>> Good evening, everybody. At this time, please go ahead and make your way forward to take your seats. And then if you're right at the edge of an aisle, please go ahead and just try to squeeze in towards the center. We're glad to be able to join together in time of corporate prayer and extended worship.

And just as a heads up to you guys, as in previous Praise and Prayers, we really do want to give you guys unhindered times of just prayer. We will be giving various topics of prayer, guidance, etc. But please know that you can continue just to pray to lift up all of your needs, to request the Lord to meet all the various struggles, trials, and requests that you have.

Now, I want to highlight that, as in previous sessions, the front rows of the chairs have been removed so that if later when the prayer time opens up, you want to come forward to kneel. There's just a band of carpet where you can kneel. You can go before the Lord and pray in that way.

You're also welcome, if some of you guys prefer to stand, you're welcome to stand. Go stand in the back, etc., to stand and pray as well. Okay? Would you at this time please join with me in a word of prayer as we begin our time? Heavenly Father, we are absolutely indebted to you.

For, God, you have been so compassionate and gracious to us. Lord, your word has revealed that although we were as lost as could be, although, Father God, we, like everybody else, was going our own way, living according to our own lust, our own passions, and in the absolute blindness of our flesh, that it's you who had mercy.

And then, Lord, to know that God, even though we are yet fallen and so lost, at your mercy, Lord God, you hear us when we pray to you, when we lift up to you our requests. We're so grateful that you avail yourself to us. I pray, Lord, that with the conviction that, God, our lives are not victorious because of our grit or our own power, but rather because of the hand of God, I ask that you would help us to pray fervently.

And, Lord God, as we join in our hearts to lift up corporate topics to you, to lift up the ministry of the church, we really ask, God, that you would grant to us your blessings. We also pray that as we join our hearts in worship, as we join our hearts in praise, let this truly, Father God, be an outflow of the faith that we have, and, God, would you grow it even more.

Would you help us to deepen in our affection for you. Would you help us, Lord God, to have a deeper sense of dedication and a growing conviction that everything you say is real and all your promise is true. We thank you for this evening. It's in Christ's name we pray.

