Memorial Day 2026 | Suriyan Paramathas

[0:00] And then he told me, yeah, share about California and then like also give a message. And also you have 20 minutes. So I was like, okay.

[0:12] But I think I won't explicitly share about California if you want to pin me down after. And like, I'd love to have a conversation about California. The Lord's taught me so much. But I think some of what I've learned, some of the convictions that I've gained from being in California, will just like naturally flow out in the sermon.

[0:27] And like, so yeah, just praying that you guys leave really encouraged, really challenged. Yeah, so excited to get into it. Let's, yeah, let's pray. Let's pray.

[0:45] Lord, yeah, we come before you on a rainy Sunday morning. Yeah, just really, really excited. Yeah, I guess I'm really excited for your work this morning. Lord, like you're doing so much around the world.

[0:58] Yeah, for a while I thought, like, why does the church in North America feel so dead sometimes, Lord? But no, like you've shown me, like, no, you are moving.

[1:11] You're doing amazing things in the church. You're doing amazing things in our lives, Lord. And I guess I just want to come before you today and ask that you would continue that work. Like, praying in Jesus' name that you would do a mighty work in the lives of those who are here today.

[1:24] Yeah, not necessarily because I'm a good speaker, because I'm not. Not necessarily because I have the words, Lord, but because your spirit is really good at his job. And so just praying that you would convict hearts in the ways that they need conviction, Lord.

[1:39] That you would encourage in the ways that, yeah, that we need encouragement, Lord. Just praying that you would have your way in our hearts this morning. Yeah, praying that you would supernaturally help me to share only what you want me to share and nothing more.

[1:54] So, yeah, God, just wanting to give this time to you and ask that you would bless it. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Okay. Hopefully. Can you guys see me over the computer?

[2:05] I'm not that tall. Yeah, again, like I mentioned, super pumped about the Lord's work this morning. Like, just being in California and then being able to travel to different conferences and make connections with different people in different assemblies all across the United States.

[2:21] Like, and just hearing stories of the ways that the Lord is working. It's just, like, so cool to be alive in 2026. And, man, I can just sense, like, the Lord is prepping to do, and he is already doing, like, great things.

[2:34] Yeah, being here has made me excited for the Lord's work. Just seeing all that the church here at Bethel has done to help around camp and the styles they're doing, like, just going to the gym. I was like, what in the world is happening?

[2:45] Like, this is not the day spring that I remember growing up. Like, it's so awesome. And then, like, just being around you guys, like, the church at Bethel, like, a really healthy, really, like, seems like a flourishing church.

[3:00] Yeah, just made me really excited. Like, you guys are active in the work, active in discipleship. And so, so encouraged by you guys. And then I was trying to think, like, what do I say to a church that's, like, yeah, doing, it seems like you guys are doing really well.

[3:12] So, and I guess, like, my general thought for this morning and my encouragement, man, I guess, okay, is that we would, as a church, keep our eyes on Jesus and, like, remain zealous for him.

[3:30] Right? Because I think sometimes in the Christian life, like, when things are going well, like, it's easy to become complacent. Like, it's easy to just, like, go into autopilot and turn, like, the Christian life into, like, this religious routine.

[3:46] Right? And so, right, when life gets busy, we start to just go through the motions of Christianity. And we stop earnestly seeking the face of the Lord each and every day. And so, like, my prayer for us as a church, like, for the church at Bethel is this.

[4:00] That, like, we would not subconsciously become complacent and think that we've reached this point, like, in our sanctification that we've, like, become satisfied that, like, become satisfied with where we are as a church and then, like, personally in our own walk.

[4:16] Like, we don't want to be satisfied. And, like, our prayer should be, like, Lord, help us to press on to know you more and more. Like, we want to know you more and more. Yeah, we want to be able to, like, Ephesians 3, like, comprehend with all of the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth to know the love of God experientially.

[4:32] Like, to know the love of Christ that surpasses understanding. It surpasses understanding. There's so much more to know about Christ. So we don't want to become complacent.

[4:42] We want to press on. Right? We want our hearts to truly hunger for Christ and truly hunger to see him work in our lives and in our communities. Like, that's what our desire should be more and more.

