If you're new here, or if I'm new to you, it's more than likely.
Like Ralph said, my name's Alan. I'm not the normal preaching pastor here.
I'm not even normally in Ireland. This is new for me.
But Johnny's on sabbatical, so I'm just here for a few months.
And if you want to turn to the book of Colossians, that's where we'll be this summer.
It's page 1182 in your pew Bibles there.
Page 1182. And we'll be in chapter 1, verses 3 through 8 this morning,
looking at Paul's explanation of what it means to be growing in the gospel,
or what it means for the gospel to be growing in us.
So Colossians 1, verses 3 through 8.
I'll read, and then we'll pray, and we'll dig in here.
Paul says in verse 3, he says,
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.
Because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus,
and of the love you have for all God's people.
The faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven,
and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you.
In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.
Just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it,
and truly understood God's grace.
You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,
who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Let's pray.
Father, would you be with us this morning?
Would you be glorified through the proclamation of your word?
Would you open our eyes that we would see,
open our ears that we would hear,
that we would clearly see the truth of the gospel in your scriptures?
Would we not try to change your word to fit our demands for this world?
But would you change us by your Spirit?
Would you conform us more and more to the image of your Son, Jesus Christ?
It's in His name we pray.
Amen.
Alright, we're going to step backwards a little bit this morning.
So, keep your finger or a bookmark in Colossians,
and then I'm going to ask you to go all the way back to Genesis 1.
And if you don't know where that is,
just go to the beginning of your Bible,
and turn the page, and you're there.
Well, you might get a table of contents.
But after the table of contents comes Genesis 1.
It's the very beginning of the Bible.
And Genesis chapters 1 and 2 are what we call the creation account.
Okay, and if you're not familiar with this part of the Bible, it's okay.
Genesis 1 is going to give you the big picture view of creation.
And then Genesis 2 is going to zoom in.
I'm from Southern California, so I like movie thinking.
Zoom in with the camera real close into the Garden of Eden,
and you're going to see the first two human beings, Adam and Eve,
in the Garden of Eden.
And what we see in the Garden is that God gives three different commands to the first humans.
Okay, the one that's the most well-known is actually the third command.
And that is,
Do not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Okay, we probably hear that one the most.
Do not eat the forbidden fruit.
But that's the third command in the account of creation.
The one we probably know just a little bit less,
but you might have heard before,
is the command of dominion.
That's the second command.
That mankind, man and woman, together,
they should rule over and care for planet Earth.
They should, in a wise and skillful and loving way,
steward all of this creation that God has given us.
Okay, He created the heavens and the earth.
He created the skies and the seas and the land,
and all the things that are there,
the birds and the fish and the animals.
And then He puts man and woman in charge,
and He says,
now take care of it.
Rule with wisdom and skill,
and take care.
He says to work the garden,
and to take care of it.
Work there literally means to till the land.
Anybody that has ever been in a garden knows you have to work the garden a little bit.
You've got to encourage the growth.
He says work the garden,
and then take care of it.
It means to guard it.
Guard God's creation.
Now that's the second command.
The first command.
We go just to the first half of Genesis 128.
And God simply says in His first command to human beings,
He says,
Be fruitful and increase in number.
Now we have to think for a moment here what's going on.
Sin has not entered the world through humanity yet.
Adam and Eve are without sin.
So every child they have is born sinless at this point.
So every time they are fruitful and they multiply,
they are increasing God's people on planet earth.
That's the original design.
It was God's design and command
that His people,
and we looked last week at what it means to be His people,
that His people should bear fruit
and increase in number.
That's the original design.
And the problem comes in Genesis 3.
The serpent comes in and he tempts Adam and Eve.
And they clearly violate God's third command
when they eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree.
In Christianity we refer to this as
the account of the temptation in the fall.
Adam and Eve,
they fall.
Sin enters the world through humanity.
And then the Bible teaches that
every human being born of man
from that point forward
is not increasing God's people on planet earth,
but it is increasing sinful humanity.
Every one of Adam's offspring,
they perpetuate the problem of sin.
And so because of the fall,
it is sin which is fruitful
and increases on planet earth.
So God's design
increased His people on planet earth.
The fall results in an increase
in sin instead.
And then one chapter later
we see the devastation that this causes
when Cain and Abel,
brothers,
Adam and Eve's sons,
Cain rises up and attacks his brother Abel
and kills him.
And now think for a moment
what's going on.
God's people are not increasing.