Amen. Let's all stand together for a time of praise. ♪ There is love vast as the ocean ♪ ♪ Loving kindness as the flood ♪ ♪ When the Prince of life, our ransom ♪ ♪ Shed for us His precious blood ♪ ♪ There is love ♪ ♪ There is love vast as the ocean ♪ ♪ Loving kindness as the flood ♪ ♪ When the Prince of life, our ransom ♪ ♪ Shed for us His precious blood ♪ ♪ Who is love will not remember ♪ ♪ Who can cease to sing His praise ♪ ♪ He can never be forgotten ♪ ♪ Through our death eternal ♪ ♪ On the Mount of Crucifixion ♪ ♪ Fountains open deep and wide ♪ ♪ Through the floodgates of God's mercy ♪ ♪ Flow the vast and gracious tide ♪ ♪ Grace and love like mighty rivers ♪ ♪ Poured in sanction from above ♪ ♪ Heaven's peace and perfect justice ♪ ♪ Kiss the guilty world ♪ ♪ There is love that conquered evil ♪ ♪ Christ the firstborn from the grave ♪ ♪ Death has failed to be found equal ♪ ♪ To the love of Him who saves ♪ ♪ In the valley of our darkness ♪ ♪ God is everlasting life ♪ ♪ Perfect love and glorious radiance ♪ ♪ Has prepared this valley ♪ ♪ No love is higher, no love is wider ♪ ♪ No love is deeper, no love is truer ♪ ♪ No love is higher, no love is wider ♪ ♪ No love is like your love alone ♪ ♪ No love is higher, no love is wider ♪ ♪ No love is deeper, no love is truer ♪ ♪ No love is higher, no love is wider ♪ ♪ No love is like your love alone ♪ ♪ No love is higher, no love is wider ♪ ♪ No love is deeper, no love is truer ♪ ♪ No love is higher, no love is wider ♪ ♪ No love is like your love alone ♪ ♪ There's love as vast as the heavens ♪ ♪ Countless as the stars above ♪ ♪ Souls that He has ransomed ♪ ♪ Precious daughters, treasured sons ♪ ♪ We are called to face forever ♪ ♪ On a love beyond our time ♪ ♪ Glorious Father, Son, and Spirit ♪ ♪ Now with man are intertwined ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ In the name of the Father ♪ ♪ In the name of the Son ♪ ♪ In the name of the Spirit ♪ ♪ Lord, we come ♪ ♪ We're gathered together to lift a knee ♪ ♪ To call our sin, to fall on our knees ♪ ♪ Hear the joyful sound of our offering ♪ ♪ As your saints bow down, as your people sing ♪ ♪ We will rise with you, lift it on your wings ♪ ♪ And the world will say that ♪ ♪ By God's hand ♪ ♪ By God's hand ♪ ♪ There is hope ♪ ♪ In your name ♪ ♪ In the name of the Father ♪ ♪ In the name of the Son ♪ ♪ In the name of the Spirit ♪ ♪ Lord, we come ♪ ♪ We're gathered together to lift a knee ♪ ♪ To call our sin, to fall on our knees ♪ ♪ Hear the joyful sound of our offering ♪ ♪ As your saints bow down, as your people sing ♪ ♪ We will rise with you, lift it on your wings ♪ ♪ And the world will say that ♪ ♪ By God's hand ♪ ♪ By God's hand ♪ ♪ There is hope ♪ ♪ In your name ♪ ♪ In the name of the Father ♪ ♪ In the name of the Spirit ♪ ♪ Lord, we come ♪ ♪ We're gathered together to lift a knee ♪ ♪ To call our sin, to fall on our knees ♪ ♪ Hear the joyful sound of our offering ♪ ♪ As your saints bow down, as your people sing ♪ ♪ We will rise with you, lift it on your wings ♪ ♪ And the world will say that ♪ ♪ And the world will say that ♪ ♪ By God's hand ♪ ♪ There is hope ♪ ♪ In your name ♪ ♪ Lord, we come ♪ ♪ We're gathered together to lift a knee ♪ ♪ To call our sin, to fall on our knees ♪ ♪ Hear the joyful sound of our offering ♪ ♪ As your saints bow down, as your people sing ♪ ♪ We will rise with you, lift it on your wings ♪ ♪ And the world will say that ♪ - Amen, before we go into time of individual prayer, I'd like to give an encouragement from scripture to inspire us, to get our minds just united in the right place.

And the song that we just sang, just declaring that our God is a God who's capable of saving. And regardless of circumstance, how long, et cetera, there is hope in the name of the Lord. We look at a famous psalm, Psalm 116. Take your Bible and turn there. This is a psalm that perhaps for us may not be so familiar as, let's say, Psalm 23, Psalm 19, et cetera.

But within the Jewish community, this psalm, along with chapters 13 through 18, are some of the most famous. Why? Because it's a part of a collection called the Hillel, which means praise. Ever since some 1,445 BC, the time of the exodus, at the time when God delivered but the mighty hand, the people who were in slavery, and we have the Passover, at the end of that incredible celebration, this psalm was always sung.

And therefore, if you could imagine that not just in one generation, not just amongst a hundred years or a couple hundred years, we're talking several thousand years of history of singing this psalm, all to the praise of God, all giving thanks to him for his great deliverance. And so, even more today than even back then, because, again, this was tied to the Passover, now, in modern day, these psalms are connected to national festivals.

These psalms are connected to any time there's a joyous occasion. If there is a Jewish People History Day, they sing this psalm. If there is a journey to the wall, they sing this psalm. They regularly sing this psalm as a praise to God. And the reason why I mention that, then, is I want us to meditate on this as both a national significance, a psalm of incredible impact for the people as a whole, but for every single family unit, because you know that the way that this Passover meal was practiced was in every single home.

