It's Celebration Time

Last week Pastor Ed preached the end of our 11th year of church ministry, and as we begin our 12th year for this ministry in service to the Lord, there have been several things that have happened over the years.

I learned this is a place where people come to start their healing. Whatever it is they may need healing from or for.

We’ve had many people come through whether they stayed a couple of weeks, a month, left and came back, went away to college, moved to another city, or another state.

We’ve had musicians come and go and even one who came one Sunday, left church, went to the hospital and his next place of refuge was to be with the Lord. You see, one thing we ask of our musicians is that they know the Lord and have accepted Him as their Savior. We’re not just another gig.

We’ve had celebrations

recognizing our children

church anniversaries

pastor’s anniversary

a women’s conference

and a women’s retreat in the Blue Ridge mountains of GA.

We’ve had various ministries. There’s been

• God Guys, affectionately known has the Double G’s

• Then came God Girls and together they were the God Gang

• the Ladies of Love is our Women’s Ministry

• we’ve had a praise dance ministry and

• a praise team

We’ve baptized new believers and taught them the commands of the Lord. We’ve dedicated babies. And sent up countless prayers to God, and so many He has graciously answered.

We made it through a pandemic, when we gave up our building space and went completely online. Then made it back to renovate yet another building and are now taking on the task of feeding those in need through our food pantry ministry.

We’re making a difference in the community in which we reside. I was in a class, and the facilitator asked the question, “If your church shut down, would the people in the community notice?”

Through our times of plenty and our lean times, God has been faithful, he’s been there with us through it all.

So as we enter our twelfth year, what does the number twelve signify.

The number 12 symbolizes God’s power and authority. It serves as a perfect governmental foundation and can symbolize completeness or the nation of Israel as a whole.

When we look at the Bible, in the Old Testament we see numerous references to the number twelve.

In Gen 17 God makes a promise to Hagar, saying, “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

Gen 35:22tells us Jacob had twelve sons. His 12 sons represented the 12 tribes of Israel. There was Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.

In Ex 39, there is a description of the ephod of gold, blue, and purple and scarlet, and fine twined linen that had four rows of three stones set in it.

• the first row held a stone of sardius, a topaz and a carbuncle

• the second row had an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond

• the third row displayed a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst stone

• and in the fourth row was a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper stone

Each stone represented one of the 12 tribes of Israel.

In the book of Revelation, John describes 12 gates to the city of New Jerusalem, with a pearl atop each gate, also representing the 12-tribes of Israel.

He writes of a wall that is 144 cubits, that would be 12 x 12 and the foundation was adorned with many of the same jewels as the ephod that the Old Testament priests wore.

John also said the city had a tree producing twelve kinds of fruit for the healing of the nations.

When the Israelites crossed through the Jordan River, they took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan and Joshua set them up as a memorial to signify the goodness and deliverance of the Lord. The Red Sea wasn’t the only body of water the Israelites passed through.

There were 12 disciples.

The woman with the issue of blood had been sick for 12 years.

Jairus’s daughter who Jesus was on the way to heal when he had the encounter with the woman with the issue of blood was 12 years old.

The are 12 months in a year.

12 people on a jury

We celebrate the birth of Christ in the twelfth month of the year and

in the song we sing the 12 days of Christmas, which on the surface may seem like folly there is a hidden meaning in each verse.

o The Partridge in a Pear Tree symbolizes Jesus Christ, with the partridge representing Christ's willingness to sacrifice himself and the pear tree symbolizing the cross.

o The Two Turtle Doves represent the Old and New Testaments, highlighting the harmony and connection between the two.

o The Three French Hens signifies the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love (or charity).

o The Four Calling Birds symbolizes the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which spread the good news of Christ's life and teachings.

o The Five Golden Rings represents the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch or the Torah, emphasizing God's covenant with His people.

o The Six Geese A-Laying symbolizes the six days of creation, emphasizing God's power as the creator of the world.

o The Seven Swans A-Swimming represents the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

o The Eight maids a-milking symbolizes the eight Beatitudes preached by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, highlighting the virtues and blessings of a righteous life. You’ll find those in Matt 5

o The Nine Ladies Dancing represents the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

o The Ten lords a-leaping signifies the Ten Commandments, which provide guidance for a moral and righteous life.

o The Eleven Pipers Piping represent The Eleven Faithful Apostles: Peter, Andrew, James the Elder, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the Younger, Simon, and Jude.

o The Twelve drummers drumming represents the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the core beliefs of Christianity.

So you see, the song The 12 Days of Christmas is not just a silly song talking about birds and golden rings and dancing ladies and leaping lords. There is meaning behind each day.

In a time when to be a Christian was a dangerous thing, they had to find ways to pass along messages and to teach each other and their children. Songs were and still are often used to make things easier to remember.

We’re talking about the significance of the number 12.

When Christ finished his teaching on the mount and the feeding the 5,000 men +women and children, they collected 12 baskets of leftovers.

And finally in Revelation there is much more symbolism John saw with the number 12 attached.

So what does this mean to us here at Love Christian Center as we enter our 12th year of ministry.

It means we have much to look forward to. It means we need to look for and expect the blessing of God to show up in a mighty way as we move forward.

It means get ready to see God’s power and authority at work in this ministry.

If we, then He...

