(BONUS EPISODE) December 1, 2024 - Pastor's Prologue for Communion with Peter D. Jones III

I'm going to just read a passage I was looking at today from Luke 12.

This is Jesus.

It says that at this time, after so many thousands of the crowd, this is verse 1 of Luke 12,

after so many thousands of the crowd.

That word, thousands, there is the word for myrids.

The series of crowd had gathered together that they were trampling on one another and

it began to say to his disciples first, be on your guard for the leaven of the Pharisees,

which is hypocrisy.

That's something that I struggle with.

I don't want to be a hypocrite.

You expect the pastor to be the best.

Anyway, but there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will

not be known.

According to what you have said in the dark, will it be heard in delight and what you have

whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the house stops.

But I say to you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have

no more that they can do.

But I will show you whom to fear.

Fear the one who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell.

Yes, I tell you, fear him.

Are not five sparrow sold for two asaria?

Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Do not fear you are more valuable than many sparrow.

So just thinking about that today, the crowds.

Jesus, you know, somebody that can do what Jesus did and completely heal people no matter

what the disease, will, it would not take long for a big following to follow.

And that he had a large group of people that were following him for the miracles and things

of this nature.

So that explains the large crowds.

The thing that I think is interesting is his warning about fearing God, that he is one

to be feared.

We were talking about that this morning.

He is one to take seriously.

And it is easy, I think, for us, like for example, when we come here to kind of go through the

motions of taking the bread and taking the cup and partaking of it and not really being

a reflection of our heart and deep reflection.

That is one of the things I was thinking about when we were talking about being thankful.

It is easy to go through the motions.

We say, you know, Thanksgiving, so let's buy our heads and thank the Lord for the blessings.

So we all thank him for three or four things.

But we really should be in an attitude of thanksgiving all the time because he is so

good to us.

We are his children.

So anyway, fear God, take him with all of his seriousness.

And here we are going to be taking the elements.

I want to go ahead and I will close this in prayer.

We don't have anybody yet to do the elements.

You want to do it and I will do it.

Oh, okay.

Yes, you are here.

All right.

Do that.

Let me open in prayer.

I am not going to close in prayer.

I will sit down and anybody who wants to pray, and you are encouraged to pray.

Bob, would you close it in prayer after the people have had a chance to pray?

Lord, we thank you for this time.

I know I sound like I am Russian, but I do thank you for your patience and for your mercy

and for your grace.

You treat me and us so much better than we deserve.

I really thank you for your patience and thank you for your mercy and thank you for your

grace and thank you for the salvation that you have provided at such infinite cost.

And I pray that in the prayers that we have tonight and the thoughts that are expressed,

the words that are read, that our hearts will be really serious about this time.

You have warned us in the scripture not to partake of these in an unworthy manner, and

this is something that you have designated as very important and very serious.

Strange that we would need this reminder, but we are people that are forgetful.

And so just remind us, speak to our hearts, make us aware of the greatness of our Savior

and the greatness of our sin that you have paid for.

We thank you for this time this morning.

是我们在继续开会的时候,为了一起・护命的キャンバイント、

和那些人们和 Course Gnyae Covid-19的广失。

Let's be in doubtful that we areeremotional.