True Partnership

Well, let's return to Paul's letter to the Philippians.

!

Let's bow in prayer before we turn to the word.

Father in heaven, we ask and pray this evening that you would bless us and encourage us in the truth this night.

Lord, it's a great privilege that we have to be able to open the Bible in front of us.

And we need the light of your presence to guide us into what we need to see here.

We dare not, Lord, progress, in fact, without that light.

And so may the Spirit guide us to the things of truth.

And may we find blessing and joy in what we discover.

And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

You know, if there was two themes that you would say flow out of the letter to the Philippians,

we've kind of touched on them both in all the different parts of the letter that we've read tonight.

The obvious one is Paul's joy when he thinks about the church in Philippi.

And in some ways, that's very often a rebuke to us because when we, I think, so often think about the church on earth,

very often we think about all of the problems, we think about all of the things that make it difficult.

And joy is maybe rarely the first word that would spring to mind when we think about the church.

But for Paul, joy was one of the great reasons for, or one of the great things of his thought and state

when he was reflecting on the church and thought of them.

Connected to that is the reason for Paul's joy.

And that again runs through this letter really clearly.

It's not as clear in English actually when you're reading it, but if you're reading it in Greek,

you would see it immediately because the same word crops up time and again,

although it's translated in three different ways in the passages we've read.

And that is the fellowship of the church.

The partnership of the church.

The way in which the church share together in some experiences.

And my thinking tonight is to reflect a little bit on this.

The way in which God has ordained for the church to have an experience of partnership or fellowship in its life.

And this theology, it runs actually throughout the whole of the Bible.

It goes back to the very beginning to creation when God created Adam.

Adam, he said it's not good for Adam to be alone.

And he created a partner for him.

Someone who would be alongside him.

And who would fulfill a...

In fact, I'm not even hesitant to say it, but it's a divine purpose.

It is a purpose of God's own character that the wife that has provided for Adam is there to correspond to him

and to work with him and to serve together in their lives as a whole.

And that design for fellowship and the core of what it means to be human

is actually reflective of the character and nature of God himself.

God is...

You know, the God we worship is not a...

Is not a monad.

It's not the same God as Islam worships.

The God of Islam is alone.

There is only one God.

He has no son.

He has his prophets.

He has his servants.

He has creatures that do his bidding.

But in Islam, God is not three persons.

And our God is three persons.

From before the foundation of the world, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

have entered into a partnership for the work of salvation.

They've entered into a partnership and a sharing in the work of the atonement.

They work in partnership in the work of creation.

They've worked in partnership in the work of revelation.

There is even a partnership of the Trinity in the way in which we pray

as followers of Jesus Christ.

And so this partnership, this sharing of work together,

is reflective of the character of God himself.

And it's so dangerous for us if we get into a habit of thinking about the Christian life

where we can cut ourselves off or put ourselves into positions

where we are isolated and alone.

We need partnership.

And we need that at a deep level, as we'll see,

in some of the ways in which this works out.

Obviously, there's a great danger as well.

Human partnerships are abused.

Human partnerships have been abused from the very beginning.

This morning, we were thinking about Noah.

It is interesting.

Just after the story of Noah comes the story of the Tower of Babel

where a group of humans come together and they say,

let us build a tower that we can bring God down to us.

And there is a great wickedness in the scheme of the people of Babel.

And God confounds that scheme and brings a judgment upon them

of dividing up the people into languages and groups

that scatter over the face of the earth.

And so sometimes human sin takes the good things that God has made

and corrupts them and pollutes them for our own purposes.

So Paul uses this idea of partnership, as I say, three times in the letter to the Philippians.

The first of these, we've read it just this moment, in fact, in verse 5 of chapter 1,

where Paul says that,

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

I have been able to pray with joy.

Because of your partnership in the gospel,

I have been able to pray with joy.

The reason for Paul's joy is because they've participated with him

in some of the work of the gospel.

The work of the gospel is itself that profound work of God himself,

the bringing of good news into the experience of men and women in this world.

And Paul says that you have partnered with me in that work.

It's been a missionary endeavor

that goes on in the life and the experience of the church.

And Paul says of the Philippians,

it's been my experience of you that this has been the case since the very beginning.

Now, the beginning of the story of the Philippians is in the book of Acts.

