WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:08.080 Of the Lord and he's here to today to share what the Lord has put in his message. So I invite mister Ken Figueroa. Good 00:00:11.840 --> 00:00:19.445 morning. Good morning. How's everyone doing this morning? Oh, if that's for me, it's okay. But if it's for the Lord, that's a little weak. 00:00:19.445 --> 00:00:30.405 How you doing this morning? Good. Alright. It's a joy to be with you here today. As mentioned, Pastor Don is out, with his lovely bride taking a weekend well deserved off. 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:52.705 And I have the privilege and honor to continue our series, We Are Avalon. If we haven't met before, my name is Ken Figueroa, as Doreen mentioned. And my wife and I have been here for a few years, and we're so blessed to be a part of this community and grateful that we got the opportunity to serve in his kingdom. I'm excited to be in the house of the Lord. It's a joy to be here today and to share a message and a word from the Lord. 00:00:53.025 --> 00:01:03.610 How many of you are pet lovers? You love pets. There's quite a few here in the room. Many of you that are watching online as well. And for most pet lovers, your furry little one is like a child to you. 00:01:03.850 --> 00:01:13.850 They're part of your family. Some pets even look like you. You'll see here in the... You'll see a picture here in the screen, a couple examples. You see the the beard and the hair and the... 00:01:13.850 --> 00:01:30.905 Just the color and everything look the same. You see the other one there with the hair looked like they're owners. There's some pets that even have same personalities. They're just joyful with smiles or maybe just calm and collective and cool type of pets. Our family, we had a dog a few years ago. 00:01:30.905 --> 00:02:01.380 You'll see a picture here in the screen that had similar personality and traits of our family that resembled us. Now we just babysit Pastor Don's dog. But pets can be an extension of your family, not just from a love and compassion standpoint, but they become like you. They become familiar with the environment, the way of being, and it reflects on their personality. Speaking of family, many families have strong genes that are passed from generation to generation. 00:02:01.380 --> 00:02:31.190 That's certainly true in my family. In the male side, my father's genes are very strong, and they pass down to his sons and his grandson. You'll see a picture here a few years back of us as siblings and my father together. You notice similarities in height and body type and posture, things that you won't see in pictures like mannerisms or personalities were passed on as well. And whether it's biological, step, blended, or adoptive families, many of us have heard the comparison, you're just like your father. 00:02:31.670 --> 00:02:54.445 You're just like your mother. Growing up, my mom would tell me that all the time. My wife says it to me all the time as well. It's not just the looks, it's just the way you walk and talk and even behave, good or bad, that reminds your resemblance of your father. My mother, when she was upset with my father, she would say from time to time to my brother and I, the good things of your father, copy them. 00:02:54.765 --> 00:03:17.915 The bad things about your father, correct them. She would say these things knowing that it's beyond genetics. There's an influence based on proximity, based on observations I was becoming more and more like my father. There's a saying you'll see here on the screen that says, many things are caught more than they are taught. Good or bad, it happens. 00:03:18.075 --> 00:03:34.180 See, every day, someone or something is shaping you and I. The question is not whether we're being formed. The question is who and what is forming us. God's desire is for us to be in the likeness, in the image just like Jesus. That's who we are. 00:03:34.580 --> 00:03:51.205 And the way that we mature in Christ, the way it looks like that is based on the fact that we become more like him. And that's what we're gonna talk about today. We are Avalon becoming like Jesus. Join me in prayer as we get into our message this morning. Father, we thank you for this morning. 00:03:51.365 --> 00:04:25.050 We're grateful for the opportunity and the blessing to be in your house together as a body, father. To worship onto you and to open our ears, our hearts, and our minds for what you have to share today, Father. As your humble servant, as the word describes uneducated, common, but I've spent time with you. And may this word be from you, father, as I share with fear and trembling because it's yours and not mine. And may we land in good soil as we continue follow to go on this journey of becoming more like you and less like ourselves or our flesh, being a light that people can see Jesus through us. 00:04:25.130 --> 00:04:48.285 We give this time onto you. Have your way in Jesus' name. Amen. Pastor Don, the last few months has been going through this series of We Are Avalon, and it's about who we're becoming. Together, we're learning to follow Jesus, to become family, to live in unity, to live with generosity, to use our gifts, to bless our neighbors, and to become more like Jesus. 