Welcome And Weekend Gratitude

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Hello and welcome to the Westside Church's special podcast.

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Good morning, welcome. If you'll turn with me to the book of Acts, chapter 6. We're going to begin in Acts chapter 6 in just a moment. We won't stay there very long, but that's going to be our first passage this morning. Acts chapter 6. Welcome. What a wonderful weekend it has been. We were just having a conversation about that a moment ago, which means I need to say some thank yous. Thank you to our shepherds. We had a shepherding class a couple years ago, and they noted that shepherds' job in large part is to lead and to feed. And boy, this weekend has done that, hasn't it? It's just been wonderful. It always is. And I always forget how wonderful it is until it rolls around again. So to our shepherds, thank you. Thank you for watching over our souls. Thank you for leading us. Thank you for feeding us. And thank you for the opportunity to be part of this weekend. To every member of this church who has contributed, whether you've held the door or turned an AC unit on or given us, you know, 8,000 bottles of Coca-Cola, thank you. Thank you for how you have made this weekend possible, for your enthusiasm for this, for your love for this church, and for your love for young people. And to you guys, thank you. You guys love God, and that's awesome. It encourages us so much. I shouldn't stand right there. It encourages us, it builds us up. We love you guys. We want the best for you, and you have built us up, and we aim to do that this morning. Thank you for your faith, and thank you for all that you have

Acts Shows Real Spiritual Warfare

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done for us this weekend. In Acts chapter 6, I want to ask you to think with me for just a second about the book of Acts in a little bit of a different way. For most of my life, I have read the beginning of Acts and the church in Jerusalem like it's just rainbows and sunshine, and everything's wonderful, and everybody's happy, and there's no problems, and it's just fantastic and awesome. You know, it's like that high moment at camp or, you know, the singing Friday night where it just feels amazing. And there's no down moments, it's just adrenaline pumping 24-7 because they're in the church. And there's a lot of that in Acts. Acts is wonderful, but there is a point in Acts that I'd like to ask us to think about for a moment. And that is that just as God is active in the book of Acts, Satan is active in the book of Acts. Do we think with me about that for just a minute, young people? This is where you do this. Yes? Okay, thank you. So, Satan is working, he is waging war against the church in the book of Acts. The message is not popular and easy. It says to most of the people to whom the gospel was first delivered, they had to accept that they had murdered the person they had waited centuries for. That's hard. And Satan, for some people, is going to say, Yeah, you don't want to believe that, because that's really hard. That's gonna make you feel lousy about yourself. Don't believe that message. That's bad, right? Satan has also brought external forces to bear on the church. The apostles have been arrested, they've been persecuted, they have been imprisoned, they have been beaten, they have been threatened over and over and over. And there are even internal challenges in the church. There's a lot of wonderful stuff that happens in the church, but there are some hard things that happen too. Have you ever been around a whole bunch of people who just seem like they needed something all the time and it wore you out? Have you ever had that moment? Okay? Well, that's Acts 2. You got a whole bunch of people who didn't plan to stay for very long. They didn't bring a whole bunch of stuff with them. They need help. And they keep asking for more. That's hard. And Satan is working his way into hearts and minds, going, Yeah, you ought to grumble and complain about that. This is miserable. You should get out of this. There's Ananias and Sapphira, you guys know that story. It says in that text that the church was under great fear. I think that's probably pretty fair. If two of our church members died because they did something wrong, I think I would be afraid too. In Acts chapter 6, there's this grumbling about widows and how they're being treated. And in Acts chapter 7, of course, Stephen is going to be killed. Satan's doing pretty good, isn't he? And yet, and yet we find this statement in Acts chapter 6 and verse 7. And the word of God continued to increase. What? Satan's doing all this stuff, and the church is growing, people are becoming believers. The word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. Not a little, not medium, greatly, big time, huge, tremendous success, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. That's what happens in Acts chapter 6. And I just want to ask this question. How is that possible? We think just for a second about how is that possible? Satan is making life miserable for Christians. He's doing everything he can to wipe the church off the face of the earth before it's even gotten started, and yet they are as successful as they could possibly be. How? Why? Well, I want to suggest this morning and for us to think together that it's because of this truth that we can stand on, that we can trust in, that the church is wonderful, and that the people in Jerusalem in the early days of Acts, they knew that truth and they

