Pastor Gail – Opening Prayer
1. Good morning. It’s a great day, Palm Sunday. And we want to pray really quickly and we’ll begin our worship. Father, we thank You for this beautiful morning. We thank You that You were here before we even came. And we are here to give You glory. Oh Lord, You are the One that we want to place first in our hearts. So, we thank You for today, that we have the opportunity to worship together. In the name of Jesus. So, we say Lord, open up the sky.
2. Praise the Lord. Would you remain standing, as we read a little Word today. We’ll be reading from Luke 19:1-5, “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
3. You may be seated. Lord, we thank You for Your Word, Lord. I’m really excited about today. It’s a very special day I believe. So, today, we’re going to hear some testimonies, from six people that Jesus came to their House, just as He did at Zaccheaus. They are going to share the wonder of Jesus, coming into their heart today.
4. So, listen really closely, I believe you’re going to be blessed this morning. Praise God. So, Marina, she’s number one.
Marina Vernicou – Testimony
1. Hello everyone. It’s nice to be here in the house of the Lord. I don’t have something grand to say. But God is grand in Himself. The last few weeks I had some minor health issues. And I was trying to find a way to handle all of this. And the Lord has shown me the path. All the doctors have agreed that it’s the same thing. And I will have an operation on the 30th April, and I would really would want your prayers, but God is with me. So, I’m blessed and I’m thankful for the Lord for everything He does for me. Thank you.
Pastor Gail
1. We will pray for Marina here shortly. I love that the Lord has come into our lives, and when we have problems, He says He will never leave us. Thank you, Marina. And now we have a new comer to our family. Brian is going to come here this morning.
Brian Williams – Testimony
1. Hello, good morning. So, my testimony this morning, has to do with our transition from America to Greece. When we were raising funds to come here, we were having a very tough time in the summertime. And when we talked to friends and family, they wouldn’t believe that we should be here and they weren’t very encouraging. So, we started feeling that we needed to just start making moves, start packing start looking like we were really moving.
2. And one morning, I was working on a lot of boxes and packing and God showed me something. He gave me a vision of Noah, and how he was told to build the ark, and no one had ever seen rain before, so that they didn’t know what he was doing.
3. I can only imagine what his friends and family were saying as he was working on the ark, for years and years and years on this ark. But God said to him, we don’t know this for sure, but He said to him, ‘Keep working, keep working, just keeping building and I will bring the flood. And that’s what God was telling me, was that the flood of our funding was coming.
4. The interesting thing about this story was, that morning, Laura woke up and she walked in and said, ‘I’ve got to tell you something,’ Laura my wife. The night before, she was trying to go to sleep and she couldn’t go to sleep and God showed her something. She proceeded to tell me, the exact story that God just told me.
5. I was just writing this up, to tell her, when she walked in and she told me that God said the same thing. And that was reassurance to me that we were doing the right thing. And I’d like to say that the money all came in the next day, but it didn’t. But just like in Palm Sunday, when the Israelites were ecstatic, they were happy, they were joyous that Jesus was coming in to Jerusalem, a week later, they were calling for His crucifixion. That emotional change in us, humans, is very normal. But even in the highs and the lows, of our times and our emotions, God is always the same. Amen.
Christina Prapas – Testimony
1. Good morning. I want to tell you how Jesus worked in my life about 3 years ago. After doing my check-up, they discovered that I had breast cancer. I had to do surgery, which I did, and that all went well. A few months after, Jesus came into my life with a telephone call. Because He does make telephone calls. And in this case, it was sister Leto., who listened to the Lord and she called me to see how I was doing.
2. For whatever reason, I couldn’t speak, so I asked her to call me back. I didn’t know, but she called my son, to tell him that I wasn’t feeling very well. So, my son came around after work, and just decided to take me to the hospital.
3. So, I don’t remember much after this, but I think I woke up about 3 days later. I had been in a coma and I didn’t know. And I found out, that for whatever reason, that I had an infection in my throat area, and I couldn’t breathe, so, they opened up my throat and performed a tracheotomy.
