Wednesday Night Bible Study
by Mark McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: Bible study
Scripture: Matthew 19:27-30, Hebrews 12:1-2, Numbers 2:31, Isaiah 59:19, Hebrews 11:39-40, Hebrews 6:1-3, Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 13:20-21

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/mark-mccool--wednesday-night-bible-study-46
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Well, glory. Thank you, musicians. Thank you for leading us in worship as you always do. And we greet everyone this Wednesday evening in the precious name of Jesus. So good to see you here for Wednesday night uh worship in the word. Uh I want to say especially glad to have brother Matthew home. uh he uh got married, moved all all up into Indiana now, but we're glad to have him worshiping with us tonight. And it's good to see every one of you. I want to uh uh let you know that uh Bishop and Sister Mcool are doing the work of a bishop. They're taking care of uh some business out of town and so we're praying for them uh that as they they journey and travel that the Lord will keep his hand on them, keep them safe. But if you expect me to keep up with them, you can forget it. Uh because they are uh vibrant, strong, and always on the move. But uh they're likely tuning in tonight. And I welcome them as I welcome all who join us uh online on the multimedia platforms. Thank you for being with us. Most of all again, thank you to all the saints of God for being here in the house of the Lord. And I want us to get into our Bible study tonight. Uh last week uh the subject that uh we talked from and uh uh studied together uh was avoiding extremes. And uh tonight uh some of what we will uh continue with may hopefully dovtail to into some of the things that we talked about last week. So, uh, I want us to pray and read a passage of scripture and, uh, then, uh, we'll get into our study. Let me take you to the book of Matthew, the 19th chapter. The book of Matthew, the 19th chapter. And as you're finding that in your Bible, in your tablet or device that you're using, uh, let me, uh, say amen to, uh, the announcements that, uh, Pastor Anthony made. Uh we invite everyone to uh be in service with us Friday night at Eagle Bend Apostolic Church. Brother Corey Porterfield is a dynamic man of God, a wonderful minister, and he will be ministering to us. And then I want us to be making our plans. Invite everyone you can. It's a good opportunity uh to invite folks to service on Easter Sunday. So, please take advantage of that and look for that open door to invite everyone we can to be here on Resurrection Sunday. Matthew 19, we're going to begin reading at verse number 27. Matthew 19, beginning at verse number 27. Then answered Peter and said unto him, "Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee. What shall we have? Therefore, he's talking to Jesus. And Jesus said unto them, verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. and everyone that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or fathers or mothers or wife or children or land for my name's sake shall receive a hundfold and shall inherit everlasting life. And notice verse 30, but many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. I would entitle our study tonight, Who's Number One? Who's number one? Let's pray. Savior, I love you. I'm so grateful for this wonderful congregation of saints, believers, those who have joined together tonight that we would study your word. Once again, we stand before you in awe of your power. And Lord, we stand also knowing the awesome responsibility that we have to speak and preach and study your anointed word. Now Lord, let it minister to us. Let it speak to our hearts. For all this, we're grateful and thankful. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Who's number one? Mankind in most instances has an innate desire to be number one or be first. Self-preservation says look out for number one. Look out for yourself first. And athletics, sales, music accomplishment, awards, literature recognition, all have ties to a desire to be number one. And there are so many different awards that time would never permit us to enumerate all of those awards that are given for those who are first in their particular field. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in so many different fields for folks who have achieved excellence above others. Everybody wants to be number one. but to take it on home where I can relate to it more. I have three grandchildren and they assemble before many of the church services, especially on Sunday evening in my office with me and with Sister Jamie while some of the practices are taking place in those last few minutes just before church. And invariably when Sister Jamie says, "All right, hey, it's time for us to clean up and go in for church, there is a mad dash of the three to see who's going to be first at the door." And you know, we're talking about less than a second when the doors open. They'll all three be at the door. But there's that innate desire. I want to be the first one at the door. And I I promise you, no matter the age, I have stair steps, they all take their part wanting to be first out the door. Who's first? Who's number one? We went to Orlando a couple of weeks back with the juniors and seniors