So just imagine throughout the land, or even when people are dispersed, the family unit would gather together underneath the leadership of the Father, and they would sing praises to God. But then, when you take a look at this psalm, you will immediately see that it's intensely private, meaning personal.

So on multiple levels throughout history, this has been the joyous, celebratory, and grateful heart of the people who have experienced the deliverance of God. And so we're going to walk through this passage not by way of just hitting points, etc., but as a walkthrough of meditation. So let me first go ahead and read.

And it says in Psalm 116, starting from verse 1, "I love the Lord, because he hears my voice and my supplications. Because he has inclined his ear to me, therefore I shall call upon him as long as I live. The cords of death encompassed me, and the terrors of Sheol came upon me.

I found distress and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord. O Lord, I beseech you, save my life. Gracious is the Lord and righteous, yes? Our God is compassionate. The Lord preserves the simple. I was brought low, and he saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

For you have rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling." Let's take a moment to ask God to bless that reading. Heavenly Father, as we now meditate, Lord God, as so many saints did through the generations and years, I pray, Father God, that this would be our both cry, our praise, our heart.

This would be the tone, Lord God, of our inner soul. God, that we have a testimony, experiencing your incredible compassion, and therefore we're overflowing with praise. We thank you in Christ's name, amen. Take time with me to imagine, as you think about these words, again, it's pretty incredible to think that these instructions were given, and so in every home, at the end of the Passover meal, this would be the song, again, resonating through each household at the dinner table.

And what's more, I mentioned just a moment ago that it's so intensely personal that whether it's like a horde of people gathered at a huge festival, whether it was in Jerusalem, if you recall, thinking back to Jesus' day, I mean, there was like a million people in Jerusalem, right?

And when the Passover act come, yes, there were both the gatherings of people at the temple, and they would sing the halal. When they would spread into their homes, and they would sing the halal, right? And so in thinking through that, everyone in singing, but the first verse, the first words out of their mouth is, I love you, Lord, you know?

How profound, how appropriate. And I wonder, and from the eyes of the Lord, and to the ears of God, how pleasing. But the passage goes that I love the Lord because he hears my voice, and the supplications, because he inclines his ear. And we can't help but again go back to the Exodus generation, and to take a moment and to meditate.

These individuals and their suffering, when they talk about cords of death, it is not just simply symbolic. When they talk about the terrors around, it's not metaphorical poetry. For 400 years, they were seeing their family members get buried in monuments. They were seeing people in front of them get whipped.

They themselves experienced the excruciating pains of the evils of Pharaoh. And in the midst of this, it was God who said, I surely have seen the affliction of my people, I have seen it, I have given heed to their cry, and I am aware of their suffering. It was because God had pity, it was because God had mercy, and it's because God hears that entire generations can be delivered.

Likewise, in a cross-reference where King David is singing something really similar, almost parallel, is a passage in Psalm chapter 18, verses 1 through 2. In Psalm chapter 18, verses 1 through 2, King David says, "I love you, O Lord, my strength. "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, "my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, "my shield and the horn of my salvation, "my stronghold.

"I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised." And if you look at the subscript of this passage, this is in context when David says, "And all around me was nothing but my enemies, "because King Saul was so desperate, so zealous, "so jealous over David, "as he was willing to throw his spear, "he was willing to lie and said, "'Oh, you're so precious, I'll never hurt you,' "and then he's throwing spears to kill him." You recall?

King David had to run through forests, live in caves, hide, hide, hide. Who is he gonna call out to? And he says, "I'm gonna call out to God. "Who else am I gonna call out to?" And so for us, I pray that our hearts, too. Yes, there are gonna be times when absolutely there looks to be no one else who can help.

There may be moments when we can experience true helplessness. What power do the other brothers and sisters have around us, even in their best intentions and thoughts? But the one whom we will call is our Lord. And if we go back to our passage in 116, verse two, he says that I shall call upon him as long as I live.

