Hey, Jonathan and Mary here, just saying really glad to have you with us today. This is a big day, and we're thankful to have you.
In fact, speaking of being thankful, our Thanksgiving tradition includes having a service, a Thanksgiving Eve service for the Grace Foundation. We're going to have a family where we worship. There's an open mic—just, hey, what has God been doing in your life? We're going to be doing that at the Olmstead Falls campus. If you're not aware, we have three campuses: Middlebrook Heights, Olmstead Falls at 6941 Columbia Road, and then also a Lorain Correctional Campus. We'd love to have you join us.
There's going to be some activities for kids from birth through kindergarten, and then a movie for the first to fifth graders. So that's the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. We'd love to have you.
Grace hosts a number of concerts. The next one is coming up on Thursday, December 5th, the Christmas concert with Rebecca St. James. There's a 10% discount on tickets if you just tell them you're from Grace. If you want a free ticket, they're looking for volunteers. Check the online bulletin for all the details. That's on Thursday, December 5th.
That's just a couple of things happening. There are all kinds of things for kids, youth, and adults—ways to, we call them on-ramps, the different gatherings where you would be welcomed and find a place to grow.
Also, if you just scan the QR code on the armrest nearby, you'll find ways to get connected there, or stop by our welcome desk on the way out. If you're newer to Grace, they've got a gift bag for you.
Next Sunday, we're having, every couple of months, we do what's called Taste of Grace. If anybody's newer to Grace, it's 30 minutes after each service. It's in the fireside room right around the corner. I'll be there just to welcome people.
In 30 minutes, we'll say, what's the overview of Grace? How do you get connected? What might be next steps? And a chance to get to know some other people. So it's free, no need to RSVP. But if you can join us next week, we'd love to have you.
That's a true Southern, all y'all right there. Yeah.
Mary's from North Carolina.
56 people are getting baptized today. Yeah, they're really cool.
So what is baptism all about? We have, in the summer, if you're here on Thursday night, the front lot is filled with classic cars, like amazingly restored cars. And every one of those cars, most of them anyhow, were like, they were sort of maybe trash; they weren't in the condition they were supposed to be. Someone meticulously just invested in that to the point where we would say, that car has been restored. It looks brand new.
And it's really what Jesus Christ comes to do in us. When we invite him in and we say, "Jesus, I sort of made a mess of my life," or, you know, "I've not honored you, I've not honored all the people around me. I agree that, you know, we've all sinned, we've messed up, we've all fallen short of your standard. And Jesus, would you come into my life and forgive me and make me a new person? I want to follow you with all my heart."
When we do that, when we acknowledge him and surrender to him, he makes us new. In fact, let's read a verse together. This is from one of the New Testament passages here. Can we say this one aloud together? Ready?
"He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit."
Would you say "new birth and new life"?
New birth and new life. One more time.
New birth and new life.
That's what Jesus comes to do. It's the difference between two letters. Religion is all about what I do, trying to, like, if I can just earn my way and do enough good stuff, maybe God will accept me and I'll get into heaven. That's religion. It'll never work.
A relationship with Jesus is not what I do; it's what he's already done. It's not do, it's done. It's not religion, it's relationship and saying, "Jesus, I surrender to you. I'll never make it because of the righteous things or, you know, whatever that I do. It's because of your mercy. And you make me new. You take a, you know, a messed-up person and you create me to become the person you always intended for me to be. And you get a new start."
That's the wonder of what Jesus Christ has done. It's called the gospel, the good news. And each one of the people getting baptized today have taken that step and said, "Jesus, come into my life and make me new."
When they go under the water, it symbolizes I'm no longer doing life my way; coming up out of the water, I have a new life with Jesus. And it's the way that Jesus taught us. Grace Church didn't come up with baptism; it's all through the Bible, and that's why we do it.
So let's welcome Jesus. Let's welcome these people up. Would you guys come on up here right now? Really grateful for you.
They're all going to share a testimony, maybe five or ten minutes each. No, not really. We do give them an opportunity, and we say, if you would like, you know, to share your story, we can have several of you do that. I think we have maybe five this service.
And so we're going to, yeah, whoever's first, feel free to come on over here. We have five stories about how people came to Jesus.
All right. Whoever's first? You come on up here.
Yeah, thank you so much.
