Grace Haven Church

0:00 So today's message is overcoming my doubts, overcoming my doubts.

0:08 I was going to call it, it's okay to have doubts,

0:12 and I just thought it is okay to have doubts.

0:19 But if you let God do what God's doing, we actually can overcome our doubts.

0:24 So it's one thing to acknowledge them, it's another thing to realise God is able to help us.

0:29 He doesn't leave us the same way we find ourselves.

0:32 Anyone in the room struggle with doubts, don't put your hand up.

0:36 A few years ago there was a man coming to our church in the early years, early years, I'm talking Meistersel years.

0:43 You don't know the Meistersel, Meistersel is a venue in Berlin that U2 played in, David Bowie played in, it's right near the Berlin Mauer, the wall.

0:53 And so it was very trendy back in the 90s for these music bands, artists to play in this, which I think is still a music studio above it.

1:02 Anyway, Sarah Shukala and Guido, you had your wedding reception there, is that right?

1:10 And they really liked you, and because they really liked you, they let us have church services there.

1:16 Isn't that amazing?

1:21 Thank God you paid the bill.

1:25 We had a beautiful wedding reception there, if you remember, some of you.

1:28 But we actually had church there for a while.

1:31 And I remember this young man was coming, he was coming for about a year and a half.

1:34 And he was loving it, he was going out for the hangouts.

1:38 We've always built our church on eat, drink, share, you know, generosity, hospitality, and good word, good worship, good connection.

1:45 And this person, I won't mention his name, but he was loving the connection for sure.

1:51 I think he was loving the worship because he seemed to be quite, you know, And then I'm not really sure if he was loving the word because after a year and a half, I just saw him on the stairs one day and just said, hey, how are you doing?

2:04 Ah, good, good.

2:05 And I really felt a stern in my heart to just challenge him.

2:09 And it's not really the way I normally go.

2:14 Depends which forum you're in.

2:16 I feel like I've got to pull this one back quick.

2:19 I'm not always challenging.

2:27 All right, I'm a nice person, all right?

2:32 I just believe in potential.

2:36 Anyway, so what happened is I literally had not challenged him in a year and a half.

2:41 So I just felt like I'm going to go for it.

2:42 And I just said, how's it going?

2:43 He just said, yeah.

2:45 And I just said, you know, how's this faith thing going?

2:47 How's it going with Jesus?

2:48 And he's like, ah, and I said, and I just asked the question, I just, what's stopping you?

2:55 And I think sometimes there is moments where we should be able to ask, maybe consider it a direct question.

3:01 I do, I have learned being here, indirect is the generalised pathway of today.

3:11 And there is a little bit of room for direct.

3:14 A little bit of room, okay.

3:15 And I asked the question, what's stopping you?

3:17 And this is what he said.

3:20 He said, he said, I don't believe the Bible.

3:23 And I was like, well, fair enough.

3:26 But after a year and a half with us,

3:30 so I asked him about a book, several books that I had recommended to him personally and to our church in that season.

3:37 And I just said, can I ask you what you've done with them?

3:40 Nothing.

3:42 And so for me in that moment, I had to make a decision.

3:46 Do I take this further or just walk away?

3:49 But I sensed the urgency.

3:51 And so I said to him, I said, well, listen, you say you don't believe the Bible and yet we have provided opportunity for you to actually help you with your beliefs or your doubts because doubts are beliefs.

4:04 They're just the opposite.

4:06 They look different, but they're still beliefs.

4:09 And I just said to him, I said, we've given you opportunity for you to help you with your doubts and your beliefs.

4:18 And so when you say you don't believe, but you haven't done anything, I find that a little bit hard to believe.

4:26 And obviously you can tell that's already a bit awkward.

4:30 And I just challenged him.

4:31 I said, at some point you're going to have to stop being in control and you're going to have to let God take over.

4:37 And I never saw him again.

4:41 So you can say what you want about that, but that was a real story, a real situation.

4:44 And all I can believe is that there was something positive in that year and a half that would have helped him to realise God is real.

4:53 And all I want you to know is this, he said something to me.

4:56 I can't remember if it was in that moment or if he said it around this moment.

5:00 But he asked me a question, and I think it probably was in the moment actually.

5:04 And he said this, he said, do you ever doubt God?

5:09 And I was like, I had to think about it.

5:11 And I went, actually, no, I don't doubt God, but I do doubt me.

5:17 And that's all I said to him.

5:19 I find doubting is easier with me than to doubt God.

5:23 So today I want to talk us through this journey.

5:25 And the reason I'm going to do this today is because I don't believe there's no doubts among us.

