Gratitude | Week 1

Ready to discover the transformative power of gratitude? Buckle up as we take you on a journey of exploration into the significance of Thanksgiving holiday and how we can harness the power of gratitude in every aspect of our lives. We share our unique experiences of celebrating Thanksgiving in different parts of the world, and how diverse foods add to the beauty of this holiday. We also draw inspiration from Colossians, emphasizing on the essence of giving thanks to God in everything we do. We liken God's blessings to gravy that enhances everything around us, making our lives more flavorful.

As we accelerate our journey of gratitude, we narrate the inspiring story of Sharon, a missionary who's planting churches in Germany, and her profound lessons on gratitude. We uncover the relevance of a grateful heart drawing from the sacred texts of Colossians 3 and our humbling experiences in Sudan. We challenge you to reflect on your blessings and express gratitude, highlighting the importance of humble worship. On a lighter note, we share a delightful video of church members dancing, offering you a glimpse into the joy that gratitude can bring into your life.

As we navigate the winding roads of gratitude, we delve into its impact on our perspective and character. We help you realize the importance of expressing gratitude for our relationship with God and how it can shape our attitudes. We discuss how we can employ our material possessions as a blessing to bless others, fostering an attitude of abundance rather than scarcity. We conclude our journey with a heartwarming prayer and communion discussion, reminding us all to express gratitude for God's love and provision. So, are you ready to embark on this journey of gratitude with us?

CCC Social links

Cornerstone
https://www.cornerstoneaz.org/

Follow Jesus
https://www.cornerstoneaz.org/follow-jesus

Life Groups 
https://www.cornerstoneaz.org/life-groups

Giving 
https://cornerstoneaz.churchcenter.com/giving

Church Center App - Download then add Cornerstone Christian Center in Avondale, AZ

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-church-center/id1357742931?mt=8&ls=1&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Android 
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ministrycentered.churchcenter

----

Instagram 
https://www.instagram.com/cornerstoneaz

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/cornerstoneaz.org

Twitter
https://twitter.com/cornerstoneaz.org

Transcript

Pastor Jason Brown: 0:00

Are you living with gratitude? You know, it's that time of year, it's right in front of the big turkey day. Are you guys ready? You guys ready for turkey day? This is a hard no from this side. Wow, okay, we're gonna try. Oh no, you know what Like? It's amazing, thanksgiving. It's coming together, it's people together at the table, it's family, it's friends.

Pastor Jason Brown: 0:23

When we lived abroad, in the Middle East, we would have people over and we did the same thing, actually, as we lived in Europe, because Thanksgiving is an American holiday, you guys realize. So the rest of the world doesn't know what Thanksgiving is. They don't do it. The Canadians do it, but they do it in October. So we go and we celebrate with them, get a little bit of Thanksgiving and then come and have Thanksgiving again. It's great, it's wonderful. And so we'd have friends from all different countries coming and being together at the table, together involved, enjoying and having an opportunity to say thanks and talk about what we're grateful for. And I tell you, man, it's a powerful thing. You bring all that food together. There's something strong about it. You know what I'm talking about, man, we would have these huge turkey and I mean, how do people are the turkey people. You know what I mean. Like this is it. The turkey is the one and we had huge turkey. When we had turkey and I'm not joking we would have turkey so big. It was like a small horse. It was huge. It fed a gigantic amount of people. It was so big and crispy and perfect. And I spent so much time ordering that from a restaurant. It was really. It was awesome guys. But they would do stuff in Middle East. They don't know. They had oranges and strawberries and stuff. I'm like what is this garnish man? This is weird, but it was good. It was so, so good. And some people were hyped up about the turkey. They would see it. They'd get all excited about it.

Pastor Jason Brown: 1:41

Other people they're not turkey people. They are mashed potato people. How many people are mashed potato people? This is where they live. You guys are mashed potato every day. You guys don't do ice cream, you do a cone with mashed potatoes. I know what you're at. You guys are strong. You're a strong move, very strong. Other people they're skippin' all that. They are stuffing people. How many people are stuffing people? And you guys are doing bread with a side of bread, appetizer of bread, also bread for dessert. I know where you're at. I hear you. I tell you this.

