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Be grateful for everything: Thanksgiving day in the «Christ is the answer» church

Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap
Gal. 6:7
Created 7 October 2020 23:37

Be grateful for everything: Thanksgiving day in the «Christ is the answer» church

On October 4, the «Christ is the answer» church gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving, or the Harvest Festival. This holiday is celebrated annually by thousands of Evangelical churches around the world.

«I have a lot to thank God for: first of all, for my children, for my family, for food, for the house I live in, for all the benefits that the Lord has given us. Thank God!» – Oksana Ostashuk, HR Manager, Rivne.

On this day, the church thanked God for all the blessings that He sent in the past year, and this is not only about everyday material gifts, but also about spiritual ones. The whole church was preparing for the holiday together: some people decorated the stage, others rehearsed the service program, and others set tables with treats for the guests. The service was attended by children – Sunday school students; guests of the festival listened to the violin, to the songs sang to the bandura, and, of course, preaching the Word of God.

«I thank God for all the fruits that we have, and, of course, for my mother and father, for my sisters, brothers and relatives!» – Timur Kharchuk, 6 years old, Rivne.

Pastor Taras Sen explained that christians traditionally have the Harvest festival in autumn, when the harvest is gathered. Members of the local church bring grown vegetables and fruits to the house of prayer, offer words of gratitude to the Lord for His care and gifts in the form of abundant fruits. But the Harvest festival also has a second meaning – spiritual. The harvest in the Bible is the time when the Harvester – Jesus Christ – summarizes everything «… he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.» (Matthew 3:11-12).

«I want to thank God for 2020, a difficult year, because our opportunities were limited during the quarantine. But the church lived and functioned – we helped those in need, held recreation camps in the Carpathians, distributed christian literature and distributed the Gospel on the internet. Today, God has given us a meeting in which God’s grace is visible. The most important thing is that God’s Word works in the hearts of people and they think about their lives» – Taras Sen, pastor of the «Christ is the answer» church, Rivne.

The Harvest festival reminds us that thanksgiving and praise are powerful weapons given to christians. In times of spiritual pressure and difficulties, you need to praise God more, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and pray more. Then God will respond to requests and change the situation, give strength to overcome all problems and obstacles. Christians know that praise and thanksgiving are attracted to God, and murmuring – removes from It. It is important to bring fruits to God, and the first fruit is real repentance, and then you need to realize your gifts, opportunities and give time to serve God.

The consolation for everyone is that God never leaves his children without clear instructions, as evidenced by the stories of Adam and Moses, when God gave them the commandments, i.e., guidelines for life. God also teaches and encourages us, and it is only important to listen to his instructions and follow them clearly.

Lessons learned from the sermons delivered at the Harvest festival:

Thanksgiving and praise are powerful weapons in the hands of christians. God lives in the midst of praise: «But You, Holy one, live in the midst of the praises of Israel» (Psalms 21:4). Any task, even the most difficult, which seems impossible for man, can be performed by God: «…what is impossible for men is possible for God» (Luke 18:27). It is also important to remember that grumbling and reproaches push a person away from God, away from Him.

Life in this world is given to a human to bring a fruit for God. To do this, you need to repent and serve Him using your gifts. «…bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance…» (Matthew 3:8).

God has established the law of sowing and reaping, which operates in various areas of our lives. «Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap» (Gal. 6:7), «But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully» (2 Cor. 9:6). 

We must pray for the children, unbelieving relatives and friends, because Satan is sowing evil in different ways, trying to lead people away from God.

At the end of the ages the Harvest will come: «…the harvest is the end of the world…»  (Matthew 13:39), then Jesus will purify and gather His wheat, and burn the straw. Therefore, each person should think about what will happen to him at this time, where will he be during the harvest of the Lord – among the wheat or among the straw?

Faith in Jesus and obedience to God’s Word are what give us weight in God’s scales and make us worthy of eternal life.

Created 7 October 2020 23:37

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All areas of service of the community are carried out through voluntary donations of caring people. The most important thing is not the size of the donation, but the attitude and condition of the heart. God sees our needs and seeks to deprive us of our worries. He also wants to see the love and sacrifice of our grateful hearts. «Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver!» (2 Cor. 9:7).

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