WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.319 Amen. This is what we're called to do, to take 00:00:02.319 --> 00:00:04.740 Him to the nations, to proclaim forgiveness in 00:00:04.740 --> 00:00:07.120 His name, to turn from those who live in darkness, 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:09.019 to turn into the great light that's in Christ. 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:11.179 And so this morning, I would ask that you pray 00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:13.779 in prayer for Chris and for Paola, their son 00:00:13.779 --> 00:00:16.920 Liam, who's in the nursery even now, that you 00:00:16.920 --> 00:00:18.839 pray that God will bless them and say, go back 00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:20.899 to that South American nation, that the Lord 00:00:20.899 --> 00:00:24.420 would use them in a mighty way that many people 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:26.120 might be brought to a saving knowledge of Christ. 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:44.590 Chris, if you would come at this time. Alright, 00:00:44.770 --> 00:00:48.250 did I do that right? Sweet. Thank you Pastor 00:00:48.250 --> 00:00:51.210 Ryan so much for this opportunity and thank you 00:00:51.210 --> 00:00:55.409 Mamrie Baptist Church for welcoming us so warmly 00:00:55.409 --> 00:00:59.649 today. As Pastor Ryan said, my name is Chris 00:00:59.649 --> 00:01:03.130 and we are delighted to be with you here today. 00:01:03.250 --> 00:01:08.120 We will be looking together at Acts 16. But before 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:11.359 we dive into the scripture, Pastor Ryan has given 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:14.099 us the opportunity to share a bit with you about 00:01:14.099 --> 00:01:19.819 our ministry in Lima, Peru. I believe that we 00:01:19.819 --> 00:01:24.379 have a video that explains a bit about what we 00:01:24.379 --> 00:01:27.359 do. So I'll let Jared take it from here. Hi, 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:31.540 I'm Chris Fry. And I'm Paula. Paula and I both 00:01:31.540 --> 00:01:34.760 grew up in Lima, Peru. I was a missionary kid 00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:37.829 and Paula was a pastor's kid. We got married 00:01:37.829 --> 00:01:42.549 in 2018, and on the day of 2022, God blessed 00:01:42.549 --> 00:01:47.750 us with our son, Liam. Hi, I'm Liam. As a family, 00:01:47.969 --> 00:01:51.469 we've loved serving God together in Lima since 00:01:51.469 --> 00:01:56.590 2016. Lima is the capital city of Peru with a 00:01:56.590 --> 00:02:00.170 population of over 11 million people. While we 00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:03.870 both previously served Christ in school settings, 00:02:04.150 --> 00:02:07.609 God has... open the door for a new type of ministry 00:02:07.609 --> 00:02:12.270 we can now see how it has been preparing us for 00:02:12.270 --> 00:02:15.810 this new ministry we are returning to career 00:02:15.810 --> 00:02:20.330 as field mobilizers with via for via nations 00:02:20.330 --> 00:02:24.169 our desire is to develop and deploy the next 00:02:24.169 --> 00:02:27.150 generation of caribbean missionaries to reach 00:02:27.150 --> 00:02:31.129 the nations did you know that today there are 00:02:31.129 --> 00:02:49.240 three billion people that know Also, while in 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:53.360 Lima, we serve at Iglesia Navidad Lima New Life 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:56.860 Community Church. We serve on the leadership 00:02:56.860 --> 00:03:01.829 team helping lead in discipleship. ministry, 00:03:01.829 --> 00:03:04.530 children's church, and preaching and teaching 00:03:04.530 --> 00:03:07.330 the world. Before he ascended, Christ told his 00:03:07.330 --> 00:03:11.729 followers in Mark 16, 15 to go into all the world 00:03:11.729 --> 00:03:16.210 and preach the gospel to all creation. This command 00:03:16.210 --> 00:03:19.810 still stands for every believer today, but for 00:03:19.810 --> 00:03:23.030 us specifically, we feel called to do that in 00:03:23.030 --> 00:03:27.590 Peru. We're eager to return to Peru, but we can't 00:03:27.590 --> 00:03:31.289 do it. without the help of churches and families 00:03:31.289 --> 00:03:35.530 like you. Right now, we are building the spiritual 00:03:35.530 --> 00:03:39.569 and financial support team we need in order to 00:03:39.569 --> 00:03:42.870 do this ministry well. Your partnership helps 00:03:42.870 --> 00:03:47.449 us continue to equip and deploy the next generation 00:03:47.449 --> 00:03:52.189 of Peruvian cross -cultural missionaries to bring 00:03:52.189 --> 00:03:55.590 the gospel to places that have not heard of Jesus 00:03:55.590 --> 00:04:01.150 yet. To learn more or to give, please visit prizecrew 00:04:01.150 --> 00:04:08.289 .com. God bless and thank you for your time. 00:04:12.069 --> 00:04:17.449 So at Via or Via Nations, as missionaries, we 00:04:17.449 --> 00:04:21.529 want to help every Christian thrive in his or 00:04:21.529 --> 00:04:25.269 her unique role. in the Great Commission. And 00:04:25.269 --> 00:04:27.790 so part of how we are doing that is with three 00:04:27.790 --> 00:04:31.670 different areas in Peru. One will be leadership 00:04:31.670 --> 00:04:36.069 and discipleship with our church, Iglesia Nueva 00:04:36.069 --> 00:04:40.490 Vida, or New Life Church there in Lima. We will 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:45.790 also be supporting with administration work with 00:04:45.790 --> 00:04:50.230 Via Nations. Probably a lot of that for me will 00:04:50.230 --> 00:04:53.110 be translating things back and forth between 00:04:53.110 --> 00:04:56.410 the headquarters in Arkansas and the team in 00:04:56.410 --> 00:05:00.470 Peru, as well as being part of the field mobilization 00:05:00.470 --> 00:05:08.509 and discipleship towards missions in Peru. As 00:05:08.509 --> 00:05:10.889 mentioned in the video, we are looking for churches 00:05:10.889 --> 00:05:14.509 and individuals who feel called to partner with 00:05:14.509 --> 00:05:18.910 us in perhaps three specific ways. One, and by 00:05:18.910 --> 00:05:22.670 far the most important and powerful, would be 00:05:22.670 --> 00:05:28.769 dedicated prayer. Also, we live in a real world, 00:05:28.810 --> 00:05:33.149 and that world operates on finances. And we are 00:05:33.149 --> 00:05:37.620 also looking for the financial or annual... support. 