Turn now to our sermon text in Acts chapter 5. Acts chapter 5, beginning in verse 12. Acts 5, 12. And through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord on Solomon's porch. Yet none of the rest dare join them. But the people esteemed them highly, and believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least a shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people, and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. then the high priest, rose up, and all those who were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees, and they were filled with indignation, and they laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. And the high priest and those with him came and called the council together with all the elders of the children of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported saying, indeed, we found the prison shut securely and the guards standing outside before the doors. But when we opened them, we found no one inside. Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priest heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. So one came and told them, saying, look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Heavenly Father, yet another victory. Lord, we know that on our way to the final victory, of the Lord Jesus Christ against all of his enemies, that there will be much warfare. There will be some seeming and momentary defeats, as when we find these apostles in prison. But Lord, there will also be even more victories, as the victory has been already won in so many ways at the cross and the resurrection. And now, Lord, this great cleaning up operation. We're thankful, Lord, as we go through the pages of Acts to see it. And we pray, Lord, that you'd fill our hearts anew with joy and delight and confidence as, Lord, you relate yet one more of your many victories that you have granted. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. So we come to this middle section of Acts chapter five, and if you think about the first part of the chapter having to do with Ananias and Sapphira, and then the last part, a part I didn't read, having to do with the advice of Gamaliel, then the middle portion is the apostles, first arrest and, well, their imprisonment, and also their rescue by the angel. Now when I mentioned the rescue by the angel, I think I was mentioning it to Mark, immediately most of our minds think about what happens in Acts chapter 12 in a far more detailed situation and most of us would know when the angel came and sprang Peter out of prison. in Acts 12, and he goes and he knocks on the door and the people don't believe it and that sort of thing. But it's the very same situation. The apostles are in prison, no hope of getting out, and God just sends an angel to open the door. And so it is. Now the larger context over these last couple chapters is this, just to remind you where we are. There's gospel blessing, satanic attack, and victory in the form of boldness and unity. Then there's more gospel blessing, satanic attack, this case Ananias and Sapphira, and victory in the form of boldness and unity. And then more gospel blessing, and that's what we're reading about here. Gospel blessing, verse 12. And through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were being done among the people, and they were all at one accord in Solomon's porch. And then in verse 14, and believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, so at least a shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. And a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Now friends, in other words, Satan is absolutely taking a beating across the board. There's no more way that you can describe it. Every aspect of his kingdom is being assaulted, and the apostles are just at will trampling on the forces of darkness. So if that's where we are, gospel blessing, what's next in the cycle that we've seen? Remember, it's gospel blessing, satanic attack, and victory. What's next? Satanic attack, right? And so we said that Satan really only has two basic strategies. It's either attack from the outside or attack from the inside. So first you tried persecution, then that wouldn't work. Then he was trying to stir up dissension inside the church with Ananias and Sapphira. Now what is he back to? Persecution, right? That's just the way it goes. And so it's back to persecution. Satan stirs up the Sadducees to arrest the apostles, and for the first time, although not the last, they are put into prison. All right, so ratcheting up the persecution just a little bit. Now, as you probably know, among their many other heresies and errors, the Sadducees, you know, they were the rationalists of their day. They were anti-supernatural. The Sadducees did not believe in angels or demons. Did you know that? So, what do you think God does? Now, at the moment, they're actually being, their actions are being controlled by a demon, right? They try to do something to the apostles, and what happens? God sends an angel to crush them and to undo all their work just to open the doors of the prison, much to their surprise, And to tell them, very specifically, don't listen to those Sadducees. All right? That's the irony and the wonderful way in which God often brings about his victories. Well, friends, not only does the triune God win the