Characteristics of Effective Ministry

Transcript

GR 1119
2/17/1985
Characteristics of Effective Ministry
1 Thessalonians 2:7-12
Gil Rugh

The book of I Thessalonians in your Bible. Paul's epistle to the Thessalonians. It is always interesting to study other people’s lives, to learn about how they function, I enjoy reading biographies, .and autobiographies, to learn a little about people personally. That is what Paul is doing for us in chapter 2 of Thessalonians. He is unfolding for us something of his own personal Life and the way he carried out his ministry. It is set in a context of having to defend himself, a. reminder that the apostle Paul was' constantly challenged about his ministries, and the motives in his ministries, and the way he conducted his ministry. He was aware that he would have to defend himself and the creditability of his ministry was linked to his own personal integrity and while he did not enjoy having to offer personal defenses, he does not hesitate to do it either.

In the first part of chapter two of the first Letter to the Thessalonians, he has offered something of his defense in the face of false teachers who attempted to discredit him and his motive in ministry. He is arguing that his ministry is centered in the well being of the Thessalonians. It focused on what the Thessalonians needed and how they could benefit; not on what Paul could get from the Thessalonians. He did not attempt to profit from them. He did not function in a way to use them so to speak. Verse 5 For we never came with flattering speech, ...as a pretext for greed. , nor with a pretext for freed. He didn't say things to them to get something from them. His speech, his teaching, wasn't a pretext for his greed. His real motive wasn't getting material things from them and he taught to do that, verse 6 nor did we seek glory from men his real motive was that they might function as the children of God. He has invested his life in them and the climatic point we will build to is Paul’s emphasis is that the whole motive of his ministry has been centered around one thing, that people be brought to live a life of godliness


in Christ Jesus. For that to happen they must come to and believe in Him as their Savior then they must have Lives that conform to His character. Paul says my whole Life and ministry has been built around that goal; that people might live their Lives according to godliness. It gets very personal in the section we pick up in our study now. He uses two analogies in verses 7-12 from the home. The first analogy will be that of the mother, and then down in verse 11 he will use the analogy of the father and we will see this section, verses 7-12 is built around this home picture of the mother and the way that she functions to nourish and provide for the and children and the father; his responsibility to provide, perhaps we would say, the more firm input, the sterner aspect, of what is needed to develop children to maturity. Verse 7 of Thessalonians 2 Paul says, But we proved to be, and the contrast is with what he has said in verses 5 and 6, he did not function with wrong motives and he did not use his position as an apostle wrongly or improperly, but we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Gentle, the only other times this word is used is Paul writing to Timothy in II Timothy 2: 24, there we are told that the bond servant of the Lord must be kind, must be gentle, and you get the flavor of what is conveyed in this word by the analogy that follows, we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. A nursing mother, the picture here is one of warmth, one of tenderness, the nursing mother gives all of her effort to providing for that baby, for nurturing, for protecting, and caring for that little one, regarding of that personal cost in view, the personal sacrifice that is involved, the focal point of that mother is the total care, and protection, and provision of that infant. It gives us an idea of the warmth of the Apostle Paul and his dealing with the people he ministered to. He said, "that picture fits me, and those associated with me in my ministry.

Here in particular, Sylvanus and Timothy. Like nursing mothers, gentle, tenderly caring for her own children. A nursing mother tenderly cares, that word tenderly cares, basically means to warm, and it was used of that a bird spread its wings, or it feathers, to protect and warm it's young so the picture here is of the protecting. Tender, warm, loving care that the mother gives for the little one. Now as you see a mother in this relationship with her the child, and with the baby, and a nursing mother you don't think she is doing it with ulterior motives; she is doing it for what she gets* It is a beautiful picture of self- sacrifice in the giving of the benefit for that Little one. Paul says that is the way we function with the people v/e minister to. We begin to gain insight, in why the apostle Paul was so effective in the ministry God had given him. That is not in any way to minimize the fact that he was specially gifted by God as an apostle, specially empowered by the Spirit of God to carry on a. supernatural ministry, but then there is the human dimension as he submitted to the Spirit of God. You see what the characteristics of his ministry were under the control of the Spirit that enabled the Spirit of God to carry out such an effective ministry. One was the warm, Love that Paul had for those he ministered to. He did not minister to them in a cold, distant, uncaring fashion, it was not a matter of trying to get the word out to as many people as possible and Leaving the results with the Spirit of God; although in a sense you could say that could happen, but everywhere Paul went and ministered the word it was with a Loving concern, and compassion, and care for those that he ministered to.

