Habits of a healthy church: Disciples Making Disciples

Now we turn to the preaching of God's Word.

We're going to be looking at a passage from 2 Timothy 2, verses 1-7 this evening.

2 Timothy 2:1–7

As you turn there, there is a new obsession in the Knowlton household.

It is the Rubik's Cube.

I know this toy has been around for 30 plus years now, but it's as if it was just invented.

Based on the amount of time my kids are playing it.

Okay, my oldest in particular has developed a profound addiction to the extent that she is told not to bring it to the dinner table or go to bed with it at night.

But after a few weeks of playing with it on her own, realized this was a little too tricky.

So, of course, turning to YouTube where you can find the solution to anything, she found some helpful hints on how to solve the Rubik's Cube and has since become a master at doing so.

And so now the task is to see how quickly you can solve the Rubik's Cube.

But not that alone.

What's been interesting to watch is her desire to teach everyone else in the house how to solve the Rubik's Cube.

She has sat me down on multiple occasions in order to try to teach me this methodology.

Unfortunately, I have yet to be successful, but her persistence is admirable.

Not only does she want to enjoy this herself, she wants to pass it on.

And so that's what we're going to be talking about tonight, this idea of discipleship.

We've been talking the last several weeks as we've been going through this series about habits of a healthy church.

And so tonight we conclude this series looking at discipleship.

Not only being disciples, but also making disciples.

And so we all likely know the story in the Bible of Jesus and his 12 disciples that he had.

Jesus, these 12 served as Jesus' inner circle.

They went with him and did ministry with him.

They spent time with him both publicly and privately.

They learned from him and were loved by him.

But the tension that they received from Jesus, of course, was not meant to be exclusive.

We know that after Jesus' resurrection and prior to his ascension, he gives his disciples a command.

He gives them the great commission.

Of course, we know.

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always, even until the end of the age.

And so in the same way that these disciples were fed and were taught by Jesus,

now they were commanded to do likewise to those around them.

They were called not only to be disciples, but to make disciples.

And so that command that was followed by the New Testament church,

and that is certainly a command that we follow as well today.

And so that's what we're going to consider.

How are we called to be disciples, and how are we also called to be disciple makers?

And we see this in our text this evening, 2 Timothy 2, verses 1 through 7.

2 Timothy 2:1–7

And I'll be reading from the ESV.

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

in which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses,

and trust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits,

since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

This is the word of the Lord. Pray with me.

Lord, I thank you for the privilege to be able to preach your word this evening.

Lord, I ask that you empower me through your spirit,

that I may speak with warmth and clarity.

God, we desire to receive your divine truth this evening.

And so may we both be convicted and comforted by your word.

Through our time together, may we be edified and you be glorified, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Now, if you're not familiar with this passage or even the book of 2 Timothy,

this was a letter written by Paul to Timothy,

a young man who was one of Paul's disciples who was serving in Ephesus at the time.

Now, this was actually Paul's last letter that's included in the Bible.

So it's somewhat of a farewell address.

And we see that play out in this passage.

You see, Paul at the time was imprisoned in Rome.

He knew that his death was imminent.

His days of ministry were numbered.

But not only that, the church in Ephesus was struggling at the time.

Many were starting to drift from the gospel.

This was a place that had previously been really the epicenter for the spread of the gospel.

Gospel expansion was occurring, and now it's at risk of dying out.

And so Paul is rightly concerned for the protection and the promotion of the gospel.

So he wants to give Timothy some final instructions in what was his last letter.

And so we see three commands that are given by Paul to Timothy,

and these commands are going to serve as points for my sermon this evening.

And they are this, to be strengthened, to entrust, and to suffer.

One, be strengthened.

Two, entrust.

Three, suffer.

So we're going to take those one at a time.

First, we're going to read verse one again.

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Now, it probably would have been an easier mnemonic just to say, to be strong,

rather than to be strengthened.

In fact, if you have the ESV, that's how this verb is translated, to be strong.

However, the ESV, which I wanted to use tonight, is actually a more accurate translation

because it says, be strengthened.

This verb in the Greek uses the passive voice.

And so if we put on our grammar school caps,

and remember the difference between active and passive.

