 we'll get started, right? Let's look to God and pray. Father, we thank you. We thank you for this day, Lord. We thank you that you give us yet another opportunity to gather together, Lord, as your followers, Lord, as disciples of the Most High God. What an awesome privilege, Lord, to gather together, to seek your face. Lord, to look into your word, to read the eternal words, the words which are spirit and life, the life-giving words and receive those words into our own lives and speak it, to declare it, to meditate upon it. Lord, what an awesome privilege you've given us, Lord. Father, at this time, we just want to commit each one into your mighty hands. Father, God, you know where each one comes from and what we face, what we struggle, what we, Lord, rejoice with God and what state of, Lord, we are in emotionally, Lord, spiritually, and Lord, I just pray and declare your shalom over each one of us God. Yes, Lord, your healing, your deliverance and Lord, your peace, your supernatural peace and prosperity over each and every person here, Father God. We pray that, yeah, you called us to be, declare, called us to be proclamers, the ones who declare and herald your truth and I just pray we will do that wherever you've placed us, God. And we thank you that you called us to be overcomers. Master, we thank you that, yeah, Father God, we thank you that you called us and you make us into vessels of honor in your hands, Father God. We thank you, even as we yield to your cleansing, even as we yield to your work of Lord's sanctification, God, we pray that each and every day God that will be vessels of honor in your hand. We thank you. We give you all praise and glory. In Jesus' matchless name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Okay, so welcome back just a minute, please. Yeah, so last class in biblical preaching, we looked at homiletics, how it's science and art, the preparation and the delivery communication of the message. And we also very briefly looked at just an overview of the basics of communication, like the communication process, the barriers and communication, what enables communication, what breaks down communication. Very quickly, we looked at that. And also, lastly, we looked at the functions of language, what language is capable of doing and how we can use language. We looked at how language can be for interrogation, how language can be informative to pass on information, and three other things. So today, we will continue with that and we look at how there is homiletics or we see the there is preaching in the Bible. Right from the Old Testament, right through the Old Testament and the New Testament, we see that there are messages that have been shared by people whom God has chosen as spokespeople. So we see prophets coming and declaring what God has put in their heart, the words that God has put in their mouths, they come and they declare and they speak it out. So in the declaration, it's amazing just to see that the infinite God puts his eternal words in the hearts and mouths of finite man, like the eternal words in the hearts and minds of finite man and he invites man. When I say man, I'm of course talking about a human being to declare, to proclaim his word, to carry out his purposes. That's the bigger picture that we as his creation have the privilege of walking hand in hand with him to carry out his purposes, his will on the earth. So that's the bigger picture really when we look at homiletics in the Bible or how people actually declare the word. When we look at that, the fact that, okay, which page, I think we're looking at chapter, yeah, page nine, Charles, page nine, homiletics in the Bible. Yeah, so we're looking at how people are used by God. So we see that God being infinite and God being this eternal God, he chooses to, one, he chooses us to partner with him and secondly, he gives us of himself really. He gives us his word, he comes and dwells with us, indwells us and empowers us to actually go and carry out the tasks that he has for each one of us. And so we fulfill the purpose that he has for us, we fulfill the life that he has for and we live a life that is enriching, that is content, full of contentment and it's not devoid of danger, it's not devoid of hardships, but it is the life in the center of God's will. So we see homiletics in the Bible, we see God using man to declare his word. But the beautiful thing is that even though God uses man to declare his word, it is still his word. Yes, sometimes it is tainted by human personality, sometimes it is, the flesh comes in the way and sometimes the delivery is in our own lives, we have our limitations, but God's word still is communicated and delivered and then God's word when it is received still has best fruit, that's the power of his word. So let's look at some of these instances in the Bible where we see homiletics being there or where sermons are preached and we see that it is yes it is on one side it is inspirational, in the sense we know that 7 Timothy 3 and verses 16 to 17, let's quickly just look at that scripture. 