Invest & Invite - Paul’s First Missionary Journey Part 1

Amen.

Thank you.

If you have your copy of God's Word, please turn with me to Acts chapter 13.

Acts 13 · chapter mention

If you do not have a copy of God's Word, there's one in the PRAC in front of you.

You can find today's text on page 950.

I want to apologize.

Earlier I failed to acknowledge our guest.

If you are a guest of ours today, thanks so much for joining us and choosing to worship with us.

We do consider it a privilege and honor that you have chosen that and are here today.

I would like to ask you a small favor if you are a guest of ours.

Inside the pew uh in the pew right in front of you is a connect card that looks like this.

If you'd be so kind to fill that out for us, that would really mean a lot to us.

And uh I'll give you some further instructions a little bit later on on what you can do with that.

Again, thank you so much uh for visiting with us.

Acts chapter 13.

Acts 13 · chapter mention

So from now through um uh the end of November prior to Christmas, we're gonna finish the book of Acts.

We started in January, we took a break for the summer, and then we're gonna look at chapters 13 through 28 over the next uh several weeks to get to go uh together.

Now, there are, let's see, 52 verses in Acts chapter 13.

Acts 13 · chapter mention

So, uh, unless y'all want to be here well into the evening, we're not gonna look at it verse by verse, all right?

So we're gonna kind of, as we have been surveying the book of Acts mostly chapter by chapter, that's how kind of how we're gonna uh tackle this journey.

And so here's what I want to do.

Let's let's dive into this and let's begin with verses one through three, and then we'll continue on.

God's word says to us, Now in the church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Menaan, a close friend of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul.

As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.

Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.

And so chapter 13 takes us back to the church at Antioch.

We first see the church at Antioch in chapter 11.

Antioch was a city in what used to be Syria.

Now it's called Antichaiah.

It's in southeast Turkey, so that that city is still there.

But it was a city just a couple hundred miles north or so of Jerusalem.

And the church was founded there as a result of the persecution of Stephen.

Following Stephen's persecution and murder, Christians left Jerusalem.

One of the places they settled was in the city of Antioch.

And they founded a church there.

They started a church in Antioch.

Matter of fact, it says large numbers of people came to know Christ through those early disciples' ministry in Antioch.

The Bible goes on to say in Acts chapter 11 that Paul and Barnabas spent over a year there discipling these new believers, teaching this church what it means to follow Christ, and so forth and so on.

Acts 11 · chapter mention

And so now here we are, we're back in Antioch, and we're told that there is a group of individuals who are given their names there, and they're faithful to teach God's truth.

And look what we read there.

As they are faithful to do this, as they're faithful to worship, as they're faithful to teach, as they're faithful to serve, the Holy Spirit says, Set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul, for a specific task.

And so the church, what do they do?

They pray over this, they fast over this, then they lay hands on Barnabas and Saul, and we know John Mark was with them also, and they confirm this calling, and they set them apart for this specific task that God has for them.

This is Paul's first missionary journey.

Chapters 13 and 14 cover Paul's first missionary journey.

And so that early church in Antioch, they pray over Paul and Barnabas and John Mark, and they're going to send them out for the task to which God's called them to do.

And for them, that task would be to take the gospel outside of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.

They will begin to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

I don't know if you recall, hopefully you're aware of this, that every every time we have a mission team that leaves here, what do we do?

We call them forward and we surround them and we lay hands on them and we pray over them.

And maybe you've asked yourself, why do we do that?

Well, Acts chapter 13, verses 1 through 3 is the reason.

Acts 13:1–3

This is the model we see in Scripture.

As God raises up men, women, students, and children, whoever it may be, to go onto a specific task in a missions endeavor, we want to surround them, pray over them, lay hands on them, and send them out in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so that's the first thing we see happening.

Now, in verses 4 through 12, we see the first stop on this journey is the island of Cyprus, the same Cyprus you and I can travel to today.

