Greater Serving

If you have your Bibles, tonight I'm going to be teaching on greater serving and then this is the late crowd. There's three crowds on Wednesday night and y'all two y'all two are two of the crowds. So there's the early crowd, the 62nd crowd, and then the late crowd. So thank y'all. It was a good good object lesson point of learning for us. That's what I did. >> It was staged. >> Staged. Yeah. >> Uh Genesis chapter 15, we're introduced to a man by the name of Eleazar. Uh Genesis uh 15:1 says, "After these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not Abram. I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward." And Abram said, Lord God, what would thou give me, seeing I go childless? And the steward of my house is this Eleazar of Damascus. >> >> And Abram said, "Behold, to me, thou hast given no seed, and lo, one born in my house is mine heir." And and behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Thou shalt be shall not be this shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own boughs shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now towards heaven, tell the stars if thou be able to number them. He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord and he counted it unto him for righteousness. Not the point here, but that right there that in Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews pulls on that verse right there that faith and the justification through righteousness and making us uh allowing us to be sons of Abraham through faith. It was a very interesting concept the way that's tied into there. Not part of the lesson tonight. So that was just that was just a little rabbit trail. Point of Eleazar of Damascus, we find we find him mentioned there. It's the only time he's really mentioned by name. And then we find in Genesis chapter 24 um the we find that Abraham's servant is commissioned to go on a great journey.

Now I am going to assume because it feels like a safe assumption that it was Eleazar. All right. Normally I try not to make assumptions with the Bible, but this is not a salvic thing, so I'm not like I don't feel like it's it's that big of a deal if I'm wrong here, you know, like it's just a thought. But Eleazar was he was the servant. He was a trusted servant of Abraham or of Abram and then Abraham, he went with him. He was from Damascus. So, I put up here a a uh well, if you if we all had like our Bibles. All right. Well, apparently there's three crowds on Wednesday night. So, I'm just messing messing with everyone tonight. So, uh if every uh in the back of your Bibles right there, usually if you're like me, you don't really carry a Bible. And then so, you know, it is what it is, right? We have screens now. So, uh you can see there's Damascus here. There's this is kind of the the Levant area. Um so Eleazar would have been from the Damascus area apparently and that was not where and that was not where uh Abraham was from. Abraham was from way over there in Mesopotamia area. This would have been the northern portion of Mesopotamia. Um he would have been in those general areas. Um, but this would have been part of the trips and part of the area that he would have went. Also, this this right here, one thing, this was a major pass through area. In case you're not into history, this is this was this valley was a major war and major uh major war path and a major trading path uh between Mesopotamia, uh, Greek, the Greek, the Grecian Islands. Troy was somewhere up and down through here. Um and Egypt, the Persian empires, there's those types of things. It all because this is all desert, this was the path that they would travel. Um very it it really honestly uh neither here nor there, but it resembles the the the war path the the Native American or the Indian war path that came through Chatt Chattanooga.

If you think of it in that geographical aspects and you think of the constraints the mountains the and the rivers have on navigation very similar in this path so it's a very traveled area uh just for your thoughts there but you see you'll find in Genesis chapter 24 verse one uh and Abraham was old and stricken in age and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things and Abraham said to his el unto his eldest servant of his house that ruled over all he had put I pray thee thy hand under my thigh high. It's a very interesting concept here. And I will I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell. A very interesting thought there. You find in Genesis 39:4, Joseph found favor in sight and became his personal attendant. Piper put him in charge of his household and trusted him with everything he owned. And then and then later you find the same type of servitude. But you find this same Genesis 47 you find that Israel when it drew time drew near to Israel to die he called his son Jo Joseph and said to him I have found favor in your eyes put your hand under my thigh and promise to show me kindness and favorfulness do not bury me in Egypt. It's very weird concept in my opinion because Ethan if you're like hey come make this promise and be like bro I'll just stand over here. You see what I'm saying?

