Christmas Celebration
December 23, 2018
Merry Christmas !
“He Fulfills” is the theme of this Christmas. The celebration started with a short video showing the birth of Jesus. And then sister Rosa, brother Allen and the Praise and Worship Team led the congregation to glorify our King of Heaven.
After that, a video testimony was shown. First, sister Lydia testified that God had transformed her from an impulsive person to a caring one through following the church shepherding pattern and her willingness to follow and pray with the shepherd and leaders.She thanked God for answering her prayers, and that her mother, other family members and clients had all accepted Christ in this year. She said she would keep sharing about Christ to people. Then sister Nohela shared that before she accepted Christ in 2013, her life was broken, aimless and full of disappointment. But after following Jesus, she started to understand God’s plan for her life. Once she heard a voice telling her to share the Gospel when she was praying. She has forgiven her family and their relationship has been restored. Thank God that her family accepted Christ during the Medical Relief in Roxas in 2016. Lastly, brother Wai Hong shared how God has blessed him abundantly. Through the eight years of struggle with exams to become a chartered architect, God has shown him that He is his wisdom and strength. It is clear that God cares for his life more than his exams. He also thanked God for having a wonderful wife that loves God so much. Besides, their daughter, Ming Yan, is willing to share God’s goodness, and by doing so, she has brought family members and friends to God.Praise God for His great work upon His people.
Another highlight of this celebration was a dance performance by a group of Filipino sisters. The message of the dance is that Jesus came to set people free. With Christ in us, we all have freedom and are joyful. Praise the Lord !
Then Pastor Gavin preached on the Scripture Matthew 1:22-23. The title of the sermon is “HeFulfills”. As believers, what is important is not how God fulfills our prayers, but our salvation. The purpose of Jesus being born is to bring forth cleansing and forgiveness. Our spirit can be with the Lord forever because of the salvation we receive. Besides, Jesus’ name is Immanuel, meaning “God with us”. God’s original plan is to create people to be with Him. And Jesus is the one who reconciled men to God. In Genesis 15:5-6, God asked Abraham to “count the stars”. The Hebrew word “count” means to tell a story or to relate, which means to tell the story of Jesus who fulfills. Thank Jesus for fulfilling the salvation work for us.
Praise the Lord that 8 visitors accepted Christ in the altar call !
May all the glory be upon our Lord Jesus !
