Let's open our Bibles together, please, to the book of Second
Corinthians. In Chapter 11 is where we find
ourselves. We're coming to the conclusion
of the series through Second Corinthians.
The title of tonight's message is True Servants of Christ
Boasting in Weakness. Two Corinthians Chapter 11
please Opening your Bibles together.
I'm going to be reading out of the New King James Version as we
go through this chapter together.
Some of you may have seen an old Jimmy Stewart comedy film where
Stuart plays a concerned father who is following his daughter
whilst on vacation in Paris and he shadows her every move, sort
of fiercely protective to shield her from harm.
That's the story of a film called Take Her, She's Mine.
And and Stuart's character is convinced that every man that
his daughter encounters has an ulterior motive.
So it's sort of this comedic flow on of of events.
And as a father myself, I can sympathise.
My daughter Shiloh's planning an overseas trip in January, and I
keep teasing that I'll chaperone this trip with her and her
girlfriends. This is precisely the picture
that we have here in Second Corinthians Chapter 11.
The apostle Paul speaks not as this distant theologian in this
chapter, but as a spiritual leader who is concerned for the
church in Corinth. And he uses this kind of
metaphor or this imagery for us in this chapter.
In verse 2, he says I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy
for I have betrothed you to one husband to Christ.
And there's almost this picture, this imagery, you know how we
have in a wedding when the bride comes in the processional and
and the father typically of the bride will stand and the
question is asked, who gives his bride?
Well, Well, Paul pictures himself almost like a spiritual
father over the church and the church specifically in Corinth.
And he's concerned for their purity in their devotion to
gospel doctrine, to not buying into deception that would
contaminate them and destroy them.
But he's very jealous and protective and concerned with a
loving father's heart for this church here in Corinth.
You see, he led them to Christ. He nurtured this church.
He spent a matter of months and there a good year and a half in
in growing this church. And now he watches with concern
as these false teachers have crept into the church and
they're deceiving the Corinthians, and the Corinthians
are listening and they're being deceived, and they're returning
back to their old ways of things that they were doing before
being followers of Jesus Christ. And oh man, it breaks Paul's
heart as the apostle of them and as a father spiritually speaking
over them. You see, these false teachers
particularly had come in and they're smooth, they're
impressive and they sound good, and they're very proud and
boastful of their expertise and their credentials and their
power and their eloquence, and they claim even to be apostles.
But their message corrupts the gospel truth and the clarity of
it. Paul had just devoted so much
time and energy too in in planting and nourishing this
church. So Paul now, particularly in
this chapter, responds, and it's not to protect his own
reputation, but it's to protect the church.
This is the jealousy that he has for them.
He's very protective of them being LED astray.
And so he engages here in what he calls foolish boasting.
And there's a holy irony to the language and the words that he
utilises here. He takes much of the so called
super apostles terminology that they were spreading throughout
the church in Corinth, and he uses it against their arguments.
And so he boasts now, not in his own personal successes, not in
his own personal qualifications, but he boasts in his scars, in
his weaknesses, in his wounds. He focuses not upon his
strength, but upon areas that to all external earthly eyes
looking in appear to be weaknesses, but from a godly,
eternal perspective are very much the power of God coursing
through him. And it's not about exalting
himself, but it's rather to expose these false apostles and
to demonstrate, OK, these these false apostles are claiming to
be servants of Jesus Christ. But let me tell you what a true
servant of Jesus Christ looks like and sounds like and behaves
and acts like. And so in doing So, what Paul
gives for us in this chapter is a portrait of what true
servanthood looks like if you and I are to be followers of
Jesus Christ. And we are to share in these
markers, these attributes, these characteristics that Paul will
highlight of himself and and then extend to the church in
Corinth and you and I tonight. So a true servant of Christ,
Paul says for us tonight is marked by #1A jealous devotion
to Christ's bride, is marked by #2A generous heart that gives,
not takes. And thirdly, what we'll see, a
gritty endurance in suffering for Christ's cause.
This is where we're going to move through this chapter here
in 11. So let's walk through these
marks together. Let's focus on the first point.
And we find this in the 1st 6 verses.
Now all that you would bear with me, he says in a little folly.
