WEBVTT 00:00:10.769 --> 00:00:14.189 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected 00:00:14.189 --> 00:00:17.769 or to give online, please go to hcv .church slash 00:00:17.769 --> 00:00:21.960 connect or hcv .church slash give. If at any 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:24.199 point during this message you feel called to 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:27.059 make a change in your life, text change me to 00:00:27.059 --> 00:00:31.420 97000. Now enjoy the message. How's everybody 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:35.179 doing today? You sound excited and full of energy. 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:36.780 If you're joining us from home, thank you for 00:00:36.780 --> 00:00:39.299 welcoming us into your space. First, a big thank 00:00:39.299 --> 00:00:42.179 you to all of our volunteers and participants 00:00:42.179 --> 00:00:44.759 on the tie -dye run yesterday. Can you give them 00:00:44.759 --> 00:00:50.549 a hand? We had over 140 runners participate in 00:00:50.549 --> 00:00:52.609 raising money to make a difference in children's 00:00:52.609 --> 00:00:56.590 lives all around the world. We are making a difference. 00:00:57.009 --> 00:01:00.009 So when I was a pitcher, I used to be a pitcher 00:01:00.009 --> 00:01:03.429 in my first life. That's pre -Jesus. I always 00:01:03.429 --> 00:01:06.189 enjoyed using the change -up against opposing 00:01:06.189 --> 00:01:09.250 hitters because the change in speed and movement 00:01:09.250 --> 00:01:11.769 would throw them off and make them look like 00:01:11.769 --> 00:01:16.900 fools. Well. It felt like our enemy was throwing 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:19.480 a lot of change -ups at our team this week, trying 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:23.680 to make us look foolish. But we are trusting 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:27.099 that the Holy Spirit inside of us have allowed 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:30.739 us to not only hit the pitch, but connect on 00:01:30.739 --> 00:01:33.939 a home run throughout this entire day. Many of 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:36.400 you were expecting a different speaker this morning. 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:39.659 Unfortunately, Jay had to fly back to Denver 00:01:39.659 --> 00:01:42.840 quickly yesterday morning to tend to a family 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:46.439 emergency. And he's unable to join us this morning. 00:01:46.659 --> 00:01:53.980 So you're stuck with me. I'm sorry. I'll apologize 00:01:53.980 --> 00:01:57.200 in advance. But our team has been praying for 00:01:57.200 --> 00:01:59.739 Jay. And if you all could join us this week in 00:01:59.739 --> 00:02:02.120 praying for him and his family. We're believing 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:06.200 that God is going to work this out for his good 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.819 and his glory. Finally, with all the rain in 00:02:09.819 --> 00:02:12.460 the forecast. We decided to pivot and change 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:15.919 the location of Gather 2025. Tonight, the new 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:18.120 location is at Experience Gateway, as you heard 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:21.120 in the announcements. Right off Kemps Mill Road 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:24.219 in Williamsport. Make every effort to be a part 00:02:24.219 --> 00:02:26.680 of all that God wants to do in your life through 00:02:26.680 --> 00:02:29.699 that worship experience. But let me also say, 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:33.580 the Meredith Park worship event will happen in 00:02:33.580 --> 00:02:39.139 2026. Okay? For all of you. That faithfully gave 00:02:39.139 --> 00:02:42.219 toward the event. Thank you. And it will happen 00:02:42.219 --> 00:02:45.479 next year. As soon as the dates and the times 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:48.419 are set. We will be sure to let everyone know. 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:50.580 And I would like to. If you would join me open 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:53.680 in prayer. This morning. Because I had to quickly 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:57.639 pivot. And had less than 24 hours. To prepare 00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:01.259 a talk for you. So this is spirit led. And I'm 00:03:01.259 --> 00:03:03.319 believing God is going to use it to change all 00:03:03.319 --> 00:03:07.099 of us. So Holy Spirit come. God we are just thankful. 00:03:07.930 --> 00:03:10.389 For just being able to gather together to worship 00:03:10.389 --> 00:03:13.250 you. We ask, God, that you would open our hearts, 00:03:13.289 --> 00:03:16.810 our minds, our ears. God, to receive everything 00:03:16.810 --> 00:03:20.669 that you have. Direct us, God. Lead us. We silence 00:03:20.669 --> 00:03:25.069 any distractions in Jesus' name. And allow us, 00:03:25.110 --> 00:03:29.050 God, to leave here changed. And we're just thankful. 00:03:30.210 --> 00:03:34.409 Amen. So the story that we're going to be focusing 00:03:34.409 --> 00:03:38.400 on today is in Luke chapter 17. And this encounter 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:42.120 with Jesus shows us that many people can have 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:45.840 the same encounter but not walk away with the 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:50.159 same change. This story of ten lepers encountering 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:54.080 Jesus in a powerful way reveals to us the power 00:03:54.080 --> 00:04:00.159 of gratitude. As only one of them walked away 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:03.860 experiencing all that God had for him. This morning 00:04:03.860 --> 00:04:07.500 I would like to discuss with you... What leper, 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:11.580 this one leper, would say to us if he could tell 00:04:11.580 --> 00:04:14.360 us about the life change that he experienced. 