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Outline for New Soul-winners Gen. James Green T HE NEXT BEST THING to personal salvation is seeing others receive Christ. I have always tried to keep my love for Christ, and for the lost, BURNING. In this outline, which is comprehensive, with more than enough suggestions for several full sermons for ministers, I present to the new soul-winner some explanations, amplifications, applications and illustrations. Many of them have sub-points. The following outlines are not intended as perfect models, but merely suggestions to be used when presenting the Gospel in open air, or in church etc. Of course, I personally believe and trust in the Holy Spirit’s power to help deliver the Gospel. Receiving the baptism with (or in) the Holy Spirit should be desired (write for our two magazines explaining this). The apostle Paul (formerly Saul) tells us that the Christians at Ephesus “In whom ye also trusted (in Christ) after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13, KJV). That Greek word “trusted” προελπίζω, proelpizo (Strong’s G4276), means “to hope in advance of other confirmation.” Gentile believers were not prepared by generations of “hope” for the coming Messiah; nevertheless, thru hearing the Gospel they have come to put their faith in Him and have been “sealed” for God’s possession by the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost), which is the token of their participation in the fulness of the divine blessing. Let me note here that there are two ways one can interpret this text. In the Greek, there are two relative clauses, both introduced by ἐν —“in whom.” In the King James Version (KJV), these are taken as parallel, and the verb “trusted” is supplied with the first; in The Revised Standard Version (RSV) the second is taken to be resumpton and is simply omitted in translation. Greek scholars point out that it seems preferable to take them as parallel, but in the case the verb of the first clause should be supplied from v. 11, to read: “In Him you too were made God’s portion, through hearing the Word of Truth.” So, the Gentiles are now admitted to the same high and holy privilege as the Jews; the instrument of their admission is THE GOSPEL of our LORD JESUS CHRIST! So much for our first Greek lesson! I’ll get back to Eph. 1:13 later. Believing in Jesus “FOR GOD so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). I. Believing in Jesus is Looking to Jesus (Jn. 3:14) LET’S START here: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake (serpent) in the desert (wilderness), so the Son of man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life” (The words “serpent” and “wilderness” come from the KJV, v. 14 is taken from the New International Version—NIV). The Bible uses symbols or things taken from the everyday lives of the Hebrews/Jews/Gentiles. Our text (v. 14) comes from Numbers 21:8, 9 in the Old Testament: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” Verse 15 is a continuation of v. 14: “that everyone who believes in (or on) Him may have eternal life.” When the Israelites sinned against their God, He sent “fiery (burning) serpents among the people, and they bit the people…” (Num. 21:6). This caused the people to seek salvation from the LORD: “…make a fiery serpent (of bronze), and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live” (v. 8). This, of course, was a picture of Jesus (that was to come) raised upon the Cross for the REDEMPTION/SALVATION of those looking/believing upon Him. This is our first lesson: God’s remedy for the serpent bite (as a side note: 2 Kings 18:4 tells us that the worship of the brazen serpent was extant in the days of king Hezekiah. This story is probably told in order to reinforce the prophetic teaching that wanted to get rid of such object of superstition, and to convince the people that it is God/Yahweh Himself, not a “magical” object, that cures (see also 1 Cor. 10:9; Jn. 3:14). Numbers 21:4-9 can help us understand why Christ spoke Jn. 3:14, 15. First Peter uses similar words (illustrations), “By His wounds you have been healed.” His death on the Cross, FOR OUR SINS!, provided sinful humankind with eternal salvation; His wounds (by whipping etc.) provided healing for our bodies after we become Christians. II. Believing in Jesus is Coming to Jesus “ALL THAT the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (Jn. 6:37). “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt. 11:28-30). Jesus promised in John 6:37 that ALL (who come to Him in repentance and faith) will be received. The NIV reads: “…and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away.” Those who come