The Ministry of Women in the Local Church — Denny Kenaston

I have a subject that I'd like to give attention to this evening. It has nothing to do with the message that was given on Sunday, but in a sense it does flow out from it. But the message that I gave out in Ohio, as you brethren remember, we discussed a little bit in a brothers' meeting that there was somewhat of a question in the fellowship out in Ohio about the place of the sisters in the life of the church.

The Ministry of Women in the Local Church

And the questions in particular were whether a sister could speak at all in an assembly or whether she was supposed to be totally silent. With those questions in mind, I was asked to bring a message on the ministry of women in the local church, and I did do that out in Ohio, and I wanted to bring that lesson here.

So I've been planning for about a month to bring the lesson this evening, not realizing what I would be preaching on on Sunday morning, but they do sort of flow out from the one to the other. The ministry of women in the local church is what we'd like to look at this evening, and I'd like us to begin by reading in the book of Joel, Joel chapter 2, and verse 28 and 29.

Joel 2, 28 and 29. We're going to be teaching here a little while and then open it up for discussion, hopefully we'll have time for that, I believe we will. Joel chapter 2, verse 28, the ministry of women.

And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, A-L-L flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Now I thought that would be a good place for us to start as we're looking at the ministry of women in a local church. We want to start where Jesus did in the book of Acts, when he poured out his spirit on the 120 that were in the upper room.

Some of those that were in the upper room were women. They were there. They received the same mighty baptism that the men received when they were in the upper room. However, as we begin to follow some of those women from that place on, we see that their ministry is worked out a little bit different than the ministry of some of the men.

Spiritual Gifts and God-Given Boundaries

For example, it was Peter who stood up and preached the sermon. It wasn't Mary, the mother of Jesus, who stood up and preached the sermon at Pentecost. It was Peter. But we want to begin here. As we look at the ministry of women, we want to recognize that the ministry of women is very clearly, based on these verses, a spiritual ministry, an anointed ministry, and even a very powerful ministry, because the Spirit of God has been poured out upon them just like upon men.

However, we also want to recognize that God, in his wisdom, and we may not understand all of his wisdom, but God, in his wisdom, has placed some boundaries around the ministry of women. Not only women, but in fact, every one of us, God has placed a boundary around every one of our ministries.

Let's turn to 2 Corinthians, chapter 10, just to look a little bit at this principle. 2 Corinthians, and chapter 10, I feel that we need to look at the principle of boundaries before we look at the ministry of the sisters in the local church.

Paul, the Apostle Paul, had very clear boundaries in his ministry. He would have made havoc had he crossed over the boundaries that God placed upon him for his ministry, and I believe that every single one of us need to face that same fact.

If we get outside of the boundaries that God has placed on our ministry, it will make havoc among the people of God and in the kingdom of God. But notice what Paul says here, and I'd like you to just note as we read this word measure, it means boundary.

2 Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 13, but we will not boast of things without our measure or outside of our own boundaries, but according to the measure of the rule or authority which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

And Paul is saying there, I'm not going to boast outside of the area of ministry that God has given to me, but in fact, the area of ministry that God has given to me has reached even unto you. That's what that verse is saying, for we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure as though we reach not unto you, for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ, not boasting of things without our measure, that is of other men's labors, but having hope when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly.

What Paul is saying there is, he's staying within his own boundaries and as he speaks, he's speaking about things that God has done in his ministry and through his ministry and within the boundaries of his ministry.

If you could just imagine a little bit this evening, if the apostle Paul chose to go outside of the boundaries of the ministry that God gave to him, we can see very clearly in the book of Acts that God sent him away from the Jews and told him, I'm sending you to the Gentiles, go out from here.

Imagine what it would have been like if Paul, knowing the things that he knew, having the revelation that he had of the church and the oneness of the church and the freedom of Old Testament laws, if Paul would have stayed in Jerusalem preaching those kind of things, it would have wrought havoc in the kingdom of God.

Paul stayed within the boundaries of the ministry that God gave him. And we can learn a lesson from that, that God knows what he's doing when he places boundaries on our ministry and we can also learn another lesson from it.

