Well, good morning. This is the second week of a two-week break from our verse-by-verse exposition of John's gospel.
! But I'd still like for you to join me in John's gospel in chapter 17 and verse 3.
This will be the first text that we'll turn to today.
This morning we're going to think a bit together about when and how to leave a church.
If you are going to be connected meaningfully to the life of a church, you will experience the loss of people that you care about.
It is inevitable that people will leave a church.
Some for legitimate, reasonable, healthy reasons.
Reasons that we would be glad to send people out of our church.
And their departure, it's handled with great maturity.
We walk together through that process.
Sometimes, this is sadly not the case.
So today I want to take a bit of time to think about good reasons to leave a church.
With some additional comments about when and how not to.
We don't have a lot of explicit biblical data to derive conclusions from on this topic.
We do see in the Bible people sent from one place to another for a particular purpose.
And we do see letters commending the acceptance of people sent.
However, our complex Christian society requires that we come to some conclusions implicitly.
Which I hope to help us do so faithfully.
By complex, I mean we live in a saturated marketplace, if you'll allow.
There are churches all over.
So how do we navigate both joining a church and then in some cases, leaving one?
All of that said, do be discerning.
Anytime you hear teaching from the Bible.
A guest, a guest member.
Anytime you hear teaching from the Bible.
Especially so when the Bible is approached topically and implicitly.
So be discerning.
Anytime we open God's Word together.
Be especially so this morning.
It's easy.
We have seen people do this over and over and over again.
To use the Bible to say what they want to say.
And that's certainly not my desire this morning.
I want you to hold me accountable.
Are we being faithful to the text as we try to derive wisdom from it on topics like this?
Now, so much could be said here.
I could go on and on and on.
I've been a pastor now for almost 17 years.
And so I have experienced loss across those years.
So to keep me from just rambling on,
I've structured our time around three characteristics of a local church
that I think will help us think well on this matter.
So a bit of an outline for you to my rambling.
And here it is.
The church is, number one, theological, confessional, and therefore convictional.
And you'll actually find this in your bulletin this morning.
Secondly, the church is relational.
And thirdly, the church is missional.
Let's pray together.
Father, as we take some time this morning to think on this topic,
I pray that you would help us to do so biblically.
I've got a spattering of texts throughout my notes.
I pray that you'll help us to take them up and to think about them,
your word and how it applies to this particular matter.
Help us to have our affections for you increase as we spend these moments together.
And help us to have our affections for the thing you are most affectionate for,
your church also increase.
We need your help.
If anything is going to be done this morning that is of any real benefit to any of us,
we certainly need your spirit to work in us, in my speaking and in our hearing.
I pray that you'd apply this carefully to our hearts.
We pray this for your glory in Christ's name.
Amen.
So when to leave a church.
First, the church is theological.
And I could say it's theological and therefore confessional and therefore convictional.
A church is a group of people who gather regularly for a specific purpose.
What is that purpose?
Church is made up of Christian people and we gather to worship our God for his glory and our good.
That's why we do this.
Lots of other great things happen in the life of a church, right?
Eggs are exchanged.
And essential oils purchased.
But that's not why we exist as a church.
Neat byproducts, right?
It is altogether possible.
And we should not miss this.
It's altogether possible to worship the right God wrongly
or to have the trappings of worship in order.
So appearance of right worship.
But to worship a God of our own making.
So the church must be.
It is necessarily theological.
We have to do theology to be a church.
The study of God.
And we study his word so that we can know him by it.
How do you turn to John chapter 17 and verse 3.
Here Jesus says,
And this is eternal life.
I want the definition of eternal life for me.
What is eternal life?
This is eternal life.
That they know you.
The only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
To be a Christian is to be a theologian.
Not merely to know about God, but to know him.
That's a serious thing that we do.
And we ought to do it seriously.
J.I. Packer in his seminal work, Knowing God, said this.
Quote,
What is my ultimate aim and object in occupying my mind with the things of God?
What do I intend to do with my knowledge about God once I have it?
For the fact that we have to face is this.
If we pursue theological knowledge for its own sake,
it is bound to go bad on us.
End quote.
It's going to lead to pride.
It's going to puff us up.
We want to know God and therefore live our lives in accordance with his commands.
And so, the church, it must be theological.
