Not of the World

We will go ahead and dismiss our children to children's church, age of kindergarten through second grade.

They'll meet you in the foyer and then lead you down to children's church.

We have a guest speaker with us this morning.

And instead of our usual sermon video, introduction video, I'm going to tell you just a little bit about our guest speaker.

His name is Phillip Nation.

He is a friend of mine, has been for the last few years.

And they stayed in our house last night because we have that guest bedroom on the side.

And they got our special wake-up call around 7 o'clock this morning when Finley, our big Irish wolfhound slash doodle,

decided to go open their door because he can do that.

And he's used to, you know, maybe my parents staying in there or something like that.

And they'll, you know, anyway, it just, that was not expected.

I apologize for that.

But fun nonetheless.

There you go.

So, but we had a great time of fellowship last night.

And Phillip is the publisher for Thomas Nelson Bibles.

He's a vice president with HarperCollins.

And he has been a church planner.

He's been a pastor.

He was an executive at Lifeway, the Southern Baptist publication arm for many years.

And he's had a lot of ministry experience.

He's going to bless you this morning.

So, Phillip, without any further ado, you come and share what God's laying in your heart.

Thank you so much.

Appreciate that.

Well, thank you, Sam.

All right.

So, let's make sure that this is, oh, there we are.

There we are.

Well, good morning, everybody.

I have my phone here for a reason.

And it is to start a timer.

But all of you know what it means when a Southern Baptist pastor starts a timer.

Nothing.

So, well, I want you to turn in your Bibles or turn on your Bibles,

depending upon what generation you're from,

and find your way over to the book of 1 Peter in the New Testament.

If you get to the book of Hebrews, you haven't gone far enough.

If you get to the book of Revelation, you've gone too far.

So, it's in between those two books of the New Testament.

And we're going to look at a passage in chapter 2 this morning,

specifically verses 4 through 10 in just a moment.

As I was thinking about getting ready for this passage to share this with you,

I thought about the idea of have you ever felt like you did not fit in?

You know, maybe you reach all the way back to childhood,

and you remember some moment on the playground where you felt like you didn't fit in,

or maybe it's been some social situation that it was like just super awkward.

Everybody else was, you know, cheering for one team, but you were a fan of another team.

Or there's any number of reasons for why you wouldn't feel like you fit in.

Well, as Peter, this early leader of the church, is writing to these believers in the Roman Empire,

this is very much the theme of his two letters,

is that we as a people don't feel like we fit in, and there's a good reason.

We don't. And that's a good reason.

It's a very positive thing for us to think about why it is that we don't fit in,

why there is a certain amount of earthly awkwardness to Christian faithfulness.

Because you are very much the old metaphor of the, you know,

you're the fish swimming against the current.

You are the person who is standing out because you're the peculiar one in the situation.

And that's okay.

The early church, they felt this.

They felt this culturally.

They felt this amongst their families oftentimes,

always socially, very often politically,

when it came to the empire, when it came to other religions,

when it came to just the business practices of the day.

They didn't feel like they fit in.

And that's a good thing.

And so Peter writes to them in this kind of manner.

In fact, if I can just ask you to look not at chapter 2 of 1 Peter,

but go ahead and look at chapter 1,

and see how it is that he opens up this passage,

opens up this letter.

He says,

Peter,

an apostle of Jesus Christ to the pilgrims of the dispersion.

And then he names all of these other places.

I mean, he launches with this idea that we're all pilgrims in a foreign land.

And then the verse, I'm going to read in just a second verses 4 through 10.

But look there in chapter 2, verse 11, and he says,

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, essentially as people that are foreigners.

And you'll remember that the Apostle Paul, in some of his writings in the New Testament,

he tells us that we are ambassadors for Christ.

It is, you're not, you don't belong here any longer.

Your citizenship is with another kingdom.

You're from another place now.

You belong to something else and something greater.

And so, yes, we're going to feel like we're out of place.

And again, that's the good thing.

Because as the world continues to reject the Lord,

we can continue to shine the light of why they should come back in.

They should come into the kingdom.

So look with me, if you will, here in 1 Peter chapter 4.

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

I'm going to begin at verse 4, or chapter 2.

