LIVING IN GOD’S AMAZING GRACE

MESSAGE TRANSCRIPTION: 

Well, for you that are new around here. I’m Virgil Grant. I’m one of the leaders around here. And we’ve been in a sermon series called Grace Is Greater. And we’ve been looking at the concept of grace. And grace is such a difficult concept to define that we decided to look at the different aspects of grace. And as we look at the different elements of grace, we can maybe have a richer view of what grace is all about. And so, over the last five weeks, we’ve been in the sermon series, and I thought it would be good for us just to be reminded of the benefits of grace that we covered over the last five weeks. In week one, we talked about saved by grace. We talked about saving grace. And then, in week two, Brandon Bunch talked to us about how grace is greater than our guilt. And then, in week three, Carla talked to us about how sustaining grace, how God’s Grace supports us regardless of whatever we face and encounter and endure in this world. God’s grace is there, fresh and new, every morning for us. And then, in week four, I talked about restorative grace, how the Grace of God keeps us even when we’ve drifted away from God.

And then, last week, Micah talked to us about liberating grace and how the Grace of God can liberate us from our perfectionism. And today, I get to close the message series, and I want to talk about living in God’s Grace. And I was thinking about how do we live in God’s Grace? And so, as I was thinking about how to land the plane on this sermon series, I thought to myself, what if someone attended all five of these messages they didn’t miss a Sunday? What if they came faithfully week after week after week, and they did not miss a message, but they missed the saving Grace of Jesus? Wouldn’t that be a tragedy? Would that be something that would break all of our hearts? A little encouragement here would be really good. Okay. Just a little bit. Okay. I don’t expect it from the back row of the risers, but at least down front here. Okay. Wouldn’t it be a tragedy if people came for five weeks in a row? They missed the saving Grace of God; they never received the Grace of God. They died and went to hell and were separated from all of eternity from God. Would that be a tragedy? 

So I got thinking about it. Maybe we should just make sure that everybody is in attendance today and everybody’s watching online to make sure that they have a relationship with Jesus. And so what I want to do is talk to you about, just for a few moments, how do I receive God’s Grace. And after we talk about that, I want to talk about what should be our response to God’s Grace as Christ-followers. I don’t know if you have ever thought about this, but what should our response to God’s grace be in our lives? And I’m going to talk about that. But first, I want to talk about how you receive God’s Grace? And it’s very simple. By trusting in Christ, it’s the only way that you can receive God’s Grace is through Jesus Christ. There’s no other way. Folks, the thing that I love about God’s plan, God’s strategy for saving humanity, is that he didn’t make it complicated. He made it very simple. Have you ever thought about this? It’s not like 32 attributes, four pathways, and 38 characteristics. And then once you understand all that, you can be safe, he goes, no, it’s very simple.

You just trust in Christ, and that’s all you have to do. Well, why do we trust in Christ? Well, look what John says in John chapter one, verse 17. Notice what he says, for the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. He said, folks, I’ve said this throughout this sermon series, and I say it again as we close out the sermon series. If you’re not saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ, you’re not saved. If you’re not saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ, your name is not written in the book of Heaven. It’s only by the Grace of God that we’re here. It is. The only reason you’re in existence and I’m in existence is because of the Grace of God. Everything by and through and for us comes through Jesus Christ. Now, some of you are here today, and you believe you’re trusting in your religion. Folks, religion cannot save you. The traditions that you grew up with will not save you. Knowing the Bible will not save you. Attending a life group will not save you. Attending worship will not save you.

Serving in the local Church will not save you. It is only through Jesus Christ that you can receive eternal life. So religion cannot save you. Rituals cannot save you. For many of you, you’re trusting in your baptism. You’re trusting that you got a little certificate from the Church that you were baptized on this date by this pastor or whatever. Folks that are not going to save you, Communion will not save you. Not only will religion not save you. Not only will rituals not save you, but rules will not save you. We think that if we just keep all the rules, we can be saved; that is called works, my friends. And works do not work in the Kingdom of God. It’s only Greece. And the only thing that can save you is a relationship with Jesus Christ. And so this is the reason why. Because grace and truth came through Christ Jesus. Look what Paul says. Paul says in Romans chapter five, verse eleven. Now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God. Now, what is this relationship with God, this wonderful new relationship with God?

