WEBVTT 00:00:06.769 --> 00:00:09.210 As Pastor Kyle had already introduced, Brother 00:00:09.210 --> 00:00:11.310 Greg and Paige, of course they don't need any 00:00:11.310 --> 00:00:13.910 introduction to most of us here at Mamrie. As 00:00:13.910 --> 00:00:15.869 he said, this was our home church for many years. 00:00:16.629 --> 00:00:18.870 I suspect that none has done more probably to 00:00:18.870 --> 00:00:20.530 impact the missions program of our church more 00:00:20.530 --> 00:00:23.289 than Greg. Greg and Paige and their family spent 00:00:23.289 --> 00:00:26.250 20 years there in Africa. I believe the missions 00:00:26.250 --> 00:00:28.670 program was started in the 80s, and then this 00:00:28.670 --> 00:00:30.550 was the first missionary family that was sent 00:00:30.550 --> 00:00:34.149 out of Mamre to go to a foreign field, and certainly 00:00:34.149 --> 00:00:36.850 the Lord used them and blessed them. I was privileged 00:00:36.850 --> 00:00:40.009 to go there really in the last couple years of 00:00:40.009 --> 00:00:41.770 their tenure there in Africa, and what a blessing 00:00:41.770 --> 00:00:46.909 it was. We are deeply indebted to God's grace 00:00:46.909 --> 00:00:49.009 and his servants that he has used in the life 00:00:49.009 --> 00:00:51.679 of this church. I thank a Fellowship Baptist 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:53.200 this morning. He's the lead pastor. He's their 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:55.020 senior pastor. And they allowed him to graciously 00:00:55.020 --> 00:00:57.119 come here. When I was thinking about missions 00:00:57.119 --> 00:01:00.060 emphasis, I would be remiss if I did not think. 00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:02.079 I would love for Greg to come back and speak 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:04.480 to us. And I think it's the message of missions, 00:01:04.599 --> 00:01:06.780 I think. I could be wrong. I don't know exactly. 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:08.920 But this is something that's so very important 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:10.920 to the life of our church. And I don't think 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:13.299 anyone has more vested personal stake in it than 00:01:13.299 --> 00:01:15.239 Greg does. And so, brother, if you would come 00:01:15.239 --> 00:01:25.319 at this time. Well, I thought I was going to 00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:33.780 be okay until he said all that stuff. Certainly, 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:37.359 thank you, Ryan, for the invitation to return 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:50.159 to Mamre to preach. This place stirs a lot of 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:56.819 emotion for me. Precious memories and wonderful 00:01:56.819 --> 00:02:09.000 people, friends in the gospel. I should have 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:11.259 gotten more sleep last night, but I did not. 00:02:12.259 --> 00:02:23.030 I always get a bit weepy when I am tired. are 00:02:23.030 --> 00:02:26.210 newer to the church. It's a blessing to see you. 00:02:26.710 --> 00:02:42.349 And I am a really mild -mannered guy. Wow. Okay. 00:02:42.849 --> 00:02:50.129 So, wish you hadn't have done that. Picture this 00:02:50.129 --> 00:02:56.330 scene with me. You're at a family reunion and 00:02:56.330 --> 00:03:00.849 old Uncle Jim stands up. He's got a plate of 00:03:00.849 --> 00:03:06.409 potato salad and he says, Listen up. All of the 00:03:06.409 --> 00:03:10.770 people at this family reunion from my side, they're 00:03:10.770 --> 00:03:15.650 the real family. And the rest of you, you're 00:03:15.650 --> 00:03:22.139 just add -ons. Outsiders. We welcome you to the 00:03:22.139 --> 00:03:27.379 table. We don't like you that much. Now that 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:33.319 would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? But for many 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:39.020 years, many of us have absorbed an incomplete 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:47.400 idea about God's plan of salvation. All my young 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:51.949 life, Until my dear grandmother, who was a godly 00:03:51.949 --> 00:03:56.949 woman, died when I was at the age of 16. She 00:03:56.949 --> 00:04:00.509 loved the Lord, and she would always tell me, 00:04:00.770 --> 00:04:07.830 Greg, the Jews are God's chosen people. So I'm 00:04:07.830 --> 00:04:11.789 like, okay. There's a Jewish -Israeli flag up. 00:04:11.849 --> 00:04:16.709 Okay, great. And that was like it. I just knew 00:04:16.709 --> 00:04:22.470 that. It was inbred in me, integrated sternly 00:04:22.470 --> 00:04:28.350 from the early beginnings. But when we sometimes 00:04:28.350 --> 00:04:32.050 say the Jews are God's chosen people, we stop 00:04:32.050 --> 00:04:38.370 there. And something that I have come to understand 00:04:38.370 --> 00:04:43.579 more in my... personal development and growth 00:04:43.579 --> 00:04:46.100 in the Lord and study of the Word and personal 00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:51.279 experience is that it's true. Israel is God's 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:55.439 chosen people. But I think we need to add an 00:04:55.439 --> 00:04:59.420 addendum to that when we speak with something 00:04:59.420 --> 00:05:04.740 like, but they are not God's only chosen people. 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:11.899 The Bible makes it very clear. That the gospel 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:21.060 has always been global in scope and an unalterable 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:28.379 idea from God's mind. The gospel sprang from 00:05:28.379 --> 00:05:32.420 God's mind. The God who made heaven and earth 00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:42.220 is no tribal deity. He is. The God of all creation. 