victory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so do all who are on his side. That's the apostles, that's the ministers and the angels, but the whole congregation of God's people throughout all time, we win along with God himself, and we all have a little bit of part to play in those victories. And so it is with the angels. This is an important point to make because sometimes we react so much against maybe less well-taught portions of God's church. They don't know as much, and they make way too much about angels. And they start imagining that everyone has a personal and guardian angel that they can in some way relate to or communicate with. And we have nothing along those lines of which we have some direct communication with angels. But we don't need to react against it, because if we then decide to utterly ignore angels, act as if they don't exist, we're closer to the Sadducees than we are to the apostles, all right? When Paul charges Timothy in 1st, I didn't bring this up yesterday, but when Paul charges Timothy in 1st Timothy 5.21, he says, I charge you before, this is his charge, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels. Why does he do that? Why? Because the angels are part of the heavenly witness of the work of redemption. They are watching these things. They were created precisely to witness the creation of the first part, and now they're witnessing the work of redemption. But unlike the saints, who for the moment are only on the sideline being witnesses of the great work of redemption, they are also participants in this work of redemption even now. Invisible, but real nonetheless. Hebrews 1.13 tells us that angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation. And friends, that is exactly what happens here. They are ministering to those who will inherit salvation. And you know what? God thought, in his infinite wisdom, thought that it was worthwhile for us to know about it. And so we ought to make the most of these things. And we'll talk about applications. But for the moment, let's consider the angels' victory. The angels' victory with these three points. The apostles free the prisoners. The Sadducees imprison the apostles. and the angel frees the apostles. So the apostles free the prisoners, the Sadducees imprison the apostles, and the angel frees the apostles. Okay, so the apostles free the prisoners. As I said, Satan is taking a beating in this section. We've already seen verse 12. And through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were being done among the people. So that's a general indication, a general description of the supernatural power that's solidifying the Spirit's victory that we saw last time. But more specifically, we have these two things happening in our section, conversions and healings. There are conversions, we read in verse 14, and believers were increasingly added to the Lord multitudes of both men and women. No reference to precise numbers, but the sense is that there's so many now coming in from all sides that Luke is having trouble keeping up with them all. And let me say that it's both men and women. When we absolutely Do not go with the culture and their notion of so-called diversity, which is really just trying to make everyone the same, really just trying to say that there is no distinction whatsoever between men and women, and these are all just self-chosen identities and all the rest of that nonsense. We don't go at all with our culture in these things. God in his wisdom and glory has made us to be different, and we should embrace that. But yet, on the other hand, we are thankful that he brings in people of every description into his church. It is to his glory that every tribe and tongue are to be found in the heavenly company in Revelation. And it is to his glory that there are multitudes of men and women coming into the church. Because so long as the world around looks and sees, well, the church is only full of these kind of people, of this gender, of this age, of this ethnicity, then the implication is that the only explanation is that they have some social reason for being there. But if in fact, he's bringing in people of every kind of description, then all that falls to the ground and the only one who gets the glory is the living God, who in fact brings us despite the fact that we are so very different and unifies us together under a common head, who is Christ. So there's that, but mainly these conversions are manifestations of the underlying spiritual reality of the great victory. The victory over Satan. Never lose track of what the Lord says in Luke 11, because it explains so much. Jesus says in Luke 11, if I cast out demons with the finger of God, then surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. And here's the illustration. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. What do you mean goods? Well, he's just freed some men. He's just cast out a demon. He's talking about Satan keeping his captives. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusts and divides his spoil. What does it mean to divide spoil? It means that the conquering hero has many who are with him in his army. And they divide it up. They take an enormous amount of spoil and they give some to just about everyone. And friends, that is what is happening here. All right? The stronger man Christ has come upon the strong man in his palace, has assaulted him, taken away his armor, made him powerless before him, and now he's dividing spoil to all those who work for him. And the apostles are just coming and taking at will multitudes of both men and women and bringing them into the church. Now what about the healings? Same thing. Different aspect of the very same reality. We read in verse 15, they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches so that at least a shadow of Peter passing might follow them, such as the magnitude of spiritual power, that he doesn't have to go out of his way and make some big to-do. Just the shadow passing by, in some cases, appears to be enough. Sick people and multitudes gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits. Notice that brought together these two things, sick people and those who are tormented by unclean spirits. Now you can be absolutely certain of demonic involvement in the latter, the ones who are tormented by unclean spirits, but what about the former category? We think today of disease always and only as a completely spiritually neutral thing of just living life in a fallen world. And in most cases, maybe that's true, but not in all cases. Because consider Luke 13, 11. Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit, a spirit of infirmity, 18 years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said, woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath and said to the crowd, there are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore, come and be healed on them and not on the Sabbath day. The Lord then answered him and said, hypocrite. Does not each of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, think of it, 18 years, be loose from the bond on this Sabbath. You see? Whom Satan has bound. And so there are some situations that are very akin to demonic possession itself. and likely come at the very times and places where there's much demonic possession. And I think that is actually what is in view here. And so what does this mean? It means Satan has all these captives who he has bound, whether purely spiritually in terms of their minds and their hearts, in rebellion against God, heading to hell, or actually in body as well, he's captives. And the people are bringing the captives to be freed. And the apostles at will are just freeing them. And Satan's being trampled on. The apostles free the prisoners. What happens next? Well, secondly, the Sadducees imprisoned the apostles. In verse 17, then the high priest rose up and all those who were with him, which is a sect of the Sadducees, and they were filled with indignation. Reminded again of how Satan stood up against Israel and provoked sin to happen, provoked problems and persecution and all the rest of these things that he does from time to time as he himself is filled with rage against Christ and his church. And so what did they do? They laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison because their threats were not enough last time. Their threats were not enough and now they escalate things by imprisoning them in the common prison and all the shame that goes along with being sent to the common prison. And seemingly, they also make it impossible for them to do what they were forbidding them, all right? So you didn't listen to our words, now we'll put you in prison, and now it'll be impossible for you to go out and teach and spread this doctrine any further, to do your work of freeing the captives. And humanly speaking, it was impossible. And that's where God also escalates things a little bit. as the Sadducees use the earthly power that is in their hands to persecute the church. So on this occasion, the Lord demonstrates his power that he always has to do what was humanly impossible. Now, let me say again that the Sadducees were rationalists and anti-supernaturalists. Mark 12, 18 says, some Sadducees who say there is no resurrection, all right? So they denied the resurrection. That's pretty bad. That meant that they really thought that this life was it, all right? That there's no life beyond the grave. They were thoroughgoing rationalists and anti-supernaturalists. And Luke then adds in Acts 23, this important point, we'll come to it later. For Sadducees say there is no resurrection and no angel or spirit, but the Pharisees confess both. So, as I mentioned, they don't believe in angels. Well, what happens next? Well, thirdly, the angel frees the apostles. But at night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out. No more explanation given. There's a little bit more explanation in Acts chapter 12, but I don't know what sort of great explanation there needs to be. From the perspective of the hamster in the cage, it's a very difficult thing to get out. And you'd have to go into great detail of explaining how some other hamster would free his fellow from a cage. But all you would say if you were to do it is, I open the cage. You just open the cage. And so it is for angels and their extraordinary strength. They don't have infinite strength, but they have such extraordinary strength that ordinary things like prisons mean nothing to them. And we've mentioned before that the angel of the Lord, very often in the Old Testament, we find him to be the pre-incarnate second person. That's not the case here because, of course, after the incarnation, the Lord Jesus Christ is there