State of the Church 2020
Part of State of the Church
January 11, 2020


State of the Church 2020.jpg

Psalm 111:1-10 ESV
Great Are the Lord’s Works
1Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
3Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
5He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
6He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
8they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!



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 The book of Psalms is 150 poems written by several different authors. Many of them were written by David (about 75), one was written by Moses, the sons of Korah (11), Asaph (12), and Solomon (2).

 The title Psalms comes from the Greek word psalmos. The Hebrew title for the book is Tehillim, which means “praises”

 In the Psalm that we are reading today, it is very near the center of the Bible. Actually Psalm 117 is the exact center of the Bible. There are 594 Chapters before Psalm 117, Psalm 117 is the 595th, and there are 594 Chapters after Psalm 117.

Psalm 117:1-2 ESV
The Lord’s Faithfulness Endures Forever
1Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
2For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

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 When we were on mission to India, this is a greeting in the church there. Many of the people you meet say “Praise the Lord” to which everyone else responds “Praise the Lord”. This usually happens before they say anything else. They are very welcoming, and like us, they experience true fellowship in Christ.

Psalm 111:1 ESV
1Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

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Revelation 7:9-12 ESV
A Great Multitude from Every Nation
9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

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Service attendance.jpg

 Koza, last year had an average attendance (including Children) of over 1,100 people each Sunday. Our highest attended Sunday was Easter, with 1,956 in attendance.

Easter and Christmas are our highest attended services.

But we all gather here each Sunday, every tribe and tongue, to give praise to him. To Worship…with our whole heart…because that is what we were created to do.

The word here is-

Hallelujah-

Halal which means “Praise”
Jah (or Yahh) “the Lord (Yahweh)”

How do we praise Him?
We praise the Lord with our whole heart.

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Psalm 111:1 ESV
1Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

So our congregation (Koza Baptist Church) has been praising Him here in Okinawa since 1963.


Koza congregation 1965.jpg

 Koza was planted by the Foreign Mission Board (the predecessor to the International Missions Board…the missions arm of the SBC). There were supported missionaries that served as pastors of the church. There came a season when they decided to purchase some property and build a permanent worship facility. They completed construction of this project in 1965.


Koza Baptist Church 1965.jpg

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Psalm 111:2-4 ESV
2Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
3Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.

 We study His works when we participate in discipleship. When we open His word. This word is full of splendor and majesty! And we remember His works today.

SO what are some of His works?

Mission Trips
Outreaches
VBS
Family Experiences
Jingle Jams



Psalm 111:4-5 ESV
4He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
5He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.

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Koza finances.jpg

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Psalm 111:6-9 ESV
6He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
8they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!

Last year we baptized 76 people…52 adults and 24 Children.

Praise the Lord! But what’s better, is that preceding these baptisms were Decisions of Faith, to Follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord…and right then, right there, He sent redemption to His people!

Lives changed forever. Born again!

Psalm 111:10 ESV
10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!

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Worship songs for this weekend
“Your Love Awakens Me” — Phil Wickham
“Do It Again” — Elevation Worship
“Jesus Is Better” — Austin Stone Church
“Build My Life” — Pat Barrett (feat. Chris Tomlin)


Interested in supporting missions and ministry at Koza?
Please use the Give Online button on the Home tab.
Every gift helps.


Thank you for worshiping with us today at Koza!
If you have any questions, ministry needs, or desire for prayer please come to the front of the worship center after the service and speak with one of our leaders who are ready to meet you. Have a great week! Please contact our staff at info@kozabaptistchurch.org for further assistance.


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