Pastor Brian – Welcome and prayer
1. We welcome you into the house of the Lord this morning. It surely is summertime. So, it’s good to have those that are here in the house today, and it’s good to have those that are online out there. And I’m sure we have a whole number of people who are sleeping in this morning enjoying their vacations. You know, the Lord’s in that too, isn’t he? We bless all of those that are traveling, all of those who are resting and relaxing and refreshing. But we certainly bless each other as we gather in the house of the Lord.
2. But we recognize that really the house of the Lord isn’t here (the building), it’s here (in our hearts). And so, we just want to begin this morning by welcoming the Holy Spirit into our own hearts and lives. You know, worship is not just a singular thing, it’s not just a personal thing. But we come together in the community to worship the Lord. And to hear His Word, and to be challenged and changed, we’re going to hear a great Word this morning from a special guest. And so, we just want you to, even from now, hopefully before you ever got here, you begin to prepare yourself.
3. But especially right now, let’s just turn our attention to the Lord. If you have your Bible with you, we’re going to read a Scripture. Familiar to most of us from Jeremiah 29:11. We want to receive this as a declaration over our lives this morning. The Lord says, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
4. I love how He starts with that promise, that declaration. Because He says, then you will call on Me. I like this. It’s kind of a reversal of what we normally think. We think if we call on Him, then He will make the plans to prosper us. But here the Lord says, “I know the plans I have for you. And because I will prosper you and not harm you. Because I will give you hope and a future, then you will call on Me. And come and pray to Me. And I will listen to you. You will seek Me and you will find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart.” And I love this sentence from the Lord. “I will be found by you, declares the Lord. I will be found by you.” So, we’re going to take it as a promise and a theme this morning. That as we draw close to the Lord, we will be found. He will meet us here. He will find us here. And we will enjoy those promises from the Lord. And the people of the Lord this morning say amen.
5. Would you stand with us? Lord we just come to You with gratefulness of heart. That You have declared Your promise over us. You have promised to prosper us. And not to harm us. And You have promised that we will be found by You. So that Lord, we draw ourselves into You this morning. And we share this promise together. Our God is an awesome God. He rules and reigns from heaven above. And He will be found by us and we will be found by Him. In the precious name of Jesus.
6. Lord, we just thank You this morning that you are knowable. Thank You Lord this morning. That not only You can be found but that You are. Whenever we call on You Lord you are there to be found. Lord my heart just continues to cry out this morning. Draw me close to You. Draw us close to You Lord. Not just to the edges of Your presence Lord but draw us into the full goodness that You are. Lord, I pray that every person in this room today. Every person watching online from home. Lord that every person who might watch this at another time during the week. That in a special way Lord, You would find us where we are. And speak to us in the way that only Your Holy Spirit can. Draw us close Lord. And I love the line but I pray it as a declaration. You will never let us go. In Jesus’ precious name Amen, you can be seated.
7. Again, we welcome you into the house of the Lord. It’s always difficult for me to segue out of worship into, well other forms of worship. It’s hard for me to transition, I am a musical worshiper at heart. But you know the Lord is found in all forms of worship. So, I’m not going to make anybody get up and move today. We all came in from a hot outdoors. We can sit and enjoy our overwhelming air conditioning. I say that for the half of the room that are too cold for the other half I’m sorry that you’re hot. That’s how church works you know the music’s too loud the music’s not loud enough. It’s too hot it’s too cold, pastor’s too angry or not angry enough. We play but at the end of the day it’s just good to be together.
8. So, if you get too cold, I suggest you move to the edges of the room. If you get too warm get underneath one of those things and I guarantee it’ll cure that in a hurry. But those of us who remember the days of church in this building with no air conditioning. Which was many, many years. We had we had to install new ones after covid because we had to have a whole new ventilation system which is why you see all this wonderful industrial decoration. But the Lord provided and now I don’t have to sweat my way through a service thinking Oh Lord, get me out of here.
