Best of 2020s - How baptism is a "sign of initiation" into the Christian life

We are continuing our theme of "best of" episodes.  These are some of the most popular sermons preached by John Fonville on some of the most impactful topics. 

Initiation.  Does that word sound strange to you?  We are studying the topic of baptism and how baptism is described as a Covenant Sign of Initiation.  Another way to look at it is, baptism for the believer is the “starting line” for a follower of Christ. 

About John

John Fonville is Pastor of Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Paramount Church is part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). 

The Him We Proclaim Podcast features the preaching and teaching ministry of Dr. John Fonville at Paramount Church. This resource aims to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people. The gospel cannot be assumed. An assumed gospel will, in time, become a denied gospel. Thus, each generation must rediscover the paramount truths of the gospel and apply the gospel's implications to their own day and age. Him we proclaim (Col. 1:28)!

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Transcript

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HWP Announcer 

Hi, this is the Him We Proclaim podcast. These are the messages of John Fonville. You're listening to Season Five called two keys to spiritual growth. Here's message number 11, called the centrality of baptism, a covenant sign of initiation. 

John Fonville 

All right, we're gonna come back this week to our studying bath on baptism. So if you have your Bibles, you can turn to Matthew chapter 28. We're looking at verses 18 through 20, which is the passage called the Great Commission. And what we've been looking at in the past couple of months is that we've been looking at two keys to spiritual growth, the first key to spiritual growth, we went backwards, but now we're coming back to baptism, but the first key was Holy Communion. The second key for spiritual growth is baptism. So Matthew, chapter 28, verses 18, through 20, when Jesus is giving the Great Commission, to His disciples, and then obviously to the visible church, this is what he says to them. He says, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, in light of all this authority that's been given to me go and make disciples of all the nations. And then he tells us how to make disciples. It's very clear, Go therefore, and make disciples of all the 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 lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. So the means of grace, that Jesus Institute's, in his words of institutions to make disciples is baptizing and teaching it's Word and Sacrament. So to be a missional church, you must be committed to Word and Sacrament, or else you're not a missional church. And then you're not making disciples. Gee, Jesus makes it very, very clear. This isn't rocket science, right? We're not NASA trying to get to the moon and back. This is very simple. Go make disciples how by means off baptizing and teaching word and Sacraments. So Jesus commands the converts to Christianity or to be baptized. And he tells us that baptism is to play a central role in the life of a disciple, a disciple is simply a lifelong learner. And so baptism is very important for the growth of your faith, as long as you're using baptism, the way God intended for you to use it. So what we've been looking at last week, we're going to this week and next week, are five vital truths about how to use baptism, the way God intends for you to use it, so that you can grow spiritually as a disciple, by using your baptism daily in your life as God intended. Last week, just quickly review, we saw that the, the way God intends for us to use baptism properly is first of all, to understand that baptism doesn't save us. And so when I was teaching the kids this morning, in baptism class, I said, Does baptism save you? Or does Jesus save you? 100% said, Jesus says you, I was just perfect. My, my job is done. Let me baptize you this morning. So if you're gonna use baptism properly, don't trust guard against trusting in baptism, rather than Christ for your salvation. Second, we saw that baptism is a visible gospel. So if you're going to use baptism, the way God intended it, you have to understand that baptism is a visible gospel, just as as the Lord's Supper, baptism is pure gospel, it is not illegal right? Now, this morning, this is going to be different for you. And I understand this and just get the tape and go back through it. And I don't intend for this to be difficult for you, but it will be difficult for you because a lot of us did grow up and reform confession of the Christian face. So we didn't get a reformed teaching of the Church, reformed ecclesiology. Most of us grew up in evangelicalism, and then even joglo ecclesiology is very, very different from reformed ecclesiology reformed doctrine of the Church, but what I'm about to teach you this morning, and if we have to do it next week, I'll bring it back next week. But in order to use baptism, the way God intended is that we have Do you understand that baptism is the initiation into the visible church. Baptism is the initiation into the visible church. In the Great Commission Jesus on the basis of his authority Commission's his visible Church, which at that time was the office of apostles passed on to the ordinary office of elders later on. But Jesus Commission's his, his visible