Crazy Love – Week One – Questions text to pastor

This past week as we started our four week journey of discovery – CRAZY LOVE!  It was a wonderful time of worship and teaching.  As we said during the message each week you can text questions to the Pastors and they will answer as many as possible live or we’ll answer them on the blog during the week.

This passed Sunday 2 questions were text:

First, what is the name of the book that supports this new message series … it’s Crazy Love by Frances Chan.  You can go to:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=crazy+love to order your own personal copy or go by the Resource Center on the Hermitage Campus.  

Second, what are the seven spirits of God mention in Revelation 4?

Dwight went back after lunch on Sunday to find your answer: In some commentaries the seven spirits mentioned Rev 1 are the seven spirits mentioned in Isaiah 11:2 these seven spirits being the seven characteristics of the Holy Spirit…

the Spirit of the Lord

the Spirit of wisdom

the Spirit of understanding

the Spirit of council

the Spirit of might

the Spirit of knowledge

the Spirit of fear of the Lord

Hope this helps … remember to text you questions during the message each week at your campus and we would love to answer your questions live, if possible.

Why is it called “Good Friday” with so much pain?

Tomorrow is Friday.
The day that as Christians and culturally we officially call on our calendars “Good.” Which is interesting because if you’d have asked one of Jesus’ followers how they were on this day, some 2000 years ago, they may have said: sad, scared, afraid, hopeless, disappointed, confused, anxious, hurting, or grieving… anything but “Good”.

They knew this day would come. Jesus warned them. ‘When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.’ ~ (Matthew 17:22-23) Imagine, if they were filled with grief at his warning, they were overcome, overwhelmed, and leveled with the grief of seeing him die with their own eyes.

The Friday of his death was “grief Friday.” The disciples watched as innocent Jesus was beaten like a common criminal, mocked, spat upon, and marched to his place of execution carrying the crossbeam that he would hang upon at his place of execution.  He would suffer from agony. He would suffer to breathe. He would suffer as the weight of the sin of humanity was placed upon him. Experiencing excruciating pain, sorrow, and a slow suffocation, he cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

On Friday they grieved at his death. On Sunday they danced in his resurrection.  I don’t know if you ever thought about it, but the disciples could only call it “Good Friday” after that first Easter Sunday. The light that shone into an empty tomb gave the perspective on their grief to call it “good.”

You can’t have Easter Sunday without the grief of Friday.
To have an empty tomb, there must first be a crucifixion.
To receive the joy of the resurrection, you must first know the suffering of the cross.

So, we would like to invite you to set aside a few moments (by yourself, as a couple, or as a family) and recall the account of “Good” Friday. To help take on the gravity of the grief, take time to read slowly through John 19 and take in the story of the crucifixion.

We look forward to Easter Sunday, where we celebrate the resurrection perspective that enables us to call today “Good” Friday.

Easter Services at Hermitage Hills Baptist Church

Hermitage Campus:  9:15 and 11:00 AM

Mount Juliet Campus:  8:00 (Classic with Hymns) and 10:45 Contemporary with Praise Band

Rayon City Campus: 9:30 Latino Service – 10:30 Easter Egg Hunt – 11:00 English Service

[The contents of this blog was used from Pastor Kevin Myers of 12 Stones Church]

Can you trust the resurrection?

Paul Maier – Historian

“If all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the cannons of historical research, to conclude that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was actually empty on the morning of the first Easter.  And no shred of evidence has yet been discovered in literary sources, epigraphy, or archaeology that would disprove this statement.”

If a person wishes to rationalize away the events surrounding Christ and His resurrection, that person must deal with certain imponderables.  In fact, you might say that both the Jews and the Romans outwitted themselves when they took so many precautions to make sure Jesus was dead and remained in the grave.  These “security precautions” — taken with the crucifixion, burial, entombment, sealing and the guarding of Christ tomb — make it very difficult for critics to defend their position that Christ did not rise from the dead!

Facts to Consider:

One — Broken Roman Seal … the FBI and CIA of the Roman Empire were called into action to find the man or men responsible.  The consequences of breaking the seal were severe … you were to be crucified upside down to allow your guts to run into your throat.  No one would have risked this for a myth.

