Reminders of What Grace Deserves - Titus 2:11-3:8 - Covenant Sunday

I'm going to share with you a message and it kind of goes with the theme of Covenant renewal today. And I'm title the message reminders of what Grace deserves reminders of what Grace deserves that. I heard a story of two elderly. Ladies who have been friends for many years and they started this tradition after the youngest of them retired for about 20 years have been going through this. Regular ritual if you might call it we're on sunny days. There was this one particular a local park that they would both go to and then we just enjoy one another's company. They would sit on this same park bench there in the sunshine enjoying one another's company 20 years. They kept that tradition. Well one day the younger lady turn to the older and said, please don't be angry with me my friend, but I sure am embarrassed after all these years. I can't recall. What is your name? I just can't remember. Will the older friend just kind of stared back at her and looked very distressed and which is shaking her head to full minutes of that went by until finally she blurted out. Just how do you need to know?

Your God has designed the human mind such that there are often times when we find that we need to be reminded of certain things that goes for individuals who are young and old when are children go back to school from summer break. They often need to be reminded how to do the advanced math that they were capable of doing at the end of last school year because they've forgotten how to do these things over the summer time in my technologies that we have this daily meeting this daily stand-up where we get together and we talked about the things that we've been working on and the things that we need to do next and they're often times when on Monday mornings, I can't recall the things that I was working on on Friday. And so we often need to be reminded that's true for men and for women. I saw a post online that said if a man thinks says that he will fix something he will fix it and there's no no To remind him every six months.

Well gas maybe after six months. We should consider getting reminder. Right? I've also read that before a man criticizes. His wife's fault. He should remind himself that it was probably that was very Foss which prevented his wife from getting a better husband than the one she married. And some and I encourage you take that reminder to Heart reminders can help us to stay on task. I use digital calendars for all the important meetings that I schedule and if they always provide a reminder to tell me this meeting is coming up tomorrow or in 15 minutes you need to patch into this call and they're they're very helpful to me without those reminders. I would often miss important meetings that I'm supposed to be a part of Earth and the human mind off and needs to be reminded if we are to keep on course and to keep striving to fulfill what we've been called to do and that's the reason why your leadership team and I have set aside today this first day of the year as Covenant Sunday the New Year often inspires us to make fresh commitments. It inspires us to be reminded a new of the goals that we want to achieve for ourselves and some individuals make what we know is New Year's resolutions. I really the Christian Life should be no different we should have goals and we should be reminding ourselves of these goals. And so our Hope on this day is that on this day of reminders as we explore not just the grace that deserves our diligence in serving Christ. But also the vision that we have as a church hymn and what we are striving to do as a body. We hope that each and every individual who is involved and engaged in some way with your vision Fellowship will grow in his or her walk with Christ because of commitments that we make to him through this place and we want to remind those who are members of this body. What is it with covenanted together to do as a body? There is a common basis of what we said. This is what I pledge myself to do, and there are needs for us to be reminded of these things in the Bible knows that we need reminders. In fact in our passage for today. We find some instructions from a mentor to his minty. And the mentor is none other than the Apostle Paul himself very seasoned in the ministry who writes to a young man named Titus who is kind of a protege in the face and Paul writes to Titus and he writes to him with these instructions on how Titus as a young pastor. Should be equipping and reminding his own church in the work that God has called them to do because of the grace that they have received. Because that church needed to stay on track and if we as a church or going to stay on track then we need to be reminded of the same sorts of things. So let's take a look at the reminder Apollo starting in Titus Chapter 2 verse 11. You have your Bibles by the way to Titus Chapter 2 and verse 11, and if you're able would you stand with me as we are the reading of God's word together?

