WEBVTT 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:18.400 Welcome to our Church at the Grove online gathering. 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:24.400 My name is Russ, and uh it's great to have you with us as we continue in our series called The Good Life. 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:29.599 Uh, Jesus' first sermon, it's referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:36.959 I want to tell you today about an early church father by the name of Polycarp. 00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:43.920 And that's a strange name, but but he was a disciple of the disciple uh of John, the disciple of Jesus. 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:58.319 And so in 155 A.D., um, under persecution from a Roman emperor, uh, Polycarp was sentenced to be burned at the stake for his belief in Christ. 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:11.759 And so he had been in a jail and he had won over the heart of the captain of the jail because of his love for Jesus and his care and compassion for the people around him, even in prison. 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:27.199 And so as he was being prepared to be burned at the stake, uh the captain of the jail said, Polycarp, why don't you please just confess that Caesar is Lord and your life will be spared. 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:34.639 And Polycarp, because of his love and his devotion and his commitment to Jesus Christ, he responds this way. 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:36.080 Listen to what he says. 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:43.599 Um he says, that 80 and six years I have served him, talking about Jesus, and he has done me no wrong. 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:47.520 How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:57.759 You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched, but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:59.360 Why are you waiting? 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:01.439 Do what you must do. 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:12.159 Do you know that 300,000 people on the planet died last year as a direct result of their faith in Jesus Christ? 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:28.240 And when I hear that statistic and other statistics about persecution, I believe it begs the question: do we, do I, really understand the significance of persecution and persecution for the sake of Jesus? 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:38.960 And see, to say that we're blessed or blessed or happy or the persecuted, it goes completely against, I think, our human nature. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:42.400 It's counterintuitive to who we are. 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:46.159 Jesus, though, is not speaking about what is natural. 00:03:46.400 --> 00:04:02.080 I believe Jesus is speaking about what is supernatural, the supernatural life of a Jesus follower, somebody who's walking in the righteousness of Jesus, and they found their hope in Jesus rather than finding their hope in this world. 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:14.080 And it moves beyond just a Sunday attendance, uh, check-the-box Christianity to this 24-7 daily pursuit of Jesus. 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:23.120 And when we find our significance in Him, we are willing to embrace and understand the significance of persecution. 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:31.519 And so a lot of times we're gonna face being cursed by the world in this life because of our faith in Jesus. 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:36.879 But Jesus is saying, hey, when it comes to eternity, we're blessed. 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:41.519 We're happy, even though we face persecution in this life. 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.560 And I believe one of the things Jesus is addressing is this. 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:51.360 He's wanting to address where our allegiance truly lies in this life. 00:04:51.439 --> 00:05:02.879 And these beatitudes, they scream out to the comfortable church in places like America or the Western world that we don't need any more undercover Christians. 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:08.319 We don't need any more secret service agents for the Savior. 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:20.879 We need to move past cultural Christianity and embrace this true commitment to Jesus, even despite persecution. 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:26.240 John Stott calls it counter-culture Christianity. 00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:30.399 And so many Christians are like Christian ninjas. 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:37.839 They kind of roll in and they roll out, and nobody knows that they've actually been in the room. 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:42.319 And so we are called to move beyond this cultural Christianity. 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:47.759 And it sounds crazy, but we're we're called to embrace persecution. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:55.199 Um it and so the good life doesn't come through prosperity, but rather comes through persecution. 00:05:55.360 --> 00:06:00.160 The good life doesn't come through prosperity, but rather it comes through persecution. 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:06.959 And even I believe the church's true identity is revealed in the face of persecution. 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:20.879 And it's quite possible that today and moving forward in the future, that it's going to be more costly in our culture to truly follow Jesus than ever before. 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:22.240 Now here's the big idea. 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:27.680 So happy are the persecuted for following Jesus. 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:30.560 Happy are those who are persecuted for following Jesus. 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:41.680 And so we're in this series, The Good Life, where Jesus is walking us through these beatitudes, and it's kind of these building blocks of Christianity, the building blocks of following Jesus. 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:52.240 And they progressively move from the inward life of a follower to how our faith is reflected in the outward life. 00:06:52.319 --> 00:07:06.480 And so we're walking through, we looked at this inward posture, poor in spirit, those who mourn, those that are meek, the hungry and the thirsty to this outward life, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers. 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:12.399 And today's beatitude is happy or blessed are those who are persecuted. 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:18.240 Let's read these three verses, verses 10, 11, and 12 out of Matthew chapter 5. 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:23.920 He says, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:31.759 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:39.279 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:43.040 Now I'm going to read it out of Eugene Peterson's translation, the message. 