Two — The Empty Tomb … the disciples did not travel to a far away land to preach that Christ had risen but right back into Jerusalem where everyone knew who they were and where all the action had taken place.  Surely if this resurrection had been a myth someone would have clearly proven so.

Three – Large Stone Moved … up an incline, away from the tomb, and picked up and carried off.  Amazing feet for sure.  If the disciples had wanted to come in, tiptoe around the sleeping guards, then roll the stone over and steal the body, why would they have moved a 1-1/2 to-2-ton stone up a slope away from the entire massive sepulcher to such a position that it looked like someone had picked it up and carried it away?  The soldiers would have to have been deaf not to have heard that stone being moved.

Four — Romans Guards Go AWOL … the roman guard fled.  Roman guards were seriously trained.  He knew that if he was to fail to perform to his duty that it could mean being burned alive.  For failure to keep his post the guard could be stripped of his clothes, and then burned alive in a fire started with the garments that he wore.  Certainly the entire unit that guarded the tomb that night would not have surcom to the sleep temptation at this kind of risk.

Five — His Appearance Confirmed … on several occasions, Christ appeared alive after the cataclysmic events of that first Easter.  One of the earliest records of Christ appearing after the resurrection is by Paul. Paul’s audience’s knowledge of the fact that Christ had been seen by more than 500 people at one time.  Paul reminds them that the majority of these people were still alive and could be questioned.  Dr. Edwin M. Yamauchi, associate professor of history at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, emphasizes: “What evidence is the reference to most of the 500 brethren being still alive.  St. Paul says in effect, ‘If you do not believe me, you can ask them.’  Such a statement in an admittedly genuine letter written 30 years of the event is almost as strong of evidence as one could hope to get for something that happened nearly 2,000 years ago.”

Consider these historical facts as you contemplate the resurrection this Easter and how it might impact your life.  Jesus was not only a good man … He was the God-Man who paid the debt of every sinner on a cross and rose from the dead victorious.  It’s not just a good story but a life changing event for all who would believe.  The apostle John did not truly believe until the resurrection … how about you?

Why do some believers get upset at the government when it attempts to help the poor?

I’m not quite sure where this question is coming from but let me share at least my personal opinion concerning this subject.  It is very clear in scripture that God calls upon His church to be about the work of assisting the poor.  In 2 Corinthians 9:9 the cheerful giver opens his or her hand and freely gives to the needy. Certainly this does not mean that a person must give away everything. If Christians were to donate all their belongings to help the poor, their resources to generate additional income would be gone and they themselves would be poor. The members of the early church helped the poor by selling parcels of land or houses, but they did this only from time to time (Acts 4:34). The apostles never coerced the rich to sell their property, but they expected that each person would give voluntarily from a cheerful heart.  By distributing blessing upon blessing to our fellow human beings, we in turn will receive multitudes of unexpected blessings from God. Whatever one distributes bountifully will be returned eventually in even greater measure. Calvin, in this commentary on 2 Corinthians, page 121, paraphrases rightly the words of Paul and says, “The more liberal you are to your neighbors, the more liberal you will find the blessing that God pours forth on you.”  We are instructed in scripture to remember the poor and to find ways to relieve their pain.

So, if a fellow believer has a cause to be concerned about the government’s actions to help the poor it could be because their disappointment is with the church.  If the church was doing what has been commanded of her to perform, there would be no need for the government to take action.  Think about that for a moment.  If every Bible believing church was taking serious action to relieve and remove poverty the results would be far greater than what the government could ever do.  So possibly the concern is over the lack of church participation in this much needed ministry from the body of Christ to those in need.

Let’s be honest.  What is your New Testament church doing to give relief to the poor in your community?  Now I’m not talking about a simple 3 or 4 shelf closet in your church that has a few canned goods.  I’m talking about a weekly intentional outreach into the community of those in need.  How often does your church have a food drive each year to give to the poor?  How is your church helping to clothe the naked and give warmth to those who are cold?  Is the body of Christ seriously taking up the mantel of removing poverty in our society?  From my view … I don’t think so.  Therefore, the government has stepped in and is doing what it can.  Is this the government’s responsibility? No, I don’t think so.

