Do you remember the title of the passage we just read? It’s called “The God Who Raised Jesus”—this is the title we just read. You’ve come to church and are now being introduced to God. But some speak about God like this: “There are no other gods in the world! There is only one God!” Even some Christians say things like, “There are no other gods at all—only God exists!” But this is actually a misunderstanding.

There are indeed many gods in the world. Some of you may have encountered such gods before coming to church. For example, maybe you’ve seen a demon with your own eyes. Or perhaps someone close to you experienced something unexplainable—like being possessed or receiving a spirit. Even though media like television, we can see that the works of gods are very real, diverse, and often operate beyond human control. The Bible does not deny the existence of such gods. On the contrary, it clearly says, “There are many gods in the world.”

There are many gods in this world. There are many people in the world, right? Then should we always draw close to them? Not necessarily. Some people we should stay close to, but there are also people we should keep our distance from. People can be frightening, too. In the same way, there are gods we should stay close to—and gods we must keep far away from. If you get involved with an evil god even once, it can ruin your whole life. There are gods that pressure people to receive them, even when they don’t want to. If that kind of god clings to you, there are only two outcomes: either you die, or you accept the god and become a shaman. Or—you believe in Jesus.

There are many such gods in the world, and their defining characteristic is this: they use people for their own benefit. That’s what most gods do. They take advantage of people for their own gain. And when they’re done using someone—if that person dies, for example—they simply abandon them and move on to the next person. They use people’s bodies as tools. You may not have realized it, but throughout your life, you’ve probably been used by these gods many times. Even now, you might not be fully aware of it. But people are being used by such gods.

Moreover, these gods go so far as to enter into a person’s body and influence their thoughts. For example, someone who used to have a cheerful personality suddenly becomes gloomy. They easily get irritated. Their body begins to feel unwell. At first, we might just think, “Oh, that person’s personality changed.” But what’s really happening is that a god has entered them and is now expressing its own personality through that person. It’s the same with murderers. After committing a terrible crime, people often say, “I don’t even know why I did it!” Even those who commit the most violent crimes will say after they’re caught, “I don’t know what came over me.” That’s because they’re being possessed. They’re under the power of this god—and it’s ruining their life.

When a god enters someone, its personality becomes clearly visible. For example, if the god is violent, the person becomes violent. If the god is depressed, the person becomes depressed. If the god is deeply lustful, then the person also becomes filled with lust. Now think about this: what if the god is holy? What would happen to the person then? The person would become holy. Maybe the word “holy” sounds unfamiliar. It means the god has a noble and excellent nature. So, if the god has an admirable nature, then the person will also become like that. If the god is full of life, the person will also be full of life.

We who believe in Jesus—we are people who have received a god. But we haven’t received just any god from the many that exist in the world. In the past, we too were influenced by those other gods. Some of them even stayed inside us—for three years, ten years, even thirty years. However, the god who now dwells in us is not one of gods of the world. He is the god of God. He is the Spirit of God.

And he is completely different from all the other gods in the world. He is holy. His nature is different, and his very being is unlike any of those countless other gods. How is he different? All the other gods are created beings. But this god—he was not made by anyone. In fact, he is the one who made all things—even those other gods. Wouldn’t there have to be a god who created all things that are visible to our eyes? That very god—he is the one we are now receiving into us. He is a holy god. And when we receive that god, we become holy.

Before I came to know Jesus, I too was heavily influenced by the gods of this world. I know that very well from my own experience. My thoughts were completely filled with what those worldly gods thought. And I acted according to their ways. Looking back now, I’m ashamed of those things. Truly, they were shameful. As I mentioned earlier, the gods of this world always try to use people. They treat people as tools to satisfy themselves. And since one of those gods had entered into me, I was no different. I also saw other people only as tools—for my own benefit, for my own satisfaction. So when I was ruled by those kinds of gods, there was no peace in my heart. There was no holy desire in my heart.

But when I met God—at that moment, I came to realize something: I have a spirit. Just like that god—the one who is eternal, I came to understand that there is also an eternal “me” within me. That’s what we call the spirit. And into that spirit, this god came. The difference between gods of this world and the god we believe in is this: worldly gods enter the flesh, but when the flesh dies, they leave. But this holy god—the God we believe in—does not enter our flesh. He enters our spirit. And even if the flesh dies, He stays with our spirit. He is the god who promised, “I will be with you forever.” I have received that god. Many people in our church have received him, too. We call this “receiving the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit means the spirit who is holy. In other words, we have received the holy god.