9. So, I just hope we enjoy what the Lord has given us and if He ever takes it away, we’ll enjoy Him then too. But we’re here to enjoy each other and we’re here overall to enjoy the presence of the Lord. So, I hope that is true for you. We want to remind you about our feeding program we call it Joseph’s cupboard. We do ask people just when you go shopping pick up one or two canned foods or a bag of rice or something to just bring along and add to the cupboard. We do frequently enough have people stop by the church and ask for help with food. And I know it’s difficult for us within the family to often ask. But on occasion we have some within our own family who need that help too.
10. And it’s nice for us to be able to drop by somebody’s house and say the people who are the Glyfada Christian Center want to bless you. Since it’s summertime you maybe even want to drop in a watermelon and a melon too. That might not make it past me.
11. I don’t think we really have any other announcements. We’re continuing our Wednesday prayer times through the summer. Most of our care groups which are our home groups have stopped for August. I’ve had one or two say that they might get together just to enjoy some watermelon together. And we encourage you get together as often and as much as you can.
12. I said already that in a few moments we’re going to have a special guest speaker, pastor Demetriou. I always get this wrong. Where do you live in France? Strasbourg. I always want to thank Salzburg and I know that’s wrong and I can’t get from Salzburg to Strasbourg. So, there you go. As I understand it, they are celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the founding of their church. And I think God’s people should give a little bit of praise for that.
13. Thank you. So, we’re looking forward to hearing from pastor Peter. And we’re going to take up our offering this morning. You can go ahead and prepare your tithes and offerings. And as we do that do we have any of our children with us this morning? I see you there. Go grab them by the hands other than their mother. Somebody who’s not their mother or father. Grab them by the hands and bring them up here in front. Come on Ola you like to be in front anyway come on oh my goodness.
14. You don’t have to come buddy we’ll pray for you right there where you are. Greater than any other gift is the gift of our children. Children in the house of the Lord make things lively. And they remind us of the future of the Kingdom of God. I’m going to pray for them as I pray for the offering. And Lord we just want to dedicate these children to you all over again. Lord and those who could not be here today we bless them. Lord all the teachers who work with them and the parents who have been given the treasure of raising them. Lord, we want to just lift all of that up to you. And say Lord bless this generation. Lord, give them an anointing for a day, that will usher in incredible things for your Kingdom. Bless them in whatever they do this morning. Lord and let them know in their own way, who You are and how You are with them.
15. And Lord I pray over the tithe and offering this morning. Lord, we just bless it. Lord those who are able to give and those who are not. Lord, we pray that You would just pour blessings over their lives. Lord let our families prosper. Let our households prosper. And because of that Lord let this church prosper. With every blessing that comes from you in Jesus’ name. Amen.
16. Just after we give this gift, the ushers are going to prepare for the next outpouring of gifts. And that’s the one that Christ gave to us. When He went to the cross and was crucified and made the declaration it is finished. Went to the grave and rose again and ascended into heaven. And is there today praying over us. I guess in English we call it the Eucharist as well but the great joy, the great joy of thanksgiving. Or in English we say the holy communion.
17. I always like to remind us that that word comes from common union. That when we come into the house of the Lord together, there is no great or small. There is no rich or poor. There is no important or unimportant. There is no racial division. And even our cultural differences disappear into the common union. We are united in the person of Jesus Christ, who gave His life for us.
18. So, I’m going to invite you to bow your head and have a moment of reflection. We don’t do this very often anymore. But just take a moment of time to reflect on the Lord’s work in your life. And yes, to reflect on where you stand in Him today. Have you thanked Him today that your sins are washed away? That whatever it is you face, He is there with you and that if you’re on the mountaintop He’s there cheering with you. Have you given thanks for the incredible family that He’s given you here and around the world?
19. And Lord, we think of those today who live in places where they can’t gather. Lord, remind them that they are not alone, You are there with them and that they have a family that is global in size. Lord, we pray for our brothers and sisters today who are persecuted, simply because they declare You as their Lord and Savior. Lord, we pray for those who are stuck in their homes because they can’t go out, and for those who live in isolation in their minds and maybe not physically but they feel alone.
20. Lord let them just sense the touch, the hug of the Holy Spirit today. Whatever our situations in this room today, Lord let each one sense You in that unique way that You reach out to them. And we pray this in Jesus’ name.