Let’s be prayerful about God’s call on His church to meet the needs of those less fortunate in our communities.  May we get more proactive in making a difference.  I know it will be blessed by God and will bring a smile to His face.

At Hermitage Hills we have the joy of celebrating our Heartbeat Ministry to the community:

Open every Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Hermitage Campus … the Heartbeat ministry provides food, clothing and spiritual counseling to families in need throughout the Hermitage and surrounding areas.  Hundreds of volunteers are active in this ministry every single weekend in order to make an impact against poverty and the help the hurting.  It is the call of Christ on His church.

Why do some believers think that tithing/giving is not for them?

The word tithing sends some believers into convulsions.  The subject has always been questioned, complained about, viewed as only an Old Testament principle, and disregarded by many believers.  The truth is the church doesn’t have a financial problem it has an obedience problem.  Because if every professing believer gave according to scripture, whether you are an Old Testament tither or a New Testament cheerful giver, there would be more than enough that the church would ever need to invest in ministry to see the Gospel released on a world in need of truth, grace, and mercy.

Maybe this all goes back to the beginning of one’s faith. Did they understand the true meaning of repentance?  Did they really grasp Lordship and ownership?  Have they truly been baptized into His death and raised to walk in “newness of life”?  It would seem to reflect that if the answer to these questions is YES, then giving is a mute issue.  If I truly believe that it is all about Him, His Gospel, His plan, His will, or His purpose … then giving the tithe is a simple yes.  It would seem that true believer’s love to give as the scripture indicates, cheerfully giving out of abundance of love for their Savior and to see His kingdom advance through giving.  But, sad to say, it seems that many stumble around this truth.  Some even pitch in a little here and there and feel as though they have made a big difference for the Gospel.  How does a believer making a good salary come to the Lord’s Day and put in a dollar when the offering plate comes by and feels as if they have truly done their part or have been obedient? That’s a great question.  I don’t know how they can do this.

Perhaps the pulpit needs to do a better job of expounding on God’s Word when it comes to giving. But we all know that that breeds, “Every time I come to church all they do is talk about money”.  We know that is not true but that statement is common when the pulpit teaches on this subject.  Of course we know that when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs the one that yelps just got hit … so it should not surprise us that people will be people and everyone is on a different place in the journey.

Where are you when it comes to giving? Is Jesus Christ truly your Lord?  If so, giving is just as important to you as praying, sharing, learning, singing, or any other spiritual practices that will enhance your relationship with Christ.  Let this blog be an encouragement to you to trust God.  If you have trusted Him with your eternity … then don’t you think you can trust Him with your finances?  God makes you a great promise in Philippians 4:19 … “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Follow Him, trust Him, and give cheerfully to His church the storehouse so that the people of God can push back the darkness together.

How can you pray unselfishly … when God says “ask and you shall receive”?

Our Lord had mentioned prayer many times in His ministry, and He had set the example for prayer in His own life. He was indeed a man of prayer.  In His Upper Room message, Jesus emphasized prayer (see John 14:12–14; 15:7, 16; 16:23–26).  He made it clear that believing prayer is one of the secrets of a fruitful Christian life.  So as believers are conformed into the image of Christ then prayer must be a vital part of that transformation.  But how do we deal personally with this “ask and you shall receive”?

In asking this question we must also remember other scripture that gives direction to us as we pray.  For example:  John 16:23 “… whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” The words “in my name” are very important.  In verses 26-28 Christ clarifies what He meant by praying in His name. He did not mean asking Him to ask the Father, as if the Father was indifferent to believers, but not to His Son. On the contrary, the Father loves Christ’s own.  In fact, the Father sent the Son to redeem them and then return.  Asking in Jesus’ name means simply asking on the basis of His merit, His righteousness, and for whatever would honor and glorify Him so as to build His kingdom. So when you pray you are filtering your request according to what will glorify Christ … build His Kingdom … honor the Lord.  If your prayer will comply with those kinds of results then pray on.  That kind of prayer would never be considered selfish or self-centered.  That kind of prayer would be Christ-centered and unselfish.