to the Savior in response to the grace given them by the Father, will be received. Romans 5:21 reads: “So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (NIV). Our salvation comes as a gift, not by working for it. But, it can only be appropriated by the human response of faith. Be careful of the teaching that “regeneration” is required before “saving faith.” Some Calvinists teach that the unregenerate (lost) are incapable of even the first move toward God because they are WHOLLY and TOTALLY depraved. While it is true that ALL men are dead in sin (see Eph. 2:1, 2 and Col. 2:13), this does not mean that the lost cannot believe upon Him (in Him) before regeneration (I have a trilogy on this issue already—free). You’ll find the two words “synergism” and “monergism.” The first being that God the Father decreed salvation, the Son of God died to obtain our redemption, and the Holy Spirit exercises His divine power in bringing conviction and enlightenment… therefore, the lost MUST, by faith, cooperate in his/her very own salvation by believing. Some disagree that man’s part is necessary—he or she is too depraved to say: “Jesus save me!” Over against this, we have the latter—“monergism”—the belief that God’s all-sufficiency (His grace) and power are able to save without the aid of the lost. Don’t believe the latter! We MUST believe before we receive (see our trilogy for expository outlines concerning ‘Can a saved man lose his salvation?,’ or ‘Once saved, always saved?,’ plus the subjects of “saving faith” and “grace” :
“Saving Faith”: a) FAITH MEANS firmly believing and trusting in the crucified/risen Lord as our personal Lord/Savior; b) Faith involves repentance. We MUST confess and repent of our sins before we can be saved; c) Faith includes obedience to Christ and His Word as a way—THE ONLY WAY—of life; d) Faith includes a faithful and sincere devotion of love, trust, and gratitude; e) Faith in Jesus is both the Act of a single moment, and CONTINUING in His Word for a lifetime.
“Grace” : a) GOD GIVES a measure of grace so as we may believe in or upon Him; b) He gives grace to believers to be SET FREE FROM SIN, to will or our wills to His will, to pray, to witness, and to grow etc., c) His grace must be desired and sought for; never let your fire go out…desire the fire of His love; d) His grace CAN be resisted (see Heb. 12:15), received in vain (see 2 Cor. 6:1), put out (see 1 Thes. 5:19), set or cast aside (see Gal. 2:21) and abandoned by the believer (see Gal. 5:4)…hence, lose our salvation!! In Matthew 11:28-30 we find Jesus’ invitation comes to ALL “who are weary and burdened” (NIV). By coming to Jesus, becoming His servants/disciples, and obeying His Word, He will free any and all from their insurmountable burdens and give rest. This is really appealing to those who are tired of sin. Not only will He forgive us our trespasses, but He will justify and sanctify us—all this is done by and through “grace.”
III. Believing in Jesus is Calling on Jesus “FOR WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Let’s go back to v. 12: “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek (Gentile): for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.” The irrelevance of man-made distinctions is erased by grace. The Jews and Greeks were divided racially, culturally, and religiously. THIS MADE NO DIFFERENCE TO JESUS—HIS LOVE REACHED OUT TO ALL WHO CALLED UPON HIS NAME FOR SALVATION. The Jews loathed the Gentiles (and still do!). This heritage, characteristic of their exclusiveness, protested against what Jesus did by and through His sacrifice (death). This is WHY we must not teach or preach exclusiveness. By this I mean that God has NO favorites. But still, there are the “Children of God,” and the “children of wrath,” or of “disobedience” (see Eph. 2:2, 3); but racially there is NO distinction. Quotations in vss. 11 and 13 are from Isa. 18:16 and Joel 2:32. Remember, it is “grace, not race”! Romans 10:13 echoes Peter’s sermon preached on the day of Pentecost found in Acts: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Peter goes on to preach: “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (or Spirit)” (Acts 2:38). Peter makes it known that besides the Jews, the Gentiles are included too: “For the promise is unto you (Jews), and your children, and to all that are afar off (Gentiles), even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (v. 39). Repentance is the sinner’s part; forgiveness is the Lord’s part (see our other articles explaining Peter’s words here, especially our two magazines on the “Baptism in the Holy Ghost/Spirit”). The words “to all that are afar off” can refer to subsequent