Titus 1:1-4

Well, thank you so much, Peter, and to the guys in the band for leading us thus far.

Are we well? Yes, good. Well, can I encourage you to turn to the little book of Titus?

A little trick for you if you're struggling to find it, this New Testament letter is the last of the five consecutive T's in the New Testament.

One Tim, two Tim, one Thess, two Thess, one Tim, two Tim, and then our little friend Titus at the end there.

That's for free. It's not even in my notes. But there you go. That's how I remember these little things.

And Titus is where we'll be for the next little while.

This little book that I hope at the end of our few weeks in this letter will become not only just a friend and an acquaintance,

but actually will become a good companion as we continue to travel on as a church community.

So would you turn to Titus and let's pray and let's ask that God would be so gracious to us this evening as we come to his word.

Let's pray together.

Oh, dear Father, we're so aware, Lord, as we come here this evening that our view of you, our grasp of you is so small.

Our view of your son is so small.

Our view of your spirit is so small.

And so, dear Father, it's simply our prayer as we come to your word this evening, as we gather as your people together,

that you would, by your spirit, as your word is preached this evening,

would you make yourself big in our sight?

So, Father, would we leave this place this evening just with a greater understanding, appreciation and affection for who you are?

And so that is our prayer, Lord, that you be so gracious and kind to us.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, I thought we'd begin just by a little bit of fun.

I'm always up for fun.

I thought we'd begin by a bit of fun.

Let's see how many different countries are represented here tonight.

There is a point to this.

You'll see.

Just shout them out.

How many different countries have we got represented here tonight?

Italy?

Britain?

Scotland?

Okay.

Anyone else?

Northern Ireland?

Germany?

Here's a question for you.

Simona and Luca.

How do people perceive Italians?

What do they say about Italians?

Pizza.

Okay.

Germans?

Okay.

I would think of hardworking.

I would think of.

What do you think?

Put your hands up if you're Scottish.

How do you think people perceive us?

Okay.

Hold that thought.

It was a rhetorical question.

Should have made it clearer.

Hold that thought.

How do you think people perceive Scottish people?

I was reading an article this week by a team at Cambridge University who did some research

about the different reputations that people, different people groups in Britain have.

Okay.

So I'm doing a bit of research into this.

This is what the research said.

Cambridge University.

Our survey found that Londoners were regarded as being uncooperative, quarrelsome and irritable.

People in the east of England were found to be the most conscientious but were more likely

to be set in their ways.

The Welsh tend to be more open.

But our survey found that they were the shyest and they were the least emotionally stable.

The Scots have long enjoyed a reputation for being grumpy, aloof and doer.

There's a good Scottish word for you, doer.

But our new study suggests that they are actually the most friendly people in Britain.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

This is what people, I don't know if that's true or not, but this is apparently how we're

perceived by the outside world.

There's Scottish people on the Royal Mile.

Look at them.

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Here's what I want you to do this evening.

I want us to do this evening.

I want to take us from thinking about the people of our island and how they are perceived.

And I want us to travel back to the first century and introduce you to a people from

another island.

So we're going back this evening to the island of Crete.

This letter of Titus written by Paul to Titus, to a man and to a church who are living on

this island of Crete.

This large island just off the coast of Greece.

And let me introduce you to some of the locals on this island.

Name for the locals?

Cretans.

Reputation of the locals?

Well, these people are infamous for their lack of ethics, for their lying, and for their

absolute greed.

In fact, one of the Greek words for being a liar, the word kretizo, literally to be a

cretin.

Now, just to give you a flavour of the distaste for this people, let me read to you, this

is what I found in my research this week, a few of the sayings about these people that

outsiders looking in had about them.

This is Plutarch, the Greek biographer.

He always joked about the fact that on Crete, there were no wild animals with four legs, but

that was more than made up for the fact that there were tons of wild animals with two legs

living on the island.

Pauli Bias, the Greek historian, made the following comments about the Cretans.

He said,

So we have that today in our culture, don't we?

We hate money cheats.

We hate money cheats.

We think about in the world of sports, when somebody signs for another team because they

got offered more money.

We hate them, don't we?

But in this culture, Cretans, that kind of behaviour is lauded.

It's praised.

Everybody wants to reach the top, accumulate more stuff.

This is the people who are on this island.

And here's the wonderful news for us to comprehend this evening from this letter, is that the gospel

has reached Crete.

And it hasn't just reached Crete, it has taken root in Crete.

And God, through his gospel, has birthed a church on this island.

