Dillon Community Church Sunday Sermons: Recent Episodes
Dillon Community Church
Dillon Community Church is a non-denominational, diverse group of Jesus' followers who gather to worship God because He is great, and to nurture human souls because they are precious. Whatever your faith background, you are welcome here and we are eager to serve you! The DCC Mission Statement: "As disciples of Jesus our mission is to love, serve, & teach."
Dr. Jim Howard continues the series of What does it mean to be human? This episode is the life of Solomon.
Dr. Jim Howard takes a look at the life of David in relation to being human and God's pursing loves.
Dr. Don Payne focuses on Genesis 1:26-28. As image bearers are we greater than any other creation?
Ryan Leeds of Snowboarders for Christ teaches the fourth in the series on Free to be .... Known
Ryan Leeds of Snowboarders for Christ discusses Galatians 3 in the Series Free to do What? ... Free to Fail
In this Sermon 2 in the series of Free to Do What?, Ryan Leeds explores Galatians 2. Free to Explore: The Journey that Leads to Change
Guest speaker, Joyce Schroeder of Cadence International: Ministry to the Military, concludes the Exodus series with the Tabernacle and Dwelling.
Dr. Jim Howard explores the Golden Calf story in Exodus 32, when Moses was on the mountain with God, Aaron and the people crafted a golden calf as an idol of worship.
Dr. Jim Howard presents the final I AM statement of Jesus found in John 14:6 for this Easter service
Palm Sunday March 24, 2024, Jim Howard presents another I AM statement of Jesus: "I AM the Resurrection and the Life" John 11
Pastor Jim Howard begins a series for the amphitheater - Identity Theft... of Jesus. In John Chapter 1, vs. 14, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. The true light! What is an example of a "good" father? One that is proud; full of grace and truth; trustworthy. We have nothing to fear... we should have confidence that God is very gracious. He is very passionate about us... He sent His Sond to dwell among us and then die on the cross for us!
Pastor Jim Howard asks us why did they kill Jesus? Jesus "turned on the light switch" and this upset the Jews. He challenged them to give up their old ways and attacked their national symbols such as the Sabbath, sacrifices, priesthood and the temple. By His death, there was no need for the physical temple. Jesus and His followers (us) would become the true spiritual temple.
Jim Howard continues his series of a "Brave New World" and discusses the topic of ethnicity. God created all of us and there are two significant implications: 1. God cannot be fully known until every ethnic group is heard from. We need to listen and pay attention. 2. God cannot be fully experienced until we act as priests and sacrifices in each others lives.
Jim Howard continues with "Brave New World" series with discussing the value of women... Women are to be seen as equal to men and not under the authority of men and property. We should make sure that women feel honored and they are influential in the decision-making process. The new model of the church/the mission of God should be complete surrender of each of us and everything we all do is for the best interest of the church so that we can reach a world so desperately in need of love.
Pastor Mark speaks to us about serving God first! We need to not worry, whine and whisper. We need to watch, wait and work!
Dr. Gene Selander speaks to us about "the main thing". The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. He also thanked us during his time here as this was his last Sunday here.
Dr. Gene Selander speaks about the parade and the big top... We are all part of the procession (parade) and the kingdom (the big top). We are part of a triumpal entry and on the way to see the King in Heaven. There's always room and time for "one more".
The Elder Board speaks to us about unity in the church body during this time of transition in choosing a senior pastor.
Dr. Gene Selander shares with us why the bible is so important in our lives. The Word of God narrows the gap between what we believe in and how we act. We can be a people of joy and hope! With the Word, we will be more "for" stuff instead of "against" stuff. God's Word narrows the gap between faith & trust, being stuck vs. moving on, being against vs. for. Psalm 119 suggests how the bible is important to us: 1. More than food. 2. More than sleep. 3. More than money. 4. More than friends. Where would we be without the Word of God? It directs our paths, answers tough questions about life. Haddon Robinson said, "In every generation the Bible will challenge the values of the age & its definition of success. Augustine wrote, "The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home." Renoir suffered much pain in his hands and when someone asked why he still painted, his response was, "The pain is for the moment, but the beauty lasts forever." Such is the Word of God in our lives!
