the next step in his plan

Posted on September 12, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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the next step in his plan

Acts 22:30-23:11 (JDV)

Acts 22:30 The next day, since he wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and instructed the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to convene. He brought Paul down and placed him before them.
Acts 23:1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience to this day.”
Acts 23:2 The high priest Ananias ordered those who were standing next to him to beat him on the mouth.
Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to beat you, you whitewashed wall! You are sitting there judging me according to the law, and yet in violation of the law are you ordering me to be beaten?”
Acts 23:4 Those standing nearby said, “Do you dare insult God’s high priest?”
Acts 23:5 “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest,” replied Paul, “because it is written, you must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.”
Acts 23:6 When Paul realized that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part were Pharisees, he cried out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am being judged because of the hope of the resurrection from the dead ones!”
Acts 23:7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
Acts 23:8 You see, the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and neither agent nor breath, but the Pharisees affirm them all.
Acts 23:9 The shouting grew loud, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party got up and argued vehemently: “We find nothing evil in this man. What if a breath or an agent has spoken to him?”
Acts 23:10 When the dispute became violent, the commander feared that Paul might be torn apart by them and ordered the troops to go down, take him away from them, and bring him into the barracks.
Acts 23:11 The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Have courage, because just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.”

the next step in his plan

Paul was encouraged by the Lord’s answer to his prayer that night. The Lord did not reveal all his future to him. But he did get enough information to know that his journey would not end in Jerusalem.

In times of extreme anxiety, when we call on the Lord for a response, seeking where he wants us to go and what he wants us to do, we are not asking for everything. But we do need something. We need the next step in his plan.

Lord, God, we trust you not to fail us when we are desperately seeking the next step in your plan.

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his sovereign protective hand

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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his sovereign protective hand

Acts 22:23-29 (JDV)

Acts 22:23 As they were yelling and flinging aside their garments and throwing dust into the air,
Acts 22:24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, directing that he be interrogated with the scourge to discover the reason they were shouting against him like this.
Acts 22:25 As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing by, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and is uncondemned?”
Acts 22:26 When the centurion heard this, he went and reported to the commander, saying, “What are you going to do? You see, this man is a Roman citizen.”
Acts 22:27 The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he said.
Acts 22:28 The commander reacted, “I bought this citizenship for a large amount of money.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul said.
Acts 22:29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately. The commander too was alarmed when he realized Paul was a Roman citizen and he had tied him up.

his sovereign protective hand

Sometimes a person arrested by Roman soldiers did not survive their so-called interrogation. Often the person being beaten for examination would confess just so the beating would stop. In was a very efficient means of forcing an admission of guilt. But Paul knew the one thing that would prevent this routine abuse of power. He knew that he was born a citizen of Rome. That one fact was not something Paul had any control over, but it was a way that God protected him for his mission. Even now, in chains, surrounded by hostile soldiers, Paul knew God’s protection.

Lord, thank you for your sovereign protective hand.

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the lost in other lands

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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the lost in other lands

Acts 21:37-22:22 (JDV)

Acts 21:37 As he was about to be brought into the barracks, Paul said to the commander, “Am I allowed to say something to you?” He replied, “You know how to speak Greek?
Acts 21:38 Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led four thousand men of the Assassins into the unpopulated region?”
Acts 21:39 Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus of Cilicia, not a citizen of an insignificant city. Now I beg you, let me speak to the people.”
Acts 21:40 After he had given permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew dialect:
Acts 22:1 “Men — brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.”
Acts 22:2 When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even quieter.
Acts 22:3 He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, disciplined at the feet of Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
Acts 22:4 I chased this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail,
Acts 22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to bring those who were there tied up to Jerusalem to be punished.
Acts 22:6 “As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from the sky suddenly flashed around me.
Acts 22:7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you chasing me?’
Acts 22:8 “I reacted, ‘Who are you, Lord? ‘ “He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are chasing.’
Acts 22:9 Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
Acts 22:10 “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord? ‘ “The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’
Acts 22:11 “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus.
Acts 22:12 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who was testified about by all the Jewish residents there,
Acts 22:13 came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him.
Acts 22:14 And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his desire, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth,
Acts 22:15 since you will be a testifier for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 22:16 And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your failures, calling on his name.’
Acts 22:17 “After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a condition of ecstasy
Acts 22:18 and saw him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, in view of the fact that they will not accept your testimony about me.’
Acts 22:19 “But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in you imprisoned and beaten.
Acts 22:20 And when the blood of your testifier Stephen was being shed, I stood there giving approval and keeping the clothes of those who took him out.’
Acts 22:21 “He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'”
Acts 22:22 They listened to him up to this point. Then they lifted up their voice, shouting, “Wipe this man off the face of the land! He should not be allowed to live!”

