Episode 3

Thank God for His Church (North OC)

In this sermon, Daniel Sumoge explores the significance of the church, emphasizing that it is not just a building but a community of believers. Drawing from Scripture, he highlights the apostle Paul's love and gratitude for the church despite its imperfections. Daniel challenges the congregation to value the church, to see it as God's chosen instrument to carry out His mission, and to maintain gratitude for its role in spiritual growth and support. He invites listeners to pray for the church, encourage one another, and celebrate its positive aspects.

00:00 Introduction to the Series: Thank God For

00:28 Understanding the Church Beyond the Building

01:58 Paul's Transformation and Love for the Church

04:23 Paul's Gratitude for the Philippians

09:48 Challenges and Imperfections in the Church

16:40 The Church as a Gift and Path to Maturity

22:16 Living Out Gratitude for the Church

23:51 Closing Prayer and Reflections

Click here to donate to the program

Click here for more sermons

OC Church of Christ

Transcript
Daneil:

So we've been in a new series, or, not really new, but we've been

2

:

starting it for the past couple weeks

called, uh, Thank God For, alright?

3

:

And I know that, uh, Marcel

preached and Eric preached last

4

:

week, they did amazing jobs.

5

:

I wasn't there, but I was able to watch

online and I was just like, Oh man,

6

:

I got my work cut out for me today.

7

:

But man, we talked about, you

know, thank God for, for his word.

8

:

I know last week Eric talked about

thank God for, for the spirit.

9

:

And today I want to talk about

thank God for his church.

10

:

I don't know about you guys, but, you

know, growing up in the church, I always

11

:

had this idea of what church is like.

12

:

You know, I always thought church

was limited, you know, to a building.

13

:

Uh, you know, speaking of gladiator,

he wasn't much of a gladiator, but

14

:

you guys know the superhero Thor?

15

:

I believe it's Norse mythology, Thor.

16

:

So, the only Norse mythology I know

is from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

17

:

So, in one of the movies You know,

he, he was fighting his, his sister,

18

:

you know, she's a bad guy or whatever.

19

:

And, you know, Thor lost his

father, meaning that, you know,

20

:

he's gonna be king of Asgard.

21

:

Alright, I believe it

was in Thor Ragnarok.

22

:

And, you know, his dad

came to Thor in a vision.

23

:

And, you know, his dad told him

that, you know, Son, Thor, Asgard

24

:

is not a place, but it's the people.

25

:

I remember watching that, I think

I was like a senior in high school.

26

:

And I just, for some reason I was

like, I looked at my mom, I was

27

:

like, is that what the church is?

28

:

And she was like, exactly.

29

:

You know, so thinking about

that, you know, Thor would

30

:

obviously kick Gladiator's butt,

but we won't talk about that.

31

:

But I really think about that, at

the same time, that's what church is.

32

:

You know, church is not a place.

33

:

Church is the people.

34

:

You know, it's the community

of believers, and it's the body

35

:

of Christ, the family of God.

36

:

You know, the church is not a place we go.

37

:

You know?

38

:

It's not a place we just check off.

39

:

It's a place where we belong to and it's

through the church we experience that God,

40

:

you know, loves and grows in our faith

and carry out his mission in the world.

41

:

And so when I think about, of like, man,

who in the Bible just loved the church?

42

:

And, you know, it was, you know,

clear to me, sending it out

43

:

this week, that it was Paul.

44

:

The Apostle Paul loved the church.

45

:

You know, I think Paul's perspective

is, is so important, because,

46

:

you know, before he was even an

apostle, I don't know if you guys

47

:

know this, but, he was a Pharisee.

48

:

He was someone against,

you know, the church.

49

:

He went from being someone to, uh,

wanting to kill disciples, you know,

50

:

we see in Acts, I believe, chapter 8,

he was, uh, he killed, uh, Stephen,

51

:

he was there for the stoning of them,

and it was just like, wow, okay,

52

:

like, everyone was scared of this man.

