This is one of the most beautiful times of year. The seasons are changing, the colors become vibrant and there is a crisp in the air. But one of the most powerful things about this time of year is when the people of faith enjoy a restored attitude of gratitude.

When we enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4); When we count our blessings and name them one by one; When we think about God’s goodness and all that He has done for us… A different kind of mindset can form inside of us. Even when things are difficult and our mind feels burdened with the stresses of life…we can stop for a moment and choose to think of all the promises of God that belong to us in Christ. We can express a thanksgiving to the LORD because He always deserves it!  “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4 This unlocks a place of praise where our burdens can feel lighter and our stresses can melt away. The LORD made this spiritual reality available for us to help us and to shape us for His use. We can be in the worst way, but when we muster up a praise and lift up a sacrifice of thanks to Him, it can clear our eyes, boost our faith and remind us that God is on the scene with us. Psalm 50:23 says “But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors Me. If you keep to My path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” Sometimes lifting a thanks feels like a sacrifice because we may not feel like giving any kind of positive expression at the moment. God understands our emotions. So He tells us that if we will do it anyway, He will provide the resource we need. He can strengthen us with peace and refuel us with His joy.

Are we willing to take the chance? Will we open the door to His promise to help? Can I remind you today to climb out of the haze that Satan and sometimes even our own mind leaves us in and GIVE a Thanksgiving to the LORD? God’s word says it works. And I believe it! Come believe it with me and have an attitude of gratitude! That will be a heart God can use. 

As our church studies the Law of God and its amazing spiritual implications, we are learning how Jesus defines these 10 “signposts of freedom” in the New Testament. But tucked away in the middle of the Bible is one of the Law of God’s secret powers: Great Peace! 

I want you to remember a number: “119”. Psalm 119 is close to the center of the Christian Protestant Bible. It is not only the center of Scripture…it is Scripture Central. What I mean is, every one of the 176 verses in Psalm chapter 119, is about the scriptures. Every verse describes the Bible. Go ahead and read any of the 176 verses. You will find at least one word that is synonymous with “scripture”. Law, commands, decrees, instructions, regulations, Your word, truths, statutes, wise advice, my counselor, way of Your precepts, Your promises etc… Psalm 119 is also the longest chapter in the Bible, so it is fitting that it is all about describing…the Bible. 

But tucked away inside this enormous chapter, near the center of the Bible, is a secret weapon that will help you overcome one of Satan’s tricks and tactics to try and hinder or even destroy the Christian. This demonic weapon is a spirit of offense. Satan has caused people to walk away from God, the Church, and from ministry because they became “offended” by something that was said or done. Now obviously, words hurt and people can wrong us. But God desires for us to make choices that will lend us to freedom instead of bondage. Being offended and staying there or allowing a spirit of offense hinder or even destroy our joy is not God’s will for our life. So here it is, the secret weapon, Psalm 119:165 “Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.” Say it again: “Great peace.” Wow. Who doesn’t want great peace? 

God is saying that you can have peace through His strength. Through His powerful Law, you can be made bullet proof to Satan’s darts. How? By choosing to believe God’s truth, His promises, and His word! Then you will be at peace with your Creator and with others. Is it possible that NOTHING will offend those who love the Law of God? Yes, it is! Being offended is a choice. You and I, through the grace of our Lord, can choose not to be offended. The behavior of others should not affect our health or interrupt our peace of mind or wellbeing. So the Bible is very clear and beautiful:  “Great peace have they which love thy Law.”  When we are one with Christ, the devil cannot rob us of our peace and joy. Amen! Now go, with great peace.

There are many purposes for living. Family, learning, career, ambition, relationships, and the joys of friendships, hobbies, sports, and so many other drives and motivations. But for a Christian, when our life was transformed by the power of God through Christ Jesus, we began to live for far more than anything this world or life can offer. We are called to a Holy Calling! A call to serve the Lord with our mind, body, and soul. None of us feel worthy to answer this call or to even be called! But He calls none the less. Blessed are those who answer that calling! 2 Timothy 1:9 “He has saved us and called us to a holy calling—not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time”.

God does not call you or me because we have proven ourselves or reached a level in life worthy of it; we are called because Jesus proved Himself. He is worthy and we are in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).  God specializes in taking broken and flawed people and using them for His glory. Look at all the characters in the Bible. Just about everyone of them are flawed and in some cases a pure mess! But God used them anyway. He still specializes in using people today just like you. As you seek God and His kingdom and His righteousness; you will be amazed at how God can take your life and do great and even miraculous things. Some of you have already experienced that joy, but some of you still question; “how can God use someone like me?” Please heed the word of the Lord! He has called you to a holy calling, and not because you did something to deserve it, but because He loves you and has grace sufficient enough to work through your life! Praise His name! 

I love the song:  “If You can use anything Lord, You can use me.”  Again, I’ll say it like this old cliché:  “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!” When you make yourself available and let Him know you are willing to be used…watch out!  God will begin to do some amazing things. May your life be filled with all the blessing that bringing God Glory entails! For it is all for His glory!  Amen!

