I think you all came ready to worship today. Wow. And the youth as well. Thank you. By the way, if you're in a service area, see the youth up here. It's not like youth only, right? Is that true? They can come up and join you if they want. Yeah, Someone could do that. Yep. That'd be great. I'm just so grateful for how God is at work. People encountering Jesus experiencing a touch from him. The youth at the retreat last week. I mean, just numerous ways that we're seeing people come to know Jesus and taken steps with him.

So what a great God we have. So great indeed. You can go and be seated and I just want to share one thing that is an example of how God is at work. Guys, Loraine Correctional, we love you. We're so glad that you're part of the grace family. And two weeks ago, by the way, they have fantastic worship as well.

I mention I said, you guys, I would love for you to come and lead worship at Grace some time. I don't know if we can work that out, but we'll see. And about two weeks ago they had a baptism service. I was able to speak at their services. On that Monday, they meet for two services. They have alpha classes, discipleship, reentry stuff, recovery, all kinds of things happening with dozens of volunteers from grace.

But I love to show you the picture of or the same pictures of the guys who got baptized so we can celebrate with them. Does that sound good? Here it is. Let's take a look. Brothers at Lorraine. We love you. We're praying for you or cheering you on. And we are so grateful you're part of this family. Just met two guys who were recently released and in just to see how they're beginning to find their way again is is just been great, by the way, are online audience many of you watching in different places and we're growing.

I just love the attentiveness and want to show you a picture. This is sent by Anna, one of our Grace attenders and and her black lab here, or whatever the color that is. I was like, look at the attentiveness right there. Like, just as close as we can get to the screen. So that's Lucy. So would you be praying for Lucy for just a redeemed heart and God would just let her roots go to.

By the way, we love hearing stories of how God is at work and and if you have one we mentioned this couple weeks ago, you'd say, I have a story of how Jesus has brought healing in my life or provision in some way as I trusted him or we reconciled a relationship or how he came to know Christ or whatever.

You'll see a couple of ways to to be in touch with us here on the screen and starting with just that little QR code you see on the armrest next to you, just sort of push your neighbors, elbow off of that if you need to, or if you prefer, send us an email or whatever is best. But we would be glad to hear from you.

Maybe we'll get to tell your story at some point of how God is at work. Can we just pray together and ask God to? There's so much happening and we just want to give him thanks, but also pray for various needs. Lord, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That death has been arrested, that you've overcome the grave, that you're so good, so great, so powerful, so loving Lord.

And so we can, as we sang in that one song earlier, that our our enemies are drowned in praise, Lord, that we can when we look to you, other things in life begin to find their perspective. And so, Lord, we just turn to you with every need that's on our heart right now. You know the pressure points, Lord, for everyone here, those engaging online, our brothers at Lorain, Lord, would you just show yourself to be the faithful? Good God that you are? Lord, I want to praise specially for students beginning a new semester from kindergarten and up through grad school. For those who teach praise, specially for international students Lord, who are not only beginning a new academic term, but also finding their way, perhaps in a country that's not as familiar.

And Lord, may we as a church family, just welcome and show love to those who are new to our country and God, we pray for other countries in the world. You're the Lord of of all nations and you care about people in every part of this planet. And so, Lord, our hearts were sobered as we saw the results of a devastating earthquake in Morocco.

We pray for the family members who survive and grieve those entrusted with trying to rebuild a city and a region of a country that's just been severely damaged. Lord, For nations like Niger and Gabon, Gabon that are have suffered so much civil unrest right now. LORD We could just keep on going around the world. We pray for our own country, for our president, his Cabinet, Congress, Lord, for those leading in a state and local level. Lord, may they lead with integrity and with wisdom, even when they don't know that it's you giving it, that they would be faithful to the roles to which you've called them. And Lord, thank you that you've called us to be an active part of what you're doing. And even today, as we look into your word and we see that, would you help our lives to be in sync with you?

And to to that the voice of the enemy would be silenced and that your Holy Spirit would have his way in our lives for the sake of your name and your kingdom, we pray. Amen. If you're wondering what it means to be part of the Grace family or what are we saying, we want this to be true of every person who's part of, you know, our church. What does that look like? It comes back to three big words. In fact, it's going to be on the screen here. Would you say this with me? Allow this. This is our purpose statement. We say this is what we want to be true about us. Let's say together. Ready? Our purpose is to exalt Jesus Christ by making disciples who love Jesus, grow with others and serve the world. To exalt Jesus means to to highlight Him, to give him the honor, the praise that he's due. And we do that by making disciples, helping other people become followers, being followers ourselves who love him, who grow and who serve. And if we were just to say, What does that mean to love Jesus is the greatest thing you'll ever do with your life.