And indeed you do bear with me, for I am jealous for you with
godly jealousy, For I have betrothed you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his
craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ. 4 If he comes, if he who comes rather
preachers another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you
receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a
different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put
up with it. For I consider verse 5 that I'm
not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles, to hear the
sarcasm in his writing here, the so called self appointed
apostles as they are, even though verse 6 I'm untrained in
speech. That was much of the accusation
against Paul. I mean, he can't even speak
good. That was what some of them were
saying about Paul. He's not goodly educated
roughly, even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am
not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly
manifested among you in all things.
So let's have a look at this. Paul again begins and I point
you to verse 2. He says I am jealous for you
with a godly jealousy and this jealousy here we we sometimes
read into our understanding of jealousy.
It's not a a pettiness that we might attribute to it or a
possessiveness, but rather this is protective in nature.
Like again, a father guarding his daughters and in this case,
the church here in Corinth, the purity Paul longs to present the
Corinthian believers faithful to their groom in Jesus Christ and
pure to Christ who is their their heavenly bridegroom.
And this word jealousy is very powerful.
It's it's like a love that burns hot against anything that would
threaten the beloved. You know, God himself calls one
of his names as jealous. Oh no, not God jealous.
No, but in Exodus 34 verse 14, God says that and, and it's in
concern for, particularly back then, the people of Israel and
their hearts being turned aside onto false idols.
And the danger, the concern, the heart that God has for his
people that in pursuing these idols they'd be LED astray and
onto destruction and that that would be their downfall.
So there's a jealousy that is protective of his people.
That is why God uses that term. And this is what Paul here is in
reference to. Paul fears that just as the Eve
back in the garden was deceived by the serpent, that the
Corinthians minds would be LED astray from the simplicity that
is in Christ, he says, and the danger isn't atheism and
abandoning a forsaking of a belief in God altogether.
There's no God. That's not what he's concerned
with for the church in Corinth. It's rather a concern for
distortion. That's how Satan works.
That's how Satan worked back in the garden with Eve.
He distorted the truth that God had declared.
And this is Paul's worry that the Corinthians minds would be
LED astray from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus.
Satan usually does not deny Jesus.
He redefines him. He doesn't reject grace.
He repackages it with human pride.
And that's why Paul says another Jesus and I want you to buy into
another Jesus and that which was preached to you when I came and
when I taught I, I don't want you to be deceived by another
spirit other than the Holy Spirit or, or to buy into
another gospel. Paul's warning them here about
all of these additions to the gospel, all these alterations to
the gospel. And you know, that's not just a
1st century problem that Paul is addressing there.
It's a 21st century that we have in Christendom today, don't we?
You know, the world still preaches, if it accepts Jesus at
all. Jesus plus Jesus plus success,
Jesus plus good works, Jesus plus personal fulfilment, Jesus
plus, well, you know, these other aspects of some other
religions pretty good. You know, we Christians, we
don't have the corner on gospel truth.
So we can borrow and we can learn from some of these other
religions and ways of thinking or some of these other
traditions, even certain philosophies of men and we can
bring them into the church. And it's Jesus and Jesus plus
this. You know, when you add anything
to Jesus, you lose the real Jesus.
Skip Heitzig's sermon on this and I'll quote it a couple of
times. He said that the gospel is so
simple we're tempted to complicate it.
That's many people's issues sometimes with the the
simplicity of the gospel message.
It sounds too simple for them. I mean, if I'll believe that
Jesus died in my place and took my penalty when he suffered upon
the cross, that my sins will be forgiven and that I'll be right
with a holy righteous God. No, too easy.
Surely there's something I have to do to earn favour with God,
to merit it. Again, when you add anything to
Jesus, you lose Jesus. And you know, often we can start
with grace and then we can drift towards performance and start to
want to make ourselves feel better about ourselves by going,
yeah, I know it's grace, but boy, how good am I and how
wonderful am I and, and that God must surely be extra pleased
with me because of what I've done or what I've accomplished
and how I'm doing this and how I haven't done that and so on.
And we can get distracted by trends, by certain movements or
philosophies, but Paul says to the church at Corinth, and he
would say to you and I tonight, keep it simple.
