One Voice – United in Worship | Romans 15:1–7

Amen.

You may be seated.

Well, good morning, church.

So glad that you are here worshiping with us here today.

If this is your first time, I just want to say welcome.

My name is Chuck.

I'm one of the pastors here at Life where we exist that all may know Christ and make him known.

And you have come at a great time.

We are in the middle of our united series where we are going deeper into the reasons and the ways we are united as a church.

So far, we have covered how we are united in one faith, one power.

And today we're going to be looking at how we are united with one voice.

Now I want you to think about what that actually sounds like.

I would argue that you've already experienced that today.

Right here in this room.

Let me show you what I mean.

The last song that we just sang, Behold the Lamb, started in the key of B flat.

The keys, the guitar, the bass, even the cello all locked into that same note.

Different instruments, different textures, different roles within the song, yet they all played together beautifully in a harmony that allowed us all to sing together.

That is what made it worship, not noise.

Now imagine the band playing the same song, but nobody agreed on a key.

The keys played B flat, but the guitar decided to play D.

The bass said, you know what, I'm gonna do F, and then the cello was trying to figure out what's going on.

Now, even though our team is highly skilled, and every note may be technically correct, it does not result in worship, only chaos.

Why?

Because nobody can sing along, nobody even knows what is going on.

Here's my point skill without unity doesn't produce glory to God.

It only produces confusion that seeks its own glory.

Now, this is the danger that Paul is addressing in our passage today that I want us to understand.

Paul is writing to Jewish and Gentile believers, mature and immature, who sincerely are following the Lord, but they weren't always in step with one another because they were struggling with a lack of harmony.

And Paul's solution is not to flatten everything out and make everyone the same.

No, his solution is to call them to be united, despite their differences, so that they may, as Paul says, glorify God with one voice.

Which is our focus for this morning.

I'm so excited for it.

So I ask that you turn with me to Romans chapter 15.

Romans 15 · chapter mention

We're gonna be looking specifically at verses 1 through 7.

Now, if you don't have a Bible, we will have the passage on the screen behind me.

But do not leave here without a Bible.

The Bible is our guiding authority and our light that keeps us united.

And we give it away for free.

So you can go out to the New Here, Start Here, Stand and get a Bible.

So please, if you don't have one, grab one and don't leave without it.

Now before we read our text, I want to be able to provide a little bit of context because we're jumping towards the end of this book.

See, the book of Romans provides the most robust understanding of what it means to live by faith.

From chapters 1 to 11, the Apostle Paul talks about how this is laid out theologically.

And then from chapters 12 through 16, he shows us what this looks like practically, which is his normal framework, doctrine before duty.

Now, when we're looking at this passage, especially when we try to catch up and we go to chapter 14, the Apostle Paul is addressing real tension between two types of believers that are differing on their convictions and their personal preferences.

He calls the strong though, or he calls those who are more mature the strong and those who are less mature the weak.

And throughout the entire chapter, chapter 14, the Apostle Paul is consistent in his argument.

He says, Stop judging one another based on your opinions.

Be fully convinced in your own mind before the Lord.

Remember that we will all give an account to God, not to each other.

And whatever is not done from faith is sin.

And that faith is between you and God, not something that you impose upon someone else.

But his goal in this chapter was not merely to call them out, but rather to point them to something that truly matters.

The care for one another.

And that's where chapter 15 picks up.

Now I encourage you to follow along as I read out loud, knowing that these are God's words that He has preserved and provided for us today.

So Romans chapter 15, starting in verse 1, it says this.

Romans 15 · chapter mention

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

For Christ did not please himself, but it is written, The reproaches of those who reproach you fell on me.

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify God, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God.

Amen.

Oh, this is a good section.

Okay, okay.

Now, here's what I want you to uh to look at.

I want you to notice where Paul lands in this passage.

Because he had just got done in chapter 14 talking about the disputes of opinions that they have in regards to days and regards to eating and all of these things.

And he doesn't end by talking about what you should and should not eat or what days you should and should not observe.

He ends with worship, together with one voice for the glory of God.

That's what all of this has been building towards.

Listen, this is the big idea that I want us to get today that Paul just lays out so beautifully.

