Evangelists Who Obey God Rather Than People (Acts 5:17-32)
Let us bless and greet one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” May God’s unprecedented blessing be upon each of you today. The Word of answer that we must receive throughout the week, is titled, “Evangelists Who Obey God Rather Than People.” We have to live together with people, but most of the time, we end up listening to the words of people rather than the words of God. We must respect people but anything that does not come from God cannot save us.
1. Authority of people
1) High Priest and party of the Sadducees (Acts 5:17)
So in today’s scripture, there are the members of the Early Church who are trying to proclaim the Word of God, and the people of the world who are trying to block that. So, spiritually speaking, there are only two sides. As we live in America, we only have two spiritual states: proclaiming the gospel or blocking it. In today’s scripture, the High Priest and the Sadducees made a law so that it was illegal to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ.
(1) Did not believe in the resurrection (Mt. 22:23)
(2) Did not believe in angels or spirits (Acts 23:8)
(3) Pentateuch of Moses – Did not believe in miracles
So, among the leadership of the Israelites, there was the group of the Sadducees, and these people do not believe in the resurrection or in angels; they only believe in the Pentateuch of Moses, especially the law of Leviticus. The Sadducees are very rationality-centered, they try to understand the Word of God with their brains instead of with their heart or with their spirit. If we’re moving with our brains alone, that might work for the physical things well, but from God’s perspective, our brain is only used to oppose God.
2) State of mind
(1) The people believed in Christ
(2) Anxiety over losing their vested interests and power
(3) Filled with jealousy (Acts 5:17)
Through the members of the Early Church, the gospel is beginning to spread throughout Jerusalem and Israel, so the High Priests and the Sadducees were filled with jealousy. If we have jealousy, it means we are comparing ourselves, I’m centered on myself, comparing myself to somebody else. Arrogance and the inferiority complex or insecurity are the same state. It is the state of being centered on myself, and I compare myself to being better or worse than other people. That’s the only thing we humans can do. Even America is trying to compete with China, and it is the same state of heart; it’s always, “Are they better than me or worse than me?” If somebody else is better than me, then I become jealous. If I am jealous, in reality, the devil has entered my heart, then what kind of life will I live? In the Bible, there is King Saul who was filled with jealousy because David was crowned to be the next leader, so the evil spirits entered into King Saul. In psychology, it doesn’t talk about spiritual things. The world does not talk about spiritual things. Only the Bible reveals the spiritual things. So, the churches must speak about spiritual things because the world does not tell us. There is a spiritual world. When he had jealousy, Satan went into King Saul and began to control him.
So, the most these people can do is to use their physical power or authority to block them from proclaiming the gospel. It doesn’t matter if this person is a believer or nonbeliever, because they don’t know the authority of God. These things are happening because they do not have a fear for God. Because they do not acknowledge God, they have this competitive nature and this jealousy. All we have to do is use the talent and specialization skill God has given to each of us for world evangelization, but instead of that, we compare ourselves with others, we compete, and we have jealousy.
Some people have a DNA that is naturally studious, or there are some people with athletic ability or musical talent, or there are some people who are genetically good at business. We shouldn’t compare that with other people. Whatever God has given to me, I will use it to the greatest. We use it as a tool for the Lord, then our jealousy disappears. Right now, we are in a competitive society, but the people who were used by God in the Bible were winning without competing. Joseph just took the things that God gave him, followed His guidance, and won without competing. If we compete, then without a doubt, there will be fighting and conflict, there will also be anxiety and impatience, and there will never be peace in your heart.
“I am a child of God, of the 7 billion people in the world, I am ‘only’ and unique. Other people and I are not related.” When you have that sense of identity, you will not compare. “Oh, my appearance may be like this or like that, but this is the face that God has given only to me. There’s no other face like mine,” but we always try to compare. As a result, people keep on getting plastic surgery. If you want to be a Korean celebrity, you have to be attractive, and let’s say there’s a Korean celebrity, and even though everyone is beautiful, they see that others are more beautiful than they, so they get this greed or this desire to change their appearance, because even though they are all celebrities, they see differences. Then they say, “I did one, and then another, and my face ended up like this.” There’s no need to change your face. If you live with the things God has given to you, it doesn’t matter what you look like because you will not be comparable to anyone else. “I’m a minority”? That’s not the case. God always uses the weak to make them into strong nations, and the gospel says that when I am weak, the gospel is the strongest, so there is no need to compare yourself. Only the gospel that God has given to me is unique, only the gospel is “only,” then my value rises with it.
