2 Corinthians 8-9 | Gospel-Fueled Generosity

It's a joy to be with you all here this morning. I have gotten to know this local church through my friendship with John, as you are looking at bringing him on as your pastor, and then have been praying for you over these last two and a half years as he's been serving here. It is great to be with you here this morning. It's a massive privilege to be able to share from God's Word this morning.

Gospel-Fueled Generosity: An Introduction

About a year ago, I was in Edinburgh, Scotland, at a church called Charlotte Chapel. This is a Baptist church in the heart of Edinburgh. And there were about 150 of us that were meeting together from various countries in Europe. I was giving a talk on the importance of churches partnering together in the gospel there. After my talk, Paul Reese, who's the pastor of that local church, guided me to a painting in a meeting room just around the corner. He explained that the painting was of a man named Christopher Anderson. He was the founding pastor of that local church in the year 1808. Anderson originally intended to join William Carey, the famous father of modern missions, in Serampore, India, but he was prevented from doing so because of his medical condition. He turned his attention to evangelistic work in Scotland that resulted in the planting of this church, Charlotte Chapel.

Christopher Anderson would devote a great amount of his time moving throughout Scotland and the UK to raise funds and mobilize people to go join that work in India. As I looked around that meeting room, I noticed a number of photographs there of various senior pastors throughout the years. I don't know if you've done that at FBC, if John's picture is somewhere with other former pastors. It was kind of interesting; we don't really do that at ours, but this church had done that.

Amongst those pictures was a man named Derek Prime, who had pastored that church for 18 years. He had counted Alistair Begg—some of you may have heard of him—as one of his pastoral assistants. Seeing Derek Prime's photo reminded me of a meeting I had had in that city a couple years earlier with him, his grandson Andy Prime, who pastors a church with a ministry called 20 Schemes, called Gracemont Community Church.

Now I left this room a bit overwhelmed by the thought of what the Lord has done through churches like Charlotte Chapel and Gracemont Community Church in Scotland, of the generosity of those churches to send out men like Alistair Begg. Imagine having Alistair Begg as your pastoral assistant and giving him to a church in Cleveland, Ohio. How generous!

As I left that meeting room, I ran into my friend Jared Maise. Now Jared came from our church in Louisville, Kentucky. He was sent out by my church, and he told me in that interaction that a 20 Schemes church—these are the churches amongst the poorest communities in Scotland—that they in fact would be financially supporting his work in another part of Europe. It was all a bit stirring to me that this church in Scotland for 200 years had been so faithful, including the planting of churches in the schemes of Scotland who had really nothing and gave out of their nothing to support an American missionary going to another part of Europe. Friends, that's the beauty of the church, isn't it? The gospel compels us to personally and then corporately sacrifice for others, whether it's for our own local church or for local churches in other locations around the world.

The Context of Paul's Appeal

So, if you can turn with me please to 2 Corinthians chapter 8. We're going to be looking at both chapter 8 and chapter 9 today. And rather than reading the whole passage at once, we're going to read it a little bit at a time. Now, I think the main point of the passage here in this letter to the Corinthians is that as recipients of God's grace, we should joyfully seek to be generous to others. I'll repeat that again: As recipients of God's grace, we should joyfully seek to be generous to others.

As we look at this passage, I want to point out six attributes of a Christian's generosity. Paul's writing to the church in Corinth, and so the application here is first for the local church. But these attributes should also mark our personal attitude towards giving. After all, our corporate attitude is comprised of our personal attitudes.

Paul had a number of things that he wanted to address in this letter to the Corinthians. And one of those issues comes into view in this passage. The church in Jerusalem was suffering. There was great financial need. Paul was organizing an offering amongst other churches to go towards those needs. And it seems like the financial need had been there for a while because a year earlier, the Corinthian church had pledged to give some funds towards this need.

Now, these aren't the days of electronic transfers 2,000 years ago. And so, Paul would have gone to Corinth. He would have stirred them up to give. And then he moved on to this place called Macedonia. That's where he's writing from. Paul would eventually cycle back through Corinth, pick up the funds on his way back towards Jerusalem. The Macedonians were not as wealthy as the Corinthians were, and yet, even in their own affliction, the Macedonians were eager to contribute to the needs of the church in Jerusalem.