4. Now, from that, that was a call from God, because after they did a blood test on me, in this hospital, they found out that I had myeloma, which is a blood cancer of the bone. So, just my luck to have 2 types of cancer, and If I had not done that, I would not have known that I had myeloma.
5. Because this is why they don’t know too much about this disease. But because they caught it, I think early, I’ve been doing really well, praise the Lord. It’s been now 3 years, that I’ve gone through all of this, and look, I’m still here. Thank you.
Pastor Gail Stathis
1. I like to share how Christina met the Lord. There was actually a children’s program here, maybe 30 years ago. Christina gave her heart to the Lord, during a children’s presentation, and I love that so much. Cecilia is going to share really quickly.
Cecilia Sakatira – Testimony
1. Good morning. God is so good. You know, I’m just remembering when almost 3 years ago actually, God said, ‘Move to Lavrio.’ Everybody seemed to have been moving out of Lavrio, and it didn’t make sense that I should move to Lavrio. And sometimes we laugh, but you know, you live far and beyond.
2. September this year will be 16 years, that I have been in Greece. Of the 16 years that I have been here, the last 3 years, I believe, have been the most fruitful times of my life, as far as my relationships with Greek people are concerned. God has given me opportunities to pray with sick Greek families, to share the Word with them, to give some the Bible.
3. I’ll share the last testimony that really encouraged my heart. I met a lady called Sophia in December last year. Her aunt was very sick with cancer. I was just introduced to her and she says, ‘Oh my back is in pain and my aunty is almost dying. I said, ‘Would you mind if I pray for you, and pray for your aunt as well?’
4. She said, ‘Sure.’ So, I prayed for Sophia, and she says, ‘Oh please, let’s go and pray for my aunt, she lives upstairs across the road. We went and we prayed for her aunt. Their concern was that the doctors had said that she was not going to make it before Christmas. And they really wanted to spend the last Christmas with her. So, I just prayed, ‘Lord, could You please hold this lady so she could spend Christmas with her family.’
5. I’d met that family once and I left. God answered our prayers and this lady was able to spend Christmas with her family, and she died soon after Christmas. And God has been working in Sophia. She lives 30 minutes away, but every time she comes to Lavrio, ‘Cecilia, can we meet for coffee please.’ Two weeks ago, I asked her, ‘Sophia, have you ever read the Bible?’ And she said, ‘No, never read the Bible at all.’ ‘Would you like to read one?’ ‘Yes.’ I downloaded the Bible on her phone. She has been complaining about depression and anxiety. Last week she said, ‘Cecilia, every morning I wake up, I read this Bible, and I don’t have the same anxiety that I used to have.’
6. So, God is doing something in Lavrio, and I’m excited to be there. Thank you.
Pastor Gail – Main Message
1. We have a few more wonderful things, and then we’re going to have Palm Sunday lunch together. I’m really excited about that. We want to give our tithe and offering to the Lord this morning. And I ask Stavros to pray. Heavenly Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we thank You Lord that we can we can participate in Your work with this offering. We’re giving from those things that You have first given us, those things that you give us Lord. Bless them and bless the attitude of the heart. Help us to do it wholeheartedly, Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
2. It’s wonderful to give to the Lord, from how He blesses us, Amen? And He proves time and time again, when we put Him first, blessings will overflow. Why don’t you wave to somebody across the room. Just wave, don’t get up. You’ll be able to get up and walk around when we get lunch.
3. I’m going to share just very quickly, and then we have 2 more testimonies. Palm Sunday is wonderful. Actually, before I go into the Word, let’s just stop for a second, and let’s pray for Rebecca, she was supposed to testify today and she’s very sick. If the whole family is evidently sick. We want to pray for Marina, for her surgery, and I want to pray for my son. Is there is any other request in the room for healing? Evy’s been sick quite a while, thank you Evy, for being here.
