Give Thanks and Never Stop Praying

Summary

This midweek Easter service centered on the living, risen Christ who still appears to His people - healing, guarding, and answering prayer. Opening from Acts 1, the leaders reminded the church that Jesus showed Himself alive to His disciples by many proofs, and that He still reveals Himself today through His Word and His care.

A guest preacher from war-torn Ukraine read Colossians 3 and Deuteronomy 8, urging believers to set their minds on things above and to guard their hearts in seasons of plenty. He warned that good times and hard times both pass, and that comfort can quietly make us forget God and grumble. His two simple charges: never stop giving thanks, and never complain.

A brother testified how God healed him and his wife after he simply raised his hand in faith, and the main message drew from 2 Kings 4, where Elisha prayed persistently until the Shunammite woman's son was raised. The recurring call was to keep coming to God, hold tightly to His grace, and refuse to give up - because where we write a period, the risen Lord can still write a comma.

Key Points

• The risen Christ is alive and still reveals Himself by healing, guarding, and answering prayer.
• Set your mind on the things above, not on the things of earth (Colossians 3).
• Both good seasons and hard seasons pass, so stay faithful through every one.
• In times of plenty, beware that your heart does not grow proud and forget God (Deuteronomy 8).
• Two unchanging duties for the believer: always give thanks, and never grumble.
• Pray persistently like Elisha - God's mercy often comes only after we refuse to quit.
• Where we write a period, God can write a comma, so keep bringing Him your needs.