00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:43.759 And then also one -time gifts towards our launching 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:46.620 fund that the mission agency is asking us to 00:05:46.620 --> 00:05:50.480 raise as well. So please keep that in your prayers. 00:05:50.660 --> 00:05:53.879 Our goal would be to be back in Peru by October 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:59.199 or at the very least by the end of the fall. 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:06.220 Now, please turn with me to Acts I've titled 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:10.339 this message, A Church for All Nations. As we 00:06:10.339 --> 00:06:13.699 see throughout the book of Acts, the Lord moving 00:06:13.699 --> 00:06:18.720 and working in different ways to expand this 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:22.959 small little segment of Judaism, which in and 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:26.019 of itself was a relatively small religion in 00:06:26.019 --> 00:06:29.459 the ancient world, to be the predominant religion 00:06:29.459 --> 00:06:34.860 throughout the world. A religion that has founded 00:06:34.860 --> 00:06:39.720 orphanages and hospitals throughout its centuries. 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:43.720 The religion that essentially developed what 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:47.500 we call today adoption, as we know it today. 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:52.540 The only religion that has the truth of how to 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:58.819 get a soul right with God. Now, as we're jumping 00:06:58.819 --> 00:07:03.980 into Acts 16, skipping over 15 chapters. So I 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:06.300 would like to do a quick little previously on 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:08.839 to kind of get us all caught up to speed. So 00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:12.379 before Netflix, before Hulu, you know, I remember 00:07:12.379 --> 00:07:15.060 all the cartoons, you know, the Spider -Man cartoon 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:17.259 from the early 90s. It would always have this 00:07:17.259 --> 00:07:19.480 like previously on Spider -Man, the animated 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:22.420 series. So I have a little one like that for 00:07:22.420 --> 00:07:26.329 us today. Previously in the Book of Acts. After 00:07:26.329 --> 00:07:29.470 splitting with his longtime co -worker Barnabas 00:07:29.470 --> 00:07:33.850 in chapter 15, Paul rallies a new missions team 00:07:33.850 --> 00:07:38.449 made up of himself, Silas, Timothy, and Luke. 00:07:38.709 --> 00:07:41.509 They're excited to start. They're all packed 00:07:41.509 --> 00:07:45.129 up. They have the cities circled on their maps. 00:07:46.670 --> 00:07:51.189 However, the Holy Spirit throws those plans into 00:07:51.189 --> 00:07:55.600 the bin and tells them to wait. And this is where 00:07:55.600 --> 00:08:01.279 we pick up in Acts 16, verse 9. Paul and his 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:04.279 team, they're young, they're restless, they're 00:08:04.279 --> 00:08:07.819 excited to go. The only problem is, God has told 00:08:07.819 --> 00:08:12.120 them to hold the horses, to wait. And that they're 00:08:12.120 --> 00:08:18.519 not going to Asia Minor like they thought. Finally, 00:08:18.540 --> 00:08:23.879 late one night, we read that Paul has a dream. 00:08:24.990 --> 00:08:28.629 A vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man 00:08:28.629 --> 00:08:31.670 of Macedonia was standing there, urging him saying, 00:08:31.910 --> 00:08:36.309 come over to Macedonia and help us. And when 00:08:36.309 --> 00:08:39.950 Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought 00:08:39.950 --> 00:08:43.710 to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had 00:08:43.710 --> 00:08:49.230 called us to preach the gospel to them. Now, 00:08:49.250 --> 00:08:52.580 this raises the question, Where's Macedonia? 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:55.740 I don't remember Macedonia from 10th grade geography. 00:08:56.059 --> 00:08:58.240 Let's be honest, probably most of us, except 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.759 for the 10th graders here, don't really remember 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:05.360 our geography anyways. So Macedonia is what we 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:09.340 would consider modern day Greece. And we have 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:13.419 the ruins of Philippi. And they are circled. 00:09:13.610 --> 00:09:16.070 there on the map. And we can see the architectural 00:09:16.070 --> 00:09:20.629 ruins of the city Philippi. It was a Roman colony 00:09:20.629 --> 00:09:27.210 of its time. And this is perhaps the first purposeful 00:09:27.210 --> 00:09:31.370 attempt to bring the gospel to a new continent. 00:09:32.289 --> 00:09:38.110 That continent being Europe. It's estimated that 00:09:38.110 --> 00:09:43.360 this trip happened in 49 AD. So just under 50 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:47.120 years from everything that we read in the Gospels. 00:09:47.259 --> 00:09:51.700 And this is probably Paul's first time on the 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:56.299 continent Europe. He's known about Macedonia. 00:09:56.379 --> 00:09:59.279 He knows about Philippi. It was a relatively 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:02.539 well -known city. It was important for all sorts 00:10:02.539 --> 00:10:06.139 of trades and other things like that. And so 00:10:06.139 --> 00:10:09.639 Paul hears this call. essentially in the exact 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:12.879 opposite direction from where they were planning 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:18.960 to go. And if we jump down to verse 14, we meet 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:25.500 Paul's first convert in Philippi. One who heard 00:10:25.500 --> 00:10:29.500 us was a woman named Lydia from the city Thyatira, 00:10:29.659 --> 00:10:33.200 a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:37.700 of God. The Lord opened her heart. To pay attention 00:10:37.700 --> 00:10:40.860 to what was being said by Paul. And after she 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:44.860 was baptized. And her household as well. She 00:10:44.860 --> 00:10:49.259 urged us saying. If you have judged me to be 00:10:49.259 --> 00:10:53.559 faithful in the Lord. Come to my house and stay. 00:10:54.039 --> 00:10:57.740 And I believe that the Holy Spirit and Paul. 