Fellowship with the Father

Thanks for joining us on our show today. We're talking about life in connection with God and what Jesus did for us to make it possible to truly experience, in an awesome way, a connection with God and then with one another, sharing that with the world.

Would you take out your Bibles with me? If you do not have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers would be glad to bring you one. Alternatively, you can break out your handheld device, and I'm sure you have a Bible on there as well.

We are going to start this year off in First John, chapter 1. First John is near the very end of your Bible, so if you open to the very last book, Revelation, and turn a little bit to the left, you won't have to turn far. There are a whole bunch of little books at the end of the Bible, and First John is right there, right before Second John.

Would you stand with me? In First John, chapter 1, verse 1, the Apostle writes: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the word of life. The life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full."

Father, as we're standing here this morning, I think it's pretty safe to say that every single one of us here today desires fullness of joy. Lord, our own nation, in some of its founding principles and documents, talks about the pursuit of happiness. A great French philosopher and theologian, Blaise Pascal, said that all men seek for happiness. Lord, I believe there is truth in that, and we desire fullness of joy. I believe that You desire for us to know that fullness of joy as well.

Lord, we thank You that the Scriptures have something to say about that. I pray that, especially here at the beginning of a year, as we're thinking about plans, objectives, goals, and resolutions—maybe things that we want to accomplish or see done—among all those things, I think it's safe to say that we all desire that our joy would be full. And, Lord, it's only found in You. So, speak to us this morning. I ask this in Jesus' name. All those who agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

You don't necessarily have to raise your hand, but I'd like to think about a few questions. Have you ever felt left out? Have you ever felt isolated? Have you ever felt that you just don't have very many close companions or friends? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you are among a growing segment of our society here in the United States of America who also answer yes to those questions. They find that they are, in some way, experiencing what we call loneliness.

Loneliness is something that is increasingly being identified in our culture as a serious problem. It is, however, an interesting thing. Loneliness is a subjective feeling, meaning that you can be in a crowded room like this, surrounded by a whole bunch of people, and still feel lonely. You can have hundreds of friends on Facebook, hundreds of followers on Instagram, and a whole bunch of people that you connect with on Twitter or Snapchat, or whatever social media flavor you like, and yet still feel lonely, still feel left out and isolated.

In fact, there have been some studies that have found that some of those things, in a sense, amplify the feeling of being left out and isolated. How does that happen? Because you see the pictures of all of your friends who carefully curate the images they post on social media. They post pictures of all of them having fun with their other friends, and you feel left out because you're not there. You see the cool dinner that they're having because we always take pictures of our food and put it on Instagram. You know, "Look at this amazing..."

I'm having steak with my friends, and when I'm not with them, I feel left out. There’s a sense in which these things amplify the feeling of isolation. In fact, just last month on Psychology Today's website, there was a post that said loneliness is an epidemic. The internet and all the new technologies that go along with it are huge drivers in the loneliness epidemic, allowing us to remain connected to others without actually having to connect with them.

It's an amazing thing that takes place in the highly connected world that we live in, especially over the last ten years since 2007, when these devices first came out. Smartphone devices like these have been around for just a little over ten years, and since that time, we have a connection with people like we've never had before—an instantaneous connection from anywhere.

I was in a grass hut church in the outback of Mozambique a number of years ago and was receiving text messages from my wife here in San Diego. It's phenomenal! I can FaceTime my kids and family when I'm in other parts of the world instantaneously. So, we have this instant connection with people, but we still feel disconnected, isolated, and left out.

An amazing thing has happened over the last several years, especially among this generation called Millennials, which includes anyone born between 1980 and 2000. I'm basically in that category as well, having been born a month before 1980. Among this group, which is the largest generation in American history, people tend to send text messages rather than take phone calls. You've probably experienced this before: you call someone, and it goes to voicemail. It's highly likely that they know you're calling and let it go to voicemail on purpose. Then, immediately after it goes to voicemail, you get a text message from that person. Why? Because they'd rather text than talk.