53

:

And then one day on the road to

Damascus, you know, Jesus encountered

54

:

him, you know, blinded him, You

know, through that encounter, Paul

55

:

was like, oh my goodness, like, why,

like, why am I persecuting Jesus?

56

:

Why am I doing this to his

church when they're just trying

57

:

to bring Jesus to the world?

58

:

And he went from being one of its

greatest persecutors to one of its

59

:

greatest defenders of the church.

60

:

You know, Paul's love for the church

is remarkable, especially, like I

61

:

said, when you consider his past.

62

:

He sought to destroy it, and after

encountering Jesus, he, it became

63

:

his life's work to build the church.

64

:

It became his passion.

65

:

And Paul not only helped, you

know, establish it, but he

66

:

continuously prayed for the church.

67

:

You know, his letters written in

the Bible, in the New Testament, he

68

:

wrote 25 percent of it, but if you

read the epistles, all of it were

69

:

letters to the church, to individuals,

to reveal a deep gratitude for the

70

:

church, even in its imperfections.

71

:

You know, Paul's writing teaches

us that what it means to value the

72

:

church, not because it's perfect, but

because it's God's chosen instrument to

73

:

carry out his mission into the world.

74

:

You know, with that in mind, we have

to ask ourselves, how often do we

75

:

stop to thank God for the church?

76

:

You know, for some of us,

we may think of it daily.

77

:

Some of us, we may not

think about it regularly.

78

:

We get caught up with the busyness of

life and the demands of the week and

79

:

maybe get challenged, face challenges

even within the church we are here today.

80

:

You know, I know for myself, I

can get caught up in the busyness.

81

:

I can get caught up in all the

imperfections of the church.

82

:

And I'm like, you know what?

83

:

Forget about it.

84

:

I just want to remove myself from it.

85

:

When we stop to reflect about

the church, we realize how vital

86

:

it is for our spiritual journey.

87

:

And, you know, it serves a

purpose for God and his people.

88

:

For Now, the scripture I'd like to look

at is in, uh, Philippians chapter one.

89

:

Philippians chapter one, verse

three through six, it reads, I thank

90

:

my God every time I remember you.

91

:

In all my prayers for all of you, I

always pray with joy because of your

92

:

partnership in the gospel from the

first day until now, being confident

93

:

of this, that he who began a good work

in you will carry it on to completion

94

:

until the day of Christ Jesus.

95

:

You know, I love this,

this scripture here.

96

:

You know, he begins with saying, you know,

I thank my God every time I remember you.

97

:

Think about that, that is so

powerful right there alone.

98

:

Every time Paul thought about the

church in Philippi, you know, he,

99

:

he couldn't help but feel gratitude.

100

:

He didn't focus on their

imperfections or their mistakes.

101

:

He focused on the joy and

encouragement they brought to his life.

102

:

You know, for some of us, you know,

it could be, it might be easy to focus

103

:

on the flaws or shortcomings of the

church or the people here around us.

104

:

And I know for myself, I can

get caught up in that too.

105

:

But I love Paul's examples here.

106

:

Paul says, he reminds us to, to have

the choice to focus on what is good.

107

:

To focus on, you know, the, the

joys in life, not really the, you

108

:

know, to look at the imperfection

or flaws that other people have.

109

:

And here Paul continues, he says

in all, uh, my prayers for all

110

:

of you, I always pray with joy.

111

:

Think about, why would he have joy?

112

:

I mean like, man, you get this imperfect

people around here in this church, but

113

:

like why am I joyful to be part of this?

114

:

Because Paul's joy came from knowing

that the church there in Philippi,

115

:

they weren't just passive Christians.

116

:

They weren't just

sitting on the sidelines.

117

:

Instead, they were on the field.

118

:

They were actively, you know, trying to

continue to see the work of the gospel

119

:

and they were partners with Paul in that.

