Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. It is wonderful
that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, either
by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray
for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself?
The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, we really,
I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the Bible,
they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will
do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a
non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't
hesitate to send us questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the
types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless.
Let's pray. Father, we are in your presence. You have spoken to us through your Word. We ask,
Father, that you would so move in our hearts, that our hearts would be hungry for your Word,
open and receptive to your Word, and that your Word would form us, that your Word would give us life.
And we ask this in Jesus' name, your Son, Father, and our Savior. Amen.
Amen. So this is going to be a big surprise to you, all of you. Thank you very much, John. This is going
to be a very big surprise to you all. But I was in a coffee shop this week, and something happened.
Some of you might wonder if I have a life apart from coffee shops. I don't. I'm exceptionally boring.
I think to myself, if the Canadian government or the Chinese government wants to follow me along
and listen in on me, I'd put them to sleep by how boring my life is, by the standards of the world.
Anyway, so I come into the coffee shop, and there's like a table. I'm sitting down, and then there's
like two other tables quite close. And there's a young woman at both of the other tables. They're
obviously friends. They're chatting away. They're probably... I'm getting really old. They're
probably PhD students. I thought they were undergrads, but who knows how old they're. Young
women, from my point of view. And they're chattering away. And as I'm putting my stuff down, I notice
that there's a bracelet on the... There's a bracelet on the ground. So I say to them,
is this your bracelet? Because if it's not, I take and give it into the cash so that, you
know, whoever had it could get it back. And one of the young women looked and said, oh,
yeah, that's mine. And so I picked it up and give it to her. And she said, oh, thank you.
That's my support Palestinians bracelet in the Hamas war, in the, you know, the liberation of
Palestine. So, you know, I gave it to her. And then we had this short conversation. She was very
bubbly, not angry or aggressive. She was a very bubbly type of personality. And she said to me with
a big smile, you support the Palestinians against the Israelis, don't you? Just like that, with a big
smile. Like, of course, I'm going to say yes. And I said, so here's the thing. Some of you know,
I can be, I can be sinfully opinionated about politics. But I don't want to talk about politics
at a coffee shop. I want to be able to share the gospel with people and not talk about politics.
So I can't remember what I said. I sort of dodged it. But she was persistent. She, I guess,
was an evangelist for the Palestinian cause. So she's very insistent. And then finally, I said
something about how I, you know, I wasn't really in favor of what Hamas. And, you know, I didn't say
Palestinians as I was in favor of Hamas. And then she comes back all with this bubbly, almost flirtatious
type of encouraging me to agree with her. And then she said, well, you surely you don't agree with a
group of people who bomb hospitals. So I sort of, I probably went like this. Like, you really want me
to talk about this? So I said to her, well, they shouldn't hide missiles in hospitals. And they
shouldn't shoot Israelis from hospitals. And they shouldn't store their weapons in the hospitals
and underneath it. And she just looked at me with a big smile. She said this. And this was the part,
the parting word. The Jews are always killing Muslim babies.
The Jews are always killing Muslim babies. Now, I said it to you seriously. She said, the Jews are
always killing Muslim babies. Just like 30 seconds after that, she was talking with her friend about
where to get their nails done and what hairstyle to get with their haircut. It was just like a bubbly,
common sense thing, as if everybody knows that. The same thing that I would say, oh, that's King Edward
over there. She would just say, oh, the Jews are always killing Muslim babies. I don't want anybody
to think that I always know the right thing to say in situations. And I didn't know what to say to that.
Like, I'd never come across such a deeply horrific, anti-Semitic statement. And some of you know,
there's a phrase about the banality of evil. And that was a perfect example. Like, she just,
she was cheerful about making that statement. And I literally did not know what to say.
I've prayed for her off and on, you know, since then. I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to
see her again. I'd never seen her in that particular coffee shop before, but maybe I will.