Pastor Jason Brown: 2:09

Unfortunately, all of you are wrong, because I am a gravy person and I am pro gravy Anybody pro gravy and the reason gravy wins is because gravy makes everything better. You can take terrible things like a biscuit that's like a rock and you can hit it with a hammer. You pour gravy on it and it's wonderful. You see what happens. And if somebody doesn't know how to kick a bird, don't point it at anybody, and it's dry and you can't choke it down. And you pour gravy on it and now it's wonderful. You see what happens.

Pastor Jason Brown: 2:43

I was thinking about this. I was thinking about all the good things you get to enjoy at a Thanksgiving and I was realizing that, man, all the blessings that I experienced in my life, that it's the gravy that God gives. He makes everything so much better and he's the one that gives more that you already think. I have all this stuff. And then the gravy comes, the extra blessing comes and I'm like man, this is amazing, it's the next level, goodness, can someone say a meant to that? And so, as we talk about this idea of a new theme of gratitude that's what we're talking about is this idea of being those with a heart towards God.

Pastor Jason Brown: 3:20

If you have your Bible, your tablet, your phone, you're looking this morning and be taking a look together from Colossians 3. It says this in verse 17,. And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, the Father. Through him, today, we are answering that question. Are you living with gratitude, lord? We thank you so much for your word, lord. We pray upon it today. Holy Spirit, have your way in us. You'd breathe upon it and make it alive and rena and transformative for us, lord, that we would be transformed more into your image. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well welcome. We are so glad that you are with us.

Pastor Jason Brown: 4:08

We are thankful for you, and I was thinking about this for your Thanksgiving that's coming up, and I just want to tell you that I am praying that you have an amazing Thanksgiving. I pray that the grace and the peace of God would be upon you and that you would just have a moment of togetherness with your family, that it'd be a powerful time and it wouldn't be something that you stress about, but instead would be something where you relax in the peace of God and that he would just rest over you and that even he would guide the conversation, even whenever things get might maybe get heated or a little bit of friction, that he would give you the grace and that you'd be able to have that moment of togetherness anyways. How many people would say amen to that? Amen, we're so glad you're with us here at Cornerstone. You know, we just came out of a Kingdom Builders missions convention. How many people are thankful for that. Such an amazing time, be able to see the impact of this church in the world and all that we get to do by partnering together. It's a powerful thing, and I'll say this we put out some opportunities to make a faith promise there in your seats, if you're here in the room for those that didn't get a chance to participate. It's what we do beyond our giving back to the Lord in tithes. We give beyond that ingenuosity so other people can know the love and the message of Jesus Christ, and so we do that collectively. We collectively are powerful, more powerful than any one of us individually. So we bring all of it together and we're able to support many, many more missionaries and ministries across the world because of it.

Pastor Jason Brown: 5:34

In fact, this week I got a chance to talk to one of our missionaries. She happened to be in town for just one week and she actually is in Germany. They've planted a church many times. This is like her third or fourth church that she's planted. Her name is Sharon and they partner with the red box and sharing the testimony of what God is doing right in the middle of Berlin, in Germany, and people don't believe and so they're experiencing one after the other of people experiencing the love of God, the transformation of God and that story in their life. And I was talking with her about it and she was just sharing, saying thank the people, pastor Jay, thank them for participating in giving the love of God to other people. She's one of the many people we support. So thank you for making a faith promise and you're praying to the Lord. It's not anyone's gonna track you down, it's you're praying to the Lord, saying Lord, how can I be a part of missions giving? This year? Between our two services last week, we saw $107,000 in faith promises towards missions. How amazing is that Saying, hey, we wanna be a part, we wanna participate in taking the gospel message to others.

Pastor Jason Brown: 6:37

I love the scripture that we used last week it said this 1 Corinthians, 2, 15. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. That's who we are called to be, is the aroma of Christ we talk about often that none of us is perfect, that all of us are in need of a savior because we are on a journey with Christ. None of us has arrived. We're still following after him where he's leading us to go. We are people that want to be more like Jesus, and we do that by loving God and making disciples and reaching the world, and so that's what we're intentional about and that's what makes us as a community of faith. That's what drives us is to be obedient to what Christ has called us to be, and so in doing so, we are those that want to have a heart and an attitude of gratitude. And so we're looking again here at the scripture and taking a look at what that means.

