Transformed by the Spirit - Vision for 2026

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Thank you so much, brother. That's great. Thank you. It's wonderful. It's so good to be regular in prayer, not just for one another, for our family of faith here, but for the work of God, the work of the gospel right around the world. My name's Dave, one of the pastors here, and it is my joy to open God's Word with you this morning. We're continuing our vision month, outlining the vision that the Lord has laid on our hearts as a church council and as a pastoral team as we've sought after Him. If you were here last week, you'll know that Pastor Doug mentioned that we set aside as a leadership team an intentional block of time to seek after God in prayer and in His Word. And upon meditating upon it, upon listening to God over that time, we really were seeking to discern God's will for us as a church family for 2026 and beyond. And yeah, last week Pastor Doug reminded us of our enduring mission statement. These two commands, these two commitments that disciples of Jesus are called to pursue. If you were here last week, if you had a chance to watch online, if you remember what these two commands, these two commitments are, turn now to your neighbour and tell them. Do it now. Yeah, if you remember what it is, turn now to your neighbour and tell them. What are the two commands, the two commitments? Our enduring mission statement. What are we committed to as disciples of Jesus? All right, we're going to put it up. Kath, thank you so much. That's great. Yeah, there it is. Hopefully you got it right. Committed to growing in Christ, committed to going for Christ. And these are kind of commitments, commands. These are key themes of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. He calls us to abide in Him, to grow in our understanding of who He is and what He's done, what He's called us to do and to be as His disciples. And likewise, Jesus then commissions us. He sends us out to proclaim the gospel, that good news of salvation and then to serve God by loving and serving others in His name. Pastor Doug mentioned last week that our church values, our goal, our mission statement for 2026 and beyond, even the focus verse that the Lord has given us for the year, all of these things have been informed by and flow out of our understanding of that enduring mission statement because that doesn't change. As followers of Jesus, this is always going to be what we need to be committed to. Pastor Doug kicked off the vision series last week by unpacking those first four values, inform and shared with us what it means to want to live as disciples of Jesus who are informed by the Bible. And Pastor Doug outlined for us that goal that we feel the Lord has laid upon our hearts, that mission statement that captures how we're going to intentionally try and live that out into the life of the church across 2026 and beyond. And you see that there on the screen, that Kabbaltia Baptist is an intergenerational church that aspires to honour our Heavenly Father by living as disciples informed by the Bible. So that was our focus verse then from John 15 verse 8. This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. It was much more that Doug unpacked for us. If you missed that message, I'd encourage you. Check it out on our website or on our YouTube channel. It'd be important for us to all be on the same page as we head into the year next year and beyond. We're going to focus a little bit on the second part of that this morning. And I thought I'd do that just by sharing a little bit about a book that we had when we were kids. I don't know if you had these around about. We had these little golden books. They were fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Kids' stories often beautifully illustrated. And I'd read them to my younger brothers and sisters. I was the oldest of seven kids at that stage, and we had a bunch of these books around, and I'd read them to the little ones, help mum out. Later on we read some of these to my own kids. Maybe you know the story of this one, the story of the ugly duckling. It's the story of a mother duck who had eggs that hatched, and she notices that one of the ducklings is different. It's larger, it's more awkward, it's not as pretty as the rest. And the other ducklings, they teased and made fun of it, and because this odd duck was different. They gave it such a hard time and bullied this poor duckling that they left the family and they left the farm yard. They went off in search of another home. They wanted to find some belonging. It tried to fit in with some geese for a little while. The story goes that the hunters came and scattered them all, and then this ugly duckling finds shelter with a woman and her family. But they've got a cat, and the cat attacks the duck and teases it, so it's forced to leave again. It ends up in a cave, sees the winter out, and at the end of winter emerges from this cave now grown up. And the ugly duckling finds this flock of elegant swans down by the lake. And to its surprise, as it heads down, the swans open their wings and they welcome this duckling in. And the story finishes that as it gets closer to the lake, it looks and sees its reflection in the water, and it sees that it's not an ugly duckling anymore. Maybe it was never was. It's a