church to make disciples listen very carefully go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations. Now that phrase, all the nations is just absolutely vital to understand what Jesus is saying here. Because the first thing that we have to note about our Lord's institution of baptism, in his words of institution, is that baptism is covenantal. In its character, I'm gonna explain to you what I mean by that. The covenantal character of baptism is made very clear in Jesus's command to go and make disciples Listen, of all the nations that phrase, say it with me, all the nations, okay, that phrase tells us that Jesus is placing baptism within the context of the Abrahamic covenant. This is absolutely vital. And this might be the first time you've ever heard this is why it's gonna be hard for you to grasp it. But Jesus is placing the context of baptism and the Abrahamic covenant, and the covenantal history of God's people when he uses this phrase, all the nations. And in Genesis, chapter 22, verse 18, the Lord promises Abraham, listen carefully, in your offspring, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in quote, he gives this promise in Genesis chapter 12, verse three, Genesis 1811 1818, and all throughout the covenant history of of redemptive history, this is repeated. And so Matthew concludes his Gospel of Matthew 28, in the same way in which he began it. He's identifying Jesus to a Jewish audience, as the son or the offspring of Abraham, all the way back in Matthew chapter one, verse one, just listen to how Matthew opens his gospel. He says, It is the record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham. And the way Matthew begins his gospel is exactly how he's ending his gospel. He is telling his audience that Jesus is the Son, the offspring of Abraham, and Galatians chapter three, verse 16. Paul quotes God's promised to Abraham in Genesis 22, verse 18, and Listen to how Paul interprets God's promise to Abraham and the Old Testament. And notice carefully when I refer to the Abrahamic covenant, I'm calling it the Old Testament is not the old covenant, which is the Mosaic Covenant. Paul quotes the Abrahamic promise of Genesis 2218 and Galatians 316. And he says, listen carefully, the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say and to offsprings, referring to many, but referring to one, and to your offspring, who is Christ. It is crystal clear that the New Testament writers understood that Jesus Christ is the son of Abraham, he is the offspring of Abraham, through whom all God's promises come to those who believe. And it is a universal promise for all the nations. And so where and so what Matthew is showing us that Jesus did was this. Whereas God instituted circumcision to serve as a covenant sign of initiation, inclusion into the Abrahamic covenant. The risen, glorified, authoritative, Christ is now instituting baptism as the sign of inclusion in the new covenant. He just changed the sign because all authority had been given Him because He's God, he can do that. So with the coming of Christ in His completed work, circumcision is no longer the appropriate sign of God's covenant of grace. Why? Isaiah chapter 53, verse eight, Christ Isaiah says, fulfilled circumcision when listen when quote, he was cut off that word cut off in Hebrew. It is it is, it was. It's what you do in circumcision, you're cutting a covenant, which comes from Genesis 17. And the Isaiah and Isaiah 53 Verse eight says that Jesus was cut off from the land of the living in his crucifixion. Because Jesus was our bloody circumcision on the cross, the covenant sign of inclusion has changed from circumcision to baptism. Paul makes this equation clear and Colossians chapter two verses 11 through 12. Listen to what he does. He says in him also you are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. What is the circumcision of Christ in the Abrahamic covenant is the ratification of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 15, where God promises Abraham to walk through the seven halves of the animals by himself, so that if he doesn't fulfill his promise to Abraham, to bless all the nations, through his offspring, cut me in half cut me off. It's a self valedictory oath, if I'm not faithful to my promise to bring salvation to all the nations cut me off, and what did Jesus do on the cross he was circumcised Paul said he was cut off from the land of the living Isaiah says he was circumcised. And so Paul says, Listen, having been buried with him in baptism, and what you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And so Paul says now in the New Covenant, the covenant of sign that is administered upon initiation into the visible church is no longer this bloody sign of circumcision is the bloodless sign of baptism. So baptism serves as a sign that identifies us with Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Baptism is a seal of the righteousness that we have by faith in Christ alone. Just as circumcision was formerly a seal, a sign and seal are the righteousness that Abraham had by faith in the promise of God alone. Listen to the apostle Paul in Romans chapter four, verse 11. He says that Abraham received listen He received the sign of circumcision as a seal. A sacrament is a sign and a seal. He received the circus the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had while he was uncircumcised. So through faith in the promise of God, Abraham was declared righteous by God, he was