Pastor Jason Brown: 7:32

And as we pick up here in Colossians 3, we actually back up a little bit back to verse 12. And it actually starts with some very insightful ideas about character and about the character of God. It's just put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. As the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. It continues in verse 14. It says, and above all, these put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony, and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which, indeed, you were called to one body, and be thankful. It says let the word of Christ dwell in you, richly teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and thankfulness in your hearts to God. And then it follows up with what we just read and whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, the Father, through him. What a powerful admonition, what a powerful challenge to us that we would be those that are living with gratitude.

Pastor Jason Brown: 8:58

I started this year actually in Sudan. I was in Khartoum with friends of ours that were pastoring in the city, and this was literally three weeks before the civil war broke out. The very airport that I flew back out of to go home was a bombed-out shell. Three weeks later, and we were there. We were with pastors, we were with the church and it was a powerful time. We were praying together and experiencing the power of God, experiencing the hand of God on this amazing church. And friends of ours they're from Paraguay, they're actually leaders of the church there. We were friends together pastoring in Alexandria, egypt, for years, and so we're good personal friends and so we had this opportunity to come and to worship together there, and I was there in the church.

Pastor Jason Brown: 9:37

I took these videos and it was of us in having this opportunity to come and worship together and it's just mud, brick walls and it's just thatch sticks as a roof. In fact, this is more like a carport area for someone that they allowed us to use for a church. There is no running water in this area. There's no sanitation in the way that we would think of it. It's more like an outhouse situation.

Pastor Jason Brown: 10:02

There's very little as way of education for some of these kids and most of them don't know where their meal's gonna be. In fact, that's one of the things that we provide for them is a meal after service, and it's something that they would really celebrate together and powerful thing, and all the while smiles on their face, worshiping the Lord. They didn't think about all the things they didn't have. They were worshiping the Lord, thankful for what they did have, which is each other and this moment to worship God. It was so challenging to me, and all the things that I have and all the places that I've been, and to have a reframing moment like this that says it's not about all this other thing, it's about this heart after God. It's about having the right perspective, the right attitude, a new perspective. It was a challenge. In fact, it was really amazing because after service they got into a really cool dance Show.

Pastor Angus MacLeod: 11:00

The video ["Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"]. ["dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"]. ["dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"]. ["dance of the Sugar.

Pastor Jason Brown: 11:12

Plum Fairy"], ["dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"], and some of you guys couldn't buy that much rhythm if it was for sale. You know what I mean. I'm sorry, brings a question what are you thankful for? What are you thankful for? And I like this idea of count your blessings. It's a really old song Count your blessings, name them one by one.

Pastor Jason Brown: 11:34

You know, I had this moment this week and I was just really thinking about this a few weeks ago, as we were kind of headed up this direction and I was looking at old pictures and start reminiscing, as you might do as a parent or grandparent, as you an aunt or an uncle, and I started thinking about it. And then this week I got to take this picture of my kids. It was a really amazing moment. It was a time where we were there supporting my daughter Shiloh. She's in a school musical theater production and that was one that actually our own Annie McLeod was the one that's the director for that. So we were using her skills and abilities as a teacher and we got to be there and I took the snap of my kids and I'd take 1,000 pictures. They can tell you they're in all sorts of pictures, but there's some. That about what started to think about what this picture meant to me and the blessing they are in my life and the blessings that God has done in their lives and what he's doing now as a blessing in their life, and what he's going to do is a blessing in their life because he's a God who keeps his promises. And I was just overcome with counting my blessings, so very thankful, and I think, as a parent or a grandparent, as an honor or uncle, as someone who loves someone like this, you understand exactly what I'm talking about and you fill in the picture with your own loved ones. But I was so very thankful for these blessings that God has given to me, to entrust to me, and I was thinking about how we live and how what kind of reflection of God we are and what does that show to my kids about how we should live for God.

Pastor Jason Brown: 13:19

And I was thinking about all this stuff because it gets us out of our idea of it's just we're stuck. In fact, it starts to give us an opportunity to really embrace all that God has for us, because every day is a new blessing, it's a new opportunity. In fact, you think about that. It's a brand new day Today is that for you. It's a new day, it's a new opportunity, a new start. You can have a new perspective. You don't have to wait till January 1st or your birthday or some other mythical day. Today can be that day for you. You don't have to wait till the end of the day. It can be right now that you're like no, this is the new way, this is a new perspective, this is a new opportunity. I'm gonna take advantage. I'm gonna start right now, having a different perspective on how things are.