The big idea is this a united church worships together with one voice to glorify God.

Paul made this absolutely clear to the Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome, and it is just as true for us today.

But knowing that truth and living that truth are two completely different things.

So today, what I want to do is make sure that we are all playing the same note.

I want to make sure that as we are going together, we are with one voice glorifying God.

And it starts by answering this question.

How do we worship with one voice?

I believe that Paul gives us four areas that helps us to live this out practically.

So if you're in the habit of taking notes, I highly encourage you to jot these down because they will benefit you and help you as we live these things out practically.

We'll do it like this.

Paul begins this passage with a direct word to the strong.

He says this in verse 1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

Notice the word obligation.

This is not a suggestion for when you want to be generous or when it's convenient for you.

This is a debt that is owed.

Because maturity in Christ comes with responsibility.

And that responsibility does not give you the right to please yourself.

It actually obligates you to bear with the weakness of others.

And verse two makes the aim of that charge very explicit.

He says, Let us please his neighbor.

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good and to build him up.

Now there are two things that we need to really get out of this.

Number one, to please does not mean a cheap amusement.

We are not entertaining people when we're trying to please them.

But rather, this is an act or a gesture that will meet a real need or enhance spiritual growth and maturity for the person that we are actually serving.

And then number two, he says that we are to please our neighbor for his good, not your good.

His good, not your good.

The strong are called to actually think about what will strengthen another believer in their faith.

Because here's the thing: we can sometimes think that we are serving others, but we are actually serving them in a way that centers on ourselves.

Let me give you an example.

Imagine a mature Christian who is of age, let me clear this out.

A mature Christian who is of age that knows that drinking wine is a Christian liberty.

They have freedom to participate in moderation and they know that they are not sinning by doing so.

But at the same time, they also know of another believer in the church who has a tender conscience with this issue.

So when they invite them over, if the mature believer says, this isn't sinful, we can enjoy a glass of wine together.

In fact, let me just show you all of the Bible passages that prove that this is okay for us.

That would be them serving in a way that is self-centered.

It doesn't produce unity, it only produces division because it forces the less mature believer to either violate their conscience and sin or leave them thinking that they are just a spiritual project rather than a brother or sister in Christ.

Either way, the strong believer has made the moment about proving a point rather than building up.

And church members that operate in this way cannot worship with one voice.

Why?

Because it requires a shared posture of humility before God, not a hierarchy where the mature is sitting over here lecturing and the less mature are just being those that receive this teaching as ones being managed.

That's not what the Apostle Paul is calling us to.

That is not what our God is calling us to.

But this is what happens when we care more about our personal freedom rather than building others up.

So practically, what does this look like?

It looks like a mature believer choosing to set aside their personal liberty.

Not because scripture forbids it, but because exercising it in front of someone that is less mature will wound them rather than build them up.

It looks like patience instead of frustration when a younger believer is still working on convictions that you have settled years ago.

We need to show selfless love in action.

Because it unites us and we fulfill our obligation before God.

Now, here's a side note: this obligation does not relieve the less mature from any responsibility.

They are not to be passive or exempt from this as well.

Because the goal that the Apostle Paul says for the weak is for them to continue to grow, for them to be built up, for them not to stay weak.

The reason why the strong are bearing with the weak is so that they can grow, mature, and be effective for God's kingdom.

So there's a responsibility on the side of the less mature believer to receive the teachings, to be teachable, to grow, to be humble in this as well.

We need to be those that are so in community, strong, building up the weak, that we are worshiping with biblical convictions that are clearly laid out in God's word and not our personal preferences.

Church, we worship with one voice when we serve one another selfishly.

Selflessly, yeah, yeah, you know what I mean.

And then we follow Christ's pattern faithfully.

This is the next point.

Paul doesn't just um stop there.

He doesn't just say, hey, stop pleasing yourselves.

But he also shows them why by pointing them to Christ.

Oh, this is so beautiful.

He says in verse 3, For Christ did not please himself.

But it is written, the reproaches of those who reproach you fell on me.

I don't know if you know this, but Christ is the ultimate example of not pleasing yourself.

