We are in week three of a series called Life by the Spirit. Have y'all been enjoying this series? We're focusing on the fruit of the Spirit, which are also our values here at Spirit Church. And here's why. The Bible says in John 10:10 that the thief comes to steal and kill and destroy. There is an enemy who wants to steal your peace. There's an enemy who wants to steal your joy. There's an enemy who wants to steal your patience. But here's what I love about God. Jesus says, "I have come that they may have," what? "Life, and have it to the full."

There is a life the Holy Spirit has called us to live. There's a life Jesus has called us to live. And it is a life by the Spirit, a life that is authored by the Spirit in everything we do. The whole premise of this series is this: if we want to produce fruit, we can't fake fruit. You can't force fruit. You can't manufacture fruit. If we're going to produce fruit, that fruit has to be produced by the Holy Spirit. It is His fruit. It's the fruit of the Spirit. It's not Brad's fruit. If it was Brad's fruit, it'd be weird. It'd be like a kiwi or something. It'd be bad fruit. No, it's the fruit of the Spirit.

So we're dealing with two things. We're going through every single fruit over these nine weeks. But we're also talking about how this fruit is produced in our lives. Every week we're learning a new way this fruit is produced, because people say, "I love the fruit of the Spirit, but how do I have it?"

How does the Holy Spirit produce fruit in us?

One of the things that's so interesting is that the way Galatians 5, our theme passage, is structured actually shows us how we can access this fruit. Can I go Bible geek, nerdy on you guys for a couple of seconds? There's a thing in the Bible called a chiasm, which comes from the Greek letter chi. It's a literary structure that's often used, and once you see it, you're going to see it all throughout the Bible.

People ask, "How can I have fruit?" Watch this. The first part of Galatians 5 is this: let the Holy Spirit guide you. Galatians 5:16 says, "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives." Another version says, "Walk by the Spirit." "Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves."

But here's the problem: the sinful nature wants to do what is opposite to the Spirit. Galatians 5:17 says, "The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants." And then it shows you what a life led by the flesh looks like: "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery," and it goes on.

So you're like, "Okay, but how do I have the fruit of the Spirit?" Watch what happens when we let Him guide our lives, a life led by the Spirit: "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives." Who produces it? Him. "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

And here's the resolution. Where before there was conflict, now there's resolution, where Christ actually breaks the power of the flesh: "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there." And then it finishes: "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." So the Holy Spirit says, "I'm going to help you follow Me." It says your sinful nature is going to struggle, and this is what that looks like. But this is what it looks like when it's empowered by the Holy Spirit. The resolution is that Christ breaks that power, and now we can do what the passage tells us at the beginning. I think that's awesome.

Peace is our posture

So today we're focusing on peace. Say "peace." How many of y'all would love some peace in your life?

The first week we talked about love, and the way we say it at Spirit is that we love God and we love people because He first loved us. We say it this way: love is our motivation. The second week we hit joy, and we learned that we have joy because the joy of the Lord is our strength. You can't have any of the other fruit if you don't have joy. We say it this way: joy is our attitude. Joy is something you put on like a shirt, like you did this morning. By the way, thank you for putting on a shirt. It makes it less weird.

And this third week, we're hitting peace. And the way we say it at Spirit is this: peace is our posture.

My prayer today is that no matter what you're walking through, no matter what you're struggling with, you can come to a place where you realize you can enter His peace. Not from a situation, but from Jesus Himself. So Father, I pray that You will come. Lord Jesus, speak and give us peace. You are the author of peace. We love You and we praise You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I was talking to some people this week, and in those conversations I felt like what people are looking for more than anything is peace. How many of you would love some peace in your life? A lot of us. One friend was texting me, saying everything in his life seemed to be going wrong. He had experienced some loss in his family, and everything just seemed crazy. And he ended the text with this: "I just want to have peace." As I read that, I think it captures how so many of us feel. "Man, I just want to have peace."

