I've only spoken at Anchor Bible Church as a missionary. supported by you all, as you support Matthew Short. And I have to say, this Missionary Corner, this is the first time I've been here where you guys have actually announced what you do for missionaries. We've been on the receiving end many years of your gifts, and they are always a great encouragement. Every Christmas morning, we would save, we would open our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, because that's how we did it traditionally for ourselves. But we would always save Anchor Bible Church's box that you would send us, and we'd go through in the morning, reading the cards, looking through the directory that you sent us and everything. It was always a huge encouragement to us when we were overseas. I don't know if you're getting updates on what is happening at Christus Gemeinde Wien in Vienna, but just within the last month, they ordained another pastor, they baptized four people, took five people into membership, and for the first time in their church history, they actually had a hundred people in a church service. When we were there, in our time, the most we ever had was, I think, 50. So, the Lord is doing a great work in Vienna. It is super encouraging, super, super excited about Matthew Short and what he's doing out there with Pastor Kai Zoltau. And we look forward to seeing what else the Lord has for Christus Gemeinde Wien as you guys continue to support Matthew Short. out there. But I bring greetings from Grace Community Bible Church and we are so grateful to have your pastor down there preaching and I've been working towards this for a while. Now I've been to your church in St. Louis Park, I've been to your church in the theater And now this is the third location that I've been to. And so it's always nice. The connection has been close. The theology that we have, the philosophy of ministry that we have is so close. I've been wanting to get Pastor Chris Grazer down to preach for our congregation down in Lakeville. I'm so glad for that opportunity. But let's pray before we go too much further. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, those who watch over the city will do so in vain. Lord, it is in vain that we rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil because you give to your beloved sleep. Lord, unless you are in the preaching of the word, my preparation and the use of my breath right now is in vain. And I pray that you would also watch over the words that I say, that it is faithful to your word. And I pray that it would bear fruit and you would give rest to the hearer. Rest in your sovereign power. Rest in an almighty God. Lord, I pray that I would be diligent to present myself as an approved workman, faithfully handling the word of truth. In Jesus' name, Amen. So we come to the book of 2nd Timothy, having understood that there is a 1st Timothy, and from 1st Timothy we gather some things about the context that Timothy is in. One, there are a lot of false teachers in his context in Ephesus. Two, Timothy is relatively young. Three, Timothy has physical ailments. And four, he is probably struggling financially, and that's why Paul tells him to command his church to give, to pay their pastors adequately. So he already has a lot of trials before we come to 2 Timothy. And in 2 Timothy, we see that there's still a lot of false teachers. Not only that, there are people who have left the faith. Namely, in this letter, in verse 15, you're aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. So Timothy already is facing a lot of trials, either physical, financial, or relational trials. He's facing trials on when it comes to theology. And so he already is overwhelmed. He's already overwhelmed. And so Paul comes then to this chapter, we come to these verses, 2 Timothy 1, starting in verse 8, and we hear the command of Paul to Timothy. We hear the command to suffer, join with me in suffering for the gospel. So he's going to add to the list of ways that he is already suffering physically with relations. And he's going to add to that. He's going to join with Paul in suffering. And that is a call to all of us today. We're all suffering in some way that is unrelated to the gospel. Our physical bodies are breaking down. Relational issues abound everywhere. If somebody doesn't have a broken relationship in this room, come tell me what it's like. I would like to know. Financial strain. Just the general tenor of politics and daily life and relating to neighbors, relating to co-workers, All sorts of suffering. And you could probably say there's a number of other things. Wayward children. All of these things weigh on our hearts. And we're suffering generally. But we're also called in whatever ministry we're called to, whether it's ministry to our children, ministry to our neighbors, ministry to the civil magistrate, ministry to co-workers, ministry among the sheep, among the fellow flock of God. We are called to suffer for that ministry, for the sake of the gospel. And that is the challenge here today. But the question isn't just, OK, why suffer for the gospel? The question is how? How are we going to suffer for the gospel? And I don't mean how, as in, are we going to get shot on a college campus? I mean, how are we going to endure the suffering? And that is key to what Paul has to say to Timothy here in these verses. So let's get to it. I'm going to start in verse 1, and I'm going to quickly read through the context. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my beloved son, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did. as I constantly remember you in my prayers, night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy." And then here's a why, why joy and suffering. Four, I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I'm sure that it is in you as well. For this reason, I remind you again, why are we suffering? To kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. And I would have preached that to you guys, and I have preached that already, as this is that ministry that Timothy is supposed to do. Preach the word. be ready in season and out of season. That comes at the end, sort of an inclusio at the end of 2 Timothy. So another reason why he is suffering is because he is fulfilling, he's kindling afresh that gift of God which is in him, which is that ministry. Verse 6, no, verse 7, for God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power and love and discipline. So again, why is Paul telling Timothy to join with me in suffering? Because perhaps he is timid because of his relative youth, because of his health issues, because of all of that. God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but one of power and love and discipline. Verse 8, and we come to our text, Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted in Christ Jesus from all eternity. But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. And for this reason, I also suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day." So, why are we suffering for the gospel's sake? Well, because we have a sincere faith, and that sincere faith is a generational faith. Parents, train your children. Train your children. The faith started with Grandmother Lois and Mother Eunice, and then it went down to Timothy, and then it's going to the next generation, which is the very next chapter starts. You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard in me, or from me, in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. We have to think generationally. We can't think that the faith is going to end here, because the whole point of Second Timothy is Paul telling Timothy, I'm going to die, you need to pass this along. So, I'm suffering for the gospel, so therefore you are going to have to join with me in that generational ministry, because I'm going to pass it down to you, and then the next person is going to come up, and the next person is going to come up, and it's just like when Moses ordained Joshua to take the next generation of the Israelites into the Promised Land. And so we have to be thinking generationally. So therefore, we have to suffer now, and we have to suffer so that the gospel can go forth to our children, but not just to our children, but then also to our neighbors, but just to the next generation. We cannot be thinking merely of our own generation. 2 Timothy is a generational letter. We still have it today from generations to generations to generations. I was taught by Pastor Jeff Rich. Pastor Jeff Rich was taught by Pastor Lloyd Johnson at Twin Cities Bible Church, and he was taught and he was taught. So this has to keep going forward. And Paul then comes back to Timothy and says, You have this faith. You have a ministry given to you. You have the Spirit. Therefore, don't be ashamed, but join with me in suffering. So that's why we're suffering. It's because we're joining with Paul and with Timothy and with the generations in ministering the gospel to our kids, to our neighbors, to our co-workers, to our civil magistrates. But how are we supposed to suffer? How are we supposed to join in suffering? And Paul says it in verse 8, Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me, his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. We are not going to be able to suffer rightly if we are not suffering by the power of God. It is the power of God that's going to enable us to walk into suffering. It's going to be by the power of God that is going to enable us to ignore the shame we might feel when we talk about the gospel to our neighbors or to our family members as Thanksgiving is coming up, as Christmas is coming up. It is only going to be by the power of God. We can't white-knuckle this. We can't just Do it. It's not going to happen unless we do it according to the power of God. What's really interesting of what happens, how Paul, he doesn't talk about the power of God per se in the next verses. He doesn't talk about the power of God per se as if we are supposed to be looking to the power of God. But Paul turns a little bit, changes the subject slightly. We see that in verse 9. In your translation, just somebody shout it out, what's the very next word? What's the first word in verse 9? Who? So Paul says we're going to suffer by the power of God, and then he turns to God. He turns our eyes to God. He's not turning merely to a concept. He's not turning merely to a theological premise. He's not turning merely to, okay, this is how God's power works out. He turns Timothy's eyes to God. Because God is a person. And God is someone who loves his people. And so often in my own life, if I'm struggling, I'm going to turn to the Word of God to just find an answer, instead of turning to the Word of God to find God. That's been a struggle my whole life. And it's still a struggle, as somebody who loves the Word, because I love the Word. And we love the Word. We love it. It has so much insight, so much wisdom, so much power in the Word. But we also need to realize that the Word is the revelation of God Himself, a personal God. Not a God far off, but a God who is with us. We get to celebrate that intensely. Our culture still celebrates the Incarnation, God coming down to us. And what a blessed thing to have a whole culture who focuses on Christ. Now, you might argue, well, the culture isn't actually celebrating Christ. True. But you know what cultures don't celebrate Christ at all? Many pagan cultures, many false god cultures. But we live in a culture that is going to be dedicating they're already dedicating time, of course, they're trying to make money off of it, right? I mean, let's be honest. But let's take that opportunity to think of God. So Paul turns to God Himself, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted in Christ Jesus from all eternity. So, the first thing that we understand about this God, who is personal, that we are focusing our eyes on, is that He is a saving God. In the Greek, it would be the saving one of us. Who is the saving one? He has reached down into human history. And He has saved us. We were lost. We were dead in our transgressions and sins in which we once walked. And He saved us from that. How great is that? This holy God, who shouldn't actually be able to come, you, a sinner, be able to come into His holy presence. And that actually creates kind of a tension. Because He calls us with a holy calling. It's like, how is that possible? But He's a saving God. He's not one that