4. Can I ask you to just raise your hand, because it’s Palm Sunday. Some of you may not raise your hands very often, but I imagine if you were on the road, at that Palm Sunday, you might have waved at Jesus, or at least, you would have had palm branches and you would have waved them. So, lets just wave up to the Lord, and we can pray right now.
5. Father, in the name of the Lord, Jesus, we lift our hands, Lord, we say, ‘Oh God, save us, Hosanna. Lord, You are the healer, Lord, we just praise You Lord. You are the Lord of Glory, Holy Spirit, we know that You are with us, with a witness, with the presence of Jesus Christ, to heal Rebecca and that family that have been troubled for so long. We pray for them to be healed. We pray for Evy to be healed. And Lord, for Marina for the surgery, Lord for it to be completely and perfectly done, Lord, with no problems at all. Lord, I thank you for my son’s healing. Everyone in the room who had their hands raised for healing, Jesus, You’re the healer. We say it, we believe it. You are our healer. You paid for our healing. In the name of Jesus. Amen, Amen.’
6. Well, Jesus, this is His last week and probably Thursday and Friday, He would have been travelling, heading towards Jerusalem. And Mark 10 says, as they were travelling, the disciples were filled with terror. They were very, very afraid. And Jesus took them aside again, to describe to them what was going to happen.
7. We had testimonies today, but we will have two more, of what Jesus has done since He came into people’s lives. And for several weeks, I’ve been thinking, If I was Jesus, and I knew I was going to go to the cross, I probably would have had only one thought in my mind, ‘Give Me strength, give Me strength.’ But Jesus on His way to Jerusalem, I want to share just a few things that He did, even facing the cross.
8. In Luke 18, Jesus came to Jerico, He healed two blind men. ‘Jesus, have mercy on me.’ And He did. He healed two blind men. Then we read earlier, He went on to Jericho and He meets Zacchaeus, who was up in a tree. He’d heard about Him and he wanted to see Jesus. Jesus didn’t have to stop, but Zacchaeus was up there, and Jesus will stop for anyone to help them, Amen, and introduce who He is.
9. After Jericho, they carry on to Bethany. It’s only about 2 miles. And it’s about as far as you can travel under the law on a Sabbath. And when they get there, the disciples are told to go and borrow a donkey, and its colt (the little donkey).
10. A couple of weeks ago we talked about donkeys. But I thought I wanted to talk about a donkey a minute, on His journey. What can we learn from a donkey? Why in the world would Jesus pick a donkey? I don’t know about you but I like donkeys. Where I grew up, all the farmers had donkeys and mules. And donkeys make a lot of noise, but you know, they’re kind of sweet. But they’re beasts of burden. God made them to carry burdens.
11. I find it interesting because Jesus told the disciples, ‘When you go there, tell them the Lord needs this donkey.’ A donkey is a very humble animal, it’s just there to serve. And I think it’s important for us today to think about as we follow Jesus as we meet Him on the road into our hearts. When we meet Jesus, you know what He says? ‘Give Me your all.’ I want you to give Me your life and I’m going to give you Mine. That requires a lot of humility. Because most of us want to know who we are. But Jesus says, ‘Being a follower of Me, requires humility.’
12. Angelo, may never be the world’s most famous physiotherapist, Victor may be the most famous Gospel song writer. But that cannot be the goal of your life when you meet Jesus. Donkey duty, means that I delight to do Your will, Father.
13. And do you know what? I was thinking about this today, Jesus did something that was more humbling than being a donkey. The night that they went up to have the Lord’s supper, for all of you who have been in Jerusalem, you’ll know the streets can be quite full of interesting things on the road, and some of it might be donkey doo. And you would step in it. But do you know what Jesus did? Even something lower that donkey duty. He washed their stinky feet. In that time, to be the servant that washed feet, was the lowest rank in the house.
