Today I can only really think of the word “Thankful”. Following this past week’s Easter at Oasis Church I have gone to bed and woke up with only one thing on my mind, and I have opened my day and closed my day with a prayer of thanksgiving. It’s been a long time since I can remember having such a great Easter! All Easters seem to be special, but some stand out like this one.
This year our church made 2,500 phone calls to those on our attendance roll. We sent hundreds of post cards and gave out hundreds of Easter Invites. I am assuming hundreds of us Prayed over this past week. There is no doubt all of these things, and many more, contributed to such a great Easter. Not only did we have 1,000 of our people attend the 3 nights prior to Easter in order to make room for those visiting on Easter Morning, but all 3 Easter Morning services were full. Not just full, but the last two saw not only our Community Café and Auditorium full…but the Lobby filled with chairs and people who did not find a seat inside. I could go on and on about this past Easter but I must say the thing that really put the cherry on top of the day was our Beach Baptism and Concert. We baptized more on Easter Sunday this year than we did the entire year last year. We have a lot to thank God about.
BTW, many of you did not attend Sunday morning for Easter but we had at least 20 people come to Christ in our last two services. To see them coming down the aisle, many in tears, was a sight that I can’t get out of my mind. I want to thank all of you who prayed and continue to pray for Oasis Church. I also want to thank God for all of those who served in so many ways. It was just an amazing weekend.
In light of this, I want to offer up several passages in the Book of Colossians that speak to the subject of the prayer of thanksgiving. First, the Apostle Paul prays a prayer of Thanksgiving for the Colossian Christians. (Colossians 1:3-12) This is my prayer for you and the many who serve at Oasis Church. He goes on in several other places reminding us to be thankful. He then goes on to say that we should not only be devoted to Prayer, but to Thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2, Colossians 3:15, Colossians 3:17)
Would you join me this week in praying prayers of Thankfulness not only for what God did on Easter, but for what He continues to do in our lives and in our church, as well as what He will do in the future as we continue to: “Be and Make Disciples”?
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