But because of sin,
God's people are turning on each other.
Sin is increasing
at the cost of human life.
God says to Cain,
what have you done?
Your brother's blood
cries out to me from the ground.
And God's first command to humanity
has been not only clearly violated,
but it has turned bestial.
It has turned humans against each other.
I want you to imagine with me,
if you would, for a moment,
Adam and Eve's shame,
their disappointment,
their utter despair
as they watch even their own children
turn on each other
and kill each other,
as they watch the effects of the fall
play out in a way that
God's people are not increasing,
but sin is increasing
at the cost of human life.
And then I want you to consider with me
their shock and their joy
if they could hear Paul's words
in Colossians 1.6.
If they could hear somehow
thousands of years later,
Paul say,
the Gospel is bearing fruit
and growing
throughout the whole world.
You see, what once looked like
a long lost hope for Adam and Eve
had by Paul's day
somehow become a reality.
And that is that the Gospel
was bearing fruit
and increasing the number
of God's people
on planet Earth.
And last week we saw
that Colossae,
who Paul and Timothy
are writing to,
is just this little,
unimpressive town
at the edge of the Roman Empire
who really would have
no reason to think
that anything good
would ever bear fruit
and increase
to the point that
they would receive it.
But Paul asserts
this foundational truth
that somehow,
in his day,
the Gospel is fulfilling
God's original creation design
for humanity.
Somehow,
some way,
from Adam and Eve
to Paul,
the Gospel is
fulfilling God's original design
for humanity.
God is still
increasing his people
on planet Earth
against all odds,
against everything
that it looked like
was wrong
in Genesis 3
and in Genesis 4,
somehow God's made it right
by Paul's day.
And so we naturally
would ask,
well,
how is that possible?
How has God
flipped the script
on sin?
And what Paul's
assuming here,
in a way,
is that the church
of Colossae
realizes that
it's possible
because God
is increasing
his people
through faith.
See,
it's not possible
that two,
even Christian
human beings
have a child
and that person
is born as
a child of God.
Jesus makes it
very clear
in John 3
when he's talking
to Nicodemus,
it's not by
birth of the flesh,
it's not by
will of man
that someone
enters the kingdom
of God,
but it's by being
born again,
born from above,
born of faith.
Paul says,
God's people
are now
a people of faith.
And they're
bearing fruit
and increasing,
not naturally,
but supernaturally,
born from above.
And what Paul's
going to do
in this passage
now is he's
going to talk
about three things.
He's going to say
faith comes
from hearing.
And then he's
going to explain
that faith
leads to loving
and loving
leads to serving.
And what we'll
see is that
as those three
work together,
all of that
brings about
more hearing,
more faith,
more loving,
more serving,
and the gospel
increases God's
people on
planet earth
just like he
designed from
the beginning.
So first of all,
faith comes
from hearing.
Colossians 1,
we'll read
through verses
3-6 again,
and take note
of faith
and hearing.
We always
thank God,
the Father
of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
verse 3,
Paul says,
when we pray
for you.
But why is
Paul thanking
God when he
prays for them?
Because we
heard of your
faith in
Christ Jesus
and the love
you have
for all
God's people.
The faith
and love
that spring
from the
hope
stored up
for you
in heaven,
about which
you have
heard in
the true
message of
the gospel
that has
come to
you.
In the same
way,
the gospel
is bearing
fruit and
growing throughout
the whole
world,
just as it
has been
doing among
you since
the day
you heard
it and
truly understood
God's grace.
Faith comes
by hearing.
God's people
increase by
having faith
in hearing
in what they
hear in the
message of
the gospel.
So the
true message
of the gospel
came to the
people in
Colossae.
The people
heard the
true message
of the gospel.
The true
message was
about the
hope stored
up for them
in heaven.
I think we
sang it in
the second
or third
song.
The hope
stored up
for us
in heaven,
namely being
Jesus Christ.
And that
this message
led to
faith in
Jesus.
So a few
things to
note.
The word
gospel,
it just
simply means
good news.
Literally
good news
to humanity.
We have
bad news
in Genesis
3 and 4.
We need
some good
news at
that point.
And by
Paul's day
we have
good news.
That's all
that means.
Good news
to humanity.
So you
can understand
Paul to
be saying
the Colossians
heard the
true message
of the good
news that
had come
to them.
They probably
didn't get a
whole lot of
good news
in Colossae.
So they
probably took
note.
Good news
has come
to humanity.
