Thank you, Mark, again for leading us this morning. Good morning to everyone. Good to see you all this morning on this beautiful day. It's like spring is upon us. That's nice in the UP to have spring this time of year.

We're studying 1 Thessalonians. We've been studying for a while in this first epistle and moving through it verse by verse, studying Paul's words. And we come to a tremendous text this morning, really about what the ministry is, what Paul's heart is, what the purpose is of what we're doing. Paul talks about that concerning his crown of rejoicing, his joy, his people. And that's really the message this morning.

I'd like to begin by asking you to turn to 2 Peter, chapter 1. 2 Peter 1 at verse 19, Peter writes, "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." 

And if you move over to chapter 3 at verse 14, 2 Peter 3, 14, Peter says, "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace without spot and blameless, and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation, as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures."

Peter teaches us in these passages that this book, this Bible that we carry in our hands, that we read and study and believe and depend on to know God, to know Christ, to know salvation, is indeed the Word of God. Every word of this book is breathed out by the Holy Spirit, who carried along holy men, inspired the words that are written. Yet each individual wrote these words in his own style, with his own perspective, according to his own personality. 

We see that in the various books; the message is the same. It's consistent concerning who Jesus is, what he has done, the promises and the hope that we have in him. But the style, the writing, is very different from James to Paul to Peter. In that second passage we read, Peter affirms clearly that the writings of Paul are Scripture. Did you notice at the end of verse 16, chapter three, Peter says, "Men twist the writings of Paul as they do all the Scriptures." The words that these men wrote, inspired, carried along by the Holy Spirit, are indeed the words of God. But each man wrote in his own way, giving us a fullness of understanding from many different perspectives.

Much like in the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, these historical accounts give us a full understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus from three different perspectives, complemented so wonderfully by the Gospel of John, who wrote all that he wrote, that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God and believing in him that we might have life.

So as I came to our text this morning, I was thinking about these things. Because when I think of Paul, I think of a tremendous linear thinking and writing. A plus B equals C. Great arguments, laying a foundation of tremendous doctrine and clear thinking, practical teaching for life and godliness. He wrote the bulk of our New Testament and most of the epistles. Practical teaching was as directly applicable to the church to us. When I think of Paul, I think doctrine. 

But once in a while in his writings, fairly often I would say, we see the heart and passion of this great man who was chosen by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles. We see the passion behind the teaching, the writing, the doctrine, and exhortation that brings such clarity to our minds concerning salvation and the Christian life. This passage we're studying this morning is one of the greatest, most inspiring texts that he writes expressing his great love for and passionate longing for those whom he led to Christ and discipled in the faith.

Look with me at our text at the heart of Paul, verses 17 to 20, 1 Thess 2, verses 17 to 20. He says, "But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore, we wanted to come to you, even I, Paul, time and again, but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For you are our glory and our joy." 

I've given you four points on your outline this morning. First, great passion. Second, great opposition. Third, great purpose. And fourth, great promise. 

Well, perhaps I'm just getting older, or maybe I'm getting to the point where I feel as though I come from a different world, the world of my youth. But as I look around at this world and how quickly it seems to be devolving, how people no longer strive, no longer have desire, passion, or purpose in the lives they live, it makes me sad. 

It seems to me that much of this comes from a dissolution of principles, of fundamentals, basic foundational truths and a clear purpose or a goal to strive for and a desire to achieve it. I often think of men like Vince Lombardi or Bobby Knight, who I grew up with in my youth as an ardent fan of Indiana basketball. I think of Lombardi's famous speech at practice when he said, "Men, this is a football." 

These great coaches, teachers, had a passion to win and they were willing to push themselves and their players to achievements and successes that they themselves never even considered. They believed in doing it through the fundamentals, the disciplines of life or sport. And in a sense, this was the way in the method of Paul: through doctrine, through fundamentals of the faith, through focus and commitment and passion. 

What I want you to see in our text this morning is that behind this was heart, was love, was purpose. He was never teaching doctrine for the sake of doctrine. He was not an academic in his biblical writings. He was not an eloquent speaker or a philosopher for the sake of philosophy. He had a clear purpose in mind. He had a clear passion and he believed in the promises of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He believed in the means and methods that God gave him for accomplishing the plan of God for the people that he was charged with.

His motivation was love for these people, was a desire for their sanctification, their witness, their spiritual wellbeing, ultimately for the glory of God. My friends, hear me now. This is the great example of the apostle Paul as a shepherd, as a teacher, as a pastor of the people that God gave to him. This is the example to all pastors and teachers today. 

What are we to be about? We are to be about, we are to be concerned with the spiritual wellbeing of those to whom God has given us charge to shepherd, to care for, to love, to foster, and facilitate spiritual growth through example and doctrine, through exhortation and encouragement, through the fundamentals of the faith, truth spoken in love and a giving of ourselves, our very lives to the purpose and plan of God, the church. 