And you can read there about how in the book of Acts,

Paul went on the Jewish Sabbath to a riverside outside the city

to a place where a group of mostly women were meeting for prayer.

And there he met, among others, Lydia,

whose heart God opened with the gospel.

And from that day forward, Paul has said,

the character of the Philippian church has been one that has shared in,

shouldered with him, this work of the gospel.

So this is a church where from the very beginning of their story

and consistently right the way through it,

they've had a very clear purpose.

They've had a clear sense of their identity.

They've bought into the idea that they are makers of disciples,

that they are engaged in the work of bringing the good news

into the lives of men and women,

and they have been blessed and are continuing to be a blessing

in this great work.

That's one of these things that we should think about

for ourselves, isn't it?

As we think about our identity as a congregation,

as we think about what we are about,

what we're for,

as we think about it in terms of our families,

because I hope that we would aspire to have families

as part of the life of our congregation,

what are our families for?

What are our homes for?

What are our resources for?

What has God blessed us with in our lives

that we can use for his glory?

And how do we do this?

And the answer of it ought to come back

to this idea of partnership in the gospel.

That is the good news of Jesus.

The good spiel.

The good story that's there to be told.

And that is the story of Jesus.

Of the Redeemer's coming.

Of his life in this world.

His ministry.

But culminating, as Paul talks about,

in that trajectory that takes him to the cross.

Where he empties himself.

Taking on the form of a servant

and subjects himself even to the point of death itself.

That is the good news tonight.

That is there for each one of us.

That is the good news that we are invited into.

When Calvin wrote about this in this passage,

he says,

We know how rare an excellence it is

to follow God immediately upon his calling us

and also to persevere steadily unto the end.

For many are slow and backward to obey,

while there are still more that fall short

through fickleness or inconsistency.

And Paul says,

Here is a church in Philippi

that has not been inconsistent.

Here is a church in Philippi

that has not been fickle

in its support and unwavering care

for the lost around about them.

This is a church that remembers what it's for.

And sadly, in the New Testament,

it's pretty clear that that's not always the case.

It's possible for churches to lose sight of that

somewhere along the way,

to stray from that calling.

But Paul is reminded of the Philippians,

of their partnership in the gospel

since the day of Lydia's conversion.

And so we should be bold

when we think about what we want as a church,

especially as we move towards calling a pastor

and how foundational that will be

to the life of this church.

It's so important in the character of the church that we have.

What do we want?

A pastor who will lead us in the word

and who will lead us in the work of the gospel,

who will create and spurn on, as Paul did,

a partnership in the gospel

in our midst as a church.

And our prayer, maybe just now as well,

as we think about that forthcoming vacancy meeting

and as we think about the process that has to be followed,

our prayer should be for a pastor

who himself will be committed to that work of the gospel

and who will see it flourish in this place.

So there is that first element of this partnership,

that they are partners in the work of the gospel.

But then if you turn over the page

to Philippians chapter two, verse one,

and we read there, so if there is any encouragement in Christ,

any comfort from love,

any participation in the spirit,

any affection and sympathy,

complete my joy by being of the same mind,

having the same love,

being in full accord and of one mind.

So Paul is saying there

that there are certain things

that flow from the work of the gospel.

Flowing from the work of the gospel,

there is an encouragement in Christ,

that is a comfort from love,

the love of God that is shown to us in Christ Jesus,

that is a participation.

That same word is used for participation there.

So in chapter one,

he's talked about their partnership in the gospel.

Now he talks about their participation in the spirit,

and it's the same word in Greek.

So there is this working of God

in the lives of these Christians in Philippi,

which leads to Paul having a completed joy

as they express a unity

and a commitment and a love towards one another

that overflows from their experience of the gospel.

And again, the notion here is that Paul is rejoicing.

He says, complete my joy.

So there is an experience of joy already.

And Paul is saying he wants that experience of joy

that he's already had

when he thinks about the Philippian church.

He wants that to just overflow and grow

as he remembers them

and as he hears about them

and as he hears of the work of God among them.

And he says, this comes from the Holy Spirit.

This is the work of God, the Spirit,

in our lives.

And the result of it is that the church in Philippi

will have this thing he calls a one-mindedness,

that they would share a sense of duty

and purpose and direction.

But more than that,

that they would share a sense of love

and compassion for one another,

that they would minister to one another

out of their needs

and in their times of sorrow and sadness,

that they would experience this overflow

of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

It's an astonishing thing.

