Follow the Star | Phil Munsey | Lakewood Church Service

((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) You fight the battle. You get the glory. Here come the angels. Here comes the victory. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Merry Christmas, Lakewood family. Are you ready to celebrate the joy of the Lord? Here we go. Let's sing it together. Joy to the world. Joy to the world. The Lord is come. Let earth receive her king.

Let every heart prepare him room. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven, and heaven and nature sing. The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength. Oh my.

Oh my soul. Bless his name. ((music playing)) The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength. ((music playing)) joy of the Lord is my strength. ((music playing)) Well, merry Christmas and welcome to Lakewood Church. We're so grateful that you chose to come and worship and celebrate the birth of our savior on this weekend with your friends and your family.

On behalf of our pastors Joel and Victoria and our entire team here, we want to say welcome. If you're a first-time guest or visitor, can you just put your hand up real high? We want to honor you. Thank you for coming to church. Many family members may have come into town and you've come.

We're so grateful that you're here. Those of you watching online, those of you listening on Sirius XM128, we welcome you as well. Well, it is the Christmas season and uh I love this opportunity that we get to come together and to really give Jesus our attention. You know, it obviously heightens during the Christmas season because we're celebrating the fact that Jesus came to us.

And I think that's the one idea that keeps coming to my mind as I I look at the story and I reflect on the story is that God came to us. He made the first move. And so today as we worship, it's our simple response to him coming first. 1 John 4 says, "We love because he first loved us."

And so even when you look at the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of our savior, it was God's move coming to us. And so today, I don't know where you're at and I don't know what brought you here to church or what caused you to tune in.

But this is what I do know is that God loves you and that God is pursuing you. God has always been a seeker. Even when we look throughout the Bible, we see even in the prodical son story, we see the father running to the broken son. We serve a God who runs.

We serve a God who seeks after those who are lost to show them his love and his faithfulness. And so that's why we celebrate. That's why we have great joy and great hope today because we serve a God who comes to us, who makes the first move. So today, do I have any believers here who are ready to respond to that love with worship, with surrender, with joy, with celebration?

You see, faith moves God. And so when we release our faith, when we release our joy, when we release our celebration, it moves God in our direction. And so today, I see a lot more than two or more people who are gathered together releasing their faith. So let's believe for miracles today.

Let's believe and stir our faith that God has good things in store. He has a good plan for us. That is the good news of the birth of Jesus is that God has a redemptive plan for every single one of us. Are you ready to worship today? Are you ready to celebrate?

Come on, let's pray. Father, we love you. And we come together to celebrate the good news, Jesus, that you came. You came with a redemptive plan for us. And today, we don't just spectate at the plan. We want to partake in the plan. Your plan hinged on the faith of a young teenage girl.

Father, we thank you that your plan allows us and invites us to participate in it. So today we say yes. Yes to worshiping you. Yes to the plan that you have for us. Yes to surrender. Yes to worship. And yes to celebrating you. We lift you up. We honor you in Jesus name.

And everybody said amen. Come on. Let's lift Jesus. He's good. ((music playing)) Joy to the world the Savior reigns. Let all their songs employ ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord.

The joy of the Lord is my ((music playing)) Oh my ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) all the glory. Holy Spirit. Let him ((music playing)) with ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove. The glories of His righteousness ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) We worship you. Come on. I know a name. ((music playing)) That can silent roaring waves. I know a name that can empty out a grave.

I know a name. It's the only name that says and it's worthy of all praise. I call you Jesus. I call you I call you healer. Risen and reigning in power. Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you Jesus, I call you. I call you savior, worthy of glory forever.

Something comes out of the grave. Oh, every time I call your name ((music playing)) I have a key with a million ((music playing)) ((music playing)) in his holy nail-scarred hands. He is the heel ((music playing)) that has crushed the serpent's head. ((music playing)) I call you Jesus. I call you, I call you healer, risen and raining in power.

Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you savior. Worthy of glory forever. Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call your name, chains, break, dry bones wake. Every time I call your name, the gates of hell shake ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Oh, come on, do you believe there is power in the name of Jesus this morning?

((music playing)) Where oh death is now your sting and where oh grave your victory? We sing, where oh death is now your sting and where oh grave your victory? ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I call you, I call you healer. ((music playing)) Something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you Jesus. I call you.

I call you savior. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) We declare the name of Jesus in this place. Oh Jesus, I pray into the atmosphere. Spirit of God, you're here. You have all authority. I pray over my heart and mind. I am healed by your stripes. Your blood declares that I am free. In the mighty name of Jesus.

I pray calling on the power of heaven. I proclaim every weapon formed against me must break in the mighty name of Jesus. ((music playing)) I draw a permanent boundary line. The enemy has no right to come near my family. No scheme could ever undo God's plans. No matter the circumstances, the cross has seal my destiny.

In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray calling on the power of heaven, I proclaim, every weapon formed against me, must break. In the mighty name of Jesus. ((music playing)) In the mighty name of Jesus, I know all the power of fear and darkness ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) in the mighty name of Jesus.

((music playing)) I will not fear. I will not fear when the enemy comes near. ((music playing)) my life is the blood of Jesus Christ. I will not fear. I will not fear. There's an army of angels here. I'm protected on all sides by the blood of Jesus Christ. I ((music playing)) of my life is the blood of Jesus Christ ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Jesus Christ.

In the mighty name of Jesus ((music playing)) every weapon formed against me must break in the might name of Jesus. Come on, call on his name. In the mighty name of Jesus I know ((music playing)) every victory ((music playing)) is in the mighty name of Jesus. ((music playing)) Is in the mighty name of Jesus. ((music playing)) In the mighty name of Jesus.

Jesus. ((applause)) ((music playing)) Oh, come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. ((music playing)) Oh come ye oh come ye to Bethlehem. ((music playing)) Come and behold him born the king of angels. Oh come let us adore him. Oh come let us adore him. Oh come let us adore ((music playing)) him Christ the Lord. Come on church let's sing it.

Oh come let us ((music playing)) come let us ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) the Lord. Oh, come let us adore him. ((music playing)) Christ our Lord. ((music playing)) ((applause)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I just want to speak the name of Jesus ((music playing)) over every heart and every mind cuz I know there is peace within your presence. I speak Jesus. ((music playing)) I just want to speak the name of Jesus.

