Okay, good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming today. Are there any prayer requests? Anyone have any prayer requests? All right, let's begin with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for your church, as we will learn today. the many blessings that you've given us through your church. And Lord, one of the things that we will talk about is the communion of saints. And that's one of the things that we do and share fellowship with each other and also help each other, pray for each other's burdens. Any things that, the main things that are concerning us, I know we all are having trouble with things in this life, but Lord, you lift us up and we have faith in you. And we give you praise for being such a great God and wonderful Savior. In Jesus' name, amen. Okay, so today I'm gonna talk about the Christian Creed. And that's the book we've been studying. It's by Stanley Gale. And so my topic is the church. And specifically, I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints. So, by way of introduction, it's noteworthy to see that the confession about the church follows the confession I believe in the Holy Spirit. Because the very existence of the church is because of the Spirit's work in the hearts of men. And we're not believing in the church, but believe that there is a church. Church is not able to save us as Rome would have us believe. In citing the Spirit's application in the work of Jesus Christ, the creed begins not with an individual person, but with a community of the Lord. And it's a belief shared with others for whom Christ dies and lives. So in the Great Commission, Matthew says, for everyone to basically command that people Go forth make disciples and baptize and teach So baptism in itself speaks to inclusion into the community of God's people where they will be taught Encouraged in the faith and cared for So the church the word church Is often probably congregation maybe? Accurate term bless you church is not made of brick and stone, but it's made of living people and it's a gathering together of believers. So it can even be small churches, big churches, but one thing we differentiate between the church as a division is the invisible church versus the visible church. So the visible church is what we see here every Sunday, or throughout the world, is people that profess to believe in Christ, they go to church, and so that's what we can see with our own eyes. The invisible church, though, is what God knows. He sees what's in the hearts. There are some folks in every church that profess a belief in God and Christ and that do not actually have that. And so that's the invisible church. That's the actual saved population. But being in the visible church does have benefits as well. So even though if you are not, if you belong to a church, there are still benefits to be had, earthly benefits, as well, but the invisible church is the true church. So the Greek word is ekklesia, and it means a gathering of the people or it's called out. And in ancient Greece, people would, sometimes they would gather people together, a herald would get everyone together to have a meeting. And they would go throughout the streets and try to call people together to hear some special announcement And so this was referred to as a congregation. But in our case, God is the one that's assembling the people into his fellowship, and he's calling the inhabitants from the world. And we naturally do not belong to the church. We belong to the condition of fallen humanity. But we become citizens of God's kingdom, and that it would be the invisible church. The church's task is to proclaim the gospel to all people and nations, and to instruct and nourish her members through the world. And the church is also the pillar of truth. In 1 Timothy 3.16, he says, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. And Saint Cyprian, a third century theologian or bishop, he said, no one can have God as the father who does not have the church as his mother. And because it's good to always put some John Calvin in your presentation, I have the church as a gathering of God's children where they can be helped and fed like babies and then guided by her motherly care and brought in the manhood and maturity of faith. So the church itself is described with three adjectives. They say it's holy, it's Catholic, and it's a communion of saints. And we're gonna talk about all three of these things today. Going to the Heidelberg Catechism, question 54 says, what do you believe concerning the holy Catholic Christian church? And the answer is, I believe that the Son of God, out of the whole human race from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, Defends and preserves for himself by a spirit of word in the unity of faith a church chosen to everlasting life And that I and I believe that I am and forever shall remain a living member of it So the first adjective that we're going to talk about is the word holy And what does it mean for a church to be holy So one thing, of course, that comes to mind is speaking about moral purity and distinctiveness from the world. Sometimes we say if people are not holy, we say they're worldly also. So the holiness imparts that someone is set apart from the world and set apart for good works. And we look at this land that we live in, as right now that we're navigating every day through, as foreign to the values, ethics, and priorities of those who are citizens of Christ's kingdom. So since the very fall of man, there's basically been two kingdoms, and we are members of Christ's kingdom. So we see this very strongly in the book of Daniel, where Daniel, in 605, was basically taken captive, brought to Babylon, and the Babylonians were experts at trying to assimilate the Israelites into their society, so they changed his name, they gave him different food, they tried to get him to worship the Babylonian gods, and so there was a lot of pressure on him, Daniel remained faithful to the one true God. And so even at the peril of his own life. So Daniel is a great example of a biblical figure, a classic that remained loyal to the Lord in the face of persecution and worldliness. And we have to remind ourselves that this world is not our home and we must live with a code of conduct that honors Jesus. So the scriptural teaching on this is 1 Peter 2, verses 11 and 12. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. So we see from this passage that we are sojourners and pilgrims. So basically we're, the author Stanley Gale, he describes it as basically we're carrying a passport here for heaven, here on this earth, but we're traveling through the world with intention of reaching heaven one day. So we're treated as sojourners and pilgrims. And again, it talks about the distinction and the differentness of Christ's people from the world. And it mentions not of the world, but we are set apart for good works. So set apart, the church is holy by the action of God, to be holy by the call of God, and ultimately a holy God dwells in its midst. And the root of the word sanctified in saints is the word holy. Sanctified is made holy or set apart for special purposes. Saint is a holy or godly person who is set apart to God. Church is holy because it's a people purchased for God by the blood of Christ and inhabited by God through the presence of His Holy Spirit. From this flows the purity and differentness of the world. So in 1 Corinthians chapter one, verse two, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. So you see that we are sanctified in Christ Jesus by the action of God and called to be saints together. So another important scriptural verse to show that. Another scriptural teaching, Peter was a book that was specifically are written for the church under times of persecution and encouraging the church to remain faithful in the presence of these difficult stresses. And so another passage is 1 Peter 1, verses 14 through 16. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. So here we're talking about your former life with passions and ignorance. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. So the holy God calls for holy living. And he closes with, since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. So one of the things about holiness is basically kind of a consecration to God. And lives flow out in reverence to God, love for Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. So what does it mean to be consecrated to God? It means we should devote ourselves to the Lord by repenting of our sins and affirming our faith through baptism, and also to seek out a true church to be a member of. It means that we should prioritize our spiritual life over our earthly life. It means that we should draw closer to God through prayer, preaching the word, and biblical study. We should try to act according to His will. And remember that consecration is a daily act, not just a one-time thing. Holiness does not make us loved by God. This is important, but reflects our new identity in Christ as those loved, beloved, endearment term for those that God says love upon. So we don't become loved because we love God. He loved us first. So we have to remember that there were things that were set aside, and this is a perfect example of things that were set aside by God to God's intercession. First is the Sabbath was set aside. It was consecrated to God. The firstborn were consecrated to God. The people of Israel, the Mount Zion, the temple, and even the tools of the temple, and they were designated for service of the Lord. These belong to the Lord. and are selected by his service and thereby holy. So such is with us. Second Corinthians, chapter seven, verse one. Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. I kind of remember when I first started, became a believer, I would sometimes go to, listen to R.C. and when he would call you, I would almost get choked up because it's nice to think that God loves us like that. We're his beloved thing beloved friend Ephesians chapter 5 verses 1 through 10 is another section this specifically deals with basically the turning away from worldly pleasures and dedicating and ourselves to the Lord and becoming imitators of God and trying to do a was in God's service. Therefore, be imitators of God and his beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But then he goes into, but sexual immorality and all impurity or covetedness must not even be named among you as is proper among the saints. Let there be no filthiness, no foolish talk, nor crude joking. which are all out of place, but instead, let there be thanksgiving, for you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or who is covetous, that is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partners with them, For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, and the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Again, 1 Peter 2 9-10, But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into the marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Catholic. This was always one of the more challenging words in the creed. I remember when my kids got baptized here, we read the Apostles' Creed. And my sister's husband was with her, and he was like, see, they're Catholic when this come up. And she wasn't aware of it either, but the Catholic word is sometimes, we don't like that word very much. Sometimes we're not very comfortable with that term. But we're talking about Catholic with a small c. And we're