120

:

As we see here, it says, because of

your partnership in the gospel from the

121

:

first day until now, you know, here,

Paul has the reason for gratitude.

122

:

Philippians were partners with Paul

and Paul was partners with them.

123

:

You know, Paul spread good

news in the church in Philippi.

124

:

They supported Paul in his journey.

125

:

You know, in Philippians chapter

4, we see that they, uh, I think

126

:

they financially supported Paul

and his ministry in doing so.

127

:

They prayed for Paul continuously, and

Paul prayed for the church in Philippi.

128

:

And they also lived out their faith.

129

:

Their faith was in action.

130

:

Like I said, the church

wasn't on the sidelines.

131

:

They were in it, despite

the persecutions they faced.

132

:

They remained steadfast.

133

:

And that encouraged Paul, and vice versa.

134

:

You know, as I was studying it out this

week, thinking about, you know, remaining

135

:

steadfast and not being on the sidelines,

you know, I think about our church here.

136

:

I reflect on last year when we

made the move here to the PAC.

137

:

You know, I remember we always talked

about, man, we all need to start serving.

138

:

We all need to step up.

139

:

I know some of us in this room, we've

been disciples for 5, 10, 15, 20

140

:

plus years, and it could have been

easy for you guys to be like, no,

141

:

no, no, give it to the young people.

142

:

But no, I see the disciples, the

older disciples really stepping up.

143

:

And I want to thank you for

that, because really it motivates

144

:

me to not be on the sidelines.

145

:

Knowing that, you know what,

yeah, let me be in the battle with

146

:

you guys, let me start serving.

147

:

Let me be in those studies with you guys.

148

:

And I think,

149

:

I think how, like I said, we're here at

the PAC, but this is, We all did this

150

:

to, you know, have church like this.

151

:

You know, we knew that we had

to put on our servant hats.

152

:

We didn't have to put on our servant bibs

as, uh, Kyle Lounsbury liked to put it.

153

:

And it's moments like these where

we serve continuously as a church.

154

:

It reminds me of verse 6 here.

155

:

Oh,

156

:

and there it is.

157

:

Being confident of this, that He who

began a good work in you will carry on

158

:

to completion to the day of Christ Jesus.

159

:

You know, Paul reminds the Philippians

the good work started with them.

160

:

This partnership in the

gospel was not finished.

161

:

God would continue to work

through them, shaping them into

162

:

who he would want them to be.

163

:

You know, Paul's confidence

wasn't in their abilities, but

164

:

it was in God's faithfulness.

165

:

He believed what God

started, he would finish.

166

:

This gave Paul even more reason to

thank God for the church in Philippi.

167

:

Paul saw the Philippians more

than just a group of believers.

168

:

He saw them as a reflection

of God's grace and love.

169

:

You know, they weren't perfect,

but they were willing, faithful,

170

:

and committed to one another, and

to Paul, to thank God constantly.

171

:

Now, are we, church, thankful for the

spiritual family as Paul was for his?

172

:

Do we recognize the ways God

is working through the church

173

:

to bring hope to the world?

174

:

You know, I think, you know, I thought

about the offering we gave last

175

:

week, the, the, uh, hope offering.

176

:

And man, I was so grateful for that.

177

:

Seeing the video and seeing where the

money is going to, to help children, to

178

:

help third world countries like that.

179

:

And I'm like, wow, the gospel

is being spread to them.

180

:

And hopefully they're going to be

our brothers and sisters one day.

181

:

You know, Paul's example reminds us

that even in the face of challenges, the

182

:

church is worth thanking God for because

it reflects his grace, his purpose.

183

:

His mission.

184

:

Well, let's be real here.

185

:

All right.

186

:

We all know, we say the

church is the family, right?

187

:

And just like any family, you know, we're

about to have Thanksgiving this Thursday.

188

:

I don't know about you guys,

but there's going to be some

189

:

people at the family table.