Till every dark addiction starts to break. Declaring there is hope and there is freedom. I speak Jesus ((music playing)) cuz your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is life. Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. Burn like a fire. I just want to speak the name of Jesus.

((music playing)) Over fear and all anxiety. To every soul held captive by depression. I speak Jesus. Your name, your name is power, your name is healing. Your name is life. Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. ((music playing)) Your name, your name, your name ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Let's declare together. We shout Jesus from the mountains.

And Jesus in our streets, Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Jesus for my family. I speak the holy name. Jesus. That's it church. Come on. Shout Jesus. ((music playing)) Jesus in the street and Jesus in the darkness ((music playing)) Jesus for my family. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Jesus ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Let's go. Father, we love you this morning.

Father, we believe in that name. That name of Jesus that it holds power. Jesus, we thank you that we get this opportunity to lift your name and put you in your rightful place in our hearts as Lord and Savior, King of all. Lord, we need these moments and we lean into these moments where we can surrender all that we have to you, every relationship, every decision that we're making, everything wrong that's happening and everything good that's happening.

Father, we say we give you everything. There isn't a place in our lives that we withhold from you because we know that when we make room and we surrender to you, that is when you do your best work. That is when we can operate and become everything that you've designed us to become.

So, Father, we give you every mistake. We give you every question. We give you everything that hasn't worked out the way we thought. We give you our past. We give you our present. And we give you our future. And in exchange, we receive peace today, knowing that you're in control, knowing that you're leading us and you're guiding us and you're bringing us where we need to be at the right time.

Father, I just pray over every person that is making critical decisions this week for their businesses, critical decisions for their families, critical financial choices. Father, we ask you for wisdom and your word says when we ask for wisdom, you'll give it to us generously. So, thank you that you, Holy Spirit, are giving wisdom and counsel to every person who needs it.

Thank you for opening every right door and closing every wrong door. Lord, we thank you for bringing in the right people, the divine relationships that will propel us into our destiny. And thank you for weeding out the wrong ones, the ones of compromise, the ones that are pulling us down into negativity.

We thank you that you're weeding out the wrong people and bringing in the right ones. Thank you, Father, that you are transforming us today. That faith is what moves you into our lives. And as we're worshiping you, we thank you that you're elimmitate eliminating bad habits, addictions. You are setting people free from strongholds.

Thank you, Father, that your word says no weapon formed against us will prosper. Weapons may be forming all around us, but we can thank you today that no weapon will prosper. The enemy may try to come in like a flood, but you raise up a mighty standard against them.

So I decree and declare over every person under the sound of my voice, every family that there is a mighty heavenly standard around you and your loved ones. Thank you, Father, for the blood of Jesus that is on the doorframe of our life. And we thank you for healing that comes with that blood.

I speak to every cell, bone, ligament, tissue, muscle that everything in our body is operating exactly how it's been designed to operate in Jesus' name. I declare the blood of Jesus from the top of our head to the soles of our feet. We are getting stronger. We are getting wiser and healthier.

And we are becoming everything you've designed us to become. God, I thank you in Jesus name for those right now who are going through a very difficult time, maybe battling depression, battling receiving bad news, a report from the doctor. Father, we thank you that your peace anchors us.

I thank you that they're feeling your peace right now. Whether they're in the hospitals, listening by way of radio, tuning in online, Father, I speak your peace over their hearts right now. Peace over their situation. Peace that surpasses understanding. Father, we thank you for your love. We thank you for your grace.

Thank you that your word says that the righteous fall seven times, but they get back up. Thank you for overcomers that are under the sound of my voice today. people that are facing hard things, but people because of you are are overcoming them and that we're becoming better.

And that your word says the days of the righteous continue to get brighter and brighter. Our path continues to get brighter and brighter. Father, our best days are not behind us. Our best days are still out in front of us. And I decree and declare that 2025 is going to end strong.

It's going to end prosperous. And we are going to flourish as we transition into a new year. Church, if you believe it and you receive it, come on. Can you give Jesus a shout of praise and shout amen today? Amen. He is good. Excuse me for my passion.

I just get really excited because I understand the power of faith when we gather together. Even a mustard seed moves mountains. And so what I imagine when we gather like this is God going to work in your life. Yes. And so what gets me excited and what gets me full of passion is knowing that God promises what he starts in your life, he will finish it.

It's not up to you for you to become everything God's designed you to become. That's God's job to do the permanent transformational work in your life. Our job is to surrender. Our job is to maintain availability. And it tells me today, the fact that you're here or you're tuned in, that you are available for God to do whatever he wants to do in your life.

So, here's the good news. You're not leaving the same way you came in today. You are leaving a different person. God is depositing into your heart and into your mind and into your life what you need and he is removing what you don't need. So, all the excess baggage, can we just shake it off this morning?

Can we just shake off all the excess baggage that we are carrying that we don't need anymore? Jesus is setting us free and we're walking out of here carrying a lighter load. Amen. Amen. Well, listen. We're going to come into agreement like we do every Sunday of who God says we are.

It's easy to get talked into a limited mindset. It's easy to take on labels that maybe other people have put on you. But we're going to declare these things with boldness and conviction. Are you ready? Come on, let's say it like we mean it. I am blessed, prosperous, redeemed, forgiven, healthy, whole, talented, created, confident, secure, disciplined, focused, prepared, qualified, motivated, valuable, free, determined, equipped, empowered, anointed, accepted, and approved. not average, not mediocre.

I am a child of the most high God and I will become all I was created to be in Jesus name. In Jesus name. Do you believe it? Oh, you're going to become everything God's called you to be. I want to encourage your faith before we pray this morning.

And that is simply this. I love the Christmas story. We've been talking about it at the start of the service. We're going to we're going to sing about it. We're going to preach about it later. But I love this idea that God's plan was hinged on the faith of a young teenage girl.

When you think about all of the story of God, his redemptive plan hinged on a very quiet decision that a young girl had to make. Often times we see the miraculous work of God and we think it takes this massive huge outward display of our faith. But we find the redemptive work, the greatest work that God ushered in to this earth hinging on a very quiet decision that a girl made in her quiet time with Jesus.