What is it compared to noticing what he says at the very end is that this relationship is that we have now become friends with God? Now, how did we become friends with God? Because of what our Lord Jesus Christ did and what did our Lord Jesus Christ do? Our Lord Jesus Christ did what he died for our sins. And, folks, this is what you call having friends in high places, that Jesus Christ would die for us, and he would die for our sins. And because of his death, because of his resurrection, we can be considered a friend of God. Now, folks, grace is not cheap. It is costly. It costs us the very life of Jesus Christ. How do I help you to understand the cost that Jesus paid? And so I want to give you a story, and it’s a true story. And it revolves around a maximum-security prison in Brazil. And it’s near the city of San Juan Compost. Now, San Juan Compost has this maximum-security prison. It was in shambles. And the government decided to hand over the keys to the prisoner to many Christians. It said you can do anything you want.

You can run it any way that you would want to run it. And so, these Christians had the keys. They’re inmates, their prisoners. They’re on death row, maximum security, the worst crimes of all. And so here they are. They’re in prison. They’ve been handed the keys to the prison. They begin to clean the prison up. They rename it Humanitaria. And they rename this prison. They clean it up, clean up the cells, and paint the walls. They decide to put Bible verses on the prison wall. They use Psalms and Proverbs. They came up with a program that would get families outside the prison to adopt a prisoner inside the prison and be with that individual during their incarceration and all the way through until they got released, and that family would still support them. And so it’s an amazing concept. And Chuck Coulson, when he was still alive, went and visited this prison because he was the founder of Prison Fellowship. And so he went and looked at this prison, and he was just amazed at what he witnessed. He said I saw men on death row who were at peace with themselves.

They were at peace with one another. They were at peace with God. Here are men on death row, and they are smiling. They were happy, especially those who had the keys to the prison. And the only two paid staff positions existed in the whole penitentiary system in that jail. And so as Chuck Coulson is going through the prison getting a tour of it. They have this well-known block of cells where the worst of the worst inmates lived, who was living in solitary confinement. And one of the key prisoners in charge asked Chuck Kolson, ” Would you like to go visit this block of cells and go see where the worst of the worst lives? And Chuck goes, Absolutely. And he goes, Are you for sure? And as they walked down this long corridor and to this block of cells, the prisoner told Chuck Kosn that they only had one prisoner in the block. Now everybody else has been released. And he looked at Chuck Kolson one last time. He said, Are you sure you want to see the prisoner in the punishment cell?

And Chuck said, Absolutely. And so the prisoner unlocked the door and opened the prison door of this highly confined area. And what Chuck Kostin saw was unbelievable. It was a beautifully carved crucifix by the humanitarian inmates. And the prisoner was Jesus hanging on the Cross. And the prisoner said very softly, he’s doing time for the rest of us. Isn’t that good? That’s God’s Grace right there, my friends. That is God’s Grace. That is what God did for you. That is what God did for me. And someone has said the best definition of Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense. And so this morning, I just want to ask you a question. Have you been born again? Have you received the amazing Grace of God? Now, why did I use the term born again? Because this is the term that Jesus used. Look with me. In John chapter three, verse three, Jesus says, I’m telling you the truth. No one could see the Kingdom of God without being. What does it say, my friends? Without what being born again? It’s not a virtual term. It’s not a denominational term. It’s not a Baptist term. It’s not a Catholic term.

It’s not a program term. It is a term that Jesus Christ used. And here’s the question that I want to ask. Have you been born again? Have you received the amazing grace of Jesus in your life? And if you haven’t, I want to help you understand how a person is born again. And we say it all the time. I am born again by is as simple as what friends? A, B, and C. If you’ve never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, today is your opportunity. If you’re already a Christian, this is a great reminder. If you’re already a Christian, I will implore you to pray like crazy for those who have not received God’s Amazing Grace. So how do you do it? A stands for admitting that I’m a sinner. Stands for I realize there’s something that’s broken inside of me. There’s something that’s broken inside of you. It is a permanent thing that is broken in each of us. And the diagnosis is called what? What is it called? It’s called sin. And you cannot fix it. I cannot fix it.

Your pastor cannot fix it. I cannot fix it as your pastor; a priest cannot fix it. A program cannot fix it. A parent cannot fix it for you. Nothing can fix it for you. There’s no hope for you because the sin inside you is a permanent diagnosis, and it is eternally fatal in your life and in my life. And you go, well, if it’s always fatal, how do we ever get rid of it? And this is where the letter B comes into place. It’s to believe that Jesus was sent by God to die in your place. And in my place, Jesus came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus came and lived the perfect life. And after ending his ideal life, he went to the Cross to die for your sins and my sins. And we believe that Jesus is in the prison cell this morning serving our time so we don’t have to serve it so we can be set free and have eternal life. And, folks, we believe in the death and Burrow and resurrection of Jesus Christ because He conquered sin, conquered the grave, and conquered death.