Jewish generations, and also those Gentiles who were far from the Kingdom of God. IN PETER’S SERMONS, IN THEIR PRESENT SETTINGS, THE WORDS SUGGEST: a) universality in scope; b) effectiveness for those who are aware of their need; c) those who do something about their “lostness” by repenting of their sins and receiving God’s free gift. IV. Believing in Jesus is Receiving Jesus “BUT AS MANY as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (Jn. 1:12). Received…Believed. This verse depicts clearly how “saving faith” is both the act of a single repentance, and an attitude of a life: 1) to become a Christian (child of God), one must “receive” Christ. (Greek elabon, is from lambano). The past tense in 1:12 denotes a definite act of faith. 2) Following the act of faith, there must be a CONTINUAL ACTION of believing. This is where the heretical teaching: “once in grace, always in grace,” or “once saved, always saved” comes into play. They try to tell us that ONCE you repent, there is no need to repent again…you can live like the devil and still go to Heaven (see our teachings refuting this POPULAR LIE!). Note, the verb “believe” (Greek pisteuousin, from pisteuo) is a present active participle, indicating the need of PERSEVERANCE in believing. In order for a sinner to be finally saved or completely saved (that is keeping his/her faith active in Christ), true Biblical faith must CONTINUE on after the initial act of confessing and repenting and accepting Christ as Lord and Savior (see Mt. 10:22; 24:12, 13; Col. 1:21-23; Heb. 3:6, 12-15). When the lost sinner comes to Jesus for salvation and receives Him, he/she is “born again,” becoming a child of God, as John 3:1-21 tells us.
To Believe: IT IS IMPORTANT to note that the disciple/apostle John never uses the noun “belief” (Greek pistis); he always uses the verb “believe” (pisteuo) 98 times. Is the Word trying to tell us something? Yes! “Saving faith” is an ongoing ACT—something the new born Christian does. True “Biblical faith” is not a dead static belief and trust in Jesus, but an active redeeming work, and a loving, self-abandoning commitment that CONSTANTLY draws us near to Him as our Savior, Lord, and Healer etc. Jn. 1:13 tells us that accepting Christ as Savior/Lord we “were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” You see, God was under no constraint to offer us salvation—he could have left us in damnation. But because He is LOVE, that love had compassion upon us lost souls. The Word declares that while we were yet SINNERS, Christ died for us. This must be told to the lost souls.
V. Believing in Jesus is Confessing Jesus “WHOSOEVER THEREFORE shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven” (Mt. 10:32, 33). To “confess” (Greek horologer) Christ means to acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord of one’s life—not just “Savior,” but also “Lord” (Master). Romans 10:9 states: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” The essentials of salvation are summarized in this verse. They center on belief in the Lordship of Christ and His bodily resurrection. Faith must be in the heart, which includes one’s emotions, intellect, and will. Faith must also involve committing oneself to Jesus as Lord, both in word and deed. Too many today “talk the talk,” but do not “walk the walk.” The earliest creed /confession in the New Testament Ekklesia was that of “Jesus is Lord” (see Acts 8:16; 19:5; 1 Cor. 12:3). Jesus is specifically called “Savior” 16 times in the New Testament and “Lord” more than 450 times: 1) The current teaching in some evangelical circles is that Jesus can be one’s “Savior” without necessarily being one’s “Lord.” This idea is absent in the New Testament; yes, Jesus SAVES, but He must be Lord of our life. Sadly, too many believers merely use Jesus as a type of fire insurance—being saved from eternal Hellfire! 2) “Lord” (Greek kyrios) means having power, dominion, and authority…and the right to master. This is going too far for most church folks of today. They don’t mind Jesus as Savior, baptizer, and even healer, but NOT Lord! Proclaiming Jesus as Lord, is to declare Him to be equal with His Father. Both the Father and the Son have part in one’s salvation, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (v. 13, see also Jn. 20:28; Acts 2:36; Heb. 1:10). Both the Father and Son are worthy of power (Rev. 5:12), worship (Phil. 2:10, 11), trust (Heb. 2:13), obedience (Heb. 5:9), and prayer (Acts 7:59, 60; 2 Cor. 12:8). 