We have one more—is that it right there? I don't want to—how about you? No, I'm just—was there anybody else?
All right, hey, Robert? Is Robert? Oh, okay.
Oh, that's awesome.
Some of these stories may create something in you, like you say, "I don't really have a relationship with Jesus like that." You can, like, he can make you new. And feel free to be in touch, send us an email, call us, check out the website, just put "how to have a relationship with Christ."
We'll send you that TikTok reel as well. But really grateful. All of you have a story, or as my wife said, all y'all have a story. And we're just so glad for Jesus' work in your life.
So two questions for you. Have you each come to the place in your life where you've said, "Jesus, I can't do it on my own. I invite you to come into my life and forgive me and bring me into your family"? Have you taken that step?
And is it your desire that by the power of his spirit, living within you, that you'll follow him all the rest of your days?
Fantastic. We're cheering you on. May this be a day of just driving a stake in the ground. You go in public with Jesus, and he's honored by the step you're taking.
God bless you. We're going to sing our praise to the one who gave his life for you and for us. And can't wait just to rejoice with you as you step into the water.
All right. Would you cheer these folks out once again?
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Thank you for watching! What a friend we have in Jesus. Would you agree?
Wow. Just great to see him at work. That we have a Redeemer who came into our broken world, lived a perfect life, took my place and your place on the cross, died a cruel death, didn't stay dead, overcame death, ascended to heaven, and he made a promise that one day he's going to come again.
Anticipation. So how do we live in light of that day?
Sometimes people get a little bit nervous. They have questions. They're wondering, like, you know, what happens?
I'll be straight up with you. When I was a teenager, I was like, "Lord, am I going to be able to get married before you come again? Like, is that, you know, could that?" Some of you are wondering, like, "Will the Browns win a Super Bowl? Like, before—don't hold your breath on that one."
No, we'll see.
On a more serious note, you know, there are times that we just go, "Lord, there's someone that I dearly want to come to know you, to have a personal relationship with you. I want them to be in heaven with you and with me. And right now, that's not where they are."
Do you have someone like that in your life like I do? Someone's.
And we, you know, hear what Peter says when Peter writes to his friends and to us. And he says that we have a God who's not slow in keeping his promise. He's going to come again, but he's patient. He doesn't want anybody to end up in an eternity without him. And so he's waiting until people have a chance to hear.
We ask questions. Sometimes, you know, even practical, you know, some of them might go, "Well, if Jesus could come again tomorrow, then why save up for retirement? Like, what's the point? You know, I might as well just spend it all now or just not even."
Some people would go back then when, you know, the apostles were first writing, or today they'll say, "You know, I don't know why I would expend all kinds of energy in my workplace or in my studies because what's the point of that anyhow?"
The passage we're going to look at today briefly addresses these questions head-on. What about your daily assignment? What about the things that you're called to do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, et cetera?
Whatever it might be, the apostle Paul gives such timeless wisdom. In fact, he comes back to this topic of, should I work? What kind of work should I be doing? What's the quality of my work? He comes back to this three times in these two letters to the Thessalonians. So it was obviously a really, really hot topic.
And let me just say this: if you're in a place right now where you go, "Man, I don't know if I even like my job. I don't know if my job counts. Like, I just want to, you know, just Jesus to come again. And I do my Bible reading, but all the rest of it doesn't really."
I think if you hear what Paul says today, you're going to go, "Wow, I have God's approval when I do the assignment he's given me in a way that honors him." I think you're going to be encouraged.
Does it matter? It does.
So 1 Thessalonians 4 is where we're reading from as we dig into this topic.
Want to just say hi to our brothers at Lorraine Correctional. Really grateful for you. And we're praying for you this Thanksgiving season. And then friends who are engaging around Northeast Ohio and different states, countries. We love you too and grateful.
We have some, by the way, some resources. You can download the app. There are resources, other things available if you would like to do that.
I wanted to say too how grateful I am for the excellent messages by Pastors Josiah, Pastor Kareem in this series, and really grateful how God spoke to me during those messages as well.
So in Thessalonians, what we said was this, that theme anticipation that Paul comes back in every chapter to the promise that Jesus is going to come again. In fact, eight times in five chapters. He wants us to live today in light of the fact that Jesus could come tonight, tomorrow, at any time.