3) Measures taken by those in authority
(1) Put the apostles in the public jail (Acts 5:18)
(2) Tried to block them with power
(3) People who don’t know the authority of God
The only thing these Sadducees can do is to imprison the Apostles. This was the second time the apostles were imprisoned, so now they are sentenced to death. What do you think they were doing in prison? That’s what I was curious about, but it wasn’t written in the Bible.
The only thing the Bible says is that an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and brought them out, but I was curious what they were doing in prison, because by the next day, they would be sentenced to death, so what do you think they were thinking in prison? This is what I imagine. I believe they had and enjoyed the gospel. What does it mean to have and enjoy the gospel? If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you possess the gospel. If you put money into the bank, then you have that money, but you have to use that money; you’ll have to use the gospel. In prison, in the face of death, in your crisis, you have to use the gospel. You have to use the gospel to receive its benefits.
Then, what exactly is the gospel? Jesus is the Christ, that is true, but what does it have to do with me? “Jesus is the Christ”? Even the devil knows that, even nonbelievers know that, even little children know that; what does that have to do with me, then? The Bible tells us that the gospel means, I died on the cross with Christ and now Christ lives within me. The old “me,” the past “me” that was separated from God, enslaved by Satan and sin, has been crucified and dead with Christ, and now, Christ lives inside of me, then we need to enjoy that. In the prison, they must have enjoyed that. “If I come to life, then I get anxious,” so you must enjoy the gospel. If you have the money, then you need to use it when you need it. If there’s something you want to eat and you have money in the bank but you don’t use it, you have to keep on starving. There are so many people who have the gospel but are unable to enjoy it. Christ lives inside of me and He guides me. In the crises, enjoy the gospel. When you are sick, enjoy the gospel. When I have a mental illness, enjoy the gospel. If I enjoy the gospel, then we can overcome ourselves. There are so many heroes who have overcome the world but could not overcome themselves, so they failed. Genghis Khan and Napoleon conquered the world but they could not conquer themselves. Tolstoy and Hemingway conquered the world through culture, but they could not conquer themselves in the end. Michael Jackson conquered the world with his music and dance, but he could not conquer himself.
What is the gospel? The gospel is what allows me to overcome myself, how? I died on the cross with Christ, and now Christ lives inside of me. How do we overcome our mental problems and our addictions? It cannot be done by “me.” I died on the cross with Christ, and now Christ lives inside of me. We entrust everything to the Lord, we enjoy that gospel. I think this is what the apostles did in prison. Enjoying the gospel means they prayed to God. If you cannot enjoy the gospel, it’s hard to pray. Even if you do pray, it’s praying to solve my problems; we cannot restore true prayer. But the gospel, if we enjoy the Christ Who lives inside of me, then prayer takes place naturally. Through prayer, we’re able to find the blessing of how God is guiding me through the circumstance.
2. Work of God
1) Sent an angel of the Lord (Acts 5:19)
(1) Opened the doors of the jail and brought them out (Acts 5:19)
As they are doing this, God sends them an angel and delivers His Word. In prison, we cannot control ourselves. There are so many situations where things do not go our way. Even if we get diagnosed with cancer, we cannot control that. When I’m afflicted by mental illness or addictions, I cannot control that. Even if I have financial problems, that’s beyond my control. That could be our prison, but what is God doing here?
(2) Told them to speak the words of this Life (Acts 5:20)
Restore this gospel, and communicate with God. The only way is through the Triune God. There is no one else who can save you from the situation, that’s the world. It might seem like the world can help us, but the world cannot give us the strength to overcome ourselves.
(3) Listened and began to teach in the temple courts (Acts 5:21)
God transcends time and space and sends His heavenly angels, and then the Apostles heard His Word. You must listen well. Adam and Eve could not listen well. Instead of listening to the Word of God accurately, they listened to the words of the devil. Things should naturally take place for Christians, but we listen to the wrong things. We listen to the words that come from our scars. We listen to the words of our present circumstances based on logic and rationality.
