Great Lessons from our Great God

Introduction:

Greetings:

Introduce, greetings from CBC-K, express thanksgiving, admit excitement.

Connection:

We are poor, needy, helpless, and weak. But our God is rich, bountiful, sufficient, and almighty. We are fearsome, empty, tired, and dying. But our God gives courage, fullness, energy, and revival. It is precisely in our great need, that we must seek our great God! Thankfully whenever we are running low, our God is always abounding in overflowing grace, ever ready to meet our great needs. The Fountain of Life never runs dry in our Triune God—but we often forget to drink deeply from its streams.

Theme:

Great Lessons from our Great God

Need:

We have a great need of our great God. However, we have not because we ask not! We have not because we wrestle not. We have not because we seek not. We forget our great need in our self-sufficiency, so we stop pleading with God to meet our great needs by His abundant goodness.

Purpose:

To exhort us to seek God’s face by the Word and Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, to be filled with the great blessings of God’s presence and power in our churches, for the advancement of the gospel of the Kingdom of Christ in our day and age.

Open your Bibles to:

The Book of Acts ESV

What I would like to do this morning, with God’s blessing, is to walk through some various texts in the Book of Acts to encourage us to seek God’s face for His great blessings in our great need! The Kingdom of God advances through history, by outpourings and fillings of the Spirit of God, through the Word of God, to advance the Mission of God. I hope that today could be such a day for us, and that God would be pleased to bless the labours of the cause of Christ in Reformed Baptist Churches in Ontario and beyond.

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

Context:

You’ll remember if you are familiar with the Book of Acts that things have just changed incredibly from the status of the church prior to the Day of Pentecost. From fearful disciples in an upper room, to the wondrous outpouring of the Spirit of God, unto the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ, has led the 120 in the Upper Room to be mighty instruments in the hand of the Lord in those days. As the Spirit was poured upon the people of God in NC fullness, the Apostle Peter gave a piercing sermon on the Person and Work of Jesus as the Lord and Christ whose life, death, resurrection, and ascension as King provides salvation for all who repent and believe in His name. And so the first local church in Jerusalem was established as 3000 Jews were converted, baptized, and added to the church by the mighty workings of God’s sovereign grace.

From here on we see signs and wonders performed by the hands of Peter and John as they heal the lame beggar at the temple, which provides for another opportunity to preach the Gospel to the Jewish elites of the day—who didn’t appreciate being told that they had murdered the Author of Life, and that the one whom they murdered was the one they needed to trust in for Abraham’s blessing of salvation. And so they throw Peter and John in prison to be tried the next day before a Jewish Council, in which they ask them by what POWER they have performed this miracle? To which Peter responds: the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, and whom God raised from the dead! It is the power of Christ in the saints that led to such great acts of God. Great Power comes in the Name of Jesus Christ.

And this is the backdrop for my sermon this morning, as the Book of Acts unfolds for us, to ask the question: how can we share in the power of Christ today, as we live for the Great Commission now? What does it look like when God grants revival and reformation? By what power are these things accomplished? What is our great need, and how has God ordained for such needs to be met? And so I trust that today we will learn some great lessons from our great God. So here is my first point:

(1) Great Power through Great Prayer overflows with Great Grace - Acts 4:33.

Acts 4:33 ESV

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

(1) Great Power through Great Prayer overflows with Great Grace - Acts 4:33.

You remember that Jesus told the Apostles and disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on High as the Spirit of God was poured out on the saints for the work of furthering the spiritual Kingdom of Christ. What we need to understand is that while the baptism and receiving of the Holy Spirit is a one time event, the filling of the Holy Spirit is our ever-present need. And so even though they had received the Spirit of God, they were conscious of their need to continue seeking God’s face. They knew what the prophets had proclaimed:

Zechariah 4:6 ESV

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

We don’t need more programs or schemes. We don’t need more lights and gimmicks. We don’t need more worldly tactics to improve our church life. We need the power of the Spirit of God. But in order to understand how the Apostles received this great power, we need to look at their great prayer. Right before this in v. 31 we see the key to their spiritual power:

Acts 4:31 ESV

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

It was the devout prayer of the people of God, that led to a further filling of the Holy Spirit, which led to a bold proclamation of the Word of God. When the Spirit of God fills the saints, they don’t go beyond the Word, they become bold in it! This prayer meeting didn’t just fill the Apostles with the power of God, but we are told that all the believers were filled with the Spirit and played their part in speaking the Word of God with boldness. We don’t just need Spirit-filled pastors. We need Spirit-filled deacons. We need Spirit-filled members. We need Spirit-filled elderly saints. We need Spirit-filled mothers. We need Spirit-filled fathers. We need Spirit-filled young adults. We need Spirit-filled teens. We need a Spirit-filled congregation. We don’t all have the same task or gifting, we have different ranks and orders in the army of Christ, but we all have a place to play in building the Kingdom of God.

