what the Committee on Diaconal Ministries is and or does. Anything? Okay, silence. Good, so that’s why I want to talk about it a little bit. We have standing committees of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Why do we do that? Why do we have standing committees?
Can you name one of them other than the one I just told you about? Christian education, very good, another one. Worldwide Outreach is an umbrella, which includes foreign missions, another one, home missions, and Christian education. That’s Worldwide Outreach.
And then we get the Mercy Ministry standing committees, and that would be the Committee on Diaconal Ministries and the Committee on Ministerial Care. We’ve got some other standing committees, but those are the I don’t know. The big ones, I would suppose, I would say. Why do we have standing committees? Why do we have those? Why do we have a committee on foreign missions? Well, why not just do foreign missions at the local church level? Why not just us send someone to Uganda?
Accountability. Well, they could be accountable to the session here. Well, okay. Well, yes. Resources. Yeah, how are we gonna send somebody to Uganda, somebody to Uruguay, somebody to Asia? Well, we’re not. We just don’t have the resources to do that.
So it takes the whole church, right? It takes the whole church for us to send, if we’re gonna do it the way we do it in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, it takes the whole church to send men off to proclaim the gospel to establish churches worldwide.
Same thing with Home Missions. Who’s going to plant churches? Well, we do that with the daughter-sister churches at the local level. We do that at the presbytery level. But we need a committee that’s able to gather funds from the whole church in order to support these church plants as they begin. Very few churches are able to support a daughter church on their own.
And so as we have our thank offering, as we give our offerings that are collected week to week, those monies are sent up to Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension. And they’re used then to support regional home missionaries and new church plants. And so it is a matter of resources. It’s a matter of funding. And so the whole church gets together, so to speak, and funds missionaries, funds church plants, and funds Christian education. So that’s the concept. That’s why we have standing committees.
Well, what does the Committee on Diaconal Ministries do? Committee on Diaconal Ministries used to be kind of like a checkbook. So you just go to the Committee on Diaconal Ministries, say, hey, we have a diaconal need that we can’t meet here at the local church level.
And so we need help. Some, maybe a long-term injury for someone who needs much, and we just can’t support that person here at the local church level. And so we’d go to the Committee on Diacula Ministries, hey, can you write us a check? Or there was a disaster, something happened, and our church was flooded, and we need money. And so you might go to the Committee on Diacula Ministries and ask for funds.
It’s changed over the years. We are not really a check writing subcommittee any longer. We do lots of different things. And so we do get into aid relief. And so if there’s a problem, there’s flooding. So in Neon, Kentucky, recently there was another flood. We didn’t get involved, which we praise God for, because the local church was handling their own flood. They invited folks to come and folks came and helped them to muck out the church and do all the work necessary to get them back on their feet and get them worshiping again. But in the past, we have helped with flooding at Neon Kentucky.
We’ve helped a little bit with building homes. There is a church in North Carolina that, after Hurricane Helene, began building homes, a real work of mercy ministry. And so we got involved in that a little bit, in terms of funding that ministry as they built homes for those who had lost homes. So aid relief is one aspect. Refugee ministry is another aspect. We’ve been helping folks. We gave you a presentation on the ministry going on in Kharkiv. and Mark Garkov, and that ministry is still going because the war is still going. And so there’s still needs, still mercy ministry that needs to be pursued. Yes, you have a question. I was really nervous about that originally because Ukraine’s the most corrupt government.
And we’re sending money. What’s going to happen to that money, the way it was done as well? Yeah, we don’t send money to the government. In fact, that’s one of the things that as Committee on Diakon Ministries, we do. Our administrator, David Nakula, made a trip to Ukraine because we knew there were needs. And the question is, where can we put money where it’s not only seeking to help humanitarian in a humanitarian way, but it’s also connected to the gospel? Those two things are so critical. We’re constantly looking for that. Who’s doing ministry? Ministry of the Word that’s connected to Mercy Ministry.
And so David went along with John Voss and did a kind of a tour throughout the country to see where we could put the money. And so we gave a lot of money to MTW, Mission to the World. It’s the PCA ministry who’s been in Ukraine for 30 plus years. and they’ve been doing a good work. So they’re on the ground, and we know it’s a gospel-centered ministry. So we gave a significant amount of money to them, but we also gave a significant amount of money to Mark Garkov, not him personally, but his ministry. And we just decided to give another $20,000 to that ministry so they can continue providing food and clothing to those in need with the gospel. So, refugee ministry, and we consider that to be refugee ministry because there are many refugees that they’re serving. We get into diaconal training.