[4:53] And so with that in mind, the verse that I want to look at this morning is Galatians 2.20. And, yeah, this Bible really is just for show because this is, like, one of my favorite verses and so I have it memorized.

[5:07] And I'll just say it's, I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

[5:20] Yeah. I believe that as a church, if we want to see the Lord do amazing things in our lives and in the lives of those around us, like, this verse gives us three principles that we want to, like, hold on to, cling to, live by.

[5:35] So, like, what are these principles? And these are my main points if you want to write them down. We're called to live. Right? I've been crucified with Christ. We're called to live as one who is crucified. I've been crucified with Christ.

[5:47] It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith. So we're called to live as one who is crucified. We're called to live by faith. Faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. We're called to live by faith, and then we're called to live in the love of God.

[6:00] So would you turn with me to Luke chapter 9, and I'll read a few verses from Luke chapter 9. Yeah, if you know anything about me, I'm about to read, like, probably my favorite passage in the whole Bible.

[6:20] Yeah, I'll read 23 through, yeah, 25. And he said to all, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

[6:32] For whoever would save his life would lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

[6:46] And so in this passage, we see that the one who is crucified must take up their cross daily. And I want to highlight the word daily, because I think daily we need to make the conscious decision to wholeheartedly follow Christ, like that day.

[7:02] Right? The Christian life, like I said, don't want to get stuck in the routine and become complacent. The Christian life is not, like, going to church, giving 10%, and, like, living morally.

[7:13] Like, I think that a lot of Christians have that sort of mindset. And I think that we forget, like, so often we forget that we're called to this, like, extraordinary life of self-sacrifice and service for the Lord.

[7:26] Like, we're called to this, like, a higher life than just going to church and giving 10% and living morally. Like, we're called to so much more than that. And so, yeah, we're called to live above the average.

[7:39] And so my prayer for us this morning is that we would, like, desire so much more than average American Christianity. Like, that we would daily choose to deny ourselves past what's normal or easy.

[7:55] That daily we would take up our cross and follow Christ instead of following our feelings or preferences. Yeah. Yeah. And that daily we would truly see the value in losing our lives.

[8:10] Like, that we would truly see the value in losing everything because, like, Christ is everything to us. Yeah. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

[8:23] Yeah. And so, like, are we convinced of these things in our minds that the wholehearted, like, radical New Testament-empowered Holy Spirit-obedience to the Lord, like, that life is worth it to us.

[8:35] Yeah. The life that the, like, the New Testament, like, the saints in Acts lived. Like, is that the life that we want or do we want, like, average American Christianity?

[8:50] Yeah. So, daily we need to remind ourselves to live above the average. And in doing so, we'll live as one who is crucified. And so, the one who is crucified must not only take up their cross daily, but also the one who is crucified must have no will of his own.

[9:05] Right? In Galatians 2.20, I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. No longer I who live. Paul would, yeah. Paul would say that he is, like, he's fully put himself at the disposal of the Savior.

[9:19] And so, that's how we're called to live. And I think the problem for a lot of Christians in America is that, like, Christ is certainly part of their lives. Right? But Christ is not their whole lives.

[9:31] Right? Christ is their life as long as he fits into, like, their sports schedule. As long as he doesn't get in the way of, like, entertainment. As long as we can stay in our comfort zone and, like, avoid suffering and sacrifice.

[9:44] Right? As long as God fits into the box that we put him in, then and only then is Christ our life. And so, like, Romans 12 puts it this way. I appeal to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

[9:57] This is our spiritual worship. And so, yeah, we're not just to give ourselves to the Lord on Sunday morning and Wednesday night. Like, we're not just to be devoted to the Lord during, like, those week-long mission trips or, like, during camp over the summer.

[10:10] Yeah. Christ, um, in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul would say, you're not your own. You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. And so, not only does God, like, he owns us, but he deserves us and he deserves the people who are all in for him all the time.

[10:27] Yeah. No matter how inconvenient or hard it may be. Um, yeah, in my sophomore year of college, the Lord really used, um, the Lord used a book called True Discipleship to really challenge the way that I live my Christian life.

[10:41] Um, yeah, that book talks about, like, Luke 14 and 33, which says, if anyone cannot, if anyone does not give up all that he has, he cannot be my disciple. And, um, yeah, I, during my sophomore year of college, I wrestled with that verse so much.

