Year of Prayer Ending Celebration | Lee Coate & New North Worship | New North Church

It's hard to believe that we're coming to the end of Year of Prayer.

And what a year it's been.

You know, the heart behind Year of Prayer has truly been to see every person come to know the Lord deeper as we all journey together, becoming men and women of prayer.

And that's exactly what's happened.

So let's take a moment to hear from our church family and see how God has been moving throughout Year of Prayer.

I think it's given me a really strong foundation to go into college and go into the bigger world.

I would say this year of prayer has taught me to be more reflective about my prayer life.

The power of praying together?

Or even the same person?

In this year of prayer, God has encouraged me and showed me new perspective to prayer.

God has been a prayer from a new job.

Looking for a house that's been there through just the ups and down.

I've been praying a lot about my family.

Other families about that.

This year I was really encouraged by how faithful God is through how Jesus continues to pray for me, even the prayers that I have forgotten.

This year of prayer, God has taught me to pray his character traits first before I ask for anything else.

And that has changed my prayer life significantly.

This year I saw God just bring people together and grow the church so much and grow the worship as well.

Your prayer has deepened my trust in God's plans for me.

I felt like the spirit encouraged me to join uh the prayer team and just step out in faith and practice the new rhythm of praying for people and people you might not know.

This year I've learned that prayer isn't just about fixing situations, but it's more uh letting God change you.

This year's been amazing.

I just learned deeply.

I just prayed for myself and others to pray about love.

Uh only a second.

The sermon.

And that was a really good sermon, so really sticky time.

Your prayer has just been amazing for me and my family and my community.

Praying with purpose has been amazing.

Your prayer has really encouraged me to pray every day of my life.

What about what's going on this week?

What about the things that are the little things that are trusting God that I can come to God with those as well?

God has taught me to trust him with everything and release control to him.

Not trying to do things myself, but just do things this way.

God taught me how to have patience in the message with prayers.

Man, I love hearing those stories of how God moved in and through our people.

And many of you have similar stories of what God did through your prayer.

But I just want to encourage you, even though this campaign is done, we're definitely not done.

Like, we will continue to become people of prayer and a church of prayer.

So I just want to encourage you, like, what does that look like in your own life?

Maybe it's reading a book on prayer.

Maybe it's coming to our prayer gathering every week.

Maybe it's staying at the end of a service and getting prayer or praying for someone else.

Like, this is not over, friends, and I just want to encourage you to like, what is this one thing you can do to become more of a person of prayer?

Think about that.

Pray about that.

And what if hundreds of us did that together?

That's what we're after.

So thanks for participating, and we're not done because God's certainly not done either.

Well, that's a reason to celebrate New North, isn't it?

We are so grateful for this past year, and any time that we put a lot of our energy together into a focus, it starts to produce results.

And we heard those testimonies and those stories of life change.

Our bet is that if we put a camera and a microphone in front of many more of you, that you would have been able to say, over this past year, as we've leaned in together, we've learned together, we've had focused times of prayer, that I am in a different spot.

And not just in my prayer life, but the product what it produces in our life with Jesus and the transformation that are there.

And as Rob mentioned in the video, we are not done.

This is just a shift in our season as we continue to be a church that prays with intentionality and we believe that God will work through that.

Before we move forward in this special service this morning, we want to just pause for just a moment because we know each and every week that we have folks that are with us for the very first time.

Guests that are here, whether they made their way here or someone invited them, and we just want to say welcome to you.

Everything that you're experiencing this morning, we've prepared knowing that you would be here with you in mind, and we just want you to relax and lean in and allow God to take you on the journey you're on wherever He wants to through our time of worship together.

We will ask and invite you to do one thing for us.

Pretty simple.

And that is there is a tap on the back of the chair in front of you.

And if you are a guest today, we would love for you to just take your phone, hit that tap, and there's a digital connect card that you can fill out just to introduce yourself to us, let us know you're here.

We'd love to be able to provide you with further steps of engagement that you can get involved in.

And if you have a moment after the service, our team will be located at the hub in the courtyard as people are mingling around.

Why don't you come and introduce yourself to us if you have questions?

We'd love to be able to answer them.

But we want to say on behalf of our entire community here at New North, we want you to feel welcome to know that you are.

Well, as we make this second turn in our journey this morning, we want to talk about the idea of the element of rejoicing in prayer.

And a huge part of our learnings and our interaction in prayer has been approaching God with this spirit of rejoicing that's really tied closely to the idea of we are grateful.

We approach Him in prayer with a spirit of thankfulness.

So we want to we want to pause for a moment here and be able to actually do that together.

And I want to start us in preparation for that, not necessarily talking about rejoicing or joy, but actually starting backing up for just a moment, talking about the element of peace.

