0:18 Now we have our own ideas on how the church must be built and so many different different denominations have different ideas. They have some churches have a bishop and a pope and all that over them. There's a hierarchy. There is 0:31 leadership in a church. But are there any leaders over the elders? That is a question. We must get it from scripture. So if you turn to Ephesians 4 with me, it's very important when we come to scripture to set aside all our own ideas 0:47 of what is the right way to do things and what we think is the right way to run a church and go to scripture and you see in Ephesians 4 how the body of Christ is built. The church is called the body of Christ. And how is the body 1:01 of Christ built? So turn with me to Ephesians 4 and verse 9. It's talking about Jesus. When it says he ascended, what does it mean except that he descended into the lower parts of the earth. 1:20 Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth means after he died uh he went in his spirit his body was in the grave in the grave where he was buried but then his spirit he went down to the lower parts of the earth not to hell but to the 1:40 lower parts of the earth where all the people saints who died in the past like Abraham and others were all existing. in spirit form. And from there it says he ascended. And when he ascended 1:58 he verse 8 when he ascended on high he took the host of captives and took them all the way above the heavens. Verse 10. Go to read verse 8 and verse 10 together. What happened? All those people who had died in the old testament 2:13 time and who were in the lower parts of the earth in their spirits. Jesus when he ascended on the third day rose up and ascended he took and went when he finally ascended into heaven after 40 days he took all of them into paradise 2:29 which is now in the third heaven. We read in 2 Corinthians 12 that paradise is in the third heaven. So having ascended on high from heaven verse 11 he gave some apostles. Now when he was on earth before he died he appointed 11 2:47 apostles and but after he ascended on high also he appointed apostles like Paul for example and some others Barnabas was also some others were appointed as apostles by him after ascending on height those are not the original 11 3:05 and these apostles that were appointed which included the original 11 he also appointed some from heaven as prophets Verse 11 and from heaven he appointed some as evangelists and some as shepherds pastors mean shepherds and 3:20 some as teachers. So these are the five gifts that he gave to the church after having ascended on high. So apostles we don't know what apostles are not I mean it's not defin defined here but we see from the life of the apostle Paul what 3:35 an apostles ministry was planting churches overseeing the elders of churches appointing elders overseeing the elders of churches and writing letters correcting errors setting matters right disciplining those who were wrong that's what we see in the New 3:52 Testament there are many many passages of the way Paul is set up for us as an example of an apostle and the ministry of an apostle that continues even till today. And prophets are those who speak the word of God prophetically from with a 4:07 word from heaven that go straight to people's hearts convicting people of sin. Evangelists verse 11 are those who have the gift of bringing people to Christ. Not everybody has that gift. We can all be witnesses but some people 4:20 have a unique gift of bringing people to to the Lord. And fourth, shepherds. Now, the word pastor is actually shepherd. And none of these are titles. We're not supposed to go around calling ourselves prophet so and so or pastor so and so or 4:36 evangelist so and so or apostle so and so or teacher so and so. These are gifts and just like a father or a mother or an elder brother in a family. These are they they don't go around to the bad saying father or mother or elder 4:52 brother. Unfortunately people have taken these titles. There are people who call themselves apostles so and so and pastor so and so. It is completely against scripture. Let me show you that from Matthew chapter 23 before I come back 5:05 here. In Matthew 23, Jesus spoke very clearly against titles. He said in Matthew 23 and verse 8, in those days the title was not pastor or reverend or anything. It was rabbi 5:22 and that is a big title those days. And he said in Matthew 23:8, don't be called rabbi. Nobody should call himself a rabbi because only one is your teacher. You are all what? Brothers. So the title God has given to every one of 5:37 us elders or others is brother. I don't we don't call ourselves elder so and so but brother so and so. And don't call anyone on earth your father. Now this is a habit in the Roman Catholic church. They call their leaders fathers. 