Pastor Jason Brown: 14:09

In fact, I was there thinking about it and started just to list things down that had been a blessing in my life. The blessings that I started to count on were things that I really take for granted most days, but really they're a huge blessing to me. I was thinking about the fact that I had shelter. You know there's so many that are unhoused that don't have the shelter that I have, and I had shelter that morning as I woke up and as I was thinking about it. The fact that I had shelter, not just for me but for my family, and that I had water in my taps. I could walk over and open the tap and the water was not only available was also clean and I could drink it. Now I was thinking about all those kids in Sudan that didn't have running water in that way. In fact, a big old drum, like a big metal drum, would be hauled by a donkey cart with kids riding on top of it. That's how they got the water to where they were and they would stop and they'd fill up a bucket from there. You know of other places where they'll walk to the water source and even when they get that water, it's still not clean. And I think about places, even here in the Native American reservations, that still don't have clean water like that, and that's why we partner with places like that to be able to see that they would have the very things that they would need.

Pastor Jason Brown: 15:27

I thought about the food that I had that morning. I had availability. I opened up my fridge and there's food inside. Open up my pantry and there's food inside, and I said thank you, lord. Thank you, lord, for all this choice I have of what to eat today, for all this thing that you've given to me.

Pastor Jason Brown: 15:45

I walked into my closet and I was like man, I have clothes to wear today. I have choices of what to wear today and I was thinking about that. I was thinking about how I had shoes on my feet and an opportunity and I have health, I had strength, I can get up and go. Even if I'm not 100%, I still have my health for me and I was thinking about that. I was thinking about the blessing I have with my family and my friends, and I have a job and I have skills that God has given me and I'll give the opportunity to have and develop, and the giftings that he's given to me that are uniquely mine and uniquely yours, and the time that he's given me that new day is a blessing. I was thinking about all those things. I hadn't even done anything that morning yet and I was already living in abundance from blessings from God.

Pastor Jason Brown: 16:35

And see, sometimes what it means is that we have to realize that we live in abundance, man, if you don't realize, maybe, that there are people that they give up everything just to come to this country for the opportunity this country makes, that's what the tapestry of different cultures and colors and amazing backgrounds makes us so strong as a nation. It makes us beautiful and unique and it gives us such an amazing advantage to have that American dream, to work for it and to have the freedoms for it. It's amazing and we live in this abundance. In fact, we are so much further ahead than everyone else on the planet. It's just crazy.

Pastor Jason Brown: 17:13

When you look at it like this, you see some reports from 2021. This is the earning potential that we have whenever you pan it out across all of our people. Even an older statistic shows us this, even from 2011, where if you're someone who has more than $2 a day that you live on, then you are not poor, but you are actually in the wealthier percentage of the world. If you live off $20 a day, you see in this next image, you're actually rich and we don't think that. We don't feel like that because we look at this person and that person and the other person and we feel the difference. But really, whenever you are born in this country or live in this country, have opportunity here to work here, you already hit the jackpot versus the world. You already have the blessing of everyone else and many times we don't even realize it, but we're already living in abundance. You are living in abundance and so it changes our mindset, it changes our mentality to be those that say, hey, I'm going to see myself as someone living in abundance, living in the blessing of God, living in a different kind of perspective, and not woe is me, I don't have this, I don't have that, I don't have the other thing. But living in abundance, what do you say to that? Amen.

Pastor Jason Brown: 18:38

And we start looking at it, we start thinking about how much it is, all the things that we have. In fact, you know, I'll tell you, I like nice stuff, anybody like nice stuff, and the other people are lying. That's unfortunate man. You guys just like garbage, stuff they have to throw away. No problem, it's okay. Don't worry about it. You're in church. Move away from those people. No, I'm just joking. See, the idea is this that we realize that stuff is fun, it's good, it's great. But whenever we don't get owned by stuff, then it's fine, it's a blessing and actually can be a blessing.