I'm going to begin at verse 4 and read through verse 10.

Coming to him as to a living stone.

The him there is referring to Jesus.

Coming to him as to a living stone.

Rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.

You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house.

A holy priesthood.

To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Therefore, it is also contained in the scripture.

Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone.

Elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame.

Therefore, to you who believe, he is precious.

But to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected,

he's become the chief cornerstone.

And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

They stumble being disobedient to the word to which they were also appointed.

And then verse 9 is where I'm going to ask you to focus in in just a few moments.

And I want to try to give some greater explanation here to verse 9.

But you are a chosen generation.

A royal priesthood.

A holy nation.

His own special people.

That you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Who once were not a people, but are now the people of God.

Who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

What an incredible passage.

You know, I say that every time I preach.

Sam, you probably think the same thing.

You get finished reading a passage of scripture and you think in your mind.

And we as pastors, preachers, teachers, we say out loud.

What an incredible passage.

Those of you that are Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, you probably do the same thing.

You get to the end of every passage and you say, what an incredible passage.

Knowing that every passage you could read in scripture is incredible.

And so I think it is always appropriate after we've read the scripture.

Let's pause for a moment.

Let me guide us in just another moment of prayer and ask God to help us to hear clearly from his spirit.

As to what he wants to teach and to move in our hearts.

How he wants to move in each one of us today.

Pray with me.

Father, we come to you humbly.

Because we know that you don't have any rivals or equals on the earth or in heaven or in the spiritual realm.

That you alone are God.

You alone are worthy of praise and adoration and worship.

We pray that what we have already done this morning collectively as a people.

To study your word.

To sing your praises.

To hear the testimonies of how you are moving in our midst and in our city.

That you would bless us with a knowledge of who Christ is.

That you would allow us to hear clearly how the spirit wants us to respond to you this morning from your word.

And so God, I would pray that what we do not know you will teach us.

That what we're not ready for yet, that you'll equip us.

And how it is that we have not conformed our lives to Christ yet.

That you would mold us.

So that we would be obedient, holy followers of our Lord.

For it's in the name of Christ we pray.

Amen.

Peter in this passage describes this Christ that we follow.

And makes it very clear that the world, that many people are going to reject him.

And he leans back into the Old Testament.

Quoting from the Old Testament.

He uses this metaphor of a stone, of a chief cornerstone.

Now, I'm not a builder.

I'm not handy.

I am not mechanically inclined.

In fact, you would have to call me mechanically declined.

I am not a person who should be around power tools.

If you need something fixed at your house, you call me and I'll get you in touch with somebody who can help you.

But if you need to break something at your house, I'm your guy.

And so, like, this kind of imagery, sometimes I have to dig a little deeper to get to it.

But I got to it of understanding that in this old, ancient world, the idea of a key stone is critical for the construction of an entire building.

It is the one piece of foundation that they make sure is plumb, that they make sure is straight on all sides, that is going to set the foundation.

It's going to set the stage so that everything is level and everything is secure.

And without the key cornerstone, without that foundational stone, nothing else matters.

The structure is not going to happen.

And the same is true for us as an individual, as a believer.

And it's also true of us as congregations.

That if we don't have that key cornerstone of Christ as our foundational rock, nothing else matters.

If it's our religious fervor, doesn't matter.

If it's our traditions, doesn't matter.

If we're going to build it on our own faithfulness, doesn't matter.

Everything's going to get very shaky.

Everything is going to fall apart.

But if we will utilize Christ as that key cornerstone, and we keep going back to the idea of,

this is the stone that the rest of the world has rejected.

Therefore, look at how the world is falling apart.

Look at the shakiness.

Look at the unsettled nature of the world.

It's because they've not chosen Christ as the foundational cornerstone.

They're trying to build on all sorts of other things.

Financial security, moral superiority, immoral superiority.

They're trying to base it on their own wit, their own wisdom, their own decision making.

But boy, we've got to turn a mirror on ourselves as individuals and as groups and as congregations

of, well, what are we doing?

Are we ensuring day after day after day, year after year after year,

are we willing to come under, I'll just say, a ruthless kind of observation of our own lives?

That we would be willing to have that kind of assessment of what am I building my life on?