5:30 I believe there's plenty of doubts.

5:32 What we've got to know is that God can handle our doubts.

5:35 And so I want to walk us through it today.

5:37 And then next week's part two, I'm going to do a part two to this.

5:41 And it's just, I'm going to walk you through how the Gospel helps us navigate our doubts.

5:47 I just won't have the chance to do that all today.

5:49 Is that okay?

5:50 I'm going to start with Psalm 94.

5:51 You ready?

5:53 Psalm 94.

6:17 The reason I'm reading this to you is because the Psalm 94 is a lament of possibly an individual.

6:25 It could possibly be a community.

6:27 We don't really know.

6:28 We don't know who the author is.

6:30 All we know is they are lamenting.

6:32 They're shouting aloud, hello.

6:37 And sometimes a shout is loud.

6:39 Sometimes it's internal shout, but it's still loud to you.

6:45 And what's going on is that this situation is difficult because this person or this community is facing opposition.

6:53 They see injustice and they're calling on God the judge to avenge the wickedness and to protect the righteous people.

7:02 It highlights the arrogance of the wicked, their disregard for God and their obsession to destroy the vulnerable, the innocent and the displaced.

7:13 At the same time, calling on God to bring judgment and deliverance.

7:18 Now, when I read this, I could have felt like we're in this moment right now in the 21st century because I do not like what I see.

7:25 The vulnerable, the innocent, the displaced at the mercy of the whims of others.

7:34 And as a follower of Jesus, as a child of faith, we've got to know how to go to God even in our tough times when we struggle, when we have doubts.

7:46 And so I want to acknowledge it because we can actually handle it.

7:49 And I want to walk you through some of the wisdom connected to it.

7:52 Is that okay?

7:53 Jude, New Testament.

7:53 Let's switch to the New Testament.

7:55 Jude chapter 1, 22, it says this, Be helpful to all who have.

8:01 Be helpful to all who have.

8:04 Now, obviously I'm reading it as a text, but it has context.

8:10 And I don't want to misuse the text and take it out of context.

8:13 All I'm saying is that in this particular context, there was a reality where people were wavering.

8:21 It doesn't really say if they were non believers, believers, but the indicator is that they're talking to the church.

8:26 So the doubters here are in the church.

8:30 And He's saying be helpful to those who have doubts.

8:32 Other translations say be helpful and show mercy to those who were wavering.

8:38 I'm not sure.

8:42 John chapter 20, verse 28.

8:45 This is one we all know, Thomas.

8:47 We all know Downing Thomas, but we all have to admit that Downing Thomas became a faith man.

8:54 He didn't stay a doubter.

8:56 He became a faith Thomas.

8:59 We always talk about Downing Thomas, but we don't talk about who He became.

9:04 There's no doubt that He doubted, but He didn't stay with His doubts.

9:08 He turned His doubts into something so much more.

9:11 And this is what we get from this.

9:13 And this is what it says.

9:14 Thomas replied, You are my Lord, my God.

9:18 There's a whole lot of faith in that, not a lot of doubts.

9:22 James chapter 1, verse 6.

9:23 Here's another one for you.

9:24 Ask in faith with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

9:32 I don't want to live my life where I'm tossed around by the wind.

9:38 I don't want to be a good one day and wobbly the next.

9:44 I want to be able to build something in my life where there's a sureness, there's a steadfastness.

9:49 That's why I said, I don't doubt God, I just doubt me.

9:53 I'm not, He's not the weakest link I am.

9:58 Every day is a great day with God, every day is not a great day with me.

10:08 So I want you to understand, though there is context to these.

10:11 The psalmist let us know, lamenting was a part of their story where they called upon the Name of the Lord.

10:16 We get into the New Testament and there's reminders that we can actually handle doubts.

10:22 So let me walk you through it just quickly.

10:24 The first thing I want to share with you is God can handle doubters and sceptic people.

10:28 He can handle doubters and sceptics.

10:31 The challenge is, can we?

10:35 When you start following Jesus, within the first three years, you can become borderline legalistic.

10:43 I've seen it with my own life.

10:44 You can become so involved in church that within three years, everyone you know is a follower of Jesus.

10:51 I mean, it's not like you don't know anyone else, it's just that your world is Christian predominantly if you get involved quite early.

10:59 And what happens is you become, this is the danger, I'm not saying everyone, but the danger is you become self-righteous.

11:08 And I just want you to know, don't think it can't happen to you, it can happen to anyone.

11:12 And so what we've got to remember is God can handle the doubters and the sceptics, but can we?

11:18 And so I want to walk you through this because we see in John 20, we see in James 1, doubting can lead to faith.

