Our Walk

All right.

Thank you so much for that reading.

We've been talking a little bit.

If you were here last, actually, you know what?

This cross needs to be closer to the middle.

Because even though this banner is just metal and vinyl,

there's nothing inherently beautiful about metal and vinyl.

The image on it is the cross.

The cross of Jesus Christ.

And that is what our focus is in this series.

This is what our focus is in worship.

And this is going to stand.

And again, there's nothing more sort of special about bringing the cross closer to me,

but just even communion.

Listening to those lyrics, listening to Arnell and Eric lead us.

You know, what heights of love, what depths of peace,

when fears are still, when striving sees in light of the cross.

And if there's one thing I hope we get away from,

we take away from this morning,

is that Jesus Christ is amazing.

And he's everything.

And it's so simple, and you will probably have heard the word Jesus Christ,

the name of Jesus Christ before,

but it's something that we go back to again and again.

So that's even when we did communion,

when we prayed for the kids,

when we listened to Aniko's testimony,

these acts of worship,

again and again responding.

The kids that we sent out,

an act of worship,

saying,

kids, this is so important,

that we're going to actually dedicate our time,

our volunteers,

ourselves as parents,

both biologically and spiritually,

to say,

this is so important,

you need to hear this,

you need to hear the message of Jesus Christ.

So this is what this series,

is about right now,

in Christ,

union with Christ.

And last week,

if you were here,

Chris focused on chapter two of Ephesians,

and what it means for our identity to be completely shaped by Jesus Christ.

And we learned that those,

but whose we are,

this is what he said,

whose we are determines who we are.

In other words,

if we are children of this perfect heavenly father and king of the universe,

whose we are,

if we're these children of this heavenly father,

then we are actually given this status of royalty.

And that shapes who we are.

Just think about a monarchy today.

I know maybe a lot of you guys follow the British royal family, right?

It's not just the fashion,

and the glitz,

and the glamour,

but just,

I guess,

the gossip,

and the exciting news that comes out of there.

Who follows,

who's a fan of Prince Harry here?

It's all right,

don't be bashful,

you can be honest.

What about Prince William?

Who's more of a Prince William fan here?

Prince Harry?

Prince Harry?

Oh!

Yep,

I think I like William a little more too.

Who doesn't really care?

There's a few people who aren't being completely honest here.

But here's the thing,

here's the thing.

Regardless if you're a Harry fan,

or a William fan,

or a Middleton fan,

the truth of the matter is,

when they came into this world,

when they,

you know,

when they came into this world,

little as babies,

they didn't do anything

to earn

that title of Prince.

They didn't do anything.

They literally just came into existence.

They didn't do anything to achieve that,

and in the same way,

when we are born again

into God's family,

we have this new identity,

and God even calls us

a royal priesthood,

that we didn't do anything

to achieve.

So as we move into today's sermon,

we're building on that foundation

that Chris laid last week

about our identity.

In Christ,

we have a new identity,

and that shapes our entire lives,

and our whole lives,

and that's what we're going to turn to

this morning.

So,

if you had met me

during my years

in university,

it's quite a few years ago,

even though I might not,

you might not be able to tell,

and you maybe observed me

for a little while,

and you had talked to me,

you probably would have seen

a pretty solid Christian resume,

a Christian CV,

if you want to put it that way.

I was a leader

in my university ministry.

I prayed a lot.

I read the Bible.

That was the time

when I read the whole Bible

from beginning to end,

and it wasn't just a normal Bible.

It was a study Bible.

So,

it had lots of annotations

and lots of commentary,

and I read all of that, too.

So,

that was a big deal.

I had a regular prayer

and devotional times.

I had gone through

a number of discipleship classes.

I went on retreats.

I shared the gospel with others.

I went on a mission trip.

Big check there.

Went,

actually left

the confines of my country.

Actually used my passport.

Big check.

I gave financially.

Check.

I even wore a WWJD bracelet sometimes.

You guys remember those?

If you don't know what that means,

it stands,

it's an acronym

for What Would Jesus Do?

And it was quite big sometimes.

It might still be big.

I don't know.

I don't really follow that anymore.

But I even had the fashion

to tell me

and to tell others

of who I was.

So,

I did all these things

pretty well

and it felt like

I was growing

as a Christian.

