Sounding Forth The Word Of God

We’re going to read from the Scriptures, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, mostly focus on verses 5-8 though. “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,” you see Paul’s love for the people there. There’s this special bond, isn’t there, between a man who is truly called of God as a pastor and the people of God that God has put in his care and vice versa. People love their pastor. They’re praying for each other.

Verse 3, “remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.”

Here in 1 Thessalonians we have a tremendous success story. Through circumstances beyond his control, Paul had only been able to be there to preach in Thessalonica for four weeks, and, as usual, he got himself into trouble for preaching Jesus and was chased out of town. A little later, being concerned about these young converts, he sent Timothy to them; and he came back to Paul with a good report—not only were they standing, but they had a great testament.

A little later I’d like to speak on the words where it says having, “…sounded forth,” I’d like us to focus on that in a little while, speaking of the Word of God being proclaimed from this young church, but first I want us to consider verse 5. I’m going to begin there at verse 5. It’s what I consider to be the key as to why Paul was so effective in such a very short time while he was there with them in Thessalonica. It’s right there in the Scripture. It gives us the key. Paul had preached for four weeks, he had to leave, and yet had a tremendous effect in the lives of the people there in Thessalonica. How was that? How could that be possible? I do believe the answer is there in verse 5, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.” I believe the explanation for the phenomenal success that Paul had is found there in verse 5. He said he came not, “…in word only,” so he came with the Word of God, he came in the power of the Holy Spirit, “…in much assurance,” and with an exemplary life.

First of all, the Word of God. It goes without saying really that a great key to the successful spreading of the gospel in the establishing of this young church is the Word of God, that is, the exposition of the Word of God, the teaching of God’s Word. It’s so important. Again, I say to you and I really truly mean this, you are blessed to have one of the best Bible expositors of the Word of God around today; and I am blessed to be a part of a movement, Calvary Chapel movement, where the teaching of God’s Word has been the mainstay of our movement since the beginning, and may it long continue to be so. Many of us now are old. I was going to say getting old, but that doesn’t work anymore, I’m already old. I’m so thankful for younger men that I see holding forth the Word of God, and there are many more throughout the world that we may not have an acquaintance with, but there are men standing strong in the proclamation of the Word of God.

The Word of God is alive among us. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” It’s alive, the Word of God, you know that. You read through the Scriptures. You may have read the Bible several times. You read through and come to a passage, it particularly speaks to you, and you say, “When did they put that in?” because it’s alive! It’s something fresh to you when you’ve read it you say, “Whoa!”

My first pastor led me to the Lord. His name is George Yeomans. I got saved in England in 1968. He told us about a friend he had. He had a friend who would go down to one of our local towns, by the name of Mansfield. It’s a market town. There are market towns in England, market places and stuff (you don’t know, you don’t need to know). It’s just a place where he would go and do open-air preaching. This man had a very unique way of gathering a crowd. He’d get his hat, put it on the floor with a Bible under it, and he would dance around his hat, “It’s alive! It’s alive! It’s alive!” When people would go, “What’s alive?” He’d come around, pick his hat up, pick up the Bible, and start preaching. It is alive, isn’t it. It’s not merely a book to pick up like any other writing.

The Lord Jesus Christ said, “That these words that I have spoken are Spirit and life,” the Word of God. It’s alive because the Holy Spirit makes the Word of God alive to us. It’s alive. The Bible is living and brings life, and has brought life and continues to bring life, to millions of people. I quote Charles Spurgeon, the great British preacher, “If when I get to heaven God said, ‘I want you to preach for all eternity,’ I would simply say, ‘Give me a Bible, Lord, that’s all I need.’” God’s Word can bring purpose and meaning to a person who has lost even the desire to live. It can, and it does, inspire young men and women to take ventures of faith and actually go around the world in different parts of the world that God has called them to go to with that desire to minister and share the Word of God.

The Word of God can take one lost soul, lost in sin, turn them around, and give them life, bring life. We rejoice knowing that we have God’s Word to feed us, to help us grow. It’s living, working in us, will and does bring change. Bless your heart, you’re here tonight at a Bible study. Continue in the Bible study. If you’re a young believer, and this is sort of new to you, continue and you will grow as a Christian as you feed on God’s Word and as you believe God’s Word and as you begin to live God’s Word. God’s ways and God’s Bible, God’s Word, lives in you now. It becomes you.