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:19.220 And our October Gratitude Series continues with 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:23.199 inspiring talk on gratitude changes our outlook. 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:26.420 Gratitude changes our outlook, which leads us 00:04:26.420 --> 00:04:31.319 to our first thought. Jesus sees our pain. Jesus 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:37.810 sees us in our pain when no one else. Now, we 00:04:37.810 --> 00:04:42.170 don't talk much about leprosy today because with 00:04:42.170 --> 00:04:45.029 the modern medical advances, we no longer struggle 00:04:45.029 --> 00:04:49.670 with that disease. In this story, however, we 00:04:49.670 --> 00:04:53.449 have 10 men gathered together in community. And 00:04:53.449 --> 00:04:56.310 it wasn't around their race or religious background, 00:04:56.490 --> 00:04:59.569 which would normally bring them together. These 00:04:59.569 --> 00:05:03.230 men were connected around their pain, around 00:05:03.230 --> 00:05:06.540 their disease, this disease called leprosy. Leprosy 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:11.519 was an awful disease that was a long, drawn -out 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:15.639 death. See, these men could not experience the 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:18.519 pain which is associated with the disease because 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:20.860 one of the many side effects is nerve damage 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:24.319 with the loss of feeling. Leprosy would spread 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:27.339 throughout the body, causing limbs and extremities 00:05:27.339 --> 00:05:31.120 to be deformed, bleed, and eventually fall off. 00:05:31.579 --> 00:05:34.459 But it wasn't just the physical death for these 00:05:34.459 --> 00:05:38.480 men. it was also the social and cultural death. 00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:41.620 While the physical death took a long time, the 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:44.560 social and cultural death happened immediately. 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:48.459 As soon as they would receive the diagnosis of 00:05:48.459 --> 00:05:52.100 leprosy, they were kicked out of town, sent away 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:56.500 to live on their own. And all of us can picture 00:05:56.500 --> 00:06:00.860 Jesus coming down a road toward Jerusalem. And 00:06:00.860 --> 00:06:04.319 these men were likely holding up a sign. that 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:07.199 would read unclean. And if they didn't have a 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:11.600 sign by religious law, they had to shout, unclean, 00:06:11.639 --> 00:06:16.100 unclean. If someone would come near to them, 00:06:16.259 --> 00:06:21.100 they were identified in this place of pain and 00:06:21.100 --> 00:06:25.959 suffering. Could you imagine having to shout 00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:30.439 out your worst sin, your worst sickness, telling 00:06:30.439 --> 00:06:35.160 everyone that you are not well? Imagine yelling 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:39.980 out as you were in community, a daughterer, full 00:06:39.980 --> 00:06:50.100 of lust, angry, unforgiveness, as you moved throughout 00:06:50.100 --> 00:06:54.100 town. See, these men's primary identity was their 00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:57.480 uncleanliness, their sin, their disease, their 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:02.259 sickness. Jesus, on his way to Jerusalem to celebrate 00:07:02.259 --> 00:07:06.579 one of the many... Jewish festivals, wouldn't 00:07:06.579 --> 00:07:09.319 have been the only person to pass by these men. 00:07:10.220 --> 00:07:13.000 See, people would have traveled from all over 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:15.660 the known world to Jerusalem to celebrate these 00:07:15.660 --> 00:07:18.879 festivals. But with most people, when walking 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:21.759 down the road and seeing these lepers, they would 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:26.560 quickly move to the other side. As far away as 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:30.240 possible. Trying to get past them without contact, 00:07:30.339 --> 00:07:34.750 without interacting. Because this simply is what 00:07:34.750 --> 00:07:38.350 culture does. Let's be honest. Our culture tells 00:07:38.350 --> 00:07:41.430 us to avoid anything that is different, that 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:45.129 is intimidating, that poses a threat. But not 00:07:45.129 --> 00:07:50.329 Jesus. He looked at them. He noticed them. He 00:07:50.329 --> 00:07:54.310 saw their pain, Luke 17, 11 to 14. As Jesus continued 00:07:54.310 --> 00:07:57.870 on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between 00:07:57.870 --> 00:08:00.699 Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village 00:08:00.699 --> 00:08:03.560 there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:07.240 crying out, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 00:08:07.420 --> 00:08:13.639 He looked at them. He looked at them. Now, why 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:16.560 did Jesus do that? Well, here's the reality. 00:08:16.660 --> 00:08:20.899 Jesus always moved toward people with pain. It's 00:08:20.899 --> 00:08:24.079 like he had a radar in his heart that guided 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:27.779 him toward people who were in pain. He always 00:08:27.779 --> 00:08:30.620 found himself in the proximity of people that 00:08:30.620 --> 00:08:33.259 were hurting. Why? Because Jesus is the hope 00:08:33.259 --> 00:08:37.240 of the world. Jesus is a visual reflection of 00:08:37.240 --> 00:08:40.620 God that desires to be close to the brokenhearted. 