Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] Welcome to the Creative team talks podcast for Hillsong Creative.
[00:00:18] Hello, Hillsong Creative family. It is Nigel Nalaya here and it is my absolute joy and privilege to be with you all today to share a short encouragement as you prepare for the weekend ahead. Whether you're on the platform seen by all, or whether you're behind the scenes making it all happen, I pray that this word encourages you as you prepare to lead our church in worship right across the country. It's a beautiful thing.
[00:00:47] So, firstly, a little bit about me. I'm the creative pastor off Hillsong Melbourne east campus. Honestly, it is such an honor to lead this team of humans. Big shout out to the Hillsong Melbourne east creative team. You guys are a bunch of legends and I love you guys. And I'm constantly blown away and astounded by the way you guys turn up every week and sacrifice and pour out so that our church and the people that walk through the doors of our church can come into the presence of the Lord and encounter the love, the hope, the freedom and the joy that is found in Jesus name.
[00:01:25] I'm married to an incredible woman. Her name is Samantha Nelia. She's a prayer warrior. And honestly, we couldn't do what we do as a family if not for her, if not for her sacrifice and her prayers and her love and her support. And together, Sammy and I have an incredible little man by the name of Micah Nelia, born on Christmas Day, 2018. Would you believe it? Born on the 25 December. Suffice to say, we didn't plan that very well. But my goodness, he's been the best Christmas present present we've ever received.
[00:02:01] So without further ado, here's what I wanted to share for the weekend ahead from acts, chapter 16. The verses we normally focus on are the ones where we see that Paul and Silas, as worshippers, were worshiping in jail. They were shackled and they were bound and they were still lifting up praises and hymns to the Lord. But what I wanted to focus on was some verses earlier on, in the chapter in verse six, it says this, and they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
[00:02:45] I love that Paul and Silas were actually doing the Lord's work. They were doing good work. They had lived a life that was devoted to the work of God, of showing the love of Christ to the regions and the cities and the towns that they were traveling to, and yet in amongst them, doing good work, they were still in tune with the Holy Spirit's leading and guiding. They were sensitive to what the Lord wanted them to do. And when the Lord and when the Holy Spirit said, do not go into that town, they obeyed. When they said, don't go into that town, they obeyed. And I love that. I love that as a worshiper. For me, I've grown up in church my whole life, and. And I've often gotten stuck in the, in the. In the repetition of turning up to church and doing the thing that I do in turning up to church and singing a song or leading a church in worship and going through the routine that I normally do. And all of that is well and good, but there's been seasons where I've not been surrendered to the will of my Father in heaven. Not been surrendered to the Holy Spirit's leading and guiding.
[00:04:01] Yes, I'm doing something good. I'm leading a church in worship. But I wasn't surrendered to his will. I wasn't surrendered to the Holy Spirit's leading and guiding. And I love that Paul and Silas demonstrated, demonstrate a posture of humility that even in the good that they were doing, the call that they had was surrendered to the Lord.
[00:04:28] So, team, as you prepare for the weekend ahead, as you prepare to lead our church in worship, no matter what role you play in our team, every single one of those roles is significant.
[00:04:39] But may every single one of you, as you pour out, do it with a posture of surrender to our heavenly Father. What a beautiful thing when we can live in a way that is surrendered to the Holy Spirit's leading and guiding. I believe that God didn't call us to just do good work. Team, I believe that God called us to do good work, that he surrendered to him on a daily basis, that our preparation not just be practical, that our preparation not just be one that brings perfection to the stage. Yes, excellence is so important, and we are meant to steward what God has given us. But may we not neglect excellence in our spiritual preparation. As you prepare for the weekend ahead, can I encourage you, team, to come before his throne of grace and say, Lord, give me eyes to see and ears to hear what it is that you are doing in the spiritual realm. So that when I do what I do, when I play, what I play, when I sing, what I sing, when I move those faders, that it is led so much by your holy spirit's leading and guiding, what a beautiful thing we'll start to see in our services team, as we surrender and make ourselves vulnerable to his Holy Spirit's leading and guiding, may we be a team of people like Paul and Silas were surrender to the will of our Father in heaven. And I believe as we do that we will give our God freedom, the Holy Spirit freedom to move in our midst, move in power and do things that are far beyond our comprehension. Comprehension where we will stand back and stand in awe of what he has done. And we can take no credit for it. Because he was glorified, he was lifted up, he was magnified. And people encountered his love and his grace not because of us, but because we were a vessel used by him to bring glory to his name. Be encouraged as you prepare for this weekend, team, let me pray for you. Lord Jesus, we thank you for your love. We thank you for your grace. We thank you that you sent your Holy Spirit down so that we could be led and we could be guided and that we could find the words to say, may we surrender to your will.
[00:06:55] Even in all that we do, even in the good that we do, in the wonderful things that we bring every single week. Jesus, may we not neglect to invite you in, to invite you into our processes and our preparation, Lord, and as we do that, I thank you that you will breathe on our work.
[00:07:14] And Lord, all glory and honour will go to you and people will encounter your love and your grace in the most beautiful way possible. We give you glory, honour and praise in Jesus name we pray.
[00:07:27] Amen. Be blessed. Team.