And he says, this thing,

this one-mindedness,

is in fact the mind of Christ.

So he says, I want you to have this humility

that counts others more significant than yourselves.

Let each one of you look not only on his own interests,

but on the interests of others.

Have this mind among yourselves,

which is yours in Christ Jesus.

And so the character of the church in Philippi,

Paul is saying,

is one that comes about

because they are conformed to the likeness of Jesus.

So the roughness,

if you can think of it this way,

the roughness of their character,

perhaps it's their short-temperedness,

perhaps it's their,

perhaps it's their,

maybe it's times of greed,

of self-centeredness,

of wanting things their own way,

of insisting on their desires.

And sometimes these desires

might not be wrong things,

but insisting on them nonetheless.

And Paul says,

what he wants them to change to

is away from that way of thinking

about their lives

and their purpose in this world

to thinking like Christ.

So he wants them to think like Jesus,

who he goes on to explain

in this really profound passage

about the self-emptying of Jesus,

the way he takes on the form of a servant

and empties himself,

becoming obedient to the point of death

and suffering in this world.

And he says,

that's the mind I want you to have.

I want you to have a mind

that is like Christ

and that you are willing to suffer loss

for the good and the blessing

of your brothers and sisters.

I don't want you to insist on your own way.

I want you to serve them.

And the prime example he uses of that

is Jesus,

who left the throne room of heaven

and came into this world

and who took on himself

the form of a servant.

He didn't come as a prince in a palace.

He didn't come as a king ruling armies.

He didn't come as a mighty general

exerting his will

and forcing people to conform to his way.

He came as the Messiah.

Messiah,

who laid down his life for others,

who poured himself out

in ministry and in care

for the lost people around him

and the profound needs

that he saw in their lives

and ultimately gave his life

as a sacrifice for many

at the cross.

And Paul says,

a church

that is characterized

by partnership,

a church that is characterized

by this Greek word

koinonia,

is a church that has

the mind of Christ

where people outdo themselves,

one another,

to minister to the needs

of those around them.

And what's fascinating

is Paul says,

you can't do that yourself.

I want us to stop

and think about that

just now for a moment.

We can't do that ourselves.

There is no amount

of exertion

that we can have,

there is no amount

of effort

that we can put in

that is going to change

our fundamental character.

The truth is,

if you are not

a loving person,

you will never be

a loving person.

And no amount

of hypnosis

and no amount

of self-help

and no amount

of therapy

is going to change that.

The world's tools

do not change

the essential character

of sinners.

But someone does.

And that's why Paul says,

I want you to have

this participation,

this partnership

with the Holy Spirit.

His prayer

for the Philippian church

is that they will move

as the Spirit

leads them.

That they'll go on

as the Spirit

carries them

and takes them forward.

There are wonderful illustrations

of this once

from John Piper.

He was preaching

and he was saying

this participation

in the Holy Spirit

is like two

military jets.

You see them

at air shows

where you maybe see

the red arrows

or formation flying

they call it.

And it's truly remarkable

because the precision

with which these

hypersonic jets move

is just incredible

to watch.

One of the jets

turns this way

and the other one

turns as well

and they move

in parallel

to one another

and stay in formation.

And it's remarkable

watching it.

The amount of precision

and the amount

of synchronization

that goes into it.

It's the same thing

as synchronized swimming

in the Olympics

where you see a team

of athletes

performing

these intricate maneuvers

in a pool of water

which would terrify me

to do by myself.

And yet they're there

doing these things

in absolute precision.

Maybe half a dozen

of them at once.

Information

in a pool of water.

And when Paul

talks about

partnership

in the Spirit

that's what he's

talking about.

He's talking about

us aligning ourselves

to the guidance

and the direction

and the lead

of the Holy Spirit

who is saying

this is the way

in which we will go.

And that involves

obviously as Jesus

had in his life

that surrender

to the will

of the Father.

It's that

Gethsemane experience

experience

where Jesus

for our salvation

looks into the cup

that is before him

and says

nevertheless

Father not my will

but yours be done.

And Paul's saying

that same character

that same desire

needs to be ours

daily

as we think

about what we're for.

As we think

about who we're for.

