Address—Ken Harman
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May we begin the meeting this afternoon with 169 in our little hymn book.
Lord, we conceive by faith in Thee a prospect bright, unfailing.
Where God shall shine in light, divine in glory, never fading.
Oh, how we thirst the chains to burst the way our spirits downward, and there to flow in Love's full glow, With hearts like 9 surrounded. No more is here amid snares to fear a thought or wish unholy no more to pain the Lamb once slain, but live to love thee holy 169.
Lord, we can see by faith in faith.
Our prospect?
Right on failing, we're gone.
I'm not going to be taking up anything that is new to anybody here. And as our as we have a short hour this time, we'll have to go through these what I have in my heart very briefly and I'm sure I won't even get to the end of it and I won't suffer you through it because.
Our time is limited, I know, so I would like to start with reading these familiar passages in Philippians chapter 2, beginning at verse one. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye, my joy that you might be like minded having the same love being of 1 accord of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or Vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
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Look not every man on his own things or qualities, but every man also on the qualities of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought of not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given him a name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in My presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and disputing that you may be blameless and harmless. The sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation or generation. Among whom is ye shined as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. Now we understand in this chapter, I'm sure very well as it's not. It's familiar to everyone here.
That there was a it was the apostles desire that these Saints would go on well together. And indeed it was a very happy assembly, I understand. And but it was a poor assembly and perhaps that that was helpful for their their being going on well, but.
The the apostle desired that, you know they they showed to the apostle that they really loved him.
And everything they did, they, they ministered to his needs and so forth. But he said, you know, the way that you minister to me, I want you to be, to do the same likewise to one another. And so there was a, there was a problem in that little assembly, even though it was going on. Well, outwardly there was, there was a little bit of, shall we say it's like when you get dust in your eye, it's an irritation. And no matter what you do, you can't, you rub it and you rub it and you do your best to get rid of it. And it just.
It just continues to irritate you there and sometimes the only way you can get rid of it is to go to the doctor and get the doctor to take it out so that you can get rid of that irritation. Then, you know, sometimes there are those things in our lives that irritate us and we, we blame it on this and we blame it on that and so forth. And we sometimes don't take the time to look at our own selves. Maybe that irritation is with me. And these things are very important, brother, that we.
That we we consider these things that in an assembly and even in a family, there are those there we are a group together and we are asked to go on one with another to keeping that unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. How important this is. And so the apostle here was a well aware of this. We're not told out here, but there was something in that little assembly that was that was a cause of irritation.
And the apostle is going on to give them the remedy for it. And you know there is a remedy.
For that irritation in my eye and it was when I went to the doctor to the physician and got him to remove it. And you know, it is the same way when there's irritations in our lives. We need to throw in that that that we we need to take it to the cross of Christ. We need to throw in that that tree into the water as as Elijah did in order that the waters would be would be.
Sweet. And it's when we bring these things, our difficulties.
In with one another into the into the very presence of the Lord Jesus to the Great Physician.
He alone can remove the irritation and we can go on and see clearly together.
And walk with one mind together in the in the good of the gospel. You know they were that was important here. That's why he said do all things without murmurings and disputing that why that she may be blameless and harmless. The sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation of whom ye shine as lights in the world.
You and I, brethren, have enough flesh in everyone of us.
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To divide an assembly.
But we also have enough life of Christ in us that we can go on together.
So which one is it that we're going to allow to show forth if there's a there if, if it's showing forth to the world about us, what what is it like, brethren, if there is an irritation there and there's something going on in the midst of the those outside say, well, what is going on there? What is going on? The world sees it or what? Can we go out and proclaim the gospel in those situations? Can I go out and hand a tract if I'm having difficulties with my brother or if I'm having difficulties in my family?
They look in your family and they say, what kind of a Christian is this? These things are fundamental. These are these are so important in our lives that we each one of us brother, and and not just to when we read scriptures like this, we say, you know, I wish so and so was here that he could hear this. No, I'm here, you're here. And each one of us needs to take this to heart and realize that we are the problem or we are the we can be the the answer to the problem.
We can be the remedy. Do we want to be the remedy or the cause?
You say, Why do you speak on these things? I say this, brethren, because it is common to everyone of us.
