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 aspects of grace, then we can maybe have a richer view of what grace is all about. And so, over the last five weeks, we’ve been in this 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 being saved by grace, we talked about saving grace. And then, in week two, Brendan 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 sustains us, regardless of whatever we face and encounter and endure in this world. God’s grace is there, fresh and new every single 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 pose the message, the message series out. 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 the sermon series, I got thinking about my thinking to myself, What if I go back to the other slide? I’m sorry the previous slide. Holly. Yeah, that’s Perfect. 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 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? Let me like. A little encouragement here would be really good. Okay. Just a little bit. Okay. I don’t expect it from the back row or from the risers, but at least down front here. Okay. Just a little. I mean, 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. And they died and went to hell and were separated from all of eternity from God. Would that be a tragedy? Yeah. So I got thinking about it. Maybe we should just make sure that everybody who is in attendance today and everybody watching online to make sure that they have a relationship with Jesus. And so what I want to do is I want to 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’s followers. Or have you ever thought about this? But what should be our response to God’s grace in our lives? And I’m going to talk about but first. I will talk about how you receive God’s grace. And it’s very, very simple. But trusting in christ is the only way that you can receive God’s grace through Jesus Christ. There’s no other way. You know, 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, very simple. Have you ever thought that this is that, you know, 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, no, no. It’s very simple, is that you just trust in Christ, and that’s all that 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.

John 1:17.

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Is it, folks? I’ve said this all throughout this sermon series, and I will say it again as we close out this 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. The only reason that you’re in existence and I’m in existence is because of the grace of God. Everything by and through. And for us, it 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. Your 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. And your baptism. You’re trusting in the fact that you got a little certificate from the church that you was baptized on this date by this pastor. Whatever, folks that is not going to save you. Communion is not going to 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 somehow or another, if we just keep all the rules, that we can be saved. That is code words, my friends, and works do not work in the kingdom of God. It’s only grace. And the only thing that can save you is your relationship with Jesus Christ. And so this is the reason why. Because grace and truth came through Christ Jesus. Look what Paul says in Romans Chapter five, verse 11.

Romans 5:11 (LB)

“Now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done in dying for our sins – making us friends of God.”

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 sins. And because of his death, because of his resurrection, we can be considered a friend of God. Now, folks, grace is not. It’s not cheap. It is costly. It cost us the very love of Jesus Christ. And 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 Campos. Now, San Juan Campos has this maximum security prison. It was in shambles, and the government decided to hand over the keys to the prisoner to a bunch of Christians and said, You can do anything that you want. You can run it in any way that you would want to run it. And so these Christians had to keep their inmates, their prisoners there on death row, maximum security. They are the worst crimes of all crimes. 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 renamed it Humanitaria, and they renamed this prison. They clean it up. They clean up the cells. They 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 they 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 Colson, when he was still alive, went and visited this prison because, you know, 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 who were on death row that was at peace with themself. They were at peace with one another. They were at peace with God. I mean, here are men on death row, and they were smiling. They were happy, especially the ones who had the keys to the prison. And the only two paid staff positions existed in the whole penitentiary system there in that particular jail. And so as Chuck Colson is going through the prison, giving 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 who were in charge, Chuck Colson, at the time, would you like to go visit this block of cells and go see where the worst of the worse lives? And Chuck goes, Absolutely. He goes, Are you for sure? And as they walk down this long corridor and as they walk to this block of cells, the prisoners tell Chuck Colson that they only have one prisoner in the block that resides there. Now, everybody else has been released. And he looked at Chuck Colson one last time. He said, are you sure that 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 Colson 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. Now. 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. You riches across the experience. And so this morning, I just want to ask your question. Have you been born again? Have you received the amazing grace of God? Now, why do I use the term born again? Because this is a term that Jesus used. Look with me, John. Chapter three, verse three. Jesus says I’m telling you the truth. No one could see the Kingdom of God without being watched. What does it say, my friends? Without what? Being born again, it’s not a virginal 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 have it, I want to help you to understand how a person is born again. And we say all the time, I am born again, but it is as simple as what friends, A, B, and C; and 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 the amazing grace of God. This one. So how do you do it? A stands for admitting that I’m a sinner. Ace stands for Admit; there’s something that’s broken inside of me. There’s something that’s broken inside of you. It is something that is a permanent thing that is broken in each and every one of us. And the diagnosis is called what was 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 that’s inside of you is a permanent diagnosis, and it is eternally fatal in your life and in my life. And you go, Well, if it’s that eternally fatal, then how do we ever get rid of it? And this is where the letter B comes into place is 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 perfect life, He went to the cross to die for your sins and for 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, that’s why we believe in the death and boro and resurrection of Jesus Christ is because he conquered sin. He conquered the grave; he 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 could receive eternal life. This morning you could 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 the people. Oh, I can have a new beginning. This is not a second chance. This is a second birth. Because the first birth, you were 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 one more to ask you to do. I’m just going to ask you just about your head very quietly, please. No one leaving, no one moving around. This is a holy moment. Many of you here today, you 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 is that you pray a prayer of being born again. That’s the starting point. That’s the starting place. And in a moment, I’m going to 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. I’m going to ask you to repeat in your heart. And here’s how I’m going to include you in the prayer. I’m going to ask you to do me a favor in a moment. In a moment, I’m going to ask you to raise your hand. And when you raise your hand, I’m going to have you keep your hand up and what I’m going to do. I’m just going to look around the room. No, is 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 just 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 hard right now, Right where you said it? See that? You just raise your hand. Raise your hand. Looking around the rooms, looking for the hands. I see one. Thank you. Someone else. To thank you. Someone else. 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 believe that on the cross, you took my sin. Much 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 turned from a 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 there, 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’re doing. I think a lot of you are taking advantage of God’s grace. Now that being judgmental, I’m just being matter of fact. Many of you are here, and you’re taking advantage of God’s grace because, you know, God forgave me of my sins. And the pastor you did say was passed, 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. You’re not. You’re not taking advantage of God’s grace. I would submit to you 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. No. You realize that one day you’re going to stand before God, and you have to give him an account of what you did with God’s grace. Whether you received it or you rejected it. That’s the first thing to be accountable for. Then if you received it, then you have to give them the count 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 out 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 giving 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’s this call to live with urgency. Even Paul tells us this. If we look at the Book of Corinthians, Paul says.