00:05:42.500 --> 00:05:47.220 And His plan of salvation reflects that universal 00:05:47.220 --> 00:05:52.120 scope. From the very moment sin entered the world, 00:05:52.220 --> 00:05:56.879 God already had a plan that stretched far beyond 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:04.560 any single nation or ethnic group. The global 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:08.300 message of missions is not some afterthought. 00:06:08.730 --> 00:06:13.209 or plan B that God came up with when the Jewish 00:06:13.209 --> 00:06:17.889 people didn't respond as expected. This has been 00:06:17.889 --> 00:06:22.810 His intention from the beginning. And the message 00:06:22.810 --> 00:06:27.889 of missions isn't something that we just do. 00:06:28.870 --> 00:06:32.170 It's something that flows from the very heart 00:06:32.170 --> 00:06:39.720 of God. It speaks to who He is. not concerned 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:45.000 about just one and only people group, as the 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:50.379 God of all creation, His plan of salvation reflects 00:06:50.379 --> 00:06:57.500 a universal perspective. The foundation of this 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:00.959 global gospel was laid in the very first promise 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:06.079 that God made to Abraham. In Genesis chapter 00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:09.240 12 and verse number 3, the Word of God says, 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:14.279 In you all the families of the earth shall be 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:20.579 blessed. Notice the word families. It's a Hebrew 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:25.439 word, mispachat. And it refers to all the clans 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:30.199 and family groups that make up humanity. This 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.740 wasn't a promise limited to Abraham's immediate 00:07:33.740 --> 00:07:37.660 descendants. It was a covenant that the entire 00:07:37.660 --> 00:07:41.680 world was in view. And when God called Abraham, 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:45.740 He wasn't just choosing one man. He was choosing 00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:50.120 one man through whom He would reach all men. 00:07:50.779 --> 00:07:55.199 And the Psalms echo this global vision repeatedly. 00:07:56.459 --> 00:08:01.800 Psalm 67. Verses 2 through 4, there's a prayer. 00:08:02.180 --> 00:08:06.540 That your way may be known on the earth. Your 00:08:06.540 --> 00:08:10.000 saving power among all nations. Let the peoples 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:15.120 praise you, O God. Let all the peoples praise 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:19.459 you. Let the nations be glad and sing for you. 00:08:19.769 --> 00:08:24.370 So the very way this psalm is structured shows 00:08:24.370 --> 00:08:29.449 us that God's blessing flows outward like a river 00:08:29.449 --> 00:08:38.809 from one people to all people. Isaiah gives us 00:08:38.809 --> 00:08:44.330 perhaps the clearest picture of this global mission 00:08:44.330 --> 00:08:48.629 in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 49 .6 we read, 00:08:49.289 --> 00:08:53.710 I will make you as a light for the nations, that 00:08:53.710 --> 00:08:58.870 my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. 00:08:59.250 --> 00:09:03.649 Now, Isaiah, in his writing and transcribing 00:09:03.649 --> 00:09:08.389 these words, uses an interesting word for nations. 00:09:08.730 --> 00:09:13.929 Again, it's a Hebrew word, goyim. And it refers 00:09:13.929 --> 00:09:21.669 specifically to non -Jewish people. The Gentile 00:09:21.669 --> 00:09:25.610 dogs, if you will. So God was declaring that 00:09:25.610 --> 00:09:28.450 His Messiah would not just be a light for Israel, 00:09:28.529 --> 00:09:31.490 but a light that would illuminate the darkness 00:09:31.490 --> 00:09:35.610 for every people group on planet earth. This 00:09:35.610 --> 00:09:41.610 wasn't an expansion of the plan. This was the 00:09:41.610 --> 00:09:47.429 plan. Even Daniel in his apocalyptic visions, 00:09:47.570 --> 00:09:51.009 he confirmed this global scope. Daniel chapter 00:09:51.009 --> 00:09:56.250 7 and verse 14. And to Him was given dominion 00:09:56.250 --> 00:09:59.970 and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, 00:10:00.269 --> 00:10:03.990 and languages should serve Him. His dominion 00:10:03.990 --> 00:10:07.169 is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass 00:10:07.169 --> 00:10:12.750 away and His kingdom one which shall not be destroyed. 00:10:14.389 --> 00:10:19.240 The Son of Man in His coming kingdom would not 00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:23.940 be limited by geography, ethnicity, or culture. 00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:27.659 His kingdom would encompass every possible division 00:10:27.659 --> 00:10:31.940 that separates humanity. The word peoples here 00:10:31.940 --> 00:10:36.080 emphasizes ethnic groups. Nations emphasizes 00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:39.899 political boundaries. And languages emphasizes 00:10:39.899 --> 00:10:45.399 cultural distinction. And God's kingdom transcends 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:51.059 them all. Hosea gives a beautiful picture of 00:10:51.059 --> 00:10:56.240 God's heart for those who are, quote, not my 00:10:56.240 --> 00:11:01.039 people. In Hosea chapter 2 and verse 23, God 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:05.440 declares, I will say to not my people, you are 00:11:05.440 --> 00:11:10.159 my people. And he shall say, you are my God. 