Is like but the reality is uh commentators they discuss this as a very solemn act but I would say it's a very vulnerable a very humble and vulnerable act of of a servant this would be the master humbling himself and saying this you have my future in your hand so to speak now I mean it may be a crude way to think about it but like that's reality all right it this is adult class this is what it is all uh this this reality is Abraham put his whole family he put his whole progeny his whole future in the hands of his servant that I that that was Eleazar this was the man that was supposed to be the heir of his household but he trusted him enough to say you're not the heir would you help me make sure there are more heirs that's a that's a hard concept cept to think about. We don't really have an idea of servitude in our in our culture. We work, we get paid, but we we don't have an idea of what servitude truly is. Just my opinion here, but I've never I've never been a servant unto someone and and somebody else h may have, but that that's not really our culture. So, it's hard for us to wrap our mind around why would I care. Let's I mean, if if a boss slworker situation, that's really not the same thing. A boss is not going to come to me and be like, "Man, you're going to look out for my bro. Why? I don't even know your family." like, you know, like and and some of you guys probably know your boss's family, but like I I don't I've never known any of my boss's family almost. At least not in the professional world. That's just not the world we live in. Some people, you know, we work in smaller places and and it's a little more intimate like that, but it's still not to that degree. It's not we're we're not trusting each other with that. This is we live in a very transactional society. The thought that Eleazar if if we read if we read in Genesis chapter 15, he was the steward of the house. He was over all the things yet it was not his.

That's a hard that's it's a really hard thing to draw our minds around. Does any anyone have something that's similar to that? Like how do you wrap your mind around that thought culturally? It's hard, isn't it? It's a really hard like thought to be like and and and I'll take it this far. Genesis 24 and 10. And I've got quite a bit of scripture here. So, I'm I want to read this. I'm going to read it quickly for us. Uh the servant took 10 camels of the camels of his master and departed for all the goods of his master were in his hands. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia unto the city of Nahor. So he went from down here up to Haron or Nahor up up to the city of Nahor and he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well. He took 10 camels at the time of the evening even the time that women go out to draw water. This is this was for indoor plumbing I guess. And he said, "Oh Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me God speed this day and show kindness unto my master Abraham. Would you would you pay attention to the verbiage? He didn't say show kindness unto me. He didn't say I really want to get out away from these camels. You y'all can leave that verse up there. He didn't say I want to, right? I mean, he these was a long ways to ride camels, guys. I don't know if y'all have ever like ridden a camel at the zoo or even a horse. Oh my lord, that's a long ways to ride one. That's like not fun. He didn't say, "I pray thee, get me away from these stinking animals that bite and spit on you and are really hard to deal with." He didn't say any of that. He said, "I pray. I pray thee, oh God of my master Abraham. I pray thee, send me God speed, good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham." Not Master Abraham over here wasn't even there yet. He was praying on his behalf for him. It says, "Behold, I stand here by the well of water and the daughters of men that come in the city out to draw water.

Let it come to pass that the damsel to whom I shall say, let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink, she shall say, drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. Let the same be be she that thou hast for thy servant Isaac, and there shall I know that thou hast shown kindness unto my master." Is this King James version about to get me right here? Tongue tiedness here. Has shown kindness unto my master. He didn't say shown kindness unto me, not kindness unto Isaac's kindness unto my master. And it came to pass before he had done speaking that behold Rebecca came out, who was born to Bethule, son of Mila, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her picture upon her shoulder. And the dam damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin. Neither had any man known her. And she went down to the well and filled her picture and came up. The servant ran to meet her and said, "Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy picture." And she said, "Drink, my lord." And she hastened and let down the pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, "I will draw the water for thy camels also until they have done drinking." Have y'all ever seen how much a camel can drink? They can drink. I don't I meant to look this up and I I forgot to. Can somebody Google that for me? How much water? How many gallons of water can a camel drink? >> Yeah. Yeah, I know. We got This is gonna be a good There was 10 of them. She was doing this by hand in a hand dug well. How many How many gallons? >> 30 >> per >> Good Lord. >> 30 to 53. This was after a long trip, too. So, let's let's air on like 45 gallons. So, 450 gallons. 450 gallons. This girl was also she was also an Olympic athlete. I mean, she should have been on the rowing team at Yale. I mean, good lord. She said, "Let" and she volunteered to do it. She said, "Let me let me just get this for you." Good lord. 450 gallons at least.