And so here's what we discover in chapter four. The believers were getting a number of things right, but Paul also has some straightforward advice for those who wonder if they should keep on working.
Here's what he says, verse nine. He says, "Now about your love for one another, we do not need to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God's family throughout Macedonia."
Let me just pause there and say they're getting the most important way to reflect Jesus; they're getting right. He says, "You love people well."
Can I just say as well, I want to join the apostle Paul. Thank you for being the kind of church family. I hear over and over again from people, and they say, "When I, you know, come into this place, I just, I feel something that's—I don't know, it just draws me in."
And I want to say to our brothers at Lorraine Correctional, when I join you guys, I feel the same thing. There's something about when people love well and value others. And Paul says, "You're doing great." That's, he says, "God himself taught you that, and the Holy Spirit pours out his love into our hearts."
And then he goes on and addresses this practical question about work. He says, "Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to love others more and more and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, mind your own business, and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life, listen to this, may win the respect of outsiders. And so that you will not be dependent on anyone."
Here's what was happening from what we can glean that Paul is writing. There were some people who were able to work who chose not to work and instead live off the generosity of, you know, parents or relatives or friends.
And maybe they were expecting Christ's return, and they just thought, "You know, I was going to read my Bible or just, you know, do whatever I wanted to do." Because if he could come, and instead of earning a living and being independent, even though they were able, they chose not to do so. And Paul hits that straight up.
And the summary is in the final verse there. He says, "Whatever your assignment is, I want you to be diligent in that for two reasons. First of all, you're going to win the respect of outsiders. You ought to be the kind of worker or whatever assignment you have that people look at you and they go, 'Man, you are—if we could clone someone here, you would be the one. Like, you're amazing in what you do and how you do it.'"
Secondly, he says, "So you won't be needlessly dependent on others." That's the aim he has for us.
The way that you and I work, what he's saying is this, that you and I can have a powerful testimony, not just by wearing like a t-shirt or some kind of hat or you got the bumper sticker or whatever it is, but more by the quality of the way that you live, that how you treat difficult people, how you treat people, how you treat people, how you treat people, how you treat people, how you treat people, how you treat people, how you treat people.
Do you show integrity when you've got a tough decision in your workplace? All kinds of things. You know, do you show up on time? Do you give it your all?
He says, "When you do that, you're reflecting Christ."
Two clarifications here, because I can hear questions that someone might ask. First of all, he's not saying that everybody's going to work for pay. You might be a student, stay-at-home parent, you might be retired, and you're volunteering in some capacity, and you're being productive in whatever assignment God has given you at this season of life. That counts. That counts.
It doesn't matter whether you get paid or not. What he's saying here is the way that you live in between Sundays, are you living in a way that honors Jesus?
Second, some of us face roadblocks. We have physical limitations. Some here are on disability. He's not trying to chastise you or say, you know, terrible kind of. He recognizes not everybody's able to work.
The point is this: if you're physically able, honor the Lord. If you're physically able, honor the Lord and bless others by being diligent in your assignments.
This must have been a recurring issue in the church because Paul comes back to it two more times. Let's turn over a page or two to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and see what he says here again.
Verse 12, he comes back to the topic. He says, "Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard and love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive. Encourage the disheartened. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong. But always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else."
A lot of encouragement there in one warning. Here's the encouragement. For starts, he says, "Honor those who work hard." That could be you.
Let's just make this personal. If you're the kind of person who's being responsible and diligent and you walk with integrity, whatever daily assignment you have, God sees that and he's honored by the way that you're reflecting him in your workplace.
If you're a student and you're whatever level of schooling and you're being diligent and doing your best, whatever your capacity is, that's honoring God.
Maybe you're the kind of person that other students are like, "You know what? I like that person. I feel valued by them. They're a good listener."
In a world where everyone else seems to be glued to their phone or whatever, that person takes time. If you're employed, your quality work, how you do your job, how you treat people is seen by Jesus.
Sometimes when I'm talking to someone in the community, they'll go, "Hey, are you part of Grace Church?" And I'm like, "Yeah, yeah." And they go, "I have someone in my workplace who goes there. Do you happen to know them?" And I'll go, "Oh, yeah, yeah."
Yeah, first, maybe I should say, "Look, well, what kind of worker are they?" I actually don't know them at all. But then I'd be lying as well. But when they go like, "Oh, they're amazing. Like, they are like such a great teammate. Like, wow."