And the letter C is to confess Jesus as my Lord. And here’s the reality is that this morning you can be born again. This morning, you can receive eternal life. This morning, you can have a fresh start. This morning, you can have your name written in the book of Heaven. This morning, you can have eternal life. Listen to me. Some of you are saying, oh, I can have a new beginning. This is not a second chance. This is a second birth. Because of the first birth, he was born physically. The second birth is being born spiritually, internally, on the inside. And right now, at this very moment, you can receive the amazing Grace of God into your life. So here’s what I’m going to ask you to do. I’m just going to ask you to bow your head very quietly, please. No one leaving, no one moving around. This is a Holy moment. Many of you here today have already received the amazing Grace of God. Be thanking God for saving you this morning. Others of you, you have not received Christ. You have not had your name recorded in the Book of Heaven.

So how do you begin? How do you start your relationship with Jesus? It’s very simple. You pray a prayer of being born again. That’s the starting point. That’s the starting place. And in a moment, I will lead you in that prayer of being born again. But I want to include you in the prayer. I want to make sure that I include you in the prayer that I’m going to pray out loud, and I’m going to ask you to repeat in your heart. And here’s how I want to include you in the prayer. I’m going to ask you to do me a favor in a moment. I’m going to ask you to raise your hand in a moment. And when you raise your hand, I’m just going to have you keep your hand up. And what I’m going to do is I’m just going to look around the room, and I’m just going to count the hands. And then, after I get through counting the hands, I’m going to say, would you pray with me? And you are just then going to repeat what I say in your heart, in your mind. And so this morning, if you’re here and you’ve never received the Grace of God, you’ve never been born again, I just want you to do me a favor.

Would you just raise your hand real high right now, where you said it sees it? Just raise your hand. Raise your hand. Looking around the rooms, looking for the hands. I see one. Thank you. Someone else. Thank you. Someone else is looking in the back. So here’s the prayer that I want you to pray with me. Just repeat after me in your own heart. Dear Lord Jesus, I believe you’re the son of God. I think that on the Cross, you took my sin, my shame, my guilt, and you died for it. You faced hell for me so I wouldn’t have to go. You rose from the dead to give me a place in Heaven, a purpose on Earth, and a relationship with your father. Today, Lord Jesus, I turn for my sin to be born again. God is my father. Jesus is my savior. The Holy Spirit is my helper, and Heaven is my home. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Would you welcome these two people into the Kingdom of God? Yeah. Now let me ask you a question. You received. So I guess everybody else in here, the other 400 of you, whatever we have, you’re all Christians, you’ve all received God’s Grace.

Now let me ask you a question. Have you ever thought about what you’re supposed to do with God’s Grace? Have you ever thought about what you should do with God’s Grace? Now, let me just tell you what I think a lot of you are doing. I think many of you are taking advantage of God’s Grace because God forgave me of my sins. And the pastor you did say was past, present, and future. So all my sins are wiped away. So I can just go and do whatever I want to do. It’s like get out of jail free card, right? Some of you’re not taking advantage of God’s Grace. I would submit that some of you are wasting God’s Grace. You’re not leveraging God’s Grace for the Kingdom of God. You’re living your life on the trivial things of life. You’re wasting your life. You’re wasting the Grace of God. You realize that you’re going to stand before God one day, and you have to give an account of what you did with God’s Grace. Whether you received it or reject it, that’s the first thing you’ll be accountable for. Then if you received it, you have to give them an account for what you did with it.

So let me ask you a question. What are you going to do with God’s Grace? I mean, you are alive for a specific reason. I mean, you’re just not here taking up oxygen. We got plenty of people doing that. But God saved you. He’s written your name in the book of Heaven. He’s given you a fresh start. He’s given you a new opportunity. What are you doing with it? It is your call. Now, I think that all throughout scripture, there is this call to live with urgency. Even Paul tells us this. If we look at the Book of Corinthians in Two Corinthians, chapter six, verse one, Paul says, So we beg you, we plead with you, do not let the grace you receive from God be for nothing. Don’t waste the Grace of God. Now, how can you and I show gratitude for God’s Grace? Now, I think there are a thousand ways to show gratitude for God’s Grace. Wouldn’t you agree with me? Maybe 10,000? I don’t know. I can’t count that high. So I didn’t do the math, but I think there are a couple surefire ways that we can express our gratitude for God’s Grace.