She hastened and emptied her picture into the trough. This is verse 20. And ran again into the well to draw water and drew for all his camels. Oh my lord. And the man wondering at her held his peace. I guess he was wondering at her. Was like, "Okay, this was a joke, God. I didn't really mean it." And she just kept doing it. Think about that. She just kept going back and forth. 45 gallons. I don't know how big her bucket was, but a five gallon bucket, that's like >> It couldn't be, right? I don't know. Let's I'm not going to try attempt to do 450 divided five is 90 buckets of water. My back just got sore thinking about that. The blisters on her hand. >> Oh my lord. He was like either she's a hard worker or just like a got a lot of sense. He was That's why he held his peace. I don't know what to do. It came >> or what? >> Yeah, I'd be scared. And it came to pass the as the as the camels had done drinking that the man took a golden earring of a half a sheicle weight and two bracelets for her hands of 10 shekels of gold and said whose daughter art thou tell me I pray thee is there room in thy father's house for salajian not only did she water all the camels and he's like hey can we stay at your house she said I am the daughter of bethol the son of milk my unclea which she bare unto Nahor and she said moreover in him we have both straw and prevent proender enough and room to lodge in. The man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. And he said in verse 27, "Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth. I being in the way, the Lord made led me to the house of my master's brethren." The the point of view was not first person. We're all the center of our own story, aren't we? That's very I mean, right? We are, but and and every now and then we we we realize, you know, we're the passing through part of someone else's life, and that's fine. That's that's part of it.

But we still think of ourselves as the center of our own story. But the reality is this man's point of view was not about himself. He was just a servant. He was a most trusted servant. He was just a servant. In all of that, he was trusted with the most the most sacred job of all, and that was to find Isaac a wife. Here's the cool thing about Isaac was he was a mama's boy. He just really didn't have a lot of gumption to get up and go and find him own wife. Like, I don't know. Abraham was like, "Dude, come on. Go find a go. And Isaac's like, "I'm good. I'm all right." In fact, if you read to the end of the chapter, he was still crying because his mother had died the chapter before, he was still crying about his mom's death. And it said, and it consoled, once he married Rachel, it consoled him about the death of his mother. So, all you moms, this could be your favorite verse of the whole story of the Bible at least. He wouldn't even go get married. He was missing me so much. >> >> Why you Why are you mad? She flipped me off, y'all. Y'all didn't even see it. >> I'm just kidding. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers." In that society, in that cast system, the servant is not considered much. Even in our in our culture, we do not think of no one is called a servant in our culture. We have servers, but no one's a servant. And and if you called someone that, especially in America, oh my lord, that's not us at all. Right? That's we fought that war 250 years ago. We ain't doing it again. You know, like that's just that's our mentality. That's our culture and it's it's ingrained in us. But the reality is is that's that's the anomaly in in cultures in history, right? We're the anomaly. And so that leaves us to in in the way that God looks at this and the way that God talks about servitude, that leaves us a little bit wanting in knowing how to actually do that.

I would say it first starts with how we think. It it starts in how we think and how we speak because it it if we look at Eleazar did not talk of himself how how am I going to do this how am I going to fulfill this for my master that's a hard thing I don't go to my boss and be like how can I serve you today sir now I do like do a day's work for a day's pay you know but like that's not it's not the same thing so it's It's like, how do I how do I draw this in? And and as we look at the things of God, we're called to be servants of God. We're both servants. And and then in one place, he says, "No longer just servants. We've become sons of God." But the reality is to become the son of God. We can't be presumptuous in that. So I think we first have to be servants. That has to be our first act because the good servant then becomes the son and proverbs pro proverbs 17 and2 becomes the inheritor. This this pull between our of what we are culturally programmed to do and even genetically programmed to be and how we actually serve God. It matters. That that that schism between that ideal and that reality of of how can we pro be true servants of the most high God. It's not woe is me, right? Because we think of servitude as loneliness, right? We'll come. But he says to approach the throne of grace boldly. Uh so so how do I make sure that I am doing these things of God? One of the one of the chief ways to do that in James 1:27 says uh pure religion undefiled before God and our father is uh God the father is to visit the widows and the fatherless in their affliction. So true servitude comes when you get nothing out of it. So Eleazar served even though he had no he was he was not become an inheritor. His son or his sons would also be in servitude. But he went out of his way and prayed to God Almighty not on his own behalf but on the behalf of his master. That's a that's a thought process. That's a that's a that's an unfamiliar territory at least for me.