from Apostolic Christian School. There's all kind of lines there and everybody wants to be in the front of the line that the the theme parks have figured this out. They charge extra so you can get a fast pass to be first in line to be number one. So I need not belabor the point further. It appears that there is a desire to get an advantage to be first. But in our text, I would ask you to notice that Peter is asking Jesus a question. He asks, "What do I get for selling out and following you?" He basically is saying, you know, I I made a choice to give all of my life to follow you. And this is the first instance I find that Peter is looking for present rewards rather than future reward. He said, and let me read it again in context. He said, "Behold, we have forsaken all." He put everybody in it and followed thee. What shall we have therefore? He was trying to look out for number one. He was having a moment of wanting to know what do I get out of this following Jesus right now. And Jesus patiently began to explain to him the prophecy of the days to come. Jesus used the word in the regeneration. He said, "You," speaking of the 12 will sit on the throne of his glory to judge the 12 tribes of Israel. And that sounded all good. But Peter was want to know what I what do I get right now? And you know in humanity we all are guilty of that at some time or another very likely to to what am I getting out of serving God right now? What am I accomplishing? What advantage is there really in life? Apparently Peter had grown a bit restless with his current personal circumstances. He apparently didn't feel that he was in the running to be number one in anything. All the miracles he had witnessed had not taken them in the presence of the advantaged or the elite or had elevated them personally. Instead, they found themselves scraping to get tax money together to the point that Jesus had to perform a miracle that they would find money in a fish's mouth. He had had to uh worry about feeding 5,000. Jesus had had to do a miracle to feed those who had no food. At that point, most of the things that he had seen Jesus do were not performed before the elite of the day. Instead, it was to the disadvantaged, the hungry, the poor, the sick. Jesus had not elevated his disciples to be exposed to societal success. So Peter was looking for some answers for the reward immediately of selling out to Jesus. He wanted to look out for number one. Peter did. So I want us to examine just a little bit the answer that Jesus gave him. He spoke of the sitting on the throne and Jesus was saying to his followers, to Peter and the rest of the disciples, your time hasn't arrived yet. I told you and prophesied these things to you before, but you're becoming restless. He said, "Your time hasn't arrived." He said, "When the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory." Not if. He didn't say it might happen. It could happen. He said there's a time coming. We're just not there yet. We must remember that we're on that journey that we preached about, but we haven't arrived yet. He said, "When the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory." Be patient, Peter. You have not arrived. You have not reached your destination. You're not in the front yet. Hebrews 12:1 said this, "Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Let me let me pause there. I hope you can notice as we study the intricacies of the word that in Hebrews there was actually a difference made between sin and every weight. Did you know there are some things that are not necessarily sinful, but they will weigh you down from doing what you can for the Lord? I find some that grow weary with doing the work of the Lord and the real truth is they've taken on so many other tasks that are not sinful but they are forming a weight and the hindrances that they end up finding is blaming it on doing the work of the Lord when all the time it was the other stuff that they've waited themselves down with. I've seen I've seen folks do this with their job situation. Man, I'm just so tired from working. And the real truth was it wasn't the work. It was all the ancillary things you were doing beside working. I've seen folks do this with their kids, man. My my kids uh are just about too uh uh too tired to do school work. Well, look, I believe in getting involved in everything you can, but if They're playing soccer one night and softball the next and little league baseball the next and understand your priorities. There are some things that will weigh you down that are not necessarily sinful in and of itself, but it will prevent you if you don't prioritize and get things in proper order. Jesus even went on to say this. Everyone that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or fathers or mothers or wife or children or lands for my name's sake. Now we sometimes mistake this as being some well you've got to turn your back on every everybody and everything to follow Jesus. This is really a prioritization statement. He's not saying, "Well, if you're going to serve Jesus, you don't speak to your mama. If you're going to serve Jesus, uh, you got to forsake your your home place." No, he's saying this forsaken in this instance is saying you got to do some prioritization. You need to prioritize Jesus first and let those other things follow because