00:04:48.890 --> 00:05:22.000 It's a timely series because we live in a moment in history where fake news, political division, heresy, social media, artificial intelligence are all heavily influencing and shaping the way people think and the way they believe. The truth can become great. Distractions can become part of spiritual warfare. And I know we don't like to talk about that in the church much, but there is such thing as a spiritual warfare. The enemy, the adversary, Satan, the devil, the prince of this world is at war for our beliefs, our faith, and our worship unto the Lord. 00:05:22.640 --> 00:05:47.335 This is not new. He even tempted Jesus. You see in the screen, Matthew chapter four verse nine said, all this I will give you, the whole world, he said to Jesus, if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, away from me, Satan, for it is written, worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Every time I have to do a preaching, I find myself getting tested in what I say, practicing what you preach. 00:05:47.335 --> 00:06:01.160 And the other day, I was traveling for work. I worked for Wycliffe Bible Translators, and I went to Papua New Guinea. We have staff there. And I'm on this plane, this flight from Australia to Los Angeles. And while I'm sitting in the seat, there's someone next to me. 00:06:01.160 --> 00:06:07.745 You have this casual conversation. Where are you traveling from? Where are going? And and she asked me, what were you doing in Papua New Guinea? I was like, I have staff there. 00:06:07.745 --> 00:06:16.305 We we work for Wickliff Bible Translator. And she looks at me and she says, are you Christian? I said, yes. I'm a believer of Christ. And she just snapped. 00:06:17.090 --> 00:06:25.170 I can't believe I'm on a fourteen hour flight next to a believer. You're not gonna preach to me. Jesus is not the son of God. He's just a prophet. I believe in God. 00:06:25.170 --> 00:06:37.645 I believe in earth. And who else is with you here? Who else is with you? And I said, don't know, ma'am, but I'm sure there are believers in this plane. And I start to just pray pray because she's just going off and off and firetens are looking, people next to me looking, what is wrong? 00:06:37.725 --> 00:06:42.285 What's going on? I just pray. I text my wife. I text my daughter. I say, pray for me. 00:06:42.285 --> 00:06:51.940 I'm trying to keep composure, respond in a way as loving to God. And all of a sudden, she looks at me. Eyes wide open like she saw a ghost. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. 00:06:51.940 --> 00:07:09.805 I'm sorry. Just like that, the atmosphere changed. Jesus stepped in the room. We need to be reminded of God's truth, of his word, so we can stand firm as Jesus did when we have these spiritual warfare as an attack. We need to be clear. 00:07:09.805 --> 00:07:37.275 We need to remove the noise that's constantly distracting us. We need to take inventory of what we're allowing to feed, form, and speak to our mind, to our soul, to our spirit. We need to realize that God has called us to a oneness with him, a closest with him, and with each other as a body. To transform us to be more like him, so we can mature in our walk with him. See, like I said before, every day, someone or something is shaping us and forming us. 00:07:37.275 --> 00:08:10.255 The question is who and what? Becoming becoming more like Jesus is a lifelong transformational process known as sanctification. For those who have been in church, it's a familiar term, but maybe for some of you it's a new term, this word sanctification. According to the camera's dictionary you'll see here on the screen, sanctification is defined as the act or process of making someone or something holy, pure, set apart for a sacred purpose. Many scholars believe that the process of sanctification has three phases. 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:32.595 The first one you'll see here on the screen, positional sanctification. Positional sanctification is when believers are made holy and set apart instantly through faith in Christ's finished work at the cross. Jesus died at the cross. Our sins were washed away. When we confess and we give our life to Christ, it says that believers are sanctified in Christ. 00:08:32.595 --> 00:08:48.290 We have eternal life with him. It's instant. It's given to us. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 14 says, for by that one offering, he forever made perfect those things that we are being made holy. Being made holy in a likeness of Jesus who is holy. 00:08:48.875 --> 00:09:07.250 That's positional sanctification. The second one is progressive sanctification. You see it there on the screen. A lifelong, lifelong daily process where believers grow in holiness over time. As the Holy Spirit and God's word transforms and renews their minds and their action. 00:09:07.970 --> 00:09:31.105 This is a process that's over time. It's a process we'll spend a lot of time talking about today. Second Corinthians chapter three verse 18 puts it like this. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord who is spirit makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 00:09:31.850 --> 00:09:56.065 Important clarification here, this has nothing to do with salvation, nothing to do with work. This is our pursuit of being more like Jesus. And the last one you'll see in the screen here is ultimate sanctification. Ultimate sanctification is the final state of completion, perfection, and freedom from sin when a believer enters heaven. When we go to heaven, the work is completed. 00:09:56.225 --> 00:10:26.630 The sanctification process is done. Philippians chapter three verse 20 says, but we are citizens of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives, and we are eagerly awaiting for him to return as our savior. How many are waiting for the Lord to return as our savior? And we will take our weak bodies, and he will take our weak bodies and change it into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he was bringing everything under control. In heaven, there will be no temptation. 00:10:26.630 --> 00:10:42.085 There'll be no sin. There'll be no pain. There'll be no sorrow. It'll be complete perfection, and heaven ultimate sanctification will be then. See, sanctification, and particularly progressive sanctification, what we're focusing on today, it's formation. 00:10:42.565 --> 00:11:00.440 It's transformation. It's discipleship. It's following Jesus so we can become more like him because we were created in his image. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, he created mankind in his own image. You'll see Genesis chapter one verse 27 on the screen here. 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:19.200 So God created human beings in his own image. In his image of God, he created them male and female. He created them. This is the foundation. It's the foundation of the sanctification process that we understand and believe that God created us in his image, male and female. 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:50.370 We were created in our mother's womb to be more like him. Our formation, our transformation, our sanctification process is being done as we become students of Jesus. As we learn his word, as we follow his ways. Luke chapter six verse 40 says this, students are not greater than their teacher, but the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher. The more and more we learn about Jesus, the more we become like him. 00:11:50.370 --> 00:12:21.730 This is how it was designed. This is what was intended to be for us to become like Jesus. Romans chapter eight verse 29, you'll see on the screen here says, for God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his son so that his son would be the firstborn among brothers and sisters. So what does becoming more like Jesus and maturing in Christ look like? There are no shortcuts to maturing in our walk with Jesus, to becoming more like him. 00:12:21.730 --> 00:12:46.910 It's a process. It's a transformational intentional process that involves our mind, our soul, and our spirit. There are many examples in scripture of Jesus' walk here on earth that we can learn from, his teachings that we can learn from. There's also scriptures that provide us practical guidelines and applications of becoming more like him. And we'll take a look at some of those found in Colossians chapter three. 00:12:46.910 --> 00:12:59.475 You can open your Bibles. You can follow in the app. You can look here on the screen. Colossians chapter three verse one through 17. There are many epistles of Paul's, many letters that are written from Paul from prison. 00:12:59.475 --> 00:13:21.790 This is one of them. He's addressing the harmful heresies and the false teachings that were threatening the church. He outlined some practical exhortation on how Christians can conduct themselves during these circumstances. All of which apply in today's time and the progression of being like Jesus. Well, follow me on verse one here. 00:13:22.725 --> 00:13:54.885 Since you've been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven and not the things of earth. For you die to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all of his glory. As believers, we are given a new life. 00:13:55.285 --> 00:14:12.370 Our old is gone. And so progressive sanctification starts with the renewing of our minds. Thinking about things from heaven and not things from this world. And we have to ask ourselves from time to time, what are we reading? What are we listening? 00:14:12.370 --> 00:14:28.055 What are we watching? What's feeding our minds? What voices are we listening to? Because Jesus says that my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. What you and I consume has a direct effect on what we think. 00:14:29.655 --> 00:14:59.185 My wife, which I'm grateful for, she's always challenging us to grow in our marriage, and to learn and to keep check ins like you do with anything else in life to make sure that things are well. For every time, often from time to time, we'll watch these shows on relationships. We even watch this show that's counseling. See, we sit there and listen to other people getting counseled so we can learn as well. And as we're going through these shows, we're listening to these different advices that are being provided, they're not faith based. 