This evening we are blessed with Ray Calland and friends leading us in worship. Bringing us the Word of God is Mike Fitton who is the National Chairman of the Christian Motorcyclists Association.
W welcome to Biker’s Church y yes it’s winter but I have to say that every time we welcome people to Biker’s Church it feels like standing on Ice trying to stand on ice because you never quite know whether your feet are going to keep you upright that’s how I feel
Anyway have you seen this logo what’s this what’s this about that’s new is that new oh okay fantastic okay well and happy New Year we could break into song Happy New Year NAA you know it’s good to see welcome to those online who are joining
Us uh it’s great to have us there’s a right bunch of people here YouTube and it’s really good well hopefully uh well it should what time is it because I was told to and it’s it time oh it’s yeah we’re a minute hey we’re a minute we’re early
Wow we’ve never been early before Sue what’s going going on is it because we’ve got a very very special speaker today and we’re trying to look organized I said nothing you’re saying nothing so um uh lots lots of things happening now those who are at the um biker blessing have you got your
Badges I’ve been blessed badges 202 for 2023 so I know it’s 2024 but we don’t worry about that they’ve been blessed all right and we’ve got we’ve got many many of them and it’s a special offer it’s take one take another one free if you’ve got someone you want to bless
With an I’ve been blessed biker badge and can this be something that we do and use really as to say have you heard about bikers Church brother or sister we got hundred have we I I think so I think somebody got excited and order a lots
Didn’t you Rob so do get a badge do take them out because uh we want you know we want people to know about what we’re doing and be a blessing be a blessing what else are we supposed to be talking about over to you come
On have you got a list do you remember when we wrote before we did an order of service and knew what we were doing you’re going to turn to that now yes fantastic okay I’ve got I get into a lot of trouble about writing things down as in writing lists
And things yeah but at least you can read your writing oh that’s an old one that won’t do who knows where that came from is this the New Year’s resolution want to use this one don’t want the T no no you wouldn’t chose that one CU because we’ve got that bit haven’t we
We’ve got other things haven’t we yeah Rob in the absence of anybody else from Staffordshire and sharpshire oh no talk about the podcast we’d like to invite Robert to talk about a new podcast speak speak evening all can everyone hear me at the back
Good so a new thing uh I’m not sure what it’s from a new thing I’m not sure if it’s biker church or CMA to it’s it’s just us um it was funded uh by a legacy from one of the people in Bas Church who sadly passed away a couple of years ago and
That Legacy paid for some of the equipment well all of the equipment we used for this um I’ve this is a podcast that’s been produced by um Mal and Andrew um I was astonished how clear it was I actually listened to it uh when I was on holiday last week where with the
Headphones on and it’s so clear I kept joining in the conversation because I thought it felt like they was there um talking I do that all the time yeah um but what it is it’s a conversation about Christianity bikers Church the Christian motorcyclist Association bikes and the Lord Jesus so
The first the first epe they’re kind coming out monthly the first episode came out just before Christmas uh I’ve had a good listen to it and it’s really really good it’s amusing it’s fun it’s spiritual and it’ll bless you um how do I find this well you can anywhere you
Can find a podcast I got mine I just found the podcasts app on my phone and you type in you ready for this this way up now there’s a few this way oops uh but it’s the one with a picture like that with a bike on it there’s a few of
This way ups whove done podcast on this way up but it’s the one with the bike on it you click that and it will just start it’s really easy to access uh I believe it’s also available on Spotify uh but if you all else fails any device youve
You’ve got open the browser and type podcasts find find one and then this way up um the first one was very much an introduction to malc and Andrew themselves CMA and biker Church um and everyone will have an element of the Gospel it’ll have a chat about M dis
Cycles um and it will bless you so please have a listen it’s well worth listening to okay thank you he didn’t think to put the mic back did he sorry and I’m not serious do have some yeah uh Pete yes exciting uh Pete where are you you
Going to come and share Pete who you’ve met before um online Pete remember brief and the point yes hello everyone um just the great news um coming this year in June the 29th of June so I’ll put that on your diary everybody um I’m getting married at Chester yes and everybody’s
Welcome the the F the the church is is at Festival Church Chester and it’s at 3:00 so get there a bit early if you can please and the post code I’ll give you it’s C1 3 LG and um so it starts at 3 so everybody’s welcome so God bless you all
And a Happy New Year to everyone Lord bless you pet and his lovely fiance Kirsty I think that’s I think that’s what i’ got on mine okay okay I have should I go and sit down and get go on should I go and drink tea now you can if
You want I can go and drink tea now yeah I just i’ just like to I will I’d like to open in prayer please um and then hand over to Ry so let’s let’s just pray let’s just pray first let’s just pray first God thank you come Holy
Spirit and we welcome you lord your presence here your presence in every home behind any phones your presence with people watching Lord Lord and your presence here so welcomed to know that you grace us with your presence pray you will give light to us to our paths to our hearts tonight
Lord for people who feel like they’ve been walking down a long dark tunnel that there would be some light Lord in that place for people who are living with living with and negotiating and managing long-term conditions Lord short-term conditions the conditions of life God pray your word will be living
And active and manifest in those areas tonight pray we give you glory with our praise that you’re enthroned with our praise amen amen right I’ll hand you over to Ray Auntie’s band good evening good evening even welcome to B church not a bit better is it
You know um we just come through the most important time of our Christian calendar country where we celebrate the birth of our savior Lord King whatever else you want him but you know something I’ve really been sad this year because you go around the shops and everything else you can get happy