Once I received the holy god, I began to carry his thoughts in my mind. Naturally, his heart began to fill my heart. The nature of that god started to appear in me. Before, I only had one way of thinking: “I need to use others for my own benefit.” But after receiving this god, my thinking changed: “I should use my spirit for the sake of others!” My purpose in life changed. The direction of my life changed. It was because that god came into me and is still at work.

So when we invite you to believe in Jesus, we’re asking you to come to know what Jesus Christ has done, and then—to receive that holy god according to His will. Think about it. Would you place clean food on a dirty plate? No—you would wash the plate first. You make it clean, and then you place the food on it. In the same way, what’s the point of washing the plate if you never place food on it? Likewise, when you believe in Jesus, your spirit is made clean. But why does it need to be cleansed? What is meant to be placed into that clean spirit? The Holy Spirit. This is why we come to church and believe in Jesus: so that the Spirit of God dwells in us. And the nature of God—the nature of that Spirit—begins to show in us. And we now have hope for resurrection. That the dead will rise. This is possible because the Holy Spirit is in us.

So if someone does not receive the Holy Spirit, that person cannot be called a true Christian. Even people in the world serve their worldly gods. So if we say we believe in God, then we must receive the god who is holy. That’s why Jesus died for this, but if you say you believe in Jesus but have not received the god, something is missing. People in the world talk about “being possessed,” and in a way, we can say something similar. We also receive a god. But which god do we receive? We receive the god—the holy god, the eternal god, the god of the Creator. Then, his power begins to appear. The power of the god begins to work through the person. On the other hand, when someone receives a demon, the nature of that demon appears. Demons seek to destroy people. That’s why, when the power of a demon is at work, it can even lead someone to kill. Such people are possessed by demons.

But when you receive the Holy Spirit, the power of God begins to appear. That’s why Jesus made a promise to those who believe in Him. He said, “These signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons.” That means we will drive out gods of the world. And He also said, “They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Another promise Jesus gave is this: “They will speak with new tongues.” New tongues. This means that those who believe in Jesus will speak in a different kind of language. A language that doesn’t exist in this world. So if you come to our church and join a worship service, you might hear people speaking in strange words that no one can understand. At first, when I came to church, I found it very unfamiliar. I thought, “What’s going on? Are these people strange?” But I later found out—it’s all written in the Bible. And what changed everything for me was this: one day, it started to happen to me too. The promise written in the Bible was fulfilled in me. I began to speak in tongues. It says, “They will speak in new tongues”—and that’s exactly what happened. It also says, “They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So, does it really happen? Yes—it does.

As for me, I ended up going to China five years after I first believed in Jesus. I received what we call a “calling,” and I went as a lay missionary to serve there. At that time, I didn’t think the kinds of things that happened in Jesus’ day could really happen in our time. But once I started going from village to village in China, preaching the Word, I realized that there were so many people who were sick in every rural village. I don’t just mean the usual kind of illness like “my stomach hurts” or “I’m not feeling well.” I mean people who were blind, people who couldn’t walk, people who were paralyzed, or even people who were mentally unstable. And they were everywhere. Almost every village had someone like that.

So in 1997, when I first arrived in China, something unexpected happened. The local missionary who was leading me suddenly said to me, “Preach the message.” He was telling me to share the Word. So I said, “But I didn’t go to a theological seminary, and I don’t speak Chinese well…Wouldn’t it be difficult for me to preach?” And he replied, “Don’t make it too complicated. Just share about the Jesus you met.” That gave me courage, and I stood up to speak. About 70 or 80 people were sitting out in a courtyard. There was a big wall surrounding the area, and I preached outdoors. It was in Shandong Province. At the time, I still couldn’t speak Chinese, so they assigned me a translator to help me.

