12/28/25 Greater Centennials Worship Experience: "Preparing Ourselves For The New Year

Devotional

Day 1: Prepare to walk through God’s open doors

Look back and thank God for His goodness and His mercy that were new every morning, then look ahead with a made-up mind. Nothing changes just because the calendar flips; things change when you prepare to walk in complete obedience. God is not going to open a door for us that we are not prepared to go through, because there is no failure in Him. So examine your circle, lay down superstition, and choose the path Christ has for you—even if you have to walk it without a crowd. Proper preparation prohibits poor performance; prepare your heart, soul, and mind to receive everything God has for you in 2026. Trust that the One who kept you will keep you as you get ready for what’s next. [01:11:55]

Lamentations 3:22–23 — We are not used up because the Lord’s faithful love holds us fast; His compassion does not run dry. Every morning He spreads fresh mercy before us, and His faithfulness never cracks.

Reflection: Where do you sense God inviting you to prepare before He opens a door, and what single, concrete step will you take this week to get ready?

Day 2: Love more and more, especially in God’s house

Love is not optional; it’s the mark that we belong to God. If someone’s attitude is sour, let your love stay sweet, and let it grow stronger instead of shrinking back. Expand what’s already good—if you pray, pray some more; if you serve, serve some more; if you care, care some more. Don’t let anyone’s bad day cancel your commitment to love, especially toward the household of faith. This is the year to widen your heart so God gets the glory through your life. [01:17:34]

1 Thessalonians 4:9–10 — God Himself has taught you to love one another, and you’re already doing it broadly. Now press further—keep increasing that love more and more.

Reflection: Who is one person in your church family you’ve struggled to love lately, and what small action could you take this week to love them “more and more”?

Day 3: Aspire to a quiet, consistent, God-glorifying life

Let this be the year when what you do matters more than what people call you. Serve when no spotlight is on you, and let hidden faithfulness be your rhythm. You don’t need to post it, announce it, or defend it; move undercover and keep doing what God has called you to do. Keep your walk steady, your heart humble, and your motive clear: that God—not you—gets the glory. In stillness and consistency, the Lord will shape your life into a testimony. [01:20:14]

1 Thessalonians 4:11 — Set your aim on a quiet life; tend your own matters and keep a steady hand at your work.

Reflection: Where do you catch yourself working for attention or affirmation, and what unseen act of obedience could you practice this week instead?

Day 4: Mind your business; let God mind your reputation

Gossip drains the soul, fogs our vision, and wounds the church. This is the year to stop spilling tea and start seeking truth, to stop chasing “he said, she said” and start asking, “What does God say?” Deal with your own heart first, and let God handle what others do or don’t do. When you mind your own business, you make room for peace, clarity, and growth. Staying in your lane will keep the church healthy and your spirit free. [01:23:52]

Matthew 7:3–5 — Why stare at the speck in your brother’s eye while a beam blocks your own view? First remove your beam; then you’ll see clearly enough to help your brother with his speck.

Reflection: What recurring conversation pulls you toward gossip, and what boundary will you set this week to protect your heart and honor the other person?

Day 5: Work with your hands and trust God to supply

Show up to the work God gave you—even if you’re the only one who shows up. Don’t let someone else’s lackluster effort derail your obedience or delay your blessing. As you keep at the task, God will bless the work of your hands and make your steps fruitful. In that steady labor, your life will point outsiders to the God you depend on, and you won’t need to lean on anyone but Him. Keep working, keep trusting, and watch God provide. [01:30:41]

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 — Make it your goal to live quietly, take care of your own matters, and work with your hands as instructed. Then your daily life will speak well to those outside, and you won’t have to depend on others.

Reflection: Where have you eased off your assignment because others were inconsistent, and what one task will you put on your calendar this week to faithfully put your hands to the work?

Sermon Summary

God’s goodness and mercy frame a sober call to prepare, not presume, as the calendar turns. Nothing “magical” happens on January 1; change requires consecrated intention, obedience, and practical steps. The charge is to stop leaning on superstition and sentiment, evaluate the circle of influences, and choose the narrow path Christ sets—even if it means walking without a crowd. God does not open doors people are unprepared to walk through; proper preparation becomes the conduit of promise, because there is no failure in God.