And maybe next time I come across such a statement, I'll know what to say. Now, I'm saying all of this
because the Bible text that we're looking at today is a story about prejudice causing division
in the early church. And some biblical commentators try to downplay the prejudice, but they shouldn't
downplay the prejudice. There is prejudice, and it becomes noticeable and a source of complaint
in the early church. And so we're going to look at that story. It's not the same type of prejudice
prejudice as that prejudice of the Jews are always killing Muslim babies. But all prejudice
is wrong. And all prejudice has the possibility to grow to murderous extremes and to banal extremes
so that you don't even, you're not even thinking that you should repent of it. So let's look at this
particular story. It's Acts chapter 6, verses 1 to 7. Acts chapter 6, verses 1 to 7. And some of you
are probably thinking, like me, that most of the times they've heard sermons on this, the prejudice
aspect sort of gets effaced or done away with, and they get into whether or not, you know, this is the
institution of deacons and stuff like that. But here's the story, and it begins like this. Acts chapter 6,
verses 1 to 7. Now, in these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, now just before we go any
further on that, just to explain, I've said that this is an eyewitness-based history of the first 35 years
of the Jesus movement, probably written before the year 67 or 68 AD. And there's two reasons for that. You can
ask me about that over coffee or send me an email, maybe even written in 66 or something like that.
Actually, very simply, there are two reasons it was probably written beforehand, is it ends not with
Paul having been martyred, but just in jail. And he dies, I think, in 67. And the other thing is that
Jerusalem hasn't been destroyed, and that's in 70. So it's almost definitely written before those two
events, Paul's death by execution under Nero, martyred, and before the destruction of Jerusalem.
And so in this phrase, it's not like once upon a time language. In fact, what it is, is in the
original language, it's, you know, there's a God, I think it's a Greek God, Janus. He's a God that looks
both ways at the same time. And it's a very helpful thing. Sometimes there's parts of the Bible that are
Janus texts. They look both ways at the same time. And so it's a linking phrase. It's referring to the
fact back to what's just happened. And this is all within probably a year of the death and
resurrection of Jesus. And it's looking at what just happened, which was the apostles all arrested,
spending the night in jail, rescued by the angel, their witness before the Sanhedrin,
Gamaliel having them spared from execution, but they're still whipped. And they rejoice that they
have this honor to bear witness to Jesus and the church grows. And so that's what they're linking
to this. The church is growing. There's hostility, but the church is growing. So now in these days,
when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the
Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
And in the original language, the word neglected is a very good word. It's a very accurate word. They
were being neglected. Now, a couple of things. First of all, Hellenists and Hebrews, there's no really
good way to translate it into English. This is a cultural distinction. And so basically, it's a
distinction between two groups of people who would have been living in Jerusalem in those days.
What they call the Hellenists are people who, the Jewish people, just like today, you know,
there's Jewish people all over the world. Lots of Jewish people in Ottawa, Vancouver, Manhattan,
and there's also some in Israel, of course. So the Hellenists are Jewish people who have been part of
this diaspora, maybe for decades, maybe for generations and generations. And they've lived in the pagan
world, the Greek-speaking, Latin-speaking world. But they've now come back to live in Jerusalem or in
the area. And they have become culturally Greek. That's what they've become. So, you know, if they're
going to have their salad, it's going to be a Greek salad with lots of feta cheese and black olives.
It's, you know, so the food they eat, the jokes they tell, the stories they tell, the things they
remember, they all come out of a Greek culture. What are called the Hebrew, so it doesn't, they all
speak Greek probably, but it doesn't necessarily mean they don't speak Hebrew or Latin or Aramaic.
But they're culturally Greek. The Hebrews are long-time Palestinian Jews. And just one other aside,
we all know that in this culture, for me to talk about Palestinian Jews living in Jerusalem in the
year 34 is a political statement, would be viewed as a political statement, maybe even as something
colonizing, which is ridiculous. For most of this stuff, we have to have belly laughs at it,
because it's ridiculous. C.S. Lewis once said the devil, I think he was quoting Thomas More or
something. The devil hates to be mocked, hates to be laughed at. Maybe that's what we need more of.
But this Hebrew group are people who are mainly long-term Palestinian Jews. Their primary language
would not be Greek, but Aramaic. Now, they might also speak Hebrew and Greek, by the way, but culturally,
they are comfortable, most comfortable that Palestinian Jewish culture. Now, just to show that
it's not specifically talking about language, is, you know, some of you know the Bible very well,
know that later on in another place, Paul writes that he's a Hebrew of Hebrews. And he uses the same
word for Hebrew. But he himself was from the diaspora. He himself grew up not in Jerusalem,
but somewhere else. But culturally, he's a Palestinian Jew, and he refers to himself that way.
So there's this cultural difference, two culturally different communities in the same physical area,
and there's tension between them. And people from both communities become Christians. And now people
from the lesser, in a Jerusalem context, they are the lower ones. Like maybe if they were in Athens,
the Hebrews would be the lower ones. But in Jerusalem, they're the lower ones, the Greek-speaking
Jews. And look what it says again. They arose a complaint by these group against the Hebrews,
the Hebrew Jewish Christians, because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
Now, one of the things which must have made this neglect especially hard is the neglect comes in the
context of jaw-dropping generosity and love. Like just jaw-dropping, gobsmacking generosity and love.
