How the Gospel both Delivers and Disrupts

It's been a while since we've been in the Acts of the Apostles.

We'll continue on in this series until Lent.

We'll have a Lenten series and then into Easter.

And then I think we're back in Acts after that.

We have these scripture journals.

Feel free to grab one at any time or a Bible if there's actual the blue color Bibles.

I think they're back there as well.

If you don't have one of these, it is our gift to you.

It has scripture on one side, lined paper for notes on the other.

I'm going to ask the Lord's blessing and we'll open up his word together.

Father, as always, we ask that we will be people that are under your word,

submitting to your word because they are your words, your ways, your instructions,

your revelation to us about what salvation truly is and how we ought to live in light of that.

Lord, all too often we are tempted with making the scriptures fit our own lives.

But Lord, we ask for your grace that we will not be the type of people that try to bend and manipulate your word.

So Lord, as we dig into Acts 8, we ask your blessing this morning by your spirit.

In Christ's name.

Amen.

So as I said, it's been some time since we've been in Acts.

A bit of a recap.

The Jesus, the risen Jesus, he meets with his followers, his apostles.

He commissions them to spread the gospel, not just to Jerusalem, but to Judea, to Samaria,

and then he says to the ends of the earth.

He ascends up and then the Holy Spirit descends down.

And now the previously cowardly, weak-kneed apostles are imbued with the power of God himself

and proclaim the gospel across Jerusalem.

They suffer also for it.

They were brought before the Sanhedrin.

That is the ruling religious body of the land.

And on two occasions, they were strictly forbidden to preach the gospel of Christ.

In both cases, they were beaten.

And then finally, I'm skipping some chunks here, but finally in chapter 7,

that would have been our last Sunday in Acts,

Stephen was martyred.

He was killed.

He was stoned to death.

And that is where we pick up the story.

So we're going to look at Acts chapter 8,

Acts 8 · chapter mention

and we're going to look at three points that are going to lead us through this chapter.

The first is that we're going to see that there's opposition,

and that this opposition to the gospel is both inevitable and invaluable.

The second is that proclamation of the gospel that will come from opposition to the gospel,

it both destroys historic hostilities and unites unlikely people.

And then the third and final point is that acceptance of the gospel does two things.

It both delivers and disrupts the people that hear.

So we're going to jump right into it.

If you have one of these sermon journals,

sermon journals, scripture journals,

I'm looking at Acts 8 on page 46.

So Christ was opposed throughout his ministry.

This is nothing new.

Constantly, his message was accepted,

and then it was rejected.

People opened their doors to him.

The authorities tried to snuff him out.

This was a constant for Jesus,

and it would be a constant also for his church.

Why?

Because Jesus' church, as Jesus himself did,

shone light in the darkness,

and when you do that,

you expose the reality of what's there in the shadows.

It exposes the real self

and forces the hearer to decide

whether they are going to remain in the darkness

or see life for what it really is

and throw themselves at the mercy of God.

Chapter 8 picks up where chapter 7 ends,

and we see this opposition continue with the church,

continue on after Stephen's martyr.

And this is what it says, verses 1 to 3.

And Saul approved of his execution.

I mean, you could even put verse 1,

that one line up in chapter 7.

It would make sense.

It continues on the story.

And Saul, who held the cloaks of the murderers of Stephen,

approved of Stephen's execution.

And there arose on that day,

that's Stephen's execution,

a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem.

And they were all scattered throughout the regions

of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Devout men buried Stephen

and made great lamentation over him.

But Saul was ravaging the church

and entering house after house.

He dragged off men and women

and committed them to prison.

The persecution happens not just against the apostles now,

but it is against the whole church.

Anybody who confesses Christ as Lord.

It is so bad that there are the scattering of people.

The apostle Paul here,

or the apostle Paul,

Saul, who would be the apostle Paul,

it says he ravages the church.

It's hard to kind of understand this language

because persecution sounds pretty much like

he's like a ravaging of the church.

But think of it like persecution

that is heightened,

that it's on steroids,

that sees red,

that has a bloodlust.

There's persecution that is deeply personal.

And this seems to be what is happening with the church.

So they scatter.

Sometimes it's very appropriate

to flee persecution.

Other times, we are called to stay.

And throughout Acts,

at least up to where we've gotten,

there doesn't appear to be

a prescriptive command telling us what to do.

