BEING THANKFUL

Highlights from a message by Pastor John KeatING - Thanksgiving Sunday October 13, 2024

Thanksgiving Day is a day to lay aside those negative challenges of life and focus on the good things and be thankful for them.

Both Heather and I came to the same conclusion, “What time we have left, we want to invest into the Kingdom of God.” If we can contribute to bring people here at Hope Centre Family Church up higher, or closer to God, then that would be everything right there. God is doing a new thing here; can you sense it?

We have been teaching a course on prayer and I’ve learned a lot in my preparation especially about  concerted, intense prayer to bring any situation to its knees and get the victory over it … about our healing, victory over a habit, burden for the lost, a willingness and a hunger to be used in the gifts of the Spirit. These are what a victorious prayer life can bring into our lives.

 I’m thankful to Heather for bearing with me through all these years. I was too often taken up with the pressures of work, to be involved as much as I should have been with the family. She has been my partner for almost fifty years and has been a faithful companion. I know her rewards are in heaven. I’m thankful for my daughter and son and now their spouses and families. We have six grandchildren. We are praying for your family on the prayer wall, too.

I’m thankful for my God-fearing parents, and a community of believers in which I grew up. My mother was determined to have daily family Bible reading and prayer, even when it wasn’t convenient. They were great role models for me. Many times they would invite people to live with us for a period of time, and my parents filled their needs. I am also thankful that God created in me a desire to serve Him.

I also want to thank God for mentors. There were others in my childhood, but I especially want to thank Pastor Jerry and Bev for their continued mentorship. For twenty-four years they have stuck with Heather and I through some heavy issues. I retired in 2012 and was allowed to do what I wanted to. They retired and almost immediately came here at Hope Centre to pastor and train pastors and church leaders. This shows a commitment and their love for Jesus Christ. Sometimes it puts a target on your back when you stand up, uncompromising, for the things of God. They have been faithful to God and God has and will continue to bless them. Pastor Richard and I are blessed to be drawing from their instruction, wisdom, and experience. Pastor Jerry, I hope I will be a true mentor someday as you are now.

Not then, but now I am thankful even for all the difficult things that life threw at us. Some of them were very hard to take. They made me question many things and shook my confidence in myself, my self-worth and my ability to do good. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  He takes what happens to us and brings good out of them. The hard times shows us who we are. When you know that God is on your side, the devil is defeated because the blood of Jesus has already defeated him. He has come to give us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). We must stand therefore with all the spiritual armor on and plead the blood, use the Name of Jesus and fill our mouth, also our spirit and mind, with the Word of God concerning any issue we are dealing with. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Also, I want to thank God today for things we haven’t received yet but have received them. That seems like a contradiction, but as you may already know “faith calls things that are not as though they are.” (Romans 4:17). Faith receives them in the spirit. 

Finally, I want to thank each one of you. Some of you, we are still getting to know, others we’ve known for some time now. I want to get to know all of you better. I want God’s love to permeate all that we do. As one of your pastors, I want to be the shepherd that God has called me to be. I want to be one who lets the love of Jesus always show through. I want to know your abilities, your challenges, your needs, your likes and dislikes so that we move together as one unit closer to God - to build a holy people unto God.

I am aware that the things we do for God’s Kingdom have eternal significance. If you pray and become bold in your faith and just one person comes to God because of your witness, maybe that one person will be the next great evangelist like Billy Graham. We don’t know how God will take our willingness, our efforts here to make great things happen. My hope is that all of us be involved in the activities at Hope Centre Family Church as much as we can.