Pastor Jason Brown: 19:12

Through our hands, man, we think about all the stuff that we have at our fingertips. It's marketed to you all the time, right by me, by this, by that, but it was. Christmas is coming right. The Black Friday sale has been on since January. It's been on forever and they're going and it's ordering. It's going to be your house and you're mad if it's not there in a half an hour. You know what I'm talking about.

Pastor Jason Brown: 19:32

And it's hard because we start to live that way. We think like that. We have this gratification thing that goes on and we have to separate ourselves from that. I'm thankful for this. I'm thankful for the jobs and for all the things that happen. Man, we have a great industry right here in our neighborhoods in Goodyear and Avondale and other places. Doing this kind of work is awesome. But guess what? It's fine if we don't let it be the thing we live for and we realize that we are not our stuff.

Pastor Jason Brown: 19:57

This stuff is just a blessing that could be used through our hands. In fact, when you start to reframe that, that's when you sit down and you start to do that fall cleaning right at your house, and you start to go through your stuff and you're like you know what, someone else could use this, someone else could use this. And you start to give and to pass those things on and I don't mean like garbage things, I mean like give good things because you're like you know what? I've been blessed by this, someone else could be blessed by this too. Or you keep your hands open like this because whenever the Lord gives you things, you're able to give them on and you are blessed the whole time it happens. And I love this perspective because whenever you start to change and think about yourself living in abundance, living with gratitude, it changes everything for you, because it changes your mentality of how you live for God. When we look back to the scripture, we start to pick up here, and I love what the psalmist says in Psalm 118. It says oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Pastor Jason Brown: 20:59

Something that I put on lots of social media is his hashtag the Lord be praised. And it comes out of a difficult season for me where we were going through everything difficult and it felt like nothing was going for us. Everything seemed like it was against us, and we realized that you don't just praise God in the middle of the good times, you praise God in all circumstances. And so we just started saying the Lord be praised. They're like, hey, this thing is falling apart, this other situation is not going well, none of these plans are working. The Lord be praised Is in the midst of all this. The Lord is still going to be praised. I'm still going to have my eyes towards him. I'm still going to have my heart towards him. I'm still going to be aligned with what he is doing. I'm still going to have an attitude of gratitude, a mentality of abundance, because that is what he has for me, that we would be.

Pastor Jason Brown: 21:45

That kind of perspective it picks up here. We start thinking about a couple of things today. I want to bring them to us and think about them, three areas of which we should be very, very thankful. Have a heart of gratitude. First is our relationship with God. As we picked up here in the scripture, in Colossians 3, verse 12, we start talking about attitudes by which we should be living for God. It's actually characteristics that are listed here and we think about this. Put on then, as God's chosen ones.

Pastor Jason Brown: 22:14

What Holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience All these things come from having a relationship with God, an active relationship with Him. See, be thankful because your relationship with God doesn't have to go through anyone else. It goes directly to Him. You don't have to go through me, you don't have to go through someone. You get to go directly to the source. And that's how you have these kind of characteristics, is you spend time with God. And as you spend time with God, he rubs off on you and he is holy and he is good and he is kind and he is compassionate and he is kind, he is do. All these things are. And if you spend time with him, they become who you are too. And so the first thing we give thanks for, we have gratitude after, is a relationship with God.

Pastor Jason Brown: 23:08

What does it say? It says bearing with one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. Because you have been forgiven, you must all so forgive. Man. You think about so many things in my life that I've needed forgiveness for Attitudes, perspectives, mean things I've said mean things that I've thought other perspectives, the way I've treated someone, and I've needed forgiveness for those things. I'm so very thankful that we have a God who forgives us and loves us that we too would be those that live with the same forgiveness. Here's the thing don't keep holding on to those chains, to the heaviness, to that burden. Instead, give it over to the Lord. The Lord is just. The Lord is the one he will see that everything gets sorted out. The Lord is just Forgive them. Let that thing go. So whenever you see someone face to face. You can love them with the love of God and you don't have that heaviness on you and then when you're done eating turkey, don't pick it back up, but leave it there and walk in the forgiveness and the freedom of God, a relationship with the living God.

