Ephesians 2:8-22 // Nick Serban IV

In Ephesians 2:8-22, the message centers on saved by grace and made one in christ. Discover Ephesians 2:8–22 on salvation by grace, unity in Christ, and how Jesus forms one new people into God’s dwelling place. Rather than treating the passage as abstract theology, the sermon traces what these truths reveal about God, the gospel, and the way followers of Jesus are called to live.

The sermon applies the text to relationships and Christian community, showing that spiritual maturity becomes visible in the way we love, honor, serve, forgive, and take responsibility for one another. Biblical conviction is connected to everyday choices rather than left at the level of ideas. The result is a call to build relationships that reflect the character of Christ and strengthen the people God has placed around us.

Along the way, the message engages themes including Ephesians 2:8-22, saved by grace and made one in christ, ephesians 2, 822 on salvation by grace. These ideas help place the primary passage within the larger story of Scripture and show how its theology speaks to real spiritual formation. At its heart, the sermon helps answer questions such as: What does Ephesians 2:8-22 teach about saved by grace and made one in christ? It also considers how should saved by grace and made one in christ shape the way Christians live?

For someone studying this passage, exploring the Christian faith, or looking for practical biblical teaching, this sermon offers a clear path from the text to everyday discipleship. The invitation is to hear what Scripture says, receive it with humility, and take the next faithful step in following Jesus.

What does Ephesians 2:8-22 teach about saved by grace and made one in christ? | How should saved by grace and made one in christ shape the way Christians live? | How can believers apply Ephesians 2:8-22 in everyday life?

Ephesians 2:8-22, saved by grace and made one in christ, ephesians 2, 822 on salvation by grace, unity in christ, saved by grace, made one in christ

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  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. We talked about this last week and and just when we can frame our faith walk through this perspective of like I'm not good and I need a good God to help me to become good. In verse four, but because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ. Anybody grateful for that today? Even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace that you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace that you've been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves. It is a gift of God. Do we recognize that today? That that the reason that we're saved is because it's a gift. It's his grace. And it's not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork. We're his creation created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. Father, bless this word and all the the scripture that comes. Lord, would would you illuminate it to us today? That we would receive your word. That you would I pray that you would open up hearts today, God. That we wouldn't remain the same after hearing from your spirit today. We love you. We bless you in Jesus name. Amen. We're we're getting into this kind of rhythm in this scripture where we start to realize like Paul likes to repeat himself a lot. And he and he and he keeps saying sort of these same things over and over and over again that that you that we're sons and daughters of God that we've been created and it's because of his grace. And we and we and we see this over and over again. And he and he continues to make this comparison of like you were lost but now you're found. You were dead but now you're alive. Like like you you had all of all of these like in your nature and in who you are. You you were only searching after the things that brought you pleasure, but now God has a new purpose. God has a new plan for your life. And it's this back and forth shift. And I think it's important for us to remain in this back and forth because often times we can come to a place where we lose the awe and wonder of these words. We we we miss out and we we lose the beauty of what's taking place and we just walk in this. Yeah, I'm saved. So what? And we can come into to moments of of worship. we can come into our time in in the word of God and we're we're not framing things from this place like we we talked about it in our in our first uh Sunday doing this series in Ephesians. We talked about the subject and the object. Do some of you all remember this? Like so often we make ourselves the subject. We make ourselves the main character of the story, but when we really go back and forth with this scripture, we recognize and realize like we're not the main character. Like it's it's God who's lavishing his grace upon us and pouring it out upon us. And I just get to be the object of his grace. And it and it's so so beautiful because again, if we can frame frame our faith in this way, worship could look so different because it's it's it's no longer like I'm I had a great week and things are going great and hallelujah like my story me me. But when we can go like God, you're so good and my week was only good because you're good. and God, I I had a bad week or I had a bad day, but it's good because of you. And and and we can frame our faith in this way. And again, there's this attitude the longer that we're in the faith where comfort and familiarity, it breeds contempt. And we can even become resentful of of church members or people around us because, you know, there's something