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Well, good morning, everybody.
I tell you what, it feels good to say good morning to a group of people and have the accent
that you just said it from come back at you, all right?
If you've got your Bibles, and I hope you do, I want to invite you to open it up to Matthew
chapter 9.
If you're with us this morning and you did not answer in that accent, we're glad that you're
here as well.
We just outnumber you a little bit, and so, but we're glad to have you guys all with us.
If you don't have a Bible, I want to let you know that we do have some free ones that
are back in the back right here at our connections table.
We want every single person to have a copy of God's Word, and so if you do not have a copy
of God's Word, or if you want to be able to follow along, this is the translation that we
use on Sunday mornings.
If you want to follow along with that, please go back there and grab one.
This is our gift to you.
It does not cost you a penny.
I've had people ask me, I've got people at work that don't have a Bible and that want
a Bible.
If you want to grab one of those, please do.
We absolutely love to give away Bibles, so please make sure that you go back there and
grab one.
It is good to be back.
If you're visiting with us, I have been on sabbatical since the first of beginning of
June.
Some of y'all thought I was coming back in July, and we're looking forward to Josh or
Dave or Joel, but y'all are going to have to settle for me this morning, but it is good
to be back, and I want to thank you as a church in your kindness and your generosity for giving
this to me and my family.
The best way that I could describe our time together was special, and I appreciate it.
Here we go.
Didn't realize how much we needed it until we got into it, so thank you.
Thank you very much.
With that said, Matthew 9, let's start reading verse 35.
And Jesus went through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming
the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and affliction.
And when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, for they were harassed and helpless like
sheep without a shepherd.
And he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Well, last week, during the last week of my sabbatical, I had the privilege, and I use that
word sincerely, I had the privilege to spend it with our high schoolers on a mission trip
to New York City.
And that's a little bit unconventional for sabbatical, but I assured our elders that I would be able
to rest and I would plan to make zero leadership decisions during that time.
And we were great, it was good that we were in great hands.
Joel did a wonderful job of leading our team, and Brent Hawkins did a wonderful job of working
out the logistics and leading us as well.
I want to tell you guys how proud you should be of your high schoolers.
Your youth group as a whole, and our youth group as a whole, shows that day in and day
out.
But these high schoolers, they served and they served well.
We had the privilege of being able to come alongside two different churches, Nueva Vida and La Palabra,
Hispanic churches in Queens, and do some much-needed renovations on their church.
We met the pastor of La Palabra, I met him for the first time, just to kind of give you
a glimpse of what church life looks like up there, especially for pastors, so that he can
afford to live, he lives an hour and a half away in Connecticut.
He drives an hour and a half into his church, he pastors and cares for them, after Sunday
morning service is over, you don't hear me complain anymore about my drive home, he drives
two hours away to go to the second church that he pastors, so that he can return to his house
in Connecticut, where he can afford to live.
He was very gracious and thankful and wanted me to thank you guys for your generosity and
how we served.
Pastor Walter, who many of you have met, who has been here with us, and his wife Veronica
from Nueva Vida, wanted me to also share with you how grateful he is and how he cherishes
our church's partnership with him and his church, and wanted me to also thank you again for being
able to send a team as we continually do to support the work that is there.
Well, parents, if you see your kids' pictures, I heard one of our adults say on the trip, they
were looking through our shared file of what we have of pictures, and there were lots of
pictures of touring around and very few pictures of us working.
And that's because as one of the adults says, that's because we were working the whole time.
Your high schoolers put in two 12-hour days of hard work and sweat and maybe even a little
bit of blood around there before we took our time to tour around New York City.
Now I'm going to tell you all what, New York City didn't know what they were getting when
Willow Ridge showed up.
When the best people in Lexington County showed up to tour around, we visited the Met.
Now I'm going to tell you, if you don't know what the Met is, I knew of the Mets, the baseball
team, I didn't know of the Met.
The Met, if you're not sure what it is, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
And I'm just going to say, that place is classy.
It got a little bit more classy when we got there, right?
They've got a piece of art called the Madonna and Child.
I'm not going to try to pronounce the guy's name.
I did take art appreciation in college and got through it with a C, which stood for credit.
This one piece of art is valued at $50 million.
I made an offer, they rejected it.
I had my church credit card.
I figured, why not?
I'm just kidding.
All right.
Take that back.
Ignore that.
All right.
We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Special time.
A great, great, like historic.
You see the skyline out in front of you.