beautiful swan. You've probably heard that story before. It's a beautiful story of transformation. We like these kinds of transformation stories. I like the kinds of transformation stories that Alan shared with us this morning that all those years ago, he would never have imagined that he would be standing here leading a group of people in prayer to Almighty God. That's an amazing transformation in the life of a believer. We like transformation stories generally, I think, because maybe we resonate with them in a little way. There's something deep inside of us, there's inner longing for transformation to be changed. And I think there's a part of that in each of every one of us. Maybe as we sit around the room today, we can think of parts of ourselves that we would love to see transformed, whether it's parts of our character or our bodies, our appearance, parts of our lives that we wish we could change or transform in an instant. Whether you'd like to be younger or stronger, healthier or richer, maybe you'd like to be loved or more beautiful, whatever it is, I think each of us longs for transformation to some degree. Let's pause for a moment and consider there was a problem with that ugly duckling story. Scientifically, it doesn't make sense. Ducks don't become swans. They stay ducks. It's impossible for an ugly duckling to be transformed into a beautiful swan. And yet, as we'll find this morning as we dig into God's Word, the beauty of the gospel, the beauty of the Christian story, the beauty of the Bible story is that what's biologically impossible for something like a duck to turn into a swan spiritually, that sort of deep inner spiritual transformation, not ducks into swans, but the real stuff, the deep stuff, that transformation is possible through the work of the Holy Spirit. And that's where we're going to go today, our second of our four values, which is being transformed by the Spirit. So we've got our updated mission or statement. We're kind of drip feeding it out piece by piece as we unpack our four values. So, updated, the statement reads, Kabulchah Baptist is an intergenerational church that aspires to honor our Heavenly Father by living as disciples informed by the Bible, that was last week, transformed by the Spirit. And that's what we want to unpack this morning. We want to be transformed by God's Word. We want to allow God's Word to master us so that we might grow to become more like the God that we worship. One of the key ways that we honor our Heavenly Father is by allowing His Holy Spirit to transform our lives, to align us more and more into the image of His Son. As we look to unpack this a little more this morning, what it means to be transformed by the Spirit, I think we need to answer two fundamental questions. First one is, what is transformation? And then secondly, how does the Holy Spirit bring about this transformation? So let's look at that first one. First, what is transformation? Probably you've seen the movie Transformers, maybe the cartoon. We're familiar with some idea of what it means to have something transform, but the Bible's not talking about robots coming out of cars. It's actually talking about this change that happens in a person. It's talking about a transformation that carries this idea of a change in shape, a change in form, a change in appearance, or a change in character. The original Greek language there, it's the same idea in the original word there in the Greek as we would get in our English Metamorphosis. It's that transformation change that like a caterpillar goes through to become a beautiful butterfly. What we find as we read the Bible is that at its core, it's a story of transformation. A much better story of transformation than those little golden book stories. This is the Christian story, and at its core, it's a transformation story. We're going to have a bunch of Bible verses up on the screen. We're not going to go through all of them today. We don't have time to dig into all of those, but what I would love for you to do is grab a copy of the slides. I'll be up on the website later in the week. If you need them earlier than that, just email us at the office and we can send them out to you. I'd love you to grab these slides and open up your Bible and go through some of these references on your own and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you so that God's Word can master you and you can be transformed by the Spirit. So don't fret, note-takers, if we're going too fast, the slides will be available to you, but I do pray that you would dig into those references during the week. This transformation story of the Bible, it begins in Genesis with humans created in the image of God. We were created to reflect God's glory and worship Him in relationship and care for the world that He's made. But the Bible tells us that that image was fractured in the fall. Humanity rebelled against God. We didn't listen to Him. And consequently, the floodgates to sin are opened and the whole world is affected. The Bible tells us that because of our sin, brokenness enters in and now we have suffering, we have wars, we have disease, injustice, poverty, cancer, death, all kinds of things. Sin distorts what God made good. And now instead of being whole image-bearers that reflect fully the glory of God, we become like these shattered mirrors. We