if you let anything come closer to Jesus, or rather come between you and Jesus, it's closer to Jesus than you are. So he's he's trying to make a statement here to the disciples that uh uh we haven't arrived yet. We're still on this journey and and this looking out for number one can sometimes cloud our direction. Back to Hebrews 12, he said, "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us." God's got different calls for us. We've got different races we're going to run. I I've noticed in the Olympics there are different types of races. Uh when I was in high school, I I could run fast for a short time. I I told folks I was built for speed, not for distance. Some of those guys, they would get out there and they could they could run a mile. I could run the hundred after that. That's why I bought a car. You know, I wasn't made for running a mile, but I could run a short distance. We have different assignments, different races that are set before us. Whatever God's called you to do, run that race with patience. It may be a different race than your neighbor, than your friend, than your relative, but run whatever race you've been called to run with patience. He said, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. That does not sound like it should go together, the joy of enduring the cross. But there's insight here in Hebrews that Jesus did the most difficult task of giving his life with joy because he knew the rewards despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We may not be number one right now, but I submit to you, our season isn't over. Our race is not finished. Our crown of righteousness has not yet been awarded. But back to our text, Jesus went on to say, "Putting Jesus first brings everlasting life." after he gave those that laundry list of those things that you should not let be prioritized over your following Jesus. He said from if if you put those things or forsake those things for my name's sake you shall receive a hundfold and shall inherit everlasting life. He's making the statement or reminding your goal is not on this earth. What are you going to get out of this, Peter? If you're looking for just what you're going to get on this earth, you're going to be disappointed. But you have a promise of everlasting life. But then Jesus went on to make this statement. But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. He's finally saying it may appear that you're in the back of the pack, that you're at the end of the line, that you're in a position of least importance or success. But you see, the God I serve does not judge being first like man does. Peter was getting a revelation from Jesus himself that the position that you are in now may not appear in man's eyes or in fleshly interpretation to be first. But he said the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Let me implore everybody in the house to understand that we all have a chance to be first. We all have a chance to win this race that we're running in humanity. We all have the opportunity to inherit everlasting life. And let me also tell you, Jesus strategically places us where he needs us if we'll follow him at the right place in the right time. even though it may not make you feel like you're going to finish first. Let me give you an example. In the book of Numbers, the 2 chapter, verse number 31, speaking of the tribe of Dan, and I'll pull just this little statement out that was made. Speaking of the tribe of Dan, it said they shall go hind hindmost with their standards. Now, we talked a bit last week about the term standards and uh what that entails and the wide encompassing thing that when we talk in the church about having a standard and uh uh we we won't review there, but I I do want you to notice something. I want to read to you. I wish I had the uh paleimic prowess to have composed these words, but I want to read to you something that the noted minister and commentator Spurgeon said about that statement. They shall go hindmost with their standards. And I'm quoting Spurgeon now. The camp of Dan brought up the rear when the armies of Israel were on the march. Somebody had to be at the end of the line. The Danites occupied the hindermost place. But what ma mattered the position since they were as truly part of the host as were the foremost tribes. They followed the same fiery cloud pill cloudy pillar. They ate of the same mana. They drank of the same spiritual rock and journeyed to the same inheritance. It didn't matter who was out front or who was at the end. They all had the same reward coming. Now, let that let that thinking sink in. Come my heart, cheer up. Though the last and least, it is thy privilege to be in the army and to fare as they fare who led the van. Someone must be hindermost in honor and esteem. Someone must do menial work for Jesus. Why should not I? In a poor village, among an ignorant peasantry, or in a back street among degraded sinners, I will work on and go hinderos with my standard. The Danites occupied a very useful place. Stragglers have to be picked up upon the march and the lost property has to be gathered from the field. Fiery spirits may dash forward over untraden paths to learn the fresh truth and win more souls to Jesus. But some of a more conservative spirit may be well engaged in reminding the church of her ancient faith and restoring her fainting sons. Every position has its duties and the slowly moving children of God will find their peculiar state one in which they may be imminently a blessing to the whole host. Now, let me pause and interpret the beautiful language of Spurgeon. He's saying, "Do not devalue whatever you're doing in the kingdom of God by saying,"Well, I'm not out front. I'm not getting notoriety. I'm not being recognized." For we do nothing that we do for personal recognition and for personal gain. Peter had had a lapse in thought, worried about what he gets now. Jesus had to remind you, it's not about now. Let me tell you, whatever you're doing in the kingdom of God, do not devalue. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Whatever you do in the kingdom of God, never put the word just in front of it. I'm just a teacher. I'm just a musician. I'm just a technician. I'm just a pastor. Let me tell you, there's no just to it. God has called us to do whatever we are privileged and talented to do. He's given us the opportunity and the ability. We should never denigrate what God has asked us and called us to do because somebody had to be at the end of the line of the 12 tribes. It was the Danites that would be in the behind in the hindermost of the march. But they held a position. It went on to say, Spurgeon went on to say, the rear guard is a place of danger. There are foes behind us as well as before us. Attacks may come from any quarter. We read that the Amalach that Amalecch fell upon Israel and slew some of the hindermost of them. The experience of Christian will find much work for his weapons and aiding those poor doubting, desponding, wavering souls who are hindermost in faith, knowledge, and joy. These must not be left unaded. Therefore be it a business of well-taught saints to bear their standards among the hindermost. My soul do thou tenderly watch to help the hindermost of this day. Important because it tie this together in your mind if you will. He said the Danites were in the rear of the march and he made it a point to say with their standard. Now please let me transfer that to what happens to us sometimes when we devalue or minimize what God has called us to do. No matter what we're doing, we can take this position if we aren't careful. Well, I'm just this so I don't have to keep a high standard of living, holiness, appearance, conduct, a standard of life because I'm just this. The Danites were at the end of the the line of the 12 tribes, but they had their standard and their reward was the same as the front. And so should their standard be. We should try strive no matter where where we are and what we do in the kingdom of God to hold up the high standard of the call of Christ to represent Christ in whatever we do. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you're an employer, be the best employer you can be. If you're called of God, if you're an employee, be the best worker that can be. Whatever you put your hands to do, have a standard of excellence representing Christ. Some will ma mistakenly devalue a call or talent as being less important or not important at all in the kingdom of God. Consequently, they become less committed, less efficient at what they do. Oh, I don't need to have a standard of holiness in my life because I'm just this. It couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, many times a standard of holiness in your life is so important in doing nonspiritual things. Yes, there are mundane tasks of life that you're not always going to be, woo, I feel something. It may not always be shouting, dancing, and huckabucking around. There's going to be mundane tasks of life that you need to have a spiritual standard of excellence in your behavior, in your appearance. Uh, come out from among them, be ye separate, sayeth the Lord. I stated it before. Uh, we sometimes mistake homeliness for holiness. Couldn't be farther from the truth. God's people should present themselves with grace and character, not opulent, but we should in our appearance, we should appear to this world as the success according to what Christ has given us, but not gaudy and immodest nor indecent. And that goes far beyond the way we look. It goes in our way of communicating. It goes in our honesty and integrity. It goes with the way we we treat our spouse, the way we treat our fellow man. It is a standard of holy excellence that we should maintain. Mike Shasheeski, the Hall of Fame former head coach of Duke University men's basketball team, spoke at the commencement exercise at Duke University when Pastor Anthony graduated from Duke College of Divinity. They were in the football stadium. I was interested in one of the things he said when speaking of his Duke basketball teams and his US gold medal winning basketball team that he had been the head coach. He made this statement. He said, "We do not have rules. We have standards." It's amazing that when you come to the church to use that word standard, it scares some folks to death. But in every other field to have a standard is a good thing. He said we don't have rules, we have standards. In the his field of accomplishment is one of the most successful individuals in coaching in college coaching that has ever been. But you see, we can learn from that statement. As long as we view service to God