“The things we are doing are so hard,” we listen to those words. But the Word came upon them. What did the Word say? “Go and tell these words of life.” The words of Jesus Christ are the words of life. The fields of Jerusalem at the time were completely religious. What is religion? I am alive and I am doing these religious actions for myself. What is the gospel? I died on the cross with Christ and now Christ lives inside of me; that is the true Christian life. Only these words of life can save the field. There are people in Jerusalem, who are worshipping idols, listening to Satan’s words. Yes, the Word of God is the law, but they are stuck in legalism in the field. This field is so focused on prosperity that they lose hold of the blessings. They are so lost in mysticism that they can’t hear the gospel. The world is so lost in humanism, using human skill such that they cannot hear the gospel. That is the field that Jesus speaks about in Mt. 12:28, “Come all who are weary and heavy-burdened.” That is the field, we study and work so diligently, but we don’t know the gospel so it is a heavy burden for us. Working and studying are such a heavy burden, living itself is such a heavy burden. And that is where we must proclaim the Word of life, proclaim the gospel. Only the gospel can save us. OIt doesn’t matter where you are, if I hold onto the gospel and I receive this life, then I will come to life, but we keep on losing hold of the gospel and I am the center of my own life, and that’s why it is getting harder.
2) Gospel that cannot be blocked
(1) Prisons and worldly power cannot block it (Acts 5:23)
This is where God gives us His mission. Even if you are facing death and crisis, if you have a mission, then you can break through. People who are suffering from cancer, people who are suffering mentally, people who are suffering through repetitive, financial difficulties, God can do this. What can He do? God wants to restore the gospel and proclaim the gospel. Other than that, there is no way out of prison. Other than that, we cannot escape with our own strength, and that is what God is telling us to restore. God can even save you from cancer. God can set me free from the prison of my mental problems and addictions. God can set me free from the prison of my scars. If we receive the gospel and the mission to proclaim the gospel, God can take care of all of this, so, everything else, you can listen to it, but you must not hold onto it. Even in the face of death, you must hold onto Christ Who is God, Who is holding onto and controlling death. So, the apostles escaped from prison and they began to proclaim the gospel in the Temple Courts.
(2) Jesus’ promise (mission) (Acts 1:8, Mt. 24:14, Mt. 28:18)
Where does this boldness come from? When we hear the Word of God and we receive God’s mission, then we become bold. Before that point, people have no choice but to believe in fear and worry, even though we don’t even face the problems of the future, we are scared of it. We are afraid, how must we survive the rest of the week? But when we restore the Word of the gospel and God’s mission, then God gives us boldness. Joshua had never conquered Canaan before, and he was afraid, that’s normal. But God gave this Word to Joshua. God said, “Do not be afraid, do not look to the left or to the right, only follow the Word of God.” God is with you, there is no other way to block the promise and the mission of God. In Acts 1:8, God praised to give you the filling of the Holy Spirit and proclaim this gospel to the ends of the earth. Our plans may fail but the plans of God will never fail, and when the plan of God becomes my plan, I will never fail. Matthew 24:14 says this world will end after all have heard the words of this gospel. Even right now, what is the world revolving around? It might look like that the world is revolving around political or economic or power struggles, but actually God is ruling this world, centered on evangelism and proclaiming the gospel.
That’s why I’m the main character. Whoever possesses the gospel and proclaims the gospel is the main character of the world. Moses was the main character in Egypt, and Joseph was the main character in Egypt. And the main characters of Babylon were Daniel and Esther, and in the midst of the Jerusalem church, the main characters were the evangelists. Who are the main characters of today’s age? Those who restore the gospel and proclaim the gospel. There is nothing that can block that. To where? To the ends of the earth, find the disciples of all nations. My studies and my work must be used to find disciples of all nations. In order to do this, God prepares the 300% answers. You cannot just study, your studies must be connected with God’s promise, then God will carry it out. Matthew 28:20, Jesus promised to be with you with all authority in heaven and on earth.