And as we approach Christmas, I think that's what people want more than anything. It's funny how your desires change. When you're a kid, someone asks, "What do you want?" "A toy. I want this gift." As you grow up, someone asks, "What do you want for Christmas?" "A break. Man, I just want some peace. I just want someone to help me. I need some time off. I need a real vacation." If you're a parent, you're like, "I don't even want peace. I want peace and quiet." You put both of them together. That's what I want more than anything.

Did Jesus promise us no trouble?

The challenge is that so many of us want peace, but we look for it in all the wrong places, because we think peace is situational. "If I can just have peace in my job, peace in my family, peace in my life, peace in my finances, everything will be better. If I can just have no trouble." Here's the problem: Jesus never promised us no trouble.

Because if there was ever anyone who was going to have no trouble, who would it be? Jesus, right? And look, when He goes to the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion, Mark 14:33 says this: "He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,' he said." Luke 22:44 says, "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."

Now, some theologians say that's a simile, and other theologians believe it was actually a condition. There's a medical condition that has been diagnosed, and I'm going to butcher the word, hematohidrosis, where you're under such pressure that your capillaries actually burst because your blood pressure is so high, and blood starts coming out of your sweat glands. You actually start to sweat blood. So when we say, "You're never going to be anxious," are you joking? That is the most extreme form of anxiety ever. Aren't y'all glad you came to church today? Is everyone encouraged? Bless you. That's the service. But that's what He experienced.

But this is what I love. It brings meaning to verses like Hebrews 4:15: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses," He struggled with the things we struggle with, "but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet," say "yet," "he did not sin." Which means there is a way to stand even in the hardest of times. There is a way to stand even in the hardest of situations. I don't know if that encourages you, but it encourages me, because it's not about what you're looking at. It's about who you're looking to.

Why is everyone so anxious?

There are ingredients in our lives that so often cause anxiety and stress and pressure. Just open your phone: anxiety. Open Instagram: more anxiety. Open the news: most anxiety. It's awful. Walk out of your home: anxiety. And if you look at the statistics, anxiety is up 150% since 2010, which was after the housing bubble crash. It's not getting better. It's getting worse. People are anxious about all kinds of things: economic uncertainty, social unrest, health and chronic illness, violence, lack of belonging. And the people being attacked the most are our young people and our parents. So what all of us are looking for is peace. All I want for Christmas is peace.

Is "peace on earth" in the Bible?

You walk into the Christmas aisles. You're starting to see the cards. How many of y'all put your Christmas tree up in December? Oh, no one? Wow. Where are my November people? How many of you put it up after Thanksgiving? How many of you before Thanksgiving? Wow. What is wrong with you? I'm joking. It's insane. We're already thinking about Christmas.

You walk through the aisles, and you see all these Christmas cards, and what do they all say? "Peace on earth." What do I want for Christmas? Peace on earth. Greeting cards: peace on earth. The songs: peace on earth.

Have y'all tried to find "peace on earth" in the Bible? Have you actually tried to find it? It's fascinating. Luke 12:51 says this: "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division." Merry Christmas. Give that card to your extended family. "I have come to bring division." What? That is crazy. But maybe we're waiting on God to do something He never promised He would do. He doesn't promise peace on earth. He actually promises the opposite.

John 16:33 says this: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble." Period. That's a promise too. You will have trouble. We get mad at God: "God, is this ever going to get any easier?" Again, we get mad at Him for not doing something He never said He would do. But this is what I love about the verse: "But take heart! I have overcome the world." We are going to have trouble. But the peace we have is that we serve a God who will never leave us, who will never forsake us, who is there no matter what. In everything we're facing, He is there.

Where does true peace come from?

So where do we find peace? It says it right in that verse: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace." Which is different from the world's peace.