Paul writing to Titus starting verse 11 says this for the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly righteously and godly in the present age looking for the Blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and savior Christ Jesus who gave himself for us to redeem us from every Lawless deed and to purify for himself a people for his own possession zealous for Good Deeds these things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Remind there's that word in chapter 3 verse 1 remind them to be subject to rulers to authorities to be obedient to be ready for every good deed to Moline. No one to be Peaceable gentle showing every consideration for all men for we also once were foolish ourselves this obedient deceived Enslaved the various lust and Pleasures spending our life in Malice and envy hateful hating one another but when the kindness of God our savior and his love for mankind appeared he saved us not on the basis of Deeds, which we have done in righteous. But according to his Mercy by the washing of regeneration and Renewal by the holy spirit will be poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ. Our Savior so that being justified by his grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life this is a trustworthy statement concerning these things I want you to speak confidently so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in Good Deeds these things are good and profitable for men is the ending of the reading of our word for today you may be seated What pulse is Indies versus is really all bound to the idea of Grace. I mean, you can really call this passage that we just read a Grace sandwich because it begins and ends with a side via of God's grace richly enacted through Christ. And there's several clear reminders in the midst of this passage about Christians all the live. There's several directives that tellest you should be living this way. But there's a there's a firm foundation beneath every bit of that in that Grace is the basis of why we live according to God's desires. And so it is God's grace that has appeared bringing salvation to all men in chapter 2 verse 11 and it is the kindness of God our savior and his love for mankind which appears again in chapter 3 verse for bleeding individuals to be justified by God's grace and made Where is according to the hope of eternal life later in verse 7 and so we should probably start by examining this idea of Grace. What is Grace? What do we mean when we use that word? Will Grace is simply unmerited favor race is the word we used to describe the good favor that God gives to us when we do not deserve his favor at all and Graces much richly seen in God's free gift of Christ as the substitute to Bear the penalty we deserve for the sins that we have committed to see Jesus took our punishment on the cross of Calvary and he was executed there in our place as a substitution for us. That was God's gift to each and every man woman boy and girl to deal with our problem of sin. And that's a gracious gift my friend. That's a gift. We don't deserve and Beyond bearing our penalty. Jesus was raised from the dead in order to ultimately offered to us eternal life. Freely. He offers this gift to whosoever will turn from this self-directed life of pursuing my own passion and entrust his or her life to Jesus as Lord and Savior that my friends is an awesome gift and it's all because of Grace that is on display from God our Father through his son the Lord Jesus Christ. It's an acronym Grace God's riches at Christ's expense the very helpful way to think of ultimately. What are we talkin about? When we talkin about Grace we talking about God extending to us his riches at the expense of his own son who died in our place and this is the helpful way of thinking of Grace because our richest gifts from God our riches that Christ has paid for by his work of redeeming us. So that's what Grace is. What does grace God's grace deliver salvation to all men Titus 2:11 says for the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men salvation is this word that has to deal with being saved from sin and condemnation. Forgot to bring Salvation to all men means that God has ultimately provided a Deliverance for us from the guilt and the pollution of sin and I like ice in the Bible says it all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. All of us are polluted all of us are tainted in this way. For the more we read in Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death. And so all of us being polluted by seeing our do the wages of sin against the holy God and that we all deserve death. We all deserve separation. We all deserve condemnation from God because of our sin. But Salvation is God's rescue force in cats rescue from Eternal condemnation. That's what God's Grace has done for us. According to Titus 2 verse 11 God's grace deliver salvation to all men. So let me just pause here for a moment to say salvation has been delivered to you because salvation has been delivered to all men and includes you now if I were to go online and I would have purchase something and I paid for it out of my own pocket and I were to send that item to your home and you saw a UPS guyra FedEx guy coming up your driveway with a package from me. You would say that that have been delivered to you. But that's still a decision that you would have to make am I going to receive this delivery or am I going to reject this delivery? Do you might tell the delivery guy hadn't want that. I'm going to reject that deliver. You take that back with you or maybe you would even stamp it with a with a Return to Sender or you could take that gift and you could take it into your home. You could use that gift for its intended purpose, even though the Grace has s paid the price even though the gift has been delivered to you. There is still something you must do you must choose to receive that gift and my friends when we talk about the gift that we have in Christ Jesus we're talking about an immense gift that he has paid for richly with his own blood with his own sacrifice and he is going to Great Lengths to deliver this gift to you. We just going through the Christmas season where we thought so richly about how God became a man and left the Heavenly glow. In order to be born and placed in a dirty feed trough and a Jesus walked about all around. With bare feet and no place to lay his head riding a donkey on occasion riding in boats on other occasions to share the truth that deliver the message that God's grace had pump. and then ultimately he paid the price. He paid it with the nails in his hands with the nails in his feet with the crown of thorns crushed upon his skull with beatings with scorpions with mocking being spat upon. Jesus bore the punishment that you and I deserve Jesus Paid the price and some Cheese's extends to us. Now. He's made the delivery you delivered to all men this opportunity that we might be saved. The question is are you accepting the delivery? Are you rejecting his grace to you?