Very quiet moment. her faith to say yes to something that surpassed her understanding. God, you would choose me for such a great work. God, you would want to do this despite my mistakes. God's looking for your yes today for him to move into your life and do something powerful.

Will you believe yes for the miraculous? Will you believe that yes, he has more grace for you? That he has better days in store for you? That he wants to restore your marriage? That he wants to heal your body? that he wants to change the way you think.

That he's not finished with you. God is not finished with your life. He's not finished with your story. He has great things ahead of you. And it's hinging on your yes, your availability. So, I believe God's going to do miracles and I believe he's going to dispatch answers from heaven on your behalf during this moment.

Our prayer partners are going to come and they're going to stand in front of every section. We're going to pray for you as well online or if you're listening by way of radio. My encouragement is like Mary. You would say yes and say, "God, do what you want to do.

Use me. I'm available. Work in my life. Work in my family. Work in my company. Whatever it is, God, do what you want to do." We're going to pray and join our faith with yours. The rest of us, let's continue to worship as we do so. God bless you this morning.

((music playing)) Hi everybody. Every service we like to come together and have a time of prayer. And during that time we we like to talk to our heavenly father. That's simply what prayer is is the opportunity to talk to God. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:12 Peter actually quotes Psalm 62.

And he says this. He says when you pray, when you cry out to God, he hears. And he actually bends his ear to hear our cry for help. So prayer is an opportunity not only to cry out for help, but to have communion with our heavenly father, to talk to God, the God of the universe, the creator of all things, who can and will move on our behalf.

So whatever it is that you have going on in your world right now, let's take it to the father and lay it at his feet. This is a time when we get to pray. We love to study the word. We love to worship. All of those things, but prayer is a special connection with God.

And so as we do that, take this moment, whatever is going on in your world, and lay it at the feet of Jesus. Lay it at his feet because he cares. He cares for what's going on, every detail of your life. And so during this prayer segment, we're going to give a couple of praise reports and we're going to pray over some specific names, but we want to pray for you as well.

And what I'd like to do at the end is just pray for everybody who may have something in the chat. May may have something going on in your world. May have a family member or a friend, a promotion, something for a student, those of you in school, you may have a physical need.

We want to pray for all of those. So, right now, I want to give a couple of praise reports. We have Juan. Um, his brother came out of surgery better than expected. So, Juan, we celebrate with you and for you that your brother came out of surgery even better than was expected because that's what our God does.

And then, of course, Angie, um, she is still cancer free. Angie, we celebrate with you that you are free, that the report is clean, and we pray for anybody who's walking through that right now along with Angie. We pray for a clean bill of health for you as well.

We want to pray for a couple of people. First is Danielle praying to have a baby. This is a family need. A lot of times, you know, those of us like my wife and I, Tara, we went through five and a half, almost six years of infertility. And so, we know what it's like to walk through that and be praying for a baby.

And so, Danielle, we want to do that. God will provide. We believe the Bible says that children are the arrow in the quiver. You pull an arrow out and you shoot it. And so, God will give us arrows. He will give us children. and that they're a blessing from God.

Um, and so, Father, we thank you for Danielle. We just pray that she would have a baby. We thank you for your blessing. We thank you for your provision there for Danielle. And then, of course, for Michelle, a miracle restoration for her relationship with her daughter. You know, one of the things that we love as parents is to be able to have a good relationship with our children.

And so, Michelle, we are with you and for you. And we just pray that a miracle restoration would come for you and your daughter in your relationship. Whatever the enemy has tried to use to divide you, whatever he's tried to use to bring a chasm, a a divide, a gap between you and her, we just command it to go.

Number one, and number two, we pray God that you would bring them back together and restore. You are the great restorer. And so, Father, we thank you that you are good to us and that you love to bring restoration. Uh, for financial support and help, Heather, for a financial miracle.

Um, all of us need it. All of us at one time, we we need those moments where God provides supernaturally. And so, Father, we're asking you right now for Heather that you would bring a financial miracle in her life, in her money, in her finances, in her job, in a promotion.

We pray that you would give her new opportunities to make more money. We pray that you would bless her from those around her. Maybe even something surprising. Father, we thank you that you are the God of surprises. You are the God of suddenly things happen. Suddenly things turn around.

Suddenly um a financial breakthrough will come. And so for he Heather, Father, we thank you that you will provide over and above what we need. Your word says according to Philippians 4 that you will give us more than we need. that you are the one who provides according to your riches and glory.

And for Audrey for favor in her family's business. Father, we thank you for all of our business owners and we ask you for Audrey and all of them that you would provide for favor in the family's business. We thank you that this was the year of uncommon favor 2025.

And so we just thank you, God, that you are the one who gives us the ability to get wealth according to Deuteronomy 8:18. You are the one who gives us the ability to have a business to make it last, to make it consistent, and to make it serve our communities wherever we live.

And then of course for healing for Gail, for her daughter's surgery to be successful. Father, we thank you for healing for for Gail's daughter. Um for her surgery to be successful, for everything to be a clean bill of health, for no complications, no issues. We thank you for bringing her through in every way with peace and uh completion.

And then of course for Millie for healing from chronic back pain. Millie, we thank you that God is healing you from chronic back pain. We thank you that God is touching your life even right now, your physical body. And Father, I pray for all of us, whatever our need is.

We thank you that you hear us when we cry out. you that healing is your children's bread according to Psalm 103 and in Psalm 107 that you sent your word and people were healed. We thank you that you provide over and above what we can ask or think according to Ephesians 3:20.

And for every single one of us, we thank you that you hear our cry when we pray and you bend your ear like a good father to answer in Jesus' name. Amen. Keep praying. We love you. ((music playing)) Yours is the kingom. Yours is the glory. Yours is the name above all names.

What a powerful name it is. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ my King. What a powerful name it is. Come on. ((music playing)) What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. What a powerful name it is.

The name of Jesus. Come on. Can we celebrate the name of Jesus one more time in this place? For unto us a child is born and a son is given. The government shall be on his shoulders. He shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father and prince of peace.

We celebrate you this morning, Jesus. Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains and the mountains in reply ((music playing)) So we sing, ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Hallelujah. Glory to God in the highest forever. Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing. Come adore on bended knee. Christ the newborn king.