In Matthew chapter 20, verse 28, it says that Jesus came to be served.

Matthew 20:28

I mean, he did not come to serve, I mean, he did not come to be served, but to serve.

Our God humbled himself so that way he can pave the way for an example of how we are to humble ourselves and serve others.

And he absorbed the hostility that should have landed on us.

This is why the Apostle Paul quotes Psalm 69, a psalm where David was suffering and bearing the reproach that wasn't even his to bear.

Paul applies this now to Christ, who bore our reproach, the reproach that was meant for sinners.

It was meant for us.

Christ bore it so that we could be reconciled to God.

This is the heart of the gospel.

Listen, Jesus, the spotless, blameless Lamb of God, took on sin that we rightfully deserved.

He did for us what we couldn't even do for ourselves.

He took on and bore that sin on a cross.

This is why Isaiah 53, verses 4 through 6 is so beautiful when you have it in this context, speaking about Christ.

Isaiah 53:4–6

It says this surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wound we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray.

We have all turned, everyone, to his own way.

And the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all.

Did Jesus deserve it?

Absolutely not.

Hebrews chapter 4, verse 15 tells us that although he was tempted in every way like us, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

And 1 John chapter 3, verse 5 says that he was manifested to take away sin, and in him there is no sin at all.

1 John 3:5

This is what Jesus did on our behalf.

He took what we rightfully deserved.

And here's what this means: the hostility, the complaints, the disgrace that sinners deserved, their rebellion against God.

We just witnessed baptism where we talked about what was your life like before Christ?

How did Christ save you?

And what does your Christ's life, what does your life look like now that you are saved?

All of that before is what Christ bore on the cross for him for you.

He is taking that out of the way, every bit of it.

Christ stepped in and took it upon himself.

He didn't deserve a single bit of it, yet he absorbed it all so that you and I can be reconciled to God.

Paul's not just reminding the church of the gospel, but he is also showing them the pattern for what he just told them to do.

Listen, when a when a less mature believer's immaturity frustrates you, or when you think that they their conscience is just too restricted and they're trying to just they're just being legalistic, or when their failures cost you something, like your comfort, your your convenience, or you being misunderstood, that is exactly the moment that you are called to respond the way that Christ responded.

Why?

Because that's how he responded to you.

We are to seek to please others and not ourselves.

Paul was not inventing a new way or a new standard.

He was pointing back to the pattern that Christ had already set.

But but I want you to notice that he didn't ask the church to imitate Christ based on their feelings or any vague expression.

Look what he does.

He grounds it in scripture, quoting the psalm that was happening, that that that was written centuries earlier.

And this is not incidental.

This is exactly why he quotes this in verse 4.

He says, For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.

Listen, our entire Bible, all of these historical documents that we have access to, is not just historical documents.

It's not just ancient history.

It was written for our instructions.

It was written to give us endurance, to give us encouragement, and to give us hope.

So when Paul shows that Christ bearing the reproach was in the scriptures, he is also showing us the example that we are to follow into Christ.

He's not just offering a nice illustration that we can all agree to.

He is pointing to what the scriptures have been building to all along.

Christ being the first fruit and we modeling after him.

So following Christ's pattern isn't just admiring an example, but it is to be shaped by the very scriptures that reveal that example, and that we would have the endurance and the encouragement to actually live it out.

But here's the thing that hinders our worship.

When we stop following Christ's pattern, when we abandon scripture as a store, as a source, and instead lean on our own understanding, our own comfort, our own sense of fairness.

You know what?

No, they need to learn this way because that's how I learned.

If they don't learn this way, they're not gonna grow.

No, God put you there to help them along, to encourage them.

So it is not that we are letting people go to their own devices.

We are walking alongside them, serving them.

Why?

Because that is what we are obligated to do.

That is the model that Christ has set before us.

And that is what makes selfless service possible.

Without Christ's pattern, bearing with another believer starts to feel optional.

Or it starts to feel unreasonable.

Like, why would I do that?

This is why we need the mind of Christ in view.

Because if not, taking on the reproach, taking on others' reproach that isn't ours, will start to feel like, okay, I'm owed some relief.

Lord, I bore this for too long.