And it should be no surprise to anybody that it is.
We read and we pray and we read out loud to one another.
And we sing and we preach and we hear preached.
The word of God.
We are theological.
And because of that, we have to decide what the Bible says about some things.
We can't say we're theological, study God's word to know him by it,
and then shrug our shoulders about what he teaches from it.
We ought to say it says something.
And churches do this, of course.
And so, we're confessional.
We write down what we believe the Bible says.
And because of this, we are therefore convictional, or should be at very least.
Right?
What we believe the Bible teaches about something,
we ought to actually live in accordance with that.
So, should you leave a church, if anyone in the church disagrees with you about anything?
Certainly not.
There are people who think in this way.
If so, each of us would be left to our private study.
And we would all be worse for it.
Not a single one of us doesn't need the church to help us to grow in the truth.
So then, if that's not the case,
what does constitute a significant enough disagreement to leave a church over?
How should we think about this?
And thus, I parade in the idea, once again, to you of theological triage.
So, in your notes, I've listed this out for you.
I've listed it in order.
First, second, third, fourth.
Although, I'm going to talk about it a little bit out of order.
If you're entirely new to the concept,
the idea of triage is assigning importance to something.
So, my classic example is,
if a bus of people was in an accident,
and they all got rushed to the emergency room,
very quickly, a charge nurse or doctor is going to assign importance to the injuries that are being experienced there.
Right?
What needs the most attention?
And we can give the same concept to theology.
Those doctrines that we hold.
So, the last of these, and I like to say them this way because I like to say the word quaternary.
Quaternary doctrine, or fourth order doctrine.
I used to say it's unimportant, but I like to say it this way instead.
It's important for no one.
Stuff that just doesn't matter.
My example is always, is there life on other planets?
Interesting to think about.
Important for no one.
We'll see.
I don't care.
Then, we can pick up tertiary doctrine, or third order doctrine,
which is important for you.
Right?
Not unimportant, but important for you,
and perhaps your family,
and those that you have influence over.
So, these are things that you ought to have some conviction about,
but we don't all have to share the exact same conviction.
So, an example might be,
what kind of television do we allow in our homes?
Some allow no television in their home.
That's a fine conviction to have.
Some allow for some.
There are certainly some television no Christian should allow in their home,
but there's some gray area in between.
How are we trying to be wise in what we allow into our home?
Another example I thought about this morning,
as I got ready for the morning,
how do we think about our Second Amendment rights?
Men, do you carry?
Do you not carry?
Are there convictions that back the actions that you take?
We don't have to agree on this
to be Christians in fellowship together.
So, turn with me and let me show you an example of this from Romans chapter 14.
This is the first six verses.
This lays out this idea for us.
There Paul writes,
As for the one who is weak in faith,
welcome him,
but not to quarrel over opinions.
One person believes he may eat anything,
while the weak person eats only vegetables.
And the issue at hand here is meat offered to idols.
You could argue this is an important gospel issue,
freedom that we have in Christ.
And Paul is saying,
it's an opinion that we should not quarrel over.
Verse 3,
Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains,
and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats,
for God has welcomed him.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?
It is before his own master that he stands or falls,
and he will be upheld,
for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Another example,
although we don't know exactly the nature of it,
I think this is about the Sabbath.
One person esteems one day as better than another,
while another esteems all days alike.
Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
The one who observes the day observes it in honor of the Lord.
The one who eats,
eats in honor of the Lord,
since he gives thanks to God.
While the one who abstains,
abstains in honor of the Lord,
and gives thanks to God.
So there are convictions at work here,
all meant to please God.
Tertiary,
third order,
important for you.
And I'll tell you, beloved,
I like conversations in this realm,
because I want to be wise.
I want to think about God's commands,
and how to apply them in the world in which we live.
No one's having conversations in Paul's day
about whether or not to put a gun on their back
before they put on their jacket.
They're not talking about this.
So help me think.
Think with me.
Let's take up God's word.
Let's push and pull at each other,
and let's not divide over things that fall into this category.
Okay, back to the top.
Primary doctrine.
First order doctrine.
Doctrine that is important for everyone.
Everyone needs the good news of Jesus Christ.
These would be doctrines,
truths that must be believed in order for a person to be saved.
I said to you all through our study of Romans here recently,
that that's the hill we want to die on.
