THE GIFT OF GOD'S GRACE (Eph 3:7-8)

Announcements and Church Updates

Well good morning family. Welcome welcome to church if you want to make your way from the back come on in here. We've got we've got a few announcements to make before we jump into our service. I want to I want to tell you about and I think we have it up on the screen if you can flip to it.

We have the membership class coming up. We try and do a new member class once a quarter and. For those of you that have been through the membership class you can see up here that there are a few extra steps.

There's not extra steps we're just taking what you've had to go through in a long period like one setting and Spreading it out over four weeks. And so as you can see step one, two, three and four I'll be teaching a couple.

Pastor Jeremiah will be leading one of them and and brother Keith will be leading another. These Wednesday nights and it will start on August 9th and be every Wednesday night. Consecutively through August so if you know someone that is interested.

What does it mean to be a part of this particular covenant body of believers? What is this church about? What do they believe about the God the Word of God? Church structure, how are they structured? What does it look like and then the membership covenants anybody that is interested?

This is the first step in pursuing being a part of this covenant body of believers. And and so I encourage you if you want to set through that and and by the way any any of you Existing members if you want to refresh or you want to go through just to hear a few things you are absolutely welcome.

So on Wednesday nights, we will continue our Wednesday night study through systematic theology in here and This class will be over at the house in the dining room and the youth meet in the living room.

We'll be meeting in the dining room there. So August 9th, don't forget about that. And then secondly, we have a group that's leaving here in a couple of weeks. I'm part of it and we're going down to River Bend Community Church in Ormond Beach, Florida which has been a church that has come alongside us and support and and And been really kind of a mother church of sorts to this church plant.

And so there's a group Keith about 18 of us, I believe 17 something like that. People are flying down and we're going to be spending the weekend walking through and learning from them. Learning how some maybe some some little particular nuanced ministry how things are run things like that and and just fellowshiping with the brothers and sisters their Support, so please keep us in prayer.

We're leaving. We'll be gone the last weekend of this month. And so both me and pastor Jeremiah and brother Keith are going to be gone. But we will still have service on the 30th and our very own Adam Carmichael is going to be preaching a sermon his very first sermon that Sunday.

I've looked over the notes. It's gonna be awesome. So you do not want to miss that. So, please plan on being here, even though there's a group of us that are gone Worshiping the Lord together. Another thing is is we've we've spent a week of prayer this week.

We've been praying very intentionally for God's Will to be done in the life of this church. We've been looking for a location and I'm I'm Hesitant but glad to announce that he may have opened a door. He may have answered our prayers and in a tremendous way like far beyond our expectations, which is which is Unbelievable, so we need to continue to pray.

We need to pray that we find favor in the city The eyes of the city so that we can get approval to be able to meet in this new location. But we will have and I'm announcing now officially a family meeting next Sunday.

If you're a member you want to be at this family meeting it will be after coining a feast when we usually do sermon discussion and we will meet to present this option to you and to vote on Whether or not we want to pursue this.

So if you're a member of this church and you want to have a voice in the new location. You want to be here next week our bylaws require us to give a seven-day. Heads up so here's your seven-day heads up if you want to be here be here next Sunday.

And I think it's gonna be an awesome time last time. We had a family meeting like that. Everybody was so unified. It was just everything was unanimous. We're like, why do we even meet anymore? So I expect probably this will be the same because this is a great option.

So praise the Lord and please continue to pray. Please continue to pray that that all of these These pieces fall into place for that. Well before we start our service again, we like to pray for a another local church and this morning I would like for us to pray for Christ Redeemer here in Jonesboro.

It's a PCA church. That is they planted a few years before we did but they have just in the past I think week or two officially Gotten a new pastor and so praise the Lord for that. I do not know the gentleman, but I've heard him preach a couple of times and and I'm very excited for him being there.

I'm excited for this. There are these brothers and sisters to to finally be moving forward with a pastor and so let let's go to the Lord in prayer and pray that they That God would work in their myths this morning as a people and and and be with their leadership.

Prayer for Christ Redeemer and the Call to Worship

Dear heavenly Father. We thank you. We thank you for allowing us to gather but but we also thank you for our brothers and sisters all over the community. God we we are not alone here. There there are so many Saints in the area and they are all gathering this morning to worship you.