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:14.080 This prophecy is one that... Paul later applies 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:19.019 to the Gentiles in Romans 9, verses 25 -26 and 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:23.720 shows us that God's definition of chosen has 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:28.080 always been broader than human definitions. God's 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:32.419 choosing isn't about ethnicity. It's about His 00:11:32.419 --> 00:11:36.940 sovereign grace reaching whoever He wants, whomever 00:11:36.940 --> 00:11:42.379 He wills. As a matter of fact, The Word of God 00:11:42.379 --> 00:11:46.720 to Hosea here in chapter 2 and verse 23 is the 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:52.039 passage that God used to call my family from 00:11:52.039 --> 00:11:56.539 Tanzania. And I love all the flags. Thank you 00:11:56.539 --> 00:11:59.100 for that. It's wonderful. Love the globes as 00:11:59.100 --> 00:12:05.559 well. Speaking of the global gospel. And I was 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:11.519 at my breakfast table. In Moshi, Tanzania, at 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:14.039 the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, reading Hosea 00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:19.799 one day, and Paige and I had had, you know, discussions 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:22.980 leading up to this, and I just felt like that 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:26.500 there was an uprooting going on in our hearts. 00:12:27.980 --> 00:12:33.820 You know, has our time come to an end here in 00:12:33.820 --> 00:12:42.700 Tanzania? And if so, what do I do? I mean, we've 00:12:42.700 --> 00:12:46.440 spent so much time and energy and churches have 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:50.700 invested thousands of dollars and mammary hands 00:12:50.700 --> 00:12:56.679 and trips and miles and energy and effort. But 00:12:56.679 --> 00:13:01.940 I knew that a missionary's primary objective 00:13:01.940 --> 00:13:09.320 is to work himself out of a job. And I was reading 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:15.659 Hosea, and as the passage goes, God tells Hosea, 00:13:15.659 --> 00:13:23.519 whose wife has two children by other men, by 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:30.759 whoredom, adultery. Hosea is God's man, and God 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:33.139 says, yep, you're going to love them, you're 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:34.600 going to raise them, you're going to keep them. 00:13:34.659 --> 00:13:38.929 And the first one, You're going to name Lo -Ami, 00:13:39.129 --> 00:13:42.870 not my people. And the second child, you're going 00:13:42.870 --> 00:13:47.690 to name Lo -Ruhamah, no mercy. Because my people 00:13:47.690 --> 00:13:51.210 are not my people, and I'm not going to show 00:13:51.210 --> 00:13:55.230 mercy. That's chapter 1. Chapter 2, he says, 00:13:55.250 --> 00:13:58.250 all right, Hosea, here's the deal. You're going 00:13:58.250 --> 00:14:01.610 to change your kids' names. What? Change their 00:14:01.610 --> 00:14:05.409 names? He says, yeah. Ami, Lo -Ami, I want you 00:14:05.409 --> 00:14:10.299 to drop the lo. and call that child Ami. And 00:14:10.299 --> 00:14:14.580 Lodohama, delete the Lo, call that child Lohama. 00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:18.639 He said, because my people were my people, then 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.299 they weren't my people, but you know what I'm 00:14:20.299 --> 00:14:21.720 going to do? I'm going to make them my people 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:26.120 again. And I showed him mercy, and now I'm not 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:27.919 showing him mercy for a period of time, but I'm 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:31.399 going to show him mercy again. And it was odd. 00:14:31.460 --> 00:14:34.080 I'd read that dozens of times before, but that 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:37.850 morning, I asked the Lord, Are you calling me 00:14:37.850 --> 00:14:43.210 back to my people? Who were not my people for 00:14:43.210 --> 00:14:46.690 all these years. I've turned into a Swahili. 00:14:49.330 --> 00:14:55.549 And enjoy living in Tanzania. Love the people. 00:14:56.110 --> 00:15:01.330 Love serving you. I have no idea. I have no idea 00:15:01.330 --> 00:15:06.610 how. How would I ever go back? And when I, my 00:15:06.610 --> 00:15:10.429 people, I love Mamrie, Kitz Hill. I shout glory 00:15:10.429 --> 00:15:12.970 every time I see the steeple going to my daughter's 00:15:12.970 --> 00:15:15.929 house and whatever. I mean, I just love this 00:15:15.929 --> 00:15:19.409 place. But you guys know that I was kind of transplanted 00:15:19.409 --> 00:15:22.429 in here from West Virginia. And I didn't realize 00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:25.049 what a cultural divide that Ohio River provides. 00:15:28.629 --> 00:15:33.350 And it was so distinct. I felt the call of God 00:15:33.350 --> 00:15:37.220 was, My people, Barbersville, West Virginia. 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:39.840 Kyle, thank you for saying Fellowship and Huntington, 00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:42.539 but we are in Barbersville. It's like saying 00:15:42.539 --> 00:15:45.840 Mamrie's in Ironton. We're at Kitts Hill, brother. 00:15:45.940 --> 00:15:49.139 We're on top of the hill. Seven and a half miles 00:15:49.139 --> 00:15:52.580 out, 141. I've told so many people, how do you 00:15:52.580 --> 00:15:54.620 get there? Seven and a half miles, 141, outside 00:15:54.620 --> 00:15:57.740 of Ironton. So we're in Barbersville, right? 