3) When the early disciples/converts called Jesus “Lord,” this was not just an outward profession (like we here today in Churchianity!), but an inward, sincere attitude of the heart (see 1 Peter 3:15) by which they made Christ Jesus and His Word Lord over ALL of life (see Lk. 6:46-49; Jn. 15:14). I find it ironic that most church folks today use the name “Lord,” yet they, not the Lord, are master. Very rare is the one who has Jesus Christ as the Lord first and foremost. Summary IT TAKES ONLY a prayer to begin believing and to receive salvation, but this believing must always be in the present. We must keep on believing until ALL areas of life come under the Lordship of Christ. As Ephesians 4:13 states: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (Gk=mature) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” We’ve been “saved to serve”…to grow in grace, advancing toward spiritual maturity…walking in righteousness and holiness (1 Cor. 4:24). We started out with John 3:14, 15, let me complete this outline with the rest of Eph. 1 (we looked at v. 13). Salvation and its cognates, as Paul used it, sometimes refers to preservation from divine judgment, which is called “the wrath of God” (we have 2 magazines on this vital subject—free), “the wrath to come,” or just “the wrath;” sometimes to the consummation of Christ’s work in us by translation from our present state of weakness into a glorious condition resembling His own (see Rom. 5:9, 10; Phil. 3:20, 21). In Eph. 1:13, however, the word has no eschatological connotation; it simply means the totality of the divine blessing offered in the Gospel. Verse 13 uses the phrase: “the Gospel of your salvation;” in Acts 20:24 we find: “Gospel of the grace of God;” in 2 Cor. 4:4 we read: “the Gospel of the glory of Christ;” finally, in 1 Thes. 2:9 we read: “the Gospel of God.” The “sealing” (v. 14) reflects the oriental custom of marking upon the skin of a devotee the symbol of his/her god as a token of consecration. For the Jew, circumcision was the seal of consecration to the ONE living and true God. From this Jewish usage, the term passed over into Christianity as baptism, which left no visible mark. No doubt Paul had baptism in mind—not mere water baptism, but being made (or baptized) a member of the Ekklesia (universal body of Christ, see 2 Cor. 1:21, 22). Paul outlines 4 things for us: 1) THE HOLY SPIRIT establishes the believer and helps him/her persevere in his/her life of faith (see 1 Pet. 1:5); 2) The Holy Spirit anoints the believer in order to endue him/her with power to witness (Acts 1:8), to perform the works of Christ (Isa. 61:1; Mt. 10:19, 20; Jn. 14:12; Acts 10:38), and to know the truth (1 Jn. 2:20); 3) The Holy Spirit is the official seal of the LORD’s ownership, marking and making the new believer as His own property. After initial salvation confession, we’re to allow the Holy Spirit to produce godly fruit in us (see Gal. 5:22, 23). As 2 Cor. 3:18 says we “are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the (Holy) Spirit of the Lord.” This transformation is progressive and partial; 4) The Holy Spirit is an indwelling “earnest” (i.e., a guarantee and a first installment to the new convert that a greater life with the Lord will come in the future (see 2 Cor. 5:5; Rom. 8:23; Eph. 1:13, 14). These last 2 verses repeat to us again: the Holy Spirit is the “earnest” or deposit of our inheritance, i.e., a first installment or down payment. His presence and work in the convert/Christian’s life is a pledge of our future (full) inheritance (see Rom. 8:23 = “And not only they, but ourselves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” We all, at times, groan for our COMPLETE redemption and the FULLNESS of the Holy Spirit that will be bestowed at the resurrection. Amen. Acts of the Spirit #592 Gen. Deborah Green P RAISE GOD. Welcome to the Acts of the Spirit radio broadcast. What a beautiful, blessed thing it is to be able to continually look to our God, to believe in Him, and know that He’s able. Because if it is the Lord that we look unto in faith, and in hope, and in confidence, it is the Lord who will uplift us and bring us forth, and it is the Lord who will direct us in the truth that He does provide, and we will be strengthened by Him. Now, I want to read today out of Luke chapter 18, and I’m reading from the Amplified version, beginning in verse 9 it says: “He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men: Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” Now, when He’s starting out to tell this parable, He’s doing it to bring attention to the fact that the Jews at that time were permeated with self-righteous pride. And you know that we need be careful as Christian believers, as Christian followers that we don’t settle into self-righteous pride because self-righteousness will only let us see that we are right