100:00:00,560 –> 00:00:10,880It will be a barrier to faith if what you’re living on, Jesus says, is this praise from one another thing,200:00:10,880 –> 00:00:16,959if that’s really what you’re feeding your soul on, it will hinder you from ever being My disciple,300:00:16,959 –> 00:00:20,799you will never be a follower of Jesus Christ if you live on the approval of others.400:00:21,520 –> 00:00:26,480Welcome to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick, glad you could join us today,500:00:26,559 –> 00:00:32,560and Colin, you’re describing quite a few of us here I think, many of us tend to be people pleasers,600:00:32,560 –> 00:00:36,560but you’re saying that that will limit our ability to follow Christ?700:00:36,560 –> 00:00:41,599Yeah, we’re really going to get into the two main barriers that hold people back from a life of800:00:41,599 –> 00:00:48,160discipleship. One is the desire for comfort, I just want the easiest way out and Paul speaks to900:00:48,160 –> 00:00:54,160us very, very powerfully here about what it meant for him to toil and to work night and day, I mean,1000:00:54,160 –> 00:01:00,480he pushed himself in order to serve the Lord, and it’s a marvellous example. And then, the other1100:01:00,480 –> 00:01:05,120barrier is this desire for approval, you know, I want people to like me and so forth and Paul1200:01:05,120 –> 00:01:12,400speaks very powerfully here about how we are not seeking the approval of men, we’re seeking the1300:01:12,400 –> 00:01:17,519approval of God. So here are two issues that are critical to a life of discipleship.1400:01:18,080 –> 00:01:23,120Let’s look at this more deeply, then, from the 1 Thessalonians chapter 2,1500:01:23,120 –> 00:01:28,959as we continue the message. The urgency of disciplined discipleship. Here is Pastor Colin.1600:01:29,519 –> 00:01:34,720I want to emphasise today the common calling that is ours in Jesus Christ and here’s what we’re1700:01:34,720 –> 00:01:43,440going to learn, two things. If you are going to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, if I am1800:01:43,440 –> 00:01:49,440going to be faithful as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we are going to have to overcome two impulses that1900:01:49,440 –> 00:01:58,160run deep within every human being. Number one is the desire for comfort and number two is the desire2000:01:58,160 –> 00:02:05,519for approval. And they’re the two issues that lie at the heart of what Paul says to these folks in2100:02:05,519 –> 00:02:14,240Thessalonica who, being hooked on comfort and approval, felt that Paul’s ministry must therefore2200:02:14,240 –> 00:02:20,720have been a failure. We look with me at these two things together. First then overcoming the2300:02:20,720 –> 00:02:26,240desire for comfort and here’s what we’re learning. If you would be a faithful disciple of Jesus2400:02:26,240 –> 00:02:33,360Christ you must overcome the natural human desire in you, in me, for comfort. And we’re looking at2500:02:33,360 –> 00:02:39,119verses five and six. You know we never used flattery and nor did we put on a mask to cover2600:02:39,279 –> 00:02:47,679up greed. We’re talking money here. Greed. Verse six, as Apostles of Christ we could have been2700:02:47,679 –> 00:02:54,160a burden to you, so he’s still talking money. The point here is simply that as an apostle2800:02:54,720 –> 00:02:59,520Paul could have asked the Thessalonian Christians to support him financially2900:03:00,639 –> 00:03:05,039when he came to the town he didn’t do that. He said I didn’t want to be a burden to you while3000:03:05,119 –> 00:03:10,080I was preaching the gospel. Instead, verse six he says we were gentle among you like a mother3100:03:10,080 –> 00:03:16,800caring for her little children. You get the point. A mother does not charge the kids for what she3200:03:16,800 –> 00:03:25,839does. Hard work. Not easy. No money in it, right? We were gentle among you like a mother caring for3300:03:25,839 –> 00:03:32,720little