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:45.059 And if we're honest, all of us experience this 00:08:45.059 --> 00:08:49.220 heartache, this pain. And nothing opens us up 00:08:49.220 --> 00:08:53.220 to the need of hope more like pain. Nothing gets 00:08:53.220 --> 00:08:56.700 our attention like pain. Listen to these encouraging 00:08:56.700 --> 00:09:00.320 words from Psalm 34. The Lord hears his people 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:03.639 when they call to him for help. He rescues them 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:06.659 from all their troubles. The Lord is close to 00:09:06.659 --> 00:09:08.899 the brokenhearted. He rescues those whose spirits 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:12.379 are crushed. The righteous person faces many 00:09:12.379 --> 00:09:15.220 troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each 00:09:15.220 --> 00:09:19.399 time. See, Jesus doesn't need to make his way 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:23.320 toward pain. He's always there. And that's good 00:09:23.320 --> 00:09:26.590 news for you and I. And if you're gathered here 00:09:26.590 --> 00:09:30.169 this morning, if you're watching online and you're 00:09:30.169 --> 00:09:34.350 in pain today, know that Jesus is drawing near. 00:09:35.250 --> 00:09:38.070 Our desire as a church, as a community of faith, 00:09:38.169 --> 00:09:41.529 is to live the same way. We desire to rally around 00:09:41.529 --> 00:09:45.470 you as family, as community, to support and encourage 00:09:45.470 --> 00:09:49.090 you. So I ask, I pose the question, where is 00:09:49.090 --> 00:09:54.009 your pain today? Some of you may be grieving. 00:09:54.669 --> 00:09:59.549 To you I say, Jesus is near. Some of you may 00:09:59.549 --> 00:10:03.690 be heartbroken. To you I say, Jesus is near. 00:10:04.590 --> 00:10:06.629 Some of you are dealing with the pain of regret, 00:10:06.809 --> 00:10:10.409 a bad decision. To you I say, Jesus is near. 00:10:11.129 --> 00:10:13.149 Some of you are struggling with physical and 00:10:13.149 --> 00:10:16.970 emotional pain. To you I say, Jesus is near. 00:10:17.850 --> 00:10:22.049 Some of you are living in isolation and loneliness. 00:10:22.090 --> 00:10:27.970 To you I say. Jesus is near. But not only is 00:10:27.970 --> 00:10:31.929 Jesus near, we are near because God desires that 00:10:31.929 --> 00:10:35.409 we, as a church, step into each other's pain. 00:10:35.850 --> 00:10:38.690 We are called to follow in Jesus' footsteps, 00:10:38.990 --> 00:10:42.350 to show support to those that are hurting and 00:10:42.350 --> 00:10:45.990 struggling. This is why we partner with Compassion 00:10:45.990 --> 00:10:48.929 International because they show up and support 00:10:48.929 --> 00:10:51.450 and encourage children that are hurting all around 00:10:51.450 --> 00:10:54.129 the world. And in just a few minutes, you will 00:10:54.129 --> 00:10:56.889 hear Catherine's story, which leads us to our 00:10:56.889 --> 00:11:00.470 second thought. Gratitude releases the presence 00:11:00.470 --> 00:11:04.710 and power of God. Luke chapter 17, verses 14 00:11:04.710 --> 00:11:08.830 through 16. He looked at them and said, go show 00:11:08.830 --> 00:11:12.629 yourselves to the priests. Now I want to pause 00:11:12.629 --> 00:11:15.789 there just for a second. Notice, Jesus asked 00:11:15.789 --> 00:11:19.470 them to act on his word before it became their 00:11:19.470 --> 00:11:22.289 reality. I mean, just imagine these ten men. 00:11:22.409 --> 00:11:24.730 They're struggling with leprosy. They're outsiders, 00:11:25.009 --> 00:11:28.690 outcasts, forgotten. They still have leprosy 00:11:28.690 --> 00:11:31.029 on their bodies. They can see it. Yet Jesus says, 00:11:31.210 --> 00:11:34.950 go and walk and see the priest. I mean, their 00:11:34.950 --> 00:11:37.830 minds, they must have been overwhelmed thinking, 00:11:37.909 --> 00:11:41.990 why would we do that? Why would we go when we're 00:11:41.990 --> 00:11:45.990 not healed? And that's where faith comes in. 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:49.120 And the question I want to pose to all of you 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:52.879 is, what if we began to live the same way? See, 00:11:52.940 --> 00:11:55.500 Jesus wants us to believe in him, trust in him, 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:59.639 and press into his promises before we often feel 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:03.080 it or experience it in our lives. These men, 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:06.360 they respond with obedience before the healing 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:11.039 happens. What if we began to do the same? See, 00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:13.740 I believe if we begin to live that way, we will 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:16.860 see more healings, more miracles, more testimonies 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:20.700 of God's power if we press in and believe before 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:25.159 we ever see it or feel it. Let's continue. And 00:12:25.159 --> 00:12:27.179 as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 00:12:27.659 --> 00:12:30.120 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, 00:12:30.299 --> 00:12:33.940 came back to Jesus shouting, praise God. He fell 00:12:33.940 --> 00:12:36.220 to the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for 00:12:36.220 --> 00:12:40.639 what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Now, 00:12:40.659 --> 00:12:45.500 I want you to notice nine of these ten men missed 00:12:45.500 --> 00:12:49.100 out on all that God had for them. Ninety percent 00:12:49.100 --> 00:12:53.559 of these lepers missed out on all that Jesus 00:12:53.559 --> 00:12:58.539 had for their lives. Why? Because gratitude is 00:12:58.539 --> 00:13:02.559 a response. Gratitude is a response. This Samaritan 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:05.779 man recognized what Jesus had done in his life, 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:10.340 and he responded with gratitude. How many days 00:13:10.340 --> 00:13:14.179 do I walk through life following my busy schedule 00:13:14.179 --> 00:13:17.480 and don't recognize the goodness of God in my 00:13:17.480 --> 00:13:21.639 life and respond in gratitude? See, quite often 00:13:21.639 --> 00:13:25.639 what happens is we take God's goodness for granted. 