Active verb is when the subject of the verb is the one doing the action.

In a passive verb, the action is being done upon the subject of the verb.

So Paul isn't saying here, you be strong, or you strengthen yourself.

He's saying, be strengthened.

Receive strength from outside yourself.

And so I think this is vitally important as we take a look at this passage,

this active command to be strong.

This is the mentality that we normally see in society around us, right?

To work hard, to be the best version of you.

To study hard so you can get good grades, so you can get a good job.

To work hard at your job so you can get a promotion.

To be emotionally stable so you can avoid depression or anxiety.

To make more money so you can have greater security in life.

It's all about self-empowerment and self-improvement.

And unfortunately, we see this notion creep into the church as well.

But this isn't what Paul is saying to Timothy.

He's not saying, Jesus saved you, so you need to be strong and prove yourself to God.

He's not saying, Jesus died on the cross, so now you need to work in order to maintain your salvation.

No, he's not saying, be strong.

He's saying, be strengthened.

And so we look to see, what are we supposed to be strengthened by?

Very clearly, by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

We are strengthened by grace.

And so if you've been around the church long enough, you probably have a definition in your mind of what grace is.

Grace is favor in the absence of merit.

Or perhaps even better, grace is favor in the presence of demerit.

And while these are absolutely true, we are saved by God's grace, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

This passage shows us something even more about grace.

That grace is not simply just a disposition that we as believers have.

It's not just a gift that we received sometime in the past at the point of conversion.

We see here that grace is an ongoing means of empowerment.

And we see Paul really talks about this often.

I want to look at just a couple other passages where Paul talks about this grace that we have in our lives.

First, 2 Corinthians 9, verse 8 says this.

2 Corinthians 9:8

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Here's another verse, 1 Corinthians 15, 10.

But by the grace of God, I am what I am.

And his grace towards me was not in vain.

On the contrary, I work harder than any of them.

Though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

So Paul is very clear.

God's grace should abound in us.

God's grace empowers us.

God's grace enables us to live and follow after him.

And so if you're like me, I'm a big fan of podcasts.

Rather, when I walk around town or I ride a bike, I usually listen to a podcast rather than music.

And if you know how podcasts work, though you can download a single episode of something,

usually if there's a podcast you like, you just click the subscribe button.

And so when podcasts, new ones are released, it goes automatically to your phone for you to listen to.

Unfortunately for me, because of the fact that I subscribe to so many podcasts,

I never have the time to listen to them all.

So they start building up and building up and building up until I have to delete them

because I've taken up all the space on my phone.

And so grace functions in a similar way.

Much like a subscription, we keep receiving more and more of this grace.

It's not a one-time gift.

It's a continuous, overwhelming stream.

And so that's why this verb, to be strengthened, is in the present tense.

It's not that we are strengthened just at the point of conversion.

It's not that we're strengthened every once in a while.

It's that we are strengthened continually, daily strengthened by the grace of God.

And so grace is the means of strength.

What is the source of strength in this passage?

It tells us, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

The source of our strength is Christ.

And so what does that mean to be in Christ?

Just like grace, if you've been around the church, it's kind of common Christian jargon, right?

To talk about living in Christ.

This is one of Paul's favorite phrases that he uses over and over again in his letters.

And it's actually, if we go back to the chapter preceding our passage in 2 Timothy chapter 1,

2 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

we get a great explanation from Paul as to what it looks like to live in Christ.

So 2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 8 through 10 says this.

2 Timothy 1:8–10

Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner,

but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

who saved us and called us to a holy calling,

not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace,

which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,

who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

And so to be in Christ means to be in union and communion with him,

which is brought about by the all-encompassing work of God.

Look at the work of God that's done, that is mentioned in this passage.

First, he saved us.

He called us.

He gave us his purpose and his grace in Christ.

When did he do this?

Before the ages began.

This grace was ours from the beginning of time,

and now it's fully revealed through the incarnation of Christ,

who died and rose from the dead,

defeating death, bringing us life and light to all his people.

And so to be strengthened by grace means to be fully reliant on the complete and ongoing work of Christ.

To be in Christ means that we are brought in relationship with him in such a way

that what is true of Christ becomes true of us.