Why The Church Still Grows

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stood fast on it. They held firm to it. They believed it, they knew it, they committed themselves to it, and they said, you know what? There's some hard things going on. Yeah. But it's worth it because the church is wonderful. And so that's what we're going to commit our attention to for a few moments this morning. Turn to Ephesians chapter 2. We're going to go there in just a moment. Ephesians chapter 2, and we'll begin to tease out some of why and how the church is wonderful, how that's presented to us in Scripture. But as you do that, I want to mention a couple of things to set the context. My objective this morning is really simple. I just want you to know this, believe it, and have it planted way down deep in here so that you can enjoy this wonderful truth because it is absolutely amazing. When you know this truth deeply and intimately, it will just brighten your life and your heart, and nothing can dim that. But I also want you to know this because Satan didn't stop persecuting the church in Acts chapter 8, or Acts chapter 9, or Acts 20, or 28, or any other point in the New Testament or since. He's still at it. And my experience has been, you may have had this as well, that he came after me in regards to my relationship with the church, especially when I was a young person. And so I just want to tell you guys, it took me a long time to get this figured out. An embarrassingly long amount of time. If you'd asked me if God is wonderful, yep, absolutely. Being a Christian is wonderful, yep, absolutely. But this, that took me a minute. It took me making some pretty big failures to get this figured out. And so that's why I think it's important for you guys, because Satan is going to come after you. I hate that. I hope he never does, but we can't count on that. And so I want to think for a few moments this morning about this truth. And here it is. This is what we're going to talk about, assuming I can get pointed the right direction. That's it. Okay? Please don't stop listening. But that's it. That's what we're going to say this morning, okay? The church is wonderful because God has given it these amazing characteristics. God has given to the church the greatest privilege there will ever be. We'll talk about that first in just a moment. God has paid the greatest price that could ever be paid for the church. That makes

Four Reasons The Church Shines

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it wonderful. God has given to the church the greatest purpose there could ever be. And in the church, you will experience the joys, the absolute joy and splendor of the greatest partnership that there could ever be. I know that's a little bit of an unusual word. This is kind of an odd lesson, and yes, I asked permission to preach this topic, but that's why. Now it's not all of why, but that's what I'd like for us to think about this morning. The church is wonderful because of its God-given privilege, price, purpose, and partnership. And I hope that that sticks, some of it, long enough with you. Now let's begin with that first one,