Christ alone, not another Jesus, not another spirit, not another
gospel. And so then being a true servant
as Paul is emulating of Christ means this being jealous for the
purity of the gospel and understanding what the gospel is
and what it means. So that then when we hear of
another Jesus, we're not duped. So then when we hear of another
spirit, we're not deceived. And when another gospel is
spouted as being all this new wonderful revelation and this
thing and this, this new move of God, that when it doesn't match
up with what the Bible teaches, we go, no, it's another gospel.
So pastors and preachers and leaders and ministry servants
tonight, protect the flock from any spiritual seduction.
Guard doctrine like you might guard and protect your child
parents in the home. Be discerning about what voices
shape your family's faith, but about what you allow them to buy
into and and to listen and, and and be deceived or duped by.
And us as believers generally test every spirit the Bible says
when someone talks about Jesus, consider which Jesus are you
Speaking of? You know, there's the Jesus of
pop culture, isn't there? There's the Jesus of the
Mormons, the Jesus of the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Jesus
of Islam. But what we need is the Jesus of
the Bible. Jesus the Christ.
And the church's health depends on godly jealousy.
Don't let your heart be stolen by spiritual impostors.
Don't tolerate a gospel that may entertain but doesn't transform.
Again, true servants guard the simplicity and sincerity of
devotion to Jesus Christ. It's what's Paul, Paul's concern
here in those first 6 verses for us.
Let's move on to the second we see that true servants give
generously without expecting return.
I'm going to read a lot of verses here, and I'll unpack a
few bits and pieces, but then we'll focus on the point
together afterward, he says, Did I commit sin in humbling myself?
That you might be exalted because I preached the gospel of
God to you free of charge. I robbed other churches, he
says, and we'll explain that terminology later.
Taking wages from them to minister to you.
And when I was present with you, verse 9 and in need, I was a
burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came
from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself
from being burdensome to you. And so I will keep myself as the
truth of Christ is in me. No one shall stop me from this
boasting in the regions of Akaya.
Why? Because I do not love you, God
knows what I do. I will also continue to do that.
I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an
opportunity to be regarded just as we are, in the things of
which they boast. For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers transforming themselves into apostles of
Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself
transforms himself into an Angel of light.
Therefore it's no great thing if his ministers also transform
themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be
according to their works. I say again, verse 16, Let no
one think me a fool, if otherwise at least receive me as
a fool, that I also may boast a little what I speak.
I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly
in this confidence of boasting, seeing that many boast according
to the flesh, I also will boast. OK, Just bear with me.
Tolerate my words for a moment that these guys, they want to
boast a bit. It's foolish.
I know this isn't something from the Lord, but I'll I'll give
them what they're about and let's talk of boasting for a
bit. So you put up with fools gladly,
Verse 19 since you as Hells are wise, you put up with it verse
20 If one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if
one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes
you on the face. Some suggests that Paul's
speaking metaphorically here of these false teachers striking
them on the face, and others suggests that even physically,
literally, that they were going, oh, it's so wonderful.
They even struck me on the face. These super apostles, how, how
good are they? To our shame, I say that we were
too weak for that. But in whatever anyone is bold,
I speak foolishly. I am bold also.
In fact, I'll stop there. Verse 21.
So Paul here moves from the jealousy that we read of in
verses 1 to 6 to generosity in these verses before us.
Essentially what's at the heart of this is that the enemies, the
adversaries of Paul were mocking him for not charging money of
the Corinthian church. If Paul were a real apostle,
they sneered, he'd take a proper fee.
And, and what's behind that is in in Greek culture, there was a
certain measure of a teacher or a speaker or philosopher and
their importance by the fee and how exorbitant it was that they
charged. So if they're more expensive to
speak, they'll say, wow, they must be good.
And so the fact that Paul had not sought an income or a
salary, so to speak, from the Corinthian believers, but was
being supported by the other churches.
And that's what he means there by when he says robbed.
And it's strong word. And certainly we know that he
didn't, you know, stick them up to the other churches and say,
give me all your money and I need it.