So I preached the message that day—and what did I speak about? I spoke about “God is love.” As it happened, there was an elderly man lying on a bed who had been brought in for the meeting. His wife had brought him on a hand-pulled cart. A large wooden bed was placed on top of the cart, and he was lying on it. But it seemed like the villagers were used to seeing this. As soon as the old man arrived, a few young men came over, lifted the bed off the cart, and carried it to the front—right to the front row. So the elderly man lay there in front of me as I preached.

After I had finished preaching—again, what did I preach about? “God is love.” Then, where is God of love? Is He far away? No—He is here, right now. And if He is here, then surely, He can heal this man. The Bible says, “They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So what’s the point of just saying “God is love” if I don’t show it? This man had come—so shouldn’t he be healed? But if this man were healed, people might think, “Wow, this preacher must have a lot of power!” So to prevent that misunderstanding—and to make it clear that this wasn’t my power, but that we were obeying God’s promise so that He might work—I said, “Let’s all pray for this man together. You also have the power of prayer!” And so I gathered the people, laid hands on him, and prayed together.

The people in that village had never even thought about praying for the sick. And this was a church—a place where believers gathered! But no one had ever prayed for a sick person there. That day, I planted faith in them, and we prayed together. So then, should the man have gotten up right away? But after we prayed, nothing happened. I made everyone return to their seats, and the old man was left lying there alone. So I walked over and took his hand. I held the hand of the man lying down. And at that moment, a verse we had read came to my mind, so I acted just as it said. I said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up!” And I pulled on his arm.

What do you think happened? The man, who had been lying down, suddenly went, “Oh—Oh—Oh?” and sat up—bending forward, like forming a right angle. And even just that movement caused a stir. People around me started whispering in amazement. “Oh? What’s happening?” I didn’t know exactly what condition the man had been in, but clearly the people around him knew. They knew he hadn’t even been able to sit up before. But I couldn’t stop there, could I? So I said again, “In the name of Jesus, I command you: Stand up!” And I pulled him again. And this time—he stood up! The whole place erupted. People started shouting, clapping—there was an uproar. Then I declared right away, “In the name of Jesus, I command you: Walk!” And the old man began to walk.

Then the whole place exploded. People started singing—loudly. And that’s when I realized that they even had that song in China! What song was it? It went like this: “Glory, glory, hallelujah!” The Chinese believers were singing it with all their hearts. Then they started clapping. Now, this church had actually set a rule: “No clapping during worship.” But in a moment like that—how could anyone hold back? As soon as they witnessed what had just happened right before their eyes, they started clapping, shouting, crying, and yelling, “Hallelujah!” They had seen for themselves that God is truly alive. Then I looked at the old man and said, “In the name of Jesus—run!” And he really started running. Back and forth, back and forth—he didn’t stop! I told him to run, but I never told him to stop. So he just kept running. So I let him run, and I just kept preaching the Word. He kept running back and forth for nearly 20 minutes.

At that time, I wasn’t someone who had not graduated from a theological seminary. I was just a young man who had been a believer for about five years. I hadn’t spent years working in China, either. I had just arrived, and I couldn’t even speak Chinese yet. So I was preaching through a translator. And yet—that’s when this happened. But was it something extraordinary? Not really. I wasn’t because of any special ability I had. It wasn’t because I was especially spiritual or godly. So then, how did it happen? Who did I say the name was when I told him to walk? I said, “In the name of Jesus, walk!” And it happened. Likewise, the name of Jesus holds this amazing power.

And doesn’t this scene sound just like the one we read earlier today? In the same way, for those who believe in Jesus, the things written in Scripture are fulfilled again and again in real life. And one day, even our resurrection will be fulfilled in us as well.

The passage we read earlier describes a scene like this: There were two disciples—Peter and John. Among Jesus’ disciples, Peter and John were the two most beloved. One day, around 3 p.m. Peter and John went up to the temple. Even though they were now believers in Jesus, they were also Israelites—Jews. And it was their custom to go up to the temple in Jerusalem to pray at set times. So they were on their way to pray. And at the temple, there was a gate—one of the entrances. And this gate had a name. It was called “Beautiful.” The name of the gate was “Beautiful.”