If you go back and you read, what they're doing is they're caring for the poorest of the poor.
And how are they caring for them is people with means are selling their property and making huge
financial contributions so that the least of the least can be cared for. That's like jaw-dropping,
jaw-dropping generosity, jaw-dropping love. And in the context of jaw-dropping generosity and love,
there is prejudice still. And the prejudice leads to this one group being neglected.
So what do they do? What are they going to do about it in the rest of the story?
And by the way, in the ancient world, in our Canadian culture, we all think we know what should
be done. And one of the things, and if you haven't read Tom Holland's book, Dominion, or if you haven't
read Glenn Scrivner's book, The Air That We Breathe, everybody should read Glenn Scrivner's book, The Air
That We Breathe, which is shorter and easier than Tom Holland's book, Dominion. But in the ancient world,
the Roman centurion would say, what's the issue? Who cares about widows?
They would say, in fact, the natural order of things is the strong.
Stay strong. We earned it. We deserve it. The gods demand that we be fed.
Who cares about widows? They're just women.
People in Canada who are going to critique this story unwittingly are speaking like Christians
without realizing it. But what are they going to say? Well, let's see what the apostles say.
And it's actually quite shocking to Canadian ears. If we just listen to it, you think about how you
read this with your neighbors. Verse 2, so the 12 and the 12 summoned the full number of the disciples
and said, it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
What? What did they just say? There's a complaint about prejudice. There's a complaint about people,
the least of the least, going hungry. And the first thing they want to say is, it is not right
that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables?
Now, let's be honest. All of our Canadian neighbors would say that's the wrong answer.
That's the wrong answer.
Now, in a Canadian culture, we'd be expecting an apology. We'd be expecting resignations.
There's all sorts of things we'd be expecting. Now, just as we're trying to figure out what's
going on here, and by the way, this is the wonderful thing about walking towards difficulties
in the Bible, is that it's when you walk towards difficulties in the Bible, you know, you've heard
me say before, I wish I could find out where I, somebody asked me about it, and I'm not smart
enough to figure this out myself. Like, I read it somewhere. I just can't remember who I read it.
Like, stories like this are both a mirror for us to see ourselves and a window to see God
in the world as it really is. And so, it's when we walk towards difficult passages and
think about them that we start to see ourselves. You see, so part of the problem is that for
Canadians, Canadians generally have a silent mantra that they say to themselves. And the
silent mantra is, I need the Bible like the fish needs a bicycle. I need a Bible like a
fish needs the bicycle. I need Jesus like a fish needs a bicycle. So to say that the most
important thing is to open the Bible is like an eye-rolling comment. And that's partially because
that's how Canadians think. And so that's a bit of a problem. But the second problem with
their comment, and this is now, I'm going to talk about the Bible in a moment, but this
is to make the apostles' words actually seem a little bit more difficult and also more relatable
to why it actually is, at least in appearance, a difficult response. See, one of the things which
is going on here in the text, and it happens with prejudice, it touches on a very deep human fear
and a very deep human longing. And one of the things that we fear is being unseen and unheard.
One of the things which many women say is that when they reach a certain age, they become invisible.
Nobody sees them. Nobody sees them. Nobody sees them. It's hard to talk about, but it sure doesn't feel good.
But interestingly enough, the fear or the complaint of being unseen is genuinely an intergenerational issue.
One of the concerns for teenagers and young people is that they're unseen.
Nobody's seen them when they're thinking about what to do about the job market.
Nobody's seen them when they're thinking about what to do with housing prices and rental things.
Nobody sees them. Nobody hears them.
And then, of course, obviously for lots of other groups, people maybe even right here,
they're very frustrated because at their place of work, it feels as if when they speak, they're unheard.
And that when they're even looking for promotions or for other types of people that contribute,
they're completely and utterly unseen.
In fact, if we were in the right type of context, maybe if you're in the right type of small group
or mentoring group, if this topic came up, it might discover that one of the people in our congregation,
that they're moved to tears about the fact that they feel deeply unseen and unheard
and how deeply wounding it is.
And so their initial response
sounds a lot like
people, men,
who aren't seeing them and aren't hearing them.
But that's not what's going on.
Let's look again at what they say in verse 2 and then read the rest of what they say.