Whether we stay or whether we flee.

What is told us to do

is that we do not deny Christ.

But in this case,

where the church scatters,

there isn't any implication

that they are sinning against God by fleeing.

They are scattered.

There is a great persecution.

And so they run.

It's interesting because Stephen did not flee.

Maybe he didn't have the chance to flee.

Maybe he did.

The fact is, he didn't.

Both cases, whether it be Stephen,

who stayed and died,

or the church that scattered and fled and lived,

in both situations,

they're talked about in a positive light.

And with the flight of the church

comes an invaluable opportunity.

And this is where opposition can be invaluable to the gospel.

We see it in verse 4.

Now when those who were scattered went about preaching,

sorry, now those who were scattered

went about preaching the word.

And trying to quench the Holy Spirit,

destroy the church,

Satan only provides the very means

by which the Spirit will connect

and touch even more people.

Again, I've talked about it in previous weeks.

God often uses the plans against him

to thwart the people that try to destroy him or his church.

He flips the bad, evil, diabolical plans on their head.

And that becomes the very means by which he accomplishes his goal.

And this is what we see here.

The scattering in verse 1 and 4,

it's the same language used of a farmer

having a bag of seed

and grabbing handfuls liberally

and just tossing it.

Walking to and fro the field,

tossing liberally.

Seed everywhere.

As the people are scattered,

so they share the faith.

This is the case in Acts 8,

but it's also been the case through Christian history.

Many of you would be familiar with Hudson Taylor,

the great missionary in the China Inland Mission

in the 19th century.

What he spearheaded continued to grow and grow and grow

until in 1949,

Mao's Communist Party defeated the national government

and all 600 plus missionaries were expelled.

Great fear and tragedy fell upon the mission agencies

and the missionaries themselves

thinking all of their decades of hard work would be lost.

And yet what ended up happening,

a third of those missionaries were spread

with lessons learned and experience had

across Southeast Asia and parts of Japan.

And then the indigenous church in China grew

in strength and in number.

And nobody knows for certain

how many Christians are in China,

but some estimates are over 100 million Christians in China.

When the enemy tries to destroy the church,

it provides an invaluable opportunity

for the church to grow.

It's been like that from the very beginning.

But it's not only opposition that affords opportunities

to share the faith,

but it provides invaluable opportunities

to identify with Christ,

to suffer like Christ for Christ.

Something that will bolster

not just our faith,

but the faith of those around us.

I mean, I mentioned Hudson Taylor,

but we have stories throughout Christian history

of martyrs,

St. Perpetua,

Ignatius of Antioch,

John Wycliffe,

even Jim Elliot.

All martyrs

who were put in a situation

where their faith rose up

and their stories were told

that bolster our faith today.

Such stories have fed Christians

the world over

for centuries.

Not Jim Elliot,

because he died in the 50s.

But nevertheless,

the stories of strong faith

in the face of opposition.

The testimony of God's people.

It is food for our soul.

There's little to no chance

that we will suffer here in Canada.

Physical persecution, I mean,

on the streets and suburbs

here in Ottawa.

But many of you

face opposition

for holding to the truth of Christ,

especially when you feel pressure

to conform

and celebrate things

that are contrary

to the faith

that we hold dear.

The obvious example

is Pride Month

or Pride Season.

The pressure to conform

in little ways,

in big ways,

or suffer career stagnation

or even termination.

It's very real.

I don't suffer this way

as a minister.

You do.

You guys have it,

and I mean this,

I don't want to say

infinitely harder

than I do,

but incredibly harder

than I do.

And I pray for you

because it is tough,

it is difficult

to navigate

secular jobs

and stay true

to the faith

that you hold dear.

But remember,

with opposition

comes opportunity

to bear witness,

to grow in our faith.

And whatever you may lose

for standing for Christ,

I don't want to say

that you will gain even more,

but my goodness,

your soul will be free

and you will love Christ

in deeper measure.

And maybe people

will come into the kingdom

at the very least,

your joy

will overflow in Christ.

But it will not be

for your joy only,

for we will see

in this next section

that the proclamation

of the gospel,

it always has the effect

of breaking down

walls of division

and hostilities,

uniting those

who would otherwise

be enemies.

And in short,

the proclamation

of the gospel

makes one church

made up of many members.

Look with me,

verses 5 to 8.