children. Didn’t ask you for anything. We just served. That’s what he says. The gospel of3400:03:32,720 –> 00:03:39,839Jesus Christ will not travel far on the shoulders of Christians who are motivated by their own3500:03:39,839 –> 00:03:47,119comfort. If comfort had been Paul’s criteria for success, he would never have got to Thessalonica.3600:03:47,119 –> 00:03:50,800He would have quit at the very latest at Philippi when he was thrown into jail.3700:03:52,000 –> 00:03:56,240If he’d never gone on to Thessalonica, if you follow the trail of God’s providence through3800:03:56,240 –> 00:03:59,600Paul’s mission journey coming to Europe, the gospel would never be here, and we3900:03:59,600 –> 00:04:06,720wouldn’t be here today. The gospel will not travel far on the shoulders of Christians4000:04:06,720 –> 00:04:13,520who are committed to their own comfort. Thank God that Paul didn’t see that as the criteria of4100:04:13,520 –> 00:04:19,200success. You say, well, how would I know if I was motivated by comfort?4200:04:21,359 –> 00:04:26,799Well, the person who’s motivated by comfort tends to be asking questions like this,4300:04:27,359 –> 00:04:31,760and I guess they’ve run in all of our minds and certainly have at times in mine.4400:04:31,760 –> 00:04:38,640What am I getting out of this? Am I really enjoying what I’m doing? Do other people like me?4500:04:39,440 –> 00:04:46,239Do I like them? When you start down the road of these questions being dominant in4600:04:46,239 –> 00:04:53,279your decision making, you’re really betraying that the fundamental motivation of your life4700:04:53,279 –> 00:05:00,720is one of comfort. You’re working with a false definition of success and likely therefore,4800:05:00,720 –> 00:05:06,559to make a poor decision. And the whole point of what the apostle Paul is saying here is that4900:05:06,559 –> 00:05:11,119comfort is a false definition of success. Our visit to you was not a failure! You need to5000:05:11,119 –> 00:05:16,320understand that! So repentance at this point means ditching these questions,5100:05:16,720 –> 00:05:25,920and us embracing a new definition of what success looks like. What matters before God5200:05:25,920 –> 00:05:31,839is not the comfort of my life, but the advance of the gospel through my ministry.5300:05:31,839 –> 00:05:39,920What matters before God is not the comfort of your life, but the advance of the gospel5400:05:39,920 –> 00:05:46,839through your ministry. Actually a wonderful thing, because some of us here are, right5500:05:46,839 –> 00:05:51,720now, you’ve come to church today and you are experiencing great pain, and you’re5600:05:51,720 –> 00:05:58,839in the middle of a situation that is not easy. And you are trusting Christ and you are loving5700:05:58,839 –> 00:06:08,119God, and by God’s definition of success you are a runaway success right now. Because5800:06:08,660 –> 00:06:15,179to love God in the middle of pain and to trust Him in the middle of pressure is about the5900:06:15,179 –> 00:06:22,679greatest reflection of the image of Christ that can be seen this side of heaven. If you6000:06:22,679 –> 00:06:29,140got a new and a right definition of success, you’ll be greatly encouraged, strengthened6100:06:29,140 –> 00:06:36,000and helped to the glory of God. If we would be faithful disciples of Jesus6200:06:36,059 –> 00:06:43,660Christ, we’ve got to overcome the natural human impulses within all of us for comfort.6300:06:45,079 –> 00:06:49,859And you know what’s true of us individually of course is true for us as a church. The6400:06:49,859 –> 00:06:56,380gospel will not travel far on the shoulders of a church that is primarily motivated by6500:06:56,380 –> 00:07:02,220our own comfort. Now here’s the second great challenge that6600:07:02,260 –> 00:07:07,559I think comes out of this passage of scripture, it’s really come freshly to me studying6700:07:07,559 –> 00:07:13,059this during these last days. If we are to be faithful as disciples of Jesus Christ we6800:07:13,059 –> 