that's different on them, but I'm not receiving it because I I I I've walked in this. I've read this so many times. And again, it just kind of creates this callousness. We can lose the awe and wonder and even the humility that comes from being the object, not the subject. Like it it's it's humbling to read this and go, I did nothing to receive this grace because it's in our in our nature and in our in our we desire to like have some credit. Like give me some credit for what I did. Like give me give me a little bit of something that I stepped out in faith here in this area. Like like God can you just like toot a horn or a chauffear or something like like that was a that was a joke. y'all. Yeah. But there's something really powerful about bringing ourselves into this place in our worship and in our prayer. This last this last week I was driving here and uh a lot of times I'll I'll if I hear from the Lord I I start to talk text. It's almost like I'm playing telephone with God. you know, I'm hearing from the Lord and I'm I'm saying what he's saying to me into my phone so I can remember what he's saying, right? Like, thank God for for Siri being able to understand what I'm saying. But it actually stopped understanding what I was saying because I just began to weep. And I'm just like and it didn't understand anything I was saying. But I began to weep because of the grace of God that's on my life. And I actually I actually had to pull over on the side of the road because it was just like the Holy Spirit hit my car like a semi. And I was like, "Okay, God, you're so good. You're so good." And and I am nothing without you, Lord. And and again, if we can worship from this place, everything can shift. Everything can change in in in our faith walk. when we can come to this place, man, I want every encounter that I have with God to start from a place of awe and wonder. Like, God, you're so great. You're so perfect. You're so wonderful. And it creates this gratitude and this humility in us that pride cannot stand for. Because again, if I if it was anything that I did, then I can stand and go, I did this. And then pride begins to shift and the humility, the gratitude, the all and the wonder begins to pass away again, recognizing we were children of wrath because of sin and corruption. But now we're called sons and daughters of God because God's love compelled him to send his son Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. I want our passion as a body to increase for God. Passion for him to increase. That the eyes of our heart would be enlightened to see that we can live a life that's worthy of repentance and worthy of the call that God has placed on our lives, which we're going to talk about in Ephesians 4, which is so exciting. But when we read this this passage verses 1-10 in Ephesians 2, do we really believe what scripture says that we were actually dead in our sin? That we were powerless without him? Like, do we really believe that? Do we really recognize that? Because I think honestly we naturally want to believe that there maybe there was something good in us and God saw it, right? Oh, I saw something good in you and that's and that's why I chose you. Like, oh, there's something special about you and that's why I I I chose you. Right? There's this innate desire that we have to be special. We talked about it in our our genius of Jesus uh study this last week where inside of each and every one of us, there's this there's this adventure spirit. there's something that's that's in us that's that's like, oh, there's so much there's so much more that I could be be doing or stepping into or or whatever it might be. Or or or we look at ourselves as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, right? Like, I'm the chosen one. Or I guess that's Anakin. I get it all mixed up. Whatever. We want to be the chosen one. We want to be the subject. We want to be like the whole story is about me and it revolves around me. And and again, not necessarily in a selfish way, but think about it like when we go and we go, God, what are you speaking to me for me about me? Right? But if we can shift away from being the subject and being the focus and go, God, what do you want to speak not just to me or for me? or God, you're so awesome and I'm nothing. So if you choose to use me, my answer is yes. So ask whatever you want and I won't argue with you. Again, we we want to think that there's something good in us. There's something special in us and that we were chosen and that's why God has blessed us. That's why God brought us into the kingdom. So that now there's this like almost like this weird partnership with us and God where we bring ourselves to like almost like even par with the Lord. Again, scripture tells us we're seated in heavenly places with Jesus, but sometimes we put ourselves even above him. And again, we've talked about partnering with God. And so I want to be careful with the language that I'm using here. But sometimes we think that we had something to do with God's grace. But when I read this passage and Paul repeats it again and again and again for the last two chapters, there's nothing that I can do that saves me. God extended his grace to us and all we do is accept it and then we follow his ways with our lives and becoming who he created us to be and who he saved us to be. Again, what we deserve is death. But God being rich in mercy because of his great love, he made us alive. He saved us. And this is beautiful. But God doesn't love you for anything that you did. He loves us because we're created by him. God loves his creation, right? He