And father, I know that we worship you in slightly different forms and in slightly different ways. But I pray that you're honored in it and God I ask right now specifically for Christ Redeemer. I know they have had a hard road over the past couple of years father, but it looks as though you are you are continuing to be faithful to them and Allowing them to maintain and move forward as a church by bringing them a new pastor.

So father, I pray for him right now. I pray for his family. I pray that you Grant him tremendous grace during this time of transition. Lord, I pray that you give him discernment and wisdom give him great boldness.

Give him clarity of your word. He'll allow him to teach it. And in its fullness God, I pray that you allow him to care for the flock there at Christ Redeemer and I pray for those people I pray that even this morning as they prepare to gather and worship as we are that you would be in their midst that you Would work in their midst that you would mold their hearts guide their Their affections towards you father.

I pray that they could be a people that is that obeys What they believe your word to be saying God, I pray that you would use them mightily that you'd bring about a tremendous awakening and revival in their midst that would spread throughout the city and and over to us and to other churches and and to the the darkness of Of a community like this father.

We we thank you for them nor bless them and grow them mature them and and and be with them. And we thank you in Christ's name. Amen. And then well, let's let's stand for a call to worship. I'm going to Read a portion here of of our psalm of the day as we've again Consecutively walked through the Psalms as a church, but we thought we would use this particular Psalm some 74 as our call to worship.

Where the psalmist says Oh God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? Remember your congregation which you have purchased of old which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage.

Remember Mount Zion where you have dwelt. Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins. The enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary. Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place. They set They set up their own signs for signs.

They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees and all its carved wood. They broke down with hatchets and hammers. They set your sanctuary on fire. They profaned the dwelling place of your name bringing it down to the ground.

They said to themselves we will utterly subdue them. They burned all the meeting places of God in the land. We do not see our signs. There is no longer any prophet and there is none among us who knows how long.

How long Oh God is the foe to scoff is the enemy to revile your name forever. Why do you hold back your hand your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them. Yet God my king is from of old.

You divide the sea by your might. How you crushed the heads of Leviathan. You split open springs and brooks. Yours is the day yours also the night. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth. Remember this Oh Lord.

How the enemy scoffs and a foolish people reviles your name. Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beast. Do not forget the life of your poor forever. Have regard for the Covenant for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.

Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame. Let the poor and needy praise your name arise. Oh God defend your cause. Remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day. Do not forget the clamor of your foes.

The uproar of those who rise against you which goes up continually.

Prayer of Adoration and Worship

Amen, let's pray together this morning Father we thank you God for bringing us here to sing praise to you to study your word to draw close to you God. Lord you are worthy of all praise and honor we could ever give so much Father.

So many times we think that we actually bring something that's worth something to you father. Scripture tells us that our righteousness are as filthy rags and father. We just ask God Humble hearts this morning that you would accept this offering of praise that it would be a sweet-smelling offering to you father.

God you are worthy of so so much father. Lord, I just pray that our lives reflect that that Thanksgiving God back to you for what you've done for us. We just praise you God in Jesus name.

We won't fear the we will walk. Go before Me the way we found a red joy now. I got us for the father's love Boys now Father's love is a strong mighty Lord as we continue this worship and offering a disaster to prepare hearts for the message God.

That you have prepared by the Holy Spirit For us this morning that you'd give us ears to hear what the Spirit speaks of the church.

Thank you father for this time. To you be all glory and honor forever and ever. You already study God's Word.

Ephesians 3:7-8 and the Gift of Grace in Ministry

I'm ready. We'll go ahead and open up your copy of God's Word to Ephesians.

Surprise surprise, right?

Ephesians chapter 3. We're gonna be looking at verses 7 and 8 today as we continue the study of this immensely rich letter from the Apostle Paul to the Church and the believers. The Gentile believers mind you they're in Ephesus.

And as as we see Paul's writing here starting in verse 7 of Ephesians chapter 3. He says of this gospel. I Was made a minister According to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power.

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. This is the reading of God's Holy Word. Let's Let's stop now. Let's pray.