That I was making progress

and I might even venture

to say and tell someone

or at least think

in my own heart,

I was a pretty good Christian.

And if I had read

today's passage

that Esther and Vicki

so beautifully read,

if I had read that today,

I would have been

pretty confident

thinking that I was

putting off the old self

and putting on

the new self

every day.

That was me

in university.

But,

of course,

there's a big but here.

But one day

I got really upset

at a friend.

And honestly,

in hindsight,

it was over something

that was much more

about my personal expectations

than anything.

And after I kind of

just blew up

at them,

I was pretty shocked

at myself.

I realized

that that outward expression

of my anger

was really just,

aside from being

very uncomfortable

and stupid in hindsight,

it was really just

the tip of the iceberg

because inwardly

it had become

so much easier

to be judgmental

towards the people

around me,

especially the Christians.

because I had felt

like I had become

such a good Christian

myself.

And sure,

I was more self-controlled

most of the time

in my outward behavior

towards others,

but inside,

just like Ed was saying

during communion,

it was a cauldron,

a pot of mixed motives.

Some godly,

some very ungodly,

some I didn't even realize.

And basically,

the question I faced

in university

in that incident

and numerous

other little incidents

was this.

Jeremy,

what's the point

of all these things

I do as a Christian,

things I take pride

as evidence,

as fruit of my faith,

when I can still

be such a jerk?

What's the point?

And I had placed

so much value

in those things

I was doing

as a Christian

that I forgot

about being

a Christian

was first and foremost

about my identity,

just like we learned

last Sunday.

So Paul says

in chapter 4,

we just read,

you must no longer

walk as the Gentiles

do in the futility

of their minds,

darkened in their

understanding,

alienated from

the life of God

because of the

ignorance that is

in them

due to the

hardness

in their heart.

And in that context,

Gentile simply means

anyone who's not

following Christ.

And back then,

back in university,

I certainly wouldn't

have considered

myself one of them.

but in hindsight,

I could see that

even as a professing

Christian,

how I was walking

in futility,

in ignorance,

in darkness,

finding my value

and identity

in the things I did.

Some of us here

may have been Christians

for a very long time

and we're still

struggling with

finding our identity

in things we do.

I still struggle

with that today.

I think that's why

I can empathize.

No matter what

your beliefs are

this morning,

whether you're

Christian,

non-Christian,

agnostic,

atheist,

Buddhist,

Hindu,

Muslim,

whatever your

worldview is today,

I think we all

know something

just by virtue

of living in Hong Kong

and living in the world.

it's this.

It's part of the system

to measure what we do

and to ascribe value

to that.

And here's what I mean.

Just think about it.

You know,

you're a kid,

you're a young age,

you're in school,

you're getting marks,

you're being assessed,

you move up from grade

to grade,

you know,

you go to university,

GPA,

degrees,

clubs that you have

to join,

high table dinners

if you're in Hong Kong U,

you have that path

for career advancement

and job promotion.

And numbers are everywhere.

We use them

to measure everything

from national economic growth

to the number of reps

you did at the gym yesterday.

right?

Just like Ed was talking about,

the markets,

numbers.

And we live in a culture

that is just saturated

in this idea

of self-improvement.

It's the name of the game.

You know,

browse any major bookstore

and you'll see

just scores and scores

of books,

both Christian

and non-Christian,

that are basically telling you

how to be

a better person.

You know,

our society,

our culture,

at least a lot of what we hope

and aspire to

is built on meritocracy,

this idea that

those who do well,

who perform well,

should advance.

It's only fair, right?

And then we have to devise

these systems

that measure

what it means

to do well.

And so all of that

is ingrained

in us.

Now,

don't get me wrong,

I'm not anti-meritocracy,

I'm not anti-statistics,

I'm not anti-numbers

and metrics.

I happen to think

numbers are very useful

and I use them

every day.

And self-improvement

is a good thing.

And who wouldn't want

to improve

and get better?

But here

is the question

that I think

we're being challenged with

and I certainly have been

as we look at the passage

and we look at

the message

of Ephesians.

Is that

the best way

to describe

the Christian life?

Our walk

as Christians?

Is progress

and growth

the best way

to describe

the Christian life?

And as we look

at the remainder

of the passage,

I think the answer

is quite clearly

no.

So follow with me

in chapter 4.

Paul is contrasting

Gentiles

with Christians.