I'm always like, "Lord, thank you. Thank you."
Making a difference in the way that you work, the quality of your work. If you're a parent or grandparent, investing in kids and providing a safe place for them to be nurtured and to grow, God sees that and he's honored. And you're having a bigger impact than you know.
Maybe you're volunteering in some way and you're saying, "I'm just trying to do my best with this season of life." Instead of watching, you know, Jeopardy reruns 24 hours a day or whatever else, you know, that play, you know, two rounds of golf every day of the week. You're saying, "Nothing wrong with those."
But to say, "I'm gonna make an impact with my life."
Let me give you a couple of examples. I was out at Lorraine Correctional with you guys. And one of the guys is getting baptized. And I asked him a story. He goes, "Well, I was going to this character class taught by a guy, one of my friends at Grace, Bill."
And he said, "And Bill is teaching this class and he invited me to service, you know, worship service. And I really liked Bill. And I thought, if Bill says it's good, I'm gonna go with Bill."
So he said, he came and I've given my life to Christ. And he said, "Now these other two guys here, I invited them to come along with me. And now we're all growing together."
And I just thought, "God, thank you for the stories you're writing." And it started because Bill was willing to say, "In my retirement, I'm gonna invest my time."
Another one, our widows of worth at Grace, you might not be aware if you're not in that season of life, that there will be upwards of 75 widows who gather for luncheons here at Grace. They've got classes, they walk with each other, they encourage each other.
One of the widows told me, I saw her in a group, and she goes, "You will never know the difference that this has made in my life. The emptiness that I felt and the like questioning and equilibrium was so thrown off. And these women who have gathered around me, how did that happen?"
Because there were some widows who said, "You know what? What does God want to do in our lives and through us?" And they're making a huge impact.
Friends, no matter what it is, whether you do it for pay or without pay, here's what Paul says. If you're doing it well, if someone else is doing it well, he says, "Hold them in the highest regard."
He's not talking about the way that they comment in Bible study or the way that they, you know, whatever else, religious kind of things. Again, those aren't bad, but he's saying, "For the work that they do, your work, whatever assignment you have matters."
Now, we could ask, do we always get it right? No. Have I always gotten it right? No. We fall short, right?
You might be in a place right now where you hear this and you go, "I could not be held in highest regard because I'm not giving my best right now."
If I'm being honest, I'm not giving my best.
First thing is just own it. Just go, "That's confession time. I'm not giving my best in whatever kind of season of life I'm in."
And then what change could you make with Jesus living inside of you to go, "Wow, this matters to God. If he's coming again tomorrow, how I work today really matters."
What would it take for you to be in a place where you say, "Others could hold me in the highest regard?"
There's one warning in this passage, and here's what it is, verse 14. Paul says, "Warn those who are idle."
In other words, if someone isn't making their life count in some way, if they're not giving the effort that Jesus would call them to, he says, "Warn them. Encourage them to get back on track."
Paul comes to this theme one more time, the importance of our vocation. Let's turn over to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, the next letter.
It must have been like he needs to remind them again that there are people who are living off the generosity, you know, living in their parents' basement or whatever it was, friends.
And here's what he says in verse 10 of 2 Thessalonians 3. He says, "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule. The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat."
You don't do your chores, you don't get donuts, right?
In the New Living Translation here, we hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; instead, they're busy bodies.
Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ. "Settle down, earn the food they eat, and as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good."
Here's his point. Laziness does not honor God.
Just being a person who just goes, "Well, if Jesus is coming again, it doesn't really matter what I do. As long as I'm sort of, you know, reading my Bible and doing all."
And he would say, "No. Be responsible. Give your best effort. God sees that. That's honorable."
And if there are those around you who are not able to do that, and they're in a place where they have some limitations, he's saying, "Then never tire," he says in that last verse, "of doing what is good. Be generous."
Let me just say it again. Whatever kind of assignment you have tomorrow, the next day, the next day, whether you get paid or not, whether you're leading a company or teaching a class, making deliveries, taking care of kids, volunteering, what you do matters to God.
How you do it matters to God. And it can make a statement to those who are outside the faith looking in, and it also allows you in some sense of your, you know, if you're saying, "I'm in a season of life where I need to work to earn my keep," that honors God.