Paul had shared with the Macedonians that the Corinthian churches were going to give. Macedonians wanted to join in on that gift. And now it's time to collect the offering. Paul, knowing that some Macedonians were going to come with him to Corinth, didn't want the Corinthians to be embarrassed. He didn't want those commitments not to be followed through on. So, he's sending word ahead with this letter: "I'm coming. There are some Macedonians who've been encouraged by your giving. Let's start to bring these funds together so that I'm not embarrassed and you're not embarrassed because you've really encouraged these Macedonians to give out of their nothing." He's been boasting about them. It stirred others to give, and now it's time to give what's been pledged. So, that's what's happening in our text here in 2 Corinthians 8. And again, I want to spend the rest of our time drawing out six things that we can learn from this text. And that, friends, I hope that as we look at these attributes, we can examine our own giving, both personally and corporately.

Attribute 1: Generous Giving

So let's start in verse one, chapter 8. Paul writes:

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia: During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints, and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will. So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete among you this act of grace. Now as you excel in everything—in faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us—excel also in this act of grace. — 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 (CSB)

So the first attribute of giving is that it's generous. Wait a second. Isn't all giving generous? Well, I don't think that it is. I think that we can be stingy in our giving, and I think we can be generous in our giving. That goes above and beyond what would seem normal in our circumstances. So, at the very beginning of our text, Paul's commending the churches in Macedonia for their giving. In verse 2, he describes it as a "wealth of generosity." In verse 4, we read that the Macedonians were begging earnestly for the favor of taking part in a giving campaign for the poor in Jerusalem. Think about the corporate attitude of a local church that is begging to take part in contributing to the needs of another local church. This is a type of giving that results in those who have little giving to those who have even less. It's a generosity that we see in the early church in Jerusalem when people were selling everything that they had to contribute to the needs of others. It's an earnest generosity.

Note that the generosity was not a matter of the actual dollars that were being given. It was a disproportionate generosity. I think it's really easy for some churches to look around, some individuals to look around, compare themselves to others, and say, "Well, obviously I don't have a lot and others do. So, I'm going to let those folks lead out in their generosity and carry the load. And if the Lord was ever to give me excess resources, maybe then I will be generous." But that's not what we're seeing in this text. Here we read of the Macedonians giving beyond their means. Friend, how is your giving? Is it generous? If you were to sit down and look at your budget, does your giving line show a generous heart? Or do you sit down and budget all of your needs and wants and then look at what's left over and give out of that?

Attribute 2: Not Circumstantial

When Paul says that the Macedonians were giving beyond their means, I think he's referring to a giving that is beyond what's normal and what was expected. Again, Macedonians giving beyond their means, not according to their circumstance. So, that's going to be our second attribute of Christian giving: it is not circumstantial. It's not circumstantial. Earlier in this chapter, Paul alludes to the financial circumstances of the Macedonians. They're in a "severe test of affliction" (verse 2), they're experiencing "extreme poverty" (verse 2). They "gave according to their means and beyond their means" (verse 3). It's clear that the financial situation of the Macedonians did not restrict their ability to be generous. They did not look at the excesses of other churches, including the one at Corinth. Corinth, this trade center, there would have been opulence in Corinth. They didn't look at this and say, "Well, the Corinthians have this. We'll take a seat and not really have to worry. We've got our own concerns." That's a real temptation, isn't it? To look at our own lives, to look at our own neediness and what appears to be others' surplus and allow them to pick up the slack.

Friend, are you a circumstantial giver? Perhaps you're a student at CBU. You make a meager wage to get through school. Perhaps you're in a season of picking up various jobs on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps you're retired. You read Paul's word about a severe test of affliction and extreme poverty and you're saying to yourself, "That's me. I'm afflicted. I'm in extreme poverty." You hear about a church running behind budget and you figure that others in the congregation will pick up that slack because it's out of your depth. Brother and sister, I want to encourage you to look at the example of the Macedonians who gave out of their lack.

Now, I'm not saying you should make financially irresponsible decisions and donate your way into bankruptcy. Don't donate yourself into debt; that would be foolish. What I am saying is that you should assess your financial needs and see if there is a sacrifice or two that you can make to be generous in your own affliction and poverty. Perhaps it's adding a roommate, changing coffee drinking habits. Perhaps it's carpooling or walking more often to school and work.

I used to be an accountant, and every March tax season would roll around, and I'd be working on the tax returns of a variety of different people. I'd enter income information in the program and then I'd enter in donation information in the program. And I loved seeing the generosity of Christians with ordinary jobs who would give generously more of their income than non-Christians. Non-Christians who would be making seven- and eight-figure salaries or incomes only to be able to spare a $50 donation as they amassed assets for their retirement years and buying extra cars and houses and boats. And I would see these Christians who made meager wages giving exceptional amounts to kingdom work. Friends, what led the Macedonians to give beyond their means? What compels Christians to set aside funds that could be used for retirement savings or momentary pleasures and give them to kingdom causes? Ultimately, I think the answer to those questions is our third attribute of Christian giving.