Now, if we were ranking people in terms of who was likely and least likely to become Christians,

where the gospel was going to have impact and not have impact,

this island would be very low on our rankings.

Now, isn't that not a wonderful lesson for us straight off the bat?

As we think about our nation, as we think about our city, as we think even just about our area,

what do we so often think?

That this is hard soil.

But is this not encouraging?

This is what encouraged me this week.

That this tells us that the gospel is unstoppable.

That the gospel is powerful.

And it can break the hardest of soils.

And it can melt even the hardest of hearts.

And God's word, as it goes forth,

it will accomplish the purposes that he intends for it.

That is encouraging.

Now, let me just tell you that the two main parties to this letter,

Paul and Titus,

the apostle and his co-worker,

traveling companion and protégé.

Now, whenever it is exactly that they were on Crete,

whether it was during the events recorded in the book of Acts,

whether it was after those events,

whatever conclusion you come to,

the gospel has taken root on Crete.

And through this message being preached,

God has saved men and women to himself.

He has lifted them out of the darkness

and he's put them into his glorious kingdom of light.

And he's created this community of Christians on this island of Crete.

Now, you can imagine that these Christians are gathering in each other's homes to worship

and to fellowship with one another and to encourage one another.

These are most likely house church gatherings that are on this island.

And I think we can probably assume from the letter

that this is a young church.

It's a really young church.

In fact, some commentators would place this church as not even being a year old.

These are new Christians.

This is an inexperienced church.

This is a church who are trying to find their feet.

Just picture what that is like.

I remember a little girl when she was learning to walk last year.

It was an absolute joy to watch her do it, but it was messy.

She would go for it and she would kind of stumble

and she would bang her head and she's trying to work out limbs.

Do you know, she's just trying to work this thing out.

It's kind of like that when we first become Christians.

Isn't it?

We're trying to figure this thing out.

How the gospel has flipped our lives upside down.

Trying to work out, I mean, what is it about our old lives

that Jesus calls us to leave behind in pursuit of him?

My old lifestyles.

My old habits.

My old ambitions.

What is it that he calls me to say no to in order to follow him?

We're trying to work out the contours of the Christian life.

That I see the world differently now.

I see it through the God lens.

I'm trying to discern what is false and what is true in this life.

Trying to grapple with what it means to live as part of this new family of God,

the church that God has grafted me into.

All of a sudden, before, I've got nothing in common with these people.

Now, all of a sudden, I've got the most important thing in my life in common with these people.

Just trying to figure it out.

So the challenge is that these new Christians are probably facing on this island.

So we can begin to appreciate, can't we, the pressures that this church are facing.

Pressures that they're facing.

I think two main sources of pressures.

Firstly, internal pressures.

Now, imagine it.

Just picture it.

You're in that home group setting.

And you look at one another across the room.

You think, well, what do we do now?

What do we do now?

What do we stand for?

How do we behave as a community?

How do we work together?

How do we help one another?

And into the mix, I think you've got false teachers in this letter.

We learn a lot about them who are trying to infiltrate this church.

Who are trying to spin lies.

Who are trying to cause these Christians to deviate their course from following the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I think particularly in this letter, if you've got it there, chapter 1 and verse 10.

There's a Jewish flavor to this false teaching.

What are they telling you?

Well, I know Paul said this.

I know he said that.

But you know, crazy Uncle Paul, it's a bit more like this.

Did he tell you not to do that?

No, you kind of need to do that.

He said you can do that.

No, you definitely can't do that.

So you begin to see, can't you, these internal pressures that are facing these new Christians.

Internal pressures, and I can certainly picture external pressures as well in this island.

Can't imagine that's an easy place to live for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just imagine it.

One day you're living just like everyone else on that island.

You're living for the same things.

You're chasing the same dreams.

You're acting exactly the same as everybody else.

And then you hear that the gospel and that the Spirit awakens you.

All of a sudden that you're alive.

Why?

You see life differently now.

God has transferred you from the kingdom of darkness,

and he's placed you into his kingdom of light.

You were dead, and by his grace, he has made you alive.

And he's called you to live differently.

So don't be a cheat.

Be honest.

Don't lie.

Speak the truth.

Don't be lazy.

Work hard.

And so you can imagine if you live out your transformed life,

in this culture with these people,

you're going to stand out a mile.

You're going to stand out a mile.

I mean, check Holy Harry over there.

Can you believe that he shares his money and his stuff

with these new friends of his?