the lost in other lands

The commander of the Roman soldiers was willing to protect Paul, even though he thought Paul had been a violent criminal. But the Jewish mob thought nothing of Paul’s past as a persecutor. What incensed them was his claim to have been sent by God to bring salvation to Gentiles. Their theology kept them from even considering what God might be doing through this missionary. They believed that God loved Israel, and that fact kept them from seeing that God loved others as well.

There are some things God wants to do through those he is calling today. We who claim to be his need to put our personal plans and petty ambitions aside and go, or send and support those God wants to reach. We need to take a close look at our attitudes about the lost in other lands.

Lord, forgive us for ignoring your love for those in other lands.

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crucial

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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crucial

Acts 21:26-36 (JDV)

Acts 21:26 So the next day, Paul took the men, having purified himself along with them, and entered the temple, announcing the completion of the purification days when the offering would be made for each of them.
Acts 21:27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the temple, put the whole crowd in uproar, and forced hands on him,
Acts 21:28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place. What’s more, he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this sacred place.”
Acts 21:29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they figured that Paul had brought him into the temple.
Acts 21:30 The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
Acts 21:31 As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in uproar.
Acts 21:32 Taking along soldiers and centurions, he immediately ran down to them. Seeing the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
Acts 21:33 Then the commander approached, took him into custody, and ordered him to be tied up with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done.
Acts 21:34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing and some another. Since he was not able to get reliable information because of the uproar, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks.
Acts 21:35 When Paul got to the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd,
Acts 21:36 because the mass of people followed, yelling, “Lift him up!”

crucial

How did Paul go from being the darling of his people — a Hebrew of Hebrews — to being public enemy number 1, a target of violence and hatred? It was a simple choice. He found that Jesus is the Messiah and so he chose to serve him and announce his gospel. The gospel was the reason that Paul’s life was in danger that day. The cultural clash that led to such hatred centered around a gospel fact, not a misunderstanding. That cultural fact is that you do not have to be Jewish or do any of the Jewish things in order to be forgiven by God through Christ.

That fact is crucial. The word crucial comes from the word cross. It is fitting because the crucial cultural fact that Paul declared had everything to do with the sufficiency of the death of Christ on the cross for the deliverance of all sinners.

No one is ever asked to renounce their culture in order to become Christian. Paul was still a Jew, and he was no real threat to those Jews that day. But for those who insisted that following the Jewish law and worshiping in the Jewish temple was the way to reach God, Paul’s message was clear: Jesus is the Way.

Lord, thank you for the one way you provided for all in Christ.

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conflict in missions

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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conflict in missions

Acts 21:15-25 (JDV)

Acts 21:15 After this we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and brought us to Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to stay.
Acts 21:17 When we reached Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us warmly.
Acts 21:18 The following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
Acts 21:19 After greeting them, he reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
Acts 21:20 When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You observe, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.
Acts 21:21 But they have been informed about you – that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to live according to our customs.
Acts 21:22 So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you’ve come.
Acts 21:23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have made a vow.
Acts 21:24 Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that what they were told about you amounts to nothing, but that you yourself are also careful about keeping the law.
Acts 21:25 With regard to the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter containing our decision that they should keep themselves from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

conflict in missions

The Christian leaders in Jerusalem were not trying to change Paul’s theology. They simply wanted to avoid conflict with those who thought Paul wanted to put an end to the Jewish culture. Their proposal could have worked, but it didn’t. The enemies of Paul attacked him anyway. The conflict was inevitable.

Wherever the gospel was taken by the missionaries, it conflicted with the local culture, and it still does. But it also brought light and truth that became a blessing to every land. Taking the gospel into a new place is a dangerous task. Even if we do all that we can do to blend in, we will still see conflict.

Lord, give us the courage to go, and the love to send missionaries, in spite of the risk.