190

:

You're like, all right, there's the good.

191

:

And then there's that, that

crazy uncle, that crazy aunt.

192

:

You know what I mean?

193

:

You're just like,

194

:

I don't have to deal with that.

195

:

I don't think right.

196

:

Yeah, no, no.

197

:

But I think about that, like,

man, there's people who.

198

:

Can give headaches and Paul

experienced that too within the church.

199

:

I mean, look at, you know,

the church in Corinth.

200

:

Man, that church was full of problems.

201

:

There was pride, immorality,

misuse of freedom, lack of unity,

202

:

lack of generosity, leadership.

203

:

There was so much more to it.

204

:

You know, in 1 Corinthians chapter

1, Verse 10 through 13, it says, I

205

:

appeal to you, brothers and sisters,

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

206

:

that all of you agree with one another

in what you say, and that there be

207

:

no division among you, that you be

perfectly united in mind and thought.

208

:

My brothers and sisters, some from

Chloe's household, have informed me

209

:

that there are quarrels among you.

210

:

What I mean is this, one of you guys

says, I follow Paul, another says,

211

:

I follow Apollos, another, I follow

Cephas, still another, I follow Christ.

212

:

Is Christ divided?

213

:

Was Paul crucified for you?

214

:

Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

215

:

Think about that.

216

:

They were plagued with division.

217

:

The church was plagued with sin.

218

:

People were aligning themselves

with different people and not really

219

:

aligning themselves with Christ

themselves, who's the ultimate uniter.

220

:

This was a messy situation Paul was in.

221

:

Flawed group of people.

222

:

It might seem like Paul had every

reason to just throw up his hands and

223

:

just walk away, be like, you know what?

224

:

Lost cause here.

225

:

But instead, Paul calls

out a powerful question.

226

:

He says, is Christ divided?

227

:

Was Paul crucified for you?

228

:

Now I don't think this was just a

rebuke, it was literally a reality check

229

:

for the Corinth church right there.

230

:

Paul reminded them that church isn't

about personal allegiances with

231

:

human leaders, it's about Jesus.

232

:

It's about his sacrifice,

his name, his mission.

233

:

You know, Paul redirected

their focus to the core truth

234

:

to all of the believers there.

235

:

It's Christ who matters.

236

:

It's not Paul, it's not

Cephas, it's Christ.

237

:

You know, I love how he opens up

even in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 here.

238

:

Before even entering himself in the

mess, he was just like, You know what?

239

:

I always thank my God for you because

of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

240

:

You know, even in the imperfections,

Paul still show gratitude for the church.

241

:

That is the heart we want to have

gratitude over imperfections.

242

:

Paul didn't focus on their faults.

243

:

You know, it's so easy to

focus on each other's faults.

244

:

He focused though, on God's grace at

work in their lives, in his lives.

245

:

He believed that God's grace was far

greater than their imperfections.

246

:

You know, church, do we

have that same mindset?

247

:

Yes, there may be that brother and

sister who, you know, you're just, ugh.

248

:

But church, do we view them

the way God views them?

249

:

Do we view them as a lost cause?

250

:

Do we view them truly as our brother

and sister, that we want to help them?

251

:

If we're honest, sometimes though, it can

be hard to have that same perspective.

252

:

It can be challenging to thank

God for church, especially when

253

:

it feels messy or imperfect.

254

:

You know, we can experience unrealistic

expectations, thinking that maybe

255

:

the church, man, there shouldn't

be any problems in the church.

256

:

Sorry to tell you, but there's

problems in the church.

257

:

We're made up of imperfect people.

258

:

We all fall short of the glory of God.

259

:

All of us here, we're all in this

one room here worshiping God.

260

:

Maybe we experience

hurt or disappointment.

261

:

Maybe we focus on people

instead of Christ.

262

:

Maybe we have spiritual

blind spots in our lives.

263

:

Can we relate?