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:47.680 Verse 10 You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:51.519 The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom. 00:07:51.680 --> 00:08:02.079 Not only that, count yourselves blessed every time you put down or throw out, or they put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you or discredit me. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:06.879 What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:08.959 You can be glad when it happens. 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:10.560 Give a cheer, even. 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:12.800 For though they don't like it, I do. 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:17.120 All heaven applauds and know that you are in good company. 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:21.199 My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:27.439 And so I believe we come to grips with three realities when we understand the persecuted life. 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:41.279 And the first one is this is that persecution is not the exception, but persecution is the expectation for those that fully follow Jesus. 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:48.399 Persecution is not the exception, but it is rather the expectation for those that are fully devoted to follow Jesus. 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:59.679 More people have died in the 21st century for their devotion to Jesus than have died in the previous 20 centuries before that. 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:13.039 And so that's an amazing statistic, this idea that more people in modern history have died for their faith than people in the previous 20 centuries have died for their faith. 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:19.279 And it reminds me of what Paul says to his disciple Timothy, 2 Timothy 1 3.12. 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:24.320 It says, indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:27.440 All who live a godly life, do you want to live a godly life? 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:29.039 I think I want to live a godly life. 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:31.360 I know you probably want that too. 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:38.320 And so this idea in verses 10 through 11, it says, those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:43.360 And Paul tells Timothy, those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:51.200 Peter, the Apostle Peter, says this in chapter 4, verse 12 through 16 of his first letter. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:10:06.480 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:13.679 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and glory of God rest upon you. 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:18.879 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:25.840 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:34.720 Jesus said in the Gospel of John, chapter 16, he says, I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:40.960 He said, In the world you will have trouble or tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:51.360 Do you know that 10 of the 12 original disciples, they died deaths of martyrdom because of their faith in Jesus Christ. 00:10:52.639 --> 00:11:00.879 Only John the Apostle and Judas, the betrayer, did not die because of their faith. 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:07.120 And John the Apostle was he was uh sent to exile on the Isle of Patmos. 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:12.879 And so persecution comes as a result of our devotion to Christ. 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:15.919 Persecution comes as a result of spiritual warfare. 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:29.200 The apostle Paul in Ephesians 6 he says we don't war against flesh and blood, but we war against the um against the powers and the and and the and the demons in this spiritual realm. 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:34.000 Um persecution comes as as we hold a biblical worldview. 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:47.600 Uh there we live in a culture where we believe in absolute truth, and because of our moral stance and and our commitment to Jesus, many of us will face some type of rejection or persecution. 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:51.279 And persecution comes as a result of nonconformity. 00:11:51.600 --> 00:12:00.960 Um we're we're the Apostle Paul says to the church in Rome, he says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:03.840 And so persecution is not an exception. 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:11.440 It's not the exception, it's the expectation for those of us that are committed to Jesus and fully devoted to following him. 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:16.000 The second reality is this is there is a reward for persecution. 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:21.120 Um Jesus said, rejoice and be glad in verse 12, for your reward is great in heaven. 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:26.399 And so there's a reward that we have and uh that we have coming to us because of persecution. 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:29.519 Blessed or happy are the persecuted. 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:33.360 Be glad, rejoice, for your reward is in heaven. 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:40.159 And you got to hear that last part in heaven, because sometimes we're gonna face persecution in this world. 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:53.120 Some of us might face it uh great persecution, some of us might face mild persecution, but here's the hope we have that we have a reward that awaits us in eternity, and that's forever. 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:55.200 This world is temporary. 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:57.679 And so let's rejoice. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:04.320 I love looking at these words in the Greek language and in the Beatitudes, this word blessed. 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:08.080 It's this idea of being happy from divine grace. 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:11.519 It's an adjective that describes the follower of Jesus. 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:19.039 And as a result of our commitment to Jesus, we can have this blessed hope or we can have this divine happiness. 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:28.879 Um, but Paul says in Romans chapter 12, he says, Blessed, bless those who persecute and bless and do not curse them. 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:38.399 And it's this idea of bless as a verb, and it's the idea that we bless those who persecute us because we have an eternal hope. 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:43.200 And so this it's this idea that we are blessed to bless. 