It does not mean our ministry is limited at all. It just means that God uses us within the boundaries of the ministry that he gives us. And he has he can spread you very far within those boundaries, just like he did the apostle Paul.

Also in Romans. Chapter 12 and verse three and four, we see this principle again. Only this time, Paul is not speaking about his own ministry, but he's giving direction to the church at Rome. He says in chapter 12, verse three, for I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

For as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office, so we being many are one body in Christ and everyone members one of another now. And then he goes on into discussion about gifts.

And what Paul is saying is stay within the boundary of your own ministry. If God has given you a gift of prophecy, then you give yourself to prophecy. Don't be over here trying to be a teacher if you're if you're given over to prophecy.

If God has given you a gift of teaching, then don't you try to be a prophet if God has given you a gift of teaching. Stay within the boundaries of your own ministry. And there's some real wisdom in that.

I'm sure we would all agree. OK, boundaries does not mean that one is better than another. We need to recognize that because God has placed some boundaries around sisters that is different than brothers.

That does not mean that God is saying that brothers are better than sisters, that brothers are smarter than sisters, that brothers are more highly honored than sisters. It just simply means that God in his wisdom placed different boundaries.

We all have boundaries. You just have different boundaries, different measures of faith, even as the scripture says. Now, there are reasons for the boundaries that God has placed around women. And I'll give you three.

The Speaker's Three Reasons for Boundaries

And if you think of some others, just jot it down. And we we can hear that at the end of the lesson here. Number one reason for these boundaries, because of God's order, even before the fall, God placed man at the place of authority.

God placed man in the place of responsibility. And God placed man in the place over woman. Even before the fall, man was in charge. Adam was in charge. He was the king over all the earth. And Eve was his helper.

So, number one, the boundaries are there simply because of God's order. Number two, the boundaries are there because the scripture teaches in Peter that the woman is a weaker vessel. Now, that doesn't mean anything bad.

It just simply means you are a weaker vessel. And because you are a weaker vessel, God in his wisdom placed a boundary around you in the ministry that you are able to exercise yourself in. And thirdly, 1 Timothy teaches us that God has placed a boundary there because the woman was deceived and not the man.

Those scriptures are very clear. Because the woman was easier, because the woman was the weaker vessel, she was more easily deceived and she was tricked easier. And I believe there's an easier possibility of being tricked into false doctrine if you are a sister than if you are a brother.

And because of that, God places boundaries around the sisters. Okay. One thing that I noticed as I studied for this message, that the ministry of women in the local church, for the most part, either directly or indirectly, is a supportive ministry.

It's not a leading ministry. It's not a teaching ministry. It's not a preaching ministry. It's not a forerunner ministry. It's not the kind of ministry that is out in front. It's not a public ministry.

It is a supportive ministry. And we'll be able to see that as we go down through these different areas of ministry. You'll see they're all supportive. The first one we want to look at is simply the ministry of helps.

The Ministry of Helps and Support

God has given the sisters a ministry of helps. What do I mean by that? Serving in various capacities. My mind goes to the several illustrations in the Gospels where we can read that there were several women that followed the Lord Jesus wherever they went.

Now, I don't see any account of them up preaching or teaching or anything like that, but they seemed to go wherever Jesus went and they ministered to Him. And they ministered to the disciples. I don't know if they went along and cooked for them and provided food for them.

I don't know if they went along to care for their physical needs, wash clothes that needed to be washed or whatever it was, ministered to some of the sick that were there, helping them, caring for them.

I'm not sure all what it was, but they traveled with Jesus and the Bible says they ministered unto Him. And I believe it was a supportive ministry that those women had and it was a blessed opportunity for them to be able to travel and go where the Lord Jesus went.

But I believe their ministry was supportive with Him. Also, we read in the book of Acts that there were, at times, certain sisters who traveled in a group with other men, with the Apostle Paul, on different missionary trips and different service endeavors.