3 verses 16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for He lists down few things here for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. So you see that all scripture is given by inspiration of God which means that it is God breathed and the Greek word is theoteo pneumatos meaning it is literally God breathed, it's by the Spirit of God inspired by God and another place we see that men of God wrote, no like Peter writes, he says, no prophecies of private interpretation but men of God wrote even as they were moved as they were conveyed by the Holy Spirit. So we see that this is what God's word is and the ministry of God's word through human vessels, it is God breathed, it is inspired by God and it is used for all these things. So it involves the human element of arranging, preparing, declaring. So God inspires, it is God gives me, God gives us the message, He quickens the word for us in this dispensation, He quickens the word to us and we have the privilege of communicating it and arranging it and illustrating it and communicating in the best way possible. So let's look at a few instances in the Bible. So we look at the prophetic writings, the prophets we see that whenever they spoke, like some of the things were very dramatic and the Bible scholars say that they used homilical methods in their communication. Many of the books like Psalms, the Proverbs, we see again language being used, like metaphors are used. I'm sure you would have noticed in the book of Psalms where his love endures forever. It comes as a refrain over and over and over again. We know these are prophetic, we know they're inspired by the Spirit of God and through the human vessel it is communicated and we see all these elements of language like metaphors are used, homilies are used, figures of speech are used and it is communicated. So we see that in the Bible and in Proverbs also we see the same thing. I'm just trying to think of that reference where it says six things are an abomination, no seven things are an abomination. So that is again a usage of language, six things but then goes on to say no six things, seven things are an abomination. It's a usage of language to say that these are the list of things that are an abomination to the Lord. These are things that are too wonderful for me to understand and so on. So we see that in the book of Proverbs. In the preaching of the Lord Jesus, in his messages, well it came with so much authority, it came with so much wisdom. Proverbs 6, thanks for that. Proverbs 6, maybe we should just look at that before we go forward. Proverbs 6 and yeah, Proverbs 6, 16 to 19, these six things the Lord hates, yes seven are an abomination to him. It's a way of saying that these are things, this is a list and of course we don't use it in our culture but in that time it was a usage. These are six things, seven are an abomination and so on. So we see the Lord Jesus using several methods of sharing. It came with the authority because he was the Word himself, came with infinite wisdom and knowledge and also we see that it came with the Lord used parables, everyday examples. One of the methods that he used to teach was through parables. So parables being one way of saying it, one way of explaining parables or defining parables is that these were earthly stories. These were everyday accounts, what people would see around him. These were earthly stories that he used but these connected and conveyed a heavenly meaning, a deeper spiritual truth and these were stories that people could relate to because they had seen. One day a man went out to sow, Mark chapter 4, we read about the parable of the sow. He went out to sow and he sowed and he sowed on different lands. So these were things that people could see, people were able to relate to and people could, every time I'm sure that after that message, when they went out and they saw a land or saw a field, they were reminded of the Word of God and the impact of the Word of God and what one needs to do in order to have that 30, 60 and 100 fold harvest or the benefit of the Word of God in their lives. So I'm sure they never forgot that lesson. So every time they saw a shepherd or the sheep or every time I'm sure that they would have thought of that or if they lost something, I'm sure that they would have connected. So he used parables and he shared, he preached everywhere he went. And we come to the book of Acts and the book of Acts also, we see a couple of or maybe three sermons which are really in challenging settings and we see that the kind of message that was preached. So let's look at that sermon, those sermons, maybe the first one can be Acts chapter 2 where Peter is preaching and Acts chapter 2. So this starts from verse 14. This is immediately after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Right? There is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There is a supernatural manifestation and people are amazed, people are confused, people are perplexed, people are mocking and all these kinds of reactions. And in fact, it's right after people were mocking that Peter, he stands up and he shares his Word. He's full of the Holy Spirit. He's experienced something that he's never experienced before, something supernatural and he's filled with the Spirit. He has just prayed out in tongues, spoken out in tongues and he speaks out, he stands and then raised his voice and he says, verse 14, men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known and heed my words. So you must understand that this is a fisherman. Right? Yes, he was outspoken. Yes, he was very impulsive and here he is filled with the Spirit. He is also a fisherman who let down the Lord a few times, right? Three times and he's also a fisherman who I mean, he let down the Lord. Even after the Lord warned him, he said, you will actually deny me thrice and he did so. Right? And he did so vehemently. The Bible records and says that he went to the extent of cursing and speaking offensive words and saying just to prove the point that to create a scene and say, no, I don't know this man. So this is the same man. He's filled with the Spirit. He's had something supernatural and here he is quoting from the book of Joel, from Prophet Joel and he shares a message, a prophetic word and he connects what has happened with what was prophesied. The Holy Spirit bearing witness and he says, you know, this is what was spoken by the Prophet Joel. And then he goes on, verse 22, men of Israel hear these words. He goes on to talk about Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did