If to love him means that that he's first in your life, that you obey him, that you say yes to him and no to yourself, and then you have a relationship with him. You say, Jesus, I just thank you for what you've done for me. You're my one constant friend and companion who will never leave me, never betray me, never fail me. Lord, I love you. We grow. We grow with others in company. It might be a small group or a class. Maybe it's, you know, you're a certain season, a life of a prayer partner. But you say, God, I want to be locking arms with other people and I want to grow that you can shape and mold me with others and use me in their lives, that I will become more and more Jesus a reflection of you.

And then the final words serve that God make a difference through my life. That you can make all the money in the world. You can reach the pinnacle of success in your field. But if your life is not tied in to the purposes of God in the world today, you're going to come to the end of your life and look back with great regret and say, I live for myself.

I live from my reputation, but I did not live for God. And what is it? And it's going to be like? It's going to come to nothing. And someday other people will throw away your plaques and your trophies. And but if you can do those things wrapped around your relationship with Jesus and say, Lord, I want my life to make an impact with the story that you're writing in the world today, and you're going to come to the end of your life and say, My life counted.

It really, really counted. You know, it's interesting, Jesus, He said, If you want to be considered really a great person, great in his kingdom, he says, you must become a what a servant of all your greatness is measured by your willingness to serve wherever you go, whoever you meet. And it's why this character trait is included in a purpose statement.

Our purpose is to exalt Jesus Christ, to lift him up, to make him the focus of our lives by making disciples who love him, who grow in company with others, who serve a world in need. You see, God is not satisfied that we just come to church and and sort of, you know, keep a seat warm and shake a few hands.

He wants us to not only come to church, he wants us to be the church, right? He wants us to be a reflection of him, too, to be on mission with him wherever he takes us. It's a story of God's activity around the world that that He wants your life to be significant, that God is doing something right around you, in your neighborhood, your school, your workplace, wherever you go.

And he's got plans for you. He wants you to be a contributor, not just a consumer in his family. He doesn't want to just to be like, God, just bless me, but he blesses you so that you can have an overflow in your life can be a blessing to other. So to discover more what that looks like, let's turn together to our Scripture for today.

First Corinthians Chapter 12. If you know the Bible app yet, and maybe you know the paper Bible is a download the Bible app for free and also notes to those of you here, you'd find them on the table. Maybe you're an usher, handed you one on your way. You just open up that little by fold and or those of you engaging online just go to grace see made out org and you'll see your online bulletin and the notes are there really been enjoying this journey through the book of first Corinthians and today we're going to see how God has gifted you to be part of the story that He's writing in the world today.

Like your life can have tremendous meaning and significance no matter how badly you feel like you've messed up or how broken you've been or how far along you've ignored him, that God has a plan for you. First Corinthians 12 to 15 marks a new section in Paul's letter helping us to understand what does it mean to be spirit filled people?

In fact, it's the longest teaching in the New Testament and how the Holy Spirit gifts you gifts me for making an impact in our church family and in our community. So here's what Paul says. Let's start with verse one. He says this now about the gifts of the spirit is probably they asked him, they said, Hey, Paul, tell us more about the spiritual gifts.

And he goes, Now about that brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. He's going to be talking about that here for the next few chapters. You know that when you were Pagans, somehow or other you were influenced to let us trade to mute idols and you might go, I wasn't a pagan, but he's saying if you were not following Christ, something else had first place in your life and it wasn't Jesus.

Therefore, I want you know, he says that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says Jesus, because to no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit distributes them different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in every one it is the same.

Got to work. Let's just pause for a second here. What he's saying. He's saying we each have different gifts, different personalities, different talents, but it's the same same God who's working in you, that's working in me, that's working on the person next to you. Same God, different gifts. See how emphasized here in these verses verse four different gives verse five different kinds of service, verse six different kinds of working.

God has made you wonderfully unique. And that's something those of you who are parents or maybe any one of us who grew up in a family and you're like, I got the same DNA as my brother right, but we're so different. I think his parents, Mary and I, we say, I think like our kids all got this. We know our kids all got the same DNA, but they have very different like personalities and and passions and all.