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cultural straitjacket

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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Acts 21:1-14 (JDV)

cultural straitjacket

Acts 21:1 After we had withdrawn from them, we set sail straight for Cos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
Acts 21:2 Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded and set sail.
Acts 21:3 After we sighted Cyprus, passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria and arrived at Tyre, since the ship was to unload its cargo there.
Acts 21:4 We sought out the disciples and stayed there seven days. Through the Breath they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:5 When our days had come to an end, we left to continue our journey, while all of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach to pray,
Acts 21:6 we said farewell to one another and boarded the ship, and they returned to their own places.
Acts 21:7 When we completed our voyage from Tyre, we reached Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day.
Acts 21:8 The next day we left and came to Caesarea, where we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him.
Acts 21:9 This man had four prophesying virgin daughters.
Acts 21:10 After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
Acts 21:11 He came to us, lifted up Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Sacred Breath says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt and deliver him over to the Gentiles.'”
Acts 21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:13 Then Paul reacted, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? You see, I am ready not only to be tied up but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts 21:14 Since he would not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lord’s desire be done.”

cultural straitjacket

On Paul’s way back to Jerusalem, he stopped off at a number of places, and wherever he stops, he finds a group of believers. Not only that, but these places have functioning churches. Not only that, but there are a number of those in ministry of all kinds — especially prophets. There is even a family (Philip’s) which has four single female prophets in it. Imagine that… a first century Christian home with four unmarried female ministers in it. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that prophets were among the Holy Spirit’s equipping ministry gifts.

The modern day church has fallen to a formal structure that tends to restrict what the Holy Spirit can do. He still calls a lot of people to ministry, but many of them cannot follow that calling. They are limited by a cultural straitjacket that predetermines what ministry is acceptable and who can function where. That is not God’s fault. He did not create the cultural straitjacket.

Lord, surprise us with those you call to work among us, equipping us for ministry and mission.

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not knowing

Posted on September 6, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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not knowing

Acts 20:13-38 (JDV)

Acts 20:13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to pick up Paul, because these were his instructions, since he himself was going by land.
Acts 20:14 When he met us at Assos, we picked him up and went on to Mitylene.
Acts 20:15 Sailing from there, the next day we arrived off Chios. The following day we crossed over to Samos, and the day after, we came to Miletus.
Acts 20:16 You see, Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was hurrying to make it to Jerusalem, if he was capable, for the day of Pentecost.
Acts 20:17 Now from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the congregation.
Acts 20:18 When they came to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time,
Acts 20:19 slaving for the Lord with all humility, with tears, and during the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews.
Acts 20:20 You know that I did not avoid proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching you publicly and from house to house.
Acts 20:21 I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.
Acts 20:22 “And now, notice – I am on my way to Jerusalem, tied up by the Breath, not knowing what I will encounter there,
Acts 20:23 except that in every town the Sacred Breath warns me that chains and troubles are waiting for me.
Acts 20:24 But I consider my throat of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.
Acts 20:25 “And now, notice – I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will ever see me again.
Acts 20:26 In view of the fact that I declare to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you,
Acts 20:27 because I did not avoid declaring to you the whole plan of God.
Acts 20:28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Sacred Breath has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with his own blood.
Acts 20:29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
Acts 20:30 Men will get up even from your own number and distract from the truth to withdraw the disciples into following them.
Acts 20:31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.
Acts 20:32 “And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.
Acts 20:33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
Acts 20:34 You yourselves know that I worked with my own hands to support myself and those who are with me.
Acts 20:35 In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”
Acts 20:36 After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them.
Acts 20:37 There were many tears shed by everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him,
Acts 20:38 grieving most of all over his statement that they would never observe his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

not knowing

As confident as Paul was that he was serving God by proclaiming his word and strengthening his congregation, he still had a lot of things about his future that he did not know. He was honest about that not knowing when he said his farewell to the elders at Ephesus.

Loving the church leaders as he did, it would have been tempting to respond to their pleas by agreeing to stay on at Ephesus. He could have been assured of a successful ministry among people who loved him and had his best interest at heart. He could even have convinced himself that their needs required his prolonged ministry, because he knew that there were going to be problems in the churches after he departed (29-30). But he had unfinished business that was drawing him to Jerusalem. The different drummer to whom he marched forced him ever onward, in spite of the danger and uncertainty.

LORD, give us the courage to follow you, even if it means leaving a sure thing to face the unknown.