2 Corinthians 6:1 (NCV)

“…So we beg you: DO NOT let the grace that you received from God be for nothing!”

Don’t waste the grace of God. No. How can you and I show gratitude for God’s grace? Now, I think there are a thousand ways that we can show gratitude for God’s grace. Wouldn’t you agree with me? Maybe 10,000. I don’t know. I haven’t. 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  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 overcomplicate. Look what Paul says in first Corinthians chapter six, verse 20. He says.

1 Corinthians 6:20 (MSG)

“Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? …So let people see God in and through your body!”

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 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 over-complicate this. Look up first, Peter. Chapter four, verse ten says.

1 Peter 4:10(NIV).

“Each one should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

one of the things that God wants you to do is to serve other people, to 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 that you have, whatever talent that you have, whatever ability that you have, whatever educational degree that you have, whatever hard knock opportunity that you’ve experienced, anything that you have, God can take it and use it to the local church. See, folks, East Side is only as good as her members. See, you’re the ones that make East Side great the way that you serve. And when you come to the stations across, most everything that we’ve done has been through volunteers. When we get to Good Friday, it’s volunteers. When we come to Sunday morning, it’s volunteers, and whatever that 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 do you make your life count? It is by serving others. It’s about 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 they do is 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 less service. I somewhat preached 55. This service y’all give me round up, I might just do it. You know, we talked about generous defense mechanisms going up. 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 in John 316 that God so loved the world that He did what 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, there are hundreds of people this has yet to step into generosity. No, here’s the reason. 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’s preaching. Right. It can be their life group leader. But if once someone talks about giving, they get defensive. And you know, why people get defensive is always the same reason. They believe that the money is theirs. It is my money. And listen to me, my friends. I’m one step harder on your toes, unapologetically. No Peace, love. I’m just gonna step on it. When you think it is yours, then you’re acting as if you’re God. If you want to see a story, go back and read Luke Chapter 12. 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 poor. He says, To not your soul as required of you. He thought it was his. Nothing is yours. You came into this world with nothing. You will leave with this world. I’ve known a lot of rich people in my life, and every one of them has died with nothing and taken 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 now, this is not far from reality. You understand? But I give her $100, and she uses $100 to go buy me a birthday present. Who’s really buying the birthday present? I am Right, but she’s using my money to buy me a gift. Now, can I say something to you? When you give to God. When you returned the tithes to the magic question, Are you really giving God anything? No, Because what? It’s all his in the first place. He’s just loaned it to you for 50, 60, 70, 80 years, and you have to do something with it. 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 in generosity. So thank you. I wish my dad was here this morning. I really do. I wish he didn’t pass away last May. But you know what? When I preached on giving, he always shouted amen. Because you know what he taught me? And my two brothers, my sister, and her family is 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. Here’s this march. You appreciate this. The real question is this. Can you and I trust God with their eternal salvation? and to write our name in the Book of Heaven. Can we trust God with that? And not trust them with their finances. I think it’s virtually impossible. There’s people who do it. And. You know, folks, if you want to sign up today to give online Join online giving time, you can. 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 about making your life count. The third way is by offering and sharing the good news of God’s grace with other people. It’s about sharing the good news of God’s grace with other people. I love what Paul says in the next Chapter 20, verse 24. He says.