become like these broken reflectors. We're broken spiritually, relationally, emotionally, physically, psychologically. Then you got to turn on the news. Life is full of problems. And the Bible says it's like all of creation feels the weight of this brokenness to sin. And that's just Genesis 3. That's the bad news of the Christian story that we're not okay as we are. And yet God in His love and His grace, He doesn't leave us there. He steps in with a rescue plan. That's the good news of the Gospel. That's the good news of the Christian story. Jesus, God's Son, the perfect image-bearer of God. He comes and He lives a perfect life of obedience. And even so He dies, this brutal death on our behalf took the punishment for the sin of the world so that we might be restored, fixed, and brought back into right relationship with the God who made us. Not only that, but the Bible tells us that God sends His Holy Spirit to help us to become more like Jesus so that that mirror, that reflection back under God of His glory that's been fractured by sin, that image of God in us can be restored, repaired day by day. That image to be more like Jesus. That's the good news of the transformation story of the Bible. Maybe you've heard this theological term. The Bible scholars used to describe this transformation. Maybe you've heard the word sanctification. It's just a theological word when I get too technical this morning. All it means is it's transformation. It's a gradual process by which the Holy Spirit transforms us to be more like Jesus. We're told right throughout the Scriptures that it's the Holy Spirit's job to make us more like Him. In John chapter 14 verses 16 and 17 we're told that the Holy Spirit will remind us of Jesus' teaching. In John chapter 16 verses 7 to 15 we're told that the Holy Spirit will guide us into truth and convict us of sin. And then in Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 to 23 we're told that the Holy Spirit will form in us spiritual fruit that is in the likeness of Jesus. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Friends, there's a good news in the transformation story of the Bible. If you'll hear this morning and you're dissatisfied with your life, maybe aspects of your character or the situations and circumstances that you may find yourself in, know that there's a hope in Jesus. If you're frustrated by past mistakes, if you recognize some of that brokenness and what the Bible calls as sin, know that God is in the business of transformation. That's the good news. He does this by the power of His Holy Spirit. He takes us out of darkness and brings us into light. He takes that which is broken and into spare. And He restores and redeems and gives us hope. We need to know when it comes to this topic of transformation that the Bible teaches us that if we're not being formed into the likeness of Jesus, we're going to be deformed or conformed into something else. All of us are being transformed in some way. Open up your Bible to Romans chapter 12. Let's have a look at a couple of these verses together. Romans chapter 12 verses 1 to 2. This is the apostle Paul writing to the believers in Rome. He says, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing and perfect will. Just in those first two verses there, I wonder if you noticed the contrast. It's an either or. There's no middle ground. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed. Paul says it's one or the other. There's nothing on the fence. All of us in this room are daily being formed and molded. The question is, what are we being molded and formed into? Is it the image of Jesus or are we being deformed and conforming to the image of the world? The Bible presents it as a choice. Which will you choose? All of us are influenced by the shows we watch, whether that's TV, streaming, YouTube, whatever. We're influenced by the podcasts we listen to, by the music we consume, the books and internet forums we read, the social media we participate in, the people that we spend time with. There's all sorts of ways in which we are influenced and formed into somebody. And the question is, who is it that we're being formed into? One commentator I read during the week had this to say about transformation, about our spiritual formation. He said, spiritual formation isn't just a follower of Jesus' thing. It's a human thing. We are all being formed every minute of the day. We are all becoming someone, intentional or unintentional, conscious or subconscious, deliberate or haphazard. We are all in the process of becoming a person. It's not just a spiritual thing. It's a human thing. Because we're made to be in relationship. We're made to reflect the image of God. And if we're not orienting our lives that way, then we're going to take on and reflect something else. Even our daily choices are forming us. There's a C.S. Lewis quote from his book, Mere Christianity. He says, every time you make a choice, you're turning the central part of you, that part of you that chooses into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole with all your innumerable choices, all your lifelong, you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature. Either into a creature that is in harmony with God and with other creatures and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God and with its fellow creatures