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[0:00] Music And friends, tonight just talking on the theme of revolution, a revolution, really the Christian life the christian message is a revolutionary message isn't it and so this message might disturb some listeners because this book is alive and powerful this is a banned book isn't it in some countries around the world they've banned this book it's illegal to have a bible you could go to jail or worse you could suffer and die for the possession of this book it's so hot to handle and it's got a life-changing revolutionary message and it carries many a warning now a warning is something to take notice of isn't it but often we hear of warnings people have warnings and they still disregard the warning for example there's a warning on every cigarette packet this is going to kill you but some people don't heed the warning they don't heed the warning it's the same with the warnings of the word of god they don't heed it and i issue a challenge here tonight but it's time for revolution revolution we're going to look at some of the characteristics of revolutionaries if you like and christian revolutionaries which is what we should be the first one is this is what we should be i know there's a few stirrers amongst us in this church but we should be stirrers we should be stirred and we should be stirring we should be stirrers and we should be ones who disturb the status quo and when you think of revolutionaries of revolutions of those who raise a revolution in history they stirred things up they stirred up they disturbed the status quo and if we go to act 17 we see how the believers were disrupted disrupted in a stirring kind of way they stirred things up as we read in act 17 from verse 6 it says this and when when they found them not they drew jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city crying these that have turned the world upside down are come hither also these ones who've turned the world upside down they've come here to this city they're going to cause some trouble oh it's the message there this this was a message about the early church the christians of their day these were the world revolutionists of their time they were raising up a revolt turning the world upside down turning it topsy-turvy and it's like what happened with paul and silas when they came on the scene in act 16 from verses 19 the setting was where they seen a woman delivered by god from the spirit of divination and it says from verse 19 of act 16 it says and when her master saw that the hope of their gains were gone they caught paul and silas and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers and brought them to the magistrate saying these men being jews do exceedingly trouble our city there was a disturbance in the city the christians again were disturbing things and it says that they dragged them they drew them here in verse 19 and some have reckoned that it could be that they dragged them literally by their feet you know this was not some uh gentle drawing this was they were being dragged in a violent way uh probably by their feet on another occasion in acts 19 verse 23 it says that there was no small stir about that way the christian life the christian church was called the way or that way and on this occasion it was where demetrius who made strides for diana was annoyed because the christians were disturbing their trade of making idols because paul and silas the believers were

[4:05] raising question about the false gods the worship of vain idols so this was again causing a stir so it seems this common repeated theme when the christians came onto the scene when the christians came to town it caused a riot it caused a stir they upset the city so believers tonight we each one of us are called to be stirrers we're revolutionaries it talks about a disturbing of a stirring up of a rebellion and friends this world and it's sin this falsehood that prevails in our land the evils of our day they need to be confronted we need to be the people that do that we need to be willing to stand against the contrary forces of the devil and his minions it tells us in ephesians 6 verse 12 that we have need to overcome something some spiritual wickedness in high places god says to the ephesians he says this he says for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places so there's a sense where we as god's people we're called to be stirring up to these contrary forces and we should be causing trouble for the devil that's what elijah did in his day in 1 kings 18 verse 7 and king 17 1 kings 18 verse 17 king ahab accused elijah of causing trouble and it says it says there acts 1 kings 18 17 and it came to pass when ahab saw elijah that ahab said unto him art thou he that troubleth israel i have called elijah a troublemaker one of course trouble one of course disturb so again it's that repeated theme that we should be contrary to the world and the spirit of the world we should be stirring up we should stir up one another too in hebrews 10 24 it says let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works there's a stirring up of one another that's a good thing for us to do we should stir up love amen stir up love amongst ourselves not strive stir up love in luke 23 even our lord was accused by the chief priest himself accused of being a stirrer and says the chief priests were the more fierce saying he stirreth up the people teaching throughout all jewry beginning from galilee to this place the accusation against our very lord was that he was stirring up the people and he still is amen the lord jesus is stirring up the people even now today friends we have a revolutionary message so instead of be afraid to be outspoken to be controversial let me ask you this question that will be opposed to you what is your relationship to the world is the world making its mark on you or are you making a mark on the world are you turning the world upside down we should be amongst the number that are turning the world upside down not the world turning us upside down and we see in act 17 that paul got stirred up himself paul got stirred up it says when he came to athens his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry shouldn't it stir us up when we see the city the city of adelaide the so-called city of churches which it once was and what it's given over to it's become the city of brothels pretty much isn't it we're not stirred up enough friends we're not stirred up enough about