The world thinks peace comes from absence. If I have an absence of conflict, if there are no more wars, then I'll have peace. If I have an absence of disagreement, if we can all just get along, then I'll have peace. If I have an absence of anxiety, then I'll have peace. The Bible teaches that peace doesn't come from absence. Peace actually comes from presence.

We see it in John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

The word there for peace in the New Testament is eirene. In the Old Testament it is shalom. Say "shalom." They actually greet each other like that. They say, "Shalom." It means perfect peace. And what they're asking is, "How is your shalom? How is your peace?" It means completeness. It means wholeness. If I were building a wall and a brick was missing, that wall would not be in shalom. But if I put the brick back and it's perfect, no cracks, now it is shalom.

So if Jesus is the Prince of Peace, if He is our shalom, what does that mean? It means He comes and puts us back together. He frees us from the things that have been holding us back, the sin that entangles us. He gives us a plan and a purpose, which is why we talk about Growth Track all the time. Go through Growth Track, because there is stuff outside these walls God has called you to do, and we need to know what those things are. He puts us back together, so that when everything around me is crazy, I have peace. He brings me peace. Not always in the situation. Peace is found in Jesus, not in our situation.

Has anyone ever lost their phone? I lose my phone all the time. The other day I was looking for my phone: "Babe, where's my phone?" Looking under my bed. Looking in the couch. Checking Saint's hands. Do you know where my phone was? In my hand. Has anyone ever done that? You're looking for your phone, and it's in your hand. You're looking for the right thing, but you're looking in the wrong place.

So often we're looking for peace. It's the right thing, but we're looking in the wrong place. Meanwhile, the peace we're trying to find is found in Jesus, who was with me the entire time. He was with me the entire time, but I'm looking in that situation, and in the world, and here and there, and He was always with me. Jesus is our peace.

What steals our peace?

So let me ask you this: how is your peace today? How is your shalom today? There are some things that get in the way when we're trying to have peace.

1. Unavoidable circumstances

The first one is unavoidable circumstances. How many of you know there are just some situations you can't avoid? Has anyone ever had a flat tire on a good day? Like, you're going to play golf with your friends, and that's the day you have a flat tire? No. It's when you have the meeting, your job's on the line, and everything has to go perfectly. That's the day you get a flat tire.

I remember once going through Atlanta in rush hour traffic, and I didn't get a flat tire on a road where I could pull off nicely. No, I got a flat tire on an overpass, with nowhere to go. Everyone's so mad at me, and I'm like, "I didn't do this. It's not like I got out and stabbed my tire. What am I supposed to do?" Cars are just flying by. That's when you get a flat tire.

Anyone ever had traffic on a good day? No. It happens when you're late. You're like, "I'm going to be there at 9:02," which is a lie, because your GPS says 9:07. "No, no, no, 9:02. I'm hitting every green light." That's the day you hit traffic. And then you arrive and say, "I'm so sorry, traffic was crazy." You were already going to be late. But yeah, great, traffic.

There are some things we can't avoid. Some of you have lost your home. Some of you have lost your job. Some of you have lost the finances you need. Jeremiah 4:20 says this: "Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment." What is it saying? It's saying this world is fragile. We're going to face things. That's one of them.

2. Unbearable people

The second thing is unbearable people. Y'all just look straight ahead. No elbowing. I don't want to see any of that. Sometimes there are just going to be unbearable people. And if you're struggling to love people, go back to the message on love from two weeks ago.

But it is tough, especially around Thanksgiving. Have you ever been in a place where you're like, "It would be so much simpler if they didn't come"? Everyone has that uncle or that aunt, and you're like, "Guys, let's not do politics," and somehow they manage to bring it up. And if you're thinking, "That's crazy, no one in my family does that," you might be the one who does it. You're like, "I just want peace."

The truth is, there are unbearable people in our lives, and we need to love them well, but that doesn't make our peace any easier. King David writes in Psalm 109:3, "With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause." If it happened to him, it's going to happen to us.