Because people are dying.
We want to stand firm on those doctrines
that people must believe
that they might have the salvation of their souls.
Primary doctrine.
So, there's a creator God
who is holy
and has a standard by which we are to live.
He is the creator.
We are creation.
He has the right to demand something of us.
And all of us have failed to live up to that standard.
All of us have broken His commands.
We call this failure sin.
And it creates a great problem for us.
The greatest of problems.
We often speak of the world as broken.
And it is, to be sure.
When we speak of ourselves,
apart from God's intervening work,
we are dead because of sin.
And eternal death is what belongs to us.
But Jesus, God incarnate,
came and lived a perfect life.
He did not inherit Adam's guilt
because he was born of a different line.
He was born of a virgin.
Mary.
He kept the law perfectly.
He fulfilled that demand of God on us
so that He could give it to us by faith.
He died a sacrificial death
so that He could take away the penalty
that our sin has bought for us.
And He was raised on the third day.
Triumphed over death.
Showed Himself.
Proved that He was in fact God incarnate.
The Messiah.
The One who takes away the sins of the world.
And so now, we can repent.
And we can believe.
We can cling to Him
and have this beautiful transaction happen between us
where He takes away our punishment
and gives to us His righteousness
so that we can be justified
and adopted into God's family.
Justified by grace through faith
in Christ alone.
First order doctrines
important for everyone.
Jude, verse 3 and 4.
Jude writes,
Beloved, although I was very eager
to write to you about our common salvation,
I found it necessary to write appealing to you,
contend for the faith
that was once for all delivered to the saints.
I think this is what he's talking about.
First order types of doctrines.
The faith once for all delivered to the saints.
Why do I think this?
Because in verse 4 he says,
For certain people have crept in unnoticed
who long ago were designated for this condemnation,
ungodly people
who pervert the grace of our God
into sensuality
and deny our only Master and Lord,
Jesus Christ.
Undermine the gospel itself.
And he's writing to them
to contend for that faith.
Primary doctrine.
It matters greatly.
And then we come to secondary doctrine
or second order doctrine,
which is important for us.
These are the types of doctrines
that are good for us to generally agree on
to be in fellowship in a church.
They're going to define our practice
and in some cases possibly define sin.
What will a church determine to be sin or otherwise?
Some examples.
Like via view on divorce
and or remarriage after divorce.
There are some disparate views out there
and we should know what we think is allowed
and not allowed with some boundaries.
Right?
The regulative principle.
Right?
How do we think we are supposed to gather together?
What does the Scripture say we should do
when we come together?
And then there's always the classic example
of our view on baptism.
Right?
A way that we are theological
and then confessional
and then convictional.
We're going to practice this ordinance
in a particular way
because of what we believe
the Scripture teaches on the matter.
So our church has two confessional standards.
Right?
We ask of every member of our church
to affirm,
so fully agree with,
the Apostles' Creed.
This is not a big ask.
It's first order kind of stuff.
Things we should believe to be true
in order to be saved.
And then we have a much denser document
that we approved this year,
Providence Baptist Church Confession of Faith.
It's a lot more.
There's a lot more going on in this.
But we don't expect that everybody in the church
fully comprehends or fully agrees
with everything found in this document.
We ask that our elders affirm this document
and that it's the teaching standard
for the church.
So it contains within it
those things that are first order
and those things that are second order doctrines.
Right?
We have to have some views about some things.
It's important that we are theological,
confessional,
and convictional.
So,
Christian people
need to be thinking
in this way
and wrapping up
their thoughts about
when to leave a church
with those things
that are of
secondary
order.
If you're debating over first order stuff,
we'd love to talk with you
and teach you,
but you just may not be a Christian.
Okay?
If you're all a Christian,
you believe those first order,
important gospel doctrines,
there's a lot of things
that can be considered
in that second category.
Again,
baptism,
a very classic example of this.
There are reasons
that there are
paedo-baptist churches
in our community
that baptize infants
and churches that don't
only baptize
professing Christians.
But as we do this,
the very best
Christian thinking
is,
number one,
deferential.
Deferential.
That is,
respectful
and
humble.
You and I
only know
anything
that we know
because of the grace of God.
I have not arrived
at any grand truth
on my own.