Because God's grace delivers salvation to all men. Get all of us must make the decision. Am I going to make Jesus the Lord and savior of my life. Am I going to receive his gift am I going to entrust my future my eternity my life to him?

Salvation comes to all men and God wants you to be delivered. He wants you to be saved. But we need to be reminded. God's grace that saves us Is a Grace that doesn't Just Produce this one time sort of change in our lives.

We often talked about salvation is so it's only a past tense sort of thing. We talked about what would you know, there was this point in my life when things were going on or I came to realize through a class Rock and realized through a friend or I came to realize through the word that I needed to be saved and I was at that moment save in there is a very very real past tense of being saved, but that's not the end of the story because ultimately what we find in scripture. Is that salvation has three tenses We talked about how we have been saved and that's what we would refer to as the term justification to justify just means to declare something righteous at the moment. You place your faith in Jesus God declares that you are right in his sight. There is no more condemnation for you. You have at that point been set free from the penalty of your sin it. So that's the past tense of Salvation justification will not cause us to live for him and he frees us from the from the very presence of sin in our lives as we are purified as we walk with him as we continue to seek his face and that's what that's what we refer to as sanctification. That's the present tense of Salvation where God is purifying us of sin. But one day we have this Future Hope of our Salvation as well that we refer to as glorification. And that is when Christ it is, New Creation. Takes away sin, and it's very presence from us. And that's we will we will be glorified. Just as God has designed for us to be there will be no longer this struggle that we go through in the sanctification element. And yet so often we just kind of put the emphasis on that past tense of Salvation when God really has a design for us that we would be growing in his salvation. We would be walking in sanctification. There is a real here-and-now benefit of God's grace for us as we live on the Earth. And so you should know that there's a present tense in and Paul talks about these tenses here in Titus. For example, only talk about justification park and ride in Titus Chapter 3 Verse 7 of this past tense of God's salvation that God saved us so that being justified by his grace. We would they made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Those who are doomed don't have eternal life, but God through Grace at the celeritas righteous, and we now have an eternal reward. Thanks to Grace. How many Christians with that mentality that the great stops there don't realize that there is this present sanctification soap All rights and Titus Chapter 2 verse 13 that the grace of God has appeared instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and then live sensibly righteously and godly in the present age and the right number 14 that our great God and savior Christ. Jesus gave himself for us to purify us. Purify for himself a people zealous for good deeds. And then we see that the future tense of Salvation glorification on display In this passage is well, that's why parking right in Titus Chapter 2 verse 13 that the reason we did not buy ungodliness is because we are looking for the Blessed hope in the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior.

And so I'll explain that just so that it's only level we can all understand it and hidden. Here's what you need to know out of all this Grace isn't done with you yet. I don't care if you've trusted Christ many years ago. Grace isn't done with you yet. Still hasn't work to do in your life. Still has a purpose and a plan. He is still eradicating the very pull of sin on you. It is still preparing you for an eternal glory.