((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Gloria! Glory to God ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((applause)) During those days, the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus ordered that the first census be taken throughout his empire. Everyone had to return to the hometown of their family to be accounted for. So, Joseph and his wife Mary left Nazareth and journeyed to their hometown in Judea, to the village of Bethlehem, King David's ancient home.

Now Mary was heavily pregnant and nearly ready to give birth. When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary soon went into labor and gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped the newborn baby in strips of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough amongst the animals since there was nowhere else to stay in the village.

That very night in a field near Bethlehem, shepherds were watching over their sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared before them. lighting up the field with the blazing glory of God. The shepherds were terrified, but the angel reassured them, saying, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people."

Today in Bethlehem, a savior was born. He is Christ, the Lord, Yahweh, the Messiah. You will recognize him by this miraculous sign. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in the feeding trough amongst the animals. Then all at once across the night sky, a vast number of glorious angels appeared, the very armies of heaven.

And they all praised God, singing, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased. ((music playing)) Oh, holy night. The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till he appeared and the soul felt ((music playing)) ((music playing)) of hope the weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new glorious morn ((music playing)) on your knees.

Oh, hear the angels' voices Oh night divine. Oh night, when Christ was born. Oh night divine. Oh night. Oh night divine. ((music playing)) Oh ((music playing)) to love one another. His law is love and his ((music playing)) Chain s shall he break for the slave is our brother and in his name all oppression shall cease.

((music playing)) ((music playing)) We all praise his name forever. His power ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Fall on your knees. ((music playing)) I can hear the angels. Can you hear the angels? ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Hallelujah. Oh, night hallelujah. Anybody ((music playing)) ? Can I get a witness in Lakewood Church this morning and ((music playing)) ? We want to be saved. We want to be healed. ((music playing)) Oh, ((music playing)) ((applause)) Christian was very happy, healthy, um, normal, just energetic.

He would have never known that something was under the surface. So literally from one day to the next he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma at the age of six and for the next 3 years of our lives he was declared miraculously cancer-free. Rang the bell and 6 months later he was diagnosed with leptomeningeal disease which is a brain cancer.

It was incurable. They gave him four to 6 months. the fifth month mark as we're holding our breath he was diagnosed with leukemia and he outlived that four to six months diagnosis in May of 2024 uh he passed away he went to be with the Lord so after his passing even during our grief to honor his legacy his life his love his faith we established Christian's miracle child foundation March of 2025 we are catapulting our our grief journey me by blessing other families.

You know, Marissa and Ruben that we got to walk alongside them throughout their journey with Christian. And you know, sometimes God heals in ways that you don't understand. And that can be calling us home, you know, home to be with him. And to watch their faith journey, to watch them stay encouraged, to watch them encourage others even when they were going through the hardest season of their own lives.

They're truly an inspiration. And it is an honor that we get to play some small part in serving Christians legacy that we get to work together with them as they continue his story by serving families that are going through similar circumstances. We are excited God has brought our stories together today to host the first annual Christmas wonder market event at Lakewood.

At this event, we have the opportunity to bless families whose children are receiving treatment at the medical center with a special day just for them. Today they will receive gifts for their entire families and we get to show them love, joy, and the hope of Jesus this Christmas.

We live in Lufkin and we drive to the medical center which is 3 hours away. This has been a tremendous help because I can't take her into the store to see presents um and pick out what she likes or I can't take her around people. So, this was just a huge wrestling thing.

And on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on on top of that, you know, we're struggling financially just going through all this and traveling. So, this was a huge help for us and our family, a huge blessing.

Holiday seasons are always stressful, stressful for a lot of things because, you know, obviously providing for your family, getting gifts on the table, you know, trying to make ends meet, uh, you know, also being in cancer world and having to go back and forth to the hospital and, you know, it's a lot of stress.

So being able to come to a place and have some gifts taken care of so that we can create Christmas cheer for our family, that's what it's all about. Through our partnership, you are spreading awareness to childhood cancer. You are supporting that community and you are truly shining hope to people around the world.

Yeah. So thank you Lakewood. Everything you guys do make an impact not only in our lives but the kids' life and that ripples down to the siblings and everybody else because everybody does get affected in the family. Your donations bring light, hope and future to these children. So thank you.

Thank you. What a joy it is to be able to walk alongside people of faith. You know, we struggle. We don't have all the answers. But isn't it wonderful that we can wrap our r arms around people in such a time of need and impart to them the word of God to build their faith and keep faith and keep them strong.

I am so excited for this opportunity that this that that God has opened these doors that we can do this and I know you are too. So, thank you for being generous with your gifts and with your love and with your support and in these times we're going to show the love of Christ.

That's so good. We'll we'll take a moment to worship the Lord with our tithes and our offerings today. And always want to thank you for your gratefulness, your generosity, keeping the church strong, and really not just that, but impacting people just like we saw. And so we thank you for that.

Let's finish 2025 strong in every area in our attendance, in our giving, in our serving. Listen, remember this. The economy is not our source. God is our source. You are connected to a supply line that will never run dry. I still have that in my spirit. Over and above blessings are coming your way cuz I can look back throughout the year.

You are an over and above people serving, giving, and blessing people. So we thank you for your tithes, your offerings. And let's as we plant that seed, plant it in faith. Lord, I'm giving sacrificially. I'm giving to honor you. And Lord, I thank you as I as I sew you.

I I will reap that you have things coming back to me and my family. health, ideas, provision, supernatural opportunities. We speak blessings over each one of you and thank you for your generosity. Let me pray. Lord, we do thank you for another day to be alive and to be with family here at Lakewood watching and online.

And Lord, as we give today, we are giving in faith. We know everything we have has come from you. We are stewards of what you've given us. And Lord, we're good stewards. We're tithing. We give over and above. And Lord, I thank you what you promised. The open windows of heaven, over and above blessings, supernatural provision for your people, making ways where they may not see a way.

I thank you, Father, for what you're doing. Even those blessings we cannot contain that flow down to the next generation. Something that we've never seen. Lord, we give because we love you in Jesus' name. God bless you today as you give. Here are some ways that you can give.

