Sunday AM Recap
August 30, 2026
Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/pdVr3dCkzWQ?si=fChIoiBbJm52ZW5a
Teacher Sara Ozbun opened the service.
Andrea Colyer led worship.
No Early Childhood Worship today.
After worship, Apostle Susan Powers shared the following:
Ascending in the first flight coming home from NC - looking out the windows, glut of solar panels, as she is observing this the Lord said “Man tries to harness my power, but they will never bridle My Glory.” What does that mean to me? In part, it means this: we use wind power, solar power, water generators, all sorts of God-given power, and we harness it and run it through wires and use it for our purposes, and that’s a gift from Him. There may not always be a power grid on the face of the earth But make no mistake, there will never be a lack of power from the heavenlies from HIM. Even though we see the chaos and the storm, we as human beings take a gift from God, like the sun, like moving water, like wind power - that energy can be harnessed, but somewhere in our thinking that equates to US being all-power, equates to bridling the mouth of the Lord, and it has silenced our ability to speak - because there is power in the spoken Word - it silences our ability to speak on His behalf. Is it not true that the Scriptures say all may prophesy? How many of us get up every day and say “Lord, let me be your voice in this world today”? The largest majority of us likely do not do that…but isn’t that like trying to put a bridle in the mouth of the Lord? If we tell Him what we are willing to do and what we are not willing to do?
So as Apostle Sue was looking up into the clouds as God was speaking about using His power by His permission…our Pastor would not have a job with the wind for if it was not for His permission…we all have our opinions, but we all like it when our stuff works…AC, phones, etc…but do we try to bridle what we are speaking to us and through us?
If God said that man tries to harness with some success His power through the sun, water, wind, but that He can never be bridled, where are we trying to bridle the voice of the Lord, the Spirit of the Living God? Where are we refusing to come up here, to come closer, bow down, jump up…we must be paying attention!!! There are greater things - that was His promise, it is still in the atmosphere, recorded on the walls - greater things are yet to come. Whether you were here or not, those words are for YOU. Look outside: the larger of the two apple trees that God inspired Apostle to plant were not for this generation, but there are already apples and flowers…Beloved, that is a supernatural stamp of approval from God! Those two little trees are thriving, against all odds…because we can’t bridle the Lord. When we obey, the blessing is His. An apple tree does not typically flower and fruit at the same time. He has said the fruit wouldl not be for this generation but for future generations…there is a plan and a purpose for this little tribe, and our job is to do our job, to trust Him, to obey Him, to see the miracles happening right here for no reason other than HE IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT. So - let’s take a step forward, let’s recognize that seasons and times are in the hands of the Lord…we are stepping closer to the next Hebraic, biblical year, but we are still in the time of transition with our King, and if you are approaching every day like every other day, please do something different - her challenge to us. We receive the messages each week, we receive the invitation to worship, week after week. There has never been a time when the worship team didn't show up, there has never been a time when the ministry team didn't show up…what’s your responsibility in that? Join her in believing greater things are coming - a power we once knew and perhaps for a season has not been in this house, and we need to be asking for it and be ready for what we don't even know it is. How do we do that?...We have so many ways to communicate, and God wants us to encourage one another. When was the last time you called your pastor and told him that message really impacted that way? When was the last time you encouraged a member of the worship team or ministry team? When have you spoken to each other as brothers and sisters and said - “are you sure that’s God?” Because that’s part of it too. Watching the live feed the last few weeks was a challenge with the small children all around - but the little children loved watching the worship portion of it. They are absorbing: hearing your testimonies, speaking your testimonies about how the messages are impacting your life - don't consider that common and ordinary! Consider how much it means to this community that we finish well! Let’s be those people - again and again and even more so!
Message: Pastor Jeff Spangler
Isaiah 61
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
“For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
We are very familiar with the beginning of this passage.
As Jesus gave this passage to us, He told us this is the Spirit we have access to because of Him, that we can share with others…declare light in darkness when we feel dark, then bind up the brokenhearted when we ourselves are brokenhearted.
Verses 2-3:
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
We have a community that needs this!! We have so many around us focused on the troubles and the victimization, it always seems like there is such a challenge in every conversation, they need a garment of praise rather than a spirit of despair!
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
We can come alongside others and say “I understand where you are, but HE has given me a cloak of righteousness.” He has said we will be called oaks of righteousness - that was spoken by a leader of God in this community who came and spoke it over this church, and it is still valid today: “YOU WILL BE CALLED OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
How many of us feel like an oak of righteousness?
Righteousness: quality or state of being just or rightful
So, if you are called an oak of righteousness, you can show being just. It isn't perfection - righteousness is a state or quality of being just.
So, when I see someone in a struggle, I don’t make it worse. I don't want to pet it. I want to show the compassion of Christ.
When Isaiah was referring to oaks, oaks were common in Israel, it’s a tree that can grow in arid, dry, places, in rocky hard places, and can flourish where other trees cannot. These resilient trees can tolerate rocky ground.