And again, they were there in a supportive role. It's very clear to see that when you read in Romans chapter 16, and we're not going to read these verses, but in Romans 16, where Paul is giving a list, giving greeting to quite a list of people, there are several women in that list.

And you can tell by how he talks about them that those sisters had a supportive role in his life and he wasn't counting them to be second-rate servants of God or anything. He was lifting them up and recognizing the great need that they filled in his life and the lives of those others who traveled with him, the way they were able to minister in a supportive way.

Turn to 1 Timothy chapter 5. We get a little bit of insight into this supportive ministry in 1 Timothy. So what are we talking about? For the sisters, when we speak about a ministry of helps, visiting sick, ministering to the poor, carrying out acts of kindness and mercy, loving your neighbor, visiting those in rest homes, and just simply having a ministry of serving others.

These are acts of ministry that are well-pleasing and highly esteemed in the sight of God. Notice what it says in Timothy chapter 5 verse 9 and 10. Now this is speaking about widows and giving qualifications for widows, but you can see God's heart about ministry for women in these verses.

Verse 9, let not a woman be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, well reported of for good works if she have brought up children if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.

So that's quite a list of qualifications for the widow who is a widow indeed. But we can see from that the supportive role that is there. In other words, what God is saying is, if she's had a ministry of helps, serving, ministering to people's needs, washing the saints' feet, care for the strangers, giving them lodging, feeding them their food, taking care of them, relieving those that are afflicted.

If she's had this kind of a ministry, she's worthy, she should be held in high esteem, she should be placed among the widows in the church, church, take care of her, feed her, clothe her, make sure she has an apartment to live in, bless her all the rest of the days of her life, she's to be held in high esteem in the congregation because she had a ministry of serving and support while she was younger.

Also in this area, a ministry of helps comes along those lines also, that of being a wife and serving your husbands. The Scriptures teach that the wife was given to the husband to be a helpmeet, and it's interesting to study the word helpmeet, the word comforter comes right out of the word helpmeet.

And the reason for that is the word comforter means to come alongside. And a helpmeet, when God gave Adam a helpmeet, He gave Adam Eve so she could come alongside of him and be there to be his support and to be his helper in whatever he was doing.

Before the fall, he was ruling over the world, and she was his helpmeet to come alongside and encourage him in those things. So we want to recognize the tremendous ministry that every wife has when she comes alongside of her husband and becomes a support to him and a help to him, and yea, washes his hands and takes care of his children and prepares food for him to eat and keeps his house so that it's orderly.

We want to lift that way up high. That is a ministry. And if you're a sister here this evening and God has given you a husband, you have a ministry that God wants to pour out His Holy Spirit on. That you can carry it out under the anointing of God's Spirit, it is no little ministry.

If you think it is, just ponder for a moment with me what kind of a war there would be if there were no support unit behind the front line. There would be no war. There would be no winning of any war if the support unit behind the scenes all of a sudden decided, we're the second rate soldiers and we have to stay in the back and all we have to do is stay back here and make sure they have fuel and fix their equipment and make sure they have food to eat and all those things.

If that support unit all of a sudden developed that kind of an attitude and said, we're done with this stuff and headed for the hills, that would be the end of that battle right there. They would lose the war.

No support unit, no winning of the war. So it's not a little ministry. But it is a different ministry than what your husband had. It's not a public ministry. It's not out in the front. You're not up there preaching.

You're not out on the street corner hollering about the gospel to all the people that are out there. But nevertheless, you take away that support unit and there will be no front line ministry at all. So it's a very important ministry, a ministry of helps.

Whether you be married or whether you be a single sister here this evening, you have a tremendous opportunity to get underneath the anointing of God's Spirit in this area right here, a ministry of helps.

I do believe it's so that God gifts more sisters in the area of helps than He does brothers. You'll find the brothers, the preachers, the teachers, the pastors, the leaders, you'll find those gifts flowing in the brothers, not in the sisters, because God gifts the sisters in a supportive role.