Dr. Gene Selander shares with us how the world considers the birth and life of Jesus Christ at this time of year. The claim of Isaiah was bold about what the life of Jesus Christ was going to be like and the impact it has on our lives. 1. He would be called The Wonderful Counselor. The stuff we can build our life on... His wisdom, not our own. His is true. 2. He will be called A Mighty God. He proved He was the Messiah... not like any other human being. He was the only one who was able to conquer the grave but we can have eternal life with Him. 3. He will be called An Everlasting Father. He alone can give us the tender loving care consistently if we allow it. 4. He will be called The Prince of Peace. We need God in the mix to have internal & external peace. He will help us with reconciliation now and forever. The free gift of salvation is available with Him. Love is tugging us back to God with the powerful clasp of a tiny hand reaching out from a bed of straw... but we have to reach back and take that hand!
Dr. Gene Selander discusses with us what the world would be like if Jesus had never been born?! It would truly be a black Christmas. The areas that would be impacted if Jesus had never been born are: 1. The value of human life. 2. Compassion & Charity 3. Education 4. Government 5. Science 6. Economics 7. Health & Medicine 8. The Arts 9. Changed Lives... like ours!! Jesus said in John 12, vs. 46, "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world,... There is a Christ in Christmas. In vs. 37 it reads, But despite all the miraculous signs he had done, most people did not believe in Him... What if you go through life and have missed Jesus, you have missed it all! He died for YOU!
Dr. Gene Selander talks to us today about it being a White Christmas. Under the old system in the law of Moses, the sacrifices were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship each year. God cancelled the first covenant of works in order to establish the second covenant of grace. He wants us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all time! His death was sufficient for the world but only becomes efficient if we ask for salvation. A White Christmas is only possible with Christ. There are 4 "fear nots" of Christmas: 1. The "fear not" of salvation. 2. The "fear not" of the humanly impossible. 3. The "fear not" of unanswered prayer. 4. The "fear not" of immediate obedience.
Dr. Gene Selander discusses The Colors of Christmas. He talks about the spirit of giving. There are 6 points: 1. How do I give? Anonymously is best, but ok to be recognized. 2. The benefits of giving. 3. God's giving should inspire our giving. 4. When giving, there should be no strings attached. 5. God's gift doesn't change 6. We should put our giving into practice. We should give more and give freely.
Dr. Gene Selander looks at The Colors of Christmas. Information from various polls and studies indicate that many people are depressed, unhappy with their jobs, exhausted, feel unappreciated or underpaid. Some feel they would be better off dead. In Isaiah 8, it reads that people at that time were weary and hungry, there was rage and shaking of fists at heaven and cursing their king and their God. What are we hanging on to? Are we "blue" this Christmas? We should see the "JOY" in our lives, in Christmas. Dr. Selander shares quotes from various people... Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian. Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow. Joy is the business of heaven. Joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ. Joy is found where Jesus reigns. His royal titles are: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Our trouble is that we want peace without the prince. God's gift of peace of mind and heart is all we need. The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this!
Dr. Gene Selander wraps up the Generosity Series with "Why We Give". The focus is why we give... or why not. If we know why we are giving but haven't figured out how to do it yet, we will figure it out. The two truths of generosity are: I. We are generous because we know who God is. II. We are generous because we know who we are in relation to God. He is the owner and creator of everything and we are the temporary managers or stewards of what He has given us. We are to "employ and enjoy" everything He has given us, yet we need to be responsible and honoring and be generous with others. It is healthy to give. We benefit by doing good because it makes a difference in all our lives, it expresses who God is as the owner and us as the stewards and it blesses our souls and quality of our lives. We should give all we can. We give because He gave us everything - His only Son. Winston Churchill said, "You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give." Give it all so that others may see Christ in us.
