Here's what we're gonna do. Here's your roadmap. You ready? We are gonna celebrate globally. Then we are gonna celebrate locally through what God is doing in our community. And then we are gonna celebrate through the waters of baptism today. You're kind of warmed up. Hopefully by the time we get to baptism, we're a lot warmer in our celebration. Okay? We're gonna warm up all the way through. So here's what we're gonna do is we're just slowing down to go,
where do we see the goodness of God? Right? Psalms talks about that the goodness of God is chasing us all of our days. Right? We're told to declare, to remember what God has done. And so this morning we're gonna slow down and look at what is God doing globally. And so we have a couple with us that may be familiar to you if you've been around Heights for a little while, but they're all the way from England, right? To be here with us, which England's a long way.
If you don't know where England is, it's a long way from here. Would you please welcome Chip and Diane Cole? Good morning. And good morning Heights family. How great it is to be back with you here, to be back with the family and to get to worship with you today. And John was talking about giving before, and we want to thank you for what you give and for your partnership with the gospel with us in terms of what we are doing in England. Thank you so much. Well, thank you for what you do.
Thank you for stepping out and thank you for what that journey is like. And thank you for having an accent because it just highlights that I don't have mine anymore. So, you know. I've done last year, so I've got to keep mine. Somebody's got to keep it. Somebody's got to keep it. So, let's do this. Let's walk through a year ago. You were here. We did an interview. Then in March, the church kind of rallied around, commissioned you as global partners from Heights.
And then you ventured across the water, maybe walk us through what is that been like the last six months? Where are you? Where have you been? And maybe give us a little context. And as you do that, I understand there's pictures that'll kind of scroll behind us and help kind of paint a picture. Yeah. So, we've lived in England before, but it's cold. It's been a cold summer. It has been rainy, dark, cold. We had about five sunny days and Wickenburg was sunnier. So, yeah, it looks at the desert.
Looks dry, brown, terrible. But we, yeah, it's been, we've been adjusting to the weather, adjusting to the community. We live in the northeast of England in a city called Gateshead, which is near Newcastle. If you know the football club, Newcastle United or the soccer club. They just all went, what's soccer? It's a real sport, people. Yeah, in the northeast of England, we have settled in a city and in a part of the city that is Orthodox Jews and that is Muslims. We have synagogues.
We have mosques. We have Islamic training centers. We have Jewish rabbinical schools, very elite. That's like the Oxford of the Jewish world. People come there from Jerusalem and Paris and New York in order to study, to be rabbis. So it's a very elite place. It's a mix of all kinds of people. There's kosher bakeries. There's halal butchers. It's a mix of everything. There's people from all over the world as well. Right on the street that we live, it enters the main park of that area.
And so people pass our house into that park. Nigerians in fancy dress, which you'll see in one of the pictures. These guys here on the picture are from Saudi Arabia and they had come to the park because we woke up one morning and we heard, Allahu Akbar. We were like, are we in the Middle East? Why are we hearing the call to prayer in our bedroom? It doesn't seem right.
But we opened up the windows and looked out and there were thousands of Muslims coming out into the park to celebrate the end of Ramadan, which is a festival called Eid al-Fatih. And these guys were there and they were at the celebration. And so Diane got to meet them when they were coming out and hear a little bit about why they were there and why they were excited to be worshipping at the end of Ramadan.
Which is crazy how diverse in Northeast England, if you haven't been there, it's like the middle of nowhere. I heard somebody refer to it as the armpit of England once, right? That's not nice. It's not nice, but it's kind of true, right? So it's so diverse. So there's got to be joy and challenges that you guys have experienced even from day one walking in the space. What does that look like? Yeah. So, I mean, it was hard leaving our younger daughter here. You know, that's kind of a challenge.
It's great that our older daughter is there in England and we're able to support her. It's disorienting being in a culture that's very, very different from here. Even the place where we live is different from 20 miles away. It's unique. The first night we were there, we walked the dog and we went into that local park expecting a, you know, pleasant, you know, casual walk, trying to beat the jet lag.
And we came upon a fight where a 13 year old girl was being beat up by six guys and there were 25 other youth just watching. Wow. Blood streaming out of her nose, screams of pain. And we were near some other people, a family, and we said, you know, shouldn't we do something? Shouldn't we intervene? And they said, oh, no, no, don't intervene. You know, just walk away. You know, they'll sort it out. But we couldn't just walk away. So we shouted from across the field.
All 30 of them looked at Diane and I like, who are you? But they did stop beating up the girl. And then we went over and tried to help the girl as she was trying to stand up and recover from being kicked and punched. That was night one. That was shocking. Welcome to the neighborhood. Yeah. Yeah. And we did call the police and we were like, God, what are you doing? This is our first night. Give us a gentle entry. Yeah, it was a bit traumatizing. She was like shouting out, I want my mom.