You guys are probably great at it, but for me that's unfamiliar territory for me to be able to like to to to really start to understand what does this mean? Um, I saw a I saw an ad, like a YouTube ad, and it was like a Christian-based ad, but there's families in Pakistan that are in gener because their great great-grandfather or whatever was in got in debt. There's like debtor's prison. They're they're in they're in servitude to whoever owns their debt. And so they were asking for like this Christian organization was asking for funds to buy them out of that. That's a wild concept to us. They couldn't escape it. Nope. That was that was their lot in life, so to speak. That's that's interesting for us to even think about. And I'm not I'm not in that sense, but like in the sense of Eleazar wasn't even resentful about the fact that he was a servant. His mentality was of true servitude that and and so we we start taking that that we look at Luke chapter 16. Jesus offers a parable here. It's very it's a very cool parable. Very funny. Uh Luke chapter 16 verse1 says and he said unto his disciples there was a certain rich man who had a steward and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods and he called him said unto him how is that I hear this of thee give an account of thy stewardship that thou mayest no longer steward then the steward said within himself what shall I do for our Lord take away from me my steward from me the stewardship I cannot dig to to beg I am ashamed that I am resolved what to do that when I put out of the stewardship they may receive me into their houses. So he's like old test King James version here of how do I what am I going to do when I have nowhere else to live that's what he's asking. So he called every one of his lord's debtor debtors unto him and he said unto the first how much owest thou unto my lord and he said 100 measures of oil and he said take thy bill sit down quickly and write 50. So he just h haveved it.

And then he said to another, "How much?" Oh, that he said, "100 measures of wheat." And he said, "Take unto thee, take thy bill, and write four score." So he just cut it down to 60 there. Four, is it 80? All right. He cut it down to 80. Four score. Yeah. Four times four times 20. All right. Sorry. My my uh my Gettysburg address is not always right here on top of my four score. And seven years ago, >> the Lord Verse eight. And the Lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are in the generation wise than the children of Lot. And I see it. The Lord actually commended him. He said, "Because you've got somewhere to live." Now, this was an unjust God. He said, "But you wrote down all the wrong things and now these guys owe you." Jesus, this is Jesus telling this parable and I like, "Well, that's an unjust steward." But he looked out for himself and it's like, "Well, I don't know." And then verse n it says, "I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that ye that when you fail, they may receive you unto everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. He that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." He he looked at that as faithfulness somehow. Now, that's a very confusing That's a very confusing one for Jesus to teach about. It is. I'm not gonna I'm not going to like pretend I know all the ins and out of what Jesus was trying to get at there. I'm I'm not going to pretend that. Like that was that's very like he just used like the negative of the unjust and was like, "Yeah, he's smarter than y'all are." That's essentially what he said. And they're like, "What?" He says in verse 12 though he says if you've not been faithful in that which is another man's who shall give you that which is your own. That that is the that's the key point there.