21. So, Leto if the ushers would just begin to pass out the elements today. You can sit, you can stand, whatever you would like to do. You will stand together when we take the communion. But let’s just worship the Lord as this is passed around.
Peter Demetriou – Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover
1. Well, good morning, everyone. It’s wonderful to see you all. It’s always good to come and visit here at Glyfada to see your faces and hear your voices. And with me, I have my family. And so, Mariela, my wife of 27 years, and my daughter Sienna and Paloma. And Paloma, I’m sure you know Paloma very well. And Paloma’s been in Australia and studying and so we met her here in Athens, which is lovely. And I love being in Greece. There are not only good people but good food. And so, I need to do a bit more exercise when I get back home. Yeah, it’s too delicious.
2. But it’s so good to be here in Glyfada. I just realized this is my fifth visit here. And I have to say there’s no place like this church, not because of the building but because of the people. And it’s a joy for me to open up God’s Word with you all this morning.
3. I just really want to thank Brian and the team this morning, because the worship was just the worship of intimacy. And that’s what God is, obviously, I can see He’s doing in this place. He’s drawing you in closer to Him.
4. Hey, so what do we pray? Loving Father, we thank You, Lord God, for who You are. We thank You that we’re able to come around Your Word this morning. So, we invite Your Holy Spirit to speak to us. Your Holy Spirit, You’re already drawing us in. And so, we pray that You continue to do what You’ve started this morning. And so pray, Lord God, for Your blessing upon this house. Lord Pastor Gail, Lord and her visit to the U.S. and Lord God and all the team, Lord God. Bless this house, Lord God, in Jesus’ name. And everyone said, Amen, Amen.
5. I don’t know if any of you remember from a few years back a commercial by Carlsberg Beer. And what they did is, Carlsberg rented a cinema. And they filled it with some very tough looking bikies. And we’ve got the video to show this morning. Yeah? No? We forgot the video? Okay. That’s all right. But anyway, this commercial went viral. We don’t have the video. And all these people were entering into…so this cinema was filled with these bikies. And it was completely full. And they left two seats free in the middle of the cinema.
6. And as couples were walking in, one couple would walk in to try and take their seats. And they would just slowly, like some of them would walk slowly back after they see everyone’s faces and what they were wearing. And then there were some couples that were just like, well, we paid for our seats, we’re just going to walk in and sit down. And all of a sudden you see where they realize, and everyone just starts clapping, that they sat down and they give them a Carlsberg beer. And so, this commercial went viral.
7. And it gives a fresh look at the statement, don’t judge a book by its cover. I don’t know if you’ve ever felt judged unfairly. Or if you’ve ever felt on the outside. It’s terrible, isn’t it? And I’ve been thinking about moments when I felt left out. And I’ve considered this question. What if I failed to love someone simply because of the way they looked?
8. And James talks about this. And he says, “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” (James 2:1-4) Now, the word ‘favoritism’ or ‘partiality’, literally speaks of a person who receives according to their face. It’s making a judgment according to external appearances. And showing favoritism towards someone because of the way they look. And James speaks against this to the people of God. And faith and partiality cannot go together. And like orange juice and toothpaste, not good. Orange juice and toothpaste. And so, faith and partiality do not go together.
9. And James gives a picture of partiality. So, let’s read it in Greek this morning, verse 2. Now, what is interesting is that the word that James uses for ‘partiality’ only appears in Christian writings. And that’s because partiality and favoritism was an accepted part of Roman culture in the day. So, this made the church radically counter-cultural. Because only in the church would you find a slave and a master sitting next to each other. And so, it’s probably easy to shake our heads at favoritism in the first century.
10. But before we do that, these Christians were just doing what they thought was normal. And in this day and age we’ve become very good at disguising prejudice. If you watch the musical talent TV series, ‘The Voice’, it explains a lot about our culture.
11. I don’t know if you know it, and what happens is that performers go onto a stage for a blind audition. And the judges have their backs turned to the stage. The performers come to the stage and perform with all their hearts. And if the judges like what they hear, they can hit a buzzer and their chair turns around and they see who’s performing. And so, it’s a great concept, because they seek to challenge the superficiality of the entertainment industry.