Anchoring in 1 Thessalonians 4:9–12, four clear practices shape a faithful year. First, expand love “more and more.” Love is not selective sentiment but a resilient commitment—especially toward the household of faith—resisting the drag of offense, fatigue, and negativity. Second, aspire to a quiet life. Titles, applause, and public posts are not the measure; hidden obedience is. Do the work when no one sees and live so God, not personal brand, gets the glory.

Third, mind your own business. Gossip deforms souls and communities; Scripture calls it hypocrisy to fixate on another’s speck while ignoring the log at home. Guard the tongue, refuse rumor, and trade “tea” for truth in love and prayer. Fourth, work with your hands. Show up even if you must labor alone. Do not mirror others’ inconsistency or bitterness. Keep faithfulness in motion, trusting God to bless the work and “trim the fat” that dilutes focus.

The outcome is missional clarity: living properly before outsiders, becoming a living testimony of grace, and learning holy independence—leaning on Jesus rather than human approval or provision. The refrain for 2026 is simple and strong: trust in God. Lay down last year’s burdens, receive forgiveness, and enter the new year with clean hands, a prepared heart, and a steady resolve to love more, live quietly, mind one’s business, and work diligently for God’s glory.

Key Takeaways

1. Preparation unlocks God-given doors God does not open doors that will collapse under unprepared souls. Preparation is not unbelief; it is stewardship of promise and a sign of trust in God’s timing. Obedience positions people to receive what grace intends to give. Resolve that preparation is part of worship, not a substitute for it. [72:14]
2. Love more and more Mature love keeps moving toward people when offense or fatigue tempts withdrawal. It resists the pettiness that shrinks the heart and chooses to bless especially within the household of faith. Love becomes a spiritual discipline, not a mood. Expand the capacity to love by practicing it beyond comfort. [76:39]
3. Aspire to a quiet life Quietness is not passivity; it is focused, unadvertised faithfulness. Let the unseen God, not the spotlight, be the audience. Titles and timelines don’t sanctify motives—obedience does. Keep doing the right things when no one claps and let God get the glory. [80:14]
4. Mind your own business Gossip feels like community but functions like corrosion, hollowing out souls and churches. Jesus calls it hypocrisy to magnify another’s speck while ignoring one’s log. Curate conversations toward prayer and restoration, not rumor. Steward attention—what fills the mind will steer the life. [83:52]
5. Work faithfully with your hands Consistency is a theology: show up, serve, and don’t mirror others’ complacency. God blesses the work entrusted, even if done alone, and sometimes subtracts the “fat” to sharpen purpose. Keep your hands at the plow so your heart stays aligned with God’s assignment. Expect God to bless what you faithfully touch. [85:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[60:22] - Praise for God’s goodness and mercy
[65:31] - Preparing for the new year
[66:38] - No magic in the calendar
[70:46] - Examine your circle and focus
[71:55] - God opens prepared doors
[76:12] - Expand love more and more
[79:05] - Aspire to a quiet life
[81:00] - Mind your own business
[85:49] - Work with your hands
[89:34] - Live properly before outsiders
[91:24] - Trust in God, not the crowd
[101:45] - Altar call and rededication
[114:24] - Watch Night and church updates
[123:06] - Benediction and sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- 1 Thessalonians 4:9–12

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Observation questions

In 1 Thessalonians 4:9–12, what four practices are named, and how are they connected to the outcome in verse 12?
According to verse 12, what two results does Paul expect when believers live this way?
What was the repeated charge about preparation: “God is not going to open a door for us that we’re not prepared to go through”? [01:11:55]
What everyday examples were given of “aspire to live a quiet life” (for example, not announcing everything online)? [01:20:14]

Interpretation questions

What does “love one another… more and more” call for when someone has offended or exhausted us? How does this move love from a feeling to a commitment? [01:17:34]
How does “aspire to live quietly” challenge a culture that rewards visibility, titles, and applause? What motives does God want to purify here? [01:19:05]
Why does Scripture connect “mind your own affairs” with Jesus’ speck/log teaching? What heart issues make gossip so spiritually damaging? [01:23:52]
Verse 12 urges “not being dependent on anyone.” How should this be understood alongside healthy Christian community and mutual care?