(3) God is with you (Mt. 28:20)
The almighty God, the Creator God is with me, not only one day, but forever and always. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, if God is with me, we overcome death. So, what is the true answer? Being with the One Who has authority in heaven and on earth. The Creator God can reign over all things God can even reign over my emotions and my depression. God can heal even the scars of my past. God can change any problem of the age, and that God is with me, forever and always. Only hold onto this and go forward. Everything else follows because of this. Our studies, our job, they follow because of this fact. You shouldn’t chase after what should follow you, we must hold onto the things of God. Then, everything else follows. People follow money, wisdom, health, everything follows. When God gives you wisdom for your business, of course, your job will change. Things will change, there will be more unemployment in the age of AI, but if God gives you wisdom, it won’t matter for you. The unlimited God is with me, always and forever.
3) Reaction of those in authority
(1) Brought the apostles in again (Acts 5:26)
So when the people go into prison and try to get the apostles, the door is locked but the apostles are not inside, so they’re confused. Somebody said that the people locked in prison are now proclaimed in the temple courtyard, so they said, “Go and get them back.” What do you think these people were thinking? How is it that these people who were in prison, escaped the prison, and are proclaiming the gospel with such boldness in the temple courts? Imagine how shocking this was in their hearts. Remember, these people do not believe in miracles and signs, But look, at the beginning of Acts 5, there were people being healed and demons being cast out, so now, the Sadducees are feeling threatened. This is the opposite of everything they teach, there are no miracles, there are no signs, there are no angels of God, there’s no spirit, we just study the words of God with our rationality and we follow and obey. But now the opposite is happening, so then they are in a big problem. So then they went and they seized the 12 apostles.
(2) Feared the people (Acts 5:26)
They hate the 12 apostles so they should have used force, but the reason they couldn’t use force is because they were afraid the people would stone them if they did. If we don’t fear God, then we will fear people. There is only God to fear, but if we don’t fear God, we will have mental fear. If we fear only “my God,” only “my Christ,” then there’s nothing else to fear above that. No matter what situation you’re in right now, it doesn’t matter. For people who believe in “only Christ” as my God and my Lord, it doesn’t matter with that. Even if we are diagnosed with cancer, it doesn’t matter because the only thing that I fear is not cancer; it is God. The only thing I fear is not the world; it is God. God knows the deepest roots of our thoughts, heart, and mind. That is the God we must fear. We can trick people and deceive people, but we don’t fear God. If we just follow and believe in our own thoughts, then we do not fear God. That’s why we have fear, we have mental fear.
After Adam and Eve left the Word of God, they were afraid, and Jesus Chisrt came to this earth to give us peace. Ask yourself now, “Do I have peace?” If you ask a nonbeliever this, they might say, “Oh, I don’t have anything wrong in my life, so I’m so peaceful.” That’s usually what very strong people say, but you can ask them, “If you do have a problem you can’t solve, then you will not be peaceful.” So if we do not enjoy the gospel, we cannot proclaim the gospel. For us, even if we are hard-pressed on all sides, because the Lord is with me, we can still have peace. Even if I am in mental pain or suffering, if we believe in Jesus Christ, then we can have peace. Therapy or counseling cannot change your spiritual state. Power and money cannot change your spiritual state. They can change your physical things.
(3) Made them stand before the Sanhedrin again (Acts 5:27)
So again, the Apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin and they said, “We gave you strict orders to not teach in the name.” The devil allows everything else, the devil allows democracy and communism and human rights and individualism, but he does not want us to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ. He tells you not to hold onto the name of Jesus Christ. The devil says, “Do not let Christ be your Lord,” because the devil knows that’s the end. So even right now, the devil allows everything else but does not allow us to proclaim the gospel. The devil gives us success, the devil allows us to do everything but does not allow us to hold onto Christ as our Lord.
3. Those who possess the gospel (enjoy, proclaim, remain)
1) Rulers of the world (Acts 5:28)
(1) Forbade them from teaching in the name of Christ (Acts 5:28)
(2) Tried to avoid responsibility for Jesus’ death (Acts 5:28)
(3) Synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9)
Rev. 2:9 says that the meeting of the Israelite leaders is the meeting of Satan. Why was it so extremely stated this way? Because they crucified Jesus on the cross. And, if Jesus Christ was being testified and his resurrection is being testified, then they are at fault for His death. At this point, they should have repented and went back, but they had no desire to do that. Until the very end, they wanted to live for their own greed, honor, and wealth, so they persecuted the apostles. That is when the apostles replied in Acts 5:29, “We must obey God rather than human beings.” Whom are we obeying? Are you obeying the thoughts that enter your brain? Are you obeying the emotions that enter your mind? Are you obeying and following the words of people close to you? Yes, physically we can do those things, and yes, we do obey the words of our parents, but if it opposes the Word of God, then we must follow the Word of God.