not aligning ourselves, like my brother-in-law thought, with the Roman Catholic Church. Roman lowercase Catholic means universal and if you were to look at our where we recite the Apostles Creed It is a little asterisk there for equipment and it means universal Worldwide and global not only geographically but also across generations So it's across lands across the ages all the undeserving but all blessed by God in Christ and Church addressed in the New Testament were actually in homes, not special buildings. The Church of Corinth was a church. The Church of Philippi, Priscilla and Aquila in Romans 16, verses three and four, had a church. But one of the things that Catholic wants to convey is it's bigger than our local body of believers. And so it's important to remember sometimes that we are, there's a lot more members of the church. If you're in a small church, it's encouraging to know there are many, many other bodies of believers throughout the world, not just limited to Israel, but throughout the whole world. And if you're in a big church, it should remind us that, you know, humble us to realize that there is more to it than You may be a big church, but you're small in the terms of the world's population there of believers. So the church is no longer limited to Old Testament Israel, the descendants of Abraham. It's worldwide in scope. It's not limited by nationality, skin color, or gender or race. And the church has visible forms with elders and deacons. But the important thing is the church's one foundation is Jesus Christ. In Colossians 1, verse 18, it says, Jesus is the head of the body. No one can assume this position without dishonor to Christ. And he is, it says, and he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. So here again, Roman would tell us that Of course, the Pope considers himself the head of the Church of Christ here on Earth. But by doing so, he is kind of beheading the Church by making that claim, because the head of the Church in this world is Jesus. So there's neither, in Galatians 3, verse 28, there's neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there's no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. and Christ gathers his congregation from all nations. So, why do we even put the word Catholic in there? I mean, wouldn't it be better if we didn't have that in there? It would confuse people. Well, looking at adoptions at different places, churches sometimes try to make changes in the creed, and not necessarily as anything heretical, But they'll do things like, why don't we just take the word out? Take the word Catholic out. Well, the reason we don't do that is because we are conveying something, an important truth by that word. It's Catholic, meaning it's universal. And we want to communicate that it's these things that we talked about. It's worldwide. It includes, it's not limited to one hierarchy. It's very important. So you would lose that by dropping the word. How about, why don't we just say, I believe in the Holy Christian Church? Well, if we substitute the word Christian, and the Apostles' Creed is supposed to define what a Christian is, then you're just kind of begging the question. You're using a word in your definition that you were trying to define. So that's probably not a good choice either. And then there are some people that just say, well, why don't you just replace the word universal with the word I mean replace universal instead of Catholic why don't you just use that word and so it's important to remember that over time the Catholic Church evolved and we at one time the Catholic Church was our you know we're claiming making claim to the original church that Jesus founded by that word and so We are building on that true faith. And the Roman Catholic Church, of course, kind of evolved over time. And many of the church fathers write in terms of Catholicity. And so you have Athanasius, you have Augustine, Aquinas, Cyprian, all those folks that basically wrote, you know, have writings defining what it means to be Catholic. And they're not referring to what the Catholic Church became. Later. I thought that I found this on the internet the other day, so it has to be true. And this is like a little timeline of the way sometimes we imagine the way the church kind of evolved. So in 29 AD, Jesus rises, and approximately at Acts begins. And then around 400 AD, Augustine writes a few good things. And then between 400 and 1500, basically nothing important happens. There's no real Christians because all Christianity is cultural. And then in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the wall of the church. And then in 1509, John Calvin was born. And he writes, during his lifetime, almost all the things that we need to know about to church. And then in 1600, the Pilgrims have a good idea and it becomes America. And then 1700s was the Puritans. And when the Puritans arrived on the scene, they told us the rest of the important things we need to know. And then everything's kind of cool until Charles Spurgeon is born around 1834. And then the last thing is that first G3 conference, as men and there is humor. But basically, sometimes we look at it, I thought this was kind of funny, because sometimes we look at it as like, you know, we just got our start when Calvin and Luther came along. And really, we started, you know, we were making a claim by that word to the beginning of the church, founded by Christ. Catholic and universal. So we look at Revelation, chapter one, verses five to six. And it's addressed to the seven local churches in Asia Minor. And it focuses on Jesus saving works to form a people belonging to God. And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on the earth, to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by