[10:57] Like, Lord, does it really mean all? Like, what does, like, that sounds like a really extreme, burdensome command. Like, that can't be right. Okay, Lord. Okay, so maybe it is right.

[11:07] But, like, what does it mean all? Like, all? Like, that sounds like a lot. Are you sure, God? Like, what does it mean to give up all? And I wrestled with that verse for months. And eventually, the Lord led me to the conclusion that the only logical thing that makes sense, considering all that we know about God, all that we believe about the Bible, the only logical conclusion for any believer to make is that the life spent zealously following Christ, no matter the cost, is the only life worth living.

[11:29] Like, that's the only logical conclusion. And, um, so yeah, in the spring of 2025, I purposed in my heart that if, if college, if career, if relationships, if, um, like, comforts, if anything in this world would get in the way of me following Christ, like, it had to go.

[11:44] Like, there was nothing else. There was no, like, if only what's done for Christ will last, then no other endeavor is truly worth, um, devoting yourself to. Right? Right? And so I bring up all of this to say that the one who is crucified must give up their will.

[12:03] And so the question is, are you living as one who is crucified? So not only are we called to live as one who is crucified, but we're also called to live by faith. As long as I live, but Christ lives with me in the life, and I live in the flesh.

[12:15] I live by faith. Um, yeah, so what does it, what does it look like for the believer to live by faith? Um, I'll answer that by reading James chapter 218. And it's been reported that, like, the best, like, message in all of Bethel history was given over this passage.

[12:30] So, um, probably won't be able to live up to that. But, um, yeah, I'll just read a quick verse. It says in James 218, but someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith by your works, or show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

[12:45] Right? And so this verse is so clear that the one who lives by faith must produce works. And so here's what that means. Like, if we truly believe what we say we believe to the fullest extent, then I think our lives will look radically different.

[12:58] Right? Like, if you, like, truly believe that anyone who does, who does not give up all that he has cannot be a disciple of Christ, then, um, the way that we go about our lives will be different. Like, if you truly believe that the wrath of God is going to be poured out on those who do not know Christ, then how does that go, how does that affect how you go about your daily interactions with others?

[13:18] Right? If you believe that, um, only one life will soon be passed and only one stem for Christ will last, then how are you going to go about this life? Yeah, if you truly believe what you say you believe to the fullest extent, it should radically change your life.

[13:30] And so if our faith doesn't drive us to live, like, radical Christian lives, then I would urge us to examine what exactly we believe and why we believe it. And then I would, like, urge you to get on your face before the Lord and ask the Lord, like, are we living to the, like, to the fullest extent of what God calls us to?

[13:47] Like, ask the Lord truly from the bottom of your heart, show me. Show me how to change my life. Show me how to seek you in the way that you want to be sought. Um, yeah, the one who lives by faith must produce works.

[14:03] And then my next point is this. Not only must they produce works, but the one who lives by faith must get out of the boat. Yeah, Matthew 14, if you want to, I'll read, yeah, a few verses from Matthew 14.

[14:14] And I'm sure a lot of you guys are already familiar with this passage. But starting in verse 22, I'll read it really quickly. Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side while he dismissed the crowds.

[14:31] And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.

[14:42] And in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.

[14:58] Yeah, and Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. So much that we can pull from this passage.

[15:11] It might be one, well, I already said that. Top five passages in the Bible. Okay, but yeah, just a few things I want to, like, observe from this passage that I really want to point out about Peter.

[15:24] The first thing is, like, yeah, the first thing is this. Peter put himself in a position to see the Lord work. Okay? Okay? Like, I think, man, so many, I think the question is also, is often asked, like, why does God only work in the lives of oversee, like, missionaries?

[15:43] Like, why does God only work in their lives? Like, why does God only do crazy things, like, crazy, awesome, amazing things in, like, their lives? And not to say that God doesn't work in our lives, but it looks a whole lot different.

[15:55] I think we can all sort of agree on that. And I think it's because we positioned our lives in such a way to minimize dependence on the Lord.

[16:09] Yeah, I'll get an example of this in my own life in a little bit. But I think that so many believers miss out on the Lord's work in their lives because we've done everything in our power to live comfortably and to avoid difficult situations.