His grace and his power becomes our experience and our possession.

And so this is really the essence of being a disciple,

that we are to abide in Christ,

that we totally rely on the work of Christ who saved us and sustained us

and equipped us and enabled us to live for him.

And so this is really key.

I don't want to breeze by this because this is really when we talk about discipleship,

we can also often forget about this first part,

what is most important in being a disciple.

It's a good thing to talk about discipleship,

about sharing the gospel and teaching and training others.

But we must first remember that it is,

we are called to be rooted in Christ,

to hunger after him,

to cling to him.

All our efforts to make disciples will be in vain.

There will be nothing more than religious charade

if we are not first grounded in Christ.

And so that's the first command,

to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ.

And so why do we need to be strengthened?

Paul tells us in his second command,

which is to entrust.

Look at verse 2.

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses,

entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

And so Paul reminds us that we are strengthened by the grace of Christ

in order that we can share this grace with others.

I mentioned at the beginning that the church in Ephesus was struggling.

Though it had been a place where missionaries had been sent

and sent out to see the spread of the gospel,

now people were leaving the church.

Many were leaving the faith.

And so Paul not only wanted to see the gospel preserved in this generation,

he wanted to see it passed on to future generations as well.

It's a desire that we see repeated throughout the Bible.

The Old Testament text that we looked at from Deuteronomy 6.

It's Moses giving God's command to his people.

And what does he say?

He says to follow these commands,

that you may do them,

that you may fear the Lord your God,

you and your sons and your sons' sons,

by keeping all these commands and statutes,

which I command you all the days of your life.

They wanted to see God's commands and his statutes,

the people of Israel continue to follow after God.

And so what does Paul here in this passage want to see passed on?

He says,

He's basically saying the whole gospel.

All that I have spent my life teaching you about who Jesus is and what he has done.

This isn't a secret.

This isn't a private revelation that Paul is conveying to Timothy.

No, this is the entire, the whole counsel of God,

which he has preached since his time of conversion.

A great phrase that I see Paul repeat,

both in 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy here.

He says it in the preceding chapter.

He talks about this message being the good deposit.

And it's this good deposit that was entrusted to him.

It's this good deposit that he's entrusted to Timothy

and wants to see entrusted to others as well.

And so when I was in law school,

I had to take a class called Wills, Trusts, and Estates.

It was not one of my favorite classes.

I really don't remember much about it.

I couldn't even tell you who taught the class.

But there's one thing that I remember from the class

is that a trustee,

his primary responsibility and his duty

is to the beneficiary of an estate.

So the trustee is someone who is named within the trust,

who is responsible for something that is not his,

whether it's money or land,

some sort of possession,

some sort of asset,

and he's controlling it for the benefit

of the person named in the trust,

the beneficiary.

And so we've probably heard stories

about trustees mismanaging money

or not doing what they're supposed to do,

this legal responsibility that they have to the beneficiary.

This is really what Paul is talking about here,

this image of a trustee.

Paul is a trustee of God's invaluable treasure,

this good deposit,

and it's not meant for him alone.

That's what he's trying to tell Timothy here.

It's not his to hoard.

It's not his to keep.

As a trustee,

it was his duty to protect it

and to share it with others

because it's those who hear the gospel.

They are the ones that are the beneficiaries,

you and me.

And as we share it with others,

there will be others that reap the benefit forever.

And so we see this progression

that occurs in these couple chapters

of Paul sharing the gospel,

and we see this gospel replicated

and shared and shared generation upon generation.

Looking back at chapter 1, verse 12,

Jesus entrusted this gospel to Paul.

Paul then, in verse 14,

entrusts it to Timothy.

Looking at verse 2,

Paul instructs Timothy to entrust it to faithful men

who will then entrust it to others.

We see this replication

and this multiplication going on of the gospel.

And so have you ever thought yourself

about your own gospel lineage,

your own gospel family tree, if you will?

Who was it that invested in you

who shared the gospel with you,

who discipled you in the faith?

Do you ever think,

who was the person who invested in that person?

And who is the person who invested in that person?

And then thinking back about yourself.

Who are you going to invest in?