Prayer, fasting, praise, meditating on God’s word, reading God’s word, studying God’s word, listening to God’s word in preaching, going to church to seek God’s presence, serving at church, witnessing to someone about Jesus, talking to others about Jesus, living for Jesus, walking the walk and talking the talk, obeying God’s word (being a hearer and a doer), helping to hold others accountable to God’s word, serving God and all these for the Glory of God! Anything you do for the Lord and for His glory is an act of Worship. Simply put, all we “do” in worship is reach to have an encounter with the ONE who loves us. These disciplines create a sweet smelling “aroma” that is pleasing to the Lord.  (Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT) Throughout the O.T., every time an offering was made on the altar to God, it was said to be a sweet smelling aroma to Him, if it was done correctly and the way He had instructed. As Ephesians 5:1-2 expresses, in the New Testament, living a life patterned after the example of Christ is the source of the aroma. Being a “living sacrifice” (read Romans 12:1)

What worship is NOT. It is not feeling chill bumps, it is not the act of singing, it is not just attending church, it is not feeling good in a church service, it is not hearing your favorite song, it is not having a preacher preach you “happy” or make you feel better; as a matter of fact, it is not about our feelings at all!  If we are not careful, we can reduce worship to saying: “Pastor, praise team, worship leader, help us FEEL IT, and when you do certain things to help us FEEL IT…keep doing that!” That, is not worship. The risk is beginning to believe we know HOW to do it…so we “DO THAT”. Here are the problems with that:

1. The Pastor, praise team, worship leader or music are NOT the source of the “Aroma”.
2. We cannot manufacture or manipulate the aroma.

The source of the Aroma is God. It is what He has done in us and what we have allowed Him to do through us that brings Him glory. When we begin to allow God to work in and through our lives unlike anyone or anything else. Reserving our mind, body, soul, and heart to HIM and HIM alone, then we are beginning to understand worship. (Read Exodus 30:32-33)

Easter is quickly approaching, and we are already celebrating as we prepare for what God is going to do this Advent season and what God IS doing. I am seeing evidence of the Lord working even as we have been preparing for growth as a church. There are some new things happening and there will be some new things tried as we ask the Lord to help us prepare for growth. One thing we want more than anything at Grace Family Fellowship, is for people to feel Jesus EVERYWHERE and see Jesus in EVERYTHING we do! We have been examining ourselves as a church to make sure our church is an Arena of Love, a place of Truth, a place of worship and a place of kindness. If someone wants to know why they should visit Grace Family Fellowship, I trust we can tell them: It is a Place where Jesus is seen Everywhere!

Everywhere I turn, I want to see, hear, and acknowledge the Lord. With a spirit of worship and obedience. I desire to please Him and make sure I’m placing Jesus on the throne of my life. That is His proper place, to be at the top of our life. He is to be the top priority!  Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 that we are to “seek His kingdom and His righteousness first…”.  I love that Jesus assured us in Matthew 28:20 “I am with you always, even to the end of the earth.” This means that as long as we set our hearts on seeking the LORD, He will be right there! In Jeremiah 29:13 the Lord said “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Where is the Lord? He is right there with you! We believe what the Word of the Lord says, and we have FAITH that He IS right there.

Look around and see the Risen Lord! He is ALIVE! He desires to be actively involved in your life! He desires to bring LIFE to your day! Jesus is destined to be the LORD of your life! That is His place – Every Place! That is His superpower, to be with you EVERYWHERE! His wisdom, His strength, His forgiveness, His covering, His power, His healing, His Grace, His Mercy, His Joy, His resources, His Love, His presence…Everywhere you go! PRAISE THE LORD! Look around and see the Lord. He is there! Are you seeking Him?

I will be the first to admit that I’m not the best natural leader. But I do know one thing, I want to lead Grace Family Fellowship to GROW. Together, with God’s help, we can! Numbers are important, and as a Pastor, they tend to be somewhat threatening. But numbers are souls, and out of those numbers comes the next leaders, ministers, testimonies, and kingdom warriors! Let’s set measurable goals with our leaders and believe God to favor us in 2024!
Here are two things that we are going to do. #1 Put Covid behind us. Covid is in the past and where we are today is the church we are now. #2 Move forward. We will only accept forward momentum and growth. Grace Family Fellowship is a living body with life, spirit and most importantly the Holy Spirit! We are a church made up of multiple generations, cultures, races, personalities and spiritual levels; and it is BEAUTIFUL! (Isaiah 54:10) No one thinks so more than God and I feel the same way! As a matter of fact, it is something to celebrate! Everyone is welcome at Grace Family Fellowship. God, we ask that people from the North, South, East and West of our area will bring their struggles, hurts, fears, troubles, talents, hunger, energy and families; to take their place in the Kingdom of God. “And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 13:29  Lives will be changed, workers will be trained, Saints of all ages will be encouraged, people will be healed, youth will be discipled, and children will hear of a REAL and LOVING FATHER GOD! May God help us make an impact in our communities and all of our members strive to be a light in the darkness! All of this with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We will have to work harder. We will have to try some new things. We will have to look for ways to better our church. And we will have to have the discernment from God. Let’s go into the highways and neighborhoods and compel them to come! The harvest is ripe and ready! Time is running out! Our God is with us every step of the way because we know we are doing His work. Believe for it. 
I’ve issued a challenge: Let us all set a goal to invite and witness to 3 people this year. Don’t stop until 3 have visited and/or 3 have heard the Good News of the Gospel by your witness. This is not too much to ask because Jesus suffered and died for us. He rose from the dead so we could accomplish God’s purposes victoriously in His stead! God is going to help us GROW! God Receives Our Worship! God Rewards our Work! And God Raises Our Witness! GROW