12. But sometimes if you watch, if you ever notice their reactions when they turn around. Some judges, when they hit their buzzers and they turn around, they see a young, attractive person, they jump up or down like they’ve won the lottery. Some are a little bit older or maybe a little less attractive or have no fashion sense. When they turn around, it’s a little bit different. They usually slump back in their seats with a little grin. And they think this is going to be a challenge. Now, before we judge the judges, we have to ask, why do they respond in that way? It’s because they know their audience, and voters will judge by appearance.
13. And how often do we walk through church or churches doing our own scanning? Now, our Lord teaches man looks at the outward appearance and God looks at the heart. And that’s what’s so important to get to know people. And James also talks about the poor. And how are we with the poor? Do we just walk past and judge and think, well, I work, what are they doing? Some loose change here and there, but how many of us enter in and connect? The truth is we feel a lot more comfortable being around people that are like us. People like us. And there’s been a discrimination through history, but let’s be real this morning.
14. I want us to consider our own hearts. When have we judged by appearances only? When have we favored someone based on how they looked or what they had? And how many of you know that partiality can be very toxic? You know, something can look good on the outside. Like a glass of fine wine, but just a little arsenic can just ruin it completely.
15. In the same way, favoritism and discrimination are poisonous on many levels. In James 2:5, James says, “Listen, my dear brothers and sisters, has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the Kingdom He promised those who love Him?” And that’s the challenge James brings to anyone who shows partiality. James says, absolutely not. But let me tell you about the God of the Bible. Because he’s not impressed by titles or wealth or status. He’s extraordinary, because he chooses the poor, the overlooked, the forgotten. He chooses the ones the world calls unworthy; who are unqualified or undeserving. And he looks at those who are spiritually bankrupt.
16. And he says, come, sit at my table, you will inherit my grace. Now I want to pause for a moment and think of the people in the Bible. It’s so-called heroes of the faith. Moses, he was abandoned as a baby, also became a fugitive with blood on his hands. Think of Ruth, she was widowed, poor and an outsider. Think of David, he was a teenage shepherd and he was the last one anyone would pick.
17. And so, ask yourself, ‘Were these impressive resumes?’ Not at all. But that’s the point. God delights in using what looks weak to the world. So, his grace gets the glory. And what about Jesus? This week as you open up the Gospels, take a moment to notice where you find Him. You’ll find Him sitting and eating with people that are trapped in greed. This week as you open up the Gospels, you’ll find Him trapped in greed. Greeting people. You’ll find Him speaking gently to women caught in sexual slavery. And you’ll find Him embracing sinners no one else would forgive. You’ll find Him touching lepers that no one else would touch.
18. And so that’s where we find Jesus. Not in comfort zones, not with the proud. But you’ll find Him in the margins. You’ll find Him with the poor, with the broken. And it didn’t matter to Him at all whether He was speaking to a rich young ruler or someone in poverty. And Jesus showed love because He was always, always, always after the heart.
19. And that’s what mattered to Him. And for those of us who follow Jesus, think for a moment, think for a moment your own salvation. God didn’t choose you because you were impressive. God didn’t choose you because you had it all together. He didn’t choose you because you were more righteous than other people. He chose you because He loves you. How good is that? Did you catch that? He chose you because he loves you. Let that be your confidence. Let that be your message to the world. James 2:6, because he goes, Paul goes on, sorry, James goes on to say about how partiality will distort our views of others.
20. And so, of other people. And James 2:6 says, “But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?” I won’t get too deep into what He was trying to say here. But what He’s saying here is when we show favoritism, we stop seeing people the way God does. We actually dishonor those He honors. Did you get that? We dishonor those He honors.
21. Forgetting that every person, rich or poor, carries the image and the signature of God. So, James now, from James 2:7-11, gives us a path beyond partiality. Let’s read it in Greek. “Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.”