00:15:57.899 --> 00:15:59.620 That's where I went to high school. I grew up. 00:16:00.509 --> 00:16:03.129 And I was like, I have no idea. I have no idea. 00:16:03.190 --> 00:16:06.590 How? How? How am I going to serve the Lord in 00:16:06.590 --> 00:16:08.710 Barbersville? I mean, that's ridiculous. That's 00:16:08.710 --> 00:16:15.190 wild. And we just began to pray about it. I went 00:16:15.190 --> 00:16:17.269 to high school with the mayor. I said, Mayor, 00:16:17.350 --> 00:16:18.730 something weird is going on in my heart. I feel 00:16:18.730 --> 00:16:20.490 like there's something God wants me to do in 00:16:20.490 --> 00:16:22.610 Barbersville. He said, well, when you get home, 00:16:22.750 --> 00:16:25.529 we'll go to lunch and we'll see what there is. 00:16:25.529 --> 00:16:27.129 I don't need paid or anything like that. I just 00:16:27.129 --> 00:16:30.620 feel like there's something I need to do. And 00:16:30.620 --> 00:16:36.039 we returned to the U .S. in May of 2017 for a 00:16:36.039 --> 00:16:39.039 furlough. And within the first three days, we 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:45.419 went to a dinner with my cousin. And they knew 00:16:45.419 --> 00:16:47.600 Fellowship supported us when we were on the mission 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.240 field in Tanzania. And my cousin's wife said, 00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:53.960 did you hear about Pastor Jerry, who was the 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:55.860 pastor at Fellowship Baptist Barstow? I was like, 00:16:55.940 --> 00:17:01.980 no. He's retiring. And we just looked at each 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:05.160 other over the chips and salsa. And we're like, 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:12.619 wow. So, long story short, I contacted somebody 00:17:12.619 --> 00:17:17.039 at the church. Went through the application process. 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:28.359 Was interviewed. And God saved me out of Barbersville. 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:35.000 20 plus years they were not my people. But God 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.240 in His sovereignty and wisdom has made them my 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:48.460 people again. And we have been blessed. I've 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:53.160 seen many of my own family members baptized and 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:59.720 come into the church. This Rock Hilligan right 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:03.660 here, she's done alright in adapting to the Barbersville 00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:10.700 culture as well. And when Jesus Christ stepped 00:18:10.700 --> 00:18:15.460 onto the stage of history, He immediately shattered 00:18:15.460 --> 00:18:20.559 narrow visions of God's kingdom. In Matthew chapter 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:26.180 8 and verse 11, He declared, many will come. 00:18:27.109 --> 00:18:30.329 from the east and west, and recline at table 00:18:30.329 --> 00:18:35.490 with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom 00:18:35.490 --> 00:18:40.130 of heaven. Picture the scandal this must have 00:18:40.130 --> 00:18:46.130 caused for this carpenter's son to begin to speak 00:18:46.130 --> 00:18:50.690 about the far corners of the earth, these goyim, 00:18:50.890 --> 00:18:54.109 these Gentiles who'd never even heard of Moses, 00:18:54.210 --> 00:18:57.549 or... kept the law or needed to keep the law, 00:18:57.690 --> 00:19:00.250 that they would sit at the same table as the 00:19:00.250 --> 00:19:04.890 patriarchs. Well, the kingdom feast was not going 00:19:04.890 --> 00:19:08.910 to be an exclusive Jewish gathering. It would 00:19:08.910 --> 00:19:12.890 be a global celebration. And the great commission 00:19:12.890 --> 00:19:17.089 of Matthew 28, go therefore and make disciples 00:19:17.089 --> 00:19:20.710 of all nations, baptizing them in the name of 00:19:20.710 --> 00:19:23.029 the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:28.500 All that I have commanded you, and behold, I 00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:34.920 am with you always, even to the end of the age. 00:19:35.339 --> 00:19:43.559 The word nations here is pantata ethne. All ethnic 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:47.519 groups. Jesus wasn't sending His disciples to 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:51.019 establish franchise churches. He was commissioning 00:19:51.019 --> 00:19:53.940 them to reach every distinct people group on 00:19:53.940 --> 00:19:57.750 earth. And John's gospel adds another crucial 00:19:57.750 --> 00:20:01.130 dimension with Jesus' words in John chapter 10 00:20:01.130 --> 00:20:08.569 and verse number 16. And I have other sheep that 00:20:08.569 --> 00:20:12.690 are not of this fold. I must bring them also, 00:20:12.789 --> 00:20:15.970 and they will listen to my voice. So there will 00:20:15.970 --> 00:20:22.869 be one flock and one shepherd. Jesus was speaking. 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:27.720 to Jewish listeners about Gentile believers who 00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:31.140 didn't even know they were His sheep. They didn't 00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:37.000 even know it. And His mission included people 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:40.980 who hadn't even heard of Him yet, people who 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:45.000 hadn't been born. And the global scope of the 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:49.619 Gospel means God has sheep in every nation waiting 00:20:49.619 --> 00:20:54.009 to hear the shepherd's voice. And the book of 00:20:54.009 --> 00:20:59.150 Acts becomes a thrilling account of this global 00:20:59.150 --> 00:21:04.650 vision becoming a reality. Acts 1 .8, but you 00:21:04.650 --> 00:21:08.269 will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come 00:21:08.269 --> 00:21:11.910 upon you. Why do we have the power? Why is He 00:21:11.910 --> 00:21:18.829 given that power? Make me a better person? Help 00:21:18.829 --> 00:21:21.829 me when I'm sick? This is why He gave the power. 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:25.920 So that we would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:30.359 Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. 