justified. And to confirm that justification of this pagan Gentile God put in his flesh, a sign and seal of the righteousness that he had by faith. And so, circumcision is like baptism, and that is a one time initiatory sign and seal of God's promise and the covenant of grace which is this, I will be your God, and you shall be my people. When you see baptism, it is God, declaring to you as a sign and seal I am your God. And you are my people, beloved of the Father forevermore, it is good news. And so there's no question about how many times a person has to be baptized and the nature of the case like circumcision, it was once. You don't want to repeat that. And so one has either been baptized into the name of the Triune God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as we'll look at in the weeks ahead where Jesus commands this. He says that you've either been baptized into the name of the Triune God and visibly entered the Christian church or you not There is no rebaptism There's no such thing as rebaptism. Baptism is just a marking out of an individual as belonging to God's visible covenant community, which is the church. All the reformed confessions of the Christian faith teach this, that baptism is sacrament of initiation. Baptism is a socket for the New Testament. It says in Westminster Confession ordained by Jesus for the solemn and mission of the party baptized into the visible Church. The Belgic confession by baptism we are received into the Church of God, the 39 articles of religion, baptism is a sign of regeneration or new birth through which is through an instrument those who receive baptism in the right manner, which has faith in Christ alone, are grafted into the church. And so in his words of institution, Jesus prescribes how to make disciples. And the first method that he prescribes to become a disciple is baptism, which is the sign and seal of initiation into the visible covenant community, the church. And so this brings up this issue of regular versus irregular baptism, ordinary versus extraordinary circumstances. Ordinarily, discipleship begins with baptism. In the context of the visible Church, the New Testament church knows nothing of an unbaptized Christian. That just doesn't exist in the New Testament. So here's the regular irregular distinction is helpful. It would be irregular for one to become a disciple and not receive baptism, but it could happen. The example that has always given us an irregular exception is the dying thief on the cross, he really didn't have much of an opportunity to be baptized, right? You think, Well, we could have poured in really quick are sprinkled in really quick, but no, it wasn't gonna happen. That just wasn't gonna happen. Or say someone washes up on a desert island with a Bible and they read the Bible. And they're, they're on this island all by themselves. And they come to a place to put their faith in Christ alone for salvation, and they have real faith, but it's an irregular faith. Not a false faith, but it's an irregular faith. And so if they get rescued, they have the opportunity and they have the opportunity to get baptized and as a matter of obedience to Christ, who commands this with all authority. Right and heaven on earth. He says, You need to be baptized. It's, it's given on the basis of Christ's authority. And so what we're concerned with here is in the Great Commission is the ordinary and regular way that a disciple is made. And Jesus connects them making them disciples to baptism, he says is the starting line for discipleship. In his book baptism in the New Testament, the author writes this he says baptism to Christ as baptism to the church cannot be otherwise for the Church is the Body of Christ. And here's where it's so different from an evangelical view of the church. Too often in our day, baptism has lost its connection both to discipleship and church membership. Tragically, evangelicals attach a little importance to baptism and its significance for a life of discipleship is devalued, and given little weight are never taught at all. The public act of joining the visible church in the pleasee ecclesiology that I grew up in was like this. The public act of joining the visible church involved man made sacraments and rites such as responding to quote and altar call. Now we're coming to the most important part of the service. Are you going to make a decision? Right, every I close every head bow, this is the most solemn point you've got to decide, right? Or her walk the aisle or prayer Center's prayer. But the scriptures set forth baptism as a sign and seal of church membership. Not walking in aisle not making a decision, not saying a senator's prayer. It never does that. Jesus says go make disciples and you fill in the blank by saying the center's prayer by walking in aisle by making a decision. Go make disciples by means of baptizing. The scriptures are so clear on this and Acts chapter two verses 41 through 42. Luke shows that those who are baptized on the day of Pentecost are admitted, listen into the visible church. Listen to what he says. Chapter Two Acts chapter two, he says, so those who received his words, were baptized Peter preaching the gospel, they were baptized. And there were added to the visible church that day about 3000 souls. So the church grew quite fast on the day of Pentecost, right? They were they believe the gospel, they were baptized and they were added. What were they added to the church? And listen, these newly baptized