Agriculture in the Faith | My Job Depends on Ag

This sermon introduces the new year series, "My Job Depends on Ag," using agriculture as a metaphor for spiritual growth. The pastor begins with a confession about struggling to trust God with finances (both for the church's summer camp and the Amigo Row building project) and how asking for help led to miraculous provision. He emphasizes that spiritual growth is not like technology—it doesn't happen instantly with the push of a button. Instead, it's like farming: slow, incremental, often invisible, and dependent on creating the right conditions.

Scripture References
1 Corinthians 3:18: "And we all... are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory."

Romans 8:28-30: God's purpose is for us to be "conformed to the image of his Son."

Luke 8:4-15: The Parable of the Sower, illustrating four types of soil and the importance of perseverance for a harvest.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24: "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."

Key Points
Don't Settle for Less: The pastor's confession highlights the temptation to settle when tired of contending. Whether in finances, relationships, or faith, God often calls us to press on rather than accept the status quo. We need community to spur us on when our own faith is weak.

Growth is Like Agriculture, Not an App: Spiritual transformation is not a "zap" or a flash. It is organic, often invisible to the naked eye, and happens over time. Jesus used agricultural metaphors (soil, seed, harvest) because they accurately reflect how the Kingdom of God works.

Intentionality vs. Accident: No one accidentally gets a great marriage, a fit body, or a deep relationship with Jesus. While growth ultimately comes from God (like a tree growing), we must be intentional about creating the conditions for that growth (planting, watering, tending). We cannot drift into spiritual maturity.

The Parable of the Soils: Jesus explains that the same seed (God's Word) produces different results based on the soil of our hearts.

Path: The enemy snatches the word away.

Rocky Ground: No root; faith withers in testing.

Thorns: Choked by worries, riches, and pleasures; does not mature.

Good Soil: Hears, retains, and perseveres to produce a crop.

Conclusion
God has a plan for your growth in 2026. He desires your transformation even more than you do. While we must be intentional, we can rest in the promise that "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." We are invited to partner with Him, tending the soil of our hearts so that His Word can produce a harvest.

Calls to Action
Assess Your Intentions: On a scale of 1-10, how intentional are you about your spiritual growth? Move from hoping for accidental growth to planning for intentional formation.

Refuse to Settle: identify areas where you have stopped contending for God's best (marriage, health, faith) and ask Him for renewed faith to press on.

Tend Your Soil: As we begin this series, prepare your heart to receive God's Word. Identify any "rocks" or "thorns" (worries, distractions) that might be choking your growth.

Transcript

I'm going to start our morning together with a confession.

And, that confession will lead into an invitation. I don't know if you've experienced this, but when people confess around me, it's. It's always an invitation. It's not just a confession. So I'm going to confess. I'm an invite. I'm in a, introduce, a sermon series. Maybe some of you are wondering why your job depends on age.

But I'll explain that and then kind of issue a challenge for the next, six weeks together. So the confession part is this the biggest lesson I learned as a pastor? And it was a big it was a big year. For me, it's a big year for us, but a big year for me. I graduated from seminary.

We celebrated our 20th anniversary, and, Yeah, that. Yeah, the church celebrated the 20th anniversary. But the biggest lesson I learned this year, it's surrounded money. And it wasn't really about money, but it involved money. It's never really about money, but it always involves money, right? When Jesus talks about money, he's not talking about money. He's talking about your heart.

He's talking about your allegiance. He's talking about your devotion. He's talking about your trust. He's talking about the things that you think are going to save you. That's what he's talking about when he talks about money. So it's always. It always involves the money. It's never really about money for us. So like most, good lessons I had to to learn this one twice.

Twice in the same year. And, as you may recall, we have this summer camp called, celebration that we love because all of our churches come together at a huge lake, and it really is just heaven on earth. And we've done it for the last three years. And last year we made this decision like, hey, we're going to go every other year.

And we made that decision because it was a practical one, a logical one. It made sense. The camp's pretty tough to sustain. It's tough to sustain for our staff. And it's also tough to sustain, financially. And I know if you're a part of this church, there's many camps, in over the course of the year. And so we're like, hey, you know, seems seems like a good idea to to go every other year.