I spent a good bit of time this past week discussing a booklet that we hope is going to be published fairly soon. It’s going to be a booklet for pastors, for those who are training up deacons. And it’s really the first of its kind. It’s combining a lot of work that David Nachola has done in the past. And so it can be taken up by somebody who’s seeking to train deacons and used as a structure, as a skeleton for a class that they would be putting on for future deacons. So we spent a lot of time on that.
We put on summits, National Diaconal Summit. It happens four times a year. And so that’s a gathering of deacons throughout the country who come And they hear men talking about various topics and subjects. But a lot of it is the fellowship as deacons are coming together and sharing their ministry and their struggles and coming alongside each other. And so we put that on once every four years.
We have a Presbytery Diaconal Summit, and that’s the Presbytery Committee on Diaconal Ministries. We invite men to come every two years. And again, we have teaching and fellowship with these men who are serving on diaconal committees. So that’s a little glimpse of what the Committee on Diaconal Ministries does. We also, in the past, we have supported missionary deacons financially.
Right now, we don’t have a missionary deacon. We have a man on the field in Karamoja in Uganda who is functioning kind of like a missionary deacon, but he’s not a deacon, he’s an elder. And so he’s doing the work of a missionary deacon, he’s just, he’s in a lower category, he’s an elder.
That’s a joke, by the way. We do joke about that, deacons. Sometimes people see the offices in the church as a stair step, and you start a deacon, you go to elder, maybe you go to minister. We kind of take the reverse and think if you’ve been made an elder after being a deacon, you’ve been demoted. So, that’s just a glimpse. The ministry has changed over time. We have a staff. David Nakala is a full-time administrator. We have Trish Dugan who works as a communications coordinator.
She does a lot of work on the podcast that we publish once a month, generally speaking. Again, for educational purposes for our deacons. But it’s a good podcast, more than deacons can listen to it. I think you’d be edified by it and you can take it up and listen to it.
We publish articles in the New Horizon and then There are all kinds of little other things that we do. So that’s just a sketch of the Committee on Diaconal Ministries. We’ve got nine men who serve on that committee, plus David as our administrator. I think we’re one of the smallest standing committees of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Questions? General Assembly made a bad decision. I went to General Assembly in the year that I was elected, and I was beginning a ministry to refugees, basically at that meeting. And so I was able to give a short talk on this ministry to refugees, and so my face came before the General Assembly, and as we’re talking about electing somebody to the Committee on Diaconal Ministries, I guess men thought that it would be good to put me on there. That’s what happened about eight or nine years ago now. Any other questions? Is that clear? Clear as mud? Okay.
Well, that’s what I was doing from Tuesday to Saturday morning. We don’t usually go to Washington. We’ve got one of our committee members lives on Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island in Washington, and he constantly comes our way for meetings, and so we went to him this time. And so it was a great blessing to be there and to get to know some folks there at the church there in Oak Harbor. All right, no other questions. Let’s jump into Providence. Once again, if you would open up your copies of God’s Word to Romans chapter one. I’m going to begin reading here at verse 18.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world.
And things that have been made, so they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore, God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever.
Amen. Let’s pray. Father in heaven, help us as we continue to study this confession with regard to your providence. Give us understanding this morning, but also, Lord God, we pray that you’d help us to see more of you and more of Christ. We ask this in his name. Amen. All right, review. What have we been doing so far?
Scripture, general and special revelation, I don’t need to go over that, you know that so well. God, excuse me, there’s only one living and true God who’s infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible without body, parts, or passions. The decrees of God, his eternal purpose according to the counsel of his will, whereby for his own glory he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. How does He execute His decrees? Creation and providence. All right. And we went to creation. Why is this important?
Please God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of His glory. We’ve got to keep that in mind as we go through all of this because we’re struggling. We’re going to struggle with providence. We struggle with providence because we don’t continue to put this before us? Why did God make anything for His glory? We twist that, we turn it, we don’t even remember it. And so we get to Providence and we say, ah, I can’t really, I can’t handle this. Well, wait a minute.
Why did God make anything for His glory? He gets to do with it as He pleases for His glory. All right, so we’ve been talking about providence. Here’s paragraph one of chapter five, God the great creator. Where do they go right away? In the first paragraph on providence, they remind us that God’s the creator. So important. Oh, there we go. We got to first causes and second causes. What’s the first cause? All right. Is there ever a time when God’s not the first cause? Okay. Excellent. What’s the second cause? Everything else? All right. Okay. Burkoff writes this with regard to Augustine. How do you pronounce Augustine? Augustine or Augustine? Which way? Augustine. Augustine. Okay. All right. Augustine led the way in the development of this doctrine.