Okay? Second of all, we want to look at the ministry of motherhood. That is a ministry. It's very clearly brought out in the New Testament that it's God's will that mothers give themselves to the ministry of rearing godly children.

Motherhood as a Ministry of Discipleship

That is very clear. And I would encourage all of you mothers that are here this evening again, there is a channel of anointing for you from heaven for this very area right here. To rear up those children.

To rear up godly children. And we're not saying anything on purpose about the responsibility of fathers in the home, but I don't believe that God planned for the wife to be the cook and the one who washes the floor and the one who washes the clothes and then just the father, He teaches the children the things of God.

I believe every day is a whole new day of opportunity for a mother to pour her life into the guiding of those children in the holy ways of God. It's a ministry. I think of Timothy's mother and his grandmother, Lois and Eunice, I believe that is the order.

They had a very effective ministry. I think we would all agree here this evening. As they poured the scriptures into young Timothy, teaching him the ways of God, filling his heart full of the word of God, that from a child he knew the holy scriptures that were able to make him wise unto salvation.

And I believe it was all the efforts that they had that they poured into that boy when he was growing up that made him so usable when he became an adult. That Paul, when Paul met him, he noticed right away, there is a valuable young man, I want him to go with me.

And he took him with him and made a disciple out of him and later he was one of the strong leaders in the churches. That didn't just happen. It was because there was two women who saw a ministry open for them to put into this little boy the word of God.

My mind also goes to Susanna Wesley, and we could mention many, many others of the, you think of the men that God have used. Well, it wasn't just a man that God used. Back there, many years back, there was a godly woman who lived under the anointing of God's spirit, who rocked a little cradle when there was a little baby in there, a little boy or a little girl in there, rocking that cradle back and forth.

But it wasn't just a regular woman rocking a cradle. It was a sister who saw that she had a ministry, that she had a call on her life, that there was something that God wanted her to do in the life of this child that was inside that cradle.

And the hand that rocked that cradle ruled the world. And I dare say that many a woman has ruled the world through the cradle because she poured her life into some children, raising them up to be godly.

The Catholics know that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Hitler knows or Hitler knew that the hand that rocked the cradle ruled the world. And the communists knew that the hand that rocked the cradle could rule the world.

They poured all their attention in the little ones. And I think it it behooves us this evening, you sisters, to just recognize the awesome calling, the awesome ministry that God has for you. Just with these little ones that are under your care each and every day.

Susanna Wesley blessed England with two well-trained, well-disciplined, Bible-filled children. And this is an anointed ministry that God has for women. And I might say, it's not a little one. It'll take up most of your days and nights for many years.

What a sad thing. And I know we don't face these things as much in the setting that we're in. But what a sad thing. As I look back into the setting where I came from, the the mothers were, they didn't have time for their children.

They were the Sunday school teachers, the Sunday school superintendents, the church secretaries. They had the women's soul winning clubs and they had all these things and they were very busy in all those things.

But they didn't have time to rock that cradle. What a sad thing. They missed their real ministry. They missed it. Oh, they got to win some souls. That's true. Oh, they got to teach a Sunday school class.

Prayer and Prophesying

That's true. They got a lot of public attention. That's true. But they lost their children, too. I wonder how many more souls that son could have won who would have been raised right for God. Number three, an area of ministry is the ministry of prayer and prophesying.

This also is a ministry that we clearly see in the scriptures for women. First of all, a ministry of prayer. Again, we see a supported ministry here. Praying, not out in the public, not out up front, but a ministry of praying.

Nobody knows you're praying. Nobody hears you praying. Nobody knows you got up at four o 'clock to pray. Nobody knows while you're up at two o 'clock with your baby till three o 'clock that you prayed while you were awake.

Nobody knows those things. It's a supportive role. But take away all the praying sisters. I wonder what would happen to the church of Jesus Christ if you pull them all away and stop their prayers. So you have a ministry of prayer.

And that is a powerful ministry. You can have, I think sometimes, more effect on the kingdom of God than the one who stands up and does the preaching. If you're behind the scenes and you found an open avenue of prayer before God and you bring your prayers up before Him, sometimes I wonder, many times I wonder, when we stand in that day, in that day when God hands out the rewards, who's going to get more rewards?