So we then go up to the camp in June, and almost immediately I start fielding protests. People are upset. We can't do this every other year. We just got this thing off the ground. Why would we not do this? What's happening? You know, I'm just all weekend long, and honestly, I'm having some of the same thoughts. I'm defending the decision, but deep down, I'm like, yeah, why are we doing this every other year?

And why did I make this decision? So I knew something that people didn't though. I knew the cost of of hosting the camp. Both the financial cost and the cost on our staff. And I woke up the last morning, and I just. I don't know if you've ever had this experience, but just clear as day, I heard a voice in my head say that if you'll share the need, someone will write that check.

And I was like, well, I don't think I want to share the need. Because I didn't want to be that pastor who stands up. And on the last day of camp when everyone's writing the camp, he goes, and I'll tell you how you can get involved. We need, you know, I just I was like, I don't want to ask for the money.

And I just assumed I didn't want to ask. And I honestly, in my pride, I just wanted to shoulder the load. I didn't want to share it. I want to be the man with a plan. Not the man with a need that he voices from a stage. I want to voice a plan, you know, from the from the stage.

So I submit it to the elders. I'm like, hey, I woke up clear as day. This is what I heard. And they were like, well, it sounds like you should do that. You know, so I shared that I swallowed my pride and just said, we're, this we're about $30,000 away from this camp working and being sustainable. And I heard God say someone was going to write the check if I shared it.

And sure enough, someone wrote the check after I shared it. But more than more than money, you end up receiving like a deposit of faith and more than money. You get this lesson. And the lesson is this. James, should I grab the other mic? The one that you tuned up? So the lesson I learned is like, you can't assume you have to ask, but it's really easy to assume and it's really hard to ask and you can't shoulder it alone.

You have to share the need and you can't settle for less. Like you have to press on. I don't think it was sin for us to say we're going every other year. It wasn't. But we can't settle when God's asking us to press on. And then here's the biggest lesson, right is you have to humble yourself and you got to quit acting like you've got it because you don't.

Right? So you would think that lesson learned. I probably won't do that again, right or wrong. I see God's faithfulness in June, and then I'm learning the same lesson again in September because of after ten months of raising money for amigo Rho, we've raised $600,000. We've raised half of the $1.2 million that we need, and I feel happy with that.

I'm like, this is that's great. That's a lot of money. $600,000 is a lot of money. And then I started justifying it. It's a really strange economy. It is. The Main Street property's a huge asset. It's not like we're borrowing, you know, to invest in crypto or something. Debt on properties is normal. We'll just finance it. We raised half of it.

We'll just finance the rest. We have a great relationship with the lender. These are the things I'm telling myself to justify. Just settling. And once again, I don't want to ask. I just want to assume that you're tired of hearing about it.

And I don't want to share the need. I just want to shoulder it. And I want to be the man with the plan, not the man with a need that you hear about each and every week. So one of my brothers, who's like a leader at this church came over. He's like, can I come over to your house?

And I'm like, Jesus, what in the world? So he comes over and then we go like out into the backyard. And he's like. And he says to me, kind of in the kindest way. I think looking back on it now, I think he rebuked me, but I didn't even know it. It was nice. I mean, he did really.

He did really well because I was kind of like, you got a point. But he he rebuked me and he says, like, men don't decide what's possible. Let's make a push at the end of the year. Let's take the last 90 days and try to raise $632,000. Let's do that. And let's ask, don't assume. Go ask. Don't shoulder the load.

Don't shoulder the debt. Travis. Like, share that with the body. Right. And so his gifts kind of supplied what was lacking in me. Once again, I brought it to the elders, and I'm like, hey, are we supposed to. We supposed to not settle, but to push here at the end of the year when we made that decision and and we we raised $632,000 in 90 days.

Yeah. Which is awesome. Thank you for being obedient. But secondly, it's really not about the money. It's not. It's a reflection. What's most exciting to me is not that we don't have to service dad, or that some of our ministry money isn't going to service that. The most exciting part about me, for me, is that this is a reflection of our heart for the next generation.