Using your smartphone, scan the QR code located on the screen. Then select the online giving option that is most convenient for you or go to lakewoodurch.com/give. Text give hope to 77977. Mail a check to P. Box 27450, Houston, Texas 77227. or call us toll-free at 888-567 Joel. ((music playing)) Church, can we stand one more time and worship together?

Merry Christmas everybody. Tell it everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills, everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born. While shepherds kept their watching o'er silent flocks by night, behold throughout the heavens there shown a holy light. The shepherds feared and trembled when low above the earth.

Rang out the angels chorus that hailed our savior's ((music playing)) on the mountain o'er the hills and everywhere. Oh, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born. ((music playing)) A savior is born. Now in a lowly manger, the humble Christ was born that brought us our salvation. That blessed Christmas morn.

((music playing)) Go tell it on the mountain ((music playing)) tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born. Go, tell it on the mountain. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Jesus Christ is ((music playing)) Jesus Christ is ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Good morning everybody. Merry Christmas. You guys look fantastic. What a great joy to be with you today. And I feel the presence of God in such a wonderful way.

We're honored you are here. Now, my name is Phil Munsey. I've been around for about 24 years. You don't see me a lot because I I have an assignment to pastor pastors. So, but uh yesterday on my way here at the airport getting ready for Christmas Eve service, which by the way, God gave me an incredible word for Christmas Eve service.

It's going to be an amazing time and I'll talk about that in just a second. But they called me and said that Pastor Lisa was not feeling well and uh would I be able to preach? Well, man, I was already in the dugout, man. Swinging my bad. I was like, I'm ready to come to the plate and swing away.

So, you have me, I have you. And with God's grace, something wonderful is going to happen. And let me just say this to you. Christmas Eve will be a special time. And I think now more than ever, we have to create the Christmas spirit. Our culture used to support it. our culture used to be where all you had to do is just kind of just kind of let it come to you.

But the Christmas spirit spirit is no longer really embedded into our culture. So what we have to do is we have to be more deliberate. We have to take responsibility and part of that is setting order, setting our focus on Christ. So Christmas Eve there'll be communion, beautiful music.

I have a prophetic word for your family. I'm gonna ask you to do bribe, do whatever you have to do to get your family here because Jesus is going to meet us here. It's going to be an amazing. And then one last thing I want to say, uh, throughout the rest of the year, it's going to be phenomenal.

On January the 4th is the first Sunday of the year, and this is going to be very special. This is our anointing service. Pastor Joel and Victoria will be anointing with oil and our pastors and it will be phenomenal. Imagine this image. Psalms 133. The Bible says the anointing is like the oil that's poured on Aaron's head.

It drips down his beard down through his garment and there the commanded blessing resides. So on the first Sunday of the year, set your priorities. set order in your family and your life. And when that anointing comes upon you on that Sunday, it's going to trickle down into every area of your life, your family, your future, your faith, your finances, and we're going to step into the commanded blessings of the Lord in 2026.

Are you ready for that? I know that you are. So father today let your holy spirit rest upon us. You have come to speak to us today. Our hearts are open and we receive in Jesus name. And everybody say amen. You may be seated. Before you get settled in, I'd like you to do something with your hands.

Would you just take your hands? The Bible says we our we use our hands as an expression of our heart. Would you do this with me right now? Just get your hands like this. There you go. Just like that. And what you're saying with your hands right now is, "Holy Spirit, come.

Holy Spirit, speak to us. Help us. Guide us. Do what only you can do." But much like the first Christmas, you need to make room for the Holy Spirit. So, I'd like you to do something. Pastor Nick had referred to this a few moments ago, but take your hands now and turn them like this.

Turn them. And when you do, let it go. Let the anger, the frustration, the fear, the anxiety, let it go and make room for the Holy Spirit today. Now, one more time, just turn them and just say, "Holy Spirit, come. You are welcome." Amen. Amen. If you had to put Christmas, the story, the sermons, the scriptures, the songs, the whole experience of Christmas into one word.

What word would that be? Well, a hundred words burst out of my mind when I think about that. I think of joy. I think of happiness. I think of love. I think of family. I think of food. I think of gifts. I think of baby Jesus. I think of so many things.

But having given it much thought, trying to take the whole experience into one word, that word would be Emmanuel. That is the essence. That is the core message of Christmas. Emmanuel, which means God with us. And the Bible tells us in the Christmas story in Matthew chapter 1 that there were certain wise men that saw a star and they followed that star all the way to Bethlehem where the scripture goes on and says, "According to the prophet Isaiah, there was a young virgin by the name of Mary that the Holy Spirit overshadowed her and she conceived the precious savior Jesus which is called Emmanuel, God with us.

And so today, I want us to embrace that. I want us to follow that. I want us to pursue that that beautiful, powerful miracle that God is with us. That God became one of us. That God came and in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. and the word became flesh.

That even though God had created us, he wanted to be with us. He wanted to take on flesh. He wanted to feel what we feel from a human perspective. He wanted to be touched and touch that which we as humans would be touched. He wanted to be tempted to feel the tears and the trials and even the triumphs of what it was like to be human.

He became one of us. It's pretty incredible. Now, in our life of uh raising kids and being married and trying to do the family things, we've always had a pet in our house. Our kids liked it. I wasn't that much into it all the time, but I went along and but after the kids moved, we didn't have a pet, but after a few years, uh Jeanie started saying, you know, I I I want a pet.

I want a dog. And and and then she got really, you know, like aggressive. I want a dog. And you know, we're going to finish up almost 48 years of marriage in a few weeks. And I've learned that what makes a marriage work, husbands, is to say these two romantic, powerful words.

Yes, ma'am. And so we got a dog. And uh that's our Lucy, little Lucy. I love when I come home, say, "Lucy, I'm home." Now, Jeie just has this connection. It's as if somehow she knows what it's like to be incarnate and become a dog because she talks to this dog like a human.

I mean, we go out to eat. It's like, "Let's go, Jenny. We're ready. Let's go." "Yes, just a moment." She goes over to Lucy. Now, Lucy, we're going to go out to eat. We're going to go to our favorite restaurant. It might be a couple hours, but don't you worry, we're coming back.

