Open Hearts•Open Minds•Open Doors
Rev. Jemiriye Fakunle First United Methodist Church -- Moweaqua, IL
Added on 12.5.22
Worship
service time at FUMC Moweaqua - 9:00 a.m.
It's another week and another opportunity to put a smile on someone's face in this season.
Yesterday, I shared with us on Prepare the Way from Matthew 3:1-12. I shared that at the core of John's message to us is the challenge that we must not live a life of indifference to the point that we settle down, get stuck maintaining status quo, and do business as usual. Thus, the need for repentance, not because we are bad people, but because God desire partners who will actively participate in the kingdom of God that is already at work among us. And for our church, we started dreaming yesterday as we asked, is it possible to double our number by 2023 Advent? We said it is yes, IF, we can individually choose to prayerfully ask the Lord to lead us to witnessing to at least one person and invite them to join our faith community within the next 12 months. We shall talk more about this vision in the days to come and make actionable plans to see our dream come true.
I want to appreciate us as a church and as individuals for the Book Signing yesterday. I was encouraged by your generosity and openness. My prayer is that the Book,
Undersatnding the Power of Prayer will bless everyone who reads and turn hard situations around and bring hope into hopeless hearts and circumstances. I apologize that we ran out of copies. For those who have paid, your copies will be available next week (not the coming
Sunday) and more copies will be available for those who still want to buy more copies.
I'm excited that we will be starting our Bible Study today at 6:30 PM and tomorrow, Tuesday at 11:00 AM. Please join us as you are
able.
In our Joys and Concerns - Let us continue to hold one another up in prayer, especially for those who are home bound.
May your week be blessed and may you abound in love unto every good works!
In-the-Service-of-Christ-and-His-Church,
Jemiriye Fakunle | Lead Pastor
12.5.22
12.2.22
I welcome you to the month of December and to the season of Advent. One truth about life that this season reminds us of is that life is so more pleasant when you have something to look forward to. Many people, however, feel like they have absolutely nothing to look forward to in life. With such a mindset, it would be difficult to go far in life. Every little roadblock will look like a mountain, and every minor setback will seem like rejection. I want us to encourage one another in this season so those who may be going through a dark time can see a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
Read with me from Colossians 1:25-27; it says, "God has sent me to help his Church and to tell his secret plan to you Gentiles. He has kept his secret for centruries and generations past, but now at last it has pleased him to tell it to those who love him and live for him, and the riches and glory of his plan are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ in your hearts is your only hope of glory" (TPT). Praise God! There's hope for you, for me, for us, and for as many that loves the Lord and have chosen to live for Him! There's a secret of hope that God has kept but is now revealed. It doesn't matter where you are in life today and what you've been through. God has kept a secret that's locked within your heart; that secret is that Christ indwells your heart.
Yet, here's where many people miss it. The secret to unlocking the hope that Christ brings lies in the decision to love Him and choose to live for Him. When Christ is allowed to be the King of your heart, then you're permitting for Him to manifest His glory through your life. There's no one that's in alignment with God that dies hopelessly. There's no one whose heart is in sync with Christ that will not experience fulfillment in life.
Friends, life can quickly become a dirty trick, a short journey from nothingness to nothingness where there is no remedy for any of the aches that come with living. But with Christ, the troubles of this world become the excuse for triumph; the sorrows of this world become gateways to a life of unending and unbridled joy. So, I encourage you to move closer to Christ and let Him pour His healing oil over your soul. I encourage you today to choose to live for Christ and let Him anoint your head with oil so you can rule amid your challenges.
Hear this, no one who knows what can happen at sea would go to sea in a vessel that carried no anchor, even though it were the greatest and most modern liner afloat. Circumstances might arise when the hope of the ship and all her company would depend, not on the captain or the crew, the engines, the compass, or the steering gear, but on the anchor. When all else has failed, there is hope in the anchor. For you and me, that anchor is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, and He's the reason for this season. Come to Christ today and ask Him to be your Anchor, Hope, Savior, and your very present Help in a time of need.
Dear Lord Jesus, we come to You today to hand You everything we are and have. By Your enabling grace, we ask that You make our hearts align with Yours so we can know the greatness that's in Your love and the Power that's in Your grace, AMEN!
I call you blessed!
Jemiriye Fakunle
Ongoing
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