When I had first become a Christian, I remember asking George Yeomans, “Okay, Pastor Yeomans, what’s the rules? Give me the rules. I want to do good at this thing. Give me the rules.” “No rules.” You see, when I feed on the Word of God, and the Word of God feeds me, God’s precepts (what He says about stuff) becomes us, doesn’t it. We don’t have to think, Is this right? No, it becomes us as we feed on God’s Word. As God’s Word grows within us, it brings change. Thankful am I for the Word of God. It brings conviction even, in our own lives. As we read the Scriptures, it tells me about being able to be washed in the blood of Christ and be regenerated by His Holy Spirit as I continue in His Word.

I want you to notice that Paul said, “…not…in word only.” This is where I think so many go wrong thinking that the Bible itself is enough. It’s not enough without the power of God’s Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit is the teacher. If you’ve learned anything from any pastor or any teacher who stands here, if you learn anything that lasts for time in eternity, it is because the Holy Spirit has taught you. He may use vessels, that’s done behind a pulpit (sit behind a pulpit), but if you learn anything, it’ll be that the Holy Spirit of God has quickened it to you. So he said it came to them in power, “…and in the Holy Spirit,” take that to mean the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Luke 24:49, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until you are endued with power from on high.” In Acts 1:4, “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me.’” Then, Acts 1:5, “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” They were told to wait. These are the fellows, the disciples, that have been given the Great Commission. These are the fellows that had been with Jesus for three years listening to His Word, but they were told to wait. The men who had been with Him for three years, the men who had been given the Great Commission to go out into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, they’d heard His teaching, they had His Word, but they were told to wait.

And then, what was then later achieved in the world was achieved through these fellows by Holy Spirit power, no other way. What was achieved in the Thessalonians there was the power of the Holy Spirit and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave that promise, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The word, of course, there is dunamis. It can be translated dynamite, but God doesn’t want to blow us up. The word is dynamo—power, the driving force, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You may receive power, freely, as you’re saved, once you’re saved. Jesus Christ told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem, “…until you are endued with power from on high,” and they did. On the day of Pentecost His Spirit was poured out.

The question arises, do we have to wait? The old-timers used to have what they called tarrying meetings where it says, “…but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Well, you gotta wait, you see. You gotta tarry. “We should have a tarrying meeting.” “What do you mean have a tarrying meeting?” “If you want to be really biblical, then you’ve got to tarry in Jerusalem.” No, you don’t have to wait nor do we have to go to Jerusalem, we can receive the power of the Holy Spirit by faith today. We Bible teachers stress the importance of the Word of God, and right, so we should stress the importance of God’s Word. We should also stress the importance of power from on high.

We have the Word of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, “…and in much assurance,” it says. They came with much assurance. You see, to powerfully proclaim the Word of God we must be confident. The book of Acts ends with, “Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.” This is not self-confidence, of course not. It says in Philippians 3:3, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” It’s not self-confidence but rather confidence in the Lord and what He has done and what He desires to do in and through our lives. That is what we call assurance—to be assured of who we are in Christ. You must be assured of who you are in Christ, assured in what God has made us and what God can do through us, the believer’s position.

It’s so important for us to know who we are. One of the most important and greatest things for you, for me, is to realize who we are and have our identity, to know our identity—we are in Christ. God has made us who we are and what we are, we are children of God. You know this, but maybe in your head, I don’t know. God lives in you. God lives in you. I think that’s pretty awesome! That’s pretty awesome. It really is. When a man or a woman is encouraged, he’s twice the man, “…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

So, he came with the Word of God, it came in the power of the Holy Spirit, and he came with confidence in the Lord. Then we have the example of an exemplary life. Verse 5, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake,” the exemplary life. Not only did they come proclaiming the Word in demonstration and in power of the Holy Spirit in doing mighty works, as it were, they also demonstrated the power of the Holy Spirit in the way they lived.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:9 it says, “For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe.” So, we might say, as well as the possessing this dunamis that we’ve spoken of, they manifested the fruit of the Holy Spirit, “…what kind of men we were among you,” not just preaching but living what they preached. That’s sort of sad to say, it is so detrimental to the proclamation of God’s Word when the proclaimer’s life is inconsistent with that that he preached; and yet what a powerful thing it is, what a powerful thing it could be, when a preacher’s life matches his words.

