11/7/2021 - Thankful! - Celebration Sunday - Philippians 2:14-18 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Our church family has many reasons to show our gratitude for what God has done. We celebrated our largest outreach event at Treat Street, we’ve added over 200 people in small groups, over 100 Sunday and midweek volunteers joined the team, and beginning Saturday, the opportunity to serve our city through Serve Week. Oh yeah, and we have a permanent church home through your generosity!  It’s been a time of spiritual transformation for Illuminate through Bigger, Smaller, Deeper. There is an excitement and a joy every time we gather together and it continues this Sunday with baptisms and baby dedications. At the same time we should remember that we have an adversary and he wants to steal the light of our joy.

The light of our joy can be stolen by the powers of darkness who fight against us.

So Illuminate, how do we keep “shining like the stars in the sky” as Paul says. He further explains that you and I shine in this world filled with darkness by holding fast to the word that gives life. Holding fast means “to fix one’s attention.” The “word of life” is another way of emphasizing the gospel. It is the word of “life” because it is there that we find truth regarding where life may be found, namely, in Christ. 

The Word: explain it, embrace it, protect it, offer it to others by making it known, and focus upon it with dedication and devotion.

Let me say this with as much clarity and sincerity as I can. The one thing that will prevent your light from being snuffed out by the darkness of this world is holding fast the word of life. The one thing that will protect you from becoming crooked and twisted like the world around you is holding fast to the word of life. The one thing that will guard your heart and ward off the confused influence of a society such as ours is holding fast the word of life.