The Privilege Of God’s Household

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the privilege. Why is the church wonderful? Think for a minute, young people, about a hero of yours. Don't think about a Bible hero. Okay, we're setting Bible heroes aside for a minute. Think about a hero in the world, an athlete, a musician. If you're into history or politics, something like that. A hero that you have. And imagine that they called your, if you have a phone, they called you. Or if you don't have a phone, they called your parents. They said, Hey, can I talk to so-and-so? And you got on the phone and said, Hi. And they said, Hey, I want you to come up here and spend the day with me. I bought you airplane tickets, you know, I've got everything taken care of. All you've got to do is show up. Would you show up? Yeah, for sure you would. This is awesome. I never thought they would call my house and ask me to come stay with them for an hour or a day or whatever time you want to stick on that, right? That would be amazing. And what scripture presents to us is that God offers something infinitely greater than that. He offers the privilege of a relationship with him that starts right now and lasts forever. Ephesians chapter 2. Beginning in verse 19, Paul says this. Paul's been working hard on the church and the wonder that it is in Ephesians chapter 2, and he says this in verse 19 of Ephesians 2. So then, you, talking especially to Gentiles, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. That says God took people who he had no business by worldly standards dealing with, being close to, and he said, I want you to be mine. Not at arm's length, not once a year, not just, you know, when I'm feeling extra nice and polite and like I can handle jerks who don't deserve to be around me, but every day, all the time, forever. God said, I want you to be in relationship with me, like my family. Paul says that in a number of ways in Ephesians chapter 1. We're not going to read that long sentence from verse 3 down to 14, but he says, We've been adopted, we've been chosen, we've been blessed, we've been redeemed, we've been forgiven, we've been sealed. God makes us his people. That's the church. It's the only place that you can become God's people and enjoy this privilege is in the church. In Philippians chapter 3, turn over there with me for just a moment. Philippians chapter 3, we know this passage well. Philippians 3, I'm going to begin reading in verse 7. Paul says this, Philippians 3 and 7, but whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss, because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith, that I may know him. Can I plug a different word in there? That I may be in relationship with him forever, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. And in the Gospel of John, just going to quote this. If you want to turn there, that's great. But John 14 and verse 23, Jesus says this. That's a specific context, but think about how generic these words are. John 14, 23. If anyone, if anyone loves me, young people, do you love Jesus? Yes, you do. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. One of our shepherds has taught a class for a while, and he says, God says, hey, come move in with me. That is amazing. That's this. And the only place you can find that is in the church. And that makes the church wonderful. Now, as we're thinking about truth this weekend, I want to talk a little bit about the lies that Satan's going to tell, because I think that is part of why this is so significant. Satan is going to tell you that the church is not a privilege, but it's a burden. Not a blessing, but a burden. He's going to say, you've got to get up early, you've got to miss the games, you've got to miss practices, your friends aren't going. It means you can't do some things. Ugh. It's not a privilege, it's a burden. And he will pile on top of that and just say over and over again, there's nothing special about the church. And he will even tell you that the church is not the way to God, but that it's one of many ways

The Price Paid By Christ

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to God. And young people, you know that's false, but we've we've got to say it this morning. That's a lie. It's a lie. Don't believe it. Stand on this truth that the church is wonderful because it gives us the greatest privilege of all. There's no substitute, there's no replacement, there's no alternative. There's nothing that is worth it relative to the value, the privilege of the church. So hold fast. Stand firm on this truth because the church is wonderful. Secondly, the church is wonderful because of its price. You know this truth already, but I want us to think a little bit about it for a moment. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. We're going to read verses 25 to 27 in just a moment. Ephesians 5, 25. Now that's a marriage passage, and I don't think many, if any, of y'all, are married or engaged, but we're going to use what Paul is using as his primary figure instead of kind of the secondary figure that he's teaching about. Okay? Now again, can you exercise some imagination with me? Think of someone that you love dearly. They are worth everything to you. You got him? Yes? Got him? Okay. Imagine that they got sick with something terrible that was going to kill them. And there was a cure, but that cure cost a million dollars. Would you pay it? Yeah, absolutely we would. I don't have a million bucks. You don't have a million bucks, but we would find a way because they are worth it to us. Now, Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. You know that in Romans chapter 5, Paul says that in this is the love of God, that Christ died for us while we were his enemies. That's bigger and better than paying a million dollars for somebody you love. But Jesus looked at the church. He looked at you individually, he looked at us collectively, and he said, You know what? They're worth it. I'm paying the price. Paying the greatest price there has ever been so that the church can be all that I intend for it to be. Now, in the future, and forever. The church is worth it. And God says that definitively, decisively on the cross. The church is worth the greatest price ever paid. And Scripture says that over and over and over. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1. I love the way this is phrased. 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 18. Peter is making application of the fact that we have been redeemed, but he has this wonderful little phrase. 1 Peter 1 and verse 18. Knowing that you were ransomed from the feudal ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things, such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. Compared with the blood of Christ, silver and gold are worthless. They are dirt. They have no value, they have no power. But with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb, without blemish or spot. We live in a pretty wealthy world. You guys probably, you may have heard a few weeks ago about Elon Musk being called a trillionaire. He couldn't buy one soul. Not one. Not his own, not anybody else's. He couldn't pay the price. But in the church, Jesus says, I'm paying the price for everybody, everywhere, forever, who wants to be in the church so that they can enjoy the great privilege of being in relationship with me. We had a speaker here a few years ago over the summer, and he said this little line. Some of y'all have heard me mention this before, were here and heard it. He said, Do you realize you were the most expensive thing that has ever been purchased? I had never heard anybody say it like that. Oh man, that punched me in the heart. Do you realize you, me, you, us, all of us, and all of our brothers and sisters everywhere are the most expensive thing that has ever been purchased, or for that matter, will ever be purchased. That means God hung a price tag on you individually and on us collectively, the church, God saved people, that says they are priceless. And Satan is going to lie to you about that. He's going to judge the church by the world's standards of value. We're not rich, we're not famous, we don't look like we do a lot of GDP out of the church, and he's going to say, you know what, that makes the church kind of okay, but not all that special. And I think one of his most insidious lies is he's going to tell you, look at that person over there and that wrong thing they're doing. The church is full of hypocrites. It's not worthwhile at all. It's worth less. And it's a lie. No lie of Satan will ever change the price that God has paid for the church. And that makes the church priceless. And that makes the church wonderful. Now, we're going to go a really odd place this morning. Are you ready? The book of Ecclesiastes.