And we need to be mindful of these things because it's just like when we go through the book of Ephesians, the highest truth that there is and the word of God, we might say. And as we go through the, the, the 1St 4 chapters of the book of Ephesians, where we're, we're in the, we're in the, in the heavenlies and we're enjoying the truth that we are there with Christ and that we're, that we're living in the heavenlies. Now we can enjoy the, the, the Canaan land as it were in, in tight.
But you know, at the end of the chapter, what, what are we, what, what are we confronted with? Well, we're confronted with the warfare. We're we're told to put on the whole armor of God. There's going to be a war, there's going to be problems and we are faced with those things. But at the end of that, what does he say in Ephesians chapter 5?
Or chapter 4, after going through all this, where he's speaking about that we might be the beginning of that chapter, speaks out with saying, with all loneliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. These are so important.
And then we go to the end of that chapter, and what does it say? And grieve not verse 30. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Well, we just sang in our little hymn here that the day is coming when it says.
No more to view thy chosen few than selfish strife divided. But drink in peace the living grace that gave them hearts united. Well, that's that's what we long for, brother, is the fact that when all these things will be done away, we'll be there in the presence of the Lord Jesus, and all these things will be gone.
And how thankful we will be, we won't have these bodies of humiliation, we won't have the flesh within us to to interfere and to dishonor the Lord Jesus, but we will be there in his very presence. And that's what we long for. And you know, if you and I are are to walk straight, shall we say follow that Kings highway and would not look unto the right or to the left, but keeping our eyes in the middle of the road and going on to the promised land, shall we say as it is in figure.
And justice looking on to that day when we will be in the presence of the Lord Jesus.
You know, we can walk together with no, no clamor, no malice, no nothing like that. It's, it's that's what the Lord wants. That's what the apostle Paul longed for these people. What does he say to the brethren, to those in in Ephesus that we turn to Acts chapter 20 I.
Let's turn to Acts Chapter 20 so we can get this correctly here.
He says in verse 26, Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men, For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost have made you overseers, to feed the flock the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
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Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Wherefore watch and remember that by the space of three years. Now note this, by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Three years, night and day.
That man not only only gave the whole counsel of God.
But what was before him, he knew that there was going to be problems coming in amongst them.
And there would be wolves coming in to destroy the flock.
That poor man.
I suppose we.
Each one here understand that in a way we should, I mean even as we lookout in the whole.
Church of God, what do we see? We see what the Apostle Paul feared.
And he knew was coming.
He knew that there would be those that would come in from outside and from inside to take away that which he had sown. And he cried night and day with tears. Did he care? Do we care? Do we care that the Church of God is divided?
I'm not just talking about our local assembly or whatever it might be, I'm talking about the whole.
Church of God.
And there we thank God for everyone of them out there without our desires to go on with the Lord in some measure. And you and I, brethren, as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, we have a.
We we have such a treasure right before us. Are we walking in it? Are we enjoying it?
Or are those little irritations in our eyes that we can't get rid of and we're not, We're not ready to go to the doctor about it yet. We're going to try and take care of these things ourselves.
I say we need to humble ourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.
That he might exalt us in due time.
These are real things and I don't think we need to avoid or evade them.
We fly sooner, talk about the glories of Christ and that glory that's going to be going to follow. But we're in the pathway down here, brethren, that we have to face.
We have to walk through.
And we have to walk through, either to please ourselves or to please the Lord.
And as I said before, each one of us has enough flesh in us to divide the Saints of God. That's nothing to brag about. That's nothing to glory in. It's something for us to fear.
But to recognize too that we have a source within us that is able to.
Overcome this, and we have to first of all take heed to ourselves and to the doctrine continue in them.
Continue in them when the word of when when the word was given to the the the Israelites of old before they were told that they were to give these things to their children and to their children's children. The first thing was take heed to yourself.
And so I say, we don't look around and say, well, I wish so and so was here, or this is good for him or good for her.
This is where it needs to go, right here. And I say this to my own soul.
I don't point the finger to anybody else. I point it right back here because everyone of us, I believe there's not one of us in this room, can ever say we did not contribute to difficulties or to the state of the church in any way.
We have to humble ourselves and we have to bow our heads and say yes, Lord.
But there is, thank God there is a way that we can overcome these.
And the apostle Paul gave the Philippians the answer to it. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Look at him. Look at what he did, that one who has, who had all right, every right to exalt himself and to say, look at me.
And so he says to those those Philippians there.
Let nothing be done through strife or Vainglory.
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Do we have any of us have anything to glory in?