Philip went down

to the city of Samaria

and proclaimed to them

the Christ.

And the crowds

with one accord

paid attention

to what was being said

by Philip

when they heard him

and saw the signs

that he did.

For unclean spirits

crying out

with a loud voice

came out of many

who had them

and many who were paralyzed

or lame were healed.

So there was much joy

in the city.

The significance of Samaria

in our text

is twofold.

The first is that

the risen Christ

told the disciples

that they would

bear witness

to not just Jerusalem

but Judea and Samaria.

And here we have

that commission

taking place

that Jesus' words

didn't fall flat.

But the second thing

that's significant

is that

there had been

a millennia-long

hostility

between the Jews

and the inhabitants

of Samaria

and it dates

all the way back

to when the United Kingdom

of Israel separated.

And the ten northern tribes

became their own kingdom

and they turned away

from Jerusalem

and two tribes

remained loyal

to Jerusalem,

to David's line.

By the time

the first century

comes around,

Samaritans were

a distinct people.

They were not quite Jews

nor were they pagan Gentiles

but they were despised

by all.

Even the disciples

despised Samaritans.

If you remember,

maybe you don't,

it was a long time

when we looked at

Luke chapter 9,

Luke 9 · chapter mention

John and James

but especially John

which is significant

and we'll get to it

in a bit.

John calls for

hellfire

to fall down

and consume Samaria.

Not just,

let's not go to Samaria,

I don't like those people.

God,

Jesus,

wipe them out.

Now,

they hear

the gospel

from Philip.

They see the confirming signs.

They believed

and were baptized.

And now,

as we see

in verse 8,

there was much joy

in that city.

We'll continue

verses 14 to 17.

Now,

when the apostles

at Jerusalem

heard that Samaria

had received

the word of God,

they sent to them

Peter and John

who came down

and prayed for them

that they might receive

the Holy Spirit.

Notice that John

is mentioned.

Didn't he,

in Luke 9,

call for their annihilation?

Change hearts

all around here.

John is coming

along with Peter

to lay their hands

on them.

For he had,

for the Holy Spirit

had not yet fallen

on any of them

but they had only

been baptized

in the name

of the Lord Jesus.

Then they laid

their hands on them

and they received

the Holy Spirit.

The apostles

in Jerusalem

as a sign

of approval

and acceptance

and a right hand,

so to speak,

of fellowship

sent Peter

and John

to lay hands

on the Samaritans

and bless them.

And like I mentioned,

John,

the genocidal apostle,

maybe that should be

his name in history,

is there

and he's not

genocidal any longer.

He is blessing

and extending

fellowship

to the Samaritans.

And we see here

in Christ

a millennia long

hostility

is erased

and in a sense

a divided kingdom

after a thousand

years of division

is no longer

divided.

But now

it is not

in the same way

that Israel

looked

where it was

just a group

of ethnicities

broken up

into twelve tribes

but now

the kingdom

was expanding.

It expanded

from Jerusalem

into Judea.

Now it was

going to hit

the Samaritans.

Soon we will see

especially

starting in the next

chapter

and the chapters

to come

that that gospel,

that nation,

that kingdom

will expand out

and expand out

into all

the known worlds.

we actually

get a glimpse

of it

in the next

portion of

chapter 8

when Philip

evangelizes

to the Ethiopian

eunuch

as a sign

of what was

to come.

Here,

in short,

in God's church

there are no

second class citizens.

Anything that

divides

ethnicity,

culture,

gender,

rich,

poor,

wherever you

may be,

as the apostle

Paul says

in Galatians

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3,

for as many

of you

as were baptized

into Christ

have put on

Christ.

Verse 28,

there is neither

Jew nor Greek,

slave nor free,

there is no

male and female

for you are all

one in Christ.

Paul isn't saying

that those

categories don't

exist,

but that

there is an

equal

place for all,

that there is

no adult

table and

kids table

in the

kingdom of

God.

Only the

gospel can

repair what

is irreparable

by human

standards.

The real

conflict is

found not

in geopolitics,

not in the

economy,

but in the

human heart.

Alexander

Solzhenitsyn

says very

famously,

the line

separating

good and

evil passes

not through

states nor

between

classes,

nor between

political

parties either,

but right

through every

human heart

and through

all human

hearts.

And how

do you

repair a

heart that

is full of

evil?