Attribute 3: Fueled by Thanksgiving

It's because the generosity is fueled by thanksgiving. Look again with me at 2 Corinthians 8. We'll look at verse 8. Paul writes:

I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving advice because it is profitable for you, who began last year not only to do something but also to want to do it. Now also finish the task, so that just as there was an eager desire, there may also be a completion, according to what you have. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. It is not that there should be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality. At the present time your surplus is available for their need, so that their abundance may in turn meet your need, in order that there may be equality. As it is written: The person who had much did not have too much, and the person who had little did not have too little. — 2 Corinthians 8:8-15 (CSB)

So again, this third attribute is that it is fueled by thanksgiving. In verse 10, we just read it. Paul reminds the Corinthians of the generosity that had been shown to them when he writes, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich." See what Paul's doing there? He's grounding the Corinthians' motivation for giving in the gospel. In the previous portions of this letter, Paul has reminded them and us that we've been given salvation secured by the promise of the Father. We've been given an eternal weight of glory that cannot be compared to the light and momentary afflictions of this world. He reminds us that we've been promised an eternal home. We've been given a new relationship with the Father that's been mediated by the Son. We've been made ambassadors of his kingdom. We've been given a new role in the kingdom of God. And what Paul is saying is that our generosity should be fueled by thanksgiving in all of those things.

The way he does this is by referring to Jesus's sacrifice in financial terms. He was rich yet for our sake he became poor so that we might become rich. He laid down his life so that we might have life. And being united in Christ as the beneficiaries of all of that generosity, inheriting all of that, we are now called to be generous to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2). Brothers and sisters, one of the tools that can spark radical generosity in our lives is the reminder of the generosity that's shown to us. How on earth can we cling to our worldly, earthly possessions when we remember what Christ gave up for us? He took our sin so that we could take on his righteousness. He temporarily gave up his heavenly home so that we could live eternally with him.

Now we've got to be careful here. It'd be very easy to fall into legalism when it comes to our giving. We don't want legalistic giving. That's not generosity. We're not giving more so that we can receive more forgiveness. We are giving more because of what has been given to us. We're not doing it out of compulsion; we're doing it joyfully and cheerfully. What's your disposition towards giving? When you're sitting down and you're planning out your budget and you're looking at the giving opportunities in front of you, do you do so while prayerfully reflecting on the generosity shown towards you? Or are you merely going through an exercise on a spreadsheet or a phone app? What if you were to begin your budgeting process with prayer? Prayers of thanksgiving and praise. Thanking the Lord for his goodness to you in the gospel is a great way to align your heart with what matters most when it comes to your finances.

Attribute 4: Generous with People

Now, up until this point, we've been looking a lot at financial giving, but something happens here in 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 that I want to point out. Let's read it together:

Thanks be to God, who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus. For he welcomed our appeal and, being very diligent, went out to you by his own choice. We have sent with him the brother who is praised among all the churches for his gospel ministry. And not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches to accompany us with this gracious gift that we are administering for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. We are taking this precaution so that no one will criticize us about this large sum that we are administering. Indeed, we are giving careful thought to do what is right, not only before the Lord but also before people. We have also sent with them our brother. We have often tested him in many circumstances and found him to be diligent—and now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker for you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. Therefore, show them proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you. — 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 (CSB)

The fourth attribute of Christian giving we see in our text today is that it also involves being generous with people. In our passage, we see the generous sending of Titus to be an encouragement to the church in Corinth. Additionally, Paul is sending a brother who's renowned for his giftedness in preaching. We don't know this brother's name. There's a lot of speculation over who it was, but that's besides the point. He's been traveling with Paul and he's now being redeployed to Corinth. Paul's immediate ministry would have received much from this brother's preaching, but he chooses to send him to Corinth for the Corinthians' benefit. And as churches have been generous with Paul, he does not want to be accused of a lack of generosity towards them. And then there's also this third nameless individual. We've got Titus, we've got the preacher, and then we have a third individual mentioned in verse 22, someone who is earnest and trustworthy. I think that individual was sent to kind of administrate the offering, to take an accounting for it. Three brothers now headed to Corinth to encourage them and to collect the offering for those in Jerusalem.