And then
secondly,
the essence
of this
good news
is that
there is
hope
beyond what
this life
here on
earth has
to offer.
Namely,
that there is
something
greater beyond
this life.
And now,
if you're a
Christian or
if you're
not a
Christian,
we have to
just be honest
with each
other,
there's not a
ton to hope
for here on
planet earth.
There's some
good stuff.
By God's
grace,
the common
grace he's
given us,
there are some
good things on
planet earth.
But if we
really think about
what we're hoping
for in this
life on this
earth,
the list probably
gets pretty short
pretty quickly.
I'm struck being
in Ireland that we
walk past ruins.
We don't have ruins in
the United States.
We're just a couple
hundred years old.
But we walk past
ruins,
we drive past
and we visit
them,
and we call
them ruins.
Do you guys
call them ruins
too?
Is that just,
it's not just
an American thing,
we call them
ruins.
But think,
those ruins
were somebody's
dreams come
true once
upon a time.
Those ruins,
we were at the
Rock of
Castle,
the castle in
Care,
Care Castle.
And we take
a tour and we
just take
pictures and
we say,
oh,
that's really
nice,
these old
rocks.
This was
somebody's
mansion once.
I hope their
hope wasn't in
that rock.
Not that rock.
There's a man
named King Solomon
in Scripture.
He has it all.
He's the third
king of Israel.
He is the
wisest king.
He has all
wisdom.
He is
unbelievably
wealthy.
The wealth
of which you
and I will,
if we're honest
with each other,
we will never
have the kind
of money King
Solomon had.
He owns
cities.
I hope to
own a house.
He owns
cities.
He has
navies at
his command.
Armies at
his command.
orchards.
Everything you
can ever
hope for
here on
planet earth,
King Solomon
has it.
And then
at the end
in Ecclesiastes
1, he just
writes,
meaningless,
meaningless.
Utterly
meaningless.
Everything
is
meaningless.
And that
phrase is
bad news
if our
only hope
is here on
planet earth.
See,
Solomon, he
realizes he's
going to die.
The navies
will sail at
somebody else's
command.
The armies
will march to
somebody else's
orders.
His money
will go to
his kids,
which he's
looking at.
the cities
will appoint
new rulers.
The people
will get a
new king.
And he'll
be gone.
He says,
it's bad
news.
It's bad
news.
That's why
the gospel
is good
news that
there is
hope beyond
this life.
There's
hope beyond
the here
and now.
And the
good news
about this
hope is
that it's
true.
It's not
fake news,
as we would
say in the
States.
It's true
news in
Jesus Christ.
It's the
true message
of the
gospel.
As one
author notes,
that the
truth of
the gospel
is the
key that
unlocks the
mind from
slavery to
idols,
which we'll
see in a
few weeks.
It's the
light that
dispels the
darkness of
errant
thinking.
It's the
power that
liberates
and delivers
us from
the domain
of darkness,
as Paul said
in Colossians
1.13,
to the
kingdom of
the beloved
son.
The gospel
is the
true message
of the
true hope
we have
in heaven,
namely
Jesus Christ.
Christ really
lived.
He really
died.
He really
rose again.
He really
ascended to
heaven.
And that's
really where
our hope
is.
God
is the
truth.
And our
faith in
him comes
by hearing.
The people
in Colossians
say they
heard the
good news
of the
hope that
was stored
up for
them in
heaven,
the truth
of Jesus
Christ.
Let me
just pause
here for a
moment and
ask you,
if you're
not a
Christian,
if this
is newer
to you,
I'll just
throw it
out there.
Does this
make sense
to you?
If it
makes sense,
great.
If it
doesn't make
sense,
I'll be in
the back
afterwards,
come see
me and
ask me any
questions you
have.
I'll talk
with you,
one of the
elders will
talk with
you.
It is
eternally
important to
us that
this makes
sense to
you.
And I
know we
just went
fast and
in less
than 20
minutes we
covered the
majority of
scripture.
So I'm
sure you
have questions.
So it
doesn't make
sense,
come and
ask.
If it
does make
sense,
if what we
just covered
so far makes
perfect sense to
let me just be
very pointed
because I
can do
that.
I'm the
visiting
preacher and
just ask
you,
where's
your hope?
Where is
your hope?
Where was
it this
week?
Where has
it been so
far this
year?
Is it in a
promotion?
Is it in an
item?
Is it in a
thing that
moth or rust
are going to
destroy?
Is it in
your children?
Don't put
that burden
on them.