So we need to realize that God through Grace has done great things for each and every one of us, but we all recognize that God's grace for us deserves a great response from us as well being saved is not the end of what we do. It is the basis of what we do but it is not the end of what we do and so Grace isn't done with you yet. My friends we seen what race is what Grace does what does grace deserve now? We're in the midst of all these words about God and in what through his grace he has done for those who are in Christ Paul tells Pastor Titus to remind the people that he pastors how they ought to live. That's that's what he talked about here in Titus Chapter 3 verses 1 and 2 and so he writes remind them to be subject to rollers. To authorities to be obedient to be ready for every good deed to Moline. No one to be Peaceable gentle showing every consideration for all men. We don't have time to unpack every bit of that. But you should simply know the God's grace deserve the submission to God's Will by those who have been saved. We should never learned race weekend never earned Grace. It's not within our possibilities of our frail human State and that would just deny ultimately the definition of what Grace is. Anyways. Remember we talked about Grace being unmerited favor. It's not something we can earn this not something we deserve. We can never on our own salvation. But God's free gift to us doesn't deserve a wholehearted commitment to all that the Lord commands of us Grace deserves. Our Godly Living Grace desserts are hopeful longing producing a pure people zealous for Good Deeds as Paul writes to Timothy here answer the question that all of us all to be asking is this, how can I step further into what Grace deserves from me? How can I step further into what Grace deserves from me when your leadership team and I last year began discussing this new vision for New Vision. We had a heart for providing each individual who's engaged with this flock in one way or another a road map of sorts that would guide you into a knowledge of what is the next step. What's the next wave that I progressed in growing in Christ? What's the Thing I need to do to follow the path that this church would show would be a healthy path for my spiritual growth and honoring God with my life. It's all on this first Sunday of the new year with new beginnings and fresh reminders of our covenant commitments for our members also want to provide a chance to take a fresh. Look at the question for each and everyone of us whether you're a member or not. What is my next step in my walk with Christ? What is my next step in growing in Christ through this Fellowship to make that a little more practical in terms of what we can actually help with. How can I set further into what Grace deserves from me? And so I prepared a little form for for everyone whether you're a member or not. There are these forms that are on the front table here. Let's say ready to ready for the next step and this would be a way for you to kind of think through and to make commitments about what the next step in your walk with Christ might be and I've tied these in with our vision. It's a whether you're a member or not. I want each of us thinking through. What's the next step in my growth for Christ? What's the next step in my response to his grace? And I want you to pray over these steps. I'm going to show you how they fit in our vision is we can walk through that vision is a reminder. So let me remind you. What I vision is. We desire that through this Fellowship Christ would cause mold to choose to be found formed fired field in flowing. We talked through that extensively over this past year, but some of you aren't you so let me just explain that we taking this analogy of pottery, which is a rich analogia rich something that you would find in scripture by the way and we taking this analogy in applied to how we want to see individuals growing through their involvement in this Fellowship. So just as a Potter goes and he has to find the clay that he's going to use many forms that clay into the vessel to the shape that he wants it to be in and then he fires that vessel he places it in the Kiln and that message becomes a committed solid vessel at that point mini takes it and he feels it with whatever it he wants it to possess for his desire and ultimately Because this what it has been filled with the flow out in some use in another way and much in the same way. God has a design for us to be molded at clay in The Potter's hands at the progressed in a life that would honor him. And so will yield ourselves to Christ Our Potter? And what's the progression that we as a body want to see? Well first we desire that through this Fellowship Christ would cause multitude is to be found and invited to encounter. God hear that simply means we want to see people progressing from the community through the crowd. We want to see individuals who are not engaged with Church Life who are not walking with Christ. We want to see individuals come and join with us in this place and hear the preaching of God's news. We want to see people coming and engaging and worship together. So we talkin about going from the community to the crowd and so to tie that in with our sheet hear the the fur Item, if it's found stage would be an individual who would come and take this seat and would say as the next step in my grow for Christ. I want to start attending this church. Regularly, that would be a commitment for someone who may be pops in and out once every few weeks her or maybe Has Come For the first time but finds that this is a place where you see the God's word is going to be tall and got people are going to be encouraging and we're going to be rejoicing and what Christ has done. So that's a very practical way to live out that found stage of our vision. Next we desire that through this Fellowship Christ would cause multitude is to be formed into a new vessel by God's transforming power. That is we want to see people progressing from the crowd those who gathered with us on a regular basis to the chain those who have ultimately been impacted by Christ and his word and so just to give you some practical on this next step sheet related to that. You might be thinking what's the next step for me? I'm here on a regular basis. Well as I take the next step Am I gross for Christ? I want him in and you might choose this option. I want to join a small group for Bible study and fellowship and what it what a very practical time to do that today. You