And that's just God's beautiful design, right? That he makes us and gifts us. And he says, I've done that because I have all kinds of things I want to do. So I'm going to give you differently. But it's the same God Jesus working in all of us. He comes to live within us by His Holy Spirit the moment that we put our trust in Him.

Different gifts, same Jesus. Just as an aside, you'll notice in verses 4 to 6, there's sort of a hint at the Trinity here that word is never mentioned in the Bible, which has led some people to go, I don't believe in the Trinity Show me the Bible where, well, it doesn't mention the word. That's just a an easy way for us to refer to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in a passage like this.

If you look in verse four, talks about the Spirit and verse five, it talks about the son in a verse six, it talks about God, the Father. And so it's just one of many times that you have one God, three persons mentioned in in the Scriptures, verse seven, Let's see what he says here. A spiritual gift. Why are they given to each of us so that we can help each other?

So you can say this for sure, that the gifts that God gives for high impact living are for all Christians, not a select few. God's intent for His family, That's you and me is not that we be like a football game. Some of you hate football and you do not know that a football season recently began for college.

Go Buckeyes and that the Browns are playing it a little bit. I see some jerseys here so if you Pittsburgh Steelers jersey we love you anyhow we forgive you and someday you'll you'll repent rubbing it in our face here but what is a football game You know it happens you have like 75,000 people maybe more, who are all getting a ton of calories through their nachos and cheese and the big, you know, brats and everything like that.

And and watching 22 guys on a field huffing and puffing who are like, need oxygen when they get off the field and that's killing them. And some people view the church of Jesus in that way. They'll go, wow, we've got these staff members at our church and I'm so glad that God has gifted them. And and we're up here in the stands and we're just sort of enjoying, you know, and and and Paul would say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You're all gifted. I want every one of you to be on the field. I want you in the game. I want your life to make an impact for others. He says in verse seven, He goes to each one, The manifestation of the spirit. That's where the gifts come from, is from the Holy Spirit is given for the common good.

In other words, it's for other people. He wants your life to make a difference for the people around you. You could summarize it like this. A gift is not something I manufacture on my own. There's special abilities given by the Holy Spirit for the good of others. You see a partial listing in your notes have listed about 25 gifts.

It's a partial list because there are four different passages in the New Testament, First Corinthians 12, Romans, Ephesians four, first, Peter four. The talk about gifts in almost every Bible teacher would say that those gifts are suggestive, not exhaustive. And so there's, you know, new gifts that maybe God is bringing depending on the situation. And and and I wonder if you look at that list, if you'd say, you know, I think it's probably fair to say I have that gift right there.

Which one would you maybe might even if you have the piece of paper circle that and say I think I probably have the gift of encouragement or I think I'm a really I help people or I've got the gift of, you know, maybe have a strong faith, their gifts, because this is stating the obvious, but because they're given to us right?

Like we don't manufacture these on our own. We don't earn them, we don't work for them. We don't graduate with the degree God, the Holy Spirit. He determines what gifts will best be used in your life, and He gives you those gifts like in there meant that because they're given to you, they're meant to be used. They're an example of the Holy Spirit's work in your life.

In fact, the Holy Spirit is mentioned 11 times in the first 13 verses of this chapter. He just he's the moment you put your trust in Jesus, the spirit of God comes and He takes up residence in your life and He wants to do things through you that you'd go, I didn't think I had it in me. And and but, but he's gifted you for the common good.

Three says in verse seven is for the people around you. A little history here. Back in the Old Testament you had a tribe that was like the tribe of priests. Anybody remember what the name of that tribe was? The tribe of the Levites, Right? And so the Levites were tasked with like and the priest for doing the sort of the work of God, you know, and other people.

But they were the ones and they were given, you know, some special assignments and they were the ones often in whom the spirit of God would work. That that was then. What about today? You might remember how 40 days after Jesus comes back from death, he ascends to heaven. The believers who are left, they gather in this room.

And ten days after that, so 50 days after Jesus rises from the dead, we call it the It was a feast that Israel celebrated every year called the Feast of Pentecost. And in that feast, that particular year, the spirit of God comes like a mighty rushing word, wind in flames of fire. And then tongues were given as a as a gift or as a sign that the spirit of God had come.

And they actually spoke in other languages. But it didn't. The Spirit of God, he didn't just come and fill the Levites. He filled how many believers? All of them, right? Every single believer. So that Peter and first Peter two says you are a kingdom of what? A priests look at the person next to you and say you are a priest Can you tell them that if they're a follower of Jesus, they're a they're a priest of God, you're a minister and and he's giving you a gift in order to a series of gifts, in order to bless others.