I want my mom. And, you know, just bleeding and everything. I went over and I said, I'm not your mom, but I am a mom. You know, is there anything I can do? And she was just so traumatized, she walked away. But her friend took a tissue from me and said, I'll take that and wipe her off. So, but it was weird. And we were like, yeah, Jesus, what are you doing? And where have we landed? And it was kind of like, he said, this is exactly why you're here.
A few days later, a guy came to the door and he was coming to say, welcome to the community. And he said, oh, and by the way, there was a murder up the road a few weeks ago. So we were really like, oh, my word, where are we? Yeah, which is, I mean, when you switch cultural contexts, there's such a moment of just listening and learning, right?
And for you guys, you're still in that raising support while being on the ground, trying to listen and learn and really translate what does it look like for the gospel to impact this area when just culturally diverse, it's so extreme. And so what's that been like, the listening and learning? What kind of stories jump out on that side?
Yeah, I guess one is, you know, you don't really know how to interpret anything that's going on, John, so you're observing all of these things and trying to ask questions you're making assumptions and then trying to validate them. So we've been walking the road regularly and walking up the road with the dog. And every time we did that, there was like, people would scatter either side of us. And it really was this like parting of the Red Sea experience. We were kind of like, what is that about?
You know, do we smell? You know, am I unclean? Is the dog unclean? You know, what is this about? The Jewish community that we are living amongst is very, very often, you know, very, very orthodox. They're called the hara-deem and they really try to keep themselves separate and pure. So sometimes you walk down the road and people don't even look you in the eye, very different from here, you know, let alone speak to you.
So we've been praying really for an opportunity to kind of just think about, you know, find out what that was about. So lo and behold, we're walking the dog through the park one day. The dog features a lot in meeting people and we were passing these young Jewish girls who were kind of studying at picnic tables in the park. And one of them just suddenly said to me, hey, can I stroke your dog? And I was just like dumbfounded. I was like, I had concluded that the dog was unclean or something.
So I got to ask her, we'll call her Mary, what it was about, this scattering of people either side of us. And she just explained that there's a deep generational fear of dogs in the Jewish culture. And I've since found out that some of that relates to what happened in the Nazi concentration camps in Germany, that dogs were really used as a weapon against people.
So anyway, as we talked, I introduced myself and said, hey, well, what are you doing, you know, and she was explaining her studies and said she was writing an essay on King David. And I said, why David? And she said, well, he's just such a figure of hope, you know, the Psalms are just like full of hope. So expecting her being Jewish to really have a good handle on the Scriptures, I said, oh, what's your favourite Psalm? And she said, I don't have one. She goes, how about you?
So I said, yeah, the Psalms have been really important in my life. In fact, when my remaining parent died in my thirties, you know, God really used the Psalms to comfort me and I'd work through a Psalm a day and let God speak to me. And I said, Psalm 27 was really significant. So she says, how does that start? So I'm saying, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?
And I said, in verse 10, it says, though father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close forever. And I said, I've experienced God as father, but I said, it was like at that point, he was saying, I'm going to be your mother too. And she just started to tear up and she said, you know, you've just got such a fresh take on the Scriptures.
And this is a community, John, that people said we would never be able to break into, but for whatever reason, God just keeps giving us these amazing opportunities to get alongside and speak to people. Yeah, which is amazing. And then you had another interaction with Mary, right? I did, yeah. So while we did, it was kind of like this miracle. You don't know who you're going to see again. And then Chip and I were in the airport on the way here. And lo and behold, who do we bump into?
But Mary and her mom, her dad, her brother, and her sister. So Chip got to shake the dad's hand. We got to speak to them. I said, we're praying for you as you... They were on their way to Israel. They were on their way to Israel, which of course, there's a lot going on there right now. Said, we're praying for your protection. May the Lord bless you and keep you. And he goes, you're obviously kind of religious. And I said, well, I said we're Christians actually.
And I said, we're so thankful actually to the Jewish people because you gave us the patriarchs. But again, there was just that real warmth and openness with them. So... Yeah, I love how God works where, you know, people are telling you it's going to be hard. I don't know how you're going to get in this community. And then God, using the dog, opens up a relationship that then ends up with the family. And who knows what God's going to do with Mary in the future.
And it's this beautiful testimony to just getting to walk with God in it. And I love that. So on the listening side, I love how, you know, each time I get to hear different stories, but how within that there's a real, hey, the gospel listens first and speaks second. And I think there's also a learning, which I love about you, that you've sent me books in the past or articles, or hey, you got to watch this video, or you're always learning.