You need a

new heart.

And that

is what

Christ does,

that is what

the gospel

of Christ

will do.

That is

why schism

and division

among the

church of

Christ is

such an

affront to

the gospel

because it

seeks to

separate what

God has

brought together.

The church

is not

unified in

our world.

It is

something we

ought to

pray for.

In fact,

we stand

on the

shoulders of

many people

that left

the Anglican

Church of

Canada over

10 years

ago because

of the

presenting

issue was

the acceptance

of same-sex

blessing,

but really

it was a

departure from

the scriptures.

And we

see that

separation

and a lot

of people

accuse what

we're a part

of now as

a denomination

of schismatics.

We are

not.

We have

held to

Orthodoxy,

but for

15 plus

years before

Anik was

created,

before these

number of

churches left

the Anglican

Church of

Canada,

there was

15,

20 years

of hard

work across

the country

calling the

Anglican

Church of

Canada back

to Orthodoxy,

back to

her first

love,

pleading,

begging,

wrestling,

arguing,

trying to

avoid

seeing a

separation

of what

Christ

had

united.

How do

we fight

against

the

perennial

temptation

to drift

from God's

gospel?

If that is

the thing

that separates,

how do we

avoid that?

Jude tells us

in verse 3

of his short

letter,

and this is

what he

says,

beloved,

although I

was very

eager to

write to

you about

our common

salvation,

I found

it necessary

to write

appealing to

you,

here it is,

to contend

for the

faith that

was once

for all

delivered to

the saints.

We never

can,

if we want

to contend

for the

faith,

we can

never stop

hearing and

valuing and

applying and

contending for

the gospel.

We can never

treat the

gospel as the

front door,

now we're

into the

Christian faith

and that's

kind of like

junior varsity,

we're on to

the bigger

things.

That's

kindergarten,

we're on to

grade school

and high

school.

The gospel

is every

part of

the faith

and we

need to

feed on

it,

to come

to Christ

daily.

And how

do we

do that?

By confessing

our sins,

by looking

to him,

by fellowshipping,

doing what

we are doing

today,

by being

very,

very,

very aggressive

by God's

help,

by the

Holy Spirit's

help,

to put

away darkness

in our

life,

to not

think we've

arrived.

So,

we see

that the

gospel,

when it is

opposed,

it provides

opportunities

for growth.

We see

that when

the gospel

is proclaimed,

that

hostility

and division

is broken

down.

But when

the gospel

is accepted,

we see

two things,

deliverance,

but we

also see

confrontation.

Look with

me at

Simon,

starting in

verse 9

and on

to 13.

That's what

it says.

But there

was a man

named Simon

who had

previously

practiced

magic in

the city

and amazed

the people

of Samaria,

saying that

he himself

was somebody

great.

they all

paid attention

to him

from the

least to

the greatest,

saying,

this man

is the

power of

God that

is called

great.

And they

paid attention

to him

because for

a long

time he

had amazed

them with

his magic.

But when

they believed

Philip as

he preached

good news

about the

kingdom of

God in

the name

of Jesus

Christ,

they were

baptized,

both men

and women.

Even

Simon himself

believed.

And after

being baptized

he continued

with Philip

and seeing

signs and

great miracles

performed,

he was

amazed.

You see,

the problem

with false

religion is

not just

that it

is untrue,

but it

is deeply

deceptive

and harmful.

Simon

here,

you don't

know exactly

who he

kind of

fashioned

himself as,

but through

history and

tradition,

we know

that the

Samaritans,

although they

held to the

first five

books of

Moses,

they had a

whole tapestry

of beliefs

and a part

of that was

this prophecy

that a

messianic

prophet would

come named

Tahib.

And it

appears that

Simon styled

himself as

that prophet

and he

deceived many.

It says from

the oldest

to the youngest,

the implication

here is that

all Samaria

was following

this man.

And we

see a bit

later on

that he

was doing

this not

because he

thought he

was doing

good for

the people,

but because

it brought

him great

power and

wealth.

He was

motivated by

power and

money,

especially as

he is

trying to

buy that

spiritual

authority in

that next

section we'll

see from

the apostles.

Simon held

the people in

spiritual bondage.

And oftentimes

spiritual bondage

looks something

like this,

not an exhaustive

list.