But how does that happen? How has God ordained for us to grow into this great grace being upon the people of God? By fervent prayer in the Spirit. The prayer meeting is arguably the most important meeting of the church. It is as the saints are a holy assembly at the throne of grace, in time of need, that our Father has promised to bless us with the power of the Spirit.

Luke 11:13 ESV

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

And this is why prayer is one of the means of grace that the early church commits itself to as a fundamental and necessary element of their worship and church-life:

Acts 2:42 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

This is why the Apostles and Ministers of the Church were to be men of great prayer, for the power of God:

Acts 6:4 ESV

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

It is the prayer meeting that must be a priority for the great power and great grace of God to rest upon the people of God so they can give their testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ with power. This is the biblical order. Prayer –––≥ Power & Grace.

Don’t you want that as a church? Don’t we want the power of the Spirit in our midst? Don’t we wan’t the grace of God to be multiplied to us? Don’t we want to find more strength to put sin to death, to worship God in greater purity, to build up the church with greater love, to witness to unbelievers with greater courage? Don’t we stand ever in need of the power and grace of God in our churches? Don’t we stand ever in need of power from on high if the Kingdom of Christ is going to grow on earth, as it is in heaven?

Then the answer is prayer. The only answer is prayer! Only through private, family, and corporate prayer will great power and grace be upon all the saints, and upon ministers especially, as we give our testimony to the risen and reigning Lord Jesus Christ and the hope of eternal life for all who trust in Him. Only then will we be able to say with the Apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 2:3–4 ESV

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

The Word flows with the blessing of God, as ministers draw their strength from devout prayer, and the filling of the Spirit and of power. Only then can we preach Christ and him crucified with hearty expectation of God’s blessing on our labours. The Apostles weren’t content with the initial baptism of the Spirit, they yearned and longed for greater fillings to accompany their labors. The entire church wasn’t content with the wonderful constitution of the local church in Jerusalem, they all felt their great need to be diligent in fervent prayer for the great power and grace of the Spirit. Oh that God would be pleased to teach us how to pray, and to cause His face to shine upon us, that we might take up our Swords and Trowels to seek first the Kingdom of God.

Spurgeon: “It matters little what other power you possess; if you have no power with God, you are powerless … The command is, open thy mouth wide and I will fill it (Ps. 81:10). Yet, here we sit with closed lips waiting for the blessing. Open your mouth with a full expectation, a firm belief, and according to your faith so shall it be unto you”

Oh that together the saints at Essex, and the saints in Toronto, and the saints in Kingston might together lock arms together in fervent prayer, that we might taste the power of the Spirit and his blessings upon our labors. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor build in vain—but oh when the Lord does build the house true strength and blessing is poured out. As we build upon the cornerstone of Christ, the house of God is built up in the splendour of holiness! This leads to the whole congregation experiencing grace and peace being multiplied unto them as they are conformed more into the image of Christ, and as we are filled with more of the power of the divine Spirit. Jesus is alive, he has risen from the dead, he stands to save all who draw near to God through him, and he stands to pour out His grace upon us as we earnestly seek His face!

(1) Great Power through Great Prayer overflows with Great Grace - Acts 4:33

Oh that the Spirit of prayer and supplication would be lavished upon us. But we don’t just need to be men and women of hearty prayer—we need to be men and women of hearty fear:

(2) Great Sin brings Great Wrath which produces Great Fear - Acts 5:11

Acts 5:11 ESV

And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

(2) Great Sin brings Great Wrath which produces Great Fear - Acts 5:11

At this point in the Book of Acts the people of God have gone from having external persecutions, to internal corruptions. They have gone from outer pressure, to inner troubles. And what was the trouble? Sin. What was distrupting the unity of the church? Sin. What was distracting the mission of the church? Sin. What was quenching the power of the Spirit? Sin. Our problem as churches is always and evermore, the question of whether or not we will be serious about sin—about putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit. Sin is like a cancer. It doesn’t just stay in one spot. Satan uses sin to infect others. Sin has a contagious effect upon the church. And if we don’t deal with it as we ought to, we are tempting God to withdraw his blessings from us. God knew this very well. And so in Acts 5 he acted in judgment in order to teach the saints the fear of God and the fear of sin. It’s easy to rejoice, but it’s hard to tremble. But trembling saints are best fit for mission.

