I think you would agree that in this life, problems and trials are inevitable. Nobody has a problem-free life.

What we do with these problems determines if we are going to learn and develop our character through them, or if the issues are going to defeat us and cause us to stumble and falter in our walk with God.

The most difficult thing about these hardships is that, when God wants to teach us a lesson through them, it always requires much more grace, energy, wisdom, and power than we have within ourselves. Because, you see, if we could handle these complex issues in our own power, then who needs God?

Even so, I would say that everyone in this room knows the experience of having to learn a difficult lesson that we resisted learning and grew tired of struggling with. But the moment we surrendered the issue to God, answers began coming into focus, and God led us through the issue, making us better people because of it.

To get us through these lessons of life, God often sends us a teacher. The teacher may be in the form of the Holy Spirit Himself, or it may be another brother or sister in the Lord, or it may be someone who’s like “holy sandpaper” to us—someone who absolutely infuriates and frustrates us, causing us to run into the arms of God Himself for help and guidance.

Let’s begin today by watching a clip from The Grace Card and see if you can identify with how Sam is struggling. Sam (a pastor AND a policeman) has been partnered with a difficult-to-love individual who not only resents Sam, but also seems to be very racist. Sam senses that there must be a lesson in this somewhere … and with great vulnerability, he shares with his congregation some of his truest personal feelings.

“Sam’s Sermon” movie clip

“I don’t know about you, but it sure seems to me that when God’s got something to teach me , He brings me a teacher. But I don’t usually like the lesson, and I usually don’t like being taught”

I think we all can identify with Sam’s personal feelings here. Oftentimes the lessons God teaches us are difficult and painful to learn. Yet, we read in James:

James 1:2closeJames 1:2 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. . . . (ESV) When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!

But we want to respond, “James, you have no idea what I’m facing! These are not just easy problems—these are difficult, critical, can’t-see-my-way-through”

James 1:2closeJames 1:2 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. . . . (ESV) : Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds …
Meus irmãos, considerem motivo de grande alegria o fato de passarem por diversas provações

What is that? This is a brother of our Lord Jesus writing this! Then we read from one of the disciples:

1 Peter 4:12close1 Peter 4:12 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (ESV) My friends, do not be surprised at the terrible trouble which now comes to test you. Do not think that something strange is happening to you.
Amados, não estranheis a ardente provação que vem sobre vós para vos experimentar, como se coisa estranha vos acontecesse;

The fact of life is that problems are inevitable. These verses indicate that we should not be surprised by them, nor should we be surprised to learn that these problems come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties.

We also need to understand that problems can be purposeful. They come to teach us something. If we were to read on in the passage from James, we would learn that problems come to produce in us the quality of endurance. They come to perfect our character and deepen our maturity.

I still need to state the obvious: Not everything that happens in this world is God’s will! Oftentimes God is grieving and hurting right alongside us when He sees the choices that people make and the painful consequences resulting from those choices. So God’s will is not always done on this earth because we live on a fallen planet. This is not heaven; this is a world full of sin and confusion, and we sometimes struggle as a result, and we don’t always get what we deserve.

Could God step in and prevent certain problems or crises from happening? Sure! But to be consistent with Himself, He would have to take away the freedom of choice He has given to humans. And He wants to enjoy a relationship with us by choice, not because He forced us to love or worship Him. But often we make the wrong choices, and then we must reap what we have sown and suffer the consequences of those choices. But even though we sometimes struggle with issues we bring upon ourselves, sometimes we suffer in innocence.

To help make sense out of problems and trials, we need to look for the lessons we can learn through them. We know we can grow and mature through these problems, because God has promised in His Word:

Romans 8:28closeRomans 8:28 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV) : And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him …
E sabemos que todas as coisas concorrem para o bem daqueles que amam a Deus, daqueles que são chamados segundo o seu propósito.

Note that this promise is not for everyone—it’s for those who love God. And it doesn’t say everything is good—we know that’s not true. But God does say He will work out all the details of your life: “You know those problems in your life? I’ll handle them. I’ll work them all out for your good.” The things that are beyond your control are not beyond God’s control, and when you know God is going to handle them for you, it gives you confidence. It allows you to wait and rest in Him, trusting His guidance and His timing, and to allow the difficult to turn into the delivery.

When we do this, then we can learn and grow from these problems. And when we end up victorious on the other side of these issues, we can look back and see from a whole new perspective how faithful and powerful our God is.

In the movie The Grace Card, Sam realized that God was up to something in his life. His wife Debra even helped him realize that God had not brought Mac into his life as much as God had brought Sam into Mac’s life. But Sam still recognized there must be a lesson to be learned in the relationship; there was something God was attempting to teach him. So he persevered. He endured. He kept attempting to be friend to Mac and develop a relationship with him.

