1 Timothy chapter 3, and let's read the Word of God. We'll begin at the opening verse. This is a true saying. If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop, then, must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy liquor, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous, one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. For if a man knew not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? Not a novice, as being lifted up with pride, he fall in to the condemnation of the devil. He must have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. And then Titus chapter one, and we'll take the reading from verse four. Paul is writing here to Titus. To Titus, my known son after the common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. For this cause left I thee in Crete, Thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city as I had appointed thee. If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly, for a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy looker, but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate, holding fast the faithful word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy lookers' sake. Amen, and we'll conclude at the verse 11, these Bible readings. Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer together. Loving Father, again, Lord, we are before thy word, and we thank thee that thou hast given thy church, Lord, instruction and counsel with regard to those who are to fill the offices of the church of Jesus Christ on earth. O God, we bless thee, dear Father, that thou hast given to us these pastoral epistles we think of lord or that which happened on the isle of crete there were things that were wanting and lord we realize that in the church there's always things that are wanting always things that need to be put in order oh god we recognize that the only perfect church is the one that is in heaven itself the church uh in glory the the one oh god to whom and to where we will all join at ranks someday the church in heaven, and yet Lord, we pray for the church on earth. Oh God, that she might be as holy as is possible for her to be. Lord, help us, Lord, we pray, in these matters that lie before us as a congregation. Guide, Lord, the communicant members and the friends of this congregation. May they pray much over this very matter, we pray, and may the will of God be done. Oh, we pray, Lord, not our wills, but thine be done. So come and answer prayer and lead us now in this service. We offer prayer in and through our Savior's precious, worthy and holy and blessed name. Amen and amen. Well, last Lord's Day, we began looking together at the character of the man who desires to fulfill and to fill the office of a bishop or the office of an overseer, an office of an elder within. the church of Jesus Christ. Now last week we focused entirely on the passage there in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and as we did so we noted a three-fold division with respect to those who occupy the office of an elder with regard to their qualifications. In the verses 2, 3 and 6, we notice that Paul deals with the man's personal character, who the man is himself, the character of the man who desires the office of the bishop. And then in verses 4 and 5, he speaks about a man's character when it comes to be seen. in the home setting. And then in verse 7, the Apostle Paul, he speaks about a man's character as it manifests itself out in the world. Now we only got as far as looking at the man's personal character, and we made a number of comments on the following characteristics. An elder must be blameless, verse 2, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to whine, no striker. What we simply want to do today is to continue in this study, want to give you the remaining characteristics, qualities of a man who is to be elected to the office of eldership, and I want to try and do that and complete the study today. I want you to notice, first of all, as we consider now the tenth characteristic, the tenth qualification for the man who desires to fulfill the office of elder, that such a man, according to 1 Timothy 3, verse 3, that that man is one who is not greedy of filthy looker not given to wine no striker not greedy of filthy looker now looker is an old-fashioned old english word it simply speaks about wealth speaks about riches. The word looker literally translates to mean money gained. And the apostle Paul, he comes here to add an adjective with regard to this looker, this filthy looker, this greedy of filthy looker. He adds this adjective to Filthy. Filthy looker. And whenever you take the phrase in its entirety, it literally can be translated this way, money gained in a dishonest way, or selfish gain. Selfish gain. The man who seeks to be an elder should not be motivated by greed of money. Such is fleshly, such is carnal. He should be a man who is free from the love of money. That does not mean that he is not to be a wealthy man, but rather that his motivation in life, the things that he lives for, is not governed by this continual greed of having more and more with regard to the world's riches. We think of wealthy individuals whom God used. Abram, the father of the faithful, a wealthy individual. We think of Job, another man, a wealthy individual. And God would employ and use those in his service. So it's not to say that a man is not to be wealthy, but it does say that his money is to be gained in an honest way. He is to be an