Encourage One Another

an article in Reader's Digest entitled, What Good is a Tree? Describe the root system of trees that typically grow in forests, even if they are of different species of trees. A root system of a tree has a fungus that is associated with the roots. That when it gets close to another root of another tree will serve to ease the sense of competition between the two. In fact, those roots may even become intertwined and embrace one another to the point that as this article says, a whole forest can sometimes be connected underground. And that fungus actually serves to bond those trees together in a way in which if one tree has more access to nutrients from the soil or water from a particular location, it can be shared with other trees. What a beautiful picture of the church, of the body of Christ. The Bible teaches that as a church we are intertwined with one another. We are bonded together in a way that when one needs some nutrients that another has, when one needs a cup of cold water, as we heard just a moment ago that another has, we can share that with one another. That's the way the church is to function. The church grows not only by individual interaction with the word, but also by corporate togetherness, the one and others. And we've been looking for the last several months at those one and others in the New Testament. The Times in the New Testament when the Bible uses the phrase one another. I started this series on relationships within the church to serve as sort of the theological, biblical, underpinning, and foundation of the beginning of small groups and also the desire to improve and strengthen Bible fellowships to more highly help us to recognize, to recognize in a deeper way the necessity of the one and others, of the relational part of growing together in Christ. We really do not grow as well alone in isolation as we do with one another. And so we've been seeing in the last few months how the church is built up, and that's really the thrust of this series building up one another. The Bible tells us that there are lots of spiritual dynamics that are included in that building up one another, helping one another to grow. For instance, we have seen in this series that we are members of one another. We are to be devoted to one another, honor one another, be of the same mind with one another, accept one another, warn one another, greet one another, serve one another, bear one another's burdens. Bear with one another and submit one another. There are other one and others that we have not considered, and the list really could go on, praying for one another. The Bible talks about that. Kevin preached on loving one another. One of the Sundays I was gone. The Bible talks about confessing your faults one to another in James 5. There are some other one and others we haven't dealt with, but I'm choosing to bring this series to a close today. Today I want to close it with one of those one another that really is kind of a general statement that in a sense encompasses all the others, and in a sense in the Bible is used synonymously with the concept of building up one another. Encourage one another. This is a theme that is found throughout Paul's Epistles. In fact, it is a thread that ties Paul's Epistles together. I actually prepared on the screen 12 passages. We're not going to look at them this morning for sake of time. We've got a baptismal service at the end of the service. So we're not going to look at them, but if you follow this concept, if you do a word study on this phrase one another, you'll find it coming up or encouragement rather. You'll find it coming up over and over and over again in Paul's Epistles. Out of all of his Epistles, 13 of them, all but two mention encouraging one another. All but Galatians and 1 Timothy in the concept is certainly found in those two, but the wording is found in all of Paul's Epistles. But this morning I want us to jump out of Paul's Epistles to the Book of Hebrews. Although I'm certainly aware that some say Paul wrote the Book of Hebrews. It's not real clear from the Bible evidence who wrote the book. I probably will say three or four times. Paul said this or Paul said that as we discussed the passage this morning. But whether or not Paul wrote it, it's still scripture. Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews is written to a group of believers, New Testament, Jewish believers, simply called the Hebrews. They are people who were suffering persecution. They were people who because of their faith and commitment to Christ had been kicked out of the Jewish synagogue, which resulted in social ostracism. It resulted in for many of them the loss of their employment. And so for many of these people, this was a very serious form of persecution. Some of them were actually facing physical persecution as a result of their faith in Christ. Because of that, some were becoming timid and fearful. And we're threatening to leave the Christian assembly and kind of be underground Christians, isolate themselves from the church, maybe even go back to the synagogue or the temple. And identify once again with the Jewish religion. And the writer to Hebrews is encouraging them. You cannot do this. You cannot leave Christ and throughout the book of Hebrews. He describes a number of ways in which Christ is infinitely superior to whatever we have left behind. Even to the Old Testament economy of angels and Moses and the law and the covenant God made with people there. Christ is so much more than that. And you cannot turn your back on Christ if you truly know him. That's the thrust of the book of Hebrews. And in chapter 10, he really ramps up the encouragement quotient here and encourages the people strongly, not to leave. In fact, we are to help each other and encourage each other. In Hebrews 10, we find these strong statements in verses 24 and 25 of passage that is one of my favorites in the New Testament. I've preached on a number of times. And I love coming back to it. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 24, Paul or the writer of Hebrews, whoever that may be, says in verse 24, and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another. There's our phrase. And all the more as you see the day approaching what the writer is going to command and instruct and challenge us about here, but we have encouraging one another. He says, you need this more now than you ever have before. You need this more in light of the fact that the day is approaching. And if your Bible is like mine, probably your translation has that word day in capital letters, the first letter at least indicating this is a special day, a day probably referring to the coming of Christ. As you see that time coming and in their eyes and their mind, the persecution was kind of a precursor kind of a sign that was saying we may be in the last days. And if you see the day coming and as it approaches and as it gets closer, we need to encourage one another even more. This is not the time to leave. This is the time to stick together. The writer is saying. Actually, the term encourage one another has three different meanings in the New Testament. The word encourage has these three different meanings. Sometimes it can mean to encourage one another in the sense of exorct or admonish or challenge or warn. Kind of get in your face and warn another believer. That's one idea with encouragement. The word is used in a second sense in the New Testament of pleading with or intreating someone or urging someone like Paul does in Romans 12. I beseech you or I urge you brothers and view of God's mercy to present your bodies and living sacrifice. Sometimes encourage has that thrust or that meaning. But the third slant of the word encourage in the New Testament is what we normally think of when we think of encourage and that is to comfort someone. To speak words that are gracious and kind and helpful and build up and encourage someone. In those three ways the Bible talks about encouragement and really the writer here addresses all three of those types of encouragement. If you notice the text once again you'll find that the writer says we are first of all to encourage one another by coming. We encourage by coming. It's in verse 25 and the reason why I take this one first rather than starting in verse 24 is because the way this passage is structured nothing else happens unless this happens. The rest of what the writer is going to talk about doesn't happen unless we come together. So the first thing that we need to address and see is that encouragement happens by coming by coming together and what he is basically saying in verse 25 not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. Some of you Hebrews he's saying some of you because of persecution if you read the whole book you get the slant of why he's writing this book. Some of you because of persecution are giving up on coming together giving up on the assembly of believers. You're quitting you're leaving the word giving up is really a strong word which means to leave behind to forsake to desert. He says you're doing that but and some of you are guilty of that he says to the Hebrews and he says don't give up meeting together. It's important to come together. The rest of what he's going to talk about is dependent on being together coming together. So every opportunity for coming together should be welcomed and seized if possible and used for growth and encouraging one another. We encourage one another by coming together. Now there are reasons for not coming and I will be the first to admit that there are reasons why sometimes we can't meet together. Some of those reasons are good some of them quite frankly are very lame. But some of the reasons why sometimes we can't come together are good. There are work conflicts sometimes you're sick or you're in jail or you know something like that and you just can't come and I understand all of that. There are times when we can't be here and certainly if you know me if you've been here long enough you know that I'm not one to preach that that spirituality is determined by the number of times you come in a particular given period of time to a church service. That can become very external and legalistic but coming together if we come because we desire to be here and we realize why we are here to encourage each other to help each other be built up and to grow and to receive the word of God which encourages us and challenges us. If we understand that and if that's the reason why we come then that ought to be a priority in our lives. So some of the reasons why we don't come at times can really sound kind of lame when you when you understand the importance of coming together. These people were tempted not to come together because of persecution because their lives were in danger. There are still places in the world where that's true that is not true here. And if the writer of Hebrews would say don't you dare give up coming even though your life is in danger I wonder how he would address some of our excuses some of our reasons why we don't come. Some come because of an ignorance of the value of being here. And ignorance maybe not in a negative fashion but just not knowing not understanding the importance of the word of God to our lives. This is a living book unlike anything else you will ever encounter in life. What is preached and taught from this book is not just the thoughts and sayings of someone likened to