3. Unexplainable problems

Unavoidable circumstances, unbearable people. Another thing that steals our peace is unexplainable problems, where things just don't turn out the way you want.

As a parent, man, my son is amazing. He's two years old, and he loves crackers. I've told you guys this before. He comes up to me and says, "I need crackers." And I'm like, "No, buddy, you want crackers." And he goes, "I need crackers." So I'm trying to teach him how to ask nicely. "Saint, here's what we say: 'Please, can I have some crackers?'"

So the other day I'm walking, and he goes, "Dad, I need crackers," and he said it with a tone. And I'm like, "You're two. Where did you learn a tone?" So I said, "Buddy, we're Straarups. We're kind. We're loving. We don't say it that way. Can you say sorry?" And he said, "Why?" And he starts crying. And I said, "Buddy, we say sorry because we're loving." He says, "Why?" I said, "Because Jesus was loving." And he goes, "Why?" And I'm like, "I don't know why He was loving." Now I'm trying to teach him the gospel and all this theological training. He's like, "Why?"

And then I get to the place, parents, forgive me, I know I needed it, after about ten "whys," where I said the thing I promised myself I'd never say: "Because I said so." Eventually you're trying to get them in the car, and you get really stressed out, and you become a pro. "Get in the car." "No." "Why?" "Because." And they're waiting, like, "Is there more to that?" And you're like, "No, that was a complete sentence. Because. Period." We don't want to do that, but we do.

We have unexplainable problems. And the challenge is that we don't actually grow out of asking why. Just like Saint, we so often approach God saying, "God, why? Why me? Why now? Why this?" There are some things you don't understand, won't understand, and can't understand. But you can still have faith because of God's goodness.

Isaiah 55:8 says this: "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'"

Even Jesus asked questions. You know that. Matthew 27:46: He's on the cross, "About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice," and what does He say? "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" If He's going to ask questions, so will we. We don't always understand what God is doing, but we can trust who He is.

4. Uncontrollable worry

The fourth one is uncontrollable worry. We worry about everything. How many of you are self-confessed worriers? How many of you are worrying about whether you should put up your hand? If that's you, you're a worrier.

The challenge with worry is that worry is the number one destroyer of our peace. And there are legitimate things we worry about. But worrying never solves tomorrow's problems. It only robs today of its peace.

Peace on earth to those on whom His favor rests

So the question is, if we're going to have trouble in the world, what do we do? How do we stand? And y'all are like, "Brad, I know there's a verse that talks about peace on earth." I know the verse you're talking about. Luke 2:10 says this: "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.'"

He never promised peace on earth. He did promise that on earth you can have peace. What does that mean? It means we're still going to have wars. Bad things are still going to happen in this life. You will have what? Trouble. That's a promise. So sometimes we're so mad at God: "Why isn't He fixing this?" He never promised He would. He never promised peace on earth. What He promised is that on earth you can have peace. There might not be peace in your situation, but even through it, you can have peace. He doesn't give peace to a planet. He gives peace to you. And it is a gift of God to have peace in an unpeaceful world.

How do you receive God's peace?

So if God can give me peace in the middle of my situation, how do we get that peace? That verse actually talks about it: "on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." So if we want to have peace, the question is, how do we receive God's favor? Because it's saying you can have peace in the middle of the situation you're facing on earth. Peace to those on whom His favor rests. In the remainder of our time, I want to give you four practical ways I believe we can receive the favor of God.

1. Receive God's pardon

The first thing is that we have to receive God's pardon. Psychologists will tell you that the number one cause of stress is guilt. We feel guilty for the things we've done, for the mistakes we've made. We're holding stuff inside, these secrets inside, and it's robbing us of our peace. But in God there is beautiful freedom, if we can come to God and say, "Father, forgive me. I receive Your peace." And not only are we going to confess to God, we're going to confess to people: "Hey man, I'm struggling with this." James 5:16: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." We go to God for forgiveness. We go to people for healing.

