What a wonderful service last night and what a great God we have! God, You are our God and we will always praise You!

Thank God we can praise Him this morning! Let’s remember what He’s done in the past. Let’s thank Him for today. Let’s thank Him for what He’s going to do. Let’s praise Him for His promises are always kept.

Psalms 77:11-15
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Let’s praise and thank God today by listing His deeds, His miracles, and all other mighty works He’s done for us and OCF.

Hallelujah! What a Savior! Let’s worship Him in spirit and in truth. Let’s expect miracles!

The holidays can be stressful. Over the years I’ve observed people “acting out of sorts.” I remind myself, “It’s the holidays!”

Jam 1:2
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

So how do we respond to this? We pray for peace to deal with unrealistic expectations like hosting the perfect holiday meal and gathering. We pray for joy when family and friends visit. We pray for God’s love when we are lonely, even in midst of extra activity. We pray for gratitude.

Phil 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and enjoy this Thanksgiving season.

Lk 10:41-42
…you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

It’s a great day to thank the Lord! Great is the faithfulness of our God. His mercies are new every morning (cf Lam 3:22-23).

Keeping with the theme of thanksgiving I am glad Jesus came to give us life abundantly.
That means with the Helper we live a life of love! A life of fearlessness! A life of no lack! A life with hope! A life of faith! A life lived with wisdom!

Wisdom is knowledge applied. We live knowing that everything about God and His attributes will manifest in our lives if we believe.

Do we believe that if we lose our lives for the Gospel, we will find it? If we do, we will find our destiny and will live our purpose!

Mt 10:39
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Let’s live abundantly. Let’s apply the wisdom of Jesus to our lives. Let’s embrace our destiny and by God’s grace never quit.

Lk 12:32
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

I’m hoping we’re waking up thankful for our amazing God!

Let’s thank Him for forgiveness!

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Let’s thank Him for grace!

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Let’s thank Him for His love!

1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.

Let’s thank Him for His guidance!

Provides 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Just meditating on the above should cause us to break out in praise and thanksgiving!

How Great Is Our God (lyrics)
“How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God!”

I pray we have a great and thankful day.

Psalms 100:4b
…give thanks to him and praise his name.

We know that our salvation is by God’s grace; it’s a gift from God!

Eph 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–

What does God want us to do with our gift of salvation? He wants us to do good works!

Eph 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

These works include acts of kindness, service, and love, reflecting God's character and intentions.

Let’s help those in need, share God’s love and the Gospel of Jesus, live a life of integrity—no moral leaks—and encourage and support others in their times of need. Let’s be faithful to our calling to do good works.

Let’s shine our Light through our good works, especially during the upcoming holiday season!

Mt 5:14a,16
You are the light of the world. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Paul exhorts us to change the way we think. He wants us to think about eternity with Jesus instead of temporal, earthly things.

Col 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Why? Because we have been crucified with Christ and Christ lives in us!

Col 3:3
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

The good news is we now can live and love like Jesus. Then in eternity we will share in His glory.

Col 3:4
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

So let’s put to death the desires of the flesh and live forever with Jesus.

Col 3:5
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Let’s live to the full now by setting our minds things above. Let’s not fall for the temptation to prioritize the earthly and allow satan to steal, kill, and destroy. Let’s look forward to our glorious future!

Paul exhorts us to be strong in the Lord and to take our stand against the devil’s schemes.

Eph 6:10-11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

What are the devil’s schemes? It starts with deception because he is the father of lies.

Jn 8:44b
…for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Next he entices people to indulge in sinful behaviors, straying from God's path and appealing to desires and weaknesses through temptation.

Jam 1:14
…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Then he stirs up fear and anxiety. By instilling fear, the devil can paralyze individuals, making them ineffective in their faith and service. Remember the acrostic F.E.A.R.—-False Expectations Appearing Real.

Rom 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

These are just a few of the devil’s schemes. Today, let’s put on the full armor of God to stand strong against them. Let’s make prayer and hiding God’s Word in our hearts a constant priority.

Let’s walk in the Spirit so we won’t fall for the devil’s schemes! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (cf John 14:6), and we are safe and secure in Him.

As we study the seven churches and messages to each from Jesus there are lessons we must observe and apply to our lives, most importantly that trials are inevitable and by God’s grace we must be overcomers.

Rev 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

How do we overcome?

Rev 12:11
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

We overcome by the blood of the Lamb.

Col 2:13-15
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Jesus won the victory over sin by His blood. He was tempted in every way but did not succumb. He understands our weaknesses and provides a way out of sin. Let’s be overcomers because God died for us to win!

We also overcome by testifying about the love, grace, and mercy of God in our lives. What He’s done for us, He’ll do for others.

Additionally, let’s be willing to lose our lives for the Gospel so others may hear and believe. Let’s be overcomers!

Mt 16:24-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

I enjoy listening to testimonies of how Jesus turned believers’ lives around. You could say because of God’s great love for them, they now love their lives. They love loving Jesus and others.

1 Jn 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

So how do we square Jesus telling us:

Jn 12:25
The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

One commentary rightly says, “To ‘hate his life’ means to be so committed to Christ that he has no self-centeredness, no concern for himself. On the other hand, the man who loves his life will lose it. Anything in life can become an idol, including goals, interests, and loves.”

Living a full life, a life of love, requires us to be led by the Holy Spirit, Who is love. So you could say, “I love my life because I lose it for Jesus and the Gospel.”

Mark 8:35
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Let’s hate our lives so we can truly live a life of love! A life devoted to Jesus and the Gospel of Love!

As followers of Jesus, we love learning the Bible. We know the way of God is the only way. We believe that He has plans to prosper us.

Ps 86:11
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

The problem we encounter is after hearing and acknowledging the truth, we don’t walk in it. We don’t live it. Bad habits are sometimes hard to break. The enemy tells us that the sinful habit is not that bad.

Prov 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Jam 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Let’s be wise and when truth is spoken to a sinful habit, immediately repent and turn from the wicked way. Then let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us walk in the truth.

Let’s with childlike and reverential faith obey all the commands of Jesus. We must obey because there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey!

When the church was born and while it was in its purest form after Pentecost, the believers emphasized fellowship.

Acts 2:41-42
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Fellowship was right up there with teaching the Word, meals together, Communion, and prayer.

Let’s give fellowship with each other the priority it was intended. Let’s share our time, talents, treasure, and togetherness (4-t’s).

Heb 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Jesus is coming soon! Let’s be about His business and fellowship. We are all part of His Body and every one of us is integral and necessary!

As we lean into what it means to have fellowship with each other, we learn to share our burdens with each other.

Gal 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

The "law of Christ" instructs us to love and support each other through good as well as challenging times. The law of Christ compels us to demonstrate compassion and selflessness and to rejoice when victories and good news is shared.

1 Jn 3:16-18
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Let’s prioritize fellowship (koinonia) at Oak City Fellowship. Let’s actively live out our faith and fix our eyes on Jesus and His Body, the church. Let’s fulfill the law of Christ!

What does it mean to fellowship together as mentioned in the Bible?

1 Jn 1:3-4
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

The Greek word for fellowship used in this verse is “koinonia.”

Koinonia refers to a body of believers who share everything in common. This encompasses both social and spiritual dimensions. Not only do we have a close relationship with each other but with God, too. We share our faith, experiences, and purpose in Christ.

When we proclaim the message of Christ we are inviting others into a shared relationship with us, which also leads to greater fellowship with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

To live and follow Jesus authentically, we must love and share with each other because fellowship with God is impossible without love! Let’s share our victories and struggles together — as one!