Application questions

Preparation and trust: Name one “door” you are praying will open in 2026. Based on “God is not going to open a door for us that we’re not prepared to go through,” what two or three concrete preparation steps will you take in the next 30 days? [01:11:55]
Love more and more: Who is one believer you’ve quietly pulled away from because of offense or fatigue? What is one specific act of love you will do this week to move toward them “more and more and more”? [01:17:34]
Aspire to a quiet life: Where are you tempted to chase applause or curate your image? What will “undercover obedience” look like this month (one thing you’ll keep off social media; one task you’ll do unseen)? “You don’t have to announce everything on Facebook.” [01:20:14]
Mind your own business: Which group chat, hallway, or lunch table most often turns into “spilling the tea”? What boundary will you set this week—mute, exit, or lovingly redirect to prayer—and how will you stick to it? [01:21:48]
Work with your hands: What assignment is yours even if you must do it alone? Name your cadence (for example, weekly/biweekly) and one accountability partner who will check in as you “show up.” [01:25:49]
Examine your circle: As you enter the new year, who or what in your circle is diluting your focus on Jesus? What gracious conversation or quiet boundary will you set so you can walk the narrow path—even if it means being less popular? [01:10:46]
Holy independence: Where are you leaning on human approval or provision more than Jesus? What practice this month will help you lean and depend on Him (for example, budget changes, prayer rhythm, Scripture first each morning)? “I’m a lean and I’m going to depend on Jesus.” [01:30:41]

Sermon Clips

God is not going to open a door for us that we're not prepared to go through. I'm going to slow down. I'm going to rewind. I'm going to say that again. That God is not going to open a door for us that he has not prepared us for and that we are not prepared to go through. [01:11:56] (17 seconds) #PrepareForDoors

And as long as my focus is on God, I know that everything is going to be all right. See, I believe that Paul gives us a prescription, if you will, that will help us prepare ourselves for the new year. And one that we should not just follow for the first week of the year. We have to follow these instructions, this prescription, the entire year. [01:14:48] (24 seconds) #YearRoundObedience

As we prepare for this new year, we should love one another, especially those of the household of faith. I don't know how you can come to church and sit in church and not talk to people. I don't understand how you can come here talking about you love God but can't love the person sitting next to you. The Bible says that makes you a liar. [01:16:55] (21 seconds) #loveOneAnother

This is the year when your title is not the most important thing. This is the year that nobody cares what your title is. They don't care if you're president. They don't care if you're the grand poobah. They don't care if you're the chairperson. They don't care if you're the reverend doctor. They don't care nothing about your title. This is the year when your title doesn't matter. This is the year that what you do matters more than what people call you. But if all you are is what people call you, that's all you ever going to be. [01:19:00] (32 seconds) #ActionsNotTitles

But we got to prepare ourselves this year by minding your own business. This is the year you got to make up in your mind that you're going to mind your business. Get out of everybody else's business. Stop worrying about what everybody else is doing. Stop being the one that needs to spill all the tea. If you can spill tea but can't quote scripture, something wrong with you. You got to make up in your mind that this is the year that I'm going to mind my own business. If it ain't got nothing to do with me, I don't want to know anything about it. [01:21:21] (44 seconds) #MindYourBusiness

Because when you work with your hands, you're never concerned about what somebody else is doing. I'm not going to go to rehearsal because they don't come to rehearsal, but they still get to sing. I'm not going to come to usher training. Don't nobody else come to usher training and they still get to serve. You're so worried about what somebody's lackluster ability is that you get caught up and start being lackluster with everybody else. God ain't called me to be lackluster. God ain't called me to be half-hearted. [01:27:40] (44 seconds) #BeAllIn

When we love more and more, we aim to live a quiet life. We mind our own business and we work with our hands. Here's the result. God will get the glory out of our lives. And those on the outside will want to know the God that you put your trust in. [01:29:21] (23 seconds) #GodGetsTheGlory

This is the year that I want God to be glorified in my life, in my ministry, in all that I do. Let's prepare ourselves for the new year. And when we prepare ourselves for the new year, not only will we have a great year individually, we'll have a great year as a church. And I don't know about anybody else, but I'm so ready to be everything that God has called me to be and to do everything that God has called me to do. [01:31:55] (40 seconds) #GlorifyGodThisYear

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Why must preparation precede God opening new doors?

How does quiet living glorify God before outsiders?

What does minding your own business entail spiritually?