Sunday was all about sharing your Christmas Experience.  We called it Sharing the Window Seat.

If you’ve ever traveled by plane or train, you know what it is like to hold the ever-sacred window seat…it’s the best place to receive the full effect.  But if you’ve already had the pleasure, and you’re traveling with a novice who’s never sat in that seat before, you would gladly give it up for them.

That is an image of our Christian Christmas experience.  If you have received faith in Jesus, if you know the joy that Jesus brings, then this Christmas you should offer someone else a seat that displays the landscape of eternal life.  You may say that others around you know about Jesus, and there are plenty of churches that can help.  But, you are the best guide to help your friend see more clearly.  In fact Jesus has you in their lives for this reason.

When you get together with your friends and families, remember that not everyone around you has a clear view of Jesus.  You may also wonder if they have eternal life.  Share your experience of knowing Jesus with them.  This could be their first real Christmas knowing Jesus.

We want to share a beautiful Christmas Eve service with Kershaw.  I hope you’ll come and bring someone close to you.  You can find out more about us or pass along this website to others that may be interested at www.teamchurchkershaw.com/christmaseve.html

Sunday’s message was about joy during the Christmas season.  It is difficult to always maintain an attitude of joy with all the extras that Christmas brings…extra busyness, stress, socializing, pressure and so on.  Christmas will have come and gone, and we will be left on New Years thinking, “Where did all the time go?  Where was the joy that Christmas usually brings?”  It is sad when we live joyless lives…especially as a Christian.

I used King Herod as an example of a person who’s joy is gone.  Maybe your joy is being sapped too because one or even both of these following reasons have you wrapped up.

Your joy can be sapped when you’re too wrapped up in your self.

Your trying to get it all done…decorations, parties, presents and you find that it doesn’t satisfy.  Trying to always be in control leaves you feeling isolated and exhausted.  Your priorties are completely backward…You focus on yourself and your family first, then others, and then Jesus comes in last.

Perhaps you should repriortize this way  (J)esus, (O)thers, (Y)ourself…that’s a great formula to regain J-O-Y!

Your joy can be sapped when you’re too wrapped up in sin.

People who have ongoing sin in their lives become people hard to love and hard to be around.  Even people with hidden sin are riddled with guilt, and it affects the way they interact with others.  You can’t please God with a sin-filled life, and you’ll never please yourself in the end.

You must remember that Jesus came to the world to save people from their sins…and that means you!  The joy of salvation can belong to you because the angel proclaimed the night of Jesus’ birth that she had:

Good News of

Great Joy

For All People!

I read one of my favorite Proverbs today that reminds me that I can respond to this Christmas season with JOY.  The reality is that an attitude of joy is not automatic; It is a choice.

If I don’t respond with joy, I won’t have joy…  Please meditate with me on this wonderful message:

Proverbs 15:15 (The Message)

¹⁵ A miserable heart means a miserable life;
a cheerful heart fills the day with song.

Sunday’s message was on God’s provision.  There are at least a couple of ways to go with thinking about being provided for…you could say that God is going to give us what He will give us…or you could say God will direct us, empower us, and so on until we get what we need.  On one hand, we expect God to materialize what we need, and on the other hand, we expect that we need to get up and go get what we need.  Both ideas are valid, but I think the most common experience of God’s provision is usually a combination of both divine and human activity.

Take for instance that we want God to provide for us at Team Church in specific ways.  We want to reach people where they are and lead them to full devotion in Christ.  In order for that to be provided, it’s going to take divine intervention.  No way around this one!  God is the only one with transformitive power to get someone out of bed and on the way to a worship service when it’s not part of their nature or routine.  On the other hand, it’s going to take Team Church folks doing something too.  People get up and go setup the gym starting at 8 am.  The band has rehearsed, the messages are prepared, greeters have on their smiles.  All this and more is done in faith and obedience prior to that newcomer walking through the door.

Now think about that man, woman, or child who was lying in their bed.  They haven’t been close to God, but something is going on in their lives that made them lie awake and pray…“God if you’re real, if you’re there, show me.” In essence they need God to provide for them.  God has provided a warm inviting and inspirational meeting place at Team Church, but they need to go!

Do you see how all this divine intervention and human activity leads to awesome provision?  Out of Genesis 22 I saw that God was pleased to provide for Abraham when he

• Acted in Faith
• Withheld Nothing
• Obeyed right away.

For God to be Jehovah Jireh…which means the God who provides, are you acting in faith today?  Are you withholding some area that needs to be released completely to God?  Sometimes we can’t move on, until we let go.  And are you obeying God right away, or do you trust Him only as a last ditch option?

I asked everyone Sunday to think about the battles that they personally face.  For some, physical and emotional battles rage from the moment they wake up until they burn out to sleep.  A battle that you don’t always think about facing is a spiritual one that Christians face just by being part of the Church.  By definition, if you are on Jesus’ side, the world hates you, and Satan is against you.  So, whether we’re asking for trouble or not, we shouldn’t be surprised that Christians face many hard battles.

Now, I want you to answer a question:  How would facing your battles be different if you had some encouragement?

I think about the reality tv show, The Biggest Loser.  Those contestants are able to lose weight, build muscle and regain self-esteem all because they have a motivational personal trainer.  With that kind of encouragement (and it’s not always the lovey-dovey kind) they are able to achieve things they could have never done on their own.

So, how could you fight your daily struggles differently if you had the right kind of coach? In Exodus 17, the Israelites were so encouraged by God that even though they were ill-equipped and untrained for war, they were victorious as God cheered them on.  Moses named that place Jehovah Nissi…which means The Lord is My Banner.  In other words, The Lord, Himself rallied the troops to victory.

Take a look at this video clip from The Patriot…It displays how someone carrying the US banner into the battle motivates the troops to run straight into the heart of the fight.

Now, I hope you’ll discover that God wants to encourage you in those physical, emotional and certianly the spiritual battles you’re facing right now.