We are at a level where there is an increasing feeling of loneliness and disconnection. The post on Psychology Today went on to say that humans, like it or not, are social mammals. We need to interact with each other, and as a society, we tend to organize ourselves in communities. We need company, as the post stated, because our prehistoric ancestors did.

Desperately required company in order to survive, the presence of other human beings ensured protection and support for themselves and for their offspring. Our brains still think that we need to be surrounded by others if we want to survive and thrive. This is just a vestige of prehistoric human beings, passed down to us through the evolutionary process, as noted by Psychology Today. This is the view of many in our society.

The reason we feel that we need this connection is often seen as something leftover, a product of biology. However, whether you're in the church or in secular society, it is acknowledged that loneliness is a real issue. In fact, some researchers have suggested that loneliness and its effects, such as hypertension, depression, anxiety, dementia, and inflammation in the body, are among the top public health concerns of our day. Some secular researchers are beginning to find this out, explaining it as a remnant of biological evolution over millions of years.

Of course, it may not surprise you that here at Cross-Connection Church, we do not believe that we are the product of random chance or mutation over billions of years. We hold a different worldview that comes from the Bible, which informs us through Scripture that God created us and formed us from the dust of the ground. We have looked at this many times, even as recently as this last month during our series on Christmas.

God formed humanity from the dust of the ground and breathed into humanity the breath of life. We were created in the image and likeness of God, and because we were created in His image, we have a deep desire for communion, connection, and oneness in relationship with one another. It is not merely the result of random chance or mutation over billions of years. When God created humanity, He created one man, Adam. The Bible says in Genesis chapter 2, verse 18, that God looked at this man and said, "It is not good that man should be alone." Here, modern science agrees with Scripture.

It's not good that man should be alone. That was God's assessment of His incomplete creation at that moment. So, from one, God made two for the purpose of joining them together as one, as husband and wife, so that they would experience a true, deep, genuine oneness relationship. This oneness is not just with each other but also with God.

Of course, we've talked about this many times before. In Genesis chapter 3, we see the decimation and devastation of this one relationship. We don't live in the world as God intended it, but we know intuitively inside of us that this is true.

Point number one on your outline: God designed us for connection. When He created us, God said, "Let us make man in our image." Who is God talking with in Genesis? We believe that God is speaking within what we call the Godhead. We believe in one God who exists in three persons. The very nature of God is a oneness relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God has this oneness as a part of His very nature.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit commune with one another, and He says, "Let us make man in our image," so that they would experience this oneness. However, though God designed and created us for connection, Genesis chapter 3 tells us that sin came into the world and decimated it, destroying it.

We see the oneness of man and his wife, Adam and Eve. Genesis chapter 2, the very last verse, says they were naked and unashamed; they were knit together as one. God had joined them together, but through sin, they covered their nakedness and became ashamed of it. Now, there is a division—not just a division between humanity but a division between man and God.

We were created to live life in connection, but the fall brought the destruction of it. We've talked about this many times before because this is the core of who we are as Cross Connection Church. At the beginning of every single year, I talk about this because I think it's really important for us. As time goes on, I am more and more convinced that this is a crucial understanding, especially as we look at our society that is experiencing the effects.

Of the fall through loneliness and desiring something so much more, I do not believe that human beings can live the optimal life without connection. God created us for this; it's the very purpose that He made us for—to be in connection with Him and to be in connection with one another. However, through one man, sin entered the world, and death, separation through sin, spread to all humanity. We see it everywhere we look, and people are desiring some connection with one another.

We have a huge problem: sin and death, isolation, loneliness. This is not the world as God intended it. Since it's not the world as God intended it, we human beings are always trying to fix what is broken. We attempt to fix it through our own means, by our own mindsets and ingenuity. We have all the different ways that humanity has tried to address this brokenness. Yet, how many of you have noticed that when you try to fix something, you often break it even further? It's hard sometimes to fix the things that we broke, but there is this sense in which we feel like we have to.