[16:27] So, yeah, Peter put himself in a position to see the Lord work. And then the next thing is this. Even though we see Peter ends up falling, or falling, like, a verse later, before he falls, it says, like, man, you have to give Peter credit.

[16:41] Peter actually got out of the boat. Yeah, I think this might be a pet peeve. I don't know. Yeah, I hate it when people tell me that when Jesus says to give up all to follow him, like, you only have to be willing to give up all for Christ.

[17:01] And, like, in some senses, 100%, that's true. Like, we want to have willing hearts. That's all the Lord desires is a willing heart. But I think some people use that reasoning as a crutch to not get out of the boat.

[17:12] Right? Like, Peter actually got out of the boat. And so, yeah, I guess, yeah, my next point is, yeah, the one who gets, the one who lives by faith must get out of the boat. Yeah, I guess here's the example.

[17:25] In the summer of 2025, so this is after the spring of 2025. In the summer, I felt like the Lord was leading me to get out of the boat. And I, like, heavily resisted.

[17:37] I joke sometimes that I'm, like, a professional at quenching the spirit. But, yeah, I came back from camp. Like, you know how it goes when you come back from camp.

[17:48] And you're just, like, you're so excited to follow the Lord. And I probably had a lot of youthful zeal. But, yeah, I went to my parents, and I was, like, Mom and Dad, I'm dropping out of college.

[18:00] Like, I'm going to go serve the Lord in California. I've been reading this new book called True Discipleship. And, like, I believe in the power of God. Like, he's going to work, and he's going to do awesome things. And I told them a lot of what I've been telling you.

[18:12] And I told them that, like, for me to go to Freedom California, like, I believe 100% that the Lord will provide for me to get there somehow. And I, like, I meant that from the bottom of my heart. And they were pretty skeptical at the time, as they should have been.

[18:26] And I just asked them to pray about it with me for a week. And so I went to camp for a week, came back, asked them what their decision was. And it was a huge answer to prayer. They said, yeah, we're willing to let you go to Freedom California.

[18:38] And we're going to give you our credit card. And we're going to pay for the whole thing. And, like, you won't have any need. And I was like, whoa, praise the Lord. Like, the God of the Bible answered my prayers.

[18:49] That's cool. And so, yeah, I was super excited. And then I went to California and enjoyed my time there. Yes, but no, like, yeah.

[19:02] A few days later, like, I thought I had peace about it all. And then a few days later, my brother-in-law called me. And he had a slight reproof for me.

[19:12] He was excited for me. He was like, yeah, like, super glad that you're going to California. This is going to be a great opportunity. But he said one thing that this might have changed, like, everything for me.

[19:24] He said, but I heard your conversation with your parents. And you said that you were, like, you were going to trust the Lord to fully provide for this whole thing. And it seems like you're just trusting in your parents to provide.

[19:35] And I was like, oh, man, that's a good point. But, like I said, professional, like, quenching the spirit and justifying my actions. And so I was like, no, like, yeah, like, God can provide.

[19:46] Like, this is just how he chose to provide for me. Like, he can do that, right? But then the Holy Spirit started convicting me. And for about, like, a month, maybe a little less than a month, like, I just felt like I needed to give up the credit card and ask the Lord to provide and not ask my parents.

[20:02] And I just didn't want to do that. Like, I didn't want to be uncomfortable. I didn't want to not know where. Like, I wanted to be secure and stable and not have to trust God. And eventually the Lord got to me, as he does.

[20:15] And I went to my parents. And I said, like, thanks for everything. But, like, here's your credit card. Like, yeah, like, I don't want to receive money from you guys as much as I do. And I'm just going to trust the Lord.

[20:27] And that was, like, the most terrifying decision that I've ever had to make. Like, that scared me so much. And, yeah, so glad I did, though. Like, the Lord really used that decision in my life.

[20:39] And, yeah, I got to learn so many cool lessons about the Lord, like, through it. I got to see that there's, like, true peace in being completely dependent on the Lord. I got to see that waiting on the Lord is always worth it.

[20:51] But, yeah, if I didn't get out of the boat, I would have missed out on so many blessings. You can take this, or you can take this statement with a grain of salt.