Can you believe that?

We're off.

We'll spend our money on ourselves.

Thank you very much.

I mean, check Jesus freak Jenny over there as well.

Can you believe that when the boss leaves work,

she still works?

She doesn't slack like everybody else?

We're away as well.

Internal pressures, external pressures facing this church.

And you begin to see,

even just at the outset of this letter,

how applicable this is for us.

Actually, we face pressures, don't we,

every day as we live our lives as Christians in this world?

Well, I think this letter has got so much to teach us.

So much to teach us.

We face the same kind of pressures.

And I think that takes us to the purpose of this letter.

Or to put it another way,

addressing the why question.

So it was a great question to ask ourselves

when we're trying to grapple with the meaning of a text,

the why question.

Why?

And this is the thing here.

Why is Paul writing these things to this man

at this particular time?

Well, here is Paul.

We're going to get to the bottom of this question.

Here is Paul.

And for one reason or another,

he's no longer on Crete.

He's no longer on Crete.

And he's writing this letter to Titus,

whom he has instructed to remain on Crete.

And to do what while he's remaining on Crete?

Well, if you check it out there,

chapter 1 and verse 5.

Paul instructs Titus to put in order

what was left unfinished.

Do you see that?

So he's saying that there's still work to be done on Crete.

And Paul instructs Titus in this letter

to finish the work.

Finish the work by standing for the truth.

And by silencing those who would speak against the truth.

And by modelling for the people

what a godly life looks like.

And by appointing leaders who will lead this church well.

That's what he's got to do.

That's what Titus has got to do.

But I think, just I've been convinced

the more that I've got to get under the skin of this letter,

that actually there's a bigger purpose

that Paul has in mind.

More holistic purpose.

What does Paul want to see happen

in this young church?

Well, he wants Titus to give himself to the task

of seeing this church grow.

Grow.

He wants it to grow well.

He wants it to grow up.

He wants it to grow deep.

And he wants it to grow out.

Paul wants this young church to grow.

I think there's two particular aspects to this growing.

And just as we look at a brief introduction to this letter,

let me just outline what I think are the two big aspects

of growing that Paul outlines in this letter.

So he wants them to be growing.

And he wants them to be growing

in their knowing.

And he wants them to be growing in their showing.

Growing in their knowing

and growing in their showing.

Knowing what it is they believe.

And showing how what they believe

makes a radical difference

to the way that they live their lives.

Individually and as a community.

He wants them to be growing

in their knowing and their showing.

And I think he sums it up in that phrase

that we get right at the beginning of verse 1.

And I think this is the big idea of this letter

and Paul's beating heart for this church.

What does he write?

Their knowledge of the truth

that leads to godliness.

Their knowledge of the truth

that leads to godliness.

He wants them to grow.

And in terms of their knowing,

how does he want them to grow?

Well, here's three quick words for you.

Just as we introduce ourselves,

familiarize ourselves with this letter.

He wants them to grow,

first of all,

in their delighting.

Now, I don't know if you

read the BBC website often.

I was on there on Friday morning.

And I don't know if you saw

the story about the elderly couple,

Joan and Ken,

who were getting married down in Gloucester.

Did anyone see that?

You saw that?

Brilliant.

So I'm not making a...

Amazing story about how this couple met.

Ken,

homeless,

smelly clothes,

unemployed,

raking his way through bins

to get meals for the day.

Nothing attractive about him.

Joan sees him,

has compassion on him,

befriends him,

cares for him,

tends for him,

loves him.

20 years later,

they're due to get married.

I'm reading that thinking,

that's pretty cool.

But I'm reading it

and I'm thinking,

what a beautiful example,

picture of the Gospel.

What a beautiful picture

of the Gospel.

And this is what Paul outlines

for Titus

at Titus chapter 3.

Titus 3 · chapter mention

We've got it there,

look at it there.

What does he write?

He wants to look at Titus' head

around the beauty

of the Gospel.

That God saved us, Titus.

He saved us.

Not because of the righteous things

that we did,

not because we looked good

in his sight,

not because we were living

good lives.

On the contrary,

we were ugly.

But he saved us,

not because of the things

done by us,

but he saved us

because of his mercy

and his love

and his incredible grace.

And he put his spirit in us.

And he adopted us

as his sons and his daughters.

So that we are no longer orphans.

We are adopted

and we are co-heirs

with Christ.

And we have the hope

of eternal life

where one day

we,

as part of the church,

will meet our husband,

Jesus Christ.