And this is what he says.

That is not

the way

you learned

Christ.

You have heard

about Him.

You were taught

in Him.

The truth

is in

Jesus.

That is not

the way

you learned

Christ.

You have heard

about Him.

You were taught

in Him.

The truth

is in

Jesus.

And if you've been

part of Watermark

for a decent

amount of time,

you realize

we talk about

Jesus a lot.

He's the reason

why we're called

Christians.

So you've got to figure

he's pretty important,

right?

And we're going

to continue

talking about him

in the coming months

in just different

sermon series

about how

Christ actually

shapes different

dimensions and

aspects of our

lives.

And some of us

are probably

thinking,

what?

Jesus again?

I've heard that

before.

I've heard that

before.

It's like,

I'm sympathetic.

It's like you're

going to school

and year after year

you're just learning

the same thing

over and over

again.

And then you're

like,

did I even

move up a grade?

It's Jesus again?

But Paul makes

it so clear

in Ephesians.

If you remember

last week,

Chris explained

that the first

three chapters

of Ephesians

is basically

about our

identity

in Christ.

And Paul is

hammering that

home.

Remember who

you are.

Remember who

you are,

guys.

Remember who

you are.

And then in the

second half,

he's moving,

he's shifting

towards what

is the result

of that

identity,

that new

identity.

But here

in chapter

four,

at the beginning

of the second

half,

guess what?

It's Jesus

again.

And I'm not

making this up.

There's something

about this guy

Jesus,

and Paul is

saying we

have to go

back to him

again and

again,

seeking him,

seeing him,

experiencing how

he transforms

every aspect

of your lives.

And this

isn't a school

subject,

because Jesus

is interested

in every

last detail

in your life

right now,

past,

present,

and future.

So the truth

is the answer

for Christians

is always

Jesus.

And though we

joke about that

time,

especially with

the kids,

they just know

that that's the

answer,

regardless of

the question.

Even though we

joke about that,

it's actually

true.

And it's what

makes Christianity

so utterly

unique,

among all the

major world

religions and

worldviews,

because everyone

else points you

to a set of

teachings that

you have to

follow and

get things right

to be good

enough for God,

right?

But the

Christian gospel

points you to

a person,

Jesus,

the only person

who ever got

everything right

because he's

God.

God.

And the gospel

says put your

faith not in

yourself but in

him.

Hold on to

him.

Love him.

Be in

relationship with

him.

Like the image

that Chris gave

us last week,

we're all like

this prostitute,

this sex worker

on the street.

We're starving,

ashamed,

sick, and

broken, and

Christ is the

perfect king

who reaches out

and says,

I love you.

Not because of

anything you did.

Not because of

anything you

didn't do.

I love you,

I choose you,

and you are

beautiful in my

eyes.

And I give you,

I bestow upon

you a new

identity.

This image of

the bride and

the bridegroom is

used over and

over again in

scripture.

scripture.

And even

though we are

so unfaithful to

God, he

faithfully pursues

us like that

perfect king.

If you're not

sure, if you've

never heard about

that before,

just go, when

you go home

tonight, read

the book of

Hosea in the

Old Testament,

and you'll see

what I mean.

So when we

think about our

new identity,

our new life that

we've been

learning about,

it's about a

relationship,

relationship.

The Christian

life is

ultimately about

a relationship

with God.

Not progress,

not growth,

not self-improvement,

not transformation.

It's ultimately

about a

relationship.

And you may

have heard of

all that before,

but remember that

the concept of

being in a

relationship, a

personal relationship

with a personal

God, that's

pretty revolutionary

in human history.

And if we

forget that, if

we take that

for granted,

we're just going

to default back

to our drive,

that ingrained

drive to do

and to measure,

to do things

and to do

better.

Think about a

loving relationship

that you have

right now.

It might be your

relationship with

your husband,

your wife,

a family member,

a best friend,

a close friend.

Is the ultimate

goal of that

relationship to

be a better

person in that

relationship?

No.

Or is the

ultimate goal to

love and to

cherish that

person, to get

to know that

person, to

respond to that

person?

Husbands, when

you propose to

your wives, did

you say, you

know, my love,

after this

journey, I want

to be a better

person.

I just want to

improve myself.

Will you marry

me?

No, right?

And if you did

that and she

still said yes,

man, she is a

keeper.