Grinchmas or Al there’s all sorts of stuff and then I was looking for some cards that possibly had a nativity scene on did you find any I was so saddened but it doesn’t stop me rejoicing in the birth of my king that’s the reason that we celebrate Christmas nothing else we’ve
Lost a lot as a nation we’ve lost a lot as a people in this land I trust that we continue to put the name of Jesus first and honor him above all things so I don’t make any excuses the songs that I’ve chosen tonight there’s no really fast ones and uplifting ones
But s all these are uplifting because they’re all about Jesus and wanting to bless His we have into This we have come to him G in his way to Worship we have come into this place GED in his name to worship Christ the lord Worship The let’s forget about our conate on and Worship let’s forget about ourselves concentrate worship let’s foret by ourselves concentrate on him and Worship the Lordship Christ The he is for my righteousness I stand complet and Worship he is all my righteousness I stand complete in and Worship all my righteousness I stand completed him and Worship Worship so let us lift up holy hands magnify his name and worship him let us lift the Holy House magnify his Worship let us lift up holy hands magnify his name and worship The [Applause] Christ we Worship CH all hey ining Jesus all H in my You king of King Lord Of star for all chch I’m going to praise him and forever I will with all all H in Jesus oh King King for Morning Star and Eternity my to PR and forever more [Applause] I with light of the world step down into dark my heart let me Sing that this theore of the with you here I am to worship here I am to Here I am to that you’re you’re all together love me all together wor Together High exalted Glor came to the Earth you cre All here I am to worship here I am to bow down here I am to say that you’re my God you’re all together love all together Worthy all together wonderful to me I never know how much it cost to see my S upon my I never know how much it to see my
S all Here I Am to Worship here I am to B here I am you’re all together all together [Applause] all come we are to worship His name his name shall be this day this day shall be so the Mighty God The the pr of through all etern A mighty God The Ting father the of his name his name Shall be Called Wonderful his his tell Mighty God The the of Eternity the mighty go Father the all Eternity oh come let us Glor oh come let USR the for he his wor for he alone is worthy for he your is worthy the Lord and we give all the all we give all [Applause] The for he is f he alone is faithful for he is the Lord he never will forsake us he never will forsake us he never will for [Applause] By his blood com Str for by his blood comes cing for By His blooding Oh let us adore oh come let us adore oh come let us adore him Christ the Hallelujah glory to Jesus bless Lord and Savior we give you glory this day Hallelujah bless you Lord guilty I’m guilty was all I could Say mercy your mercy crash his life away and all my sin was washed away washed away you took them all there’s no not a trace I stand Here free with every stay forever was away SP the St your blood Oh your blood covers me I’m and all my sin is washed away washed away you took them all there not a trace I stand Here free with every stay forever washed away and all my was washed away wash away took them all there not a tra I stand Here free with every St
Forever was away and oh preious is the Flor that makes me white as snow no I know nothing and all PR white as no nothing the blood Jes all my sin was washed away washed away you took them all there’s not a trace I stand Here free with every stay forever wash away
Oh preious is the FL that white no I know the blood of Jesus Oh preious is the Flor that makes me no other I know nothing but the blood Jesus thank you friends thanks so much to Ray and team for leading Us in worship uh it was good as we celebrated God together and friends just to say don’t forget uh there there’s various magazines out there including the Chain Link Magazine some wonderful articles in the
Chain Link Magazine not least about the barish sheen classic and barishen was the guy who got me into motorcycle I must confess remembering watching altim part many many many years ago uh and uh fantastic but also first articles about CMA and want to welcome there’s an
Article about him in here is written uh obviously want to welcome the CM uh chairman Mike fitton written an article in here somewhere in I read it earlier so welcome Mike do you want to come forward please and let’s pray for [Applause] Mike let’s pray for you thanks for coming
Let’s pray father God we thank you for Mike we thank you for his ministry we thank you for the way that he is part of the leadership not least of CMA overall and we pray for the team that works together and we pray that as bikers church that as we work together
We will continue to take the gospel out to bikers and non- bikers that they might be saved and so we pray for Mike this night we pray that you an anoint his word by your spirit that both those who us here and those online and those
Who um watching days to come Lord may we be blessed and may we know that you are our God so blessed M we pray in Jesus name amen amen thank you hey everybody it’s good to be here is my mic on can you hear me all right it’s on Blue at the minute
Can you hear me now that’s good excuse me I’ll just move this out the way as well okay no problem uh well I’m grateful for that um introduction and particularly the prayer I just want to say to anybody who’s never met me before that although my business card may say for good reason
That I’m the national chairman of CMA my name is Mike and I’m a follower of Jesus and the reason I’m here tonight is because I want to share sh God’s word with you and to encourage you we’ve just entered yet another year where the year that went before is I cannot imagine um
But uh We’ve I believe got to be ready for the year that we’ve stepped into it’s so easy for us to stumble into something isn’t it rather than uh be very specific about the way we approach what God has called us to do and that
May be that simply we walk with God at this time it may be we don’t have a specific role um but maybe we’re even in between roles never forgotten one wonderful moment for my daughter Emma and I we were riding our bike and uh on
A I think it was a Sunday afternoon and we’ gone up on the top of the mole where we live in North yoria we’re living in wh beyond the north yor sha by the way and um we were going up to a bike Cafe
Um and as we did we got behind um or we saw a guy on a Honda who was coming up as well and so we followed him got close up to him cu the plan was to talk to him about Jesus and of course as we pulled