As we think

about how we live

and how we love

and what we're about.

that we surrender

daily

to the leading

of the Holy Spirit

and where that takes us

is that place

where we minister

lovingly

and sacrificially

and fully

to those around us.

Particularly

our brothers and sisters

in Christ.

and so it's

difficult for us

because so often

actually

in our experience

the drive

the desire

of our lives

is to do

almost the exact

opposite.

It's really been

the case

since COVID

and the pandemic

did so much

fundamental damage

to the character

of our communities

to the character

of volunteering.

It eroded

things away

and we're having

slowly to rebuild

these things

now a few years

on.

But we need

more of it.

We need the Holy Spirit

to enable us

to come away

from our glorious

isolation

and to reintegrate

into proper

fellowship

and life together.

For us to

stir up

true service

without fear

in one another's

lives

and to seek

to minister

the grace of God

in Christ Jesus

and the work

of the gospel.

And so there is

to be this

participation

this partnership

in the Holy Spirit.

There's a few

things that flow

from this.

Just some

quick theological

ideas that are

really important

for us to grasp.

If ever

somebody's asking

you to say

well you know

what do you mean

the Holy Spirit

is a person?

Why is God

a triune person?

Why is God

a trinity?

This is one of

the places

where we go to.

We can be assured

the Holy Spirit

is a person.

You don't have

a partnership

with a force.

You don't have

a partnership

with an energy

field.

You have

a partnership

with a person.

And so where

Paul says

if there's any

participation

in the Spirit

what he's talking

about is

the Spirit

as a person

interacting with us.

So we can be sure

that the Spirit

is a person

here.

But equally

that there's a Spirit

as a person

as someone

we can offend.

As Paul says

elsewhere in fact

it's possible

to grieve

the Spirit

because we don't

want to work

with him

because we resist

his call upon

our lives

because we want

to go in a

different direction

and we say

enough of it

we don't want you.

And it's possible

to grieve

the Spirit

and when we do

that sometimes

we will discover

that for a season

he might leave

us alone.

The Spirit

might say

well fine

you do your own

thing for a while

and we'll see

how you get on.

There's lessons

for us

to learn

when that happens.

There is this

partnership as well

where we work

together

with the Holy Spirit

where the Spirit

is the one leading

but we are following

clearly.

It's like we were

thinking this morning

about Noah

when God showed him

and told him

how to build the ark.

Moses is at pains

to tell us

Noah did all

that the Lord

commanded him.

When Noah was told

to put the animals

into the ark

and prepare for the flood

Noah did all the things

that the Lord

commanded him.

When Noah himself

had to take his family

into the ark

and wait for God

to close the door

Noah did all

that God commanded him.

When it came time

for Noah to come

out of the ark

Noah did all

that God commanded him.

Our lives

need to be

characterized

by that listening

to the voice

of the Lord

and the Holy Spirit

guiding and directing us

and it applies

to all of us

as a church.