11:27 There's no doubt that people who have doubts can end up turning into, wow, what happened to you?

11:34 What happened to you?

11:36 I remember when I first met you and I had a conversation and you weren't sure about this and you weren't sure about yourself and you weren't sure about them and you weren't sure about the church.

11:44 And now look at you, you started a social enterprise, you've got some new education, you've increased your value, you're giving to Kingdom Builders, you're sponsoring children, you're even running, you never ran.

11:59 What's happened to you?

12:01 You've gone from doubting to believing.

12:04 You've gone from believing to substance.

12:07 I don't just believe it, I live it.

12:10 And this is the work of God, not the work of ego.

12:14 Awareness always beats ego.

12:17 Amen.

12:19 EQ always beats IQ.

12:21 Amen.

12:22 You've got to remember the work of the Spirit helps us even when we're weak.

12:29 And so let's walk this through a little bit.

12:31 Jude chapter one gives us encouragement to remember that there are people amongst us that are either weak, wavering or doubting.

12:40 Our job, if we are strong, is to be there for people who are weak.

12:46 Our job is if we are secure and full of faith, not to judge those who are struggling in their faith, but to be there with mercy and with consideration and with wisdom.

12:58 Because I think that's what's gonna help all of us realise.

13:01 But you can't be so righteous in this journey.

13:04 You've actually got to realise humility, humility, humility.

13:07 I need God just as much as you.

13:09 You can't call out other people's faults if you know you've got your own.

13:14 Well, let's all just stay silent then.

13:17 No, it's not to stay silent.

13:18 It's just don't call out the others when you know you've got issues yourself.

13:24 Just go to God for you and say, God, please let me be a blessing to others.

13:29 You don't stay paralysed.

13:31 You don't stay neutralised.

13:33 God just works in you so that he can work through you in Jesus' name, amen.

13:37 You've got to learn to master the mirror, amen.

13:41 Who are you when you look in the mirror and you don't like what you see?

13:45 Then you've got to learn first to let God like you.

13:49 And then you begin to like you so you can like others.

13:52 It's always about you first.

13:54 It's an internal work before it's an external work.

13:57 Can anyone say amen?

13:59 So number two, Sundays are a place for believers,

14:04 not sure what I believe, and non-believers.

14:08 You're not coming to a church just for believers.

14:10 You don't know who you're sitting next to.

14:13 Over the history of our church, ambassadors sits next to asylum seekers because everyone's got, especially Jasper with his shorts, his football legs.

14:22 You don't know who you're sitting next to because no one dresses in their jobs.

14:27 Berlin is, it's very rare you'll see a suit in Berlin.

14:31 Very rare you'll see me in a suit.

14:32 The only time you get close is a wedding.

14:35 And I haven't been to a wedding in ages, so.

14:38 But what I am trying to say to you is Sundays are for believers, not sure what I believe, and non-believers.

14:44 So let me walk you through this a little bit.

14:47 Can we create an atmosphere that helps people to believe?

14:50 Yes, we should be creating atmosphere where it's possible to go from, I don't know to, oh my goodness.

14:59 It's not forceful, it's not manipulative.

15:01 It's an atmosphere that's electric.

15:04 It's a magnet to the lost.

15:06 I never realised I was lost, and now I've got a chance to come home.

15:10 This is called an atmosphere where people can begin to believe.

15:14 Amen, you can recover and discover at the same time in Jesus' Name.

15:19 A place where people can move from doubts to faith, from fear to love, from rejection to acceptance, from broken to healed.

15:29 You don't know who's in the room.

15:32 How many of us have this kind of sense of we're in a room but we don't want anyone to know what we're really like because if they really knew, they would not like me.

15:42 So what do we do?

15:43 We practise our hiding skills because we're really good at hiding.

15:51 Just like the Garden of Eden, we hid behind the tree, we hide behind creation, we hide behind our jobs, we hide behind our roles, our titles, our achievements.

16:02 Tick, tick, tick.

16:03 Look what I'm hiding behind.

16:06 I have this theory of leadership through the frisbee.

16:09 Yeah, I know what a frisbee is, a frisbee, the circular thing.

16:11 If I threw the frisbee to Adé, there's only three things Adé can do.

16:15 Number one, ignore it.

16:19 Number two, catch it.

16:22 Number three, attempt to catch it and drop it.

16:27 He's laughing cause he's probably gonna drop it.

16:30 But you know what?

16:31 We've built the church on frisbee droppers, not frisbee catchers.

16:34 Why?

16:35 Because it's an act of humility to bend down and pick up a frisbee that you were supposed to catch.