Let's let's go to him and ask that the Holy Spirit would illuminate our hearts and minds this truth.

Amen.

Amen. All right, let's do it. Let's do your Heavenly Father. We come to you humbly acknowledging our frailty and understanding. What is clear in your word? Oh father, I See these words that you inspired the Apostle Paul to write and and I know that there is tremendous richness here, there's there's so much beauty.

So much gospel all mixed in here and and I feel inadequate to To even address it much less comprehended. And so I desperately need your help this morning. I know these Saints here need your help. Lord, we we need we need the Holy Spirit that is within each of us to illuminate our minds and hearts.

Let us see it. Let us see it with clarity and father guard my lips from air. Lord, I I Am I'm fallible? But your word is infallible. Help us to be true to it in Christ's name. Amen. Well, as I mentioned earlier on in the service, we we as a church have just gotten through a week of prayer this was kind of our first real intentional like let's let's pray together for a Specific one specific thing and and what we did is we opened up these doors Every evening all throughout the week even up till last night.

And many of you have have taken time out of your week and come to gather with the Saints and pray you would come in and make supplication and prayer to God on behalf of this church and Not to mention.

I know many of you would text me and say hey my schedule at work isn't allowing me to be here I get that but I and I know that all of you Have been praying Specifically throughout the week whether you were at home whether you with your family or at work.

Specifically we pray for God to provide a location for us to meet right? That's what we've been doing we've been praying that God will provide somewhere for us as people to gather and worship him every week because most of you already know that this space right here was always meant to be very temporary and We are quickly coming to an end here in this space and and so we've been Trusting that God has got to provide haven't we and we go to him and we pray and we trust that he's gonna answer these prayers according to his will and Align our hearts to that will because if God has truly called us to this if God has called This particular covenant body of believers us gathered here to this mission He will certainly provide the means to do so won't he and we have no no lack of faith that that is going to happen.

Now.

The how the what and the when he provides this solely up to him. That we don't know. And and the how the what and the when he wants to use us and how he wants to use us. We don't know it is God planning on putting us in the dead center of Jonesboro and the masses Flock to hear the truth of God's Word and to grow in the context of what we're trying to build as a healthy church.

Is that is that what God has in store for us? Or does God have in store for us to find a building out in the middle of a rice field and dwindle down to five or six families that gather Diligently to worship the Lord on the Lord's Day and serve him or anything in between right?

Those aren't the only two options thankfully. Right it we don't know what God has in store. If this is the plan that he that he wants for us. We don't know we do not know the decreative will of God. Do we we do not know?

We're not privy to his perfect counsel. Yet, we do know. We do know some things. We know what he's called us to. We know what he's told us in his word. As to how we are to be how we're to be structured.

What were to look like as a church. That we should have a plurality of elders that we should have Servant deacons. That we should have a covenant membership and all that goes in with that. We can see that in God's Word by the by the power of the Holy Spirit showing us to it.

We can see the goal and the purpose of what a church is to be. Can't we? We know that a church is called to be a Great Commission Church, which doesn't mean just go and make disciples. It also means teaching them to observe all that Christ commanded to disciple disciples.

So the church is called we see in Scriptures go make disciples teach them and. Then they can go make disciples and teach them and they can make disciples and teach them. We see all of this and we can Align ourselves to it by the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

We can seek to obey his commands from Scripture and trust in his providential hand of the whole way through. As to where and when and how he's going to use us. Now I have to say this it that is so easy for us to say and Not as easy for us to practice, isn't it?

We can say Oh God can use us. Right. We say yes. God is sovereign. He's he's in control and he can use me he can use us any way he wants to whenever he wants to here. We are God use us. But then when God doesn't use us in the way that we want him to use us our theology and our practice.

Began to part ways. If we're being honest, right? I've seen it go both ways actually with this you have a young seemingly thriving church. That for some reason never seems to take off never seems to really Take off like some of the other maybe seemingly thriving congregations in the community or around the world that you see.

That have all the masses and have all the money and have all the resources and have everything and you begin to look and you Go it's not doing what those things are doing and and and so families begin to leave people begin to leave because it looks as though God must be working over there and he's He's not here.