just gives us commands and wants us to obey it, and then punishes us when we don't obey it. He's not a God who just says, do this, and at the end of your life, when you die, I might let you into my heaven. No, He has given promises to us by saving us through Jesus Christ. And we are the only religion that believes that God died for our sins. and that He made promises to those who believe in Him, so that we have certainty that we will be with Him for eternity. Everyone else is lost. At the end of their life, they hope they've done enough good works. At the end of life, we know we haven't done enough good works. We know that. But we have promises that God saved us. And then also, here's another problem. How can we, sinners with depraved minds, who only desire to do evil, how is it possible that we are going to be saved by Him? How are we going to believe in Him? Well, because of the very next thing about God. He is a calling God who has saved us and called us. In the Greek, again, it's a calling one with a holy calling. He called us. Again, we were dead in our transgressions and sins. What does a dead person do? Nothing. There's no breath of life. This isn't like the princess bride. He's only mostly dead. We were dead. We could not respond to him. So what did he have to do? Like Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave. God has called us out of our own grave. And that's how powerful of a God we have. He is a great God who, even though we were sinners, He died for us. And He saved us, and He called us with that holy calling. And what is it according to? Well, first, it's not according to our works, but it's according to His own purpose and grace. So there was nothing wonderful inside you that He called you. He didn't say, Bobby was going to be a great person, so I'm going to call him. He didn't look down at the corridor of time and say, that person's going to believe, so I'm going to call that person. It doesn't make any sense. We're not even in this verse yet. This is all about God. We're not doing anything here. This is about God Himself, a saving God, a calling God, and a calling one according to His own purpose. It's emphatic in the Greek here. It's not according to, then it's the works of us, but according to His own purpose. It's emphatic that it's His own purpose and grace, not according to anything of us, in us, through us. His own purpose and grace. And where does this grace reside? This grace was granted in Christ Jesus. It was granted to us in Christ Jesus, and we'll get to Christ in just a moment. And this is, this is awesome. This passage is amazing. I still can't believe that I'm able to, I have the ability to preach this again. So He called us according to His own purpose, His own grace, which was granted us in Christ Jesus from when? When was this granted? From all eternity. Before you were born before you there was even a physical manifestation of you here on earth before you could make a single decision before you could even Do anything? God had already from all eternity saved you and called you according to his own purpose and grace and which was granted to us in Christ Jesus. This plan was already put into place from all eternity. This is how amazing this God is. This God is amazing. He knows everything from the beginning to the end. He has declared everything from the beginning to the end. Our God is that powerful. Now, I only have enough power to speak to you who can hear me in the presence of my voice or maybe online, but I can't speak to you last week. But God, from all eternity, saved you in Christ Jesus. And Christ is where He goes next. So we have God the Father in His work, in His plan, in His purpose. We have God the Son here now in verse 10. So, this was granted from all eternity, but now, verse 10, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. And there's three, there's three acts. There's three movements in this passage. OK, let's see if we can identify what these three movements are. One, the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus. What is that? That's the incarnation. Jesus Christ came to earth as a man. He was born as a baby and he grew up as a human being. And He lived a perfect life that we should have lived. And He lived that life perfectly as a representative of us. He did it because Adam couldn't. Jesus as the second Adam succeeded where Adam failed and where we fail. But He appeared in human history 2,000 years ago. So this grace has appeared. Christ Jesus has appeared. The plan for all eternity had an actual point in time where it was actually accomplished. Now it's been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. The Incarnation. And we move from the Incarnation to what? The Crucifixion. Who abolished death? Where did Christ abolish death? On the cross. Six hours on the cross, He took the whole wrath of God for all those who are redeemed upon Himself. And He said, it is finished. It is paid in full. The debt that we owed was nailed to the cross as His hands and His feet were nailed to the cross. And there, He abolished death. Death has no more claim on those who are in Christ Jesus. Because grace has been granted to us in Christ Jesus. The life that Christ lived is mine through faith. The death that Christ died is mine through faith. Not works. And that's according to God's own purpose. And so the movement is, God comes down to earth. He lives the perfect life. He dies the death. And He abolishes death. And then what does He do? And brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. So then He raises from the dead. And He proclaims to His disciples and to many others, and this actually did happen in human history. This is no story. This is no fiction. Jesus spoke to His disciples as plainly as I speak to you now, in a physical body, with real breath and real vocal cords, and He proclaims the Gospel. He brings life and immortality Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Life and immortality to light through that gospel, through the life, the incarnation, and the life, and the crucifixion, and the death, and the resurrection, and the life, eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. This is not a popular message to preach. Because the implication is