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new purpose — same power

Posted on September 5, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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new purpose — same power

Acts 20:7-12 (JDV)

Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul made a speech for them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.
Acts 20:8 There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were assembled,
Acts 20:9 and a young man named Eutychus was sitting on a window sill and sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept on making his speech. When he was overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was lifted up dead.
Acts 20:10 But Paul went down, bent over him, embraced him, and said, “Don’t be alarmed, because his throat is with him.”
Acts 20:11 After going upstairs, breaking the bread, and eating, Paul talked a long time until dawn. Then he left.
Acts 20:12 They brought the boy home alive and were encouraged without measure.

new purpose — same power

Paul’s last Sunday in Troas was the date of an extraordinary event — a miracle in which a young man is revived from death by an embrace. I suppose the usual take on this story is to say something about long-winded preachers. But I have been thinking about the change in focus of Paul’s team — how they are primarily focused on encouraging and equipping the saved instead of planting new churches. Seen from that perspective, this miracle takes on new significance. God’s power is with us no matter what our function. His presence brings life whether we are preaching to deliver, or preaching to encourage.

Thank you Holy Spirit, for your power available for us, no matter what we are doing in God’s service.

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team B

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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team B

Acts 20:1-6 (JDV)

Acts 20:1 After the uproar stopped, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, and after saying farewell, departed to go to Macedonia.
Acts 20:2 And when he had passed through those areas and offered them many words of encouragement, he came to Greece
Acts 20:3 and stayed three months. The Jews plotted against him when he was about to set sail for Syria, and so he decided to go back through Macedonia.
Acts 20:4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.
Acts 20:5 These men went on ahead and waited for us in Troas,
Acts 20:6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the Day of the Unleavened. In five days we reached them at Troas, where we spent seven days.

team B

The ministry of Paul and his team appears to have evolved from primarily church planting, to primarily establishing and equipping churches already planted. Also, the team has morphed into ostensibly two teams, which allows team B to stay behind to continue the equipping, and then to meet up with team A for reporting on the accomplishments of the mission, prayer and the next assignment. The text is not exactly clear who comprises team A, but it at least includes Paul and Luke.

If we want making disciples for Christ to be our primary focus as a church, we need to build flexibility into our ministry structures. This is difficult to do in most churches because we tend to adopt rigid leadership structures, even defending them against other structures. But the New Testament reflects a variety of leadership and ministry structures. If our eye is on the goal, we should be flexible enough to organize ourselves practically, in order to meet each objective toward that goal.

Lord, mold us into teams that accomplish your Great Commission.

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friends in high places

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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friends in high places

Acts 19:23-41 (JDV)

Acts 19:23 About that period there was a major disturbance about the Way.
Acts 19:24 You see, a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a great deal of business for the craftsmen.
Acts 19:25 When he had brought them together, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said: “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business.
Acts 19:26 You observe and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods.
Acts 19:27 Not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin – the very one all of Asia and the world worship.”
Acts 19:28 When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Acts 19:29 So the city was filled with uproar, and with the same passion they rushed into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions.
Acts 19:30 Although Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples did not let him.
Acts 19:31 Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, pleading with him not to venture into the amphitheater.
Acts 19:32 Some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in uproar, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
Acts 19:33 Some Jews in the crowd gave instructions to Alexander after they pushed him to the front. Motioning with his hand, Alexander wanted to make his defense to the people.
Acts 19:34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Acts 19:35 When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “People of Ephesus! What person is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great Artemis, and of the image that fell from the sky?
Acts 19:36 Therefore, since these things are undeniable, you must keep calm and not do anything rash.
Acts 19:37 You see, you have brought these men here who are not temple robbers or blasphemers of our goddess.
Acts 19:38 So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a case against anyone, the courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.
Acts 19:39 But if you seek anything further, it must be decided in a legal assembly.
Acts 19:40 In fact, we run a risk of being charged with rioting for what happened today, since there is no justification that we can give as a reason for this mob.”
Acts 19:41 After saying this, he let the assembly go.

friends in high places

The gospel had prevailed over the Jewish exorcists, and had led to the destruction of the books of magic. But that did not mean that the conflict was over. Now, the craftsmen who created the idols that littered the land took up the fight. This passage reveals that the Adversary — the devil — has more than one group of people that he can manipulate to cause conflict and seek to destroy the gospel. But it also shows that the gospel has friends in high places as well. Paul was warned not to go to the amphitheater both by the disciples and by some government officials who were his friends. The city clerk also pleaded for the unlawful assembly to disperse. He was apparently not a believer, but God did use him to prevent the injustice of a mob attack against Paul.

Lord, thank you for the friends of the gospel which you put in high places.

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