00:14:59.185 --> 00:15:15.120 And then we will start talking about these things. And over time, sometimes we'll have a little bit of disagreement about some of the things that were shared because we're just processing what's being shared. But recently, last couple of weeks, we've been going to savage marriage. Shout out to savage marriage. Doug and Wendy, thank you for your ministry. 00:15:15.520 --> 00:15:34.810 Yes. We give them applause. Yes. And as we go into Sabbath's marriage and as we're listening to different counsel about marriage and hearing from different couples, we're starting to hear them from a different perspective, from a heavenly perspective. And so now when we have disagreements or we talk about things, we get re centered because we're lead... 00:15:34.810 --> 00:15:59.715 Listening to things that were provided from a heavily and biblical perspective and not things that were provided from an earthly or not a faith based perspective. What we listen to, what we allow to speak in our minds can have a direct effect in how we process things. See, it all starts with the mind. What we feel then leads, and it turns into how we behave. You'll see a diagram right here on the screen. 00:15:59.795 --> 00:16:26.375 Your thoughts lead to how you feel. How you feel then leads to how you behave or your actions and this cycle continues, but it all starts with what you think. So what we allow to feed our minds is what starts this cycle of feelings then behaviors. See, the world tells us to think in our minds to follow our feelings. To pursue what feels good, what satisfies our flesh, our desires. 00:16:26.375 --> 00:16:46.355 There's no limits. Do think and say whatever's right to yourself is what we hear. And if you're not careful, many of us will fall into this trap of thinking the same way as well. If we join into this thinking, then how are we set apart? Scripture says that we're set apart, that they would know us by our fruits. 00:16:46.675 --> 00:17:06.140 But if we're thinking the same way of the world, then how are we set apart? And it's a warning for us as a church to trust in what's true. What God has said, what his word has said and not let the world come into our minds and make us think different. Isn't that what happened in the garden? Did God really say that? 00:17:08.215 --> 00:17:35.350 We have to be careful for what we allow to feed our minds because thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to behaviors. Sanctification starts to renew in our mind, thinking about the things from heaven rather than things from the earth. And let's continue on here in verse five. Verse five, it says, put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. 00:17:35.955 --> 00:17:57.630 Don't be greedy for a greedy person is idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of those... This world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malice behavior, slander, and dirty language. 00:17:58.030 --> 00:18:33.135 Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Paul is addressing the sanctification of the soul, of the inner self. 00:18:33.935 --> 00:18:58.460 Our mind feeds into our feelings, the seat of our hearts, seat of our emotions. And it's over two thousand years ago when Paul says this and it's still true today. He exhorts to put this... To put to death the sinful, earthly things that are lurking within our inner soul and get rid of them. I wanna read this list again because I think it's important for us to just ponder on it. 00:19:00.185 --> 00:19:35.405 Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, idolatry, anger, rage, malice behavior, slander, dirty language, and lying. Are there any areas listed that you need to get rid of? I know there is for me. Things from our past, things from our upbringing, trauma, peer pressure, other reasons that we carry that perhaps were part of when we were part of the world. But in our new life, as believers, we are to put on a new nature and renew our mind and our inner soul. 00:19:36.285 --> 00:20:12.210 It's our process of becoming more like him, getting rid of the things that are lurking in our inner being, putting them to death. We'll continue on here on verse 12. Since God chose you to be holy people he loves, you must clothe yourself with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 00:20:12.770 --> 00:20:39.040 Above all, clothe yourself with love which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as member of one body, you are called to live in peace and always be thankful. Mhmm. Paul continues in this letter to shape the practical ways to put on a new self, to clothe, to be more like Christ. 00:20:39.520 --> 00:21:04.595 It's a contrast from the previous verse where he's saying, put to death and get rid of. And this one he's saying, clothe yourself. Put on tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, allowance, forgiveness, love, and peace. For most of us, clothing ourselves in these fruits of the spirit is not something that comes naturally. It takes great humility because it's counterculture. 