Week of 11/30/25

Dear Church Family,
The words of the Christmas hymn 'O come o come Emmanuel' have been coursing through my mind this last week. The weight of 'mourning in lonely exile here', and our insurmountable need 'free thine own from Satan's tyranny, from depths of hell thy people save, and give them victory o'er the grave.' But God provided the answer 'O Come thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here, disperse the gloomy clouds of night and deaths dark shadows put to flight.'
The Dayspring - Jesus Christ - came into the darkness and has offered me permanent protection from Satan's tyranny and death. Whatever the circumstance I can say, 'Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel, has come to thee!" Not just to Israel, but to all who trust in his name just as was foretold.
12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
    even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:12-13
Take the feelings of exile, the tyranny of the enemy, and gloomy clouds to Him, tell yourself what is true about him! He has come and borne the weight of our sins and sorrows to the cross and now intercedes for us and gives us true hope as we wait on him! And rejoice!
I pray with you dear brothers and sisters that this would be reality for each of you during this season.

Home Enjoyment
Read 1 John 4:1-6.
There were two questions that I drew from confessing and listening in order to 'test the spirits'. Look at the questions and some others I brought up and do some practice 'testing'.
Does the spirit magnify Jesus Christ as revealed in scripture? (A True Confession)
Does the spirit lead you to listen to and obey Jesus' commands? (Truly Listening)
Other questions: Is it consistent with scripture? Did it come to pass? Who receives the glory?
These tests are meant to have a little humor, but get at the heart of things as well. I hope they help get you thinking about what you are hearing and taking it to God's Word.

You're trying to decide whether to purchase something and a friend tells you that ‘‘The secret to happiness is freedom and the secret of freedom is courage’’. Based on the above questions, how might you test what they are saying? Is there Truth in statements? What other questions should you ask?
Ex - What is the definition and goal of freedom?
Can you think of a scripture that talks about where freedom comes from?

Think of a song or movie you have heard or watched recently. What was the message that seemed to be at the heart of it?
Is it pointing to man's desires or achievements being the answer/priority or God's?

You're scrolling Facebook and a post tells you that if you repost it you will be blessed and if you don't you are denying God. How do you decide whether to repost?

There is a lot of talk about 'boundaries' in our culture about life and relationships. What are some God-honoring boundaries that reflect his call to holiness, sacrifice, recognizing his power over a situation, or reconciliation?
What are some boundaries that are worldly, cause isolation, or put emphasis on us?
What scriptures come to mind to help discern this?

One more...
You serve in line at the Thanksgiving Community Dinner and you feel so great about helping those in need. Is that the 'spirit of Thanksgiving' you are feeling? Is it God?
What else might you ask yourself to discern your feelings and whether God is receiving the glory?

The examples could go on and I would encourage you to start doing this with your family and friends. SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES to help you understand and live what you see as you test the spirits.
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14

In Christ,
Pastor Phillip