Otherwise, we'd be booming like they're booming. I Want God to use me like that and what do they do they abandon their covenant with these people. Because it's not the ministry. It's not what's happening at the church that they think God should be using them as on the other hand.

Let's look at the other extreme right? You know me I like extreme examples bear with me on this and everything in between on the other hand I I've seen young thriving churches start to burst at the seams and grow Exponentially and people are flocking to the truth and people are coming in and it is growing and growing.

Leading to the core original members to jump ship because they don't like the crowds. Or they don't like the direction that the church was going. It's not it's not as intimate as it once was. And they have they to abandon their covenant with these people.

You know, they tell us in church planting statistics. And and honestly, I have friends that are far Further down the road in church planting that me that that affirm these statistics. 80 to 90 percent of the people that joined in your first two years will no longer be with you at year five and.

That's because what they expected God to do wasn't what God had planned. So what causes us as God's people to be so fickle. Well, the short answer is of course sin, right. Sin causes us to be fickle. Sin causes us not to trust in the providence of God.

Which leads us to not have the mind of Christ? That's ultimately what's happening here is Christ is the head of the churches and he does with the church as he pleases and how he wants when he wants how and where he wants and We go now.

I want to be the head because I know what the kingdom needs. This leads us to this but here in our text today These two verses we see the Apostle Paul's perspective and that's one that is in line with the mind of Christ.

It is right in line after all remember what Paul said in 1st Corinthians 11, right? He said hey Christians. Hey you the followers of Christ be imitators of me. Why can he say that he says as I am of Christ?

Imitate me as I am of Christ. Because he has the mind of Christ. So let's look at our verse. Let's see what the Apostle Paul's perspective is here in these two verses. Look look there again at Ephesians 3 verse 7 Paul says of This gospel.

Let's stop there for a second. What gospel? What gospel is he referring to? Well, let's jump back a verse look at verse 6 that we looked at last week. This mystery now the gospel remember was previously a mystery.

All right. It wasn't it wasn't revealed in full throughout history and so this mystery is that the Gentiles our fellow heirs members of the same body and Partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

What Paul is talking about is this same gospel that now has unified Jewish Christians Gentile Christians. Male female black white whatever it may be across the board God has unified and he's done so through this gospel.

So so what is this gospel? Well, let's let's see in greater detail just as a reminder. I know you know it but let's look at it look back at chapter 2 where the Apostle Paul starts in verse 13 there Where Paul says but now in Christ Jesus you Gentiles right who were once were far off have been brought near.

How have they been brought near? By the blood of Christ right and he says for he himself is our peace. Both Jew and Gentile right who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by Abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create himself one new man in place of the two.

So.

Making peace. Making peace. With who. This is the gospel guys. Who's he making peace with? Right. Verse 16 gives us some insight into this doesn't it?

And.

Might reconcile us both to God. There's a reconciling. Remember we're enemies of God and We need to be reconciled Christ. Christ blood has reconciled us with God. It has paid the penalty for us, but not just us all of us.

Not just Gentile not just Jew all of us because he says that look at it reconcile us both To God in one body unified now, we've been rectified. We've been reconciled with God and reconciled with each other there at the cross through the cross thereby killing the hostility the hostility that is between God and man and It is against God against man and man against man and creation against man and himself there's hostility isn't there and now God has Reconciled that through the blood of Christ and so this is.

This is what Paul's talking about of this gospel. This is what we're about. This is what Paul's about, isn't it? The the Apostle Paul never moves on from the gospel to deeper truths. Does he? Now he expresses deeper truths all in light of the gospel and all with the purpose of aiming towards the gospel.

And I think we see a little bit of what it means to be a people of God here. Look at what we're doing here at church what God is doing here at church, right? We are not about Calvinism or Arminianism here.

That's not what 12 five is about. I don't care which side of that camp you're on. That's not what we're about. We're not about eschatology here all about trying to figure out when Jesus is going to return.

That's not what we're about is it? We're not about debating and arguing with others that don't believe the way that we do well, that's not what we're about. That's not in the DNA of who 12 five churches this covenant body of believers.