We don't have to understand it. We don't deserve it. We just have to receive it. Romans 5:1 says this: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith," we don't have to figure it out, we just have to trust, "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." He wipes the slate clean. And if you're so broken up by the things you've done, 1 John 1:9 says this: "If we confess our sins," there's something we have to do, "he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." We have to receive God's pardon.

2. Rely on God's plan

The second thing we have to do to really receive peace is rely on God's plan. But so often I don't want to rely on God's plan. You know whose plan I want to rely on? Mine. My plan. But it doesn't work that way.

We talked about Philippians last week. Paul is in jail. He was going to preach the gospel, and he got arrested. This is what Philippians 4:6–7 says: "Do not be anxious about anything." And I used to get so frustrated with this verse. But you need to understand that he isn't saying you're never going to have anxiety, or that it's a sin if you have anxiety. You're going to feel stress. He isn't saying you'll never have cares. He's saying you don't have to worry about your cares. We will have troubles. But there's a beautiful invitation.

He says this: "But in every situation, by prayer." Prayer is the pathway to peace. We say this at Spirit: in every situation, we pray first. "By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

What is prayer? It's going before God, having a conversation with Him, and saying, "I depend on You." What is petition? Has anyone ever signed a petition? It's asking for something specific. So we come to God humbly, and then we petition Him. We ask Him for something specific. And then it says "with thanksgiving." What does that mean? We thank Him for what He's done and what He's going to do, even if it's not what we prayed for.

Jesus in the garden shows the perfect prayer. He goes before God and says, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me." That's His request. But then He says this: "Yet not my will, but yours be done." God didn't answer that prayer the way Jesus asked it, and I'm thankful, because He went to the cross for me and for you.

What will happen when we go to God in prayer, in petition, with thanksgiving? It says this: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Has anyone ever been in the craziest situation, and you go to God and ask God, and you just have this moment where you feel like God knows your address? And you're like, "If He knows my address, I'm okay. If He knows the number of hairs on my head, I'm okay."

3. Respect God's principles

The third thing we have to do is respect God's principles. If I'm honest, I think this is where our stress often comes from: we don't actually respect the principles of God. Either we're doing things we know we shouldn't do, like getting into debt, not saving, putting stuff on credit cards we don't even need to impress people we don't even like. And then we're stressed, because we're not living by His principles.

We're not investing in our marriages the way we need to. The Bible says, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands." And I think sometimes that gets so distorted. What it means is a voluntary decision to say, "I'm going to follow you as you follow Christ." But husbands, you're not let off the hook, because it says, "Love your wives, just as Christ loved the church," laying your life down for her. It's so easy to submit to someone who lays down his life. And husbands, we also submit to who? Jesus, who also laid down His life. When we break that principle, we're going to have strife in our marriages. We have to respect God's principles in everything we do.

My father-in-law has a saying. He says to me, "Brad, the right thing is always the right thing." And I was like, "That's so stupid. No duh. Of course the right thing is always the right thing." But the more I thought about it, the more profound it is. What do I do if I lie on my taxes? Do I tell someone? The right thing is always the right thing. But what if there's a consequence? The right thing is always the right thing. I have unconfessed sin in my life. Should I say something? The right thing is always the right thing. But what if there's a consequence? The right thing is always the right thing.

When you follow God's principles and everything around you seems to be crashing, there's this confidence: "I'm not here because I didn't follow God's law. No, no, no. I followed God's law, and stuff is crashing around me. And if that's the case, if I've stood with God, He'll stand with me." There's an ease that comes when we follow God's principles in everything we do.

