Reimagine - Week 2 - Tim Horman
This is the second week of our Reimagine campaign, a season of praying, dreaming and asking God what he might want to do through One Church in the years ahead. Here's what's coming up this week:
Wednesday 14 October: Information Supper. A second chance to come along, hear about the vision and plans, ask your questions, share some food and fellowship, and pray together. If you missed the first one, this is for you.
Sunday 18 October: A special announcement across all our services. This is a Sunday you won't want to miss.
You'll find all the details, the booklet and the daily prayer points at one.org.au/reimagine.
Prefer to listen? Here's the audio version.
Have you ever felt like God could probably use other people, just not you? Maybe you assume he works through the especially holy, the ones who have their lives together, the people who have climbed high enough up the spiritual ladder. Somewhere around rung 54, you imagine, God finally looks down and says, "Right, now you've made it. Now I can use you."
According to the Apostle Paul, that's not how it works at all. And that turns out to be very good news.
On Sunday, Tim Horman continued our Reimagine series, picking up where he left off last week with Ephesians 3:20-21 and turning to 2 Corinthians 3. Tim described our vision for this season as being like a railway track with two rails. The first rail is reimagining our calling: who God is calling us to be for the sake of our city, at this time, in this cultural moment. The second rail is reimagining our facility, so that our building can serve that calling well. Most of the message focused on the first rail, because that's where everything else begins.
Exceedingly, abundantly above
Tim began with the verse that anchors this whole season: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." He confessed a soft spot for the old King James wording, which he had the whole congregation say together: "exceedingly, abundantly above."
As Tim put it, if Paul means what he says, then if we have asked it or imagined it, we haven't yet come close to what is possible in the kingdom of God by the power of the Spirit. That's a challenge to lift our vision higher.
It's a theme that runs right through Paul's letters. In Romans 8, nothing can separate us from Christ's love, and "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Immeasurably more. More than conquerors. There is so much more going on in us and around us in Christ than we ever see with our natural eyes.
You are a letter from Christ
From there Tim turned to 2 Corinthians 3. Some people in Corinth had been trying to discredit Paul, questioning whether he was a real apostle at all. Paul's response is wonderfully pointed. Do you want letters of recommendation? Should I send you my résumé? Then he tells them exactly what his résumé is:
"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone... written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
Tim drew out the dynamic here. Paul came, served them and brought them the gospel, and their changed lives are the result. But that letter wasn't written by Paul's effort alone. It was the work of the Holy Spirit. Anything we do in the kingdom of God is a partnership: us working with the Lord, in the power of the Spirit, to do what would otherwise be impossible.
That's also why the vision for this season is Jesus' mission, not ours. Every church in every generation is called to join Jesus in his ministry in the world, and none of us has the natural capacity to do it. But God has always chosen to work through ordinary people.
None of us are competent (and that's good news)
Paul goes on: "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
Tim didn't soften it. "If you thought you were competent to do the ministry of Jesus, I'm here to tell you this morning that you're not. But he has made you competent by his power."
There's no point in your spiritual growth where you cross over from incompetence to competence. There are no hoops to jump through and no levels to unlock. Tim admitted this might be hard news for the A-type personalities among us, but for most of us it's a huge relief. What God asks for is a posture of humble surrender and mustard seed faith: trusting that God will do what only God can do through us, if we surrender ourselves and walk by faith. And faith, as Tim defined it, is simply trusting in something greater than you.
What God does around a table
One of the places we see this most clearly, Tim said, is Alpha, our course for anyone with questions about life and faith. It isn't about the program itself. If something came along that did what Alpha does but better, we'd use that. What makes Alpha powerful is that anyone can come, and God works through ordinary people, like our table leaders who simply make themselves available to sit with people who are searching. Again and again, through those ordinary conversations about life and faith, God does extraordinary things.
On Sunday we heard one of those stories. Adyn, who has been coming to One Church for about eight months, shared how he became seriously ill and lost almost everything: his home, his car and his job. Over two and a half years he had more than 180 tests, and no one could work out what was wrong. In the midst of that pain he found himself forgiving his father, who had taken his own life when Adyn was five, and then forgiving himself. Finally, he prayed: God, if you're real, show me, and I'll dedicate my life to you. About a week and a half later, a scan showed that a cyst had disappeared, and his doctor couldn't explain it. The depression and anxiety lifted too. Since then, Adyn has been reading the Bible over and over, and says everything makes sense.