You look to the right, you see the Empire State Building.
You look down the middle, you see the One World Trade Center.
You look to the left, you see the Statue of Liberty.
Absolutely beautiful.
I love visiting New York City.
This is my 10th trip that I've been able to go every single time on a mission trip.
I love visiting.
I love seeing the sights.
I love meeting the people.
I love serving with your youth and the youth workers who went.
But I think, personally, what I love the most about New York City is, at some point in time, multiple times a day, I don't know if this happened to everybody, but it happened to me.
Someone would ask this question to me.
Where are you from?
I don't know.
I don't think I have an accent.
They would disagree.
And I love being asked that question because being asked that question, where are you from, leads to this question as well.
Why are you here?
And then from there, what we have the opportunity to do, what God's given me the opportunity to do, is then talk to people about Jesus.
Three different conversations that I had, and I think this is applicable for a passage of Scripture this morning.
I want to share about these conversations with you.
Right down the road from the church that we were working at was a little corner market.
I like to visit that corner market.
Let's just say they had empanadas that were fantastic, all right?
One day, we ate sub-sandwiches for the youth.
And it was evident that there was not going to be enough sub-sandwiches for the youth and the adults.
And I looked at Joel.
I said, don't sweat it, man.
I got a spot, all right?
So the youth ate Subway sandwiches.
We ate empanadas and all the things from the corner market.
But I'm in there, and there's a man who's there, and he's the owner of the store.
He had been there several days.
We had struck up several conversations.
An Indian man.
And so I asked questions to him.
Been there 26 years.
He said, I'm from India.
I'm from a region in the Northwest known as Punjab.
Do you know anything about India?
I said, absolutely.
Told him, I said, I haven't been to New York.
I've been to India.
And then what he asked me is, why in the world would you go to India?
And I said, oh, man.
I love the people.
And I love Jesus.
We got this opportunity to help bring the gospel of Jesus Christ there.
And this guy's not a believer.
And I said, in fact, there's a church right down the road from you.
Right here, man.
I want to tell people about Jesus, and that's why we're here.
Conversation number two, standing at the same store, waiting on my empanadas to be done.
And I hear a woman behind me say, excuse me, sir.
Are you from South Carolina?
Guess we stick out a little bit, right?
And I said, yes, ma'am.
Yes, ma'am, I am.
I said, have you ever been to South Carolina?
And she says, no, I've never been to South Carolina.
But my family is from a small town in South Carolina.
She said, I bet you've never heard of it.
I said, challenge me, right?
Challenge me.
She said, my whole family's from this small town.
They still live there.
It's called Beach Island, South Carolina.
Quick show of hands.
How many of you can get to Beach Island without using your phone?
Right, right?
So y'all don't even know where this place is.
I said, oh, I know Beach Island.
I know Beach Island.
I said, in fact, when my wife, she's not from there.
But when we met, she lived in a town called Jackson, South Carolina.
And she said, I know Jackson.
And I said, I lived in a town called North Augusta.
She said, I've heard of that too.
And I said, Beach Island's right there in the middle.
And she said, well, what in the world are you doing up here from a town like that?
Why would you come from somewhere like South Carolina and places like Beach Island and come to Queens?
And it's all about Jesus.
Third conversation.
This is tourist day.
We're coming off the Brooklyn Bridge.
My daughter's just bought a bootleg coach pocketbook.
It's real.
Coming off of it.
And there's food carts.
I love food carts.
I don't know if you can tell.
Love food carts.
All the food carts are there.
The group's there.
They're waiting on me.
We get there.
And kids are looking.
And there's vendors.
And I see this man standing there.
And he's got a table about this big.
And he's selling New York Knicks championship t-shirts.
Now, I don't know if you know this or not, but the Knicks just won the NBA title.
The Knicks have not won the NBA title since 1973.
Passionate, passionate fans that love their basketball.
I am not a New York Knicks fan.
By any way, shape, or form.
I'm a Boston Celtics fan.
And I love the Boston Celtics.
But something felt like it was pulling me toward this guy's table.
So, I walked up to him.
And he said, sir, would you like to buy a t-shirt?
And I thought, you know, let's have some fun.
So, I said, hey, man, you got any Celtics shirts?
And he looked at me.
He said, you have got to be kidding me.
Like, in the thickest Bronx accent that you could find.
Right?
And then I smiled and was like, this is going to go one of two ways.
And he smiled.