00:07:17,459must overcome not only the impulse for comfort that runs deep within us all, but secondly6900:07:17,459 –> 00:07:23,940the impulse for approval. That again is like a deep river, a deep stream that runs within7000:07:23,940 –> 00:07:30,940all of us that is part of our humanity. We want to be thought well of, liked and appreciated.7100:07:31,179 –> 00:07:36,179Respected by other people. What we are going to learn again from this passage of scripture7200:07:36,179 –> 00:07:41,779and the example of Paul is that if you would be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ you7300:07:41,779 –> 00:07:48,779have to overcome the impulse, the desire to live on the approval of others. Now look at7400:07:51,220 –> 00:07:58,220verse 4 where Paul makes this very clear, we are not trying to please men. And he continues7500:07:59,200 –> 00:08:05,200to verse 5, you know that we never used flattery he says. Flattery of course is telling someone7600:08:07,920 –> 00:08:13,779else how great they are so that they will think of how great you are. That’s flattery,7700:08:13,779 –> 00:08:18,880or I forget to give you this definition but it sticks in my mind, I think it’s wonderful.7800:08:18,880 –> 00:08:25,880Flattery is saying to someone’s face what you would never say behind their back. You7900:08:26,839 –> 00:08:33,200think about that. Flattery is saying to someone’s face what you would never say behind their8000:08:33,200 –> 00:08:37,619back. Now Paul says we didn’t do that kind of thing. We weren’t into trying to manipulate8100:08:37,619 –> 00:08:43,820other people so that they would think well of us all the time. Verse 6, we are not looking8200:08:43,820 –> 00:08:50,820for praise from men, not from you nor from anyone else. Now very simply if Paul’s definition8300:08:51,520 –> 00:08:57,359of success had been that everyone should think well of him, he could not have been faithful8400:08:57,359 –> 00:09:04,359as an apostle. This issue of looking for praise from other people, it runs so deep, we all8500:09:09,960 –> 00:09:16,960want others to think well of us. But if you allow that to be the driving motivation of8600:09:17,739 –> 00:09:24,739your life, bottom line you cannot be a Christian. And I take that directly from the words of8700:09:27,299 –> 00:09:34,299Jesus in John chapter 5 and verse 44, where Jesus was speaking to some folks who never8800:09:35,200 –> 00:09:42,200came to faith. And he said this, how can you believe? How can you believe? He said it is8900:09:42,299 –> 00:09:47,919impossible, it won’t happen if you accept praise from one another and accept the praise9000:09:47,919 –> 00:09:54,760that comes from God alone. It will be a barrier to faith if what you are living on, as Jesus9100:09:54,760 –> 00:10:00,539says, is this praise from one another thing. If that is what you are really feeding your9200:10:00,539 –> 00:10:06,419soul on, it will hinder you from ever being my disciple. How can you believe? You will9300:10:06,419 –> 00:10:10,460never come to radical Christian faith, you will never be a follower of Jesus Christ if9400:10:10,659 –> 00:10:14,419you live on the approval of others. It cannot happen.9500:10:14,419 –> 00:10:19,080You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called The Urgency9600:10:19,460 –> 00:10:24,460of Disciplined Discipleship. We’ve got to pause briefly but we’ll be back shortly.9700:10:24,460 –> 00:10:29,479So stay with us. If you ever miss one of our messages you can easily catch up or go back9800:10:29,479 –> 00:10:36,479and listen again by coming to our website openthebible.org.uk. Back to the message now.9900:10:36,859 –> 00:10:38,320Here again is Pastor Colin.10000:10:38,320 –> 00:10:45,320A while ago I saw a poster that for some reason has just stuck in my mind. It’s a great one.10100:10:46,000 –> 00:10:53,000It was a picture of a cuddly tiger cub, and beside the furry tiger cub was the slogan10200:10:55,859 –> 00:11:02,859I am wanting to be loved. Now it’s exactly the