and everyone else is wrong. And self-righteousness will cause us to see ourselves as something that we are not. It says: “He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous.” So, we see that Jesus is telling them this story that perhaps they would see themselves and repent. You know, the Lord desires that we, when we receive the truth, would be repentant where we have failed Him, where we have sinned, assumptive as to our own capabilities, where we have been self-righteous in pride—because the Lord desires that the truth would set us free from those encumbering spirits. But you know, a lot of times people will cling to pride, and cling to self-righteousness because those things exalt self. And if we are lovers of self more than lovers of God, we will love those things that make us seem to be more important and better than everyone else. But, God does not want us to be in that frame of mind, that attitude, but He wants us to be humble and ever subject unto Him. Going on, it says: “[that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men: Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers—or even like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain.” But it says, going on: “But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!” So we see that both of these men went up into the temple—the one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. Now it says of the Pharisee that he: “took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself…” Now, I love the way that’s put in the Amplified version: that basically this guy enters there into the temple in pride, in self-righteousness, and in assurance that he is in right-standing with God. He is not coming in the presence with God, or that is, in the temple, in a frame of mind of humility and subjectivity, but he’s coming in a frame of mind of declaring how great he is. He is not coming to be subject to the greatness of God, to receive the mercy of God because he is needy, but HE IS COMING IN A WAY THAT IS LETTING GOD KNOW THAT HE’S BETTER THAN ALL THE REST, that he’s done those things that make him of a more important stand, that he is indeed well able. He’s coming in an attitude of arrogance towards everyone else and thinking that God—even God, must bow to him because of his great capabilities and his religious works. You know, it is one thing to be willing to labor for God, it is another thing to consider ourselves superior because God has made use of us. If God makes use of us, let us ever remember that it is only His mercy, His goodness, His life, His light that causes Him to look upon us. It is not because we are great and grand and glorious and wondrous as we can grow to assume that we are. Oh, let us be ever mindful that religious pride, that self-righteousness and hypocrisy are ever present to grab hold of us if we think we are better than the rest. Let us ever remember that we are meant to be humble and subject to our God, willing to obey the way that He does provide. It says, going on, about the way that they entered the temple—that the one was not only ostentatious, but it says he: “began to pray thus before and with himself…” We see that really his God was himself—it was not the God of Heaven. And even though he had entered into the temple, he had not entered into the place of subjectivity and humility before the Lord. But, he was still looking to keep up his religious profile that God would recognize him as the greatest of all. He was still simply bowing to himself, bowing to his own pride and arrogance, bowing to his opinion that he was so great. And whilst he was doing that, he was thanking God that he was not like the rest of men. In other words, he was not seeing the error of his way; he was not seeing his pride; he was not seeing his self-righteousness in any form. But instead, he was letting God know that he was better than every other man, that he was above all of them, that he intended that God would recognize him. You know, we do not gain the recognition of God through pride and arrogance and self-righteousness, but we gain the recognition of God by humility. There are many of you that are listening even now, you are stuck in a rut because you have allowed self-righteousness and pride to come in, to take over and cause you to imagine you are better than you are. AND INSTEAD OF BEING SUBJECT UNTO GOD, YOU ARE SUBJECT TO YOUR OWN PROUD OPINION OF HOW GREAT YOU ARE. This is a day that God is pointing out that error that we would repent, that we would seek to be truly in right-standing before our God. Because as you read this parable, you find out that it was the one who was humble, the one who was seeing his own