Where is
your hope?
Is your
hope
truly in
Jesus
Christ
in heaven?
It's one
thing to
say it.
It's one
thing to
just kind
of,
yeah,
I hope
in Jesus.
It's a
whole other
thing to
truly have
your hope
in Jesus.
And then
if you
would say,
yeah,
pastor,
absolutely,
my hope
is in
Jesus.
Amen.
Praise
God.
Are you
telling other
people about
it?
Are you
telling other
people about
the hope
you have
stored up
for you
in heaven?
Because to
have good
news,
to have
good news
about
something to
be hopeful
for and to
not share it
with somebody
would be
utterly
despicable.
It'd be a
tragedy.
It'd be
heartbreaking to
find out
somebody had
good news
that you,
you could put
your hope in
and they didn't
share it with
you.
we have
to love
people by
sharing the
good news
of the
gospel.
So faith
comes by
hearing,
but doesn't
stop there.
Paul says
it leads
to loving.
Look at
Colossians 1
with me
again.
Faith
comes by
hearing and
now it's
going to
lead to
loving.
Verse 4,
Paul says
we have
heard of
your faith
in Christ
Jesus and
of the
love you
have for
all God's
people.
And we
just pause
there and
say we've
heard this
before,
haven't we?
God's
people.
Yeah,
we heard
in verse 2,
that's who
he's writing
to,
God's
people in
Colossae,
same phrase.
We heard
the love
you have
for all
God's
people,
the faith
and love
that spring
from the
hope stored
up for you
in heaven.
The faith
and love
that spring
from the
hope stored
up for you
in heaven.
Faith
comes by
hearing,
faith leads
to loving.
Okay?
Now here's
the deal
with love.
I use this
word all the
time and I
don't really
mean it the
same way Paul
means it and
you probably
do the same.
I'll give you
an example.
I love
Irish ice
cream.
I absolutely
if this were,
you know,
if I could just
admit stuff,
I love
Irish ice.
It's incredible.
We don't have
obviously Irish
ice cream in
America.
Okay?
It doesn't
taste the same.
You should,
part of me just
want you to go
to America to
taste how terrible
the ice cream
is there and
then you will
say I love
Irish ice cream.
Here's the
thing.
I also say I
love my kids.
Right?
I mean,
today's Father's
Day.
They were so
sweet.
They wrote me a
little card and
I say I love
my kids.
Now,
I don't mean to
say that I love
Irish ice cream in
the same way I love
my kids.
Right?
And I hope they
know that because
they hear me say I
love you and they
hear me say I love
ice cream.
But if the two
came down to it,
I would clearly
choose my children
over Irish ice cream.
Right?
Why are you laughing?
I would clearly
choose my children
over Irish ice cream.
But we use that
word and that's
okay.
We don't have any
ill intents.
Right?
We say all kinds
of things.
I love this.
I love that.
We use the word
and we mean
different things.
That's just how
language works.
That's okay.
But we want to
pause here and say
what does Paul mean?
What does Paul mean
when he says that
they have a love
for each other?
And thankfully
Paul defines love
in the way that
he's using it
in scripture
in a letter to
another church
called 1 Corinthians.
And there he writes
this incredible
definition of
biblical love.
Okay?
Love he says
is patient.
Love is kind.
It does not
envy.
It does not
boast.
It is not
proud.
Love does not
dishonor others.
It is not
self-seeking.
It is not
easily angered.
It keeps
no record
of wrongs.
Love does not
delight in evil
but rejoices
with the truth
that always
protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
This is Paul's
definition of love.
And so if we
take that
definition and
we bring that
into Colossae,
I think we can
start to see why
he always thanks
God for the
people in Colossae
when he thinks
of their faith
and the love
that has sprung
from their hope
in heaven.
Because he's
saying when I
think of the
church in Colossae,
I think of a
people that are
patient with each
other.
A church that is
kind with each
other.
A church that is
humble and not
proud of one
position over
another.
He says I'm
seeing and
hearing about a
church that is
gentle, that is
forgiving each
other, that
rejoices in
truth.
A church that
protects each
other, that
trusts in God,
that hopes for
heaven and
perseveres through
hardship together.
And when Paul
defines their love
as a church for
each other in
that way, that
is absolutely
something to
thank God for.
And that's what
he's doing.
He's saying the
church in
Colossae
loves each
other.
They heard the
gospel and the
hearing turned to
faith and the
faith has turned
to love and this
church loves each
other in a way that
all of us would
want to be a part
of this church.