We're not about building bigger buildings. Are we we're not about a proper? Ecclesiological structure and this is this is how the church should be run and this is how the church should should be structured and set Up, that's not what we're about.

We're not about discipleship. We're not about evangelism. We're not about any of that. We are about what leads to all of these things. Which is the gospel of Jesus Christ? Amen, and this is the Apostle Paul Laying this out for us.

He says of this gospel this is at the core of who he is and how he perceives every single thing and Everything is through the lens of that gospel. You can't move on from that gospel. You want to understand eschatology?

Understand the gospel first and you'll see it through the lens of that Christ will return as the reigning king. You want to see you want to see evangelism and discipleship? Look at the gospel understand the gospel live it rest in it.

That's the Apostle Paul. Paul has priority straight. Paul says of this gospel and look at it again. He says of this gospel. I was made Notice he doesn't say I decided to become. I Was made a minister.

Paul's Calling, Grace, and Power in Ministry

Flip over with me to one of the pastoral epistles. 1st Timothy chapter 1. 1st Timothy chapter 1. I want to look at a couple verses there 12 and 14. 1st Timothy 1. Starting in verse 12. The Apostle Paul is writing to one of his protege's Timothy here, right?

And he says I thank him who has given me strength. Christ Jesus our Lord. Because he judged me faithful. Now I think as Christians we like to look at just that part. He judged me faithful me me me. What did I do?

How did I present? How did I live? Did I live up to the law all of that? But I noticed what he says next says appointing me to his service.

Forget.

The only reason Paul's faithful is why? Because God is faithful and God's faithfulness has appointed him to this service. Look at verse 18 or no first 13. Sorry.

Though.

Formally, I was a blasphemer Persecutor an insolent opponent. We're gonna talk about all of that here in a few minutes. About Paul's background. But look what he says says, but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly and unbelief Verse 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus gospel.

He was made a minister. God is the one that has set him apart that has called him that has that has brought him to This this place. He's the one that has saved him and made him. He's appointed him to this service.

As he says to Timothy God made me this. God appointed me to this. Each of us Paul included. Here's the thing. Have been made something. You realize that right and.

That.

Something is to be used for the kingdom purposes. We've all been made something. You didn't have a choice in it. Did you? Paul says in Romans chapter 12 in verse 6. He says having gifts that differ having gifts that differ according to Right given by based on the prerogative of.

God.

Right. He says according to the grace given to us. Notice how he even points it to the gospel in that moment. What's the grace? He's always talking about. It's the grace of the gospel that he's been saved right and this is according to the grace of God.

That's given to us these gifts. Let us use them. And then he goes off and lists some of them and they're in the New Testament Church. If prophecy in proportion to our faith if service in our serving. The one who teaches in his teaching.

The one who exhorts in his exhortation. The one who contributes in Generosity. The one who leads with zeal. The one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness. We don't decide what we are made for. Do we.

We don't make that decision. It's according to the grace given to us. I've known many young men that wanted to be pastors. As a matter of fact, I wanted to be a pastor one after I was saved at 17. I want 18 19 years old.

I thought well, I'm good. I got it. I'm going to the ministry. This is what God's calling me to praise the Lord. I didn't go into the ministry, right? I would have been devastated and I was so arrogant and immature and annoying and I would have like I would have just Completely harmed sheep left and right.

I would have been terrible in the ministry. God wasn't calling me to that. He didn't call me that till I was 40. Praise the God praise God but in that moment he didn't but I see young men come in and want to be pastors so bad and and you look at Them you're like that's not what God's gifted you for.

That's not what God's made you. You have to work in the sphere of where God has called you the Apostle. Paul knows what he's been called to and He's honoring the Lord in the service of that of what he's been designed for what he's been made for and here Paul is affirming This in his life.

Look back at our passage in Ephesians 3 of this gospel. I was made a minister. This word minister. I think it's a little hard for us to really comprehend. We get a little confused here this Greek word diakonos.

You gentlemen that are going through the deacon training y 'all are very familiar with that at the moment. It's where we get our word deacon. And the one it just means one who serves in the interest and for the benefit of others.

The akinos is the word deacon. Now does this mean that Paul is saying that he is holding the office of deacon? Well, of course not we know that that's not the position of the Apostle Paul. He's not in the office of deacon.