The Church’s Purpose In A Noisy World

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Ecclesiastes chapter 12. If you did not see that coming, congratulations. I wouldn't have seen it coming a few weeks ago. Ecclesiastes chapter 12. We're going to talk for a minute about purpose. Ecclesiastes chapter 12. We live in a world of a zillion options. Yes, that's the scientific number. A zillion options. You have all these choices ahead of you, right, young people? Okay? When I was in high school, I was terrified that I was going to pick the wrong major, go to the wrong school, date the wrong person, that it was going to just ruin the rest of my life because I made one tiny little wrong decision when I was 17 or 18. If you don't experience that, bless you. I'm thankful for you. Don't start feeling that way because I said that, okay? However, Satan tells us through the world that our purpose in life is to get all those decisions right. That if we marry the right person, get the right job, make the right amount of money, retire at the right age, live the right place, and on and on and on and on and on, that that's where we find fulfillment and purpose in life. That's Ecclesiastes. Solomon said, I'm going to go find out what this life is all about. What's the purpose of life? And Solomon tests everything, everything that he possibly can. And you guys know how the book of Ecclesiastes ends. Ecclesiastes chapter 12. The end of the matter. All has been heard. What is it? Y'all say it. Fear louder. Come on. Fear God and keep his commandments. I heard a couple of y'all say loud. Thank you. That's it. That's what Solomon says. Life is all about. That's the purpose. Okay? Now, can we see that in the church for a minute? Ephesians chapter 3. Let's go all the way back to the New Testament. A different e-book. Ephesians chapter 3. Here's what Paul says, beginning in verse 8. Ephesians chapter 3, beginning in verse 8. Paul says this to me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church, through us, all of God's saved people, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities. In the heavenly places. That is not the only thing that the church does. But for our purposes this morning, I want to suggest that that is a wonderful purpose. In some other places in the New Testament, 1 Timothy chapter 3, for example, Paul says to Timothy that the church is the pillar and buttress, or the pillar and support of the truth. We hold it up so that everyone can see it and gain access to it, and so that it stands firm in front of a world that is dealing with Satan's lies. And in 1 Peter chapter 2, Peter writes that part of our job as the church is that we may proclaim the excellencies of him who called us. I'm going to suggest to you, young people, that that is the greatest purpose we could have. We are, we are the church. We know the privilege of being the church. We know the price that was paid. And our purpose in large part is to do the will of God by making known the privilege and the price so that everyone possible everywhere can enjoy those same blessings and be part of his wonderful church. That's our purpose. And Satan's going to lie to you about that. He's going to tell you, no, no, no, the purpose is, you know, getting a good job and making a lot of money and getting married to a beautiful person and having a vacation home and going on all these cool trips and yada yada on and on and on and on and on. No, that's not your purpose. Our purpose is to do God's will by proclaiming his word, his wonderful will for the church. And I will add to that for just a moment as well. That Satan will also tell you that the church doesn't fulfill its purpose unless it does all kinds of things that Christ hasn't called us to. You will have friends at other churches, denominational churches and so on, who will say, you know what, we ought to open a hospital, or we ought to get involved in politics or changing society, and on and on that list goes. That's not God's purpose for the church. And if we give in to those, we have lost God's purpose for the church, and it will not fulfill us. It will ruin the wonderful church that God has redeemed. Know his purpose, to make known the privilege of being in the church and the great price that God paid, and just live it. Simply, purely, devotedly. Live it. Live God's purpose, and it will be wonderful. Now, our last point is partnership. And this is one I'm prone to rambling on, so we're going to do this quickly. Okay? Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. We're going to look at verse 11. Young people, I've got one last question for you. Have you ever had a really lousy school partner? You got assigned some kid in class to do a group project with. Yeah, whatever. And they did nothing the whole time through. They just didn't care. They didn't care about you, the teacher, the grade, the class. Nothing, right? Well, Solomon has something to say about that in Ecclesiastes, right? That two are better than one. They get more reward for their labor. It's great. And we apply that to friendship, and sometimes we apply it to marriage. That's right and good. I want to suggest to you that in the church we find the greatest fulfillment of that principle. Here's Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 11. Ephesians 4 and verse 11. He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, the teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. I don't have a favorite Bible passage because I can't make up my mind, but that's on my short list. And young people, I would commend it to you for your short list of favorite Bible passages, too. There is so much in there that we cannot tease all of it out this morning. But in the context of partnership, what it says is in the church, you don't have lousy school project