That's what he says.

Titus,

you've got to delight

in that message.

The Gospel really is

the ultimate

rags-to-riches story.

Now,

Martin Lloyd-Jones,

famous Welsh preacher,

he used to say

that the only thing

that humiliated him

to the dust

and caused him

to fall on his knees

in worship

was when he contemplated

the cross of Jesus Christ.

Nothing else

will humble us

apart from that,

that we were not worthy.

But nothing else

will cause our spirits

to delight

in the fact that God

outrageously loved us

in Christ

and he forgave us,

not cheaply,

costly.

And that we are adopted

as his children.

And that we have

a glorious future

ahead of us.

And Paul writes

to this community

and says,

you have to be a community

who delight in that message.

That you don't just

know that message,

but you know that message

and you love that message.

It's a great point

to stop

and to ask ourselves

individually

and corporately,

friends,

do we delight

in that message?

Do we delight

in the gospel?

Would people

looking into

this church community,

would people

looking into our lives,

would they say

that we delight

in the gospel?

And what are we

going to do,

really practically,

what are we going

to do this week

to cultivate

that delight

in the gospel?

Paul wants them

to grow

in their delighting

and Paul wants them

to grow secondly

in their discerning.

as you grow

in your understanding

of the gospel,

this is what he's saying

to this community,

you've got to see

that it's too good

to be tampered with.

Too good to be tampered with.

You've got to know it well

so that you can discern

when others are seeking

to distort it

and twist it

and rob it

of both its beauty

and its power.

And you've got to be able

to discern

what a life of godliness

looks like.

Look at verse 11

of chapter 2

if you've got it there.

What will the grace

of God do

in their lives

as God transforms

them by his spirit?

What will it do?

It will teach them

to say

no.

Now not in our little girl

at the minute

she loves the word no,

she's two terrible twos,

no, no, no, no, no

to everything.

It's not that kind of no.

It's a no

that is choosing

to say no

to self

and to sin

and to say yes

to the things

of Jesus Christ.

They've got to discern

what a life

of worship

to him

looks like.

What will they say no to?

Look what it says,

to ungodliness

and worldly passions.

So the things

of their former

way of life,

the things not pleasing

to God,

not honouring to him,

not worthy of him

and not fitting

for their new life

and their status.

And how are they

going to grow

in their discerning?

Well they'll grow

in their discerning

by learning.

Grow in their discerning

by learning.

Learning what?

Learning the truth.

In my university summers

I worked a couple

of summers

at one of the banks,

one in the city centre

in Glasgow,

one in the city centre

in Aberdeen.

And he used to train you

as to how to spot

a fake note.

The only way

to spot a fake note,

the best way

to spot a fake note

is to be so in touch

with the real note.

Just get the feel

of the real note,

you'll be able

to feel a fake note.

It's kind of the same

here, isn't it?

How are we to grow

in discerning?

How are we to grow

in separating

the false

from the true

by being so in touch

with the truth?

So in touch

with the truth

that we know

our Bibles,

that we come

before God

and say,

God,

would you teach us

the truth?

Get familiar

with the touch

of the truth.

Theologian

J.I. Packer

puts it like this,

if I were the devil,

one of my first aims

would be

to stop Christians

from digging

into their Bibles.

Paul wants

this church

to grow

in their discerning.

And lastly,

in terms of their

knowing,

he wants them

to grow

in terms

of their

discipling.

That yes,

they are individual

sheep,

but they are not

to live as individual

sheep.

They are to live

as part of a flock.

And not just

a flock,

but live as part

of a family.

And they are to

help each other

to grow

in godliness.

And you'll see

a beautiful picture

of this

chapter 2.

A beautiful picture

of what he wants

the community

life of this church

to look like.

And it's brilliant.

Look at it here.

What does he say?

Older women

seasoned saints

teach the younger

women.

Older men,

you seasoned saints,

you teach the younger

men.

And this isn't

sit around

the family

dinner table

and play a monopoly

and play in happy

families.

What this is,

is Paul desiring

a compelling

community.

A community

that cares

for one another.

A community

that loves

one another.

A community

that takes seriously

looking out

for one another.

And a community

that passes

stuff on.

Passes stuff on.

Speaks the word

to one another.

Experiences,

knowledge,

understanding,

awareness,

advice,

helping one another

to grow in the

faith.

Isn't that a

wonderful picture

of what meaningful

and intentional

discipleship looks

like?

Corporately.

It's brilliant,

isn't it?

