Notes From My Church
PLACE: Lakewood Church-Houston, Tx
Joel Osteen, Pastor
DATE: Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
THE MUSIC: The worship service was led by Cindy Ratcliffe, Steve Crawford and Da’dra Greathouse. The chemistry between these three worship leaders seems to get better with each service. Among the songs sung this week were “Come in From the Outsideâ€, “Free For All” and “You Are Good”. Also sung was a favorite of mine, “Mighty To Saveâ€. During the performance of this song, I could not help but wonder if the world really believed that God was mighty enough to save us. Do we really believe that He can move mountains and the He is the author of our salvation? I love the vamp of this beautiful song!! It sounds simply awesome when the entire congregation and choir is singing it together. It is:
We’re singing for the glory of the Risen King.
Other songs were “Hallelujah”, “Emmanuel”, “I’m Still Standing”, and “Angels We Have Heard on High”. “Angels We Have Heard on High” is on Lakewood’s Christmas CD with the Houston Symphony. I absolutely love this song. The arrangement is beautiful, the voices inspiring and the addition of the Children’s Choir a touching moment.
THE MESSAGE: Scripture reference: Romans 4:20
Pastor Joel spoke on giving birth to the promises God placed in your heart. He said that we should take care to water our seed so that it could continue to grow. Your seed is watered by giving God praise. The battle is in our mind and we should not dwell on the negative. When the negative comes to mind we should turn it around into a positive thought.
Pastor Joel talked about not having to keep praying for something once we have prayed for it. He said we should start thanking God for answering our prayers. Something like: “Father, I thank you that you heard me the first time I prayed and I believe that what I prayed for will come to pass.” He gave the example of Abraham. God gave Abraham a promise that Sarah would have a child and Abraham did not waver in his belief. He believed that the promise would come to pass.
He told a great story of when his father, the late John Osteen, was believing for two cows for a dinner for foreign guests. He felt strongly that he would somehow get two cows and he held fast to his vision. As the time grew nearer for the conference and the cows were nowhere to be seen, he gave in to his doubts and purchased the cows instead. The conference went on as planned and his father had a dream afterwards. In his dream, he saw in the distance a snake with with two distinct lumps in it. He said God told his father, “Because of your unbelief, you let the enemy steal your cows.”
Pastor Joel said it is never too late to water your seed. Don’t allow others to talk you out of your dreams. They don’t know what God has put in your heart. God does not abort dreams, we do. Hold fast to your dreams and promises. Don’t ask, can God? Turn it around and say, God can and He will.
THE ATMOSPHERE: If you are ever in the Houston area, try to come to a service. I try to convey the atmosphere of the church in the column, but it is nothing like experiencing it first hand. The building is beautiful on the inside and outside, the bookstore is wonderfully decorated for the Christmas holidays and the sanctuary is gorgeous. With all that said, my favorite part of Lakewood is the feeling of hope, faith and love you feel from the moment you enter and long after you leave.
……..and that is what happened in my church this week. You can always watch live and archived services at http://www.lakewood.cc/ or http://www.joelosteen.com/.
What was it like in your church this week? The entire universe is filled with God’s love and grace. We would love to hear about your church service. Post a comment or e-mail me at dominique@1800gospel.com and tell us all about the music, the message and the atmosphere at your church.
Dominique
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