Just think what we were, Just think what we are by nature. Just think what is in US, that flesh that is so capable of of destroying ourselves and anyone that comes in contact with us.
So let nothing be done through strife or Vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better themselves. I'm, I'm.
Reminded in this instance of that man Gideon, when he, where did they find him? We'll just digress from this a moment. Where did they find Gideon and at what time was it when they found him? He was in the he. It was in in a time when when the children of Israel were suppressed by the Midianites. And you know what Midian means. It means strife.
And you know where Midian came from.
He came from. He was a descendant of the child of Abraham through couture.
And so you see, these things are very close to us.
They don't come from afar. They're close to us and they're in each one of us. The capability of being able to carry on and present strife to one another, to our brethren, or whatever it might be, could be in our family, could be in our marital relationship, but these things are not peculiar to just one individual or two. It's peculiar to all of us, brother, we that flesh that is in us, that is ready to rise up. And the enemy knows that he can easily destroy a testimony.
By 1 little word or two.
And so where was Gideon? He was, He was.
He was grinding wheat, it says.
By the winepress, but it should be in the winepress. He was grinding wheat in the winepress and that that reminds us grinding the wheat is making is is occupying ourselves with Christ, that old corner of the land, the wheat that sprung up out of the ground.
And bore fruit.
That's what it speaks of, I believe. And so there he was in the Winepress. Why was he in the Winepress? Because it was empty.
There should have been wine in it.
But the land was destitute because of the Midianites. And when the Midianites came in, then, then they, they were distressed. Strife came in. And those poor children of Israel, they didn't, they were all hiding in the rocks and and so, so forth. But where was where was Gideon? He was, he was getting his, his food right there in the place where there should have been joy.
But it was empty. There was number joy in Israel at that time. They were distressed. The strife had come in and divided. And you know, when strife comes in, we lose our friends, we lose our everything that we have enjoyed before.
It's a terrible thing, and you and I are capable of contributing to it.
How do we like it if there should be a division amongst the people of God and you came to the realization it was my fault.
How terrible.
How terrible that would be in the face of God at the judgment seat of Christ.
And so where was Gideon again? I say he was. He was.
Getting his own food.
There, in that place where there should have been joy, He was enjoying. Shall we put it this way? It's like if we want to bring in a New Testament, it's like we are feeding on the Word of God. We are feeding on Christ. We are studying to make ourselves approved unto God, a Workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, making it good for our souls, and walking in it that it might be evident to everybody, and that we might in some way be able to deliver the Saints of God.
Can we do that? Yes, we can. I don't say we have to say, look at me now, I'm going to deliver the Saints of God. No, but we can make it. We can get our food from that place that we can only place. We can get enjoyment from the Word of God and we can fill our souls. We can make it good to ourselves and we can show to others that we enjoy it.
And then maybe they'll follow you that.
You're profiting might appear to all it says.
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Young or old, doesn't matter. No age group.
You want to follow Christ? I remember brother said to me a long time ago, and I remember exactly where I was standing when he told me. He said you want to help the people of God walk with the Lord. That's all he said and I never forgotten it. I'm not saying I walked in it, but I've never forgotten what he said and it's the truth.
Just as simple. That's the remedy. There's no rules and regulations. There's no law book, there's no nothing to write down and say, well, if I do this or that, then this is going to happen. No, we just walk with the Lord and let him do the work and he'll take care of the stripe. You know what it says in the book of James? Let's go to the book of James for a moment.
James Chapter 3.
Verse 13. Who is a wise man and a dude with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have any bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace that make peace.
Just take heed to that. Let us take heed to that. The soul, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. That's not the same as creating strife in our lives or in our assemblies. What are we? This, this, this was Gideon, you know, and but he didn't know it at the time, but he was, he was preparing himself for God's use to deliver the Saints of God. He didn't know it, but what he did, he humbled himself. He says I'm just a small man. I came up.
I didn't even come out of the right tribe. Why do you? Why do you choose me? But where did he, Where did the Lord meet him? Underneath the oak.
Underneath the cross, underneath of that which spoke of the of the the destruction of the flesh.
And that's where we need to get before we can deliver ourselves or the Saints of God in any way.
Let's not just set ourselves out to deliver the Saints of God, I say. Let us set our sights on glorying the Lord and satisfying His heart and doing what is pleasing to Him, and the rest will take care of itself.
And so Gideon.