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:02.620 Or rather the author of Acts was Luke. So the 00:11:02.620 --> 00:11:05.240 Holy Spirit and Luke. Have given us so much. 00:11:05.549 --> 00:11:10.629 insight into how to live a life that believes 00:11:10.629 --> 00:11:14.350 that the church is truly for all nations in just 00:11:14.350 --> 00:11:19.710 these four verses. Paul's first European convert, 00:11:19.830 --> 00:11:23.629 her name was Lydia. She's originally from a different 00:11:23.629 --> 00:11:26.669 city called Thyatira, but for whatever reason, 00:11:26.809 --> 00:11:30.789 perhaps work, perhaps marriage, she finds herself 00:11:30.789 --> 00:11:35.669 in a new city there in Philippi. And because 00:11:35.669 --> 00:11:40.610 of how it is worded, we're pretty confident in 00:11:40.610 --> 00:11:44.370 assuming that she herself is not a Jewish lady. 00:11:44.970 --> 00:11:47.950 Rather, at some point in her life, she had heard 00:11:47.950 --> 00:11:50.269 of the God of what we would call the Old Testament. 00:11:50.570 --> 00:11:54.669 She had heard of the God of the Hebrew Scriptures. 00:11:56.029 --> 00:12:00.769 And she wanted to worship the one true God and 00:12:00.769 --> 00:12:03.850 the small... Jewish community found there in 00:12:03.850 --> 00:12:07.929 Philippi. However, at this point in Philippi, 00:12:07.929 --> 00:12:10.830 there was not a large Jewish community. There 00:12:10.830 --> 00:12:13.750 wasn't enough people there to have a full on 00:12:13.750 --> 00:12:19.269 synagogue like you would see in Israel. So instead, 00:12:19.549 --> 00:12:22.769 they met, in the previous verse, tells us that 00:12:22.769 --> 00:12:26.330 they met down by the river for a time of worship 00:12:26.330 --> 00:12:30.789 and mutual meditation and prayer on the goodness 00:12:30.789 --> 00:12:37.289 of Yahweh. So while she was not Jewish herself, 00:12:37.570 --> 00:12:41.710 she already had previous knowledge of the God 00:12:41.710 --> 00:12:48.470 of Israel. However, at this point, she still 00:12:48.470 --> 00:12:52.480 hadn't heard of Christ. And maybe that is like 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:55.399 a lot of us here today or we have friends and 00:12:55.399 --> 00:12:58.279 family that are like this as well. They know 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:01.460 of God. They're able to answer some Bible school 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:04.759 questions, right? They might confuse who parted 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:07.340 the Red Sea with Noah or Moses. They got a 50 00:13:07.340 --> 00:13:11.320 -50 % chance on that one, right? They know that 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:14.360 Jesus died on the cross and they call themselves 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:18.399 Christian because, well, they're not atheist 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:22.960 or Buddhist or Muslim. but they really haven't 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:28.399 encountered Christ in a real way. While it's 00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:31.720 not a one -for -one for the same scenario that 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:34.679 we see with Lydia here, it is very similar. It 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:37.980 is very applicable to what I think a lot of us 00:13:37.980 --> 00:13:41.659 have seen in our friends, family, co -workers. 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:45.639 Or perhaps hearing this said today, you realized, 00:13:45.799 --> 00:13:50.730 I might fall into this camp too. And so what 00:13:50.730 --> 00:13:55.269 happens? The Lord opened her ears to hear what 00:13:55.269 --> 00:14:01.509 Paul said about Jesus. And she accepts Christ 00:14:01.509 --> 00:14:07.370 as Lord and Savior. And this is, again, Paul's 00:14:07.370 --> 00:14:15.929 first recorded European convert. Now, Christianity 00:14:15.929 --> 00:14:21.580 has gone global. three different continents. 00:14:23.539 --> 00:14:29.500 Africa, Asia, and Europe. And the rest of the 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:32.440 2 ,000 years catching us all the way up to Ironton, 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:41.419 Ohio, is all about it getting even further and 00:14:41.419 --> 00:14:44.299 more global. But right here, within 50 years, 00:14:44.519 --> 00:14:47.600 we see this small little segment that was essentially 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:52.580 12 young men and a handful of ladies go into 00:14:52.580 --> 00:14:55.980 three different continents. It's exploding like 00:14:55.980 --> 00:14:59.179 nothing else we have ever seen in history. Anyways, 00:14:59.259 --> 00:15:02.240 as a missionary, that really gets me excited. 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:06.080 But let's talk about Lydia some more. Because 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:08.480 I believe there are three specific things that 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:12.480 we see happen in Lydia's life upon her salvation. 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:16.519 And I believe that it is the expectation of... 00:15:16.649 --> 00:15:20.210 this to happen in every Christian. What did Lydia's 00:15:20.210 --> 00:15:24.409 salvation lead to? Well, the first thing we see 00:15:24.409 --> 00:15:31.590 is Lydia's salvation led to multiplication. Lydia's 00:15:31.590 --> 00:15:35.250 salvation led to multiplication. She did not 00:15:35.250 --> 00:15:37.610 keep this new knowledge about the beauty of Jesus 00:15:37.610 --> 00:15:41.909 Christ hidden under a bushel. No. She told her 00:15:41.909 --> 00:15:47.480 family and her family got baptized. She went 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:50.659 out and she shared the word first with those 00:15:50.659 --> 00:15:55.139 closest to her. To confess to you guys, sometimes 00:15:55.139 --> 00:15:58.299 as a missionary, it is a lot easier to tell the 00:15:58.299 --> 00:16:01.480 random people the Lord brings in the park or 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:06.620 at the coffee shop than my actual family. But 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:08.960 what do we see here? First, I believe the big 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:11.779 principle is salvation should lead to multiplication. 