mistakes and his own failures, the one who was willing to admit the same, he was the one who was acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. Oh, what a blessed thing it is if we will be able to look upon ourselves and see that we have not yet arrived. Oh, what a wonderful thing it is to repent before our God when we have failed Him, when we have seen that we are not everything that we wish that we were. BUT IF WE LOCK UP IN PRIDE AND DEMAND OF GOD THAT HE SEES OUR GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS, THAT HE SEES OUR GREAT HUMILITY, THAT HE SEES OUR GREAT ESTATE, WE ARE LITERALLY IN A PLACE OF SELF-DECEPTION BECAUSE WE ARE NOT MEANT TO BE POINTING OUT TO GOD HOW GREAT WE ARE, BUT WE ARE MEANT TO BE SUBJECT UNTO HIM AND REALIZING HOW GREAT HE IS. Because none of us, of our own accord, is able to complete the course and be satisfying unto the Lord, because it is the Lord who will make and mold each and every one of us as we stay subject unto Him. And oftentimes the Lord will show us where we are indeed weak, where we are indeed a failure, that we will cry out for His mercy. And the Lord will indeed show us where we are not walking in that which He has intended, that we would cry out for His help to guide us in that way. But, when we are blinded by our own importance, by our own self-righteousness, by our pride, we think that we are superior to every other one, and we think that God must pay special heed unto us because we are so great in our own eyes. But indeed, that is an abhorrence unto God, an abomination, and we should not walk in the same. But, we should ever be willing to cry out unto our God because it is Him that we need. Humility Prayer: FATHER, we come before you, even now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, the one who has redeemed our souls. We thank you that it is you who is freeing us even now as we renounce the works of pride and arrogance, the works of conceit, the works that make us think that we are superior before thee. Dear God, we renounce every demon of pride that is lodged in our minds, lodged in our hearts. We renounce the demons of superiority, commanding those things to leave. We renounce every spirit of self-righteousness, and arrogance, and hatred for our brother. Dear God, it is you that we need to please and follow after, it is you that we seek to obey, it is you who does give us your truth. It is you who is indeed the life, the light provided and intended for your own. It is you that we will be looking unto in faith, and in hope, and in confidence because it is you who will uplift us and direct us always. It is you who will give us all that we have need of as we stay subject unto you. Dear God, we thank you, even this day that we can come before you and confess our sins, confess our faults, confess our failures. We thank you dear God that we can be subject to the way that you intend us to walk in and directed always. We thank you dear God that we can be partakers of that which you’ve intended, that which you do provide and give unto us. Because it is you dear God who is mercy and truth, life and light, and the way of glory intended. It is you dear God that we seek to please and obey, to follow after for you are the way that is truth. Oh, dear God, even today we pray that you would accept our prayer, we pray that you would forgive us and restore us to that place of right standing with you. We thank you dear God that it is you who does wash us and purify us by your mercy, we thank you dear God that we are so privileged as to be able to cry out unto you and defer ourselves from our sin. We thank you dear God that we are indeed privileged to be able to be dependent upon you. Oh dear God, let us never be smug and self-assured that we are so great, so grand, so glorious when we are not. Because dear God, we do not desire to be subject to demons, but we desire to be subject unto you. And dear God, we do not desire to be subject to a worship and an adoration of ourselves, but we desire to be worshiping you for you alone are worthy. Oh dear God, we are so thankful that it is you that we may cry out to, and we will be forgiven. We thank you dear God that we can be subject unto your authority, your rule over us, because it is you dear God who is strength and life, truth and glory, and the way of mercy intended. It is you dear God that we seek to please and obey, follow after all of our days. We thank you dear God that you are the One who does forgive, and who does direct us in light. WE THANK YOU DEAR GOD, EVEN THIS DAY, THAT WE CAN KNOW YOU IN YOUR MERCY. We would like to hear from
you!
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