And the 12 summoned all the full number of the disciples and said,
it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
Therefore, it's a funny thing there, therefore.
See, what they're doing
is they say
this neglect,
first of all, they're saying that this care
for the least of the least
is very important.
This neglect is very important.
But before we give the response,
you're also forgetting something else
which is very important,
which is the word of God
and prayer.
So now we take
the importance, it is very important
important
to care for the least of the least,
especially amongst the community.
It is very important
that there is no prejudice,
that that neglect is dealt with,
and it's very important
that God's word is preached
and that people pray.
Therefore,
and in verse 3
and following,
we see the therefore.
Therefore, verse 3,
brothers and sisters,
pick out from among you
seven men of good repute,
full of the Holy Spirit
and wisdom,
whom we will appoint
to this duty.
But we will devote ourselves
to prayer
and to the ministry
of the word.
And what they said
pleased the whole gathering,
and they chose Stephen,
a man full of faith
and of the Holy Spirit,
and Philip,
and Prochorus,
and Nicanor,
and Timon,
and Parmenas,
and Nicholas,
a proselyte of Antioch.
These they set
before the apostles,
and they prayed
and laid their hands on them.
Now you'll notice
that they're all Greek names.
This doesn't mean
that they were all
necessarily Hellenists,
but it would be very unlikely
that none of them were.
It was very common
for Palestinian Jews
to also have a Greek name,
just as it's very common
for immigrants
to come to our country
from another country,
and they have their Chinese
or their Malaysian
or their Nigerian name,
which might be hard
for Canadians to pronounce,
so they have their Chinese name
and a Canadian name,
or their Malaysian name
or their Rwandan name,
and they have a Canadian name.
It's a very common thing now,
and it's a very common thing
back then.
But it definitely shows
that they pick people
who obviously have
some degree of sympathy
with this,
and the whole congregation,
both the Hellenists
and the Hebraists,
love the solution,
love the people,
and they go for it.
So what we see here then
is that the apostles added
something which our culture
thinks is not needed.
As I said,
to the average Canadian,
I need the Bible
like a fish needs a bicycle.
I need the gospel
like a fish needs a bicycle.
In fact, you know,
and this deeply affects Christians,
I might be one of the few people
in the room,
because I'm a pastor,
I read books about, you know,
how to be a pastor and all,
and there's a very, very common
saying in evangelical circles
right now which says
that if your church
was to vanish,
would anybody in the community
notice it?
And the implication
of the question is
that it would be a terrible thing
if we vanished,
and nobody noticed it.
And what they mean by that,
then, is that really what it is,
is if the church isn't running
the Boy Scouts
and the food banks
and doing this
and doing that
and hosting the AA things
and all these things
for the community,
if they're not doing that,
then we're unimportant.
Well,
that's actually having the world
determine our agenda.
It's not what the Bible says.
The fact of the matter is
that there's only one group
in all of Canada
that will tell people
that there is a God
who truly does exist
and there is a Savior
who loves them.
It's not the Boy Scouts.
It's not any other group
like that.
It's only the church.
And so that's actually
a fundamentally important thing
for the church to do.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't
do other types of things
to help the poor.
That's not the point.
But it's...
The point is that
there is this fundamental priority
upon the church
to equip Christians
and to proclaim the gospel
so that people
who are lost
can be saved.
That's our fundamental priority.
It's the number one job.
The others are consequences
of receiving the gospel.
And the consequences
aren't the gospel.
The gospel has consequences.
Always does.
But the consequences
aren't the gospel.
What is the gospel?
Well,
the gospel is
that Christ died
for both
Hellenistic Jews
and Hebrew Jews.
Like that very,
very fundamental thing
that we worship
a God
who saw human need
and Jesus died
on the cross
for the Dalit,
the lowest caste
in India.
He died
for the elite
in Nigeria.
He died
for the Politburo
in China.
He died
for Biden
in the White House.
He died
for the slave.
He died
for,
well,
he died
for everybody.
I mean,
not everybody
receives.
But God
doesn't say,
you know,
I think I only
want white people
or I only want
black people.
No,
there's absolutely
no prejudice
in God.
And the other
thing about it
is that the gospel
is this message
that Jesus
sees you.
Like,
he sees you.
Nobody gets you
like God gets you.
He sees you.
And the amazing thing
about the gospel
is he sees you.
He sees
how you have
screwed up
your marriage.
He sees
how you've been
fantastic at your marriage.
He sees how you've
screwed up with this.