That'd just be

weird, right?

Parents, do you

say to your

children, son,

daughter, the

real reason I

brought you into

this life is so

that you and

your mom could

have, I mean,

me and my mom,

me and your

mom, me and

your mom.

The reason we

brought you into

this life, mainly

your mom, the

reason we brought

you into this

world is because

we want to have

better lives.

Do you say that

to your kids?

If you do, stop

doing it.

Because that's

scarring.

It's scarring to

have the weight of

your generations of

expectation on you.

And just remember

that God didn't

give you children so

that you could

fulfill your own

dreams.

So when you

truly love someone,

loving them is the

goal of the

relationship.

And I'm not

talking about

transactional

relationships where

you're just in the

relationship to get

something out of it.

I know I do that

all the time.

I'm sure you can

think of examples

in your own life.

I'm not talking

about those types

of relationships.

I'm talking about

a loving relationship.

And yes, your

personal growth might

become apparent and

develop as a

byproduct of that

loving relationship.

relationship.

But if self-improvement

is your goal,

whether it's

subconscious or a

stated goal, if that

is your goal, you

will have no power for

any real and lasting

change, any real or

lasting transformation.

And that's what I

realized those years in

university.

I could do all the

amazing Christian

activities I wanted,

but my heart was

still like what the

Bible says in

Jeremiah 17.

Deceitful.

Desperately sick.

Beyond understanding.

Because doing things

in the name of Jesus

doesn't make me a

Christian.

Being in a loving

relationship with

Jesus is what makes

me a Christian.

You know that

prostitute who's been

chosen and united

with the king?

She doesn't parade

around trying to find

validation in the

things she does.

She knows that the

status that's been

bestowed on her is

only because the

king chose her to be

his queen.

And the king is with

her.

He's beside her.

He's leading her.

Did you notice in

chapter 4 when Paul

says we are to

learn Christ?

Christ?

To learn Christ?

That idea of

learning a person

is utterly unique.

It's truly unique.

Nowhere else in the

Greek Bible does it

say learn a person.

It doesn't even, as

far as we know, it

isn't even in any

Greek writings before

the Bible at all to

learn a person.

But in Ephesians,

Paul is saying that

Jesus Christ himself

is the content of

what we learn as

Christians.

We welcome him as a

living person.

We're taught in him.

The truth is in Jesus.

And experiencing a

relationship with

Christ is the

ultimate goal of the

Christian life.

God pouring out his

unconditional love to

you and us just

responding in love

towards him.

Our love motivates

us to learn Christ,

to learn what he

loves, what he

cares about, to

learn what honors

and glorifies him,

to learn to be like

him.

And everything we do

as Christians must

come out of that

relationship.

You know, all those

spiritual disciplines I

was practicing back in

university, Bible

study, prayer, fasting,

whatever it is,

they're just ways to

get to know Jesus,

the person I love.

All those acts of

worship and the life

I experienced in

community, that's

just a way to

respond to Jesus,

the person I love.

Genuine change,

genuine growth,

genuine progress

will only come out of

that love.

And guys, this is

actually really, I

think this is really

good news when we

think about our

spiritual walk.

Because if progress

is the ultimate

goal, and if we're

honest with ourselves,

then I think we

would fail all the

time because we're

always going to fall

short of perfection in

this lifetime.

You know, we might

think we've overcome

this one kind of nasty

plant of selfishness,

righteousness and

pride and self-righteousness,

but like any weed, it

just pops up again in

another shape, another

form, another

circumstance.

You know, I like to

think of sin in terms of

both things we commit,

you know, things we do

that we shouldn't do, but

also things we omit,

things that we should do,

but we fail to do.

And I know I tend to

think about the first,

just things that it's

like a big list of

don'ts.

But just think, even if

you were somehow able

to, quote unquote,

remove all the bad

things from your life,

what about all the good

things that you should

be doing?

Because true goodness

and perfection includes

all the good things that

God has called us to do

and to be.

And then it's not our

own sinfulness that we

just have to reckon

with.

In this broken and

fallen world, we also

have to reckon with the

sin of others and just

sickness.

You know, when sickness,

suffering, and other

things in life interrupt

you, it can feel like

your whole plan for

progress and self-improvement

is just thwarted.

And all your plans are

thrown out the window.

Your first plan in every

contingency plan out the

window.