00:13:26.059 --> 00:13:28.919 And then when we take God's goodness for granted, 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:32.200 we get frustrated when the blessings of God aren't 00:13:32.200 --> 00:13:36.159 happening or flowing in our lives. What has God 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:39.820 done in your life? That you take for granted. 00:13:40.899 --> 00:13:44.720 See, perspective is powerful. The way I choose 00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:47.600 to see things will change whether I take it for 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:51.740 granted or I'm grateful. Our mindset, our outlook 00:13:51.740 --> 00:13:56.399 on life needs to focus on gratitude. Why? Well, 00:13:56.440 --> 00:14:00.159 Luke continues in chapter 17, verses 20 to 21. 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:03.399 One day, the Pharisees asked Jesus, when will 00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:06.460 the kingdom of God come? Jesus replied, the kingdom 00:14:06.460 --> 00:14:09.820 of God can't be detected by visible signs. You 00:14:09.820 --> 00:14:12.320 won't be able to say, here it is, or it's over 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:15.200 there, for the kingdom of God is already among 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:19.559 you. The kingdom of God church is all around 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:22.500 us. And if you're in a relationship with Jesus, 00:14:22.899 --> 00:14:27.220 God's spirit is now living inside of you. And 00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:30.340 so many times, when we think about eternity, 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:33.779 We think of eternity in terms of what happens 00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:37.059 after we die. But let me challenge you, eternity 00:14:37.059 --> 00:14:39.299 begins the minute we put our faith in Jesus. 00:14:40.340 --> 00:14:43.779 And by putting this conversation after the story 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:46.620 of the healing of the ten lepers, Luke is telling 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:50.200 us, challenging us, that the kingdom of God is 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:53.980 wherever the people of God are doing what God 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:57.340 had created them to do. Worship and life change 00:14:57.340 --> 00:15:00.639 doesn't only happen here on Sunday mornings. 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:04.679 It can happen in your car, in your home, at your 00:15:04.679 --> 00:15:08.299 workplace, at the gym, on vacation, with others, 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:12.980 by yourself. Here's the reality. We drift toward 00:15:12.980 --> 00:15:16.740 what we focus on. We're drifting toward what 00:15:16.740 --> 00:15:20.240 we focus on. Practicing gratitude will not only 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:23.480 grow your personal relationship with Jesus, it 00:15:23.480 --> 00:15:26.039 will also help you see how he is at work in the 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:29.200 world around you. And then how you can join in 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:34.070 with that. We're at Hebrews 12, 28 to 29. Since 00:15:34.070 --> 00:15:36.049 we are receiving a kingdom that is unshakable, 00:15:36.250 --> 00:15:39.990 let us be thankful, let us be grateful and pleased, 00:15:40.049 --> 00:15:42.230 God, by worshiping him with holy fear and awe, 00:15:42.610 --> 00:15:47.870 for our God is a devouring fire. The Samaritan 00:15:47.870 --> 00:15:52.750 man turned and noticed immediately. He didn't 00:15:52.750 --> 00:15:55.250 think about it. He didn't question it. Immediately 00:15:55.250 --> 00:15:58.169 responded with gratitude while the other nine 00:15:59.019 --> 00:16:02.340 went on with life. The Bible does not tell us 00:16:02.340 --> 00:16:06.639 what they did, but we know they did not respond 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:11.019 with gratitude. They moved on and they missed 00:16:11.019 --> 00:16:14.299 out. But unfortunately, that happens with so 00:16:14.299 --> 00:16:17.659 many of us in our everyday life. It's easier 00:16:17.659 --> 00:16:20.779 to have faith when we're sick than when we are 00:16:20.779 --> 00:16:24.700 well. And God daily asks us to take a step of 00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:27.419 faith. And let's be honest, when we're sick, 00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:29.899 it's much easier to cry out, yes, God, I need 00:16:29.899 --> 00:16:32.980 you to take a step, I need to believe. But when 00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:35.100 we're well, when we're good, oh, I'm good, Chris, 00:16:35.379 --> 00:16:39.159 and not practicing gratitude, we can move on 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:42.419 and miss out on all that God has for us, which 00:16:42.419 --> 00:16:45.799 leads us to our final thought. Gratitude turns 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:48.379 into praise. Now I'm going to start in verse 00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:51.820 15, back up just a little, of chapter 17. One 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:54.899 of them, when he saw that he was healed, came 00:16:54.899 --> 00:16:58.500 back to Jesus shouting, praise God. He fell to 00:16:58.500 --> 00:17:00.659 the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:03.139 he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Now in 00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:06.819 the Greek, that word shouting is made up of two 00:17:06.819 --> 00:17:12.319 Greek words, megas and phony. Megas and phony, 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:18.259 which today translate to the modern word megaphone. 