Partnership That Builds Maturity

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partners. You have the best partners imaginable. We are committed to the same purpose with the same zeal and fervor and intensity. We love the same Lord. We are seeking the same goal. And we're chasing that together. Being a Christian is not a solo mission because the church isn't just one of us, it's all of us. And so when we're having a hard day, somebody bears that burden with us. When we're having a great day, somebody goes, Oh, that's awesome, I'm so happy for you. When we don't understand something about God's word, when we're having trouble resisting temptation, excuse me, temptation, whatever the case may be, we deal with it together, like partners do. Paul says to the Philippians that he was thankful for their partnership in the gospel. It just thrilled his heart that they would work with him. And young people, I want to say to you that all the joys of this weekend of being together and the thrill that you feel emotionally, when that emotion settles down, the truth of that experience is the partnership that's in the church. We get to do it together. We get to be stronger together than we ever would be on our own. And that's amazing. It's one of the greatest joys of my life. Not thee, but one of the greatest, and it can be of yours too, if you will commit to the church. Now, Satan is going to tell you all kinds of lies about that. He's going to tell you you can do it on your own. No, you can't. That's not God's design for your life. Don't try and solo it. That's not all that God wills for you. But even more than that, Satan is going to tell you that there are people in the church who are hypocrites. Have you ever had a friend who said the church is full of hypocrites? You heard that from outside. If you haven't heard it yet, you may at some point in the future. But the world says that because Satan says it. The church isn't full of hypocrites. You probably have seen a t-shirt that says imperfect people, perfect savior. Have y'all seen that? Okay? Our faith doesn't rest on the imperfect people of the church because they didn't pay the price. They're not the one who gave you the privilege. Our faith, the truth we stand on, is that Jesus is perfect, and together we're going to Him. That's partnership. That's the church. That's wonderful. Don't ever let Satan shake that conviction. Now, I've got just a few minutes left, so I'm going to make quick work of some application.

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Okay?