Pastor Jason Brown: 24:31

The second area that we look at today is that the fact that we get to worship God together. We get to worship God together and we've lived in many different countries and part of that is traveling around the world we realize that you don't get this right that we have here to worship God together. In fact, in many places you're not allowed to assemble like this at all. You're not allowed to worship the Lord together, and none of you got your passport or your papers checked on the way into this building, did you? But you do in other places and the police and the secret police will track you and wanna know what's going on and keep you from assembling because they don't have the freedoms that we have, and these are freedoms that were bought with a great price by people that prayed the price so we could have the freedom that we do today, that we have that freedom to be able to meet together and to worship together in a way that we want to, because we have that freedom here, that it's a blessing from God that he instilled in people's hearts to fight for that freedom. That the government doesn't tell you how to worship God but you get to worship God to him directly. That we get to come together and worship the Lord, be full of the spirit of God and encourage one another. That we have that freedom, that we have that encouragement. We have that blessing to do.

Pastor Jason Brown: 25:42

Now, when you think about it like this, you look here in scripture we go back to Colossians 3, it says in verse 14, and above all, these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony, and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which, indeed, you were called. One body and be thankful. I like this because it's the unity piece that we're talking about here. It's that we are called to be united as Christ. We're called to be one together, not apart, not broken apart and blaming each other, but be the very example of what it is to give grace and love and forgiveness to each other.

Pastor Jason Brown: 26:23

Sometimes it's the hardest place is church, because church people nah, you know better, man, when I was growing up, so many people they knew as a pastor's kid. They'd be like church people, a bunch of hypocrites. Why? Because the outside looks at you and they say they should know better, they should act different. They're not wrong, but here's the thing that we would realize the plank in our own eye before trying to take the speck out of someone else's, and we would check our own heart. And then we would be those that forgive, first having experienced the grace and forgiveness of God, and see what the difference happens whenever we're united and have one heart after God that others would know him, united together.

Pastor Jason Brown: 27:11

The third area that we look at today for just a moment is this that we have the word of God. We have the word of God. If you don't even think about it sometimes. We have this Bible, we have the app on our phone. We have this different thing. We don't even think about how it got to us.

Pastor Jason Brown: 27:27

This got to us at great cost. People were burned at the stake to get us a Bible in the language that we can read. They paid with their lives because before that the power was with the clergy, was with the royals, and they only allowed people to hear what the Bible said. They knew whatever I told you, it said in a language that you didn't really understand, and so it was only the people up front and with power that could do that. Instead, they fought and they pleaded and they made it happen so that they could actually put a Bible in your hands so you yourself can read the word of God, can check what I'm telling you the word of God says for yourself, can hear from the Lord yourself, can show someone else the word of God and pour over your life every day. What a powerful thing, what amazing thing, a blessing from God. We think about all that he's given us with the word of God and the transformation of the word of God, and how we enter a quiet time. We have that time to be able to pour over us, change us, transform us. What an amazing thing. What an amazing thing that we have this opportunity in front of us to spend time with the living God. In a way he tells us to live. That we would apply it so that we get the blessings of living for God.

Pastor Jason Brown: 28:47

It says it like this in scripture. It says in Colossians 3, 16, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. What do we talk about? Living in abundance. See, it's not just in monetary means. Whenever you live with the word of God in you, you are living richly, full of the word and the wisdom, the knowledge of God. It's something that's so much more valuable than even how much is in your bank account or how much is in your pocket. It is how much of the word of God is in you, how much of the spirit of God is in you. Are you living richly in abundance with him? It's just teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. Admonishing is encouraging and correcting in love. It's this idea that we would come together. That's why we do life groups the way we do, that we'd be intentional in growing in our relationship with God.

Pastor Jason Brown: 29:33

It says in all wisdom and applying that to our lives singing Psalms and hymns and rap music and rap music. Wait, what does this say? Oh, hams, yeah, yeah, cool. You know hams were like bar tunes, right that we put Christian music to. Did you guys know? You guys realize that You're like um da, dum da, um da. Praise the Lord. It's because they knew the tune, so they redeemed the tune and that's how it became the tune we know today that we hold as sacred. All, all, all, all right. And so when we think about that, man, sometimes it is really the words and the intentionality behind it, cause there is all sorts of like rock music and rap music said that actually is after the word of God, after the heart of God. It's like, wow, love Jesus. And you're like, all right, yes, praise the Lord.