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:19.200 Secondly, Family. We need to be bold and courageous 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:23.240 in helping our family truly understand the beauty 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:29.700 that is solely found in King Jesus. There are 00:16:29.700 --> 00:16:32.460 two other things that we see. Not only did her 00:16:32.460 --> 00:16:36.940 salvation basically immediately lead to her multiplication, 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:44.620 it also led to generosity and hospitality. We 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:46.600 read one of the very few things that we know 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:49.659 about Lydia is that she is a seller of purple. 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:54.659 We mean purple dye. And at the time, and really 00:16:54.659 --> 00:16:57.879 throughout most of human history, the color purple 00:16:57.879 --> 00:17:01.799 was one of the hardest colors to make. It came 00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:05.839 from exclusive product, and it was a very hard 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:09.279 product to deal with. And so basic economics, 00:17:09.660 --> 00:17:12.660 principle of supply and demand, meant that purple... 00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:18.380 fabric, purple clothes, purple blankets was incredibly 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:24.259 costly. So this probably means that she is economically 00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:28.819 well off. She's economically comfortable. And 00:17:28.819 --> 00:17:32.039 what does she do with that money? Well, she immediately 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:35.759 begins to invest it back into the mission. We 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:39.839 see that because she says, if you believe me 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:45.190 to be faithful, Let me help you. And so she helps 00:17:45.190 --> 00:17:48.089 these four men that she really doesn't know. 00:17:48.289 --> 00:17:53.849 She buys them food, water, shelter. Not only 00:17:53.849 --> 00:17:56.390 that, but if you look at the table of contents 00:17:56.390 --> 00:17:59.869 in your Bible, you will see that there's a book 00:17:59.869 --> 00:18:03.930 called Philippians. Spoiler alert, this is that 00:18:03.930 --> 00:18:06.950 book, right? This is the church of Philippi that 00:18:06.950 --> 00:18:10.950 Philippians was written to. Jumping forward in 00:18:10.950 --> 00:18:14.849 the table of contents, in Philippians 4, 15 through 00:18:14.849 --> 00:18:19.529 17, we can read Paul writing a letter back to 00:18:19.529 --> 00:18:21.690 this church that we're seeing started here in 00:18:21.690 --> 00:18:25.750 chapter 16 of Acts, saying, thank you for your 00:18:25.750 --> 00:18:29.470 support, your financial and prayer support of 00:18:29.470 --> 00:18:33.470 my ministry. And if you look at Philippians 4, 00:18:33.549 --> 00:18:36.450 15 through 17, there's something very interesting 00:18:36.450 --> 00:18:43.900 that Paul says. He essentially says, I'm so glad 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:48.579 that you guys jumped on board in the way that 00:18:48.579 --> 00:18:53.319 you did by helping with a very physical and practical 00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:59.880 means because the work that I am now doing, that 00:18:59.880 --> 00:19:05.519 credit, God will now credit to you. Paul knew 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:09.440 that God would provide. what he needed one way 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:12.380 or the other. He had experienced miracle after 00:19:12.380 --> 00:19:15.299 miracle. His faith in God by the time he writes 00:19:15.299 --> 00:19:19.079 Philippians is pretty rooted and sure. But he 00:19:19.079 --> 00:19:21.579 is excited for the Philippian church that they 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:26.819 get to participate in what he is doing as a missionary 00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:31.960 in a very real, tangible way. The Philippian 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:36.740 church reminds me of what the famous missionary, 00:19:38.209 --> 00:19:41.950 William Carey once said, William Carey, famous 00:19:41.950 --> 00:19:44.849 missionary to India, one of the first modern 00:19:44.849 --> 00:19:49.990 missionaries to India. His friend was a pastor, 00:19:50.069 --> 00:19:52.190 and right before he was shipped off to India, 00:19:52.369 --> 00:19:55.690 his pastor friend invited him to speak. And he 00:19:55.690 --> 00:20:00.470 said, I will go down into the pit if you will 00:20:00.470 --> 00:20:06.369 hold the rope. And we see Paul. Saying something 00:20:06.369 --> 00:20:09.990 like that 2 ,000 years ago. The Philippian church 00:20:09.990 --> 00:20:14.509 was holding the rope for Paul to go further in 00:20:14.509 --> 00:20:18.950 and further out. Paul had two big things on his 00:20:18.950 --> 00:20:23.589 bucket list. Preach in Rome, get to modern day 00:20:23.589 --> 00:20:28.390 Spain. And the way that the Lord helped move 00:20:28.390 --> 00:20:32.569 those things was through people like Lydia at 00:20:32.569 --> 00:20:36.950 the church of Philippi. which again we see being 00:20:36.950 --> 00:20:43.450 birthed right here in Acts 16. Notice how it 00:20:43.450 --> 00:20:46.990 wasn't just generosity, it was also hospitality. 00:20:47.630 --> 00:20:51.910 She invited Paul and his mission team to stay 00:20:51.910 --> 00:20:57.470 with her. Which, can I just brag on your pastor 00:20:57.470 --> 00:21:01.630 for a moment? As he has been a modern day Lydia 00:21:01.630 --> 00:21:05.069 to us. this weekend, inviting us over to his 00:21:05.069 --> 00:21:08.109 house, setting up a room for us to crash in, 00:21:08.250 --> 00:21:11.309 making us feel warmed and welcomed and comfortable, 00:21:11.630 --> 00:21:14.410 taking us out to some amazing tacos last night. 