"If Christ can forgive us for what we do, in the sins that we commit, forgiving others is just a drop in the ocean."
Tim shared that Alpha will be a major focus in the years ahead. And because so many people asked for it in this year's church survey, we'll also start offering evangelism training next year, for anyone who wants to grow in sharing their faith and having conversations that might lead to an invitation to Alpha, to read the Bible together, to come along on a Sunday or to pray.
Raising up the next generation
Tim spoke about the growth we've seen over the last couple of years, especially among families, youth, young adults and people exploring faith at Alpha. With that comes a deep burden: we cannot leave the next generation of disciples to chance. As the saying goes, God has no grandchildren. Every generation has to come to faith for itself.
We know many young people drift away from faith when they reach uni and face the pressures of the culture around them. But Tim doesn't believe that's inevitable. Among our own young people, he said, God is doing something remarkable: a growing hunger for God, a passionate devotion to Christ, and a real commitment to being discipled and to leading those younger than them. Our young adults lead our teenagers, our teenagers lead our children, and there's a beautiful generational flow of discipleship happening. Scripture is full of young people God called: Daniel, David, Mary, and probably the apostle John too.
Real life is becoming the premium product
Tim then named a cultural shift he believes is just beginning. After years of relationships mediated through screens, many people are feeling lonely, "overdosed on dopamine" and disconnected. With the rise of AI, it's getting harder to trust anything we see online. And there's a growing hunger for in-person connection.
Businesses have noticed. There are restaurants that ask diners to put devices away, and even a Melbourne venture that hires out nightclubs so people can sit and read books together. (Tim confessed he'd quite like to go.) He read from an ad for one of these companies that declared, "Real life is becoming the premium product." The irony, of course, is that human connection is now being sold to us, just offline this time.
"The church has actually been doing in-person connection for centuries. This is who we are. This is what we were made for."
As our neighbourhoods grow, with many more apartments and townhouses on the way, people will need what sociologists call third places: somewhere that isn't home or work, where you can meet others and build community. Towns used to be built around community centres, pubs, sporting clubs, cafés and, very often, a church, sometimes the first building to go up. Many of those third places have disappeared. Tim believes there will be a deep need for churches to become those places again: not just auditoriums and teaching rooms, but open, friendly, hospitable spaces where people feel at home. We already see glimpses of it through Mainly Music, Playgroups and the young adults' lounge nights, where people simply hang out, play board games, share food and build friendships.
Four parts of the first rail
Tim summarised the first rail of the vision in four parts:
Investing in evangelism training and discipleship, especially Alpha.
Raising up the next generation through our kids, youth and young adults ministries, the Leadership Institute and small groups.
Building community with our neighbours and with one another, through the Food Pantry, our midweek ministries and a reimagined facility.
Pressing into the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit, with more opportunities next year to pray, worship and grow in the gifts of the Spirit together.
Then came the second rail. Tim again thanked those who gave and served to build our current building, but said it isn't working as well as it needs to for the ministry ahead. The full vision video and booklet are on the Reimagine page. Tim invited everyone to grab a booklet, use the weekly devotional and daily prayer points, come to an information session, and pray about making a pledge over the next three years. "Every gift is a blessing," he said. The amount isn't what matters. The hope is simply that everyone who calls One Church home has the chance to be part of what God is doing.
Deep Discipleship
Tim pointed out that just attending Sunday services won't, on its own, form us into mature, resilient, faithful people who can withstand the pressure to conform to the culture. We need to learn a better story than the one our culture is telling us, and to learn to live inside it together.
That's the heart of Deep Discipleship, a new course launching next year, which Darren Rowse joined Tim to introduce. Just as Alpha is designed for people exploring faith, Deep Discipleship is for anyone already following Jesus who wants to go deeper. Running from February to September, it walks through the big story of the Bible, explores what Christians believe, and looks at the practices that help us grow. Each night includes supper, teaching and discussion around a table that mixes ages and stages of faith. Whether you're 18 or 89, you're welcome, and you can register your interest on our website without committing to anything.
A sign full of promise
Tim closed with words from Karl Barth, the German theologian who resisted the Nazi regime. The church, Barth wrote, exists to set up in the world "a new sign which is radically dissimilar to the world's own manner and which contradicts it in a way which is full of promise." We're not called simply to oppose the culture, but to offer a better way of being human.
