00:00 Introduction and Current Events

00:19 Christian Engagement in Politics

03:06 Reflecting on September 11th

05:19 Conspiracy Theories and Christian Perspective

06:45 Ezekiel's Prophecies and Worship

11:16 The Millennial Kingdom and Land Divisions

14:30 Conclusion and Prayer

Hey, welcome back to another

edition of the daily Bible podcast.

2

, we're here.

3

It's September 11th.

4

Uh, yeah, presidential debates last night.

5

Did you watch him pass her on.

6

I sure dead did you?

7

I at least I fully intended to,

well, you fully intended to correct.

8

And if I do, then I will be

proud of myself cause I really

9

I'm really interested in.

10

I really am interested.

11

And I think the Christians.

12

Uh, moral obligation is to engage

with, with this kind of information.

13

It's not that you have to quit

everything that you're doing.

14

If you have something eternally

valuable, like small groups

15

that you're doing tonight.

16

Um, or last night, but as a,

as a rule, Christian should

17

engage with what's happening.

18

It's it's a way that we

can make sure that we're.

19

Fighting for righteousness.

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And also to the best of our ability.

21

Um, fighting against evil and I think

both sides are, I mean, Granted it.

22

Uh, righteousness and evil are

very much on display this election.

23

Yeah.

24

Not, not as clearly as perhaps we'd

like the distinction to be never is.

25

It never is.

26

And in fact, the first time that Trump

was running, there was a division

27

in the church for the same reasons.

28

Right.

29

Uh, and I'm not saying one way or the

other, that the church was right or

30

wrong for, for the, for that argument.

31

I think it's necessary.

32

But here it is again, it's just

a different kind of approach now.

33

And furthermore, I would even say

that there's so much more on the

34

line this time around because of.

35

Cabela's.

36

Policies.

37

Yeah, it's evident that she's

going to take a very large step

38

toward a kind of government and a

kind of leadership that has been

39

unprecedented, at least in America.

40

And therefore, if she wins, it's

going to have an impact on everybody.

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Not just for Christians, obviously

Christians, but for everybody.

42

And when couldn't the money

Christian mindset and the Christian

43

worldview does not prevail.

44

Everybody suffers.

45

Yeah.

46

True.

47

True.

48

Yeah.

49

And, and so we're not exactly if you're

listening to this, at least we're

50

not expecting that a debate like this

tonight is going to change your mind.

51

You've decided, you know, where

you're going to cast your vote,

52

you know, where it's going to lie.

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I assume.

54

Uh, there are others that are going

to listen to this and have their

55

decision swayed one way or the other.

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Uh, but it is important that we do know,

uh, where their priorities lie, what

57

their stances are on their policies.

58

Not so that we can say, look,

this person's Christian.

59

This person agrees with

the Bible because there.

60

Neither candidate is in.

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Contrary to, to professions.

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I have no problem saying neither candidate

is in this, in this particular election.

63

Um, I think you, you see that from.

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Other elements in, in both of their lives.

65

So it's not about we're going to

vote for the Christian, but it's

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about voting in accordance with the

person that lines up most closely

67

with the principles of God's word.

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Uh, and it's the lesser of two

evils approach, which is one that

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we had to take last time around.

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And didn't pan out correctly there.

71

And one that we're going to have to

take again this time around and trust

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God with the results of the election.

73

But.

74

The debate is helpful just to hear.

75

Even just primary sources, right?

76

I mean, I think sometimes in politics, we.

77

Deal in the realm of

secondary and third hand.

78

And it's a good point.

79

Well, this person said this.

80

To listen to from their

own mouth in context.

81

Right?

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In context, what they're going to say is

a, is a helpful position to inform us.

83

It's a great point.

84

To cast our votes.

85

Uh, yeah, that's it.

86

Um, it's also September 11th, which

is a weighty day for us as a nation.

87

I mean, this is a.

88

An unprecedented day in history and

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the first time on domestic soil, by

a foreign enemy since Pearl Harbor.

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And since that time we haven't

had anything like that either.

91

So.

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Uh, this is a unique day for us to

pause and, and remember, and I know

93

that that my older kids watched the

footage and things that they show

94

on TV and YouTube and other things.

95

And it's staggering for them to try

to wrap their minds around it as it

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was for us when it actually happened

live, uh, because they, they haven't

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experienced anything like this before.

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Uh, thankfully praise God.

99

And I don't know what the future

holds, but, uh, this is a day

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certainly that we pause and remember.

101

Uh, that day as, as one that will live

in infamy, along with, as Pearl Harbor

102

was, was famously quipped as well.

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So, yeah, it's a hard time.

104

Have you watched the

videos from September 11th?

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I mean, I haven't been being so many years

removed now, have you watched any of the,

106

like the alternative footage by people?

107

That they've recorded one way.

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When or another?