honest broker, we would say. His financial affairs ought to be guided by the Christian virtues of honesty and of integrity. You know, how men gain and invest their money is very telling with regard to the character of those men. If a man gets his money dishonestly, if he gets it in a dishonest way, those things reveal to us that that man is one who is motivated by greed in his life, and such a man is not suitable for the office of an elder. His financial affairs ought to be always above board. They ought to be legitimate, and they ought to be legal. with regard to his financial affairs. Because this man is going to be involved in the dispensing of God's money from God's treasury to the works of God that are necessary and are needful for financial help and gain. And thus a man who is dishonest in his dealings. And what I'm speaking about is very clear, brethren, that this matter is that you are to be honest with regard to your financial dealings in the world. You're not to be a man who does and lies on your self-assessment form. You're not to be a man who does things cash in hand. You are to be honest, legitimate, above board with regard to these matters, not greedy or filthy looker. The office of an elder must never be used to advance a person's business ventures. but rather the office of an elder must be used to advance the cause and the testimony and the name of Jesus Christ. Spiritual, not material wealth should be uttermost in the mind of a prospective elder. He should be a spiritually minded man, not a man who is worldly minded, who has his mind set on earthly things, but a man whose mind is set upon heavenly things, spiritual things, the things that are above, understanding that all that we have in this world will rust and decay and will fade away. But the things that endure are those things that are. eternal. He is not to be greedy or filthy looker. The eleventh qualification for the man who desires the office of an elder is that he is to be, notice the word, patient. The word patient, the word translates to mean to be considerate, to be forbearing, to be gracious, to be gentle, The original word, it carries the thought of one who is sweetly reasonable. A man who is sweetly reasonable. An elder should be a man of a mild and of a kind demeanor, such as his master was. Whenever you think of the ministry that an elder exercises within a local congregation, such patience and such gentleness is most certainly required in restoring the fallen saint. How patient and how considerate and how gracious the elder needs to be. lifting up the fallen, supporting those who have drifted and gone astray and become cold in their Christian walk. The elder is to be one who is to be patient, patiently dealing with that individual and seeking for their return unto the Lord. And then you think about the help that they need to give to the young convert. Oh, how gentle they need to be with regard to the young individual who has just trusted in Christ. a gentleness with them, someone who is sweetly reasonable, considerate, someone who is forbearing. I am, when it comes to speaking with the sinner, how gracious he needs to be, and therefore a man who is to be an elder must not be rash. He must not be impatient. He must not lack grace in his dealing with others. Such a man has no place within the eldership of Christ's church, and so I ask you, Are you a patient man? Are you a patient person? Are you a person who forbears with others? Do you suffer long? Do you bear patiently the reproaches and the injuries that come your way? Unjust, yes, but do you patiently endure them? Oh, you are to be a patient man. The 12th qualification for the man who desires the office of an elder, he is to be not a brawler, not a brawler. The phrase simply means that he is not to be contentious. He's not to be a quarrelsome man, but rather he is to be a peaceable individual. The Greek here literally translates to mean not disposed to fight, not disposed to fight. I can imagine that there's nothing more discouraging in the work of God than to have someone within its leadership who just likes to quarrel about anything and everything. Brethren, we are exhorted in Scripture to follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. We are to be peacemakers and not peacebreakers within the church of Jesus Christ. Now, that is not to say that there are not times when we need to speak up, when we have different views than others within a session, especially when it comes to spiritual matters and doctrinal matters. We are not to be yes-men, simply saying yes all the time. That is not what we're saying, but we are to be of such a disposition. We are not to be of such a disposition that others dread going to the meeting of the church office bearers because they know that such and such a person is going to argue and to fuss about everything in that meeting. You are not to be a brawler. You are not to be a brawler, a brawler. You're not to be one who is disposed to fight about everything and everything. And so this is the qualification, not a brother. The 13th qualification is that you are not to be covetous, not covetous. A man who desires the office of an elder is to be a content man, one who is content with his lot in life. not coveting after that which does not belong to him. Paul has spoken here about a man who is not a man that is greedy of filthy liquor. And he says that that man is not suitable for the office of an elder. But here he's dealing with all kinds of covetousness, not