00:17:19.700 --> 00:17:24.529 And remember, this man... Had to constantly walk 00:17:24.529 --> 00:17:29.390 around shouting, unclean, unclean, everywhere 00:17:29.390 --> 00:17:34.470 he went. Jesus heals him and suddenly this man 00:17:34.470 --> 00:17:38.869 returns and begins to shout, praise God. Praise 00:17:38.869 --> 00:17:45.009 God with a loud voice. Now my question to all 00:17:45.009 --> 00:17:49.930 of you this morning is, which gets a bigger megaphone 00:17:49.930 --> 00:17:57.640 in your life? Your problems or your praise? Which 00:17:57.640 --> 00:18:02.200 gets the bigger megaphone, your problems or your 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:08.279 praise? And you don't have to go very far to 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:10.220 answer that question because the people living 00:18:10.220 --> 00:18:13.799 in your house, think about all them. Do they 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:17.799 hear about your overflowing gratitude or do they 00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:21.940 hear more about your abundance of problems? And 00:18:21.940 --> 00:18:26.460 either way, we are using a megaphone in our homes, 00:18:26.539 --> 00:18:29.680 in our workplaces, in our schools, in our churches, 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:34.420 at the practice fields. Are people in your sphere 00:18:34.420 --> 00:18:37.700 of influence hearing your problems or your praise? 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:41.180 Which one is louder? And if we're in a relationship 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:43.319 with Jesus, we don't need attention. We should 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:48.180 be giving praise back to him. Jesus asked, didn't 00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:52.630 I heal 10 men? Where are the other nine? Has 00:18:52.630 --> 00:18:54.990 no one returned to give glory to God except this 00:18:54.990 --> 00:18:58.589 foreigner? And Jesus said to the man, Stand up 00:18:58.589 --> 00:19:04.269 and go. Your faith has healed you. Now let's 00:19:04.269 --> 00:19:06.509 pause there for a second. Jesus healed ten lepers. 00:19:08.329 --> 00:19:11.589 But we must realize only one of them walked away 00:19:11.589 --> 00:19:15.849 healed and whole. Because see, the word Jesus 00:19:15.849 --> 00:19:19.009 uses there is the Greek word sozo, which means 00:19:19.009 --> 00:19:25.480 sin. Saved, healed, and delivered. Whole. All 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:29.480 of us experience the grace of God in our everyday 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:34.440 lives. Theologians call it common grace. Common 00:19:34.440 --> 00:19:37.420 grace is seeing beautiful sunsets, experiencing 00:19:37.420 --> 00:19:40.779 the birth of a child, enjoying a delicious meal. 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:44.200 These are all common graces, and we're recipients 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:47.579 of the good things that God gives us as human 00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:50.589 beings. Think about the other nine lepers. They 00:19:50.589 --> 00:19:54.230 were healed. That was a part of the common grace. 00:19:54.309 --> 00:19:56.490 We have fun in our lives. We fall in love. We 00:19:56.490 --> 00:19:59.210 make money. We drive around in a car. We do amazing 00:19:59.210 --> 00:20:03.529 things. And God says these are gifts of common 00:20:03.529 --> 00:20:10.109 grace. One leper returned with gratitude. And 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:14.490 not only did he experience common grace, he received 00:20:14.490 --> 00:20:18.019 abundant life. And God wants that for all of 00:20:18.019 --> 00:20:20.900 us. See, no matter who you are and what you're 00:20:20.900 --> 00:20:24.039 going through today, we receive common grace. 00:20:24.140 --> 00:20:30.839 But are you living in abundance? Or are you distracted 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:34.839 with life and walking through this good life 00:20:34.839 --> 00:20:36.799 numb to the reality of all that God wants to 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:40.160 do in you and through you? The choice is given 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:44.599 to us every single day. Will you respond with 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:48.339 praise? Psalm 107, 20 -22. He sent out his word 00:20:48.339 --> 00:20:50.680 and healed them, snatching them from the door 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:54.160 of death. Let them praise the Lord for his great 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.119 love and for the wonderful things he has done 00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:59.960 for them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving 00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:04.039 and sing joyfully about his glorious acts. Philippians 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:08.460 4, 4 -5. Always be full of joy in the Lord. I 00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:11.700 say it again, church, rejoice. Let everyone see 00:21:11.700 --> 00:21:13.660 that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, 00:21:13.859 --> 00:21:16.799 the Lord is coming soon. Where are you this morning? 00:21:17.779 --> 00:21:21.420 Is everyone hearing about your problems or your 00:21:21.420 --> 00:21:26.460 praise? It's a decision that all of us have every 00:21:26.460 --> 00:21:30.420 single day. So I would now like to invite Catherine 00:21:30.420 --> 00:21:32.660 to the stage. If you could join me, Miss Catherine. 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:35.740 Catherine flew in. Yes, give her a hand, please. 00:21:36.750 --> 00:21:39.410 Catherine flew in from the Dominican Republic 00:21:39.410 --> 00:21:45.069 Friday evening, and she is joining us as part 00:21:45.069 --> 00:21:50.049 of our Compassion Weekend. And Catherine is going 00:21:50.049 --> 00:21:53.809 to share her incredible story of life change 00:21:53.809 --> 00:21:59.670 and praise. So, Catherine, tell me about your 00:21:59.670 --> 00:22:04.190 life before Compassion. Well, hi, everyone. Pastor, 00:22:04.289 --> 00:22:09.529 if I would use a word, it would be sadness. My 00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:13.309 life was so sad, and I was so troubled as a child. 