This is a reflection of our heart for our main street and being a church downtown, and this is a reflection of we want to glorify and lift up the name of Jesus in our city. And that's kind of what's getting me excited. And thirdly, I just want to say I feel really thankful to be a part of a community that spurs me on towards faith.

And I just want to say, like, even the pastors need to be pastored and even the leaders need to be led. Even pastors need to be challenged and rebuked to not settle for something less than what God has for them. Because over familiarity with things can really erode your faith. And sometimes you need someone fresh on the outside who's more in touch with God's Word than your circumstances to step in and say, that's not all.

That's possible. That's all. That's not all. That's that's needed, right? So I don't think that borrowing money to finish Amigo Row is a sin. I don't I just felt like I wanted to settle and I was tired of contending. And it might not be money for you. Could be. But every one of us feels tempted. Not just towards sin, but tempted to settle because you're tired of contending.

And so you're just saying in your head and heart, maybe this is all there is in my marriage. Maybe this is all there is at work. Maybe this is all there is in my family, with my mental health, with my money. I don't know what it is for you, but we all have places of life where we're just tired of knocking, we're tired of contending, and we just want to settle.

And I just want to charge us. Let's let's be the kind of church this year that refuses to settle for less than what God has promised, and to spur one another on towards that. And if you're here and you're like, Travis, I don't think I have one person in my life that would spur me on and say, don't settle for that.

Push on. Press into all that God has for you. If you don't have people around you spurring you on, we want to to be that. We want to. And it's not just up to me and up to what I said from the pulpit. It really is about the people that you're sitting shoulder to shoulder with. Let's press in.

Let's go by what God says and not what we see. And when people are overwhelmed by what they see, let's remind them this is what God says. So that was a confession and an invitation. To you. I just actually want to pause and just pray, if that's okay.

Lord, we want to say, together with probably different levels of faith in our hearts. We want that. Yes, we want to go by what you say, and we want to experience all that you've promised. And we don't want to settle. We don't want to settle. And we feel tempted just to sit down who we feel tempted to sing a little quieter.

We feel tempted to protect our own hearts and to try to save ourselves. And we just want to say, together as a church at the beginning of the year, we're trusting you to save us. We're not going to finagle and try to save ourselves. Protect our own hearts. We're going to trust you to protect us, and we're going to believe you for big things this year, not for the status quo.

And everyone said Amen. So for the first six weeks of the year, we're we will at some point jump back into Exodus. We'll go we'll finish Exodus from mid February to mid June. But for the next six weeks we're in a little series at the start of the year called. My job depends on agg. You'll probably recognize, this sticker that we've used.

I've often wanted one on my vehicle. I've wanted one on my car because it's partially true for me as a pastor. Our whole economy in the Central Valley is dependent upon agg. And you're kidding yourself if you think as a pastor or as a teacher that in some way, shape or form, AG doesn't affect what you're doing, it does to some degree.

It's true for every one of us that our jobs still depend on AGG because it's such a big part of who we are. I've also wanted one on my my vehicle because I feel really proud of the ag industry. I feel really proud of where we're we're from. I feel connected to the AG, to the to the dirt.

I feel proud of what we grow. I feel proud of where we live. I feel like a Central Valley, boy born and bred. And when people complain about our heat or our air, I'm like, by to be gone. I get really defensive of the valley. In ways. And again, I think it's just because I'm proud.

I'm proud of who we are. I'm proud of what we do. I'm proud of our part of the state. And when I travel. Sure. This has happened to you. Even in our nation and then beyond our nation, when you travel and you tell people you're from Central California, they're like, is that northern or southern? And I'm like, it's central.

That's why I said Central California. You know, and they're like like in the northern part, you know, and I'm like, no, it's in the middle of the state, you know. And then what I do is I pull some crazy statistic out of my butt about how much of the world's food is grown in our valley. Have you ever done this before?

It's a different number every time I do it, but it's big and it keeps getting bigger because I want that person to feel dumb for not knowing where Central California is at.

So I was like, oh, that's funny. You don't know where Central California is, where the breadbasket of the world, really? Yeah. 68% of the your food is grown in the valley, you know, and they're like, wow, really? What do you guys grow? Well, the real question is, what don't we grow? So go ahead and ask it. What don't you grow?