What does that look like? I could give so many examples here at Grace, but let me introduce you the few people who are using their gifts. Jenny Persons is one of many. She's using her gifts in ESL English as a second language and Jenny has a number of gifts. Among them are administration and teaching. And and there are over 60 people now in ESL who come on Sundays at noon, Wednesdays at 7 p.m., and they're from Ukraine and Syria and just a variety of countries.

And they're learning English and they're also just seeing the love of Jesus in action. And the we have dozens of volunteers who are making a difference, an impact that I really believe some of these people are going to look back and say, it was your kindness to me that made me feel welcome in a country that felt so strange.

Don Hall Don has spent one on one time with maybe more people than anyone I know. Don is is just if you see Don a global if you want to find him, look in global ground zero. He is right there. And and Don, just love seeing people become more devoted disciples. He works with people of all ages. He's a great encourager.

He's been an encouragement to me. And and Don would be the first one to tell you you don't need to have the gift of discipling or, you know, encouragement to do what Don does. You just have to say, God, if you want to use me and all of these things, God, I'm I'm available to you. Bob's Rizzo. Bob has the gift of helping, whether in Grace kids or as our usher captain at the 9 a.m. service, they preps hundreds of cups of coffee each Sunday morning. He serves on our forever Young leadership team, uses his restaurant management skills. I could keep on going. Bob serves faithfully one of many like him here at Grace. 

And it's all ages. You'll see some guys here from right to left that's going to give a shout out to those guys here, Bill Hawthorne and David Hartman, Thomas McCarrick and Malakai Crespo and. These are guys late teens, early twenties, who are making a difference. Malachi, if you were here to worship night on Wednesday night, Malachi was the guy behind the scenes, the broadcast engineer making our service happy. He's a junior in high school, and he's just serving faithfully, like all the time. Thomas and David and Bill helping out with youth ministry here at Grace.

So many people making an impact. And let me talk about the guys who Lorain Correctional. You guys are making an impact as well. You may not be aware that I think it was last year is the first year they were given permission to plant gardens. And this year this week they surpassed giving away to local area food banks 1,000 pounds of food by the guys at Lorain Correctional. Way to go, you guys and 16 were recently trained and graduated with a certificate from Stephen ministry where they're equipped to come alongside others who are going through a crisis and just to to listen, to pray, to be sort of a support in that time. God wants you in the game. Maybe you're feeling a nudge right now and you're going, I know I need to do more than I've been, use any excuses and maybe I haven't feel qualified friends. None of us. Well, a lot of us don't feel qualified, right? We're like, what are know you could find someone better than me and but God says, no, I give every person gifts to make a difference on the field. You know, if a quarterback in a football game said, you know, I rarely touch the ball, I have an interception yet in eight games, why should they even play You're his role is important right it's he's he's protecting his team from the other team's going to tell you every role matters look at Paul tells me reverse 11 he says all of these are the work of one in the same spirit and he gives these gifts to each one just as he determines, you know, Paul is affirming right there, God made you exactly the way he wants you to be. I think there's sometimes we have this sense of it, and it's a common thing about our humanity. 

There are things that we don't like about ourselves, right? We're like, I don't like the way my nose is. I don't like the way my my ears are too big or I don't like I'm too short, too tall. I, I don't like the gifts I was given. I don't whatever. I don't like my hair. Or maybe you should just be grateful you have every right and but whatever it is and we can go. I don't really like the way that you know, that this is.

Can I just remind you that you bear the signature of the Divine artist? You were made in the image of God. And not only did he make your your body and your personality the way he's given you gifts and, God did that. And he'll use every experience you've ever endured. Some of you been through some horrific stuff, and he knows the big picture.

And and he he's going to use every single experience in your life. None of them will have to be wasted to make a difference through you. You might wonder like, well, I don't I don't know, like, maybe I should be a serving in some way, but I don't know really where there's an acrostic shape that has helped a lot of people to discern where they might make an impact.

You'll see these questions on the screen, but ask us for spiritual gifts. What would other people say you're gifted to do? If someone says, you know, you're really you always encourage me or the way you always seem to be helping. And other people might call out your gifts or ask someone say, Hey, what gifts would you say? Maybe you think that God has given me your heart.