just that which would lead a man to become greedy of filthy liquor or of money, but rather a covetous of heart with regard to all matters. Instead of being covetous, an elder is to be generous. He is to be a man who is liberal in his giving. He is to be hospitable and charitable, ready to help on those occasions according to the ability that God has prospered him. He is not to be covetous. To be covetous is to break then the tenth commandment, and thus he is to be a law keeper and not a law breaker. He is not to covet his neighbor's house, his wife, his manservants, his maidservants, his ox, his ass, or anything that is his neighbors, but rather he is to be a man who is content in life, content with what God has given him, a contented man, not one who's covetous. The 14th qualification of a man seeking to be an elder is that he is not to be a novice. Notice there it says in the verse number six, not a novice, lest, being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil." In other words, he is to be a man who is experienced, experienced in the things of God, and experienced in the church of God. This word, novice, it translates to mean newly planted, newly planted. The word here, it speaks of a young convert, or it can also speak about someone who has not spiritually matured in their lives. And the reason why such a person, a young convert, and someone who is not spiritually mature in their lives, is not to be placed into this role, is given to us here in the passage of God's Word. They are not to be given such a prominent role within the work of God, because if they are, that young convert might well be lifted up with pride. If there's anything that God hates, it's pride. Arrogancy. It really brings to our attention that an elder is to be a man of spiritual maturity, as well as one whose life is marked by humility. Let me address those who are maybe young in the faith. Can I say to those who are not that long, maybe saved among us, that this office is not for you. At least at this point of your spiritual and your Christian life, though you may meet many of the other criteria, this one I believe will disqualify you from standing at this particular time. But having said that, let me continue to say, that you are to continue to walk with God as a young convert and continue to serve Him within the local church and to continue to grow in grace and continue to acquire a greater knowledge of Jesus Christ and to know His will in your life. And as you do so, maybe God will lead you at another occasion to stand as an elder of this local congregation. There must be a period of time a man within a local congregation as a candidate for eldership, that he must prove himself spiritually, that he must prove himself spiritually mature enough before he takes up the role of such a position within the church of Jesus Christ, not a novice. Some have even suggested that this free is not a novice refers to individuals who come into a church assembly and they're only here for a little period of time. And that person must look at how the church operates and how the church governs itself. And thus such a man must not be brought into the leadership of the church quickly. within the assembly of God. But that's how some interpret this. But I believe that it speaks about a new convert, someone who has come to faith recently or someone who hasn't matured in their Christian life. And let me say, brethren and sisters, we all mature at different rates. We all grow in grace at different rates and at different speeds, as it were, but God is causing us to grow in grace. There should be advancement in the direction towards spiritual maturity by every child of God. Oh, don't remain a novice in the things of God. Seek for spiritual maturity in your Christian life. God will bring you on and advance you. Because such a man is beneficial to the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we have here these personal characteristics. Now you may think, well, we have thought about these various verses in 1 Timothy chapter 3, well that's all of the characteristics that are involved. Well that is not the case. While there is overlap between 1 Timothy 3 and Titus chapter 1, Titus 1 does draw us to a number of other qualities with regard to the man who desires the office of a bishop or the office of an elder. And so we want to notice a number of these extra ones. You'll notice as we read through the passage of God's word, As we read through Titus 1, you'll notice that there were phrases, there were statements that we've already considered together. No striker, not given to filthy looker, a lover of hospitality. We have read a number of these various things. But Paul, in writing to Titus, he adds a number of other qualifications. And so we want to consider those together. Notice the first one in verse number 7. For a bishop must be blameless. Well, we've thought about that as the sherds of God. Here's the first extra one that he gives to Titus. Not self-willed. The word self-willed, it speaks about someone who's concerned about their own well rather than God's well. As a word, it means to have a self-loving arrogance. To be concerned with oneself, that's what it means. Seeking your own way, your own satisfaction, your own gratification to the point that you disregard others. We would say that a self-willed person today is a headstrong person, a stubborn person. Oh, they're stuck in their ways. They're self-willed, and they'll only have their will and no