Now, Paul and Barnabas and John Mark encounter two specific people we're told about on this island.

The first is a gentleman by the name of Sergius Paulus.

It says he's a pro-council.

That means he's a governor.

He's in charge of this region of the Roman Empire.

So obviously he's a very prominent man.

He's a very influential man, this Sergius Paulus.

The second person we see that they encounter is a gentleman by the name of Eliamas, who is referred to as a sorcerer.

Now, here's what's so interesting.

In verse 7, we're told that Sergius Paulus, the governor of this region, summons Barnabas and Saul because he wants to hear the word of God.

Now, the text doesn't tell us why he wants to hear the word of God.

Maybe he's gotten word at his office that there's this new teaching, this new ideology, this new philosophy, that's this gaining ground on the island.

And he's curious to know what it is.

Maybe in his capacity as governor, he needs to question Barnabas and Saul to make sure that they're not doing anything that would be contrary to the dictates and directives of Rome.

So we're not entirely sure why he summoned Paul and Barnabas, why he wants to hear the word of the Lord.

We're not giving those specifics.

Now, you and I understand what's going on, don't we?

You and I understand that God is working in this man's heart and mind.

He's softening his heart to gospel truth so that when he hears truth, he's brought to a crossroads.

He's brought to a place where a decision has to be made.

You and I understand how the Holy Spirit works in people's lives, how he worked in your life, in my life, to bring us to Jesus.

Now the text says that as Paul and Barnabas and John Mark, as they're sharing the word of God with Sergio Paulus, it says in verse 8 that Elimus, this sorcerer, is opposing them, and he's trying to turn Sergio Paulus away from the faith.

What does it mean by he's a sorcerer?

Well, in today's world, you and I would call him a Jewish occultist.

This is a man who's dabbling in the occult.

Now, that was strictly forbidden for the Jew.

In Leviticus 19, they're told to avoid magic and divination and sorcery and other things.

And so he's referred to as a false prophet.

He's doing everything he can to keep Sergius Paulus away from faith in Christ.

And notice very carefully, look with me beginning in verse 9, because Paul offers a description of this man.

Look what we read there.

It says, Saul, also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Eliamas and said, You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil, an enemy of all that is right.

Won't you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?

So how does Paul describe him?

He says, number one, this man is deceitful.

It's a word that you and I may say refers to lies and lies and lies on top of lies.

In other words, it's the nature of Elimas to deceive and to lie.

You know, the truth is something totally foreign to his mind and heart.

But then he goes on to say further that this man is opposed to all that is right.

He's opposed to righteousness.

He hates all that is good and right and decent and moral and just.

But then further, look what he says.

He perverts the truth.

He works to confuse and to distort the word of God and the nature and the character of God and the teaching of God and the ways of God.

Here's what Elimas does.

Eliamas twists and contorts scripture to make it say what he wants it to say.

Does that sound familiar?

I mean, that that's what's happening in our culture.

I mean, there's a Senate candidate in the state of Texas who calls himself a Christian and grossly perverts the truth.

It's disgusting.

And that's what the world does.

It's what the whole world does.

They want the Bible to say what they want it to say and not what God wants it to say.

But then he goes further, and he this is where he kind of drives the final nail.

He says, You're the son of the devil.

You see, heresy and bad theology and false teaching flows directly from the lies of Satan himself.

And that's who Eliamas is.

He's an instrument in the hands of our adversary.

Now, interestingly, this is the exact same strategy that Satan used in the Garden of Eden.

It's the same strategy Satan has continued to use for all time.

What does he do?

He lies and he deceives and he distorts truth and he perverts truth.

He promotes all that is wrong and unjust and unholy and unrighteous.

And here's the challenge for you and me.

Satan does so in a way that makes his lies and his deception look pretty and attractive and appealing.

And that's why we fall for it.

Because on the outside it looks good.