Nothing. We grow everything. Everything is grown in the Central Valley, including babies. Because someone's got to work those farms. We grow it all.

I've noticed that as the year, begins. My hopes for 2026 are that I would grow. I don't need to cross the finish line this year, but I want to know that I made progress. I want to know that I've matured. I want to know. As we sang and prayed in the first song that my life is is bearing fruit.

I want to live a life that has impact, and I. I want to be fruitful. I want to produce the fruit of the spirit, like in in my life. And I'm sure you're here at the beginning of the year and you want that to like you want to. You want to grow. You want to mature. You want to progress.

You don't want to spend 2026 going backwards. And I just want to say that your job as a follower of Jesus depends on age. The Christian walk, following Jesus. The spiritual life is more like AG than technology. I wish I could tell you you could just click a button and make it happen, but it's more like the production that comes from your life is more like a farm and less like a factory.

And you need to know that going into the year, Jesus constantly spoke using metaphors from agriculture, and he was constantly describing the way the kingdom of God advances by using things like soil, using things like seed, using, metaphors from the harvest. He was constantly employing this language because he wanted to connect with his audience, and they understood this language.

Guess what? We understand this language. You're like, no, you should see my backyard. No, I think in living here, you just have a baseline understanding of what it means to farm. And I believe that Jesus is using these analogies because he wants us to understand how growth takes place in our lives and how we produce the type of fruit and live a transformed life.

I think he wants that right. We speak this language. We understand seasons and and sowing and harvest, right. And work and soil and rain. We we get this stuff. So through agriculture, we gain insight into how the Christian life works. And so for the next six weeks, we're going to talk about rootedness and a hidden life and the context of soil.

We're going to talk about keeping and cultivating your heart. For from it flows life. We're going to talk about trusting God with pruning and sowing when you can't see what's happening. We're going to talk about what we can and can't control because farmers know a lot about that. We're going to talk about water wars, the reality that food grows where water flows.

We're going to talk about harvest and discerning seasons. And again, I trust us to go. Yeah, I get that. And I want to apply that to my life. So our new year depends on agg the economic health of our region. And our valley is dependent upon agriculture. But the health and the future of the church is also dependent upon people understanding that this life is more like AGG than it is an app.

Does that make sense? And I know that all the AG happens on apps now I get it, but just go with me. Okay? I'm also living with a prophetic promise. For our valley during a time of prayer actually away from here. I felt like the Lord spoke to me and said, I want to show you how the valley works.

What falls from heaven floods the valley floor and it feeds the nations. And we want this gospel, this revelation of who God is, what we want, what falls from heaven to then come low and flood the valley floor to really saturate the valley floor. And in the spiritual realm, we want to feed nations. We do it in the physical, and I'm believing that we can actually do it in the spiritual as well.

That God designed us to do this. So I want to do it. So I've been thinking about this for a while. I got the sticker sticker thanks to Chicago. It's on my car. I think I'll put it on my computer too, just as a reminder, I need to get my hands dirty. So I want to talk just briefly about change and start the process of reflecting on our year and cultivating our life before God.

It's not just that you desire change. It's that the Bible promises that God desires change. And I think our thirst for transformation, our desire to be transformed, is really fueled by the promises in Scripture. Now, I know you've been fed a really steady diet of being told, you know, just be yourself. You've been told like, you know, you do you or whatever the mantra is, you've been told you're great just the way you are.

And I find that that's no match for our desire to be changed. That the reason we have to recite that mantra over and over again is because our deepest desires to be transformed. We don't just want to be ourselves. That's why people have to keep telling you, be yourself. Just be yourself. Be yourself. Or like I don't, I'm sick of that guy.

I, I don't want to be that guy. I don't be around that guy. Like, I don't want that. I want to be changed. I want to be more like Jesus. I don't want to respond in all these same ways. I want to see growth happen in my life.

I want to read, this, text to you because I think it's part of Christianity's appeal for many is this promise of transformation. And preachers speak to this deep longing inside of us like that. You can leave the old behind and you can become brand new. And we're like, yes, please. And again, I want you to know that this isn't just preachers over promising.