264

:

And yet, Paul's perspective

reminds us something powerful.

265

:

Gratitude for the church

isn't rooted in perfection.

266

:

Paul's gratitude wasn't tied to the

church's performance or behavior.

267

:

It was strictly tied to God's grace

and the bigger picture of what

268

:

he was going to do through them.

269

:

You know, when we focus on the work, you

know, when we focus on God's work in the

270

:

church rather than the imperfection, we

begin to see the beauty of things, right?

271

:

That's a matter of

perspective right there.

272

:

You can decide what to

do in those situations.

273

:

You know, the church's messiness

reminds me of the gospel itself.

274

:

God takes broken people, He takes,

He takes them and transforms

275

:

them through His love and power.

276

:

And in our weakness and in our

struggles, God's strength shines through.

277

:

You know, just as Paul saw God's

grace at work in Corinth, we can

278

:

see God bring beauty and restoration

even in difficult circumstances.

279

:

You know, but it's easy, like I said.

280

:

It's easy for us to be frustrated.

281

:

It's easy for us to point out

problems, to point out conflict and

282

:

disappointment or unmet expectations.

283

:

But I think if Paul could thank

the church as messy as Corinth,

284

:

man, we can thank ours too.

285

:

You know, when we feel hurt, let's

ask yourself, you know, how's God's

286

:

grace still at work here, rather

than taking that victim mindset.

287

:

When we feel frustrated, let's

focus on the bigger picture.

288

:

What is God doing through his people?

289

:

When we feel tempted to criticize,

man, let's pray for unity and

290

:

healing and growth as a church.

291

:

You know, sometimes we can let our

emotions cloud our perspective,

292

:

causing us to miss out how God's

been working behind the scenes.

293

:

You know, it's easy to get stuck

on what's wrong and forget what God

294

:

specializes in redeeming brokenness.

295

:

In moments, we need to take a

step back and remember that the

296

:

church isn't perfect, but God's

chosen instrument to reflect His

297

:

love and carry out His mission.

298

:

You know, when we choose gratitude over

frustration, we open our hearts to see

299

:

His hand at work, even in the mess.

300

:

No, thanking God for the

church, I said, it's not easy.

301

:

You know, I'm still working through

that, even as a youth minister, thanking

302

:

God for the church does not come easy.

303

:

It requires us to look past the flaws, the

disappointments, the challenges, to see

304

:

the bigger picture of what God is doing.

305

:

But when we choose gratitude, when

we make decisions for God and His

306

:

church, it changes our perspective.

307

:

It helps us see and draw us

closer to God and His people.

308

:

You know, I think, why,

why should we thank God?

309

:

You know, we're in a sermon series,

you know, thank God for, why

310

:

should we thank God for his church?

311

:

And one of the things I thought about

is, man, church, church is a gift.

312

:

Church is God's gift to us.

313

:

Like I said, maybe it's not, you

know, we're not all perfect, like

314

:

I said, but it's still a gift.

315

:

I think about, maybe when

you're younger and Santa, uh,

316

:

gave you a Christmas present.

317

:

And you're like, I really

didn't want this, Santa.

318

:

I wanted the new iPhone.

319

:

And you gave me this doll.

320

:

But still, it's like, you know what?

321

:

It's still a gift.

322

:

And you're still gonna cherish it.

323

:

You're still gonna make the most of it.

324

:

And that's what the church is like here.

325

:

You know, in Ephesians chapter 4,

verse 11 13, I like the ESV verses.

326

:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets,

the evangelists, the shepherds, and

327

:

the teachers to equip the saints

for the work of the ministry.

328

:

For building up the body of Christ

until we attain the unity of the faith

329

:

and of the knowledge of the Son of God,

to mature manhood, to the measure of

330

:

the stature of the fullness of Christ.

331

:

Now, what does this mean?

332

:

Well, God designed the church for growth.

333

:

And I'm not talking about

numerically growing.