But right next to that Beautiful Gate, there was a scene that was anything but beautiful. What was it? A man who had been lame from birth was sitting there, begging. People would carry him and place him at the gate—right around the time others were arriving to pray. Why would they place him there at that time? To beg. This man had been the same since the day he was born. And if he had been lame from birth, what kind of life do you think he lived? He could never live without help from others. When he was a child, maybe his parents cared for him. But now that he was older, he needed to make a living somehow. And what could someone in this condition possibly do? The only way he could survive was by begging. So he would sit there and say, “Please help me! Please show me mercy! Have mercy on me!” It was a cry for help and a plea for money. And do you think he would say that while looking at people in the eye? Probably not. His head was likely bowed. He wouldn’t have had the confidence to lift his face. So he would sit there, his eyes to the ground, and say, “Have mercy on me…have mercy on me…” And maybe, when he heard someone walking by, he would glance up. This man had lived his entire life this way so being helped by others had become his habit.

So as Peter and John—Jesus’ disciples—were about to enter the temple, the man saw them coming. And just like he always did, he began to cry out, “Please have mercy on me! Please, show me mercy!” Peter and John were about to pass by—but then they stopped. And they looked straight at him. Now the man couldn’t dare look them in the eyes. So Peter said, “Look at us.” “Look at us!” What do you think this beggar looked at? When we talk to someone, we usually say, “Look me in the eye,” right? But what about the beggar? When Peter said, “Look at us,” I imagine he didn’t look at their eyes. He probably looked at their hands. Why? Because that’s where the money would come from—a pouch or a pocket. But when he was told, “Look at us,” and looked, there was nothing in their hands. So he must have wondered, “What are they going to give me, then?”

So when Peter said, “Look at us!”—he looked, and though there was nothing in their hands, what did they have? They spoke the very words I acted out for you earlier. “Silver and gold I do not have. There are no silver and gold you’re hoping for. What you expect from us—we don’t have that. You’re hoping we’ll give you money. But money comes and goes. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. Even if you have a lot of it, in the end, it all disappears. What we give you is not something that fades away. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth—rise up and walk!” They didn’t give him something else, but they gave him a command—in the name of Jesus—so that he might walk. They showed the glory of that name.

And as soon as they gave that command, strength came into the man’s feet and ankles. He jumped up—literally leapt to his feet—and stood! Can you imagine how overjoyed he must have been? That scene is so vivid to me—because I’ve experienced something like that myself. I know exactly what happens when a moment like this unfolds. That man must have gone wild with joy—dancing and shouting. The Bible says he went with Peter and John into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God. An amazing thing happened.

After that incredible moment, Peter and John were about to go on their way—but the man who had been healed wouldn’t let them go. He held on tightly to Peter and John. So eventually, they all gathered at a place called Solomon’s Porch—a pavilion area next to the temple. Then the news began to spread, and a huge crowd gathered. They were greatly amazed. “How could something like this happen?” Because everyone knew that man. He was the one who had always sat at the Beautiful Gate, begging. But now, here he was—walking, leaping, praising God. It was really amazing. They all looked at Peter and John, as if to say, “What just happened? How is this possible?”

Then, what did Peter and John say? “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, as if by our own power or godliness we made this man walk? That’s not what happened. Let me tell you what really happened.” And then they began to speak. “Not long ago—you killed Jesus!” How did they kill Him? They falsely accused Him, who was doing the works of God, and handed Him over to Pilate, the Roman governor, trying their best to have Him executed. That’s what the people of Jerusalem had done.

But Pilate actually tried to let Jesus go. Why? Because from a Roman point of view, there was no valid reason to have Jesus executed. They wanted to kill Jesus because He said God was His Father. All the charges were religious in nature. Now, to the Jews, that might have been a serious offense. But to a Roman who didn’t believe in their God, how could that be a crime? Saying “God is my Father” wasn’t something punishable by death in Roman law. So Pilate tried to release Him. But the people of Jerusalem refused. They pressured him, saying, “If you let this man go, you’re no different from Him. You’re on His side! This man says He’s the King of Israel—that’s rebellion! That’s an attempt to overthrow Roman rule! If you let Him live, then you’re siding with a revolutionary! You are a traitor!” They threatened Pilate. And so Pilate, with no way out, finally gave in. He washed his hands of the matter and handed Jesus over to be crucified. And so Jesus was put to death on the cross.

But it didn’t end with His death. If it had ended there, there would be no Christianity. If it had ended there, the disciples would have scattered and run away in fear. However, something happened—something so powerful that it made them no longer afraid of death, not even their own. What was it? They witnessed that He, who had died, truly rose again.

Then how could someone who died rise again? A dead person cannot get up on their own. The dead cannot bring themselves back to life. What does it mean to be dead? It means having no power at all. A dead person can’t eat. A dead person can’t smile. No matter how much money they had, they couldn’t use it. No matter how much power they had, they couldn’t do anything with it. That’s what death is. So can a dead person rise again? If they had the power to rise, then they weren’t truly dead. But Jesus really died. His blood and water drained out. His side was pierced with a spear—and the blood and water flowed out completely.

But then the question is—how did He rise again? Who raised Him? Who brought Him back to life? It was a certain god that raised Him. So then—who was that god? It was the very same god people had been calling on since early times. The god of Abraham. The god of Issac. The god of Jacob. What does that mean? It means—the god whom Abraham met. The same god whom Issac met. The same god who made a covenant with Jacob, gave him a promise, and fulfilled that promise. That god is the one who raised Jesus from the dead.

Abraham lived about 4,000 years ago. And where was he from? He was from the region we now call Iraq. His son was Isaac, and Isaac’s son was Jacob. Now, 4,000 years ago, the god made a promise to Abraham. What was that promise? He said, “Through your descendant—through one of your offspring—all the nations of the world will be blessed.” That was the promise. Truly, the god continued to lead that nation, and eventually, from among the descendants of Abraham, a man named Jesus appeared. The god has said that through the descendant, all nations would be blessed—and just as he promised, Jesus appeared from among the descendants of Abraham. And what did Jesus do so that all nations might be blessed? He died. He died on the cross. But God, the god, raised Him from the dead. The very same god—the god of Abraham, the god of Issac, and the god of Jacob—is the one who raised Jesus from the dead.

Peter then said, “It is the name of Jesus that made this man—the very one you saw begging—rise up and walk!” So what is the name of Jesus? The god who appeared to Abraham 4,000 years ago and made a promise raised Jesus Christ from the dead. But this act of raising Him from the dead was continually promised by this god through many prophets over the 4,000 years since that first promise. Later, Jesus Himself also said, “I will go up to Jerusalem, be put to death, and on the third day, rise again.” Just as He said, it was fulfilled. And it is that very name that made this man rise and walk.

Two thousand years have passed since Jesus. And then I myself went to Shandong, China, and in that very name—the name of god who raised Jesus from the dead, the name of that god, and the name of his son whom he sent, Jesus Christ—I commanded the man, “Stand up!” And he stood up and jumped. This name is not something that applies only to me. How did I come to know this? It’s because Sungrak Church taught us that anyone who believes in Jesus has been given this very power. So from the very beginning of my faith, I thankfully accepted it as something completely natural. Later on, I came to realize that many believers of our church have had the same kind of experience. It wasn’t just people far away who were healed—there’s not a single person in my own family who hasn’t had such an experience.

My family originally came from a Buddhist background. Back in the day, even if we didn’t go to the temple, we would still write “Buddhism” under the religion section. I heard that my grandmother even had my name hung up at a Buddhist temple to offer prayers for me—along with the names of all our family members. But now, every one of them has become a believer in Jesus. My grandmother also came to faith and passed away believing. And among all my family members, there isn’t a single one who hasn’t had a personal experience of this faith.

Let me tell you my mother. As soon as she first believed in Jesus, she suddenly felt dizzy and even collapsed. She would feel dizzy even while just sitting still. She said it felt like the sky was spinning. At first, we wondered, “Is something wrong with her brain?” But later, when she went to the hospital—where was the problem? It turned out the issue was in her ear. They said there was a problem with her cochlea. We were shocked—we had thought it was a brain issue. But it turns out that even a problem in the ear can cause severe dizziness. So the hospital scheduled her for surgery.

But around that time, we kept hearing at church about people being healed by faith in Jesus. There was a college retreat, and since I was a university student then, I brought my mother along. During the retreat, our pastor called out, “If you need healing, come to the front!” And the pastor in charge shouted, “Demons, come out!” And right then, my mother—who never seemed like someone who would react like that—screamed and fell backward. But when she got up, she walked down on her own. She had gone up with help, but now she came down by herself. She was completely healed.

And then several years passed. Quite a bit of time had gone by—about ten years. But one day, I heard some news: my mother had been diagnosed with colon cancer. So that evening, I went home. When I arrived, she looked completely lost, not knowing what to do. I said to her, “You know why this is happening, right?” and explained it to her. She knew, at least in her mind—she had heard it before. But she had never experienced it. The healing of her cochlea had seemed like a small thing, so it felt manageable. But cancer didn’t seem small. It felt too big. So she just sat there, blank and helpless. Right after I arrived and we talked briefly, I told her to repent. Because she hadn’t truly relied on God. She had no interest in Him. She wasn’t even struggling to live. In that moment, she should’ve been crying out in prayer—but instead, she was just sitting there in a daze.

So I raised her and shouted. Remember how I said earlier that when a demon enters, it reveals its nature? Cancer comes because a demon of cancer has entered. So I shouted out. Just think—this demon had made my mother suffer from cancer. Of course, I hated it. So I yelled, “You demon!” And I was even surprised at how loud my voice was. At that moment, the demon revealed itself. My mother began trembling all over. I asked, “Why did you come in?” But the answer was obvious. What do they always say? To kill. Always—to kill. “Did you succeed?” I asked. And it said no. “This woman kept relying on God… and so on,” it said. So I commanded, “Get out!” and just like that, the demon left, and she collapsed.

Just then, my older sister walked in and saw everything happen. She was the only one in our family who hadn’t believed yet—and she saw it all. I said, “You saw everything, right? You saw for yourself that demons are real! And the name of God—the name of Jesus—has power like this! So are you going to believe in Jesus or not? Will you receive the name of Jesus or not?” She replied, “I guess I have to!” “Then come here!” I said. So I prayed for her to repent and to receive the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit came upon her—and she began speaking in tongues. These things written in the Bible—they just keep happening. And these things should happen to you too.

The very god who raised Jesus Christ from the dead two thousand years ago—he is still at work among us today. His name is still at work within us. That same god has come to dwell in us, and his name is within us. That’s why you, too, can experience the power of his name. You can live a life that walks with him. So maybe you’re thinking, “I need to receive help from this god too!” And yes, of course he helps—but more than just receiving help, through his work in you, when you lay your hands on the sick, they will be healed. When you drive out demons from those who are possessed, the demons will tremble and flee. This will happen through you. So don’t just think, “I want to believe in Jesus to be healed!” Go beyond that—receive the name of Jesus, and heal others in that name. This is what it means to be someone who believes in Jesus—a person with power.

There’s quite a difference between this and the kind of Christians we often see today, isn’t there? It’s really unfortunate. There truly is a difference. Many people think of Christianity as one of the five major world religions. But that’s just what people think. God is doing His own work. He is the very god who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

So when we say, “We believe in god,” people often respond, “I believe too!” and ask, “What kind of god do you believe in?” Some say, “I believe in Allah.” Others say, “I believe in this or that god.” When I went to China, some said, “I believe in the kitchen god!” or “I believe in the well god”—things like that. But the god we believe in is the god of Abraham, the god of Issac, the god of Jacob, the one who exists by himself. To put it simply, he is the god who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. I bless you in the name of Jesus, that this very god would work among you today.

If you want this, you must repent. You must cast off all your uncleanness and stand before God, admitting, “I am a sinner,” and accept the merit of Jesus. Say, “Jesus died because of my sin, so I will no longer be stubborn. May the merit of His death come upon me!” Then you will be made clean. Be baptized. You will be made clean. Even if you are lacking in many ways, if you repent in the name of Jesus and are baptized, God will see you as clean. And He will pour out his god on you—He will give you the Holy Spirit. That is when you become a true Christian. From that moment on, the works of God will begin to appear in your life. Long for it. Something amazing is waiting for you.

I will pray.

Father God, we truly thank You that the very god who raised Jesus Christ from the dead has come to us today and has allowed even us to receive blessing in Christ Jesus. May everyone here today long for the name of Jesus—the name of the god who raised Him—and come to experience that god, and live a life that is forever united with him. Lead them to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, receive the Holy Spirit, and live a life in which God is truly with them. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.