this there is no salvation outside of faith in the gospel. I don't care what Jehovah's Witnesses say. I don't care what Mormons say. I don't care what Muslims say. I don't care what Buddha says. I don't care what pagans say. I don't. They have no good news. Zero good news because they can't promise a single thing like our God promises. life and immortality through the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that is how a holy God can call us with a holy calling. And again, we are going to suffer to say, you are not holy. You are not holy. You need a mediator between you and God. That mediator is Jesus Christ. Had a brief conversation. I'm part of a Lakeville group because I minister in Lakeville. I want to know what's happening in the city. And this gal says, I'm doing a special session on getting to know God. So anybody who wants to join, come join me. Okay. Ma'am, what God are you proclaiming? Just God. Okay, is it Jesus Christ? No, I'm not proclaiming religion, I'm proclaiming you and God. I said, ma'am, repent, because if you're not proclaiming the one true and living God, you are proclaiming a false God. And that brings damnation. And that is unpopular. That is an unpopular message. The popular message is just you and God. But that is a damnable message because if there is not Jesus Christ mediating on your behalf because of the gospel between you and a holy God, then you are going to be condemned. That's why we're going to suffer. But we can suffer according to the power of God, because that power saves us, that power calls us, that power gives us life and eternal life, the promise of eternal life. So we can boldly proclaim the gospel, knowing that whatever suffering we have for a little while, He will have for us an eternal glory. But that power, we must suffer according to the power of God. And we must focus on God Himself. Don't just focus merely on the theology of God. Come to the Scriptures expecting to see God Himself at work. The relationship with this amazing God. A relationship like David had and you read through the Psalms and you see his heart. He's crying out to God. He's accusing God. He's repenting to God. He is relating to God as a person. And I think that's something we're going to have to learn to do if we are going to suffer. We're going to have to learn to rely on this God as God, as a person, instead of just as a proposition or as a theological understanding. But Paul moves on. He goes to verse 11, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. On a side note, he tells Timothy, and he talks about teaching and preaching later on in this letter, he does not talk about apostleship anymore. He does not say, the things you've heard from me in apostleship, teach these to other apostles. No. He just says, the things you heard from me and the presence of many witnesses, teach these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. So teaching, preaching, that ministry continues. Apostleship, done right here. But we see that Paul is, he's preaching and he's teaching and he's suffering because of it. Because in verse 12 it says, for this reason I also suffer these things. So he's not telling Timothy to do something that Paul himself is not willing to do or is actually doing Paul is actually suffering He says he says I'm already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come chapter 4 But he has fought the good fight he has finished the course he has kept the faith and And he encourages Timothy, in the future there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to him on that day. And not only to him, not only to Paul. Paul is not the only one who receives this crown of righteousness for finishing the course, for keeping the faith. It is for all those who have loved his appearing. And so we see again this inclusio. Paul draws our attention back to Christ and His appearing. And so we proclaim the gospel and we teach because of Christ and His appearing and His gospel. And we suffer because of it. And Paul says in verse 12 that that for this reason, because I teach, because I have this faith like you, because I've been proclaiming the gospel, for this reason I also suffer these things, but also, he is not ashamed. Just like he said to Timothy in verse 8, don't be ashamed of the gospel or of me, his prisoner. And why is it? So, here's something. Here's something that we need to know and we need to grasp as Christians, okay? We need to follow in the footsteps of the actual apostle in joining with him in suffering because he is not doing something that all Christians shouldn't experience at some point in time. Now, we might not suffer the same as he does. And in fact, when you live in a culture that was built on Christianity, You live in a nation that was the foundation is Christianity. You're probably not going to suffer as much as you as living in a culture that worships Dinah. some goddess, okay? So, take that for what it's worth. But we are going into an apostasy in our nation. We are coming into a time where people have accepted for 50 years the slaughter of babies in the womb. We have so much blood on our hands as a nation. I'm surprised that we still can do this right now without the fear of the government coming in. Shutting us down right now because that's what that's what this country deserves. This country does not deserve the gospel at all And then all the nonsense of what is a woman people don't even know what a woman is these days So we're going to suffer okay and kids Probably you're going to have it worse. So parents train your kids in the gospel and Train your kids to love God Himself, and to seek His Word, and also memorize His Word, because you know what? There may come a time where they try to take the Word away from us, but they can't take it away if we have it in our mind. That's just a side note. But we've got Paul, who's exhorting Timothy, and by extension, us, to do something that Paul is already doing. And we can do that. We can do that. We can be successful. Because Paul himself was, at one time, a murderer. He was. He was one who walked in darkness just like us. And therefore, we could walk in the ways of Christ also. Paul was appointed as a preacher, a teacher, an apostle. We're appointed for whatever ministry it is. At minimum, it's to our neighbors, it's to you, it's to your children. So, we need to accept it. We need to accept it as Paul did, as Paul is telling Timothy. We need to accept this ministry and we need to accept that we may suffer because of that ministry. That's what I glean from verse 12 right now. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed. This is the very next point. For I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. So Paul is saying, accept what I have taught you. Accept that God has given you a ministry, which is gospel proclamation. And then second, after you accept that, then entrust yourself to this amazing God. Entrust yourself to this amazing God. What's really interesting about verse 12 here, it says, I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard. Now that word able there has the same root word as power of God in verse 8. Not only is God powerful to save, to call, but God is powerful to sustain. He is able. He is able to guard you. Paul says, he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him. And I had asked the question, what exactly did Paul entrust to God? I think this is clear from all of this letter. Paul being poured out as a drink offering, Time my departure has come. I fought the good fight. I've kept the faith. I've Kept the course I've kept the faith Everything in Paul's life was entrusted to God everything Paul's ministry his succession plan for ministry his life knowing that he's gonna die and for the ministry of the gospel, he entrusted everything to God. The very next verses start talking about Timothy having to guard the good deposit, guard the teaching of the Word, And so, Paul is explicitly entrusting to God that he is going to guard his own word through Timothy guarding the word and through Timothy teaching others who will then be faithful in teaching the word. And that was all of Paul's life. So, what does that mean for us? You need to entrust yourself to God. You need to entrust yourself to a God who loves you, who has called you, who has saved you, who has made promises to you. And on the theme of entrusting oneself, I think of 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, verses 23-25. Peter says, while being reviled, being reviled sounds like suffering. While being reviled, He, that is Jesus, He did not revile in return. While suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For by His wounds we were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." Brothers and sisters, I know the struggle of the Christian life. I know the everyday struggle. and how you feel like a sheep. You feel like sheep wandering sometimes. And you think to yourself, how did I get here? I have trusted Christ. I love Jesus. He has saved me from my sins. How did I find myself in this specific sin? How is it possible? I've committed my life to Christ. I have entrusted Him. But this again, we go back to the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, the Gospel. And we have to go back to the Gospel so that, like wandering sheep, we would be brought back by the mighty hand of God. And Peter says further in his letter, he says in chapter 5, Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. When you find yourself wandering, when you find yourself tempted, humble yourself. When you find yourself wanting to avoid suffering, humble yourself before the mighty hand of God, because God is powerful. And God will save, because God has made promises to those who believe in Him. If you are not a believer here, If you're like, this is all just kind of nonsense, I think I've done enough good works, do not trust in your works. This specific scripture has said, you are not saved or called according to your works, but according to His own purpose and grace. Therefore, you must trust Him. Trust Him and rely on His power. And if you're a believer, you have to entrust yourself to Him. Psalm 37. Psalm 37 is one of my most favorite psalms, by far. We sing it at church often. Well, I do. Anytime I'm leading worship. I don't sing this one every time, but... Psalm 37. Yeah, Psalm 37. I turned to 73, which is also a good psalm. Psalm 37. Let's close here because I think we need to have a perspective of what life is like here. Psalm 37, when we're facing suffering, when we're facing trials, when we're afraid that our neighbors, our friends, our family are going to shun us or shame us, Psalm 37 says, Do not fret because of evildoers. Be not envious toward wrongdoers. for they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb." It's really interesting because 1 Peter 5, verses 6-11, it talks about how we will suffer. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who calls you to His eternal glory in Christ. So we suffer for a little while and then we have eternity. What happens to the wicked people? They're like grass and they fade. like the green cut herb. They flourish for just a little while and then they get cut off. Verse three, trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Do you see how all of this continues to revolve around a full trust in a powerful God? and to flee the temptation, to have a fleeting glory that will be cut off. And instead, embrace that suffering that will be just for a little while, because the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. Therefore, live in the land, do good, cultivate faithfulness, train your kids, Proclaim the gospel. Be willing to suffer. Be willing to be shamed. Because God is a powerful God. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, you are so much greater of a God than I even presented right here. May my feeble words work in the hearts and the minds of the hearer. That they would, in the end, accept what you have given to them. Accept that ministry. That they would love training up their children. That they would love having opportunities with co-workers to share the gospel. That they would not feel shame. But that they would be willing to suffer. So that as they suffer for just a little while, you will raise them to eternal glory in Christ. Oh Lord, I pray for my own heart in that. Pray that we would all entrust ourselves to you, that mighty, glorious God of the gospel. Pray these things in Christ.