in his flesh. And so any future reference to angels, anything that we find in the New Testament beyond the incarnation is certainly talking about ordinary angels. So it's just an ordinary angel. So he frees him physically, but that's not all that he does, because what else do messengers do? Well, they normally have a message. Angels, you see, very much are messengers of the living God, as well as ministers of the salvation of his people. And so the angel has a message in verse 20. It said, go stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. And friends, that's the beautiful thing, because don't forget the nature of the victory. The victory is always boldness and unity. As Satan attacks a church, whether from the inside or the outside, he wants the opposite of that. He wants us cowering in the corner, and he wants us fighting against one another. You can imagine the apostles saying, I don't know. They really told it. They threw us in prison now. Maybe they do have authority over us, and maybe we should listen to them and go somewhere else. Do we really have to preach in the temple? Maybe we could just find some place off in the corner somewhere and have a private teaching session instead of actually doing that. And maybe there could be dissension. and maybe there would be some cowardice, but no, the angel just says, you guys can go now and go directly, don't pass go, go directly back to the temple, the very place where you've been told not to preach and go preach right now. Ignore those Sadducees like they don't even exist. Well, that's the power of God to bring victory. And all of a sudden, if there was any debate among themselves, what should we do? That's all gone. In perfect unity, they walk out, they go do what they're told, and they preach. They obey. And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and they taught. But the high priests and those with him came and called the council together with all the elders of the children of Israel, sent to the prison to have them brought, right? Because this is the nature of the victory, the public victory, the humiliation of his enemies. And they find that the prison is shut securely and the guards were standing outside and they found no one inside. So in verse 25, One came and told them, saying, look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people, right? Notice again, the men whom you put in the prison, they're not hiding in the prison, they're not hiding in a corner, but in the very temple which you claim to have perfect authority over, because that's what the Sadducees thought, that they have perfect authority over the temple, doing the very thing that you forbade them from doing, all because of a supernatural being which you claim doesn't even exist. That's a public humiliation of God's enemies. that very triumphing that Christ is going to do. He's going to triumph over all the powers and authorities and enemies and make a public show of their defeat. And even as we look forward to that happening on the last day in its perfection, at times we see iterations and foretastes and foreshadowing of these very things. The angel frees the apostles in more way than one, physically and spiritually. Just as Satan had imprisoned his captives, both spiritually and physically in some cases, so the angel comes and frees them in both dimensions. So that they're no longer bound physically by the prison, nor are they bound spiritually by the possibility of being deterred from their great mission, or that there might be any dissension. The angel frees the apostles. And this is the angel's victory over those who say they don't exist. Now, as we apply these things, if we had no, let's see. I guess I could summarize these things by saying let's not be Sadducees, right? Let's not do that. And the first way that I would say let's not be Sadducees is that we should embrace the reality of angels. I really hope that we don't think like Sadducees. I hope that we confess our belief in angels, because God certainly is unembarrassed about it. And as you read, in fact, there are increasing references in the New Testament too. There's enough already in the Gospels, but Acts even has more references to angels. And by the time you get to Revelation, you can't even go a single chapter without multiple references to angels. All right, so we're not, we can't be like the Sadducees. If we wanna be like the apostles, we embrace the reality of the angelic hosts. Now what good does it do it? Well, one use is just as with the servant of the prophet that we read back in second Kings, right? The servant is cowering and afraid. And what is the prescription then that Elisha has for this cowering, fearful servant? Lord, open his eyes, and he sees the valley full of chariots of fire of the angelic host, a mighty band that could easily save them and utterly destroy any force on earth sent against them, as in fact happened, right? Overpower them completely. Led them blind into the very gates of their enemy, there to be captured by the king. Well, we need to have our eyes opened. May this open the eyes of our faith to see the entire continuum of God's omnipotent means at his disposal, and that includes angels, all right? If we're ever tempted to be like that servant of the prophet that our eyes would say, that our faithful eyes would see the enormous power of the angelic