[8:10] the dismal state of our nation of our state of our city the world is sick we see and hear of child molesters of all kinds of wickedness and foul things and that the whole fabric of society is corrupt and crumbling and falling apart it's lost its moral compass we should be stirred up like paul was about athens stirred up when we see and hear about families being torn apart and destroyed stirred up when we see the spirit of ungodliness that prevails across our land and what they accommodate on the media that the evil has overtaken our land and friends the answer for today's society's problems is not the justice system it's not the education system it's not the political system it's not the religious system the united nations can't help us the world bank the new world order the new age movement none of this can help our nation none of it can help us friends we need the lord don't we we should be stirred up to think to stir up ourselves to think of how can we get hold of god as it says in isaiah 64 7 the call from the prophet is there is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee for thou hast hid thy face from us and has consumed us because of our iniquities there's none that stir up themselves to lay hold of god after the funeral of general booth of the salvation army that was an outspoken evangelist of his day they just held the funeral and a lone preacher got down on his knees at the altar and he was moved with what we've got what god had wrought through the mighty life and work of william boone and the solitary preacher was praying from the depth of his soul lord do it again lord do it again and we look back and you know there's faults amongst them but those that stood for christ and and and were outspoken for the gospel lord do it again can we see that in our day in our land you know australia really hasn't had a revival to speak of and hardly so and friends we need to stir up ourselves to lay hold on god lord do it again let that be our crying call on his name intercede stir up your mind as well sometimes our mind gets so barrage with the world and its ways that it gets soiled peter calls the people he says stir up your pure minds god wants our minds to be stirred up to be pure minds stir up your pure minds he says god doesn't bypass your mind he uses it you know some would accuse christians of being or anti-science or anti-intellectual anti-reasoning but the christian is the one who's actually got enough intellectual reasoning power to to reason with god he says come now let us reason together it's a reasonable thing it's a rational thing it's the wisest thing that you can do with your brain with your mind that you will think on these things the things of god another thing to get stirred up about is to stir up the gift of god it tells in 2 timothy 1 verse 6 paul tells timothy stir up the gift of god which is in thee now each believer i believe every believer has a gift has something they can give something they can do something they can be but it's easy to park it isn't it we park it we don't employ it and it's true that if water doesn't get stirred it gets stagnant are you stale or stagnant or stirred friends be encouraged think of yourself

[12:13] god's given you something you can do what's stopping you from doing it you know be encouraged i don't want to hold anybody back if you feel that you have something you can give then i'll make that opportunity we do well to follow god's instructions now there's some medicine bottles that say shake well before use you know some of us need to be shaken to be shaken well before use we we need to be shaken stir to stir ourselves to be willing to stir ourselves to and that can mean getting out of the comfort zone because it's easy to get stale and stagnant it takes a decision for every one of you for every one of us to be as paul would tell timothy stir up the gift of god which is in you stir it up ask god to show you to embolden you that you would make that decision to say yes i will do i will step up over the line and we call to to to look at some of these things here tonight we're talking about the characteristics of revolutionaries think of the revolutionaries of old of like communist lands where there was an overturning of power and it was usually a bad thing mind you pretty much always a bad thing when communist movements and revolutions took place but it was an overturning of the established government of the time and there was an overthrow of that government there was an overturning there was a turning upside down and so as revolutionaries we see that they were stirrers they stirred things up and so another thing about the characteristics of revolutionaries is second that they are strangers they are strangers you know it's a strange thing to be a revolutionary and when you think about for yourselves brothers and sisters when you do tend to do something for god you usually attract criticism don't you isn't that true especially like in a workplace in in a setting where you're amongst largely unbelievers if you are to do something that sets you apart and identifies you as a believer that you will be picked on and considered strange and yes your neighbors will think you're a strange one uh but when the rubber