so much of confidence and so much of authority. Then he quotes, he draws from the book of Psalms and then he comes to the conclusion. You know, it's interesting, you can just go through it later at leisure now. And then he goes on to end the message with an altar call. How do you want to apply this sermon? He goes on to say, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promise is to you and to those who are far off as many as our Lord our God will call and this he says and responds to the question, men and brethren, what shall we do? And verse 36 is where he actually ends this message. He says, you know, therefore let all the house of Israel know surely that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. And he starts by refuting that these are not full of new wine. These are not the people who are drunk. And then he goes on to talk about the prophecy and prophecy, which was declared by Prophet Joel. And then he goes on to declare about the Messiah. And then in response to the question, what must we do? So that message moved them to action by the Holy Work of the Holy Spirit and their hearts. So they said, you know, we need to do something now. In their hearts it was like, I've heard the truth. We need to do something. And then he gives the altar call. And this is the move. This is the call to action. You've heard the word. Now, this is what you do in response to the word. So we see this. Anything else that you notice in this sermon? We are in Acts chapter two and, you know, versus 14 onwards to about 36 or maybe 39. Anything else that you notice from this sermon? Like would be interesting to hear, right? Anything else that you notice as you go through? Anything else that you can infer? When I just see this, I'm like, wow, what a wonderful message. And what a wonderful spontaneous message, right? No notes, no preparation. The only preparation was that he was filled with the Spirit. Of course, he has been listening to the word. He walked with the word and talked with the word. And now the word, whatever the word promised, the living word promised. And he said, I will send the helper. And everything is just connecting now. Everything is making sense now. Yes, I've experienced the helper. He has come and he has moved me, pushed me into another realm. I've experienced the powers of the age to come. And I can't help but speak. And the outcome is a message connecting the old and the new. Really wonderful, right? Yes, it speaks with authority. Yeah, it speaks with authority using scripture. We cannot imagine that this is the same man. This is the same person who denied Jesus twice. Yeah, anything else that you notice? Yeah, the fact that he drew from the old. So which means that they were studying the scriptures, right? They were reading the scriptures. They were studying the scriptures. The Lord was teaching them. Yeah, Kennedy says boldness. Yes, boldness. Okay, so several other things, right? We can maybe the fact that he also moved them to action. He said, okay, this is what you need to do. No holding back anything. He just proclaimed it, declared it as it is. And he said, this is what you need to do. You need to repent, right? It's not like verse 40 says with many more scriptures, meaning much more than what we have read was 40. And with many other words, he testified and exorted them. Yeah, saying be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized and that day about 3000 souls were added to them. Yeah, that's an amazing thing that we noticed again. Thank you, Avni. What do you say about Hannah's song and Israelite's song after crossing the Red Sea? Okay, so that about Moses declaring that. Is that what you're referring to, Charles? Yeah, I guess you're referring to what Moses declared. So that's again something that we see and as a message in song. And let me just see if you actually put down the reference here. Yeah, I'm not sure about the question, Charles. Definitely it is a song, again a spontaneous song, which was declared, that is Israelite's and then Hannah's song as she was moved by the spirit and when she received the word. So is your question that are these also messages or are these also having homolytics in them? Is that your question? I am trying to ask about language. I am looking at the language that is used in both scripture, referring to how the things are being spoken in the book of Proverbs. And I'm looking at how the languages are used. They are like all that of poetic things like that. I was trying to see when you were explaining about the language, the use of language and I was looking at the way the words are expressed. Hannah is talking about he lifts you from the dust, he puts you somewhere, he does this, he does this, then when you go to the Israelite's crossing the Red Sea, he has done this, he has done this, we are no longer seeing this. So that's what I was trying to see whether I am understanding the usage of language in homolytics. That is the question. Right. Okay. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah, so the use of the language and I think the word is, the thing is to be relevant, of course, we'll come to that a little later, the use of language and also the use of the metaphors and so on in order to be relevant to that culture, to be relevant to that audience. So yeah, it would depend on that also. So they actually did that. They spoke in those ways like the Proverbs and especially that kind of usage in Proverbs and in Psalms as well. Anyway, we'll come to that again when it comes to the different modes of delivery of the message. Like even here in India, in rural India, you see different ways in which messages are communicated to a formal congregation gathered around them in song and the whole story shared in song and so on. So we'll look at that. Okay. So we see here, we see this wonderful message that is declared, that is spoken about the Messiah. We see that in Acts chapter 2. Then we move on to Acts chapter 7. Here is another message shared by Stephen, preached by Stephen. And what really catches our attention is the fact that it was a very hostile audience. It was a very hostile congregation that was listening to Stephen. If you read about Stephen, if you go back, you see that in chapter 6, where the disciples are saying, the 12 are saying, you need to seek out men from among you, seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business of distribution and administrative task. And then they say, we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. And then we see Stephen mentioned there, verse 5, Acts chapter 6 and verse 5. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. And then others are listed, Philip, Prochorus, Nikkei and so on. And then we move down. We see that Stephen is full of faith and power, verse 8. And he did great wonders and signs among the people. They tried to dispute with Stephen, but they couldn't resist the Holy Spirit, wisdom, and really the anointing with which he spoke, they couldn't refute it. And they brought charges of blasphemy and they set up some false witnesses. They arrest him. He's standing there before the council. And verse 15 also records that they saw his face as the face of an angel. It was like something very different about him, even when things were so hostile. Then the chief, the high priest said, are these things so? All these charges, all these accusations. And Stephen starts from verse 2. And he says, it starts with Abraham. He talks about how Abraham was called. He talks about the journey in Egypt, what happened in Egypt, how the Lord sustained them in famine in Egypt. Then he talks about Joseph and moves on to Moses and comes down to read verse 44 and so on. So we see that he says, you are stiff-neck people and he says, you always resist the Holy Spirit as your father did. So he talks about things that they already knew and he preached that to them. And then he says, verse 52, which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers who have received the law by direction of angels but have not kept it. And it says, they were cut to the heart. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they rushed at him and he was martyred. But what really is astonishing is that even though the congregation is very hostile, he goes on to preach this amazing message starting from Abraham all the way to Moses. And when he finishes, the scripture records that they were cut to the heart, which means that they realized, they were convinced they were cut to the heart. It pierced their heart, literally. The words they could not refute, the words they could not in any way put that aside, it actually pierced their heart. So this is another sermon that we see here. And again, when we look at Stephen's sermon, he also draws from scripture. He shares scripture and he preaches. Right. Then we look at another place where we go to where Paul is in Athens. And this is I think Acts chapter 15 or Acts chapter 16, 17, rather, 17 and verse 16. So Paul is at Athens and he sees what is around. He sees that the city is given over to idols and so on. And he shares, it says in verse 18 that they said, you know, this is what they said. They were Epicurean and Stoic philosophers and encountered him. And what does this Babylon want to say? Others said, he seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. So Paul was very clear. He preached to them about the Lord Jesus. He preached to them about the resurrection from the dead. And then they invite him. He stands in at Mars Hill, which is Ariopagus, and he shares the word. He says he preaches to them. And he talks to them about that altar, which has the inscription to the unknown God. He refers to that. He also talks about some of the, sorry, yeah, he talks about that. And then he talks about the resurrection of the dead. And it is when they hear about the resurrection of the dead that they mock. But then he has, there are varied reactions, some are mocking. And while others are saying, you know, we want to hear again about this matter. But the fact is then here, you have a curious audience, and you also have, you know, you have that it's a totally different culture from what Paul is used to. He sees all these things. And then he actually uses an object lesson in preaching. They look at that altar. They know that there is this altar with the inscription. The place is, in fact, full of idols and altars. And so he refers to that. And he says, it's wonderful, you know, the way he starts, I was passing through and considered the objects of your worship. I even found an altar with his inscription to the unknown God. Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing him, I proclaimed to you verse 23. And then he goes on to share. And here he talks about God, who created the Lord of heaven and earth. And so on. It's wonderful, you know, the message that he shares here. So we see all these sermons, which are, which are there. And well, the scholars say that there is, well, Paul specifically was not speaking with the oratorial eloquence of those times, like of the Greek philosophers. And they would, they had a certain style of speaking, which is highly theatrical. And Paul actually refrained from using that kind of method. But also we see that these kinds of things which Paul employs in order to share the word. Then let's, if you look at his writings to Timothy, Paul talks about character. Paul talks about the centrality of character, the foundation of character in a person, in a person who is serving God, who wants to serve God, you know, it's like the qualifications. He says the same, but also talks about the ability to teach. He