00:22:14.750 --> 00:22:18.529 I remember this day I was in school, and my teacher 00:22:18.529 --> 00:22:20.609 told me that my mom was there to pick me up. 00:22:20.710 --> 00:22:24.390 I was happy. I was going home. But when I approached 00:22:24.390 --> 00:22:27.049 to the lady she referred to as my mom, I'm like, 00:22:27.150 --> 00:22:30.289 well, you're wrong, teacher. She's my aunt. Well, 00:22:30.490 --> 00:22:34.460 I learned that she was my real mother. As a child, 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:37.619 you go like, then who's that lady at home? Who's 00:22:37.619 --> 00:22:41.740 Regina? Who's been acting like my mom? Of course, 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:44.039 nobody would answer because they thought I was 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:48.539 so young, too young to being told this truth. 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:51.240 But they did say that my mom was not my mom. 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:54.240 So I grew up with these unanswered questions. 00:22:55.299 --> 00:23:00.319 And plus, I had to work. Because this lady, she 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:03.660 said she was my mom. She was never there. She 00:23:03.660 --> 00:23:07.099 disappeared after this day. And so Regina, the 00:23:07.099 --> 00:23:10.059 lady who was my foster mother, had four daughters 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:13.339 of her own. So she would have to work so hard. 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:17.019 Plus, she was a single mother. So I remember 00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:19.839 after school, I would go to her workplace and 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:23.059 do the laundry and cleaning houses of wealthy 00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:26.799 ladies in other communities. And I remember it 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:29.539 was a funny thing to me because that was the 00:23:29.539 --> 00:23:32.700 only time that I would eat the fruities and the 00:23:32.700 --> 00:23:36.960 snacks. So I was happy to go to work. And it's 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:39.460 funny because today I see back and I see like, 00:23:39.539 --> 00:23:42.940 oh, I was poor. I didn't have enough food. At 00:23:42.940 --> 00:23:47.019 home, we had two bedrooms for seven people. And 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:50.539 I remember there was a neighbor of ours. He had 00:23:50.539 --> 00:23:54.259 a land. He would grow sweet potatoes. And he 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:57.319 would let us go and pick sweet potatoes for dinner 00:23:57.319 --> 00:24:00.880 or lunch. And that would be our single meal. 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:05.359 during the day. We had an avocado tree in the 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:08.599 backyard and we would eat avocado with sweet 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:11.799 potato. If we were lucky, we would have both 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:15.519 things. If not, only sweet potato. Today, I do 00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:20.240 hate avocado toast. I'm sorry. Don't offer it 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:23.039 to me. It's fancy and all that, but no. Thank 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:27.819 you. You know... As a child, you're not supposed 00:24:27.819 --> 00:24:30.440 to go through these things. You're supposed to 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:33.339 have your mom and your dad. I did not. I didn't 00:24:33.339 --> 00:24:36.619 even meet my father. Because when I talked to 00:24:36.619 --> 00:24:38.980 my mother, my biological mother about it, she 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:42.640 was in town this day. And I was willing to, you 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:45.099 know, to establish a relationship with her. I 00:24:45.099 --> 00:24:48.920 was grown up. I was 11. And the only thing she 00:24:48.920 --> 00:24:51.039 said, you know, Catherine, you're a mistake in 00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:55.420 my life. You should not have been born. She was 00:24:55.420 --> 00:24:58.420 troubled. She was a drug addict person. She was 00:24:58.420 --> 00:25:01.539 a prostitute. So she was not really equipped 00:25:01.539 --> 00:25:06.599 to have a baby. So when I heard these words coming 00:25:06.599 --> 00:25:10.079 from my mother, instead of finding hope and, 00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:12.720 you know, restoring a relationship, I found rejection. 00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:17.539 So all this to say that before compassion, my 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:21.059 life was really sad. Sounds. Now tell us about 00:25:21.059 --> 00:25:22.519 what happened when you entered the compassion 00:25:22.519 --> 00:25:26.259 program. Well, everything changed. I no longer 00:25:26.259 --> 00:25:30.519 had to work. Although I liked the food at work, 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:34.660 they were provided in this compassion center. 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:38.119 The first day I entered the compassion center, 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:41.180 my mom, my foster mother, was there with me, 00:25:41.259 --> 00:25:44.119 and they were serving pizza. So I go, like, Mom, 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:49.119 I belong here. I will stay here. So I do love 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:54.470 pizza today rather than avocado toast. So I also 00:25:54.470 --> 00:25:57.410 had godly people walking with me because a troubled 00:25:57.410 --> 00:26:00.910 girl with all these unanswered questions needed 00:26:00.910 --> 00:26:04.829 somebody there with her. And I did. I had Ramona. 00:26:04.829 --> 00:26:08.170 I can mention their names. I had Mary who knew 00:26:08.170 --> 00:26:10.690 about my story and still didn't kick me out of 00:26:10.690 --> 00:26:13.039 the program because I was a hard kid. Because 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:15.099 I would try to call somebody's attention, right? 