The reason such a powerful work was done because it came, “…in word…power…Holy Spirit…and in much assurance,” and with a godly example. I think that’s the key as to why this was so successful, why this work was so successful there. Those are the keys.

I wanted to consider the result of what was done and the fruit it bore and how it was reproduced in them. Look at verse 6, “And you became followers of us,”—that is, they followed their example—“and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.” In verse 8, “For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth,” so now from them the Word is sounded forth. Where they have received it, now they spread it abroad themselves. That is the pattern, isn’t it, of New Testament evangelism. The most powerful evangelism is not necessarily a Billy Graham crusade, but it’s you—personal evangelism. It’s not just the responsibility of the Pauls and the Barnabas’ and the Timothys of this world to evangelize, but it is for the churches that these men planted and pastored to sound forth the gospel.

Notice Paul did not say, “From your pastor,” or “From your evangelist,” or “From your church has sounded forth the Word of God.” No, he said, “From you.” Paul uses a word which is little used to describe what was taking place to them. In fact, I was reading up on this and I learned that the word for “sounded forth” is only used once in the whole of the New Testament, right here. It’s the word execheo which if they used that word naturally in a common language, it’s a word to describe the sound of a trumpet, and it’s only used here. It’s not used anywhere else in the New Testament, just used here. What a fascinating metaphor—God’s trumpet. The clear, loud, melodious means whereby God makes His voice heard in a world filled with all other kinds of noises. God’s message, heralded through human lips, penetrating through all the noise to deaf ears.

I do believe that Scripture teaches that all of us have a purpose in this life, a reason for being here. Has it ever crossed your mind when you got saved you thought, Why didn’t I just go straight to heaven? I’m saved now. I’m washed in the blood. I’m just passing through here, why can’t I just pass through now and go to heaven right now? Well, you have a purpose for being here. You’re still here, and although it may be very, very close and could come any time, the rapture has not come, you are here, I am here; and there’s a plan and a purpose of God as to why we are still here. A great part of that plan and that purpose is for us to stand strong in God’s Word and proclaim God’s Word, as it were, to blow God’s trumpet. I do believe we might say that the church is God’s trumpet sounding forth, God’s trumpet. Of course, it’s not just sounded forth in word, that is, not just proclaimed, but it is perhaps even more so expressed in the life that’s lived as Paul said of this young church. They became examples, “…not only in Macedonia and Achaia…having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,” that is, the Word was being lived in them as well as being preached by them. The gospel was incarnate in them, “…sounded forth,” a trumpet.

I’d like to explore this metaphor a little. A trumpet is a sound that is clear and penetrating. The gospel went out as a trumpet is sounded forth. You know, there are many instruments I suppose we could use as a metaphor, but I wonder if there is any that’s as clear and penetrating as a trumpet. A trumpet is an instrument that insists on being heard. You can hear a trumpet. After all, it was a trumpet, wasn’t it, a sort of trumpet, a bugle or trumpet, used in battle to call troops to action to arms. So, our message, “…sounded forth,” it was a trumpet—clear and penetrating. We just need to know our instrument.

I had a childhood friend, his name was David Thompson, who along with his father and his sister played a cornet. That’s a trumpet-like instrument with very minor differences with the little buttons that they press, but it sounds the same. It sounds very, very much alike. David and his family were very good. They played clear, melodious sounds, and that’s how our witness should be both in speech and in life. Now, I asked David if I could have a go. I wonder if you could imagine the awful excuse for a musical note that came out. He said, “What note was that?” I’m not sure if it even was a note at all (gives blowing noise). Well, sadly, some believer’s trumpet sound more like my attempt to play my friend David’s cornet, that is, their lives do not sound forth a clear, melodious message but rather a sound that indicates they don’t really know how to play the instrument or live the life. A trumpet sound is unmistakably clear and penetrating which ought to be the way our witness goes out both with the words that we say and the way that we live—a life that is clearly expressing Christian virtues and the love of God and one who knows His message and knows his Lord.