and with itself. To the one kind of creature is heaven. That is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to one state or the other. It's pretty clear. Even folk outside the Bible are picking up what God has laid down into the fabric of our being. Our choices matter daily. Your choices are forming you. They're turning you into someone. Whether it's a choice to be greedy or generous or to be kind or rude, to be patient or frustrated with your kids, to be angry or stay calm in the workplace, to be anxious or remain at peace as you trust in the Lord, whether it's to forgive or to remain bitter, to be selfless or selfish, all of these decisions will shape us day by day. The Bible tells us that we reap what we sow. We know that. We see it in people around about us. The question isn't, are you being formed? The question is, who or what are you allowing to form you? Whether it's those daily habits, those content consumption, close relationships, whatever it is, we need to ask ourselves the question, are we becoming more like Jesus day by day? Or are we conforming more and more to the patterns of this world, to the culture of our day? The Bible's picture is of transformation that it's one or the other. It can't be in the middle. All of us are being transformed. If you're not yet a follower of Jesus, there's good news in that. He offers to transform your life, to bring you to peace, to hope, to a certain trust in Him. And He promises to transform you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You can give your heart to Jesus today. You can ask Him into your life, and the promise of the Scripture is that He will transform you both now and for all eternity. You're not too late to be transformed to be like Jesus if you're not yet trusting in Him. Those of us who are here, that maybe we've been to church all our lives, maybe it's a regular thing, we come here, maybe we've got a favorite chair that we sit in on a Sunday, and we've been sitting there for many, many years. We see the verses on the screen, and some of them we know by heart, we nod our head and we say, yeah, yeah, I believe that, I believe that. We need to be careful too, that just because we come to church and sit in the same seat and nod our head and say that we agree with all of these things, we need to make sure that our faith and our hope and our trust is in Jesus so much that we are receiving His salvation. James chapter 2 verse 19 tells us that even the demons believe in God and shudder. Jesus warned that there were folk who would claim to be followers of Him, and yet their hearts were far from Him. So if you've been here for many, many years, you need to be sure that yours is a saving faith. You need to discern. It's not just head knowledge. It needs to actually go down and sink deep into your heart. It's not just someone who believes in Jesus. It's someone who follows Him. It's someone who has a life where the Holy Spirit is actively at work and they're cultivating and producing fruit. And that's why we have really felt led to this verse from John chapter 15 verse 8, as we look to the ear ahead. This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. God wants there to be visible transformation in the life of His children. As followers of Jesus, we need to have a faith that's fully prepared to follow after Him, to surrender to that Holy Spirit day by day as we partner with Him. Jesus says in John 15 that if we abide in Him, He will abide in us and we will bear much fruit. And Jesus says it will be fruit that will last into eternity. Jesus gave those clear warnings in the Gospels. There were religious people who claimed to follow Jesus when He walked the earth. But instead of becoming like Him, they were becoming like the world. And Jesus said their hearts were far from Him. In Matthew chapter 7 and verses 19 to 21, Jesus said these words. He said, Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. There's some serious words for us to consider if we've been coming to church all our lives. We're all being formed. That's the main point of point one. We're being transformed into something. It's either going to be the likeness of Jesus or it's going to be deformed, conforming to the patterns of the world. We need to be sure which way we're reflecting. Question number two, how does the Holy Spirit bring about transformation? I think there's three ways that I'd like to outline this morning. The first is power, and then we'll look at some spiritual discipline, some spiritual practices, and then how the Holy Spirit works in community through people. But just quickly, Acts chapter 1 and verse 8, if you're with us during our missions month, we dug into this verse. Jesus said, you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. That was His promise to His disciples before He ascended back into heaven, that there would be power that would come upon them when the Holy Spirit came to them. Friends, the Holy Spirit comes to us, to each and every one of us who believe, who follow Jesus, and He wants to help us too. And I know that in my own walk with the Lord, there have been times when I haven't always relied on that power. I haven't always asked for His help. Maybe I'm not sure why, whether I just don't give the Holy Spirit enough credit, whether I'm just so used to trying to do things on my own. Whatever the reason is, I think many of us can ask the Holy Spirit for more of His power to work in our lives. Wouldn't that be a great prayer to pray for us as a church in 2026? Lord, we want more of Your power, so that we might glorify You, our God in heaven, and bear fruit that would last. And not be known as Your disciples because of that fruit. John Stott, the Anglican pastor and theologian, he said this. Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There could be no life without the life giver, no understanding without the Spirit, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christ-likeness of character apart from His fruit, no effective witness without His power, as a body without breath is a corpse, so the church without the Spirit is dead. It's true. First thing we need to understand about the Holy Spirit is that we need Him and His power in order to be transformed. Without the Holy Spirit, we can't ever hope to be like Jesus. We see this example in the lives of the disciples. After Jesus' arrest, they were scattered. They ran in fear of their lives, and they were hiding away, worried about what was going to happen, maybe wondering if Jesus was who He claimed to be. And in John chapter 20 and verses 19 and 26, there are a couple of instances there where you find the disciples locked away in rooms, hiding, waiting, hoping for this promised Holy Spirit to come. And then you fast forward a bit, go to Acts chapter 2, and you see these disciples have all been transformed. Suddenly, they're not scared, hiding away. They're out in public. They're courageous preachers and teachers. And in Acts chapter 4, you see that even though these disciples were ordinary unschooled men, those that had witnessed their teaching and their preaching, their boldness, the things that they were doing, they said of these ordinary unschooled men, we know that they've been with Jesus. They were transformed. We see evidence of that again in the life of Saul, who later became the apostle Paul. He first come across Saul in Acts chapter 8. He's a violent Christian persecutor. And then on the road to Damascus, we're told that Paul has this encounter with the risen Jesus. He receives the Holy Spirit. He's transformed from somebody who persecuted the church and was zealous about legalism and the law. Suddenly, he's preaching grace and he becomes this passionate Christian missionary. So much so that in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, Paul writes, I've been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. They're words from the heart, evidence of a transformed life. And this is something we see over and over and over again in the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit's transforming power. It gives us new desires to seek God's will, to feed on his word, to follow after Jesus. We heard Alan's testimony earlier of how he never thought in a million years that he'd be up here leading God's people in prayer and yet God has transformed him and given him this new desire to honour God, to glorify him, to be persistent in prayer. Evidence of the Holy Spirit's transforming power, giving us these new desires to seek God's will. I don't have time to look at it now, but grab your Bible this week, have a look at Ezra chapter, sorry not Ezra, Ezekiel 36, 26 to 27, or Romans 8, 5 to 6, Philippians 2, 13. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to see that key truth. Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. If you want to be transformed, if you want to overcome addictions, anger, apathy, whatever it is, if you want to have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control, then the first step is to come and ask for the Holy Spirit's help. Maybe pray a prayer, a simple prayer just like this. Holy Spirit, give me the power that is beyond myself. Lead me along the path to life. Help me to reflect Christ today. God will answer that heartfelt prayer. The second thing we see about how the Spirit transforms is through practices, through daily rhythms, through spiritual disciplines. And these are patterns and practices that help us to be more like Christ, reading our Bibles, going to church, gathering together with God's people, praying, serving God, serving the lost, solitude, silence, giving. There's so many more. But all of these patterns and practices help us to grow to be more like Jesus. When it comes to spiritual formation or our sanctification, our transformation, the biblical picture is one of a partnership between us and God. Have a look in Philippians chapter 2 verses 12 to 13. Philippians chapter 2 verses 12 to 13. Paul again, writing to the believers, he says, Therefore, my dear friends, as you've always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it's God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. When it comes to spiritual formation, to our sanctification, our transformation, primarily it is a work of God. It says that there in the text. But however, we also work in partnership with the Holy Spirit as he leads us to be more Christ-like day by day and through some of these spiritual disciplines and practices. The way it works is we don't just put our faith in Jesus, receive the Holy Spirit and then just sit back and wait for God to do all the work. You know, it's God's work. He does it, right? He starts it, he kicks it off. He's