Number one is by making my life count. By you making your life count. Now, how do we make our life count? I mean, that’s the thing that we have to talk about. And I think that when we talk about purpose, when we talk about mission when we talk about meaning, I think we over complicated. Look what Paul says in One Corinthians, chapter six, verse 20; he says, don’t you see that you can’t live however you please? See, we’ve been bought with the price, but some of us, we’ve just ignored the Grace of God in our lives, and we just keep on living the way we’ve been living. And the Grace of God hasn’t changed the trajectory of our lives. Not only that, we’re squandering what God paid such a high price for. So let people see God in and through. You see, some people just keep on ignoring the Grace of God. They keep on living for the trivial things of this world rather than experiencing and living and fulfilling the Grace of God in their life. And what do I mean by the Grace of God? I mean that God made you for a purpose.

He created you for a purpose. He redeemed you for a purpose. He died for you for a purpose. He wants you to fulfill the purpose. And what is the purpose that he has? And folks, we overcomplicate this. Look what first, Peter, chapter four, verse ten, says each should use whatever gift. Now, when I think of the word gift, we think about a spiritual gift. But there are talents, there are abilities, there’s education, there is the University of hard knocks, right? There’s wisdom that we learn by making mistakes, right? I mean, God has given us all of these things. It’s all of these gifts. And why do we receive all these gifts? To do what? To serve ourselves and to glorify ourselves. Is that what it says? It says to do what? To help others and as faithful spirits of God’s grace in various forms. Folks, one of the things that God wants you and I to do is serve other people and serve the world. But Where’s the best place to serve the world? Folks, listen to me. The best place to serve the world is through the local Church.

The local Church is the bride of Christ. Jesus Christ died for the Church. And whatever gift you have, whatever talent you have, whatever ability you have, whatever education or degree you have, whatever hard-knock opportunity you’ve experienced, anything that you have, God can take it and use it through the local Church. See, folks, Eastside is only as good as her members. See, you’re the ones that make Eastside great in the way you serve. And when you come to the stations of the Cross, everything that we’ve done has been through volunteers. When we get to Good Friday, it’s volunteers. When we come on Sunday morning, it’s volunteers. And whatever you have, we have somewhere for your gift to be used to expand the Kingdom of God. Because you know why? Because God created the Church for you to serve and exercise your gifts. So how you make your life count by helping others is by investing in other people. That’s what Jesus did. A second way that you can make your life count. And the second way that you can show gratitude for God’s Grace is by becoming a generous person.

Now, the defense mechanisms have already gone up, Andrew, the defense mechanism, people are already. Here we go. I ain’t been in Church in ten years. And the first thing to do is for the pastor talks about giving. Well, shame on you for not being in Church for ten years. It’s not my fault. They told me I preached 45 minutes last service. I said I might preach 55 minutes service. Y’all get me riled up. I might just do it anyway. We’re talking about generous defense mechanism has gone up, right? And the folks, the best expression of your understanding of God’s Grace is through your giving. When I talk about giving, I’m talking about loving, serving, and giving. Those three words describe the heart of Jesus. Jesus loved, Jesus served, and Jesus gave. Why? Because that’s what the father did, right? Because it says, what in John 316 for God so loved the world that he did. What that he gave? That he gave. You want to become like Jesus. You got to learn to be like Jesus. Now, here’s the reality. Many of you, you have already stepped into generosity. Many of you, we have 305 online giving members.

That’s a lot of people. But you know what? There are hundreds of people who have yet to step into generosity. Now, here’s what happens. Here’s what’s happening right now. Right now, I’m talking about generosity and talking about giving. And people are getting defensive. And it doesn’t matter if I’m preaching or whether it’s Billy Graham or Mother Teresa. It doesn’t matter who is preaching, right? It could be their life group leader. But once someone talks about giving, they get defensive. And you know why people get defensive? It’s always the same reason they believe that the money is theirs. It is my money. Now listen to me, my friends. I’m going to step heart on your toes, unapologetically. No peace and love. I’m just going to step on it. When you think that it is yours, you’re acting as if you’re God, and you want to see a story, go back and read Luke, chapter twelve. Read about the rich man who tore down his barns and thought everything was his and it was mine. And Jesus, God said to the full, he says, Tonight your soul is required of you. He thought it was his. Nothing is yours.