hits the road we should be willing to be considered strange considered different we don't follow the crowd we are willing to be strange to stand for god against the flow it says that hebrews 11 we know the whole chapter talks about the men and women of faith through god's history the heroes of the faith and it says of them these all died in faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them they saw the cross as it were it was a far off they saw the promise of salvation and it says they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on this earth they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth so the people of faith in hebrews 11 they were recognized that they were only foreigners and strangers with no permanent home here on earth now friends this is just temporary this this old planet is temporary forget about climate change god's going to wipe it out and remake it this earth's going to be completely refurbished uh but we're foreigners and strangers for the time here on this earth and there's just no permanent dwelling and it reads on in hebrews 11 for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country and truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out they might have had opportunity to have returned so it tells how they're seeking and searching for a homeland a country not their own friends our homeland isn't for me it's not not homie land my homeland is heaven amen that's my home that's

[16:21] my home there and for you that believe no matter what country you've been born in that home is there awaiting and that's our home that we're searching for that country and it goes on that we desire a better country a heavenly country and we're not ashamed that that to be called but god is not ashamed to be called their god for he had prepared for them a city we're yearning we're eagerly longing for that city yet to come that heavenly country a better one a more desirable heavenly land and god's prepared us so for the meantime we're strangers here it's like we don't belong here and you know i can identify that as uh a newly and i've talked about this a number of times i know but as a newly arrived immigrant to australia i had to learn how to talk properly you know i had to forget the king's english the queen's english had to talk like real aussie people i was still perfecting that but i'm still in a sense where i know what it was like to be a stranger and to be called the pommy in my class and and to be called the oh he's one of those weirdos from pommy land and it's the same sense where we're strangers here and as christians we're strangers here amen our lord tells how some will be ashamed of of him at his coming sorry i'm getting it wrong our lord tells how he will be ashamed of some at his coming and we would do well to take heed that we're not amongst those people who are ashamed because he says that he so over therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the son of man be ashamed of him when he cometh in the glory of his father with the holy angels god is looking for strangers for a peculiar people such that we'll be willing to be outstanding that we'll not be ashamed to be identified with jesus that we're not going to be ashamed to be considered strangers as people say there's something different about you you kind of don't fit in you you you there's something strange about you it's like you're you're off the planet in a way we are aren't we i'm not meaning to say we go around like weirdos and just just be kind of way out there just for the sake of it but there's a sense where we're strangers and that's a good thing you know when a revolutionary comes along they don't fit in with the with they don't follow the general populace there there's something different about them they're willing to stand up and to be an alien in a foreign land and 1 peter 2 verse 11 talks about how he he exhorts them to be strangers pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul we are as people from another country we are from another country because if we are the children of god if he is our father if his home is heaven then we are from another country picture that some christians just aren't strange enough we're not strange enough we've got two accommodating friends let's be honest here we've got so accommodating that we just blend in christians don't blend in be a stranger be a stranger don't be afraid to stand out from the crowd but yet when there's a moral issue you're willing to say i don't go along with that i believe what the truth is about that issue you're willing to be strange and i'm a stranger here my home is in heaven for you that believe that's true for you it tells how our conversational you could say our citizenship is in heaven it's like we're a colony of heaven we're willing to be counted as a stranger but yeah it seems some christians they just blend in like chameleons you know as a younger

[20:26] christian i was a bit like that i was kind of just you know just changed my language and my way of being depending on who i was around you shouldn't be like that be a third income christian that what what people see in church is what they see in the workplace it's not that you put on a face and you pretend i'll put on a pretense but you're willing to stand for christ no matter the setting willing to bear his cross willing to be seen as strange to this world willing to think live act look talk different that your standards your priorities your values are different because they're from that heavenly country you're a stranger here it's like we've got a different alphabet when you consider like chinese or japanese you've got the you know the abc alphabet that we're familiar with the whole thing is different because it's so revolutionary that was so strange even our speaking is strange because we're willing to speak the truth when the