The final point

is in verse 10

of chapter 3

the third time

Paul uses the same word

is when he's talking

about his own salvation

and his experience

of suffering

and he says

in verse 10

I'll read it

maybe just a wee bit

before that

for Christ's sake

I have suffered

the loss of all things

and count them

as rubbish

in order that

I may gain Christ

and be found in him

not having a righteousness

of my own

that comes from the law

but that which comes

through faith in Christ

the righteousness

from God

that depends on faith

that I may know him

and the power

of his resurrection

and may share

his sufferings

that I may go

into partnership

with his sufferings

that I would have

koinonia

in his suffering

becoming like him

in his death

and that by any means

possible

I may attain

the resurrection

of the dead

Paul there

in chapter 3

he gives this wonderful

statement of how

justification works

of how our salvation

effectively works

our salvation

is that which makes us

in God's eyes

and in God's presence

righteous

acceptable to him

our sin

covered holy

and that happens

because we receive

the righteousness

of Jesus

we're clothed

in the righteousness

of Christ

but Paul

says as well

that there's

something else

going on here

something deep

and mysterious

in that God

hasn't left us

at that point

there's a work

that goes on

that as we go on

as believers

there's a continual

progress

of that work

of our sanctification

of our being made

more and more

like Christ Jesus

and the truth

of it is

that there is

no gain

without pain

in the Christian

life

the mystery

is that there

is no glory

without the road

of the cross

without us

being taken

to that place

where Jesus

himself

was taken to

and so when

Paul talks

about the Christian

somehow participating

in the death

of Jesus

he's talking

about two

separate things

in fact

there is a sense

in which we

participate in the

death of Jesus

for our salvation

at the cross

the old person

with its sin

and its guilt

is put to death

our sin

is dealt

with there

it's completed

the work

of salvation

is done

but there is

also an experience

of an ongoing

progress

in the Christian

life

where we are

coming time

and again

to the death

of Jesus

and where we

need to experience

in our own

bodies

the ongoing

work of

dying

anew

putting to death

the sin

that is within

us

ensuring that

it is dealt

with

in Christ

and so here

Paul is talking

about that

second thing

that participation

that goes on

in the way

we think

about our

lives

the way

that we

go on

thinking

about what

happens

with us

daily

and that's

why

for the

Christian

that participation

in the

gospel

is not just

a one-off

thing

that happens

at the

beginning

of your

Christian

life

sometimes

that's

the way

we think

we get

swept into

thinking

about

conversion

has been

something

that happened

in the

past

and that's

what it

belongs

and then

after that

we're just

going on

as Christians

and we're

walking

and we're

learning

and we're

growing

and so on

but actually

what we need

is the cross

that was there

at the beginning

every day

in our

experience

that we keep

coming back

to and examining

the death

of Jesus

and learning

from what

Christ has

done

in order to

put to death

the sin

that is within

us

in order to

keep being

refreshed

in this

work and

progress

of redemption

in our

lives

and in order

to bring

about the

fullness

of the

restored

image

of God

in order

for us

to attain

full

Christ

likeness

as Paul

says

in order

that I

may

become

somehow

worthy

or attain

the resurrection

of the dead

in order

that I can

become like

Christ

in his

victory

and in the

glorification

that was his

when he rose

from the dead

and has

ascended up

into heaven

to be with

the father

in order

that I may

experience

the fullness

of the new

life of God

in me

I need to

keep coming

back to

and experiencing

the suffering

along the way

and this is a

strange thing

about God's

providence

in our

lives

that working

and flying

in tandem

with the

Holy Spirit

often takes

us

into places

of

suffering

the places

where the

cost of

discipleship

is laid

bare

and very

clear to

us

where it

is not

cheap

grace

that we

are called

to

but we

are called

to something

costly

we're called

to something

extreme

we're called

to lay

down our

lives

in the

pursuit

of the

righteousness

and the

glory

of Jesus

remember how

Jesus himself

did not

count equality

with God

something to

be grasped

it's not

something to

hold on to

for Jesus

rather he

empties

himself

and taking

the form

of a

servant

and becoming

obedient to

death

for us as

Christians

that is a

pathway that

will take us

into costly

places

it's a pathway

that will lead

us to places

of suffering

and sorrow

and anguish

sometimes it

will be

places

of

psychological

sorrow

where we

have to

wrestle

with our

own sinful

selves

and our

own sinful

thoughts

where in

fact the

desires of

our hearts

are the

things that

are so

wrong

and there

has to be

surgery done

to cut

these things

away

there's a

suffering

associated

with that

that as

Christians

as we

put to

death

the sin

that is

within us

there is a

pain

a suffering

of that

process

of putting

sin to

death

but equally

there's an

external

root of

suffering

as well

where we

have to

give up

the comfort

that we

take for

granted

where we

have to

sacrifice

the comforts

that we

think we're

entitled