other person's will. The man who is fitted for eldership is the man who says, not my will, would thine be done. He will be a man who will seek to know the will of God and all matters that come before him within the session, He's a man who will seek to know the will of God, and not only will he want to know the will of God, but he'll desire that the will of God is done within the church of Jesus Christ. I wonder, are you a stubborn, are you an unyielding, obstinate, self-willed individual? I say then, the eldership is not for you. Self-willed, not self-willed is what the statement says. Note the elder is not to be soon angry, a man who whose anger flares up so readily, but I believe that we have dealt with regard to that, with regard to the matters, no striker, patient, not a brawler. So we move on to this next statement in verse number eight, a lover of good men. An elder is not only to be a lover of good men, but he has to be a lover of good things, because that's what the statement means, a lover of good things, as well as good men. It literally translates to mean this, to be a promoter of virtue. a promoter of virtue. By his life, by his example, an elder is to promote virtue, Christian virtue among the saints of God. He is to be a man of prayer. He is to be a man of the Word. He is to be a godly man. He is to be a spiritual man. He is to be a God-fearing man. You can't expect a man to be an elder within the church who shows no interest in the place of prayer. A man who shows no interest in the preaching of God's Word within the local congregation to which he seeks to be an elder. No, an elder must be a lover of good things. All things that are good, he is to be a lover of. Are you such a man? Do you love good things? Do you love the things of God, the things of Christ, the things of the Word? Do you love all things that are good? Good man. Are you a friend of good man? Well, there's a 17th qualification that an elder is to be possessed. He is to be just. He is to be a lover of good men, sober, we've thought about that word, so that's the word just here. And really that's dealing with a man's outward dealings with men. His conduct with regard to his fellow man. Yes, he is to be justified, of course he is. He is to be a justified man. And we could think about it in this way, but this word just, it really refers to his dealings with men. And a man who is just is to be righteous in his dealings with his fellow men. He is to be upright and sincere in his life. He is to be faithful in his counsel. He is to be faithful in his admonitions. He is to be faithful in his reproofs. Thayer, he translates the word just in this way. He keeps the commands of God. And thus the man who disregards the commandments of God is a man who's not suitable for the office of an elder. God commands us. He commands us to labor six days and to keep the sixth day holy, the seventh being the Sabbath. And you are to keep that. You are to be just. You are to keep the commands of God. God commands us to remember the Savior's death at the communion supper. Are you present when the Lord's death is remembered around the table? It's a command. God commands us to love the brethren. I wonder, is there bitterness, hatred in your heart for another believer? It is the just man, a justified man who lives righteously, who is suited as and suited for the office of an elder, a righteous man. Are you righteous in your ways? Am I righteous in my ways? The 18th qualification is with regard to holiness. The man is to be holy. While the previous qualification just refers and focuses on a man's relationship with his fellow man, this qualification, a man that is holy, focuses on a man's relationship with God. In Psalm 93 verse 5 we read that holiness becometh God's house. And therefore it only stands to sense that the officers within God's house are to be holy men. An elder is to be a holy man. He is one who is to be constant. Not fickle, but constant in all religious exercises, both privately and publicly. He is one who is to live soberly. He is one who is to live righteously. And he is one who must live godly in this world. Do you strive after holiness? A holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin. and keep every known commandment of God. A holy man will strive to be holy like Jesus Christ was holy. A holy man will follow after that which is pure and avoid all appearance of evil. Holy man. The 19th personal qualification is that the man is to be temperate. The word temperate translates to mean self-controlled. Speaks of a man who has power of control over his passions and over his appetites. Matthew Henry, the Bible commentator, he said these words about being temperate with regard to the elder. He said, temperance is, of course, a fruit of the Spirit. Galatians chapter 5. And thus he is to be a spirit-filled man, a spirit-guided man, a spirit-led man, a man who is indwelt by the Spirit of God. An elder must to some degree have this fruit of temperance within his life. The self-controlled individual is the one who exercises control over their impulses and their emotions and over their appetites and their desires. I wonder, are you such a man? The 20th qualification of a man seeking to be elected as the office of an elder is that he is to be a defender of the truth. Notice what it says in verse 9 of Titus 1. Having believed and received the truth of God himself, the prospective elder is then to hold fast to the faithful word and defend it against the gainsayer