loves his creation. What did we do? Look at this. I mean, if you go back to the beginning of Ephesians 1, that we were chosen before the foundation of the of the world. If that's true, then what did we do before the foundation of the world and foundation of the earth to receive his grace? Nothing. You were dead. You earned nothing. We did nothing and he made us alive and we're seated in heavenly places. We did nothing to deserve that. It's by grace through the vehicle of faith and not as a result of work. And why did he do it that way? Scripture tells us so that no one could boast in themsel. It's not me, it's God. And this is why God hates pride. Hey, it's June, by the way. Apparently, it's Pride month. But God hates pride. Because again, it it's an affront to his grace. Because when it's about me and my preference or I did something to receive his love, then then grace is just out of the equation. There's no need for it at all. You're not saved as a result of your works, but that does not mean that works are not part of our lives. Hear me today. As a result of our salvation, you will desire to naturally and supernaturally work. You'll want to do things for God. When when we accept Jesus into our lives, there's this shift that takes place. And now it's like, I have to do something. And it's the spirit that's deposited within us. It's the Holy Spirit that marks our lives as scripture tells us like I I I h I can't just sit here with what God has given me. I have to do something with it. Anybody with me today? James 2:14 says, "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace. keep warm, well-fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. And then jumping to verse 19, you believe that there is one God. Good. Even the demons believe that and shudder. We can we can believe all we want, but the the fruit of our lives are the works that are done with that faith. Which, by the way, we have food boxes in the back that we packed yesterday. And if you know somebody that's in need, please take it to them. Like, let's be the hands and feet of Jesus. Amen. They're very heavy, so you might need someone strong. Josh muscles. Let's go. All right. Cool. This passage, this passage has actually caused a lot of conflict and division in the body of Christ. if we really really dive into it. Because if it's not by works that we're saved, why is faith without works dead? Let me say that again. If it's not by works that we are saved, why is faith without works considered dead? James is is saying it doesn't matter if you say you have faith if there's no works. He's not saying that we work for our our salvation, right? That's not what he's saying. Like let let's get let's see the distinction here. You're not saved by works, but scripture tells us that you were saved for works. Before the foundation of the earth, there there were works and fruit that was supposed to be coming out of your life that God has already destined and planned for you. and and because we've accepted his grace and because he loves us, we love him, we're following after him. Now, there's this desire in me to start doing the work of the kingdom to start doing the work that God has has written on my heart since the beginning of time. Again, Ephesians 2 8-10, for it is by grace you've been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves. It's a gift of God. Again, he making the distinction. This is a gift and it's not by your works so that no one can boast for we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Other translations say for good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. And so many times people want to say and I and I've I've I've been in these these meetings and church meetings not here but other places where people have said you don't have to do anything to earn your salvation. So you don't have to do anything in your faith walk. It's just like you just get to be. And I know we can we can talk about this. And it's so important that we that we see this distinction because again it's not it's not that we're doing good works and and you know everyone will see oh that person must be so faithful. That's not what it's about. It's out of the outpouring and the outflow of of our relationship with God that we we desire to do these things and things begin to to shift and change. James is saying that the evidence of your faith are the works that God created you for and living out that faith in work and deed. It's not I do works and I'm saved. It's I'm saved and I can't help but do the work of God. You don't have to do anything to earn your salvation, but because of your salvation, there's that activation that takes place in your heart. But here's here's a humbling statement and I and I and we need to carry this. God does not need us. He doesn't. He's all powerful. He's all knowing. He's everywhere at all times. But he chose to use us. Because sometimes we can be like, "Oh, God needs me to do this." No, he doesn't. or God God needs me to step out in this area. No, he doesn't. He'll do it without you. In fact, it would probably be better if he did it without you because we screw it up. We mess it up so many times. God doesn't need our talent. He doesn't need our influence, our reputation, our money, our passion, our strength, or any of our abilities. In fact, if you look throughout scripture, God chooses the least of these for his glory more so than the gifted and the talented. He chooses to use stutterers, prostitutes, drunks, people in rebellion, abuse victims, liars, divorcees, murderers, and people that are fractured by fear. And he will often bypass