And so I know recently you got to go to a conference in Seoul, Korea on world evangelism. And I just love it if you could maybe just take a couple of minutes with us just to encourage us or maybe challenge us on what you got to hear, experience, and how it translates. Yeah, well, being there with 5,400 people from 222 different nations was a real privilege, John. It was really like a foretaste of heaven where every tribe, language, and nation will gather around the throne and the Lamb.
It was like drinking from a fire hose. I mean, there was just so much. But I guess I'm not a big statistics person generally, but a few things stuck out to me. One was of the 8 billion people alive today, 3.4 billion have still never had an opportunity to hear about Jesus and live... 3.4 billion. My brain can't even compute those kind of numbers. 3.4 billion. And many of them live in places where there's little opportunity to hear.
86% of every Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist does not know even a single Christian. That's incredible. And 62% of young people who leave the church, John, do so before they're 18. So I'm so proud of Heights and what goes on here in terms of discipleship for our youth. Keep doing it, please, and start younger. Shout out to our students. Let's give it up for our students.
And then another statistic, John, that really hit me is, you, me, and Chip, we represent 1% of Christians globally, that are professional Christians. The rest of the people in the global church are the 99% who live in neighbourhoods and in workplaces. It's you guys sitting right here in front of me today. And, you know, John, Chip, and I will never reach the people where you guys live, where you guys live, where you guys work. You really are the front line of mission.
And it's our job to equip and empower you as much as possible. Now, you might be sitting here today thinking, who me, little me? How can God use me? What do I have to give? But, you know, I think that the little boy with the five loaves and two fish that fed the 5,000 that day had the same kind of question. And if we are willing to surrender what we have and what God has given us to His hands, He will multiply the little to make it enough for the many.
It's not what you have to bring or who brings it, but in whose hands you place it. Placed in Jesus' hands, it can go a long way. God does not call the equipped, He equips the called. And by virtue of you being here in this room today, I want you to know God is calling you. You are loved by God. You are chosen by Him. You are called and He will equip you in your workplace and in your community for what the mission He has called you to. And talk to John if you want more equipping.
So good, so good. So, a couple of things. You got to hear some testimonies. Maybe share a couple of those with us. Yes, so one of the great privileges of being at the conference was meeting a guy called Rashid, hearing stories from the persecuted church. Do you know that 345 million people today are suffering or being persecuted for the gospel? That's higher than the whole population of the US. 5,000 people were murdered for their faith last year, 4,000 of them, over 4,000 in Nigeria, John.
Wow. I got to talk to a guy called Rashid who is from Iran. He told me his story. He had planted 45 churches. He was imprisoned in Iran for five years as an enemy of the state, quote unquote. One year of that time was spent in solitary confinement in a cell that was six feet by six feet. We do not know what it is to really be persecuted or suffer from the gospel in the West. And I said, how did you do it, Rashid? And he said, every day the Lord was my light and my salvation.
And he said, but persecution is not the end of the story. It's only part of the story. There are a million Christians in Iran today. Praise God. Wow. And somebody else said that, yeah, give it up for God. God is at work. Someone said this, persecution will not kill the church, but a compromised gospel will. Persecution will not kill the church, but a compromised gospel will. I think the other thing, John, maybe is a challenge. This was another thing that I heard that just kind of struck me.
And partly because I think we live in an increasingly polarized and divided world. Someone said, division in the church causes atheism or breeds atheism in the world, but unity in the church spreads the fragrance of Christ. And I think, and you know a word that we're just on the edge of this election coming up. And it's just really a plea to say, like Paul did, make every effort to keep the unity of the body through the bond of peace.
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and he is Jesus Christ. Donald Trump will not save us. Kamala Harris will not save us. Jesus is the only savior. So let us not break our unity for that. So well said, so well said. Jesus unites us and that's what he challenges his disciples, right? Like, hey, you got to, unity is what I'm praying for, for you. And it's beautiful. So could we do this? Could we tell Chip and Diane, just thank you one more time.
I want you to grab something out of that to hold for you. That this, I represent 1%. You represent 99. And often what we've done is left it to the one to reach the 99. But Jesus's plan is the 99 is what we're going to do. And I want you to hold on to that. I want you to hold on to that because Jesus is the one to reach the 99. But Jesus's plan is the 99 is what reaches the rest. And so just hear that as we celebrate globally, you've got a place in this kingdom that God has for you.
And that he's called you to, and we all need to step into it together. And so now that we've celebrated globally, we're going to celebrate locally. And so would you give your loudest boo, actually give it up for Pastor Bob. Good morning, everybody. Isn't it great to have Chip and Diane back just for a little bit? I love them so much. My name is Bob and I am the discipleship pastor here at Heights. And like John said, and you heard from Diane, it's crazy.
I think people think that people on staff are the ones that do all the work. And yet our job is to equip the saints, which is all of you to do that. And we get to hear stories of celebrations all the time, how God works in lives of people in this church and also uses their lives to affect others. So I want to give you a local celebration. And it was a story I heard a couple of weeks ago. So Mark King, could you come on up there? You are right there. Come on, give Mark a big hand.