or the disputer, the one who denies the truth, who denies sound doctrine. An elder must cling tenaciously and uncompromisingly to the word of God, even in the face of opposition and the temptation to abandon its teaching for that which is more palatable or more ear-tickling. An elder must resist any attempt within the congregation for a man to water down the teaching of Holy Scripture, even if it means that members leave, even if it means that individuals empty the pew, the elder is to hold to the truth of God and to hold to it tenaciously, to be faithful to God. The elders elected to this church, then must, I believe, be men who are convinced of the stand of this denomination, must be convinced of its distinctives, that we are reformed in doctrine. We are Calvinists. That's what we are. We are Calvinists. We are Protestant in conviction. We are separatist in practice, both ecclesiastically and personally. We are Presbyterian in government. We are biblical in worship, that it's reverent worship. It's God-glorifying worship. It's Christ-exalting worship. We are sanctified in behavior, and we are evangelistic in our outreach. In other words, we preach the gospel as Christ mandated His church. This is what we are. Elders must ascribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Articles of Faith of the Free Presbyterian Church when they are ordained. And whenever they are installed as elders, so men willing to stand for the eldership must acquaint themselves with the contents of those documents. and be able to affirm them as their confession of faith and be willing to defend the truths that are found therein as they are but a summary of biblical truth. They are to be defenders of the truth. That's a man's personal characteristics. Can I speak then very quickly about the elder's character at home? We read about the home In the verse number six of Titus chapter one, and then we'll turn back. If any be blameless, a husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly. But look back in 1 Timothy chapter three, and we'll look verse four and five. The elder is one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God. It is essential for a prospective elder not only to have an exemplary personal life, but also to have an exemplary home life. The word ruleth in verse 4. It speaks about one who presides, one who has authority over, one who stands before, one who is the guardian and the protector of his home. He's not to be here, there and everywhere. running to one church in this church and the children don't know what church they go to. He is to be a man who is a guardian of the home, has authority over the home. The home of a church elder ought to be a well-governed home. How is that possible? Well, it's possible because that home is governed by the Word of God. A man who seeks eldership is one who properly presides over and governs his own family and he does it well. Note that he is to be the one that ruleth well his house, not his wife. If he is married, rather his wife is to be submissive to her husband's headship within the home and the children of the home. If there are any, they are to be in subjection to their father's rule. There is to be love in the home and there is to be discipline in the home. Charles John Elkett made this comment. He said, this will be at least a good test of a man's fitness to rule the large family gathered together in the form of a congregation if his own home is gently yet firmly ruled. The wife, a patterned Christian lady, the children growing up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The home becomes the proving ground where a man's administrative leadership capability is nurtured. It's made visible and thus qualifies or disqualifies him from spiritual leadership. How a man governs his home, how he handles his own assets, how he administers his own possessions is a good test in how he will conduct himself as an elder within Christ's church. One person. Preacher summarized it in this way. The elder's wife, if the elder is married, is to, I believe, be reflective of the characteristics of a deacon's wife. And they're drawn to our attention in the verse 11 of this chapter. She must not be a gossip. She must not slander or falsely accuse others. She must be sober in life, with her desires and her passions well regulated. She must be faithful to her Lord. She must be faithful to her husband. She must be faithful to her family. She must be faithful to Christ's church. The home. What about the Christian's characteristics in the family or in the community? Well, in verse 7 it says, of 1 Timothy 3 verse 7, Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. The word report simply speaks of testimony. Paul's counsel here infers that a man who seeks to be an elder within a local church must be a man who has a good and a commendable and an honorable I am a credible testimony of God's saving grace in his life among those who know the man well, those who really know the man, those who are without the church In other words, those outside the body of Christ, a man's unsaved neighbors, a man's unsaved work colleagues, a man's unsaved family members, should know that they are a Christian and that their Christian faith affects every part of their life. And so when it comes to this point, the questions that you need to ask yourself as a communicant member concerning the man or the men, that you intend to vote for. These are the questions that you should be asking yourself. What is the testimony