as obeying a bunch of rules, we will only find frustration and unattainable goals, humanity will constantly be tempted to look for loopholes, shortcuts, and downright rebellion. Oh, but when we develop a standard of holiness in our life, a standard of living, those standards suddenly become the protections that are raised that protect us from the attack and the flood of the enemy. I'll read it again. Isaiah 59:19 states, "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him, a barrier of protection. If we have a standard of spiritual excellence in all we do in our life, you probably never thought you would hear Mike Shasheeski and John Quincy Adams quoted in the same message, but here we go. Some time ago, President John Quincy Adams called both houses of Congress together for a special session. He came to the meeting with two bushel baskets. He said, "The bushel measure in my right hand came from South Carolina. The one in my left hand came from the city of New York. One of these bushel measures contains 68 cubic inches more than the other. He paused to let the implications of what he had said sink in. President Adams then walked to a nearby table, picked up two one-PB weights. Again, he spoke, "This weight in my right hand came from Massachusetts. The other one came from Maine. One of them weighs nearly an ounce more than the other. After a few moments for the members of Congress to consider what he had said, Adams con concluded by saying, and I quote, "Gentlemen, we need a standard for measurement and a standard weight for the United States of America." The result, the establishment of what we now have as the Bureau of Weights and Measure. Now, a pound is the same whether one is in Illinois or Florida. A bushel of the same in Tennessee or in North Dakota. You see, God knew that mankind would need a standard to live by. This standard would be the same for all his people. It would be the standard of modesty and appearance. It would be a standard of holiness in our lifestyle. It's a standard by which we should be able to measure our lives. Those people who measure themselves by themselves or by others do not submit their will to God. In short, having a standard of holiness in your life should not determine where your position in line is. You should be first. The Danites said, "We're at the end of the line, but we're going to have the same standard as the front of the line." They did not devalue their position. Instead, they became the protector of the back. They became the one who picked up the stragglers, the dropped implements in their march. They were the ones who followed up and kept the enemy from attacking from behind. Hebrews 11:39 says this, "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise." God God having provided some better things for us that they without us should not be made perfect. Now that's the end of Hebrews the 11th chapter. Any of you who are faithful Bible studyers would know what Hebrews the 11th chapter enumerates. Statement after statement, statement after statement of heroes of the faith who by faith they did this, by faith they did that, by faith they accomplished this, by faith this happens. It goes on to tell of the unnamed martyrs, by faith they suffered. By faith, by faith, by faith, by faith, it's the chapter of faith. It's it's encouraging to read Hebrews the 11th chapter. It's the heroes of the Bible. The name Makool's not in there. It's not a hero in the Bible. There's no Lambert that I find in the Bible. In that 11th chapter, none of us are in those first 38 verses. And then verse 39 makes this distinction. And these all having obtained a good report through faith. I mean they're heroes. They've got a good report. But what didn't they get? They didn't get the promise because it's a different dispensation. But then I did find Lamberts and Mools and every name in this place in verse 40. God having provided some better things for us that they without they without us should not be made perfect. You see they were the heroes of the faith but they didn't have the promise. We got the promise. We got the Acts 238 promise and message. We got the Acts one and message. Why did they tear at Jerusalem? They were told to wait for what? The promise. a new dispensation would come. You see, they without us is not complete. We may not have been at the first of the line. We might not have been with Abraham walking by faith. We might not have been with Isaac and Jacob. We might not have been with all of those heroes of the faith. But I want you to know, they can't be perfect without us because we've got the promise. And we can take advantage of that. What's the promise? They were told to terry until they'd be endued with power from on high. The Holy Ghost fell in Acts the first chapter. So let me ask you, does having a standard matter? Are standards important? Is accuracy in doctrine? I heard someone ask Bishop one time, "Do you believe you're 100% right on doctrine?" Bishop said, "I absolutely do." He said, "If I didn't, I'd be searching to fix everything." He said, "Because I'm accurate with the word." He said, "You better know I believe I'm 100% right in doctrine." That's no brag. That's just fact. You got to know the doctrine. That's not being cocky. That's not devaluing revelation. But I got news for you. There are no new revelations. People start coming along saying that that they've got a a new revelation that's going to change the word of God. It's doctrine. All right. It's false doctrine. The old spiritual, we dug it out a couple times to just sing it, but there's an old spiritual that comes with these words that said, "Lord, I'm running trying to make a hundred. 