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:47.679 We are blessed to bless those around us. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:51.600 And so this is counter-culture, this is counterintuitive. 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:56.559 And so Jesus said, you've heard it said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:01.279 He says, but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you. 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:02.639 That sounds so strange. 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:05.600 It sounds so counter-culture, cultural. 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:13.440 It is, it's counterintuitive, but it redefines for us what we are to be to those around us in our life. 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:19.840 We are to be good neighbors, and our neighbors are not just other believers. 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:24.879 Jesus is saying, your neighbor to the Jewish people is not just other Jewish people. 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:29.440 He said, your neighbor is anyone that you come in contact with. 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:37.200 It crosses um ethnic boundaries, it crosses social and cultural boundaries. 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:40.720 He's saying, everybody is your neighbor. 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:51.840 And he says uh later in verse 41 of chapter 5, he says, he says, you are to, if someone asks you uh to go one mile, then you are to go too. 00:14:51.919 --> 00:15:02.799 And it was this idea uh in the Roman culture where uh Roman soldiers could ask the Jewish people to carry their equipment for one mile. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:19.919 And so that was that was a uh part of the oppression from the Romans, and so uh the Jews would would unwillingly submit to that uh that expectation, and they would grit their teeth and they would do what they're told so they their life could be spared. 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:24.879 But here's what Jesus says he says, He says, if you're asked to go one mile, go two miles. 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:28.720 It's completely against what would be the expectation. 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:33.200 He says, Listen, you show the extra mile, you go the extra mile. 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:42.960 And so it's in that extra mile that that the Roman soldier might ask the follower of Jesus, why are you doing this? 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:50.000 And the follower of Jesus can answer that question, because Jesus has called me to love my enemies. 00:15:50.240 --> 00:16:06.720 And so in our world, we're not faced with that reality of carrying somebody's equipment or being oppressed in that way, but but we can show the extra mile way of love and love our neighbors and love our enemies the way that Jesus has called us to. 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:13.919 And so here's the third reality that I think we need to understand and embrace when it comes to persecution. 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:17.600 We are partnering with the persecuted church. 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:22.720 We're partnering with the persecuted church when we face or we embrace persecution. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:29.120 And the persecuted church is is in this modern life, but it's also the last 20 centuries. 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:33.360 This is the people throughout history that have been devoted to Jesus. 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:40.879 And it says in verse 12, for so they were, so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:44.559 They persecuted the prophets before you. 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:48.320 Jesus is referring to the Old Testament prophets. 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:54.000 But as we read this today, we're looking at the new uh New Testament and the early church. 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:56.399 We're looking all the way back to the Old Testament. 00:16:56.639 --> 00:17:01.519 We're looking at people like Stephen, the first martyr in the in the early church. 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:06.160 He was stoned to death because of his faith in Jesus Christ. 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:18.640 And and it says that the uh those those that stoned him came and laid their their coats or their outer garments at the feet of Saul, the persecutor of the early church. 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:22.240 And then they gathered around Stephen and they stoned him. 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:30.400 And he's it says he looked up in heaven and he saw Jesus standing, uh, in a sense, giving him a standing ovation. 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:35.519 Um, and it says, as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:40.640 And falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:43.839 And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:48.079 And so Jesus on the cross was being persecuted. 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:51.680 Jesus says this while he's dying. 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:54.240 He says, Father, forgive them. 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:57.119 They do not know what they're doing. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:02.880 And so uh I love Paul and Silas in Acts chapter 16. 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:04.559 Um, they're in jail. 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:08.160 They've been arrested and they're singing and praising God. 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:09.039 In jail? 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.160 Yes, they're worshiping God in jail. 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:25.359 And so an earthquake shook the jail, and the uh the doors were opened, and and and and Paul and Silas and the other prisoners were able to walk out of their jail cells. 00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:31.839 And and it says that the uh the the jailer was ready to commit suicide because he knew he was in trouble. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:33.920 They said, no, no, no, no, don't do that. 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.160 Put your hope in Jesus Christ. 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:43.440 And it says he put his faith in Jesus, and it says that his whole family was saved, and they baptized him. 00:18:43.759 --> 00:19:04.559 And so Paul is persecuting the church, and these people are saved in a supernatural way, and so all throughout church history, people have faced persecution, and we link arms with the persecuted church throughout history and today in the 21st century. 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:15.279 Do you know that the fastest growing church on the planet right now in 2021 is the underground church in Iran? 