22. Next slide. James 2:12. “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
23. Friends, here and now God is working with His Word. And He’s calling us to put an end to any sort of partiality. And move forward to a life of deeper love. And the truth is that God’s not just saving individuals, but He’s restoring a family. And in Psalm 133:1 it says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” We see that unity among God’s people is not just pleasant, it’s beautiful. It commands a blessing, it says in His Words. And the story of the Bible from Abraham to the early church. To the final wedding feast in Revelation.
24. It’s a story about God getting His family back. Because discipleship isn’t just a solo venture. It’s not just a solo pathway. When Jesus says, follow Me. We’re not invited only into a personal journey, but a shared one. And with others that we may not have chosen ourselves. And that’s what makes it holy. That’s what makes it messy. It’s not tidy, it’s not clean, and it’s transformative.
25. It’s interesting, the term Christian is only used three times in the New Testament. The word disciple appears 268 times. And why is that? Because Jesus just doesn’t invite us to believe in Him, He invites us to live like Him. And that’s what happens in community. And I think of Thomas where he missed a meeting. Thomas missed one of Jesus’ first appearances when he was absent from a gathering. And we miss a lot when we miss a gathering. We miss the shared revelation. Because God doesn’t just speak through sermons, but through acts of love and grace that we witness with one another.
26. A few years ago, one of our Christmas services in Strasbourg You know Strasbourg is known as a city that has amazing Christmas markets every year. And we get thousands of tourists. And we always do something special in our services for Christmas. We decorate the church; we dress a little nicer. We lay out the tables with incredible food. And I like incredible food, really. That we eat after the church service.
27. And one particular service, during my preaching, there was a young homeless man that walked in. And he usually walks around that city with five dogs, he left them outside. And we could all hear him coming in while I was preaching my message. And he was hungry; he just wanted food. So, he came in, slid against the side wall and just sat on the ground. But here’s the thing, I spent hours preparing for my evangelistic message.
28. And so, I wasn’t going down without a fight. I had to keep it going. And one of our guys who served on our photography team, and who’s generally a top guy, saw the homeless person. And his name is Chris and he had this beautiful ability to show love to the unloved.
29. Chris was taking photos of the service. And Chris went to the back, slid right next to this homeless man. And he looked like, and smelled like he hadn’t showered in weeks. But Chris didn’t care. And in full view of congregation, he was right there showing love to this man. And this homeless man may not even remember this gesture at all. And they were chatting, and it turned out this guy loved photography. So, Chris started showing him his hiking photos.
30. And so, to Chris, this man confessed that he was hungry. And Chris went and fixed him a plate and gave him food. Afterwards he got up, and the homeless man got up. Chris helped him up. Chris gave him a pat on the shoulder. The homeless man left. I got to finish my message. But I would say upon reflection, I can say on that day, perhaps, that was the sermon. I can’t remember what I preached on that day, but I can remember that gesture. I can remember Chris’ display of affection and love. But he was sharing a revelation of Christ to the church.
31. Gathering together cannot be reproduced on YouTube. Because the sermon is preached by the community. Not just by the preacher. But part of receiving a sermon is receiving it by sitting perhaps next to an old person that finds it hard to stay awake. Because they find it hard to sleep at night. Or while you’re paying attention, a baby is crying. Or while you’re crying and responding, there’s a guy who’s got bad coffee breath. And so, all of that is a sermon too. Because God is revealed in all of that. Just through the carefully prepared words of a pastor.
32. We receive from God in the family of God. And it was his love that brought this family together. There’s a phrase I’ve heard many times, ‘I’m into Jesus, but not the church.’ And we tend to think that that’s a modern phenomenon. But it’s actually an ancient temptation.
33. Author Henry Nouwen said, ‘The church will never cease to get in the way of Jesus, but it will also never cease to be the way of Jesus.’ You don’t choose your family; you’re born into it. And the church is family. You don’t choose who’s in it. But you do choose how you show up. Will we love them? Or will we walk with them? Even when it’s inconvenient or messy. Because in God’s family, you’re not just called to belong, you’re called to participate. You’re called to participate. Because the church is all about getting God’s family back.