He sees
the things that you're,
he sees you
and yet even
seeing you,
you all the way
down for you,
he dies for you.
And
we have to
acknowledge that
being seen
is a complicated
issue.
How is it
complicated?
Being seen
and heard
is a bit more
complicated
because all of us
are involved
in a dance.
I want you
to know me
and see me.
I don't want you
to know
and see the things
that I've done
that are really wrong.
And you don't
want that
with me either.
One of the issues
in marriages
is,
you know,
the desire
that,
you know,
the husband
and the wife
keeping things
from each other.
things that
are embarrassed
about
and ashamed
about.
And so,
you see,
there's,
we think
that what we
want is to
be seen,
but we all
know that
in a different
context,
what we
definitely
don't want
is to have
certain things
about us
be seen.
Listen to,
listen to the
gospel,
how psychologically
insightful
and profound
the gospel
is.
If you could
put up
the text
of John
chapter 3,
we're going
to just
slip to
John
chapter 3
verses 16,
a very famous
verse,
16 to 21.
And this
is Jesus
speaking.
For God
so loved
the world
that he
gave his
only son
that whoever
believes in
him should
not perish
but have
eternal life.
For God
did not
send his
son into
the world
to condemn
the world,
but in
order that
the world
might be
saved
through
him.
Whoever
believes
in him
is not
condemned,
but whoever
does not
believe is
condemned
already,
because he
has not
believed in
the name
of the
only son
of God.
Here's
the,
that's all
profound
stuff,
worthy of
profound
meditation
and memorization.
Listen to
this next
bit,
verse 19.
And this
is the
judgment.
The light
has come
into the
world,
and people
loved the
darkness
rather than
the light
because their
works were
evil.
For everyone
who does
wicked things
hates the
light and
does not
come to
the light
lest his
works should
be exposed.
But whoever
does what is
true comes
to the light
so that it
may be clearly
seen that his
works have been
carried out in
God.
This text
brilliantly
captures the
fact that
on one hand
we have a
profound desire
to be seen,
but that if
we're honest,
our desire to
be seen is
complicated
because we
don't want
those bad
things in
our current
life and in
our past
to be seen.
And the
wonder of the
gospel is
this.
God sees
those things
that you
hide from
yourself.
He sees
those things
that I
hide from
myself and
from others.
He sees
it.
He sees
me.
And still
he loved
me, Jesus
did, and
died for me
that I
might be
forgiven and
made right
with God.
Some of us
know that one
of the best
possible gifts
that we can
get is when
somebody gives
us a gift
that we
don't know
that we
need.
But we
really do.
Maybe it's
going to
another country
or entering
into a new
stage of life
or moving
to a new
city or
entering a
new stage
of life
like in
university
or living
on your
own or
whatever,
and somebody,
a parent or
a grandparent
gives us a
gift, and we
sort of get
the gift, and
we sort of
look at it
and think
that's sort
of odd, and
then a couple
of months in
or a year
in, all of a
sudden we
realize that,
whoa, I
really needed
that gift.
I didn't
realize I
needed that
gift.
And that's
also part of
the thing
which is so
wonderful about
the gospel.
The average
human being
doesn't realize
they need a
savior.
And God
saw and
heard our
deep needs,
and even
when we did
not desire it,
he provided,
and even
when we did
not realize
that we
needed a
savior, he
sent Jesus
to be our
savior.
And you
see then, if
you understand
why do we
need the
word of
God?
You see, what
the word of
God is, the
word of
God is sort
of expressed
in a bit
of a, sort
of a funny
type of
phrase.
If you go
through all
of the
book of
Acts, the
word of
God refers
to the
good news
about Jesus
understood in
light of
the Bible,
and the
word of
God is the
Bible understood
in light of
the good news
about Jesus.
That's what
the word of
God is.
And why do
we desperately
need it?
Because if you
think about
this, this is
exactly the
type of
medicine we
need to
deal with
neglect and
sin and not
being seen
and not being
heard.
We are
reminded from
the Bible
that God
sees me.
He even
sees the
things about
me which
are terrible.
And still
he loves me
and still
he sent his
son to die
for me.
And he
does that
for me and
for people
that I think
I'm better
than and
people that I
think,
I'm worse
than.
And he
does that.
And he
does it
without prejudice.
And if we
realize that
the very
heart of the
gospel is a
God who
sees us and
acts to us
without any
prejudice but
only with
love, how
on earth can
I then have
prejudice?