00:21:30.500 --> 00:21:33.539 Notice how this kind of unfolds like a missions 00:21:33.539 --> 00:21:38.779 atlas. From the local, Jerusalem, to the regional, 00:21:38.940 --> 00:21:46.619 Judea, to the uncomfortable, Samaria. Even the 00:21:46.619 --> 00:21:54.009 impossible, the end of the earth. This wasn't 00:21:54.009 --> 00:21:57.789 just a mission strategy. It was a prophetic outline 00:21:57.789 --> 00:22:01.750 of how the gospel would spread across every barrier. 00:22:01.849 --> 00:22:05.529 And then in chapter 10, Peter's encounter with 00:22:05.529 --> 00:22:10.849 Cornelius represents a watershed moment in understanding 00:22:10.849 --> 00:22:18.730 the global gospel. And in verses 34 and 35 of 00:22:18.730 --> 00:22:23.059 Acts 10, Peter declares, truly, I understand 00:22:23.059 --> 00:22:28.299 that God shows no partiality. But in every nation, 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:34.279 anyone who fears Him and does what is right is 00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:41.619 acceptable to Him. Now this is revolutionary 00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:46.720 thinking for first century Jews. And it should 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:52.200 be revolutionary thinking for you. And for me 00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:58.539 too. The Greek word that Peter used when he said 00:22:58.539 --> 00:23:03.019 God shows no partiality literally means face 00:23:03.019 --> 00:23:10.759 receiver. Face receiver. Think about how many 00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:12.619 people you look at and you're just like, I don't 00:23:12.619 --> 00:23:22.480 like to look at them. Right? External appearance, 00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:27.140 social status, or ethnic identity is showing 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:31.140 partiality. God doesn't do that. And Peter is 00:23:31.140 --> 00:23:34.980 saying that God doesn't look at the face of a 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:38.599 person and make judgments based on what he sees 00:23:38.599 --> 00:23:42.839 there. He doesn't see Roman and think enemy, 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:47.339 or Gentile and think unclean, or centurion and 00:23:47.339 --> 00:23:55.430 think oppressor. He doesn't look at the R's and 00:23:55.430 --> 00:23:59.190 the D's and the I's and think conservative, liberal, 00:23:59.589 --> 00:24:04.289 libertarian. That's not how God looks at people, 00:24:04.490 --> 00:24:09.910 but how often we're skewed in our perceptions 00:24:09.910 --> 00:24:15.349 of people and what really matters about that 00:24:15.349 --> 00:24:23.829 person. Here's another beautiful component of 00:24:23.829 --> 00:24:30.809 the message of missions. It's not just that God 00:24:30.809 --> 00:24:40.390 doesn't show partiality to people based on their 00:24:40.390 --> 00:24:47.240 ethnicity or background. It's that God doesn't 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:52.900 show partiality even to his own chosen messengers. 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:57.660 Based on their failures and their limitations, 00:24:58.299 --> 00:25:03.140 Peter was far from perfect. But God used him 00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:07.920 to deliver this revolutionary message about divine 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:16.619 impartiality. And Paul's ministry exemplifies 00:25:16.619 --> 00:25:25.700 this global vision in action. In Acts 13, Paul 00:25:25.700 --> 00:25:30.000 and Barnabas cite Isaiah 49 and verse 6, declaring, 00:25:30.099 --> 00:25:34.279 The Lord has commanded us, saying, I have made 00:25:34.279 --> 00:25:37.539 you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring 00:25:37.539 --> 00:25:40.799 salvation to the ends of the earth. And when 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:43.500 the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:46.440 and glorifying the Word of the Lord. And as many 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:49.640 as were appointed to eternal life, believed. 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:55.680 The joy of the Gentiles wasn't just about personal 00:25:55.680 --> 00:25:59.539 salvation. It was about finally understanding 00:25:59.539 --> 00:26:04.839 that they were included in God's plan from the 00:26:04.839 --> 00:26:08.099 beginning. And I'm going to tell you this. There 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:12.799 are... Numerous people outside of the church 00:26:12.799 --> 00:26:18.019 who are stumbling over us. Trying to come to 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:21.680 Christ. And we are impeding their path because 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:26.500 of our partialities. Because of our indiscretions. 00:26:26.500 --> 00:26:31.839 Because of our very words that wound. And we 00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:38.460 must, like the Apostle Paul, know. That we should 00:26:38.460 --> 00:26:41.740 not be ashamed of the Gospel. For it is the power 00:26:41.740 --> 00:26:46.500 of God of salvation to everyone who believes. 00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:50.960 The phrase to everyone is crucial because it's 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:54.759 not limited by ethnicity, cultural or political 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:59.680 background or modern thought. The Gospel is powerful 00:26:59.680 --> 00:27:04.019 enough to save anyone and everyone who responds 00:27:04.019 --> 00:27:12.700 in faith. of sexual orientation or political 00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:17.299 ideology or what someone might spew even out 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:23.299 of their own vitriol. The gospel is powerful 00:27:23.299 --> 00:27:26.859 enough to save anyone and everyone who responds 00:27:26.859 --> 00:27:31.359 in faith. The Jews, it went to them first. Now, 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:35.200 it doesn't mean they were more important. It 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:38.049 just means they were the first. to receive the 00:27:38.049 --> 00:27:42.250 promises that were always intended for all peoples. 