5:50 But Jesus said don't call anybody your father because only God is your father the one who's in heaven and don't be called leaders. Don't have a title as you can be a leader but don't call yourself leader so and so. So Jesus is 6:03 against all these titles. In fact he has given us only two titles here of this one is he said in verse 8 you're all brothers and the other he said verse 11 the greatest shall be servant. So if there are two titles God has given us is 6:16 brother and in the spirit we must be a servant. Only one way we are to call each other. You are all brothers. You're all brothers. And if you're a great person verse 11 then you must be a servant of everybody. That is a spirit 6:30 in the church which is different from the old testament where they had high priests and all that. So coming back to Ephesians 4, it says these gifts are not these are not the people who directly build the church. Ephesians 4:11 says, "Apostles, 6:46 prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers, equip the saints." That means equip all the believers in the church so that they will build up the body of Christ. So building the body of Christ is the responsibility of every one of 7:01 you brothers and sisters. That's what we read here. The verse 12, the saints are equipped and the saints, saints means all the brothers and sisters, they build the body of Christ. So it's not just the leaders who build the body of Christ. No, the body of 7:17 Christ is built by all the believers by, you know, you speak to somebody on a phone, your sister speaks to somebody on a phone and you speak a word of encouragement to that sister. One minute word of encouragement. You're building 7:30 the body of Christ. Or some of you visit somebody who's sick and give a comforting word there. That's building the body of Christ. or someone who's failed, you go and encourage them to get up and run the race again. That's 7:43 building the body of Christ. The body of Christ is built by everyone doing their part. But to God has appointed apostles who are overseeing of all the churches, prophets who speak forth prophetically, evangelists who bring people to Christ, 7:59 and shepherds and teachers who God's who teach God's word. Now, you cannot be an apostle unless God appoints you. You cannot be you can witness for everybody. You shall all be witnesses, Jesus said in Acts 1. But not all are evangelists. Evangelists 8:13 are those who have a specific gift given by God to bring people to Christ. Maybe to go out into new places where the gospel is not gone and bring people to Christ. That's a special gift. The same way with shepherds. Some people have a 8:26 specific gift of caring for God's people and shephering them and counseling them. And uh they may not be teachers but they're great shepherds and encouraging and counseling people. And then teachers now teachers are very very few in the 8:40 body of Christ. Those are people who have been given a special gift to expound the scriptures and teach scripture correctly. And concerning teachers, it says in James chapter 3 verse 1, James 3:1, 8:57 it's a very important verse. Dear brothers, James 3:1, don't try to become a teacher. There needs some teachers, but don't many of you become teachers because your judgment will be much more severe. For 9:15 examp what it means is this. If God has called you to be a teacher, he'll give you spiritual revelation, the Holy Spirit in expounding scripture correctly. But if God has not called you to be a teacher and you try to teach 9:30 God's word as a teacher, your judgment will be much greater. For it says in James 3:1, then it's best to just be a witness. Just share God's word, saying, "I'm not a teacher, but I'd like to share God's word with you." Now 9:45 Jesus the first promise in the Bible in the New Testament rather I mentioned that before Matthew 1 and verse 21 is Jesus will save his people from their sins. This is the first thing that every one of us need to experience salvation from sin 10:04 and that is the first promise in the entire New Testament. The second promise in the entire New Testament is in Matthew 3 and verse 11 that Jesus will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. Baptism means immersion. You know that when you person is 10:23 immersed in the water is called baptism. Baptizo is a Greek word which means immersion. So I wish it was translated properly. So if it's translated without the Greek in in English, Matthew 3:11 should read, "He will immerse you in the 10:37 Holy Spirit or he'll fill you with the Holy Spirit." I can't fill myself with the Holy Spirit. Jesus has to fill me with the Holy Spirit. Now the second question is, is this a once-for-all experience or is it something to be continuous? 10:54 If you turn to Ephesians in chapter 5, we must go by scripture and not by our our own opinion or by the experience of people. Ephesians 5 says in Ephesians 5:18, don't get drunk with wine, which is dissipation, but be filled with the Holy 11:12 Spirit. And the word filled is in the original Greek continuous. You know, there's a difference between walk and walking. If if I say I if I took a step that's an action but if I keep on walking that's an action 11:31 that's a continuous continuous action one is a once for all action I took a step and if I say I'm walking that is a continuous action took a step is once one action so be filled is a continuous tense and so the real translation will be be 11:48 being filled with the spirit we're to continuously be filled with the Holy Spirit. We read in the Acts of the Apostles, for example, in Acts chapter 2, the on the day of Pentecost, they were all waiting on the Lord. And we read in 12:03 Acts chapter 2 that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit when when they waited on the Lord, the spirit of God came down upon them. Acts 2:1, suddenly a noise came from heaven. And Acts 2:4, they were all filled with the Holy 12:20 Spirit. And then we read later on when uh they they were seeking the Lord in in prayer once they we read in Acts chapter 4 that when they were released from prison they prayed to 12:39 verse 24 onwards and it says here again when they prayed verse 30 Acts 4:31 they were all shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit again verse 4:31. So these are all the same people Peter and all the who are the people who were 12:53 praying is referring to Peter and John verse 13 and all the way down along with the others and in verse 31 they were all filled with the Holy Spirit again. So we see that's the second time that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. So it 13:08 was not a once-forall experience and that fits in with Ephesians 5:18 be being filled with the spirit. So you know it's like I can have a vessel full of water and then if there's a leakage in that vessel it all 13:24 leaks out then I need to be filled again and with all of us there's a tendency to leak out sometimes by sin and sometimes by carelessness that we are not continuously in fellowship with God. It's the ideal way is to live in 13:41 continuous fellowship with God. Then we can be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. But because of the pressures in the world, we are careless sometimes and we leak. So we need to be filled with the spirit again and again. What should be 13:55 the ultimate result of being filled with the Holy Spirit? John chapter 7 and verse 37. On the last day of the feast, Jesus stood up and said, "If anyone is 14:12 thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water and this he spoke of the spirit. So which those who believed in him should receive. So the picture of the holy 14:29 spirit that Jesus gave is not a cup suddenly being filled. You know in the old testament psalm there's a verse lord I lift up the cup of salvation to you. So in the beginning when I'm born again my heart is like a little cup. 14:45 I lift it up and say Lord please forgive my sins and I'm filled with the spirit. When the cup is filled I'm filled with the Holy Spirit. But how much capacity is only a cup but God wants to increase my capacity? Say make it like the size 14:59 of a bucket. How is that? If you take up the cross every day deny yourself. Die to yourself. Obey the word of God. You know what will happen? The cup will gradually over a period of time become like a bucket. Your inner capacity 15:15 increases. Then you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit again. And you continue to take up the cross and obey scripture. And as God gives you more and more light on yourself, put yourself to death in different different areas where 15:26 you get light where you're tempted, you overcome. What happens? The bucket becomes like a tub. And the water in the bucket you put into the tub still is not full. You need to be filled with the spirit again. Then the tub is full and then you walk with 15:40 the Lord and deny yourself and continuously and overcome sin as God gives you light. The tub becomes like a pond. You pour the bucket the tub into a pond. There's hardly any water there. You need the pond needs to be filled. God fills 15:55 you again with the Holy Spirit. And then you continue to walk with the Lord. Walk with the Lord. The pond becomes like a big lake, a huge lake. Again you need to be filled because the capacities become more. You walk with the Lord more and 16:09 more and more. The lake becomes like a river. Oh boy. Then you need to be filled again. And then many rivers like it says in Luke 7 and 38. Rivers need to be filled again. And that's over a period of many many years. So in the 16:25 beginning a new believer can be filled with the Holy Spirit is like a cup. and a mature saint like the apostle Paul at the end of his life at 67 years of age. It was rivers flowing out from him in all directions. That is God's will for 16:37 everybody. But not everybody experiences those rivers because they are not passionate after seeking God. Those who are passionate after seeking God continuously from the time they born again their cup will become a bucket. 16:50 The bucket will become a tub. The tub will become a pond. It will become a lake. It will become a river and many rivers. Very few believers continue to be faithful like that. But I want to tell you my dear brothers and sisters, 17:02 that is God's will for every one of you. Not just for a few special believers. Every one of you, including you sisters. God's will is that rivers of living water may flow through you. The power of the Holy Spirit flows through you. You 17:15 may never stand in a pulpit, you sisters. But you'll be able to bless other sisters just by even sometimes one sentence can bless a person. And you can live such a life where the like the Lord told Abraham, you'll be a blessing to 17:28 many people and that can happen. That is rivers of living water flowing out through us. So the fullness of the spirit is something it has to be a to seek God again and again and again. Ephesians 5:18 be being filled with the 17:41 spirit. If