going to bring it to completion, so we just sit back and wait. No, that's not what the Bible says. The Bible says that we have a part to play. After the Holy Spirit supernaturally comes into our lives, he begins that process of transformation and he gives us desires to follow him, to follow these ancient practices. It's like doing workouts at the gym to build muscle. Spiritual disciplines build faith and hope and love and Christ-like character if we allow our hearts to be trained by them. We see examples of that in Acts chapter 2 verses 42 to 47. Turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 2 verses 42 to 47. This is on that day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first appeared. It showed up in power. There's fire, there's wind, there's people speaking in tongues. Thousands are coming to the Lord. And then look at what the disciples do after the Holy Spirit shows up and reveals his power. From verse 42 we read, They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with gladness and seer hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. It's a beautiful picture, isn't it? Holy Spirit shows up in power and the people's response was to partner with the Spirit, to get involved in spiritual disciplines. They devoted themselves to the Word of God. They studied the Bible, they wanted to be informed by God's Word because they knew that that's the beginning of all wisdom, the fear of God. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to meeting up regularly to open the Scriptures, to worship, to break bread, to encourage one another in their walk with the Lord. And then they devoted themselves to serving God, to serving others as they sought to meet individual needs within their community. And they devoted themselves to prayer. All of these spiritual practices, all of these rhythms, some that are daily, weekly, monthly, these are practices that the early church did because this is what Jesus did. The followers reflecting their master, they wanted to emulate Jesus and walk in his way. The Holy Spirit brings about transformation in supernatural ways. That's why we pray and ask for his power. But he does also bring about transformation in simple, ordinary, obedient ways as well. When you're at home and you decide to open and read the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit transforms us as we soak in his Word, as we pray and allow space for God to speak to us, as we quieten our minds and our hearts and wait patiently on God to speak. He comes by the whisper of his Holy Spirit and he forms us. As we take a Sabbath rest, as we fast, as we pray, as we meditate on God's goodness and grace, as we serve and give ourselves to God and to others, all of these things, these spiritual practices, the Holy Spirit works in and through them to form us more and more into the likeness of Christ. So we look ahead to 2026 and beyond. We want to make sure that as a church we're partnering with the Holy Spirit so that more and more we're being transformed to be like Jesus. In the coming weeks we're going to share some more information about how this might practically play out in the life of the church, corporately, as we gather together as a family of faith that meets here at the Kabuchah Baptist Church. But this morning I want us to turn our attention to the challenge individually. If we want to be transformed by the Spirit as a church, as a body of believers, we need to be transformed by the Spirit individually. So the question we need to ask ourselves heading into 2026 and beyond is, how am I going working out my salvation with fear and trembling? How's my partnership with the Holy Spirit? Am I aspiring to walk day by day in the power of the Spirit? Am I desiring to grow through spiritual formation and practices that help me to draw closer to God and become more Christ-like? Or am I so busy with other things that I just sit back and wait for God? They did this study that looked at attempts at life change and they looked at successful versus failed attempts at life change. This wasn't a spiritual study, it was a sociological one. And what they discovered was there were two key factors that brought about transformation in a person's life. The first one was trauma. Either you go through trauma or you see somebody else go through trauma. That can have a profound effect on your life, it can lead to transformation. But the biggest factor that they found was people, community. And we know this, don't we? If you want to be strong, you find a gym buddy. If you want to read more, you find somebody that's into books and you get book recommendations. I've got some native bees at home, I've got a European honeybee hive that I don't have any bees in yet. I'd love to get into beekeeping, I'd love to find a beekeeper that knows about bees so that I can figure that out. If you want to grow more in your love for Jesus, what do you do? You find people that also want to grow in their love for Jesus. From a worldly point of view, community is where change happens. But as we study the Bible, we see that community is also where the Holy Spirit works as well. It's where He forms us as a body into the likeness of Jesus. There's 59 one another commandments in the New Testament. Love one another as I've loved you and by this the whole world will know that you're my disciples. There's 