I want to stop right here and apply this to ourselves both personally and corporately as a church. It is a radical generosity that trains up and then sends out qualified pastors for the sake of other congregations. I know John. I know his aspirations for this congregation. I've met interns already this morning. I know John's aspiration is for this church to become a place that trains up gospel ministers, not just for FBC here, but for churches throughout California and the world. That is a wonderful thing for your church to aspire to, but it's also a radical generosity. Oftentimes, what we see today are churches keeping the best for themselves and then taking the most awkward people and sending them out for other congregations. That's not really generosity. That's just sending out the awkward people, right? Sometimes God calls us to send out awkward people. Hopefully, they've benefited from being part of our congregations. But FBC, what a wonderful legacy if you can look back years from now and see man after man after man that you have come to know and love and grow in his giftedness go out and pastor another congregation. Perhaps God is calling this very church to that type of radical generosity.

Now, for a moment of personal application, we see in verse 17 that Titus is going of his own accord. He has a love for the gospel and he has a desire to serve the Corinthians. He's being commended by Paul, so he's not doing this on his own. At various times, the Lord might be leading you to leave a place of comfort and ease in order to be an instrument of God's grace somewhere else. So, while I'm talking to FBC, I'm also talking perhaps to individuals here, that you're going to grow in love and comfort within this congregation. And it will be a hard thing for you to leave this congregation to go serve elsewhere. Be encouraged by Titus, who went of his own accord. Titus and these two other brothers carrying letters, traveling distances of hundreds of miles to minister to other congregations. It takes a measure of self-sacrifice to leave the comforts of home and deep friendships to serve other congregations, whether it's across town or across the world. But that's ultimately what generosity is, right? It's outward facing.

Attribute 5: Directed Outwards

I feel this in my own church, Third Avenue. We call it a parade of hugs. We get men coming to Louisville, Kentucky, for seminary. We get to know them, and then they're gone within a few years. And I now only get to see them once every two or three years if I'm fortunate. We miss them greatly. These are deep spiritual friendships, but it's worth investing in. Our generosity should be outward-facing. That's our fifth attribute. It's directed outwards. It's not generosity towards ourselves. Let's look at chapter 9 verse 1:

Now concerning the ministry to the saints, it is unnecessary for me to write to you. For I know your eagerness, and I boast about you to the Macedonians, “Achaia has been ready since last year,” and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter would not prove empty, and so that you would be ready just as I said. Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be put to shame in that situation. Therefore I considered it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance the generous gift you promised, so that it will be ready as a gift and not as an extortion. The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. — 2 Corinthians 9:1-8 (CSB)

That last verse, there's a lot of "alls" and "everys," isn't there? This is an all-encompassing thing. Just to remind us again of the circumstances of this offering, it's being taken up for the church in Jerusalem. The Corinthians had pledged their support. Verse 2, "For I know your readiness of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia, this province that Corinth was in, has been ready since last year." So the church in Corinth has pledged this gift to help their fellow Christians in Jerusalem. And that generous pledge has stirred up Christians, churches throughout Macedonia also to give. Paul's hoping that some of his colleagues can come and collect this offering for the good of the church in Jerusalem by the time he comes to Corinth on his way to Jerusalem. And the zeal of the Corinthians has stirred up and encouraged Macedonians. And if Paul shows up with some Macedonians and the Corinthians have not followed through on their pledge, it would discourage the Macedonians. Think about this: they're giving out of their affliction, stirred up just by stories of Corinthian generosity. What if the Corinthian church had not followed through?

Over the last few years, I have been so encouraged in my role to see the generosity of a number of local churches towards Reaching and Teaching missionaries, regardless of which church sent them out. A few years ago, my friends Matt and Emily Tyler went to Bangkok, Thailand, with Reaching and Teaching, and they were helped on their way by a regional group of churches, not in Louisville, Kentucky, but in Charlotte, North Carolina. And the generosity of those churches in Charlotte resulted in thanksgiving in their sending church in Louisville and amongst their partners in Bangkok. That church in Bangkok recently received a grant from another group of churches in the U.S., and Matt got to attend a gathering of those churches in New Mexico last year, and he encouraged those churches of all that God was doing.

Now, Matt is a graduate of Southern Seminary. He's working alongside Nymark's, Desiring God, other organizations to strengthen and encourage the church in Thailand. And he partners with a teammate from Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C. So, we have a whole bunch of churches and ministries giving towards gospel needs in Thailand. I got to worship with that church in Bangkok last year and to hear how thankful they are for the generosity of churches in Washington D.C., in Louisville, Kentucky, Charlotte, North Carolina, all across this nation towards the sake of the gospel in Thailand. This is what happens when churches work together, friends. We have this exponential generosity and fervor when we look outward and we're generous towards others. It sparks further generosity as the Lord uses the generosity of various churches to spur each other on. We associate together better when we share our financial resources and people for the sake of the church. Think about all the relationships that you hear about that you pray for as a congregation. Those relationships are a result of local churches through the past and in the present working together for the gospel.