I can remember many times as a child breaking things around my parents' house and trying to fix them so that they wouldn't know. In fact, I remember one instance specifically. I was probably about ten years old, and my sister, who is three years older than me, and I were in a fight, as we normally were. It was in the front yard of my parents' house, and my mom and dad were not there. They may not even know this, but they are here today, so they'll know now.

We got into a fight, and she ran into the house and shut the front door, latching the little lock that goes over, like they have in hotel rooms. I want you to know those things are totally worthless because I was ten and running at the front door. She closed that latch really quickly, and I hit that front door. It did not stop me. Now, mind you, I was a big ten-year-old. My son Ethan is just like I was; he's nine and about that tall. The entire door jamb just came off.

The amazing thing happened in that instant: my sister and I were in a fight until that moment, and then we became team members in a second. Our team was to fix the door before our mom and dad got home. So, we tried to fix it and make it look like it never happened.

I think we did an okay job, but we're always trying to fix things. There were many other things I broke that you don't know about. Humanity has been trying to fix the brokenness in this world. Do you realize that the illicit sexual relationships people engage in within our culture are a constant way that man tries to address the problem? It's just one of the fixes we attempt, but it often leads us into bigger issues. We can't fix it on our own.

However, there are two little words found in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 4. If you're in First John, just turn to the left, and you'll eventually find Ephesians. These two words at the beginning of the verse have been a great encouragement to me, and maybe they've encouraged you as well. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 4 says, "But God."

I couldn't fix the problem, and you can't fix the problem. The brokenness in the world is a result of sin, but God—who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us—even when we were dead in trespasses, has made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you are saved. He raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

"But God." There have been many times in my life where these words have been a real encouragement, especially in moments when I've messed things up or broken things. I'm reminded that God steps into the brokenness.

These words also appear in another one of Paul's letters, Romans chapter 5, verse 8: "But God demonstrates His love toward us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." These are two of the most beautiful words in Scripture. But God steps in and addresses the brokenness of this world. Life under sin in this broken world is not the abundant life that God designed us for or desires for us.

To have life, but God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, stepped into the brokenness of this world to experience the brokenness and to be broken Himself. He did this so that He could deal with this brokenness, because He came to give us life more abundantly.

In John chapter 10, verse 10, it says, "The thief has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I have come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly." Another English translation states that you may have life to its fullest. Now, is there anybody here today that does not desire life to its fullest? For the record, no one is raising a hand. I guarantee you that every person who lives in your neighborhood, every person who goes to the school that you attend, every person working at the business where you work, and all the people you hang out with—friends and family members—are all desiring life to its fullest.

Some people have become despairing and depressed because they haven't been able to find a life to its fullest. They have sought for it and looked for it. We write songs about it, like "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." These songs become hits because we connect with them at a soul level; we say, "I agree with that." But there is a deep desire for something more.

A local band connected with the Calvary Chapel movement wrote a song about twelve years ago titled "We Were Meant to Live for So Much More." There is an acknowledgment within us that this is true because God created us. He designed us for connection.

I am convinced that the abundant life is the connected life. To say it another way, life in connection with God and one another is the path to the abundant life. Sin brought death, brokenness, and separation, while Jesus brings life, wholeness, and connection. Let me say that again: sin brought death, brokenness, and separation, and Jesus brings life, wholeness, and connection. That connection that He brings comes through this beautiful thing.

Reconciliation is the process of taking two that have been broken apart and bringing them back together once again. I've had the privilege over the last many years in ministry as a pastor to observe and watch God do this in a very beautiful way through married couples whose lives have been devastated by sin. They are on the verge of divorce or maybe even have been divorced. Through the process of that brokenness, the brokenness of that relationship, they believed when they said their vows that they were going to be together until death do us part. But then there was a death because of sin, and now there’s a parting. As a result of that sin, one or both of them are compelled to seek out God.

