The Best is Yet to Come!

What amazing men who serve the Lord and the body of Christ here in the city of Katy.

Time Flies when you are having fun! Well, the truth is that time passes no matter what you are doing or how you feel about. But I will say, the last 30 years have flown by! Wow!

How do you sum up 30 years? I was 34 when we started The Fellowship not knowing what the future would be like. We just knew that it was a future that God was calling us to and so we stepped into the future by faith. Thirty years later our unknown future is in the rearview mirror, and we are once again looking into the future, only this time we have a past.

God called The Fellowship to be here, in this place, in this community, to love and serve these people, to serve Him in this city and beyond.

We are part of the big C church. We have never been about building our own kingdom but rather His kingdom. What an amazing Big C church we have in Katy. She is the bride of Christ, diverse, gifted, loving, generous, serving and so much more. We are so blessed to have such a great community of churches.

Over the last 30 years God has grown our hearts, transformed our lives and discipled our souls. Molded us, shaped us, into the church we are.

Along the way, over hills and down through valleys, God has been with us! In our past, our present and our future!

We all have a Past – a Present– a Future!

There are always things in our past worth remembering!

Slide A Past worth Remembering!

There are things in the past that our painful and we remember isn’t pain but the presence of the Lord in the midst of the problems and pain. Of course, many of us can look back and remember when we were not walking with God and we felt along, abandoned, maybe even without hope until we found Jesus.

There are things to forget and there are things to remember. Unfortunately, I too often remember the disappointment, pain, struggles and failure. But God says …

Slide I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43:25

The word "remember" appears in the Bible 352 times, and more than 550 when variants are counted. The root of "remember" is to keep in mind or to be mindful. It has the sense of being "concerned about" and is related to the word "tradition". There are traditions, holidays, celebrations … many are a way of remembering the goodness of God. As the Psalmist wrote

Slide Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, Psalm 105:5

What things we remember? We remember the lessons learned.

· Slide Remember the lessons learned.

Things change. There is an old saying, you can’t step in the same river twice. The river is different. Even as a church we experienced how easy it is to become isolated, consumeristic, and independent.

We learned that God has called us to be connected to our city by serving, to show the love of Christ by meeting in needs in our city. Externally Focused.

Over the last 30 years we learned that we need to pay attention to spiritual formation. Faithwalking has become such an important part of our spiritual growth, and maturity.

Over the last 30 years we have learned the value of following Christ first and leading others second, we call it Folleadership– the priority and practice of following first and leading second. Our best and most mature leaders are those who have learned to follow Christ first.

Over the last 30 years we have learned that and experienced the Faithfulness of God in showing us ways forward through difficulty times. We have learned to be resilient and resourceful so that we could live into our mission, whether it was during seasons of economic downturns, weather disasters like Hurricane Harvey, or the unforeseen disease, COVID that caused shutdowns of buildings, but could not deter the gospel of Jesus Christ nor His church.

A lot has changed in 30 years. We as a church have changed and I know it is for the better. We are a more loving, generous, present, faithful, compassionate, caring, authentic, people that we ever have been and yet there is still so much more that God is going to do.

· Slide Remember the people touched.

There are so many stories and so many people who have a been a part of the last 30 years.From our early years at Fielder Elementary, to the YMCA to here.

The church is people. Not just individuals, but people who are part of something bigger than themselves. Every one of you has a story of how God has touched your life, whether right here at The Fellowship or at some other church or time. Thousands of lives have been touched through The Fellowship over the past 30 years.

And those lives, have are a part of our story.

If you are currently or have been on staff at The Fellowship would stand, If you are or have been an elder at The Fellowship would you also stand. Thank you for the ways that each of have contributed who we are and where we are today.

Ken Wagner’s death, father of Shane and Brice, husband to Amy.

Tom Pocklington, servant leader, father of Desirae and Amanda, husband to Pam.

Tommy Bolin, father of Tory, Brandon and Brennon, husband to Melody

· Slide Remember the promises of God.

But what God calls me to remember is His faithfulness, presence and provision. Answers to prayer … for 30 years. Show the book. Over 1400 prayer stories recorded over more than 28 years.

Stories of salvation, protection, provision, healing, and more.

Slide Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them knownto your children and your children’s children. Deuteronomy 4:9

There is something about remembering that is important to our journey. That we remember the Lord and all that He has done.

Land, generosity, people …

Slide Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1–5

Slide We have a past worth remembering because God is the one who has redeemed our past.

God is at work in our hearts and lives. We don’t need to be ashamed, or hide from the past, even the mistakes, sins, pain … Paul writes …

Slide remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12

There was a time, when we were not his people, when we were not a church, when we were lost in our sins, then he saved us, made us a part of his family and gave us a hope and future. And now we can look back with see the truth of Romans 8 …

Slide And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son … Romans 8:28–30

We have a past worth remembering, a present worth living …

Slide A Present worth Living!

Our days can be spent in shame over our past or worrying about our future to the point that we waste the present moment.

I have wrestled most of my life with being present because I am looking to the next day, week, month, planning, envisioning, dreaming and all the while it may be good at times, I find myself missing the present moment with God and others. It is a spiritual discipline to do today what is the next right thing. Spend time with God, listen to friend, walk slowly, feel what you feel, think deeply in the presence of the Lord. Be aware, alive in the moment.

Slide Don’t waste today!

Time passes and do the opportunities. No one ever gets to the end and wishes that had spent more time at work. We want more time with those we love, we want more time in conversations, laughter, stories, express gratitude. Say thank you, I love you,

Slide This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

14 “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD …

Slide … choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, 17 for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.” Joshua 24:14–18

Slide Today is a choice to trust in God’s love for you and His will for your life.

Slide Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life?For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:13–17

The Fellowship is choosing to seize today! To take advantage of opportunities, technology, creativity, and more. Today is the day to commit your live to Christ, today is the day to forgive someone or to ask for forgiveness, to tell someone that you are thankful for them, to express gratitude. Don’t just think it, say it.

Slide We have a present worth living because God is with us today!

Slide … for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

He is Emmanuel, God with us. We have a past worth remembering, we have a present worth living and we have a future worth anticipating.

Slide We have a present worth living because we are preparing for eternity!

Slide Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19–20

We have a past worth remembering, a present worth living and a future worth anticipating!

Slide A Future worth Anticipating!

I don’t know what this “present future”holds but I know who holds that future in his hands.

I truly believe the best is yet to come! Paul wrote …

Slide But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9

He is referring to Isaiah 64:4 …

Slide From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4

When I think about the future, I think about our children and the church that they will lead. You and I will be gone from this world at some point, and we will be experiencing the best of eternity with our Lord. Our future home, reward and destination are like an anchor on a distant shore that allows us to pull ourselves against the current, hold fast in the storms of life and eventually get us home.

We will continue to build upon the past as we fully serve God in the present being faithful into the future.

Slide I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13–14

Slide We have a future worth anticipating because we are going home!

Slide I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Slide But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20–21

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:1–3

Let us keep our eyes heavenward, not on this world.

Slide The past is behind us, the future is ahead of us … but today is the day we live for the Lord!

How we live today is both shaped by our past understanding of God’s redemptive work, in our lives, our church, our community and how we dream about the future is based on the hope we have in the promises of God and assurances of heaven. Today we remember, we celebrate, and we declare our love for God.

Pray -

The song Make Room - The chorus of this songs says …

And I will make room for you to do whatever you want to - Let’s sing this song to the Lord of our past, present and future!