Up next to him we got off and then he said you wearing white crosses you guys must be Christians so I said of course come and join us not knowing he was a Christian as well and the wonderful thing was as we got to sit and have
Coffee with him and talked about CMA and what God was doing he said this is such an incredible moment in my life he said I came out after church today got on my bike to ask God what do you want me to do next because he said I’ve just laid
Down everything I’ve been doing in Ministry for a number of years in my church and I wasn’t sure what God wanted next and he said as I’m leaving this Cafe I now know God wants me to be part of CMA which was so exciting but you see he’d avidly gone to
Look for the purpose of God in his life whether he’d been a Christian for 5 minutes or 5 years or whatever it was it turned out he’d been a Christian a long time but his heart heart was what do you want to do in my life
God and I think it’s sometimes very easy for us to stumble into a new year and by the end of that Year wish we’d maybe approached it in a different way um so hopefully tonight from what I want to share with you uh that won’t be
The case this time um could we have the first slide up please which will be uh some scripture I just want to start off with before I read that I want to say this that um through Christmas um I I I’m an I’m I’m an evangelist so I love
Christmas I love Easter I love any day when I can preach and share and all that kind of stuff um but I particularly love the fact that at Christmas we always seem to have opportunity don’t we to speak about Immanuel how many times have you actually heard somebody preach on
Emmanuel the rest of the year it doesn’t happen all too often maybe reference to it but it’s like there’s some parts of of scripture that’s compartment mentalized for certain periods of the year and we don’t mention them at any other time and I think we should in some
Regard um but obviously we know that Emmanuel is one of the most important references and words and descriptive words and yet names for Jesus and it simply means god with us and what I want us to see today is that not only God With Us at Christmas but God with us
Every day for the rest of this year and then again at Christmas Etc I know that sounds obvious but sometimes I’m not sure that we’re conscious of it God is with us here and scripture says that where two or three are gathered together and it doesn’t matter how tremendous Christians they are but
Where two or three are gathered in faith and trust in Christ that he’s in the midst of us and that’s such an incredible statement but again I’m not sure we’re that conscious of it but we should be but here we have a portion of scripture
Which to some of you will be a very familiar passage it’s something I’ve preached on and and witnessed to to many many people because it’s an obvious place to begin Jesus Comforts his disciples it’s been a a tough time for them there’s a lot more in this chapter
Which I haven’t got time to go through but when you get home just open John 14 chapter 14 and read it all the way through but I’ve just taken uh verse 6 to9 and then 12 to 14 and it says this Jesus in comforting his disciples those
Who were spending a great deal of life with him and that’s the best way to bring people to a place of discipleship is to do life together he not preaching at them it’s living with them and all of us learning together in that sense but the disciples
Had Jesus directly to be able to do with this with and Jesus said to them I am the way I’m the truth and I’m the life life and no one this was a tough thing for some people to hear still is today no one comes to the father except through
Me now I don’t believe for a minute that Jesus was being in your face about this you know what I mean by that I’ve met some people who think that evangelism is in people’s face or alternatively trying to sell them a secondhand car but they consider that approach to be evangelism
And it isn’t at all but Jesus was stay in a fact this isn’t some kind of assumption it’s a fact and we need when we share this to share it in a way that makes people realize that they cannot change the fact that Jesus is the way to God
The truth everything he did and said was the truth and can be entirely trusted and that he gives life in all its fullness everlasting life life that no one else and nothing else in this world or Universe has ever or will ever be able to offer as an
Alternative and that no one comes to the father except through me that is an incredible statement and sadly people like myself and others were probably trying to find alternative ways of finding peace or maybe even not in my case but in others trying to find a different way to God and there isn’t
There’s only one and that’s Jesus but then Philip goes on to say if you really sorry Jesus said if you really know me you will know my father as well from now on you do know him and have seen him and Philip says Lord show us the father that’ll be
Enough see because up to then any thought of seeing or looking into the face of God the Bible says that you would die if you looked into the face of God yet Jesus says don’t you know philli even after all this time we’ve been together a long time doing life together
Anyone who’s seen me has seen the father wow what a statement and what a statement for us to carry with us through this year because if we’re Christians today if we put our trust in the Living God who’s the savior of all men who believe if
We’ve asked God to forgive us and His holy spirits in our life we know Jesus personally but we have a relationship with the father and if you want to if anybody ever says to me I’ve never known God never seen God I don’t know what God’s like talk to them about Jesus because
Jesus is in form on this Earth human as Jesus was born but also fully God next slide please I want to tell you uh briefly now about a story of something I did back in 1975 this is me in the picture I don’t if you can see see it very well uh it’s
Not particularly a picture I’m particularly proud of um that day was so hot my pumps do you remember pumps before those things called trainers my pumps that day were melting as I walked through the streets of Paris I was 16 years old I had a rook sack I had very
Little money I’d saved worked in a warehouse got some money together and I just took off and I’ve always said that the reason I went sort of through Europe nine different countries was to find an answer to a question question but I didn’t know what the question was last
Thing I ever anticipated the answer would be and the question would be relating to had any reference to Jesus I ultimately found that to be the case obviously and this was the first bike I I’d bought just shortly after this trip uh but I went off and um I went to
