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reading of the Book of Revelation of St
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John I John heard the Lord saying to me
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write to the angel of the church that is
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in Sardis thus says he who has the seven
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spirits of God and the Seven Stars I
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know your conduct you have the
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reputation of being alive but you are
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dead wake up revive what is left of you
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which was about to disappear because I
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do not think what you are doing is
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enough remember what you have learned
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and heard if you are not watchful I will
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come like a thief without you knowing
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when I will surprise you however there
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are some people in Sardis who have not
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soiled their clothes these will walk
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with me dressed in white because they
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deserve it white garment and I will not
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erase his name from The Book of Life but
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I will present him before my father and
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his angels let him hear what the spirit
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says to the churches he speaks the amen
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the faithful and true witness the
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principle of God's creation I know your
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conduct you are neither cold nor hot I
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wish you were cold or hot but because
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you are lukewarm neither cold nor hot I
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am about to spit you out of my mouth you
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say I am rich and well to do and I lack
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nothing instead of recognizing that you
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are unhappy miserable poor blind and
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naked I give you advice buy for me gold
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purified in the fire so that you may
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become rich and white clothes so that
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you can wear so that your shameful
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nakedness does not appear and also by
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semid drops to heal your eyes so that
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you can see I rebuke and educate those I
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love so try hard and convert behold I
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stand at the door and knock if anyone
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hears my voice and opens the door I will
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come into his house and we will eat I
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with him and he with me I will make him
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who overcomes sit with me on my Throne
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just as I also overcame and sit with my
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father on his throne Whoever has ears
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let him hear what the spirit says to the
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churches word of the Lord thank
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God proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Jesus Christ according to St Luke Glory
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To You Lord at that time Jesus had
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entered Jericho and was passing through
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the city there was a man there named
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zakus who was chief tax collector and
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very rich zakus tried to see who Jesus
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was but he couldn't because of the crowd
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as he was very short so he ran ahead and
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climbed a fig tree to see Jesus who was
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about to pass that way when Jesus
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arrived at the place he looked up and
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said zakus come down quickly today I
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must stay at your house he came down
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quickly and received Jesus with joy when
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they saw this everyone began to murmur
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saying he has gone to stay in the house
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of a sinner zakiah stood and said to the
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Lord Lord I give half of my possessions
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to the poor and if I have defrauded
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anyone I will return four times as much
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Jesus said to him today's salvation has
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come to this house because this man also
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is a son of Abraham indeed the son of
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man came to seek and to save that which
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was lost word of Salvation Glory To You
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Lord dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
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have you ever looked in the mirror and
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not recognized the person looking back
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not physically but spiritually today's
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readings Place us before a spiritual
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mirror revealing a truth that may be
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uncomfortable but which carries with it
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an extraordinary promise of
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transformation in the first reading from
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revelation we hear cutting words
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addressed to the churches of Sardis and
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Le oysa I know your works you are
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reputed to be alive but you are dead
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diagnosis a church that maintained all
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all appearances of spiritual Vitality
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but inside was spiritually dead and then
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to lead DEA even more disturbing words
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you are neither cold nor hot I wish you
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were cold or hot but because you are
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lukewarm neither cold nor hot I am about
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to spit you out of my mouth spiritual
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lukewarmness perhaps the most common
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diagnosis in our churches today a
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comfortable Faith which doesn't bother
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any anyone but also doesn't transform
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anything you say I am rich I have become
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rich I need nothing isn't this the
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illusion of the modern world the
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self-sufficiency that blinds us to our
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true spiritual condition and then comes
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diagnosis you do not know that you are
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unhappy miserable poor blind and naked
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but before we despair over this harsh
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diagnosis today's Gospel presents us
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with a story of Hope and transformation
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zakus the chief Publican a man Rich
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through the exploitation of others meets
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Jesus and his life is completely
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transformed the story of zakus is
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fascinating in its details he was short
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in stature and climbed a tree to see
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Jesus what an image an important man
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probably dressed in his best clothes
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climbing a tree like a child the desire
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to see Jesus made him set aside his
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dignity his status his reputation and
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Jesus he does something surprising he
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not only notices zakus but calls him by
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name zakus come down quickly because
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today I need to stay at your house
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imagine the impact of these words Jesus
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not only sees you but knows you by name
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and wants to enter your home your life
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isn't this what we also read in
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revelation behold I stand at the door
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and knock if anyone hears my voice and
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opens the door I will come into his
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house and dine with him and he with me
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Jesus continues to knock on the door of
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our hearts wanting to enter transform
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restore zakus response is immediate and
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radical Lord I will give half of my
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possessions to the poor and if I have
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defrauded anyone I will pay back four
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this is not a superficial transformation
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or a lukewarm change it is a complete
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revolution in your priorities values and
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behavior and here is the Deep connection
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between our two readings to the lukewarm
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Church of leod deia Jesus advises buy
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for me gold tried in the fire that you
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may be rich and white robes to clothe
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yourself and I sve to anoint your eyes
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so that you may see zakus is a living
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living example of someone who did
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exactly that he bought gold tried in the
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fire by renouncing his ill-gotten wealth
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he received white robes when he clothed
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himself with righteousness through
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restitution his eyes were Anointed with
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ID drops when he finally saw the truth
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about himself and Jesus what do these
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readings tell us today first they call
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us to an honest examination of our
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spiritual lives are we like the church
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in Sardis maintaining an appearance of
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spiritual life but dead inside are we
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like lead deia lukewarm and self-
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deluded about our true condition second
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they remind us that transformation is
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possible no matter how far we have
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strayed how lukewarm we have become
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Jesus continues to knock on the door of
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our hearts he still wants to come in and
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dine with us to establish a
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transformative intimacy third they show
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us that true transformation is radical
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and practical it's not just a change of
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feelings or a momentary emotional
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experience it's a revolution that
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affects our wallet our relationships our
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priorities like zakus we are called to
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come down quickly from our trees of
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self-reliance we are invited to open the
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doors of our homes Our Lives to Jesus
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and when we do transformation is
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inevitable today's salvation has come
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into this house Jesus said to zakus this
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same promise is available to each of us
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today no matter your history no matter
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your mistakes no matter your current
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spiritual condition Jesus is at the door
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calling your name maybe you feel like
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the church in Sardis seemingly alive but
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spiritually dead or like Le oysa
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lukewarm and self- diluted or perhaps
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you identify with zakus wanting to see
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Jesus but facing obstacles the good news
9:35
is that Jesus sees you knows you by name
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and wants to come into your life the
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question is are you willing to get down
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quick are you ready to open the door
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when you hear his voice are you prepared
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for the radical transformation that
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comes from a true encounter with Christ
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he who has an ear let him hear what the
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spirit says to the churches says
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Revelation today the spirit calls us to
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come out of our lukewarmness to abandon
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our self-sufficiency to open our lives
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to the transforming presence of Jesus
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may we like zakus respond promptly and
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radically to Jesus call May Our Lives be
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transformed not just superficially but
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deeply and completely and that through
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our transformation others can see that
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salvation is still available today to
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all who open their hearts to Christ may
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the Lord give us the grace to hear his
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voice the courage to open the door and
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the strength to live the radical
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transformation that he wants to bring
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amen St Michael the Archangel defend Us
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in battle be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil may
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God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
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thou o Prince of the Heavenly Host by
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the power of God cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
