Listening to the Word

  Revelations 19-22   “After this I heard what sounded like a roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants’…there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war…Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations…” Revelation 19:1, 2, 11, 15 Do we worship God for his judgments on earth, or just his kindness, mercy, and answers to our prayers? Will we see judgments from the world’s perspective, or that of heaven? Does our understanding of God include both the Prince of Peace and the Faithful/True God of Justice and War? In all of God’s prophetic revelations throughout history he works through people who know and walk with him. Will this pattern change in the last days? Wh...

Revelations 15-18   “…BABYLON THE GREAT   THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES…I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus…the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers…‘come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins…Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.’” Revelation 17:5, 6, 14; 18:4, 20 The same spiritual power that persecutes and kills Christ’s followers, also seduces them. In some regions of the world the Church is persecuted and there are many martyrs. In other parts of the world the Church is seduced by lust and compromised. When we look behind the veil we see it is the same spiritual principality and power opposing and seducing the followers of Christ.   With which kingdom do we identify: the kingdom of Jesus, or the kingd...

Revelations 10-14   “‘They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.’…He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation…Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth…” Revelation 12:11; 13:7; 14:6, 7 Those who know and follow Jesus Christ are in a war that is global. It is a war that encompasses every tribe, people, language, and nation. It is a war for the hearts and minds of all peoples on earth. Our enemy, the devil, opposes Jesus and his eternal gospel that can set people free. In this war, we overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb a...

  Revelations 5-9   “…‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth…Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them singing: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!’” Revelation 5:9, 10, 12, 13 Worship begins in heaven and then extends to every tribe, language, people, and nation on earth, as Christ’s salvation plan and victory are revealed. Through self-denial, sacrifice, and death, Jesus rose victorious over the world, the flesh, and the devil. His salvation song has set us free. One day all of creatio...

Revelations 1-4   “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations - He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery – just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 2:26-29 There are great rewards for those who overcome. We are called to overcome the world, the cravings of our sinful nature, and the devil. We overcome by doing God’s will to the end. The only way we can do the will of God each day is by surrendering our will, denying ourselves, and following Jesus. When our eyes and attention are fixed on Jesus, doing his will is a joy and a privilege. It is in our submission to God’s will that he entrusts us with authority. The greater the authority we have been given, the greater the submission that will be required. The greatest gift is Jesus himself, the bright, Morning Star. Just as...

  Psalms 117; 119: 81-176; 2 John; 3 John   “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wise than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes…I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:97-99, 104, 114, 165 The legacy of loving the Word of God is amazing! God’s Word gives wisdom for the many choices in life. We gain both insight and understanding about the human condition, about God’s ways, and about living with eternal values. Those who love God’s Word have a refuge and shield in the struggles of life. Their lives are marked by peace because they have surrendered control of their lives to the Living Word within them. This living, inner Word keeps them from stumbling and guides their feet on t...

1 John 1-5   “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard…We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we might know him who is true. And we are in him who is true – even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 1:2, 3; 5:20 As one of Jesus’ closest friends on earth, John knew him and spent his whole life speaking about the three years he spent with him. John’s first-hand testimony is focused on the life of Jesus, the truth of Jesus’ teachings, and the invitation we each have received to know Jesus personally in a relationship of love and trust through the Holy Spirit. In a world full of marketing for financial gain and half-truths, John’s testimony is refreshingly simple, personal, and to the point. Eternal life is found in a person - Jesus Christ. We can know him and giv...

  John 19-21   “Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish…‘Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’” John 21:13, 15 What does it mean to eat and be satisfied at the deepest level of our being? Jesus fed his hungry disciples breakfast after their long night of fishing. But they were hungry at a much deeper level; they were hungry for Jesus’ love, grace, and forgiveness. Each of them had abandoned their leader in his moment of greatest need. They had all fallen asleep in the garden on that last night. Yet they were hungry for grace and love. Are we much different today? What does it mean to feed Jesus’ lambs today?   To share food with others, in particular the most vulnerable, food that will feed souls and satisfy the deepest needs was the call Peter received; it is the call we too are being given. To be truly loved, and truly known, and acc...

John 15-18   “…while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful…Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me…apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:2, 4, 5 Sometimes we forget that the primary focus of our lives as disciples of Christ is to bring him glory by bearing fruit. The invitation to intimacy with Christ, to remain in him, is a much bigger outcome of fruit-bearing as his life flows through us. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22, 23). The fruit of the presence of Jesus in our lives includes others coming to know and follow Christ through our witness and testimony. We make disciples of all nations as Jesus loves and reaches others through us. Remaining in Christ and reaching the nations with Jesus’ gospel are linked, just as l...

