Dear Christian friends:

Next Sunday will be our annual Loyalty Sunday when we have our Every Member Visit, E.M.V. We hope and pray that every member will be here so that we can visit with each one and encourage one another to be happy in Jesus and joyfully pledge to support His work here at Prince of Peace during 1967.

The E.M.V. is not pleasing to the devil. He does not want to see us happy in Jesus, eagerly supporting His work. The devil wants to see us stay sleeping and lazy and indifferent. The devil has a friend who helps him. That friend is our sinful, selfish nature. Our old, selfish nature doesn't want the E.M.V. and kicks about it.

So this Sunday before the E.M.V. we must fight against the devil and against our selfish nature. Remember last Sunday I preached to you that you are soldiers of the Cross, that God has given you many weapons, spiritual weapons with which to fight and resist the devil and your selfish nature: truth, righteousness, Good News, faith, salvation, and God's Word.

If we use these spiritual weapons we can win over our spiritual enemies. Then next Sunday we will all be here and have a very successful E.M.V. One of the best ways to use all these weapons is in prayer. So today I want to preach to you about:


In our text we have a wonderful word about prayer from St. Paul. It will show us how to pray for our E.M.V. In our prayer on this Sunday before the E.M.V. we should thank God.

Paul wrote to his church at Philippi: "Every time I think of you, I thank God. Every time I pray for all of you. I always do it with joy. Paul in his prayers for the churches always thanked God and was very happy about the various churches. Why? He explains the reason why: "because you have shared in telling the good news from the first day till now."

Paul was happy and thanked God because of the Good News. What Good News? The Good News that God loves sinners and gave His Son, Jesus Christ to save them from their sins.

Yesterday evening many of us went to the 50th Anniversary Banquet. Many speakers told of their joy and thanks to Mrs. Charles Thompson for the wonderful gift, the Club House. We also prayed and thanked God for the kind gift to the deaf. Dr. Neece from New York talked a bit and said he never heard of a more wonderful gift.

Surely that building is a wonderful gift to the deaf of Minnesota. And we do right to celebrate on this 50th Anniversary and thank God for it. But God has given the deaf people a much more wonderful gift than that. The same gift He gave to Paul and the church at Philippi, the gift is Jesus Christ, His Son, our beautiful Savior, the Good News of salvation.

So on this Sunday before our E.M.V. let us be very happy about Jesus. Let us thank and praise our kind and wonderful God. He satisfies our thirsting souls and lets us drink from the fountain of eternal life.

In his words about how he prayed Paul also shows that He prayed with hope. He writes, "I'm sure that He who started a good work in you will go on to finish it till the day of Jesus Christ." He hoped that God would not fail the church at Philippi. God had started a good work in their hearts and lives, and He would finish it.

So let us also pray with such confidence and hope on this Sunday before our E.M.V. Don't be afraid, don't doubt. Don't think it will fail. Very often we are afraid and doubt about our E.M.V. Some say "It will fail. We will not reach our goal." We should not doubt or feel suspicious of one another. Trust God who started faith in you, trust Him to help your faith grow.

Trust God's Spirit to lead our members to support His work in 1967. We can reach our goal if we have hope and confidence. If we trust God and trust one another. I am sure that God will make your faith grow stronger. I trust Him and I trust you. You are God's people. You will be great people. I am proud of you. God is proud of you. You deaf can surprise the hearing.

Finally Paul says that he prayed for their love and knowledge to grow more and more. So we on this Sunday before our E.M.V. pray for your love to grow more and more.

That's the real purpose of the E.M.V. Through your thinking and studying and my preaching and talking our love should grow. The chief purpose is not to raise money. The chief purpose is for you to exercise your faith and love by making a generous pledge to Jesus to support the preaching of the Good News.

God could do His work without you and your money if He wants. He can lead the hearing people to support you and give you everything. And often He does when the deaf are afraid and lack love and eagerness. But that will not help your faith and love to grow. You will be like a cripple. When you support your own church and help support missions by that you will grow and become more mature in faith, love and service. And you will be more happy and satisfied.

Amen.