And you know what?

Oftentimes, there's a really easy way for you to go through that kind of assessment of your life,

and that is look at your bank account and your calendar.

And I don't just mean like a work calendar.

I mean, really think about what is it that I spend all of my resources on,

and what is it I spend all my time on?

And if you look through all of that and Christ is missing,

or Christ is so far removed from a priority,

then we're not building our lives on Christ as the cornerstone.

And Peter gives this great warning that the people,

not only is Jesus not their cornerstone,

but he has become an offense,

and he is something that they're just stumbling over.

And you and I need to come under that question of,

what is it that I'm building my life on?

But then he's able to pivot and say,

but you know what?

There is some really good news.

There is some really good news about the people that Peter is writing this letter to,

and I hope that you'll take comfort in this.

I hope that you'll find yourself in this.

If you don't find yourself in this,

that's what we want to be able to help you with today,

is to bring you to Christ,

the one who loves so dearly,

the one who cares so completely,

the one who has died in our place for our sins on the cross of Calvary,

is dead, is buried,

and is resurrected three days later,

so that you and I,

if we will just put our simple faith in him

and repent of our sins,

that he says,

I'll give you eternal life,

which he says in John chapter 17,

John 17:3

verse 3,

that eternal life is knowing him

and is knowing the God in heaven

and the one that he has sent.

And yes,

eternal life is also about gates of pearl

and streets of gold

and walls of precious jewels.

And yes,

you know,

each of us,

like the old hymn says,

I've got a mansion just over the hilltop

in that bright land

where I'll never grow old,

but there's so much more than just that destination.

Christ promises this relationship with us

if we will make him that chief cornerstone.

And so I want you to think about these descriptions

that Peter gives to us

as to whether or not your relationship with God

is relational or it's transactional.

Is it that you have decided,

I'm just going to be,

I'm going to do favors for God

and I'm expecting him to do favors for me.

I'm going to be a good guy,

and I'm going to expect him to do nice things to me.

I'm going to be nice to my neighbors.

I expect God to do good things for me.

Or have you come under a surrendering relationship with God

where you have said,

Jesus,

I'm yours.

Because that's what we're about to see explained

in 1 Peter chapter 2.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

He gives to us four descriptions of who you and I are

if we come into a relationship with Jesus there in verse 9.

First he says,

but you are a chosen generation.

Some of your translations of scripture may say

you're a chosen race.

But you're a chosen generation.

There is this amazing call

that God puts out to us into the world

where he says,

if you will come to me,

I will make you mine.

I want to choose all of you.

I'm the one doing the calling.

I, from eternity past through eternity present,

God is calling out through the annals of history.

And he is calling in this moment.

He's calling you.

Maybe you responded to that call like me.

I responded to that call to become a believer when I was very young.

Some of you responded to that call when you were in adulthood.

Some as teenagers.

Some of you are still thinking about that call.

But just know that right now God is calling your neighbor

and your co-worker

and your cousin

and that guy down the street

that never keeps his lawn up

and that other gal down the street

that always shows off

because her lawn is immaculate

and nobody else's is.

He's calling all of us.

But he says,

You are this chosen generation

that you can join with him

and with the great chorus of the church

globally and locally

to be a showpiece of the grace of God.

It is such a mistake

for us to think that somehow

we would have figured out

this whole thing on our own.

This is a testimony of God's goodness.

Now, oftentimes I missed

when I would read the four Gospels,

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,

about what the highlight

of the beginning of the ministry of Jesus really was

because the very, chronologically,

the very first message that Jesus delivered

was the simple message,

repent for the kingdom of God is near.

And for so long,

I saw that and kind of shrugged up a little bit

because I wanted always God to be the God of grace,

the God of love,

the God that was the soft father in heaven

and not feeling like it was the hard-edged judge

of the universe in eternity.

But as I've grown up

and as I've matured

and as I've tried to read the whole of Scripture

and understand it,

I've come to this conviction

that when God makes this universal call to us

and He says, repent,

that that is the great kindness of God.