Pastor Jason Brown: 30:21

Spiritual song, spiritual song Some of you guys are listening. It's like You're like, yes, it's on Jesus. You're like spiritual song. The Lord be praised. You guys want to talk Search music. Here's the thing In every part of who we are, at everything that we involve ourselves in, let the Lord be used through it. So, man, listen to your Christian rock music, listen to your Christian rock music, listen to your worship music, listen to your Christian country music. Let the word of God flow through all those avenues of creativity. Let the word of God wash over you. See what happens, see how it changes, how you feel in your perspective, as you see an abundance of time spent with God radiate out of you. I think it will transform your life in more ways than you realize.

Pastor Jason Brown: 31:15

And so, as we go back to that scripture, we look at the end of it. What does it say? It says with thankfulness in your hearts to God. It's about intentionality, that we would be those that do all these things with intentionality, in thankfulness to God. It's a worship, an act of our hearts when we ask that question are you living with gratitude? That's how we answer today. And we go back to verse 17, says whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, the Father, through Him, that we would be those full of gratitude in every part of our lives.

Pastor Jason Brown: 32:00

Today, as we come towards this altar, we're coming to have sacrament together, as we come to the communion table, and we do so not flippantly. It's something important to us. It's something where we come to these elements of the bread and the cup. We come so with a heart of repentance. It says that we're called to have clean hands and a clean heart before God. So we come intentionally, remembering the great sacrifice that was made on our behalf.

Pastor Jason Brown: 32:29

And maybe you're here and you've never made a decision to follow Jesus. Today is your opportunity. It's your opportunity to really transform your life, to really take an opportunity to embrace the new creation that he wants to make you to be, and so I'm encouraged you to answer that question of have you embraced Jesus? No one can answer it for you not your neighbor, not your friend, not your spouse, not your family. It's for you that you would make that decision today to follow Jesus. Let me encourage you make that decision. It's the decision you've been looking for. Or maybe you're here and you haven't made a decision in the past, but then you walked away from living for God. Let me encourage you that today, that you would recommit your life to living for Him.

Pastor Jason Brown: 33:20

The apostle Paul writes it like this to the church at Rome. He says because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart and God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified. With the mouth one confesses and is saved. See, friends, for us the symbol of the cross is one of freedom. It's one of transformation and grace. It's one where he took all of our sin and all of our mistakes. He took mine, he took yours and he paid for it once and for all upon the cross. And he did so because he loved us. See before that it was a whole series of sacrifices and he paid for all those things. He literally broke open the veil so that we could be directly connected to the Father through Him and His sacrifice.

Pastor Jason Brown: 34:09

And so whenever we make this prayer and we dedicate our lives to Him, it's one done in faith, but it's one that's a real decision, saying, jesus, I invite you into my life, I want you to transform me and I want you to be in every part of who I am so that you would be the Lord of my life. I encourage you that you would make that decision today. I'm gonna ask, if you're here in the room, if you just stand right where you're at and bow your heads, if you're online today, that you just prepare your heart for what God wants to do. If you're here in the room and you'd like to make that decision, to ask Jesus into your life, if you just slip your hand up right where you're at, I just wanna acknowledge you just to say yes, I wanna embrace Jesus today. That's. You see those hands. Thank you, lord, for people making decision. Thank you, lord, for people making decision today. Thank you, jesus. See the two hands, the three hands that are here. Thank you, lord, for people. Amen.

Pastor Jason Brown: 35:14

It's a simple prayer. I'm gonna ask everyone to pray it. It goes like this Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you In Christ, amen. I pray Amen, amen. Friends, we rejoice with you that made a decision to follow Christ today. What a powerful, powerful thing. And if that was you and you made a decision to follow Christ, let me encourage you. We have some resources for you, right back here at this prayer banner. I wanna put it into your hands so you can live successfully after God. If you're online, just message us. We wanna send those things to you so you can live after God in a successful way For all of us.

