The

morning's message is taken from the Acts of the Apostles,

and I invite you to turn to Chapter 20

and follow along in your Bible as I read the text.

We'll begin with verse 17.

And from Melitus, Paul sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.

And when they came to him, he said to them, you yourselves know how I lived among you all the time from the first

day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which befell me through the

plots of the Jews how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public

and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God, of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

And now, behold I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit not knowing what shall befall me there, except that the Holy

Spirit testifies to me in every city, that imprisonment and afflictions await me, but I do not account my life of any value,

nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

I want to tell you this morning why I feel hopeful and optimistic.

At the end of the year, even though I believe I live in the midst of a culture that seems to be

deteriorating and collapsing under the weight of its own unprincipled and God ignoring ways of thought and life.

The editorial in the Christmas morning edition of the Minneapolis Tribune began like this.

Its drab in Minnesota this Christmas, as is fitting, perhaps, peace and goodwill.

Washington is paralyzed by scandal.

The Libyans use Nepal on Chad.

The Iranians and Iraqis continue their bloodbath.

Eugene Hazenforce is out of of Nicaragua but not the contras.

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