He goes on in verse 8 and developing this analogy having thus a fond affection for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own Lives, because you had become very dear to us. Having a fond affection, the only time this word is used in the New Testament is right here. It denotes a depth of desire, warm affection, tender yearning, again following through on the analogy of the nursing mother, there is a depth of feeling the apostle Paul had for the Thessalonians. Remarkable, from the viewpoint of his association with them was very brief, very short, and yet he had developed such a bond with them, an attachment, and a deep concern. We were well pleased and indicates here it was done by choice, Paul was well pleased to make this decision, well pleased to impart to you not on Ly the gospel of God, that is the focal point of Paul’s ministry, to proclaim the gospel of God, that has been his emphasis.

Up in verse 2 the Last phrase in that verse, to speak to you the gospel of God, end of verse 2 of this chapter, then you come down to verse 9 "the last statement again in the verse, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. That is what we have in verse 8 to impart to you not only the gospel of God and that repeated emphasis that what Paul was talking about is supernatural and he really conveyed to them that which was most valuable. Whatever else Paul got from the Thessalonians, it did not compare in worth to what the Thessalonians got from Paul. They received from - Paul the gospel that has its origin in God Himself and Paul was well pleased to be involved in parting to them the gospel of God as the heart of his ministry, but it didn't stop there. It wasn't just a disconnected matter of disseminating and distributing information or facts. He said, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but our own Lives also. They gave the message, but with the message they gave themselves. What Paul was willing to do was give of himself in any and every way that would enable the gospel to be preached to have a more effective impact, to enable the people being ministered to to come to grips with these issues in their own Lives. Remarkable ministry - when you see how Paul went from place to place and you know how draining it is to give of yourself in ministering to someone. Yet Paul said, I was well pleased to do that. It wasn't enough for me to give you the gospel, but I had to do that in the context of giving my own self and here he includes the others.

Sometimes I am t just talking about Paul singularly, but he is talking plural here, he includes Sylvanus and Timothy as part of this ministry Our own Lives, Lives here is souls, our own souls, our very being, was poured out to you. You can see how the analogy continued on with the nursing mother. She is really giving of her very self, of her very Life, for that infant, and so that is what Paul’s says we have done in the spiritual sense, we imparted to you the facts of the gospel of God and with that we imparted to you our very lives, our very being, and it was this very charactistic that set Paul’s ministry apart from so many other ministries. That willingness to give of himself totally.

He refers to it several times. Back up to II Corinthians chapter 12 He didn't just do that with the Thessalonians. What this does it demonstrates and reveals how important the gospel was to Paul. That it was worth giving everything to minister that gospel to people and it is that concept and that driving conviction that enables the Spirit of God to use us in an above average ways. This is of overwhelming importance and I am willing whatever the cost to invest myself in other people’s lives that they might come to grips with the gospel and what it means to them personally. He says to the Corinthians in .II Corinthians 12:15 And “ will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls, Paul says I count it a privilege to give everything I am and everything I have for you on your behalf To Corinthians, people that he is in the context here of II Corinthians to whom he is defending himself. People have begun to turn away from his ministry and believe that they've saying about those who would discredit Paul and his motives. Paul says I still count it a privilege to be spent and expended for your souls. His ministry to them did not depend on their response. It depended upon his view of the gospel of God.

It was not because people were warmed to him, or open to him that he was willing to give his Life and give himself. It was because of the value and the worth of the gospel that he was willing to spend and be spent. And that is important because both to the Corinthians and now to the Thessalonians he is writing to those who have begun to question him. You know the effect that has on you when you have really given of yourself and all you’ve had to minister to someone and then they hear something about you and they begin to believe it, they begin to doubt your sincerity, about your motive,, doubt whether you can be trusted. You say I have given them everything, I have sacrificed for them, I need to remind myself I have done that because of the worth of the gospel and their response is not what drives me to do that but the value of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the determining factor in that.