Even though we use this word. This word is used in many different forms and and not always used in reference to the actual Office of deacon. Okay, this isn't this isn't always Referring to the office the position.

So if not a deacon is Paul referring to himself as a pastor after all when we hear the word minister, what do we think of? You hear the word minister you think of a pastor, don't you you think of someone that is pastoring a people?

Well in a sense he is he's shepherding people in that he pastors them. He shepherds them but Paul never holds the office of pastor either. Remember Paul is an Apostle he's unique and And mind you I've said this before there are no more Apostles.

Those men had to be in the presence of the physical Jesus Right and had to be affirmed by the other Apostles. There are no more Apostles and I see a lot of people I actually had had coffee with a with a gentleman the other day that is not he tries to run a ministry Outside of the local church.

He's not even a member of a local church and I'm trying to talk to him. He goes well the Apostle Paul wasn't a member of a church and he roamed around from church to church and did like a para Church ministry and I'm like, that's the he's an Apostle.

That's the beginning of the church. That's the foundation that's built off the cornerstone that we've talked about recently, right? That's not Paul is an Apostle. He may not hold the office of pastor.

He may not hold the office of deacon. I digress but in this case It is it's translated Minister because Paul here is trying to express his service and interest that are aimed To and for the benefit of those he's writing to.

Now I'm gonna say that again. Okay, so you hear me in this case this translation of the diakonos Minister is because Paul is trying to express his service his interest. That are aimed to and for the benefit of those he's writing to.

This is why he's using this particular word. And he says of this gospel. I was made a minister. I'm serving I've been called by the gospel of Jesus Christ and I was made To in the service of you and he goes on he says according to the gift of God's grace.

Now Paul has actually mentioned this previously this might be familiar to you because look back at verse 2 of chapter 3. Where he starts this whole section off. It kind of makes an interrupt and says hey assuming that you've heard of the stewardship of God's grace.

That was given to me for you. And he repeats this phrase here this minister according to the gift of God's grace. What's Paul saying? Paul is saying that God sovereignly made him a minister to us the Gentiles and this was a gift of God's grace.

Right. It's a gift of God's grace. God's grace is a gift, isn't it? Right. It's not deserved. It's not earned. It's a gift. We we are not the ones that say hey God I want you to make me this or I want you to give me this or I want you to place me here I want you to to to do this in our midst.

I want you to do this. It's okay to make your petitions to God knowing that hey if it's your will and I want to be aligned to your will. Hone me in on that will God and help me pray for that but sometimes we pray for those things, but we can't expect those things because Grace is a gift and the grace that we get is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Did any of us earn that? None of us right? We're all unworthy and this beautiful grace is a gift and then the ongoing grace of God Throughout all of it is continual gifting after gifting. It's that grace upon grace upon grace that just keeps building and building and we have nothing.

We're like infants completely dependent upon our parents who are gifting us. Whatever it is that we have but we have a parent who is the good father that only gives us good gifts. Only gives us what we need.

We'll look at what Paul says next in verse 7 of this gospel. I Was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace. Which was given me.

By.

Now again, nothing of him given him by. And how was it given. How? By the working of his power. That's how it was given. This grace was given to him by the working of his power. What does Paul mean by this?

What's Paul talking about by the working of his power? I think we see a hint in his previous writings. Let's go back right go back to chapter 2 again. Let's look at verse 4 and 5. Where Paul says. But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us.

Even when we were dead. Right. Does that mean partly dead? Does that mean somewhat dead? Does that mean just sick? What's it mean?

Dead.

Dead. No life whatsoever. Even when we were dead in our trespasses. Made us alive. Breathe life into dead bones put flesh and blood on a dry land on a dry. Skeleton of death and spirit in a spiritual sense, but he made us alive.

Together. All right, that's key throughout this whole thing. We're in Christ together together with Christ. By grace you have been saved.

Huh.

The power of God. Right. Well look look back at chapter 1. Let's keep reading. Remember in chapter 1 Paul Paul had prayed a prayer for these Saints before he starts really breaking out some of that theological Principle in chapter 2.