world's speaking lies we're willing to speak the truth even our sense of humor is different we don't find those dirty coarse jokes uh funny we don't use the crass and vulgar words that our world uses we we measure our words we don't swear words don't come out of our mouth because it's not in our vocabulary we're so strange we're strange in how we look we care about modesty we're revolutionary we're strangers here even in our lifestyles it's our entertainment is different it's like if you could compare for example in spain they're out there spiking and and uh and and killing um uh bulls in bullfights in spain that that's an entertainment that isn't in australia thank god for that and you think of that as christians that's the entertainment is different we're from another country it's like if we come from spain or if we're from australia that this is different and so is christians too we are different how we make use of our time now that doesn't mean it's sinful for you to go and play golf or or whatever it be you know you might have you know those persuasions i'm not saying they're necessarily uh evil but there's a sense where we strange in in what is clearly and plainly worldly entertainment is strange to us we don't want to and we delight in our lord we delight in his will in his word you know some would resort to gambling for us as a christian we know that gambling is wrong the the pokies it's wrong it's it's sin we don't want that we've got a different country that we come from there's a different flag flying over us a different authority that we come under the government should be upon his shoulders and we're strangers here our allegiance is different think of it back in the the days of acts their allegiance was questioned the early christians had to fall into line with the romans where everyone had to call caesar lord they literally had to confess caesar as lord and uh give some token offering uh to acknowledge that they called caesar their lord but of course as believers not so for us jesus christ is the lord my lord jesus is my lord and they were willing to confess christ that at the cost of their own life the bible tells how the god of this world runs the show we've got a different god not the god of this world the god of that world who will be the god of this world and he'll overtake the temporary god of this world friends the trouble is a lot of folk who have taken on the language the look the lifestyle and ultimately the lord of this world we've got another country we're strangers here and so we're talking about the characteristics of revolutionaries we should be staros we should be strangers and thirdly we should be stickers

[24:32] we need to be stickers we need to be like super glue that's what we need to be we need to stick stick through stick with god stick thick and thin there's a problem with stickability these days i put to you the problem is stickability people don't stick at things they don't stick at churches they don't stick at their confession of faith they don't stick with the stand that they profess their wishy-washy wandering a real revolutionary is a sticker you know they will hold fast to their cause they will hold fast no matter how great the cost no matter how severe the opposition absolutely nothing will shake a revolutionary here's what one preacher reflected about the revolution that was communism and of course we we certainly don't recommend communism but just to compare as an analogy as a metaphor and he says this we're challenged to dedicate and devote our lives to the cause of christ as the communists do to communism we cannot accept their creed but we must admire their zeal and their readiness to sacrifice themselves to the very utmost and even to lay down their lives for a cause that they believe is going to make the world a better place i've seen communists in universities passionately attempting to win their associates to communism how many christian students in our universities today have ever attempted to win other students to christ how many of you on the jobs have ever attempted to win others to christ were today that the christian's fire was burning with the same intensity in the hearts of christians as the communist fire is burning in the hearts of communists we must match the evangelistic passion of the communists we must unreservedly commit ourselves to the cause of christ end quote it's truth there isn't it think of the communists you know they lay down their lives for this political cause you know there's people with political persuasions in australia that are just completely fanatical about you know the greenies the the lefties the red ones the the blue ones they just get you know some people are so focused and and so uh stuck on this this this this zeal this this devotion to their cause and all in vain friends what about we that are the church of the living god that we are the people of the living god how do we compare friends sometimes i put to you i can be wishy-washy well it's easy to be wishy-washy it's the easy way isn't it to be wishy-washy but we should be like super glue we should uh and and faith is talked about in in many kind of iterations that it's compared to like a seed it's also the sense of the word faith it's got a sense of of adherence uh faith has got a sense of sticking the faith should be a sticky thing and instead of something sticking and i don't mean to make light of this but this is actually the meaning the greek meaning of the word faith is that it's sticking it's a cleaving it's adhering it's a it's you're stuck you're stuck that's when when we trust christ it's like that it's super glue that's that's what we need to be that's the kind of faith that he gives to us it's not a post-it note kind of glue you know the kind of glue that's you peel peel off like a post-it note but it's super glue that's the kind of faith that we have as god's people and it's that faith that that holds us together he holds us to himself he holds us together are we falling apart we could use some glue it's the faith the super glue faith uh and we must have that faith that god gives that and it talks about how the the word is mixed with faith you know we can hear it but we need the faith to be mixed with it you know