00:27:42.849 --> 00:27:45.990 Romans chapter 10, Paul makes the global scope 00:27:45.990 --> 00:27:50.089 crystal clear. There is no distinction. There 00:27:50.089 --> 00:27:53.829 is no distinction between Jew and Greek. Now, 00:27:53.890 --> 00:27:57.210 New Testament, no distinction. The same Lord 00:27:57.210 --> 00:28:01.930 of all, bestowing His riches on all who call 00:28:01.930 --> 00:28:04.930 upon Him for... Read that last line with me. 00:28:05.960 --> 00:28:09.460 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will 00:28:09.460 --> 00:28:17.920 be saved. Wow! What a promise! The word everyone 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:23.819 is Greek, pas, three simple letters, P -A -S. 00:28:24.460 --> 00:28:29.400 And it means absolutely everyone, without exception. 00:28:30.299 --> 00:28:33.099 God's riches aren't distributed based on ethnic 00:28:33.099 --> 00:28:36.579 privilege. They're available to anyone who calls 00:28:36.579 --> 00:28:41.220 upon His name. Galatians 3 .8 shows us that this 00:28:41.220 --> 00:28:44.339 global vision was always part of Scripture's 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:47.500 message. The Scripture foreseeing that God would 00:28:47.500 --> 00:28:50.319 justify all the Gentiles by faith preached the 00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:54.200 Gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, and you 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:58.299 shall all the nations be blessed. Paul argues 00:28:58.299 --> 00:29:01.019 that the gospel was actually preached to Abraham. 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:04.640 The global mission isn't a New Testament innovation. 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:09.200 It's the fulfillment of Old Testament insurances. 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:12.859 The book of Revelation gives us the ultimate 00:29:12.859 --> 00:29:15.680 vision of this global gospel. Revelation 5, verse 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:18.849 9, the redeemed sing to the Lamb. Worthy are 00:29:18.849 --> 00:29:21.789 you to take the scroll and to open its seals, 00:29:21.950 --> 00:29:24.789 for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed 00:29:24.789 --> 00:29:28.750 people from God from every tribe and language 00:29:28.750 --> 00:29:37.450 and people and nation. Praise God! How comprehensive 00:29:37.450 --> 00:29:42.809 in nature this message is. Tribe. Family groups. 00:29:43.950 --> 00:29:49.339 Language. Cultural distinctions. People, ethnic 00:29:49.339 --> 00:29:55.660 identities, and nation, political boundaries. 00:29:57.019 --> 00:30:05.299 Every possible way that we humans divide ourselves. 00:30:06.740 --> 00:30:11.660 Now, I'm still struggling with Michigan, amen? 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:20.829 Pray for me there. these divisions represent 00:30:20.829 --> 00:30:27.930 in God's redeemed and blended family. Revelation 00:30:27.930 --> 00:30:32.470 7. God shows the ultimate family reunion. After 00:30:32.470 --> 00:30:35.170 this I look, behold a great multitude that no 00:30:35.170 --> 00:30:38.390 one could number from every nation, from all 00:30:38.390 --> 00:30:40.730 tribes and peoples and languages standing before 00:30:40.730 --> 00:30:44.789 the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white 00:30:44.789 --> 00:30:50.019 robes with palm branches, Palms of victory in 00:30:50.019 --> 00:30:52.900 their hands and crying out with a loud voice, 00:30:53.240 --> 00:30:57.720 Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the 00:30:57.720 --> 00:31:00.539 throne and to the Lamb. Man, read that one with 00:31:00.539 --> 00:31:04.839 me too. Salvation belongs to our God who sits 00:31:04.839 --> 00:31:10.680 on the throne and to the Lamb. This isn't a Jewish 00:31:10.680 --> 00:31:14.259 gathering and it's not a Western church conference. 00:31:15.309 --> 00:31:18.630 This is the destiny of missions. This is the 00:31:18.630 --> 00:31:22.890 family reunion where no uncle can exclude you. 00:31:23.069 --> 00:31:28.809 No outsider label can define you. And every human 00:31:28.809 --> 00:31:34.009 distinction dissolves in the worship of the Lamb. 00:31:35.049 --> 00:31:40.690 The global gospel is an unalterable idea from 00:31:40.690 --> 00:31:47.950 God's mind. unchanging truth. It's a paradox 00:31:47.950 --> 00:31:56.069 of good news that reveals our bad nature. It 00:31:56.069 --> 00:32:03.710 exposes the full brunt of mankind's total depravity. 00:32:04.710 --> 00:32:08.890 If you start thinking well of yourself, open 00:32:08.890 --> 00:32:14.140 your Bible to Romans 3. Read verses 9 -20 and 00:32:14.140 --> 00:32:18.200 let God put you in your place one more time. 00:32:19.339 --> 00:32:25.460 Because our sin nature, our total depravity isn't 00:32:25.460 --> 00:32:30.759 just about individual mistakes. Oops! It's about 00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:36.859 inherent spiritual sickness. It's a disease that 00:32:36.859 --> 00:32:44.640 separates humanity from holy. Almighty God. This 00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:48.980 gospel also reframes a seemingly bad narrative. 