And usually, if you haven't been in a place like this, like, once they realize, like, you're not going to mind anything, they're done with you.
And I'm going to fault them for that, right?
Because they've got to make a living.
They've got to sell their t-shirts.
That's their job.
That's their livelihood.
And I'm a Celtics fan.
And I'm not buying what he's got.
And I said, how's business going?
How's business going?
And in that moment, it turned.
He said, I'm going to tell you, man, it's tough.
It's tough.
And then he began to talk to me about his problems.
And I want to share this because I think this matters in the context of it.
He then went into a rant or his frustration with politics.
Now, here's what I'm going to say.
As he spoke, as he talked personally, from person to person, we could not have differed more on politics.
But in that moment, politics was not what mattered.
I told him, as I listened to him, I said, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
And I said, can I pray for you and pray for your family and pray for your business?
Now, there's people passing by.
There's dollars passing by.
And two men, roughly about the same age, who didn't know each other, he said, absolutely.
And he reached out his hands.
We grabbed hands.
We prayed together.
He pulled me and gave me a hug.
Went our separate ways.
Now, I want to be careful.
I'm not telling you these three conversations so that you can go, oh, man, like, look at our pastor.
Look how good he is.
I mean, he goes to New York City, and he's looking to have conversations with people about Jesus.
I'm not telling you, I'm not telling you, I'm not telling you that to brag on myself.
On the flight, waiting for our flight back yesterday, here's the question that the Lord impressed on my heart that I'm seeking to answer.
What if I lived?
This is the personal question for me.
What if I lived every day of my life?
Every moment.
Like, I'm on a mission trip in New York City.
What if I lived every moment of every day seeking an obedience to the guidance of the Holy Spirit who's in me,
to live every single moment waiting for an opportunity for someone to simply ask questions like,
are you from South Carolina, and trying to see how I can leverage that into a conversation about Jesus?
That's what the Lord's convicting and working in my heart right now.
What if I lived every single day looking for how to take normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill conversations
and turn them into conversations about Jesus?
And what if you did that as well?
What if we took and we longed for the everyday moments
and looking at them and not trying to,
how can I leverage them for my agenda, for my schedule, for my time, for my needs, for my wants?
And ask God, how can I leverage them for you?
What if a trip to the grocery store was an opportunity to minister to the person at the checkout?
What if a trip to the DMV was an opportunity to talk and care for the person who sat beside us?
What if seeing the reclusive neighbor who lives beside us as an opportunity to share hope?
What if social media were to be a place where we focus on sharing the truth of the gospel and not the opinions of people?
What if we woke up every single day looking and asking how God might use us to bless others and tell people about Jesus?
I think when we get to the heart of Matthew 9, 35 through 38,
there's this plea.
As Jesus gathers with his disciples,
there's this intentional plea.
He's calling these disciples to do this.
You see, it's not just a bow struggle.
It's not just a you struggle.
It's an us struggle.
The problem isn't the field.
The problem is there's not workers going into the field.
You see, I believe that the reason why we gather,
the reason why we worship,
the reason why we have hope,
is not just,
the gospel is not simply the impact for our salvation.
It is.
It's the means by which we are saved.
No other message,
through no other person,
through no other means.
But for today,
it's our purpose.
It's our mission.
It's why Jesus saved you and me
and then didn't just call us home.
It's why he leaves us here.
So that we can take and carry the gospel.
If there was no purpose for you,
then he would have saved you and taken you.
Because I'm going to save you
and I'm going to call you
and I'm going to use you
and then when your purpose on here is done,
then I'm going to bring you.
The problem is,
so many of us,
and I find myself in this all too often,
are living a life that doesn't have the hope of eternity
impacting the moment of today.
Look back with me,
verses 35 and 36.
It says,
when Jesus went through all the cities and villages,
teaching their synagogues
and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom
and healing every disease and every affliction.
And when he saw the crowds,
focus on verse 36.
When he saw the crowds,
he had compassion for them
because they were harassed
and helpless
like sheep
without a shepherd.
I believe that today
what Jesus wants to do
in my life and yours
is Jesus wants to challenge
how we see people.
Jesus wants to challenge
how we see people.
Jesus begins
by seeing the size
of the peoples.
It says that when he looked,
he saw the crowds.
He didn't speak specifically
into race
or to gender
or socioeconomic status.
Here, Jesus looked out
and he saw the crowds.