Think about what it is

that He is trying to call you out of,

the self-destruction

that we heap upon ourselves

that sin does to us,

the self-imposed damage

of our sinful choices

of what we do in the dark

and sometimes that we put on display

for the whole world to see

that I'm allowed to get angry

because I got a reason to be angry

or I'm allowed to be bitter

because I got a good reason to be bitter

or I'm allowed to fill in the blank

with whatever sinful behavior.

I'm allowed to be mad at this person

or to get back at that other person

or to act this way

and God is calling us.

He wants you to know He chose you

and He wants you

and He is calling for you to come out of that

so that He can make you one of His own.

You're a chosen generation.

Secondly, He doesn't just say,

okay, I just need you to get in the threshold of the door.

I just want you to kind of graduate from this life,

summa cum, skin of your teeth into heaven,

but instead, you're chosen.

But then secondly there in verse 9,

He says,

not only are you a chosen generation,

you're a royal priesthood.

Now that sounds insane.

Like, I got up this morning

and I saw myself in the mirror.

I don't feel like a member of the royal priesthood

of the kingdom of God very often.

Like, I know me.

Like, I know what I'm capable of.

And yet God says,

not only are you going to come into the family

as part of the chosen generation,

I'm going to make you a member of the royal family

and I'm going to make you

one of the people on the earth

that you get to serve

as bringing the offerings of praise

to the God of the universe,

that you're one of the people

who puts that on display

for all of the world to see,

that you're one of the people

that is the go-between

between heaven and earth,

but you are not just like a little minion,

but instead you're part of the royal family.

One of my favorite stories of the Old Testament.

is found,

it's almost like a footnote

in the story of King David.

King David became really close friends

with Jonathan,

the son of King Saul,

when David was still waiting to be king

and Saul was mad all the time

that God had removed his spirit

and that there was going to be another king

that was going to come behind him

because Saul had been immoral

and had not followed after the Lord.

And yet David, as a young man,

becomes really close friends

with Saul's son, Jonathan,

and one day they make a private promise

to one another.

They say,

if anything happens to the other one of us,

we'll take care of each other's families.

David says,

if anything happens to you, Jonathan,

I'll take care of your family.

Jonathan says,

David, if anything happens to you,

I'll take care of your family.

Well, you fast forward,

civil war breaks out.

Eventually, Saul is off the throne and gone.

Jonathan is killed in battle.

David becomes king.

And David sends one of his servants out

and he says,

go and find out if there's anybody left

of the house of Jonathan.

And they go and they do a search

and they discover there's one guy left

and his name is Mephibosheth.

Now, I went to seminary

so I could learn how to pronounce that.

His name is Mephibosheth.

And Mephibosheth,

when he was a baby,

during all of the civil war,

some soldiers came to attack the home

and a nursemaid picked up Mephibosheth

and went to run out of the house.

And when she did,

she dropped him

and it broke both of his legs

and he was a crippled man

for the rest of his life.

And so they bring Mephibosheth

now as a grown man

into the court of King David.

Mephibosheth is part of the family of Saul.

He's the grandson of Saul.

And so David says to him,

are you Mephibosheth,

the son of Jonathan,

the son of Saul?

And Mephibosheth's response is,

I am.

What does the king want

with a dead dog like me?

That's what he says,

a dead dog like me.

And King David says,

you're adopted,

you're a part of the royal family,

you will live in my house

and you will eat at the king's table

for the rest of your life.

And that's the picture

of what happens to you and I.

It doesn't matter

the condition of our life,

it doesn't matter

what the world has said about us,

you and I get adopted

into the royal family of God

where we get to be a showcase

of God's grace.

We're the people now

who get to display,

who get to sing,

who get to talk,

who get to witness,

who get to tell

about the goodness of God.

He says,

you are a chosen generation,

a royal priesthood,

and then he says,

you are a holy nation.

Holiness is a weird word.

In our modern parlance,

we often think about people

that are holy

as those who just make

really good moral decisions.

And I want to encourage you

that that is part of holiness.

But the biblical idea

built out from Genesis to Revelation

of what does it mean to be holy

is not just that you've made

morally superior decisions

to your neighbors

and your co-workers

and all of your friends,

but rather the biblical concept

of holiness

is that you have a life

that is set apart

for the will

and the ways of God.

Think about it that way.

Set apart

for the will

and the ways of God.