Now, praise God, in spite of his best efforts, Eliamas could not keep Sergio Paulus away from Christ.

Look what we read in verse 12.

Then when he, Sergio Paulus, saw what happened, the pro-council believed because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

He couldn't deny what God was doing.

He's listening to the word of God being proclaimed.

And how does he respond?

He believes.

He places his faith and trust in Christ.

Look with me, church, on the screen here.

I want you to see this verse.

I want to remind you of the power and the authority of God's word.

Look what we read here.

For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Listen carefully to me, church.

You've heard me say this, and you'll continue to hear me say it.

There is no power like the word of God.

If there's an individual in your circle of influence and you're trying to share with them truth, the most important thing you can do, if you can get them reading God's word, God's word will do the hard part.

That's the power and the authority it has.

Just like it did here in the life of Sergius Paulus.

Let's keep going.

In verses 13 through 14, the next stop on this missionary journey, they get back on a boat and they go to the mainland of what is modern-day Turkey.

They go first to the city of Perga and then to the city of Poseidon Antioch, another Antioch.

Now, the custom of Paul and Barnabas, and the custom of Paul that we'll see throughout the rest of Acts, he would go to the synagogue on the Sabbath and he would teach truth, and he would engage in the study of Scripture with those individuals.

In verses 16 through 22, he just recounts the history of Israel, beginning with their time in Egypt, the Exodus, the entrance into the promised land, the time of the judges, and God's anointing David as king.

And then we get to verses 23 through 26, and Paul makes it clear from Scripture that Jesus is God's promised Messiah.

He is the descendant of David who will have an eternal kingdom.

And then we get to verses 27 through 29, and he recounts how the Jewish leadership convinced Pilate to crucify Christ.

And he makes one very important statement.

Look with me in verse 28.

Paul says, though they found no grounds for the death sentence, not only was Jesus innocent of any crime against the Roman Empire, and certainly any crimes that deserved death, the Bible teaches us that Jesus was innocent of any sin against God or man.

In Hebrews chapter 4, the Bible says that he was without sin.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

In 1 Peter 1, we're told he was an unblemished and spotless lamb.

In 1 John 1, we're told that there is absolutely no darkness in him.

Church family, listen carefully to me.

The sinless nature and character of Jesus is a very important doctrinal and theological truth.

Had Jesus been guilty of any sin, just one sin, he would be an insufficient sacrifice for our sin.

He couldn't go to the cross and die to pay the penalty of your sin and my sin.

Had he been guilty of just one sin, he had to be perfect and blameless in all ways.

He had to go to the cross completely innocent of any sin against God or man.

You see, here's the reality.

I don't love you enough for this, but let's pretend that I do.

I don't love you enough to die for you.

There's four people in my life, now there's seven.

No, make that how many?

How many kids do I have?

Three.

Okay.

Two of them are married, one's engaged, so that's six.

There's seven people in my life that I'll die for.

And I don't mean any disrespect, but the chances are I probably won't die for you.

But let's pretend I loved you enough to die for you.

And let's pretend you love me enough to die for me.

Here's the reality: I can't die for your sin and you can't die for my sin.

Why?

Because we're guilty of our own sin.

But not Jesus Christ.

He's the unblemished and spotless Lamb of God who willingly and gladly gave up his life and shed his blood to pay the penalty of your sin and my sin.

And because he did, he has erased the certificate of debt that is against us and he has nailed it to the cross.

Now look with me in verse 29.

Because Paul makes another important statement.

He says, When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from a tree and put him in a tomb.

This is another text, one of many, that reminds us that the cross of Jesus Christ was not an accident.

Listen carefully to me.

The cross was not the plan of wicked man, nor was the cross the plan of Satan.

The cross of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of God's predetermined plan and purpose.

God incarnate, God in the flesh came to this earth for one purpose to die a cruel, barbaric, and horrific death on the cross so that the penalty of our sin and rebellion against God could be fully paid.