But we should also consider that the words in My name are not a magical formula which enable the user to get his will done; instead those words tied the requests to the work of the Son in doing the Father’s will.  Up to this point the disciples had not prayed in the name of Jesus. Now they are to do this since Jesus’ death and the Spirit’s coming would enable them to enter into God’s new program of the Church Age. Therefore, answered prayers bring complete joy because God is at work in them.

So how do we pray unselfishly … in His name … allowing our hearts to be in tune with His heart.  Desiring our prayers and requests on behalf of others and ourselves to be clothed in His righteousness and therefore the answer to the prayer brings glory to one person and one person alone – Christ! Consider your prayers to be that which would be in agreement with Christ if He was sitting beside you – because He is.  Let your prayers flow through His heart filter before you utter a sound.  Pray believing and pray agreeing with the Father that the result of this prayer will do only that which glorifies Christ and His Kingdom. Then you can leave your prayer closet with a clean conscious and know your Father is pleased and will answer according to His sovereign will.

(portions of this blog was gathered from Dr. John MacArthur Study Bible, New Testament Commentary, and the Bible Knowledge commentary)

What Do We Pray for? … if God is Sovereign

Sunday we affirmed the Biblical truth that God is sovereign and He has the ability to fulfill His  plans,  purpose, and will but that does not mean He does not change His mind .  As with Moses who pleaded on behalf of the people.  God had every intention of dealing harshly with their disobedience – rightfully so – but because of Moses ’  intercession God changed  His mind.  In doing so ,  He never changed His plan, purpose or will but only change the path in which it was going to come about.  Therefore, the question Why Do We Pray? … if God is Sovereign is the WRONG question … instead it should be because God is Sovereign … why would be Not pray?

Prayer puts us in the place to join God in His activity. To know Him and His plan is a huge part of prayer.  So as I pray I seek … as I seek I discover … as I discover I understand … as I understand then I can join in on God’s work.  God does not submit to my prayers but my prayers submit to God.  So praying to a sovereign God is not a waste of time but put me in the right place with the right heart so I might do that which is pleasing to my Creator.

This Sunday we will discover together 12 areas to consider to pray about.  If you do a word search in the New Testament for the phrase “pray for” you will find 12 specific areas that the scripture gives.  These 12 areas are very practical and personal.  These 12 areas are very specific and genuine.  These 12 areas are the foundation of powerful New Testament praying.

Be in worship this week at the Hermitage Campus as all 3 campuses join together for One Great Day of Discovery.  Discovery in God’s Word on What to Pray for and discovery in taking the journey through 30 different mission booths in the hallways outside the worship center that will challenge you to consider taking your faith to the streets.  Letting your prayers move from your heart to the community and beyond.  Do not just DO church, BE the church.  Be His hands and His feet.

Month of Missions … PRAYING … GIVING … GOING! How will these three words find themselves in your everyday missional life?  Allow Jesus to take you to a new place of spiritual maturity where your relationship is so real and life-changing that it compels you to take your  faith into every aspect of your daily life.  Yes, take it to work .. school … the playground … the grocery store … etc.

So, come this Lord’s Day anticipating an experience with Jesus as we answer the question in scripture:  What Do We Pray For … if God is Sovereign?

Week Four of our 30 Day Journey

We continue this week on the journey to a No-Regrets Life — LOVE COMPLETELY.

If we’re going to reach the summit in our relationships to love completely we not only need to the ROPE OF ACCEPTANCE, as we discussed in part one, but the traction of loving actions. Nothing is more important to climbers than the traction of their boots. You can have all the other equipment, but if you aren’t surefooted, you’ll never ascend difficult terrain. The essentials for strong relationships are those small loving actions, all the seemingly insignificant things that mean so much to someone else. It’s all the little loving things that make a huge difference.

During this 30 day journey make a new commitment to loving actions … to your spouse, friends, co-workers, and even people you don’t even know yet. Allow our lives to commit to loving actions will make huge advances on living a No-Regrets life.

