Transformative Power of Gratitude in Christian Witness

1. "So one of the things that comes to mind in our culture today is the prevalence of the selfie. They're the product of our modern high-tech world. You know everywhere you go, especially those that were out in places like New York, like some of our friends here, you know you see people everywhere you go. They've got their phone out like this. We're taking selfies of everything, right? They're common at weddings, graduations, situations, birthday parties, family reunions. Just about any gathering where people want to take note of who they were with and then share their pictures with others. You see selfies. And while a selfie is fine when it comes to taking a picture, it doesn't work well as a guiding principle for our personal behavior." [21:45] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "When something amazing happens, it sticks in our minds and we tell people about it. We're sharing stories about it and all of that. But what happens if that just becomes our every day? It, it just, if we don't make a concerted effort to remember, we're just kind of like, yep, that's cool. Like how many of you, dinnertime, right? You're praying for the meal. Lord, thank you for this food. And if it's like in my house, when we ask one of the little ones to pray, it's like, Lord, thank you for this food. Amen. All right, let's eat. They're like, their, their mouth is on the food, that hamburger, like before amen has come out of their mouth. Right? Like amen is leaving and the burger is entering. I'm thankful, but I just want this food." [43:24] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "When we think of thanksgiving, one of the things that oftentimes gets preached on is Philippians 4. And anybody that grew up in Sunday school, grew up in church, you've heard the Philippians 4 verse, you know, rejoice in everything with thanksgiving, all of that, right? And so we're not gonna read that today. But we are in Philippians 4, okay? Because Paul talks about rejoice in everything, and he's talking to the persecuted people in the church of Philippi. And as he continues on and continues talking about things, continues talking about bringing our prayers to God with thanksgiving and petition and all of that, we come to verse 12, and this is what he says. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little, for I can do everything, through Christ who gives me strength." [47:42] (59 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "When you're diligent in giving God thanks, you begin to realize that your witness is dependent on him and not on you. So freeing. Pastoring a church isn't always easy. In fact, lots of times it's not. And it's very easy to get wrapped up in problem solving for long hours. You know, I got to go deep into this as I can. I've got to do all the research I can so that I can deliver this short message because if I don't, then how will God use me? You know, I've got to go and I've got to think of all the different administrative details that we have and we got to get it done now, even if we stay overtime because otherwise, everything's going to fall apart. But what begins to happen when you realize that you're as a pastor, that my ministry isn't contingent on my own abilities, but it's actually contingent on God's willingness to use me and my willingness to be used by him." [55:07] (61 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "Praise is a spiritual weapon against the forces of evil. Paul, he writes to the church in Corinth, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, that is of humanity, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ. Our weapons, the weapons that we use to fight the enemy are not dictated by human limitations. We go beyond that. Praise. Praise does amazing things. It has power to stand up to the enemy." [58:09] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "Nothing changes lives, like a story of what Jesus has done in yours. And listen, you don't have to have been a male stripper or streaker possessed by demons and saved by Jesus in human flesh. To be able to go out and share an impactful story. He's doing things in each of our lives day by day. And you're not limited to just sharing one. The little things that he does for you, the little things that you see, your positive attitude, the hope that you have, despite the circumstances around you, your ability to stand up tall, even when everyone else is exhausted and depressed by the situation going on around us is a witness. And when people ask the reason for your hope, you can share your story of faith in Jesus." [01:08:35] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)