99 and a half won't do." Lord, I'm running trying to make aund 99 and a half won't do that. Now, that's that's not about your spelling test. mean we're we're looking for perfection in Christ. Can we be perfect? Our humanity can never be perfect. But we're looking for perfection in Christ. And I'll give you scriptures that bear that out. But let's apply it to where we are. Is 99.9% accuracy acceptable? If it is, two airplanes landing a day will be unsafe at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. If 99.9 accuracy is acceptable, 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents every day. 55 malfunctioning automatic teller machines will be installed in the next 12 months. Some of y'all saying, "I hope I find that one that's giving out extra money." I know. 107 incorrect medical procedures will be for performed by the end of the day today if 99.9% accuracy is sufficient. 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly this year. 315 entries will be turned out to be mis will turn out to be misspelled in Webster's International Dictionary of the English Language. $9,690 will be spent every day on defective, often unsafe sports equipment. A,420,800 defective personal computers will be shipped this year. And I'll get one of them. I'll guarantee you 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled in the next hour if 99.9% accuracy is acceptable. 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next hour. And that'll come out of my account, too. Need I belver the point farther? We expect excellence in all other fields. Why should not our standard be excellence in Christ? We are not perfect, but he is perfect. We're not perfect. We're just forgiven. And Jesus parable of the seed that was sown in good ground, the yield was what he sought in perfection. For he said the the seed that fell on good ground, some yielded or brought forth a hundfold, some 60 and some 30. This was identifying that there will be some that do not achieve excellence even when the conditions are right to do so. And it's perfection that we seek. Brother McLems impossible. Again, I remind you, it's not us being perfect, but it's the word going down in us working toward perfection. Hebrews 6 says it this way. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of the laying on of hands, of the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this will we do if God permit. What's he saying? These things have already been established. There are some that mistakenly feel like I if uh they have had issues in their life after they're baptized, they need to come and be baptized again. Listen, if you get baptized in Jesus' name, that's once and for all. You don't need to be rebaptized in Jesus name again. Now, if you hadn't been baptized in Jesus' name, that's the only biblical way and that's the way you need to be baptized. But you don't need to come and be baptized again. It's once and for all. And there's some doctrines he's saying, "These things have already been settled. We we we don't need to debate them, discuss them. These things are settled." He said, "We need to go on in perfection or go unto is the way scripture said unto perfection. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted of the good word of God and the power of the world to come if they shall fall away to renew them again to repentance seeing they crucify themselves the son of God aresh and put him to open shame. This is speaking of a backsliden condition. It's talking about the knowledge that we have that Christ has given us. When you fall away once you have known you're crucifying Christ aresh you're submitting Christ to open shame. We should be looking for perfection in Christ that the word perfects us every day. Let me close with the making us number one with Hebrews 13:20. We read this. Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will. When we're doing his will, we're working in perfection, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Could we stand? I want to be perfect in doing his will. I want to do the will of he who is perfect. And I want that will to be done in my life. I know you do as well. Let's pray. Jesus, I thank you for your word. God, I thank you that guides, leads, directs, encourages, and gives us the path that we would take. Lord, let us value every call that you've given us. Let us go on to perfection in you. Let us hold the high standard of holiness and righteousness that you have so beautifully set an example for us with. God, let us in turn be willing to minister to the weak, the lame, the halt, those who are less fortunate. God, let us be the example. Let us be your standard to this world that they will turn to you, God. Now go with us this night. Keep us in your care. Let us always be mindful to please you in all that we do. For all this, we're grateful and thankful. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Would you greet your brothers and sisters in dismissal? You are dismissed in Jesus name.