I I'm like, "You don't even talk to me like that." Like when she's leaving like, "I'll see you later." She's like, "Okay." But oh no, Lucy. It's as if she's right there on that level and she's connecting. I don't want to make it trit but God to become one of us is incredible miracle.

And you see Christmas Emmanuel God with us is a promise made and a promise kept because ever since in the beginning God has always desired to have a personal intimate relationship divinity and humanity. It's our destiny to have a relationship. And when man fell in the garden, God prophesied and said, "There shall come a seed through the woman, and that seed will crush Satan's head."

That is the promise of Christmas, God with us, Emmanuel. And so God, not his quantity, but the quality of God, reduced himself to a DNA cell. A DNA cell strand that stretched would be six feet long, but bundled up would get lost on a pin head. a DNA strand that would carry the character, the charisma, and yes, even the chaos of a genealogy that is explained in Matthew chapter 1.

A genealogy of prophets and kings, of priests and prostitutes and cons, the sacred and the scandalous. All of that was contained, you see, because always God matches your DNA with your destiny. And Jesus took on this flesh, this DNA. And in that small miraculous strand of DNA, the Holy Spirit took it and overshadowed Mary and pierced through her virgin womb.

And thus came forth Christ Emmanuel. And so the pursuit of God to connect with you friend from the garden in Genesis to the garden in Revelation. And for us, it is our heart and it is in us to seek and follow. And much like the wise men who we will find our story in their story, we are to follow that star.

Now, one of my favorite passages of scripture is in Acts the 17th chapter, verse 26 and 27. It's the setup is this. The Apostle Paul is preaching to a pretty tough audience. They're philosophers, they're professors, they're theologians, they're lawyers. They're some of the most brilliant minds of his day.

And he's talking to them at Mars Hill. Mars Hill is this gathering kind of like a conference where all these brilliant minds come together with all their ide ideology and with all their ideas and and of course they would make an idol out of their belief system. There were so many idols that Mars Hills would was filled with altars and idols.

And in their quest to try to box God in, they even had an idol and altar to the unknown God. It was like just in case we missed one, we're going to mark one as the unknown God. And Paul would speak to them. And here's the words that he said, and I'll paraphrase it.

He said, you know, God predetermined when you would be born and God predetermined where you would be born, and God predetermined by whom you would be born through. Because you don't come from your parents, you come from God. You come through them. And in that moment, God was giving every human being the dignity that you are not an accident.

John said, "You're not born by the will of the flesh, but by the will of God. You are not the result of the passion between your mother and your father. You are in the mind of God." You see, God thinks about you. God thinks good about you. And here's the staggering reality.

God put much thought into you. He told the prophet Jeremiah, "Before you were in your mother's womb, I knew you." And boy, if that's not good enough, how about this? Paul told Timothy, "Before time began, God called you and knew you." Wow. Before the first tick tock of time itself, God had already predetermined when you would be born, where you would be born, by whom you would be born through.

And if God put that kind of thought into you, then what is our response to be? The Bible says in hope that you would grope and feel after God, follow after God, for he's not far from any of you. Paul would look to that unknown God idol. And oh, don't don't think less of them because idols seems a bit primitive.

But we all still have idols. Our opinions become our idols. It's getting really quiet in this church here. Our money and materialism can be. You see, an idol is anything that has more power over you that you submit to, that you pay attention to. So certainly we have our idols.

But Paul appealed to them and said, "This idol, this unknown God, you are actually worshiping God and you don't know it because in him you live and move and breathe and have your being." Today my message is to you is this. Emmanuel is for you. Emmanuel is with you.

Emmanuel wants to dwell in you. Follow the star. God is not that far from any of us. The pursuit of following the stars by the three wise men are sometimes called three kings. Their real historic name is magi. These were magi that came from Persia or Babylon in its day.

No doubt hadn't been taught at the school of the magi which ironically and miraculously was started by Daniel the prophet. 900 years before Christ was born, Daniel was prophesying of Jesus coming. 900 years now, decade, decade after decade, century after century, magis would study the scriptures and these three magi said that star is the sign of Emmanuel coming to earth.

And so they started out on their journey. who was over a thousand miles from Babylon to Bethlehem. They would have to cross the Euphrates River, the Tigress River, climb mountains and endure heat in the Sahara deserts in the cold night, bandits and crooks and all kinds of distractions.

But they pursued. They pursued. They pursued because they were in quest to follow the star. Friends, God is making himself available. God has put I love Ecclesiastes 3:11. Listen to this verse. The wise Solomon said this. God has placed eternity in the heart of every man. You know what that means?

That God deposited a part of him inside you. There's a part of God that's already inside of you. And if you'll listen to it, if you'll follow it, he's not far. Oh, I'm not very religious. He's not far from you. Oh, but I'm a really bad sinner. But he's not far from you.

But I have a lot of doubts and I'm not even sure I believe in God. And he's not even that far from you. Follow the star. That star will show you your purpose. That star will lead you to your destiny. That star will speak to you, guide you, and lead you.

Emmanuel, God is with us. I think if we're not careful, we can get easily distracted and we can allow despair and discouragement and doubt to hinder our quest to follow the star. Pay attention. Every day the star is whispering hints. Go here. Go there. Slow. No. Go. The star is leading.

Follow the star. Well, that's how I've come to be here today. I've always believed that every day there's a follow the star destiny moment. Jeannie and I, when we first started our church, we we we would uh we were living off our savings. I was working for a small production company.

She was playing the piano at South Coast Plaza playing religious music. They wanted her to play secular music. She didn't know any. And people were coming around the piano crying, saying, "I don't know what you're playing, but it's touching my heart." We are having revival at South Coast Plaza expense.

Hallelujah. But we used to go to a resort where we would just kind of indulge oursel in the atmosphere of a billiondoll resort by the ocean and we would just soak in the atmosphere and and and and then finally God gave us enough blessings that I could go there and park and I would give the attendant, the valet attendant, a $20 bill.

This is 30 years ago. And boy, he would take care of me. anytime I pulled up, they were always looking for us and and so and and and so I would take care of him. One day, Pastor Joel and Victoria were on vacation and they had just taken over the church and it was exploding and they wanted to go to another mega church so they could kind of watch and observe like, man, how do we do this?