you go to any um anywhere you can go on the internet, anywhere check up what is the exact translation of Ephesians 5:18. be being filled with the spirit. It's to be a continuous experience. And I'll tell you my own 17:58 testimony. I have prayed numerous times to be filled with the spirit. Every morning when I get up, I say this is my heart's cry. Lord, fill me with the spirit today. And I know the baptism of the Holy Spirit changed my entire life. 18:11 CFC began 50 years ago when I and another brother were baptized in the Holy Spirit. It was just like Acts chapter 2. We were baptized in the Holy Spirit and our life was transformed and um we started meeting together as a family 18:28 uh two families and gradually got added added add through the years and it's become many thousands today. But it's a result exactly like in acts chapter 2 without the fullness of the spirit those rivers of living water would not flow. 18:42 So it's very dangerous to tell a person that you don't have to seek to be filled with the spirit again because we leak and all not only we leak but our capacity has to increase as it increases we have to be filled again and again 18:55 again again so if you only have that initial spirit filling of of a cup and your walk to the lord it's become like a bucket you pour the cup of water into a bucket there it's not filled it's just so little water in the bottom you can't 19:08 say the bucket is filled because you poured a cup of water into So I'm trying to use these illustrations to show you that the fullness of the spirit is something that we need again and again and again again. And we see that in scripture also that and even for 19:23 a job like um turn with me to another example I want to show you in Acts of the Apostles. These things are written for our instruction. God's word is our guide in all these matters. We read in Acts of the Apostles and chapter 19:43 6. There was a time in Acts chapter 6 verse1. You know there were Greek believers and Jewish believers. The the Greek means those who were converted uh in Greek and they became Jews. So they are called henistic Jews in Acts 61. And those who 20:02 are original Jews, the Hebrews. You see the Jews were allowed to original Jews are those who are the descendants of Abraham and the others were those who are converted and joined the Jewish religion. So the people who had joined 20:14 the Jewish religion had a complaint against the descendants of Abraham the native Hebrews saying you're being you're favoring those who are the descendants of Abraham and we are converted Jews. You're not giving our widows as much food as you're giving to 20:30 them. They were all believers now. They were converted but some were converted from that group and this group. You see that type of thing in sometimes you know in India they call about lower cast and upper cast and the converted people 20:42 converted from these two casts. Sometimes the upper class Christians can treat the lower class Christians in a different way something like that that's happening here. And so the apostles called people uh together and say we 20:55 must sort this out and so we must select seven people to distribute the food equally. Now what is the requirement here? Make sure that all are treated without partiality. I told you earlier partiality is one of the greatest sins 21:11 among believers. All must be treated without partiality. And if you want to treat other people without partiality, what is the requirement? You say no, you just get an exhaltation and you will try to deal people with deal with people without 21:25 partiality. No, an exhortation is good. And I'm sure many of you sincerely may desire to treat people without partiality. Your parents sometimes you don't treat your all your children equally. You show partiality to one. I 21:40 have four sons and by God's grace I have treated them absolutely equally because I've sought to be without partiality. But in order to be without partiality, there's a requirement. How do you distribute food? This is a very 21:54 earthly thing. Not preaching the word. distributing food without partiality among all the these type of Jews and those type of Jews. Select people verse three who are filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom. You require fullness of the spirit to 22:11 distribute food equally. Submit yourself to the word of God and humble yourself and say Lord these apostles were wise that it's not enough to say I will try to be impartial. No, you will be partial. Even if you try to be impartial, you may you're very proud 22:29 to think that you are strong enough to be impartial. You are not my brother, sister. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. If you want to distribute food in an impartial way select seven men full of the Holy Spirit and we'll 22:43 put them in charge of this task. Which task? Distributing food. It's not for preaching. It's not for establishing churches. So you see the fullness of the spirit is needed even for distributing food in an impartial way. Now if you're 22:56 just distributing food and you're not bothered about impartial or partial then you don't need to be filled with the spirit. But if you want to be absolutely fair to everyone and not only in distribution of food but in every other 23:08 matter in the church, if you want to be absolutely fair or if you want to be a father or a mother, want to be absolutely fair towards all your children without being partial, you know what you need, dear brother, sister, you 23:22 need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You may be a new believer. You've got a family and you want to be completely fair to each of your children. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Don't think that by your determination 23:33 and you heard this message, you will be impartial. You will try, you will fail. These apostles had wisdom. So I'm just trying to show you how they understood the need to be filled with the Holy Spirit for even an ordinary task like 23:48 distributing food. I need to be filled with the Holy Spirit even for a simple thing like speaking to you today. That's some of the one of the things I seek God for all the time. Whenever I have to come to preach, I say Lord, I'm like a branch 24:05 in a tree. That branch cannot produce a single fruit without being in the tree. For example, if it's an apple tree and this branch may have produced apples for many, many years, but today, if it wants to produce apples, it has to still 24:22 be in the tree. Now the Lord has enabled me to preach God's word in oh 60 years in many many places and brought great results through it. I say oh I've got 60 years of experience. No I'll be a failure. I come to God and say Lord I 24:39 don't know how to what to speak. That's exactly what I said this morning. I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to depend on you just like a branch in a tree. And my past experience of producing fruit is no help. I have to be 24:55 and even if I don't specifically use the right words, I want to be filled with spirit. I want to be dependent on the Lord. This is faith. Faith is this helpless dependence on the Lord. Like a branch telling the tree, I'm helpless to 25:10 produce even one apple without you. Even though I produced apples for 50 years, that's what the branch says. I have to be stuck to you. The sap which is a picture of the Holy Spirit must flow in to me. I cannot produce sap but the sap 25:26 from the tree must flow into the branch then fruit comes. So any of you my brothers and sisters even to be a good father or a good mother or a good brother in the church or a good sister in the church if you think that you can 25:41 fulfill those functions because you really love your children I want to tell you you'll be a failure to be a good father or a mother or a good husband or wife you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Turn with me again to Ephesians 5. 25:57 In Ephesians 5 and verse 18, let me read it like I said. Now be being filled with the Holy Spirit. And if you are continuously filled with the Holy Spirit, what will be the result? You will always be verse 19 singing, making 26:13 melody in your heart to the Lord. Not with your lips. You may not be singing with your lips all the time. Maybe you don't have the gift of singing, but in your heart there'll be a constant spirit of thanksgiving to God. 26:24 If you don't have that, you ask yourself, do you have a constant spirit of thanksgiving to God in your heart every day? I'll tell you why you don't have it. Because you're not filled with the Holy Spirit. Maybe you had one 26:37 experience long ago of being filled with the spirit, but you don't need you don't see the need of being continuously filled with the spirit. Because if you be being filled with the spirit, you'll be always having a song 26:48 in your heart to the Lord, always a spirit of thanksgiving in your heart to the Lord. And not only that, in your life, it says in verse 20, you will always be giving thanks, you will never complain about anything. If you have a 27:02 complaint, that is an indication you are not filled with the Holy Spirit. If you have a complaint against a brother, do you have a complaint against a brother? You complain against your brother, your husband, your wife. You 27:12 have a spirit of complaining. I'm not saying pointing out a fault. We must point out faults. Jesus pointed out faults in his disciples all the time. And we must point out faults in our children or anybody in a place of work. 27:23 We have to do it all the time. But I'm saying if you have a complaint, that's different. You don't if you have a complaint, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And then it comes to wives and husbands. Be filled with the spirit. And then 27:40 verse 22, wives be subject to your husbands as to the Lord. If you as a wife do not know how to be subject to your husband as unto the Lord Jesus, it's because you're not filled with the Holy Spirit. Or a husband, verse 25, 27:54 love your wife as Christ loved the church. What a challenge. How in the world love his wife like Christ loved the church. What a high standard. It is either you say that's impossible and you don't do it or you respect God's word 28:06 and say if God has told me to do it, I must do it and there must be a way. And the way is Ephesians 5:18, be being filled with the Holy Spirit. So a husband must seek to be filled to the spirit continuously to love his wife 28:19 like Christ loved the church. This is not just for preaching. It's