Hey, if you've got your Bibles, and I hope you do, Acts Chapter 19, Acts 19.

If you didn't bring a Bible, there's one in the sleep back right in front of you.

Reach out and grab it.

If you don't own a Bible, that's yours.

That's our gift to you.

We're so glad you're here.

If you're a guest with us, welcome. out to lunch today and pay for it and explain to you why they invited you today. So make them do

that if they don't tell me and I'll make them take you next time. All right, Acts 19. We're in

week two of a four-week series. We're looking at the Church of Ephesus. Episysus is a big deal.

The Church of Ephesus is a really big deal. It gets planted in Acts chapter 19. It explodes. That's what we're going to talk about today.

The explosive growth of this church. It's got a book dedicated to it called Ephesians.

The pastor of this church has two books dedicated to him called First and Second Timothy.

And one of the elders in the church, John, wrote four books in the Bible, first, second, third, John, and the gospel of John. So it's kind of a big deal.

And so that's what we're looking at for four weeks. And it's going to be an amazing sermon,

not really because of the part I do, but really because of the part you're going to play in the

sermon. Jesus teaches us in the parable of the sower that it's the condition of the soil,

not the delivery of the seed that determines growth. And many of us have been

fasting and praying in anticipation of what God's going to do in saturated. And so I know as we've

been seeking out through the face of God in prayer and fasting, then you are ready to hear better.

Your heart is even softer than normal. So at the end, when you think, God bless you, Carrie,

at the end, when you think, wow, what an amazing sermon, really what it is is what God has been doing in here

through you, and that's what that's all about. So Acts chapter 19, beginning in verse 21. Now,

...