orthodox Roman Empire so by 400 AD this was a Christian country but it's had its ups and downs hasn't been like oh yes it's been a Christian country it's just now started to decline it's gone up and down like this in 1740 this is the state of the church in London okay Easter Day that's the big day when people go to church and some Paul's Cathedral is the iconic Church of London you would expect some Paul's Cathedral to be absolutely jam-packed in 1740 on Easter day how many people were there in 1746 people the church had declined 10,000 sex workers on the streets of London 280 crimes for which you could be hung including stealing a loaf of bread children as young as five down the mines what happened Wesley Whitfield started to witness Jesus they were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and they started to talk about Jesus and a movement spread across this country which led to social reform Wilberforce the abolition of slavery Shaftesbury all the change in the social fabric of our world it happened because of the witness because people bloomed where they were planted and this nation was transformed and it can happen again in our time and you can bloom wherever you are even in the mouth even in the most terrible of circumstances you can bloom last Wednesday I met a guy called pseudo John that drew so who's here today brought him brought him round to see me suited John is is Indian he's from Calcutta but in 15 years ago to the day he was working in the Twin Towers in New York City he was on the 81st floor his wife was on inlet was in the other tower on the 71st floor four months pregnant at 8:05 in the morning he sent an email to a friend called Tom in which he wrote this I know there's a call of God on my life but I don't sense any opportunity for ministry forty-three minutes later the plane hit the 81st floor the floor he was on and he and hundreds and hundreds of other people who were working on the floors below went down that's stairwell it took them over an hour to get to the ground floor and he had an opportunity even in those terrible circumstances to be a witness for Jesus in fact he led over 15 people to Jesus in that mud in in that arm and thankfully his wife was by the while she was late for work and it had you not been late for work that that would have been a terrible thing but but at 11:53 that day his wife rang and he knew that that she was alive but in that moment even in those most terrible circumstances things change very quickly in that man's life having hadn't been not sensing any opportunity for ministry not only leave those all those people to Jesus but since then he has spoken to millions of people about Jesus in schools universities businesses in hundreds of cities around the world he founded and together with Clarissa who's here today you can free us a movement to tourism to rescue and rehabilitate victims of human trafficking things in his life changed very quickly things in a nation can change very quickly in that case it was out of the most terrible of circumstances and in a sense you could say that there are some terrible things going on in our nation at the moment but things can change very quickly there could be a tipping point in London if everybody amazing things have London is the one place where the church is actually growing one place in the UK where it's actually growing what could happen if everyone blooms where they're planted working together with all the churches across the city we could see London become a Christian City and if London becomes a Christian City what influence would that have on the UK and on the entire world as John Wimber say che's London you change the world and that what could happen that's why I want to encourage you today wherever you are whatever circumstances you find yourself however restricted however much you feel you're planted in concrete or in difficult circumstances however restricted you may feel to use the gift that you have what I would plead with everyone here is don't do nothing I've learned if you do nothing you atrophy you just lose what you've got but I've also learnt that once you start using it again you can grow muscle again and I want to encourage every single one of you to say I'm not going to leave this church today without deciding I'm going to use the gifts that God has given me to witness Jesus both in work and in serving in the church in praying giving serving and if we all do that what could happen in London what could happen in this nation we could see our country reimagine eyes the church revitalize and society transformed again in Jesus name Amen I'm Bear Grylls my favorite way to start the day the Bible in one year that's how wild I am find out more at Bible in one year org or download the Bible in one year app

Channel: HTB Church

Views: 50,620

Rating: 4.8623328 out of 5

Keywords: bloom where you are planted, nicky gumbel, faith, christ, jesus, god, love, serve, volunteer, christian, holy spirit, give, trinity, htb, htb church, holy trinity brompton, london, htb church london, sunday, preacher, sermon, religion

Id: j38S6ijjd7U

Length: 33min 25sec (2005 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 19 2016