Dr. Gene Selander continues with the Generosity Series explaining the difference between 'Worldly Giving' and 'Kingdom Generosity'. The verses tell about the poor widow who gave what she had. There are: I. Three things about God: a. Interested in our giving. b. Interested in our attitude. c. Interested in our generosity. II. Three things about the People: a. They gave as well. b. Their gifts were appreciated. c. Their gifts were motivated by obedience. III. Three things about the Woman: a. More interested in others. b. More interested in faith. c. More interested in total surrender. She was completely unselfish and more interested in surrendering to God and she trusted and believed in Him. A great example of Kingdom Generosity - giving it all!
Dr. Gene Selander continues with The Beatitude series. The Beatitudes should be the attitude in each of us. The birthmarks that appear on us as Christ's followers. The trained eye will always see more... this applies spiritually as well. How's our spiritual eye? Can we see God? It all depends on how happy, blessed, and fulfilled is the person who's pure in spirit, pure in heart, and pure in their motives. There is the fear of being mixed in our motives and not pure in heart and spirit. The ultimate destination is for His people to see His glory and give Him praise. "Pure in motives" means to be unmixed. The seat of your emotions/the heart is the steering wheel of your life. Out of the heart, the mouth speaks. That's where the motives get mixed. A decision of the will is where the emotions completely surrender to God. When we are going to do acts of mercy, prayer and fasting, we need to do these righteous acts in righteous ways. If we are pure in spirit, we are going to be: 1. Conscious of the presence of God. 2. Content with praise of God.
Dr. Gene Selander continues with The Beatitudes series. He reminds us that the beatitudes are attitudes that should be in you! The "flower" of this beatitude is Matthew 7:1-6... Do not judge so that you will not be judged. There are three things we should know about mercy. 1. The definition of mercy. To understand God's love, we have to know His wrath. Jesus feels with us because He has already felt it. Compassion is a balance of grace and truth with the Spirit. 2. The characteristics of mercy. Two things: 1. Be kind in your criticism and judgments. 2. Always be in a position to forgive. 3. The description of mercy. We are talking about personal condemnation/perpetual fault-finding. We need to find a better method. Three things if you judge incorrectly: 1. You expose yourself to the same judgment. 2. You raise the standard of your own judgment. 3. You are incapable of judging others... you need to get the log out of your own eye first! The only way we can be merciful is to have Christ as the standard (not us) and to let the Word of God (scripture)do the judging!
Dr. Gene Selander continues with The Beatitudes series. You can get all of God you want. God will take you as far as you want to go. He will humble and test us when we do not seek Him. He allows us to fail to make us hungry for Him. You become satisfied when you meet Him and allow Him to work in your life... you want more and more and more! We should be a self-feeder. Three characteristics of a person who hungers and thirsts: 1. They have the right affections (vs. 19-21). 2. They have the right allegiances (vs. 24). 3. They have the right ambitions (vs. 33). If we are under God's control, we should have a banquet/buffet appetite for Him!
Dr. Gene Selander continues with the Beatitudes series with "Blessed Are the Meek". In Greek, meekness is a term for the domestication of wild animals. A person is meek when they are: 1. God controlled. 2. Love controlled. 3. Eternity controlled. Controlling our spirits takes a lot of effort. To be meek, you control the energy, talent and spirit and direct it to useful service. The promise is that the meek shall inherit the earth. There is real power in being controlled by God and not by ourselves. The Father likes to see us run the race in full stride, running the race of endurance, keeping the faith and finishing strong.
Dr. Gene Selander continues with the Beatitudes series, "Blessed Are They That Mourn". Whenever man wants to make a better world, he will change conditions. Whenever God wants to make a better world, He will change someone's character. Conditions are not the issue. God works on the inside and religion works on the outside. Sin can have a powerful impact on our lives. We need to lament over our spiritual condition or sin will penetrate, pervert and perish our spiritual condition. When we are poor in spirit and tired and we confess and lament/mourn, God comes closer. He shows up and we feel His nearness and comfort.