There are a number of you sitting here right now who came to church because you were at that place. I have had the privilege of watching God take two broken individuals, because of sin in a marriage relationship, and reconcile them back together. It is absolutely phenomenal to watch that God is able to take that which is separated and broken and make it whole again through this process of reconciliation. Not only does He do this in marriages, but chiefly, primarily, He does this through the gospel in our lives. We were separated from God, and He brings us back together once again.

I have been thinking a lot this last week about the past. This is what we do a lot of the time. Maybe you have been doing the same thing as we move from one year to another. It’s just this arbitrary number, December 31st to January 1st, but for some reason, as we move that number from 2017 to 2018, I find myself thinking, "Wow, something broke."

I have also been thinking back a little further because this year, 2018, is the tenth year that I will have been the pastor of this church. So, I have been reflecting on 2008, which was a year of new things.

New beginnings. For me, I became the pastor of this church in 2008. It was called Calvary Chapel of Escondido back then. Some of you were a part of the church, but I became the pastor in 2008. At the same time, my wife and I were expecting our first child, Ethan. She was pregnant with Ethan in 2008, and we were preparing and looking for a new house. So, we were becoming parents, I was becoming the pastor of this church, and we were getting ready to buy a house. A lot of new beginnings.

I was looking back at some old things from 2008, and I was actually listening to a couple of messages from that year. It's kind of freaky to listen to things that I preached back then. I was reminded that at the beginning of 2008, when the pastors and elders met here at the church, we talked about the transition that was going to begin to take place. The word that stood out to all of us was "expectancy." We were expecting something good and looking forward to it.

Thinking about all the things that have happened in the last ten years, two things really struck me this week. Number one, time goes by incredibly fast—like scary fast, faster than ludicrous speed, which is plaid speed if you want to know. It goes really fast, and it seems to go even faster when you have children. You experience this; it's just creepy how quickly it goes.

The second thing is that not only does time go by fast, but a lot can change. A lot can happen in ten years. About four years after that, we changed the name from Calvary Chapel of Escondido to Cross Connection Church. We were still part of the Calvary Chapel movement, but in a desire to continue to reach out to our community and connect people with the cross of Christ, we changed the name. A couple of years after that, we changed the vision to "life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus."

For several years, we began the year talking about these things: life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus. All of this comes through Jesus; He is the one that brings this about. It is my hope and my prayer, starting this year—as it has been every year, but especially coming into 2018—that we, as a people, as a church, the body of Jesus Christ here at 1675 Seven Oaks Road, or wherever God would take us from here, would begin to experience even more what it is to be connected with God, not just intellectually.

We know that Jesus has made it possible for us to connect with God through His death on the cross. However, it is important that we understand this at a heart level and a soul level, experientially. Without this understanding, we wouldn't truly know what it is to be connected with God. In 1 John, chapter 1, we read that we have fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, so that our joy may be full.

My prayer is that we would experience a deeper connection with God and with one another. I hope we learn how to share this connection more effectively with those around us. Whether they realize it or not, people ultimately desire to no longer feel left out or far off from God and from the body of Christ. Every person you know is seeking this connection. They may not articulate it in those terms, and they may not even fully understand what they are looking for, but they are searching for it. This desire is part of what God designed us for; it is what He created us to experience.

Although we may feel a sense of something missing, a desire for something more, the abundant life is found in rich, deep fellowship with God and with one another. Let’s look again at 1 John, chapter 1. It is important to realize that the author of 1 John is writing from his own experience, reflecting back to when he was likely a young teenager. John was probably the youngest of Jesus's apostles and followers, likely only 14, 15, or 16 years old when he met Jesus as a young fisherman in Galilee. His brother was named James, and their father was Zebedee, who was in the fishing business.