If you've not been faithful and which is another man's God is if if you cannot be faithful in the small things how can God make you faithful over many? The attitude of Eleazar has to get a hold of us in the way we serve God because so many times and I'm our time, our talent, our treasure, we give them to God with condition. Okay? And this is time, talent, treasure. This is not just I'm not I'm not talking about anything other than an attitude towards serving God. But but if I if I say, you know, God, I I gave you this, but the reality is it was his Well, God, I you know, I'm I'm really talented at tic-tac-toe, and I'm using that, I don't know, to make your name great because I'm a world champion tic-tac-toe player. I hope there's not such a thing. There probably there is. >> Yeah. He's like, "But I'm I'm writing John 3:16 under my under my gain stuff over here for tic-tac-toe." And it's like, "Wait a minute. What? I'm making He's like, "No, no. I I already gave you that talent. You're not giving anything back to me, but you need to know where it came from. God, I I I wrote a big check to to pay off whatever or to purchase whatever. Was it? Yeah, but whose name would you put under that? It's like, well, uh, yours. No, you put your name like and that's a real thing. It's like, well, who's who's to whose honor and whose glory is that? You see the attitude of Eleazar was I did not come and I did not bring these camels and I did not make this trip and be like God have someone give me some water. That's not what he said. He said I didn't he didn't say I'm tired from this trip that my master sent me on. Would for the love of God would you just make it rain so I don't have to water all these 450 gallons worth of camels? Like he knew that was going to be a tough job. He didn't say that. What did he say? He said, "God, for my master's sake, I've served him. I know what kind of man Isaac is. He's a mama's boy. He's going to need somebody that knows how to work hard.

Ain't that right, Ethan? I mean, he's going to need somebody that knows his his mama spoiled him. Poor HG. He's never going to find a wife. Uh >> oh. Uhoh. >> He said, "I went all the way. I went over I went by Lebo Hamash, whatever in the world that is." Talk about the backwoods of nowhere. I traveled through the desert. Got all the sand in my eyes. And he didn't ask for himself. He said, "That was for my master. That thought, guys, that thought. 1 Corinthians 4 says this. It says, uh, "Let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, is required in stewards that a man be found faithful." Abraham had no way of checking up on Eleazar. He couldn't FaceTime him and be like, "Hey, you getting that done?" There wasn't There wasn't a task list for him to check off in the cloud and be like, "All right, it's ready for the next guy. There wasn't a workflow. It was this task is so important that I mean the descendants of Abraham depended upon Eleazar and it wasn't about him. I guys, I cannot express to you how hard it is for us, for me, for you. I know you're hearing this and I I am just going to drive this point home tonight. It's not about us in our stewardship of the things of God. So many times we get wrapped up in what we've done or what we can do and what we can't do. Good, bad, good or bad. Well, God, I've done this or God, I can't do this. And the reality is the stewardship that God has called us into for the mysteries of God, for the word of God, has nothing to do with us, has everything to do with faithfulness, has everything to do with just this is all about you, God. If I fall flat on my face, God, it's it's still yours. If I if I succeed and I stand and and I achieve the highest of heights, whatever that is for me, God, it's still yours. Like the reality that that has to sink into us because you guys are talented.

You guys are are are you we have a church of people that understand how to give their time, their talent, and their treasure. Okay? Like I I am not I'm not I am not at all trying to hammer this home in in any sort of negative way. But I do want us to make sure that as we do those things, our mentality, our verbiage, the way we talk about it, the way we interact with it, the way we pray about it, it matters. It matters. It matters to the deepest of our core of our being because as soon as it becomes mine, my attitude towards it changes. And I believe in own I believe in ownership. I believe in taking responsibility. I believe in doing. But as soon as it becomes mine, then go it closes God's hand around it or it closes the flow of the blessings of God and it closes my hand around it. The best the best example I have of that and and and I'm going to I've I've picked on these guys, but it's just a we've all seen it and I don't mean just picked on it. I've talked about it multiple times here, but there were so many plaques on the walls in this church, okay? There were so many plaques of faithful people who built a good church of faithful people who had given their time, talent, and treasure. But somewhere along the line, their name got written down and it stopped the blessings of the Lord. Now, that may just be that may that whatever plaque was right here on this wall here, if you can see the the holes that was right right here that we kind of we did our best to patch up, that may just be symptomatic. Okay? It's not necessarily the name, but it's the symptom of how the conversation changed in their soul. All right? And I'm I'm using that as an example because the reality is is that can happen so quickly to us every and and we should look at that as a warning and we should look at Eleazar as the faithful servant God. Whatever we do in word and deed, it's unto your name, God.