But no, what he's using here is language here is it meant that
the other churches that were supporting Paul at this time
that he speaks of derived no direct benefit from blessing and
supporting him in that way. But it was benefiting the
Corinthian church as he was ministering and labouring to
them there. So that's what he means there
when he's Speaking of this. So Paul took $0.00 from the
Corinthian church. And so by the estimation of many
in, in Grecian culture and, and you know, in the Roman Empire
here at this time and the philosophers that were coming in
and these false teachers was that, well, Paul, even Paul
knows he's not a big deal because otherwise he'd be
charging a, a fee. But what Paul said is I, I
refuse to profit from the ministry here.
In fact, I preached free of charge.
I even supported myself through tent making while I was I was
there and present with you and accepted help, support from
other churches so that you Corinthians would never feel
burdened as I was here and as I was labouring and as as I was
generous in my service unto the Lord and to you.
Did I sin? He asked in verse 7 in humbling
myself in this way and not being exalted.
And so he so called weakness here that they were pointing out
his refusal to take money was actually he declares, no, it's
proof of my love, of my sacrifice, of my generosity
towards you and my concern for you.
And so he says in verse 11, why, because I don't love you.
No, I love you. God knows that's why I did it.
And so true servants of Christ don't serve for what they can
get. They serve for what they can
give is what Paul emulates and models here.
But on the other hand, the Super apostles in the church in
Corinth, as they kind of called themselves, by contrast to
Paul's example, they were like spiritual parasites to the
Corinthian church. In verse 13 he says they're
false apostles, they're fake, they're self appointed, they're
deceitful workers. And it's little wonder he says
they're like Satan. They appear wonderful verse 14
and it's no great thing that they might appear as such and
and boast of themselves as such in verse 15, because even Satan
exalts and magnifies himself in this way.
In verse 20 he says that they're in fact enslaved by these false
apostles, devoured by them, and that they're exploited as people
by these. And these so called self
appointed apostles had exalted themselves in the midst of the
church in Corinth and even, as I say, slapped believers.
Could you imagine a church service?
You come forward to be prayed for by one of the pastors after
the service, whether it was physical or literal.
Like I say, there's, there's uncertainty as as commentators
look at it, but even metaphorical, it's, it's strange
how the church in Corinth were being duped by such to think,
oh, how wonderful, how awesome they are.
And if it's literal, oh, did you get slapped on Sunday?
No, I got slapped on Sunday. The idea is that they they wore
the robe of authority, these speakers, these teachers, but
they did not have the heart of a shepherd.
These were the men that the church in Corinth were
preferring to listen to and to honour over Paul.
Isn't much of this the same today?
I think it is now people will listen to and and pay money for
and and celebrate all kinds of weird and and wacky teachings
and certain people and and then criticise the Bible and honest
preachers and teachers of the Bible for being fundies or any
in a number of pejorative terms about those who who believe in
the literal truth of the Bible is what it says and and the
gospel is no, it's clear, it's crisp, it's black and white.
Here's here's how it's written, 2000 years since the writing and
the same thing today. But a true servant of Jesus
Christ gives with generosity, expecting nothing in return.
Again, just as I was preparing and using just different
commentaries and sermons and so on.
Skip Heitzig and his message on this he he referenced a time
when he'd been invited to speak in Scotland by a church that
unbeknownst to him at the time, was led by a self proclaimed
apostle. So you know, already accepted
the invitation. So continued to speak and the so
called apostle took two offerings afterwards, urging the
people to just dig deeper, dig deeper.
And what Skip did was at the end of the service, every dollar
that had been collected and go back to the mission fund the
ministry was supporting and said let it go to the real gospel.
And that's an example of Paul's spirit here in serving and
committing and devotion to the church in Corinth.
He refused to gain personally so that Christ alone could be
magnified and glorified. So you and I are servants of
Jesus Christ. Let's embody generosity and not
greed in our motives in why we do what we do.
And, and let's measure any ministries that we're involved
in and that we're participating, that we're privileged to be a
part of, not by any applause achieved not by any platforms
attained, but by sacrifice and sincerity.
And we are called to spend and be spent for other souls.
Paul mentions this in the next chapter, in verse 15, chapter
12. And so if you have any
authority, if you have any platform or any leadership, then
use that to build others up, not yourself.
Yeah, as we serve one another, give serve not for any
recognition, but out of gratitude.