He says also in writing to the Philippians over in Philippian’s chapter 2, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippian’s 2:17 But even if ^ am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. Paul is being offered as a sacrifices and really the touching finishes, if you will, picture here is the drink offering, poured on, he says that's fine, for you. You see how he sees it, constantantly like the ministry he has and what is necessary for them to come to know Christ and be matured in Him.

Come back to Thessalonians again. Paul is motivated for them the Last part of verse 8 because you had become very dear to us. Paul had been privileged to proclaim the gospel to them, to see them come to believe in Jesus Christ, and now it is oh, so important that they be founded and rooted in the word so that their Lives now count for Jesus Christ. It was never enough for Paul that someone came to believe the gospel, it always had to be driven through that they believed and lived the gospel he proclaimed. He expected and demanded and gave of his Life to see that that result was accomplished.
You had become very dear to us. This word is rooted in the word agapao for Love, agape Love or agapao Love, the se Lf sacrificing kind of Love, and they are in effect a saying you have become very dear to us, you were the object of the highest worth and highest value, that we were willing to do whatever was necessary for your good. You have become the objects of our special Love and so we minister to you on that Level and in that way. Important reminder, that if our lives and our ministry is going to count for Jesus Christ, it is going to take more than doctrinal purity; it is going to take more than communicating the facts of the word of God to people. It is going to take a willingness to give of ourselves and all that involves and you don’t have to read and study very much about Paul’s life to see that it was a very inconvenient life it was a very draining ministry, it pulled him out, his very being was being poured out for their good We need to realize that God has called us to a ministry and the gospel is overwhelming important because it is the message concerning Jesus Christ Himself. So crucial that people come to recognize and believe that message, but not stop there, that I must invest my Life in you, and you in me, whatever the cost we are to be very dear to one another, that we might nurture and nourish one another to maturity; that we might be the people where Paul is building, that live: godly Lives, that we walk worthy to the God who has called us.

Paul again now in verse 9 calls the Thessalonians to remember to remember. Interesting how often we see in our study of Scripture that God's people are called to remember. We see it in the study of Matthew remember what has happened. Paul constantly reminds the Thessalonians remember, remember. We tend to forget, remember. You recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. All you have to do is stop and think for a moment. What was our ministry like among you? People say we were in it for the money.

Thessalonians stop and think. We never took any money from you. How can you even give ear to such foolishness. You recall brethren, our Labor and hardship, intense words, used together by Paul on two other occasions. The word labor indicates weariness, and fatigue, that is a result of strenuous activity. Here somebody has worked so hard that they are exhausted, hardship. Focuses on the difficulties that have to be overcome, that result in the weariness. So there were difficulties and obstacles that Paul had to overcome and he worked and he toiled till he was exhausted. Many of you know what that is like. You have demanding jobs in the world, and you go out and work and come home and you are just drained, all you want to do is just sit down and put your feet up, you know Paul felt the same way, but you know what he did when he was done with that. He went out and worked in the word people’s lives in ministering the word to them. You say, where did he get the extra, when I come home I can't hard Ly stand it, that is v/hat Paul is saying here. Our Labor and hardship how working night and day. Paul not only worked hard, he worked long, night and day, night and day. Stresses that they were long hours, sometimes working in the night, through the day. Working, toiling, that word working, translated working here, is a word that indicates working for wages. What Paul was doing was supporting himself while he was at Thessalonica. Now here you see the mighty apostle Paul being accused of being in it for the money and what happened when he came to Thessalonica, he got a job.

Acts chapter 18 :3 tells us that Paul was a tentmaker, it was customary in New Testament times for the rabbis to have a profession or trade, that they worked at and they were not paid for their teaching. So Paul may have learned this as he was growing up, a trade that would enable him to sustain and support himself. We are told in Acts chapter 18:3 that he practiced his trade as a tentmaker. Whatever it was he worked for his wages night and day.