If we will do our part and go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything that God has commanded us. If we will remember that God is with us always, even to the end of the age…then God will bless us with increase.

God was there before anything was and he will be there when all is said and done.

If we will obey the Lord our God and

be found where we’re supposed to be,

doing what we’re supposed to be doing,

living a life of obedience, (after all obedience is better than sacrifice)

we will see the blessings of the Lord.

What blessings are those Pastor LaSonja? I’m so glad you asked.

· Your towns and your fields will be blessed.

· Your children and your crops will be blessed.

· The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed.

· Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed.

· Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed.

· Blessed shall you be in the city

· blessed shall you be in the field

· Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock,

· both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock.

· Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

· Blessed shall you be when you come in,

· and blessed shall you be when you go out.

· “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!

· “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain.

· The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

· “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.

· the Lord will make you the head and not the tail,

· you will always be on top and never at the bottom.

Can you see it yet? You have to look with your spiritual eyes. Don’t let what you see today, don’t let what you see in this room dictate to you, don’t let it determine your mindset or discourage your determination to stay, to work, to give, to minister, to grow and to develop in your walk with the Lord.

If you will apply yourself, your gifts, and your talents, then God will be faithful, he will show His power and authority and we will increase. It’s up to you to believe and that belief must lead to action. Saints, when you believe God, when you trust him, He will show up in a mighty way.

The first thought I had about a feeding program was to feed the children during the summer but those programs didn’t fit our ministry. Honestly I thought, Lord we don’t have enough people to take this on. Then I heard Him say, those that work in that ministry don’t have to be members of Love Christian Center to help.

I shared my vision with the right person. You see, you can’t share with everyone. You have to know who to share your vision with. I shared it with the right person, and she connected me to another right person and we connected to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

I trusted God, I shared the vision, and He opened up a door that has enabled us to bless 604 households with 22,634 lbs. of food in three months. I told you earlier about a question that was asked…I believe if our doors closed we would be missed.

When God gives you a vision, pray on it, wait for his direction, then move. He’ll work out the details. He’ll fill in the gaps. God will open the doors that need to be opened and shut the ones that are a distraction.

It’s year 12 and it’s time for a celebration. We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord. Trusting in His holy Word, he’s never failed me yet. So we can’t turn around, we can’t look back.

We’ve made it to this point and we’re going higher in the Lord. Our past is a place of reference not a place of residence. This is not the time to rest on past successes because there are many more to come.

We’ve had some great accomplishments, but I’m here to tell you this morning that our latter will be greater than our past. What’s ahead of us is GREATER than what’s behind us.

Isa 40:28“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

I’m looking forward to and I welcome God’s power and authority in the ministry of Love Christian Center in the coming year and beyond.

We come knowing that Jesus came and paid it all for us, he took off his spiritual nature and came in the form of a man. Born of a virgin, he experienced pain and grief and hunger and disappointment. He experienced challenges and hardship, and then when his assignment was through, he let them have their fake trial with its false witnesses.

They mocked him, they assaulted, and battered him, they beat him with a cat of nine tails, a form of torture that ripped the skin from his back. They slapped him in the face, they ripped the whiskers from his beard, and this went on all night long. This senseless torment, but he never said a mumbling word. Just as Isaiah foretold.

Then they sentenced him to die a criminal’s death, not just any criminal, but the execution reserved for the worst of the worst. The people had an opportunity to free him, but when asked who they wanted they shouted FREE BARABBAS, FREE BARABBAS. A convicted man who really was a criminal. And not just any criminal, remember this form of death was for the worst of the worst. But it was all part of the plan.

And so, Jesus carried that cross, until exhausted he collapsed under the weight and Simon of Cyrene carried it the rest of the way. They nailed Jesus to that cross and he hung there.

He hung there and the sun refused to shine.

He hung there and God had to turn his face from the sin that was upon him. It wasn’t his sin it was the sin of our ancestors, it was our sin, it was our children’s sin, it was our children’s, children’s sin.

He hung there until this part of his assignment was complete, when he said the words, “It is finished.

And then, he gave up the ghost and he died. He gave up the ghost for you and for me. Jesus paid it all, all to him we owe. The earthly body he was in was no more. Or was it?

No! That’s not the end of the story. They laid him in a borrowed tomb, he wouldn’t need it for long. He went to set the captives free and when he left he snatched the keys to death, hell, and the grave, and death was defeated.

And just like he said he would, he got up with all power in his hands. And because he got up, so will we, if we have given our lives to him. We have access to eternal life, but there’s just one thing we have to do to access it.

Rom 10:9says this, “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

That’s it. The prayer may sound something like, Lord, I confess I’m a sinner, please forgive me. I give you my life, Jesus please come into my heart, I believe you are the Son of God and that you died for my sins. I believe you rose again and now sit at God’s right hand praying for me. Thank you, In Your name I pray. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer with me, congratulations and welcome to the family. Please send us a message and let us know so we can pray and celebrate with you.

Please like and share this message so we may reach more people for the kingdom. If you’d like to support this ministry or be a part of the food pantry ministry, go to our online giving page and you’ll find all the ways you can bless this ministry.

If you live in the Douglasville, GA area we’d love to see you at 3500 Hwy 5, our Sunday school begins at 8:45 and Worship Service begins at 10:00 every Sunday.

It’s celebration time, will you join us? We’d love to have you.