And notice it's
not some private or
secret or hidden
love that they
have.
It's very
visible.
It's visible to
the point that
others have seen
it.
And they're
telling each
other, they're
telling other
people about
the love that
this group of
God's people has
for each other
right here in
Colossae.
And so I'll
just pause here
again and I'll
ask you, how
are we doing at
loving others in
this church?
Would people
characterize
Caragalline Baptist
Church as a
church that is
patient, kind,
humble, selfless,
gentle, forgiving,
rejoicing in
truth?
Well, they say,
you've got to go to
Caragalline Baptist
Church because they
protect each other,
they trust in God,
they point each other
to the hope that they
have in Jesus, in
heaven, and they
persevere through
hardship together.
Because that's what a
biblical church looks
like.
If we can look at
this church and we
can say, absolutely,
that's this church,
praise God.
Praise God for what
he's doing through
his spirit in this
group, just like in
Colossae.
If not, then we say,
well, what do we do?
Well, it's simple, the
Bible is clear.
We take a step back
and we fix our eyes on
the hope we have in
heaven, we proclaim the
gospel to each other,
we dig into God's
word together, we get
into scripture, we
speak truth to each
other, we proclaim the
gospel to each other,
we sing songs of the
gospel like we're
doing, we hear the
truth proclaimed from
scripture, and we
huddle up together, and
we dive back into the
gospel together, and
that gospel produces
love through us.
It bears fruit and
increases in us.
So if we look around
at our life at all, or
at the church's life,
and we say, man, we
should be a more
loving church, what's
the solution?
Paul says the gospel
is the solution.
Get into the gospel.
It will fuel our love
for each other.
And then what Paul says
is, if faith comes by
hearing, and if faith
leads to loving, well,
it's just a logical
conclusion here, loving
leads to serving.
Now here's the
temptation.
We're tempted to swap
the order.
We're human.
We're tempted to try it
on our own and say,
here's what I'll do.
In order to be a
faithful Christian, I'll
start serving, and if I
serve everybody long
enough, I'll really start
loving them.
And anybody that's ever
served next to somebody
for too long knows
that's not going to work.
But we think I'll serve
long enough, then I'll
start loving them, and if
I start loving other
Christians, then I'll
believe in God.
And that's tempting, but
it's absolutely backward.
Remember, faith comes by
hearing.
Faith leads to loving.
Loving leads to serving.
Paul says in verse 4, he
says that him, Paul and
Timothy, they heard of the
faith in Christ Jesus and the
love that they had for all
God's people.
Well, how did they hear
about this?
How did Paul and Timothy
hear about what's going
on in the church in
Colossae?
Well, he tells them in
verse 7.
You, the church in
Colossae, you learned it
from Epaphras.
Epaphras was trained by
Paul.
You can see in chapter 4,
I think verse 7, he was
taught the gospel by Paul.
He came to Colossae.
He preaches the gospel
there.
And then what Paul says is
he's a fellow servant,
verse 7, and a faithful
minister of Christ on our
behalf.
He told us of your love
in the Spirit.
Now, Paul uses two key
words there.
He is, Epaphras is a
servant.
Literally, word is slave.
Someone who's in total
obedience to a master.
Paul says, Epaphras is in
total obedience to Christ
Jesus for the church in
Colossae.
And then he says,
furthermore, he is a
minister.
Epaphras is someone who
attends to the needs of
another.
In this case, Epaphras is
someone who attends to the
needs of others by delivering
the good news of the hope
that is to be had in Jesus.
He has served and ministered.
He heard the gospel.
He then went and served them.
He proclaimed the gospel.
And then they, through the
gospel, start to love each other.
They love each other visibly by
serving each other.
And all this starts with just
one person hearing and
proclaiming the gospel.
Right?
Epaphras is to the church in
Colossae what Johnny is to the
church here in Caragalline.
He heard the gospel.
And then he has been a
faithful servant and minister
to this church in this city,
in this country, I think around
the world, Johnny has, just
like Epaphras was.
And it just starts with
hearing the gospel.
Somebody told this pastor,
Johnny, your pastor, somebody
told him the gospel.
And he heard it and he
believed.
And then he loved in such a
way that he served by
proclaiming the gospel.
And what happens is when
someone faithfully loves and
serves and ministers to
others, they too become
faithful believers.
Think about that word Paul
just used here.
Epaphras is a faithful
servant and minister.
And what do we see last
week?