those people who are more talented to go after those that are less than. Why? because he receives the glory that much more because you go, they never could have done this on their own. It's only by the grace of God. It's only by the spirit that's dwelling within them that it's happening. And again, this is not to say this. This hurt my heart growing up a lot when someone would be like, "Oh, you know, I'm not gifted. I'm not talented, but God used me." And I'd be like, "But I I I feel like I'm kind of talented. I think I have some gifts. Like I've been, you know, all these things. Is God not going to use me?" Right? It got really quiet in here. Like we have talents and we have abilities and we have resources and strategies and all these different things. It's not that God doesn't want to use people that are gifted. It's just to remind us to walk in humility. It's to remind us that God wants to to use us not because we have giftings or we have abilities or whatever we see as as a resource in our lives. He wants to use us. He wants to to walk with us, but he doesn't need us. He doesn't need your money, but he'll use it if we surrender it. He doesn't need your your talents and your abilities and all the things that you know, but he'll use it if we surrender it to him. That's it. He doesn't need your influence or your reputation. Any of those things that I was talking about, but he'll use it to put you in place you positions that nobody else is going to get placed into. But again, when we start to go, "Oh, it's because I have this that God put me here." No, that's when pride begins to walk in. That's when it becomes to be become about us. And again, this this really should be a warning to us. There's that selfishness that can come for our from our corrupt hearts that Paul's talking about where we seek after comfort. And maybe some of us, we don't want to be used by God for works. Or maybe we're we're seeking after the popularity that can come and the reputation that can come when we're used by God. We can swing to either end of the pendulum. It's like, God, don't use me. I'm really content where things are right now. Like, please don't mess up my life. I'm good. Like, use me in the areas that I'm already good at and I'm already comfortable in, right? This is already easy for me. And then some of us, we go on the other end of the spectrum and it's just like, I'm going to do all look at all these giftings that God has given me. Now I'm going to get this status. Now I'm going to begin to to speak and do all these different things. People are going to listen to me more. Like all God is much more concerned about the state of our heart than all the gifts and all the works that we do. Where's our heart? It's the form versus the function. We can function and move in the gifts of God because the Holy Spirit has filled and marked our lives, right? We get to do this. But we have to remain humble. We have to remain broken and crushed. And we have to believe and know at the very core of our being that we are nothing without the Holy Spirit. Because if if the spirit leaves me, all I'm doing is striving in my flesh. And so our our heart's desire needs to come from that place of like, Lord, I can't do this. Like it's like Moses, I will not go unless your spirit goes with me. It's only through my relationship and connection and engagement with that spirit in my heart that I'm still able to draw breath. And that's the attitude, the heart that we need to take in our relationship with God because in a moment everything can be taken away. Everything can disappear. And again, it's a warning. God. And and and God's not the God who's just going to rip the rug out from under us. That's not his desire. But man, the moment that we start to lean more into pride, watch the spirit begin to drift from you. Again, I'm I'm I'm kind of living in this place right now where I have to submit to God, with my life, with my family because of the love that he has for me, the grace that he's given me, all the truth that he's shown me. Like, I cannot go back to how I used to be. Like, I I've seen too much. I've experienced too much of his grace and I can't allow myself to chase after comfort and play it safe. And I can't allow myself to use the spirit of God to prop myself up into some position of influence. We don't use the grace and glory of God for our own gain. We we walk in it to glorify him. I can't go back. And again, so there's this beautiful balance. And I I honestly hate using the word balance because it should be this my heart is so aligned with his that all the functions and all the stuff that I get to do in the spirit are pure. And sometimes we we want to play this balancing game of like I'm moving in my functions and then I'm going back and fixing my heart and I I'm I'm moving in all this stuff and then I have to go back to my heart because things have shifted. But what would it look like if our heart was always set on fire for him that things were always again if it's a fire then it's purifying all the time. It's purifying the the gold, the silver, the the beautiful things and gifts that God has put upon our lives. If that is where we stay always that that it's it's all about my heart and my connection with the Lord, then everything that I do is going to be pure. Everything that I that I step into is coming from that form, that heart. And we don't have to play this balancing game and and cycling back and forth. It's possible. And this this is my my side rant here and this is for me. I've lived so many years of my life playing in this cycle where it's like I get my