believers in the church devoted themselves to a life of discipleship to the apostles teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, that's the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, the Eucharist and to the prayers. So if you want to know what the Great Commission looks like, there it is Acts chapter two, verses 41 through 42. That is what the Great Commission looks like. And so the important point that we want to note here is that baptism is a public act has been enjoined visibly to Christ in His Church yet so often evangelicals have lost all sense of baptism as admission into the visible church. They've divorced a life of discipleship from baptism. Yet Jesus clearly teaches us that a disciple is a lifelong learner. Look, has baptism Central, because that's how they were made a disciple and lifelong learner to begin with. So the one who was baptized does not exist in isolation, but as part of the Covenant community of the church, you don't baptize believers into isolation. How often do we see this happen with young people, when they make professionals have faith this summer youth camps. I grew up with this my whole life and the Southern Baptist Convention, you go to a Southern Baptist Convention, youth camp, and all these kids, oh, I'm gonna get really committed, you know, and they get all crying and I'm not gonna get baptized and they make these decisions. And they're never instructed in the necessity of baptism and church membership. How often are young people baptized at summer camps without seeing his connection to membership in the visible church. Even private Christian schools practice baptisms of young people who make decisions for Christ in their school chapels. This is clearly a mistake. Because the Scriptures teach you to be baptized into Christ is to be incorporated into his visible church, not into an educational institution. I'm not being baptized to join the school I attend. I'm being baptized into Christ, visible body, his church. And so at best, those kinds of baptisms are irregular and need to be corrected. Because Christian initiation is intended rite of baptism is the proper and primary business of the church. It is not the business of a school, and it is not the business of a summer youth camp. And so baptism, the goal in the process of baptism, is not this individualized person personal experience of what even joke was, I've turned it into they, they will all go to the land of Israel, and I'm going to be baptized in the Jordan River because it's going to be such an amazing personal experience. No, that's not the purpose and Gulf of baptize. So you can have this individualized personal experience. The goal of baptism is to initiate you into the community of faith, where you become a lifelong disciple learner of Jesus through the means he has instituted for his visible church. Baptism is not a private right. It is a way of life together in the family of God. And so, due to this pervasive idol of individualism in our culture, which just infects the evangelical church, scores of evangelical believers remain loosely connected to the visible church. They're shaped and influenced more by cultural identities rather than their baptismal identity. So many believers have come to think because of this, that the visible church is optional or even irrelevant to life of discipleship. I might come once a month, I might come once a quarter might come once a year, at Easter, twice a year, if I'm committed for Christmas and Easter, I can go to this church and I can go to that church, I don't have to go to church. But listen to what Michael Greene says. He says, nobody is meant to be a Christian on their own, we belong to one another. And the mark of that belonging is baptism. Baptism is not a solitary thing, making me out as a Christian on my own. Baptism is a corporate thing, making me a part of the body of Christ with all the privileges, partnership and responsibility that that entails. And so baptism is my adoption certificate that I'm belong to the family of God. It is the mark of belonging is the badge of membership. And so in order to use baptism, the way God intended, we must recover the significance and meaning of our baptism as the initiation into the visible covenant community, which is the church. I know that sounds a little bit foreign, I'm really sorry. But it's just so different than what we have grown up to be accustomed to. As we conclude about thinking about baptism, as initiation to the visible church this morning, I'm going to finish with something else that's going to be extremely foreign to you, but very helpful. You know, teaching reformed baptism is just a challenge. And the people, you're just going oh, boy, we're just jumping in deep this morning, aren't we? As we think about that, there are a gazillion applications that I could give to you of everything that I just said, I'm gonna give you too, this morning to think about, because you may not have thought about these ever. Okay. But I think it's going to help you because as we finish with this discussion this morning about baptism, I want to talk to you about church architecture. And when I talk to you about prayer gestures. Now, that might seem strange to you about church architecture, and baptism and prayer gestures, but I'm telling you, there are people who struggle with their baptism. And I'm hearing from some of you have been writing me and I've been talking with you about your struggles. And it's real, and it's