And so they got in the car and the valet came to them and they said, "How do we get to this church?" and and he gave him directions and and uh and then Victor, Pastor Victor said, "Well, how far is it?" And he said, "About an hour and 20 minutes."

She said, "Joe, we're on vacation. We don't want to drive 1 hour and 20 minutes." The valet said, "Oh, you should go to Phil and Jeannie Muny's church. They're right down the street." That's why I say, "Treat everyone like they could be the doorkeeper to your destiny. One day you'll be right.

Follow. follow the star. But just like the wise men, we face adversity. We face difficulties. And I think now more than ever, people have lost their way. They've lost sight of the star. Today, the Holy Spirit has asked me to say this to you. Open your heart to me.

I want to lead you. I want to guide you. I want to comfort you. I want to convict you. I want to allow you to step into your destiny. Some have allowed despair and such a time of confusion in our culture and in our world. Despair has just overwhelmed us and manifested in stress and anxiety.

There's so much despair. There's such a sense that of loss and being lost. and despair just can blind our eyes to the star that's beaming brightly, leading us, guiding us. A few years ago, my uncle called me and said, "Phil, I went to school with this young man.

I haven't seen him in 40 years, but I can't get his face out of my mind. I see his face constantly. I go to bed, I wake up, I see his face. something's happening and you got to find him and we got to make contact with him. And I said, "Okay, uh, sure, sure.

Uh, what do I do? What's his name and how do I meet make contact with him?" He gave me his name. And then he said, "But I don't know where he's at. I know he's in real estate." Oh, great. South Thorns County, 3 million people. Well, that narrows it down to 100,000.

And I thought, well, I don't know what I'm going to do. But somehow my uncle saw a flickering star and he followed it. Phil, find him. Do something. Later that day, Jeannie reminded me just now I went to the mailbox thinking, "How am I ever going to find this man?

As I went to the mailbox, I opened up the mailbox and started going through junk mail. Junk, junk, junk." And right before I threw away a real estate agent's junk mail, I caught the name. And the name had the cell number on it. And I thought, well, I'll call him later.

And then the star said, call now. I put it on the on the desk and thought, I'll call later on. Now means later on. And the star was flickering, beaming, call now. And so I did. I called and a couple rings. The man on the other end opened uh answered the phone and in a very weak crackly voice said hello.

I I said, "Sir," I called him by his name. "My uncle went to school with you and and 40 years ago, but he can't get your face out of his mind." And he he he he said, "You got to find him." And lo and behold, I open up the mailbox.

I get this postcard. I get you. I said, "Sir, I don't you don't know who I am, but I'm calling you to tell you that something's going on, and I just feel led that I was supposed to call you." By this time now, the cry is becoming pretty dramatic.

And this is what he says. He's a Christian. He believes in God, but the pressure of finances and family and all of the things going on has finally got to him. and despair has buckled his knees. And now he tells me crying, "I have attached a w a a a hose to my gas pipe, exhaust pipe, and it's in my back window, and I'm taking my life."

Sir, no. Don't do that. Turn your car off. Don't you understand? God loves you. God cares for you. He has shown a light to my uncle. I have found your name. He cries. He turns off the car. Grace comes in. Holy Spirit gives him peace, gives him comfort.

He turns it around. God blesses his family. And now for decades, he's lived a great life. Friend, I'm telling you, the star will lead you. The star will guide you. The star will give you godly connections. Don't give in to despair. When you are overwhelmed in life, when you are overwhelmed with so much, look up.

Follow the star. Oh, it's a twinkling little star like a diamond in the sky. But those stars are more than just a fantasy. They have power. Those stars represent the creator of the universe. I asked AI, we're becoming good friends, you know. I said, 'How many stars are there?

Enough people. There's been 120 billion people on the planet. Um, how many stars are there? Oh, AI said, "Just in our galaxy, there's over 120 billion stars and some." Wow. Like a star for every human being. I said, "How big are these little twinkly twinkle little star? How I wonder where you are.

How big are they? Oh, and AI said, "Oh, I'll tell you. I'll give you an example. The sun is a star, but it's a medium average size star. And you could put 1 million Earths inside that star. Oh my, I said it's more than a twinkling star. It's a burning flame."

And when those wise men found the baby Jesus and the twinkle in his eye, they saw a kingdom without end. They saw a kingdom without end. They saw the prince of peace, the mighty God, the everlasting father. But in our pursuit of following the star, if we're not overwhelmed with dismay, we can get overwhelmed with distractions.

This is an incredible, incredible temptation that we give into almost by default. Distractions. We just get busy. There's a story in the Old Testament about about a man who who is to watch over a prisoner, very important prisoner. And the captain said, "Don't lose this guy. Don't lose this guy.

Look, I'm going to be gone for a few months. Don't lose him. Keep him chained. Keep keep an eye on him because if you lose him, you lose him. You lose your life." And wouldn't you know, after a few months, when the master returned, he came back and the prisoner had escaped.

And the captain said, "Give me one good idea. Give me something that tells me there has got to be a legitimacy in why you lost this prisoner." And his only answer was, "Your servant got busy here and there." How many have lost the star, have lost their way just by being distracted?

You know, I they say I have ADD. And actually, I don't have a problem with that. I think God ADD means God gives you an additional brain. I think God just looks and says, "I'm going to give him another brain." And he added it on. And it just helps my creativity because I can do so many things.

I can do two or three things at one time. My brain is going brain all the time. I love it. I literally have to do two or three things at one time and able to to be engaged and focused. Do I get any of those finished and done?

But still, I am a creative ADD guy. And my wife my wife will often sometimes say, "Go to the grocery store, Phil. I need heavy weapon queen for the coffee in the morning." Okay, I will. Do I need to write it down for you? Yeah, write it down.

All right, this is what I need. Now, go to the store. I need this this heavy. Okay, you got it. And I go to the grocery store. I get so distracted. I like I go down every aisle. Oh, two bags of chip for the price of one. Boom.

Oh, and I'm I mean by the time I'm done, I got three or four bags of groceries. I'm coming in the house. Woo! Like Santa Claus. And what' you do? Oh, look at this. Look at this. Look at this. And then she looks at me and says, "Did you get the heavy whipping cream, distractions, or what about doubt?"