334

:

I'm talking about spiritually,

for ourselves, growing.

335

:

We see that God gave us leaders, he

gave us apostles, prophets, shepherds.

336

:

Not to dominate or control us, but to

equip us for God's work of service.

337

:

Now these roles exist to help

us grow spiritually and guide

338

:

us to understand God's word and

encourage us to live out our faith.

339

:

I mean, think about it.

340

:

When you've been challenged or comforted

by a sermon or a Bible study or a

341

:

talk with a brother and sister here

in this room, that right there is

342

:

the God's gift of church in action.

343

:

Amen.

344

:

You know, the church is also a

place for encouragement and unity.

345

:

You know, the goal is to build

up the church, obviously.

346

:

Like I said, not numerically, but, I mean,

we want to build up the church in that

347

:

way, but also just for our hearts too.

348

:

We don't, we don't want to

just make something, we also

349

:

want to keep disciples as well.

350

:

We want them to die as a disciple.

351

:

And the goal is for us to, to reach

unity in faith and in knowledge.

352

:

In a world that's often divided,

the church is supposed to be a

353

:

place where we come together,

unified in our love for Christ.

354

:

Now, how many times have the

church been there for you in

355

:

your lives during a hard time?

356

:

Maybe someone prayed for you.

357

:

Maybe someone brought a meal to you.

358

:

Maybe just someone sat down

and just mourned with you.

359

:

You know, I share it many times here.

360

:

Just think about how the church was

there for me during times of mourning.

361

:

When I lost my dad.

362

:

Last year when I lost my friend Max.

363

:

A lot of us, man, you

guys were there for us.

364

:

You were there for me.

365

:

You guys were praying for me.

366

:

You guys were continuously

checking in on me.

367

:

And I was so grateful for that.

368

:

And the church is also just used

for encouragement, not only in that

369

:

area, but also for celebration.

370

:

You know, this past year I got to marry

my wife Savannah, and you guys were

371

:

all just there wanting to help out.

372

:

You know, we were, we couldn't

rub two pennies together, but you

373

:

guys gave us that extra penny to

really make the wedding happen.

374

:

You guys encouraged us so

much through that time.

375

:

You know, the church is God's gift.

376

:

It's also a path to become

mature, as it says here.

377

:

To the measure of stature of the

fullness of Christ, mature manhood.

378

:

Though Paul reminds us, not only

to care for us, but to shape us.

379

:

Sometimes that means to challenge or

correct, you know, so we can grow.

380

:

People have to correct us.

381

:

They have to challenge us and we have

to accept that because it's part of the

382

:

refining process to be just like Jesus.

383

:

You know, one of Jesus purpose in this

world was to seek and save the lost.

384

:

And the scripture I think about

It's here in Matthew chapter 5.

385

:

It says, You are the light of the world.

386

:

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

387

:

Neither do people light a

lamp and put it under a bowl.

388

:

Instead, they put it on its stand and

gives light to everyone in the house.

389

:

In the same way, let your light shine

before others, that they may see your good

390

:

deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

391

:

Now Jesus doesn't say here,

Hey, try to be the light.

392

:

No, he says, You are

the light of the world.

393

:

Now, as a church, we're a visible

representation of God's love, his

394

:

truth, and hope for the world.

395

:

Our actions, our words, and unity shines

in a way that draws us close to him.

396

:

And notice how Jesus gives the

example of a town built on a hill.

397

:

You know, I believe that, individually,

yes, he wants to be light, but as

398

:

a church, you know, think about it,

a town is not made of one person,

399

:

it's made of multiple people.

400

:

And think about how Jesus wants us

all to be that town, to be that light.

401

:

you Man, think about how us being a light

together, man, we're so unstoppable.

402

:

I think of all of us, we're

to continuously be the light.

403

:

I think we'll be that car on the

freeway late at night that just

404

:

has their high beams light on.

