Annual Meeting 1/15/2023
I Thank my God for You
Philippians 1:3-11
Good Morning and welcome to service. We are glad you are here.
This morning will be just a little bit different from the normal as we will have our annual meeting and give results from the voting that took place this morning during the Sunday school hour before Church. I do plan to have a message this morning but will pause one week from our series “When the enemy attacks” and pick it up again next week.
I am happy to being my annual report to the great people of Rosedale.
Sometimes people get the wrong impression of an annual report.
They think it is strictly about what went well and what didn’t.
What to change and what not to change.
Nickels and noses- how much money was brought in and how much is needed to pay bills.
How many people came through the doors and how many went out of the doors.
These are factors but not the only things.
If that was true for the church it would have to be true for its members and attendees…right?
If the Lord had to give you a grade for this past year about staying connected, being in the house of the Lord, helping and using your resources and talents…what would your grade be? Would you need to improve? What would He have to say?
This report is going to be about praying and staying connected to the Lord in these challenging times where there are many things that can disconnect you from Him.
I want us to be praying for a breakthrough in our lives, in the churches life, in our community.
I want us to be a church that is not looking at our circumstances but at our Lord.
Praying is not always about the answer, it is about hearing and responding to the Lord we are praying too so we can walk as He would want us to walk.
If you would turn to Philippians chapter 1:3-11- it will be our text with a sermon title “I thank God for you” it is the words of the Apostle Paul and my words to you as we journey together to do what we believe God is showing us to do for the kingdom of God.
As many of you know I was at a prayer retreat this past week with about 70 of my colleagues. It was a refreshing time and while I had about ¾ of my sermon ready before I left I found myself tearing it up and starting over when I got back. The Lord seemed to shift my attention and my urgency and gave me a fresh word from Him from our time together.
I had planned to have a New Year message casting vision and casting ourselves at the Lord’s feet of what he would have us do in our lives and the life of the church.
Most of us at the end of a year cannot wait to cast the old year aside with fresh hopes of a New Year being better than the last one.
We want all bad things gone, corrected, and all the good things to continue and be blessed. –
We say to God that we will make all the decisions involved in the process.
We say to God take this out of my life, fix and repair, do a great works in this life, change this person, maybe it is a child or a spouse.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE INSTEAD SAID TO THE LORD- WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO IN MY LIFE, WHAT EVER YOU WANT TO CHANGE IN MY LIFE, I AM WILLING AND WANTING THAT TO HAPPEN. THEN WHAT WOULD OUR NEW YEAR LOOK LIKE?
I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU THIS YEAR 2023- ASK God what he wants for your life and in your life!
Let’s see what apostle Paul is saying to the church and what maybe the Lord is saying to us this morning-
Philippians Chapter 1:3-11 Read from Bible clearly and slowly
Paul’s prayer was to the church and to the believers that he came in contact with him on a daily basis.
He said that he was praying for them and thankful for their partnership in everyday life of living and sharing the gospel of Jesus.
That from the first time they met, he was sure that the Lord would accomplish all that was needed until the completion of Jesus Christ.
HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT WHAT GOD HAD STARTED, HE WAS ABLE TO FINISH.
HE WAS CONFIDENT IN THE LORD AND WHAT THE LORD WAS GOING TO DO IN THEIR LIVES.
HE SAYS THAT IT IS RIGHT TO FEEL THIS WAY BECAUSE WHETHER HE WAS CHAINED TO A GUARD WHICH HE WAS AT THE TIME OR FREELY PREACHING GOD’S WORD THAT THEY WOULD ALL SHARE IN GOD’S GRACE AND MERCY.
HIS PRAYER-(v9) “And this is my prayer that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness, that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God.”
That will preach! Lord help us to love and care for each other like that and to love the Lord with that kind of confidence!
Paul was confident that what God has started in us, He will bring to completion. That is by praying and being in a right relationship with Him.
Many Christians today have lost their way in staying connected to the Lord. Many have lost the intimacy found in church and being in corporate service of prayer and worship.
Some have lost things that need to be found
Some have lost health/ need strength and guidance
Some have lost loved ones/ how they will journey and navigate their life.
Some have been given more/ God is expecting more of them.
Some have been given talents/ they need to be for God’s glory and not just their own.
Some have been given answers/ they need to respond even if they are not the answers they were looking for.
Everyone of us needs to be a praying person and connected to the Lord and each other.
Some are not connected and they wonder why they feel disconnected.
They have by choice disconnected from the very life blood of their lives. (Jesus)
Some do not see the importance of fellowshipping with people of like-minded faith.
Illustration- This might you you…it will at least show you the importance of fellowship and connecting with each other and share our testimony that might help someone else.
One of my colleagues who has been on our district for over 20 years, we are sitting at breakfast at retreat talking and he shares that he spent 20 years in the military as a submarine specialist on a nuclear sub. He said that the longest that he was underwater at one time was three months. That not even the government knows exactly where you are at any one moment- you are in a grid but they don’t know exactly where in the grid. If nuclear war broke out, they would surface and send ballistic missiles at the target country. He said that most aircraft carriers in all the oceans that a U.S. submarine is not too far away and behind our submarine is usually a Russia submarine and that the ocean is full of unseen enemies and allies. (Movie Red October) Who knew! If I never took the time to talk, he was just a man that loved Jesus and pastored a church- but he had a testimony and he had a past that can connect us.
Back to the text, Paul says that he Thanks God for the church people and prays often for them.
I thank God for each one of you and you have been called out by name to the Lord for things going on in your life and your families and circumstances.
He says I am also confident that the Lord will continue to work in your lives.
Paul says it was right for him to feel that way because they were in his heart-
Because you are in my heart, I want to share another side of prayer that I believe will change your life forever.
It is found in the book of Matthew chapter 5:5-6 (read it from Bible) then with comments
“And when you (and I) pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they (you and I at times) have received their reward in full. But when you (and I) pray, go into your room, (war room) close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
So let’s put this in a picture-
Closed door is your private place (war room) sanctuary
Connection place (secret place)
God is a rewarder of those who come for the right reasons.
You don’t need perfect prayers- you need a pure heart
Babbling the Lord can see right through it
Heart felt prayers go right to the Father and are heard and rewarded.
Some of your prayers are not being answered or seem like they are unheard-
Is your heart pure? Are you praying something you know does not line up with God’s Word?
Are you spending time in prayer and waiting on the answer or are you telling God what you want and He has not responded.
Leaders…Mom, Dad… Do you spend time in private prayer? Are spending more time in public prayer than private prayer?
Some things the Word of God says only comes by fasting and praying-
The prayer warriors are the ones doing battle in the secret place spending time with the Lord
Private prayer is what will bring you closer to the Lord
Private prayer is where you can be yourself- you do not need fancy words and the word says that he is able to understand our groaning. Even when our heart is broke and all we can do is cry out and sob… where words do not come out. He understands and responds.
Things to prayer for at Rosedale
Bountiful Blessings
Men’s and ladies groups
Wednesday devotional and prayer
Sunday school hour
There are many times to be growing in the word of God and being disciplined. There are many things to be involved in if you want to take the time and energy and resources to do it.
None of us have prayed enough
None of us has fasted enough
All of us can do something!
All of us know what God’s word says about obedience and blessings- don’t’ expect a blessing for disobedience. He will hold your blessings until he gets you back. It is not that you doesn’t want too- he will not give you something that will push you farther away from him.
Nail it down in 2023- let this be the time of revival and refreshing-
March revival with Dr Manley here at Rosedale-
Put it on the calendar and don’t push it off the schedule and you will be blessed and rewarded as he shares into your life.
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