host. And we pray that the Lord would use his holy angels to do what they're supposed to do, which is to minister to us and all those who inherit salvation. Is that legitimate? Can we pray to God that he would do that? Yes, because we already know it's his express will to do precisely that, right? So it doesn't behoove us to act like they don't exist or to be so fearful to even mention them in prayer. It doesn't do us any favors because there's some of the things that God, in fact, has used and intends to use for our good. And in fact, in this anti-supernatural age in which we live, it might do us some good to give glory to God for how he rescued the apostles more than once by angels. and perhaps even to pray that God would use them mightily in unseen yet powerful ways for our blessing today. So first, let's embrace the reality of angels. And secondly, and please understand me, I'll explain, let's embrace the comedy of the Christian life. What do I mean by that? Certainly not that life is not to be taken seriously. This life is very serious. And we ought to take it with the gravity which the Lord invests it itself. We are continually dealing with matters of life and death as we read in our Old Testament reading. But in passing, I do want to point out that the Lord does have a sense of humor. And it's often seen in the irony of the way that he defeats his enemies. often seen, and if you have an eye to that in scripture, you may see that time and again, there is a wonderful irony in the way that God actually defeats those who set themselves against him in the very things that they thought that they had power. He ironically defeats them. But mainly what I mean to say is that the classical definition of a comedy is only that it has a happy ending. A happy ending. Lots of bad things can happen in a classical Greek comedy before the beginning and the end. But the main thing is that at the end everything is fine and there's a happy ending. And very often, do you guys know what a deus ex machina ending is? God of the machine. And there's this idea of something being lowered down from the imaginary heavens and rescuing all of the people who are in trouble and everything that was an intractable mess is all of a sudden fine and everyone's rescued. Friends, this is what happened to the apostles. All right, that's that kind of ending to that little problem. And all of that is looking forward to what will happen in the end when the Lord returns with the whole angelic host as well as with all the departed saints and he comes and he cleans up the mess and all will be well. And we have a happy ending, right? A happy ending. So we don't have to be anxious, for instance. We can, we might lose, we might win for the moment, but then we win. All we have to do is, yes, truly do our best in the things that God has given in our hands to do at the moment. They might be much. They might be few. Who knows? But we don't have to worry. We don't have to hang on every moment as if that if we somehow slip up in the slightest that the whole work of redemption is somehow at stake. It isn't. God has things well in hand, and all will be well. And we don't need to be anxious. And we can have joy throughout the process because we already have skipped to the happy ending. Please don't ever stop doing this. Just skip there, things are bad, things are bad, things are bad, things are bad. Revelation 21, read it, okay? Things are bad, things are bad, skip to the happy ending. Or if you don't wanna go there, go even here to Acts chapter five because this is a prefiguring of the very same thing. All right, even in the worst and most intractable situation imaginable, God does this all as well. So let's embrace in that sense the comedy of the Christian life and live the joyful, confident, faithful lives that come from it. Thirdly and finally, let's press the attack, okay? Now spiritual warfare is very real. And I know that we are taking some hits right now. But so is our enemy. Were you there yesterday? I want you to understand what a crushing defeat that was for Satan. Nathan used to be one of his captives. Used to be in his palace, right? Now he's on the other side. He's an EPCW minister on the brink of planting yet another church here in the Northeast. There could not have been a more, oh, and the church was united, united and bold as we joined together in doing this great work in commissioning that new worship for the destruction of Satan's kingdom. And we were bold. And Satan was crushed. That was a great victory, but it's only the beginning. And friends, maybe, just maybe, for the moment, the Lord is giving us the upper hand. What do you do in such circumstances in the military? You press the attack. You keep going. Now may be the day of victories for the church. I don't know, but I've seen a few. I think of, you think of Brenda Norton that was there. What was her situation 30 years ago as Pride began? Seven people! No encouragement, no money, no minister, no building, nothing! And even as they gathered to make a denomination, the people laughed in the scorn and said, this will not last 10 years. Now what? Now what? A whole hall full of joyful people singing the praises of God. Maybe we should press the attack. Take heart. Take heart. Maybe the Lord is giving us the upper hand. I know that he is because the word of God says, I beheld