kind of poster that you would expect to10300:11:03,840 –> 00:11:10,840see in a teenage girl’s bedroom, right. A cuddly little tiger. I am wanting to be loved.10400:11:13,039 –> 00:11:19,859Now think about that with me, because that poster will sell really well, because it taps10500:11:19,859 –> 00:11:26,859into one of the deepest rivers in a teenage girl’s heart, and not just the teenage girl,10600:11:27,299 –> 00:11:34,020but frankly the rest of us as well. I am wanting to be loved. But what happens to a teenage10700:11:34,020 –> 00:11:41,020girl, if she allows that to become the driving motivation of her life. I am wanting to be10800:11:41,919 –> 00:11:48,919loved? Where will that take her? What will she do to fulfill that desire? You see, once10900:12:00,820 –> 00:12:07,820you give way to wanting to be loved as the fundamental driver of your life, you will11000:12:08,719 –> 00:12:15,719be kept from being a follower of Jesus Christ, and you will end up in a life of manipulation11100:12:18,419 –> 00:12:25,419to gain what you desperately crave. And you know what? The gospel takes that11200:12:26,719 –> 00:12:33,719poster down, and it replaces it with another one that says, I am loved by Jesus. That’s11300:12:37,859 –> 00:12:43,820Jesus Christ. And I think that’s what every teenage girl needs to know more than anything11400:12:43,820 –> 00:12:47,619else growing up in this world, don’t you? And thats what all the rest of us need to11500:12:47,619 –> 00:12:53,799know, if we are to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. Let me apply it not only to teenage11600:12:53,799 –> 00:13:00,460girls, let me apply it to parents. Let me put it simply this way, you cannot be an effective11700:13:00,460 –> 00:13:07,460father or mother, if you are driven by the need of approval from your children. If you’re11800:13:07,859 –> 00:13:13,679coming to being a dad or a mom with a fundamental mindset of saying I am wanting to be loved11900:13:13,679 –> 00:13:18,260and I’m going to get that fulfilled out of my children. Then all of your decisions will12000:13:18,260 –> 00:13:22,520be skewed in the direction of whatever pleases them and you will not be able to be an effective12100:13:22,520 –> 00:13:29,520father or a mother. The gospel takes that poster down, and it puts you in a position12200:13:29,940 –> 00:13:35,020as you embrace it with faith where you can be a more effective father and a more effective12300:13:35,200 –> 00:13:38,840mother because you know you are loved by God and you are not driven by the need of the12400:13:38,840 –> 00:13:45,840approval of your children. Let me try and apply it thirdly to leaders,12500:13:46,880 –> 00:13:53,880pastors, missionaries. You cannot give effective leadership in ministry if you are driven by12600:13:56,359 –> 00:14:03,359the need to be loved like and approved by everybody else. What would Jesus have done?12700:14:03,919 –> 00:14:10,380No, the faithful church is never led by people who put their finger in the wind and say what12800:14:10,380 –> 00:14:17,380does everyone want? The gospel never advances that way and indeed it applies to the whole12900:14:18,539 –> 00:14:24,299body of the church. If our fundamental question is does everyone who doesn’t believe like13000:14:24,299 –> 00:14:30,900us, we will never advance far with the gospel. This was the problem. There were a whole group13100:14:30,979 –> 00:14:35,799in Thessalonica who said you know, you caused a lot of trouble this gospel coming to Thessalonica13200:14:35,799 –> 00:14:42,799so it must have been a failure. Wrong criteria for success.13300:14:43,539 –> 00:14:47,739So if we are going to be faithful disciples of Christ, what we are learning from the Scriptures13400:14:47,739 –> 00:14:53,539this morning is we have to overcome these two deep impulses that run like strong currents13500:14:53,539 –> 00:14:59,020within every human life, the desire for comfort and the desire for approval. And you say I13600:14:59,219 –> 00:15:06,219see that