And in the film, you know God provided an opportunity for Sam to make an undeniable impact on Mac’s life. Through an act of self-sacrifice, Sam provided a kidney for Mac’s injured son, and in that act of love and compassion, something in Mac’s heart changed. Let’s watch this next clip from the end of the film. Here we see a whole new awareness that a difficult lesson has brought forth great results.

“Standing Room at Gospel Church” movie clip

What was it that Sam experienced that God had taught him? There are several answers to that question:

Grace
Forgiveness
True friendship
Compassion

But let me point out another truth that Sam probably knew from Scripture but had now authenticated in life:

Galatians 6:2closeGalatians 6:2 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (ESV) By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ.
Levai as cargas uns dos outros, e assim cumprireis a lei de Cristo.

In the difficulties and trials of life, we need each other! It’s a big mistake to isolate yourself from others when you are going through a crisis. But usually that’s just what we want to do: We want to get alone. We think that nobody understands what we’re going through. But listen: You need other people during the crises of life. You need the family of believers! You need their perspective, their support, and their encouragement.
To make it through the problems/crises of life, we not only need the promises of God. We need the people of God. The promises of God keep hope alive. The people of God not only offer support and love, but they model for us how to endure and carry on.

When you witness a believer in Jesus Christ going through some of the difficult issues of life, and you see them handling those issues with grace, optimism, and confidence that their heavenly Father will somehow cause the issues to work together for good in their lives—when you see this example set before you, you want to experience the same peace, joy, and confidence that you see being modeled by that child of God.

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ need to witness to our fellow human beings by the way we live our lives. They need to see us practicing forgiveness. They need to see us expressing unconditional love and support. They need to see us putting into practice what we preach! We need to remember that others are always watching us to see if our walk matches our talk. Walk in the confident faith and assurance that the God we serve is far greater than the problems we face.

All of the issues Sam was facing in his relationship with Mac—prejudice, selfishness, disrespect—those were difficult problems to overcome. But God was taking Sam to school. There were some lessons Sam needed to learn that may have been unpleasant at the time, but the end result was well worth it. Another family had come into the kingdom of God, a lesson of grace and mercy had been taught, forgiveness had been offered and received, and the Holy Spirit allowed this transformation to be seen. Sam’s church was now standing-room only with an atmosphere of victory and praise being offered to Almighty God.

I would have to agree that all things worked together for good.

Grace. A word used in a variety of ways. It is a word that has been used as an alternative term for prayer. It has been used to describe the way a person does things/moves. It has also been used by many parents to name their daughters.

Still, none of these uses seem to catch the true nature of what Grace is. They fall short of the true meaning. They miss the purpose of it. This morning, I want to bring you closer to understanding the Grace of God, why it’s so amazing.
I’m not a real fun of computer games although I know there a game called Microsoft’s Flight Simulator. You can choose a small plane like a Cesna or all the way up to a Boeing 747. You can also choose which between 180 airports to take off from or to attempt a landing at. Only after acquiring landing skills after many hours of practice can you avoid crashing the plane and land safely. It’s all very realistic.
The greatest thing about Flight Simulator, though, is that the game always restores you. No matter what happens, you can start all over again. Whenever you crash, fall apart, or splash into the ocean, the game always puts you back together and places you back on the runway in Chicago ready to take off again.
That’s the way it is with the Lord. He’s absolutely faithful to forgive us and to restore us when we mess up and to get us back into action, hopefully a little wiser after our failures and bad decisions.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Peter writes – 1 Peter 5:10close1 Peter 5:10 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (ESV) And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
So, what is Grace? It is often misunderstood and defining it at times has been difficult. Some of the most detailed theology textbooks do not offer any concise definition of the term. You may have heard of this acronym:
GRACE, God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. That’s a good way to characterize grace. One of the best-known definitions of grace is only three words: God’s unmerited favor.
So, what’s so amazing about Grace? Let me explain it through stories from the Bible.

1. Grace is contrary to human logic

How can one man, one death on one afternoon be so powerful as to change the course of history and humanity? How a great Savior can save a lousy sinner is a mystery. In order to solve it you need to putt aside human logic!
Instead of earning wages, God dispenses gifts. It’s not according to merit or fairness, because if that were the case, we would all end up in hell.
Grace is not about finishing first or last, or about our good and bad. Grace is about our unconditional acceptance in Christ.