You have to

work hard to

achieve various

levels as you

hope to one

day gain

salvation.

Spiritual bondage

looks like this.

You have to

give and give

and give and

give to gain

access to

spiritual

enlightenment.

If it's

granted to you.

Or maybe

spiritual bondage

looks like

this.

You must

sacrifice

things and

people that

are dear to

you to

curry favor,

to grow,

whether that's

to grow crops

or to make

money or to

live well.

We look at

that list and

we think of

pagan religion

but not much

has changed in

our day.

False religion

spiritually

manipulates and

puts people in

bondage.

It always

demands more

than we can

give and takes

more than we

can have.

Many of us

used to be a

part of a

church that

had deep

ties to

Jericho Road

and I

remember a

friend who

was clean

for years

and years

over a

decade.

He described

what it was

like to

live in

addiction

and he

described it

as always

chasing after

the first

high.

Other people

call it chasing

the dragon but

always desperate

to get that

first high so

that you're

going into

every time

you're using

with this

massive hope

that it's

going to give

you everything

you need but

every time

you take a

hit it

leaves you

more destitute

and more

broken and

more in

bondage.

False religion

is like that.

It promises

a lot.

It promises

enlightenment.

It promises

joy but it

never ever

delivers.

Verse 12

this is what

true freedom

looks like.

But when the

people believed

Philip as he

preached good

news about the

kingdom of God

and the name

of Jesus Christ

they were

baptized both

men and

women even

Simon himself

and then

the

the

oh

previously in

verse

verse 8

it says

there was much

joy in the

city.

That is what

true freedom

looks like.

In the

gospel you

are made

free.

Not by your

own doing or

your own

giving or

your own

sacrifice but

by the doing

and giving and

sacrifice of

Christ.

Our job is to

confess that we

can do nothing.

That is that's

our job.

It really is to

come empty

handed to

admit that we

are broken and

we are hopeless

and that our

only hope in

life and death

is Christ

alone Christ

alone.

It is so

powerful this

true religion

this true

faith Christ

on the cross

that even

Simon can be

forgiven.

Although we

are saved by

Christ the

gospel also

disrupts our

life because

Simon here he

is seeing that

the gospel is

great news for

his pocketbook

and great news

for his prestige

and his

reputation.

His life is

not yet

disrupted for

he is trying

to fit Christ

into his

existing

structures.

We see this

in verses

18 to 21.

Now when

Simon saw

that the

spirit was

given through

the laying

on of the

apostles hands

he offered

them money

saying give

me this

power also

so that

anyone on

whom I lay

my hands

may receive

the Holy

Spirit.

Sounds kind

of great.

Divide and

conquer.

We'll give

it to Simon.

he can be

an extension

of the

church.

But Simon

is not

wanting to

bless the

Lord.

Give glory

to Christ.

For we see

it in the

next verse

in verse

20.

Peter sees

right through

it and he

says to

Simon may

your silver

perish with

you.

It's literally

to hell with

you and

your money.

May your

silver perish

with you.

Simon

wanted godly

authority and

godly power

for personal

glory and

not glory

for Christ.

He sought

to buy

an office.

Interestingly

that simony

is in

our vernacular

and it

describes

the buying

of office

in the

church.

Paying

money for

religious glory,

for religious

office,

for religious

reputation.

Simon

sought to

manipulate the

gospel message

to fit into

his existing

worldview instead

of bending a

knee to

Christ.

But the

gospel is not

a better

act.

Christ is

not a

cool magic

trick.

The gospel

is a free

gift.

It delivers

all who

believe but

it will

certainly

disrupt our

lives because

although it

is free,

it demands

that we

bend a knee

to Christ

and friends,

that means

not bending

a knee to

many other

things in

our lives

including

ourself.

our

allegiances

have this

problem.

They

oscillate.

They,

you know,

as Christians

on Sunday

I am for

Christ

alone

to my

dying

day

and then

on Monday

I am for

Daniel

alone

to my

dying

day.

I'm for

my stomach,

I'm for

my bank

account,

I'm for

my house,

I'm for

whatever

promotion

awaits me,

I am for

and then

you put

in whatever

it is

and it's

not Christ,

it is a

problem.

We are

for Christ

one day

and wary

of him

the next.

Where is

the hope

for us

type of

people

whose

allegiance

oscillate?

Go back

and forth.