Obviously, Paul knew how to blow God’s trumpet. Just a small group of young believers and yet the gospel sounded forth so clear and so penetrating that it says, “…not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place.” If you look at the context, “…remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,” their witness was with deeds and the things they went through, and the way they lived their life were perhaps even more so than their words. A modern translation says, “And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it.” You see, as well as preaching their faith, the consistency of their living for Jesus is what made such an impression in their community. We should all speak of Him, but you also may speak of Him without speaking. Not that they should necessarily talk less, but there should be certainly more living.

We do not know how far reaching our godly example and Christian witness may penetrate. Remember how Paul ends Philippians, he says, “All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household.” Caesar’s household? The gospel penetrated even into Caesar’s household? Wow! It penetrated even the most unexpected places, the most unlikely of circumstances. Remembering the words of Jesus in Luke 21, “You will be brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.”

Never in a million years would I have imagined that more than 20 years ago now, February 7, 2003, as dark clouds enveloped us, that I would have stood on a platform on a Space Shuttle landing strip with the governor of Florida and the leading NASA officials at the Space Shuttle Columbia’s memorial service and I read from the Psalms and the book of Revelation and pray as I gave the benediction to that service. Who am I? I’m just a lad from Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire with a high school education. Sutton-in-Ashfield, you don’t know where that is, do you? No, well that’s my point. That’s my point. I was humbled and honored to stand on God’s Word and be God’s trumpet that day on a nationally televised memorial service with millions watching, and if the sound is clear, who knows where it will penetrate.

In 2 Timothy 2:8, “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.” Paul said, “They can lock me up, but you can’t lock the Word of God up.” No, though he was in bonds Paul could say the word of God is not bound. He says, “Though I may be in chains, the Word of God is not in chains.” Who knows, brothers and sisters, what effect your witness and your life will have even long after you’ve gone, should the Lord tarry, long after you’ve gone. Long after you who knows what impact your life will have. Who knows what eternal value your faithful service will accomplish as you serve Him and His people. Who knows what effect the Word of God will have through you.

Now, as well as individuals, a church as a whole, a local church as a whole, should stand strong on God’s Word and blow God’s trumpet loud and clear. This community and our community where we live, Merritt Island, it’s near Cape Canaveral…actually, the Space Center is on Merritt Island. You probably don’t even care anyway, but actually it’s just down the road from our church—Kennedy Space Center. It’s just down the road from our church. I hope one day, instead of people saying to you, “Well, where’s the Space Center?” “Why it’s right near Merritt Island at Calvary Chapel.” No, “Where’s Calvary Chapel Merritt Island?” “Oh, it’s just on the way to the Space Center.” No, “Where’s the Space Center?” “Oh, it’s just near Merritt Island Calvary Chapel.” But as an individual church, as a church, we should stand strong, blow God’s trumpet loud and clear and say, “This community needs to know what we stand for, that we stand on God’s Word, that we shall not compromise the Word of God no matter what others do. We shall not compromise the Word of God even if it would bring, as it may, persecution upon us.” Anybody who would visit our churches, you surely know and sense that the Lord is among us, as I do believe we sensed during our time of worship this evening. The Lord’s among us, and they should also know and recognize the love that we have for one another.

On my way from my home, I live about five minutes from Calvary Chapel Merritt Island, I drive by what used to be a church of sorts. They have since disappeared, but they used to put on their outside notice board, they used to post the most bizarre titles for their sermons. I really had no idea what they meant half the time. I’d ride by and say, “What is that?” I don’t know what it stood for. Some were wishy-washy. They had no idea what notes they were trying to play. I once went by and it said, “Don’t Yuk My Yum.” That’s the sermon? Did you ever preach on that, John, “Don’t Yuk My Yum”? It sounds more like me trying to get a sound out of my friend’s cornet than the church playing a clear message to proclaim.

There are others on our island that come across loud and clear, and they’re doing a great job. But if you want to know whether somebody’s playing a clear, penetrating sound, visit the church’s web page. You should be able to quickly discern if they’re sounding forth the Word of the Lord. I’ve already told John, and the fellow responsible for the web page, I like your marvelous web page. It has so much wonderful, clear teaching on it. If you go to a church’s web page and you can’t see right away—right in your face—that they preach the Word of God, they probably don’t.

A trumpet sound is clear and penetrating, sounding forth. The word for it is a trumpet, sounding forth, clear and penetrating. A trumpet is also melodious. It should be if it’s been played right, not by me. The note should be musical. Again, 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.”