2. Grace seeks us out

There is a great story in 2 Samuel 9close2 Samuel 9 9:1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” 9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master's grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the king's sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet. (ESV) . David is king and he’s thinking about his good friend Jonathan. He wants to know if there is any of his family left that he can show kindness to.
When he finds out about Mephibosheth, he demonstrates God’s grace in how he treats this crippled young man. David’s gracious treatment of Mephibosheth, is a perfect picture of God’sgracious treatment of us.
Mephibosheth doesn’t seek out the king. The king took the initiative and sought out Mephibosheth. Does that sound familiar? This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10close1 John 4:10 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (ESV) God took the initiative in seeking us out.
David wants to bring Mephibosheth to the palace to live there with him. Only one problem, Mephibosheth won’t fit in, he’s crippled. When David asks where he’s living right now, he’s living in Lo Debar. Lo Debar means = no pasture, no word. That is a nice way of saying he’s living in poverty and desolation.
What a picture of the sinner outside of Christ! We are crippled by sin. We live in spiritual desolation and poverty! There is absolutely nothing in us that should make the King seek out us out, but He did!
That is what grace does! When we were crippled and scarred, Grace seeks us out and says, You are the kind of person I want to pour my love and favor on!
Grace seeks us out when we are broken and impoverished!

3. Grace gives us the blessings of another.

None of this happened to Mephibosheth because he was handsome, or smart, or athletic. He was none of those. It happened because David loved his father, Jonathan, and he was willing to give to Mephibosheth the blessings that he would have given to Jonathan.

God’s grace means that we are blessed and honored for the sake of another! His name is Jesus!
Paul writes in Romans 8:16-17closeRomans 8:16-17 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (ESV) – The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Everything that Jesus earned by his death, burial and resurrection, I get to share, as if I had earned it! Grace doesn’t give me the blessings I deserve. Grace gives me the blessings Jesus deserves!

4. Grace makes family out of enemies.

When a new king ascended to the throne, it was customary to kill all of the old king’s descendants. It was commonly understood that the descendants of the old king would be your enemy, and if possible, they would make their own claim to the throne.
When the king sent for Mephibosheth, he thought that he was going to his execution. Instead, David said, I’m going to treat you like one of my family. You are going to eat at my table and enjoy my blessing, just like you would if you were my own son.
That’s what Grace does for us. The Bible says we were the enemies of God. Romans 5:8-10closeRomans 5:8-10 8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (ESV) . Yet because of grace, God has forgiven us and adopted us into his family.

5. Grace gives us the courage to face our past and be free from it!

Romans 6:11closeRomans 6:11 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (ESV) …count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
It was around 1760 when John Newton wrote Amazing Grace . He said when he wrote those words, he was perpetually haunted by the 20,000 African ghosts of his past. At the age of 11 he set sail for the first time and for over 30 years he sold and traded slaves from Africa to the West Indies.
When his ship would set sail from Africa it would start out with over 600 slaves. By the time it reached it’s destination, there were normally 200 slaves survived the trip. The smell of death was so powerful that this ship was docked far from the rest of the ships.
In March of 1748, John Newton found himself in the most desperate situation of his life. During the voyage the crew had repeatedly heard him saying that he did not believe in God. He had even lashed himself to a mast during a storm and dared God to strike him dead, in order to prove himself real.
On this particular trip, the ship was leaking badly, in danger of being overwhelmed beneath one of the waves of a powerful storm. In a moment of weakness and terror, he pronounced the words: Lord, have mercy on us. This was the first time he had prayed since childhood when he attended Sunday School in an Anglican Church, and it shook him to think that he had ask God for help.
By the time the storm ended, most of the masts and sails had been blown away, making navigation almost impossible. After 7 days of drifting with no land in sight, the crew was practically without hope. One man had already died when the captain came to challenge John Newton. The captain had decided that Newton was like Jonah, A curse to the ship. The crew had even discussed throwing him overboard, but in the end, didn’t. As Newton returned to work, he recalled a Bible verse that he had learned as a child at Sunday School.
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

Luke 11:13closeLuke 11:13 13 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (ESV)
Finally brought to the end of himself, Newton prayed, God, if you’re true, you’ll make good your Word. Cleanse my vile heart.
Four weeks later, the ship made port in Ireland, and there he went to a church and made public his faith. He became a powerful preacher, and song writer: Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see.
He died in London December 21, 1807 – he wrote his own epitaph. It reads on his tombstone, John Newton, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.
Grace gives us the courage to face our past so we can be free! Are you free?

6. Grace gives us cause for celebration.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
Ephesians 1:7closeEphesians 1:7 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. . . . (ESV) …having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:7closeTitus 3:7 7 So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (ESV)
Why is this such a cause for celebration? Forgiveness of sin, abundant life now, and eternal life. All this because of grace! What a day that will be, when I see Jesus face to face!
John Newton was so excited and confident about living life with Christ forever that he wrote a song called Faith’s Review And Expectation (Amazing Grace). I love one of the less known verses that we sing,
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, who called me here below
Will be forever mine
One day soon we’ll get to be with our heavenly Father forever. It is not far off. Before that happens, though, he has given us grace. Grace that is greater than all our sins.
Have you received his Grace?