And that phrase, this idea of I'll call in the name of the Lord, it's chalked through the Bible. What does it mean? It's that we're gonna accept that we're gonna continue. If he truly is the one who is able to help, who else am I gonna call? I will continue seeking him.

I'll continue calling his name. I'll continue worshiping him. And I'll continue in my dependency and trust. These are the individuals, this kind of heart is the kind of individuals we wanna be. Moving quickly to the next verses, in verse three and four, he describes the cords of death has encompassed me.

The kind of helpless state that he was in. As the terrors of Sheol came upon me and I found distress and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord. Oh, Lord, I beseech you, save my life. Save my life. If we meditate on the kind of situations that the Old Testament saints have been in, again, sometimes when you read the Bible and we talk about suffering and even for me as I'm preparing a sermon and I say, hey, the scripture sympathizes with you.

Half of me wants to stop and say, ah. But is our suffering, are we allowed to compare the things that we've been through versus the things that they've been through? Again, we're talking about people who have literally been whipped. We're talking about people who cried out, cried out and then in their despairing situations they experienced even more suffering.

We're talking about generational kind of suffering and all this kind of stuff. Are we allowed to make comparison? And then you think about King David and you know not only in his young life but even because both because of his own sins but because of the wickedness of the people around him, he had experienced betrayal by his own family.

His sons trying to take his life. People who he thought were his friends backstabbed him. He lost his own child. You name the kind of suffering that we may experience, he has experienced it to an nth degree. When he says, "Around me there is nothing but suffering," he really means it.

Are we allowed to compare? Now, what I want to say to that is definitely we dare not exaggerate our hardships. We dare not exaggerate our feelings of pain to think that somehow ours match theirs. But yet at the same time, we know, praise be to God, that it's not the degree of our suffering that deserves his ear.

Amen? It is God's compassion. It is God's grace. And it's because he's a listening God, any amount of suffering from his children, the Lord hears. Amen? It's not because of the severity. It's not because of the loudness of our voice. But should we truly and sincerely ask and come just like the psalmist says, "Lord, I beseech you." And even if it's a whimper and a small voice, "Lord, it hurts a lot for me." I dare not compare my suffering with other people, but perhaps it's too much for me.

In this way, it does not matter. But what matters is that we would humble ourselves and give this kind of supplication to God. Supplication just purely means asking and pleading for God's grace. A beautiful passage comes from 2 Chronicles 6, verse 21. 2 Chronicles 6, verse 21. It says, "Listen to the supplications of your servant and to your people, Israel, when they pray towards this place.

Hear from your dwelling place from heaven. Hear and forgive." What's beautiful for you and me is that sometimes we absolutely take it for granted. But the Old Testament saints, because they did not have the open curtain, the open access, the full privilege to come with the kind of confidence, with the kind of a level of privilege to come in the name of the Son, they would have to ask and beseech the Lord, "Would you please incline your ear to us?

Would you please listen?" Thanks be to Christ, for us, we know that in his name, the Lord has already said, "Yes, I hear." And so finally, we ask the question, "What do we think happens when we ask? What do we think happens when we pray?" Verse 5, "Gracious is the Lord and righteous.

Yes, our God is compassionate. The Lord preserves the simple. I was brought low, and he saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from strumbling. Reflect on God's compassion, how he preserves even the lowly, how he preserves even the simple." You know that term "simple" is an interesting one because the literal term, or the most frequently way that that term is translated is "naive," people who believe whatever.

I think there has been so many times through the journey of the nation of Israel when God was just so fed up and frustrated. "Why do you keep turning to these idols? They're nothing. It's just a piece of wood. Why do you keep turning to these nations? Why do you keep listening to them?

How many times do you have to be duped? How many times do you have to be disappointed, and those promises fail you?" And he says, "But it's the Lord who preserves and keeps you. It's the Lord who rescues." There is a lot of self-talk in the Old Testament whenever you read poetry, talking to your own heart, talking to your own soul.