Gideon was was prepared of God to go out and deliver the people of God and we all know the story. Our time is is going, but you know the story and I don't have to go go through it. It wasn't my intent to take up the book of Gideon, but I I love to to bring Gideon into this. This what what we we find in the book of Philippians, because it is so it is so related to that I believe, at least in my own soul.
But there is Gideon, he's being prepared of God. He's, he's not a thinking of himself. And so God uses him and to, to deliver the Saints of God. But first of all, he must bring him down. First of all, it's 32,000 people. You want to go out and help Gideon deliver the Saints of God. That's man's thoughts of how we're going to to deliver the Saints of God is we got to get an army together and we're going to have to defeat this. It's a group thing.
Is it?
It's an individual thing.
But God brought that number down, down, down, down, down until there was only 300 men.
That went out with Gideon. How? How do you expect me to deliver that great host of Midian as the sand of the Seasaur shore with 300 men?
And God, as it were, told him, Gideon, the work is mine. And so he didn't even send him out with a sword. He sent him out with a trumpet one hand and the and A and a light in the other hand. There he didn't have another hand to carry a sword. So he he went out to face the enemy with the, the trumpet in one hand and the light in the other hand. And we know what we read in, in, in the book of Second Corinthians.
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Chapter 4 I believe is little a little allusion to this.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 4.
And verse seven, for we have this treasure in earthen vessels.
That the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not, not in despair, Persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down and not, and, and but not destroyed, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Christ might be made manifest in our body.
And then in verse 12, so then death worketh in US.
But life.
Knew and So what happened was that.
They went out into to meet the enemy, and when Gideon said, when I blow the trumpet, you do as I do.
And they broke that glass, and the light shine shone forth, and the enemy was put to the worst, and they began to kill themselves. They were destroyed in a way that they never thought or imagined could happen.
And you know, that happens sometime that there's some some problems confront us in our lives or in in our assemblies and we say.
How are we going to ever overcome this? How are we ever going to get to the bottom of this? And we just cry to the Lord?
And the Lord will do it in a marvelous way that we never even thought of. But as to his glory and not to ours. This was to the Lord's glory and not to Gideon's. Now, as we go on further, we in in the book, let's go to to the book of Judges chapter 8. So we can get this straight to I'm just I'm just grazing through this, as you can tell.
So that we can have time.
And so he says in chapter 8.
Let's start verse 19. So Gideon and the 100 men that were with him came into the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch as verse 19 of Chapter 7 rather. And they had, and they had but newly set the watch and they blew the trumpets and break the pictures that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets and break the pictures and held the lamps in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands.
And bleweth all. And they cried the sword of the Lord and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp. And all the hosts ran and cried and fled in the 300 blew the trumpets. And the Lord said every man's sword against his fellow, even through all the host. And the host fled to Beth, Shitta and and Seraph, and to the border of Abel Mahola. And Tabith. And the man of Israel gathered themselves together out of NAFTA lie.
You know, the way to defeat the Midian is to, like we get in the New Testament, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. Here they gathered those children, those people together.
To defeat the enemy.
And we can only do that, brethren, as we walk together in unity.
Just holding our fingers there for a moment, let's turn to the 3000 and 33rd Psalm in connection to the with this.
And we read their.
Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's heart beard that went down to the skirts of his garments, and the dew of Herman, and as the dew that descendeth upon the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
All of that, the dew, that oil that ran down, it's like the Spirit of God that is just flowing, shall we say, through our life and through our assembly when we go on together in unity. How beautiful it is for brethren to royal together in unity.
That is the spirit of God's desire for us. And so in the going back to Judges verse 2324 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all Mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Beth, Berra and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together and took the waters unto Beth, Berra and Jordan. And they took 2 Princess of the Midianites, Orb and Zeb, And they slew Aurib upon the rock of Orab and Zeb they slew of the winepress of Zebra.
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And pursued Midian and brought the heads of Orb and Zebra.
To Gideon on the other side, Jordan, you know in the book of Galatians that says take heed that you that that you are no.
I'm going to have to turn to that again. Galatians Chapter 5. We'll notice that in the book of Galatians.
That one of the works of the flesh is strife.
It's not found in the in the in the fruit of the spirit, of course, but in the book of Galatians chapter five, he says.
And verse.
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that he be not consumed one of another. It's interesting to me that the book, the name Aurib and Zeb, Do you know what that means?