[21:03] But I always like to say that there's so much happiness and, like, stability and security. But, like, I believe this to be true, that there's so much more joy in just recklessly following Christ.

[21:15] And I use the word recklessly loosely. But so much more joy in just following Christ into places of dependence and need. Yeah, because that's when we see the Lord work, right?

[21:29] So, yeah, that leaves us with the question. Are you, I was going to say, are you willing? Are you going to get out of the boat? Are you going to get out of the boat? Okay. Man, I should have brought water.

[21:42] So we see clearly in Scripture that Christians are called to live as ones who are crucified and then called to live by faith. And so now I want to look at what enables us to live out these callings.

[21:55] Paul would say that he lived as one who is crucified and lived by faith, not out of, like, obligation because he felt like he had to. But he did these things because of the love of God.

[22:05] Thanks. The Lord provides. Let's see.

[22:16] Yeah, something that continues to stick with me throughout my time in freedom is my Christian life will be weak and powerless if I'm not living because of the love of God and if I'm not living in the love of God.

[22:29] And this is so key. Yeah. And so that's what I want to look at next, right? Who loved me and gave himself for me. Who want to live in the love of God. And so what does that mean? 1 John 4, 15 and 16. You can turn there if you want.

[22:40] I'm just going to read it. 1 John 4, 15 and 16. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

[22:53] God is love. And whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. The one who lives in the love of God abides. Right?

[23:04] So this verse is saying, If you confess that Jesus is the Son of God, if you claim to be a believer, then you must make abiding with the Lord a priority in your life. Why? Because that's how Jesus, the Son of God, went about his ministry here on earth.

[23:18] Right? Jesus did nothing apart from the Father. If Jesus did nothing apart from the Father, then why should we try to do anything apart from the vine? Yeah, why? Yeah.

[23:29] Jude 20 and 21 puts it this way. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in the most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

[23:43] And so, yeah, I want to focus on that phrase, keep yourselves in the love of God. Right? Go to that place where there is quiet rest. Go to his presence and then just stay there. Right? Like, I'm always reminded of, like, how Joshua would enter into the tent that contained the presence of God with Moses.

[24:00] Moses would leave and it would say, Joshua did not want to leave the presence of the Lord. Like, he didn't want to leave the tent because that's where God was. Like, that should be our hearts. We should just desire to go into the presence of God and just stay there.

[24:16] It doesn't say, build yourself up in the most holy faith by working harder for God or serving God. Right? Intimacy with God does not come from service, but from sitting with God.

[24:26] And I think that's a lesson that took a long time for me to learn. Growing up, I would go to camp. Been going to camp since I was 15. Loved it. Changed my life. And I always loved camp because I felt like I was closer to God at camp.

[24:40] Like, I felt like I had victory over sin and I was living this victorious Christian life when I'm at camp. But I would always get so frustrated because I would come back from camp and go back to sin and living the miserable Christian life of trying and failing.

[24:54] And eventually, I just fell into this wrong way of thinking that I have victory over sin and abundant life and that comes from serving at camp. I thought that service leads to intimacy.

[25:05] But recently, the Lord showed me that that is not the case at all. That's a wrong way of thinking. The reason I felt closer to God at camp is because I was being saturated under the word of God, reading the Bible, praying every day.

[25:16] And I would read the Bible and pray every day and spend more time with the Lord in one week at camp than I would for the rest of the year. Like, that's such a problem. Yeah. And so the Lord has continued to show me that time with him in his word and prayer leads directly to intimacy with God and the abundant life.

[25:36] Like, the victorious Christian life, Holy Spirit-empowered New Testament. Oh, man. I used to have it done. That's a Scott line. I really think that it's important to emphasize this concept because living as one who is crucified, living the victorious Christian life is, I don't know, impossible is a strong word, but, yeah, is so much harder if you're not abiding, if you're not empowered by the Spirit.

[26:08] Right? Galatians 5.16, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Yeah, that's an amazing promise that we can take to the bank, that we can cling to and be sure that the outpouring of an intimate walk with God will be the crucified life.

[26:24] And so, my last sub-point that kind of ties all of this together is this. The one who lives in the love of God obeys. And I get that from John 15, verses 9-10. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.

[26:36] Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.