Consider this story that Kerry Shook shares in his book – “One Month to Live”:

There has never been a finer person in American sports than John Wooden or a finer coach. He won ten NCAA basketball championships a UCLA, the last in 1975. Nobody has ever come even within six of them. He won 88 straight games; nobody has come within 42 since. There has never been another coach like Wooden. Loyal to one woman, one school, one way, walking around campus in sensible shoes and Jimmy Stewart morals. Discipline yourself and others won’t need to, coach would say. Never lie, never cheat, never steal and earn the right to be proud and confident. If you played for him, you played by his rules. Never score without acknowledging your teammate. One word of profanity and you’re done for the day. Treat your opponent with respect. He believes in hopelessly out of date stuff but never did anything but win championships. No long hair, no facial hair – it would take too long to dry and you will catch cold leaving the gym, he would say. That one drove his players bonkers. One day, all American center Bill Walton showed up with a full beard. It’s my right, he insisted. Wooden asked if he believed that strongly, and Walton said he did. That’s god, Bill, I admire people who have strong beliefs and stick by them. I really do. But, we’re sure miss you. Walton shaved it right then and there. Now Walton calls coach once a week to tell him how much he loves him. Wooden is almost 90 now, but on the 21st of the month, the best man I know will do what he always does on the 21st of the month. He’ll sit down and he’ll pen a love letter to his best girl. He’ll say how much he misses her and loves here and can’t with to see her attain. Then he’ll fold it once, slide it into a little envelope and walk into h is bedroom. He’ll go to the stack of love letters sitting there on her pillow, untie the yellow ribbon, place the new one on top and tie the ribbon again. The stack will be over 180 letters high then because the 21st will be over 15 years, to the day since Nelly, his beloved wife of 53 years, died. In her memory, he sleeps only on his half of the bed, only on his pillow, only on top of the sheets, never gets between them, with just the old bedspread they shared to keep him warm. You see, that kind of commitment is the key to lasting love and it is the love that is complete.

Traction is all about Commitment … to LOVE COMPLETELY … see you this Sunday as we worship our Saviour and learn to become for pleasing to Him and more loving to those around us!

Can You Trust the Bible?

Dr. Poly Rouse — Senior Pastor

The month of August has been a wonderful time in God’s Word. Dr. Tommy Mitchell was a great blessing as he expounded on the truths found in Genesis. Understanding the truth of Genesis is foundational to our faith. If we misinterpret, or worse, try to add to Genesis, we can get way off course concerning God’s Word. Did God create the world in 6 literal days and rest on the 7^th? Absolutely. Did God destroy the earth with a great flood? Absolutely. His Word is true, perfect, and right. When we as believers see the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word, it puts us on a solid foundation for every part of our life. When we make decisions based on God’s Word, we can’t go wrong. But, when we begin to question: “Did God really say ….”, then we are on a slippery slope – just like Adam and Eve.

This Lord’s Day, we will finish the series on “Why You Trust the Bible”. Finishing with 2 Peter 1:20-21 … “First of all, you should know this: no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God.” Let’s break this verse down … Dr. John MacArthur shares these thoughts concerning this powerful text:

• “First of all, you should know this …” – The call is to recognize that His truth as priority, namely that Scripture is not of human origin. This refers primarily to all of the OT, and then by implication to the entire NT.
• “… no scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, …” — The Greek word for “interpretation” has the idea of a “loosing,” as if to say no Scripture is the result of any human being privately, “untying” and “loosing” the truth. Peter’s point is not so much about how to interpret Scripture, but rather how Scripture originated, and what its source was. The false prophets untied and loosed their own ideas. But no part of God’s revelation was unveiled or revealed from a human source or out of the prophet’s unaided understanding (see more in v. 21).
• “… because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; …” – As Scripture is not of human origin, neither is it the result of human will. The emphasis in the phrase is that no part of Scripture was ever at any time produced because men wanted it so. The Bible is not the product of human effort. The prophets, in fact, sometimes wrote what they could not fully understand (1 Pet. 1:10, 11), but were nonetheless faithful to write what God revealed to them.
• “… instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God.” — Grammatically, this means that they were continually carried or borne along by the Spirit of God (cf. Luke 1:70; Acts 27:15, 17). Thus, the Holy Spirit is the divine author, originator, and the producer of the Scriptures. In the OT alone, the human writers refer to their writings as the Words of God over 3800 times (e.g., Jer. 1:4; cf. 3:2; Rom. 3:2; 1 Cor. 2:10). Though the human writers of Scripture were active rather than passive in the process of writing Scripture, God the Holy Spirit superintended them so that, using their own individual personalities, thought processes, and vocabulary, they composed and recorded without error the exact Words God wanted written. The original copies of Scripture are therefore inspired, i.e., God-breathed (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16) and inerrant, i.e., without error (John 10:34, 35; 17:17; Titus 1:2). Peter defined the processes of inspiration which created an inerrant original text (see 1 Thess. 2:13).