59, approximately, 59 one another commands in the New Testament. You can only do that in community. You can't do it on your own. And that's the wonderful joy about the Christian faith. It's the wonderful joy, the hope of the gospel is that we're not called to be lone ranger Christians. We're called into community. As followers of Jesus, we need the church. We need the holy rhythms of meeting up with one another on Sunday and throughout the week. We need to be praying together, confessing sin to one another, encouraging each other, serving the Lord and sharing faith together into our communities. Without that community, it's so much harder to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus. Discipleship is not something we work out on our own, but it also in community. We need to prioritize community and people. We need to get together with those that love the Lord, that encourage us, that spur us on. The Holy Spirit works in community. Power, practice and people in community. Ultimately what changes a person, what transforms them from that ugly duckling into the beautiful swan, from the broken sinner into the redeemed son or daughter of the living God. It's Jesus. Jesus is the one. It's believing in him, it's following him, and then just like he did, relying on the Holy Spirit to transform us. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. We need those spiritual practices that he guides us in, and we certainly need the people of God to help form us. So that's where we're headed, church, as a family of faith into 2026 and beyond. We want to be this intergenerational church that aspires to honor our Heavenly Father by living as disciples informed by the Bible, transformed by the Spirit, and you have to wait for next week to fill in the next part. Just as the band comes up as we get ready to close the service, two practical ways that you might like to respond. If you were here this morning and you've been coming to church for some time, your faith is in Jesus. You're trying to follow him. Maybe God's Spirit has been stirring your heart this morning that you recognize that maybe for a while now you've been trying to do things in your own strength, rather than relying on and trusting in God's Holy Spirit. Maybe you recognize that instead of being transformed to the likeness of Jesus by participating in the life of the church, regularly practicing spiritual disciplines, instead you've allowed yourself and your family to be deformed or conformed to the patterns of the world. If that's you this morning, can I encourage you? Perhaps you want to spend a few moments in quiet reflection as we close in prayer. Just bring that to the Lord. Confess it to God. Know that His grace is sufficient for you. Receive the forgiveness that Jesus offers by faith and ask the Holy Spirit afresh. Recommit to re-engage. The Holy Spirit might move in power in your life and in your family's life in the year ahead. Ask the Spirit to help you to incorporate some of these spiritual disciplines and practices that'll help you grow to be more Christ-like into 2026 and beyond. That's one way that you could respond. Maybe today you're here and you recognize that for the first time you need Jesus in your life. Maybe as yet you haven't been able to put your hope and trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sin, for the brokenness in your life or in your past. Today could be that day. If you feel the Lord calling you, then there's a simple prayer that you can pray and it goes like this. Lord, forgive me. Give me faith in you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to follow you. I encourage you, if that's you, this morning to pray that prayer and start the journey of following Jesus in this Christian walk. And give both of those options a few moments now, just now, to pray. You just do that in the quietness of your own heart. You don't have to pray out loud. If God's been speaking to you by His Spirit, if you're ready to take that step of faith, you can pray those prayers today. Just spend some time with your eyes closed, with your heads bowed. Respond to God this morning. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the good news of the gospel. Jesus came to save us from our brokenness and sin. Because of His perfect obedience, we who are imperfect can be restored to a right relationship with the perfect and holy God. We thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, who you've promised, will come and fill every believer in Jesus' death and resurrection for our sins. May we walk day by day in the power of your Holy Spirit, as He guides us through spiritual disciplines and practices and in community, so that we might bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be disciples of Jesus, to the praise and glory of God. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you prayed that prayer this morning to ask Jesus to come into your life for the first time, welcome to the family. Be sure to let somebody know. Maybe if somebody you came with today, let me know one of the pastors. We would love to just encourage you. We'd love a chance to pray with you and give your Bible if you haven't got one already. Don't walk out of here today if you prayed that prayer and don't tell anybody. That's good news and we want to celebrate that with you this morning. Thanks.