And how
could I not
desire to be
one who
sees people
and hears
them?
how could I
not be one
that if
somebody says
you're not
listening to
me that
I potentially
am really
struck to the
heart by
that?
And at the
same time
as that
sin comes
to me and
confronts me,
because I
know that
Jesus saw it
and has
forgiven me,
it gives me
a place to
stand.
And rather
than getting
defensive, and
rather than
attacking, and
rather than
getting on my
high horse, and
rather than
trying to cause
a power play,
or anything else
like that, that
I can say, it
might not be
right away, it
might be 48
hours, 72
hours, it
might be 72
days, it
might be 20
years, but say,
you know what,
you're right.
You're right.
Only the
gospel gives us
a secure place
to stand that
does not
unmake us.
that we can
acknowledge those
things, and
repent and
amend our
lives, as the
gospel becomes
more real to
us.
And that's why
you see, brothers
and sisters, it
is so essential
that the first
thing that goes
on in a church
is that the
word of God
is shared
to those who
do not know
Jesus, to
those who do
know Jesus.
It is our
life, it is
our health.
In fact, actually,
if you look, if
you could go back
to Acts, and
go to Acts
chapter 6,
verse 7, Luke
sort of coins a
phrase, he
invents an
expression, and
it's in verse
7, and the
word of God
continued to
increase.
Well, what does
that mean?
Sorry, I'll read
the whole thing.
And the word of
God continued to
increase, and the
number of the
disciples multiplied
greatly in
Jerusalem, and a
great many of the
priests became
obedient to the
faith.
It's a wonderful
picture of what
happened.
But you see, the
fact of the matter
is, it's because
it's the word of
God that feeds the
church, that creates
the church.
The church is a
creature of the
word of God.
That's what we're
seeing here in
that sect.
That's why it's so
important.
And so what's
going on here is a
very important
principle, and it's
an important
principle.
You know, when I
said that we need
to be praying about
whether we're doing
God's work and
God's way, and just
pray that God will
provide.
And part of the
thing here is to
showing that it's
not a matter that
preaching the word of
God is like this, and
everything else is
completely unimportant.
No, it's not a
matter of
importance.
There is a need for
care and for
organization and for
administration and
looking after the
little kids in Sunday
school and all that
type of stuff.
That's very important.
It's not like there's
this and there's this.
There's this.
And the church needs
to say, we need to
make sure that it's
not that my only job
should be sharing the
word and praying.
And by the way,
prayers here would have
meant both private
prayers and what we're
doing now, which is
corporate prayer.
You need to make sure
I'm spending enough
time on that, folks.
And you need to have
your small groups that
are taking time with
that.
And the Sunday school
needs to have that as
first and foremost.
But on the other hand,
like what Shannon does
for the church, like
she's going to be
stepping aside because
God's blessing her and
Owen with another baby
and like there should be
high fives all around
for what she does.
It's so important.
And for Barbara Allen
and, you know, for
Marlene and what she's
done for the Sunday
school and I could go
on and on with people
have a service heart
for the needs of
children and just the
whole congregation.
Those things are very,
very important.
They have to be done.
That's the lesson of
the text.
Lesson of the text is
these things really have
to be done.
And don't just think of
organization at the end
of the day.
You need to have that
organization involved in
such a way that the
word of God is being
proclaimed and shared and
taught and modeled.
And that there's prayer
because that's our food.
That's what we desperately
need.
That's what I desperately
need every week.
That's what we all need.
I invite you to stand.
Bow your heads in prayer.
Let's pray.
Father, you know the
different things of prejudice
that we're blind to.
Just are.
Just part of our culture
and we just sort of
accept it.
But you see it and you
hate it.
Father, we give you
thanks and praise that you
really do see us.
That at the last judgment,
nobody will be able to say
to you at the last judgment
that, God, you didn't see me.
Like, nobody will be able
to say that.
Nobody will be able to say
at the last judgment.
God, you didn't hear me.
You do see.
You do hear.
You sent Jesus to be our
Savior.
And so, Father, we ask that
this precious Jesus, the
person of Jesus and what
he's done for us, which is
so precious, will become
more and more real to our
heart so that we will be
less defensive when we're
caught out doing wrong.
We will be more open to
repent for you and when
necessary before others of
the wrong that we've done
and make amendment of life.
Father, we thank you for
the wonder of the gospel.
We ask that you would kill
any prejudice, any racism
within us.
And we ask all these things
in the name of Jesus, your
Son and our Savior, and all
God's people said, Amen.
Amen.