  John 12-14 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17 In the final hours of his time with his disciples, Jesus promised them he would send the Holy Spirit to counsel and guide them. The Holy Spirit will be with us forever. There is no greater gift Jesus has given to his disciples. The Church was born the day the Holy Spirit was sent as the Spirit of truth. We are guided into truth through seeking the Holy Spirit’s counsel. As the indwelling presence of God in our lives, the Holy Spirit is our comforter, counselor, reminder, teacher, and guide. For those who know and daily rely on the Holy Spirit, no greater gift has ever been given or received. Tragically, it is not only the world that cannot accept the Holy Spirit, but m...

John, 9-11   “‘What are we accomplishing?’ they asked. ‘Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’” John 11:47, 48 Fear is a powerful and destructive motivator. The essence of the gospel is to move from fear to love as the motivator for our lives. Jesus’ presence, his gospel, and his power, require a response. Like the Jewish religious leaders we too might have a lot to lose in fully surrendering our lives to Jesus. They were concerned about losing their status, their temple, and their national identity. Do we identify with our culture, our nation, or our social status, more than we identify with Jesus? If we do, Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom is probably threatening to us, just as it was to the Jews. Like the Jewish religious system of Christ’s day, our valued systems and status will not last, only Christ’s kingdom is eternal. Who will we l...

  John 7-8 “…‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit whom those who believed in him were later to receive...” John 7:37-39 The water ceremony during the Feast of Tabernacles was held in remembrance of the time God provided water from a rock for his people during their journey from Egypt to Israel. Where do we go when we are thirsty? There are many kinds of thirst. We can thirst for love, for acceptance, for peace, for wealth, and also for God. Jesus was inviting those who listened, as well as we who are listening today, to come to him and drink. The thirst in our soul can only be quenched by the work and person of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We can spend our whole life in the Church and still miss this point. Jesus wants to release his Spirit in our lives and quench our thirsty souls. “Lord Jesus, you are my source. Fill me again today wi...

John 5-6   “‘Do you want to get well?...How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?...Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?...You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked…” John 5:6, 44; 6:5, 67 The questions of Jesus expose our hearts and test our faith. Even as year-end exams evaluate how much content students have learned, so Christ’s questions give us a progress report on where we are in our faith journey. Which questions is Jesus asking us? Are we listening for Jesus’ questions to us? Jesus is not content with us dropping out of the school of faith. His exam questions might be difficult, but he invites us to struggle through them. Will we humble ourselves and invite Jesus to ask us any questions he wants? Will we commit to further learning and growth in our faith as we work through the tests in our relationships, ministry, and community, and accept this as the teaching curric...

  John 2-4   Freedom to Receive and Give “…A man can receive only what is given him from heaven…He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:27, 30 There is great freedom in only receiving what God gives, the assignments that he gives, rather than those for which we volunteer or are persuaded to accept. John the Baptist knew who he was and what he was called to do. This inner strength challenged a nation to repent. A volunteer could never accomplish that. With equal grace and freedom, John withdrew from the attention of the crowds as Christ became greater, and John became less. Is it any different with us? We too must decrease if Christ is to increase, both in our lives as we die to self and the self-life, and in the ministries and assignments to which God calls us. “Lord Jesus, may you increase in my life and witness. Thank you for all that you have given to me. I give it back to you with gratitude.”

2 Peter 1-3; John 1   “…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8 We have an active part to play in the development of ‘character qualities’ and the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We are to “make every effort” to add these qualities to our life, and to grow in our development of them so that we are not ineffective and unproductive in sharing our knowledge of Jesus. It’s not enough to know Jesus. We are expected to live on mission with him - loving, serving, and reaching our world with his gospel. Our character testifies to Christ’s transforming work in our lives and to our surrender to his Lordship. ...

  1 Peter 1-5   “…who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time…Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed…Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin…Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, stand firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 1:5, 13; 4:1, 5:8-10 Those who follow Jesus Christ will be persecuted. For those in the West, that persecution could come through the witness at work or school or even from other Christians. The first generation followers of Christ in least-reached areas of the world often face immediate persecu...