I need to get out of this.

Rather than absorbing as Christ did and walking along, our brothers and sisters in Christ, meeting them where they're at, and continuing to help them in their spiritual growth.

Listen, a church full of people unwilling to bear what isn't theirs to bear, won't be worshiping for too long.

Here's the reason why I say that.

Because resentment will then replace endurance.

Hope gives way to self-preservation.

And we protect ourselves instead of bearing with one another.

Church, that's not one voice.

That's every instrument playing its own tune.

So if we are to serve one another selflessly and follow Christ's pattern faithfully, we need a high view of scripture.

You can't follow Christ's pattern by instinct.

And we don't have the endurance to live this out by our own willpower.

Scripture is what reveals that pattern, and scripture is what sustains us in it.

Lower our view of scripture, and we lose both the example and the strength that comes with it.

Church, when we worship with one voice.

Not only do we serve one another selflessly, we follow Christ's pattern faithfully, but we also pray for unity earnestly.

Now, I want you to see the connection that Paul makes here.

In verse 4, he just told us that Scripture gives us endurance and encouragement.

Now I want you to see how he prays in verse 5.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus.

Did you catch that?

The same two words, endurance and encouragement, that Paul used to describe what Scripture gives, he now uses to describe who God is.

He identifies God Himself as the God of endurance and encouragement.

That's not just coincidence.

That is Paul using Scripture rightly.

God and Scripture are not separate from one another.

They're not two parallel tracks working to help you out.

God and Scripture are intimately acquainted with each other.

Why?

Because that is his breathed-out word.

This is why the Apostle Paul doesn't just demand unity and move on.

He prays for it, connecting his communion with the Lord with what God's word has already revealed.

And this is not a pattern unique to Paul.

In Acts chapter 6, when the apostles needed to hand off the practical responsibilities of ministry so they can focus on what matters most, this is what they said in Acts chapter 6, verse 4.

Acts 6 · chapter mention Acts 6:4

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

Here we see that prayer and the word are held together.

They're inseparable.

That's exactly the pattern that Paul marks in Romans chapter 15.

Romans 15 · chapter mention

He doesn't just aimlessly pray, hoping for a general sense of unity.

He prays out of what Scripture has already revealed about who God is, the God of endurance and encouragement that provides this endurance and encouragement through his word.

Now, it is not clear what scripture Paul was thinking about or where he is getting this from.

But if I were to guess, I would have to say it came from the Psalms.

As I was moling over this and preparing for this message, there are two Psalms that came to mind in regards to this.

Psalm 119, verse 50, that says, This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

Psalms 119:50

And Psalm 119, 116 says, Uphold me according to your promise that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope.

Notice what both of these Psalms have in common.

They're prayers.

The psalmist takes what they know about God, what is true about his promises, and turns them directly into the comfort in his affliction.

That's exactly the pattern that we see from Paul.

He knows something about God because he read it in the scripture, and then his prayer is infused with that knowledge, and he is praying for this on their behalf.

He doesn't invent a new way to pray, he prays the way the scripture taught God's people to pray.

Take what you know about God's character from his word and let that be the substance of your request.

The psalmist didn't just give us words to pray, they gave us a pattern for how truth about God becomes our cry to God.

Prayer that is disconnected from Scripture becomes little more than wishful thinking.

Asking God for whatever feels right in the moment, which leads us to make God our personal genie, waiting on our every command.

But prayer that is saturated in Scripture, flowing out of who God has revealed Himself to be with substance is a prayer that we can actually expect God to answer.

Why?

Because it is in accordance with his character and his will.

Even if your prayer is short.

Paul's prayer was two verses.

And Ecclesiastes chapter 5, verse 2 says, Let your prayers be short.

Ecclesiastes 5:2

God knows what you want.

So after you go out today and you go to lunch, if you pray, Lord, God of the universe, we thank you for this provision of the meal that you have provided for us.

Amen.

That's probably one of the most theological prayers you would have all day.

Why?

Because it needs to be saturated in the character and the work of God.

Now, let's look at what Paul actually prays in verses 5 and 6.

And watch how specific and how scripturally grounded his request is.

He prays, God grant you to live in such harmony with one another.