I would be
cut off from,
I would not know,
would not behold
any of the majesty,
could not take up the Bible
and read
if it wasn't for
the grace of God
in my life.
So we ought to think together
and we ought to do so
deferentially
in this way.
Now you may know
that I love church history.
This is the primary reason
that I love it,
right?
Among some other things.
And that is because
church history has taught me
that I am
currently wrong
about something.
There's
no character
in church history
as much as we
appreciate them
that was right
about everything.
You can identify it.
Oop,
can't agree with them
on that matter.
That has to mean
that I am currently
wrong
about something.
If I knew what it was,
I would fix it
immediately,
but I don't
know
what it is.
And so I want to be
humble.
You're in the same boat
as I am.
All learning,
sorting,
right?
Approaching God's Word
with humility.
To me,
just the second point,
the very best Christian
thinking is
biblical.
Of course,
right?
Of course.
This goes
without saying
Christians should
think biblically
and I do mean that.
They should think
biblically.
They should take up
the Bible.
But beyond that,
I mean
that we should spend
way more time
in our Bibles
than we do
in other formats.
Hear this
way more time
than we do
listening to podcasts
or watching
our favorite guy
on YouTube
or
in books.
You know how I love
books.
Or even
from
sermons.
books.
You should spend
lots of time
in your Bible.
If I could
snap my fingers
if it was granted
to me to snap
my fingers
and do something
for the health
of our church,
this is what I would
ask of our church.
That everybody
read their Bible
every day.
Meditate on
its truths
and pray it.
I would ask
God
that they would
believe what the
Bible teaches
and that he would
do what he said
he's going
to do
and we wouldn't
be on social media.
Social media
is not necessarily
evil,
but we're getting
far too much
from it
than we
should.
Meet with God
in the Bible.
Something happens
in our culture.
A hot moment
happens.
Let God's
word be the
thing that
springs into
your mind.
Not some
guy you think
is going to
have an opinion
about the
matter.
Rush off to
see what he
or she
might have
to say.
Let God
speak to you
about the
issue at
hand.
It is far
too easy
to be convinced.
I'm in the
same boat
with you on
this.
It's far
too easy
to be convinced
of something
by someone
articulate
who references
the Bible
rather than
thinking
biblically.
So the very
best Christian
thinking is
deferential,
it is
biblical,
and thirdly,
it is
relational.
It's
relational.
Think with
others
who know
you
and who
can keep
an eye
on you.
And beloved,
this means
that we
have to
slow our
thinking
down
sometimes.
Did you
know that
you don't
have to
form a
strong
opinion
about
stuff
in a
week?
Social
media
would have
you think
otherwise.
So you
can take
a little
time,
slow down,
take a
beat,
think
carefully,
and think
with
others,
right?
You can
have the
right
doctrine,
but you
can hold
it wrongly,
create pride
in you,
misapply it
in some
way.
Allow
your
pastors
the
privilege
of
thinking
with
you.
We
want to
walk
through
complicated
things.
We're
trying to
think
too
and
think
biblically.
And I
will tell
you,
speaking on
behalf of
your
elders,
we often
feel like
a quiet
whisper in
the corner
of a very
loud room.
And I
just don't
think this
should be
the case.
I don't
think that
I should
have to
compete
with
whatever
talking
head
is out
there
on
the
internet.
I can
tell you
this,
I'm not
going to
compete
in the
same
medium.
I'm
not
gifted
enough
to do
that.
If I
spent all
my time
trying to
produce
videos,
I
wouldn't
have
time
for
anything
else.
And
they
would
be
bad.
They
just
wouldn't
be
good.
I
tried
to
shoot
a
couple
videos
across
the
COVID
era,
and it
took me
forever
to do
it.
Boy,
I was
pitiful
at the
whole
process.
Perhaps
because we
know each
other.
There's
some
relational
equity
here.
There's
some
God-given
authority
for the
way a
church
ought to
function.
We
could
talk a
little
more
and
arrive
at
truth
together.
We
want
to
think
with
you.
And
if we
don't
do
this
together,
you
may
miss
out
on
some
correction
of your
beliefs
or
attitudes,
maybe
some
warning
for
believing
something
that could
be totally
true,
but where
it could
lead.
And then
hear this
really
carefully,
we may
miss out
on the
same.