What do you love to do? Like, where are you passionate abilities? What natural talents do you have? Personality. How has God wired you? Experiences? What has he allowed you to experience? So maybe he might want to leverage for impact with others. Generally, it's going to be something you enjoy. Not always, but if you find yourself going, man, I hate doing this. I feel so drained. You know, I'm teaching because someone asked me to teach. I felt guilty saying no, but half the class falls asleep when I teach and but I'm doing it because maybe. No, maybe you're just not gifted in that area. Right? And God wants you to be doing the gift of craftsmanship. This week I mentioned to you and maybe Jeff your watch.

One of my teammates was hit on his motorcycle a few weeks ago coming to Grace had his leg amputated and and it's a long recovery group of guys from grace this week found a a ramp up to the you know on Facebook marketplace where else do you buy stuff right and and they bought this thing that reassembled is surprised off he comes home from the rehab unit he's got this ram going up his and I go if I were to build that I mean probably his wheelchair would have fallen right off of it. Right. I was terrible. But there are other people who are like that. They finish. Then they go, wow, like, I feel good and I help somebody. Are you plugged in somehow? Have you found your place? You know, there's on our Web site, a survey page that you'll see see scrolling along there. And that's super pages, all cards. This is just a sampling of some of the opportunities that exist that that you can say maybe I could sample that or try that or this might, you know, God, if you look at that, I just believe that if you're not plugged in right now, if you are, I'm not looking to just dump more on you.

But if you're not using the gifts God has given you that he might just prompt you or you'll go, I think that might be it. And there's a place where you can sign up there, say, I'm looking for a place to serve. And and you can you can do that. Really? Just saying, God, here I am. Like you have permission to nudge me, convert me, move me, and God put people in my path who you need, who need to be served and maybe my neighbor to give me eyes to see them like you do.

And you know what's amazing to me is that we have this unbelievably good God who cares for every person around us? Like he values them and he'll sometimes redirect one of his children to help another one. That in itself can help you say, you know what? I don't want to be in this waiting room right now. I don't like this delay.

I hate the fact that I'm, you know, I had to whatever or I don't like being back in this, you know, this crowded cattle car, this airplane. But if God, you put me next to this person, maybe there's something you want to do in this person's life for me is to listen or be an encouragement. How much have you involved Verse 12? He says, Just as a body, though, one has many parts, but all its parts form one body. So it is with Christ that might be the summary verse of this chapter that we are the body of Christ in every single part of your body has a key role. Notice the Paul does not say the church is like a body.

He it actually is the body of Christ. That's what he calls us. He says again in verse 27, he says, Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. That means that our church family or any other local expression of God's God's family is is a body. We're the visible representation of Jesus.

Think about this in our with our own bodies. If you wanted to get to know me and I wanted to get to know you, like we would say we're not just going to, you know, ideally, we're not just going to like, write letters. We're going to say, let's get together for maybe some ice cream or whatever. I just wonder why this one slipped out, you know, the ice cream part.

But but you would see my eyes focusing on you. I can listen as my ears. It's my face. It's leaning in. It's. It's the posture. It's my body. That is, if you wanted to get to know the deep part of who Jonathan Schaefer is or for me to get to know you, it's. There's something about our bodies are the visible representation of, like who we are. Right? It's the same thing with the body of Christ that if other people in your sphere of influence are going to experience Jesus, it's not likely going to be some kind of vision in the sky or some kind of it's going to be through the body, the visible representation of Jesus. And that's you and that's me. We need each other.

Listen to how Paul says in verse 14. He says, Even so, the body is not made up of one part, but of many. Now, if the foot should say, because I'm not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not cease for that reason. We're not for that reason. Stop being part of the body. And if the ears should say because I'm not and I guess I don't belong to the body, it would not, for that reason, stop being part of the body if the whole body were in.

I, I think Paul's trying to be funny here. Imagine an eye just sort of bouncing down the sidewalk. It's like there's that. There goes Bill is Bill is just an eye, right? You know it's and he said if the whole body were an eye were the sense of hearing be I see you, but I can't hear you. Right.

If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part where the body be as it is, there are many parts, but one body. You hear a Paul saying.

He's saying every single person has an important role. If you're part of the body is not functioning, the body is not is not living out the way you're supposed to be. Think about this in terms of the body of Christ. There's a person who needs to be encouraged. But if the person with the gift of encouragement that God has designed to talk to that person with the text or word of affirmation or whatever it might be, send an email that if that person, someone's not going to be encouraged because that person, the gift of encouragement, not using their gift, there's going to be a small group or a class that needs a teacher, someone who's who's just has the ability to synthesize essay and make it clear. And because that person goes and knows a lot of other good teachers, there's going to be a group of people missing out. There's someone who has the gift of giving money, making money, gifting, giving money, but they're sort of fearful of about their finances. And because they're not giving the way God is designed for them to give, there's impact is not going to take place or new advances are not going to happen.