Amsterdam at one point um those of you have heard my testimony before probably remember I was in Vienna shortly before Amsterdam and in Vienna sort of a a cult tried to take me and then kick me out and I found I was 16 so ultimately went
To Amsterdam and while I was there in 1975 looking for answers I went into the train station and a member of wwam approached me uh and I’m so incredibly grateful for this man I can’t I don’t know his name can’t really remember his face but I do remember his eyes because there was
Something about him that was different for anybody I’d ever met before and he spoke to me about Jesus and I know some of you heard that before and I’m not going to label that point but um I didn’t really take in what he said but I kept the track and uh
I was very grateful to have met this guy but I hadn’t realized what impact Jesus would have on my life see at the time I didn’t know any anything about Jesus and I didn’t really want to know anything about Jesus but Jesus knew all about
Me I was a long way from Jesus a long way from God um and there may be somebody here listening or even physically in this room room who is a long way from God and if you are I’m so grateful you’re here or I’m so grateful you can hear what I’m saying because
It’s so important or it may be that somebody’s been walking with God and you kind of stumbled a bit doesn’t mean to say you’re no longer a Christian but you may not be kind of walking on the path that God wants you to walk we’ve got things these things called veering
Moments in our lives I believe you know we we kind of take our our eye off the ball or we take our eye off the word and we we’re not just kind are walking and we end up veering off in a direction that we never intended and God doesn’t want us to
Take some really really good friends in CMA from the Netherlands class and Alia really good friends of mine and Sand’s and um they’ve always been so sad about Amsterdam because they say they describe it our capital city is sadly known for drugs in the sex industry even within
The context of Dutch people not just those who come from away but it was was a long time ago since I went to uh Amsterdam and it had a very negative effect on me and ultimately things you know in my life changed but in December this year Sandy
And I and Andy and Naomi lots of you will know and also Gary and Pauline from Northeast every year we’ve always tried to have a weekend away of Fellowship uh and we tended to always take a ferry from H to ro to zeer go to um Bru and
But the fellowship together on the boat was most important prayer times on the boat getting along side and doing things together it was just a wonderful time downtime as well to relax but this year um we found out that the the feries to Zer weren’t uh going so the only option
For us was to go from Newcastle to Amsterdam or imen then go to 5 hours in Amsterdam and we kind of went with a little bit of trepidation Amsterdam isn’t the place where you would necessarily think was going to be a really nice weekend for Christians but we looked upon it from a
Completely different perspective I went because I wanted to go back to the place somebody first told me about Jesus but I also wanted us to go and see not the red light area obviously that’s very well it’s defined on the map but in reality it’s not just uh in that block if you
Like um but I wanted to see Amsterdam from a completely different perspective than the one I had in 75 and we found as we went that the city oozed empty Hearts is the only way I could put it as we walked along we looked into faces and faces seemed to be
So empty and dark hopelessness shame and guilt but as Christians we saw a place also of complete darkness and we wanted as we walk through we we started to get really burdened all of us about what we were seeing and my heart wanted the truth of Emanuel who I was going to be
Preaching about so much through um December I wanted Emmanuel Jesus this Lord I knew to impact a world that’s so obviously broken but that world didn’t necessarily know they were broken do you know what I mean by that CU that’s how I was when I was traveling around Europe I
Didn’t think I was in a bad place but by the time I came back I realized I’d not found the answer whatever the answer would be and I also wondered on that day as we were walking through just for 5 hours through Amsterdam how many 16 year
Olds had we passed that day that was just like me and you know I I love it when I go into shops I did it on the way here I it you know stopped off at Birch services and you go to the counter and you buy
Something and I love it before I pay something I will say to them how are you today and I say it in a way that’s not a flippant just how are you and they say I’m fine and we’ll leave it at that I love to say to people no how are you how
Is today for you you know on the boat we had a wonderful time in that there’s a you know on the boat there’s always way too much to eat and there’s always an ice cream bit on The Buffy as you go and uh so I went
To The Buffy at the end of the meal not that wasn’t my stter um but there was a police lady who was serving and all this and I said to her how are you and she said oh and I said no I’m serious how are you and she said well actually
Today’s a really bad day I thought she said her dad had died it was her dog had died but that to her was just as important anybody who has a dog will know that and uh I said to her well look we’re Christians and really concerned
That you feel that loss and would’ love to pray for you and she was blown away it’s a great way that we can go into places of Darkness places of toughness and just say to people how are you I want you to know there’s a savior of the
World that can make a difference and we saw her the next day I took Sandy we introduced Sandy to her and she said she’d been able to sleep better that night before after we’d said what we said just before we went to Amsterdam I emailed ywan which is youth with a
Mission that was the guy that I met in Amsterdam in 75 and I said to them look this is what’s happened to me I met one of your workers all this time back and I’ve now become a Christian I’ve been serving God in lots of different ways
And I’m so passionate that you keep do doing what you’re doing and telling your people to keep reaching out and they were so encouraged because you see so often you and I perhaps when we go to bike rallies or we speak to people in the street or wherever it happens to be
And we say to them about the Lord’s love and they say oh yeah I’m not really bothered and you kind of come away sometimes maybe the way I dealt with this guy I listened to him I didn’t really push him along out the way I I I