I want to pray today that those of you that have lost your faith, you've lost your your stamina, you've lost your fervor, you've just let doubt cloud your thinking, cloud your mind, cloud the star. I wrote a poem about doubt called Beyond a Shadow of Doubt. Would you like me to read it?

I'm going to read it. Doubt is so easy to believe. It's rarely contested and challenged. We question our beliefs but seldom question our doubts. Repressing and ignoring doubt only enhances its haunting hovering hovering over our head. Doubt when buried is sown and grown determinally deep in dark places we refuse to own.

Doubt trolls our soul. It waits in silence for an opportunity to sabotage any ray of hope. Yet truth is not offended by doubt. Believe it or not, faith is strengthened by doubt. Like gravity, doubt keeps our faith in tension like the magnetic pole of the North and South Pole.

Faith and doubt coexist. They reveal, not repeal truth. Our doubt neither intimidates or insults God. David said, "If my doubt puts me in the dark dungeons of hell, you are there." There's no place one can go, no place so dark, no depth so low where God's presence can't be felt or dealt.

No broken, bruised, or bent heart that God cannot mend. Do not be afraid. Let doubts take you to your shadows. For in confrontation, your doubts will lose their tormenting motion. Then there, beyond the shadow of doubt, there you will find your stronger faith. Beyond the shadow of doubt, God is found.

Beyond your angst and fear, in your still surrender, you will see God loves and believes in you when you can do neither. Friend, don't let doubt cause you to lose sight. The star is still beaming. The star is still shining. Oh star of wonder, oh star of night, star of glorious royal beauty, bright onward leading, still proceeding.

Star, guide us to thy perfect light. Perhaps you've become discouraged. Perhaps you've just allowed the things of life to take your courage and now you're going through the motions without any emotion. Discouragement weighs heavy on you today. The Lord says, "Look up. The twinkle in the star has power."

The twinkle of the star is the bright and morning star. When we get discouraged, our morale weakens and our morals wayne. It's dangerous to be in a sustaining mindset of discouragement. Today I speak, light shine, star so bright, you're not far from any of us. So I pray right now, Holy Spirit, come into this room.

Let your light shine. Pierce through the darkness. Pierce through the despair. Pierce through the doubt and fear. Pierce through the disappointments and again light up that eternity in our heart. Lift up our heads and see. Follow the star. No matter how hopeless, no matter how far if you reach, he's not far.

Not from any of you. The Bible says the righteous man falls seven times and gets up. I read that this week and I thought, you know what I never caught? That the it was the righteous man that falls. I I thought only failures fail. I thought it was only the hypocrites that I thought it was only people like me that would fall.

But the righteous man, he falls. Yeah, we all fall. Just don't make fail yours. Get back up and let the star burn bright yet again. Would you now again in these last closing moments use your hands as your heart and would you just open them up like this comfortably there?

And the Holy Spirit is here right now. He's here right now. I would ask you kindly to continue to be so respectful because he is here and in a twinkling of an eye. He can reverse your despair. He can reverse your discouragement. He can reverse your doubts and fears in a twinkling of an eye.

The quickening of the Holy Spirit can do a quick work. Come Holy Spirit. Say with me, "Come, Holy Spirit." You see, Jesus said, "I kept the promise that Emmanuel would come and be with us, but Jesus has even a greater promise." He said, "God has been with you."

But through the Holy Spirit, God is going to be in you. Say these words with me. Holy Spirit, fill me. Renew me. Set a flame inside my heart. ((music playing)) Come, Holy Spirit. Come like a wind. Come. Come. Come. Holy Spirit. If but for 30 seconds, let the Holy Spirit hover over you.

You've almost given up. You almost drifted what you feel is too far. You have become maybe cold because of so much that you can't understand. But the Lord says to you today, you may not understand all my ways, but follow me. Follow me and you will see I love you.

I'm for you. I'm with you. I am in you. I heard the Holy Spirit say to me during worship. Say, ask the people to ask for the Holy Spirit. And so I'm going to ask you again to say those words. The Bible says, "How do you get the Holy Spirit?"

The Bible says, "Ask." That's all. And so I want you to say these words now that you know you're going to say, "Say, Lord Jesus, fill me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit. I receive I receive the Holy Spirit in my life right here, right now.

Amen. Lift your hands a little higher. Say, "Thank you, Jesus." You're going to feel a witness of his presence. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Oh, I feel his presence so strong. I feel the Holy Spirit reaching. I see the Holy Spirit speaking. I sense his presence. Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord. While you're still in an attitude of prayer, let me bring those that are watching online or you're here today and you're not at peace with the Lord. You've never asked Christ to be the Lord and Savior of your life. If you were to face God, you don't have that peace that you should have.

You can have it today. God's been going after you. That's why you're here. He's been chasing you. Now, all you need to do is respond and say, "I will follow him." If you'll do that today, God will open his arms to you. If that's you today and you say, "I want a relationship with God.

I want a personal relationship through Jesus Christ." If that's you, would you just take a bold step? Or maybe you have been a follower of Christ, but you know you have drifted. It has taken you too far offshore, off pace, and you want a fresh start as we come to the end of this year.

Would you stand to your feet, too? Those of you that want to give your life to the Christ, those of you that want a fresh start, don't be afraid. Just stand in the name of Jesus. God bless you. God bless you. Just in these moments, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Come on, church. Give them a great hand. This is a big, big, big step for them. ((music playing)) And now while you're standing, pray this prayer with me. Say, "Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. You died on the cross for me. God raised you from the dead. And by confessing with my mouth and believing in my heart, I make you my Lord and Savior.

I'm born again in Jesus name." Amen. Amen. Stand together with me everybody. Let me give you a blessing. Let's put our hands together one more time for what God has done today. Wow. Wow. What a glorious day. And now on behalf of Pastor Joe and Victoria, the Ostein family, all of our pastors, we speak a blessing to you especially this week.

And then again, let me remind you Christmas Eve. What time is it, Pastor Nick? 6:00 Christmas Eve. Do anything and everything to be here. I promise you it will be a life-changing experience for you and your family in Jesus name. May the peace of God be with you.

Follow the stars, my friend. Follow the star. Follow the bright morning star. He will not lead you astray in Jesus name. God bless you. We'll see you Christmas Eve. Have a great week. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing))