What Does It Mean to Be Led of the Holy Spirit? {Video}

Acts 2: The Day of Pentecost

Preached at Community Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, October 20, 2013

Acts 2:1 – 47, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  ⁵ And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. ⁷ Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” ¹² So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” ¹³ Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”  ¹⁴ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. ¹⁵ For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸ And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
²¹ And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

⁺²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— ²³ Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; ²⁴ whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning Him:

‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
²⁶ Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
²⁷ For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
²⁸ You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

²⁹ “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. ³³ Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.  ³⁴ “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
³⁵ Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”  ³⁸ Then Peter said to them, “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. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  ⁴⁰ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” ⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴² And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, ⁴⁵ and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.  ⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

I know that was longer than normal passage of Scripture to read at the beginning of sermon.  But, because it’s what I call a ‘package deal’ – it’s important that we read it in its entirety and prepare to examine it rather thoroughly.

Before we begin our look at the details of this text, would you allow me to do at least two things.

First of all, you need to know some things about me as your preacher.  I believe God has given this Book to me to lead me – to guide me – yes, even to DRIVE me in the direction HE would have me go.  Though, I’m certainly not perfect in my response to God’s leadership of my life through this Book – through His Spirit teaching me this Book – all in all, that is the direction I want to go with my life.  His leadership – His DRIVING me by His Spirit – through this Book – that is what I need – what I long for and must have.

But, how does that connect with you?  I mean, what difference does it make to you that that is the choice I have made?  Something else you need to know about me is that – as you Preacher – as God teaches me His will through this Book – as His Spirit drives me through this Book, that is the direction I intend to lead this flock. .. That is how I will endeavor to guide you, as God’s Spirit works through this Book to guide me.

But here are my questions for you:  Is that the direction you are willing to go?  Are you ready to go with me?  And, will you commit to praying for me and my family – regularly – seeing that, as a shepherd and a teacher – I am doubly accountable to God for how I lead you?

Secondly, this long chapter – Acts chapter 2 – is perhaps one of the most important in this part of the New Testament.  And the reasons it is are these:

It describes for us how and why the Holy Spirit was sent to the apostles.  It details for us the nuts and bolts of the very first post-Calvary, post –Resurrection Day, post Ascension of Jesus – gospel sermon, including a grand and very powerful conclusion in verse 36.  Furthermore, it sets forth for us the essence of a proper response to the gospel – verses 37, 38 and following.  And, finally, it lays out for us in beautiful fashion – the account of the Birth – the Birth Day – and earliest days – of the New Testament church – verses 41 – 47.

So, with all of that said, let’s walk down through this chapter one step at a time – and look at it closely and carefully, shall we?

First of all, let’s begin with paragraph number one – verses one through four.

Have any of you been in a tornado before?  How about a dust storm or maybe just a blinding rain and wind storm that you thought might blow you off the road?

Wind is a powerful force in God’s created realm, isn’t it?  They say that a level 5 tornado or hurricane can have wind speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.  And, we Oklahomans know about the devastation a wind storm can cause, don’t we?

How about this:  Have any of you ever been in a fire?  Ever had to dash out of a building – maybe even your own home – with just the clothes on your back – to get out alive?  Fire also can be super-powerful, can’t it?

You know something?  I think it is very interesting – almost frightening to see that wind – and fire – are two of the things God and God’s Word – associate with the work of God’s Holy Spirit.  Notice again with the text says:  (READ:  Acts 2:1 – 4).

50 days after Passover – 50 days after the beginning of the barley harvest – 50 days after Good Friday and 10 days after Jesus’ ascension – what day is it in the Jewish calendar?

Pentecost – the feast of harvest as it is in Exodus 23:16 – the second of the 3 annual festivals in which every Jewish male was commanded by Old Testament law – to appear before God at the temple in Jerusalem.

On that day, when each year the Israelites would off the first-fruits of the wheat harvest to God – in hopes – in expectation that God would prove faithful to cause the rest of the wheat to come to full maturity and be harvested – on this special day – what does God do?

Verse 2 – suddenly – yet at just the right time – when the day of Pentecost had fully come – and noisily – like the sound of a rushing, mighty wind – and then, visibly – verse 3 – like divided tongues as of fire – and, from heaven – God sends forth His Spirit – HIS Spirit – His Holy Spirit.

Why?  To be what?  Verse 4 – to fill the apostles – to empower the apostles, just like Jesus promised, to be His witnesses – and to enable those men – all of them, Galileans – to do what they wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise – to speak in other languages – to address the crowds of people that had come to Jerusalem for Pentecost from places far and wide – God sent forth His Heavenly, Holy Spirit upon them – in to them – to enable to them to speak to these people – in their native dialects about Jesus, their Messiah.  Amazing, wouldn’t you say?

But, what does all of this mean?  What is God up to – here?

Ever been confused as to what is going on in a situation which broke out right before your eyes?  How about this?  Ever been amazed that something that you thought impossible was actually happening right there in front of you?  If so, then your feet would probably fit the sandals of those Jews who saw these things and heard these things – on that very memorable Day of Pentecost.  Read it again with me, will you? (READ:  Acts 2:5 – 13).

What IS God up to – here?

Anyone ever heard of the tower of Babel?  To refresh your memory, you can go back to Genesis chapter 11 – and read about how God came down and confused the languages – so as to hinder the men of that day in their attempts to worship themselves rather than Him.

And, speaking of the tower of Babel – and the origin of all the thousands of languages and dialects we now know – what does the Book of Revelation say about people groups – tribal and nation groups – and yes, language groups – each and every one of those many, many different groups?  Take a look with me, will you?  (READ:  Revelation 7:9 – 10).

What is God up to – on this very special Pentecost day?  Well, for one thing, He is starting the process – on this side of Calvary and Resurrection Day  - the process of overcoming that Tower of Babel, confusion of languages – hurdle – in order to FULFILL His promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12 and Genesis 22 – where He said to Abraham – “In you – and in your seed – Jesus Christ – all the nations of the earth will be blessed.”

And – and – He is starting the process of bringing to pass what He foretells – through the apostle John – in Revelation 7 – about how there will be people from every tribe, tongue, language and people – gathered around God’s throne in heaven.

My friends, do you understand what that means – for you?  It means that a way has been opened up – God has made a way for you – to have a place around His heavenly throne!  It was passages like this one – in Acts 2 – that spurred men like John Wycliffe – to translate the Bible into OUR language – even at the cost of their lives.  Why?  Acts 2, verse 11 – so that WE might be able to hear – in our OUR language – the wonderful works of God!

How is it that WE hear – in our language?  God made a way!

What is God up to – on this very special Pentecost Day?  There are a lot of things going on here – a lot of ways in which God is at work – but so many of them have to do with the gift of His Holy Spirit.

Suddenly – yet at the precise moment, when the Day of Pentecost had fully come – and yes, noisily – like the sound of a rushing, mighty wind,  - yet also visibly – appearing to be like divided tongues, as of fire – resting on each of the apostles – God’s heavenly Gift – His Holy Spirit – and this unique ‘Sign Gift’ – the miraculous and yet, very Practical supernatural ability to speak languages that were previously unknown by these men – what is God up to – here?

He is up to some very powerful and important things – for sure – things like validating His apostles and their message – things like empowering these men with insight so as to be able to explain – from the Old Testament Scriptures – what really is going on then and there – things like granting Peter and the rest of the twelve the courage to stand up and speak, when some in the crowd were laughing and scoffing – and, yes, things like this:  things that relate to you and me and our families and this church – things like reminding us that the Church – the Church – is not yours or mine or ours – but God’s!  Things like showing us that – unless we are endued with power from on high – all OUR efforts – all OUR programs – all OUR attempts to build this congregation – will FAIL – unless – unless WE are led, guided and DRIVEN by this Book!

The Day of Pentecost – Acts chapter 2 – there’s a lot more in store for us here that, the Lord-willing – we will look into next time.

But, before we close, I must tell you one more thing about myself – as your preacher.

It’s a  solemn thing – a most sobering and serious thing – Here’s what it is:  I know – I know that every time I take this Book into my hands – every time I stand in this place to open it up with you – I know that the god of this age – the devil – is working his hardest – doing what he can to try to blind your eyes and put a veil over your minds – so that you won’t understand and so that you won’t believe and obey – what this Book says.  He doesn’t want you to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ – because the minute you see that light – the minute you turn to the Lord – God starts taking the veil away!  God starts to open your eyes.

Satan doesn’t want that – and is doing all he can to keep it from happening, because if he CAN keep you blinded and veiled – he can keep you on a path way to destruction .

But, listen – Here’s the good news:  Hear it, will you?

“The [mighty] God who commanded light – to shine out of darkness …”  He is greater!  He is the greatest!  And, He is ready, willing and able to shine in your heart to give you – yes, you – the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Yes, my friends – right here – right now – that battle is raging – perhaps even in your heart.  Turn to the Lord, will you?  For in Christ – and in Him alone – will that veil and that blindness – be taken away!  Let’s pray.  (PRAYER).

Understanding the Will of God

Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, March 4, 2012

Colossians 1:1-14, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.  For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

One of the subjects that we Christians often talk about is the subject of the will of God.  A lot of times those discussions are theological and highly theoretical.  But, then along the road of our lives we come to those forks, those places where we look to the right, to the left, perhaps even straight ahead and even behind us and wonder, ‘which way should I go, God?  Am I going the direction you want me to go?’  At those points in our journey, we realize that what we need, what we want to know and be sure of, is not some lofty theology, and certainly not some ‘black board theory’, but what we’re looking for is the will of God, His way, His plan, His desire for our lives, in plain English, in black and white and in terms that relate to our specific crossroads situation. 

The will of God, though I am called by God to be a shepherd to this flock, to lead you as He leads me, I want you to know right quick that God hasn’t given to me unique and detailed road maps with each one of your names on them.  I’m not here to be your spiritual GPS, giving you turn-by-turn instructions for each minute of your day.  Hope that doesn’t disappoint you or upset you.  But, listen. 

If you’re a Christian, born again, born of God, then, what?  You have received two marvelous gifts that you must never forget, neglect or take for granted.  What are they?  Number one, you have received His Spirit.  You have been given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, and, as you allow Him to fill you, to direct and control you, guess what?  You’ll have that guidance!  You’ll have that insight. 

But, then you might say, ‘But, how?  How does the Spirit of God go about leading me, guiding me?’  Here’s the ‘roadmap’.  This Book [the Bible], this incredible expression of the Mind, the Plan of the Spirit of God, is how God’s Spirit shows us the way!  Knowing this Book, I mean, really knowing it, not in some sort of ‘close your eyes and pick a spot on the map’ sort of way, but knowing this Book opens up for you and me the otherwise hidden and unknown ways of the Good Shepherd. 

The will of God, when a preacher or Bible teacher tells you that he is going to teach or preach on the topic of the will of God, a lot of times our eyes glaze over - too deep for me - or maybe we even roll our eyes, as if to indicate, ‘Oh, no!  Here we go again!  Another sermon that has absolutely nothing to do with where I am!’  Well, hopefully, God-helping me, this preacher won’t lose you or bore you today.  Instead, my prayer is that God will use me to teach you some principles about God’s will that are good for all time.  Jot them down, store them away up here and in here, and begin living by them this afternoon, and also, that if you are at one of those forks in the road, you find specific and very helpful advice to put to work today, as you decide which way God would have you go. 

The will of God, first of all, let me set before you this question: ‘What’s so important about knowing the will of God?’  Well, perhaps by now the answer is obvious at least, to a certain extent.  But, let me see if we can’t answer that question specifically from what this passage of Scripture has to say to us. 

How many of you know what a ‘value judgment’ is?  What do I mean by the term ‘value judgment’?  A moment ago I set before you the question: ‘What’s so important about knowing the will of God?’  That question implies that the will of God may or may not be all that important, right?  In other words, in answering that question, personally and, yes, Biblically, we make or will make judgments, evaluations decisions related to its value, related to how significant or in-significant is to us, right?  Now, let me ask you this question: how important how significant, how valuable is something that God wants to give to you?

The way some people go about their lives, the way they use time, talents, resources, money, the way they treat people, some people by their actions and even by their words say, ‘John 3:16, “For God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son…” I can take it or leave it!’  Isaiah 40:28-31, “He (God) gives strength to the weary and to Him who lacks might, He gives power…”  The gift of God, His strength applied to my weakness and weariness, I can take it or leave it.  My friends, that’s a ‘value judgment’, ‘I can take it or leave it.’  That’s an expression of how important or unimportant something God gives or wants to give, really is. 

Now, how does all of that relate to the will of God?  Here’s how.  First thing you need to know, first thing you and I need to store away in our minds and hearts about the will of God, is that it is something God gives!  It is something God gives!  Paul’s prayer that begins in Colossians 1:9, His unceasing prayer and fervent desire for the Christians at Colossae was that they be “filled with the knowledge of God’s will…”  Now, here’s something to ponder: who’s going to do the ‘filling’?  Who’s the Source and Supplier for this input of divine insight? 

Beloved, it’s very clear to me from this passage that the first thing that makes the will of God, knowing the will of God, important, precious, valu-able, is that it is HIS will and that He, and He alone gives it!  Do you agree with me when I say it this way: ‘For the Christian, anything yes, I mean, anything that God gives or wants to give us, is important, supremely significant! 

What’s so important about the will of God, about knowing it, about being filled with it, even as Paul prayed that we would?  Put a star out beside this first one, God’s will is important, infinitely important, because it is HIS will, because He gives it and imparts it to His children!  Am I regarding it that way?  Are you? 

Second principle about the will of God that we ought to keep in mind wherever we are on the ‘map’ is this: God’s will, God gives it to His children, as they desire it, as they search for it like rich, rich treasure, God gives it bundled up with and delivered by means of spiritual wisdom and understanding. 

Colossians 1:9, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”

‘Okay, there you go again, Preacher.  Losing me with high-sounding 5 syllable words and phrases.  What do you mean, ‘Spiritual wisdom and understanding’?  Well, imagine it this way: a friend sends you a package in the mail.  It’s a gift of a new toy or tool or gadget, but it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.  What’s the first thing that’s going to cross your mind?  ‘I wonder how this thing works?’  Right?  So, what do you do? 

Well, some of us, the more daring among us, the learn by trial and error folks, say, ‘Well, let’s just plug this in, turn it on and SEE what it does or is supposed to do!!’  But, the rest of us, after we’ve opened our surprise and looked it over, what do we go hunting for?  The directions, right?  The instruction sheet, right?  Now think about it this way: God, the Best Friend and Father anyone could ever have, holds in store a gift for you, it’s His will.  And, unlike the other gadget or gizmo ‘gift’, there isn’t an obvious on/off switch, nor an easily discerned ‘power cord’.  Except for one thing: included in the ‘box’ God sent you is one very important additional item.  What is it?  The Instructions, the Owner’s manual, the Directions on how to plug into and power up the will of God in your life!  (The Bible!)  Take, for example, this letter, this portion of Scripture we refer to as Paul’s letter to the Colossians.  Why do you think Paul plumbs the depths of the reality, the truth as to who Jesus really is in chapters one and two of this letter?  And, why do you think he lays out specific responses to Who Jesus really is in chapters three and four?  The simple answer is this: that awesome Gift, the amazing will of God, through this letter, and 65 other letters and gospels and histories, God says, ‘Here is what you need to know to put My will to work, to plug it in and power it up in your life!’  Going back to our road of life analogy, you remember what the psalmist wrote about this Book, don’t you?  “Your Word, the way, the path seems dark and unknown, Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path!”  (Psalm 119:105)

What’s so important about the will of God?  About know it?  About understanding it?  As I said at the beginning, a lot of times, when a preacher or Bible teacher announces this subject for his lesson or sermon, often times people go to sleep or their minds begin to wander.  ‘What does the will of God have to do with MY life?’  Nothing, of course.  I know that that may be your initial response, but listen, before we close I want you to see how very much God’s will DOES relate to your life and how very practical it really is.  Three things, three purposes or results that knowing AND doing the will of God have to do with you, with where you are on life’s journey: Verse 10, number one, the importance of God’s will, the significance of KNOWING what He desires for your life, has everything to do with whether or not your life will be one that pleases God. 

Pleasing God is also one of those eye-glaze-over subjects, isn’t it?  It is, until you come to grips with this one fact: one day you’re going to die.  One day, maybe real soon for some of us, we will take our last breath, and then what?  Then we meet our Maker, right?  But, what then?  Christians, by the grace of God, will by-pass the Great White Throne Judgment of the unsaved as depicted in Revelation chapter 20.  But listen, my friends, Christians will not by-pass the Bema Seat Judgment Paul depicts in 2 Corinthians 5:10.  He says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one of us [who are in Christ] may receive [rewards for or sustain losses because of] the things we’ve done [or failed to do] in the body, whether good or bad.”  Beloved, knowing and doing the will of God, plugging it in and powering it up in our lives, starting today, IS important and here’s why: because one day we will have to give account for what we did with this ‘package’, this ‘gift’ to the One who gave it to us!  God gives us His will, laid out in places like Colossians chapters one through four.  Why?  So that we might please Him!  So that we might stand before Him accepted or acceptable, not rejected or unacceptable!

Number two, how does knowing the will of God relate to your life?  Colossians 1:10 – God gives to His children, to us, this gift, His will, laid out for us in places like this letter of Paul, why?  That our lives might be acceptable, number one, and fruitful, not full of regrets, not marred and marked by emptiness, with nothing to show for at the end of the day, but fruitful! 

And, then number three: what’s so important about knowing and doing God’s will?  Does this ‘gift’, this heaven sent package truly relate to our lives, today?  Yes, it does.  How do I know that?  Once again, verses 19, 11 and 12:  A life that is acceptable, well-pleasing to God, a life that is fruitful, filled with the fruits, the results of righteousness that come by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:11).  And one more, knowing and doing the will of God, this awesome gift of God to us, here’s how we know how valuable it is: Colossians 1:10-12, it results, God intends for His gift to result in a powerful life, a life of His unlimited spiritual strength at work in us, producing in us, patient endurance in and through life’s trials and causing us to be truly thankful to Him for all He’s done for us in Jesus Christ. 

Colossians 1:9-12, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

The will of God, may this prayer of the Apostle Paul be our prayer, our aim, our yearning starting today.