Attribute 6: God Glorifying

And as much as there is a horizontal benefit of generosity, because there is—when I go and hang out with friends and remind them of their generosity towards others, there's this horizontal relationship that just continues to strengthen—but more than that, there's a vertical element of all of this generosity. That's our sixth attribute that I want to talk about this morning. It's our last one. It's God glorifying. It's the most important attribute of all. Chapter 9:9:

As it is written: He distributed freely; he gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the proof provided by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone. And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! — 2 Corinthians 9:9-15 (CSB)

From the very beginning sentence of our text today, 2 Corinthians 8:1, Paul writes that the generosity of the Macedonians was a result of the grace of God. Even as he's commending the churches in Macedonia, he's glorifying God, showing that their generosity is only possible by God's grace. At the end of this passage, Paul repeats that their generosity will provide thanksgiving in their recipients. Chapter 9:11, note that the ministry isn't just supplying for others' needs; it's overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. Chapter 9:12, the recipients will glorify God because of the submission of the Corinthians. Verse 13. So while giving meets the needs of others, and that's a good thing, a greater product is the thanksgiving that it produces in the recipient. As they receive the gift, they glorify God, understanding that the gift is ultimately from God. He has provided.

But the recipient isn't the only one who glorifies the Lord. The giver glorifies God by understanding that everything they have—their salvation, their eternal hope, their unity in Christ, even their earthly possessions—they're all gifts from God. And by generously giving of themselves and their finances to the needs of others, they're glorifying God. As a congregation, you are a body of many members, and your corporate attitude is the sum of your individual attitudes on these things. So, church member, do you give under compulsion and reluctantly or are you cheerfully giving of your finances? Are you giving from a place of thanksgiving to the needs of this congregation and others? John mentioned, "I didn't even know you were in budget season right now. You have a members' meeting coming up." When you hear of financial needs in a church budget, do you expect those needs to be met by others or do you seek to zealously contribute in whatever way that you can, sacrificing for others, not for your own renown, all to the praise of God for this local church? You are able to do what you're able to do, from employing full-time staff to caring for the needs of this congregation to funding ministries, perhaps of another local church, all because of the generosity of the members. As God has given to you personally, you're able to cheerfully glorify God by giving to the needs of others. That's amazing. Keep going.

Conclusion and Application

Perhaps you're here this morning and you're hearing about joy in giving and you're not there yet. Friends, let me just encourage you with this: I have found personally that my joy in giving is greatest when I'm regularly in the Word. When I'm consistently meditating on God's Word and fighting sin in my life by the power of the Holy Spirit. When I'm overwhelmed by God's generosity towards me, I find my heart is rightly tuned to being generous towards others. This is a good spiritual practice. Not just to read God's Word and check a box on some reading plan, but ask yourself questions about how is God being generous to me and how has he been generous to me in my salvation, in my walk with Christ, his generosity in giving me the Holy Spirit. When I'm stuck in my sin, when I'm neglecting my time in God's Word, I find it is so easy to have my life be all about me and my needs. So ask God to help you delight in the gospel and to grow in you a desire to be generous to others as he has been generous toward you.

Friends, I don't know you. I know we're brothers and sisters in Christ. I don't know where you are today in terms of your own heart disposition towards these things. It's very awkward, I know, for a visiting preacher to come in and talk about generosity. But I just want to encourage you all. You are a sister church of my church in Louisville, Kentucky. We pray for your church as we pray for various churches across this country. So we have this kinship, this friendship in the gospel. And I have no idea what the Lord has in store for FBC. But if he's worked, and he will work the way that I've seen him work in other churches like this one, you're going to be called as a church to be generous. That is a good thing. And just know that as a friend of this church, I will be praising God for your generosity in the years ahead. Let's pray.

God, you have been so good to us. You've been so good to save us. We did not deserve salvation. We were your enemies and yet Christ died for us. You gave us new hearts that desired to follow you. You gave us the Holy Spirit to comfort us in our affliction, to stir us up towards love and good works, to remind us of the inheritance we have for all of eternity. You hold us securely in your hand. No one can pluck us out. We have measure upon measure upon measure of your grace in our lives, Lord. And we seek to be generous in that same way towards your church. And so, Lord, we pray that in the days and weeks and months to follow that you would personally remind us of your generosity towards others. God, I pray for this congregation that it will be marked in the days and weeks and years ahead, Lord, as a church of incredible generosity. Generosity not according to circumstances, but generosity that results in praise resounding to the ends of the earth because of the faithfulness of this congregation. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.