Olive Grove Church would like to thank you for your continued listening and support every week from where you are. We would love to hear how this ministry has impacted your life and invite you to send us a message about your story. God has done amazing things for this ministry in 2014, but we believe Him for so much greater in 2015. We encourage you to take this journey with us in whatever way God would have you to do so and look forward to helping you and others experience a God First Life. Please tune in next week for Rewind Sunday as we recap the year of 2014 and share what God has done for us. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and thank you once again for listening. God bless you.

Often times we are so preoccupied with everyday life that we neglect to stop and pay attention to what is going on around us. We may miss opportunities to be a blessing to others and opportunities to show the love that God has shown to us. In this message Pastor Russ Emanuel encourages you to unwrap the small faith challenges that God has for you. When we unwrap our faith before others, then we unlock the faith within them. When faith touches faith we grow in our faith and help others to do the same. All we need to do is seize the opportunities presented to us and take a single step.

Life will always be full of surprises. Often times those surprises don’t come packaged the way we expect because God reveals them to us in His own way. In this message Pastor Russ Emanuel expresses the importance of Unwrapping Strange Gifts, even though they don’t look like what we want. God knows what He has for you before you ask Him for it, but you must know that if you ask you will receive. It is important to have faith that He will give you the gifts He has promised, even when the package looks weird.

It’s in our nature as humans to believe that we can do everything on our own. We tend to be uncomfortable and unwilling to relinquish control because we fear not being able to decide the outcome of a situation. In this message Pastor Russ Emanuel encourages you to transfer your trust and put your faith in God. Don’t allow fear to dominate your life and keep you in bondage any longer. Have fearless faith in the Lord and His ability to handle any and all of your situations. He has the power to break every chain.

The Lord never said that following Him would be easy, and often times we find ourselves in a tug of war between doing our own thing and waiting on Him. As humans we become impatient while waiting and we let the flesh lead us astray. In this message Preacher Jon T. Locklear encourages you to stand still and have the faith to let God’s will be done in your life. If you follow and trust in the Lord, He will lead, guide, and direct your path. There may be times when you feel as if you’ll never get to where He’s taking you, but just remember His ending for you is greater than the privilege of saying “I Did It My Way”.

In this message Pastor Mitchell Brewington explains to us The Fringe Benefits that come with being a child of God. Just like on our jobs, being a child of God has a great benefits package that you became qualified for when Christ died for our sins. No one is qualified to get into the Kingdom of God by yourself alone, so by faith we begin our application process. When you put your faith in Him you gain the benefit of being justified. Being justified puts you at peace with God and you gain the benefit of access to His grace. His grace restores and renews you and you gain the benefit of hope to endure all things. But most importantly, when you stand on His word and follow His will you gain the gift of eternal life.

Living a God First Life while you’re on the boat of life means that there will always be storms raging. Some you may see coming a mile away and others may catch you completely off guard. In this message Pastor Randy Williams encourages you to stay on the boat and ride out the storm with Jesus. Luke 8:24 says “And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.” The disciples knew that they alone could not weather the storm and called on Jesus when they needed help. The same should be so for us in our own boat. Jesus should be the number one passenger and the one we call on when the winds start blowing and waves start crashing. Our deck may fill with water and it may seem as if it’s better to jump ship and try to swim, but no matter how strong the winds or heavy the rain remember everything will be alright if we Ride out The Storm With Jesus.

Matthew 6:24 says "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." To some people money is the most important part of their life because it gives them security, freedom, and power. However living a God First Life is all about order and puts God in the front seat and money in the back. In this message Pastor Russ explains to us the importance of tithing and understanding the role of money. Tithing is important because it shows our devotion and worship to God by returning to Him that which He has given us. Biblical tithing is bringing the first ten percent of your income to God through your local church. When we love money more than we love God it shows in our giving and our lives. We feel only the need to give what we think we can spare and forget that it is not ours to give to begin with. We place a false security in its promises and come up empty handed in the end. But God says if you trust in Him and do what you are supposed to do, He will do exactly what He told you He would do. He will provide security, freedom, and power that is always guaranteed.

Luke 11:1 says, "Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." Prayer is a very fundamental part of living a God First Life. It is an open line of communication between us and God that produces results. In order for prayer to be effective it must be personal, persistent, and specific. In this message Pastor Russ teaches us about effective prayer using a clear example of why and how we pray. Why do we pray? We pray because we have a personal relationship with God and to exercise our spiritual authority that we have in Jesus. How do we pray? Praying may seem hard to do, but you have to start somewhere. Start with praise! God lives in our praises and is glorified when we worship Him.