Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from November, 2018

The Sovereignty Of God & The Call To Prayer by Pastor Charlie Handren

     Even after thirty-two years of following Jesus Christ, I am still amazed by his sovereignty. When he determines to issue a message to his Bride, he sees to it that the message is articulated by the right man at the right time, and that the message reaches all for whom it was intended. Nothing stops him from accomplishing his purposes.        The Kneeling Christian (Zondervan, Grand Rapids: 1971) was written by an anonymous author “by request, and with much hesitancy” (7) and it was first published in England. Some years later, not long after brothers P. J. and Bernard Zondervan founded the Zondervan Publishing Company, P. J. stumbled across the work as he made a sales call in Seattle, Washington. The bookseller there had been blessed by the book and therefore commended it to Mr. Zondervan who in turn secured the rights to distribute it in the United States.       However, due to the devastating effects of World War II upon England, the publisher was no longer able to print t

Worship Songs - December 2, 2018

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. Hope Has Come O Come All Ye Faithful O Come, O Come Emmanuel The Gospel Song Grace Flows Down How Great Is Your Faithfulness Resurrection Hymn -- Sermon Title: He Saw And Believed Sermon Text: John 20:1-10 Making Disciples For The Glory of Christ

Seven Bible Disciplines: Applying the Word By Pastor Charlie Handren

     On the night he was betrayed, Jesus gathered with his disciples in an upper room of a house in the city of Jerusalem and taught them many things. He was about to take up his cross and die in obedience to his heavenly Father and for the salvation of all who would believe in him. In other words, he was about to display the fullness of his love by loving his Father and his friends all the way to the end (see John 13:1; 15:13).      Since he wanted his beloved disciples to receive eternal life and learn a way of life from him, he taught them, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). With these words, he was inviting them into his way of life, namely, carefully listening to the Father and then faithfully applying the words of the Father by doing his will in the world. This is the path to joy and fruitfulness in life, and Jesus longed for his loved

Worship Songs - November 25, 2018

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. I Need Thee Every Hour At The Cross Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross I Will Sing Of My Redeemer Wonderful Merciful Savior Amazing Love Sing To Jesus -- Sermon Title: The Garden And The Tomb Sermon Text: John 19:38-42 Making Disciples For The Glory of Christ

Seven Bible Disciplines: Memorizing the Word by Pastor Charlie Handren

     The Lord is a God who speaks, and when he speaks, he reveals his glory, his purposes, his promises, his plans, his will, and his ways. When he speaks, he wants his people to listen to him so that they may know him, love him, walk with him, and glorify him in the earth. Since his words are so central to the life he wants to live with his people, he gives them a desire to hear it, read it, study it, meditate on it, and memorize it. And while memorizing his words can be challenging, he inspires them to do it for at least seven reasons.      First, memorizing Scripture is encouraged by Scripture. The Lord says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6), meaning, “you shall commit them to heart.” Or as Paul later wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). What better way to obey this command than to commit that word to memory?      Second, memorizing Scripture helps renew our minds and transform our lives. Since

Worship Songs - November 18, 2018

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. Bless the Lord Glorified How Great Is Your Faithfulness Let It Be Jesus It Is You Sovereign Hands Jesus Messiah -- Sermon Title: It Is Finished Sermon Text: John 19:28-37 Making Disciples For The Glory of Christ

Seven Bible Disciplines: Meditating on the Word by Pastor Charlie Handren

     Despite all his sinfulness and brokenness, King David loved the Lord and his Word with all his heart. This is, in part, why he wrote Psalm 119 and expressed himself with words like these: “In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word…I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes…Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:14,16, 48, 97).      Do you hear his heart? David meditated on the Word because he delighted in the Word, and he delighted in the Word because he delighted in God himself. One of the ways we display the value of a person is by listening to their words, and the closer we listen the more value we display. So, again, definitions and techniques aside, meditation on the Word of God is a fruit of our delight in and valuing of God.       To stu

Seven Bible Disciplines: Studying the Word by Pastor Charlie Handren

     Psalm 111 begins with a call to and declaration of praise. “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation” (111:1). But the question is this: why is the Psalmist so eager to give thanks to the Lord that he promises to do so in the midst of a worship gathering and also calls on others to join him? The answer is found in verse 2. “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them” (111:2). The reason the Psalmist is so jubilant is because the Lord is so great, and he has revealed his greatness through his works. From this we learn that the works of the Lord make the greatness of the Lord visible, but because his primary works are contained in his Word, we must study his Word to delight in his works.       The Hebrew word for “study” means “to frequently return to a place” so that one becomes intimately familiar with it. So, to study the Word of God is to regularly return to a particular

Getting Ready to Get Ready By Pastor Kevin

A Blog To Help Us To Prepare For Advent... For the first time in a cagillion years I am ahead of schedule. Just about every year prior to this I have done a good job reminding parents of Advent and when it begins. I have even offered lots of practical ideas to families so they can celebrate advent with their family. The problem was those ideas came as advent was upon us, when it was difficult to decide and implement something without feeling like you are behind the 8-ball right off the bat. Well, things are gonna be different...and its not just an empty promise. Here we are, November 1, with over a whole month to plan and decide how you will lead your family this Christmas.  What Is Advent and why should we Celebrate it? Let me raise and answer an important question for us to consider. Why do we need to celebrate Advent? Well, let me answer what it is first. Advent simply means the arrival of an important person. In our case, we are celebrating the arrival of the most import

Worship Songs - November 4, 2018

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. Come People Of The Risen King Unto The King Jesus Is Better Cornerstone Crown Him Communion Songs: The Power of the Cross You are My King (Amazing Love) -- Sermon Title: What I Have Written, I Have Written Sermon Text: John 19:16b-22 Making Disciples For The Glory of Christ