That's why he came.

In Acts chapter 2, we're told that he was delivered up or he was put to death according to God's predetermined plan.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Please don't ever look at the cross as a response.

Please don't ever look at the cross as an accident.

Please don't ever look at the cross as the scheme of evil man.

The cross was the eternal purpose of God to bring redemption to me and you.

Let's keep going.

Notice what next, in verses 30 through 37, Paul will emphasize the resurrection.

In verse 30, he says, but God raised him from the dead.

In verse 37, he says, God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.

And in verse 37, but the one God raised up did not decay.

And neither should we.

Here's the reality.

Are you ready for me?

Ready this morning?

Without the resurrection, the death of Christ doesn't have much meaning or significance.

The resurrection gives his death validation.

It was God's way of saying, I accept what he did for me, what he did for my people on the cross.

Now, going further in verses 38 and 39, Paul brings the full gospel, what he has shared, he brings it full circle.

And look what he says here.

He declares that forgiveness of sin and justification is available only through faith in Christ.

Look what he says there.

Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.

Everyone who believes is justified through him from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.

And that's the consistent teaching of the New Testament that forgiveness of sin and justification comes through Christ.

Look with me here on the screen, just a couple of verses to encourage you.

In Ephesians chapter one, an incredibly important chapter in God's Word.

Here's what we read: In Him, in Christ, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of His grace.

Every one of us in this room have sinned, and we fall short of the glory of God.

We fall short of the perfect standards of a holy and righteous God.

Every one of us needs forgiveness of sin, and that is available through faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone.

But going further, Paul says we're justified in him.

Look with me in Romans 5, verse 1.

Romans 5:1

The Bible says, Therefore, since we have been justified or declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Justification is a legal term used in the Greek language.

And here's how we can define it: justification is God's gracious and legal declaration that a sinner is righteous in his sight solely because of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is credited to the believer through faith alone.

Through faith in Christ, you and I are justified.

We're declared legally righteous by God.

Not because of anything we've done, but solely because of the righteousness of Christ that's been credited to our account.

And then in verse 40 and 41, Paul does something interesting.

He warns those in attendance against unbelief.

He warns them not to scoff and not to mock the good news of Christ.

We're going to talk more about that later.

Now I want you to think back, and I know we went through this really quickly, but I want you to notice carefully what Paul did in these verses.

He recounts the sinless life of Christ, the death of Christ, the burial of Christ, the resurrection of Christ.

That was the center of all Paul's teaching and ministry.

It was the simple gospel.

Look with me here on the screen from 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

Look what Paul writes to the church in Corinth.

He says, For I passed on to you as most important.

Think about that, as most important.

In other words, there's nothing more important than this.

And that was true 2,000 years ago, and it's true today.

There's nothing more important than this.

What I also received, look, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

Church family, listen, there is nothing more important than those simple gospel truths.

The sinless life of Christ, the substitutionary Death of Christ, the victorious resurrection of Christ, there's nothing more important than that truth.

And throughout all of Paul's ministry, he was faithful to recognize that those events have brought to completion God's plan of redemption.

Now, jumping into verses 42 through 52.

So Paul and Barnabas are in the synagogue, and God used this message, this simple message, this simple gospel message in such a powerful way that they begged Paul and Barnabas to come back next week.

Look what it says there in verse 42.

As they were leaving, the people urged them to speak about these matters the following Sabbath.

And so they come back the next week, verse 44.

Look what we read.

The following Sabbath, I love this.

Almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of the Lord.

Can you imagine that?

Over these seven days, word got out and people started inviting people.

Hey, you need to come to the synagogue.

You got to hear this message.

It's incredible.

Well, look what happens in verse 45.

But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what Paul was saying, insulting him.

The Jews didn't like this.

They didn't like that all of a sudden Paul and Barnabas are getting more attention than they are.

They didn't like that people are rallying around the gospel message.

And the same will be true for you and me.