And so it does include

all of those ethical decisions

that you make,

but it's the idea

that we are now

a separate nation.

We are a group of people

unified

under the banner of Christ

where our lives

are set apart.

Now,

Sam,

in your very kind introduction,

talked about how I had been

previously.

I've been a pastor

and now I'm in a season of life

where I am a Bible publisher.

I mean,

that is a cool gig.

Can you imagine

waking up every day

that it's my job

to publish Bibles,

to get more Bibles

into the world?

That is so awesome.

But let me just tell you,

every day,

what I actually do

is swim in a sea

of Excel spreadsheets.

I do inventory management,

I do production meetings,

I talk to our marketing team.

Now,

I do get to do

the cool stuff of like,

hey,

let's come up

with a new typesetting,

let's come up

with a new study Bible edition,

let's figure out

how we can put

cross-references in

that'll help people

like navigate

through the scriptures.

I do get to do

that fun part,

but most of what I do

is I run a business unit

within a big publishing company.

And there are some days

that I feel very disjointed.

There are some days

that I get sideways,

and I feel disconnected.

There are some days

to put in a phrasing

of one of my very close friends,

his name's Michael,

that he's a great writer

and great thinker.

He talks about

how sometimes

we self-amputate

from the body of Christ,

how we decide

that we're gonna take

a step back

because we didn't like something,

we didn't like somebody,

because we got selfish,

because, you know,

I just don't wanna participate

right now,

I wanna go over here

and kinda stew

in my own juices

about something,

or I've chosen

a certain sin

that I just think

is more important

than my own spiritual growth

right now,

or I'm, you know,

or I just get lazy

or apathetic

about my spiritual life.

And here,

Peter is reminding us

as believers,

you,

God called you,

he adopted you

into the family

so that you could be

a part of this

royal priesthood,

and you're a holy nation.

Your life is gonna look

different from everybody else,

but not just your life.

I'm from Alabama,

so I would say

y'all's life,

so there'd be

two apostrophes,

Y apostrophe,

A-L apostrophe-S,

or Ewan's,

you know,

it's y'all of us

are now

a holy group of people.

And

I kid a little bit

when I say this,

but I kinda mean it too.

The city of Henrietta, Texas

ought to look at the family

of First Baptist Henrietta,

and there ought to be

a part of them

where they go,

those people are

a little different from us.

That ought to be

actually the case

where they say

those people are

a little bit different from us

because if you look

at the next

and the fourth description,

he says,

a chosen generation,

a royal priesthood,

a holy nation,

his own special people.

There's some translations

that say

a peculiar people,

a people of his own possession.

When you take those

last two descriptions,

a holy nation,

a holy nation,

and a people,

his own special people,

it is that,

yeah,

we're gonna stand out.

We're gonna be

a little bit different.

We're gonna love

when other people don't.

We're gonna show grace

when other people don't.

We're gonna stand up

for the truth

when other people don't.

We're gonna call you

to Christ

when other people say,

no, no, no,

you can continue

to be exactly who you are.

We are gonna be

a little bit different

and that's the good thing.

That is who we are

and there is a sense

at which we love

our rugged individualism.

We love being who we are.

This is how I was born.

This is how I was bred.

This is how I'm gonna be.

You know,

the preacher joke

that I heard growing up

as it was,

you know,

I was Southern Baptist born.

I was Southern Baptist bred

and when I die,

I'll be Southern Baptist dead.

You know,

and so that's some

of how we operate

no matter where it is

that whether it's your fan base

of whatever team you root for

or whatever it is

that is that,

you know,

the special thing in your life.

But he says

that you have been acquired.

That idea there

of his own special people,

the language behind that

is that you've actually

been acquired by Christ.

You've been acquired by God.

He made the payment

with his blood.

You are now his.

And how freeing is that?

That now you know

who you are.

Now you'll know

what to do.

I mean,

as a pastor,

maybe the most common question

that people ever came

to talk with me about

is,

Lord,

I've asked the Lord,

I've asked the Lord,

I've asked the Lord.

I don't know

what I'm supposed

to do next.

And I've learned

over the years

of traversing

that question

in my own life,

not perfect yet,

got a long way to go.