And I love the fact that here, the talk to your own heart is one that says, "Return to your rest." There's almost a question to pose at your own heart and to the state of your own soul. Do you want to stop being anxious? Do you want to stop suffering through all these sorrows and fears?

Do you want to stop being swayed left and right, having so many ups and downs? Do you want to stop being so moved, almost devastated every time something goes wrong in your life? And the Scripture says, "To go to rest, turn to the Lord. Know that God deals bountifully with you." I want to wrap up by saying, this beautiful psalm, I didn't want to necessarily present to you as principle one, "This is what you must do," but rather just to meditate or inflect.

This comes from the heart of people who have a testimony. It's just simply in like the shortest way, "Hey, I've got a story for you. There were deep pains and deep hurts, but do you know what happened? I cried out. I went to the Lord and asked Him. I begged Him, and I said, "Please have mercy on me." And the Lord, He rescued me from my tears.

He rescued me from my hurts. He made sure that even if I started asking all these questions, "God, why am I so weak? And what about the future? Am I going to make the same mistakes again? And is this going to happen to me?" He settled all that. Why?

Because it's the Lord who will keep me. I pray for us that whether you've gathered here from maybe a state of hardship, maybe you've been drifting, maybe you've been kind of kicked off your horse, so to speak, please know that however you look into the future, you have to know this song.

It's the Lord who will keep you. Amen? Let's take a moment to pray. Heavenly Father, God, we're so thankful that You have given such words to be recorded in Your Word to testify of how good and compassionate You are. Help us to know this day that, God, You have been faithfully compassionate.

You have been so gracious to hear the prayers of Your saints for thousands of years. And this psalm that we take a moment to reflect on, it's so beautiful because it's the same words by Your people across time, across space, and throughout the world. Then I pray, Father God, that when we pray, Lord, You tell us to pray with confidence, to approach Your throne with confidence.

And we recognize, Father God, it's not because our voice is strong. It's not because my pains deserve it. But, Lord, it's because You're that good. I pray, Lord, that when we pray, it would be with such faith, with such trust in Your love. We thank You. It's in Christ's name.

Amen. At this time, what we'd like to do is just give you an opportunity, for those of you guys who want to come up, please go ahead and come up now to Neil. And what we'll do is give you guys time for the next 10 minutes. There isn't necessarily like a long list of topics or prompt because this first section is just for you.

Whatever is on your heart, whatever you came in with, whatever personal needs you have for yourself, please go ahead and take time to pray now. So, again, if you'd like to move forward, go ahead and do that now. We'll play the background music for you guys, and then we'll come back for some more praise afterwards.

Thank you. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> Amen.

We're going to continue on to pray, but in this next segment, I want to ask you to please pray in intercession for the brothers and sisters around you. Let's really pray for people by name, the people that you're aware of, and by way of examples. Recently, there have been a lot of people who have unfortunately experienced, you know, loss, a great loss of people close to them passing.

So, let's really pray that the Lord will be their comfort and more. Let's continue to pray for those who have ongoing physical needs. You know, we do have people at our church who have experienced, whether it's just chronic pain, recent diagnosis, et cetera. And so, please lift them up.

And then, as you know, there is a kind of pain that completely outside of the hands of physicians, et cetera, whether it's your parents who are in conflict, married individuals who should be in harmony in conflict, children in conflict with the parents. Sometimes this kind of relational conflict is more painful, as you know.

So, let's pray, because sometimes we think, you know, if we should just change the way we talk or change our words, et cetera. But actually, I believe the best kind of resolution, the sweetest kind of reconciliation comes when the Spirit of God breaks you and someone's willing to yield by the power of Christ.

Let's pray for that to happen, that the kind of conflict resolution we experience at our church is thoroughly spiritual. Amen? And then also, as you know, there's continual rising struggling with spiritual and cognitive mental health kind of issues. They wish they were stronger in the way that they think and their thought life, et cetera.