So you see, there will

always be something that

pops up.

You know, something in

your life that you

struggle with.

And if you dwell upon

everything that could

potentially go wrong,

both from the inside or

from the outside, you're

just going to always have

that nagging insecurity.

If you live your life as

if it's ultimately about

progress, you're either

going to be disappointed

perpetually, or you're

going to somehow have to

live in ignorant denial of

how sinful you really are.

If you're thinking that

I'm, oh, Jeremy's just a

Debbie Downer.

Oh, just, why is he so

cynical and pessimistic?

Well, I don't think I am.

I'll be honest, because I

wrestled with that.

Am I just being cynical as

I get older?

I've been inspired by what

Paul says.

The Apostle Paul, the author

of this letter, Ephesians,

the author of like half the

New Testament, is the man

that God used to write all

these books and plant all

these churches.

If there ever was a hero of

the faith, the Apostle Paul

was.

If there was ever someone who

could live out that life of

Christian progress, that was

the Apostle Paul.

But towards the end of his

life, he writes some pretty

interesting things.

Writing to the Roman church, he

says this.

Just listen carefully.

He says, I am unspiritual, sold

as a slave to sin.

I do not understand what I do.

For what I want to do, I do not

do.

But what I hate to do, I do.

I have the desire to do what is

good, but I cannot carry it out.

For I do not do the good I want to

do.

But the evil I don't want to do,

this I keep on doing.

And it just seems like he's

laboring this point over and

over and over.

There's this disconnect.

And later he even tells his

protege, Timothy, that I'm the

worst of all sinners.

And this is a man towards the

end of his life reflecting on

this life of being a prophet,

of being the mouthpiece of God,

of seeing a vision of God

himself, planning churches,

writing all this scripture.

And so I don't think Paul was

expressing some kind of false

humility.

That's not the Paul we see in

all his writings.

I think for all the progress that

the apostle Paul saw in his life,

at the end when he looked back,

he really grasped the depths of

sin within the human heart and

how desperately he needed God's

grace.

In a culture fixated with progress,

the constant temptation is to

think of our spiritual growth

mainly in a linear way.

You've probably just consciously

or subconsciously thought of it

that way.

It's just like a straight line

graph.

You're just improving.

There's a line, the trajectory

towards more holiness, more purity,

more sanctification.

And I'm not saying that can't

happen.

But practically speaking, the

Christian life is more circular.

And what I mean is that it's a simple

process of repentance and faith

again and again.

We see the sinfulness in our lives

and we repent, turning back to the arms

of Christ, the loving arms of Christ.

Putting our faith back in this daily process

of knowing God, responding to him.

The linear might happen,

but you're not worried about that

because each day there is a moment

for repentance and faith.

Each moment there's a moment for repentance

and faith, even right now as you're sitting

in your chairs.

And let me be clear, spiritual growth

will happen.

And that's where I can be hopeful.

But like physical fruit, the fruit of the

spirit doesn't just sprout out before your

eyes.

You know, if you just stand there and stare

at a fruit trying to measure your growth,

you're going to be bored out of your mind.

Because you're not going to see it.

And if you're focusing so much on the fruit,

the plant will probably start dying.

Right?

But if you make sure that the plant stays

connected to the source of life,

to a loving relationship with our Savior Jesus,

the fruit will grow.

And sooner or later you will see it.

And more importantly, the people around you

will see it.

So just as a side of encouragement,

you know, when you see fruit in people's lives,

when you see them growing,

affirm them.

Affirm their growth,

their relationship in Christ.

And that's what community is about,

for us to encourage one another.

I want to conclude by applying all of this

to our lives right now.

And we're going to use the cross chart

to help us.

And I know,

I know we've shown this to you many times

before.

But today I want to explain it in a slightly different way.

So this is your relationship with Christ.

And every day you're looking backward

and you're looking forward.

Communion, which we observed earlier,

it calls us to remember that at a point in history,

at the very far left of the chart,

Jesus Christ came into our lives,

into history.

He lived a perfect life to die for our sins

so that we can be forgiven.

And then there was a point in time,

or maybe a few points even,

if you don't remember a specific time,

but clearly where there was a turn,

a conversion point.

When you realize that,

you realize what Jesus came and did on the cross.

And then you accepted that gift of grace,

that gift of forgiveness.