14. In Philippians 2:6-7, says that “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
15. This morning, our internal identity, is more important than your external image. Greatness does not come from who you are, nor what you have, but greatness comes from how you order your inner man. The donkey is great, because he knows, ‘I’m a servant.’
16. The Lord gives us that opportunity, to serve Him. And it’s hard sometimes, we don’t always want to, you know, lay it all down. I was thinking about Jesus, riding into Jerusalem, on Palm Sunday. Lars is the tallest man in the room, or Michael, or Timo. Timo stand, Lars stand up. See how tall they are. Now imagine if they were Jesus just today, and they going to get on a donkey. Their feet are going to drag along the ground, because they’re so tall on this donkey. I would imagine that the feet of Jesus almost touched the ground. I don’t know how tall He was.
17. It wouldn’t be very elegant riding on a donkey. If you’ve ever tried to ride a donkey, it’s not very elegant. But do you know what? I don’t read in the Scripture, that it bothered the people at all that He was on a donkey. They just knew, they had heard, the One that does healing; the One who sets the demon possessed free, the One that brings peace, He’s coming! He’s coming! And His feet may have been dragging on the ground, as He rode that humble donkey that day. But He came humbly submitted, to the Father’s will.
18. And everybody was crying and screaming, and yelling and praising, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosannah to the King.” (Matthew 21:9). The people didn’t care that He was on a donkey. Probably, many of the crowd knew who Jesus was inside, for they had experienced His love and His mercy and His compassion. It did not matter to them what it looked like on the outside.
19. In Matthew 21 people were saying ‘Who is this? Even this guy coming in on a donkey. Look at the reception he gets.’ We know, this side of that event 2000 years ago, that had hoped that He had come to set them free from Rome. But we know, He was coming to set them free, of something greater that one earthly kingdom. He came to set us free to be citizens of a kingdom, that will never end.
20. When we humble ourselves before the Lord, you may not become popular in the world, but when we come to know the Lord, Jesus, our heart will begin to be changed. We’ll realize that the things of this world, they’re going to fade away. Popularity can diminish, our bodies can get old, our friends, some of them move away or die. The government is going to change every 4 years, but when we meet Jesus, we meet One that said, ‘I give My life for you. I give My life for you.’
21. So, I thought about that today, a donkey’s purpose, is to carry a burden. Sometimes, we carry burdens when we follow the Lord. Yeah, we do. The people don’t notice donkeys very much. But God created them for a special purpose, carry loads. And I want to challenge you today, on this Palm Sunday, when Jesus came into that city, to load cries and shouts, they thought they were going to get a certain kind of freedom, but He kept marching through the week, even though He knew, ultimately people were not going to like the ultimate answer.
22. I want to be popular sometimes; I want to be liked, don’t you? I don’t want anybody to get mad at me ever, do you? I want to have the answers for questions. Don’t you ever feel like you want to help everybody? Sure. Well guess what? We’re sort of like the donkey. We carry Jesus, and He’s the One that has every answer. He’s the One that says, ‘Let Me journey with you. I’ll go with you. Let people see Me. Not you. Let people see you carry Me. I want to be with you, to point the way for others to know there’s something more.
23. So, today, as we get ready to hear a few more testimonies, the Lord challenges you, and me to live out His purpose. And you know what? If you’re never popular down here, If I read my Bible right, when we get to heaven, there’s going to be millions and billions and trillions that will welcome you, as you come before the throne.
24. And you know what? If He is in your heart, He already knows your name. Did you know Jesus knows your name this morning? Jesus knows your name. And He is here and ready to fill your life with so much more. Don’t leave today, with your hopes in this life. Leave with your hope in Jesus that came to give us eternal life. Amen.
25. Benjamin is coming to share with us now. We’re so glad that Benjamin is here with us. Our professional dancer.
Benjamin – Testimony
1. Good morning. I want to share something that happened with my mother one year ago. She hit a very bad situation with her knees. Her knees were like broken glass like separate apart. So, I remember one day before I go to school, the Lord told me, ‘Go pray for your mother.’