Psalm 68:34-35closePsalm 68:34-35 34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary;
the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God! (ESV) Proclaim the power of God… [35] the God of Israel gives power and
strength to his people.

•• That’s my desire today: to proclaim the supernatural power of God!

• Most of Jerusalem rejected and killed Jesus.

• Then came Pentecost! and 3,000 from among many of those same people in
Jerusalem were saved!

• Then the cripple was healed and thousands more were saved!

•• Christians, don’t ever stop proclaiming the supernatural power of God.

• …and the fact that He gives power to His people.

• The great soulwinner Paul understood this.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5close1 Corinthians 2:4-5 4 And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (ESV) My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive
words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, [5] so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

•• The Contemporary Christianity has too many “wise and persuasive words” and not enough “demonstration of the Spirit’s power”.

• Pulpits in thousands of mainline churches are filled with pastors with Ph.D.’s and
Th.D.’s, but no supernatural power or anointing!

• Entire denominations are shriveling up — they have conventions, conferences, great
speeches, nice coffee hours and socials … but no power of God!

• Therefore, the people’s faith rests not on the supernatural power of God, but on the
eloquence of the preacher. And that is a tragedy, leaving many souls outside of God’s
saving grace.

1 Corinthians 4:20close1 Corinthians 4:20 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. (ESV) …the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

•• Our generation are talked to death! They need to see God’s power!

• They need to see divine healings, at the Temple gate.

• They need to hear a true “Thus says the Lord”.

• They need to experience God’s supernatural power, as the first church did at
Pentecost.

•• In our days we are saturated with talk radio, TV talk shows, and church pulpits full of
empty talk.

• “The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power.”

1 Thessalonians 1:5close1 Thessalonians 1:5 5 Because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (ESV) …our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with
power…

•• My wife’s paralyzed legs were stretched out instantaneously by God’s healing power.

•• I have seen medically diagnosed infertility been healed.

•• I saw a lady diagnosed with AIDS been healed.

•• My wife and I saw our kids been healed throughout the years

** I was healed a couple times from stomach ulcers

** Pastor Jason and I saw a young girl being resurrected from death in Angola

•• My faith stands in a gospel that came forth with God’s holy Word, but also with the
manifested power of the Holy Ghost! I have seen it.

• That’s the New Testament pattern — HEAR and SEE the Gospel. Hear God’s Word
and see it confirmed with supernatural power.

Acts 10:38closeActs 10:38 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (ESV) …how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and
how [only AFTER that ANOINTING with supernatural POWER!] he went around doing
good and healing all who were under the power of the devil…

•• Prior to the Holy Spirit anointing, Jesus performed no miracles! His very first miracle was subsequent to the anointing, at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:11closeJohn 2:11 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (ESV) ).

• After the anointing, Jesus performed numerous healings, He did miracles, He walked
on water, multiplied the loaves and fish, and much more.

• And these supernatural signs of power caused many of His listeners to take heed to
the things that He said.

•• In obedience to the Great Commission, the disciples “went forth and preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs
following” (Mark 16:20closeMark 16:20 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]. . . . (ESV) ).

• We cannot improve on the pattern established by Jesus — God’s Word confirmed with
God’s power!

1 Samuel 10:10-11close1 Samuel 10:10-11 10 When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” (ESV) …the Spirit of God came upon [Saul] in power, and he joined in their
prophesying. [11] … they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son
of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

•• Saul was timid, shy. The Holy Spirit came on him, and he began to prophesy.

• People said, “What’s happened to Saul?!!”

• It is the supernatural power of God manifested in timid, weak human beings that
captures people’s attention.

• Pray for His Spirit to fall on YOU in power. Remember Elisha and his request for a
“double portion” of the Spirit that was upon Elijah (2 Kings 2:9close2 Kings 2:9 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” (ESV) ).

2 Chronicles 25:7-8close2 Chronicles 25:7-8 7 But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites. 8 But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.” (ESV) …“O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the
LORD is not with Israel… [8] Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”

•• To his credit, King Amaziah of Judah listened to the word from God and sent the hired Israelite troops home.

• Don’t count on the arm of flesh … the strength of numbers … seeking strength through natural means.

• Stop depending on what man can do.

• Instead, confess and depend on the fact that “God has the power to help…”

Psalm 68:28closePsalm 68:28 28 Summon your power, O God,
the power, O God, by which you have worked for us. (ESV) Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.

•• Let that be your prayer every day:

• “Summon your power, O God.”

• “Show us your strength, O God.”

• “Pour out your power today, as you have done before.”

• “Enable us to reach the multitudes, and let their faith stand not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”