a political speech or likened to someone just doing a play or someone teaching some subject matter. We're dealing with a living book here God's Word which has the power the Bible says to discern to uncover to peel back the layers of our thoughts and the intense of our heart. It has the power to change us and mold us into the image of Christ. If we lose sight of that if we're ignorant of why we should be here to get under the sound of the word of God and let God's Word mold us and shape us. Whether that's in a church service like this or a Bible fellowship or a small group or whatever it may be. A time to be in the Word if we lose sight of that focus then we become ignorant as to what really is the reason for gathering together. Some miss or stop coming simply because of laziness let's be honest sometimes we just get lazy sometimes we just decide to quit and there's no good reason we just get spiritually lazy and we don't put forth the effort to come. I wonder how the writer to first century people would have addressed that one. If he says it's no excuse if your life is in danger to stop coming what would he think of our laziness. Some of us sometimes stop coming because worldliness and sin choke out the desire to come and we become so focused on other things in this world and maybe the sins of our lives that are hunger and thirst for the Bible and even for contact with other Christians begins to diminish. Jesus talked about the word finding lodging in people's hearts and he says one of the things that will choke out the word is the cares and desires of this world. The riches and cares of this world will sometimes cause us to lose our desire and focus sometimes we may quit coming for sake the assembling of ourselves together because of wrong priorities. The building together has bumped way down on our priority list. I was listening to a Christian radio station just within the last couple of weeks I was on my way out to the church one day and just had the radio station on and just had it on long enough to hear a couple of testimonies that they were playing as to why the radio station was so important to people. This one lady came on first thing I heard and she said during certain times of the year when there are sports seasons for our kids we know we're not going to be in church for months at a time. This radio station is our lifeline. I don't know how that hits you that may hit you as that's okay that's alright. It didn't hit me that way it hit me as that's where our culture has that's what's what we've become in our culture. That everything else becomes a higher priority and if it's convenient to go to church if it's my schedule to gather together with God's people I'll be there if it's not convenient forget that I'll get my spiritual nutrients somewhere else. I wonder how the writer to the first century Hebrews would address that issue and the God of sports and other activities in our culture. I know that's not very popular and I know some of you are thinking you've quit preaching you've gone to Medlon and you don't understand the lives of people today yes I do. And I think I understand something about the priorities of God's word as well and the priorities of people gathering together. I know it was a different day in a different time but I can remember my dad telling me when I was growing up son you can't play football anymore because the games are on Wednesday night you're going to be in church. And I willingly accepted that and I'm glad it was that way in our family because it quickly taught me what the proper priorities were in life. Now that's not to say you can't play sports that's fine that's great. Just wonder where the priorities are with some of us. Some of us stop coming because of a problem with someone else. I think I've told you this story before but always think of it when I think of how easily things can get twisted out of their original intent. People can get hurt out of the silliest things. Pastor sitting on the front pew turns to his wife and says my ears hurting today. Two rows back lady turns to her husband says did you hear that our pastor has an earache. Two rows back lady turns to her husband says did you hear that our pastor has a hearing aid. Two rows back husband turns to his wife and did you hear that our pastors have in trouble hearing. Two rows further back husband turns to his wife did you hear that our pastor has a double earring. And two rows back an elderly lady gets up says that's it I'm out of here and walks out. Now that sounds silly doesn't it and when I get my ear rings I hope no one will leave. But people can leave over the silliest things sometimes misunderstandings that get blown way out of proportion. Get up set with someone out of shape with someone. I'll bend out of shape and just leave just take off. I wonder how the writer to the Hebrews would see that. Your life is in danger. I know you're being persecuted. Don't give up coming together he says. Sometimes we we may give up coming together simply because we're discouraged. It's amazing to me that and I know how discouragement works. It's a demon that I battle sometimes. Sometimes people get discouraged and they stop coming to the assembling of ourselves together. At the time they need one another the most. They quit. It doesn't make sense. I understand how discouragement works but when you think about it doesn't make sense. That's when we need each other the most. That's when we could benefit the most from our fellowship and encouraging one another. Did you know there are times when your pastors don't want to come to church? Maybe you guys are all the time spiritual and it's okay with you but there are times when I say you know I really... I just don't