16:41 Most of us get it wrong before we get it right.

16:44 And so humility allows you to bend down and say,

16:49 awkward.

16:50 I'll have another go.

16:51 We're practitioners more than we are leaders.

16:54 Amen.

16:56 Practice, practice, practice.

16:59 But you've got to have a value and not be fearing failure.

17:04 The week after we finish this part two series, we're gonna start talking about a risk generation.

17:10 Cause you can't have a faith generation without it being a risk generation.

17:14 So what I want you to understand, Sundays are about helping people move them from where they are.

17:19 The Lord never leaves us the same way He finds us.

17:22 He loves you to transformation.

17:25 Amen.

17:26 Just take me as me are Lord.

17:27 He will take you as you are, but He won't leave you the way He finds you.

17:32 He can handle our fears, our doubts and our insecurities, but He will take us on a profound journey of transformation.

17:38 But it takes intimacy to do that.

17:40 You cannot hide in a relationship.

17:43 You can, but it's not a relationship.

17:46 Is that okay?

17:48 Can this be a place where questions can be raised, concerns can be shared, doubts can be addressed.

17:54 Yeah, I agree.

17:56 To do that is not that easy, but it takes wisdom.

17:59 But has your friends got questions that they dare ask you?

18:02 And if they do ask you, can you handle them?

18:04 And could you reasonably with wisdom actually answer them?

18:10 I really believe that's what our community needs to overcome over these next few years is we're gonna receive people who are not coming with easy answers, easy questions, easy concerns.

18:21 They're gonna come in with whatever it is.

18:23 And we've got to be able to, with the grace of God and the wisdom of God, be able to be there, not answer everything, but at least know how to direct people to where there's answers and perspectives.

18:36 My prayer is that it's nice to have a friendly community, but we gotta move from friendly to friends.

18:41 And you've got to be able to have a conversation at some level to help people.

18:46 And I believe it is our job as pastors to help our church and train our church and our leaders to have that.

18:53 But I ask you the question, can we create a place where questions can be raised, where concerns can be raised and doubts can be addressed?

19:02 Here's another one.

19:02 Can this be a place where failings are not fatal and struggles can be supported?

19:10 The truth is, struggles exist amongst us.

19:13 What do you struggle with?

19:14 I might not struggle with that, but you might struggle with something different from me.

19:18 My biggest struggle is sugar.

19:21 I like it, but I'm replacing it with eggs.

19:28 Four eggs in the morning, cracking eggs, stir it down.

19:32 Cracking eggs, stir it down.

19:34 Cracking eggs, stir it down.

19:37 As long as I get four, Malta's happy.

19:41 You know what it's like to go to a training gym and to be asked by your coach?

19:46 It's like confession.

19:48 I get three croissants and two sugar lumps.

19:52 Training session's over.

19:54 No, no, no, no, I'm only joking, I'm only joking.

19:58 I'm just saying we've all got to win something.

20:01 And I'm just saying everybody struggles with something.

20:04 What I am trying to say is, can you be in a community like ours and still have struggles?

20:11 Honestly, this is real stuff, people.

20:13 I'm not trying to be funny.

20:14 I'm just saying we've got to understand this.

20:16 If you make a mistake, does it mean it's over?

20:20 Can I get it wrong here and still be a part of this community?

20:23 Yes.

20:24 Why can't you?

20:26 But we need to know what we're saying when we say this because it's not cheap frills, it's real substance.

20:32 Can this be a place where the grace and wisdom, where food and medicine is being dispensed?

20:40 Amen?

20:41 The third thing is our community can be an incubator for change.

20:47 Our community can be an incubator for change.

20:50 Can we build a real church with real people who are willing to trust a real Jesus?

20:55 Who can help and strengthen us?

20:57 There's no doubt that Jesus can handle your problems, the struggles, the fears, the doubts, but we've got to know that we're better with Him than without Him.

21:06 And I'm not saying confess all your sins and blurt it out, though the Bible may say things like that, but often people misuse that.

21:13 They don't do it with wisdom and grace.

21:15 I'm just saying the atmosphere can begin to create an atmosphere of recovery and discovery at the same time.

21:22 Just being here can be oil and wine, medicine and food.

21:26 Oh, I'm so glad I went to the house of God today.

21:29 No one's asking to squeeze it out of you.

21:31 But what I am saying is it's up to all of us to create a community that it's an incubator for change and for transformation.

21:39 Can people see love, warmth, caring and sharing motivated by the Gospel?

21:44 It's the Gospel that motivates us to care and to share, to love and to be embracing.

21:51 Number four, don't be afraid to go public about your faith.