It's brilliant.

And just as we're

passing,

let me ask you,

as we're at this

point,

just think about

your own life

for a minute.

Who's speaking

into your life?

In the church

context,

who's speaking

into your life?

Maybe you want

to pray this

week that God

would put

somebody in

your heart

that you

could speak

into their

life.

Whose life

are you

speaking into?

Is there

someone in

this church

family who

could play

that role

in your

life?

Paul wants

this Christian

community to

grow in their

knowing,

in their

delighting,

in their

discerning,

in their

discipling,

and he

wants them

to grow

as well

in their

showing.

So firstly,

look at this,

he wants them

to grow

in their

witnessing.

You've got it

there again,

chapter 2,

verse 9,

Paul addressing

those in the

church who

would be

slaves,

that is,

servants

underneath a

master.

And what

does he

say?

He says

that he

wants them

to live

their lives

in such

a way

that you

make the

gospel

attractive.

So you

live your

lives in

such a way

that you

make it

look good.

You've got

an ESV

there,

it says

he wants

them to

adorn the

gospel.

That's a

great word,

adorn.

And he's

talking much

less about

wearing clothes.

This is not

about Christian

Dior.

This is about

displaying Christian

character.

This is what

he's saying,

you've got to

make the

gospel look

good.

In fact,

character is

what Paul tells

Titus in this

letter to

look for

when appointing

leaders for

this church,

appointing

elders.

That they

are men

of good

and of

growing and

of genuine

and of

godly

character.

That their

insides are

the same as

their outsides.

That they're

the same in

private as

they are in

public.

That's what

he wants

for the

elders of

the church.

But he

also wants

it for

the whole

church.

That people

would look

at them

and as

they adorn

the gospel,

as people

look at

them from

the outside,

they would

question and

think,

why is it

that they

look so

good?

Why is it

that they

look so

good?

Why do

they act

differently?

And not

with a big

question mark

above them,

asking it

because I

want that

for my

life as

well.

What is

it about

their life

that I

don't have?

Paul wants

them to grow

in their

witnessing.

Secondly,

he wants

them to grow

in their

working.

big emphasis

in this

letter on

God's

people living

productive

and living

fruitful

lives for

the glory

of God.

Maybe note

them down

and check

them out

later.

Chapter

2,

verse 14.

Chapter

3,

verse 8.

Chapter

3,

verse 14.

Work

hard.

People,

commit

yourselves.

Be zealous

for good

works.

And in

this letter

he criticizes

the false

teachers.

Chapter

1,

verse 16.

For not

living

productive

and fruitful

lives.

In fact,

their lives

are inconsistent.

They are

claiming one

thing with

their mouths

and they're

displaying another

with their

actions and

character.

There's an

inconsistency to

the false

teachers and

that's how

you'll be

able to

spot them.

Grow in

your working.

And thirdly,

and lastly,

and very

much linked

to the

first two,

Paul wants

them to

grow in

their

waiting.

Waiting

for the

return of

their

glorious

Lord and

Saviour

Jesus

Christ.

Chapter

2,

verse 30.

He wants

them to

live in

eager

anticipation

of the

day when

their

master will

come back.

And this

isn't a

passive

waiting.

This is

very much

an active

thing.

He wants

them to

wait well.

And his

servants in

the present

age, what

are they to

do?

Well, they're

to work for

him, they're

to live for

him, they're

to pursue

more of

him, and

they're just

to love

him outrageously.

Now, I must

say this week

in my own

life, my own

heart, I think

this is where

I was most

massively

convicted.

That how

often the

return of my

Lord and

that glorious

day when he

will return,

like we were

singing in that

first song,

how often does

that just never

cross my

radar?

It never

comes into my

thought life,

and oh

Father, would

you forgive me

that that is

true?

And would

you help me

live an eager

expectation of

the day that

you will

return to

make all

things new?

How often I

just get bogged

down with the

stuff down

here?

Did I plan my

diary two years

in advance?

What a vanity

that the Lord

could take me

home to glory

tomorrow.

D.A.

Carson, he

put it like

this.

He said,

a billion years

or so into

eternity, the

number of toys

we accumulated

for ourselves

during this

life will not

seem too

terribly important.

And do you

see, just as we

pull a few of

these threads

together this

evening, do you

see how radically

different this

community is going

to be from its

surrounding community?

on Crete, an

island full of

people renowned

for lying and

for being lazy,

what does Paul

tell them to do?

Devote themselves

to the truth and

devote themselves to

working hard.