00:32:49.660 --> 00:32:55.640 The crucifixion of Christ. What appears as a 00:32:55.640 --> 00:33:01.079 brutal finished work on the cross is in fact 00:33:01.079 --> 00:33:06.059 the ultimate act of love and redemption. Now 00:33:06.059 --> 00:33:10.779 this truth can be jarring as shown by A very 00:33:10.779 --> 00:33:14.180 personal illustration. When I was early in my 00:33:14.180 --> 00:33:18.299 days in Tanzania, teaching through the Old Testament 00:33:18.299 --> 00:33:21.079 from creation to Christ, and there was a young 00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:24.519 lady who came to the Bible study. Her name, Esther 00:33:24.519 --> 00:33:28.920 Juma 'inne. And Esther was sitting on one of 00:33:28.920 --> 00:33:31.759 our makeshift benches that we had under the tin 00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:36.440 roof of our church with off -cut tree lumber 00:33:36.440 --> 00:33:39.380 just... Doing the best we could to have a place 00:33:39.380 --> 00:33:42.940 in the shade. Let me make a point here as well. 00:33:43.140 --> 00:33:46.519 I had someone one time when I was returning to 00:33:46.519 --> 00:33:48.759 the U .S. And it wasn't about our church. It 00:33:48.759 --> 00:33:50.880 was actually about fellowship where I pastor 00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:53.259 now. And they were undergoing a renovation in 00:33:53.259 --> 00:33:55.680 2015. And it was going to cost over a million 00:33:55.680 --> 00:33:58.339 dollars. And he said, you're a missionary. You 00:33:58.339 --> 00:34:00.960 go to the mission field. Do you think a church 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:05.170 should spend a million dollars? To help people 00:34:05.170 --> 00:34:08.429 feel comfortable on Sunday morning? I said, well, 00:34:08.510 --> 00:34:10.250 I don't know if I can answer that completely 00:34:10.250 --> 00:34:13.190 and directly, but let me say this. When we have 00:34:13.190 --> 00:34:16.769 church in Tanzania, we have choices. We could 00:34:16.769 --> 00:34:19.849 sit out under the baking sun and we could worship 00:34:19.849 --> 00:34:22.150 with everybody sweating bullets and miserable, 00:34:22.269 --> 00:34:25.650 or we could find a shade tree. And we prefer 00:34:25.650 --> 00:34:31.550 to worship comfortably in the shade. Well, we 00:34:31.550 --> 00:34:34.329 had a shaded area that we built. Spent some money 00:34:34.329 --> 00:34:37.570 on it. And as I was telling the story of Abraham 00:34:37.570 --> 00:34:41.929 offering Isaac and was going through it somewhat 00:34:41.929 --> 00:34:45.769 dramatically and when I showed Abraham raising 00:34:45.769 --> 00:34:48.590 the knife, Esther Juma 'in had never heard that 00:34:48.590 --> 00:34:55.610 story and her eyes got as big as saucers. Because 00:34:55.610 --> 00:35:00.010 she did not know that God provided a ram in the 00:35:00.010 --> 00:35:07.219 thicket to save. Isaac's life. You don't need 00:35:07.219 --> 00:35:10.699 to know any Bible stories. You don't need to 00:35:10.699 --> 00:35:12.880 know Moses. You don't need to know about Noah 00:35:12.880 --> 00:35:15.400 and the ark or Daniel and the lion's den to go 00:35:15.400 --> 00:35:20.579 to heaven. But you need to know Jesus. And this 00:35:20.579 --> 00:35:24.920 message of Jesus' sacrifice and the initial shock 00:35:24.920 --> 00:35:28.000 of His violence at the cross, that is what makes 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:34.139 salvation possible. So the Gospel. is good news 00:35:34.139 --> 00:35:43.360 also because it excludes man's bad notions. Bad 00:35:43.360 --> 00:35:48.139 notions that seem to be good in thought and theory 00:35:48.139 --> 00:35:51.440 to man because they come from man. And that is 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:56.099 the gospel dismantles the false idea that we 00:35:56.099 --> 00:36:03.449 can earn salvation through our own efforts. Instead, 00:36:03.550 --> 00:36:07.630 it paints to faith in Christ's free gift of grace 00:36:07.630 --> 00:36:11.929 as the only path. And this flies in the face 00:36:11.929 --> 00:36:17.809 of all human religions and philosophies that 00:36:17.809 --> 00:36:23.150 suggest we can save ourselves. Biblical Christianity, 00:36:23.349 --> 00:36:28.550 and I'm open to correction if I'm wrong, but 00:36:28.550 --> 00:36:33.019 you find me, any other belief system, on planet 00:36:33.019 --> 00:36:36.760 earth, on any continent, in any village that 00:36:36.760 --> 00:36:42.300 tells mankind you can do nothing to make God 00:36:42.300 --> 00:36:50.739 happy. You must receive His free, unmerited favor 00:36:50.739 --> 00:36:55.679 and grace. There is not another one. No chance 00:36:55.679 --> 00:37:01.050 on earth, in heaven, or the depths of hell. It 00:37:01.050 --> 00:37:04.550 is only Bible Christianity. That is the exclusive 00:37:04.550 --> 00:37:09.789 difference. It's a radical, humbling truth that 00:37:09.789 --> 00:37:14.369 offers hope beyond our own flawed attempts. Speaking 00:37:14.369 --> 00:37:16.829 of flawed attempts, I tried to be done by noon, 00:37:17.070 --> 00:37:21.010 but that emotion stuff at the beginning kind 00:37:21.010 --> 00:37:23.909 of messed me up. If you need to go eat, if you're 00:37:23.909 --> 00:37:26.489 that hungry, I will not be offended at all if 00:37:26.489 --> 00:37:30.340 you leave. Order me a plate. I'll be there soon. 00:37:31.460 --> 00:37:36.639 So what does this mean for us? There's no room 00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:43.719 in the life of a believer for prejudice. If God 00:37:43.719 --> 00:37:47.679 shows no partiality, neither can we. Racism, 00:37:47.780 --> 00:37:52.780 ethnocentrism, and favoritism have no place in 00:37:52.780 --> 00:37:57.750 the church. Now I'm going to tell you this. Doesn't 00:37:57.750 --> 00:37:59.269 mean I don't struggle with it from time to time. 00:38:00.710 --> 00:38:03.630 And every time I preach to people, I'm preaching 00:38:03.630 --> 00:38:09.170 to me too. So yeah, there are times when I practice 00:38:09.170 --> 00:38:11.630 prejudice and I have to be corrected and I come 00:38:11.630 --> 00:38:16.070 back and I've got to stop it. There's certainly 00:38:16.070 --> 00:38:21.389 no excuse for apathy. If God's heart beats for 00:38:21.389 --> 00:38:25.750 the nations, ours must too. Missions is not an 00:38:25.750 --> 00:38:30.389 elective. It's our family business. And we should 00:38:30.389 --> 00:38:36.070 have no fear in witness. If the gospel is God's 00:38:36.070 --> 00:38:39.869 power for salvation, we don't have to make it 00:38:39.869 --> 00:38:43.650 attractive. We just have to share it faithfully. 00:38:45.590 --> 00:38:49.909 But let me tell you this. And it took me a while 00:38:49.909 --> 00:38:52.610 to learn this. And I apologize to any of you 00:38:52.610 --> 00:38:55.090 that I offended many years ago or maybe today. 