Notes From My Church-Thank God for Religious Freedom!
PLACE:Lakewood Church-Houston, Tx
Joel Osteen, Pastor
DATE: Saturday, June 8, 2007
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
THE MUSIC:
Worship was led this week by Cindy Ratcliff, Steve Crawford and Dadra Greathouse. The service started on an upbeat note with Lakewood’s “Salvation is Here”, “Sweeter” and “You Are Good”. Next up were the beautifully melodic “All My Life”, “Show Me Your Glory” and “O The Glory of His Presence”. Dadra sung lead on “Show Me Your Glory” and “O The Glory of His Presence” and she did a wonderful job. These songs, recorded by Karen Clark Sheard, really drew the audience in and created an atmosphere that allowed God’s presence to be felt. You can enjoy this classic song via video at Faith Based Blog.
Although Israel is missed when he is not a part of the worship service, his songs are a great reminder of him. His song “Favor” is a favorite of mine and the audience always enjoys the energy of the song. The chorus reminds us that God has promised blessings in abundance for us: “I have a promise/a promise from heaven/it’s my season/it’s my time/for the favor of the Lord”.
The great worship song “Here I Am To Worship” and Donald Lawrence’s “Healed” closed out another great worship service.
THE MESSAGE:
Scripture Reference: Exodus 3:17, Joel 2:25. Isaiah 60:1, Mark 5:28
Subject: Getting Up So God Can Bring You Out
Sermon Synopsis:
Pastor Joel spoke this week on getting in a position that allows God to help you realize your dreams. He said that life is not always fair and it has a way of pushing you down. It is easy to lose your joy and faith. Remind yourself that even though life is not fair, God is fair. If you stay in faith and not get bitter, God will turn things around for you.
Pastor Joel said that we should draw a line in the sand and declare that we are taking back all that has been taken from us. God wants to restore all that has been lost. The key is you have to have a vision for it. Have a restoration mentality. Get up every morning expecting great things to happen in your life. The only thing stopping God from helping you is that you have lost your enthusiasm. Most people are waiting on God, but God is waiting on us. Everything you are facing today is subject to change. All it takes is one touch of God’s favor and things can be turned around.
Pastor Joel advised that we should reprogram ourselves. He said we should start seeing ourselves in a different light. When you have limited defeated thinking, you are setting limits on your life. Faith works both ways. God has no favorites, what He does for one He will do for another. Get rid of the victim mentality and develop a new image of yourself on the inside.
Pastor Joel tearfully told the story of his father’s early days of poverty and lack. He told of going back to his father’s hometown with him, and in many cases seeing the same poverty in people’s lives sixty years later. He explained how his father broke the cycle of poverty in his family by taking a stand and declaring that God’s desire for him was to live a prosperous life. Because of the stand that he took, God blessed him in abundance and the cycle of poverty was broken in his family.
According to Pastor Joel, God is keeping all the records. Don’t live with worry and defeat when life does not go as you’ve planned. God is a God of justice and He will pay you back for every injustice done to you. He will not only pay you back, He will take into your promised land.
**Of course, this is only a very short summary of Pastor Joel’s sermon. To get the full effect you can watch this service and other archived services at http://www.lakewood.cc/ or http://www.joelosteen.com/. You can also sign up for the free podcasts or call 1-800-487-0565 for copies of the sermons.
THE ATMOSPHERE:
Seeing hands raised in praise to God during worship, I was immediately thankful for the religious freedom we all enjoy in America. There are still many places in the world where such religious freedom is not possible. It is a blessing to be able to go to church and praise God without fear of persecution.
……and that is what happened in my church this weekend. What was it like in your place of worship 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.
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