00:21:15.569 --> 00:21:22.289 That is very Lydian, if you will. And you guys, 00:21:22.369 --> 00:21:24.990 as a church, this has been one of the friendliest, 00:21:24.990 --> 00:21:28.630 most... warming, welcoming churches that we have 00:21:28.630 --> 00:21:31.509 been to. And thank you for your hospitality. 00:21:31.789 --> 00:21:35.910 Thank you for your warmth. And I believe that 00:21:35.910 --> 00:21:38.529 we see in Lydia, and I have experienced from 00:21:38.529 --> 00:21:41.970 y 'all today, that when we are hospitable to 00:21:41.970 --> 00:21:44.869 those serving God, we are serving Jesus through 00:21:44.869 --> 00:21:49.640 our hospitality. Today we are focusing on how 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:51.960 we can do that for those who are spreading the 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:54.400 gospel. But let me just put a quick little thing 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:58.779 in here. This is a great, great evangelistic 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:03.019 tool. I would argue if you are trying to reach 00:22:03.019 --> 00:22:05.880 an unsaved neighbor or friend or someone who 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:09.119 is backslidden, invite them over to dinner before 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:14.079 you invite them to church. Hospitality. When 00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:17.990 we are hospitable for... We are serving Jesus 00:22:17.990 --> 00:22:25.670 through our hospitality. So we see that the church 00:22:25.670 --> 00:22:28.529 is now on three continents. And if we jump to 00:22:28.529 --> 00:22:32.569 2 ,000 years to present time, the church is on 00:22:32.569 --> 00:22:37.369 all, well, six continents, right? Maybe there's 00:22:37.369 --> 00:22:40.450 a Christian scientist in Antarctica right now. 00:22:40.529 --> 00:22:42.690 I don't know. I should have checked that. Probably 00:22:42.690 --> 00:22:45.650 would have been an easy Google search. Anyways. 00:22:46.349 --> 00:22:49.390 We see that the church is in Asia, Africa, and 00:22:49.390 --> 00:22:53.569 Europe. However, even though it is on all six 00:22:53.569 --> 00:22:56.029 inhabitable continents, our work is not done. 00:22:56.549 --> 00:22:59.930 Go back to the words of Jesus in Matthew 28, 00:23:00.069 --> 00:23:03.609 19, where he gives the final marching orders 00:23:03.609 --> 00:23:08.579 to his squad of 12 young men. What did he say? 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:12.359 Go therefore and make disciples to all nations. 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:15.740 When Jesus uses that word nations, he doesn't 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:20.339 mean the 190 sovereign states that we think of 00:23:20.339 --> 00:23:23.519 as nations like the United States, Canada, Peru, 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:28.900 Mexico, Iraq. You get it, right? He doesn't mean 00:23:28.900 --> 00:23:33.460 the UN recognized nations. He means ethno -cultural 00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:40.420 types. Different ethnic groups all around the 00:23:40.420 --> 00:23:44.940 world with languages and dialects that separate 00:23:44.940 --> 00:23:48.500 them from other communities who might be living 00:23:48.500 --> 00:23:53.480 in close geography to them. It is estimated that 00:23:53.480 --> 00:24:02.099 we still have 7 ,400 nations to reach with the 00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:08.380 good news of Jesus. The job that Christ gave 00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:14.380 us is still far from being completed. And it 00:24:14.380 --> 00:24:16.980 has been going on for 2 ,000 years, and we don't 00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:22.299 know how much more time we have. 7 ,400 different 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:28.680 people groups are considered unreached. To put 00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:31.339 that in a different way, there are 3 billion 00:24:31.339 --> 00:24:35.839 people who have no access to the gospel. Now 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:38.140 please listen, my dear brothers and sisters, 00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:40.279 to what I just said. I didn't say that there 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:44.619 are 3 billion unsaved people. That number is 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:48.579 sadly much bigger. There are 3 billion people 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:51.680 who have no access to the gospel. That because 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:55.000 of their governments, their internet is blocked, 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:58.900 their libraries have banned Christian books, 00:24:59.099 --> 00:25:02.099 the Bible is considered outlawed in the very 00:25:02.099 --> 00:25:05.589 few editions that are in. are cut through like 00:25:05.589 --> 00:25:12.490 Swiss cheese. That a country like Japan, who 00:25:12.490 --> 00:25:15.690 has resisted the gospel for nearly 2 ,000 years, 00:25:15.849 --> 00:25:18.809 modern day Japan, you can go and start a church 00:25:18.809 --> 00:25:22.130 tomorrow. The paperwork is as annoying, but not 00:25:22.130 --> 00:25:24.210 more annoying than any other kind of paperwork. 00:25:24.690 --> 00:25:29.430 However, it's the cultural weight of leaving 00:25:29.430 --> 00:25:36.079 a mentality of atheism. but also denying and 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:39.039 bringing the shame of leaving the Shinto and 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:42.339 Buddhist practices that your family has done 00:25:42.339 --> 00:25:48.640 for eons. It means that Japan is one of the hardest 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:55.059 nations to reach. China. Christianity is still 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:59.210 essentially outlawed. Again, you're allowed one 00:25:59.210 --> 00:26:01.910 version of the Bible, and it's basically a Swiss 00:26:01.910 --> 00:26:05.269 cheese version. All the political things against 00:26:05.269 --> 00:26:08.150 the Communist Party have been cut out, leaving 00:26:08.150 --> 00:26:12.589 major, major holes. However, how good is our 00:26:12.589 --> 00:26:15.970 God? Because it's estimated that because of the 00:26:15.970 --> 00:26:20.819 sheer size of China, there are more... Chinese 00:26:20.819 --> 00:26:25.019 believers number -wise in China than in most 00:26:25.019 --> 00:26:27.640 other countries, if not all other countries. 