109

Yeah, like the footage from the ground.

110

Yeah, where people you see, you

could see it crashing in the bill.

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Yeah, terrifying.

112

Yeah.

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I I've watched several of them recently.

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And I moved at how, how grievous it is.

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I mean, people were just

screaming and terror.

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I saw one group of people that

were on a roof doing, I don't

117

know what they were doing, but.

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They happen to be recording at the time

that they saw the airplane crash into the

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building and they were just mortified.

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I mean, what else would you do?

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Right.

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It's a primal scream that

I think really communicates

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what's happening in that moment.

124

Right.

125

You're being attacked by some

foreign enemy that you didn't

126

know at the time, but now we do.

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And in that moment, The hundreds of

people, thousands of people died.

128

Yeah.

129

The building collapses, I

mean, And granted there's also

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so many questions about it.

131

PBJ.

132

People I think are still questioning

whether it was an inside job or whether

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it was truly a terrorist organization.

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Um, how do Christian sort through some of

those things, it seems like there's things

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online that adds some credibility to it.

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Uh, a building collapsing because

airplanes crash into it seems to

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not make a whole lot of sense.

138

Um, now at least for some and

others would say, well, come on.

139

You're just being.

140

You know, you're not thinking about

this the right way, the physics and

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the melting metal and collapsing from

top to bottom makes perfect sense.

142

When a plane crashes into it

at that angle and at that speed

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and the fuel, yada yada yada.

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Um, how do Christians deal with

some of those questions that

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still linger about things like

this and the JFK assassination?

146

The moon landing and all sorts, I

guess I don't want to clump all those

147

things and to get those, these are

different, but for this one in particular

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conspiracy theories, September 11th.

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I'm going to suggest Colassians three.

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Um, Is that a helpful paradigm force.

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If then you've been raised with Christ.

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The things that are above where Christ

is seated at the right hand of God, set

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your mind to the things that are above,

not on things that are on the earth.

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For you've done.

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Your life is hidden with Christ in God.

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And when Christ, who is your

life appears, then you will

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also appear with him in glory.

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Then he goes on from there, or when Paul

encouraged Timothy, I have nothing to

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do with endless myths and genealogies.

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I think the realm of conspiracy theory is

that for the church today, Um, and I, I.

161

I'm not saying, Hey, bury

your head in the sand.

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I believe everything that that

is printed in a textbook, but

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I'm also saying, I think there's

a lot better use of our time.

164

Than to dabble in the realm

of conspiracy theories.

165

And so I think wondering whether nine

11 was an inside job is quite frankly,

166

jubilantly a waste of your time when

there's a lot more profitable things

167

for you to be doing as a believer.

168

Yeah.

169

Especially given that there's really not.

170

Anything you can do, right?

171

I mean, Let's if it were in fact, an

inside job, what does that change for you?

172

Right.

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How does it impact your life, except

for the fact that you learn not to trust

174

everything that you hear, which I think

that's kind of our posture already, right?

175

Um, great wisdom.

176

We should be people of the word and

people, the book defined by that and good

177

seasons and bad seasons, which is why

Paul tells Timothy to be a preacher in

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season and out because we need the word

always, no matter what kind of season it

179

is, we're always in season for the word.

180

So that's a good thing for us to think

about as we drop back into Ezekiel.

181

Yeah.

182

Let's jump into the word with that.

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EZQ of 46 through 48.

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We're finishing the book of Ezekiel.

185

Like again, They don't need to know.

186

They don't need to know objector 46.

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Uh, chapter 46.

188

If I could summarize this chapter

in one word, it's worship.

189

Uh, again, Israel is returning to

in operating the way that God always

190

meant for her to operate in this.

191

I think one of the things that jumped out

to me in chapter 46, along those lines was

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the observation of the year of Jubilee.

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The prince is.

194

Uh, committed to, to lend some Lander or

allow Landa to some people that need it.

195

And yet they were to return the land

to the prince in the year of Jubilee.

196

Th the Sabbath year, the year of

Jubilee was at the heart of the exile.

197

The Israelites were going to be exiled

for 70 years because it had been 490

198

years from the time the Sabbath year

was instituted to the time that,

199

uh, the Israelites wanting to X out.

200

So 490 divided by.

201

Seven is 70.

202

And so for that, they were going to

observe 70 years worth of Sabbath years.

203

So the land would have 70 years of rest.

204

And now in chapter 46 in the millennial

kingdom, man, worship's going to

205

return, the feasts are going to return.

206

The celebrations are going to return.

207

And so is the observation of the

Sabbath year, which was a big deal

208

for, for God in his, uh, Because

it was a, it was an ultimately.

209

You may be wondering why was the

Sabbath you're such a big deal?

210

Why, why was that a problem?

211

Why was that an issue?