Kept the track which was great because a lot of people don’t even accept what we offered do they um I’ve still got it still got that track so an Old handdrawn Hippie sort of thing um but sometimes we we can as we do try to do Outreach try to love people um
Show them the reality of Christ that we we sometimes come away don’t we thinking oh man I messed up there he didn’t listen what a waste of time and it can pull you down if you allow it and I don’t want you to enter into 2024
Thinking that what you do is a waste of time because it’s not word of God says well Paul said to um you know the the church in Corinth keep going stand firm because what you’re doing is not a labor that’s done in vain and anything that we give of
God’s word to people’s lives won’t return void I’d love to have a chance to make that guy from 1975 you know if I’m the age I am now he’s probably an old old man by now um but how encouraged he would be but we felt burdened for the lostness
Of the people in that place but suddenly as we’re heading back to the ship we had another 45 minutes to walk back or whatever we suddenly in the midst of this dark environment suddenly heard people singing praise to God and Naomi was on crutches and you’ve
Never seen somebody hoof it across a big Square in Amsterdam so fast on the crutches and we were running to this place where the praise was coming on and there were about 200 people singing in the open air big sort of PA system big screen with all the words and we were
Just having the most amazing time and you see Jesus said I’m the way the truth and life no one come to the father unless he comes through me and that life is free for everyone and we started to sing that it was a really emotional time singing These amazing
Worship songs and later I found out that the organization that was doing this is in Dutch is called a stitching presence which translates to foundational presence I don’t if anybody heard of this before but it’s a foundation that seeks to make Jesus known and visible presence worshiping in the community it
Was amazing incidentally while we were there also they invited up a guy who was a local MP for um specifically for for Amsterdam and he was from a uh a Christian um political party called the Christian union and this guy Don Ceda stood up and he said I have a vision to
Change Amsterdam now what a wonderful way for us to come to the end of a five or six hour period of walking around Amsterdam getting this perspective just like so many of the Ministries that we may be see but then to be lifted up by God to see a big
Difference so when now 16 year old God was chasing me down by Grace is the way I love to put it and that why one men man might have thought I’d ignored him but I hadn’t you see because next slide please Emmanuel Jesus Savior of the world was with me at that time he was in that conversation with that man and I but also God was for me not against me and God worked through him to speak to me into my soul just the physical words were not immaterial but
That wasn’t the most crucial aspect of the meeting I had with that man what an incredible difference Jesus makes Jesus was present in that place in that Market Square you know in this day and age it’s amazing that as you start to sing Christian songs like that making
It very clear that we are celebrating Christ it’s amazing some people didn’t come up and say stop that but Jesus said I am the light of the world speak speaking of himself whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life
But then bear this in mind as you go into uh 2024 that Jesus said not only is he the light of the world but we are the light of the world and that we are to go to these places so that we can let his light shine through us that we can love
People from the the darkness and bring them to that place where they ultimately realize that they’ve been living in darkness and God wants to change them and if today you’re struggling with your understanding of God or if you’re a Christian and you’re struggling with your walk with God just let me remind
You of one or two things and I think this is so important Jesus knows our name he knows all about us and I’ve said it before that Satan knows your sin uh sorry Satan knows your name but he calls you by your sin but God knows your sin and calls you by
Your name it’s completely different and he loves you he knows you personally and wants you personally to come into relationship with him and if you’ve stepped out of line just come back and get on that road again with him and he knows our daily struggles I know a lot of people who are
Struggling in their walk with God and incidentally forgive me saying this about Christians but I know some Christians who have bought motor homes and they’re struggling where they were they walk with God because they’ve got a little bit of life balance out of structure he knows our desire to know
Him more but he knows our struggles about doing it he understands our Wounded Heart many many Christians have got broken hearts for a variety of reasons and God wants to heal that womb and he doesn’t want to leave you with a scar he wants to heal you
Completely of that that and he doesn’t want to leave us as we are I am so grateful I’m not the young man I was back in 1975 with the mindset I had and doing the things I did I’m so grateful that when I got saved God wiped clean
Everything from my past and set me on a new Ro praise God absolutely I have no desire to go back to where I used to be and Jesus says come come to me that I can put those things right live with me do life with me he knows our joy and
There’s so much joy for Christians if sadly you’re not filling that Joy at the minute just know there is joy for you and Jesus says that or the Bible says that your strength is your joy the joy of the Lord is your strength he receives our praise and I’m so grateful for the
Songs we’ve sung tonight Our Praise Is rise up to him as he did in that place in Amsterdam and be aware of this as as well that God’s never missed one prayer you’ve prayed even if he hasn’t answered it in the time you want or the way you want or
Whatever God heard your prayers and I’m so grateful God heard your prayers God will do it in his time all we’re required to do is trust him he will renew you he’ll uplift you he’ll restore you he knows our sin see when we became Christians we didn’t stop sinning I actually got that
Mixed up when I got saved and I was forgiven of the past I thought oh the future’s going to be easy but I didn’t realize I could still sin uh it didn’t take long to realize that by the way but nothing’s hidden from him and he seeks to forgive us as we