As you and I continue to proclaim truth, there will be those who oppose it.

And they'll do so in some interesting ways.

Now notice what Paul says to them in verse 46.

He says, Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life.

Listen carefully to me this morning.

Eternal condemnation is the result of rejection and unbelief in the gospel.

If anyone spends an eternity in a place the Bible calls hell separated from God, it is solely because they chose to reject the good news of Jesus Christ.

In Ezekiel chapter 33, the Bible says this.

Ezekiel 33 · chapter mention

Paul says, You're unworthy of eternal life.

Why?

Because you have rejected the gospel.

Now look at verse 48.

In response to their rejection, Paul turns his attention to the Gentiles, and they rejoiced in the opportunity to find salvation in the person and finished work of Christ.

Look what we read here.

When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and honored the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believe.

The Jews responded to the gospel with blasphemy, with rejection, with unbelief.

The Gentiles responded with great joy and celebration.

Now, verse 48 highlights two of the most difficult biblical doctrines for our finite minds to balance.

It's the doctrine of God's sovereignty and salvation and the doctrine of human responsibility and salvation.

On the one hand, Paul makes it very clear of God's sovereign work in saving whom God wills to save.

He says, all those who had been appointed to eternal life.

But then on the other hand, he makes it clear of man's responsibility.

He says they believed.

So what are we to do with this?

This argument that appears to be contradictory.

Well, here's what I want to do real quick.

Scripture teaches that both doctrines are equally true.

So let's look first at our responsibility to believe.

Look with me on the screen.

From John 3 and verse 16, Jesus says, For God loved the world in this way.

He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.

So how do we have eternal life?

We believe.

John 6 47, Jesus says, Truly I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life.

John 8, 24, Jesus says, Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.

And so Jesus makes it clear that we have a responsibility to believe.

In Acts 16, verse 31, Paul and Silas, they've been jailed in Philippi.

Acts 16:31

We're going to see that in a couple of weeks.

Here's what they say to the jailer: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

In Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13.

Ephesians 1:13

I told you Ephesians 1 is one of the most important chapters in all of the New Testament, if not all of the Bible.

Look what we read here.

In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.

You were sealed with the Holy Spirit when you believed.

Now, in these verses, the word we translate believe is the Greek word pasteo.

And remember this.

Any other translation that came after that was an interpretation of the Greek.

The word pisteo in the Greek language means to trust in or to exercise faith in.

And in the mind of the Greek, the pisteo meant much more than an intellectual understanding.

James tells us that the demons believe.

The demons have an intellectual understanding that Jesus is God's one and only Son, that Jesus is the creator of all creation, that he died, that he rose from the dead.

The demons believe that.

But they've never exercised faith in Christ.

They've never placed their faith and trust in him for forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

Maybe you're here today and you're the same.

You believe intellectually in who Jesus is and what the Bible says.

But there's never been an occasion where you humbled yourself before the God of the universe to say, Lord Jesus, here's my life.

Take it.

Look with me to the next verse from Jesus in John chapter 5, verse 40.

John 5:40

He says to the Jewish leadership, but you were not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

That you would be willing to come to Jesus.

That you'd be willing to come to Jesus.

So we see man's responsibility in that we are called to believe, but let's also look at God's sovereign word.

In John 6, 47, Jesus says this no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

In John 6, verse 65, Jesus said, This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the Father.

John 6:65

And so Jesus makes it very clear that none of us, myself included, none of us can come to Christ unless God is doing something to draw us to himself.

Just like we saw with Sergius Paulus.

Let's keep going.

Back to Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Look what we read in verse 4.

For he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

Colossians 3, verse 12.

Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and dearly loved.

And then finally, from 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, a verse where we see both truths.

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

This is amazing.

It's remarkable here.

Look what we read.

But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, loved by the Lord, because from the beginning, God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit.

And watch this, through belief in the truth.

God has chosen you for salvation through belief in the truth.