2) Obeying God rather than people (Acts 5:29)
(1) Jesus’ death and resurrection (Acts 5:30, 2 Cor. 5:17)
(2) Reigns from the throne of heaven (Acts 5:31)
(3) Holy Spirit – Witness within me (Acts 5:32, Gal. 2:20)
We are deceived by our own thoughts; we are deceived by the emotions in our hearts. Instead, we must follow the words of Christ, then disasters will break down, Satan and darkness will break down. That is the Word, that is Christ’s words of life. “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead whom you killed by hanging on the cross.” The Lord died on the cross for our sins. He did not die because He lacked power; He died for us, for our sins. And the Lord did not resurrect Himself; God resurrected Jesus, because even though Jesus was fully God, He was also fully human so He could not save Himself, and this is the God of our ancestors in which our ancestors believed in. They say, “We are witnesses of this. We saw that Jesus resurrected, and not only that, but anyone who believes this fact will receive the Holy Spirit and rise as witnesses too.” We have never seen Jesus’ death and resurrection, but the Holy Spirit inside of us testifies of that. In John 14:26, it says that the Holy Spirit reminds us and teaches us the words of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit teaches us the future. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome the world.
(4) Greatest knowledge (Phil. 3:8-20)
Now, God has made this Jesus Christ the prince, the savior, the ruler of the world. After Jesus Christ resurrected and ascended to the throne of heaven, God has given all things towards his Son Jesus Christ. After Jesus Christ’s second coming, when he comes as a judge, then the authority will go back to God the Father, but right now, God will only work in the name of Jesus Christ. Only in the name of Jesus Christ will darkness and disasters break down. it doesn’t matter even if you call out, “God,” you must call out the name of Jesus Christ for God to move, because He is the ruler. Those who know this gospel can overcome darkness. Those who know the gospel can overcome themselves. Right now, America can overcome any nation, but they cannot overcome themselves. Only the gospel can overcome ourselves. Only the Lord living inside of me can overcome “me.” Do you have no hope for the future? If the Lord lives within you, then you have hope. Are you trapped in the prison of your problems, do you see no way out? If the Lord becomes your Lord and Savior, then he can set you free. Phil 3 says that knowing Christ is the greatest knowledge. We used to live thinking the knowledge of the world was everything, but it actually blocked us from the gospel, and I consider all of that rubbish because the knowledge of Christ is the greatest knowledge. The greatest knowledge is not just talking about, “Oh, it’s more elegant,” it’s the difference between heaven and earth. After knowing Christ, we realized everything was inside of Christ. Before that point,we live so diligently in the world, seeking the things of the world. Now that we hold onto “Only Jesus Christ,” all of our answers come from him. We have no choice but to testify of this. I hope you will no longer bear your heavy burdens yourself, but instead, hold onto Christ and testify of Christ as your mission.
(5) Illness – Into grace (2 Cor. 12:1-10)
In 2 Corinthians, Paul thought his throne would be healed, but actually it was a channel for God to give him grace. God could get rid of the disease, God could get rid of the problem right now, but there is a reason God is allowing it to remain, so that you will look to only God through Jesus Christ and receive spiritual strength. If you have spiritual strength, it can overcome cancer, it can overcome your own weakness.
(6) Rejoicing always (1 Thess. 5:16)
2 Thess 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continuously,” we have joy when we enjoy the gospel of Christ. Nothing else is joy. We must receive this true joy for the spirit inside of us to be healed. Even if I have nothing at all, if I have the gospel of Christ, I can have joy. If I enjoy Christ, then I can pray, then I will have thankfulness, God has given us the greatest blessing, the gospel.
3) Remnant (those who possess the gospel)
The ones who possess this gospel are the remnants, those who remain.