Satan falling like lightning from heaven. Did he somehow climb himself back up into heaven? No, he's still fallen. I'm sure he'd like us to think that he's somehow back up there in that position of authority, but he's not. So let's seize the opportunities that are laid before us. Do the thing that Satan would wish that we not do. You know, they didn't want them in the temple, yet the angel specifically commands them to go teach in the temple. Why? Is the angel falling into some kind of Old Testament thinking? I thought the veil had already been torn. I thought that the spiritual significance of the temple was now no longer there. Well, that's true. The point was its significance with respect to the people, and for which reason it was strategic ground. The building's strategic importance, you see, was real because of the importance afforded by the people. What am I speaking of? Of course, the church building, all saints, all right? Again, if you're Satan, where do you want the faithful church? In the small little community center at the corner of town or in the most significant building perhaps in the city? I think Maybe Satan would suffer defeat if somehow we were able to move ahead with all things. Maybe it's strategic ground. But let me say that's not the end of it at all. As I've often said, the most strategic work by far that we're involved in will surely be the seminary. Because you know what? And I just love this. This won't be the end. Yesterday wasn't the last time we're gonna ordain somebody. Guess what? This very presbytery, we've got another man coming to be a candidate. Soon enough, it's going to be Florian being ordained, Lord willing. And then after that, maybe it'll be Benjamin. And then who knows how many thereafter as the Lord does this work of churning them out year by year, every one a victory. And friends, we get to share in that work. Let's press that attack. Let's not stop. Let's not fall back. Let's redouble our efforts in these ways. Now, how do we know that we'll win? How do we know maybe this seminar will fail? We don't know how it's going to last long term. Or again, maybe this building will be hard to maintain, and it'll be really expensive, and it's hard to get to. That's true. All those things are true, my friends. And I don't know that we're going to win in all these respects. I don't know if Sunderland, as I said, I don't really know if it's gonna succeed or fail. But friends, there is glory to God and there are eternal rewards merely in the attempt of doing these things, okay? Courage, friends. He doesn't ask us to have guaranteed success before we decide to do anything, all right? 2 Samuel 14 says this, you know that story? Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, come, let us go over to the garrison, and keep in mind that the Philistines utterly ran the place. and that Israel was just a vassal state underneath the Philistines, and they had garrisons, and they'd taken away all their weapons. And somehow Jonathan and his armor bearer had a few weapons. Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us. What? Is that all you have? Is that all the research you've done is it may be that the Lord will work for us? For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. So his armor bearer says to him, well, let's think about this. I don't know, that's a big step. We could be killed. And he says, do all that is in your heart. Go then, I am here with you according to your heart. Friends, let's have more Jonathans, more armor bearers, and more victories. Let's see if the Lord will work for us in a day of victories. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, you are good beyond all description. You're so kind to those who do not deserve the slightest thing, the slightest notice. Even our prayers, Lord, you know good and well, have been half-hearted. We ourselves have lacked faith in everything. And we have not the faith of our father in spiritual terms of Brian Norton, willing and able to carry on in the greatest of discouragements, for so many years having no external confirmation and only discouragements from every possible source. Lord, perhaps we are weaker, but Lord, if so, let us at least rejoice in the victories that you're beginning to grant your church, in the blessings and the expansions and the milestones and the resources and all the things that you've put into our hands. And Lord, even though we recognize our own frailties, and Lord, yes, we recognize that Satan, yes, rails against us, and he does have real power. And spiritual warfare rages, and we expect that there will be twoings and froings in the battles ahead. But Lord, how we pray that you'd give us a heart of a Jonathan, and of his unnamed armor bearer, which have such honored places in eternity. And yes, of the apostles, and whatever else might have been in their mind as they were in the prison, that they received the instruction of the angel to move ahead and to do the very things that Satan would wish him not to do. Lord, despite ourselves, we pray that you'd grant us, yes, wisdom and help. and that you'd go out of your way, Lord, to deter us from things you'd not have us to do. Lord, for the open doors before us, that we'd go with boldness and with unity to do the very things that you delight in and that Satan deplores, all for your glory. We ask it in Jesus' name.