intense. And these applications are meant to help you if you're struggling to teach you how to use this baptism as initiation into the visible covenant community, the church. I have worked in Europe for the past seven years to help plant churches and we started two churches by the grace of God miles will be here next week with us and it's gonna be a lot of fun and I've been preached, and also your eighth coming you don't want to miss next week, bring all your friends. Man, I can't wait to tell you the story about how I met Urian. Cuba is unbelievable story. It is unbelievable. And you're gonna be blown away when he's here with us next week. Anyway. I've worked in Europe for the past seven years and worked with pastors worked with these church plans. And so I've had the opportunity to visit many old church buildings and cathedrals, wishes I love it. My dream is to build a cathedral but it's just a dream, right? And if there's a billionaire out there listening this morning, see me after church. We need an endowment and a trust for about 100 years and we can do it. But one of the things about the architecture that you immediately notice upon entering these old church buildings and entering these beautiful cathedrals is that the baptismal font is placed at the front entrance, right when you walk in. One of my favorite baptism of fire offices in St. Paul's Cathedral, which is actually in London. It is a beautiful, massive baptism of fire. Located just inside the front entrance, you walk in the front doors and this like this 10 foot wide bowl. You can't miss it is beautiful. It wouldn't fit in here. So this is why we have about a 10 inch bowl. But the place where the baptismal font at the entry point in the church building is not an accident. These church believers run thick and you know where can we put the baptism of fire? Oh, we're just put it right where people walk in So it does make them hard to walk into church, right this big huge obstacle right there at the front door. This location results in an excellent symbolism and it serves as a vital reminder to worshipers as they come to the church building week after week to worship. Each week as worshipers enter the church building and they pass by the baptismal font, they're visibly reminded that they've been joined to Christ in His Church, through faith in Christ alone, and that baptism signifies and seals confirms that truth to them. As they pass by this baptismal font and they look at the water, and they see the water, they see this visible, this holy visible sign and seal, they are reminded and confirmed, taught by the Holy Spirit of the righteousness that they have now received through faith in Christ alone. Listen, every week, believers that reminded that the blood and the Spirit of Christ have removed all their sins, just as that water takes away the dirt from our bodies. Every week when they walk into church, and they have to pass by this baptismal font, they are reminded that they're united to the Paramount truths of the gospel, Christ's death, Christ's burial, Christ's resurrection. Every week, when they walk in, they go past this baptismal font. They are reminded of their Trinitarian identity, as baptism signifies, and seals to us that we are now baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And that God has promised out to be our gracious Father now and forevermore, because of the sun through the working of the Holy Spirit uniting us to the sun. And so baptismal font at the front of the church is not an accident. It's powerful reminder to us. And so that's church architecture. Let me just briefly say a word in relationship to church architecture about prayer gestures. My wife and I have been having conversations about that this week. And it has been absolutely hilarious this Trinitarian formula baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit is the reason why many believers throughout a very long time, I'm gonna show you have made the sign the cross, associating the sign of the cross, with this Trinitarian formula and baptism. This is, this is why believers have practice this prayer gesture, and that's all it is. As they pass by the baptism of fire, they will dip their hand into the water, and they'll make the sign of the cross as remember as a reminder of whose mark and emblem they now bear the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit marked out to belong to Him forevermore. It's a prayer gesture. That's all it is. And this sign represents the triune nature of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, this divine community who is in relational nature and invites you and me into that covenant relationship, where he has promised us in our baptism, I will be your God, and you will be my people. So we need to be very careful not to dismiss a certain gesture of prayer that we're not familiar with. Very careful. Why because we all have certain gestures of prayer that we do. Let me give you some, okay. This these are the prayer gestures that I grew up with every single week part of the liturgy, every eye closed, every head bowed, every hand folded. Right that's the prayer gesture. Folding our hands now in our heads closing our eyes sitting standing kneeling, raising our hands Oh even joke was love that one. Right. So we got the high five we got the spread eagle. Right. We've got the welcome and receive I mean, we've got it down. Then some of us like to dance we got the sway we got the head bob. We've got the twist attorney