[28:39] get the uh get the mixing bowl uh get the word in and mix it put it put some faith in there well god god puts the faith in and he mixes the word with faith in those that hear it that's what we need now you can hear preaching uh morning noon night sunday night sunday morning uh midweek but if it's not mixed with faith that's the problem it's that doesn't help but faith comes by hearing hearing by the word of god god wants faith mixed with his word that will believe it that will receive it that will stick to it that will be stuck on the faith will be stuck uh stick us onto the word of god and so i'm just trying to illustrate that just in some fashion that you can capture that thought that that we stick us we stick on the word of god we stuck on the word of god in acts 11 23 barnabas encouraged the people continuously to cleave to the lord with purpose of heart and when he saw the grace of god it says he was glad he exhorted them all with purpose of heart they would clean a stick that's in sense cleave a stick to adhere to to hold fast that to hold to the word of god to cleave to the lord to be faithful to the lord that's the kind of revolutionary faith that we have as god's people tell us how the early people in the church days of acts 2 that they steadfastly uh were continuing in the apostles doctrine the teaching the fellowship the breaking of bread the prayers faith is something that you hold fast to god is it you're stuck you're stuck to him in faith you receive and faith is something that is not static but it's growing the lord said often thy faith have made me whole without faith we're not whole we're incomplete we read in 2 thessalonians 1 verse 3 paul says your faith groweth exceedingly your charity abounds he says can it be said of you that your faith grows exceedingly now sometimes we you know of course we save by faith and that's a one stand for all we're saved that's it we're saved guaranteed yet we stay there it's static god wants our faith to grow exceedingly he wants your faith to grow he wants you to go from faith to faith from glory to glory to advance to grow to blossom to flourish in your faith and that that'll be a steadfast thing as he exhorts the corinthians be steadfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the lord friends revolutionaries revolutionaries they're willing to be stirrers they they're willing to be stickers what was the other one oh i've already forgotten that's i've got a terrible memory from okay strangers yeah that's right someone's listening thanks i know it's pretty bad when the preacher forgets his main points but friends clean to that which is right clean to that which is right it says here in romans 12 that we should abhor hate that which is evil clear to that which is good again this is word cleave the sense that we should be this would be something when we believe god we're stuck we we cleave to that which is good we we fasten to it it's got the sense of being habitually gluing or welding yourself to it you know you that are welders or obscene welding in a sense where we're just just so yeah just so close so firmly fixed and adhering to him the sense of gluing or welding ourselves so that which is good friends it's the truth that you are meant to be a revolutionary it's like we're ambassadors for christ

[32:49] christ that we actually represent him as though he besieged others through us with that message it's a huge responsibility every one of us have you that profess to be a christian you are a representative of the lord jesus christ you know forget any other worldly responsibility you might have you know you might be you might be a ksc shop system and you wear the uniform with pride ksc you've got the hats on and you wear the uniform you represent the company the kfc company you represent the food you represent the image that is kfc how much more important you that actually say i'm a representative of jesus christ do we get that sometimes i think we miss that don't we that we wear the uniform that's a huge responsibility and when people look at you they would judge christ by you it's like some of judge kfc by the by the you know the shop assistant that might have some maybe lack personal hygiene or or be doing things you don't think people should be serving my food do this or that or you know they represent the organization you represent christ that should make some that should perhaps you uh and make a think shouldn't it you wear the uniform it says that you should put on the lord jesus christ and it's got the sense of being able to clothe ourselves with the lord jesus christ that's amazing really isn't it that we're actually clothed with the lord jesus christ so make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof so you're a revolutionary it's a big responsibility for you you bear his name you are a revolutionary so think of it personally now how about you are you stirred enough are you stirred or are you stagnant we should be stirred and we should be stirring are you strange enough or you just kind of fit in and people don't even know you're a christian it's like you just laugh and joke along with all the smutty jokes and all the worldly thinking and you don't ever say anything that's different that's strange you know you're not willing to be counted strange you just want to be one of the boys one of the girls friends we shouldn't be like that are you sticky enough that actually i'm stuck on him he can't let me go and i can't let him