for building your family. Like we have said, you can't build the church without first building your family. And then fathers, how can a father bring up his 28:34 children? Ephesians 6:4 in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. That is impossible without being filled with the spirit. You can read all the books on bringing up children and you will not be able to bring up your children right in a godly 28:48 way unless you're filled with the spirit. So we find here that it's so important to be filled with the spirit for all this and not only that. So what all do we see? Always giving thanks and verse 20 family relationship husbands 29:02 wives and children. One more to stand against the devil. verse chapter 6 verse 10-13 to take up the armor of God. We need to be filled with the spirit to stand against the devil. If the devil is getting a inroads into your heart, onto 29:18 your life or into your family life. You know what the solution to that is? Ephesians 5:18. Be being filled with the Holy Spirit. And that is the reason why many of you have not come into the type of life described here in Ephesians 5 29:30 verse 19 all the way to chapter 6. and verse 20. If you have not if you want to understand what the spiritfilled life is, read Ephesians 5:19 to chapter 6:20. If you don't have that type of life, 29:49 it's because you were taught once you were filled, you don't do anything. Now, please listen carefully. Seek God with all your heart to be filled with the spirit every day. Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit. And how shall you know it? Ask God to give 30:03 you an inner assurance. I ask you, how do you how do you most of you know that Jesus has come into your heart? Your sins are forgiven. How do you know your sins are forgiven? I told you the first promise in the Bible is in the New 30:16 Testament rather. He shall save his people from their sins which begins with forgiveness and then being saved from sin. How do you know that Christ has come into your heart and forgiven your sin? You didn't have a vision. I didn't have any vision. I 30:30 never heard the Lord speak to me with an audible voice. But I knew one day in my heart, believing God's word, Christ has come in. That's the witness of the Holy Spirit. Now, how do you know that you're filled with the Holy Spirit? You need the same 30:45 witness. That's the second promise. He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. How do you know it? Exactly the way you know the first promise. How do you know Christ came into your heart? By faith. The witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart. The 31:00 witness of the Holy Spirit. You can be filled filled with the Holy Spirit in your heart. Sometimes may have an external experience. Sometimes God may give person a gift of tongues just at that moment. That's possible. That's up 31:12 to God. But the main thing is the witness in the spirit. And Paul was converted with the vision from heaven. Sudden Singh was converted with the vision of Jesus. So it's different in different cases. But the inner witness 31:25 of the spirit is the main thing. And I remember once when I as a young immature Christian I thought boy it would be wonderful if I could see Jesus and my faith will increase and the Lord gave me this verse and I wanted to share 31:40 this with you as I close and that is in John's gospel in chapter 20 when Thomas said until I see Jesus resurrected I will not believe and Jesus said to him in John chapter 20 he appeared to him. He appeared to Thomas 31:57 and Thomas believed and he fell down in worship. And we could think, "Oh Lord, if you could appear to me like you appeared to Thomas." That's what I also felt as a young immature Christian. Lord, if you could appear to me, it'll 32:10 be wonderful. It'll be easy to believe. And then Jesus showed me John 20:29. He told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. But blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believed." I was in the second category. 32:25 Thomas is in the first category. He saw and he believed. Most of us, all of us are in the second category. We have not seen and still believed. And we are more blessed than the apostle Thomas. That's a wonderful thing. It blessed my heart. 32:40 Lord, I want to be among that more blessed category. Don't you? It is more blessed to have believed without seeing. Then how do I believe? Because the inner witness of the Holy Spirit without a external shaking of the body or anything like some people say 32:55 they had I can be filled with the Holy Spirit by faith and the proof will be in the coming days in your life rivers of living water will flow out from you. You'll overcome sin in your life. You'll be a better husband. You'll be a better 33:10 wife. You'll be a better father. You'll be a better mother. You'll be a better brother in the church. And you'll be an encouragement to others. Things will change if you allow the Holy Spirit to come and fill you and you seek to be 33:24 filled with the spirit every day. So, I've rushed through this teaching, but I pray that you will meditate on it. Whenever you hear a word from God, think about it, meditate on it, and take it before God and say, "Lord, please help 33:38 me to be gripped by these truths.