He’s talking about providence over against the doctrines of fate and chance. He stressed the fact that all things are preserved and governed by the sovereign wise and benefit will of God. He made no reservations in connection with the providence of God, but maintained the control of God over the good and the evil that is in the world like. By defending the reality of second causes, he safeguarded the holiness of God and upheld the responsibility of man.
That last sentence, I think, is pretty important. Second causes, according to Augustine, defend and safeguard the holiness of God and uphold the responsibility of man. Okay. Yet, by the same providence, he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently. You understand and remember those words? Necessary, freely, contingently? All right.
Acts 2, this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified. God the first cause, the men who crucified and killed him, the second cause. Jeremiah 31, thus says the Lord who gives the sun for light by day and fixed the order of the moon and stars for light by night. God the first cause, Sun, the moon, the stars, second cause. Okay, and then we got to this. Paragraph three, God in his ordinary providence makes use of means.
It is free to work without, above, and against them. Give me an example of God working above means. Donkey, yes. Donkey speak. Yes, that’s above means, right? Yeah. Giving a child to Sarai. She was beyond the age of childbearing. Working above means. God can do that. Is God limited ever? I don’t think so. Without, above, and against them at His pleasure. Man should not live by bread alone. Okay, we got that. Bearingness of Sarah. The fire didn’t have any power over the bodies of… Who were those three that went into the fiery furnace? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Could you even smell the fire on them?
They were not harmed. Not harmed, above means. Paragraph 4. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in His providence that it extends itself even to the first fall. Really? Do you agree with that? God’s providential hand extends to the first, the fall from grace, the sin of Adam and Eve. Yes? No? Anybody contest that? We’re here to discuss these things, okay? And all of the sins of angels and men, not by bare permission, but such as hath joined with it a most wise and powerful Bounding. Is that hard to grasp?
Okay, got to go back to why did God create anything? For the manifestation of His glory. And so even through this, right, God is working that His glory might be shown. and otherwise ordering and governing of them in a manifold dispensation to his own holy ends, yet so as the sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature and not from God, being most holy and righteous. Neither is the author nor can be the author or approver of sin. Okay, questions? All right, not to bear permission, we talked about that.
He’s blinded their eyes, hardened their hearts. They would not see with their eyes, perceive with their heart. Be converted and I heal them. Wise and powerful bounding. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring about that many people should be kept alive. Second Kings. Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose, my bit in your mouth. I will turn you back by the way by which you came. God working all things.
Does this mean that the brothers of Joseph had no choice? It doesn’t mean that at all. They had free will to do what they did. They were not robots. They were not programmed. They were moral creatures just like you and me. Choose life, right? Before Moses dies, he’s writing this last book, getting toward the end of it, he’s urging He Israelites to choose life. Okay. For His holy ends, as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, His holy ends.
Sin is not from God. He’s not the author. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. All right, questions on any of that? None, all right.
Paragraph five, the most wise, righteous, and gracious God does oft times leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins. or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled, and to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends. What is this word sundry, what does that mean? Various, yeah, various other just and holy ends. Is this your experience?
Yes, okay, yes. Leaves us to manifold temptations and the corruption of our heart to chastise us. Well, I thought Jesus died for our sins and so we’re just washed clean and no, nothing, nothing any longer, right? No. Do we suffer because of our sins? Yes. Yeah. Yes, we do. Will we die an eternal death for our sins? No. Because Jesus did that.
You see the difference between the two? Suffering in this world, in this life, sin and misery, but because Jesus has drunk the cup of God’s wrath to its dregs on judgment day, on the day of the Lord, you’ll be declared innocent because he took your punishment. He satisfied the punishment for your sins. So, you have to draw a line between those two. We have to remember to keep them, in a sense, separate. Theology is always about drawing some neat lines and divisions. From 2 Samuel 16, what’s going on here?
David had sinned against God with Bathsheba. And was he forgiven? Was David forgiven? Yes. But what happens? There’s this chastisement for former sin. See where they got that from? So David sins with Bathsheba. This chastisement does not come about immediately, but it does come about. And his son, Absalom, wants that crown, doesn’t he? And so he gathers people, and there is this conspiracy, there’s this treason against David, and he comes into the city and really drives David and his entourage out. So David is now on the run from his son. He’s suffering this chastisement from the Lord as a result of his former sin, which had been forgiven. So now there’s this fella that’s walking alongside David and his entourage as they’re fleeing Absalom.
And what’s he doing? He’s throwing rocks at David and cursing him. David said to Abishai, what does Abishai want to do? He wants to, let me go and kill this guy. David says no. David said to Abishai and to all his servants, behold, my own son seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjaminite leave him alone?