00:26:27.799 --> 00:26:32.119 But it's all through a secret home group church. 00:26:35.420 --> 00:26:38.980 Three billion people do not have access to the 00:26:38.980 --> 00:26:47.359 gospel. Perhaps the two major countries doing 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:49.960 the most missions work today. are the United 00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:56.900 States and South Korea. Our Christian populations 00:26:56.900 --> 00:27:00.380 in those two countries and the countries across 00:27:00.380 --> 00:27:03.759 Europe that do it are not enough to tackle this 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:11.200 three billion size issue. We, my wife and I, 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:14.779 what we are going back to do in Peru is to be 00:27:14.779 --> 00:27:18.259 a bit more strategic perhaps. In this new stage 00:27:18.259 --> 00:27:21.460 that Peru has found itself in. And yes, we are 00:27:21.460 --> 00:27:24.240 going to go to make more disciples. To make new 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:27.480 disciples. But we want to go specifically to 00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:32.859 help train disciples. Train Jesus followers to 00:27:32.859 --> 00:27:36.720 be mission minded and missionaries themselves. 00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:42.759 I was just talking to a man who was a missionary 00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:47.099 in Bosnia for about 17 years until Bosnia kicked 00:27:47.099 --> 00:27:49.720 him and his wife out. And he said some of the 00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:54.339 best missionaries to Bosnia were the few Peruvian 00:27:54.339 --> 00:27:58.190 missionaries that he met. Just the cultural similarities, 00:27:58.609 --> 00:28:03.250 the plates, the food, even like the grammar structure 00:28:03.250 --> 00:28:07.809 of the two very different languages was so similar. 00:28:08.109 --> 00:28:13.549 A lot of, in the late 2000s, In the late 2010, 00:28:13.789 --> 00:28:18.309 so 2018, 2019, 2020, the Venezuelan socialist 00:28:18.309 --> 00:28:22.250 system began to collapse. And so a lot of Venezuelans 00:28:22.250 --> 00:28:26.089 migrated to Peru, Ecuador, all across South America, 00:28:26.210 --> 00:28:29.809 and even up to North America. What we found out 00:28:29.809 --> 00:28:35.250 is that Venezuela has great relationships with 00:28:35.250 --> 00:28:39.930 Iran. And so we can go back to Peru and we can 00:28:39.930 --> 00:28:44.190 train Venezuelans living in Peru to be missionaries 00:28:44.190 --> 00:28:46.930 to Iran because they essentially have very little 00:28:46.930 --> 00:28:51.509 visa paperwork to do. And so that is what we 00:28:51.509 --> 00:28:55.910 want to do. We want to help mobilize the Christian 00:28:55.910 --> 00:29:01.130 church wherever it is to reach the unreached. 00:29:03.630 --> 00:29:06.829 And so how will the lost be reached? Whether 00:29:06.829 --> 00:29:10.069 that is the three billion people across Asia 00:29:10.069 --> 00:29:13.309 and the Middle East, or that one co -worker at 00:29:13.309 --> 00:29:16.309 home, sorry, or that one co -worker at your work, 00:29:16.410 --> 00:29:19.730 or that one family member, maybe teenage college 00:29:19.730 --> 00:29:26.289 -age son or daughter at home. The lost will be 00:29:26.289 --> 00:29:30.150 reached by, I believe, three basic principles 00:29:30.150 --> 00:29:34.069 that we see. In this passage today. Now granted 00:29:34.069 --> 00:29:36.410 throughout the entire book of Acts. And the New 00:29:36.410 --> 00:29:38.049 Testament. There are a lot of other principles. 00:29:38.289 --> 00:29:41.910 But in this passage from today. By modern day 00:29:41.910 --> 00:29:45.390 Lydia's. Who draw their households to Christ. 00:29:46.009 --> 00:29:50.109 And men. We are called in this sense. To be a 00:29:50.109 --> 00:29:53.470 modern day Lydia as well. The statistic that 00:29:53.470 --> 00:29:56.789 I recently read. When something like. If the 00:29:56.789 --> 00:30:00.769 husband or the father. starts being apathetic 00:30:00.769 --> 00:30:04.410 or leaves his religion, there's about a 30 % 00:30:04.410 --> 00:30:08.450 chance that the children will continue with their 00:30:08.450 --> 00:30:13.150 mother. However, if it's switched, if the mother 00:30:13.150 --> 00:30:18.890 stops going to church, being a practicing Christian, 00:30:19.029 --> 00:30:24.269 but the father continues, it jumps from 30 % 00:30:24.269 --> 00:30:30.799 to 80%. Isn't that interesting? The important 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:35.319 role that both parents have in the spiritual 00:30:35.319 --> 00:30:40.880 growth of the children. By modern day Lydia's 00:30:40.880 --> 00:30:43.519 who give of their time, talent, and treasure 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:47.720 to the expansion of the church. Time. It takes 00:30:47.720 --> 00:30:52.980 time to devote time in prayer. To pray well for 00:30:52.980 --> 00:30:56.160 the large board of missionaries that we have 00:30:56.160 --> 00:30:59.789 right around this corner. It takes time out of 00:30:59.789 --> 00:31:03.609 your day to listen to a one -minute podcast to 00:31:03.609 --> 00:31:09.150 learn about a new tribal group in Thailand. And 00:31:09.150 --> 00:31:14.769 talent. It takes talent. It takes what you alone 00:31:14.769 --> 00:31:17.710 are capable of doing and the unique way that 00:31:17.710 --> 00:31:20.170 you are able to do that. Whether that is because 00:31:20.170 --> 00:31:23.349 of your charming personality or the unique skill 00:31:23.349 --> 00:31:26.009 set that you can bring on a one -week missions 00:31:26.009 --> 00:31:32.779 trip. By modern day Lydia's and modern day churches 00:31:32.779 --> 00:31:37.339 of Philippi. Who partner with and send out missionaries. 00:31:37.339 --> 00:31:41.700 Who are called to reach and mobilize across geographic 00:31:41.700 --> 00:31:47.759 and cultural borders. And by looking at that 00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:49.839 large map that you guys have around the corner. 00:31:50.099 --> 00:31:52.940 I would say Mapri Baptist Church. You are in 00:31:52.940 --> 00:31:56.759 many ways a modern day Philippi. Doing your part. 00:31:59.720 --> 00:32:04.299 But how is God calling you to be a Lydia today? 