Who are you going to give this good deposit to?

Because this message doesn't stop with us.

We are trustees of the gospel.

There are more and more beneficiaries to be had.

And so now,

not only does Paul talk about

this duty of discipleship

as intended for

those in leadership.

Let's look.

You may think that,

as he says,

this gospel is to be entrusted

to faithful men who can teach.

And so as we look at that,

and if you know these pastoral epistles,

1 and 2 Timothy and Titus,

you may think,

well,

does that really mean me?

Because I'm not an elder.

I'm not a leader within the church.

So maybe I'm off the hook.

But that's not what Paul is saying here.

Because if we look further

into these pastoral epistles,

if we turn to Titus 2,

Paul's writing about the duty of discipleship

that's intended for everyone within the church.

And he speaks specifically

to different people within the church,

different groups of people.

To old men, he says,

to teach what accords with sound doctrine.

To women, he says,

to teach what is good

and train younger women.

To young men,

to be a model of good works.

In your teaching,

show integrity and dignity.

To bond servants,

show all good faith

so that in everything

you may adorn

the doctrine of God our Savior.

So it's our duty as disciples

to entrust this good deposit to others

that we may see the spread of the gospel.

And so this brings us then

to Paul's third command,

to suffer.

Why do we need to be strengthened

by the grace that is in Christ Jesus

to entrust this message to others?

Because it's hard work.

Because we should expect to suffer in it.

Paul, in these last verses,

he gives three metaphors

for how we should suffer.

He looks at a soldier

and an athlete

and a farmer.

And I want to look at

each one of these specifically

because they really highlight

a specific discipline

that we need to have

as believers

and as disciples.

So let's consider the soldier first.

Verse three.

Share in the suffering

as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

No soldier gets entangled

in civilian pursuits

since his aim

is to please the one

who enlisted him.

I recently watched a documentary

about something called

Reception Day

that took place

at Westminster Military Academy

or not Westminster,

West Point Military Academy

in the U.S.

And this is when the new cadets

were brought into the academy,

their very first day.

And it walked along with them

in what they had to do.

And it showed them

they arrive

and they go to this

brief orientation

and then they're given

60 seconds

to say goodbye

to their loved ones.

From there,

they're given a bag

where they put in,

they're told to put in

only certain possessions

that they'll have

for the next several weeks

during basic training.

And then they're marched

to the barbershop

where they all get

their heads shaved.

They're put in companies.

They are taught how to march

and how to follow orders.

And the day concludes

with an oath ceremony

that formally initiates

the new class

into West Point.

And so what's the purpose

of a reception day like this?

What's the purpose

of a basic training

that these soldiers go through?

I think it's really

to instill

single-mindedness

in these soldiers.

It's the,

it's the soldiers' duty

to support

and to defend

enemies

both foreign

and domestic.

And so in order to do so,

they can't be distracted

by civilian pursuits.

So things like family

and comforts

and possessions,

these things are put aside

in order that they may

fulfill their duty

to serve well.

And so Paul is saying

this is the mindset

that we must have

as disciples,

that we must be

single-minded.

Our goal as disciples

is to make disciples.

And so we need to think,

what's,

what's preventing us

from doing that?

How are we to demonstrate

single-mindedness

in our Christian life?

Do we need to change

the way that we spend

our time

or our money?

Are we more focused

on protecting our comforts

than pursuing

kingdom-building activities?

Just like a soldier

is supposed to be

distinct from a civilian,

our lives also

are supposed to look

different than the lives

of those around us

who do not know Christ.

And so secondly then,

the athlete,

verse 5,

an athlete is not crowned

unless he competes

according to the rules.

And so just like

a soldier

is to be single-minded,

the athlete is supposed

to be self-disciplined

in how they race

and how they train.

Maybe one of the most

famous stories

of a cheater

in a marathon

is a woman

named Rosie Ruiz

in the 1980

Boston Marathon.

This is a woman

who came across

the finish line

in a blazing

two hours and 31 minutes.

This set an American

record at the time.

And though there was

some suspicion

as to whether she

really ran the race,

back in 1980,

there weren't

any sort of microchips

that athletes wore.

There were no cameras

at every corner.

