[0:07]
G'day, I'm Scott Sanders. Welcome to the Reach Australia podcast. Church ecosystem during COVID-19. Today we continue thinking about the church ecosystem and talking with Andrew Heard. And today we think about Godward attentiveness. Preaching is still the key. And so in our preaching, we want to pay attention not just to expounding and explaining the syntax of a text. We ought never just be interested in that. But we want to actually speak to people's fears.

[0:40]
G'day, I'm Scott Sanders, and you've tuned in to the Reach Australia podcast, a podcast that's all about healthy, evangelistic, multiplying churches. so one of the things you've spoken about over the last few years uh hurdy is the idea of uh ecosystem thinking being intentional purposeful about church in a number of areas in sort of five

[1:13]
purpose areas i just want to focus on one of those purpose areas and i think it's a hard one for churches to capture the idea of um god would attentiveness as you describe it What do you mean by that purpose area? What does it look like in church life? When we're seeking to make disciples of a person, make disciples of people, our great desire is to bring them to know a relationship with the living God,

[1:44]
not just have a bunch of ideas they give mental assent to. This is not James 2. We want people to actually come to trust God in a personal relationship and obey him and find their confidence and hope in him. That's the core purpose, if you like, of Godward attentiveness, that we are responding appropriately to that God, loving and adoring him. Now, that hasn't changed in this environment.

[2:16]
the means by which we pursue it may slightly change but only slightly because we're still always by proclaiming the word calling on people to know this god in the word that he's given to us but there are many other pieces that have functioned really wonderfully and helpful in normal church experience when you gather corporately to see the love of god in others is a huge encouragement that's much harder in this environment to to see people praise and delight

[2:46]
environments quite powerful that's that's harder and so you know we're doing all kinds of things to work out how we can communicate all of this given the particular forum we have now preaching is still the key and so in our preaching we want to pay attention not just to expounding and explaining the syntax of a text we ought never just be interested in that but we want to actually speak to people's fears.

[3:16]
People are living with a heightened sense of anxiety at the moment. It's because they have beneath it a set of fears about their health, their future, their life, their finances, their family. And here is where the word of God speaks to the power of knowing your God. He's a father who loves us that you can trust. Speak to those fears and encourage people in the fact that All things are working together for their good. God is on the throne. Our lives are built on a rock, the Lord Jesus.

[3:48]
We are adopted sons and daughters of God. We have the spirit of God. These are things that address our fears as we bring people to see a relationship with their God, a good God that can put their confidence in. but also delivering, you know, we shared a testimony just in recent times of a woman who lived through the Second World War, knew what it was for society to be dismantled and all the fears that could come from that. And she said in the midst of that and in the midst of this particular crisis,

[4:19]
she's never been afraid because she knew her God. The Lord Jesus was her Lord and ruling all things for her good. That's a powerful piece of testimony that we can share with others. And similarly to encourage our congregation members to be sharing with each other their confidence and the means by which the word of God has stirred them and helped them to continue to trust and adore their God and obey him in the midst of this, to not give in to fear. So changed lives have always been a real driver for mission and something that you can see when we're gathered in that corporate sense.

[4:56]
in this time now more than ever christians demonstrating change lives because of their relationship with god are just as powerful if not more powerful it it will become more and more stark the more a society is dismantled that christians are different that their hope is not in this world their hope is in the God who has made promises to them about the future that they can rest secure in that the Lord Jesus is raised

[5:29]
there's a life to come that that kind of confidence that comes from knowing your God not just knowing about God but knowing having a relationship with God will become more and more stark as people don't deny their fears and anxieties but are able to process them and come through it in a stronger way people are people in families will see that people in various online contexts people are still going to work and working in offices people will see this amongst us and it's a powerful witness and a powerful encouragement to each

[6:01]
other as we speak to one another as we're able by text zoom whatever yeah excellent well thanks for that very helpful to have you press into God with attentiveness and in our church life we're just going to take a quick break to hear about something new that Reach Australia is doing. Hey, I'm Mike, one of the church consultants for Reach Australia. To help your church during this time, we've started offering free 30-minute online church consultations.

[6:32]
We can help particularly think through a 90-day plan, making disciples, improving online gatherings, and even your care support plans. To book yours, go to richaustralia.com.au. you've been listening to the reach australia podcast if you've enjoyed what you've been listening to today we'd love it if you'd leave a review share or subscribe to this podcast in an ongoing way if you want more information about reach australia head to reachaustralia.com.au