want to go today. I don't have much of a choice so I come. Please don't misunderstand that. On every occasion when I come with my spirit out of shape, when I start greeting people at the back, my spirit starts warming up. And just encouragement of being here with you is enough sometimes to lift me out of discouragement. Coming together. Now there are reasons for coming together. There's the blessing of coming together. And the blessing of coming together is twofold. Number one it blesses others for you to come. For you to be here the encouragement of coming works that way. It blesses other people. When other people see you here, when other people realize sometimes the effort it is taken for you to be here. That's a blessing and encouragement to them. You know how that works don't you? I look out and scan this audience today and I see some of you. I can pick you out that I know you're here even though physically your body is aching and hurting and diseased. And it's hard for you to get here. It's hard for you to even get ready. Get up in the morning. Get ready and be here. But you're here. You know when other folks see you walk in, when I see you walk in, that just encourages me. Because I sense that you believe it's important to your spiritual growth to be here and to fellowship with other believers. What an encouragement and blessing that is. When I see someone who has worked all night and I can tell they've come in there. They're closed. They've worked all night in. What an amazing encouragement and blessing that is. A couple of weeks ago I saw someone come in on a Wednesday night and it was obvious from his appearance that he had come straight from work. And I mentioned something to it about him. He said, yeah, I just got here. Just got here from work. I got in the car. My wife had fixed some dinner. I ate on the way in the car. And you know what? That was such a blessing to me to know that someone who could have easily said it's been a long day, man. I'm not coming. I'm not going to church tonight. But made the extra effort to be here. And I told that person. I said, you know, that reminds me of my dad. My dad worked a long, long hours and on Wednesday night he would get off just in time to get here for church. Didn't even come home. Mom would pile all of us kids in the car and we would meet dad here at church. He didn't eat supper. He didn't have time to change clothes, but he was here. Now, I know that can become legalistic. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. Certainly wasn't with my dad. My dad had a heart for God and for his people and his word. I just wonder sometimes about our reasons. The blessing of being here. It encourages and blesses us, but it also blesses you. It will be a blessing to you when you come. And that's what really the writer to Hebrews is focusing on. Get the picture in mind again. Your life is in danger. You're being persecuted. You're being intimidated and you're fearful of coming together. But what I'm telling you, he says, is that as the day approaches, as persecution gets worse and the day approaches for Jesus to come back, you need this even more. You need the togetherness and the encouraging one another even more. It's more vital because the emphasis is we don't face the enemy well by ourselves. We do better when we're in community. We do better when we're sharing our lives with one another. We do better in spiritual growth and in spiritual battle. Our faith is stronger. Our witness is more clear. Our Christian lives are more vigorous. And we can confess Christ more boldly when we're locking arms with other people. And we don't feel like we're in it all by ourselves. That is so critical to understand. So important to grasp. I read an article in Wall Street Journal back in August, August 20th of 2011 about Karl Marlantus. And I've clipped it out. I want to read part of it to you. Karl Marlantus was telling the story of a battle in the Vietnam War. He was 23 years old. He was a second lieutenant. He was in charge of 40 Marines. And their objective was to take a hill that the North Vietnamese had taken. It was a very strategic piece of territory. And they were to take that hill. And so some planes were to come in and bomb that hill first to kind of loosen things up and maybe destroy some of the artillery and the bunkers so that they could storm the hill. But as sometimes happens, the coordinates got wrong and the planes bombed another hill. And so when Marlantus led his 40 Marines out of the undergrowth and the jungle and started toward the hill, they came under furious fire. And he realized what was happening. Marines started ducking for down trees and craters in the ground just to protect themselves. And he realized all of a sudden that they would quickly be overcome by the enemy's mortar fire and rockets. It wouldn't be long. All 40 of them would be dead unless he did something. Listen to him tell his own story. He said, if I didn't get up and lead, we'd get wiped out. I did a lot of things that day that the one I'm most proud of is that I simply stood up in the middle of that flying metal and started to the hill. I simply ran forward to the up the steep hill, staggering zigzagging for the bunker all by myself, hoping my own soldiers wouldn't shoot me in the back. It's hard to zigzag while running uphill, loaded down with ammunition and grenades. But as he was making one of those zigs and turns to try to escape enemy fires, he headed toward that bunker. He saw something out of the corner of his eye. Listen to how he describes it. It was a Marine. He was about 15 meters below me zigzagging, falling up and running again immediately behind him. A long ragged line of Marines came moving and weaving up