When Jesus came along and said, "Come, follow me," John was close to Him. He even tells us that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved. I love that about John; he mentions it several times in the Gospel of John, emphasizing that he is the disciple Jesus loves. Many decades later, it is believed that John wrote 1 John when he was probably in his later years.

In his 70s, maybe his 80s, he has been with Jesus for a long time. He says, "That which was from the beginning," talking about that which existed before time began, the eternal one God. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, and which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerns the Word of Life. He says, "I was able to touch the eternal as he was with Jesus." That life was manifested, and we have seen it. I am an eyewitness of eternal life and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life, which was with the Father, was manifested to us. That's Jesus; the eternal God became human flesh. I saw it; it was manifested to us.

That which we have seen and heard, we declare to you. I have seen the eternal Son of God; I have handled Him. I have heard the Gospel message from Him, and I declare it to you so that you also may have fellowship with us, connection with us. Truly, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. These things we write to you so that your joy may be full. I share the things that I saw, the things that I heard, and the things that I experienced so that you can enter into this connection, this fellowship. The Greek word "Koinonia" means communion, oneness. The Gospel, John is telling us, is the path to oneness with one another in the body of Christ and oneness with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, by the Spirit of God.

It says, "I write all these things so that you may experience this and have fullness of joy." Point number three on your outline: fellowship brings fullness of joy. However, this oneness of fellowship is not possible unless we deal with the sin that destroyed it at the very beginning. In Genesis chapter 3, it was sin; it was man's sinful rebellion that destroyed this connection that God originally created us to experience. That has to be dealt with, and I cannot deal with my own sin, and you cannot deal with your own sin. No matter what religious effort we try to make, we can't deal with it. Therefore, we need those two beautiful words.

In Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 2:4, we see the need for God to intervene in our lives. John tells us in 1 John that God stepped in and intervened. In Romans 5, just before stating that God demonstrates His love towards us, we read in verse 6: "For when we were still without strength, helpless, in due time"—or another translation says "at just the right time"—"Christ died for the ungodly."

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man, some would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Not only that, but much more than this, in verse 9, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved. There is more to this salvation than just forgiveness; we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Three times, Paul brings up that we have been reconciled; we have experienced the reconciliation. We who were once far off, left out, isolated, and without friends have been brought near by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Point number four on your outline is that Jesus died to reconcile us to God and to one another. Let me read to you again from Ephesians 2, the same passage where we read, "But God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love for us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved."

Paul continues in Ephesians 2:13, stating, "But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Jesus Christ." For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances.

As to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. For through Him, we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Our culture right now is having a conversation that has been going on for several years, dealing with division and problems of race relations. This issue has been present for a long time, but it has reached a fever pitch in the last few years in our nation. There is always this constant drone of division in our culture.

Listen, in Christ Jesus, those who are separated because of sin and brokenness are brought near and made one. Bond, free, barbarian, Scythian, male, female—go down the list. We are made one in Christ with one another and with God. This is what Jesus does; He has broken down the middle wall of partition, the separation that was between us. He has made us one in Christ.

He came to restore us to the abundant life that God desires for us, the life He created us for, so that we would know it, experience it, and share it with other people. In another one of Paul's letters, Colossians 1, he says He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

In Colossians 1:21, he says, "And you who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in one body of His flesh through death to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in His sight."

How do we take advantage of this oneness? By accepting the free gift of eternal and abundant life in Jesus Christ, trusting in Him for salvation and forgiveness of sins. He took part in our brokenness, being broken for us, so that He would be able to reunite us together with one another and with God through the cross of Christ.

Life in connection with God, with one another, and with the world through Jesus—that's what we're all about here at this church. We were dead in trespasses, but God, because of His rich mercy...

His great love saved us, reconciled us, and brought us back together once again. Those who were at war with one another are no longer in enmity with God or with one another. We are united together in Christ.

How do we maintain or strengthen that connection with God in 2018? There are six things that I think are really important. We maintain and strengthen our connection with God through worship, prayer, Scripture, generosity, baptism, and communion. There may be other things, but these are key and important.