heart right and then I go do the stuff and then my heart drifts and I have to come back and I have to fix it. But what would a church look like? What would what would families look like? What would our lives begin to look like if we just were on fire all the time? that we that we didn't have to play this game again and again and again. What what what more could God have for us if we could step into the fullness of his grace and be pure in heart always? A person who's truly been raised from being dead in spirit is raised so that one day God can show off his grace through their life. We're his work workmanship, saved, being sanctified, spiritfilled, made for more. We sang that song. We were made for so much more. And again, I I I kind of already said this, but I want to harp on a little bit. That's why like so many of us when we've been touched by the spirit of God, when we've received him in our lives, there's this desire within us to do more. It's it and there's this desire in us to go like God, what have you made me for? What's the what's the one thing? And I think we can we can actually get into a really tough spot when we think that it's just one thing, right? What's the career path? Right? That's how we do it. We we've been in this whole deal where it's like we we were in like the poverty gospel, then the prosperity gospel, then the purpose gospel. And I feel like we're coming out of it right now. Well, that that was my growing up. It's like, what's your purpose? What's your God-given purpose? He's written it on your heart. I've said it. I've preached it. Hey, it's good. It's good preaching. But again, it puts us into this place where it's singular. And if I'm not doing that one thing, then my life is a mess. But I but but I'm here to tell you, I'm not going to go into my testimony right now, but I when God called us to be missionaries, my wife and I, that was the singular focus of my life to the point where I was so focused on missions, I was no longer focused on my relationship with God because it was all about the call and the and and the thing that that God had for me. And so, I neglected the one who gave me the call and called me. And I'll tell you, once we got into missions, once it moved from a title to an actual position, man, I was lost because now it's what now? What what's next? If we're always just playing this game of moving from one title or one position to the next, like what is the in between even for? And it and it leads so many people, myself included, into deep and dark places where we feel purposeless even though we're standing with the title of the purpose that we felt God calling us to. It's so much more than a title. It's so much more than a career. If it's only This is why we need to shift away from it being one thing. It's every day. Yes. It's go talk to this person. Yes. It's I want you to read through this entire book of the Bible and don't talk to anybody for three days. Yes. Because when you get out of it, you're going to have all of this re I'm going to use you. Yes. Yes. Yes. I'm going to move you into this weird position at this company where you really have no experience, but like I have favor on your life and so I'm going to move you into this right now. And you're not it's not going to feel like ministry, but just watch. I'm positioning you for ministry. I'm positioning you to come in contact with people that nobody else gets to come in contact with. Yes. Yes. Yes. It doesn't look like a platform. It looks like an altar that I'm going to die to the things that I want where my flesh wants to be seen, but God needs me to be in the secret. Sorry, I'm going way off my notes here. I'm just so fired up about this. Again, there's this burning desire in so many of us and we can't just be. Like I for me, I cannot I I I'm not satisfied with with with just being. And I and and here's the thing. The the form of our hearts needs to be in a place of just being. But it's because of being with Christ and his spirit dwelling within us that I'm going to go do all this stuff with him. for him works created before the foundation of the earth. Like it's really hard and and Bill, you can attest to this. It's really hard to retire when the spirit of God is in you because there's so much more that you want to do. Like as as followers of Christ, I I know so many so many pastors. I know so many people that have been faithfully serving God and they get to the the close to the end of their life and they're beginning to retire and they're just like this can't be all there is. Like I'm all about golfing every day and brunch every morning. Like let's go. Like give me get the 401k and the retirement fund and all those different things, but like is this all there is? Is the American dream all all there is for Christians? Because so many times we get to that that point in our lives where we we have all these all this stuff and it's like the stuff doesn't give me meaning. It's my relationship with the Lord. So I have to keep doing God's calling me. He's beckoning me to more and more because you're a new creation. You're saved by grace through faith. Now, there's this overflow of God's work coming out of us. And it's like, it's this joyful fulfillment that we get to walk in now because look what God did in my life. He saved me and now he's choosing to use me. Even though he doesn't need me, he's choosing to use me. And this is like the coolest adventure ever. that I get to walk with him in. We're alive in Christ. His spirit dwells within us and he speaks through us. God loves us and he wants to use us to bless others and to advance the