Acts 20:24 (NCV)

“…… The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me

– to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.”

The most important thing is that I get married. That’s what other single people in the room were saying. Well, if I’m the boyfriend or girlfriend or somebody who’s on the verge of retirement, my retirement account is funded. Don’t look at your retirement account. I looked at mine this past weekend. vrrrmmm, 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 is to share the good news with other people. That’s part of us living out our mission. It’s part of making your life ten. No, Justin, I’m gonna give you an illustration here. Right in front of you, there’s a bunch of Justin’s Justin Brady over there. Justin Reimers. All kinds. Justin Morgan was on the front row this morning. So this is for everybody, okay? Now, 80% of what you do just 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. Then clean the house. They can mow the yard. They can fill the car up with gas. I mean, 80% of everything that you do, Drew. Somebody else can do just like that. I same thing for you. Carl, 80%, 90% of what I do. Somebody else, can you see? We think we’re indispensable. I’m tearing down. You’re in this. You know you’re not indispensable. I’m going to turn that down right now. Right now, it’s 80%. How much do we have left? Friends. So I said, let me get my phone, and I’ll tell you. So you got 20% left. Now, Andrew here’s the thing. 15% of all that you do, I can train someone. I can coach someone, I can send them to 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 holiest, righteous, pure God. And God says, Give me an account of your life. The 5% is what is going to hold you accountable. The 5%, Patrick, Because you know what the 5% is? The 5% is the thing that only I can do. I can only be a husband to my wife. Rosemary that you’re going to meet in a moment. It’s only Virgil that can be a dad to Jacob and to Rachel. It’s only Virgil can be a grandpa to Ruby Rose. It’s only Virgil who can take care of his health. It’s only Virgil that can feed himself spiritually and make sure that he’s nurtured and walking with the Lord. I see there are people here this morning. Well, I’m. I’m. I’m quick on the side. I quit going into. Well, why did you pick on Eastside? They just don’t feed me spiritually up there. That pastor just. He’s just not any good. You know what? That’s far from biblical, my friends. You are responsible for feeding your own soul while you come and get here on Sunday is a compliment. It’s. It’s a compliment. It complements what you do throughout the week. And there are all kinds of people in the church because they don’t think we’re feeding them. You know what? Nobody’s ever going to be able to feed them because it is your personal responsibility. And let me tell you something that I believe that there are some people that God’s 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. Come on out. But there are people in your life. That God has placed and is giving you tremendous influence in their life. And here’s what I believe this coming Easter weekend, we’re going to have a 30-foot bridge that’s right here in front. I can walk out on it’s going to be cool it walks out on it, you know, 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 lap. And folks here’s what some of you are thinking. Oh, gosh. He’s asking me to invite the heart from Wal-Mart to come to church with me. I don’t even like Wal-Mart. I don’t even want to invite you. I’m not talking about that. The person that you have influence with is already in your life. It is someone that is your neighbor, someone who’s a family member, someone who used to be in a life group with you, someone that used to sit with you in church. Someone who used to be on your serve team. someone that you work with. Someone that is maybe a parent of another child on your child’s soccer or little league baseball team or whatever. The person 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 in her innocent activities and business 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. So, you know, God’s not mad at me. God’s madly in love with me. And walking across the bridge is a reminder that God wants and desires a relationship with him. There are others that just need to renew their faith. There are others that have been through a hard season that just needs. 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 is going to talk about when I issued this challenge at our leader. Plus, at our leader rally that we have once a month. She’s going to share with you what the Holy Spirit said to her. So welcome, my wife, Rose.

 Good morning. Yeah. Yeah. Um, like Virgil said a few weeks ago, he issued that challenge to the leaders. Who are we going to 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 the 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, um, I have seen, and I have an experience, that Satan will use anything, anything that he can to keep us, keep us away, keep us from the people that care about us, keep us from community. And this has happened to my friend and me. I, I know that it’s been a lot of negative self-talk, something that I’ve dealt with and I continue to deal with, and it’s just Satan telling me, you know what, you can’t do that. You’re not good enough. Nobody is going to listen to you. What you have to say is not important. And that’s such a lie. And 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 it is, how hard is it going to be? I’m going to make that. I’m going to make that text I want. 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. There have been so many times that we’ve heard Virgil say, 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 for you all 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 that, you will ask that person to come with you and to sit with you on Easter and walk across that bridge. And I am looking so forward to this coming weekend in the fact that my friend said yes. Wooo, yeah. And I will be there with you. And that is going to be just an amazing situation. So think about it. Pray about it and be obedient. Thank you.

Thanks, Rose. Yeah. Thanks, babe. You already know the person. As soon as I started talking about it, the person registered. You can do it. Send the text, and they say, no, they’re not rejecting you. It’s nothing personal. You just be obedient.