Let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. The providential hand of God, the first cause, This one becomes the second cause. The Lord has told him to curse David. And maybe the Lord will look on the wrong done to me and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today. David being chastised. Providential hand of God. Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar. What happened to Nebuchadnezzar? Who was he? King of Babylon. King of Babylon. Powerful nation, maybe the most powerful nation at that point in time in world history. What’s Nebuchadnezzar think? This kingdom is mine, right? I did all this. I did all this.
And what does God do? He removes him from the throne and he He makes him this beast with claws and he’s eating grass, right? But now, in this passage, he comes back. The Lord works in his heart. And now he praises God. He takes him from being king, he lowers him down, humbles him. What was that passage? The Lord chastises us to humble us. He subjects us to manifold temptations. And even our sin. Why? To humble us. What’s happening here with Nebuchadnezzar? He’s being humbled. His sin is coming to his mind, finally. I’ve sinned against God by claiming this is all mine. That I did all this. And so he’s put in his right mind. And then Daniel records this.
At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me. God had humbled him, and now he raises him up, chastises him for his former sins. And I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion. He just completely turned Nebuchadnezzar’s heart.
He was saying, this is all mine. I did all this. And now he’s saying, uh-uh, this is God’s. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. It’s all his. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. That’s me. That’s what he’s saying. I’m nothing. He’s been humbled. And he does according to his will, among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say to him, what have you done? Isn’t it amazing how God changes his heart? How he uses chastisement to bring us back to our senses, so to speak. Does that remind you of anybody? How about the prodigal son, right? What’s he do?
He goes off and he takes the inheritance that he got from his father and he spends it on loose living, which means sinful living. And God lowers him, right? So much so that he’s got a job feeding pigs but he can’t even get any of the food that the pigs are getting. He lowers him, he humbles him, chastises him. Why? So he brings him back to his senses. And so he returns, goes back. He says, I’m not worthy to be called your son.
Humbled him in this time period of chastisement. Humbles him before his father, whom he disregarded, whom he disrespected. What does a father do? celebrates, my son’s gone and now he’s returned. God uses that chastisement, that that punishment for worldly sin. To bring back his people. Providential hand of God, none can stay his hand or say to him, what have you done?
Oh, who’s this? Apostle Paul. What’s going on? We don’t really know, do we? He describes it as a thorn in his flesh. He’s got this messenger of Satan has come to torment him. And what’s he do? He prays to God that he would take it away from him. Now, what was the problem? Why does God send this messenger of Satan, this thorn in the flesh?
Well, Paul, Right, he’s given this amazing work to do, to proclaim the very word of God. Right, and so he’s given, Jesus speaks to him. And now he’s able to take the word of God and proclaim it. Would you get a little puffed up maybe? Jesus spoke to me directly. Let me tell you. He didn’t speak to you, okay?
Yeah, and so to guard him against becoming prideful, God gives him this thorn on flesh. God knows us, the Lord Jesus Christ knows us so well that he gives us exactly that which we need. And so to keep Paul from sinning in pride, he gives him this thorn. We don’t know what the thorn in the flesh is, but it doesn’t sound fun. And it sounds like it’s this constant reminder before him. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being conceited.
Wow. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. Being humbled, lowered down. Now, Paul, I’m not going to take it away. I’m just going to, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you my grace. That’s enough. It’s sufficient. Providential hand of God. For my power is made perfect in weakness. Whose power? Whose power? Paul’s power or God’s power? God’s power. And that’s why I like the New American Standard. Because in the New American Standard, this, my, would be capitalized. So they help me. They help me.
Oh, Paul’s writing about God here because you guys capitalized that. So you think Paul’s writing about God, capital M. That’s a rabbit trail. Hebrews chapter 12, it is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? So are you being chastised? Are you being disciplined? Hopefully we can all say, yes, there are times when the Lord is lowering me down. Times when I’m receiving this chastisement and it’s hard. But you want it, actually. You want it. You want your Heavenly Father to continue guiding and directing you.
And, oh, yes, I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t think that way. I shouldn’t have said that. If you are left without discipline in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. All right, questions on that? Yes, sir. I’ve said this on many occasions in these discussions. There’s this notion within reform that thinking called spiritual dispersion, which I don’t really buy into, that it’s almost like God removes himself in a vacuum. And I say that. Pastorally, I think this chapter or this section overwhelmingly points to some sort of self-examination on the part of the person which God is, if you want to say, withdrawing from. Because I think it’s a dangerous you, everything’s A-OK with me. I can’t possibly have done anything. Why has God left me in this position? I’ve lost this and that. I think the burden of proof is significantly on self-examination. And I think this clearly points out.