00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:17.859 And affection. Because although Regina, my foster 00:26:17.859 --> 00:26:20.160 mother, would care for me, she would never mention 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:23.160 the words, I love you. But in the letters from 00:26:23.160 --> 00:26:27.059 my sponsors, I did receive these words. And it's 00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:30.960 amazing how somebody who you don't know, who 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:34.180 lives far away, says, Catherine, we love you. 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:37.289 We believe in you. So I thought, I want to honor 00:26:37.289 --> 00:26:39.730 these people. I want to honor their effort, and 00:26:39.730 --> 00:26:42.509 I want to become someone in life. So I did. I 00:26:42.509 --> 00:26:45.490 went to school, and I am the only one from my 00:26:45.490 --> 00:26:48.650 family who have ever gone to school. I graduated 00:26:48.650 --> 00:26:52.609 in linguistics and English, and I now own my 00:26:52.609 --> 00:27:00.490 own company. That's awesome. Yes. And who would 00:27:00.490 --> 00:27:03.680 have thought, right? That's right. So share with 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:07.599 us now your praise, if you will. One of my praise 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:11.000 is that I am able to be here and speak on behalf 00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:15.640 of these children. One day I was Anna, and Anna 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:18.839 is not here to speak about her, about her reality 00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:22.019 and story. So I represent Anna and many others 00:27:22.019 --> 00:27:25.400 out there, and I want to give back. Same as in 00:27:25.400 --> 00:27:28.079 my company, we translate for organizations, Christian 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:32.000 organizations and NGOs. And what we want to do, 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:34.880 we want to give back. I want to give back because 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:40.960 I was once a leper and God cleansed me and I 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:44.039 want to be back. I want to be that one that came 00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:48.619 back and said our praise to God. Amen. That's 00:27:48.619 --> 00:27:52.410 incredible. Thank you, Pastor, so much. Can you 00:27:52.410 --> 00:27:54.190 give her a hand? I appreciate it. Thank you. 00:28:00.750 --> 00:28:11.569 So this morning, I want you to simply ask yourself, 00:28:11.890 --> 00:28:18.029 am I living in abundance? Am I walking in that 00:28:18.029 --> 00:28:22.410 promise that Jesus had for us to be saved? healed, 00:28:22.410 --> 00:28:25.349 and delivered that we read about in Romans 10, 00:28:25.430 --> 00:28:28.869 9 through 10. If you openly declare that Jesus 00:28:28.869 --> 00:28:31.609 is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised 00:28:31.609 --> 00:28:37.309 him from the dead, you will be saved. Sozo. For 00:28:37.309 --> 00:28:39.210 it is by believing in your heart that you are 00:28:39.210 --> 00:28:42.349 made right with God, and it is by openly declaring 00:28:42.349 --> 00:28:47.109 your faith that you are saved. See, God desires 00:28:47.109 --> 00:28:51.460 to release a healing. That is so much bigger 00:28:51.460 --> 00:28:55.599 than our pain. So much bigger than our struggles. 00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:58.740 So much bigger than our fear or our doubt that 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:01.119 we can overcome. Just like Catherine who had 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:05.759 no father, no mother. Was told that she was a 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:09.339 mistake. But yet now is prospering through her 00:29:09.339 --> 00:29:13.420 relationship with Jesus. It's an inspiration 00:29:13.420 --> 00:29:18.240 to all of us. But yet we constantly, living in 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:22.099 our everyday lives, focus on our what? Our pain 00:29:22.099 --> 00:29:25.880 and our obstacles and our struggles rather than 00:29:25.880 --> 00:29:31.299 our praise. And all of that changes when we pause 00:29:31.299 --> 00:29:35.799 to realize that gratitude is the key. Gratitude 00:29:35.799 --> 00:29:41.559 is the key to us moving from problems to praise. 00:29:41.880 --> 00:29:50.460 Will you stand with me? See, I believe that all 00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:53.599 of us brought pain into this place this morning, 00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:58.099 even those of you watching online. And I believe 00:29:58.099 --> 00:30:02.099 that God wants to release that pain from our 00:30:02.099 --> 00:30:03.599 hearts. It could be something from our past. 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:06.180 It could be a decision we made yesterday. It 00:30:06.180 --> 00:30:08.279 could be an argument we had with our spouse. 00:30:08.599 --> 00:30:10.480 It could be unforgiveness. It could be regret, 00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:15.500 whatever it may be. It's still pain, and Jesus 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:19.849 still sees it and is... Drawing near. But we 00:30:19.849 --> 00:30:22.609 have to choose to lay it down. We have to choose 00:30:22.609 --> 00:30:25.289 to seek forgiveness. We have to choose to move 00:30:25.289 --> 00:30:27.609 on if we want to walk in abundance. Otherwise, 00:30:27.750 --> 00:30:30.470 we're going to just be proclaiming our problems 00:30:30.470 --> 00:30:37.130 rather than shouting our praise. And as we shout 00:30:37.130 --> 00:30:40.049 our praise, that's good news for others to hear 00:30:40.049 --> 00:30:43.430 and receive so that they can see you as an example 00:30:43.430 --> 00:30:48.019 to follow. So I'm going to invite the Holy Spirit 00:30:48.019 --> 00:30:49.980 to come, and if you have a pain that you're struggling 00:30:49.980 --> 00:30:51.579 with, I'm going to invite you to lay it down. 00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:54.980 And then I'm going to pray that the Holy Spirit 00:30:54.980 --> 00:30:59.420 overwhelms your heart and your mind, and that 00:30:59.420 --> 00:31:03.220 you have the faith to not only lay it down, but 00:31:03.220 --> 00:31:06.819 shout praises back to God. Holy Spirit, come. 00:31:08.839 --> 00:31:11.680 Reveal to us, God, any areas of our hearts that 00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:16.200 are in pain, that are broken. that are struggling. 