Repent isn’t it great that nothing’s hidden from God can you imagine living a life where you compartmentalize this bit with God and this bit with me and you know no way God knows everything but he still loves us never ever allow yourself to start believing I’ve done anything that God stop loving me
Never although it’s hard to believe never allow that next slide please I’ll just get through this very quickly I love the fact that 1 John 3:1 says see what great love the father has lavished on us God doesn’t just love us with a love he lavishes his love upon us
That we should be called children of God and that’s what we are that’s why I love to start when I preach by saying my name is might and I’m a follower of Jesus it’s what I’m saying is I’m a Child of God I am not the man I was I am the man
I am at this moment but I’m going to be somebody even different for the future and I’m guaranteed of and assured of um a place in in eternity not by anything I’ve ever done but by grace alone so Emanuel is with you now do you feel the love of God do
You feel the love of God where you are today do you understand the love of God to be able to share a bit of that I don’t mean have you got a degree and Masters in understanding the love of God but do you know anything of the love of
God and if you do share it with somebody else do you feel encouraged to share the love of God God we can say yes to all that if we are in the love of God and in the place of God keeping our focus on him that day
When Jesus said what he said it was a real eye opener to the disciples and as we read what Jesus said to the disciples it helps us to know that’s where we need to be that’s what we need to daily get into God’s word to be able to make re
You know realize these things and then go on from there cuz you know God’s love is continual and can be completely relied upon it will never give up and it’ll never run out on you which is one of the worship songs we sing I can’t quite
Remember the words but you know what I mean and I love the fact that God’s love is incomparable I even look that up in the Bible uh in the dictionary which means Beyond comparison there is no love like the love of God Amen and I I I’ve always
Been blessed to know a motorcycle company was named after a description of the love of God matchless you were trying to figure out how Hond or Harley or Triumph could possibly be relevant matchless love of God matchless means there is nothing comparable to that and we’re loved by that
Love now if in the Years Gone by you’ve had some times where you’ve lost loved ones I love to just want to tell people who are in such burden for the Fe those they’ve loved that they’ve lost that the love of God is beyond comparison and he’s surrounding you and holding you now
In the Everlasting Arms Jesus has placed to testimony in our hearts of Grace to share with the world and 1 Peter 2:9 says we are God’s special possession isn’t that great we belong to God and he he in in the and one Peter says that that you may declare
The Praises of him who called you out of Darkness into his wonderful light exactly what happened to me from 75 I ultimately gave my heart to Christ um when I was 21 I was 16 then I’ll leave that up to you to work out but facing
2024 you may feel tired you may feel like you’re lacking motivation cuz last year was a tough one for whatever reason now in Spring last year I actually fell on the Rocks um on the beach near where we live and I hadn’t realized at the
Time just how bad this was I broke my wrist I broke a vertebrae in the bottom of my back and damaged my shoulder that’s still a bit stiff uh but um it’s quite interesting actually I fell on the beach and then I had this massive Cliff
To walk up lots of steps and at the bottom of the cliff I’m thinking maybe I need to go to the hospital but as I’m walking up near the bottom of the cliff I found this old guy and he was carrying two buckets of Winkles now Winkles in the bucket is very heavy
But I did not want to see this guy struggle I thought he was going to have a heart attack and so I said oh don’t worry I’ll get those for you and I pick them up not realizing how damaged I was but I did go the top of the uh the hill
And put them down by his van and then called Sandy and I said I think I need to go to hospital so anyway the I didn’t tell anybody in hospital i’ just carried two buckets of Winkles but the point is because of that fall all my life for
That year in many ways sandes as well we couldn’t do the things we normally would do I am so grateful to say I could still ride my bike I had no problem riding the bike pushing in and out the garage that was an issue but I wasn’t going to stop with
That but you may be feeling tired lacking motivation worn down by a lack of response from people who you’ve spoken to and I fully understand that cuz I’ve had times like that I’ve had a lot of times like that see Hope was offered to me an empty broken life at 16 years old
And I received that hope by faith in Jesus and it all made sense and I wanted to then change other lives as well as mine and you’re the same as me God understands when we feel tired deot demotivated and feeling a bit of a struggle but he said when we feel like
That come and do life with me come and sit with me come and rest with me come and take a walk on a beach avoiding the Rocks but just spend time with Jesus john: 15 says that the light shines in the darkness and the Darkness has not overcome it in another
Translation I forget which it is says the light life the life light blazed out of the darkness and the Darkness couldn’t put it out that’s the Light of Christ in your life and mine and I know because I know you and I look upon you there’s very few faces I haven’t seen be
Before I know that you burn with The Passion of Christ I know you get tired but keep burning because whenever you spend time anywhere with anybody it’s having an effect on them I guarantee it I wonder if any of you have that wonderful brilliant I call it free app called what three
Words on your phone if you haven’t get it because it is awesome it simply means that somebody had the brilliant idea of dividing the world as I understand it into three meter squares and each of those squares have been allocated three words now our home is called kettle on
We live on the North yosa m in Castleton and the three words to find our house is crumples scrapped and presented they’re just kind of I mean I look at this and I think crumpled that’s loads of things need in in the house scrapped some of my good ideas that
Weren’t God’s ideas and presented hopefully in our home kettle on we’ve presented the gospel to people in a relevant way in incidentally when we at storm in the castle a couple of years ago the security on the team uh on on site was uh because we always invite all