Let's pray that the Lord will strengthen them in every way internally, that God will strengthen them in the inner man. So, again, please try to think of names specifically and continue to pray. We'll give you guys another 10 minutes or so. Thank you. (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) - Allow me to cap off that segment with a short prayer.

Father of all mercies and God of comfort, we do trust and believe that you are sufficient for all, that God, you are not a God who is distant, but Lord, you are near. And so for those who are grieving within our midst, those in deep pain or suffering, those individuals struggling through circumstance, conflict, or more, we pray, Lord, that as you are the God who provides and you know their needs before they're even spoken, Lord, would you minister in your way.

Would you bless and give us your mercies. It's in Christ's name, amen. As a final segment of our time in prayer, would you please take this time to lift up the ministry here? And there are so many things going on, but I'd like to, again, for you, my guess is within your affinity or the people you're involved with, there's a lot of ministry going on.

Please continue to lift those up. But right now from the outreach team, as we had our meeting this past weekend, we're so grateful because there are constantly people trying to minister to their family members. And so please continue to pray for people by name. There are also a lot of non-Christians who with great interest are coming out week to week.

There are individuals within the Bible study, here on Sundays, and sometimes at fellowship events. So please both keep your eyes open, but also let's be prayerful. The India team just yesterday capped off a visit to a city that had a lot of persecution, and so they were asking for prayer.

And then today they're pretty much on their flight back arriving tomorrow. So let's pray for the team that God would use everything, all the contacts, the VBS, et cetera, in that short time to His glory and for the furthering of His kingdom. What's more, this coming weekend, we have members meeting and also the induction of new members.

Now in thinking about this, when we think about our church's ministry, you guys know how important the thought, just a simple thought, is that every member convicted by truth, in love with Christ, and passionate for His glory is going to be to the health of our church. And that's just our simple church motto.

And so even the new members coming in, we really pray that they would be loved upon and ministered to, but that they would grow in all of those facets of their spiritual life, so that they would be a healthy contributing member here at Beroean. What's more, there's a retreat, especially for the single adults, coming up really soon.

Pastor Ian Kwon is going to be preaching, motivating to run with a sense of purpose, not beating aimlessly, but running to win. So let's pray for that. Shortly after, it'll be followed up by our youth group retreat, where I'll be preaching from the book of James on what it means to have living faith.

And then, for everybody, the whole church is going to be starting off our next Bible study just in two short weeks. So those are, you know, the small group times of discussion, the learning and the personal practice at home. All of this is a huge portion of the official discipleship and teaching at church.

Let's pray that God would make it fruitful to us. Amen? So again, please go into individual time of prayer. We'll have another 10 minutes or so of praying over those topics. Amen. Let's pray together. Father God, with our hearts joined, we do love you. We love you because you've been so good to us, so generous, and God so kind.

Thank you, Lord, that you not only hear, but you deliver. And thank you that as we've just sung now, God, we have hope in every situation. Thank you, God, that through Christ we've overcome the world. Thank you, God, that through Christ we have eternity. Thank you, God, that in Christ we have everything.

And so, Lord, I pray that, yes, we may grieve. Yes, we may go through hardships. We may complain at times, but not like the world. For the world, this is all they have. For us, God, we have all eternity. We thank you. It's in Christ's name. Amen. I appreciate you guys being here tonight.

And just as a couple closing announcements. This weekend is a busy Sunday. There is going to be a fundraiser lunch for the Collegians. That's just $10 for adults and $5 for children. So please plan on having lunch after the second and third service. And then please remember that 2 o'clock we have members meeting here.

And it will be game sharp at 2 o'clock because we have stuff in the afternoon as well. And lastly, if you're available to help us, we're going to need help just gathering the carpet and then bringing the chairs back in. That would help us set up for Sunday. Good night, everybody.

Thank you.