to

the things

that we

think to

ourselves

we have

earned

and say

that's

mine

and we

would want

to grasp

it and

hold it

tight

and say

no Lord

you can

take other

things away

from me

but not

this

not my

comfortable

job

not my

comfortable

home

not my

easy life

not my

early

retirement

but rather

I can

press on

in the

costly

path of

obedience

because there

is a

greater

prize

there is

that

partnership

with

Jesus

where we

are conformed

to be like

him

and where

we gain

everything

there is a

prize

to be won

and without

fellowship

without this

partnership

without this

experience

of togetherness

with Christ

himself

the glories

that we

would long

for

will never

be attained

and so

we need

Jesus

we need

to come

with Christ

as we

go on

in this

pathway

of obedience

to him

to the

prize

and the

goal

of that

upward

calling

in him

Philippians

is a

letter

all about

fellowship

and strangely

it's a

letter of

fellowship

that leads

to joy

remember

Paul's

prayer right

at the

beginning

I am

filled

with joy

when I

think about

you

because of

your

partnership

in the

gospel

and then

he says

remember

because of

that

partnership

in the

gospel

you have

an

opportunity

for

partnership

in the

Holy

Spirit

and he

says

that

partnership

in the

Holy

Spirit

will lead

perhaps

to the

partnership

with

Christ

and his

suffering

but the

final outcome

of that

which is

implied

is the

full

blessings

of that

partnership

with

Christ

in glory

where we

will be

with him

for all

eternity

we rejoice

therefore

in a

God

who gives

us

all

things

and who

will supply

every need

of yours

according to

his riches

in glory

in Christ

Jesus

to God

our

Father

be glory

forever

and ever

Amen

let's

pray

Heavenly

Father

we

would bow

before you

just now

and we

thank you

that

there is

a salvation

to be

had

that there

is a

partnership

in the

gospel

that we

can know

and experience

for ourselves

and I pray

for anyone

here tonight

who does

not yet

know that

in its

fullness

those here

who don't

know Jesus

as their

saviour

have not

settled

in faith

in him

and I

pray Lord

that you

would open

their hearts

just now

to receive

Christ

that you

would help

them to

trust in

Jesus

and to

discover

that

partnership

in eternal

life

that is

laid out

before them

along the

way Lord

we pray

that you

would help

us to

experience

that partnership

of the

Holy Spirit

that we

would know

the Holy

Spirit's

help in

our lives

that we

would know

the Holy

Spirit's

leading

and direction

and that

we would

heed

where the

Holy Spirit

leads us

because that

is indeed

the path

of blessing

in the life

of the

Christian

and ultimately

Lord if that

leads us

to places

of suffering

we pray

that we

would not

despair

in it

but that

we would

know

that this

suffering

that we

endure

is a

partnership

in the

sufferings

of Jesus

it is

indeed as

Paul says

elsewhere

it is

making up

what is

lacking

in the

sufferings

of Christ

for the

salvation

of this

world

and so

Lord may

we

through all

that we

endure

show forth

the glorious

riches of

our God

and show

that he

is worthy

of our

trust

even when

times of

despair

may come

to us

help us

encourage us

on the road

enable us

to be a

blessing

and we

ask this

all in

Jesus name

Amen

and we're

going to sing

in conclusion

in the

Scottish

Psalter

Psalm

133

this is

page 424

in the

psalm book

page 424

this is a

psalm that

expresses the

same joy

that Paul

had as he

thought about

the fellowship

of the

Philippian

church

behold

so see

look and

see

this is

worth

noting

how good

a thing

it is

and how

becoming

well

together

such as

brethren

are

in unity

to dwell

like precious

ointment

on the

head

that down

the

beard

did

flow

even

Aaron's

beard

and to

the

skirts

did

of his

garments

go

it's

that

that

sense

of

anointing

is really

the Holy

Spirit's

work

it's the

spirit

that

anoints us

and enables

us and equips

us for

work in

God's

service

and that

flows out

of this

partnership

that we

have

with

Christ

and with

the Holy

Spirit

and this

partnership

in the

work of

the gospel

that we're

called to

and so

as Herman's

Jew

the Jew

that doth

on Zion

hills

descend

for there

the blessing

God commands

life

that shall

never end

the promise

of everlasting

life is one

that is bound

up in the

unity of God's

people with

their Messiah

with their

Savior Christ

he is the

one who

will water

in the new

heavens and

the new

earth will

water

the tree

of life

and the

fruit of

that tree

will be

the means

by which

we have

an experience

that everlasting

life as well

and so the

blessing of

God is that

Jew that

flows from

Mount Zion

itself

it's a

wonderful

picture in

the psalm

of the

blessings of

unity

overflowing

in the

life of

the church

so behold

how good

a thing

it is

and how

becoming

well

let's stand

and sing

the whole

psalm

together

such

shall

unity

to dwell

like precious

ointment

on the head

that down the

bearded

flow

he

made

your spirit

and to

the church

did all

his garments

go

as

her

most

do

the

junta

of

Zion

on hills

be

said

for

there

the

blessing

God

commands

life

that

shall

never

end

the

grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

the love of God the Father

and the fellowship of God the Holy Spirit

be with each one of us now and always

Amen

a

Thank you.