But if you want to know

what you're supposed

to do next,

figure out

who you are right now.

Know who you are

so that you'll know

what to do.

Because if you've decided

that you are your own man,

you are your own woman,

I will make my own decisions,

then you're going to be

going in a million

different directions.

But if you know

whose you are,

that Christ has acquired you

by the cost of blood,

that you are

a holy nation,

you're a group of people

set apart for the will

and the ways of God,

that you are

a royal priesthood,

you've been adopted

into the family of God,

that you are

a chosen generation

where God is the one

who called you

out of death

and into life,

then suddenly

knowing what to do next,

that becomes easy.

And we saw a testimony

of that this morning.

As I was watching

that video,

I had to ask

Pastor Sam for a pen

because Emberlin,

I don't know

who Emberlin is,

but Emberlin said,

and part of her testimony

that we saw in the video,

she had one of the longer ones,

so I couldn't write it all down,

so Emberlin,

if you're in here,

sorry about that.

But basically,

she said,

now I know

what to do with my life

so that when people ask me,

why are you so kind,

I can tell them

because I have the love of Jesus.

I mean,

one of your own GAs

put on display

exactly what this passage

is all about,

that why are you so kind?

Why is it that you're so calm?

Why can you be so steady

in the midst of all of this?

Why is it that you can

get along with everybody?

Why is it that you can set

your wants,

your wishes,

your preferences aside

so that we can serve Christ

in the community?

Why can you do that?

Easy.

Because I have the love of Jesus.

Because this passage ends

with saying

that

you are a chosen generation,

a royal priesthood,

a holy nation,

his own special people,

so that

you can proclaim

the praises

of him

who called you out of darkness

into his marvelous light

who once were not a people

but are now the people of God

who had not obtained mercy

but now have obtained mercy.

Great theologian

from another generation

and another continent

once said,

there's no other church

than the church

sent into the world,

there's no other mission

than that of the church

of Christ.

In a generation

after him,

another theologian said,

you know what,

the church exists

by mission

just as fire

exists by burning.

I mean,

it is part and parcel

of who we are.

Without the mission

of Christ,

without knowing

who we are

and being out on mission,

we are not

the people of God.

It is moving

from the orange ping pong balls

to the white ones.

It is the prayer

for the lost neighbor.

It is the prayer

for the lost grandchild.

It is the prayer

for the wayward son of God.

It is the prayer

for the neighbor

who doesn't know

the gospel yet

or who knows it

but has rejected it.

It is,

I am chosen.

I am part of the priesthood.

I am part of the holy nation.

I am the people

of God's own possession

so that I can declare

the praises of the God

who calls us

out of darkness

and into his marvelous light.

And I want you

to be a part

of that great family of God.

And so today,

no matter how long

you've been a church,

attender,

member,

Sunday school attendee,

volunteer,

all of those things,

you can put all of that aside

if there's not been

a moment in time

in your life

where you have surrendered

your life to Christ,

you have repented

of your sins,

you have put your faith

in Jesus Christ,

the resurrected Lord

of all things,

today is the day

of your salvation.

But I also want to say

that if you've done that

and you have found

yourself hesitant,

you have found yourself

at a loss,

you have found yourself

as a I don't know

how to get to this person,

I love to share

the gospel with them,

I want you to call

upon the name

of the Lord today.

I want you to beg

the Spirit today

that He would give you

an entrance

into that person's life,

into that conversation,

that He would give you

boldness of heart

not to just go

and to bludgeon them

with the gospel,

but to be able

to lovingly enter

into the conversation

so that you can share

the gospel with a neighbor,

so that you can go

and love someone

who is unlovable,

so that you can go

and be a part

of the Spirit's work

here in your community,

and to respond

to the call of God,

so that you can be

a part of the

so that generation,

that God has made me

one of His

so that I can call

more people

to be one of His.

I want to pray for you,

and after I pray,

then Pastor Sam's

going to come

and close out the service,

but let me pray for you,

and you just,

let's bow our heads,

enter into a moment

of prayer,

and just come along

with me as I guide us

in this moment.

