MOBILISING FOR
A BETTER WORLD
Jesus said “Peace be with you. As the father has
sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21)
Penge Baptist Church All-Age
Service
6th January 2013
A New Heaven and New Earth
 Then I saw a new heaven and a new
earth, for the first heaven and the first
earth had passed away, and there was
no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City,
the new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride
beautifully dressed for her husband.And I
heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, Now the dwelling of God is with
men, and he will live with them. They will
be his people, and God himself will be
with them and be their God.
 He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old
order of things has passed away. He
who was seated on the throne said, I
am making everything new! Then he
said, Write this down, for these words
are trustworthy and true. (Revelation
21:1-5)
A mission for God’s people
 He said to them, “Go into all the world and
preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark
16:15)
 For the creation waits in eager expectation
for the children of God to be revealed….. in
hope that the creation itself will be liberated
from its bondage to decay and brought into
the freedom and glory of the children of
God. (Romans 8:19, 21)
 “All that's necessary for the forces of evil to
win in the world is for enough good men to
do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)
Being salt and light
 Jesus said: “You are the salt of the earth. But
if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be
made salty again? It is no longer good for
anything, except to be thrown out and
trampled by men. “You are the light of the
world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it
under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house. In
the same way, let your light shine before
men, that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew
5:13-16)
Jesus’ presence in man’s need
 For I was hungry and you gave me
something to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you invited me in, I needed
clothes and you clothed me, I was sick
and you looked after me, I was in prison
and you came to visit me.’…. whatever
you did for one of the least of these
brothers of mine, you did for me.’
(Matthew 25:35-36, 40)
The essence of our mission
 “The Spirit of the Lord is on us, because he
has anointed us to preach good news to the
poor. He has sent us to proclaim freedom for
the prisoners and recovery of sight for the
blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favour.” (from Luke
4:18-19)
 PROCLAMATION of God’s word and
PRESENCE with people in their need
 What do we need to mobilise and make
the world a better place?
Compassion
 Jesus went through all the towns and
villages, teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom
and healing every disease and sickness.
When he saw the crowds, he had
compassion on them, because they were
harassed and helpless, like sheep without a
shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The
harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to
send out workers into his harvest field.”
(Matthew 9:35-38)
Wisdom
 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom; all who follow his precepts
have good understanding. To him
belongs eternal praise.” (Psalm 111:10)
 “Therefore everyone who hears these
words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his
house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)
Courage
 “For the Spirit God gave us does not
make us timid, but gives us power, love
and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Generosity
 “A generous man will himself be
blessed, for he shares his food with the
poor.” (Proverbs 22:9)
 “when you give a banquet, invite the
poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed. Although they
cannot repay you, you will be repaid at
the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke
14:13-14)
Teamwork
 “it is not good for the man to be alone”
(Genesis 2:18)
 “Two are better than one, because they have a
good return for their labor: If either of them
falls down, one can help the other up. But pity
anyone who falls and has no one to help them
up….a cord of three strands is not quickly
broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for
those who will believe in me through their
message, that all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
May they also be in us so that the world may
believe that you have sent me. (John 17:21-22)
The Holy Spirit
 “And I will ask the Father, and he will
give you another advocate to help you
and be with you forever— the Spirit of
truth…. I will not leave you as orphans; I
will come to you. (John 14:16, 18)
 I can do everything through him who
gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
 The fruit of the Spirit…..
 The gifts of the Spirit…..
Our resolution for 2013
 At Jesus’ command, empowered by the
Holy Spirit we shall seek to truly bring
the kingdom into Penge, by prayer and
action, with this vision of what could be:
A new Penge
 It was 8 o’clock on Monday morning
 I was standing at Penge West station
 And I saw a new Penge coming down from
the heavens
 I saw a teenager leaping out of bed with joy
laughing with the freshness of the morning
and jogging to school well on time
 I saw elderly ladies skipping down Maple
Road
 I saw children paddling and catching fish in
the clear water of the old canal by Betts Park
 I saw a football game in Penge Rec and the
teams were mixed teams from every people
group, asylum seekers and taxi drivers,
policemen and pensioners, Somalis and
Irish, pensioners and hoodies, rival street
gangs. People from every part of society
playing and laughing in the sun.
 I saw a street party where there was singing
and dancing because there was hope again.
 And I looked across the wider community of
Bromley borough, it was a community of
hope, a community of grace, a community of
warmth
 And in the clearness of the morning I looked
into the Grove and there was no more asthma,
no more unwanted pregnancies, no more
evictions, no more debt, no more domestic
violence, no more overcrowding and everyone
had good jobs.
 The lakes in Crystal Palace park were flowing
with crystal clear water. There were no more
needles and condoms and rubbish and dog
mess in the park.
 No more sorrow from family breakdown.
 No more poverty, no more need.
 No more unemployment or mind numbing jobs.
 No more hopelessness, and lonely old people
 No more sadness and tears, only joy and
laughter.
 No more discrimination,
 No more drunken clubbing, no threats, no
fears.
 The dividing walls were gone.
 Families and neighbours were restored.
 There was no more rubbish, no guns, no
knives, no drug-dealers, no dangerous dogs
 There were no more racial or community
tensions, just one harmonious mix
 And I looked and I saw young kids playing
football in the street and the neighbours
cheering them on,
 I saw homes without locks on the doors, where
a welcome was always guaranteed.
 I saw a playground where all the equipment
was safe and new, where children threw
themselves in the air without fear, where the
teenagers helped the little ones up on the
climbing frames
 I saw a Penge where neighbours shared
favours and returned them without pressure
or obligation
 I saw a Penge where hearts were unbroken,
partnerships are lasting, peaceful and happy;
children all had fathers who mentored,
encouraged, protected them
 I saw a Penge where families eat and play
together
 I saw a Penge where the hungry are fed
 The thirsty receive drink
 The homeless stranger is invited in
 The naked are clothed
 The prisoners are visited
 God’s name is honoured, the churches
are filled, the Gospel proclaimed
 Everywhere is deliverance and healing
 A Penge where tears have been wiped
away
 Jesus said “Peace be with you. As the
father has sent me, I am sending you”
(John 20:21)
 God said “I am making everything
new!” (Revelation 21:4)