Pastor Jason Brown: 36:11

As we head to the altar, we're gonna have a time of worship. It's a time of being able to reflect and invite Christ into our lives. That we would be those that say Lord, search me, reveal to me anything that separates me away from you, but that I would make everything right and ask the Lord to forgive, so that I can come to this table with pure hands and a pure heart. Lord, we thank you so much for your word. We thank you, lord, for the challenge. It is, lord, to understand, lord, our perspective, to have a perspective of gratitude, an attitude of gratitude, a heart of gratitude, lord, to realize that we live in great abundance, lord, both monetarily, lord, as well as spiritually. And so, lord, that we would use our lives for you, that we would live set apart unto you. Lord, we pray that in every way, in every aspect, you would search our hearts today, lord, that you reveal to us any shortcomings so we can make them right. So, as we come to this table, we do so, lord, with a heart after you, to remember the great sacrifice you had for us. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Pastor Jason Brown: 37:15

As we come to the Lord's table together today, if you're here in the room, you have some communion elements, or two-part element like this the top of the cup you can peel back the plastic and reveal the wafer. The foil will reveal the cup. You don't have to be a member of this church, or any church, rather, in order to participate in communion, but we do ask that you be a Christ follower, and the reason is because we hold these things as sacred, remembering the great sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf, apostle Paul, writing to the Church of Corinth, says this for our receive from the Lord. But I also delivered a gift from the Lord and I also have a gift from the Lord. And I also have a gift from the Lord and I also have a gift from the Lord and I also delivered to you that, the Lord Jesus.

Pastor Jason Brown: 38:03

On the night when he was betrayed, he took bread. When he'd given thanks, he broke it and said this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me, for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. I'm asked Pastor Angus, our family pastor, to pray over the bread today.

Pastor Cindy Brown: 38:39

Lord, we thank you so much that you gave your body for us, lord, that in doing so you provided for our healing. And, god, we know that there are so many here today that are in need of a touch from you. And so, lord, as we remember the sacrifice of your body for us, we claim that healing power for us and for our loved ones, and we thank you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. May it take you to the bread.

Pastor Jason Brown: 39:16

That's Pastor Cindy, one of our founding pastors. If she would pray today over the cup.

Pastor Angus MacLeod: 39:23

Father, today we're so thankful, father, that we can share and commune together, father, that we pray, father, that you will bless this God, father, it represents the blood of Jesus, father, and we know that none of us were worthy, none of us could redeem ourselves, father, and it took Jesus, father, it took his death on the cross, lord, his spilt blood, father, to pay for our sacrifice, for the sins of the whole world. And, father, we thank you, lord, that his blood doesn't run out, his power doesn't run out and that it's available for everyone. And we thank you, father, for that. And, father, today we're so grateful, father, for the sacrifice that Jesus made. We thank you, father, that he was able to overcome death, hell and the grave, father, when he rose from the dead. And, father, we give you glory today, father, for the price that Jesus paid. We don't take it for granted, lord, god, and we're grateful and thankful today, father, and we pray, blessing over this today, in Jesus' name.

Pastor Jason Brown: 40:30

Let's take a cup together, lord, we thank you for this cup. We thank you for the spread and for your broken body and your blood shed for us. Lord, we thank you that you are our source and you are our healer, and you are God that heals in every area. Lord, you're the God that heals us in our minds. Lord, we come against anxiety. We claim healing in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we come against brokenness. Lord, in our bodies, we proclaim healing in the name of Jesus. We come against any kind of sickness or disease, lord. We thank you, then. All these things, lord, we are made whole in you. Lord, we thank you for your provision for us. Lord, you are God who loves us and heals us. Lord, you heal relationships. Lord, you heal perspectives. You heal all these things. We proclaim it today, in the name of Jesus Christ, that all these things are made whole in you and are under the blood. So we thank you for all these things. We proclaim them in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Pastor Jason Brown: 41:34

Hey, if you're new to us or you haven't had a chance to meet, we have a party with a pastor following this service. It's actually going to be just down this hallway to the east side, where our convention, our conference room, is at. I'd love to meet with you, just to connect with you and share with what's going on and get to know you a little bit more. So if you'd like to join us today, that's available to you. The party with the pastor. Before we go, may we pray this blessing over us today the Lord bless you and keep you. Lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. Lord, lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, I pray a blessing upon your church, your people. God, do you empower us by your spirit to live your love out to those around us. We pray all this in the powerful name that is Jesus Christ. Amen, amen. Know this. We love you very much here at Cornerstone. God bless you and happy Thanksgiving.