James 1-5   “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom…‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 3:13; 4:6, 7, 10 Humility is one of the evidences of wisdom in our lives. This practical wisdom acknowledges our need of others and of God. His undeserved favor rests on those who humble themselves before him. It is this experience of the presence of God in our lives which is practically expressed in resisting the devil in temptation, intercession, and spiritual attacks. Our spiritual authority is sourced in God and comes through humility and submission. Healing and forgiveness also require humility. We must acknowledge our need of God and of others. How can we grow in humility? We must do more than ask for it. We must speak it out: “Father God, I...

  Hebrews 12-13; Jude   “…certain men…have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Christ our only Sovereign and Lord…These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.” Jude 4, 16 The enemy of our souls is not content to tempt and deceive individual disciples of Christ. He is also interested in dividing and destroying local churches and leadership teams. The grace of God can be distorted to justify immoral and rebellious living. When that happens to leaders, those they lead become vulnerable to much deception. Attitudes which are warned against include grumbling, faultfinding, pride, flattery, and manipulation. How are we to respond to these sins? Jude calls us to strengthen our faith by praying in the Holy Spirit and keep ourselves in the love of God. We are called to rescue and restore, like st...

  Hebrews 9-11   “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering…So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:32, 35, 36 Often we are tested following our conversion and we learn to pay a price for the gift of salvation that we now enjoy. This testing forges our faith and draws us into greater reliance on the presence and resources of God. When we forget those seasons of testing, we need to be reminded so that we can persevere in the calling and promises of God. We need reminding of the faithfulness of God, and of the promises and revelation we received so that we remain true to God’s call on our lives. We live our lives in an arena that includes the unseen realm around us. Let us persevere in the will of God and bring him glory, the awards ceremony is comi...

Hebrews 5-8   “No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.” Hebrews 8:11 The gift of God to us in our salvation under the New Covenant is that we can know God personally without the mediation of a human priest, sacrificial system, or physical temple for worship. God will indwell our lives by his Spirit so that our bodies become his temple. God’s plan of salvation is available to all, from every people group, every social class, and every age; however, this offer of salvation from the penalty of sin still requires a choice on our part - a decision of the will to trust Christ as our Savior and our leader. The point of salvation is more than sins forgiven and an offer of eternity in heaven with God, it is that we might know him. We can know God in intimacy, in vulnerability, in full surrender, and in faith. Jesus is able to “save completely” (Hebrews 7:25), those who come...

Philemon; Hebrews 1-4   “…Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion…See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:7, 8, 12, 13 Our hearts become hardened when we rebel against God’s Word to us and disobey his Spirit’s promptings. Our hearts also become hardened through unbelief to what God’s Word says, as well as through sinful choices.   What is God’s remedy for a hardened heart? He calls us to encourage one another daily so that our hearts will not become hardened; however, when they are hardened, our final recourse is at the throne of grace and mercy. We are still living in the age of grace where God’s mercy triumphs over judgment. We serve a loving God who still speaks today. Will we humble ourselves and call on his name? Will we obey the ...

  2 Timothy 1-4   “…who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time…You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 1:9; 2:1, 2 The grace of God, his unmerited favor to us, is fully expressed in the death of Jesus Christ for our sins. This gospel of forgiveness of sins through Christ is a gospel of grace from beginning to end. In response to God’s grace and mercy to us, we are called to be like him and to live a holy life in the strength of his grace. The grace-filled presence of Jesus now indwells his disciples through the Holy Spirit. When we are strong in grace we empower others, we teach and release disciples to teach others. Grace is the opposite of control and...

1 Timothy 5-6; Titus 1-3   “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait - for the blessed hope the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11-13 The gospel transforms us as we receive it and fully surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. It is God’s grace, his unmerited favor to us, which brings salvation for us. In response to this grace, we testify to our salvation by turning away from sin and all that grieves God in our lives. Our lives become re-oriented toward eternity and the values of heaven. The return of Jesus our Savior becomes our hope because we have staked everything on him. When Christ’s return and our hope of eternity with him no longer orient our lives, it is an indication that we have either lost our first love for Christ, or embraced a self-centered gospel focused ...

  1 Timothy 1-4   “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Timothy 4:16 Both our lifestyle (habits, values, relationships, standard of living, entertainment, work, fitness, etc.) and our doctrine (what we believe about God, salvation, purpose of life, eternity, etc.) are important and require reflection, resolve, and reinforcement. We cannot make decisions on what was important thirty years ago, and then drift through life expecting those commitments in our life and doctrine to be reflected in how we live and influence others. The battleground of our culture requires that we are alert, persevering, and concerned about ourselves and those we influence in our families, friends, and churches. Our DNA in life will be passed on to those we influence. We reproduce who we are. Are we passing on strong gospel DNA by how we live and what we believe? “Lord Jesus, I invite you to examine my life and doctri...

Colossians 1-4 “…we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way…so then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him…When Christ, who is your life, appears, than you will also appear with him in glory…Whatever you do, work at it will all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.” Colossians 1:10; 2:6; 3:4, 23; 4:17   To be a disciple, or apprentice of Jesus, we must follow him, learn from him, and serve him. Jesus is our life and our source. When we limit our relationship with Jesus to the forgiveness of our sins, we attempt to use Jesus for what we can gain from him. This self-serving understanding of Christianity is not truly biblical, nor is it life-giving. The result of fully surrendering our will and all that we have to Jesus is that we live to please him every day, in every way. Our inner being becomes...

  Philippians 1-4   “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 Our primary responsibility in life as disciples of Christ is to remain in constant communion with him so we can follow and obey. There is nothing the enemy of our souls is trying to disrupt more than this. When we live in communion with Jesus through the Spirit, we are filled with joy, peace, and rest, no matter how full or challenging our circumstances. Prayer is another word for this ongoing communion with God. The blockages to this communion are anxiety, fear, selfish pursuits, pride, and willful sin. God invites us to a better way. Rejoice always, it is a choice. When we release control to God...

Ephesians. 5-6; Psalms 119; 1-80   “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18 Praying in the Spirit is different than praying repetitiously or praying from our human perspective. Praying in the Spirit requires a life that is yielded and surrendered to him, being daily filled with the Spirit so that we become an instrument of intercession in his hands. The Spirit of God will prompt us to pray intercessory prayers, bold, authoritative prayers, and confession/repentance prayers. There are many varieties of prayers. The Spirit of God will always be praying in us like the candles that were always burning in the temple. As the Spirit prays in us and through us we are called to pray for all the saints. The Spirit will bring names and people to our thoughts throughout the day as a prompting to pray. Asking the Spirit how to pray for them will align our hearts wit...

  Ephesians. 1-4 “one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all and in all…so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ…we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ.” Ephesians 4:6, 12, 13, 15 God is fully committed and fully present in our salvation and sanctification journey. He is both “in all” and “all in”. God’s purpose is that we would all, not just a few fully committed missionaries or pastors, but all of us as disciples, become mature in Christ and grow in our faith and knowledge of him. God desires that we too become fully committed to this discipleship journey, and that all of us agree that this is for every disciple of Christ. We too are “all in”. In every area of our lives we are invited to “grow up” into Christ. Those who are “all in” find Christ “in all” things. “Lord Jesus, just ...

Romans 13-16 “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat…each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:10, 12 The Church is Christ’s Bride being prepared for eternity together with him. As brothers and sisters in the Church, we will all stand before God’s judgment seat and give an account of our lives. Our confidence on that day will be in the righteousness of Christ our Savior, not in ourselves. Until that day we must grow in faith, hope, and love. The judgment for our sin has been placed upon Jesus; we are recipients of God’s mercy and amazing grace. What right do we have to stand in the place of judgment against a brother or sister-in-Christ in disputable matters? Paul’s context in Rome included differences among believers in Christ regarding the consumption of food or drink offered to idols in pagan temples. This less expensive food was to be blessed and eaten with the principle...

Romans 9-12   “…it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring…in order that God’s purpose in election might stand; not by works, but by him who calls…It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy…God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” Romans 9:8, 11, 12, 16, 18 What is the impact of election on God’s mission to reach people from every nation with his salvation? There is awareness that salvation is our experience of God’s amazing grace in our lives. Similarly, our sharing of this gospel of grace will result in glory to God as we leave the results to him. The Spirit of God is softening or hardening the hearts of people; our task is to cooperate with the Spirit, not ask the Spirit to cooperate with us. Election takes the pressure off of us to produce converts; our efforts are to focus on making disciples. Who is God calling around us as we share the good news of salvation? Who is...

  Romans 5-8 “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires…For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6:11, 12, 14 There is a reality in the impact of Christ’s defeat of sin and death on the cross that changes how we face temptation and sin once we give our lives to Jesus. Christ’s death and resurrection have set us free from the power of sin. This incredible reality is at the core of the gospel and must motivate us to share this amazing news with others. We are set free from the power of sin, but we still have the choice of which master we will serve. Will we live in the reality of our freedom in Christ, or will we return to the slavery of sin again? Grace has set us free! “Lord Jesus, you are my master and my best friend. You have set me free. I want to share this freedom and gospel of grace with others.”