In 1 Thess 2 7, Paul said, "But we were gentle among you just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives because you had become dear to us." 

I want for us to see in our text this morning the heart of Paul, his deep desire for the people to grow, to be fruitful, and to bring glory to God at his appearing. 

Well, first we see Paul's great passion. Verse 17, "But we brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly," Paul uses many superlatives here, "more eagerly to see your face with great desire." He says, "We're taken away from you in presence." They ran him out of town, remember? He couldn't be with them, but in his heart, they were with him every day. He was praying for them; he was caring for them. Great desire, great passion. 

Why did Paul want to see their faces? To look into their faces, to embrace them, to be with them? When I read these words, it made me think of our world today. These words speak of fellowship, of being together, of spending time together, looking into each other's faces, seeing the people, the personality, the problems, the passions of our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Our world is moving so rapidly from this; there's no time in our business and our running to and fro, no time to sit down and spend time, only time to stare at our phones as the wonders of technology lead us from faces into our own little imaginary worlds. And now we're not even allowed to see one another's faces, but everyone is masked. There's no communication through expression or even clear conversation. We're quickly losing the face-to-face time and emotion spent in fellowship. 

Why did Paul so desperately desire to be with them, to see their faces? You know, he barely knew these people. He was only in this town for a very short time, perhaps only three weeks before they ran him out of town. This was not nostalgia overtaking Paul. It was not that he missed his dear longtime friends. He had a clear purpose, a passion to spend time with them for their spiritual wellbeing. 

Turn over to Romans 1 with me. Romans 1 at verse 8, Paul writes something similar to the believers in Rome. Verse 8, "First I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if by some means now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you, for I long to see you." 

Why did Paul long to see them? He did not found the church in Rome. Here were people that he had never met. But you can sense the passion, the love in his words. Why did he long to see them? Verse 11, "That I may impart to you some spiritual gift so that you may be established." That is, "That I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith of both you and me." 

Paul's passion was spiritual growth; it was sanctification, mutual benefit, building one another up, encouraging and exhorting one another in the faith, based in truth in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We see this again and again throughout the Scriptures that what he did, he did for the benefit of the believers, for their growth, for their well-being, for the glory of God. 

In Hebrews 13:7 it says, "Remember those who rule over you, I've spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct." And in verse 17, he says, "Obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, listen to this, for that would be unprofitable for you." And then he says, "Pray for us." 

Paul told the Corinthians, "All that we do, we do for your sake." His life, his great passion was for people, for those who believe Jesus to grow and to be Christ-like, to be witnesses so that men might believe and be saved. It's been famously said that the ministry would be great if it weren't for the people. But the ministry is all about the people. 

Paul had this burden; you think about Corinth or Galatia, the trials he endured with those people. But his concern, his passion, even as he wrote such harsh words to the believers in Corinth, was always his love for them. His concern was for what was best for them. Real ministry is about real people, and we see that in the life and ministry of Paul again and again. 

In Philippians 2:24, it says, "But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly. Yet I considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus." Epaphroditus was a real man in a real time who ministered with Paul. He calls him his brother, his fellow worker, his fellow soldier, and your messenger and the one who ministered to my need. They had sent him to Paul. He says, "I sent him to you since he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick, almost unto death, but God had mercy on him and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow." 

"Therefore, I sent him the more eagerly that when you see him again, you may rejoice and I may be less sorrowful." Why is Paul less sorrowful? Because they're rejoicing, Epaphroditus has left him. He's rejoicing because they will be less sorrowful. "Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and hold men, such men in esteem because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life to supply what was lacking in your service toward me." 

Paul had Epaphroditus, he had Titus, he had Timothy. Not only were they faithful servants to the gospel, and were they willing to give their lives for the sake of the people to whom they ministered, but they were a great help and encouragement to Paul in his ministry, in his struggles, in his daily concerns, his burden for all the churches. 

You think about that list in 2 Corinthians 11; he was beaten with rods, he was stoned to death, he was shipwrecked, he was in peril, naked and cold and hungry. At the end of that great list, he says, "But my greatest concern is this daily burden that I have for all the churches." 

Look at the next verse following our text in 1 Thessalonians 3:1. Paul says, "Therefore when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone and sent Timothy our brother and minister of God and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith." Paul wanted to go to them himself. He wanted to see their faces, he wanted to teach and encourage and strengthen them, but he couldn't go. And he says, "When I couldn't take it any longer, I had to know how you were doing; I sent Timothy," his faithful son in the faith, Timothy, whom Paul could trust to be consistent with his ministry.

In 1 Corinthians 4:17, he says, "For this reason I’ve sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ as I teach everywhere in every church." What an encouragement for Paul to have these faithful young men that he knew he could trust to go and do as he would do, to stick to the Word, to stick to the gospel, to preach Christ, to encourage them in the faith. 

We study these great doctrines taught in the Word of God and we love these truths, and they are the foundation, they are the premise for our living. But even as I think about a book like Romans, so filled with doctrine, with truth, when we get to the end, we see that all of this truth, this doctrine is meant to be applied in the lives of people, real people, real ministry. 

The great list of names he gives in that last chapter of Romans, Phoebe and Priscilla and Aquila, he just goes on and on, Mary and Andronicus and Juni and my countrymen — greet them. I love them, I miss them. They were fellow workers with me. The last verse in that book says, "Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you." There's a fellowship, there's a bond, there's an encouragement. 

Do you ever experience that? Do you have to go out into the world and live with the pagans? You have to work with them? Do you get discouraged? So encouraging to come together in fellowship in Christ and to be built up. That's what this is about. 

So we see the great passion of Paul was people. His ministry was about people and he believed that the growth and fruit of the people depended on the doctrine, the truth about who Jesus is and what he has done and the promises we have in him, the words of God. And so he taught. And he encouraged his companions to teach and preach the word of God. He said to Timothy, "Exhort the people to follow him and his example, to seek to live in light of these great truths and to love people as God loves people." 

Next we see in our text that in ministry there's also great opposition. First Thess 2:17 again, "But we brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. For we wanted to come to you, even I, Paul, time and again, but Satan hindered us." 

In this ministry of the gospel, there is great opposition. This force of opposition hindered Paul, prevented him from getting back to the believers in Thessalonica, which he so desperately wanted to do. In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter said, "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." 

Ephesians 6:10, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood." What a statement that is. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood. Men are not our enemies. It's a spiritual battle for the souls of men. That's hard to remember sometimes, isn't it? 

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

There's a spiritual battle going on in this world, in the church, against the truth, against the people of God. The center of this battle is the salvation of lost men. Satan wants to do everything he can to attack the church, to attack the truth, to attack the gospel, the people of God, so that he might undermine the message of the gospel and keep men from salvation. And he doesn't care how he does that. He doesn't care if you worship one God, or ten gods, or no gods, as long as you don't worship the true God. 

Second Corinthians 4:3 says, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." 

We see from the Scriptures that Satan targets the church, the truth, and the faithful men and women of God. Turn over to 2 Corinthians 11 with me, please. This is such an instructive passage, 2 Corinthians 11:2. "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it." 

Go down to verse 12. Paul says, "But what I do, I will also continue to do, in order that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. For it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." 

My brothers and sisters in Christ, you need to understand this: Satan does his best work from the pulpits of churches. He is a deceiver. He's masquerading as an angel of light, and his great passion is to thwart, to twist, to stop the truth. And so we see that he seeks to destroy faithful men who preach the truth. Think of Job. The most righteous man, Job. Satan came before God and asked to have Job, to seek to destroy him, and to show that no man is really faithful to God. But we know how that ended. 

And then there's Peter. Jesus came to Peter; what did he say? "Satan desires you. He desires to sift you like wheat." His desire is for you, to destroy you, shake you up, toss you around, make havoc of your life. And Peter denied Jesus, but he was restored to feed the sheep. And also Paul. Satan came to buffet him with a thorn in the flesh. And Paul prayed three times, but God told him, "My grace is sufficient." And notice Paul's testimony; he said, "When I am weak, then God is strong." His strength, his grace is on display through my trials.

We have a worthy adversary. There's a real and true spiritual battle going on in the world. But how do we fight this battle? What does the Bible tell us about how to win the battle for lost men's souls and to glorify God? Do we bind Satan? Shall we cast him out and rebuke him? Is that what Peter and Paul did? No, the weapon of our warfare, the sword we carry, is the Word of God. The truth is the weapon by which we fight this battle, and the power is the Lord's. As Paul, we trust in Him. We glory in our weakness, knowing that God is mighty to save.

In 2 Corinthians 10:3, Paul said, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." It's the light that dispels the darkness, the truth that exposes the air, and that is why in our battle against spiritual forces in the realms of darkness, we preach the truth. We believe the truth and we trust in God alone, walking by faith, looking to Jesus, depending on Him to win the battle, to bring fruit through our lives.

There's an interesting little passage in the book of Jude. Jude is speaking of false teachers who have crept into the church unknown. In verse 8 it says, "Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh. They reject authority and they speak evil of dignitaries, yet Michael the archangel in contending with the devil when he disputed about the body of Moses, listen to these words, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, the devil, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.'" 

The Lord rebuke you. Even Michael the archangel of Israel did not confront Satan on his own, but said, "The Lord rebuke you." That is the Lord's battle, not our battle, and He's won it. We are here to speak the truth because the truth is what accomplishes our great purpose.

Verse 19, "What is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ that is coming? For you are our glory and our joy." Paul was a great example of a true biblical pastor, teacher, shepherd, primarily because he loved the believers. Those who were brothers and sisters in Christ, his passion, his life purpose was for them.

What he did, he did for their sake and he loved them. They were his joy. People were the whole point. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Paul was his sent one, the ambassador, the apostle to the Gentiles to bring the message of the gospel to preach Christ. The purpose of all this is found in verse 19 of our text. "What is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ that is coming?" 

Paul's purpose in ministry was to present the believers blameless, faultless before Christ at His coming. We saw that in 2 Corinthians 11 before, "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one husband, Jesus, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." First John 2:28, John said, "And now little children, abide in Him that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." 

First Thess 4:3, Paul said, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification." This is God's intent, its purpose. It's purpose in saving lost men and Adam. To not only justify, but to sanctify and to glorify. We studied this last week in our communion service. Those whom He justified, He also glorified. God's intent is to make us like Christ, to present us holy and blameless at His coming. 

In Jude 1:24, it says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." The joy, the rejoicing will be at the consummation at His coming when we are caught up together with Him glorified and we will always be with the Lord. 

God's plan is to accomplish this through people, through believers, through pastors and teachers, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, through the spoken word, through the truth. Jesus said, "Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth." What are all these pastors doing? What are they doing in the church? Programs upon endless programs and community service and all kinds of things. These things aren't wrong in and of themselves. Who's teaching the word? 

The word has to be at the center because it's the very means that God has given to accomplish His intent and purpose to make us like Christ. And that's the way we'll be effective witnesses in this world. "Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth." 

So in Paul's mind, his great passion and love for the believers must be expressed in doing what is best for their spiritual growth. And this mainly focused on teaching and exhorting and encouraging by the truth about Jesus and who He is, what He has done, and the hope and the promises that we have in Him, the life that He now lives in and through us by faith. 

Paul was heavy on fundamentals and the indicatives, the truth basis concerning our salvation and our Christian life because this is the method that God gave him. This is the method that he trusted to accomplish the will of God in the lives of believers, our sanctification. 

So Paul taught the truth. He expounded the facts of our faith and exhorted us to trust Christ. He longed to do this. It was his great desire to be with the believers, to be mutually edified, to see them grow and produce fruit and walk worthy of their calling. 

And this was why he was so encouraged by the church in Thessalonica. They were walking in this way. The gospel came with power and was bearing fruit as they grew by the pure milk of the Word. This was Paul's joy. His joy was the people bearing the fruit of righteousness by the power of God and the impact that that had on the world. John said, "I have no greater joy than to see my children walking in the truth." 

You know the converse of that is true as well. There's no greater pain than to see believers walking like the world. This would be his reward as well, he says. Isn't that interesting? The people in the presence of Jesus at His coming. 

The Bible talks about crowns; rewards that we will receive for the works that we've done of eternal value. Paul makes the most interesting point here in our text that ultimately our crown, our joy and reward is people in the presence of the Lord. This is our great promise. 

We'll see this clearly when we get to chapter 4. Turn over to chapter 4 verse 13. Look ahead a little bit to that text. First Thess 4:13, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep who died, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep." 

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with Him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words." 

This is our hope, our blessed hope, His glorious appearing. This is the promise that we have in Him. Let not your heart be troubled, Jesus said. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. Listen to what Jesus said here. "If it were not so, I would have told you. I love that verse. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am there you may be also." 

Paul said in Philippians 3:20, "Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." 

And what an instructive, encouraging passage we find in 1 Corinthians 15. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 15 with me and we'll look at verse 51 here as we close. 1 Corinthians 15:51, Paul's going to tell us a mystery, something that's never before been revealed, and he's telling us now. "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 

"So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?' The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

How do we respond to this promise? Verse 58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 

Our labor for the Lord is not in vain. Our study and fellowship and preaching and teaching of the Word of God is His means for making us like Christ. Our witness in the world through our lives and through our message is not in vain. It's bearing fruit for the glory of God and the salvation of men. 

This is a good work. It's a worthy work which has reward. It's our great privilege to serve the Lord in thankfulness for all that He's done in and through us and for the promise that we have in Him. What greater thing could we do than to tell people about Jesus? Paul says there will be great reward. The promises are all yes in Him. We will be caught up to meet Him in the air. He will come back to take us to be with Him. We will have our reward, people. People whom we've led to Christ, whom we've ministered to in love and truth. 

People. People in the presence of our Lord at His coming. What a great day that will be. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank You for Your Word, Your promises, Your truth. Thank You that You've preserved Your Word for us, that You've given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and to illuminate Your Word. Thank You that You teach us. Thank You that You're our Father and You're patient and long-suffering and willing to work through us. Thank You for the privilege of telling people about Jesus and how You change their lives through the message of the gospel. Thank You for the fellowship that we have in Him. In Jesus' name, Amen.