The text this morning that Pastor John is going to open for us is found in the book of Romans again.

The first chapter, the 8th through the 15th verses.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,

because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the

gospel of his son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers without making requests.

If perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you, for I long to see you in order that I may

impart some spiritual gift to you that you may be established.

That is that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the others' faith,

both yours and mine.

And I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you and have been prevented thus far, in order that I might obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

I'm under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish and thus for my part I am eager

to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. What all around my soul gives way, then you are all my help and stay.

On Christ is solid rock, we stand, and your word is a rock.

Your word is a rock.

Common position us now firmly on the rock. guide our steps that we not turn to the right or to the left into

sin or unbelief or error. Keep us on the rock of yourself. Keep us on the rock of your word. Help me make it plain. And Holy Spirit open the hearts and the minds of this people to see the glory, to believe, to love, to obey, and to make a difference for the name, for the name.

Through Christ I pray. Amen. It's a great thing when your life's mission and your church's mission are one and if you're an apostle it's a great thing

when your life's mission and your ministry's mission like letter writing are one. And that's the case with the

apostle Paul and he shows that in these verses.

But to see it, we need to go back to verse five.

Just back up three verses into verse five,

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