but how is it going to happen, how do I do that? Well Paul models for us a life13700:15:06,359 –> 00:15:10,239that rather than being driven by the approval of others is lived under the approval of God13800:15:10,239 –> 00:15:16,840and rather than being driven by comfort is one that is entrusted with the gospel. Look13900:15:16,840 –> 00:15:23,840at verse 4. We speak as men approved by God to be entrusted by the gospel and we are not14000:15:24,000 –> 00:15:32,840trying to please men but God who tests our heart. We speak as men approved by God and14100:15:33,219 –> 00:15:38,539it’s knowing that we have the approval of God that frees us from being driven by this14200:15:38,539 –> 00:15:45,179craven need of the approval of others. You say how could Paul who had been a blasphemer14300:15:45,440 –> 00:15:51,340and a violent man, say in the face of great opposition that he lived under the approval14400:15:51,340 –> 00:15:58,219of God? That’s the gospel right there, isn’t it? Not because of his merit but because14500:15:58,219 –> 00:16:05,219of God’s mercy. Not because he’s a perfect man but because he has embraced Jesus Christ14600:16:05,659 –> 00:16:11,299and Christ has cleansed him from all the sin of his life and now he lives with a clear14700:16:11,299 –> 00:16:17,179conscience towards God. God knows his mind, he said God tests our heart, and God knows14800:16:17,359 –> 00:16:23,419that he is a man in Christ, living with a clear conscience before God. A marvellous14900:16:23,419 –> 00:16:30,419thing. And not only does he know this wonderful approval of God, but for that reason he is15000:16:34,679 –> 00:16:39,820able to move forward with the work of the gospel because when you know that things are15100:16:39,820 –> 00:16:45,080right between you and God in the mercy of Jesus Christ, then you become someone who15200:16:45,479 –> 00:16:52,479can be trusted with this gospel. That’s what sets a person free to serve.15300:16:52,599 –> 00:16:59,299There is no more beautiful picture of this from our Lord Jesus Christ than on the night15400:16:59,299 –> 00:17:04,520that he was betrayed. You remember the story well that ahead of him as he gathered with15500:17:04,520 –> 00:17:09,160his disciples was the betrayal by Judas, the desertion by his friends, the arrest, the15600:17:09,160 –> 00:17:14,439scourging, and then that awful crucifixion on the cross, and Jesus knew what was coming.15700:17:14,839 –> 00:17:18,199And he gathers with his friends, and if ever there was a moment where the disciples should15800:17:18,199 –> 00:17:23,760minister to Jesus, this was it. And they blew it completely because they’re all into the15900:17:23,760 –> 00:17:28,160comfort approval kind of a thing. You know, who’s the greatest and who’s the best? And16000:17:28,160 –> 00:17:32,839each one wanting to be more affirmed than the rest, and so forth and so on.16100:17:34,219 –> 00:17:41,339And as they are totally insensitive to the struggle of Jesus, Jesus incredibly gets up,16200:17:41,339 –> 00:17:45,880takes off his outer clothing, puts a towel around his waist, and goes and ministers16300:17:45,880 –> 00:17:55,040to them by washing the feet of the disciples. He’s able in that most uncomfortable of16400:17:55,040 –> 00:18:04,540situations to minister and to serve and to portray the very spirit of the heart of the16500:18:04,540 –> 00:18:13,099Father. And you say how was he able to do that?16600:18:13,099 –> 00:18:18,500And John tells us. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this before, but John tells us16700:18:18,500 –> 00:18:29,500in John’s Gospel chapter 13 and verse 3. John’s Gospel chapter 13 and verse 3. Here’s16800:18:29,500 –> 00:18:39,420how Jesus did that. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that16900:18:39,420 –> 00:18:48,920he had come from God and was returning to God. Jesus knew something. He was secure in17000:18:48,920 –> 00:18:54,500his relationship with the Father. He knew he had come from God. He knew he was returning17100:18:54,500 –> 00:19:03,739to God. He knew something. Now look at the next word, this is so important. Jesus knew17200:19:03,739 –> 00:19:11,199that he had come from God and that he was returning to God so. So he got up from the17300:19:11,199 –> 00:19:14,520meal, took off his outer clothing, wrapped the towel around his waist, and then he pours17400:19:14,520 –> 00:19:20,900the basin and he begins washing the disciples’ feet. He was able to do this because of the17500:19:20,900 –> 00:19:26,020purity that he had in the knowledge of his relationship with God the Father. He came17600:19:26,020 –> 00:19:34,459from God, he was going to God, he did not need therefore, to depend on their ministry17700:19:34,459 –> 00:19:43,000to him which failed. He was able on that basis to get up from the table and to minister to17800:19:43,000 –> 00:19:47,780them, and then to go out from there into the garden of Gethsemane and go to the cross so17900:19:47,780 –> 00:19:59,099that there should be a gospel. Those who live under the approval of God can be entrusted18000:19:59,099 –> 00:20:11,839with the gospel. Do you know if you were to measure the ministry of Jesus by the criteria18100:20:11,839 –> 00:20:19,959of comfort and approval you would have to say that Jesus’ visit to this planet was18200:20:19,959 –> 00:20:27,479a failure. There wasn’t much comfort on a cross and at that moment he didn’t even18300:20:27,479 –> 00:20:33,979have the approval of his twelve closest friends. Jesus is operating with a different definition18400:20:34,160 –> 00:20:45,699success. He says, ‘…as the Father has sent me, I send you.’ As he had that approval of18500:20:45,699 –> 00:20:50,420being the beloved son in whom the Father is well-pleased, as on his shoulders and on his18600:20:50,420 –> 00:21:02,079cross the gospel is forged he says ‘…As the Father has sent me, I send you.’ That’s18700:21:02,339 –> 00:21:09,060why Paul says in verse 12 of our passage here, ‘…Therefore we’re urging you to18800:21:09,060 –> 00:21:14,699live lives that are worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and into his glory.’18900:21:14,699 –> 00:21:21,140And that doesn’t mean a life that is driven by comfort and by approval, but one that lives19000:21:21,140 –> 00:21:28,199on the approval of God and therefore carries the gospel as in Jesus and in Paul.19100:21:29,060 –> 00:21:38,420The success of your life and mine, the success of our church, will not be19200:21:38,420 –> 00:21:44,119measured on the last day by the comfort that any of us have enjoyed, or the19300:21:44,119 –> 00:21:50,339approval we have received from others, but rather on the degree to which as19400:21:50,520 –> 00:21:53,479faithful disciples19500:21:53,479 –> 00:21:56,959we receive the approval of God19600:21:56,959 –> 00:21:59,979as those who have carried the gospel19700:21:59,979 –> 00:22:02,479and advanced it in our time19800:22:02,479 –> 00:22:07,020for his glory and for his honour.19900:22:07,020 –> 00:22:11,300That’s a challenging message there from Pastor Colin Smith on Open The Bible.20000:22:11,420 –> 00:22:16,800The message today it was called The Urgency of Disciplined Discipleship and20100:22:17,199 –> 00:22:19,939and it’s from our series Living Like There’s No Tomorrow20200:22:19,939 –> 00:22:22,160based on the Book of 1 Thessalonians.20300:22:22,540 –> 00:22:24,339If you’ve ever missed one of our programmes20400:22:24,339 –> 00:22:26,219or if you want to go back and listen to them again20500:22:26,459 –> 00:22:28,319you can do that by coming to our website20600:22:32,420 –> 00:22:33,939or find us as a podcast.20700:22:33,939 –> 00:22:35,819That’s on all the main podcast sites.20800:22:35,819 –> 00:22:39,599You can find those by searching for Open The Bible UK20900:22:39,599 –> 00:22:41,739or follow the link from our website.21000:22:42,319 –> 00:22:44,859Just a reminder about Open The Bible Daily21100:22:44,859 –> 00:22:47,400that’s our series of short two to three minute21200:22:47,400 –> 00:22:50,640daily reflections based on Pastor Colin’s teaching21300:22:51,040 –> 00:22:53,839and read in the UK this month by Sally Workman21400:22:56,140 –> 00:22:59,979available on our website and all the main podcast sites.21500:23:00,619 –> 00:23:02,920In the run up to Christmas, at Open The Bible21600:23:02,920 –> 00:23:05,579we want to provide churches and groups21700:23:05,579 –> 00:23:07,579with great supporting material.21800:23:07,859 –> 00:23:11,060Here’s Open The Bible’s Executive Director, John Martin.21900:23:11,680 –> 00:23:14,579If you’re planning events for Christmas and Advent22000:23:14,579 –> 00:23:16,339for your church and community22100:23:16,339 –> 00:23:18,819then Open The Bible has resources to help you,22200:23:19,199 –> 00:23:21,939a Nativity script you can use outside or indoors,22300:23:22,819 –> 00:23:25,520sermon outlines for an Advent sermon series22400:23:25,939 –> 00:23:27,900and it’s all linked to our new little book22500:23:28,400 –> 00:23:31,500Christmas Stories – Five First Person Narratives.22600:23:32,040 –> 00:23:36,180To find out more go to openthebible.org.uk.22700:23:37,020 –> 00:23:38,739Regular listeners will know that22800:23:38,739 –> 00:23:42,000Open The Bible is supported by our listeners22900:23:42,500 –> 00:23:44,400and if you give to support our work23000:23:44,719 –> 00:23:45,920thank you so much.23100:23:46,520 –> 00:23:48,760If you’d like to become one of our supporters23200:23:48,979 –> 00:23:50,959Here’s Open The Bible’s Amanda Cunningham23300:23:51,199 –> 00:23:52,959to tell you about a special offer.23400:23:53,099 –> 00:23:54,040Thanks David.23500:23:54,160 –> 00:23:56,099Yes, as we look ahead to Christmas23600:23:56,560 –> 00:23:58,540our Book of the Month for October is23700:23:58,760 –> 00:24:01,520Hallelujah by Dave and Sally Gobbett.23800:24:02,079 –> 00:24:05,800This beautiful devotional draws on the timeless music23900:24:05,800 –> 00:24:07,400of Handel’s Messiah24000:24:07,640 –> 00:24:09,079and the words of scripture24100:24:09,319 –> 00:24:11,500to take you through the Christmas story.24200:24:11,739 –> 00:24:14,339Each daily reading includes a short reflection24300:24:14,500 –> 00:24:17,640together with a piece of the hallelujah chorus to listen to24400:24:17,819 –> 00:24:19,900helping you to pause and reflect24500:24:19,900 –> 00:24:21,880on the wonder of Christ’s coming.24600:24:22,239 –> 00:24:24,939I read this devotional last Advent with my family24700:24:25,119 –> 00:24:26,979and I found it a real blessing.24800:24:27,160 –> 00:24:30,339It’s a lovely way to slow down during a busy season24900:24:30,579 –> 00:24:32,800and prepare our hearts for Christmas25000:24:32,979 –> 00:24:35,319and we hope that it will be a blessing to you too!25100:24:35,900 –> 00:24:38,079You can receive a free copy of Hallelujah25200:24:38,260 –> 00:24:40,680when you support Open the Bible UK.25300:24:41,020 –> 00:24:44,439Simply donate a one-off gift of at least £6025400:24:44,680 –> 00:24:48,020or set up a new direct debit of £5 or more.25500:24:48,260 –> 00:24:51,540And please do remember to leave your name and address25600:24:51,699 –> 00:24:54,520when you donate so that we know where to send your book.25700:24:54,920 –> 00:24:55,699Thanks Amanda.25800:24:55,699 –> 00:24:57,979So our website address again is25900:24:57,979 –> 00:25:00,520openthebible.org.uk26000:25:00,699 –> 00:25:02,660and there you’ll find full terms and conditions26100:25:02,900 –> 00:25:05,040and all the details about this offer.26200:25:05,300 –> 00:25:07,439For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith,26300:25:07,739 –> 00:25:08,660I’m David Pick.26400:25:08,939 –> 00:25:10,219I’m glad you joined us today26500:25:10,439 –> 00:25:13,199and I hope to see you next time on Open the Bible.26600:25:21,180 –> 00:25:23,540If you know someone whose faith is under fire,26700:25:23,880 –> 00:25:25,400how can you minister to them?26800:25:26,040 –> 00:25:28,079Find out next time on Open the Bible