You remember the story about Ananias and Sapphira? After the Lord had drawn near to the church through prayer—the church was filled with a divine generosity, care, and provision for one another. Some were even willingly selling their possessions to help the poor and needy of the house of God. This was not communism. This was not Marxism. This was willing Christian charity. This was not required of the saints. This was chosen by the saints. And as the church was laying their proceeds at the apostle’s feet, they would then be distributed to the hungry and needy saints of the church. And so here comes Ananias and Saphhira who wanted to partake in this act of kindness for self-righteous purposes. They wanted to give their tithe and offerings in a public manner so that others could think they were such great Christians. But the great sin of the matter is that they lied to the Holy Spirit. They lied to the living God. They lied to the Apostles. They lied to the Church. They said that they gave a certain figure, when really they kept back some for their own indulgence and pleasure. The sin wasn’t that they kept some back for themselves—the sin was that they lied about what they freely gave.

And so the Apostle Peter rebukes them: Acts 5:3-4

Acts 5:3–4 ESV

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”

The Kingdom of Satan was being conquered and looted by the advancing Kingdom of Christ, and so Satan had to figure out another strategy. Clearly he couldn’t stop the converting work of the Eternal Spirit. So he decided to influence the church itself through temptation to sin, to cause division and fleshly evil to corrupt the people of God from the inside out. And so Ananias wasn’t filled with the Spirit … the text says that he was filled with Satan. Satan filled his heart to lie to the Holy Spirit—instead of being filled with the Spirit to resist the ways of Satan. And through this one couple’s indulgence in sin—the entire church community was affected. Sin is always crouching at the door—and sin is never a minor thing.

Our individual sin has corporate consequences. Our sinful indulgence has church-wide impact. Our personal unrepentant sin has the potential to diminish the work of God in the entire house of God. And so Satan got a foothold. I’m not going to deal with whether or not Ananias and Sapphira were believers. At the very least they were members of the church. They were baptized. They were attending the stated meetings. But they were used by Satan to hinder the work of the Kingdom. Satan doesn’t have to use outside influence, all he has to do is cause the members of the church to indulge in sin, which little leaven will leaven the whole lump and cause the walls to crumble as it were. We would think that it would be something even more heinous like adultery that causes this—which surely would have been a sore pain on the church. But it was a white lie, or rather, a black lie—a simple lie in regards to financial giving that brought God’s wrath upon Ananias and Saphira. Oh let us never treat sin as something to be trifled with. Let us hate even the garment stained by the flesh. Let us battle with all our might to slay our own sin with the Sword of the Spirit—lest our sword grow dull, lest the church grow slothful, and lest the saints become carnal.

Therefore, we must watch and pray, for the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We must constantly keep our hearts, for from them flow the springs of life. We must be men and women who walk with God in the light of His face, not in the ways of sin, Satan, and the flesh. And if we don’t, we are tempting God to pour out his wrath upon us. We are tempting God to pour out his discipline upon us. We are tempting God to extend the arm of his anger. Not only Ananias, but Sapphira as well, both lied to the Spirit—and were both slain by the Spirit. Last time I checked being slain in the Spirit isn’t a good thing! To be slain by the Spirit is to fall under the judgment of God Almighty for sin cherished in the heart, which has the potential to ruin a church.

Therefore, God struck them dead. It was merciful of God to slay this couple, lest their sin gave Satan a foothold in the congregation of the righteous. And so it was.

Acts 5:5 ESV

When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

Acts 5:10 ESV

Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

And this led to the fear of God and the fear of sin:

Acts 5:11 ESV

And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

I sometimes wonder why God doesn’t do this more often in our churches. Not that we desire his just judgments upon us. But that we desire the fruit that they bring. God wakes up sinners with a scent of his anger. God wakes up his saints with the sight of his hatred for sin. God causes us to rejoice and tremble, to perfect holiness in the fear of God, to be filled with the Spirit of God that we might walk in the fear of God. The fear of God is a trembling trust in our Father—a dreadful delight in His greatness and goodness. What is the chief duty of man? To fear God and keep his commandments. Men and women of God are men and women of faith-filled fear. Not fearing his condemnation if we are in Christ. Perfect love casts out that kind of fear. But a holy fear and reverence of displeasing the thrice holy God, our God, and a holy fear and dread of displeasing our Father who is in heaven. One of the fruits of God’s anger and fatherly wrath upon a church is a renewed and revived sense of the felt-fear-of-God. Edward’s says: one mark of the Spirit’s work in a true Christian’s life is: “a diminishing of the fear of hell, with an increase of the fear of sin. Such a believer has the firmest comfort, but the softest heart”. Truly this is our great need of our great God. To love our beautiful God, and to hate such ugly sin. And this is what God’s judgment led to:

Henry: Notice the impression from this act of God (v. 5): Great fear came upon all that heard these things, that heard what Peter said, and saw what followed; or upon all that heard the story of it; for, no doubt, it was all the talk of the city. And again (v. 11), Great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. 1. Those that had joined themselves to the church were thereby struck with an awe of God and of his judgments, and with a greater veneration for this [time] of the Spirit which they were now under. It was not a damp or check to their holy joy, but it taught them to be serious in it, and to rejoice with trembling. All that laid their money at the apostles’ feet after this were afraid of keeping back any part of the price. 2. All that heard it were put into a consternation by it, and were ready to say, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God and his Spirit in the apostles? As 1 Sa. 6:20.

If our God isn’t being feared, then we have created a false god that we worship. The God we serve is both merciful and mighty, great and good, holy and loving, just and kind. He is the God of Isaac, but he is also the fear of Isaac. He is our Father in Christ, but he is also the Holy One of Israel. The fear of the Lord is revived when God judges sin. Church discipline revives a healthy and holy fear of God and fear of sin. And we can’t grow in the Our love for God, unless we also grow in our fear of God. Let us constantly be on guard, for our own communion with God, and for the peace and blessing of Zion, that God would build up our walls with holy and happy saints.

Philippians 2:12 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

(2) Great Sin brings Great Wrath which produces Great Fear - Acts 5:11.

Let us flee from sin, delight in the fear of God, and walk in the blessings of God—lest we bring great wrath on the house of God. If sin tears down the church, then we need the Spirit to build up the church. This is our next point:

(3) Great Unction with Great Faith yields Great Fruit - Acts 11:24

Acts 11:24 ESV

for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

(3) Great Unction with Great Faith yields Great Fruit - Acts 11:24

In this passage in the book of Acts we have a situation where the church in Jerusalem hears about God’s great work of conversion in Antioch. And so the saints in Jerusalem send Barnabas to go and strengthen the church in Antioch, because he was a man of God, who would be useful for the Kingdom of God. This is the spirit we desire to emulate: to be useful in the work of Jesus Christ.

We don’t just need great power, or great fear, we also need great faith. We need to be men and women who deeply trust the Word of God in Scripture, who deeply believe the promises of God in Scripture, who desperately trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, and who act upon such promises with a hearty expectation of God’s blessings in our midst. Though God is exhaustively sovereign over all things—Jesus told us: according to our faith so shall it be given unto us (Matt. 9:29). And he even told us that he was unable to do miracles in a town due to their unbelief (Mark 6). We need to be able to pray with the man in the Gospels: we believe, help our unbelief (Mk. 9:24). So that we hope in the God who cannot lie, even against all human reason, so that God would be true even though every man is a liar. We need this kind of deep childlike faith in the Word and Spirit of Truth.

Notice the descriptions of Barnabas: he was a good man, full of the Spirit, full of faith, which led to plentiful fruit. The principle we learn is that there is an organic connection in the ordinary working of God between godliness and fruitfulness. Jesus tells us to abide in him, in order that we might bear much fruit (Jn. 15). Now, we can’t presume upon God, but we must have a hearty expectation that he will use us as we are living for His glory, according to His perfect and pleasing will. We can’t demand the amount of fruit, but a man of faith can expect fruit in his labors, or else why would God have him there? If you are walking with God’s power, you will experience God’s blessing—as God gives the growth in his timing. As God’s people we need to grow in goodness, as we imitate the goodness of our God, we need to be filled with Spirit-led faith in the Word of God, and we need to hunger for blessing, while pleading with God for fruit in our service.

Henry: [3.] He was full of faith, full of the Christian faith himself, and therefore desirous to propagate it among others; full of the grace of faith, and full of the fruits of that faith that works by love. He was sound in the faith, and therefore pressed them to be so. (6.) He was instrumental to do good, by bringing in those that were without, as well as by building up those that were within: Much people were added to the Lord, and thereby added to the church; many were turned to the Lord before, yet more are to be turned; it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is still room for more.

Don’t you long to see more men and women, boys and girls, young and old, to come to know the saving power of Jesus Christ? Don’t you long to see many added unto the church of Jesus Christ? Don’t you desire to see more disciples converted? Don’t you long to see your neighbours come to know the living God? Don’t you long to see Essex won for Christ? Don’t you long to see Toronto won for Christ? Don’t you long to see Kingston won for Christ?