The warrior who prayed behind the scenes or the preacher who got up front and did all the hollering and all the shouting and got all the public attention? I wonder who will get the more rewards? So you have a ministry of prayer.

It's not a little one. It's very important. Many, many sisters miss this beautiful avenue of ministry and they're unfulfilled because of it. Many sisters chafe, they chafe in the fellowship that they're in because maybe they see something that isn't going quite the way they think it should go, and in reality, God is revealing it that they might give themselves to prayer over that need.

And they go unfulfilled in their life, chafing over this problem or this problem when God is only revealing it that they may have a ministry of prayer in the church. My mind goes to Anna, there in the book of Luke, that old prophetess who prayed and fasted as an old woman, an old sister, the Bible says she ministered or she served the Lord with prayer and fasting.

I don't know if you sisters have ever seen that as a vital ministry or not, but the Bible says she ministered unto the Lord and served the Lord with prayer and fasting. That's all she did. And God thought it was important enough to put it in the Bible and let millions and millions of people read about her.

And all she did is pray and fast. That was her ministry. It's not a little one, it's a very big one. May the Lord open up our eyes and help us to see how things do get done upon this earth. It's not all by the activity of the men, but it's much by the prayers of the women in the church that things get done.

Alright, then also in the area of prophesying. What do I mean by prophesying? I mean speaking forth under the anointing of God's spirit. Now, here in this area is the area where the controversy comes, and we want to look at both of the verses, both of the set of verses that bring some question in people's mind and recognize them both this evening.

And I want to give some explanation to it. However, I want to begin by saying I don't feel like I'm an authority on this subject. I just want to give you some thoughts about it. First of all, we know that 1 Corinthians 11 mentions sisters being veiled, and it mentions them being veiled in the context of praying and prophesying.

Now, no one here has a problem with the praying part, but the question comes on the prophesying part. What does that mean? Well, it does mean what it says, speaking forth under the anointing. A woman who's going to speak forth under the anointing must have her head veiled, otherwise she brings shame to her husband.

If she speaks forth under the anointing and her head is not veiled, she brings shame onto her husband. If she speaks forth under the anointing and is not under her husband's authority, she brings shame onto her husband.

I believe both of those are true, not just a physical covering, but the spiritual covering of the authority of your husband. So, this ministry of prophesying is no little ministry, and God takes it very seriously.

It is a high honor that God would allow you to open up your mouth and speak forth under the anointing, but the direction is clearly given. You must be in God's order if you're going to do that, and that is underneath male authority and with a veiling on your head if you're going to do it.

Otherwise, you bring shame, and it is a shame. Okay, now turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Let's see, I believe it's 1 Corinthians 14, I'm sorry. 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 34. We want to read these verses also concerning women speaking.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul was giving direction to the church, giving order to the church, and in verse 34, we break in on what he has to say about the sisters. He says, let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.

And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? Came the word of God out from you, or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order. Now, these verses, some, and I would say some, through the church age, the church has signed to and forth on this thing, carrying it to extremes.

Through the church age, there have been times when these verses were interpreted, this means silence means silence, and women say nothing at all. Personally, I don't believe that's what Paul was saying here.

If you could view the context of an assembly there at Corinth, Paul was saying, let the prophets speak one by one, and let the other prophets judge. And in those days, a meeting was a lot freer, it was more like our Wednesday night Bible study is when we have an open discussion.

Somebody will get up and say a few things, and then the brothers will speak up. What about this? What about this? What do you think about this? They'll raise questions, and challenge what was said, and all of these kind of things.

That was typical in one of their assemblies. Women were not supposed to do that. They're supposed to be quiet. And the reason why I believe that's what Paul was saying was because he said that the women were supposed to learn at home, and they were to ask their husbands.

Well now, if he meant that they weren't supposed to learn anything at church, that wouldn't make sense. The context there doesn't make sense. If it means they're not supposed to learn anything at church, they're supposed to learn it at home.