What I’ve just read to you are instructions against discord. You all know what discord is, don’t you? It’s a note sang off pitch or out of tune or wrong note sometimes when there’s an attempt for two people to harmonize together and one is flat or sharp. Or a guitar out of tune, that’s kind of painful if you’ve been involved in music at all. It doesn’t bother some people, but if you’ve been involved in any kind of music, then it is painful when you hear a guitar out of tune, or whatever. These guys tonight were wonderful. They have a wonderful band. They were wonderful. They’re not all like that. Proverbs 6:12, “A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth; 13 He winks with his eyes, He shuffles his feet, He points with his fingers; 14 Perversity is in his heart, He devises evil continually, He sows discord.” Harshness, arguing, bickering, cruel words spoken causing discord, that’s not music.

Proverbs 6 again, “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood; 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.” It’s not musical at all. Who wants to listen to discord? You turn it off. You say, “Man, tune your instrument, will you?” Discord.

My wife Carol and I, we watch the tv program, The Voice. Have you guys ever seen it? Let me explain quickly to you if you’ve not seen it. It’s sort of a competition to find out who is going to win, the best voice, the whole competition. The judges sit with their backs to the singer. The singer comes out, and if they do well, then somebody turns around, maybe two of them turn around, maybe all four of them turn around, and say they want to be the coach of that person to take them onto the next round. That’s how it goes on. They don’t always all turn around because sometimes the person singing doesn’t make it. We do not watch it live, I record it; and I fast forward, yeah, man. Again, I’ve been involved in music most of my life. I’ve been in a Christian band and all the rest of it, write songs and stuff. If I hear pitchy notes, it hurts. I’ll look at Carol, who will be sitting a side of me watching. They come out and I go, “Oo, pitchy. That’s sharp. That’s flat. Oo, pitchy.” I look at her like I’m ready to press the button. She goes, “Yeah, press the button. Fast forward it.” I don’t want to listen to it if it’s out of tune.

I wouldn’t like to think that someone has to fast forward my life because I was out of tune. You see, music goes a lot further than discord. A life that is harmonious, gracious, and gentle makes beautiful music, so sound forth—trumpet. We are to sound forth that which is clear, penetrating, melodious. And, a trumpet is stirring. Have you ever heard an elephant’s trumpet? I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of visiting and seeing elephants in Kenya. They often trumpet when they’re highly stimulated in situations where they’re fearful or surprised or even aggressive or even playful or socially excited. It’s certainly a stirring sound.

I was at an informal evening concert setting where a lady was playing a harp. I looked around and several people were asleep. Granted, they were mostly gray hairs. I have to admit I was nodding off a bit myself. You don’t play a trumpet to put people to sleep. It’s used to call to arms. It’s intended to stir, to revive. Trumpet music is usually set to lively music. Brothers and sisters, we are not the frozen chosen. Our witness should express life, sounding forth the life of God. Our witness is not to be like a dour, dire funeral march played in a minor key. The psalmist says, “Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.” We don’t want to be miserable people, we want to blow God’s trumpet in such a way that it inspires.

One last thought, the breath of God. You must’ve all heard the saying, “He loves to blow his own trumpet.” You’ve heard that, haven’t you. Let’s be clear on this, it is the breath of God that blows the trumpet, the Holy Spirit of God. In John 20:21, “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” Those are the verses that inspired the writing of an old hymn. I’m not sure if you know it very well over here. I think it’s a British hymn written by Edwin Hatch in 1876. It’s a beautiful hymn. I’m working on a project with my son right now, and this is one of the hymns that we’re going to record.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will thy will,
to do and to endure.

You see, we must live in fellowship with the Lord and let the breath of God transform the discord of our lives into sweet melodies of praise that the trumpet may sound loud and clear as He becomes the breath of our spiritual lives and from us the Word of God is sounded forth throughout the world.

Brothers and sisters, may God continue to use you, bless your witness in this community. May this fellowship be strong. Stand strong in the Word of God. Continue on the path that you’re on, going forth in the power of God, with the Word of God, continuing on sounding forth plainly the gospel of Jesus Christ with penetrating power because the gospel is still the answer to this world’s woes; and you, me, we have the answer. Amen? Let’s take the Word of God and let’s play our trumpet sweetly with penetrating power.