00:21:04.755 --> 00:21:23.705 See, showing this play in these types of attributes in the world shows weakness. Strength is looked at differently than how Jesus describes and displays it. Even the disciples didn't fully understand all this. When Jesus said to them, turn the other cheek. They didn't really get that. 00:21:23.865 --> 00:21:54.105 When Jesus says forgive 70 times seven, like I have forgiven you. These concepts were hard for even the disciples to understand. Sabbath marriage describes this as the low road. There's two roads, a high road, which is pride, ego, sin, and the low road, which is humility, being more like Christ. These are lessons that I'm learning the hard way in many of relations in my life because of my pride and ego, my high road. 00:21:54.825 --> 00:22:18.745 But God in his mercy and grace, he's given many opportunities to be more like him and to mature in my walk as he has shown and demonstrated us to be like him. One of those relationships was with my father. In the early twenties, my family, they divorced. And I became bitter towards my father as an adult. And I carried that for many years, even as a believer. 00:22:19.545 --> 00:22:38.320 I was serving ministry. I was a minister at a local church, and I still lacked tenderheartedness, mercy, kindness, humility, gentle, patience, allowance, forgiveness towards my earn... My own earthly father. And the Lord convicted me. So one day, came face to face with this question. 00:22:38.320 --> 00:23:03.460 If God has forgiven so much for me, how can I not forgive my father? See, reality was that before I came to Christ, I lived a very similar lifestyle than my father did. It was a generational curse, a generational sins that were passed down from my grandfather to my father to me. And then when I gave my life to Christ, that chain was broken. And the Lord forgave me of that. 00:23:03.860 --> 00:23:32.080 So one day, I went to my father, and I shared with him. I said, I forgive you for everything that was caused through the divorce. All the resentment that I have, I I forgive it all, and I ask you to forgive me for the way I was being and treating you as my father. The Bible says that God restores the years a locust has eaten. There are many years that were stolen, that were taken away from my relation with my father, But God restored everything. 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:46.535 He answered prayers. My father gave his life to Christ, and he was born again. He became a new creation in Christ. You'll see a picture here in the screen. It was one of the days I went to visit him at a church here in Orlando. 00:23:48.695 --> 00:24:11.600 He was so excited that we surprised him and supported him at his church. He was going through chemo. Three years ago, he passed away. But God makes beauty out of ashes. And the final years of my father's life were the best years that we had in our adult relationship. 00:24:14.235 --> 00:24:31.610 Because all things were made new. Second Corinthians chapter five verse 17 on the screen. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things has passed away. Behold, all things have become new. 00:24:33.850 --> 00:24:51.785 There was a transformation in my father's life. He was being sanctified. He was becoming more like Jesus. The Lord put to death many of his spiritual patterns of sin that he had, many addiction that plagued him his whole life. He grew in his faith, and he had desire to be in the in the Lord's present. 00:24:51.785 --> 00:25:09.280 He would go to church every Sunday without fail. The Sunday before his passing, his wife called me. She said, I'm telling you... I'm calling to tell you that your dad's in the hospital. And in that very moment, I went to the room by myself, and I knew that God was telling me something. 00:25:10.575 --> 00:25:45.415 So I prayed to God. I said, Lord, if you're telling my dad's time here on earth is near, now that he's a new creation in you and he's been transformed, even though it hurt me, I accepted. A few days later, he passed away. While his passing still hurts, I have certainty that he's in heaven and that the completed work that God started in him is done. The transformation work of sanctification in my father's life and in turn, my own life. 00:25:48.455 --> 00:26:16.835 As the worship team makes their way up, I have a question for everyone in the room today. As we continue to be more like Jesus, as we continue to pursue who he is in our lives, as we take the things that are from the earth and we put them to death and we get rid of those things. There's someone in this room, and I'm telling you from my own testimony. There's someone you need to forgive. I don't know the circumstance. 00:26:16.835 --> 00:26:33.130 I don't know the situation, but the Lord forgave us, and we are to forgive. Time is running out. We don't have time to play in the kiddie pool. It's time to be like Jesus. Be more like him. 00:26:33.210 --> 00:26:49.025 Get rid of the things that aren't from him. Close the thoughts that are from earth, and fill your life with the things that are from heaven. We continue here. Become like Jesus requires a renewing of the mind, the soul, and lastly, the spirit. Verse ten sixteen. 00:26:49.025 --> 00:27:11.365 You see on the screen here. Let the message about Christ and all its richness fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:27:12.005 --> 00:27:40.285 Giving thanks through him to God the Father. Maturing and becoming more like Christ is through the transformational work of the holy spirit in us. But we have to make room in our lives to be tuned in, to be connected, to be intentional with the spirit. The bible says to not quench the spirit. There are various forms of making room for the spirit. 