Through worship, when we gather together corporately or even by ourselves, we can adore and praise the glory and beauty of God. You can do that anywhere, anytime. You don't have to sing it out loud; I understand that some of you may be afraid to sing. But in the quiet of your own heart and mind, you can worship and honor the glory of God by reflecting on His greatness and goodness. This is why it's beneficial to spend some time reading through the Psalms and contemplating who God is and what He has done.

Through prayer, we speak with God. We have been given direct access to Him; we don't need a priest to go before us as a mediator because Jesus is our mediator. We have instant access to God, better than text messages, and we can enjoy communion with Him through prayer.

Through Scripture, God speaks primarily to us through His Word. I encourage you that this should not be the only place you receive God's Word on a weekly basis. You should be spending time with God in His Word daily by yourself. If you say, "I don't know how to do that," I have a simple way for you. I created a website a few years ago called The Listening Plan. If you go to thelisteningplan.com, you can subscribe there. Every single weekday morning, you'll receive an email in your inbox. Unfortunately, it often goes to spam, so be sure to check there.

In that email, you will find a passage of Scripture, a chapter from the New Testament, and a short devotional that I write. This goes out every single day. The Listening Plan is one way to engage with the Scriptures and interact with God.

So, we connect with God through worship, prayer, Scripture, and generosity—sharing what God has given to us with others. We experience God's presence in that. Through baptism, we will talk a lot more about this as we progress through the year.

We begin every year by partaking of communion together. Through a little piece of cracker, a little bread, we remember Jesus's body that was broken for us. Through a little cup of grape juice, we remember His blood that was shed for us, just as Jesus told us to do on the night that He was betrayed. He said that we remember what He did for us. He took part of our brokenness; He was broken Himself so that He could restore us back together with Him, with one another, and with God.

I invite our worship leaders to come up and lead us, and our ushers will come to distribute the bread and the cup. Please take it, hold on to it, and we will partake together in just a few minutes. As they are coming, let's pray.

Father, thank You for Your abundant grace and mercy. The Scriptures say Your mercies are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. They never fail. There will never be a time that we will come before Your throne of grace and You will say, "Sorry, I don't have any more." It is abundant; it is a well that never runs dry.

So, God, we thank You for Your grace and Your mercy today. The clear display, the clear manifestation of that grace, is that You demonstrated Your love towards us. While we were still sinners, You died for us. Your body was broken, and Your blood was shed. God, help us to remember these things as we worship You now. We praise You. Amen.

Lord, it is an amazing thing that we are rewarded for Your sacrifice. By Your stripes, we are healed. You were bruised for our iniquity; the chastisement for our peace was upon You. We thank You that on the night that You were betrayed, You provided us with a tangible reminder, because we are so prone to forget. The tangible reminder of Your body and Your blood, broken and shed, is so significant.

So, Lord, today as we are gathered here, as we hold this little piece of cracker, this little bread, we thank You that we can remember Your body was broken for us. As You said, "Take, eat; this is My body. Do this in remembrance of Me."

In remembrance of us, we partake together. In the same manner, He took the cup after He had given thanks, and He said, "This is my blood, the blood of the new covenant. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me."

Thank you, Jesus. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness, no remission of sins. There on the cross, you said, "It is finished. Paid in full." We praise you today, Lord. As we have now taken this communion, this sign of our fellowship with you, I pray, God, that you would show us new ways in 2018, individually and as a church, to reach out and share this with those in our community here in North Carolina.

Within ten miles of this building, there are hundreds of thousands of people who do not know the gospel. They do not know the truth about who you are and what you did. They may have ideas and thoughts about what this whole thing called Christianity is all about, but for so many of them, Lord, they do not know the reality of who you are and what you did.

I pray that you would show us as a church how we can more effectively reach out in 2018, because you came, and we would experience connection with you and with one another. Then, we would share that with others.