Now, this is extremely important because Paul is talking about something that only God can give.

We cannot manufacture unity in and of ourselves.

No matter how hard you try, no matter how many things that you try to put forth, you can't do it.

We are flawed human beings.

This is why we need the power of God to grant us unity.

And notice he didn't stop there.

He says that this unity is to be in accordance with Christ Jesus.

So this is not uniformity.

This is not us all being the exact same.

No, he is saying that our unity is tied to what is according to Christ Himself.

And this should draw us back to John chapter 17, where Jesus prays that we would be one just as He and the Father is one.

John 17 · chapter mention

You see how beautiful this is?

The oneness that we are to have, the unity that we are to have is shared in the relationship with the Father and the Son.

That's the type of oneness that Paul is praying for.

And he gives us the result of that type of unity being lived out.

In verse 6, he says, that together you may with one voice glorify God the Father.

I mean, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There's our focus verse.

One voice.

Glorifying God.

This one voice is literally referring to the mouth, the Greek word stoma.

So part of what Paul has in view here is God's people saying the same thing together out loud.

Amen?

Okay, some of y'all missed the point right there, okay?

Let me back up, let me back up.

God's people saying the same thing together out loud.

Amen?

Amen.

But listen, this is not only just saying the same thing, but this is not something that we just recite because it's a script or anything.

It's a posture that is shaped our minds and our hearts caring for one another, selflessly laying down our own preferences for that of others' good.

Our one voice is unified because our heart is first unified.

So we need to be those that when we are speaking with one voice, it starts from our heart.

And this is the whole point that Paul is building to.

When we serve one another selflessly, when we follow Christ's pattern faithfully, when we pray for unity earnestly, this results in a glory to God with one voice from his people.

Not a glory that is divided up among individuals, nor a glory that is divided up because that's your ministry, or that's your preference, or that's your personal conviction.

No, all the glory belongs to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Church, when we worship with one voice, we serve one another selflessly.

We follow Christ's pattern faithfully, we pray for unity earnestly, and we welcome one another graciously.

Look with me in verse 7.

Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God.

Now, when we see a therefore, what are we supposed to do?

Find out what it's there for.

But listen, you already know.

Paul is drawing this conclusion from everything he has just said, everything that we have just covered, and everything in Romans chapter 14 where he's talking about Christian liberty.

Romans 14 · chapter mention

So we can include that along with bearing with the weak, following Christ's pattern, praying earnestly for unity.

All of this is what Paul is talking about.

And he says, therefore, but here's the thing that is striking.

All of the stuff that we have covered, it already assumes that you're in relationships with those people.

It already assumes it.

It already assumes that you have already initiated that first conversation, which makes it clear how our worship can be hindered when someone has to be welcomed in the first place.

Our worship can be hindered when we're not welcoming people.

Our worship can be hindered when we're just avoiding people.

Our worship can be hindered when we're not following the command that he has set before us.

You cannot serve a person you don't know.

And you cannot bear with a believer that you've never made room for.

This is why welcoming isn't just the fourth point, but it's actually the doorway that makes all of these other things possible.

So let's be honest with ourselves.

We can do that this morning.

We can take some self-inventory and we can reflect.

Let's first reflect as a church corporately.

When a church gets too comfortable, we stop welcoming people.

Oh, we welcomed our people already.

We already got our groups.

We have our teams and our ministries already.

And unintentionally, we stop looking for those who need to be brought in.

If we're not careful, comfort quietly turns into clicks.

Even though nobody intended to exclude anyone, that's what happens.

And sometimes this breaks down personally.

Maybe you're the type who naturally will never walk up to someone.

Maybe you're the type that won't start a conversation because you don't know how, or it's awkward, or you're nervous, or or you just don't want that awkward silence after you say, Well, how are you doing today?

Listen, self-preservation should not win over the glory of God.

Either way, corporately or personally, when we fail to welcome, we fail to worship with one voice.

Because there is no way for us to be unified with someone who has never been welcomed in the first place.

So how do we break this?

Jesus does.

We look again at the pattern of Jesus.

One of the best examples that I love that Jesus sets for us is in John chapter 4, where he meets the Samaritan woman.