So it really,

it took over a week

to determine

that she was actually

not the winner,

that she had cheated.

There were some witnesses

that came forward

that said that she came

out of the crowd

at mile 25,

so she ran one mile

in order to win

the Boston Marathon.

But Paul here

is not only talking

about competing

according to the rules

when we actually race,

but also as we train.

You see,

in his time,

there would have been

Greek rule.

The Olympics would have

taken place.

There were actually

professional athletes

that would have trained

for these competitions.

And they had to follow

a rule to prepare

for 10 months

before their competition.

They had to take

an oath to Zeus

that their preparation

would be done properly.

And so,

we may know that

the Edinburgh Marathon

is next weekend, right?

If any of us

got up tomorrow

and decided,

huh, you know what?

I may start training

and run that thing

next week.

We'd all recognize

that person

as being a fool, right?

Whether you run or not,

we all know that

training for a marathon

takes time.

You have a running schedule.

You do tempo work.

You do long distance runs.

You have to change

your diet.

And so,

for us as believers,

we know that

when we see this command

to be self-disciplined

and to be obedient,

there's nothing

that we can do

to earn God's favor

by keeping these rules,

but we do follow

Christ's example

as a guide

for our conduct.

And so,

we have to ask,

are we self-disciplined

as God's disciples?

Are we spending time

in the Word?

Are we being faithful

in prayer?

Are we earnest

in worship?

Because there's no shortcuts

to cultivating

a relationship with God

like we just talked about.

In order to be

a disciple-maker,

we must first

abide in Christ.

We also see

there's no shortcuts

in disciple-making either.

Think of all the time

and energy churches

and ministries

have spent

in trying to figure out

ways to quickly

and easily

evangelize lost.

You know,

here's a track.

Join this program.

Come to this Bible study.

And not say that

those things are bad.

Those can be

very effective tools

in sharing the gospel.

But they should not

be seen as

in isolation.

They cannot be done

or replace

the need for

participation

on our part.

Real,

effective discipleship

is going to be

personal.

And so,

we think about

wanting to teach

someone from the Bible

or instruct them

how to read the Bible.

What's the best way

to do that?

is to read the Bible

with them.

You want to teach

someone how to pray?

Pray with them.

Invite them into

your own prayer life.

You want to teach

someone how to be

a good husband

or wife

or father?

Invite them into

your own home

where you can model

that for them.

Are we self-disciplined

enough

in order to do this?

That we may set

aside time?

That we may

prioritize relationships?

That we may desire

to invest

in the next generation

in such a way?

Lastly,

Paul describes

a hard-working farmer.

In verse 6,

he says this,

It is the hard-working

farmer

who ought to have

the first share

of crops.

Now,

I don't know

if any of you

have a vegetable garden.

I've never really

attempted a full-blown garden.

I've attempted

an herb garden once

or a herb garden,

as you say here,

and was only

mildly successful.

There's a lot of effort

you put into

planting the plants

and watering them

and protecting them

from insects

and the cold

and the heat.

And you realize

at the end of the day

what you have

profited in produce

you could have bought

at the supermarket

for a couple quid.

And so,

this is only talking

about a square meter

of land

in your back garden,

much less

a whole farm.

My family and I,

we went down

to the Yorkshire Nails

just last weekend.

And it's easy

to glamorize

farm life, right?

You see these sheep

and these cows

out in the fields,

you see rows of crops

growing,

you think,

ah, that would be

kind of fun for a while

to live as a farmer.

And then you realize

all the effort

that's needed

in order to be a farmer.

The truth is

that the farmer

is not hardworking,

he's not going to be

a farmer for very long.

And so, likewise,

we are called

to hard work

for the sake

of the gospel.

Spiritual work

is going to involve

exertion.

And so,

Paul says this

if we look at Galatians

Galatians 6:7–9

chapter 6,

verses 7 through 9,

Paul says this,

Do not be deceived.

God is not mocked.

For whatever one sows,

that he will also reap.

For the one who sows

to his own flesh

will from the flesh

reap corruption.

But the one who sows

to the Spirit

will from the Spirit

reap eternal life.

And let us not grow weary

of doing good.