The Bible tells us
that Jesus has been traveling
through all the cities
and villages
and I believe
God's word
says what it says
for a purpose
and it's truthful
all the cities and villages.
So what does that mean?
What's been Jesus' journey?
The best guesstimate
we can get to today
is that during the time of Christ
that would have meant
that he would have traveled
to nearly 200 cities
and villages
with around 3 million people.
living in the region.
Folks, this world
is a big place
and it's filled
with a crowd
of many people,
many people
who need Jesus.
And Jesus' instrument
to carry the mission
and the message
of the gospel
are the men,
the women,
and children
who are gathered together
in churches
all across this world
who are believers
in Jesus Christ
who are filled
by his Holy Spirit
who will take
that message
here, there,
and everywhere.
And God's got a crowd
for you.
God may have a different crowd
for me
than the crowd
that God has for you,
but what if we truly believe
that God has placed us
where we live,
where we work,
where we play,
where he's sending us,
where he's calling us,
that God is a going God
who calls his people
to go
and where you go
that you don't carry
your agenda
but where you go
you carry the beauty
of the gospel.
It's a God-sized mission.
Only God can do it.
And in his sovereignty,
he does it through
his people.
God sees the size,
a God-shaped mission
of the crowd.
Not only do we need to see
the size of the crowd,
but we need to see
their suffering.
They are,
what the Bible tells us,
is harassed
and helpless.
I think it's important
to note
that the one
righteous judge
who all of creation
will stand before
in judgment,
that his response
to the crowd
is compassion.
It's compassion.
Folks,
we live in a world,
whether they know it
or not,
that is harassed
and helpless.
we live in a time
where self-help
is at our fingertips.
Where medication
can be received
from a call
and doctor.
Where counselors
can be seen
in person,
online,
or over the phone.
We have more
fixes
than at any point
in time
in human history.
Today,
a few years ago,
they did a study
of the best-selling topic
of books
in all of the bookstores.
And the number one
selling topic
was self-help.
Yet,
we live
in a culture,
we live
in a culture
where depression
and anxiety
are rampant.
rampant.
It crosses
from third world
into first world.
It knows
no difference
between languages.
It impacts men.
It impacts women.
Folks,
it impacts adults.
It impacts kids.
We live
in a world
that is harassed
and helpless.
People are struggling.
Health struggles,
relationship struggles,
financial struggles
run rampant.
Just seeing that
Jesus has been traveling
as he travels
from city to city,
from town to town,
from village to village,
he's healing people.
The physical healing.
But as much
as he could heal
in the physical
of what's there,
what runs
rampant
is the suffering.
And I'm sure
some of the suffering
was self-inflicted,
self-induced.
Some was due
to their circumstances.
But may we look
and see
what Jesus'
response is.
Folks,
it is
compassion.
walking around
New York City
and seeing
the people
lay down
on the roads.
Brent,
yeah,
Brent's here.
How many years ago
did you see that guy?
Five years ago.
Every time you go,
right?
He's right there.
Same place,
got his dog with him.
He's on that spot
in Times Square.
I don't know
what chemical
it is.
We could judge
or we could
be filled
with compassion.
I think it's
remarkable
that what we see
of Jesus
is compassion.
See people
the way that God
sees them.
See them
with compassion.
Remember this,
folks.
Proclaiming
the truth
of the gospel
is never
separated
from the
compassion
of the gospel.
Never.
It is never
separated
from it.
So we see
the size,
we see the suffering,
but we need
to see the separation.
Jesus says they're
like sheep
without a shepherd.
In my doctoral
class that I'm
taking this summer,
I had to read
a demographic
report
about Lexington
County.
Now,
I'm a nerd,
all right?
And so,
I'm not an intelligent
nerd,
I'm just a nerd.
And so,
I find these things
fascinating to read,
all right?
This demographic
report talked
about socioeconomics,
it talked
about gender,
family breakdown,
all in Lexington,
South Carolina.
It talked
about vocations,
you name it,
it had a study
on it.
In fact,
89%,
here's some things
that I think
were just neat,
I don't know,
this is just me,
entertain me,
go with me.
89% of Lexington
have internet connection,
right?
I think,
I thought it'd be
higher,
I don't know.
38% own a dog,
25% own a cat.
Dog people
were winning,
right?
But here's what
stout me the most.
Here's something,
it corrected me
on a lot of things
that I thought I knew,
but here's what
stout me the most.
