Declare God’s Glory

MESSAGE. “Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.”‭‭Psalm‬ ‭96:2-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, ’tis the season to be thankful. Everywhere you look, people are talking about being thankful, focusing on expressing thankfulness and even posting the reasons they’re thankful on social media every day.

But you know what? Being “thankful” does not automatically mean we are being thank-full. Being thankful for the good things is really just being glad we are benefiting from those good things and appreciating God’s blessings upon us. But being truly thank-full requires looking beyond our blessings, to the One who blesses. It’s about being full of gratitude for Christ, not just being full of thanks for what He has given us or done.
I am grateful to God for His Son Jesus Christ. He is my Good Sheperd, my Creator, my Sustainer, my Saviour, my Father, and my Friend. However, I don’t want it to be just about me. I am grateful that Jesus cares about rich and poor, white and black, democrats and republicans, criminals and saints, liberals and conservatives.  They are all His beloved children. Let this same spirit of Christ’s love be seen in my words and actions.

I am also thankful to you for making my ministry at the Ooltewah church so enjoyable. Your active engagement in various church ministries, your caring spirit towards one another, your courage to try the unknown, to support many wonderful ministries of our church financially makes me feel blessed beyond measure. Thank you, Ooltewah church, for being so awesome! 

MINISTRY. I am looking forward to two worship services tomorrow morning. During the second service we will have a baptism. Matt Fuller asked me for Bible studies a few months ago. Tomorrow will be the day when Matt will start his new life with His Saviour. Please, pray for Matt and come to witness his celebration.

Going away party. December 3 after Singspiration you are invited to join the youth for a short vespers program followed by a going away party for Lewis Bertus, our youth leader, and Vlad Zubkov, our student pastor from Argentina. Come and wish them well as they start on new journeys.  

Thanks Giving. Would you pray about doubling your regular weekly local giving tomorrow morning? November 26 is the last Sabbath of the month and I pray that we show our grateful spirit in action by reaching our November goal. If you are out of town you can always give online through the church webpage www.ooltewahchurch.org.

PRAYERS. Celeste Crosby is at Erlanger hospital. I invite the whole church to unite in prayers for Celeste.

The weekly bulletin is available on the church website, or here is a direct link.

See you tomorrow,

Peter