had the chance to look through your directors. You'll have more opportunities to talk through the individuals who are going to be leading those groups and I'm even got a spot on here. Maybe maybe you see a group that works for you. You can choose that or maybe you don't see a group that works for you and we can do a little bit of creative thinking about how do we go get a group that matches your schedule. How do we get a group that matches kind of the audience that you would fit into and so this gives you a chance to fill that out or maybe your next step in being formed would be as I take the next step in my growth of Christ. I want to entrust my life to Jesus. I don't care where you are if that's your desire. We would love to hear from you. I'd love to have the opportunity to sit down and counsel you to give you some guidance to give you some hope to give you a better understanding of where you are. in your journey with Christ and how ultimately he has paid the debt and and brought to you this great salvation we talked about Thirdly and eye vision we talked about how we desire that through this Fellowship Christ would cause multitude is to be fired into a solid vessel that is ready for his juice. That is we want to see people progressing from the chains to the committed by partnering with the church that's on the sheet. You might say as I take the next step in my growth for Christ. I want to be baptized or I want to become a member of this church. These are both options that you could choose then we desire that through this Fellowship price would cause multitude to be filled with truth and purpose for God's glory. We want to see people progressing from the committed to the commission by discovering and using their spiritual gifts in Ministry. So you might take this sheet and say as I take the next step in my growth for Christ, I want to serve where I'm needed. I want to explore and be equipped for new ministry opportunities or you might say I want to be discipled by a more mature Christian. I want someone really poor. Sing to me the riches of what they've experienced in a Godly walk so that I will be more prepared in a rapid growth that discipleship can provide and then finally we decided through this Fellowship Christ would cause multitude to be flowing God's riches into the lives of others. That is we want to see individuals progressing from being commissioned to being the harriers who take the gospel to the world. Our ultimate objective is to get outside of these walls are objective is to take the gospel beyond the bounds of what you've constructed here on this property and see God's glory resounding on the earth. And so you might take this seat and you might say it's my next step and my growth for Christ. I want to invest myself and discipling one or a few less mature Christians or you might say I want to take Christ to those who are outside of the church walls. Emissions or vandalism or you might say I want to teach or leave and you Ministry and so I just urge you what are your current member or not? Use these times of covenants and commitments that will share together here in a few moments at the end of the service just to consider and to commit to taking the next step in your walk with Christ through the church. And now we come to the point where we're going to talk about reaffirming our covenant. And the final thing we give our attention to on this day is indeed our church covenant some of your curious about why we have a church coming in every once in awhile. I get a question. Why do we even have this sort of thing to start with? And I've heard some of you even saying all there. No other churches in our area that are that are doing this sort of thing. And that's okay. These are good questions for us to ask. We asked the members of our church to abide in Covenant because it raises the expectations. It raises the bar for membership for our members and many churches. You could walk through the front door just before the invitation begin. You can walk down the aisle and then you can walk right out the back door and you know what you would be called by that church. You never came back again a lifetime member, right? Some of us have been involved with churches like that. Even if you're never seen again, you're a lifetime member likewise a mini church. Is it doesn't matter what you believe or how you live your life or what it is that you treasure in your life. You may not even need to give testimony to some Churches before you commit you may not even this need to say that I trust in Jesus. All that it takes in many places just a desire and your end will our church covenant and our church membership class that we require for new members who are signing that Covenant for the first time these things require us to take ownership these raise the bar for what it means and so each of us must pledge ourselves to abide by a common set of commitments. Now, you should also know that a church covenant is not infallible. All right, we don't put claim that this Covenant contains every detail of everything that needs to be covered for a believer in Christ. We don't claim that it is without error. There are some things that I might work differently if we were starting from scratch. And of course if I was riding in it probably wouldn't fit on one page because I've been critique all my life about how worthy I am. Alright, so you should probably be thankful that we don't have Jeremy's 15 babes dirt cup. All right. But I do see that the principles that are in this coming and they were going to examine here in just a moment are derived from God's word. These are rich principles that we can find Direct references to in the word of God and moreover. There's even this biblical precedent for the people of God coming together to make a covenant for him. This is not without a Biblical precedent in the book of 2nd Kings. You'll find this series of Kings of Israel and Judah who just hit it wrong. I mean God's chosen what they all do God Reveals His law to them and yet they choose to go their own way. They choose to build up a Serie pause. I choose to build up idols and they refuse to take their people down God's path. But then this one king appears who does things differently this one king appear to finally gets it right. His name was King Josiah listen to what Josiah did and 2nd Kings 23 Then the king sent and they gathered to him all the Elders of Judah and Jerusalem the change went up to the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him and