Amen, amen. How are we doing church? Good? Good. I'm Pastor Brits. Good to see you. You look

well, except for the one person clapping, you look a little disappointed. You know? You thought

Brock Purdy was about to walk out here. I know what's going on in your mind. You didn't even know you go to church

with Brock Ferdie, but you do. And you can rest assured that he feels the same way about you.

And what an encouraging word. What an encouraging thing to see someone that's got some spotlight on

them, living in their life and leveraging it for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.

If you have your Bibles, go with me to the

book of Titus. Over the last couple of months in our church, we've been studying what are known as

the pastoral epistles. And these are letters written from the Apostle Paul to two of his spiritual

sons. We just finished First Timothy, and today we're starting Titus. And these spiritual sons that Paul has been investing in and been raising up, they're church

planners, they're pastors all over the Roman Empire.

And one of the things that stands out when you study these epistles is that to the, to God,

the local church is a really big deal.

That's really what these letters are all about. To God, the local church is a really big deal. That's really what these letters are all about.

To God, the local church is a really big deal.

I mean, when I think about my life, every good thing of significance that has happened to me

in my life has happened in the context of a local church.

I mean, I grew up in a healthy church.

I grew up in a church very similar

to 1122 and aggressive, gospel-centered, Bible preaching church with solid godly leaders

preaching the Bible week in and week out. And we used to do this event called Starlight Crusade

where we would gather on our high school football field and we would put a stage there

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