(1) Those who remain – Enjoy the gospel
Isaiah 9 says that the ones who have the gospel and remain, those are the Remnant. If you have the gospel and you enjoy the gospel, then you are the ones who remain. If you have money in the bank, then you should enjoy that, but you know you have money in the bank but you’re not able to use it? So, that’s why, when you cannot spend your money, you get so afflicted, because you know you have money in the bank, but you’re not able to use it. I know I have the gospel , but I’m not able to enjoy it. When you face a crisis, or a problem, or your limitation, God gave you the gospel to enjoy it. What do we mean by enjoying the gospel? The Lord is always my Lord. Even in this problem, this crisis, or situation, Christ is my Lord. Then, my Lord’s plan of blessing will come to me. These people will not shake.
Do you know why we keep on shaking? It’s not that we do not have the gospel; it is that we are not able to enjoy the gospel. If you have the money, then all you have to do is use it, but you don’t know how, so you’re starving and afflicted. If the weather is hot, you can just use the AC, but you’re not able to enjoy it. You can just buy a car, but you can’t enjoy your money so you walk around everywhere. So it’s the same as having all the money but not using it. Enjoy it so that Christ is always your Lord.
(2) Those who will remain – Know the gospel (need nothing else)
Then, who are the ones who will remain? They are the ones who know the gospel. They know that every nation does not have the gospel; they know that everyone is trapped with their fundamental problems and they need the gospel, the ones who know they must proclaim this. They don’t need anything else. This is incredibly important. Then, if we just say, “Gospel, gospel,” does that mean that my studies will work out and I’ll have food to eat and I’m going to be able to make money? There are some remnants who think that way, aren’t there? There may even be church officers who may think this way, but this is a grave misunderstanding. Right now, you’re comparing God and your studies, you’re comparing God and your job as the same. In other words, you’re thinking of God as creation. God is the Creator God, God is the source of wisdom and knowledge, God is the source that moves your job; that’s Jesus Christ.
So, inside of Jesus Christ, everything comes out. Everything comes out of world evangelization, proclaiming the gospel. That’s why we don’t need other things. For musicians, they’re always thinking “music,” there is a difference between someone who plays music as a hobby, and someone who makes their livelihood out of music. For musicians, all they do is music, and from there, they get money, they get their house, they get everything in their life. These are just physical examples. What is a Christian? All we do is Christ alone and from there comes everything. When I’m alone, I enjoy the gospel of Christ. When I go out into the field, I testify o f the gospel of Christ. As you do this, you don’t need other things. Apostle Paul had success but he needed other things, what does that mean? It means he lost hold of the gospel. But everything is inside of the gospel.
(3) Those who leave a legacy – Raise the future generations as remnants
My business and studies and the 300% answers of proclaiming the gospel to the world. If we have this gospel, then we will leave this to the next generation as the ones who will leave behind. Those who love the gospel have and enjoy the gospel. Those who love the gospel proclaim the gospel to others. Those who love the gospel relay it to the next generations. The completion of the law is loving God and loving people. Just because you go to church does not mean you go to church; just because you believe in Jesus doesn’t mean you believe in Jesus. The ones who love the gospel are different. I believe everything is restored inside of this.
Conclusion
1. Morning prayer – Power that comes from above
In conclusion, when you wake up in the morning, you must enjoy spiritual strength from the gospel.
2. Daytime prayer – Meetings, work, and studies that save the field
In the daytime, when you go into the field, everything that happens, everyone you meet, everything at your job, you must enjoy the gospel because God told you to go. When you go, there are people you meet, people who will receive the gospel, and God works on your business so you can testify of the gospel. God will work on your studies.
3. Night prayer – Answer that continue into tomorrow
And then at night, you plan for the rest of the day with the Word, with the gospel. Praying 24 hours is enjoying the gospel. Testifying of the gospel is enjoying the gospel. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that throughout the week, you’ll be the true evangelist who obey and proclaim the Word of the gospel and God, rather than people.
Message Prayer
Let us pray now holding onto the Word we have received.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
God, we thank You. We have returned Your materials as offering. Everywhere it is used, may the people of all nations be revived. May this offering be used to find disciples. May it be used for the temple construction that has the Three Courtyards. We confess that God controls all things, and we confess that You flow all things with the gospel. Allow us to live for the gospel, allow us to die for the gospel. Allow us to be poor for the gospel. Allow us to be at a loss for the gospel. We pray You will allow us to restore the economy of light that restores the gospel. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Closing Prayer and Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the Holy Spirit, be upon the heads of all of the people of God, who desire to follow and proclaim the Word of life, be with them now and forevermore always, amen.