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:16.880 It's amazing. 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:28.160 In a Muslim country, in a closed country, in a country where Christianity is illegal, where it is illegal to do what we're doing, where it's illegal to gather and worship. 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:29.359 There are no buildings. 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:39.039 They meet secretly in small house church groups, but the church in Iran is exploding in the midst of persecution. 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:44.880 And so this is the reality of being a fully devoted follower. 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:46.799 We're gonna face persecution. 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:50.960 Here's a couple of questions I want to ask you as we close our time today. 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:54.000 Have you ever faced or felt persecution? 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:55.920 Because of your belief? 00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:02.799 Because of your stance, maybe because of your moral conviction or maybe an ethical issue? 00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:04.880 How did you respond? 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.400 And how did it affect you? 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:07.920 How did it make you feel? 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:14.400 When I was a senior in college doing my undergrad work, I had a professor and he was one of my favorite teachers. 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:25.200 He was just uh so passionate about history, but he um did not like Christians, and he was constantly bashing Christianity and the church. 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:34.640 And I was willing at times to challenge him in a way, and sometimes he blasted me in front of all of my classmates. 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:45.680 And so I felt a tinge, just a tinge, of persecution at that time, but I don't know that that it's even close to what other Christians have experienced on this planet. 00:20:46.079 --> 00:20:49.119 Um are you paralyzed by fear of rejection? 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:53.839 Are you are are you uh gripped by the fear of human opinion? 00:20:54.319 --> 00:21:03.920 Um we have to break through the fear of human opinion and the fear of rejection if we're gonna fully follow Jesus. 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:08.720 And the reality of that is that we might have to face persecution. 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:12.880 But here's the hope for you, and here's the hope for me. 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:22.960 If we've put our faith in Jesus Christ, he promises us to have this blessed and happy life eternally. 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:31.440 Even if we face persecution in this life, we are promised happiness and eternal life. 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:37.599 And so I want to encourage you, maybe you've never faced persecution, maybe because you've never put your faith in Jesus. 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:46.480 Maybe you've been gripped by human opinion or fear, and you need to take a step toward Jesus and put your hope completely in him. 00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:50.160 Can I just encourage you to put your faith in Jesus? 00:21:50.319 --> 00:22:13.279 Maybe for the first time this morning, or maybe as a believer, to take a step of faith and to overcome your fear of rejection and fear of human opinion, and to live out your faith fully in front of other people, in our communities, in our schools, in our workplace, maybe in our families. 00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:25.839 And so if you've never put your faith in Jesus, I want to encourage you to simply admit that you're a sinner, admit that you need Jesus, believe and trust in the gospel, and confess Jesus as your Lord. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:27.680 And then fully follow him. 00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:30.000 Be fully devoted to him. 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:34.880 There's a way for us to follow up with you. 00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:38.799 We want you to text, start to follow to 9700. 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:45.599 And if you put your faith in Jesus for the first time, we want to know it and we want to follow up with you and encourage you. 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:58.559 If you're a believer and you've been more of a cultural Christian and you've you've kind of uh allowed fear and intimidation to grip your hearts, maybe today your step is to is to move out in faith. 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:14.319 Maybe it's to step out and to to embrace baptism and to take that step of faith, to go public with your faith in the face of your family or in the face of uh of maybe some persecution or or some tough issues or rejection. 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:15.759 So take that step. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:25.759 Can I pray with you this morning and just encourage you as we all join Jesus in facing potential persecution? 00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:26.640 Let's pray together. 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:33.200 Father, I lift up those that might be taking their first step to put their faith in Jesus. 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:38.960 Lord, they would step out on faith and follow Jesus maybe for the first time. 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:44.000 Encourage them, walk with them, give them strength and give them comfort. 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:52.559 Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ that maybe have been giving in to the fear of human opinion, fear of rejection. 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:54.160 Lord, would you give us strength? 00:23:54.319 --> 00:24:00.799 Would you give us the power that only comes supernaturally through the Holy Spirit? 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:09.839 That we would be willing to step out in faith and not just endure persecution, but embrace persecution. 00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:17.839 Embrace potential rejection, knowing this, that our reward is in heaven, that we have an eternal reward. 00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:21.359 So, Father, we love you, we praise you, we thank you. 00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:28.880 Thank you for the example of Jesus and the example of the early church fathers and the example of believers throughout history. 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:36.400 Lord, bless us as we move forward as a church and as we move forward as believers in the twenty first century. 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:38.240 It's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:38.960 Amen. 00:24:39.119 --> 00:24:40.000 God bless you.