00:31:19.859 --> 00:31:22.779 God, we choose as an act of our will to lay that 00:31:22.779 --> 00:31:26.859 down. And now, Holy Spirit, we ask that God, 00:31:26.880 --> 00:31:31.140 you would invade our hearts, our minds, and set 00:31:31.140 --> 00:31:35.859 us free. Set us free from the pain of the past, 00:31:35.900 --> 00:31:39.319 the pain of the present, the fear of the future. 00:31:40.920 --> 00:31:46.369 And may we daily offer back to you praise. For 00:31:46.369 --> 00:31:48.950 all that you do for our lives, in our lives, 00:31:49.069 --> 00:31:52.910 in our families and through us. In Jesus name. 00:31:54.529 --> 00:31:57.569 Amen. Now many of you know that every week we 00:31:57.569 --> 00:31:59.210 believe that God brings people into our midst 00:31:59.210 --> 00:32:01.230 that are distant, far from God and haven't begun 00:32:01.230 --> 00:32:03.869 this relationship yet. We're going to pray a 00:32:03.869 --> 00:32:05.750 simple prayer and I want to invite you to pray 00:32:05.750 --> 00:32:08.509 it with all of us. Because today could be your 00:32:08.509 --> 00:32:11.730 day to come into God's family. To be welcomed 00:32:11.730 --> 00:32:15.869 home by Jesus. And you can today start walking 00:32:15.869 --> 00:32:19.549 in that abundance. Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. 00:32:20.029 --> 00:32:25.890 I'm full of doubt, shame, regret, sin. Change 00:32:25.890 --> 00:32:31.190 me. Forgive me. I believe you're God's son. I 00:32:31.190 --> 00:32:36.349 believe you died for me. Make me new. Set me 00:32:36.349 --> 00:32:40.869 free. Fill me with your spirit. Help me, God, 00:32:40.990 --> 00:32:46.359 to serve others. And proclaim your praise. In 00:32:46.359 --> 00:32:50.839 Jesus' name, amen. Now listen, I want to encourage 00:32:50.839 --> 00:32:53.859 all of you that Catherine and Derek are out at 00:32:53.859 --> 00:32:57.519 the compassion table. Go by, have a conversation 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:00.039 with them. Be encouraged by them. Get prayed 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:04.279 for if you need to. Choose a child. Make a difference 00:33:04.279 --> 00:33:06.599 in a child's life in a simple, practical way. 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:09.920 Think about it. Here's Catherine. When through 00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:12.779 the Compassion Program, now is giving back and 00:33:12.779 --> 00:33:16.339 her sponsors, who was sponsoring her monthly 00:33:16.339 --> 00:33:21.119 through a financial gift, now can celebrate what 00:33:21.119 --> 00:33:24.220 God has done in their life. It's life change. 00:33:25.140 --> 00:33:28.140 But it's life change that's happening all around 00:33:28.140 --> 00:33:30.339 the world. Now, there are several words of knowledge 00:33:30.339 --> 00:33:33.039 I want to share with you before we go. Our prayer 00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:36.319 team is here on my right, your left. You have 00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:39.059 a burning sensation in your skin on the lower 00:33:39.059 --> 00:33:43.440 part of your right leg. Left leg. Sorry about 00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:48.619 that. You have right knee pain. You have sciatica 00:33:48.619 --> 00:33:50.940 pain in the lower part of your back on the right 00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:55.119 side. And I was going to have Jay, if he came, 00:33:55.240 --> 00:33:58.240 to pray for, I felt like God wanted to pray for, 00:33:58.440 --> 00:34:02.299 any 19 to 31 -year -olds that feel like you're 00:34:02.299 --> 00:34:05.339 stuck. And last night as we were praying for 00:34:05.339 --> 00:34:08.260 our gatherings, I felt like just because Jay 00:34:08.260 --> 00:34:10.440 wasn't here, I shouldn't pray for that. I'm going 00:34:10.440 --> 00:34:13.920 to pray for that. So if you're a 19 to 31 year 00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:16.760 old and you just feel like you're stuck, you're 00:34:16.760 --> 00:34:18.920 just not making a difference in the life that 00:34:18.920 --> 00:34:21.679 you've been given. I'll be here on your right, 00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:24.980 my left to pray for you because I believe that 00:34:24.980 --> 00:34:27.500 God wants to significantly change and impact 00:34:27.500 --> 00:34:30.440 your life this morning. Now, I want to encourage 00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:32.400 you. We're going to gather tonight for Gather 00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:37.159 2025. Where? At Gateway in Williamsport. Just 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:39.519 because it's not outside at a baseball stadium 00:34:39.519 --> 00:34:41.579 doesn't mean that God wants to impact and change 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:44.099 your life as we worship together. Make it a point 00:34:44.099 --> 00:34:47.159 to be there to celebrate all that God is doing, 00:34:47.260 --> 00:34:49.980 not just in our church, but in many churches 00:34:49.980 --> 00:34:53.239 in the tri -state area. Amen? Stop by the compassion 00:34:53.239 --> 00:34:55.659 table. You heard the words of knowledge. God 00:34:55.659 --> 00:35:00.239 bless you guys. I'll see you next. I remember 00:35:00.239 --> 00:35:04.599 by this grace to where I am really brought me 00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:08.699 to this place. The void was finished. I thought 00:35:08.699 --> 00:35:12.460 it was diminished, but back then I was deep. 00:35:12.699 --> 00:35:15.340 I was deep. I was deep. I was, I was deep in 00:35:15.340 --> 00:35:17.059 the dark. He didn't leave me there. Now step 00:35:17.059 --> 00:35:19.599 in the light. I don't need a fear. Had to die 00:35:19.599 --> 00:35:22.000 to myself just to see it clear. Holy finish hands. 00:35:22.039 --> 00:35:22.920 I'm gonna leave it there. Yeah.