says, able to teach. And this is one of the things he mentions that. But he also gives Timothy personal instruction. And we saw that in the other class. First Timothy, you know, you charge some that they teach no other doctrine, but that they, that they don't give heed to fables and genealogies, which are causing disputes. And then he goes on to say, you rightly divide the word and give careful, careful attention to the pattern of sound words that you heard from me, knowing from whom you have received and so on. So again, the importance of, you know, receiving the word, importance of rightly dividing the word. And he says, you give yourself entirely, you know, undeservedly to that, so that you might save yourself and those who hear you, which means that saying Timothy, this is, you know, you rightly divide the word and you rightly present the word to them. Okay. To those who are hearing you, they will also experience the same way that you will save yourself when you, when you receive this word and you will also, you know, they will also experience that. So the kind of, you know, the kind of fruitfulness that the word will bring about, he's encouraging Timothy in this. So we see that in scripture, we see that the preparation and the presentation of the message is there. Some, sometimes, you know, in the, in some of the things that we saw, we saw that they were spontaneous. But the preparation, you know, was much earlier to that particular event, right? We know, we, when we, when we look at people, we see that, okay, this is how they live their lives. They heard the word and, you know, they were prepared by the master and they were, they were filled with the Spirit of God and that itself was an education and the preparation and the training. And they, God used them at these times to proclaim the word, right? And we see the same thing in Paul's message and this is what we see also. So Paul, looking around, looking at the situation, looking at what is there and looking at what people could connect to and see and using that in his message. Okay, so, so the thing is that, you know, as God has called us to communicate the message, to communicate the word. So we can do this without compromising the message. We can be relevant to the culture that we are without compromising them because nowhere did these people compromise the message. You know, they, like Paul, he spoke about the resurrection. He spoke about the death and the resurrection of the Lord. He spoke about salvation and there's no holding back. It was not about just living a good life. It was not about living a life with high good morals. It was about the cross. It was about Jesus. And of course, these were all the ones which we see are all evangelistic in nature. But, you know, that Paul's writings are also, there were many teachings and about living the life of a born again person and living a life of disciple and so on. So many, many, how should we say it, you know, these were messages to live an edifying life and to live the life and also instructions to be a minister of God. So we see messages of that nature also that Paul writes. Paul communicates. So for those of us who think, okay, preaching is not my thing. The word that will be helpful for us is, you know, the fact that God has called us to be communicators of the gospel. Well, preaching, like we said, preaching in this kind of maybe a formal context like a church, you know, pulpit. Well, that's a big part of it. But also, you see that that environment is, you know, it keeps changing and the call of God is unique for each person. And we are called to, you know, be proclaimers in those different settings. Okay, so let's look at, you know, is preaching the question is, you know, because of changing scenario, because of technology, you know, because of so many things that are shifting. The question could be, you know, is preaching necessary, is communicating the gospel in this manner, is it necessary or is it relevant? Okay, if you look at the notes, you can actually read through this section, which is in on page 10, the case for preaching, it's actually from a book called biblical preaching by this person, Haddon Robinson. And he actually writes about the case of preaching, you know, in today's time. So he actually portrays a scenario where everybody is, it's an over communicated society. That's how he starts by saying, you know, it's an over communicated society in which, you know, if you're living in an urban setting, you go down the road, and you see, you know, hoardings, billboards crying out for attention, like, you know, buy this, do this, live here, wear this, eat this, right. And if you're, you open up, excuse me, social media, and if you're on Instagram, Facebook, of any other thing, there's so much that is coming your way, you know, so many messages, so many ads that is coming your way. And also, the way things are, like people also, you know, the credibility of people, right. Very sadly, even in ministry, you see gifted people, and you hear the message and you go wow. But then you hear about the life, and then you begin to doubt the message. The message could be, you know, it's sincere. It is real, it accords with the word of God, and then we see the life, and then, well, it casts a shadow of doubt on the credibility of the message, right, because of the life of the messenger. So all these things are happening. And so, so it's so challenging to the whole aspect of preaching, right. So I remember just walking, this was not in the context of preaching, but really sharing the gospel, but so walking, you know, doing some street evangelism, so in a part of Bangalore, so going there, and what we used to do was give people a promise card, right, it says a promise for the season, or it says a reason, a promise for the season, and then