I want to read to you a statement from J.I.

Packer.

If you're not familiar with J.I.

Packer, I would encourage you to read any book that he's ever written or listen to any sermon that he's ever preached.

God has used him phenomenal in a phenomenal way in the history of the church.

But in his book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J.I.

Packer makes this statement, and I quote: Scripture teaches us that as king, God orders and controls all things, human actions among them, in accordance with his own eternal purpose.

Scripture also teaches that as judge, he holds every man responsible for the choices he makes and the courses of action he pursues.

Thus, hearers of the gospel are responsible for their reaction.

If they reject the good news, they are guilty of unbelief.

Man without Christ is a guilty sinner, answerable to God for breaking his law.

That is why he needs the gospel.

When he hears the gospel, he is responsible for the decision that he makes about it.

It sets before him a choice between life and death, the most momentous choice that any man can ever face.

End quote.

So, the reality of this argument, are you ready for this?

Is that the finite mind of man is incapable of comprehending such marvelous and wonderful truth.

And it would be a gross display of arrogance on my part or anyone else's to argue that we have these truths figured out.

Because our meaning, our minimal, finite minds will never fully comprehend the infinite mind of a holy and righteous God.

So, what is our responsibility as we look at these two wonderful truths?

It's this we believe both truths because both truths are taught in Scripture.

So there's a quick introduction to perhaps the most contentious theological debate in 2,000 years of church history.

All right.

Now, look with me on the back of your bulletin.

There's four takeaways I want to leave you with this morning from Acts chapter 13.

Acts 13 · chapter mention

Four takeaways.

Are you ready?

Here's the first.

Through the power and authority of God's word, through the power and authority of God's word, the Holy Spirit brings spiritually dead sinners to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Verse 12, Sergius Paulus was astonished at the word of the Lord.

And how did he respond?

He responded in faith in Christ.

Okay?

Don't ever, don't, don't, don't, don't ever abandon God's word.

Number two, through his perfect life, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection, Jesus Christ has secured eternal salvation for all who believe in him.

There's the gospel message.

And that is the message of faith we proclaim.

All right, number three.

We should expect both encouragement and opposition when we faithfully share the gospel.

We should expect both encouragement and opposition when we faithfully share the gospel.

Sergius Paulus was an encouragement to Paul and Barnabas.

Those large numbers of Gentiles there in Antioch of Pisidia was an encouragement, but also there was opposition from Eliamas, and there was opposition from the Jews.

And so we should expect both as we faithfully share the gospel.

And then number four, here's the final takeaway this morning.

The gospel does not allow for a neutral response.

Every person either repents and believes in Jesus Christ, receiving forgiveness of sin and eternal life, or rejects him and remains under God's just condemnation.

Listen carefully to me.

You can't play Switzerland when it comes to the gospel.

And if you're unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, go back to your world history teacher and ask them, what does that mean?

You can't play neutral.

For every man, woman, and child.

We either respond in faith to the gospel or we reject it in unbelief.

But there is no neutral position.

And again, my humble prayer for each of you this morning is that you would come to Jesus if you haven't.

You would come to Jesus in faith and follow him as Lord and Savior.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, I want to thank you for your word.

I want to thank you that your word is living and powerful.

I want to thank you that your word transforms and changes lives.

And I want to thank you how faithful Paul and Barnabas and John Mark were to just simply share the good news of Christ.

To talk about your sinless life.

And Lord, I want to thank you how you work in hearts and minds to bring us to Jesus, how you soften our hearts, how you give us eyes to see and ears to hear, so that when truth is presented to us, we're ready to accept it.

And Heavenly Father, my humble prayer is very simple.

If there's any individual in this room that's never come to Jesus in faith, that today, this morning, they would cry out to you, acknowledging you as the Savior of the world, and surrender their life to you.

Thank you, Father God.

Be glorified, be magnified, be exalted in this place.

And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.