Tim shared that in 25 years as a pastor, he has never seen as much openness to the gospel as in the last couple of years. Bible sales have boomed, and many young men in particular have turned up at One Church having started reading the Bible, wanting to know what it might look like to follow Jesus. God has moved powerfully in Melbourne before, and Tim believes he can do it again, not necessarily through a big stadium event, but through ordinary disciples serving in the power of the Spirit.
Things in Melbourne aren't easy right now, with cost of living pressures, housing stress and deep division. Following Jesus is hard. But Tim reminded us of the lie the enemy loves to tell: that you're alone, that it all depends on you. When we gather, we remind each other that's not true.
"We are not alone, we are a family, we're united together in Christ."
One way to live it out this week
Paul says we are letters from Christ, "known and read by everyone." This week, think of one person in your life who might be longing for real, face-to-face connection: a neighbour, a workmate, someone at school or the club. Put your phone away and give them your full attention over a coffee, a meal or a walk. Before you do, pray a simple prayer of surrender: "Lord, I'm not competent for this, but you are. Work through me." If you'd like to know more about where One Church is heading, come along to the Information Supper on Wednesday night.
A short prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you that we don't have to climb a ladder to be useful to you.
We confess that we are not competent in ourselves,
but you make us competent by your Spirit.
Write your story on our hearts,
so that the people around us can read your love in our lives.
Give us a love for our city that moves us,
not guilt or obligation, but your love.
Do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine,
for your glory, now and for all generations.
Amen.
7 Things to Pray for This Week
Take these with you this week: download the printable prayer points (PDF)
Monday 12 October: Ordinary people, God's power.
Paul says our competence comes from God, not from ourselves (2 Corinthians 3:5). Pray that each of us would let go of the idea that God only uses the especially holy, and step out in humble surrender and mustard seed faith, trusting him to work through us.
Tuesday 13 October: Our kids, their parents and their leaders.
Pray for the kids in Sunday One Kids as they grow in faith, for their parents as they nurture that faith at home, and for the volunteers who show up for them week after week.
Wednesday 14 October: Information Supper.
Pray for everyone coming tonight, especially those who missed the first supper or are still carrying questions or hesitations. Pray for open, honest conversations and a real sense of God's presence.
Thursday 15 October: Deep Discipleship.
Pray for everyone going deeper with Jesus in what they know, who they are and what they do. Ask God to draw more of us to take that next step, and for spaces where that kind of growth can happen.
Friday 16 October: A lonely city longing for connection.
Pray for the many people around us who feel lonely and disconnected, worn out by life lived through screens. Pray that One Church would become a true third place, a home away from home where people find real welcome, friendship and the love of Jesus.
Saturday 17 October: Everyday friendships.
Pray for the people each of us knows at work, school, the sports club and next door. Ask God for opportunities to love them well and to invite them to come and see.
Sunday 18 October: Our Sunday services.
Pray for all of today's services as we come together to worship, pray, share fellowship and hear God's word. Pray that God would be at work in every person who walks through the doors, and that we would leave encouraged and stirred in faith.
Personal Reflection
Have you ever assumed God works mainly through people who are more spiritual, gifted or together than you? Where do you think that idea came from?
Paul says the people he served were a "letter from Christ" that anyone could read. If someone "read" your life this past month, what would they learn about Jesus?
Who in your life might be quietly longing for real, in-person connection? What would it take for you to make space for them this week?
Small Group Discussion
Tim said there's no point at which we cross over from incompetence to competence in God's kingdom. Do you find that freeing or unsettling? Why?
Read 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 together. What do you think Paul means when he says "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life"? Where have you seen that play out?
Adyn story included forgiving his father and then forgiving himself. Why do you think forgiveness so often comes before people find a sense of peace with God? Which is harder for you: forgiving others or forgiving yourself?
Tim described "humble surrender and mustard seed faith" as all God asks of us. What does surrender actually look like on an ordinary Tuesday for you?
How has life lived through screens shaped your friendships and your faith, for better or worse? What would you like to change?
Tim believes churches could become "third places" again. What makes a place feel genuinely welcoming to you? What would someone who isn't a Christian need to feel at home here?
Tim said "God has no grandchildren." Who passed on faith to you, and who might God be asking you to invest in, whether a young person, a newer Christian or someone exploring faith?
Tim reminded us that one of the enemy's favourite lies is "you're alone, it all depends on you." Where are you feeling that most right now? Share what you're comfortable sharing, and take time to pray for one another.