It didn't,
for some reason,
give a religious
breakdown of the
different faiths
that people had,
but here's what
it did show,
that 37%,
37%
of people
in Lexington
see a need
for a form
of organized
religion
in their life.
That means
where we live,
63%
of the people
see no,
see no value
of organized
religion
in their life.
Now there are
things that we can
pick and choose
and parse
through that,
but here's what
it says to me.
A few years ago,
when I came to
Willow Ridge Church,
13 years ago,
33%
of Lexington
County
would say
that they were
a follower
of Jesus.
now we take
all the other
religions
and we pour
into that number
and we only
increase
four percentage
points.
Here's what that
tells me.
People are
seeing
less
and less
of the need
of the desire
for any
form of faith
in their life.
Now let me tell you
this.
False faith
is just as bad
as no faith
because false
faith is no
faith.
But what that
tells me
is the people
of God
have an urgent
mission
and surrounding
us
is a growing
number
of men,
of women,
and children
who do not
know
Jesus.
And here's
the question
that we
must answer.
Not in
simple theological
agreement
but in your
heart of hearts
between you
and the Lord
does the fact
that our
community
surrounding us
is lost
and dying
and going
to hell
does it
matter to you?
does it
matter to you?
And if it
does
folks
what are you
doing about it?
You see
it's easy
for me
to say
that this
matters
but it's
hypocritical
of me
to say
that it
matters
but not
engage
into it.
Jesus
says pray
pray
that they
will go
that they
will go
that we
will go
because they're
sheep
without a
shepherd.
Look at
verse 37
and 38
then he
said to his
disciples
the harvest
is plentiful
but the
labors
are few
therefore
pray earnestly
to the Lord
of the harvest
to send out
laborers
into
his
harvest.
Folks
Jesus
doesn't
call us
to just
sit
and gather
in a room
and intellectually
agree about
this.
He calls
us
to pray
and to go
because the
work of God
is done by
the Spirit
of God
through the
people of
God.
Jesus
is sending
us.
Would you
for your
life pray
that God
would send
workers
and pray
that you
will respond
as a
worker
that is
being sent?
Matthew
28
go therefore
into all
nations
baptizing
them
in the name
of the
Father
the Son
and the
Holy
Spirit
in teaching
them
all that
I have
commanded
you.
The
great
command
the
great
commission
to go.
But you're
like man
but not
me.
Not
me.
I'm not
extroverted.
I'm not
knowledgeable
enough.
I don't
know enough
people.
I don't
have a
place.
I don't
have a
purpose.
There's
varsity
level people
who go
and do
this and
then there's
me.
I know
that's what
some of
you are
thinking
because
these
are
the
conversations
that I've
had when
people begin
to struggle
with applying
this and
living in a
sent
lifestyle of
living for
the purpose
of God
to go
right where
God has
placed you.
I agree
with it.
I agree
with it.
I agree
with it.
But within
me I don't
see the
qualities.
Within
me I don't
see the
characteristics.
Within
me I don't
see the
abilities.
So look at
chapter 10
with me real
quick.
Starting
verse 1
and he
called to
him his
twelve
disciples
and gave
them
authority
over
unclean
spirits
to cast
them out
and heal
every disease
and every
affliction.
And the
name of
these twelve
apostles
are these.
First,
Simon who
is called
Peter
and Andrew
his brother
James
his son
is Zebedee
and John
his brother
Philip
and
Bartholomew
Thomas
and Matthew
the tax
collector
James
the son
of Alphaeus
and Thaddeus
Simon
the zealot
and Judas
Iscariot
who betrayed
him.
Here's what I
want to say
if Jesus
has saved
you
then Jesus
has called
you.
If Jesus
has saved
you,
Jesus
has called
you.
This is
a here
in our
text
oh man
this is
a hodgepodge
of people.
These are
not
seminary
professors.
These are
not people
who have
sat for
years
and studied
and been
trained
and who
are capable
in and of
themselves.
And so
if you're
sitting there
and you're
thinking man
Jesus
couldn't
use me
let me
share with
you
you just
read the
names
of those
who Jesus
is using
in this
moment.
Let me
share a few
things
about who
they are.
In this
group we
got blue
collar workers
small business
owners
fishermen
farmers
in this list
you're like
but Bo
my past
man
I know
God has
saved me
from it
but Bo
like if
I go
and share
with people
do you
know the
things that
I've done
and the
things that
they're
that they're
aware of
what we
tell you
like in
this group
is corrupt
government
officials
who everyone
knew were
corrupt
but God
had saved
them from
it.