of that man outside of the church? Has he a reputation within this district and community of being an honest, godly, righteous, truthful, gracious, Christ-like man? Is he a man of his word? Is he a man of integrity? Is he a man who's well-respected? Is he a man who's known to be a Christian seven days a week and not just on the Lord's Day? Is he a man of biblical convictions? Is he a man whom the godly would say, I don't agree with his Christian beliefs, but I'll tell you one thing, that man's a Christian, unquestionably. That man is a man who believes in the teaching of Holy Scripture, Oh, brethren and sisters, we are all under the microscope and we should all endeavor by the grace of God to have a good report of them that are without. Oh, what damage is done to the testimony of Christ's church when we live lies that are inconsistent with the teaching of Holy Scripture. Philippians 2.15 really sums up the kind of testimony that we should have, brethren and sisters, that ye may be blameless and harmless as sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and a perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Can I put it as simply as I can? The same closing. The election of a man or men From this congregation to the eldership of this church should not raise eyebrows in this community. The election of a man or men to the office of eldership in this local church should not raise eyebrows in this community. Each man ought to have a good and a godly testimony so that whenever they are elected, that people are not surprised that they have been elected. Time is gone. If you haven't heard all four messages and you are a Communicant member, I would encourage you to listen to the one you didn't hear or listen to. This is a most important decision and I trust that what I've tried to present to you through these passages of God's Word that it will help you and assist you as a communicant member in choosing a man or men, if that is God's will, for this congregation at this time, because we're submissive to God's will in all of this, brethren and sisters, we're submissive. Whatever God's will is seen and shown to us, I trust that these studies have helped with regard to you deciding who, if any man, you vote for on Thursday, the 3rd of October. May God guide you as a communicant membership. May God lead us in the work of God. May the work of God prosper. For we thank God that whenever there is godly leadership in the church, the church will prosper. The church will advance. Progress is made. The name of Christ is exalted and God's name is glorified. May that be the testimony after the election of elder or elder in coming days. May God help you to continue to prayerfully, I am scripturally consider these matters. Study them out for yourself. Ask yourself the question, who, who should I vote for and if you're a man ineligible to stand ask God over the next number of days should I continue to allow my name to be placed on the list for the election of elders may God help us and guide us in the coming days for Christ's sake amen let's bow our heads in prayer together A lot has been said over the last number of weeks, brethren and sisters, and I trust that the Lord is helping you in this matter. God is guiding. God is guiding others. And may God lead us in the days that lie ahead. May God, in his good grace, be pleased to work even on our behalf in coming days. So let's just seek the Lord. Let's leave this matter again before him. Our loving Father, our gracious God in heaven, O God, we believe, O God, that thou hast given to us instruction in these days. We pray, Lord, that in faithfulness, thy faithfulness to thy church, that thou wilt guide, O God, the members of this congregation. We pray, O God, that thou wilt direct them into the very center of God's will. We pray that that will will be revealed and shown. We recognize, Lord, that the lot is disposed of and it's all of the Lord and the casting of it. And we pray, Lord, that in thy good providence that thou wilt overrule in all things O God, all we desire is that the will of God is done. We say, not my will, but Thine be done. And we commit, therefore, all to Thee and to Thy grace. Lord, help us, we pray. Guide, Lord, in all affairs. Bless this congregation. We thank Thee for the fellowship of the saints. We thank Thee for the body of Christ. We thank Thee for those who come on a weekly basis to hear the Word and support the going forth of the Gospel. and off the word of God in this district. Lord, bless every individual from the youngest to the oldest, and grant, dear God, our homes to know the very favor of God and the very smile of God. And so may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of God, the Holy Spirit, be with us all, both now and forevermore, all who know thee, and all who have been redeemed by blood. And if there be those who are not yet converted, Lord, we pray that thou would save them by the grace of God, because, Lord, we understand, Lord, these things that we have considered do not come naturally to the natural man. These things become outworked in our lives because of grace and God changing our very nature, for we are the complete opposite of all of these things. But we thank thee for the grace of God and the Spirit of God who works in us. and brings us to spiritual maturity. O answer prayer and partisan thy fear, for we pray these our prayers, praying for all meetings this afternoon and this evening, that God will be glorified. We ask this.