212

Uh, And the answer is, is because

they were upset about the idea

213

of, um, Th that God was upset

that they weren't trusting him.

214

That's what the Sabbath

year was meant to be.

215

It wasn't meant to be a D an exercise

of faith and dependence upon them that

216

they were trusting the Lord to provide.

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During the year that they were

going to let the land lay fallow and

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let the land rest and the people.

219

Uh, their refusal to do that in

part was a rejection of their

220

confidence and trust in God.

221

And so that was part of God's

frustration there, but in the millennial

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kingdom, that's going to be on down.

223

They're going to trust him and the

worship that was always desired by God.

224

He's going to return to him.

225

In this, uh, in chapter 46 here.

226

Yeah, this is an exciting time and

I hope that we're there to see it.

227

And that's one of the cool things that

we as Christians can look forward to.

228

Is the realization of all the

things that we read about.

229

It's one thing to read the textbook

and say, oh, that's really interesting.

230

I wonder what that,

what that's going to be.

231

Like.

232

I wonder what it's going to look

like, but it's a whole different

233

thing to say, oh, I'm there now.

234

It's one thing to read the Bible

and say, oh, Israel sounds great.

235

It sounds like a lovely place.

236

It's a whole other thing.

237

To go there and to experience it in

person, which I'm hoping to do with our

238

church at some point, at some point.

239

Yeah.

240

Although I suspect that we both

can't go, that's going to be a

241

problem if we both leave at the same

time, unless we hire other pastors.

242

Hire other pastors, but then

they're going to want to go.

243

And one of us is gonna

have stayed behind bro.

244

But if they're the low level, That's

what the coin and I see who, who

245

stays and who goes anyway, it's

going to be fun to see it in person.

246

Yeah, no, for sure it is.

247

Yeah.

248

And I used to be that mindset that

going, oh, well I'll eventually

249

see Israel when I, you know, new

Jerusalem I'll be there for that point.

250

But no, it's, it's worth going to,

to Israel to see it in Europe to see.

251

The man I want to, I want to go.

252

Yeah.

253

I want to be there.

254

Well, you should, because it's awesome.

255

I want to go now and Lord willing.

256

Well, I know some people

they're like, I can call them.

257

If you want to jump on a plane

to meet you at the airport.

258

All right.

259

They'll give you your own tour.

260

All right.

261

Uh, personal tour, you can stay with him.

262

In fact in one of the

guys lives in Bethlehem.

263

I know, uh, which is

Palestinian territory though.

264

It's a little tense.

265

I look a little Palestinian.

266

If you do, if you don't look

closely, I could totally pass.

267

Yeah, well, that's true.

268

Actually, no lie.

269

We were on our way to the airport

and this was our guide that this

270

is the guy that lives in Bethlehem.

271

His name is managed and we

are on the way to the airport.

272

And our bus got pulled over at the, uh,

out, just outside the airport in Tel Aviv.

273

And they came on board the

bus, these Israeli soldiers

274

with their machine guns, which.

275

You see, throughout the territory

there, it's kind of a common thing.

276

So they come on the bus with their machine

guns and they walk up to our guide, mashed

277

who's from, and he's got dual citizenship.

278

He's Palestinian primarily, but

he's also got citizenship to be

279

able to work in Israel because.

280

You have to have both right.

281

So he has both.

282

Um, but they demand his papers and

he was incensed because there is

283

the racial tension there between

the Palestinians and the Jews.

284

So even him as a believing, he's

a professing Christian and he

285

was sitting there and he just

sat there with his arms crossed.

286

Meanwhile, I'm looking at my watch

going, dude, we've got like an hour to

287

get on this international flight back

home to the United States like this.

288

This is not the time to have

a, an incident here between

289

the Palestinians and the Jews.

290

Yeah.

291

And they pulled them off the bus and

they were questioning him at him.

292

And he was, he was a little

contentious with them, but

293

yeah, well, So there you go.

294

I can send you over and you

can hang out with matched.

295

I mean, I'm okay.

296

I can, I can stay here then.

297

Okay.

298

Well, fair enough.

299

I'd like to, I'd like

to be able to come home.

300

Dude.

301

It's amazing that to be there.

302

To think about what she's seen is

going to be like as great as it is now.

303

No.

304

Yeah.

305

It's going to be even

better than I can't wait.

306

Yeah.

307

Speaking of which he's going

to look different then.

308

Yeah.

309

Well, because chapter 47

through 48, get into that.

310

The land is going to look different.

311

What gives, yeah.

312

It's not going to be laid out the

way it is currently or the way

313

it was during Jesus' day or the

way it was during his equals day.

314

The temple has a leak to it.

315

Does that.

316

That's weird.

317

Yeah.

318

Which is the first part of

this chapter in chapter 47.

319

There's this river that's coming out.

320

And you wonder who's paying the

water bill and if Jesus paid

321

the water bill, then been great.