The marshals about 120 of them into holy Joseph of coffee for the briefing and the guy heading up security said right what three words um it’s important that if somebody Rings up and says can’t find you give them the wrong what three words for this site and he said would you
Believe that Holy Joe’s on this site one of the three words is heaven these were done at random on a computer I don’t believe that for a second we got the biggest chair on site that day but the one oh sorry the three words that I want you to take home from this
Time is god with you you that’s about it’s not Emanuel God With Us distant it’s God with you in your marriage you in your illness you in your struggles you in your physicality you in your desire to ride a bike but you haven’t learned to do it yet just all sorts of
Things and Emmanuel you look at the word of God Emmanuel changed lives like he changed mine the blind man could see not just a blurry vision but he could see perfectly the woman with the issue of blood for 10 12 years whatever it was was healed
And her life was never the same again the woman caught in adultery wasn’t berated and stoned she was forgiven and released and could go and tell everybody about this man who’ brought her from Darkness to light thief on the cross imminent death would be within Paradise in seconds once he find finally breathed
His last the demon possessed were in their right Minds The Dead were raised to life the hungry were fed the lepers were made whole and that’s a big deal when you’re a leper you think of how they look but they were perfect Hypocrites were confronted religious
Were turned around and the rich on Earth were told give it away because it’s not doing you any good then come to me Emmanuel last next slide which maybe the last one I’m not quite sure I think it is Emanuel was a sacrifice for for us
This is God With Us God for us God working through US Emanuel was a sacrifice for you one Peter 2:24 says he bore my sin in his body it says our sin but look of it that way he bore my sin in his body
On the tree so that I might die to to sins and live for righteousness by his wounds I’ve been healed the man I was or the boy I was if you like in uh 1975 is not the man that stands before you today praise God he paid our debt Colossians
2:14 he cancelled the record of the charges against me and he took it away by nailing it to the cross and he did that for you remember this Jesus Paid a Debt he did not owe because we owed the debt we could not pay and there is no body else by which
Man can be saved and then finally Emmanuel Works through us what a a beautiful reminder that God doesn’t abandon us and and push us on to navigate life on our own he says no I’m going to put the holy spirit in you and through you and the Holy Spirit lives within us
To guide to comfort and enable us to declare the gospel message to the broken world so we have no excuse actually have we I love this next quote it’s from Robert Bayer who was an excia agent he said even Bethlehem was God With Us Calvary was God for us and Pentecost is
God in us I hope you’re excited about this CU I am God promises in uh to close God promises us a confident hope that will impact us and those around us Romans 15 says I pray that God the source of Hope will fill you completely with joy Sue and peace because you trust
In him then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit that’s what I want and just to close then um just before we left the Market Square we saw a lady in Amsterdam wearing a Christmas jumper but her said Jesus is the reason for the
Season and she stood out amongst the crowd now Alec was very kind in the on Facebook he he he took this photograph of me many many years ago um at Stafford bik thingy out the top window and there was hundreds of people in this Photograph it wasn’t you oh I beg you
Pardon I thought it was you whoever it was yeah it was good anyway and uh in the midst of it it was like where’s Willie is it Willie Wally you can’t say Willie in church can you anyway where’s Wally I’m the Wally now and in the middle of it was a little
White cross on the back I knew it was me for one reason not because of the white cross but because it’s got my bald patch in the picture as well so there was no getting away from that but this lady stood out in the darkness of the porn of
The drugs and the sex Market I ask you this question to finish do we it’s one thing we can wear a white cross or we can say we’re a Christian whoever you are whatever you do but do we stand out because Christ says we’re the light of the world and you know that
Just to finish I want to just say these couple lyrics from the song um that we sang that day in that Market Square it was I speak Jesus charity Gale I’m sure you all have sung this but um tears rolled down my face when we sang this
Because it just said over Amsterdam I just want to speak the name of Jesus till every dark addiction starts to break declaring There’s Hope and there’s freedom and I speak Jesus because there’s no other name by which men can be saved and we said in that song your name is power
Your name is healing your name is life break every stronghold shine through the darkness burn like a fire lord I just want to speak the name of Jesus over fear and all anxiety and I want to do that now as a prayer I want to speak the
Name of Jesus over you I’m not going to be a charity Gale singer for this moment I’m just taking the words of truth and some of you are going through tough times we’ve spoken about this tonight in some cases and the name of Jesus I just speak the name of Jesus
Into that situation your fear your fears your anxiety your aloneness your pain your suffering whatever it is and to every soul soul held captive the song says by depression I speak Jesus and you know that last one I’ve I’ve experienced depression in my life even as a Christian I hadn’t take my
Mind I didn’t take my eye off the Lord at all but the toughness of what I went through brought me to a place of depression but then God brought me through that and showed me the hope I have in him and that’s what healed me more than
Anything would you close your eyes and would I’ll just bow your head you don’t have to close your eyes I just want to pray over you heavenly father I thank you that you’ve taken words typed on a page and I didn’t really know if any of it made
Sense but I pray heavenly father that you will help us to forget the bits of me and just uh imprint on our minds souls and hearts the things of you father thank you that you Shone your light in our lives and Lord that gives us such a responsibility to take that
Light and just blazing it that life power love that you give to change lives and I pray for people maybe that come to mind right now um that Lord as we walk through the crowd as I did at the um Stafford bite show that time wearing a