And you chose to follow him,

and the relationship began.

That point might be today for some of you.

It can be today.

And then at the same time,

looking forward,

in communion,

Paul also says,

as often as you eat this bread

and drink this cup,

you proclaim my death

until I return.

And that's eternity,

looking forward to the future.

So you're looking to the past,

to what Christ has done.

You're looking towards the future,

to eternity,

when Jesus will return

in victory and glory,

and he'll make everything new.

He'll make us new.

He'll make us perfect again.

And between those two points,

looking back and looking forward,

is today.

your relationship with him

every day.

You're walking in a loving relationship

with Christ

every day.

And you're constantly aware

of how sinful you really are,

just like the Apostle Paul did.

And you're constantly aware

of how God really is,

how holy and perfect

he really is.

but you're also constantly aware

of how amazing Jesus is.

And that mercy

and that relationship

through Christ.

And every moment

is shaped by that cross.

That's your relationship.

That cross today,

that's your relationship

with Christ.

You see,

the beauty of understanding

your relationship

with Christ

and that it's

not about progress,

but it's about

a relationship.

The beauty of that

is you don't have to worry

about whether you're

making progress today

or whether you're not

making progress today.

Because every last circumstance

in your life

is an opportunity

to experience

that relationship.

relationship.

Because that's the real goal

to experience,

to cherish

that relationship

in the cross.

You know,

if things are going great

right now,

then you celebrate

with Jesus first.

If things are going bad

in your life right now

and you've messed up,

weep and mourn

with Jesus first.

And if someone

on the street

annoys you,

turn to Jesus first.

If someone's hurt you,

turn to your friend

Jesus first.

Turn to your father first.

Every moment

is a chance

to learn Christ,

to know him,

to trust him,

to receive his love,

to respond in love.

And inevitably,

that relationship

will become more

and more precious

to you.

So at the end

of the passage

in chapter four,

Paul tells us

to put off

the old self

and to put on

the new self.

That new self

is a completely

new identity

and the original

language actually

suggests that we

have already

put off the old self

and we've already

put on

the new self.

And since you already

have this new identity

and that new identity

is going to be

perfected in eternity,

then why don't we

just start living

that out today?

That's right.

Last week,

we learned that

our identity

is Christ.

And today,

our walk

is Christ.

Our Christian walk

is Christ.

That relationship

is our spiritual walk.

Christ is our life.

It's everything

we need.

And that's why

those martyrs

in the past

when they were persecuted,

they could walk

to the gallows

to be hung.

They could walk

to the stake

to be burned

singing God's praises

because they knew

they would not be measured

by any achievement

they did.

They would be measured

by the love

and relationship

that they had in Christ.

That's why they could

praise God

walking to the gallows.

And so think about this

with me

as you respond.

As we pray,

how are you experiencing

that relationship

with Christ today?

Do you know,

do you feel,

do you recognize

that he's with you?

Has that relationship

even begun

for you today?

And if not,

let that be the beginning.

Let today be the beginning

of that relationship.

More specifically,

what's going on

in your life right now?

What is that circumstance

or ten circumstances

that God

is using

to point you back

to that relationship

with him?

To that relationship

of unconditional love

and acceptance?

Let's actually

take a moment

right now

to reflect on that.

And just invite you

to close your eyes

and pray.

Reflect on what

is going on

in your life today.

in the light

of your relationship

with Christ.

God, we're going to keep reflecting

on you on the cross.

And this isn't the end of the sermon.

This is just the beginning

of recognizing day after day

that we need you.

And our lives are defined

by the relationship that we have with you.

So God, I pray that

whatever circumstances are happening,

whatever is going on,

those circumstances

instead of drawing them away

from you, Lord,

they would point us back

to the relationship we have with you, God.

Lord, whatever it is

that you need us to see this morning,

pray that your spirit would prompt us,

would convict us.

God, if I walked

to the gallows this morning

because of persecution,

because of

those who hate you,

Lord, would it be

my praise,

the praise on my lips

that says,

it is the love that I have from you.

It is this relationship

that I walk with you

that has defined me.

God, I pray that you continue

to illuminate, Lord,

those circumstances

in our lives.

Whatever it is

we're going through, Lord,

we know you're with us, God.

So we respond to you now

in praise

and prayer

and repentance

and in faith.

Amen.