00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:13.799 Do you feel a pull to double down in one of these 00:32:13.799 --> 00:32:20.079 areas? To draw in your household as the Holy 00:32:20.079 --> 00:32:24.180 Spirit allows. To maybe step it up with how you 00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:28.380 can reach the nations using your unique time. 00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:32.779 talent, and treasure? Or maybe as a church, thinking 00:32:32.779 --> 00:32:37.839 about this, can we do even more? Or can we start 00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:44.019 planning to do more in the next few years? Thank 00:32:44.019 --> 00:32:47.559 you guys so much. We love being here. We love 00:32:47.559 --> 00:32:50.000 the opportunity and the stage that we are in 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:52.559 and our missions work. We're able to visit beautiful 00:32:52.559 --> 00:32:56.559 churches filled with beautiful Christian brothers 00:32:56.559 --> 00:32:59.960 and sisters like you. And we greatly appreciate 00:32:59.960 --> 00:33:09.700 it. Thank you. Thank you, Chris. You know, one 00:33:09.700 --> 00:33:11.660 of the things that was so interesting to me is 00:33:11.660 --> 00:33:17.099 when I get calls from missionaries, I usually 00:33:17.099 --> 00:33:19.799 like to know where they're from. So when we bring 00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:22.380 someone in, it's usually not a cold call. I don't 00:33:22.380 --> 00:33:24.640 say it happens occasionally, but not always. 00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:27.619 And the actual, the mutual contact we had was 00:33:27.619 --> 00:33:29.559 a man named Eric Alfre. Some of you may know 00:33:29.559 --> 00:33:31.980 Eric in here. And Eric grew up in Ironton, Ohio. 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:34.579 And he was the one that was my youth pastor when 00:33:34.579 --> 00:33:36.779 I was in seventh grade. He took an interest in 00:33:36.779 --> 00:33:39.359 me, invested his time in me. He's the first one 00:33:39.359 --> 00:33:40.859 that ever taught me to do devotions out of the 00:33:40.859 --> 00:33:43.180 Book of Proverbs as a seventh grader. He'd take 00:33:43.180 --> 00:33:46.359 me on calls to visit people. And then he ended 00:33:46.359 --> 00:33:49.680 up leaving. And then he actually was in pastoral 00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:51.519 ministry for a while. And then he went into education 00:33:51.519 --> 00:33:55.009 and he served in China. in the Network of International 00:33:55.009 --> 00:33:57.289 Christian Schools. And he was in China for about 00:33:57.289 --> 00:34:00.329 a decade, is that correct? And his daughter learned 00:34:00.329 --> 00:34:02.549 Mandarin there, and he and Martha were there. 00:34:02.990 --> 00:34:07.470 And then, as the pandemic came, Lee left China, 00:34:07.609 --> 00:34:09.710 and then, as God and his providence have him, 00:34:09.769 --> 00:34:12.289 took him to Lima, Peru, where he became the director 00:34:12.289 --> 00:34:13.869 of the Network of International Christian Schools 00:34:13.869 --> 00:34:16.110 in Lima, which is a school that I had considered 00:34:16.110 --> 00:34:19.050 working in right out of college. There was a 00:34:19.050 --> 00:34:21.699 position open for my school set. And so when 00:34:21.699 --> 00:34:23.619 Chris had called me, it was through Eric, who 00:34:23.619 --> 00:34:25.780 an Ironton guy, served in China, went to Peru. 00:34:25.880 --> 00:34:27.719 Now he's in South Carolina back in pastoral ministry. 00:34:28.340 --> 00:34:30.840 But this is the way that our God works. But this 00:34:30.840 --> 00:34:32.739 is what we want to do. I really pray that you 00:34:32.739 --> 00:34:35.099 all, my prayer this morning is that you catch 00:34:35.099 --> 00:34:37.599 a vision of what you can do. We sometimes, we 00:34:37.599 --> 00:34:39.420 might have a defeatist mindset. We're just here 00:34:39.420 --> 00:34:41.820 in Larry County, right? That's what we call it. 00:34:41.860 --> 00:34:43.719 Old Lawrence County. What are we going to do? 00:34:44.199 --> 00:34:47.119 No, we can, there's so many ways that God uses 00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:50.860 small things to accomplish great purposes. And 00:34:50.860 --> 00:34:52.719 this is what I want you to see. I love what they're 00:34:52.719 --> 00:34:54.599 getting ready to do, and I hope you understood 00:34:54.599 --> 00:34:56.780 that. It's not just to go back and reach Peruvians, 00:34:56.780 --> 00:34:59.300 yes, but Peru's about 10 % evangelical Christianity 00:34:59.300 --> 00:35:02.500 right now. That's growing. That's really encouraging 00:35:02.500 --> 00:35:04.679 for South America. But it's not just to reach 00:35:04.679 --> 00:35:06.460 Peruvians, but because Peruvians lack culture, 00:35:06.739 --> 00:35:08.980 they want to mobilize them to go reach some Middle 00:35:08.980 --> 00:35:10.840 Eastern countries that share a very same culture. 00:35:11.420 --> 00:35:13.380 That a lot of times you can't get in as an American 00:35:13.380 --> 00:35:15.739 because of diplomatic ties. They're disbarred. 00:35:15.960 --> 00:35:18.139 But Peru doesn't have those same diplomatic barriers. 00:35:19.259 --> 00:35:22.000 That's fantastic. And you and I get to be part 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:25.320 of that, taking Jesus to the nations. Some of 00:35:25.320 --> 00:35:28.500 us can go. Some of us can. We can all pray and 00:35:28.500 --> 00:35:30.599 give. And I don't want to just keep preaching. 00:35:30.699 --> 00:35:34.780 I'm tempted to, but I'm not. Open up your house 00:35:34.780 --> 00:35:37.460 and dads, reach your homes. My goodness, you 00:35:37.460 --> 00:35:38.900 know why Christianity is failing in the West? 00:35:40.219 --> 00:35:43.119 We're not doing our job. We have to disciple 00:35:43.119 --> 00:35:46.679 our children. It's a must. You will stand before 00:35:46.679 --> 00:35:50.320 God. Dads, you are responsible. Lead your family. 