This is what the scriptures teach. In first Corinthians it says, we all, who with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord's glory and are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the spirit. The word here used for transformation speaks of a metamorphosis. Like, you know, the idea of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, like a mighty Morphin Power Ranger.

This thing like this is deep inside of us. We want to be transformed into the image of Jesus, and we have a sense that we could and should be doing more than we are. The butterfly isn't like a better caterpillar, right? It's something different altogether. And we want that. Romans eight makes a famous promise, and we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

What's the purpose for those? God for new. He also predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son. That he might be the first born among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called, those he called. He also justified, those he justified, he also glorified. He has a plan to restore you to glory through his grace at work in your life.

He has a plan for that. And when we think about change, when we think about transformation, when we think about January 1st, we may have come up with a plan as well, right? And it may be different than the plan you had last year because that plan didn't last long. I don't know what your plan. Maybe you've given up on plans.

I don't know, but I've noticed that there's different ways that we think about change and think about transformation. And I don't know if the first few are very healthy. The first one is that we think that change is going to happen in a flash. Sprinkle me with some sort of fairy dust. There's going to be it's magic that needs to get me out of this mess I'm in.

We want to be zapped. Just deliver me in seconds. From the bondage of sin and flesh. Just get me out of this thing. God. Make it happen. Make it happen in a flash. Many are deconstructing their faith because they feel the Christian scriptures over promise and under deliver and they've been waiting to be zapped for a really long time.

And when you've been promised that change happens in a flash, it usually gives birth to. This second one is a sort of fatalism in our lives. And that's this. My therapist says I'll live like this for the rest of my life. My Enneagram number says this will just be my issue for the rest of my life. Well, Meyer, Myers.

Briggs, when I talked to him, he says this about me, right? And you just kind of resigned. And that happens often in our conversations, right? I'm just a worrier. It's who I am. Well, I'm just a jerk. I don't know what to say. And you're like, sorry. Say sorry for being a jerk. I can't. It's my Enneagram number.

You know, like, there's a sort of fatalism that sets in because it's like we have been believing for the flash. It hasn't happened. So we just settle. I guess this is my marriage. I guess this is the way things are going to be. But the Bible describes change using fruit. And I think it's really helpful. It uses agriculture to describe the ways that we change.

And when you think about growth with agriculture, it's really interesting because the growth that happens with AGG is invisible to the naked eye. It's not like I could be like, I'm watching those oranges grow. I saw it. I spotted it. Oh, did you see that? No it's not. But you come back to it a couple weeks later and you're like, oh, things have grown.

But it's invisible to the naked eye. The other thing about fruit is it's incremental. It doesn't usually go from 0 to 60 very fast. It's also inevitable. It will happen. You can't control it. You can plant it. You can water it. But it's ultimately God that gives the growth. And you don't grow a tree. What you do is you help to create the conditions needed to grow a tree.

And then you turn it over to some sort of mysterious thing that God ordained to happen. And I think this is really helpful. It's helpful to think in terms of formation. You will be formed this year. Non-Conformity is not an option. You will be conformed. And the question is, will that happen by accident or will that happen by intention?

Will you intentionally be shaped and formed, or will you accidentally be shaped informed? Not many people have something that you admire because they got it on accident. Do you understand? Like no one accidentally got that body that you admire, right? No one accidentally got those teeth that you admire. No one accidentally got the yard that you admire. And no one accidentally got the family that you admire.

They usually have those things by intention. Especially the lawn. No one floated into these things. Do you understand? No one has them by accident. I accidentally have this amazing family that picnics on my amazing lawn that I got on accident. That's not the way it goes. They have those things because there's some intention behind those things. They've decided this is what they want to form.

This is what they want to have, and they've applied themselves. There's a few times I had one annoying friend that had a six pack. And by the way, you he ate. You were just like, I don't know. I don't understand. I do not understand. So every once in a while, there's that guy, and we hate that guy. Right?