The reason so as not to be a burden to any of you. It was for their benefit. Paul knew he had the right to be paid. On many occasions he accepted money for his personal support, but where it would raise questions about his ministry he did not accept money. Look at a couple of his statements on this.

Back in I Corinthians chapter 9 and this is a good time for us to digress and talk about why pastors ought to be well paid. Seems to fit, doesn’t it? It's a terrible thing that pastors ought to get another job and not be paid. 1 Corinthians chapter 9:6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? Verse 12 If others share the right over you, do we not more. Nevertheless, we did not use this right, and the right is what is referred to in verse 11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we should reap material things from you?

Point here, Paul says it is my right to have material support from you, but it is a right he didn't always exercise. He didn't exercise it at Corinth, he didn’t exercise it at Thessalonica because of the danger involved of the people questioning his motives. That is why we support people to go into other areas; with the gospel. It is one thing that I am supported by you here who are believers; it is another thing for me to go into a community and begin to work evangelistically and one of the first things I say is, I need you to give me some money to support myself. Right away it would raise the question, why is he here? Is he here to get money from us, is he here to tell us the message about Jesus Christ so Paul would accept the money from other churches but often it was after he had ministered there and was ministering in an other place. In fact when Paul was ministering at Thessalonica you know who helped support him? The church at Phillipi. The Philippians sent money to help Paul minister to the Thessalonians. So Paul worked with his own hands, toiling and Laboring, and then some money came from Phillipi.

Look over in His letter to the Philippians 4:15. And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone.

You know Paul writes here that is a little bit of a reflection on their character, that they didn’t give fro even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. He commends them for it. Not for the gift, but for the benefit they got being privileged to give to him, the way he goes on there.

So he writes to the Thessalonians over in chapter 2 again and it is a reminder that he wasn't there for the money. He hadn't even exercised the right he could have, because they were new believers, recently established in the gospel and he didn't want any question in their motives of ministering the word to them.

We proclaim to you the gospel of God. Again that is the emphasis of his ministry. Verse 10 reminds them again. You are witnesses, You can testify on our behalf and so is God and that tells you how Paul’s integrity is above question. He is happy that God could speak, concerning his motives here. How devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers.

The first two words are basically the similar in meaning, devoutly and uprightly. They functioned as God would have them function. From the negative side they were blameless, positively they functioned devoutly and uprightly. Looking from the negative side there was nothing you could blame them for. They were irreproachable, above question in their conduct and you Thessalonians could testify to that, so why are you even listening to what these false teachers, what these who would run down our ministry are saying. You could testify, as to how we function when we are among you. Interesting he uses the word believers here. For you believers and since faith is really the central issue in our relationship to God and His Son Jesus Christ the word believers, those who have faith becomes a synonym to identify us and we talk about it today. Are you a believer? Oh, I am a believer. It becomes a synonym for what we are because we have our faith in Christ, and Paul uses it here toward them.

Now he moves on to that other analogy. He has talked about the mother now he is going to talk about the father in verse 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children. Note it is interesting. God has put a family together and he has given in this family a father and a mother. One of the tragedies in the world today is the unisex idea where the women are to become like the men, where the major somehow, emphasis is, and for someway now women will find more purpose in life if they can be like the men, who are not satisfied and do not find meaning and purpose in their lives anyway. But somehow it is that idea, that there will be more satisfaction. What the impact on the family is a disaster. God intends that the family has the warmth, and the Love, and the compassion that the mother brings, to that home.
It is a different dimension, for the fathers input, there is to be love, kindness and so on, but there is more of the firmness, the sternness, if you will in the good sense brought to the home through the father. And that is what is pictured here. What Paul says about the father in the spiritual realm has to do with the things that are more stern, the firm hand that had to be applied. Sometimes in our home the children have a question about what to do, they won't mind me using them as an example, I won't give any specifics, yet, and they will come into the room and say, "Where's mother." I say, “well she’s wherever what did you want?" "Oh, nothing I wanted to ask mother something." "Well, ask me. " "That's all right, I will wait until mother's here. "No, you ask me." "Well I don't want to" "Why" "Well, you’ll say no."