the hill behind me behind the line. We're spots of crumpled bodies lying where they'd been hit. They'd all come with me. Everyone was intermingled, weaving, rushing, covering, taking on each hole and bunker one at a time in groups. We, he emphasizes we, the group, just rushed forward all at once. We couldn't be stopped. Individuals among us were stopped, yes. But we couldn't be stopped. It was we no longer me. When I read that, I thought of us. It's not me. It's not you. It's not us individually fighting Satan. It's we as a platoon storming the hill, taking in a meteratory. And we do it best when we do it together. The encouragement of coming together, of being together is one of the ways we encourage one another. Yes, the encouragement of coming is important. And just like the writer to the Hebrews said, don't give up meeting together. Don't give up coming together as summer in the habit of doing. And you need this even more as you see the day approaching, the encouragement of coming. But there's more to what it needs to encourage one another. It's not only the encouragement of coming that the text talks about, but it's also the encouragement of challenging. Notice it in verse 24. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. The writer says, let's think about this. Let's consider. Think about this long and deep. How we can spur one another on. It's a very strong word. One translation has the word provoke to provoke one another. I kind of like that word. Some of us don't need encouragement to provoke one another. We do that pretty naturally. But Paul or the writer here is talking about doing this in a good sense of challenging. Yes, getting in someone's face sometimes challenging them, spurring them on, provoking them. It's a very strong word. It's only found one other time in the New Testament. It's in Acts chapter 15 where Paul and Barnabas had what is called a sharp disagreement. Same word. They got in each other's face. They challenged each other about whether or not to take John Mark on the next missionary trip. They disagreed on that. And it was a sharp heated discussion. They were challenging each other. And so it's a strong idea here. And sometimes we need to be challenged, provoked, spurred, spurred on. Sometimes we need that kind of kick in the rear sometimes to get going, to do what we're supposed to be doing, or to stop doing what we're doing that's wrong. Sometimes that's the kind of encouragement we need is this challenge. And none of us are above that. None of us are above that. We all need that in time to time. Bill Heibles is the senior pastor at Willough Creek Community Church just outside Chicago. I heard him preach this message. And I have a transcript of it. He gives this illustration in this message. He says this past Tuesday after we put our kids to bed, I drove over to the church because I heard there was a rehearsal for, and he lists a program that was going on in their church. And I wanted to encourage the cast and some of the musicians. I intended to be here just a few moments. So I drove my car up and parked it between the auditorium and the parking lot. I was in here only a short period of time and after I'd encouraged them, I got in my car and drove home. The next morning in my mailbox, I got a note from a staff member. Bill, a small thing, but Tuesday night when you came to rehearsal, you parked at the side of the lobby in the no parking zone. A reaction from one of my crew, one of my maintenance crew, who did not recognize you until after you got out of the car was this. There's another jerk parking in the no parking zone. Bill, we try hard not to allow people even workers to park anywhere other than the parking lots. I would appreciate your cooperation, too. Signed staff member. In the message, Bill Hybles went on to say, he's no longer with us anymore. He was late coming back from a lunch one day and when you got to make a cut, you got to make a cut. And after his congregation laughed, he said, no, he's still with us. And his stock went up in my book because he had the courage to write me about what could be a little slippage in my character. And I know what I thought as I drove up here. I thought I really shouldn't park illegally here, but I mean, I'm the pastor, which translates, I'm an exception. And then please listen to these words that Bill Hybles said next to his church. If you people allow me to take three steps down the road of saying that I'm an exception to the rules, I'm in big trouble. I am not the exception. I'm not the exception to anything that God says. Neither is anybody else on this staff. None of us are. And we ought to be open to challenge to someone getting in our face, just like any of us should be. None of us on this staff are above anything that the Bible expects of you. God commands you to worship. Where to worship too. Not to be doing other stuff. Where to worship during a church service. If God commands you to be here, he commands us to be here. See, we're not exceptions. We need to be challenged to all of us. And we grow by the encouragement of challenge sometimes. That's the power of provoking. And you know that sometimes that can be done through a simple word or an action. Just the power of a word, the power of a simple action. Sometimes it's something that somebody says and they don't even realize they've said it. Someone says to you, are you okay? You look kind of tired. How do you respond to that? You go home, start looking in the mirror, bags under my eyes, what's wrong with me? Or horror of all horrors, somebody says to you, have you put on a few pounds? Well, boy, that'll take a half hour in front of the mirror. Want to check that one out. You know how sometimes just a