In fact, Colossians 3, Paul adds another line. He goes, "Whatever you do, whatever kind of job, whatever kind of task," he says, "you're not ultimately doing it for some human being that you can see, a supervisor, a person on the org chart."
He says, "The person at the top of the org chart is always whom? Whatever you do, do with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for people. It's the Lord Christ you're serving."
He says, "What you do and how you do it can actually be a gift of worship."
Let me address one other question that comes up, especially in light of this passage when Paul talks about that you should sort of earn your own way. Like you should not be dependent on others if you're physically able to work.
One person asked the question this way, and I've heard it numerous times. They said, "As a follower of Jesus, how should I plan for my retirement? I mean, I want to be generous now, but I also want to be responsible for my future. What advice would you give?"
I would say, "Great question." Like you want to honor Jesus for today. And if he doesn't come back for a while, what does it look like for me to be prepared for my future?
The person who asked the question is right. It's not one or the other. Either I prepare for my retirement or I'm generous.
The fact is that God can do with my, you know, with 90% or whatever amount that I say, "Lord, I think this is what I need." He can do more as I give generously to him than if I didn't give at all.
God loves to meet your needs when you're generous. That's just a scriptural principle.
Mary and I say, "God, we want to make an impact for others in need, people who need to hear about you." And God just shows us over and over again that he's able.
But we also plan for retirement. There's something that Paul is saying here, I think by extension in other verses, we can say that's good.
Second Corinthians chapter 12, here's what we read. "Children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children."
In other words, those of you my age, your kids should not be your primary retirement plan, right?
I remember my parents one time asking us to write a note to my grandparents for their 50th anniversary. And I found this verse in Proverbs 13. I was like 13 years old, and I thought this would be perfect for them.
And it says this, "A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children."
And I was like, "That's amazing. Oma and Opa would love that."
And for some reason, my mom and dad were like, "Let's come up with a different verse there. That one's not going to work."
Now, does it mean what the Proverbs says here, you have to leave some kind of huge inheritance for your kids? No, no. What he's saying is that, but you should try to live in a way that if you can, you can save up for your own future and your kids aren't going to need to care for our kids plus for mom and dad.
And sometimes giving a huge inheritance is actually unwise. A lot of wealthy people have found that leaving gobs of money is not always the best thing for their kids.
But the point is this: what's the responsible action to take when planning for those we love?
What can we say from Paul's words here, that when he says, "Don't be dependent on others," like if you can, let's say just a couple of things here.
If you're a parent of young children, prayerfully decide who's going to be the guardian of your children if your life suddenly unexpectedly came to an end.
Mary and I had to work with that, my siblings, you know, sometimes we were saying, "We'll care for your kids, you care for ours."
But don't leave that up to somebody else.
Make up a financial plan that cares for your family if you die. Don't let that get clogged up in probate because you say, "Well, that's probably 30 years down the road."
If you have dependents, consider some kind of life insurance.
Mary and I, we had to say, "Okay, when our kids are going to die, we're going to have to pay for it."
When our kids were younger, it's different now. But when our kids were in the home, we said, "What would it look like if we were on a plane together, went down, that our kids would be okay?"
Like, that's a good thing to say we're providing for them.
And even if you don't have family members that you're responsible for, you say, "What does it look like to care for my own future?"
Someone might say, "Well, exactly how much should I save?"
Well, that—there's not like one right answer, right? There's a lot of variables involved with health situations and all the rest.
But talk to someone who's going to care for you. And if you're going to care for someone you trust, you have someone in your family, someone who honors God, someone you see here at Grace Church, and you're like, "I would wonder," that's what Mary and I, where we started, and said, "We really like how they've done it."
Or talk to a trained financial counselor. We have several at Grace. If you want to shoot us an email, we'll get you their names and contact info.
There's also a free financial course, True Financial Freedom, and that's available to anyone at Grace. I think so far we have 450 people have taken that in the last three months.
And you can go online. And you can take it online, a six-part course. It's excellent.
There's also Job Seekers Network. If you say, "I'm looking for a job or I'm underemployed," that's a great place for you to connect with others here at Grace and see your notes for details on both of those.
Here's Paul's point, 1 and 2 Thessalonians. He's saying, if you're physically able, it honors the Lord when you earn a living. Pay your own way. That's a good thing.