or the head because what are we doing? We're just doing prayer gestures. We're just acknowledging that what we're singing what we're praying what we're saying, like yes, yes, yes. You know, I like the fist pumps I fan Yeah. But many evangelicals are prone to think of marking yourself with the sign of the cross as superstitious because they've watched. They've watched poltergeists from Hollywood and associate it with some superstitious religious activity. Right? Oh, I'm not gonna do that Roman Catholic or like no Max baseball coach to win state championships, right? We watch baseball players do it all the time they walk right for the wire up to the plate and they're like, Okay, here we go, boom, I'm gonna get a hot rod because a superstitious act, right? We associate it with superstitions and other sources, the dead road ritual. Well, then what about this? I do this every week. I do this every week, I pray every week is that is prayer every week, a dead road ritual is standing nailing a dead road rip. It's just a prayer gesture. That's all it is. Let me forever put it down. And we're gonna finish with this because we got to get to the Lord's Supper. I told you this to go longer. But really quick, this is not a Roman Catholic practice. I'm going to prove it to you. The Roman Catholic Church, historically speaking did not come into official being until the 16th century at the Council of Trent between the years 1545 and 1563. That's when the Roman Catholic Church came into existence, the 16th century at the Council of Trent. But the practice of marking yourself with the sign of the cross dates all the way back to the third century. And perhaps even earlier, if you read the church fathers Cyprian. It explains the ritual in the third century the to the two hundreds by referencing the sign of the cross to Christ's redemptive death on the cross, raising your hands or good or folding them or go to close your eyes good, but they were associated with the Paramount truths of the gospel for you. Tertullian in the early two hundreds, he speaks of this prayer gesture as if something had been going on for a very long time before him and the two hundreds. He says with every departure in the beginning and the end of all activities from getting dressed to putting on shoes in the bath at table and lighting the lamps when we go to bed, when we sit down. And each of our actions, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross Athanasius in the fourth century, the great champion of Orthodoxy, and his treatise on the Incarnation, he says the Christ disciples take aggressive action against death, and that they no longer fear it. And by the sign of the cross, and by faith in Christ, they tread depth down as dead. So whatever you might think of this ancient prayer gesture, which predates the Roman Catholic Church by at least 1300 years, right. Listen, whatever you think of it, it serves as a powerful reminder to millions of believers that they are entirely committed to the Triune God, whose mark and emblem they Now bear in their baptism. And for those who struggle, it is a comfort, just a prayer gesture. And so here's the point is that the gospel has to be paramount in all things, including the architectural layout of the worship space, the prayer gestures that we do, to help remind us of these Paramount truths of the gospel, the architectural layer of the church is meant to reinforce and match what we're preaching up front. Yet, how many churches do you walk in and they look like a concert hall? Looks like it. They're literally here Britney Spears saying rather than meet the Triune God. And so it's important that the the design expressed and reinforce the central truths of the gospel. This is why pushing the baptismal font off in a corner should be avoided. Why? Because baptism is a sacrament of initiation, or entrance to the church. And because of that, it's appropriate to put that baptism of fire right where you got to walk right into it every week. Just as a visual reminder to you to help you believe the gospel. Why baptism plays a central role in your life as a disciple. So it has to be central in your life should not be central in your church building. Right? The growth of your faith is important. And so we want to have the things that help us make the gospel prominent, both in his archetype. Natural design and in the way that we pray to help us as we grow using our baptism. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the gift of your baptism. And we thank you that it is a visible gospel. It is a holy sign and seal that you have set apart to confirm and assure in our hearts that Justice our body is, is washed out really. So we had been washed in really by the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit from all the pollution of our sin. And so we thank you for this help. We thank you for this gift. And now as we come to your second gift, your table, your sacrament. We pray that you would grant us the faith to to eat and drink and faith receiving Christ and all of us saving benefits now. We pray that you would serve us now at your table and shape us and mold us into your image. By the power of your Holy Spirit. We ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Thanks for listening to the Him We Proclaim podcast with John Fonville. Him we proclaim as a ministry of John Fonville of Paramount church in Jacksonville, Florida. You can check out his church at Paramount church.com We look forward to next time