Enjoy your weekend! We’ll see you this Sunday at either the Hermitage or Rayon City campus; ready to Worship our Savior and to learn from the Holy Spirit as He teaches us to go deeper into His Word which will enable us to Connect … Grow … and Serve.

Can You Trust the Bible?

The month of August has been a wonderful time in God’s Word. Dr. Tommy Mitchell was a great blessing as he expounded on the truths found in Genesis. Understanding the truth of Genesis is foundational to our

faith. If we misinterpret, or worse, try to add to Genesis, we can get way off course concerning God’s Word. Did God create the world in 6 literal days and rest on the 7^th? Absolutely. Did God destroy the earth with a great flood? Absolutely. His Word is true, perfect, and right. When we as believers see the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word, it puts us on a solid foundation for every part of our life. When we make decisions based on God’s Word, we can’t go wrong. But, when we begin to question: “Did God really say ….”, then we are on a slippery slope – just like Adam and Eve.

This Lord’s Day, we will finish the series on “Why You Trust the Bible”. Finishing with 2 Peter 1:20-21 … “First of all, you should know this: no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God.” Let’s break this verse down … Dr. John MacArthur shares these thoughts concerning this powerful text:

• “First of all, you should know this …” – The call is to recognize that His truth as priority, namely that Scripture is not of human origin. This refers primarily to all of the OT, and then by implication to the entire NT.
• “… no scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, …” — The Greek word for “interpretation” has the idea of a “loosing,” as if to say no Scripture is the result of any human being privately, “untying” and “loosing” the truth. Peter’s point is not so much about how to interpret Scripture, but rather how Scripture originated, and what its source was. The false prophets untied and loosed their own ideas. But no part of God’s revelation was unveiled or revealed from a human source or out of the prophet’s unaided understanding (see more in v. 21).
• “… because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; …” – As Scripture is not of human origin, neither is it the result of human will. The emphasis in the phrase is that no part of Scripture was ever at any time produced because men wanted it so. The Bible is not the product of human effort. The prophets, in fact, sometimes wrote what they could not fully understand (1 Pet. 1:10, 11), but were nonetheless faithful to write what God revealed to them.
• “… instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God.” — Grammatically, this means that they were continually carried or borne along by the Spirit of God (cf. Luke 1:70; Acts 27:15, 17). Thus, the Holy Spirit is the divine author, originator, and the producer of the Scriptures. In the OT alone, the human writers refer to their writings as the Words of God over 3800 times (e.g., Jer. 1:4; cf. 3:2; Rom. 3:2; 1 Cor. 2:10). Though the human writers of Scripture were active rather than passive in the process of writing Scripture, God the Holy Spirit superintended them so that, using their own individual personalities, thought processes, and vocabulary, they composed and recorded without error the exact Words God wanted written. The original copies of Scripture are therefore inspired, i.e., God-breathed (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16) and inerrant, i.e., without error (John 10:34, 35; 17:17; Titus 1:2). Peter defined the processes of inspiration which created an inerrant original text (see 1 Thess. 2:13).

Enjoy your weekend! We’ll see you this Sunday at either the Hermitage or Rayon City campus; ready to Worship our Savior and to learn from the Holy Spirit as He teaches us to go deeper into His Word which will enable us to Connect … Grow … and Serve.