00:27:40.525 --> 00:27:57.640 Some are practical. Some are things that we do on a regular basis like prayer. Being intentional with God, removing distractions, hearing his voice. Another one is worship. When you're driving, when you're at home, when you're here worshiping together, it's not just singing a song. 00:27:58.360 --> 00:28:18.665 It's a spiritual connection. It's a praise unto the Lord. Our hearts get filled with thanksgiving when we're in his presence. We have direct access to his holy spirit. Another way is when we read God's word and we gain understanding, the message of Christ, the word says, it fills our lives. 00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:59.970 The more we spend time in God's presence, the more we get to know him, the more we become like him. As a result, the scripture says that he would use us to teach and to counsel and to give wisdoms to others through the spirit, doing it as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am with this. In a moment, we're gonna partake in communion and remembering Jesus, his body that was broken, his blood that was shed for us. When I was in Papua New Guinea last week, a New Guinean pastor led us in communion. 00:29:00.855 --> 00:29:16.470 And we start to talk about this concept of remembering. Because that's what we're doing. We're remembering Jesus. And he starts to talk about there was more than one thing to remember at the cross, and he talked about the thieves. The two thieves that are at the cross. 00:29:16.870 --> 00:29:44.395 And the one thief, you'll see here, Luke chapter 23 verse 42. The one thief said to him, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And the pastor, he starts to sing this verse as a hymn, and I just started to weep. Because this thing about remember me. Jesus, when he died at the cross, he remembered me. 00:29:47.310 --> 00:30:34.955 We take communion sometimes as just a ritual or something we do, but it's to remember Jesus at the cross, and he remembered us. As we prepare our minds and our hearts for communion, communion is reserved for the body of believers. If you haven't given your life to Christ, I urge you to do so. Confess today that he is your savior, that he loved you, that he sent his son to die for you, to forgive your sins, past, present, and future, to give you eternal life. For the rest of us, we'll have an opportunity to remember the cross, but also opportunity to examine ourselves. 00:30:34.955 --> 00:30:53.500 The bible says examine yourself before you consume. What has to be renewed in our minds, in our soul, in our spirit to become more like Christ? Spend some time this morning thinking about that. And whatever you gotta do, you gotta kneel here, then do that. You gotta kneel in your chair, then do that. 00:30:53.500 --> 00:31:08.035 Whatever you gotta do, that before you consume, you make things right with the Lord. As we normally do, come out of the aisles to the left hand side of my side. You come through there and... Right side. Thank you. 00:31:08.035 --> 00:31:19.160 Right side of the aisle, my left, your right. You know how we normally do. If you don't know, follow the person in front of you. We'll consume the elements and hold on to the elements. We'll we'll do them together. 00:31:19.880 --> 00:31:37.575 And if you're in families, kinda huddle together and do communion together. But let's pray before we partake in communion. Father, we thank you. We thank you for your word, Lord. We thank you for the truth that is in your word, father. 00:31:39.350 --> 00:31:48.710 We thank you that you love us so much, father. Do you wanna leave us the way we are? We want... You want us to be more like you. You created us in your image, father. 00:31:50.295 --> 00:32:16.575 We pray, father, whatever we've allowed to feed our minds, whatever we have listened, whatever we distracted, whatever is even questioning, did God really say that? Would you remove it from our lives, father? Let your word penetrate our hearts and our minds. Let us be reminded as we continue this pursuit of sanctification of being more like you, being set apart, being holy, father. We wouldn't take this lightly. 00:32:16.575 --> 00:32:44.150 It's a privilege and honor to be like you. That when people see us, they don't see us. They see Christ in us, and that we can be a light in this community, in our workplaces, in our families. Pray if there's anything, father, in this place that's not from you, we will leave it here in the altar and be consumed by your fire, Lord. Let us remember your sacrifice on the cross. 00:32:45.125 --> 00:33:11.350 Let us be grateful that you remembered us, and let us consume these things with a holy reverence, knowing your body was broken, your blood was shed, and we have eternal life in you. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Let the message about Christ and all his richness fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all wisdom he gives. 00:33:12.115 --> 00:33:27.683 Sing praise and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say throughout this week, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks through him to God the Father. God bless you. Have a good day.