go i'm a sticky christian i stick with god and yeah there's there's no separation friends let me leave you with a challenge biblical christianity is totally radical it's totally revolutionary being a revolutionary christian think of it you should be a stirrer make an impact on team on your world make an impact on your world be a stirrer for christ be a stranger for christ to be willing to be different from the world and be a sticker in the sense that you stick with jesus through thick and thin think of it i'm just going to quote it now it's a bit of a long quote but again it's along this theme of revolution of revolution of revolutionaries so i'm going to quote this uh extract that that spoke to me just today communist lannon once said this with a handful of dedicated people who will give me their lives i will control the world that's what he said at the start a handful of dedicated people who will give me their lives i will control the world when we heard this kind of statement uh in 1903 there was one man with 17 followers you know less than what we've got here tonight one man with 17 followers in 1903 he began his attack on the world and by 1918 the number had increased to 40 000 and that 40 000 gained control of the 160 million people of russia and the movement has gone on now uh that controls over one third of the population of the world of course we know it's waxed and waned a bit but it's had a huge

[36:56] influence on the whole world hasn't it communism 17 people that's where it started another quote here of a preacher who was writing about an american college student and this american college student was converted to communism in mexico and he wrote a letter to explain to his fiancee that he had to break off their engagement he said you know i'm a communist now i'm going to break off my engagement here's what he said listen to these words think of the the revolutionary words you're listening to here today of a revolutionary communist he says this i quote we communists have a high casualty rate we're the ones who get slandered and ridiculed and fired from our jobs and in every other way made as uncomfortable as possible a certain percentage of us get killed or in prison we live in virtual poverty we turn back to the party every penny we make above what is absolutely necessary to keep us alive we communists don't have time or the money from any movies or concerts or t-bone steaks or decent homes and new cars we've been described as fanatics we are fanatics our lives are dominated by one great overshadowing factor the struggle for world communism we communists have a philosophy of life which no amount of money could buy we have a cause to fight for a definite purpose in life we subordinate our petty personal selves into a great movement of humanity and if our personal lives seem hard or our egos appear to suffer through subordination to the party then we are adequately compensated by the fact that each of us is in his small way contributing to something new and true and better for mankind the communist cause is my life my business my religion my hobby my sweetheart my wife and mistress my bread and meat i work at it in the daytime and dream of it at night its hold on me grows not lessens as time goes on therefore i cannot carry on a friendship a love affair or even a conversation without relating it to this force which both guides and drives my life i evaluate people books ideas and actions according to how they affect the communist cause and by their attitude toward it i've already been in jail because of my ideas and if necessary i'm ready to go to the the firing squad end quote think of it this is a communist talking what about us aren't we so weak i'm talking of me in comparison honestly brothers sisters isn't it time we thought about the revolutionary message that we have in our hands this book that people have bled and died for that we could translate it and hold it in our hands in our language today people are bled for this book that we might have it friends if communists can be so devoted as that to to a cause which is vain and empty and devoid of truth and hope if communists can devote themselves to that philosophy how much more should we how much more should we devote ourselves to pour ourselves out in devotion to our lord to be truly revolutionaries in all of our thinking and ways of living in that glorious message that the precious savior that we know and love this is there not a cause in a sense is there not a cause it's far beyond any religion any philosophy any political movement and and the social movement as well as that i'm sure

[41:02]  there's good intentions amongst the communists but it's vain it's empty and friends we have something much more important a much more important message a much more important reason for devotion so i i urge you tonight be a revolutionary let's pray lord we thank you that when your early church came to town they turned the world upside down they caused a stir and lord we want to be such a people that we won't just blend in but we'll be willing to be strangers we'll be willing to have a devotion that marks us even for uh the firing squad lord that we would be such a people that we'll have such a love such a devotion that we'll have such a a super glue faith that uh lord uh we we will hold fast to that which is good and lord help us to be um mindful how people judge even you by us by what we do let us be mindful that we are to be a revolutionary people with a revolutionary message and lord it's all thanks to your grace we pray each one here tonight might know that assurance of salvation which is only by faith through your grace lord that we can receive that wonderful gift and know for sure that we are a heavenly people lord help us to know that each one and to live like it we pray for your glory and praise we ask in jesus name amen a