00:35:51.300 --> 00:35:52.639 That's the way you're going to grow the kingdom 00:35:52.639 --> 00:35:54.559 of God. I've told you this before, and I say 00:35:54.559 --> 00:35:56.820 it again. My prayer is that my greatest contribution 00:35:56.820 --> 00:35:59.139 to the kingdom of God will not be through a pulpit, 00:35:59.139 --> 00:36:00.920 but will be through the four children that Sandy 00:36:00.920 --> 00:36:03.260 and I raised together that will go out and serve 00:36:03.260 --> 00:36:06.280 Christ. That's my greatest desire, and I pray 00:36:06.280 --> 00:36:08.980 that's your greatest desire as well. As we're 00:36:08.980 --> 00:36:10.400 going to prepare for the table, I want to think 00:36:10.400 --> 00:36:13.289 about this for just a moment. You know, we look 00:36:13.289 --> 00:36:14.750 at these different nations, different language 00:36:14.750 --> 00:36:16.429 groups, you know, different cultures, and we 00:36:16.429 --> 00:36:18.710 think they're so foreign, right? It just seems 00:36:18.710 --> 00:36:21.510 so different from American way. But there's something 00:36:21.510 --> 00:36:24.630 that makes us all one. There's a common meal 00:36:24.630 --> 00:36:28.130 that Christians around the globe on this Lord's 00:36:28.130 --> 00:36:32.809 Day share that makes us one. The many become 00:36:32.809 --> 00:36:35.610 one. And that's at the communion table. It'll 00:36:35.610 --> 00:36:37.030 be done in a different language. It'll be done 00:36:37.030 --> 00:36:38.369 in a different culture. It'll be done in a different 00:36:38.369 --> 00:36:39.789 setting. And it's certainly a different type 00:36:39.789 --> 00:36:42.400 of building. But there'll be a meal that's shared 00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:44.940 by the people of God where we come together and 00:36:44.940 --> 00:36:47.920 we remember the access into God was through the 00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:50.900 flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ. We remember his 00:36:50.900 --> 00:36:53.780 broken body and his shed blood. And that Peruvian 00:36:53.780 --> 00:36:56.639 Christian, that's our brother. That Persian or 00:36:56.639 --> 00:36:59.260 Iranian Christian, that's our brother. That North 00:36:59.260 --> 00:37:01.159 Korean, some of these are maybe political enemies, 00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:03.519 but they're our brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:37:04.440 --> 00:37:06.820 This is what's so fantastic about the Christian 00:37:06.820 --> 00:37:10.199 faith. All around the world, God has his people 00:37:10.199 --> 00:37:13.500 that he has purchased with the blood of his son. 00:37:13.860 --> 00:37:18.000 And we remember that and we commune koinonia, 00:37:18.179 --> 00:37:19.920 participation in the body and blood of Christ, 00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:23.260 with the risen Christ this morning in the meal 00:37:23.260 --> 00:37:26.019 that he has prescribed. So let's prepare our 00:37:26.019 --> 00:37:27.800 hearts. Let's just take a moment and pray. Would 00:37:27.800 --> 00:37:29.139 you bow your heads? Let's just pray as we get 00:37:29.139 --> 00:37:30.860 ready to go to the table and ask God to prepare 00:37:30.860 --> 00:37:36.989 your heart. Father, before we ever come to the 00:37:36.989 --> 00:37:39.949 table, Lord, we want to bow and we recognize, 00:37:40.050 --> 00:37:42.949 Lord, your sovereign authority. We are here because 00:37:42.949 --> 00:37:47.269 of your grace. Lord, you sent a Jewish man into 00:37:47.269 --> 00:37:50.809 Europe, into Greece, where the gospel spread. 00:37:51.590 --> 00:37:53.349 And it continued to spread throughout Europe. 00:37:53.769 --> 00:37:58.829 And you made some unsettled pilgrims decide to 00:37:58.829 --> 00:38:01.070 leave that continent and come to North America. 00:38:01.630 --> 00:38:03.570 And, Lord, where the gospel would find a route 00:38:03.570 --> 00:38:06.820 here. And where it would spread. And you raised 00:38:06.820 --> 00:38:08.989 up believers out of this. particular country 00:38:08.989 --> 00:38:11.969 to go into other ethnic groups and preach the 00:38:11.969 --> 00:38:14.090 gospel. And the gospel continues to spread. The 00:38:14.090 --> 00:38:16.849 kingdom continues to grow. And so much so that, 00:38:16.889 --> 00:38:18.530 Lord, what started out as just a little seed 00:38:18.530 --> 00:38:21.349 is a full tree today in flourishing blossoms. 00:38:21.530 --> 00:38:23.630 And we thank you for that, Lord. And we have 00:38:23.630 --> 00:38:25.989 been brought in. Lord, we were those pagans, 00:38:25.989 --> 00:38:27.969 Lord, those Gentiles without hope and without 00:38:27.969 --> 00:38:30.909 Christ. And Lord God, you brought the gospel 00:38:30.909 --> 00:38:33.130 to us. And just as you did with Lydia, Lord, 00:38:33.170 --> 00:38:35.909 you had to open our heart. You opened our heart 00:38:35.909 --> 00:38:38.110 to believe these things. Lord, you gave us faith, 00:38:38.210 --> 00:38:40.590 and we thank you for that. Lord, we praise you 00:38:40.590 --> 00:38:42.690 for your grace. Lord God, we are a blessed people. 00:38:43.010 --> 00:38:45.750 And Lord, now as we head to the communion table, 00:38:46.030 --> 00:38:50.130 not only do we give you thanks, Father, but we 00:38:50.130 --> 00:38:54.150 remember the broken body of Christ, the shed 00:38:54.150 --> 00:38:57.909 blood of Christ that makes us one. Lord, I believe, 00:38:57.969 --> 00:39:00.030 Lord, today is a true communion. We commune with 00:39:00.030 --> 00:39:02.829 him. We spiritually... Feast upon Christ, his 00:39:02.829 --> 00:39:04.570 body and his blood, Lord, that's given to us 00:39:04.570 --> 00:39:06.670 and we're reminded of the way that we came into 00:39:06.670 --> 00:39:09.769 the fold. Lord, thank you so very much for your 00:39:09.769 --> 00:39:12.940 grace. Lord, would you help us, Lord, as Mamre 00:39:12.940 --> 00:39:15.219 Baptist Church to catch a vision of what you 00:39:15.219 --> 00:39:17.260 would have us to do, Lord. Those who are not 00:39:17.260 --> 00:39:19.400 giving or, Lord, are apathetic or perhaps aren't 00:39:19.400 --> 00:39:21.079 even thinking about ways they can use their life, 00:39:21.219 --> 00:39:23.539 Lord, would you stir in them, do a stirring by 00:39:23.539 --> 00:39:25.639 your spirit to cause them want to participate 00:39:25.639 --> 00:39:28.380 in some fashion, some form, in international 00:39:28.380 --> 00:39:30.960 missions of taking Jesus to the nations. And, 00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:33.719 Lord, we pray this in the name of the one who 00:39:33.719 --> 00:39:35.440 died and rose again. It's in the name of Jesus 00:39:35.440 --> 00:39:38.559 we pray. Amen. Moessa Deacons, if you would come. 00:39:39.909 --> 00:39:41.309 distribute the elements at this time, please.