For in due season

we will reap

if we do not give up.

So, pursuing holiness,

sharing the gospel,

making disciples,

we recognize

that this is hard work.

And so, all these metaphors

of the athlete

and the soldier

and the farmer,

they illustrate

this whole hardness

that's needed

by all believers

to be focused

and self-disciplined

and to be hardworking.

These are traits

that if we don't possess them

we shouldn't expect

to see results.

But we recognize again

that this is why

Christ has strengthened us

with his grace.

It's not only

by his grace

that we have the ability

to serve and to suffer.

It is by his grace

that we can see results

that we may reap reward.

Each one of these metaphors,

the soldier,

the athlete,

the farmer,

we see a specific reward

that they receive.

The soldier,

it is to please his commander.

The athlete is to receive

the crown.

The farmer is to have

the first share of the crops.

And it's all grace.

We can't take credit for it.

We don't deserve it.

Christ is the one

who strengthened us

to suffer by his grace

and it is by his grace

that we are blessed

with results.

And so we could really

stop there

and walk away

with a charge

to be disciples

and make disciples.

But Paul gives us

one last instruction

in the passage

in verse 7.

He says this,

to think over

what I say

for the Lord

will give you

understanding

in everything.

One of the commentators

I read that,

he said that a modern

translation of this text

would simply be

Paul saying

pay attention

and listen up.

If you're a parent,

you may be used

to using that phrase

on your children.

You give them instruction

and realize it goes

in one year

and out the other.

So before you give

the instruction again,

you make sure

you have their attention.

Listen to what

I'm telling you.

Pay attention

to what I'm saying.

And so let's not

walk out of here

this evening

without taking

these commands

to heart.

We need to consider

how does this

apply to us?

Certainly we've heard

about being disciples

and disciple makers

again.

But what does this

mean for each one

of us?

This is something

that we're all called

to as believers.

And so do we desire

to be strengthened

by the grace of God

to be faithful disciples?

Are we eager

to entrust

the gospel

to the future

generation?

Are we willing

to answer the call

to suffer

in doing so?

Do we desire

to see the gospel

advance in our homes,

in our churches,

in our communities,

within our families?

You know,

we're in the middle

of the Renew Buclue

campaign right now.

And certainly we desire

to have a building

that's welcoming

and functioning

to be able to do

the preaching

of God's word

and do various ministries.

But as has been

said before,

if our vision

is simply just

to make a more

comfortable place

for us,

all our efforts

are going to be

in vain.

When we talk

about Renew Buclue,

it's the renewal

of our hearts.

It's the renewal

of our relationship

with God.

It's the renewal

of our commitment

to love

and serve our city.

It's a renewal

to see Christ's kingdom

come.

And so that's

the true disciple

of a disciple,

the true desire

of a disciple

that we should have.

And so I want

to end with a quote

from Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

the German theologian.

This is from his book,

which I highly recommend,

The Cost of Discipleship.

And he says this,

And if we answer

the call to discipleship,

where will it lead us?

What decisions

and partings

will it demand?

To answer this question,

we shall have to go

to him,

for only he knows

the answer.

Only Jesus Christ,

who bids us

follow him,

knows the journey's end.

But we do know

that it will be a road

of boundless mercy.

Discipleship means joy.

Pray with me.

Lord, we thank you

for the encouragement

of your word this evening.

We thank you

for the privilege

of being called disciples.

And we know

that it is not

of our own strength,

it is only by your grace

that we may follow

after you.

And so, Lord,

we ask for your grace.

May it abound in us.

May we desire it richly

in our lives

to experience

and to share with others.

May we take these commands

of Paul to heart,

to desire to entrust

the gospel

to others,

to see your kingdom

expand

and the gospel

multiplied.

And God,

may we be willing

to suffer

to see this happen.

To put our comforts aside

that we may follow

wholeheartedly

after you.

God, we know

that there is

a extreme calling

that looks very different

from those

in our secular world.

And so,

we ask for your help

and your guidance.

We ask,

Lord,

first and foremost,

that you draw us

close to yourself,

that you give us

a hunger for you,

that we may follow

after you

and abide in you.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Now we're going to sing

our last hymn.