Love me
enough
to think
with me
because I'm
not going
to be
perfect
all the
time,
and I
need
you
to also
help
me
to
think.
So the
very best
Christian
thinking is
going to
happen
in this
way.
And it
means at
times we're
going to
arrive at
different
conclusions.
Faithful
Christians
throughout
history
have
arrived
at
different
conclusions.
Again,
the matter
of
baptism.
Pado-baptists
and
credo-baptists.
One of us
are right
or we're
both very
wrong.
I don't
know,
but we've
arrived at
different
conclusions
for centuries
and that's
probably going
to continue
to happen,
but let's
do it
together.
Let's
walk that
process
out
in
relationship
with one
another.
So that
was the
first
point.
First
big
point.
The church
is
theological,
confessional,
and therefore
convictional.
Secondly,
the church
is relational.
The church
is relational.
This is
Ephesians
chapter 4.
Paul says,
I urge you
to walk
in a manner
worthy of
the calling
to which
you have
been
called.
Like,
to the
gospel,
to pursuing
Christ,
walk in
a manner
worthy of
that,
with all
humility
and gentleness,
with patience,
bearing with
one another
in love,
eager to
maintain the
unity of
the Spirit
in the
bond of
peace.
There is
a divine
reality that
if we are
in Christ,
there is a
unity of
the Spirit.
And Paul
is exhorting
us here
to do
the work
of maintaining
that unity.
There is a
way,
I have made
the case
to you
before,
for us
to disagree
agreeably,
to be
humble
and gentle
and patient
and to
bear with
one another.
People are
a mess.
the church
is messy
because it
is made
up of
imperfect
people on
a journey
toward
glory.
If me
being here,
a member
of this
church
first,
a pastor
of this
church
second,
was contingent
on me
always enjoying
all of you,
I would have
left a long
time ago.
I don't
always like
you.
I love you
a ton.
There's a
huge difference.
Willing to
walk with
people through
all the
messiness
that we
are,
to not be
so easily
offended all
the time,
to set aside
our own
preferences for
the sake
of others'
preferences,
to have
hard conversations
when you feel
offended by
something that
somebody says.
It's
difficult work
to walk with
people throughout
the entirety
of your
life.
And we
shouldn't
cut and
run on
one another
when things
get
uncomfortable.
Charles
Spurgeon
once said,
this is in
your bulletin,
quote,
the day we
find the
perfect church,
it becomes
imperfect the
moment we
join it.
End quote.
The people
of a church
are not a
commodity
for your
consumption.
You shouldn't
show up,
prospective
church,
join the
church,
expecting this
group of
people is
there in
order for
you to
be served
with all
of your
stuff.
The
leadership of
a church
is not a
commodity
for consumption.
If you
are here,
even if you
have yet to
join the
church,
if you
are here,
if you
come to
this spot
and join
us on
Sunday
morning for
any period
of time,
I want you
to hear this
with such
clarity.
I love
you.
I'm not
particularly
a people
person.
I have
a very
limited
capacity
and energy
to really
know people.
The Lord
has put me
in a position
where I
am desperate
for him
to work
beyond my
natural
gifting.
I will
tell you
that he
puts a
love in
me for
you.
You just
show up.
Show up a
couple Sundays
in a row
and I want
to serve
you.
And I
want to
serve your
family.
I want
to lead
you in
the truth.
I want
to see
you grow
in your
affections
for our
God,
grow in
holiness,
serve
sacrificially
for your
eternal
joy.
I want
to do
all of
that.
Every
man that
serves as
a pastor
here feels
the exact
same way.
We
lament
together
over
departures.
It is
hard for
all of
us when
someone
leaves the
church.
Don't be
a consumer.
The
congregation
as a
whole,
us as
individuals,
it's not
good for
you.
It's not
good for
us.
If I
have held
your babies
and made
them laugh,
don't ghost
me.
I love
you.
So,
for what
relational
reason might
you leave
a church?
So,
I have not
given you
any reason.
I have
said,
I have
given you
any
reasons
to do,
I think,
I think
this,
when it
makes a
lot of
sense,
when your
connections
throughout the
week with
other
Christians,
those you
are serving
and those
that serve
you,
those
Christians
just all
happen to
be part
of another
healthy
church.