In Colossae there were
faithful brothers and
sisters in Christ.
The gospel is producing
fruit.
The gospel is increasing
and growing the number of
God's people.
faithful.
I have no doubt that many
of you have been immensely
blessed as Johnny, like
Epaphras, has dedicated his
life to serving, to loving,
to shepherding, to ministering,
many of you through all the
ups and downs of life.
He's given his heart and soul
into this little church, lovingly,
joyfully.
And praise God that he's got
some time to rest and re-energize
and recharge and you're going
to have a whole new Johnny when
he comes back.
I guarantee you he'll be fired
up and ready to go.
And God works through men like
Johnny.
And he works through men like
Epaphras.
And you know what's amazing is
he works through men and
women from Colossae to
Keragoline, from 65 AD to
2019.
And we have this incredible
privilege of joining God in
fulfilling his original design
for humanity.
We too can proclaim the gospel
to each other.
We too can be faithful brothers
and sisters who love each other.
Not like we love Irish ice cream,
but how Paul defines love.
And we can love that way too.
We too can serve each other,
not so that we'll be loved by God,
not so that we can try to love each
other, but because we love each
other.
Why do we love each other?
Because God first loved us.
How do we know God first loved us?
Because he sent his son.
He sent his son to be our
savior.
And his son lived the life we
couldn't live.
He died the death we should have
died.
He rose again.
He ascended to heaven.
And our hope is in him in heaven,
not here on earth.
In closing, I'll just remind you
that every Christian,
everybody who calls himself a
Christian, everybody who says,
I have faith in the good news
of Jesus Christ,
they heard it from somebody else
first.
I know I did.
And I guarantee you,
if you sit down this evening
and you just think through,
how did I ever learn about Jesus?
You heard it probably.
You heard it.
Because someone else spoke it.
Someone else spoke the truth
of the gospel.
You heard it.
That hearing led to faith.
And so we are also evidence
of the fact that God is,
through the gospel,
fulfilling his original design
for humanity.
And we don't have to be
clever or creative
or think of unique ways
in which to share the gospel.
We can simply just tell people
the truth
of what God created the world
to be,
what happened in Genesis 3 and 4,
and what we are witnesses of today.
There's a guy that,
in the church I pastored
back in the States,
his name was Rick.
And he was a hardworking guy.
He was an auto mechanic.
Worked his job.
Loved the Lord.
Loved his family.
And told me,
I really want to serve
in God's kingdom.
As he learned the story of God,
as he saw God's redemptive plan unfolding,
he said,
how in the world, though,
could I ever serve
in God's kingdom?
And it's interesting,
because all I said is,
Rick, can you speak?
And obviously he could.
He said,
yeah, I can speak.
I said, okay.
Well, can you tell people
about God?
Can you just tell them
the story of God?
Well, not perfectly,
but can you read Scripture with them?
Well, yeah,
I can read Scripture with them.
Rick ended up becoming
the overseer
of our missions group
at church,
because he learned
he could go anywhere
in the world,
and he could sit with someone,
and even if he didn't
speak their language,
he could point to Scripture
and be with them
as they read the story of God,
as they saw
and heard
the good news
of Jesus Christ.
Let's join God
in his mission.
Let's enjoy
the role that we have,
the place that we are
in history,
where we get to be a part
not of increasing sin
here on planet Earth,
but we get to be a part
of God fulfilling
his design
right here on this Earth,
increasing his people
through his gospel,
which we have the joy
of proclaiming to each other.
Amen?
Let's pray.
Father,
we thank you so much
for your gospel.
God,
even a short glimpse
into Genesis 1-4
just reminds us
of how amazing
you created everything
and how far
we had fallen.
Thank you
for the hope
we have in heaven.
thank you
for the hope
we have in Jesus Christ.
Thank you
for sending people
into our lives
to speak the gospel
into our lives.
Thank you
for putting us
in a church
where we can
speak the gospel
to each other,
we can love each other,
we can serve each other,
because we are a family
that you've created
through your spirit,
by your word.
Thank you
that we get to be a part
of you fulfilling
your design
for creation,
that we get to be a part
of the increasing number
of your people
here in Caroline,
in Cork,
in Ireland,
and beyond.
Thank you
that this doesn't
depend upon us,
God,
but this is
your word
going out
by your spirit
for your glory.
Amen.
If you'd stand with me,
we're going to
close out
with one song,
All Creatures
of Our God and King.
Amen.
Aši
Thank you.