I want to say this. A lot of you have seen Mark before. I just, a show of hands. How many of you have had a container of Mark's salsa? Isn't that the craziest thing? It really does make a difference. We've got more work to do. Well, Mark had told me a story that happened out at our Park Collective campus over in PV. And I wanted Mark to share this with you because it's so cool. Well, as many of you know, I've been doing this for about four years now. And that is making salsa and giving it away.
And then I thought, I don't do it at Prescott Valley. I need to be doing it there too. So I called Ben, who is a pastor there, and asked if I could come out there and do what I do here. And he said, well, duh. So I've been starting about three or four weeks ago. I started doing it out there also on Saturday nights. And well, just about three weeks ago, as I was waiting to go into the main hall, which if any of you have seen it, it's kind of, it's not obvious that it sits there.
The community center is designed for the kids, of course, and for families to have a safe place to be able to share together. Well, I'm standing there and this young lady comes over and she's kind of nervous. And her hands are shaking like that. And she says, how do you do this? How is this possible? And so I took that as an opportunity to explain to her what our church is about. And of course, we have the Heights here in Prescott, and we felt that Prescott Valley needed an extension also.
And it was more of a family need there. So she said, well, how do you do it without paying for it? And again, we talked a little bit more about that and about what she was doing. She was coming, she had come up from Phoenix. And what happens often when I talk to people is they start opening their hearts more and more. And I take it as a sacred moment, very, very honored that people will open themselves to me. And she's telling me that she came from Phoenix where she was in an abusive marriage.
And also her husband had been abusing their son as well, a two-year-old. Well, she felt at that point that she was in need of searching for some meaning. So I said, well, you know, this is a church back here. And I said, you're more than welcome. And I started explaining the services that we have three of them here on Sunday. We have one Saturday evening and one Sunday morning in Prescott Valley that you could attend.
And she didn't think that she would be, well, she wasn't certain that she was going to be able to do it. But then I gave her a salsa, which I do. And she said, well, why do you do this salsa? Who goes to church to get a salsa? And well, you know, I told her what I've told many of you is that we're called to love our family, to love our neighbors. And to me, all of you are my family and I love you.
So she took the salsa and a little bit later out of the corner of my eye, I saw her go in the side door into the service. Well, last week I was giving out some salsa to some people in an alley, an aisle. And I was talking to them and she came in and she was just beaming. She was so happy and so joyful. She saw me. We made eye contact. She pointed at me like this and said, two weeks ago you gave me salsa and it changed my life forever. Isn't that amazing?
I mean, God can take something so ordinary like salsa and let something extraordinary happen through it. And I just want to say, like, as they're mentioning the 99 that are out there doing the work, Mark is just one of those 99 and one of those stories you get to hear. So thank you so much, Mark, for all you do. We love you, Mark! Well, obviously this is so good. It's not only global month, but it's a celebration weekend. I want to just go back a couple of weeks.
We had a missionary in from Japan, Jay Greer, and Jay was saying there was a guy in his church by the name of Yuma. And you might have heard this, but Yuma was part of their church, but he just played guitar. He was an atheist. But Jay said, I don't care. He's an atheist. I want him playing guitar because I want him to hear the gospel every week. So one day after service, he asked one of Jay's coworkers, Seth, to go get dinner that night. So they went out to dinner.
And then during dinner, he looks right. Yuma looks at Seth and goes, I just want you to know I will never become a Christian. And Seth said, well, OK, well, you're still going to be at church next week? And he goes, well, yeah. But he said it was interesting. Jay said when Yuma left the restaurant, and Yuma told this story later that as he was walking, for some reason, he became incredibly aware of his sinfulness. And the more he walked home, he realized he was a sinner.
And he said at that point, he said he used to think when people would talk about the cross that it was just some Western thing. But he said at that point, the cross became life to him because he realized he was a sinner in need of Christ. And he was baptized that week at church, which was just an amazing story. To celebrate baptisms globally, but we get to do that today locally. And I love baptism weekend. And one of the things that's so great about it is this.
I want to be honest about it. Sometimes people don't realize what baptism is. And I want to say this to those getting baptized and to all of you. It's a big deal. You've made a decision in your heart. It's not a flippant decision where you just go, oh, I'm going to get baptized. No, it was I want to make Jesus Christ the center and Lord of my life.
And baptism is a way that we publicly profess to others that we've made that commitment and that we're going to deny ourselves and just point on and our lives will be living for Jesus Christ. So I want to say this about baptism, too. It says the angels in heaven will be rejoicing and celebrating with us. So I want us to be just a little bit louder than the angels in there when you hear each one of these people tell why they're getting baptized. Let's get started.