Sometimes the stress comes from doing the wrong thing. Sometimes it comes from not doing the thing we're supposed to do. If you've never given your life to Christ, today's your day. If you've never been baptized, next week we're baptizing. We do it on the first week of every month. Whether it's 31 people like we had a month ago or one person next week, I have no idea what God is going to do, but there will be a baptism tank. Why? Because we want you to take that next step. "Brad, I was sprinkled as a kid." That is a beautiful dedication, but it's not believer's baptism. Believer's baptism is when you've made the decision to follow Christ, and now you're making the decision to get baptized. If you've never done that, next week is your week. You can tap the card right in front of you, fill it out, and say you want to get baptized.

Maybe it's that. Maybe it's going through Growth Track. Maybe it's jumping on the Dream Team, the Dream Team that makes all of this happen. Can you all do me a favor and put your hands together for the Dream Team? They're thinking about you. Maybe it's giving. Maybe it's trusting God with your finances. I don't know what your next step is, but I encourage you to take one today. Psalm 119:165 says this: "Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble."

4. Run to God's presence daily

And the last one is this: we have to run to God's presence daily. If you want to have peace, run to God's presence. Give the first 15 minutes of your day to God: five minutes in prayer, five minutes in the Word, five minutes in worship. If you're like, "Brad, I don't have time. I wake up at 6:30," great. Wake up at 6:15. Now you have 15 minutes. Start somewhere.

There's a concept called Genesis thoughts: when you wake up, the first thing you fix your mind on sets the course for the rest of your day. Before you go digital, go scriptural, and watch how your entire thought life changes as you start following God's principles. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." Peace isn't found in absence. It's found in presence.

Jesus is in your boat

I want to read one more thing to you guys. I've spoken to your mind, but I pray this will speak to your heart. Peace isn't found in absence. It's found in presence.

In Mark 4 there's a story where Jesus sends the disciples out on a boat, and they find themselves in a storm. Some of you are in this place, and you feel like you're in a storm. This is what it says: "That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, 'Let us go over to the other side.'"

Some of you need to hear this. Some of you are in a storm because you followed what Jesus told you to do. Sometimes we're in a storm and we think we must have done something wrong. No, no, no. Jesus sent them into the storm. They were there because of obedience. Isn't that wild? Sometimes we go through something precisely because of our obedience.

"Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion." I love this. My man is out. He is sleeping. "The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?'" God, don't You care that I'm in here? God, do You not even see the situation I'm in? God, don't You care if I go under?

"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'"

They asked a beautiful question: "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him." But the question they should have asked is this: "Who is this, that the wind and the waves don't even wake Him?" Don't even wake Him.

Sometimes we're going through stuff and we're so stressed out, and Jesus is in our boat, and He is calm. And we have to come to the place where we realize that if Jesus is in my boat, I'm okay. He knows my address. And if I trust in Him, if I run to His presence, the Holy Spirit is able to produce the kind of fruit He wants to produce in our lives. It's not going to happen through a situation. Our situations aren't always going to be peaceful. I can't promise that. But I can promise that as you run to Jesus, you can have peace in the middle of it. Does that make sense?

Father, we love You. Lord, we praise You. God, I thank You for every single person in this room. Lord, I don't know the storms that exist. I don't know the things that are happening. But Jesus, I pray that You will move like only You can. That You will heal, that You will speak, that You will guide. Holy Spirit, lead like only You can.

I just want to give everyone an opportunity. If everyone can close their eyes and bow their heads: if you're here and you've never made the decision to give Jesus your life, I want to give you that opportunity. We do this every single week. It's the most important part of what we do. And if you don't even know this person who can bring us peace, I want to introduce you to Him. The Bible says we've all made mistakes, but God, in His wisdom, sent His Son Jesus so that those who believe in Him may have life. The Bible says that if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

So we're going to pray a prayer, and I'm going to ask everyone to pray it with me for those praying it for the very first time. Repeat after me: "Dear Jesus, I believe that You're the Son of God and the Savior of the world. I believe You came to this earth, You died on a cross, and You were raised so that I might have life. And right now I make You my Lord. I make You my Savior. In Jesus' name."