You came into this world with nothing. You will leave this world with nothing. I’ve known many rich people in my life, and every one of them has died with nothing and took nothing with them into the next life. They’ve left it all behind. Let me just say something to you. If I give my daughter $100, and this is not far from reality, you understand. Still, I gave her $100, and she used $100 to buy me a birthday present. Who’s really buying a birthday present? I am right. But she’s using my money to buy me a gift. Can I say something to you when you give to God when you return the tithes to God? Let me ask you a question. Are you really giving God anything? No, because why it’s all his in the first place. He’s just loaned it to you for 50, 60, 70, or 80 years, and you have to do something. And he doesn’t need your money. He doesn’t need my money. Folks, this is not even about the Church. The Church is doing great financially. Because you know why? Because we have a lot of people who are not taking advantage of the Grace of God.

They’re not wasting the Grace of God. They’ve stepped into generosity. So thank you. I wish my dad was here this morning. I really do. I hope he didn’t pass away last May. Still, you know what, when I preached on giving, he constantly shouted Amen because you know what he taught me. My two brothers and my sister and her family always give back the first 10% to the Lord because he’s the one who makes it all possible. And you know what? I feel sorry for people who think it’s all theirs because they don’t experience the blessing of God. And so this is not about money. This is not about churches in a financial bind. It’s nothing like that. This is about you responding to God’s Grace. And here’s the dilemma, Ms. Marks. You appreciate this. The real question is this. Can you and I trust God with their eternal Salvation in the writer’s name in the book of Heaven? Can we trust God with that and not trust them with their finances? I think it’s spiritually impossible, but some people do it. And folks, if you want to sign up today to give online, join our online giving team.

This is not about trying to get more people to give. This is about what are you going to do with God’s Grace? And one of the ways that we show gratitude for God’s Grace is through giving it’s by making our life count. The third way is by offering and sharing the good news of God’s Grace with other people. It’s by sharing the good news of God’s Grace with other people. I love how Paul says it in Acts 20, verse 24. He says this the most important thing is that I get married. That’s what all the single people in the room were saying. Or I find a boyfriend, girlfriend, or somebody on the verge of retirement. That my retirement account is funded. Don’t look at your retirement account. I looked at mine this past weekend. Boom. It went down. Many of you. It’s about having fun. It’s about having a vacation. It’s about getting my house paid off. That’s not what Paul says. Paul says the most important thing is what? That I complete my what my mission? What is the mission? What is the mission that God has given to us?

Notice what Paul says, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me. And what is the work? What is the mission to tell people about the good news of God’s Grace. It’s to share the good news with other people. That’s part of us living out our mission. It’s part of making our life count. I will give you an illustration here. Okay? Now, 80% of what you do can be done by anybody. They can go to the grocery store. They can return text messages. They can return phone calls. They can do the laundry. They can clean the house. They can mow the yard. They can fill the car up with gas. I mean, somebody else can do 80% of everything you do. Just like that. 80% of what I do, somebody else can do. So we think we’re indispensable. I’m tearing down. You’re not indispensable. I’m just going to tear that down right now.

That’s 80%. How much do we have left, friends? Somebody said, Let me get my phone out. I’ll tell you. So you got 20% left. Now, here’s the thing. 15% of all that you do. I can train someone. I can coach someone. I can send them some training, some instructions, and they can do the other 15% that you do that you think is indispensable. Now just think about this, my friends. 80% and 15% is how much? 95%. Now, what’s left? 5%. Now listen to me, my friends. This 5%. This is just Virgil’s belief on Judgment Day when you stand before God, the Most Holy, righteous, pure God. And God says, give me an account of your life. The 5% is what he’s going to hold you accountable for the 5%, Patrick because you know what the 5% is? The 5% is things that only I can do. I can only be a husband to my wife, Rosemary, whom you’re going to meet in a moment. Only Virgil can be a dad to Jacob and to Rachel. It’s only Virgil who can be a grandpa to Ruby Rose. It’s only Virgil who can take care of his health.