And if you have an aging parent or grandparent, you might go, "Well, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to save up for them. They're supposed to save up for me."
But sometimes we outlive our assets, right?
And here's what Paul writes, 1 Timothy chapter 5. He says, "Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her." That is the church.
"But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them."
I hope my kids are tuning in right now.
You see that right there? This is something that what? Pleases God.
Friends, if you have a lot more of us, parents, grandparents are living longer and longer, right?
If you are caring for someone by visiting them, emotional support, physical support, financial support, you are honoring Jesus.
Like that just, that brings him joy.
Let's come back to this question. Would your choices change today if you knew that Jesus might come tomorrow?
Specifically, if Jesus maybe would come tomorrow, what about saving for retirement? What about the kind of job you do? What about your assignment that you have in life?
Here's what Paul would say. He flips the script. He says, instead of going, "Well, if he might come tomorrow, I better quit my job and take a trip to Hawaii."
Or "I'm going to not save." Paul says, "No, no, on the contrary. Do your best. Be faithful. Love others well."
All of this honors the Lord. And it's the best way to be ready for his coming.
Let me close with a story here. Author Jim Winship tells how he was fighting rush hour traffic one morning in Washington, D.C. If you've been to the Beltline of Washington, D.C., you know that it's crazy.
There's often like perpetual road construction and commuter delays. Probably better to stop outside the city and take the metro in.
But Jim needed to drive in. And here's what he writes about an experience he had one morning.
He says, "During one such frustrating commute into Washington, D.C., I observed a traffic flagman almost dancing as he performed his job. Seemingly oblivious to the July sun, the car horns, and angry gestures from impatient commuters, the man swung his orange flag in wide, graceful arcs and called out friendly greetings."
He said, "I'm going to go to the Beltline. I'm going to go to the Beltline. I'm going to go to the Beltline."
I rolled down my window and asked him how he could be so enthusiastic, considering the heat and hostility that surrounded him.
He shouted back, "I'm happy because I'm working for the man. I'm a flagman for Jesus Christ."
He got it, right? The guy got it.
Here's the question today. Who are you working for? Who are you living for?
Whatever assignment you have tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday, whether for pay or not, student, parent, engineer, volunteer, whatever, who are you ultimately working for?
And are any adjustments needed? Is there something that you say for others to honor me and to hold me in high regard? I've got to make a change.
You know the wonder of the gospel is that God is so forgiving and gracious, and he fills us with his spirit to be the kind of people he wants us to be.
Let's trust him together. Would you pray with me?
Lord Jesus, thank you, thank you for the gift of work. It's not part of the curse. It's part of your good plan for us.
And so Lord Jesus, would you help us to see our daily tasks, whether big or small, as opportunities to serve you, to reflect you to the people around us.
Lord, give us strength and wisdom to live with integrity, to work with diligence, and to express joy. We can say, "I'm a flagman for Jesus." Whatever I do is for Jesus.
So Lord, help us to be a light to those around us. Would you encourage those here that maybe are struggling, that want a different kind of position, they don't like their current season of life, that in the meantime, they would do with all their heart.
And Lord, if you want to open up new doors, that you would do that.
Lord, for those who are faithfully living out their call, give them joy in their work. Help them to sense your approval.
And thank you that one day when we see you face to face with Jesus, you're gonna keep all of your pride, promises, and you'll reward us for every good thing that we've done.
And so here we are. Would you fill us with your Holy Spirit and make us the kind of people that when you come again, we'll be ready. We'll be ready in that moment.
For the glory of your name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
We have a God who didn't only die for us; he wants to live within us. And that's what this song is about. Let's make it our prayer.
Let's stand together as the team leads us.
As you go about whatever assignment you have this week, whether for a paycheck or not, whatever you do, my prayers from the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3, may you know how wide and how long and how high and how deep is God's love for you. A love that's beyond our ability to comprehend.
May you live as a dearly loved person by your heavenly Father. Amen.
Because he'll always be with you and he'll never leave you.
In his son's name, we all said, Amen.
God bless you, Grace Church family. Love you. Have a great week.
God bless you.
God bless you.
God bless you.
God bless you.
God bless you.
God bless you.
God bless you.
God bless you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
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on Nov 17, 2024