322

Just leave the water going.

323

But that temple has, which is literal,

has a river, which is literal.

324

That's going to flow out of the temple.

325

And as the prophet is showing the

river, he steps in and initially it's

326

ankle deep and then it's, knee-deep

in waist-deep and it gets to the

327

point where he can't be in it anymore.

328

And it's, we think it's literal because

there are, uh, it's irrigating, the land

329

it's providing nutrients to the land.

330

People are fishing in this river.

331

It's a symbol of what gout is.

332

Is due to it to bring a

provision back to the people.

333

And it's also going to be

indicative of what's going to

334

happen in the new Jerusalem.

335

There's going to be the river 2.0 in the

new Jerusalem where the tree of life is

336

going to be next to that river there.

337

And so we do think that this is a little

river flowing from the literal temple

338

here at the beginning of chapter 47.

339

But pastor I'll talk to us about

the land divisions because.

340

It's different than, than what

we see in the back of our Bibles.

341

When we flip back and look at the map that

we see there, the, the outline of Israel.

342

Yeah.

343

This is a head-scratcher situation.

344

I I've, I love one scripture

defies my expectations, and

345

this is one of those areas.

346

Where I can look at it and say,

okay, I understand the land is

347

being divided essentially equally.

348

So if you, if you just type in

your Google or Division of land.

349

You'll see a few maps that give

you the idea that I think has been

350

communicated by the text here.

351

And the idea here is that each, each tribe

is basically pancaked on top of the other.

352

They're stacked like a hamburger with a

lot of ingredients between, and each of

353

those ingredients is roughly equivalent to

the one before it's about the same size.

354

And so the idea that's being communicated

here is they each have an equal

355

share and possession in the land.

356

Which is radically different than

what we're told to expect under

357

the old covenant under, under

the division that Joshua is.

358

It lays out.

359

I'm curious as to how this is going

to fit into the millennial kingdom and

360

in God fulfilling his word to Israel.

361

This is further north and

further south than we expect.

362

Which gives us a sense of,

okay, what's happening here?

363

How do we, how do we fit, fit this?

364

I guess a better word would be, how do

we harmonize this into our understanding

365

of God fulfilling his promises to Israel?

366

So that's, what's unique about this.

367

Yeah.

368

In the temples outside of Judah.

369

And the temples outside of Judah.

370

Yeah.

371

That's a great point.

372

That's crazy.

373

And you've got the Prince's

portion on either side.

374

Uh, Bible knowledge commentary

has a great map on here.

375

You mentioned Googling.

376

The land.

377

That's helpful too.

378

And seeing that the visual depictions of

this cause it's, it's less like chickenpox

379

where every area is kind of splotch.

380

The tribes are splotch through here

and more like, kind of the layered

381

approach of a stack of flub jacks.

382

So pancakes.

383

Yup.

384

Yeah.

385

Pickaxe.

386

Hey, speaking to pancakes Friday

morning, men's breakfast men.

387

There's still time.

388

You can be there this Friday.

389

We're studying marriage part two

Friday and Saturday for a double doses.

390

The Bible study on Saturday too.

391

Not double up, but studying.

392

Self good.

393

Self-control yeah.

394

What you might think.

395

I'm going to be preaching first

Corinthians chapter nine, but

396

just what you would be wrong.

397

Unexpected.

398

That's what we're here to be.

399

I should do it just to be fun.

400

You could, I mean, it'd be a great.

401

At the point that there's a

different way to apply it.

402

Different texts.

403

Oh, yeah, there's a right way.

404

And there's a wrong way.

405

Okay.

406

All right.

407

Well, let's pray.

408

And then we'll be done

with the book of Ezekiel.

409

Got we thank you for this book that

begins with the opening of senior

410

glory, depart from the temple and ends

with a vision of the future millennial

411

kingdom, where your glory returns.

412

And what an amazing reality that is.

413

And the reality for us is that we're still

in the in-between, we're waiting for that.

414

Uh, not the same way that Israel is, but

we are waiting for the return of Christ.

415

We're waiting for the inauguration

of the millennial kingdom.

416

We're waiting for, uh, all of this.

417

To begin to take place.

418

And even as Peter says, Uh, we

need it to wait patiently for that

419

because you are patient, not wishing

that any should perish, but that

420

all should reach eternal life.

421

And that's, that's our job.

422

That's our response right now.

423

We're saying, okay.

424

We're in the, in between we're

waiting and what's our role.

425

Our role is to wait, uh, actively

not passively, but to wait actively

426

and to desire to take the gospel to

as many losses as we possibly can.

427

In the interim.

428

And so give us that ability in that focus,

we pray and we ask this in Christ's name.

429

Amen.

430

Amen.

431

I guess keeping your Bibles

today to get tomorrow.

432

As we pick up the book

of Joel, we'll see that.