One means Robin and the other is Wolf.
Take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
And so Gideon let the children of Ephraim, he called them. They didn't want to go up to the battle at first. They.
And so Gideon went by himself with with some other tribes, but not Ephraim. Ephraim turned him down. And then when the battle was won, Ephraim says, how come you didn't call me? Don't you know I'm an important tribe, as it were, Andy? And So what does Gideon say? Did he just say sorry and just?
Remind him of what he had done, he said. Look, he said, look what you did in comparison to what I did. You killed the Princess Orbenzee. What is that in comparison? What have I done in comparison to what you did?
What a wonderful a beautiful attitude that was.
And so that's why we get in. I like what it says there in back in Philippians again, where we started.
He says.
Let nothing be done through strife or Vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things or qualities, but every man also on the things of others.
What a wonderful, a beautiful attitude that is to say, look at what what have I done in comparison to what you've done? Even though that man was a cantankerous person and, and we go back in the history a little bit, we'll find out he always caused problems because of his, he was all puffed up about himself.
Sometimes there are those.
And sometimes we have to let them have their way and say, look at what you've done is just wonderful. Just look what it's done for the Saints of God.
Just look what what it's what it's doing and and then there will be peace.
But is humbling ourselves?
Step down, step down and let the battle be the Lord's. Let him do it because it's for his glory. Yeah, I think of another another instance too, when, when, when the children of Israel cried against Moses. And, and it's called when we read of it in the Book of Numbers, it just says that it would hurry smoke the rock. But when we read about, I believe in the 106th Psalm, it calls it the at the waters of strife.
Because there they strove with him.
And that was, you know, Moses was the meekest of men, and I believe.
At least Speaking of myself, if I were in his shoes I I'm sure I would have not have been as meek and humble as him.
Most difficult circumstances for 38 to 40 years, that man had to put up with those people with their cantankerousness and their and they're speaking against them, they're railing on him and they're and everything else. Could we have done that?
We think sometimes maybe it's hard enough just in a free year or two with sometimes in our circumstances, but here is a man, the meekest man. And you know, I love the illustration someone said about what what the meaning of meekness was. It's power in under control, power under control. Think about it.
That's what it was with Moses. He had the power there, and when a man walks in meekness and humility before God, there's a power there that people don't understand.
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But if you all of a sudden blow your stack and you lose your cool or whatever term you might want to use.
That estimation goes down.
And the people already, and then people say, oh, they're, you know, he's not what I thought he was. But you know, as Moses, all those years he walked in meekness and there was that power about him that God used to control that mass of people. But there came the time when Moses lost his cool and he smote that rock instead of speaking to it, smoked it twice. And God said God didn't even complain about that.
He brought blessing out of it anyway.
He brought blessing out of it anyway. And sometimes we do things foolish in our lives and in our assemblies and people point the finger out and they say, I'm not going to hang around there anymore. Look what those how those people act.
But it's God's place, it's God's assembly, and you walk out on him. You're not walking out on your brethren, you're walking out on the Lord.
This God's assembly, brother, and we need to walk down here.
In humility and meekness, like Moses walked through the wilderness with the people of Israel and until we get to the end of the way, Moses did eventually see that land, but he didn't wasn't able. He lost the privilege of walking through into that land with those people. But God saw to it that he saw it and he was in the land.
Well, our time is is gone. I just want to read a few verses in the book of Romans and then we'll quit.
I I think it's Romans chapter 12.
Three. For I say, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself, Or I think Mr. Darby puts that not to think more highly than he ought to think.
I think that's left out of there, not to think. It does not of himself more highly. That would mean that there is in some measure we can think highly of ourselves, but here it says just not to think.
Higher, that is.
For ourselves, to give ourselves some elevation in this world, some privilege in this world, or some attainment in this world, don't think higher than we ought to think. But it says to think.
Soberly.
As courting as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. What would go on a little bit here?
Verse nine. Let love be without the simulation, Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good, be kindly affectioned. 1 To another brother with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another. And then verse 17, or verse 16, Be of the same mind, one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil, provide things honest in the sight of all men. So forth. And then it says.
Verse 18 if it be possible.
As much as life in you live peaceably with all men.
And then chapter 15.
And verse 30 Now I beseech you, brethren.
For the Lord Jesus Christ sake and for the love of the Spirit, and that you strive together with with me in your prayers to God.
Amen.