So I really just cannot buy into this spiritual desertion movement in the Reform For one thing, if you’re united to Christ, you’re never deserted. So how can there be desertion if you’re united to Him? So that’s my feed with some reformed thinking. What do you think of that?
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of spiritual desertion. We had a whole class on it. Well, I missed it. I would agree with your statement. I don’t want to understand this paragraph that way. I don’t understand it as God deserting. I understand it as God so involved in your life that He’s even chastising you for former sins which have been forgiven. He’s so involved and He knows exactly what we need. So I would agree with what you’re saying.
I never heard of it before, but that doesn’t mean it’s anything. Okay. Other questions? All right. Paragraph six, as for those wicked and ungodly men whom God as a righteous judge for former sins does blind and harden, From them he not only withholds his grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings and wrought upon in their hearts, but sometimes also withdraws the gifts which they had and exposes them to such objects as their corruption makes occasion of sin, and withal gives them over to their own lusts the temptations of the world, the power of Satan, whereby it comes to pass they harden themselves even under those means which God uses for softening of others.” That’s why we read Romans chapter 1. They have no excuse. Yes. Absolutely. I have no excuse. And Paul applies this to Gentiles. He applies it to the Jews. Yeah, good point.
And so he withholds his grace. He gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity. So God’s restraining hand, in a sense, is being removed. They continue to dive deeper and deeper and deeper into their sin, into impurity, because they exchange the truth about God for a lie, worship and serve the creature rather than the creator. Former sins he hardens. Have you heard of anyone in the Bible whom God has hardened after they actually harden their own hearts?
How about Pharaoh? How about Pharaoh? Yes. So many times we read of Pharaoh hardening his heart, and so many times we read of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Withdraws the gifts which they had. Think of Saul, King Saul. And this requires some study, but he was given the spirit. And my opinion is that Saul was not given the spirit in a saving sense, but he was given the spirit in terms of his kingship. And so he was a mighty warrior.
And then God removes that. So he withdraws the gift. I have a question about that. Is that comparable to Balaam in a way? Help me understand. He did speak what God told him to speak. Yes. Okay, good. Does that make sense? Okay, good. 1 Samuel 15, and Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you, for you’ve rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel. You see, he was king. He was chosen by God, right, to be king. He was given this gift. He was given the spirit in a particular way, I believe.
Samuel turned to go away. Saul seized the skirt of his robe and it tore. And Samuel said to him, the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you this day and given it to a neighbor of yours. Who’s Saul’s neighbor? David. Who is better than you?
Psalm 81, but my people did not listen to my boys. Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over. Same thing we read in Romans chapter one. He gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own counsels. Matthew 25, for everyone who has, more will be given and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. What is this from? Parable of the talents, right? The guy with five went out and worked hard, earned five more. The guy with two does the same. What did the guy with one do? Why? Because I knew you were a hard man and you reap where you’ve not sown. You knew I was a hard man? Well, you should have at least put in the bank. So it’s taken away, right? I knew you were hard.
Look at this. 2 Thessalonians. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion. so that they may believe what is false in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” God’s at work. Whoever has the idea that God has created and takes his hands off his creation, just lets it go, has failed to read the scriptures.
He’s at work. Romans 1, 22, we just read this, therefore God gave them up in the lusts. Do you see how the Old and New Testament kind of go together? Has anybody seen that before? Yeah, they do. God gave them up. Okay, I think that’s all for now. There is one more paragraph in Providence, and it’s basically that God uses his providential hand in a special way for the church. He uses his providential hand in a special way for the church. Questions? I see a frowning face in the back.
Yes, sir? I think that’s the scariest verse God gave them. Yes. Yeah, it is. We need to be able to use that in our evangelism. Would you agree that some who deny the existence of God and who live with someone who doesn’t may benefit from the grace of God? Yes. Just by your presence. We see that. Paul writes about the woman, the godly woman. Her husband’s not. She is a blessing to her husband, even as he doesn’t believe, and to her children. Yeah. Okay.
We are out of time. Let’s pray. Lord, we thank you so much for your providential hand. At times, Father, it’s difficult for us to understand. And so we pray, work on our hearts that we would see that you’ve made all things for the manifestation of your glory. And so help us to submit and give us understanding. Father, we’ll never completely understand. And so we thank you for that. But we also thank that you’re a good God and you work out your good works in and through us all for your glory. Prepare us now to worship you. We ask all this in Jesus’s name. Amen.