And you know, that is really the way it is. I would always work on my mother than my father and that is not saying the mother is weak. There is an element in her character that God has made her that she the understanding, and the kindness, and the compassion that is there. But the father brings more of the firmness. That is why the discipline to be effective in the home must in effect be hand Led by the father. That doesn't mean that the mother never carries out discipline, but her discipline is effective when the father stands behind her and supports her and really ultimately makes sure the way the discipline is felt. Now I say that, because that is what Paul is saying here, in the some of spiritual realm. When we lose the appreciation of some of the pictures that we have in the Scripture because the world is going in opposite directions. They want to say it is no different, and men and women are exactly the same, and equality means sameness, I don't believe a father ought to be cold toward his children, but there is the firmness that is emphasized here, the exhorting, and it is from the same word we Looked up in verse 3 for our exhortation, and it speaks to the will. Here you are demanding or requiring certain conduct that they can knock themselves suitably. You are addressing in effect here their will as you exhort them. Encouraging, that is a word that is only used three other times in the New Testament. You see that there is warmth in the father's relationship.

It will be used over in I Thessalonians 5:14 of encouraging the fainthearted, it is used twice in the gospel of John chapter 11. Once in verse 19, and once in verse 31, and there it is in the context of comforting a person whose loved one has died. This is more the soothing or the encouraging side of exhortation. The exhortation
moving a person to right decision, and here there is the side of that is in effect inspiring them for the right course of action. That encouraging sense, I think that is a dimension that ought to be there must be there spiritually, ought to be there in our homes as well, the father ought not to just walk in and lay down the law and be on their way. They need to be there in the positive sense supporting, encouraging, inspiring dimension which will not be there if we are not the men that we ought to be in Light of the word of God. That ought to be going on in our relationship to one another as believers. We need exhortation, people called upon, the right conduct, the right decision, we need to be there to inspire them to encourage them in those decisions not just enough to throw out here's what you ought to do, and here's what is demanded, and we expect you to do it, but then the picture here of the father who is there to encourage and inspire and support them in that kind of decision.

Third participle that is used here in these three words, exhorting encouraging, imploring, three participles, Imploring, comes from a word that means to bring forth a witness, then it means to declare something solemnly an idea here may refer more of the serious address to maybe those who are lax or slack in what they ought to do. They must be dealt with a little more firmly and here again in the fatherly relationship, when there is a breakdown, when there has not be perhaps the response to the exhortation that there should be and they haven't responded to the encouragement then we move to this which is a little more firm, it is a little more serious, as we confront people. That has to be going on in our relationship with one another. To see the balance there is to be in the body as we function together as believers. As Paul ministered to these Thessalonians he had the warmth and the kindness and the love and the total giving that characterizes a nursing mother, and he also had the firmness in demanding of them the right conduct, and inspiring them to it, and be willing to address them on the serious level when things weren't as they ought to be. So you see there is a balance in the ministry. There is to be that balance in our functioning as we need to be. That doesn't mean that we can all be everything but as we allow the Spirit of God to work through us you can see he gives us a breadth of dimension to our ministry, it goes beyond communicating certain verbal truths. Why is Paul doing all of this? We read about this. It is a draining ministry. That would be exhausting. And keep in mind he was functioning as a nursing mother, he was functioning as this father to the Thessalonians after an exhausting day, of working in the world, if you will. Many of you are functioning more like the apostle Paul than I am; because when he came to Thessalonica he was earning his own way, and you know when you come home you say, "I just don’t feel Like it." Paul could identify with that, he said I work night and day. Hard, wearisome Labor, then I came like a nursing mother, Like a Loving father, in ministering to you Thessalonians.

We begin to appreciate of how much Paul gave of himself, how tired he must have been when he dragged himself to bed, so he could get some sleep, so he could get up and go out and earn his way again, so he could support himself, so he could go and minister to the Thessalonians. He must have loved them greatly to be able to go through it. He didn’t just say we are going to put this ministry on hold until the money comes from someplace. He loved them too much, he was totally willing to sacrifice himself to see that it got done. Why was all this necessary?

Verse 12. This is a culmination of it. Needs to be the goal of our ministry together. We need to be careful that we don’t get caught up, that we have a ministry, the goal of which is everybody has a thorough knowledge of the word of God that is not the goal of the ministry, that may be a means to the goal, but that is not the goal. Paul says the goal is so that the purpose being expressed you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. What a statement. You know what Paul says, when it is all said and done you know why I did it all? Why I ministered that way? So that you might live your life, walk, a picture of the way that you conduct and carry out your life, moment by moment, and day by day that you might walk in a manner worthy of the god who calls you. That’s amazing.

This word worthy, is the root meaning of weight, and it speaks of a walk that is of equal worth or equal weight. It is a walk that is befitting or suitable to God. You see the standard? I wanted you to walk in a way that was worthy of God. That was suitable, that was of proper weight. What a picture. That's the standard. He didn't say I wanted you to walk above the standard of other Thessalonians. I wanted you to walk better, to live your lives better than you did before, that is not good enough, I want you to Live your Life, no,
I want you to walk and Live your Life in a manner worthy of the God who calls you. That is what it is all about. That is the goal. Well, I can’t be satisfied until your life and lifestyle conforms to the character to God Himself, is worthy of God, That is the standard. No wonder Paul couldn’t quit, couldn’t go home and say I am going to sleep tonight, I am tired. He'd say, they haven't reached that goal yet, but that is the goal, that you might walk in a. manner worthy of God. Those who believe the gospel, but live the gospel, that is Paul’s driving consuming passion.


That turns attention on what they are to be and what they are to do. How you are to live, but he quickly turns his attention to what God is doing for them. To the God who is calling you, present tense, to the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. So we want to walk worthy, be fitting to God who calls us to our ultimate destiny, calls us into His kingdom and His glory.

The words kingdom and glory are closely connected grammatically indicates glory is the characteristic of the kingdom that he is talking about. He is talking about the Messianic kingdom. We see that as the ultimate conclusion for us as believers even as we anticipate the rapture of the church to be called into the presence of Christ it is so that, approximately seven years after that glorious event, we can return in glory to earth with Him to be part of the kingdom that He will establish in which we rule and reign in glory for all eternity.

Now we must walk in a manner worthy, be fitting, for God, who calls you for that glorious goal, climax of all that Life is all about. Remarkable standard. Paul had that before him, and he wanted that before them, To walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls us to that kingdom, the kingdom whose main characteristic will be glory because it will be the kingdom centering in God Himself. Kingdom in which God Himself rules so it is characterized as glorious. We have got to walk in a manner fitting to the God who has called us to that end. How will that be accomplished? It will be accomplished by people who give of themselves; believers who give of themselves in love, and compassion, and kindness, to encourage, and exhort, and implore, to nurture us in the word of God that we might be moved a Long spiritually to help us through the hard times, the down times, to be with us in the up times, to move us along, that we might walk in that manner. That is what v/e are to be all about as a local church here. We need each one to analyze yourself in light of the ministry that Paul had, how effective are we? People say, well there is a lack of love in this body, well, you can remedy that, do you function as a nursing mother in your compassion and kindness for other believers? There needs to be more motivation, do you function as a father in encouraging and exhorting and imploring other believers? You know, these things are accomplished if we lay ourselves open to the Spirit of God and allow Him to work in and through us. It is not going to be any easy going, being involved in maturing one another will be a draining ministry. It involves of giving of yourself, your own life, your very being so that others might be matured, but is it worth it? Is the gospel worth it? Our lives that are lived in a manner befitting to God who calls us into His kingdom and glory worth it? Then that is what it is all about. Trust that God will use us in that way. I want to have a ministry that is effective that results in transformed lives, a testimony for my life and ministry, to be that there are people walking in a manner befitting of the God who calls us. I want that to be the testimony of us as a body of believers in this place. We are those willing to give of ourselves, and to give ourselves for the benefit of one another, willing to be spent and expended, so that believers might mature and grow and develop, that the testimony of those who see us beautiful might be that they see us as a reflection of the glorious, character of Jesus Christ cause we are a people who live the gospel we proclaim. That our lives are transformed, we are living in light of the destiny, called to a kingdom that is characterized by glory.

Let's Pray.