John 4 · chapter mention

Jesus and the Samaritan woman were at crosses with each other.

There was ethnic tension, social shame, personal history.

And yet Jesus initiated the conversation by asking her for a drink.

Why?

All for the glory of God.

That's the pattern.

That's the pattern that Jesus set even for us.

Did you know Romans chapter 5, verse 8 says that God demonstrated his own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

He didn't wait for us to clean up ourselves, make ourselves approachable, and then receive, want to be welcomed.

No.

He initiated towards us while we were still his enemies.

So when Paul says, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, he is not telling you to do something that Christ hasn't already done for you.

And listen, if Christ initiated you in your sin, we definitely can initiate the conversation with somebody in the lobby.

Welcoming isn't just a formality before real ministry starts.

Welcoming is the act of care.

And it is the very thing that opens up the door for everything else, for serving, for discipleship, for unity, for worship, even for fellowship.

It starts with us welcoming as Christ welcomed us.

Paul doesn't end this passage by saying, you need to welcome everyone so all things will run smoothly.

We need to get along, guys, so just go welcome people.

No.

He ends by saying, welcome one another for the glory of God.

Even something as simple as a warm greeting, an intentional conversation, or a seat that you make room for a person looking for one.

As long as it is flows from the gospel and points back to Christ, this is an area to where we are serving others well.

So all of this together is what we need to focus on.

It's not just picking out one thing.

We need to be those that are walking and worshiping with one voice, serving selflessly, praying, I mean, uh following Christ's pattern, praying for unity, welcoming graciously.

These are not disconnected from each other because a church that is welcomed by Christ and welcomes others in return, for the glory of God, worships with one voice.

So here's my charge.

I want to give this to you.

I want you to be intentional in welcoming others graciously.

I want you to serve one another's selflessly.

Here's a good way to remember it.

When we serve others selflessly, we bear and we build.

And we pray for unity earnestly.

I love that ever since I've been at this church, that has been a constant prayer for us.

Praying for unity within our staff, within our church, within the body.

And we pray for unity earnestly when we ask God to do what only He can give.

And we let our word be shaped by His word.

Why?

Because a united church worships together with one voice for the glory of God.

Life, that is who we are.

We are a united church worshiping together with one voice for the glory of God.

Now, before we leave, I want to give you three truth to life.

These are to apply to yourselves, not the person that you've been thinking about this entire time.

No.

This is for you.

Because again, we need to get this right.

The call is for us.

So here's the first question: Where is your worship directed?

Is your life playing the same keys as God's glory, or are you playing your own tune?

You're worshiping something.

My plea is that it be the God that created you.

Receive Him.

He says He has given the right for you to be a child of God for all of those who receive Him, for those who believe in His name.

If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, let today be that day.

He welcomes you while you are yet in your sins with open arms.

What examples are you following?

Are you shaped by Christ's pattern, bearing, serving, praying, or by your own comfort and preferences?

Are you following what you feel like doing, or are you following what God has already laid out for you to walk in?

He set the pattern.

And who needs your welcoming?

Who is still outside that needs to be welcomed in?

We need to be looking for those.

Our charge from our Lord is to go and make disciples.

Notice, he said, go.

He didn't say wait for people to come.

He says, go.

There's an initiation that we need to do.

So who still is outside that we need to welcome in?

I encourage you, go share the love of Christ with them.

Have a cup of coffee with them.

Ask a question to get to know them and build that relationship.

Because, church, we need to be playing the same key.

We need to be in tune.

And the standard that God has already set is right here.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you.

You are so good to us, Lord.

And Father, we desire to be unified.

We desire not to go our own way.

And dear Lord, sometimes we get sidetracked.

Sometimes we do our own thing.

So Father, snatch us out of the domain of darkness.

Put us on the path that walks in accordance to your will.

And keep us, Lord.

Father, help the scriptures to encourage us.

We need to be those that are remaining in the scriptures.

So God, give us that desire.

Rejoy to us the joy, I mean, restore to us the joy of our salvation.

And allow us to grow, to mature, and to be effective for your kingdom.

And God, we'll be grateful as we trust you every step of the way.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.