little word or even an action will be the thing that challenges you that gets into your face and challenges you. We all need that from time to time. We all need that. That challenge. But I also cannot leave this topic without quickly saying the writer of Hebrews is very much aware as is Paul in his epistles of the power of the word, not just the power of a word, the power of the word. I mentioned to you earlier, there are 12 occasions at least where Paul talks about encouraging one another. Nine of those. Nine of those. Check them out. Get a concordance and trace and courage through Paul's epistles. Nine of them have to do with the public ministry of the word. There's a clear emphasis. It is truly the focus of his epistles to Timothy and Titus. The power of the word of God. Whether it's in church services, whether it's in a Bible study group or a Bible fellowship or whatever it might be. The importance of the ministry of the word. And I have to remind myself of that constantly. The ministry of the word, the preaching teaching ministry of the word can be slided or seen as less important than other activities and serving venues and projects and events and a multitude of other things that pull up the church. And all of those things are great and wonderful. Many of them should be done. But sometimes we can get the impression that, well, the word of God, we've had enough of that. Let's move on to something else. We're in deep weeds. We're in deep trouble if we ever do that. I fight that every week as someone who's been called by God to preach 42 years ago. God called me to preach. I've never gotten over it. And I hope I never lose sight of that. There are multitudes of things that pull at that. I get calls constantly from other pastors. Why don't you come to this pastors fellowship? Drive up to the Christian resource center with us and becky. We've got great meetings up there. You've got lots of resources. And every time those things meet, it's during a time when I'm studying for one of these services. And I say no. And I know that it's not understood. And some people think, well, you just don't like me and all those preachers. That's not it at all. I did it all. I'd love to do that. I would love to do that. That'd be fun. But I know I stand before God for what comes from this pulpit on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. And I will give an account to him. Why do I spend time in my office? A lot of my time. Half of my schedule is meetings and administration of the church overseeing the whole church and visitation and counseling and all those other things that go along with pastoral ministry. But a good half of my time is spent with my nose in the books and in the book. And I know that's not understood by a lot of folks had a pastor friend tell me his eight lunch with him a couple weeks ago. Had someone come into his church guy who was an elder in his church. Leaders, spiritual leaders church come into his office and say, well, I guess your idea of work is sitting here in this office all day with your nose in a book. That's your idea of work, right? And this guy then let him have it about why that's important work. I hope we never lose sight of that. I hope I never lose sight of that. I missed all the things that pull at you. Misunderstandings about why I will answer to God someday for the ministry of the word first and foremost more than anything else. I'm called to preach the word. That's what I'll answer a God for. I'm so thankful for as our church has grown. We've been able to add other staff members who take some of the other load and help carry some of that so that I can still focus on the ministry of the word the power of the word. Let me just quick mention this and we'll close. There's not only the encouragement of coming and encouragement of challenging through the word of God, but there's also the encouragement of comforting verse 25. He says it this way, not giving up meeting together some of their habit of doing but encouraging one another. And there the word really is that sense of comfort, that sense of speaking a kind and gracious word. And once again, whenever we speak those kind and gracious words to one another, we're encouraging one another. Know how we need to do that. Sean and Leanne Toey are well known for the book and the movie Blindside. They wrote another book called In A Heartbeat. I want to read you a quote from that book. There is a little known congressional program that awards internships to young people who have aged out of the foster care system. These are kids who were never adopted and are no longer eligible for state support. A senator we've met employed one such man as an intern. One morning the senator breathed in for a meeting and discovered that his intern was already in the office reorganizing the entire mail room. The senator said to the intern, this is amazing. This mail room has never looked this good. You're doing a great job. A few minutes later the senator saw that the intern had tears streaming down his face. He said, son, are you okay? Yes, the intern answered quietly. Did I say something to offend you? No, sir. Well, what's wrong? The young man said, that's the first time in my life. Anyone's told me I did something good. I'm going to say a little bit of attention and a kind word. That's how little it takes to affect someone's life forever. Encouragement of comforting building one another up. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word, the power of your word, the encouragement of your word. We pray that we will put into practice what we've seen in your word today to encourage one another by coming, by challenging, by comforting. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.