It just
starts to
make sense
that all
of the
relational
connections
that you
have are
happening
someplace else
on Sunday
mornings,
that it
really might
make a
lot of
sense for
you to
walk more
closely with
those people
than those
that you
covenanted
with.
I intended
to read it
all,
but for the
sake of
time,
I'm going
to skip
over reading
our covenant
to you.
It's there
in the
bulletin.
Church members,
these are the
commitments that
we've made
to one another,
each of us,
to everyone.
Perspective
members,
these are the
commitments that
we make to
each other,
and we
would make
to you,
should you
join our
church.
Thirdly,
briefly,
the church
is missional.
The church
is missional.
Matthew 28,
verse 18-20,
Jesus came
and said to
them,
all authority
in heaven
and on earth
has been
given to
me.
I have
all the
authority,
so go.
Go,
therefore,
and make
disciples of
all nations,
baptizing them
in the name
of the Father
and the Son
and the Holy
Spirit,
teaching them
to observe
all that I
have commanded
you,
and behold,
I am with
you always
to the end
of the age.
The church
is at the
center of
the Great
Commission.
Baptizing,
it's an
ordinance of
the church,
teaching the
observation
of all
things.
This is
discipleship
happening in
the life
of a church.
And it is
empowered
by Christ.
He has
all the
authority
and he is
with us
to the
very end
of the
age.
The mission
of the
church
necessitates
going.
All of us
are going.
We're here
right now,
but after this
we're going
to go.
In our
going,
we're to
make
disciples
of all
nations.
we're
to be
about this
as Christian
people
and as
a local
church
gathered.
And praise
God that
he sends
people from
this local
church to
other
places
in order to
expand his
kingdom.
So God may
send you
elsewhere
because of
work.
It could be
that you're
being led to
another place
because of a
job,
an opportunity
that you
would consider
taking up
and joining
another church
in that
place.
God may
send you
elsewhere for
particular
ministry work.
We've got
Matthew
Carnegie, a member
of our church
in Texas right
now at
language school
preparing himself
to go and do
translation work.
And Ms.
Wimke, who's
back from
the same
school and is
getting ready
to go do
Bible translation
work.
Chandler and
Hannah
Girton,
preparing now.
These are
people we're
going to say
goodbye to,
who are going
to depart
from our
congregation
to go and
do important
gospel work.
Lots of
kinds of
going.
We leave
this place
to gather
again,
and then we
go back out
again to
gather, I
hope, more
people who
need to hear
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ.
It doesn't
have to happen
in a foreign
context.
Not just
that way,
there may
be a
local church
that needs
your
service.
Just a
couple of
years ago,
a handful
of families,
I think it
was five,
to a church
in Gillsville
that needed
some help.
They needed
some people
to come
along and
walk with
them.
They're doing
well, a
good service
in that
place.
We are
kingdom
people.
We're not
just trying
to build
our
kingdom.
We want
to see
God work
through us
to build
His
kingdom.
So there's
a chance
that God
may lead
you some
other place,
but go
to serve,
not to be
served.
I hear too
many of
those.
I'm looking
for something.
You guys
don't have
it.
I think
they do.
And what I
can tell you
with confidence,
confidence,
if you
function the
life of a
church with
a fear of
missing out
mantra,
you will
definitely
miss out
on what
the church
can offer
you.
If you're
always bouncing
to the next
thing because
you think
it's going
to be the
thing that's
going to give
you the
feels that
you hope
to have,
you will
never have
deep
relationship
on mission
with God's
people.
So,
I hope that
frames it up
for you just
a bit.
When?
Now,
how?
I've
mentioned a
few things,
but let me
flip the
entire
definition,
words,
on its
head.
How to
leave a
church?
Let me
say this.
Don't.
Instead,
be sent
by your
church
to another
church.
If you
are a
part of
a healthy
church,
and we
pray and
we labor
for this
to be
such a
church,
to work
with and
walk with
people in
this kind
of way,
if you're
part of a
healthy
church,
then that
church will
gladly send
you for
good reasons,
to help you
think and
discern,
is God
leading you
to another
place?
And if he
is,
then we
will gladly
send you
to that
place.
don't
leave,
be sent.
Walk that
process out
with a
group of
people who
love you
dearly for
your good
and for the
glory of
our great
God.
Let's pray
together.