21:54 Don't be scared to go public about your faith.

21:57 Identify yourself as a believer to the people around you.

22:00 With wisdom and faith, let people know.

22:03 Try to be natural and authentic.

22:05 My faith helps me even when I face challenges.

22:08 Pushback is inevitable.

22:10 Even hostility can happen in a city like Berlin.

22:14 Honesty and transparency can help others express interest and curiosity.

22:19 Just learn to realise that if you don't share your faith, how is anyone gonna know?

22:25 It's the way you share it that makes the difference.

22:29 Number five, learn to cultivate how to share your story about why you believe.

22:35 Learn to cultivate your story.

22:36 There's no one with a story like you and I really believe your story could be the difference maker in helping people with curiosity and interest become closer.

22:46 How can we improve in sharing and being open with our friends and our work colleagues?

22:52 I really believe it is possible for us to do this.

22:54 Number six, hiding our faith limits our faith.

22:58 Hiding our faith limits our faith.

23:00 Learn to trust God with this.

23:02 Well, I'm not an evangelist, I'm not an extrovert.

23:04 Most of us aren't.

23:06 But learn to take your story of faith into your public arena.

23:11 And I really pray that God will give you the wisdom for that.

23:14 You don't need to use fear or you don't need to force this.

23:19 It's possible when we see the value and the importance conversations cannot be forced.

23:24 Don't force your faith on people.

23:27 And there's a whole series I've put together on actually how we can share our faith in a respectful, meaningful way.

23:34 And I think it's a card that we've got available out there.

23:37 And the last one is the team come up.

23:39 Number seven, remember our faith is central to how we think about things, make decisions and how we face our challenges in life.

23:49 Remember our faith is central to how we think about things, make decisions and how we face challenges in life.

23:56 So listen to this.

23:57 We live in a culture that places a premium on transparency, freedom of expression and the right to be yourself.

24:06 So there is a risk to sharing your faith in a public way.

24:12 Wisdom and faith are always needed.

24:16 Do you understand what I just said?

24:17 We live in a current moment where there is a premium on transparency, freedom of expression and the right to be yourself.

24:25 So if we also take this moment to openly,

24:33 transparently share our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, don't for a second think that you will have hostility, pushback.

24:43 When I shared my faith with my mum and dad, all of their bad experiences when they grew up as a child surfaced in the one moment.

24:51 My mum went to a Catholic school with nuns and priests.

24:55 My dad grew up and he saw his own dad die at 18, killed by a train because he worked on a railway line.

25:04 My dad saw the hypocrisy of the Salvation Army.

25:08 And so my mum and dad never raised us in faith.

25:10 They never gave us anything.

25:11 They just gave us what they had and that was just what it was.

25:16 So when I met Jesus at 23 and I came home and said, I've met Jesus, I'm a Christian.

25:22 My mum laughed and went, well, see how long this lasts.

25:25 I was like, mum, that's not nice.

25:28 And my dad just got all grumpy.

25:31 And that first dinner we had together, I said, can we say grace?

25:35 And you could see the hostility.

25:36 You could cut the air with a knife.

25:39 So I begin to say grace, dear Lord, thank you for this food.

25:42 Thank you for this food.

25:44 My dad jumped out and said, I bought the food.

25:47 You should be thanking me.

25:49 That's where my dad was.

25:51 And so don't be surprised when you share your faith story, your God's story, what God is doing in you, through you.

25:58 We face challenges, but my faith can help me.

26:01 There are people who are interested.

26:03 There are people who are curious.

26:04 And there are people that the Lord has already prepared in Jesus' Name.

26:08 You don't go doing the picking.

26:10 God does.

26:12 You just put yourself in the field.

26:14 He's the harvester.

26:16 You're not.

26:18 You just gotta put yourself in the field and He will lead you to the fruit every time, every time.

26:26 You just gotta be in the story.

26:28 You just gotta be in the field and you just gotta be who you were called to be in Jesus' Name.

26:33 So don't worry about your doubts.

26:37 Just let God lead you to faith because every time He does, you are better because you've been with Jesus.

26:45 Be in His house, be in His presence, be in the Word, be in the Holy Spirit, but let God take you from where you are to where you could be in Jesus' Name.

26:56 Don't worry about it.

26:57 We will always coexist with doubts, with skeptics, and with people who are not sure.

27:04 Don't let that be a barrier.

27:06 Let that be a pathway to better days, to transformation days, to the work of the Spirit in Jesus' Name, amen.

2025-07-02 - Overcoming My Doubts (Pt. 1) - Mark Wilkinson.

Find your way.

Start with the teachings.