there's a scripture there, and it just says the Bible, right. So it could be scripture could be like, I will be with you, I will never leave you nor forsake you, and a promise from the word of God. So you give, so we used to give them, read it out to them, this is a promise, and from there share the gospel, you know, this is about Jesus, and Jesus cares for you, and this is what he did, and so on. So just using it according to the need, according to the context there. But what I, you know, personal experience is that people are very hesitant to take it, right. So even as you approach, they know that, okay, maybe this person is trying to sell something, maybe this person is trying to, you know, get something out of me, maybe wants me to sign up for some club, sign up for something. So there's a lot of, there's a lot of doubt, there's a lot of suspicion. What do you want from me now, do you want me to buy something, do you want me to, so there's a lot of suspicion, there's a lot of distrust, and on top of it, a lot of messages, a lot of communication so to cut through this, we really need to depend on the Holy Spirit and for the words to find their mark, right, to cut through all this. And so yeah, so Heron Robinson talks about that and talks about how it's an over-preached society, over-communicated society, and in the midst of that, you know, we have been called to preach, okay, especially in today, it is challenging. So just because the scenario is challenging, just because the scenario is difficult, does not mean that our call to preach the gospel, our call to share the gospel, you know, it is different. Maybe we can employ different ways of doing it and be creative about it, but the call is the same, that we are called to preach, we are called to communicate the gospel, right. Okay, so let's look at a few, okay, we're almost out of time, let's look at a few reasons here. One thing is that God is a God who speaks, God is a God who speaks, and this is how we instituted, he laid down, he spoke through the prophets, he spoke through his son, and he speaks through us, right, he has called us, he has invited us and commissioned us, right, to share, to preach, to represent him, to be his ambassador, right, to represent the kingdom and the king, so he has called us to do this. If you look at the word of, and we looked at several examples, we looked at the Old Testament, we looked at how the, you know, the prophets were filled with the word and asked to go and commission to preach the word. We see the Lord's ministry, earthly ministry, right, there was, he went about preaching, he went about teaching, he went about demonstrating, he went about healing people who were sick, right, so there was preaching, there was teaching, there was demonstration, so we find that example in the Lord Jesus himself. John the Baptist, he came preaching, announcing about the Messiah, and he did that, and his method was again preaching, you know, reaching out, communicating to warning people to repent. The apostles, you know, when we look at the book of Acts, when we look at the New Testament, we see, the book of Acts specifically, we see that the apostles did exactly that, they were filled with the Spirit, the Lord Jesus told them that, you know, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses, and he went on to describe that it is going to be an ever expanding and a global kind of ministry, that you will be my witnesses, and he commissioned them, he said, go preach, go do this, and he said, you will be, Acts 1 and verse 8, that you will be my witnesses, and he talks about, you know, you start from Jerusalem, yes, you will be starting in Jerusalem, but Judea, Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts of the earth, right, it is going to be a global thing, and this is how I've instituted it, that you will go, that you will communicate, preach the gospel, okay, so we can say that God has ordained this, and Paul, he says, you know, warn to me if I do not preach the gospel, okay, he commissioned Timothy, he charged Timothy, preach the word, okay, do the work of an evangelist, preach the word, and we see this in the early church, we see this in the early church fathers like Augustine and Irenaeus and so on, so I'm sorry, there's a typo in point 8, this is page 12, Irenaeus, so we see that preaching is very much part, it has been part of the Christian faith, and it is very much, you know, part of today, it's just that we can be and we need to be relevant, right, we need to be relevant in the way we communicate the gospel without diluting, without compromising the message, right, okay, so when we come back next class, I just want to probably, you know, talk about, before we go to the fourth chapter, talk about, you know, your scenario, right, your situation, maybe look at our own lives and see how did the gospel come to us, you know, how was it preached, and I'm sure, you know, all of us are different ages and different nations, and so it's been interesting to learn, so we'll just be ready to, you know, share two, three things, quick things, how did it happen, and, you know, how was it preached, and how did you get to hear it, was it something written, was it something spoken, was it, you know, something which came in the form of a song, and so on, right, so it'll be interesting for us to just to hear from each other, so just, you know, very briefly, right, one line, two lines, if you can just point that out, probably I might ask a couple of questions after you share that, so we'll do that, we'll try and see how many others can actually share in tomorrow's class, okay, so with that, we'll end today's session, thank you so much, I think I've already taken three minutes more, and you need to get back to your other class, thank you so much, God bless you. Thank you pastor.