Because when we are at peace, despite our circumstances, despite what we may be experiencing, we are able to then openly and thoroughly rejoice.

But I don't know if you've noticed, maybe it's just me, but it can be pretty difficult right now to find a reason to rejoice, to find a reason to be grateful.

Our world around us, as we walk through it, as we scroll through it, as we navigate the different elements of our life and our journey together, it can frankly just suck the peace right out of us.

Perhaps this week you thought, I'm gonna pursue some peace.

So you did some things, some good things.

Maybe you arranged your calendar in a way that has an opportunity to just produce more peace for you.

That's a good thing.

Maybe you started some new habits, maybe you started some different routines in hopes that you could find a sense of internal internal peace.

Maybe you felt like you were finally getting everything under control.

These things are great.

But the reality is we know that they only provide a temporal or a momentary peace.

Because ultimately, our peace that produces our ability to be grateful and rejoice only comes from a deep encounter with Jesus.

Paul encourages us in that and reminds us of that.

And he tells us that peace isn't hiding from us, that it needs to be rooted within us.

In Colossians chapter 3, verses 15 through 17.

Colossians 3:15–17

Here's the words of Paul to us today in our church.

He says, Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

Since as members of one body, you were called, you were invited to have peace.

And then he says, be thankful.

Translation, rejoice.

He goes on, let the message of Christ dwell or be rooted among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through what we did this morning and what we'll continue to do, through psalms, through hymns and songs from the Spirit.

Singing to God with what?

Gratitude.

Gratitude in your heart is rejoicing.

And then he finally says, whatever we do, whatever we're navigating this week, whatever place we're going to be, whatever challenges we may have, whatever we do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus as his representative.

Giving, and there it is again.

Giving thanks.

We're rejoicing.

We're grateful to God the Father through him.

Thankfulness and rejoicing and gratitude in who God is is to be rooted in us from a place of knowing despite our circumstances there can be peace.

Here's the part I love.

I think about a house.

A house that is occupied, where God dwells, as Paul talked about.

Anytime there's people dwelling in a home, there's noise.

There's a spirit of we know someone's home.

We know that there's a sound coming out of it.

And that's what verses 16 and 17 talk about.

It says there's a new north where Christ's peace rules, and where the word of God has moved in.

It is not quiet.

It sings.

It gives things.

It rejoices.

Whatever we do in word or deed, it comes out saying, thank you, God.

There's rejoicing.

So here today we are rejoicing as we pray and as we live.

It happens as peace rules in our hearts.

So I want to invite you right now to just stand throughout the room, just stand together, and we're going to practice this together.

We are going to stand up and we are going to make some noise in this house.

And we are going to rejoice as we prayerfully approach our Heavenly Father in the Spirit of Peace.

When to serve and wanna sit here at your free.

That we are your people, that this is your church.

We are the church.

And God, would you help us to be people who love you with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and be people who love our neighbor as we love ourselves?

Help us, God, to be people of prayer.

Help us to be a church that prays, God, who makes it our first priority, God.

God, we commission ourselves into your grace, into your care, as people of faith, as people who simply say, Jesus, I love you.

In the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, in the name of the Spirit, we pray.

And God's people said, Amen.

Alright, hey.

Yes.

We're gonna end with a one of my favorite new worship songs out.

But you gotta loosen up a little bit, you guys.

You gotta, you know, sing loud.

This is a great song, but you need to move a little bit, and then you'll be dismissed.

Okay, so let's sing this together and then we're done.

I'm good, sing was singed on me.

Shame was running deep.

Love was built on Calvary.

Oh hallelujah, I'm being God, how can it be?

I'm ransomed and ready Standing on your victory.

Oh hallelujah, I've been washed in the water, washed in the blood, I'm as good as dew.

Oh hallelujah, I've been washed in the water, washed in the blood, all because of you.

Oh hallelujah, I've been stop what I have done, but what you've done for me all love for that tree, oh hallelujah, I've been overcome The first tea is so sweet Dead T wearden, do you have the watch to walk?

Watch this of the Oh heart and do ya, watch this, watch this of the do Oh and do you have to watch this one, watch this of the Oh, then do you have to watch this, watch it, oh heart and do you know the to the club You got me running up the floor Hallelujah, here I come Cut you tumble with my shape When you now get to the clock Yes today, you got me running out of the shape I don't know you hear I come Cut you to go with my shape Let's get down the to the door Hallelujah I've been washed in the water Washed in the blood as good as me Oh hallelujah I've been washed in the water Washed in the blood because of me Oh hallelujah Oh hallelujah Church we celebrate God this morning and it was a good time Amen Have a blessed week Enjoy the rest of your Sunday We will see you back next Sunday on time at 8 30, 10 and 12.

Be blessed, and you can't make it a lot of people.