[26:51] What a promise. Your joy may be full. And so, obedience leads to intimacy and then intimacy leads to that victorious, Holy Spirit-empowered, joy-filled Christian life.

[27:02] And please don't think that I'm giving this message to you as someone who has been perfect in obedience, perfect in yieldedness, perfect in crucifying the flesh, perfect in giving up all for Christ. That is so far from the truth.

[27:13] I'm so like, man, as, yeah, as I live the Christian life, I just realize how much I need the Lord and how much I need His grace. But my heart is that your joy may be full.

[27:25] Like, this is what I've experienced. Like, I can truly say that I've tasted and seen that the Lord is good. I've tasted and seen that the abundant life is the only life worth living. Yeah, not because I'm good, not because of anything that I've done, but because of the overwhelming grace of God towards me.

[27:39] But I didn't start experiencing the fullness of the riches that we have in Christ until these principles became a reality in my life. Right? Like, head knowledge, I knew that I needed to give up my will completely.

[27:51] I knew that I needed to be committed to walking by faith. I knew that I needed to, like, be committed to intimacy with God and make prayer and intimacy a priority. But, like, head knowledge of these concepts is not enough.

[28:02] Like, my prayer is that we would experientially understand these principles to the point where we can, like, truly say with a clear conscience before God, like, God, I've given up all for you. Like, with a clear conscience.

[28:13] To the point where we as a church would start to pray, like, bigger prayers because we have faith that God can do exceedingly abundantly more. Right? To the point where the presence of the Lord becomes, like, our greatest priority and our greatest joy in life.

[28:29] Right? And so if you desire a deeper relationship with the Lord, scripture is so clear. We're called to live in the love of God and we do that by abiding and obeying. And so the question is this.

[28:42] Are you seeking intimacy with God above all else? Okay. Therefore, seeing that we're called to live as one who is crucified, seeing that we're called to live by faith and that we're called to live in the love of God, let's take seriously the call to live as crucified Christians.

[29:01] And then I'll end, I guess I'll end with this quote. It's in, yeah, it's from the book that changed my life in high school. Not the Bible. Well, the Bible is the book that changed my life, but the other book that changed my life, True Discipleship by William MacDonald.

[29:16] Pick it up now wherever books are sold. I'll give it to you for free. It starts, the book starts with this quote. Yeah, I'll read it. The Savior is not looking for men and women who will give their spare evenings to him or their weekends or their years of retirement.

[29:32] Rather, he seeks those who will give him first place in their lives. And I'll add this on to the end, like right now. Okay, let's pray. Yeah, Jesus Christ, you are, yeah, you're everything to us.

[29:53] Yeah, I love the song, knowing you, like that's the greatest thing. You're my all, you're the best, you're my joy, my righteousness, and I love you, Lord. And yeah, just praying, like starting with me, Lord, would that be true in my life? And then, yeah, I want to pray for my brothers and sisters in the room.

[30:06] Like, would knowing you be the greatest thing of our lives? Would like your work be what fascinates us, what drives us? Yeah. Yeah, we want these realities to be true in our life.

[30:19] We want to be people who live the crucified Christian life. Yeah, we don't want to live the average American Christian life. We want to, like we want to press on for so much more because there is so much more in Christ.

[30:30] We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Yeah, we don't want to, yeah, it's like we have five million dollars and we're only living off 50,000 of it because we refuse to earnestly seek the Lord each and every day.

[30:45] And so just praying that, yeah, that you would create within us a deep, deep desire for more of you. Yeah, not just for us personally, but as a church.

[30:56] Yeah, we want to see you work, Lord. We want to see you continue to grow Bethel, Lord. It would be so cool if in five years from now, yeah, we'd be praying about a church plant or even sooner than that, Lord, in your time and in your way, Lord.

[31:08] Like we want to see the community of St. Louis reached for Christ. Yeah, and we believe you to be an awesome God who is able to do that. So we want to pray big prayers, trusting that you answer. And yeah, so thankful, Lord, for Christ.

[31:23] And yeah, excited to remember him or yeah, to take these emblems. And yeah, he's awesome. So yeah, I just want to say that we love you, Lord. And yeah, just giving you this message, giving all of these concepts that we've talked about and just praying that your spirit would do a work.

[31:38] Yeah, in Jesus name. Amen.