Everyone else is working for that stuff. Everybody else is intentional about their diet. They're intentional about their exercise. They're intentional about the sport they play. They're intentional about the grades they get. Some people have it by accident. Most people have it by intention. And I want to ask you, do you have intentions around these things, or are you just hoping you're going to get more like Jesus by accident?

I just I don't know, man. 2026 is a good year. I just accidentally started forgiving those who hate me. I just floated into that as crazy, like, downstream. I just got in the flow and all of a sudden I was healing people. I don't know what to tell you. That's not usually the way it works.

I want to ask you right now when it comes to work or school. What level would you rate yourself between 1 and 10? What would you put like? I have intention around what I'm doing at work. I've got a plan. I'm not looking for things to go or grow forward on accident. I got a plan that I'm working.

Or you floating in work. What would you say for yourself? Turn to your neighbor. We'll do this. Turn to your neighbor. Score yourself. Work. School. Where are you at?

Don't explain your number. It's just a number.

Hey, what about. What about friendship? Are you hoping that friendship happens by accident? Or do you have some intentions around the type of friend you're going to be? How would you score a friendship? What's your friendship number?

What about your marriage or dating? How much? I would imagine dating numbers are higher than the marriage numbers. Yeah. Take it. And? The dating people are planning on brushing their teeth.

1 to 10. Where are you? Where would you rank your intentions? Like I've got a plan. I've got intention for growth in my marriage. What about parenting? Are you hoping to have good kids on accident, or is there some intention? Where would you put your intentions in parenting? Go ahead. Everyone just give up on this game. All right, I get it.

It's fine. It's hard to say two over and over again. Not 2.5. Two and a quarter. What's really sad is when we move into the lesser things, the things that we control can control. What you're going to see is increased numbers. If I were to talk to you about coffee, I guarantee you you have a plan. You have a plan for it to be just a certain way at just a certain time.

You're not hoping to have good coffee on accident. You've got some ideas, right? When we move into a hobby or sport, when we move into our money, potentially. What I'm trying to get at is these things don't happen by accident and discipleship is no different. You're not going to, by accident, become more like Jesus. Do you have a plan?

Desires. Do you have vision and intention and means? And is there something that you're hoping to work? Or is it just like, no, I'm just hoping it works. I don't know what. I'm going to keep doing the same things and hoping I grow. Dallas Willard says this. Imagine if you can a person wondering day after day if he or she is going to learn Arabic.

Hope today's the day. Or if he or she is going to get married to a certain person, just waiting to see whether it would happen. That would be laughable. But many people actually seem to live in this way with respect to major issues involving them, including their spiritual growth. As we end our time this morning, I was hoping Worship team, would you guys come?

They're actually going to lead us in a couple of songs because I just, I wanted I, I'm sure the last two weeks for you have been just as busy as they have been for me, and I wanted to spend some time just before God offering ourselves, surrendering our year, and seeking his direction for our lives. But before I do, I just want to read one of Jesus's most famous parables, and he actually preaches his own parable, so I don't actually even need to explain it.

Trusting that the Holy Spirit will prompt you and highlight things for you.

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town. He told this parable A farmer went out to sow a seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path. It was trampled on and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.

Other seed fell among thorns which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop 100 times more than what was sown. When he said this, he called out, whoever has ears to hear, let them hear. Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant, and he said, the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others.

I speak in parables, so that those seeing they may not see. And through hearing, and though hearing, they may not understand. This says Jesus, is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the Word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear. And then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing, they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear. But as they go on their way, they're choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures.

And they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart who hear the word retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. I'm going to ask you to come to the table. We're going to respond like we typically do through worship and remembering Christ's body broken and his blood shed for us so that we could be cleansed by his mercy.

But before we do, I just want to share with you good news. Good news for the twos in this room. God does have a plan. And even if you don't mean business, he does. He has a plan to shape you and mold you into the image of his son. He's so committed to that plan that he gave his only son to make a way, so that you just didn't have vision and desires for your life, but you had the means to pull it off.

And as you come, you need to know you were knit together, made by God. And he's got a plan to produce fruit in and through your life. There's no accidents here. You're the result of formation. First Thessalonians 523 as a benediction over our church, may God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.