2. I didn’t know what she had, because I think she didn’t want to tell me, and I prayed for any problem that she had. And I got the feeling that I got the joy inside of me. And then she told me that the doctors told her that she should have had surgery yesterday. But she didn’t want to because we were looking for a new place. So, we had to move a lot of stuff and she had to walk a lot. So, we knew it wasn’t the time for the surgery.
3. A few weeks ago, I also had a problem with my knee too, but thankfully it wasn’t that much. And my mother told the doctor that maybe we should look at her knee too. So, we looked at it and actually it was fully healed. It wasn’t broken it wasn’t anything. And the doctor said, ‘I don’t know what these doctors were thinking then, but I don’t see any problem. Praise the Lord.
Pastor Gail
1. He came to heal, amen. Angelo, we’ll have you in just a second, but I want to pray for our children, as we didn’t have children’s church today, but we love you and we’re going to have lunch together. I want us to pray for our children. Idi-Jane, can you bring up Ole, sweety pie, all the kids, we just want to pray for you alright?
2. Is Heydy here, Nicholas? Leto, will you come forward and pray for the children. You young ladies, young men, alright we want to pray for you. This looks good. What a great group.
3. Leto prays. ‘Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray for this big blessing, that You have placed in our hands, our children, and Lord, we thank You…’
4. So, this coming week, when you leave today after lunch, you’ll get a little program, if you want. So, don’t call me and tell me you don’t know when service is. You going to take one home. It’s going to be a great week. Please, if you’re here at all, take one hour, it’s not a long service, one hour each night, to be here at the church at 19:30.
5. Louka and Artemis, pastor Brian will be sharing. Saturday night, of course we’ll have an amazing service. If you’re here, bring your candle (Lambada), and on the wall, right over here, there’s a sign-up sheet, if you want to fast this week and pray with your church family. It’s always so wonderful, even if you want to fast one meal for this whole week. But during this whole time give that time to Jesus. You will be blessed. When we place Him first, it’s just so glorious what happens in our lives.
6. If you’d like, would you please stand with me, we’re going to worship the Lord one more time. I would also like to ask, to speak to Leto, we want to send some meals home to families, this week for Pascha, so you can ask Leto what you can bring. But we also always need things for Joseph’s cupboard, for the needy that come here, that don’t have food. It’s just a wonderful blessing to have as a local church to give to people that pass by, looking for help.
7. So, we’re going to sing and Angelo will close our service with a wonderful testimony.
Angelo – Testimony
1. I don’t know where to start, because when somebody asks you to say a testimony, you think so many things. The goodness of God, is always in our lives. I’m not used to speak in English, and wait for an interpreter, because I lose the words that I’m going to say next. But I will try my best. Th best thing that I will be thankful to the Lord every day is, when I wake up in the morning. This is the greatest testimony that I would like to share with you, for my brothers and sisters in the Lord.
2. Waking up in the morning, alive, strong, kicking and knowing that you are breathing, with a sound mind, you feel so blessed already. You’re so blessed waking up in the morning, alive. And when I wake up in the morning, I go to the mirror and say that, ‘You look good today.’
3. I love myself, it’s a blessing, that you understand that you love yourself. Because if Jesus wants to do something big in this world, He’s going to look for people that are strong, and have the wisdom that speak with anointing.
4. I believe that Jesus is just a simple man, when He was in the world, He was a very humble person, He spoke very gently, maybe when He spoke, His voice sounded like my voice, you’ll never know His voice. But because He is my Father, I’m just thinking maybe my voice, is similar to His voice.
5. But when Jesus speaks, the crowd listens to Him. And I thank God, because He is a blessing. Because when we speak, we speak with authority, with confidence. I’m not so special, but I know, God made me special. It’s a blessing, to find people in your life that you know that God has put them in your life.
6. Talk to the person next to you that you are my brother.