And all of us as believers remember this, that true
ministry is measured not by how much we keep, but by how much we
pour out. True servants gladly give
themselves away for the good of others, as Paul reminds us
tonight. In the end, in the rest of the
chapter, we see our Third Point for our focus tonight.
True servants endure suffering with greedy faith.
And here's some of the most amazing verses that Paul reveals
to us of what it means to be a servant and a follower of Jesus.
It's far different from, I guess, the celebrity version
that's so sought after in modern Christendom.
Let's go back to verse 22. Are they Hebrews?
So am I. Are they Israelites?
So am I? Are they the seed of Abraham?
So am I. Are they ministers of Christ?
Speakers are four. I am more in labours, more
abundant in stripes above measure, in prisons, more
frequently in deaths, often from the Jews.
Five times I received 40 stripes -1 Three times verse 25 I was
beaten with rods. Once I was stoned with with
rocks to the point of death. We read that in the book of
Acts. 3 times I was shipwrecked. Now incidentally, it's thought
that this letter to the church in Corinth was written before
Acts had been completed. And so the shipwreck that we
read of in Acts is probably not what Paul is in reference to
here. A night and a day I have been in
the deep means, floating, lost out in sea, in journeys often.
Verse 26. In perils of waters, in perils
of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, In perils of the
Gentiles, In perils in the city. In perils in the wilderness and
perils in the sea. In perils among false brethren.
In weariness and toil, In sleeplessness, often in hunger
and thirst, In fastings, often in cold and nakedness.
Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily, my deep
concern for all the churches. So not only all of these
physical things, but it within me I am burdened to the point of
anguish, concerned for all of the churches he'd founded on the
various missionary journeys. Verse 29 who is weak and I'm not
weak, Who is made to stumble? And I do not burn with
indignation. If I must boast, I will boast in
the things which concern my infirmity.
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed
Reverend, knows that I'm not lying.
And then he gives this final example.
Verse 32. In Damascus, the governor under
Aretas, the king, was guarding the city of the Damascus with a
Garrison, desiring to arrest me. But I was let down in a basket,
through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands.
This is where we'll stop our focus for tonight Paul here he
saves his most startling boast for last.
Are they servants of Jesus Christ?
He asked a question. I am more and then comes a
breathtaking list of proof. Suffering after suffering after
suffering after suffering after suffering.
And incidentally, don't you think that if any one of us
experienced just even one of those things of what Paul lists
here for us that we would let everybody know about it.
Oh man, you would not believe what I have suffered for Jesus
Christ. And verse 30 if I must boast, I
will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.
This is this is Paul's declaration here.
He's been imprisoned, flogged, beaten, shipwrecked, starved,
endangered from every side. Five times.
He endured 40 lashes -1 and this was when the when the Jews would
administer it, a sign of their mercy to do so.
But his 39 lashes instead of 40, three times beaten with rods,
once stoned to death, three time shipwrecked, a drift at sea,
faced dangers from rivers, robbers, Jews, gentiles, cities,
wilderness, sea, false brothers. He'd gone hungry, thirsty, cold,
sleepless, and then always he said burden with the care of all
the churches. This isn't a resume that Paul's
revealing here. This is a crucifix.
Talk about self denial, taking up your cross and following
Jesus here. Every wound that he has penned,
everything that he has boasted of here is a reminder of love of
service. And so Paul's boast is not in
his success here, but in his scars.
In Galatians 6 verse 17, he would say this.
I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
This is no doubt what Paul had in reference here.
You can imagine all the scarring that would have been left
physically from that which he declared and revealed here.
You know, these are branding marks of a slave, basically, who
belongs wholly to his master, Jesus Christ.
And yet his final example is humility itself being lowered in
a basket, he said out of a window to escape Damascus.
You remember that story? It's immediately after his
conversion on the road to Damascus when he'd been sent
expressly as Saul of Tarsus with the express command from the
Sanhedrin in Jerusalem to go and arrest Christians, the bust up
Bible studies. And it's on that road to
Damascus that he has converted. And he he sees the risen Lord,
Saul. Saul, why are you persecuting
me? And he's converted.
It comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus as the Christ, the very
one whom he he'd been persecuting it.
And now his life is given over unto service of Jesus.