00:38:58.159 --> 00:39:01.280 It took me a while to figure out I don't have 00:39:01.280 --> 00:39:06.559 to be offensive. The message is offensive enough. 00:39:07.639 --> 00:39:13.679 I can be kind. I can smile. And I can say, if 00:39:13.679 --> 00:39:15.880 you don't believe in Jesus, you'll go to hell. 00:39:16.480 --> 00:39:19.119 I'm sorry. I don't have to be mean about it. 00:39:20.480 --> 00:39:27.280 Okay? We can have discourse without blowing up. 00:39:28.010 --> 00:39:32.530 And dropping TNT everywhere we go. And there's 00:39:32.530 --> 00:39:36.349 going to be no surprise in heaven. I think it's 00:39:36.349 --> 00:39:39.250 so stupid. People say, well, we're going to be 00:39:39.250 --> 00:39:41.710 surprised who's in heaven. No, nobody's going 00:39:41.710 --> 00:39:45.889 to be surprised who's in heaven. Because when 00:39:45.889 --> 00:39:49.670 we arrive to the throne room, we're not going 00:39:49.670 --> 00:39:52.170 to be shocked to see faces and colors and languages 00:39:52.170 --> 00:39:54.699 and cultures unlike our own. Because that was 00:39:54.699 --> 00:39:57.119 always the plan. And people say, are we going 00:39:57.119 --> 00:39:59.519 to know each other in heaven? Let me ask you 00:39:59.519 --> 00:40:01.099 this. Do you think you're going to be dumber 00:40:01.099 --> 00:40:05.420 or smarter in heaven? Are you going to be dumber? 00:40:05.659 --> 00:40:09.260 No. You're probably going to be smarter in heaven. 00:40:09.539 --> 00:40:13.099 Here's what I think. You're not just going to 00:40:13.099 --> 00:40:16.679 know each other. You're going to know everybody. 00:40:18.159 --> 00:40:21.239 They're like, what's up, Paul? Hey, Moses, Daniel. 00:40:21.900 --> 00:40:24.659 How's it going? You're going to know everybody. 00:40:25.579 --> 00:40:28.800 I mean, it's really, we're all going to be surrounding 00:40:28.800 --> 00:40:32.800 the throne and worshiping the Lamb. Because one 00:40:32.800 --> 00:40:37.860 day, the family reunion will come. Not in the 00:40:37.860 --> 00:40:42.719 backyard with folding chairs and barbecue, but 00:40:42.719 --> 00:40:45.840 around the throne of God. And there's going to 00:40:45.840 --> 00:40:50.260 be no Uncle Jim to stand up and exclude other 00:40:50.260 --> 00:40:54.280 people in the family. Every voice will blend 00:40:54.280 --> 00:41:00.079 in worship. Every tribe represented. Every language 00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:06.320 singing. Salvation belongs to our God and to 00:41:06.320 --> 00:41:11.619 the Lamb. This is the message of missions. The 00:41:11.619 --> 00:41:15.559 gospel is global in scope and unalterable in 00:41:15.559 --> 00:41:19.289 its essence. It began in the mind of God. It 00:41:19.289 --> 00:41:22.590 was fulfilled in the work of Christ. It's carried 00:41:22.590 --> 00:41:27.730 on by the church and it will be consummated in 00:41:27.730 --> 00:41:37.989 glory. So, church, let us live and pray and give 00:41:37.989 --> 00:41:46.110 and go with that vision burning in our hearts. 00:41:47.300 --> 00:41:52.039 Until the earth is filled with the knowledge 00:41:52.039 --> 00:41:56.940 of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover 00:41:56.940 --> 00:42:02.440 the sea. The Lord bless you. Keep you. The Lord 00:42:02.440 --> 00:42:06.179 make His face to shine upon you and be gracious 00:42:06.179 --> 00:42:12.059 to you. The Lord lift up His caps upon you and 00:42:12.059 --> 00:42:20.420 give you peace. Amen, Greg. Thank you so very 00:42:20.420 --> 00:42:24.500 much, brother. As he was speaking this morning, 00:42:24.559 --> 00:42:26.800 my heart was rejoicing with everything you said. 00:42:27.460 --> 00:42:30.900 I was so moved, so blessed by the preaching this 00:42:30.900 --> 00:42:32.920 morning. I was thinking about this passage in 00:42:32.920 --> 00:42:35.219 Ephesians 4. Junior Church, you can come in. 00:42:35.280 --> 00:42:36.380 I know they're out there. Go ahead and bring 00:42:36.380 --> 00:42:44.039 them in. There is one body and one spirit, just 00:42:44.039 --> 00:42:46.099 as you were called in one hope of your calling. 00:42:47.220 --> 00:42:53.559 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and 00:42:53.559 --> 00:42:56.840 Father of all who is above all and through all 00:42:56.840 --> 00:43:02.800 and in you all. When we celebrate the ordinances 00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:05.159 or the sacraments as we want to be called, we 00:43:05.159 --> 00:43:09.519 think of baptism. The one joins the many in baptism. 00:43:10.659 --> 00:43:13.260 And today we celebrate the table of the Lord 00:43:13.260 --> 00:43:19.300 and the many become one. The same feast that 00:43:19.300 --> 00:43:21.159 Greg was talking about, we get a foretaste even 00:43:21.159 --> 00:43:23.980 today as we commune with the risen Christ in 00:43:23.980 --> 00:43:27.139 the Lord's Supper. Just a foretaste of what it's 00:43:27.139 --> 00:43:29.139 going to be when we commune with him on that 00:43:29.139 --> 00:43:31.480 day face to face. But what excites me, and I 00:43:31.480 --> 00:43:33.079 think about this every Lord's Day that we do 00:43:33.079 --> 00:43:35.719 this, is the same thing that makes us want. It's 00:43:35.719 --> 00:43:38.920 Christ. The same Lord's table in Tanzania and 00:43:38.920 --> 00:43:41.579 Moshi and Mwanza will be celebrated somewhere 00:43:41.579 --> 00:43:43.760 in that country, and it will be by the same Lord, 00:43:43.780 --> 00:43:47.139 in the same faith, worshiping the same God. It's 00:43:47.139 --> 00:43:50.039 true in Africa. It is true in Mexico. It's true 00:43:50.039 --> 00:43:52.400 in the Philippines. It's true in Korea. It is 00:43:52.400 --> 00:43:57.590 true in Brazil. This is God's work. And we are 00:43:57.590 --> 00:44:01.949 brought into it by grace. Praise him. Friends, 00:44:01.989 --> 00:44:05.550 you're here today because of grace. God has looked 00:44:05.550 --> 00:44:08.090 with favor upon you. And you're a blessed people. 00:44:08.610 --> 00:44:10.769 Deacons, if you would come as we prepare our 00:44:10.769 --> 00:44:12.710 hearts to receive the Lord's table at this time.