Whatever we however we act, however we give, however we walk, however we talk, whatever talent or time you bless us with, God, it's yours to begin with, thank you for what you blessed me with. Every bit of that when our when our attitude is is laid there. If if to be in in in Titus, we find this Titus one verse five. And I'm going to read out of the when I honestly are really Paul's Paul's writing did not translate well to the King James. So I'm going to read the ESV on this. This is why I left you in creep. So that you might be put what remained into order and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. If anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer as God's steward must be above reproach. The reason also here the King James calls it a bishop but it's also a steward, right? I don't I didn't want us to get too far away and be like, oh, he's just talking about ministers there. He's talking about elders. He's talking about people that look out for the things of God and the word of God. Must be a brother. He must not be arrogant, arrogant, or quick-tempered, or a drunkard, or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-control, controlled, upright, holy, disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine, and also to rebuke those who contradict it. For there are many who are insubordinate and empty talkers and deceivers, especially those in the circumcision party. They must be silenced since they are upsetting whole families by teach by teaching for shameful gain what ought not they ought not to teach. One of the Christians, a prophet of their own, said, "Christians are always liars and evil beasts and lazy glutton." This testimony is true. Paul Paul just kind of called it as he saw it, didn't he? He like, "They are liars, evil beasts, and lazy glutton.

Therefore rebuke them sharply that they may be of sound faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish smiths and to the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure things all things are pure, but but to the defiled and unbelieving. Nothing is pure, but both their minds and their consciousness are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work. >> >> This goes from the charging of an elder, the charging of an overseer, the charging of a servant to all the way to the ones that are undetestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work. Can I tell you, God looks at us and he sees what we do. He knows what how we act. We know that we're here. We believe in him in that in all of the in all of ourselves, guys. He requires things out of us. And if we have the wrong verbiage and how we think about it, we think, "Oh, God's just wanting something from me. God's just wanting." But the reality is as as a master, he is calling us to him and he is trying to make us in his image and in his likeness. He's a master craftsman. He is the pot potter and we are the clay. As he forms us and he molds us. If we see ourselves as anything but secondary secondary beings of his creation, as we if we see ourselves as our own lords, as our own creators, we will butt heads with our creator because oh, it's my destiny. It's my life. It's it's mine. Right? AG's learning that mine. Mine. Everyone, every kid goes through that stage. Every believer goes through that stage. Mine. Mine. The reality is we're called to be servants. First and foremost, servants of the most high God. Our thoughts, our prayers, our attitudes, our outlooks. If there anything is mine, that's where the blessings stop. As soon as we say my master, my savior, it just keeps falling. Would you stand with me on this Wednesday night? >> >> This this is the month of greater serving.

All of all of the things that we do, guys, like I I we have a I don't even know the exact number, but like something of of the church of our size, average attendance of like 110 or so, and with a constituency of 150 to 160, we have about 80 people serving every month in some capacity. That means a huge portion of people in our church are serving. That matters. I believe that's a healthy culture to have. I believe that's so important for us to have. But if it ever becomes and if if we do not understand the principle of why we're serving, then it's just lip service. It's unfaithful servitude. It's doing unto ourselves like the unfaithful servant. Well, I did this for them. I did this favor for them so I would have it. It's like, no. No, that wasn't yours to do a favor for. That was God's. Sorry, I'm I'm going to get off over here preaching on something else, aren't I? Thank you guys. Would you pray with me? Jesus Jesus, we're so thankful to be in your house, God, among your children, your people, God. God, I'm so thankful, Lord, that you would you would allow us, God, to be in your presence, God, to divide your word, God. Thank you, Lord, for allowing us, God. I pray Lord that that we are as counterculture as we possibly can be God. That we that we set the tone for for our culture of how to serve God. Help our minds, our hearts, our souls, God to be steadfast in serving, God. Steadfast in following after you. Steadfast, singleheartedly, single-mindedly, God, following after you, God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. God, I pray Lord, let the spirit of Eleazar get a hold of us. God, help us to not be the center of our own universe, but God, help us to understand that you are the potter and we're the clay. God, that you would help us to frame our thoughts, to frame our our heart, to frame our prayers, to fra frame our actions in the sense of serving you with everything that we have, God.

Not not in slavery, not in bondage, God, but in servitude, freedom of service, God. I pray Lord that you would help us God to have that through and through. God I thank you and I praise you in Jesus name we pray. And the church said >> thank you guys so much.