Radically different

from the surrounding

world.

This is why Paul

left Titus on

Crete, to help

this church grow.

That is what he's

got to work hard

to do.

Now listen, we

started by joking

about what

reputations

different people

have.

And I wonder

just as I was

finishing this this

week, I wonder

what reputation

we have.

I wonder what

reputation the

church in

Edinburgh has.

The church in

St. Andrews, the

church in Glasgow,

the church in

Aberdeen, the

church in Britain,

the church in

Europe, the

church in the

world.

What reputation

do we have?

As outsiders,

they look in and

do they see this

community?

Well, here's

something that

encouraged me this

week.

It was an

article I read

that was taken

from the St.

Andrews University

student newspaper

which is called

The Stand.

And one of the

new students to

St. Andrews

University, he

wrote into The

Stand and he

gave his thoughts

on how he

perceived the

Christian community

as he lived his

life on campus.

Now there's a bit

more to it on the

screen but that's

the kind of gist

of it.

But let me read

this to you.

It's fantastic.

So this is great.

This is what he's

perceiving right in

front of him.

He says this,

Growing up I

thought Christianity

was always

something for

older people.

It was for

teachers in

primary school,

for distant

aunts halfway

across the globe

or your

friends'

parents who

always brought

the largest

pumpkin to

harvest day.

People my

age meanwhile

weren't going

to listen to

any old type

of authority

especially the

authority of a

dusty old book.

We were too

young, we were

too forward

thinking.

In short

Christianity just

wasn't cool

enough for us.

In St.

Andrews however

young Christians

abide.

Maybe it's the

traditional aspect

of the university,

maybe it's the

town's illustrious

history as the

religious capital

of Scotland.

Whatever the

reason, and get

this, it is

impossible not to

notice that

Christianity is

thriving in this

town.

It is often

said that you

can never find

a Christian

here who you

cannot like.

And despite

having had

several bad

experiences from

a Church of

England school,

I have to

agree that

every single

Christian I

have met here

has been

lovely.

Isn't that a

great thing?

As people

perceive this

Christian community

in action,

it might have

been the

student community

there, but as

people perceive

this Christian

community, it's

our heart for

our community

that something

like that would

be said of

us.

That people in

this community

would be glad

that we were

here, and if

we ever left,

they would be

gutted.

And I guess

that's, and just

to finish off,

that's my prayer

for us as we

journey through

this letter

together.

And let me

finish by just

asking you to

embrace the

prayer.

You know, I

wonder if you

pray for our

church here at

Brunsfield.

I wonder if

you pray for

individuals here

at Brunsfield,

and I wonder if

you do, I wonder

what you pray

for them.

Well, it's my

prayer as we

journey through

this little letter

of Titus that

what we encounter

here in God's

word is he

teaches us by

his spirit that

these things would

become our prayer

for our community.

And that we

would go further

than just praying

for our own

superficial needs,

but actually we

would pray for

one another that

we would grow.

Grow individually

and grow corporately

in terms of our

knowing and our

showing.

That we would be

a community that

by God's grace

and by his

spirit, it

grows.

And I thought

it would just be

a great way to

end as we

respond just to

this little

introduction to

this letter

this evening,

to pray together.

So what I

thought would be

great for us to

do is just

maybe can I

ask three people

to pray?

Just open time

of prayer

together.

Pray for three

things for our

church family here

as we journey

through this

letter.

Firstly, if

somebody wants

to pray for

our growing,

and then secondly,

if somebody wants

to pray for our

knowing,

and then lastly,

if somebody wants

to pray for our

showing,

and then I'll

close our prayer

time together.

But remember,

just big loud

voices, let's

encourage one

another with this,

and let's just

respond to what

we've heard this

evening, and

let's just commit

ourselves over

this next little

while, and over

this, or our

lifetime as a

church together.

Let's just commit

it to the Lord.

So why don't we

do that now, and

let's pray together.

Father, I ask the

Lord that I might

grow in faith and

love and every

grace, might more

of his salvation

know, and seek

more earnestly his

face.

Our dear Father,

we would thank you

for those lyrics

that we have of

John Newton.

Lord, just a

passion to see

himself and to

see your church

grow.

And so, Father, we

ask that you would

help us to do that

this week.

Lord, help us to

grow in our

showing and in our

knowing, and Lord,

that we might just

live fruitful and

productive lives for

your glory.

And so it's through

your Son's precious

and worthy name that

we pray.

Amen.