Father,

you are good,

you are so good to us,

and I pray that you

would forgive us

where we have faltered,

where we have fallen short,

where we have not been

your faithful stewards

of the gospel,

because it happens

to all of us,

and none of us

are immune,

but God,

this is a moment

where we want to,

once again,

come before you

and surrender.

So God,

I pray for the man,

the woman,

the teenager,

the kid in this

congregation today,

whether they're

in the room,

or out with the kids

in children's ministry.

Lord,

if there is one

here today

that has not yet

surrendered their life,

no matter how

baptistic they've been,

no matter how religious

they've been,

or how wayward

they've been,

God,

would you fulfill

your word

and come and heal

our rebelliousness,

and love us,

and make us your own?

God,

I pray that you

would help the one

who has not yet

surrendered to Christ,

that right now

in this moment,

they will call upon you

as Lord and Savior,

repent of their sin,

and say,

I trust in Christ

that he's risen

from the dead.

I pray that that

would be the case.

Allow them to hear

clearly from your spirit,

that they would respond

to you in faith

for their salvation.

And Lord,

for the many

members of this church

that are looking

for a way

to share their faith,

looking for a way

to be faithful

to you.

I pray

that they would

just lift that name

of that co-worker,

that family member,

that friend,

that neighbor

before you right now.

Friends,

let's just do that

right now.

Let's take those names

of the people

that we love so much,

that we know so closely.

Let's lift them

before the Father

in heaven.

God,

these friends of ours,

these people

in our families,

these people

at our workplaces,

would you give us

a way to share

the gospel with them?

Lord,

help us to be

on the long-term

journey of friendship

with them,

but God,

we want to see

them saved.

We want to see

an awakening spiritually.

We want to see

a revival

in our city.

God,

would you bring

that about?

Would you use us

in it?

God,

would you use me

in his life?

God,

would you use me

in her life?

God,

we know that you

love these friends

of ours so much

more than we can

fathom.

So will you make

us faithful

in your kingdom

and give us

understanding

and courage

to speak

when you open

the door?

Father,

we thank you

for your word.

We thank you

for your goodness.

Lord,

we're ready

to be on your

mission

continuously

day after day.

For it's in the name

of Christ we pray.

Amen.

Folks,

let's go ahead

and keep our seats.

We have just a minute

or two before we dismiss,

but before we do that,

would you go ahead

and bow your heads

with me

and remain in a moment

of prayer?

I'm going to ask

some follow-up questions

from what our speaker

was talking to us

about this morning.

I'm grateful for him

bringing the word.

You heard a very clear

call that reminds us

who we are in Christ.

And I'm going to ask

this question.

I don't for a moment

believe that everyone

in this room

has had that moment

of conversion,

that moment of giving

your heart to Jesus.

So I want to invite you

to do that today.

If that's you

and you say,

I need to make

today the day

that once and for all

I give my life

to Jesus.

We just had three boys

do it at camp.

We've had adults

do it this year.

We've had teenagers,

people of every age group

choose to make

the commitment

and say,

I'm giving my life

to Jesus.

If that's you this morning,

would you slip

your hand up right now?

You have privacy

in this room.

I'd like to see you

and like to pray for you.

Let me give you a moment.

How many of you would say

I have someone

on my mind right now?

Maybe while Phillip

was praying.

How many of you say

I have someone

on my mind right now

that I'm going to pray

for them

to give their lives

to Jesus

and I'm going to see

what God would have me

to do

to speak to them

and share the gospel.

Would you slip your hand

up real quick

all across the room?

Thank you.

I know many of those people

that are on your minds

right now are represented

in these ping pong balls.

We're praying for them.

We've seen two

turn to faith in Christ.

We've got reports.

There's another one.

God,

right now,

I just ask

that you would use

your people

in this room.

Give us boldness, God.

Give us opportunity

and give us boldness.

Give us clarity of mind.

Help us to do

the hard work

behind the scenes

of preparing,

of diving into the gospel,

making it

so real

and fresh

in our minds

that we can't help

but share it

when you give us

those chances.

And God,

work on the hearts

of those who need to hear.

Remind us who we are.

We are your chosen people.

We are your

peculiar,

special people.

But God,

you have us here

for this

high and holy purpose.

Help us to not miss it.

Thank you,

Thank you.