There are people who would be blessed by someone to be a leader, to say, hey, let's do this. You know, we're going to then the person is shrinking back because they got hurt. I don't know. There's other better leaders than me and the body of Christ missing out. And when we do that, it's hurtful to the giver God himself, because he's like, I gave you this gift and you're finding reasons not to use the gift they've given you.

And it hurts the people around us because they're going to receive from the body what they need. Fred's every gift has value. You're your gift that God has given you has value. There's not an A-list and a B list of gifts. There's not like name brand Gibson generic gifts. They all have a designer label. They're all given by the Holy Spirit of God for you to make an impact on the people around you.

Every person is important to the team. Paul just keeps on hammering that home. Let me read one more section and then we'll wrap up verse 21. He says this The I cannot say to the hand, I don't need you in the head. Can I say to the feet, I don't need you? On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable, we treat with special honor and the parts that are on presentable are treated with special modesty.

Well, our presentable person of no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts selected so that there should be no division in the body. But that is part should of equal concern for each other. You know, Paul says go and you can never say to another person, Yeah, we really don't need you.

You know, you're sort of an extra piece, a spare part. Paul's say, Oh no, no, there's no spare parts. No spare parts. In God's family, every person is designed and gifted by God. And so it's vital that we value others, whatever, whether their gift is highly visible or not. You give special honor, though. That's what Paul says. What does he mean by that?

Someone has put it this way. They said, Never confuse prominence with significance. Never confuse prominence with significance. My nose prominent, right? You look in the mirror, you're like, whoa, right. And and your nose. Is that one of the first things that people see those guys crossing the finish line and track race? It might be their nose is the first thing.

Right? But just because it's prominent, does it mean it's the most significant part of my body? I could live without my sense of smell. But what about the parts of my body that you don't see? Like my liver, my lungs, my kidneys, my heart? They're not prominent, but they are what significant if one of those decides to take a day off, Jonathan is no more Ryan.

It's like the body of Christ. Some people are behind the scenes, but they show up, they serve, they do their part, and they might not be recognized, they might not be prominent. But Paul says, Oh, but don't make any mistake. They're signifying agent. I wonder if it brings someone to mind for you. And you go, That's probably that person. They're not prominent, but they are significant. You know, I encourage you to do what if you just jotted them a text, an email today and say, You know what, I want you to know that you are so significant to what God is doing. You may not be the one out front, but God is making an impact through your life.

I want you to know I see it and others do too. What about you? How has God gifted you? What would you say? Are you using the gifts He's given you? Are you in the game or are you in the stands? Maybe even been sitting in the last half hour? You look into this passage and you go, you know, I.

I don't think I'm probably functioning the way God wants me to. It's more of a hear their kind of thing. And maybe I am owning the heart of God. Maybe I'm hurting the people around me. How do you think the Lord might want to use you? Maybe you go back to that part of our website Gracie made out of work, backslash, serve, and just start looking and saying, God, what sort of where do you want to sort of just pull on the strings of my heart?

God, I'm. I'm available. I want you to use me however you desire. Some of you. You're going. I'm already serving. You have to do more. No, no, no. Unless you've got the time and guts telling you to do some. I just want to say all of you who are making a difference and you're using the gifts that God has given you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You're making an impact. God sees even and feels like nobody else does. And he's going to reward you and your part of the story that he's writing in the world today. There's a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King that I think is so powerful, an echo of the words of Jesus.

Here's what he said. Not everyone can be famous, but everyone can be great because great is determined by what? By service. Not everyone can be famous, but everyone can be great because great is determined by service. And on that definition of greatness, I pray that you will be truly great. Just ask God to use us. 

Lord, we just want to say today, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. First of all, Jesus, that you come into lives and you forgive us. You're restoring us, redeeming us in Lord Jesus. We just want to say fill us with your Holy Spirit in fresh ways. God help us to find our place, our role. Thank you. That you have given us a gift or gifts. That's your promise.

And, Lord, we just want to say we're available to you today, tomorrow, every day, this week. Lord, whatever you want to do through our lives, we're all yours. For the sake of your name and for the good of the people around us. We pray. And everyone said, Hey, man, may it be, Hey, friends, let's stand together and let's make this song our prayer that Jesus would truly be exalted in our lives.