Then let us press on to know our God more, to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit, and labor for the advancement of His Kingdom. Robert Murray Mc’Cheyne said that a holy minister is a great weapon in the hand of God. I would add broaden that and say that a holy Christian is a great weapon in the hand of God. We all have a part to play. From sharing the Gospel to our kids, to ministering at nursing homes—from sharing our faith at family gatherings, to getting to know our neighbours—from street evangelism and door to door ministry—from ask yourself: how can I be used by the Lord as I seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness.

Well, Barnabas gives us a good example! Ordinarily, the degree of fruitfulness is directly tied to the degree of holiness. So let us put our hand to the plow! Let us lock arms in the good fight of the faith—as we long to see Zion made a praise in the earth, as we long to see the Church of Christ growing in numbers and in maturity. And as we see the Lord at work by his grace, we don’t only get the privilege of seeing souls won for Jesus, but we also get to share in the joy of the Lord in the conversion of sinners. If the angels rejoice in heaven when a soul is saved, how much more should the family of God in the church?

Acts 15:3 ESV

So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.

As many turn to the Lord, much joy fills the saints. Do you labor to see souls won for Jesus? Do you delight in hearing testimonies of God’s grace? We can’t pull the hand of God—but we can pray for the hand of God—and rejoice when his blessings are poured forth. Great joy comes to all the brothers who are engaged in the mission of the church:

Poole: The conversion of the Gentiles; it is a conversion or turning indeed from error to truth, from impurity to holiness; that is, from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto the ever-living God, chap. 26:18. They caused great joy unto all the brethren; nothing more rejoices a good man, than the bringing of souls unto God, and the enlarging of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

However, we ought not to engage in winning souls for Christ if our soul isn’t yet won to Christ. Do you know the power of Christ in salvation? Have you been born again by the Spirit of God? Have you received Jesus in all his saving benefits. He will forgive you of your sins. He will clothe you in his obedience. He will adopt you into the Father’s family. He will seal and strengthen you with the Divine Spirit. He will transform you by new life. He will preserve you unto the Eternal Kingdom.

The greatest One to be anointed with the Spirit and Power was the Incarnate Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, who came to seek and save the lost, to redeem all those whom the Father had given him. Hear what Peter says about this lovely Christ:

Acts 10:38–43 ESV

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Have you thrown yourself upon this beautiful Saviour? Jesus saves all who repent of their sins, and who hope in His work alone. Please be sure that you know the Gospel which is the power of God unto your own salvation, before we labor together for the increase of that power among those around us. This is why we are left here on earth, brothers and sisters. The Lord Jesus has promised to be with us to the end of the age, and has promised the Spirit of God to give us power, to meet our great need, as we serve our great God! Our Lord Jesus Christ is building his church, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against him! The question for us remains: will we sense our great need, seek our great God, to serve His great cause? Titus 2:11-14.

(3) Great Unction with Great Faith yields Great Fruit - Acts 11:24.

And so from these three texts this morning, let’s hear our conclusion and big idea:

(C) Great Blessings Flow when Needy Churches seek their Great God.

In order for this to be the case, we must be men and women of great prayer unto great power, of great fear unto great reverence, and of great faith unto great fruit. In order for this to be the case we need revival & reformation. We need to seek the face of God, and to wrestle with Him like Israel of old, who persevered until he prevailed with God’s blessing. Let us pray the prayer of Habakkuk of old:

Habakkuk 3:2 ESV

O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.

Let us not forget that our God delights to show mercy to the undeserving. He is the Fountain of Life who plentifully pours forth the streams of living waters in the Word and Spirit. He gives to those who ask. He is able and willing to meet our great need with his great grace:

Isaiah 40:29–31 ESV

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

I pray that the Lord would be pleased to use us Reformed Baptists in Ontario to see the work of the Gospel go onward in our day, from Essex, to Toronto, to Kingston, and to the ends of the earth. That we might praise God with the Psalmist who declared:

Psalm 126:3 ESV

The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.

The Fountain of Life never runs dry in our Triune God—so let us drink deeply from His living streams.

Holy Ghost, dispel our sadness, pierce the clouds of sinful night; come thou source of sweetest gladness, breathe thy life and spread thy light. Loving Spirit, God of peace, great distributor of grace, rest upon this congregation, hear o hear our supplication.

(C) Great Blessings Flow when Needy Churches seek their Great God.

Amen? Let’s pray.