But in order to to head on out of Damascus, there's a a
headhunt on him and he has to be lowered out of a window by a
basket. And so it begins, a lifelong
process in Paul's life of persecution, of suffering for
Jesus Christ being lowered out of this basket, this window to
escape Damascus. The proud Pharisee saw becomes
now the humble servant. Paul, fleeing for his life, the
mighty persecutor of Christians, begins his ministry in humility
and dependence upon God. Will I survive this moment?
And so again begins his life of humble servitude unto Jesus and
the people. And this is what marks true
greatness in God's eyes, not what these super apostles in
Corinth were espousing of themselves were convincing the
Church of Corinth and how wonderful they were and and what
the Church of Corinth were buying into and believing of
them and thinking. But true servants have scars.
They've paid a price for following Jesus Christ.
I reference this hymn number of sermons ago, but I think it is
worth mentioning again. Amy Carmichael who wrote Has
thou no scar, no hidden wound on foot or side or hand?
I hear the singers mighty in the land, But has thou no wound, no
scar? You see, true servants of Jesus
endure pain with purpose. They see weakness as the place
where God's strength shines brightest.
They view suffering not as a curse, but as a blessing, as a
calling. And so tonight, if you're a
weary believer, oh man, I'm just heavy with the burdens and, and
just all of the things that I'm experiencing.
Notice that your scars are not signs of failure, but a
faithfulness. If you're a leader tonight in
any way, any form or fashion, don't hide your weakness.
Let it magnify Christ's strength.
And for all of us, remember this, that suffering is not
wasted when it's in and for the name of Jesus.
As Paul wrote earlier, Second Corinthians chapter 4, verse 17,
he says our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an
eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So true servants don't run from suffering, they redeem it for
the sake of the gospel. Well, as we finish this chapter,
we just have a couple to go and we'll be finished with the book.
Second Corinthians. But Paul's boasting here and 2nd
Corinthians isn't 1 of pride or how how great am I how wonderful
am I, but it's it's a passion here, a desire for protection
over the Church of current than for you and I by extension
tonight. And it overflows the heart of
Christ that is within him and in Christ's devotion towards his
church. And, and Paul boasts in again,
his jealous devotion because he's, he's guarding the purity
of the gospel in the church and the impact of false teachers
coming in to the church in Corinth and, and of the
believers. They're not being duped or
deceived of another Jesus or another spirit or another
gospel. He boasts in his generous heart
because he didn't want to be a burden to them.
He didn't want to distract anyone you know from hearing
with clarity the gospel presentation of Jesus Christ
because true servants give themselves away and then his
boasters in gritty endurance because again, true servants
suffer well for their Saviour. Let me tell you about what it's
meant to follow Jesus Christ to be a a true apostle of him as he
listed off those things. So Paul turned the world upside
down. Read you know that account in
Acts and as we go through the epistles and the deceit of the
false teachers here and and what was happening to the
Corinthians. He takes all that was being
spread there in Corinth and he turns it right way up.
Strength is found in weakness, authority is found in humility
and glory is obtained in sacrifice.
Fellow called Floyd Mcclung has a name for you.
Once said everyone wants the fruit of Paul's ministry, but
few want to pay the price Paul paid.
He died daily and that's our call too, to die daily to
comfort, to pride, to self interest.
If anyone would come after me, Jesus said let him deny himself,
take up his cross and follow me so that Christ might live
through US. And you know, and one day when
the bridegroom comes for his bride, when faith becomes sight
and and the betrothal becomes the wedding, all our sufferings
will will become light and momentary.
Paul said until that day, keep it simple, keep it sincere, keep
it about Jesus Christ for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Two Corinthians 12 verse 10. Let's pray.
Lord, we thank you for your word tonight.
Thank you for the opportunity to gather in this place and to
worship you in song, to worship you in our giving, to worship
you in our study of your Word. Now Lord help us to be servants
of you, Lord Jesus Christ, to understand what that truly
means, to not buy into another Jesus, another gospel, another
spirit, anything that would deceive or dupe US, supposed to
be focused upon you, the simplicity of the gospel.
May we love you with a passion. May we desire to be used by you.
I pray Lord for your blessing to be poured out on your people
tonight and on through this week.
We ask this in Jesus mighty name.
God's people said Amen, Amen. Again, God bless you.