34. I want to invite the musicians back up. We need to be transformed by his love. Before we can live for his love. And the Bible says, ‘There was nothing in his appearance that would attract us to him. He didn’t have the approval of the powerful. And he wasn’t afraid to be with those that the world tries to hide.’ And Jesus welcomes all. And I want to say to you, if you don’t know Jesus, I would be so happy to have a conversation with you after the service. And we’re going to have a coffee upstairs after the service. And Jesus is one of our favorite subjects, if not our favorite. And we’d be happy to talk to you about Jesus, upstairs.
35. And I want to just say one thing to you, Glyfada, and I just felt to say this as I was in prayer last night. Because this church is called to be a place of indiscriminate, selfless and extravagant love. Because that’s His call. That’s our call. To live according to the law of liberty. And I want to share what I sense God is saying over us as a church here.
36. That this is a place I’m shaping to be known by the width of its arms. I’m creating a home here. Wide enough for the broken. The forgotten. The unseen. Those that are searching. And I’m teaching you how to love without filter. How to welcome without calculation. And you’ve been praying for growth. And I say to you, growth will come as you love well. Faithful love. And the Lord wants to say, don’t underestimate what I can do through a community that truly sees people. I’m sending those that feel that they could never belong anywhere. And Glyfada, your embrace will preach louder than your preacher today.
37. I pray. Let’s all stand. Lord, we thank You that this is Your home. We thank You for what You’re doing amongst us, Lord God. Lord, we thank you, Lord Father, for, Lord, the, just last week, the evangelistic outreach in Glyfada. Lord, where seeds were sown, Your Word was preached. And so, we pray, Lord Father, for those seeds that they will just, Lord, birth into. Lord, great, Lord Father, vision and knowledge of you, Lord God. Into disciples, Lord. And so, we pray, Lord Father, Lord God, that you would just fill this place, Lord God. With those that need, that want to belong. Lord, and despite the mess, Lord God. We pray, Lord Father, that we would just, Lord, see through the mess and reach out in love, Lord God. And we would see You in the midst, Lord God.
38. And I want you to start praying for those that you know that are on the fringes. Those that are on the edge of faith. Why don’t you start praying for them as we worship? Thank you, Lord God, in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Brian – Closing
1. The Bible said that His Word is confirmed by witnesses. I want us to be the witness of the Word this morning. So, I’m going to ask you if you would. We don’t call for a lot of visible response in this church. But I just feel like I’d like to ask you today. That if you would receive the Word of the Lord. That the growth, not just of this church as a gathering. We always remind ourselves that this is not the church, we are the church.
2. Pastor Demetriou said something a few minutes ago. He gave a Word from the Lord. And he said that the scope of our growth, so I’m going to say the scope of our impact. The impact that we as people have on people around us. Which in turn will impact the growth of this church. That it would be measured by the width of the reach of our love. So, if you would receive that Word with me today, I would like to ask you just to lift your hands, palms up. You don’t have to go high. But I just want us to receive that Word into ourselves today. That Lord, I want to be a better instrument of your love.
3. Doesn’t mean I haven’t been, it just means I want to do better. So, Lord, would You help us as a people today to receive this Word into our hearts and minds. And to be challenged and changed by Your encouragement today. Help me Lord, to be a better vessel through which Your love reaches other people. And Lord, I want to pray a blessing over everybody here. Lord, there are some in this room who have literally committed their lives to serving the poor and the marginalized and the outcast. Lord, I want to pray a special anointing over them today. May their ministries only increase. And Lord, help the rest of us who may not be involved in such things as that. Lord, that You would still help us to carry a heart for those that You love.
4. And then Lord, there are some here that are called to reach those who sit in places of favor. Who sit in important places. Lord, we recognize that Your love extends to every kind of person. Help us to prefer only what You prefer. And that is that we would love You with all of our heart. All of our soul, all of our mind, all of our strength. And that we would love every person that is our neighbor. With the extended love of God.
5. Lord, we receive this as Your Word today. In Jesus’ name. Amen. There’s something that we often do during the service. And I’m going to end us with this today. Before you make your way up to that coffee and treats and whatever else is up there. Just wander around the room and greet somebody with the love of Jesus. Bless one another. Be the service today, in Jesus’ name.