the priest and the prophets and all the people both small and great and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the Covenant which was found in the house of the Lord the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul to carry out all the words of this Covenant. They were written in this book and the people entered into the Covenant now that's a vivid picture of the people of God coming together to establish a covenant together that they will live in a Rodents with God's word and the Covenant that I encourage you to consider. If you are a member here today and I encourage you to consider. If you're not a member to come and be a part of our membership class and the Covenant in this way this Covenant that I encourage you to has this same thrust and so like King Josiah with all of our people gathered. Let me remind you of our covenant commitments. And as I do I'm going to quickly mention how these commitments or even found in this Titus 2 and 3 passage that were looking at here this morning. Remember those things that talk cost Titus to remind the church about all those things are richly on display and you Vision fellowships membership Covenant. So here's our covenant. As members of New Vision Fellowship, we each Covenant together to the following. Number one. I will protect the unity of my church House of Hope by acting in love toward other members. We read in Titus Chapter 3 Verse for the kindness of God our savior and his love for mankind appeared. If God took such an initiative to show his kindness and his love two people how much more so should we also protecting Unity of my church by refusing to gossip gossip second link a temp. All right to Titus remind them to Moline. No one here in Force 2. I will I will protect the unity of my church thoroughly by following the leaders all rights to Timothy remind them to be subject to rulers to authorities. I will share the responsibility of my church is the second main commitment that we make in our covenant and it has these subheadings. I'll share the responsibility of my church first Lie by praying for its growth. We see in Titus Chapter 3 verses 5 through 7. God saved us according to his mercy so that being justified by his grace. We would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. I will also share the responsibility of my church secondly by inviting the unchurched to attend. We're eating Titus 2:11. The grace of God has a beard bringing salvation to all men God's desires for all men to be saved. And so therefore we ought to invite the unchurched to attend thirdly. We will share in the responsibility of this church by warmly welcoming those who visit all rights in in chapter 3 verse to remind them to be Peaceable gentle showing every consideration for all men at the hospitable environment. Third main point of our church covenant. I will serve the ministry of my church House of firstly by discovering my gifts and talents. We read Titus Chapter 3 verses 5 and 6. God saved us according to his Mercy by the washing of regeneration and the renewing by the Holy Spirit whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ Our Saviour elsewhere in the word. We're either because each of us received the spirit through Christ. Each of us is granted gifts that we are to use in the building up of the body, which is Christ Church. I will also serve the ministry of my church by being equipped to serve my pastors to Titus the Pastor Paul writes these things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. But no one disregard you until there's an important role for Titus as the pastor in leading his flock to provide this sort of equipping of individuals in the flock. If something is going right he is to encourage into exhort them to do the right things. If something is going wrong, he has to reboot them to call them out to call them to live and reprove them with authority and then I will serve the ministry of my church thirdly by developing a servant's heart pulse is remind them to be ready for every good deed. All right for that aspect 4th main point of our covenant 4th mein commitment we make I will support the testimony. Of my church how so firstly by attending Faithfully. We read hear that Paul writes Christ. Jesus gave himself for us to purify for himself a people for his own possession and we ought to be striving to build up a people as well by attending Faithfully. Secondly. I was aboard the testimony of my church by living a Godly life. We read in chapter 2 verse 12, the grace of God has appeared instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires at the live sensibly righteously and godly in the present age. That's very much a Godly life on display and then thirdly and finally I will support the testimony of my church by giving regularly Paul draws this contrast of who the people in titus's church were before they knew Christ and he says for we also Once were enslaved to various lust and pleasure spending our life in Malice and envy hateful hating one another. So there's obviously a contrast now that they are in Christ. They are giving their lives. They're giving all that they are they're giving of their finances they're giving of their time to things that are Pursuing God's desires and wills in midst of that and so we're going to have a final time of invitation evidence not going to be like our normal invitations would be each and everyone of you. So if you are a member here the sheets that we have on the three tables that are in front of you. The larger seats are a covenant renewal forms and these have that same Covenant that I just read in your presence that isn't available for you. It's a way for us to get to update information as well. So maybe it moved over the past year. Maybe you had a phone number that's changed. We just asked you to fill that sign your name at the bottom. If you desire to renew your membership for the coming year, the smaller sheets that are on the table here offer everyone. These are for the individuals who are ready to take that next step. And so we're going to have a time when we're just going to play some music. I'm going to allow folks to come up and to record your commitments. There are pins here on the table. And then once we're done with that, once we see the tables clear out will have a final word of prayer. All right, let's let's pray over our commitments now father as we come to this time of commitment. I pray you to make sure in the hearts of your people where you want them to go next or there may be some