kingdom. This is it. And again, it's not it's not just one thing. It's so much more. And we just have to say yes. Dad already kind of read this, but it is Pentecost Sunday. And I feel like this really connects with what we're talking about in Acts 2. The disciples were gathered together in the upper room. The Holy Spirit comes in. There's there's a mighty rushing wind. There's tongues of fire. All kinds of crazy things are happening. People are speaking in other languages. But right after all of this happens, there's this crowd that begins to form because it's it wasn't just something that happened in the spirit. It happened in the physical realm as well. And and and the crowds begin to gather around this place where the disciples were were gathered. And they're like, "What is going on?" And in that moment, Peter, who's who's a bold guy, he's already kind of a bold guy. The Holy Spirit downloads into him one of the greatest messages and sermons ever. I don't He didn't have notes prepared. He didn't know what was going to happen. But because of the spirit that that fell in that place, he was then empowered to do the work of the Lord and to reach people. Again, this is why God gives us the the the spirit, the Holy Spirit, dwelling within us. This is why like we know that we're made for so much more. This is why like we we can't help but but do things and say yes to what God has for us. We can't help because the the spirit within us emboldens us to advance the kingdom. And so, Peter, he gets up and he he preaches this sermon. There's this transcendent connection that takes place with him and heaven where the words that came out of his mouth, he starts pulling scriptures from the Old Testament that maybe he had memorized as at a young age, but maybe not. What What if God just starts downloading scripture that he's doesn't even remember in that moment from the prophet Joel and talking about David and all these different things. And he begins to to preach and speak. And again, in the last days in Acts two, God says,"I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women. I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below." And in verse 21, "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." The Holy Spirit in that moment gave him a a a deep understanding and a pathway to contextualize this word to the audience that was there. It happened in an instant in a moment. The power of the Holy Spirit inside of him allowed him to do this. And this is this is possible for each and every one of us that there could be moments that you step into where you're not prepared. you don't have all the things in your mind and God will begin to give you words of knowledge and things to speak into people's lives and he wants to do this. There's so many moments in my life where I'm like I'm talking to somebody and and God starts giving me a download and then a few weeks later they they call me back and be like do you do you know what you said? And I was like I have no idea. It was the Holy Spirit. I don't know what I said. Was it good? Okay, good. Did God speak to you? Yep. Good. That's all that matters. And God wants to use us in this way. He begins to share the gospel of Jesus that he was sent to save us from our sin. And the crowd is moved by the Holy Spirit speaking through Peter and 3,000 people repented and joined the church. It's awesome. The Holy Spirit within us, dwelling within us to bring more people into the kingdom. It's not just for us. But it's for everyone. The Holy Spirit chose to use Peter in that moment. The purpose of the spirit of God within him, within us, it's for good works that God has planned for each and every one of us. I love this in 1 Corinthians 12 talking about the gifts that are given, the gifts of the spirit. And we can talk more about all those different giftings in the future. But Paul is saying just as a body though one, it has many parts. All but all its many parts again forming one body. So it is with Christ in verse 20. As it is there are many parts but one body. Here's what he's saying. Like we all have giftings and often times they're unique to each and every one of us. We all have influence, reputation, all those things. We all have a pathway that God has us on and to bring us to all these different places. And your part to play may not be the same as my part to play, but yet we are all still a part of the same body. And this is why I love the church. And this is why I love that we get to do this together. We all have a part to play. There's diversity in the giftings that we have as a body, but there's unity in heart and vision. Like we may see what God has given us that we get to walk in, but we all know why he's given it to us. It's for his kingdom. It's to grow his church. Jonathan, you can come up. And again, God gives us he's he's created all of these works that we've been created for to walk in. And I found so often too that the greatest gift from the Holy Spirit is the one that's needed most in the moment. We can say, "I have the gift of prophecy or I have the gift of healing or I have I have all the I have the gift of faith or whatever it is, but the most important gift needed is the one that's needed in the moment." And what's so great is we just have to ask for it. [Music] Somebody uh asked me the other day, it's actually Mariah. Mariah Mariah's interning with me this summer. Everybody wave at Mariah. She's awesome. And then uh Axel and Adriel are interning as well. Um really excited. But we were sitting down, me and Britney, and and it was just we were just laughing and chatting. And she's li