They're
one of the
power of the
spirit power
of the
message.
Within
here
there's
an
individual
who's
a part
of an
underground
military
group
that's
looking
to
overthrow
the
government
and is
willing
to do
so
by means
of
assassination
if
required.
Jesus
says I'm
going to
call you
and I'm
going to
call you
and I'm
going to
call you
and I'm
going to
call you
and you're
not going
to do
this
through
your own
capabilities
you're
going to
do
this
through
my
power
and my
means
and I'm
going to
tell you
you don't
have to
go
and argue
the points
of scripture
you can
sit down
and say
let me
tell you
about
Jesus
Christ
to
save
me
does
it
matter
to
you
the
imagery
that
Jesus
gives
there's
a
field
there's
the
world
there's
a
harvest
there's
opportunity
waiting
the
issue
is not
is there
a location
the
issue
is not
is there
fruit
the
issue
is
but where
are the
laborers
you see
it's your
work
where
are the
laborers
at your
in your
neighborhood
where
are the
laborers
in your
school
where
are the
laborers
in your
home
where
are
the
laborers
and
my
prayer
is
for you
and for
me
today
we will
say
Lord
here we
are
here we
are
I don't
go on
mission
God
I
live
on
mission
for you
because
the harvest
is where
you have
me
I
ask the
band
they'll
come up
on stage
prayer
encouragers
we'll
move to
either side
of our
auditorium
if you're
here and
you're a
follower of
Jesus the
call is
to go
the call
is to
share
that's
the call
for your
life
but if
you're
here
today
and you
aren't
a
follower
of
Jesus
let me
share
with you
the hope
that we
know
number
one
if you're
here
and you're
not a
follower
of
Jesus
here's
the truth
of what
the Bible
teaches
us
about
our
condition
of
where
we've
been
that
our
sin
has
separated
us
from
God
the Bible
tells
us
that
all
have
sinned
all
have
sinned
and
fallen
short
of
the
glory
of
God
and
that
the
wages
of
that
sin
is
death
me
you
we
are
sinners
who
desperately
need
to be
saved
because
the Bible
also
teaches
us
that
not
only
have
we
sinned
that
there
is
nothing
there's
not a
single
thing
that
you
and I
can
do
in
and
of
ourselves
to
remove
that
sin
to
make
that
payment
the Bible
teaches
us
that
we
can't
fix
ourselves
and
if
the
message
of
scripture
ended
there
what a
sad
place
it
would
be
there'd
be
no
point
of
worship
there'd
be
no
point
of
us
gathering
there'd
be
no
hope
in
this
world
but
there
is
hope
and
the
hope
is
that
at
the
cross
Jesus
did
for
us
what
we
could
not
do
for
ourselves
Jesus
shed
his
blood
to
pay
for
your
sins
and
mine
and
that
through
faith
in
Jesus
Christ
we
receive
forgiveness
we
receive
eternal
life
we
receive
earthly
purpose
and so
if you're
here today
you may
still have
questions
you may
still have
wonderings
but I
would
challenge
you with
this
today
would
you place
your
faith
in
Jesus
Christ
as your
savior
would
you pray
with
me
Lord
we
thank
you
God
for
conversations
in
Queens
and
conversations
in
Lexington
God
we
thank
you
for
the
opportunities
that
you
give
us
every
single
day
or
to
live
on
purpose
and on
mission
because of
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ
God I
pray that
today
that we
would
leave
as a
people
confident
in our
hope
for
eternity
and
passionate
about
making
sure
that
others
know
who
Jesus
is
it's
really
a
conversation
of life
or death
it's
bigger
it's
heaven
or hell
God I
pray that
that would
matter
to us
it would
matter
to us
enough
to step
out of
our
comfort
it would
matter
enough
to ask
if we
could pray
for someone
if we
could invite
someone
if we
could share
with someone
if we
could be
compassionate
for someone
Lord I
pray for
anyone
here
who may
not know
Jesus
Christ
as their
Lord and
Savior
God I
pray that
they would
not leave
here
without
their
eternity
set
and
confidence
in
Jesus
Christ
it's in
his name
we pray
amen
that's it
for this
week's
message
be sure
to check
back next
week for
a new
episode
and in
the meantime
you can
visit us
online at
willowridgechurch.org
or by
searching for
Willow Ridge
Church on
Facebook
Instagram
and YouTube
thanks again
for listening
Thank you.