White cross people may have seen it people may have not but Lord I want you to convict them of the Hope in Christ so that they also can be changed as I was from 1975 to the time I give my heart to you there is no one else you are the way
The truth and the life and as you said to your disciples if we’ve seen you we’ve seen the father God thank you Emanuel that you are with us and you will never leave us in Jesus name amen thank you just before Ry plays us out with a
Song for which we thank you in advance um no accident I guess with Mike’s remembering of 1975 I felt very prompted to bring this with me me to church tonight it’s a revised Standard Version of the Bible and inside it says 1971 and as a whatever I would be then
14y old at that time this is one of 13 Bibles that I stole from our school we laugh we laugh okay but I still have it my parents kept it when they cleared their house to immigrate to Portugal and they gave it to me and it’s a reminder that although I
Didn’t know Christ then he knew me and he does for us all so thank you Lord Jesus Ray just as well it wasn’t from the library would be Terri The goodness yeah Okay I love you Lord for your mercy never fails me oh my I been H in your hand from the moment that I wait until I my head I will s all the goodness of God oh my all my life you have been fful all my life you have been so so
Good with every breath that I am Able I will the I love your voice you have me through the fire in the darkness you are close like no other I known you as the father I known you as a friend I have Liv in the goodness oh my life you have fa oh my you have been so so
Good with every breath I am your goodness is running God running after to me your goodness is running after running after me with my life L down I Surrender now I give you everything you’re goodness is running after running after me you’re goodness is running out running out for me the goodness is Right oh my life you have been so so good every that I am I will s of the goodness I will the good all my life you have been Fa all my life you have been so so good with every breath that I am a i s of the goodness of God oh faithful so changeing you’re my of Lord I you I call Un to You again Again I hold to you again again you are My Time I all through the stor Your my all through the [Applause] sto my Hallelujah let’s give Jesus our what a wonderful savior what a wonderful Lord we just bless his name [Applause] Hallelujah Dave David to close the first service of this new year with good news very good news some of what was said particularly resonated with me because when I gave my
Heart and life to the Lord Jesus in 1978 in a Baptist Church down in pool um the Evangelist who I spoke to looked at me after I prayed the most pathetic prayer asking Christ into my life or I don’t even know what I prayed but I was just
Desperate to know the love of God my life and I prayed a prayer and I could see written over this evangelist face was and I was 18 son I don’t think you’ve understood a word I’ve been talking about but I knew at that moment that God had chopped open my head put a
Funnel in and was just pouring in his love and his forgiveness into my life and I’ve often thought I’d love to see that guy to tell him but he would be incredibly old so I understood that and uh but one day in Heaven he’ll find out
Uh last uh time at biker Church in uh Stoke two people gave their hearts and lives to the Lord Jesus amen it was quite remarkable actually because I preached the gospel and you always hope that someone’s going to come forward and respond and nobody did so I went out the
B room for M Coffee and thought well we’ll just have to leave that and but it’s strange why did you preach the gospel and there’s no response then after a while a Anda who you might know she’s quite shy and retiring and called David Dave come over here
Come here we’ got amazing news and with her was a a young woman who she led to Christ aanda had led to Christ and then Mal came through the Vicor there Mal who you all know came out and uh she said to and called come over here M we got some
Great news he said I’ve got some great news and the man who was the partner of this young woman had given his life to Christ at the same time I would never know if I hadn’t have been called over but it did me good it reminded me that we’re all like God uses
Like chains in you know links in a chain and you never know what you might say or do that will speak to someone and help them and I thought about something else you said because um Jesus Emmanuel is easier to find than one because he’s Emmanuel God With Us and
It’s only the darkness and people’s blindness and the fact they probably are looking for Willie that they miss it let’s go out and Shine for Jesus and if you want some prayer tonight come and speak to us one of us um I’ve been given this about this mental health motorbike thing about
Motorcycl please some leaflet please take with you guys really important we heard about mental health it’s really important please take yeah okay and also uh Stoke bers Church couple of weeks time we’d love to see you there let’s pray Heavenly Father we thank you I
Guess most of us here have come to a place where we’ve experienced Emmanuel God With Us and we are incredibly blessed to know sins forgiven Jesus to know what it is to walk with Jesus to know that we are loved to know that you even use people like us for your
Glory and I know there are times when you seem far away from us and it’s like we are searching for Wally but thank you that you stick closer than a friend closer than a brother and thank you for that reminder that you live in Us by your spirit
Christ in us the hope of glory Lord if there are guys and ladies here tonight who long and watching who need help who feel empty and lonely and lost in the massive crowd of people we pray father God that your peace and your presence will become very real to
Them bless them at this moment help them to have the courage to speak out to tell us online will you pray for me to come and seek that prayer after this meeting we thank you for tonight we thank you for your immense blessing we thank you for
Speaking we thank you for the worship when we have been able to live lift up the name of Jesus may this be an amazing year of transformation of God coming upon this nation of God working even through us to God be the glory great things he
Has done we bless you and praise you now in Jesus most worthy glorious name and thank you that you are with us through thick and thin in Jesus name amen tea and coffee oh tea and coffee most important announcement of all I want some bread pudding bless you thank you see you [Applause]
Again
1 Comment
Great service. God bless bikers church and everyone associated.Amen