Only Virgil can feed himself spiritually and make sure that he’s nurtured and walking with the Lord. And see, there are people here this morning. Well, I’m quite going to the Eastside. I quit going Eastside. Well, why do you quit going to the Eastside? They just don’t feed me spiritually up there. That pastor, he’s just not any good. You know what? That’s far from biblical. My friends, you are responsible for feeding your own soul. What you come and get here on Sunday is a compliment. It complements what you do throughout the week. And there are all kinds of people that live to Church because they don’t think we’re feeding them. You know what? Nobody will ever be able to provide them because it is your personal responsibility. Let me tell you something else. I believe that there are some people that God has placed in your life, that you are the only one that can reach them for Jesus, that you’re the only one that can touch them. You’re the only one that can extend an invite to them, and they actually show up. Rose is coming to the stage. She’s going to come on out.

But there are people in your life that God has placed and has given you tremendous influence in their life. And here’s what I believe, this coming Easter weekend, we will have a 30-footbridge right here in front, and I can walk out on it. It’s going to be cool. Get to walk out on it and get to preach from there. And then, at the end of the service, we’re going to invite everyone in the service to walk across the bridge. And here’s the thing. There’s somebody that needs to walk across the bridge with you. There’s someone in your life. And folks here’s what some of you are thinking. Oh, gosh, he’s asking me to invite the clerk from Walmart to come to Church with me. I don’t even like the clerk at Walmart. I don’t even want to invite them. I’m not talking about that. The person that you have influence with is already in your life. It is your neighbor, someone who is a family member, someone who used to be in a life group with you, someone who used to sit with you in Church, someone who used to be on your service team. Someone you work with, maybe a parent of another child on your child’s soccer or Little League baseball team or whatever, is already in your life.

And they’re just waiting for an invitation. Because here’s what I know about people. There are a lot of Christians who feel as if God is mad at them. God’s not mad at them. God’s madly in love with them, but they have just allowed life and hurting us and activities and busyness to edge out God in their life. And now they’re saying, God’s mad at me. You know what? They need to come to Church this weekend, and they need to drive a stake in the ground and say, you know what, God’s not mad at me. God’s meddling in love with me. And walking across the bridge is a reminder that God wants the desired relationship with him. Others just need to renew their faith. Others have been through a difficult season that requires, you know what? I’m just going to rededicate my life. So who are you going to walk across the bridge with? That’s the question. Who are you going to walk across the bridge? Who’s going to be sitting next to you this Easter weekend? And Rose will talk about when I issued this challenge at our Leader Plus at our leader rally that we have once a month. She will share with you what the Holy Spirit said to her.

So welcome my wife, Rose. Good morning. As Virgil said a few weeks ago, he issued that challenge to the leaders. Who will we ask to come to Church with us and walk across that bridge? And immediately, like most of you, you’re thinking, well, who am I going to ask? Who’s going to want to come with me? And the Holy Spirit spoke to me, and he said, Rose, you’ve got a friend that has been in your life for 20 plus years. And this friend has been walking through such a difficult and life-changing situation past couple of years, and it’s just been devastating. And it’s kept them from attending Church, Kept them from being part of a community. And I have seen, and I have experienced, that Satan will use anything he can to keep us away, Keep us from the people who care about us, and keep us from the community. And this has happened to my friend, and I know that it’s been a lot of negative self-talk that I’ve dealt with. I continue to deal with it, and it’s just Satan telling me, you know what, you can’t do that you’re not good enough. Nobody’s going to listen to you

What you have to say is not essential, and that’s such a lie. So I reached out to my friend, And I hope that you will do the same on this palm Sunday, that you will reach out to the person that God is putting on your heart right now at this moment that you will say, okay, God, no matter how hard is it going to be, I’m going to make that. I’m going to make that text, I’m going to write it out, I’m going to call that person, I’m going to go ask them face to face, and I think God is going to honor that, but we have to be obedient. We’ve heard Virgil say so many times, you know, we have to do our part. When God speaks to us, we have to do our part. God’s always going to be there and do his part. And the person that you need to ask is responsible for doing their own parts. And I’m just praying that you guys will do your part, that you will do your part today or sometime this week when the Lord gives you an opportunity. You will ask that person to come with you and sit with you on Easter and walk across that bridge. I am looking so forward to this coming weekend, and the fact that my friend said, yes, and I will be there with you, and that is going to be just a unique situation.

So think about it, pray about it, and be obedient. Thank you. Thanks, rose. Thanks, Babe. You already know the person as soon as I started talking about it, the person registered. You can do it. Send a text if they say no. They’re not rejecting you. It’s nothing personal. Just be obedient.