We have

divided hearts,

divided

allegiances.

The answer

here is

in verse

22.

Peter

says this,

Repent

therefore

of this

wickedness

of yours

and pray

to the

Lord

that if

possible

the

intent

of your

heart

may be

forgiven

you

for I

see that

you are

in the

gull

of bitterness

and in

the bond

of

iniquity.

We must

repent.

We must

remember as

it says

in morning

prayer that

we are

miserable

offenders,

that we

have no

health in

us,

that we

desperately

need the

Holy Spirit

to remind

us and

to help

us to

see the

error of

our ways

and to

help us

grow in

holiness.

That is

not a

weight of

guilt to

say that

if you

are not

perfect,

you are

in the

same spot

as Simon.

No,

we confess

our sins

as often

as we

sin.

We get

real about

the darkness

in our

life because

Christ is

shining a

light on

it.

Will we

pretend that

it's not

there?

Will we

bend a

knee?

This is

the Christian

life.

This is

why,

by the

way,

if you've

been coming

to the

church for

a while

and the

liturgy,

you're just

like,

man,

we repent

a lot,

Debbie Downer,

I need

something a

bit more

uplifting.

It's because

we need

it.

We forget

all too

often.

So we

repent.

Why do

we repent?

It's because

Christ is

willing to

forgive and

to extend

mercy.

If he

wasn't,

then why

would we

repent?

But because

he is

abounding

in steadfast

love,

he is

rich in

mercy,

we repent

and we

bend our

knee to

the merciful

God.

We ought

to pray

that God

will continually

deliver us

from our

sin but

also disrupt

us so

that we

see the

sin in

our lives.

And this

may be

very

uncomfortable

but it

is a

life worth

living.

I mentioned

Jim Elliott

before.

Some of

you may

know his

story,

others may

not.

His wife

actually is

the more

famous one,

I should

say his

widow,

Elizabeth

Elliott.

Jim died

at 28 in

the 50s.

He and a

few others

went to

Ecuador to

preach the

gospel to

an unreached

people.

He and

five other

missionaries

were speared

to death.

I look at

his life

and I

think,

I'm sure

there was

another way,

drop leaflets

from an

airplane,

I don't

know,

figure it

out.

You're

28,

you have

a wife

at home,

think about

her.

And yet,

at the

same time,

Jim Elliott

was bending

his knee to

Christ and

the opposition

to the

gospel,

it cost him

his life.

But because

of his

sacrifice,

that tribe

now is a

Christian

tribe.

Many

confess

Christ and

it is in

no small

part because

of the

sacrifice of

Jim and

the other

missionaries.

Jim has

this famous

line,

he says

this,

he is no

fool who

gives what

he cannot

keep to

gain what

he cannot

lose.

You will

never be

left wanting

if you

bend your

knee to

Christ.

You will

never be

poor,

in the

real sense

of the

term,

poor,

if you

bend your

knee to

Christ.

If you

proclaim the

gospel and

trust in

him,

you will

never,

never be

left wanting.

Jim Elliott

is a very

rich man.

Even though

he died a

horrible death,

I don't even

know if there's

a grave,

where his

body was

buried,

who knows.

But Jim

Elliott is a

rich man.

It's not to

say that we're

all going to

our deaths,

but friends,

let us not

be people

that see

the gospel

as a Sunday

thing,

or a

5 to

9 p.m.

thing after

we're done

work,

or when

we're not

in class,

or when

we're with

our families,

we'll just

shove that

in our

back pocket.

Let us

be people

that proclaim

the gospel

wherever we

go,

and trust

that God

through his

Holy Spirit

will bless.

Let's pray.

Father,

thank you for

St.

Perpetua and

Ignatius.

Thank you for

John Wycliffe.

Thank you for

Thomas Cramner.

Thank you for

Jim Elliott.

Thank you for the

countless unnamed

missionaries that

have given their

lives for the

gospel.

The martyrs,

that number,

I'm sure,

in the millions

that we've never

heard of,

Lord,

that valued not

their life unto

death.

Help us to be

people to feed on

you,

to trust your

gospel,

that your

gospel will

both deliver us

and disrupt us

from our sin.

And Lord,

we pray that you

would bless us

now as we

continue on in

this service,

and we pray this

in Christ's name.

Amen.

Please,

now is the time

to sign your kids

out of Maasai Kids.