We live in this same place in Kansas. The pin oak here will grow when others won’t.
An oak or righteousness…sometimes I feel more like a maple, which breaks down at the first sign of adversity. But that’s not what He called us - He called us an Oak of Righteousness.
Being an oak of righteousness, or a strong strength that grows in a hard season. WE can be one that flourishes in those hard places - because of Him!
Reminder: IT’S A CHOICE.
The Word can be true and released, but we can choose whether or not we take hold of it…because we don’t “feel” like an oak, we can talk ourselves out of it.
“What is “it”” - went back to a year ago, the message one year back: what’s an “it” for you?
Think back to the tomb…it was a tomb of death in a garden of death…and He made it a garden of life!
In Israel, they are currently digging and excavating, and finding tombs under tombs. Now they are uncovering things never uncovered before and finding historical, factual documentation of where Christ’s tomb ACTUALLY was. They have found Solomon’s colonnade - it’s being uncovered right now.
God is taking the ordinary and making them extraordinary.
James 1:22-25
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
A year ago: the message released explained that the Word says “the Word of God came to me” but God has us reverse it and say “I came to the Word of God.”
“It is written.”
The Word of God came to us and called us Oaks of Righteousness, so we come to Him and ask Him to explain it to us - how do I flourish in a rocky place?
We are all going through some stuff - and God says “let Me in, and let Me out!! Let Me show you how to take that despair and change it into something else!”
Verse 25:
25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
We are supposed to LOOK into it - do it. Look into it. Continue in it. And should be found doing it.
What’s it?
THE WORD. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sometimes we think we have to be this big splendor or something…but this is how we are to be oaks of righteousness. Just do it. The Word.
If we are going to prove true, we must prove that IT is alive outside of us.
Oak of Righteousness…We don’t feel like oaks of righteousness.
But we can read the Word and say - ok, I’ll just do some opposite work:
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
They may be struggling in despair, and we can identify it for them and pray for them…we don’t say “you ARE darkness,” we can say “I see an ‘it’ in you.” WE can identify “it” quickly in others.
But we struggle in seeing the “it” in ourselves. When it comes to ourselves, we see the “you.” We don’t cut ourselves the slack we cut others.
We say:
“You are a screw up.”
“You are a problem.”
To ourselves.
And that goes against what God says about us.
We need to watch our words - use “it” instead of “you.” Call out the thing, not the person.
“YOU are negative.” vs “What you just said is negative.”
There’s a big difference!
God wants to redeem EVERYONE. Watch your words - “it” and “you.”
“You did this wrong.” Vs. “This thing is wrong.”
We want to be anointed to set the captives free! And there's many of us who self-talk about the “you” instead the way GOD talks about YOU - YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made! He sees YOU as you are, and He speaks for the YOU to come forward.
GOD says “YOU ARE AN OAK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS” so don’t let the enemy tell you something else! He is calling forth what is already IN you! Like excavating centuries of stuff in Israel…He is digging out the YOU that He made you to be, because the layers of stuff is the “it,” it’s not YOU
We have been called Oaks of Righteousness - no matter how you feel, YOU are an Oak of Righteousness. You are steadfastness of justice because of Him. There’s you, and there’s things that He wants to call out of you.
So many times you are quick to see the “it” in others and help others through the “it” - but in our own lives, we think it’s us, not “it.” It’s not the you - it’s the it. So change your self-talk so you don’t speak what you can’t do, but instead you say the “you” HE says you are.
Get ready to release it and live the YOU that God says you are.
Who are you going to listen to?
What are you going to believe?
What do you believe about your self-talk? What have you taught yourself?
You are oaks of righteousness…and it’s time to STAND UP and DO THE WORK. CONTINUE IT. DOING IT. THE WORD OF GOD.
We are great and doing the “it” in others…but maybe not the “it” in ourselves. But MY JESUS is big enough to correct and call forth who you really are! The Word says who you really are…do you believe it? Then the Word says you should be found DOING IT!
When they say “you hurt me” - we can identify the “it” instead of the “you”
When the accusations come about who YOU are…change it in your mouth, ask the Lord to reign in your mouth, in your words, and recognize the “it” not the you!
Don’t we want to be a people that speak beauty for ashes? That’s what Isaiah 61 is talking about. Don’t speak ashes for ashes…God is about life and cloaks of praise instead of spirits of despair.
Jesus didn’t see his own enemies as enemies of God - he saw the “it” in them and he spoke to “it” and then told the “you” - “go and sin no more.”
“Get behind me Satan” - not get behind me Peter. Isn’t that who we want to be? Isn’t that the anointing in Isaiah 61?
Cut yourself some slack, quit identifying the “you” in you, but identify the IT.
You’re so good and seeing it for others…you need to learn to do it for yourselves.
So Oaks of Righteousness…look into it. Study it. And DO IT, even when you don't understand. God is calling the “YOU” to be something greater than you think you are.
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