the blood, and made us a kingdom priest to his God and Father, to him be the glory and dominion, amen. Forever and ever, amen. And then to look just a few chapters later, he talks about the diversity, diverse people by the love of God and the blood of Christ through the Holy Spirit. And they sang a new song saying, worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals. For you were slain in your blood and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language of people and nation. and you have made them the kingdom of priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. So looking at this passage, we see that it's every tribe and language and people and nation. And of course, Isaiah has a passage, chapter 19, verse 23 through 25, and it describes the fact that it's across different lands, ages, and all undeserving, but all blessed by God in Christ. So in that day, there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. And that day, Israel will be the third, with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, blessed be Egypt, my people, and Assyria, the work of my hands, and Israel, my inheritance. So these were all enemies of God's people and they will come together in the church in the later after Christ. Next we're gonna talk about communion of saints. So the communion of saints was a passage, actually the Apostle's Creed had a little bit of an evolution itself. The early church fathers don't really mention the communion of saints in some of their writings. So that was something that came along later, so they felt that that was important to add to it. So we believe that that particular passage was just added later on, not too much later, but later on nonetheless. Question 55 of Heidelberg Catechism says, what do you understand by the communion of saints? First, that believers, all and everyone, as member of Christ, have communion with him and share in all his treasures and gifts. Second, that everyone is duty-bound to use his gifts readily and cheerfully for the benefit and well-being of the other members. So now we'll talk about communion saints. So saints is another way of saying Christians to believers, about saying Christians or believers. And it's interesting, it's used almost 100 times in the Bible. Many New Testament letters are addressed to the saints. Colossians chapter one verse two, second Corinthians introduction there. Some people believe that saints refer to a special class of Christian, like a super Christian. And that would be, Rome would probably be that way. The only certain people can qualify as saints. And our author, he wants to talk about, he has a useful way of thinking about the word communion. Based upon three things. He describes it as when his mother had passed, his widowed mom had passed, there was a will. And so he received an inheritance. And so speaking of communion, that's one aspect of it, is we are co-inheritors. So we share in the inheritance together. Another thing, another example he gave, another aspect of the word communion, is a performance. And in this, he described going to a little talent show. And he was not a participant, but there were other people that were. And they were basically, the people that were in this were giving a performance. And they participated together in this program. And finally, he described it as a business, like using an analogy of a business. So a partnership such that Bound people together and directed their activity shared responsibilities and benefit and of course communion is also meant to be fellowship. I have several verses here that refer to it in different aspects because there are many ways that communion takes place among the people of God. The Greek word for this is koinonia and it means fellowship or communion and it's a common bond expression of that bond individually and in community. And so it's gonna speak to the community dynamic rooted in participation with Christ in the spirit which flows the fruit of the new life. So you're united with Christ and among Christian communion of saints is to belong to Christ and one another. We long for his glory together. So here's one aspect, another thing is we can have communion with Christ through his saving work. And I use this verse, 1 Corinthians 1 verse 9, God is faithful by whom you were called into fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Or 1 John 1 verse 3, That which we have seen in her, we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us. And indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Often we think of fellowship in terms of the very first thing that comes to mind is eating together and things like that. But it has many different aspects as well, as we shall see as we go through the last few slides. Koinonia has unity. So another section is, communion being like a unifying thing among believers. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 18 through 21 is for through him we both have access in one spirit to the father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone and whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple of the Lord. And this is a wonderful verse because it incorporates so much that we talked about today. There's the reference to the one spirit. So that's a unifying factor. We are no longer strangers and aliens when we were of the world, but we are called saints. And we are considered part of the household of God. And it calls back to the one true church at the beginning which Christ Jesus founded. And again, emphasizing that the church is more than just a building. It is a people. So Poinonia can also, as the catechism brought up, can be depicted as a Bible. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 12, chapter 12, verses 12 through 20. gifts, talents, and abilities that we have as part of that body. And the author of our book, he describes it as basically, he had his grandson, and he was very good at puzzles, and he could put the right piece to the right spot. He was very good at that. Well, that's what God is basically doing with us today, is he takes our talents and gifts, and he puts them in the right spot. So we have to consider, too, where is God's blessing in our efforts? So sometimes our talents and gifts may not be outwardly visible to ourselves, and sometimes other members or other parts of the body actually can share where our talents and gifts can provide encouragement. It's important to remember there's no such thing as a solitary Christian. There is a church, and there will always be a church. There will never be just one person. Elijah got the opportunity to, through his grace, showed him that there were 7,000 people that had not bowed the knee to Baal and had not worshiped Baal. And so at times you may feel like you're the only one, but there will always be a church on this earth. And it also says no one piece is more important than another. The communion of saints is formed and fueled by the Holy Spirit. So looking at a Corinthian verse that we talked about, 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 12 through 20, for just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For on one spirit, we were all baptized into one body. Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, it all remains a drink of one spirit. For the body does not consist of one member, but of many. If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would make it any less part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would make it any less part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts in one body. So another aspect of communion or monogamy is the Lord's Supper, which is basically a participation in the saving work of Jesus, not just individually, but in communion with one another, for the true church. So in this passage, when David serves the Lord's Supper on Sunday, he opens it up to all true believers, all believers that confess, belong to a true church. And so we're not, one of the things too, is not a hierarchy, as I mentioned earlier, not a hierarchy. So you, just because someone is not, OBC or Presbyterian, you know, does not necessarily exclude them from the church the way Rome would do it. So like if you were to take communion, you should not take communion, they shouldn't give it to you at the Roman Catholic Church. They would not want to give it to you because you're not a member. Whereas we recognize that the church is not limited to just one denomination. So in chapter, let's see, In this passage here, he said, the cup of blessing, I think it's Corinthians, yeah, 16 and 17. The cup of blessing that we bless is not a participation, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we are many, are many, are one body. For we all partake of the one bread. So again, another important passage. It indicates that we all want participation and that it is a fellowship. There's one bread, one true church, even though there may be many denominations. Jesus knows our true church, the ones he purchased. Another aspect is that our communion was suffering with Christ. We don't suffer the way Jesus did, where we were not guilty and had to suffer on the cross. However, we do partake of suffering in this world as followers of Christ. And the passage again in 1 Peter 4, verses 12 through 16, and then verse 19, kind of indicates, beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you. as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's suffering, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of the glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed. Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. So, in general, in conclusion, koinonia in Christ's church, we look to 1 Peter 4, verses 8-11. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without rumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's very grace. Whoever speaks is one who speaks oracles of God, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Conclusion, to believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, is to belong to Christ and one another and to long for his glory forever. Okay, thank you everyone. Does anyone have any questions today? Yes. Just a quick comment here. Thanks for the teaching this morning. Thank you. An example of where this, the word Catholic, there was a stumble one time in worship service. This goes back a number of years. We were reciting the creed the congregation and the visitor behind us, when he got to that, where he said, not Catholic Church, he was very adamant. I could hear him. So it shows you the importance of teaching like this to really educate the body. Not only that we may confess it, but we need to know what we are confessing and what we And I've always found it encouraging to confess a creed out loud. So not only do you do this before God, but you hear your brothers and sisters confessing the same beliefs that you have in the tribe of God. And when you hear somebody who doesn't understand it, it's actually very sad. comment on that particular word. Thank you yeah I didn't realize that time that it happened if I was here but boy that well that's similar to what my brother-in-law has said you know afterwards though but he was like yeah see here and so you know some visitors come and they're confused by that word and so it's tempting but it's an important word quite quite a As we go through this creed, we see that every kind of word that's placed in there, it was very thoughtfully carried out over some years, and it wants to convey some specific truth to the people of God. So words matter, and that's one that can be confusing. It seems like we've kind of had that word hijacked from us. over time, it didn't happen overnight, but it still harkens us back that yes, we belong as even reformers, we are reforming to the time, you know, back to the original church, the church that Christ founded. And it wasn't something that we just, you know, come together in the year 1500. It's been always there, you know, but it had drifted away and organized Also, so it's important word anyone else yes, hey Trevor Also, so it's important word anyone else yes, hey Trevor in the church, or Christian, unites us to Christ, is the word Christian. All over the world, the word Christian. So I had… sometimes I wanted to say Christian rather than Catholic, because we as a group of believers are called out of the world or have to establish God's Kingdom separate. He said we have a passport to our heaven and our home. So we are a people, a congregation in this universal world that for one obedience is to Christ. Just like Daniel in the Bible. That's just the way it comes. Yeah, so, yeah, I know, I think Mormons claim to be Christians, but they are not Christians. So, I mean, there are some folks that claim to, some religious groups that claim to be Christians, but they do not, you know, they have their own Bible and other things. It is a challenging thing to do that, and I know, And even in this creed, the Apostles' Creed, there led to be the Nicene Creed. And then that was, you know, sometimes they have to, the churches have found the need to kind of regroup because various heresies develop within itself. And it tries to, you know, basically, I saw Bonnie Bauckham had some talks about how important these creeds are because, you just recall whenever you're in a discussion with someone, you can remember what the basis of our faith, and it's kind of readily, we don't catechize our kids the way we used to, but it's very important because it gives them a reason for what they believe, and so the catechism being very important, and also some of these confessions, and so I know Nicene, I think was it, Nicene was trying to, to deal with some of the Arianism that was developing, the belief that, you know, kind of what the Jehovah Witnesses confessed. So it's a challenge, but yeah, they wanted to convey that Catholic means geography throughout the world, not just one church. And it also, they want to convey it's for people that have come before us, that have gone to glory, It's for ourselves and those that are gonna come ahead of us. So it's without subject to time or location or even hierarchy. Those are the things that would define the word Catholic. And I think they're trying to convey that with that word. But again, as time has gone on and we see words being kind of changed the meaning all the time. Now that's a very strong way, big way that things get confusing and things change. If they can redefine a word, that can happen. So yeah, it is a challenge. I know what you're saying, but they're trying to, by doing that and just add the word Catholic, they're defining it back because If you read some of the early church fathers, they describe that, use that word in their description. So we're not ready so much to, they weren't always right, our founding fathers, our fathers of the faith, but we don't want to suggest that they were part of the, necessarily part of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, because that kind of came along as time went on. So it's kind of a battle for the word, but perhaps we haven't done so well with it. I think sometimes we get so focused on our own little church, not just us, but other churches, that you lose sight of the universal church. And it's important, Pastor David, when he prays, he usually prays for one of our sister churches in our denomination. We're reminded that we have other brothers and sisters in a different geography, location. So, you know, it's an understanding of that. And, you know, of course, being Presbyterian, we're a Presbyterian built made up of other churches. So that kind of ties into that Catholic, that Catholic identity. There's... I think the word, I think, more unison is not just the word church, but Christ. Christian is known worldwide. If you say Christian Church, some may claim to be Christian, but they're not. That's between them and God's judgment. But Christian means, I mean, most people who are true believers may be founded by Christ in the Upper Room. Any other questions? Comments? Okay, well let's close in prayer. Thank you for letting me present this today. Heavenly Father, thank you once again for this teaching. Thank you for this church. Lord, we are so blessed to have a place that we can Fellowship with one another that we can pray for one another that we can lift each other up and help each other Worship you sing songs of praises Lord, thank you for this blessing you said in the beginning it's not good for a man to be alone and And he promised Lord that you would present your bride as the church is the bride of Christ if you would present her as blameless, without blemish before you. And so we're thankful for that, that we have our church, that we are part of a, not just a local church, but a worldwide church, an invisible church. And that one day we hope to join the church in heaven. So that is our great promise. And so we long for those days, that day, when that happens, and we will see you. And Lord, please bless our service today, our pastor David, as he preaches. Please help those that are ailing, that are sick, that are not with us. We give you thanks, Lord, for your great God. In Jesus' name, amen.