No, it means if they have any questions, they're not supposed to pipe up and say, but brother, what about this verse? No, that's out of order. That wouldn't be right. That's shameful. And in that sense, I think every one of us here would say, let not the women speak out in the assembly.

I think we would all agree with that. That would be out of order, and I think most of the sisters in this room would feel out of order to do that. To say, brother Denny, what about this verse? I don't understand that.

What about this verse? And challenge. Now, it's okay for the brethren to do that. Nobody feels uncomfortable with that. What about this verse? What about this verse? Well, good. What about it? Everything's free that way.

But if a sister began doing that, wait a minute, something's out of order. That's not being under authority. You go home and you ask your husband if you have a question. I believe that's what Paul was saying there.

Teaching, Authority, and the Order of the Church

Now, let's turn over also to 1 Timothy 2. And again, I say, I'm not being real dogmatic about this. In 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 11. We want to read from verse 11 through 15. Let the women learn in silence with all subjection.

But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Notwithstanding, she shall be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. Now here, I believe what Paul is saying is, I believe he's also addressing this whole matter of the women bringing forth questions.

But he goes into more detail there and says, don't let a woman teach. And don't let her speak with any kind of authority to a man. That's out of order. She's not supposed to be in authority over a man.

And I know that most of us here believe that. But it shocks me still when I hear of women who pastor churches with their husbands. And one Sunday he preaches, and the next Sunday she preaches. And to imagine a woman getting up behind the pulpit and preaching to the men and telling them what they should be doing and exhorting them and even rebuking them is so far out of line of what God's order is for women.

And that's what Paul was dealing with here. Women are not supposed to teach because the woman was deceived. And she can be deceived again. And she's not supposed to be handling doctrines and teaching doctrine to the congregation.

There's a weakness there. Don't let her teach. And by the way, don't let her usurp or exercise authority over a man. That's out of God's order. She's to be under subjection and learn from the men. That's what the Scripture teaches.

Okay, in Acts, I can't quote the chapter, but in Acts it says of Philip the evangelist that he had four daughters who prophesied. Now, how can this be? What were they doing? These four daughters prophesied.

In fact, it was such a blessing that God put it in the Bible so that millions of people could read it that Philip had four daughters, not one, but four, and all four of them prophesied or they spoke forth under the anointing of the Spirit.

And it was so known that it was known. Well, I'm not sure what all that means. But I know that it was known that these four daughters did prophesy. At the same time, in that very chapter where it mentions that, Paul went to Philip's house.

While he was there with Philip the evangelist and these four daughters, Agabus came from Jerusalem, and there was a prophecy that God wanted to give to Paul. Who do you suppose God used to give it? Agabus.

I don't understand all those things. God used the man there to give the prophecy to warn Paul about going to Jerusalem. There were four daughters there that prophesied. Why did God bring Agabus from Jerusalem to prophesy when there were four daughters there that prophesied?

I don't know. But I know they prophesied. And Joel says they will prophesy. The Scriptures teach us in Titus that the older ladies are to teach the younger ladies to be keepers at home, to love their husbands, to love their children, etc., etc.

There, God gives a ministry, a preaching ministry, if I can use that term. God gives a preaching or a teaching ministry to the older women that the younger women can also learn from the older women.

David said, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.

Prayer for Victory in Christ

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the victory that we have in Jesus. We thank you for this psalm of deliverance, this psalm of victory that David has given us. We pray that today you'd open up our hearts and our minds to understand the power that there is in being in Christ.

We pray for those that do not know Jesus Christ, maybe driving down the road or just tuning in or maybe listen regularly, but yet have not received Christ as their Savior, that you would burn into their heart a longing, a desire for the Savior, the lovely Savior, that they would know him, that they would know him, that they might have eternal life, that they might be fulfilled and find the purpose in life that you so want us to have.

You want us to have fellowship with you. And Father, we thank you for the precious blood of Christ that was shed for our sins. Thank you that you were crucified, buried, and rose again the third day for us.