If I were sitting where you are and a new person presumed to stand behind this place where the word of God is faithfully unfolded, I would want to know a few things.

It wouldn't, and it wouldn't be primarily okay where do you go to school or where

do you work or what books have you written. That's not what I want to know if I were you. of you

would want to know if I were you. I would want to know what do you stand for, what are you committed to, what's your authority?

What are you doing here what's your goal what are you expecting to happen here so let me

start with three preliminary comments about that.

Number one, I come to you in total allegiance to the word of God, the Bible.

This is my authority, and I don't expect you

to believe anything I say. In fact I would discourage you from believing anything

I say because I say it. Okay? If you see it here, if I can show you, it's here, then you should die for it.

Okay, so don't, I don't have any presumption that in myself I bring any wisdom or any authority.

That's the first observation.

So I expect, I mean the name of this church is a Bible church.

I feel very at home in Bible churches.

So I'm expecting a lot from you to test all things with the book and hold fast to what is good.

That's the first observation. Second observation is I have a life mission statement.

I formulated it with the church in 1995 and it goes like this, I exist to spread a passion. And if you don't like the word passion,

use the word zeal. That's the biblical word. So I exist to spread a zeal, intense awakening, animating zeal or passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples with an

ass on the end. People's. He prayed for the nations. I'm here for the nations. I'm everywhere for the nations.

I hope the ripple effect in everything I do is to get the great commission done come Lord Jesus. So that's my mission. I would like

the effect of my being here to be the intensification in your heart of a passion for the supremacy of God

in everything in your life and that it would be a joyful experience, that it would run from you for other people and for the nations.

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