405

:

And that will be us right there.

406

:

So when you thank God for the church,

we're not simply expressing gratitude

407

:

for a building or an organization.

408

:

We're thanking him for his wisdom.

409

:

You know, a spiritual gift of family.

410

:

A community where we can grow.

411

:

Where we can find support.

412

:

Where we can work together

to make an internal impact.

413

:

You know, Paul, even while chained

in a prison cell, found reasons

414

:

to thank God for his church.

415

:

His circumstance didn't define

his gratitude because Paul

416

:

understood the bigger picture

of God's purpose for the church.

417

:

He saw beyond the imperfections and

the struggles, focusing instead on

418

:

the way God was working through his

people to accomplish his mission.

419

:

You know, Paul's gratitude wasn't

rooted in ideal conditions.

420

:

It was rooted in a deep trust.

421

:

In God's plan for his church.

422

:

If Paul can rejoice, man, we can

rejoice in our church as well.

423

:

You know, but gratitude, gratitude

isn't just a feeling church.

424

:

It's something that we can live out.

425

:

It's a choice that

requires intentionality.

426

:

So how can we live out

thankfulness for the church?

427

:

Well, here's some action steps

we like to do as a church.

428

:

First, man, let's just

pray for the church.

429

:

Make it a habit to pray for the church,

for its leaders, its members, its mission.

430

:

Because when we pray, we're in

line with God's heart and with

431

:

each other here in this room.

432

:

Let's also encourage one another.

433

:

Now take time to encourage someone

in this room today, tomorrow,

434

:

you know, throughout the weeks.

435

:

I know it's Thanksgiving, but man, maybe

a kind word, a note of gratitude, or even

436

:

a simple thank you can go a long way,

lifting someone's spirit and their hearts.

437

:

And then lastly, it's what we love to do.

438

:

Let's celebrate.

439

:

Let's celebrate the good of the church.

440

:

You know, it's so easy to point

out imperfections, but let's

441

:

choose to celebrate what's good.

442

:

Amen.

443

:

You know, maybe that worship singer

didn't sing well, but you know what?

444

:

They're up there praising

God and they're leading us.

445

:

Amen.

446

:

Amen.

447

:

That brother, man, he's stumbling

over his words, but guess what?

448

:

He's preaching the word.

449

:

Or man, you know what?

450

:

That, that teacher, man, he was just

saying weird things, but you know what?

451

:

They're serving my children.

452

:

You know what?

453

:

Amen.

454

:

Because when we dwell on the imperfect

and celebrate the way God is at work

455

:

in the church, man, we can do so much.

456

:

Man, let's share good news.

457

:

Let's reflect.

458

:

Let's reflect on answered prayers and

rejoice in the victories, big or small.

459

:

I'm gonna say a prayer and then

we'll continue with our worship.

460

:

Lord, we're so grateful to be

called your sons and daughters, God.

461

:

God, we're so grateful

for your church, God.

462

:

God, I'm grateful that your church is

just not limited to a building, God.

463

:

It's not limited to Sunday events,

but God, it truly is, uh, where

464

:

we are, God, as a people, God.

465

:

The church is all of us here in this room.

466

:

And God, I pray that we can just look

past the flaws and imperfections, God.

467

:

I know it's easy to dwell on them,

God, but I really pray that we can

468

:

dwell on your goodness that you

have here for us in this time, God.

469

:

God, I pray that the church here, that

we can really reflect and live out

470

:

the true mission that you have, God.

471

:

That we have the true partnership like

Paul had with the church in Philippi, God.

472

:

God, thank you so much for this time.

473

:

Thank you for the word, and

thank you for the people you've

474

:

placed in our lives, God.

475

:

God, we love you, and it's

just something we pray.

476

:

Amen.

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

About the Podcast

Show artwork for OC Church of Christ Sermons
OC Church of Christ Sermons
Hear the latest sermon from the OC Church of Christ

Listen for free