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If the church is that wonderful, it demands a response. And the first of those I want to suggest is to look up. Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3. Let's make quick work of these. And I hope that these will help you as you stand on these truths. Colossians chapter 3, the church in Colossi has been under fire. Satan is attacking them with false doctrines about what the gospel is and how to obey it. And Paul's dealing with all of that. And then he gets to this wonderful little pivot. There's a whole sermon in here. There are probably sermons in here that have been preached many times. But just listen to it for a second. Colossians 3, verse 1. If then you have been raised with Christ, if you're a Christian, if you're a member of the church, seek the things that are above. Look up where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. If you face a moment of hardship and you're tempted to hang your head in discouragement and disappointment, look up. God bought you. You are the most expensive thing that's ever been purchased. And he has a purpose for you, and he wants you to live with him now and forever. Look up. Remember those wonderful truths when Satan tries to tear you down. Because the church is wonderful. Now, Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. We can't hardly do a lesson about the church without talking about Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews 10, we're going to look at verses 24 and 25. You guys have heard these verses a million times. Let's read them once more. Hebrews 10, verse 24. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. We usually read that to say, be here now. Ah! It succeeded. It worked! We did it! We showed up. Great. But just like if you've had a lousy school project partner who didn't really show up, they didn't bring it to that project. I want to say to you this morning, don't just show up. Show up. We don't stop being the church when we walk out those doors in the back. We're still the church at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon when you're just with your family in your house. Show up. Be there for God. Be there for God's people. Because you are always, we are always the church. So show up. Bring it. Do God's will. Fulfill his purpose. Revel and rejoice in the wonderful blessings he gives us as the church all the time. Show up. Be

Practical Response Look Up Show Up

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prepared. Be the church that you are part of today. And then lastly, go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 with me. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. I love Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. And we're just going to make this simple point. It goes pretty well with what we said before. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 11 to 15. Paul says this. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all, see that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. That's a wonderful passage full of practical advice. That's partnership in motion. And here's what I just want to say briefly about that. If, hold on, let me restart. When you see something in a Christian who is a fellow member of the church with you that is not all that it could and should be. You with me? If you see something in the church that is not all that it could and should be, Satan is going to tell you to grumble and complain and hang your head. Don't listen to him. Don't do it. Don't do it. You go make it all that it could and should be. You go be a partner. Build it up. Grab a brick, grab a hammer, grab some mortar, whatever analogy you want to stick in there. If you see something that's not all that it could and should be, go build it up. Because that's what the church does. And that will bring so much joy and fulfillment because you will be doing the purpose that God has for the church as we live as his people. You got it, young people? How about the rest of us? We got it too? Okay, yeah, yeah, we do. Well, I said at the outset, as we wrap up, that in Acts chapter 6, the church was under fire from Satan. He didn't win. He never will, but he's still fighting today. And I hope that what we thought about this morning, thank you for your good attention in that, but I hope that what we thought about this morning will help you to enjoy the church because it's wonderful and amazing and awesome. And that when Satan lies to you about the church, that you will know the truth, that you will trust in it, and that you will stand firm on the truth of how wonderful God's church is. Let's pray briefly together and then we'll be dismissed. Our Father in heaven, we thank you that we can call you our Father. We know that came at a great cost. We know it is a great privilege that we do not deserve. And so we praise you and we thank you. Help us, God, young and old, everywhere in between, wherever we are in our spiritual journey, whatever we're facing, however Satan has attacked us, is attacking us, and will attack us. Help us to remember how wonderful the church is because you have made it so. And knowing that, God, knowing that we have been bought with a great price, help us to live as your wonderful church. Help us to fulfill your purpose. Help us to fulfill the partnership that you intend for your people. And I ask God especially this morning that you would bless these young people. They are not the church of tomorrow as though they are not

Prayer And Final Send-Off

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today. They are part of the church. Bless them and bless all of your people, your saved people everywhere, that we may glorify you as we enjoy the privilege of relationship with you here and now, and as we look forward to that perfectly forever. And God, I'm especially thankful. We are thankful for shepherds in every congregation, especially here as we are assembled, but everywhere. Bless them because they help to shepherd your wonderful church. Bless them in that work. Bless all of us, bless these young people that they may stand on your truth as they walk with you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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Thanks for listening to the Westside Church of Christ podcast. For more information about Westside, you can connect with us through our website, just Christians.com, and our Facebook page. Our music is from upbeat.io. That's upbeat with 158.