Dr. Gene Selander begins the series of The Beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit have nothing to offer God but He has everything to offer us. We just need to be conscious of: 1. Religion does not go deep enough. 2. Religion does not go far enough. 3. Religion does not go high enough. God doesn't want our strength and good will... He wants our surrender! In our weakness, He can make us strong and His strength can be seen through us. Like a beggar, we need to have the understanding of: 1. We need to be conscious of our need. 2. We are dependent upon others for His living. 3. We need to be honest about our "condition". We need to understand about eternal life! God gives us everything!
Pastor Mark Hill asks us, "What does worship mean?" What does it look like? We sing, pray, hear some teaching. It's time to review what we are doing here. Jesus addressed worship three times in the bible. Once with satan, once with the Pharises and also in John 4... looking for the spiritual worship and the head/mind truth worship. Worship is not just getting up and going to church and doing rituals. It is about building a culture/an environment where we it is an exercise of the Spirit and the renewing and training of the mind that we build into our lifestyle. It is an integrated opportunity: Information, Inspiration and Application. Where are we on our spiritual journey? If we are more advanced, we can disciple those needing to move up the trail.
Dr. Gene Selander asks us "What does it mean to be an "authentic Christian"? Since we have the new way, we do not lose heart? Why is it that people only want the church lite? What keeps them from letting the Lord deepen His truths in their life? They want others to join in as easy as possible. They don't want to have others deal with tough subjects. They themselves want to be protected from unnecessary types of hardship, resistance or in any case of maligning them. Religion is man's attempt to find God and Christianity is God's attempt to find man. DCC is committed to preaching the true Gospel.
Dr. Gene Selander continues with When God Rocks Your World Series. What is it that makes us stick together during a transition period? First we have to begin with forgiveness, then we have reconciliation, and then we have resolution. Like in the bible, the "jailors" are our unforgiving attitudes. Are we able to cancel the debt with our brothers and sisters? Anger and other feelings torment us and sometimes things get complicated. We have to realize that our sin towards God is equivalent to the national debt and our sin between others is equivalent to $2 bucks! We need to rise to a higher level and handle it better. It's time to cancel the debt and move forward as a team - To let God in and see what He can do!
Dr. Gene Selander continues with "When God Rocks Your World" series. This week is the "power of an intervention". Belshazzar, the king, taunted and mocked God and God is never mocked! What did the handwriting on the wall mean? Daniel was able to tell him that the first two words meant that the number of years had been counted out and his had come to an end/been terminated. The second word meant that God had found Belshazzar deficient.The third word meant "to divide". Belshazzar's kingdom had been divided and given to the Medes and Persians. God has set the stage; He will intervene and He will baffle you; and He will upset to reset. He allows things to happen, only to prune us so that we will become more like Him!
Dr. Gene Selander continues with the When God Rocks Your World series... this one with the subtitle, "The Power of an Interruption". "A 'second conversion', the way I'm defining it, is when God orchestrates people, events or experiences in a way that teaches you a new truth or expands your vision or softens your heart to some great need in this world and you wind up with your mind blown and your heart all jacked around." (Bill Hybels, Sr. Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church) A second conversion can: 1. Make all things equal. 2. Make you mad/angry. Four things about second conversions: 1. Don't expect 100 of them. 2. Don't hesitate to ask God to give you a second conversion. 3. Keep exposing your heart and mind to more of the Word of God, etc. 4. When you feel the world-rocking hand of God on your life, join Him in what He's doing!
Pastor Mark Hill talks with us today about when God rocked Peter's world. God is in the Reclamation-Redemption-Restoration-Renewal-Regeneration-Reconciliation-Rebuilding-Refining-Reformation Business! The four things that happened with regard to Peter are: 1. The Lie (John 13:6-11, 21-27) 2. The Look (Luke 22:60-62) 3. The Loss (John 18:15-18, 25-27) 4. The Loves (John 21:1-19) What did Peter leave with? What can we leave with? In 1 Peter 5, he speaks to the elders (leaders). During this transition, the elders should shepherd God's flock - Lead without lording over, serving without demanding compensation, being examples of life by trusting God, be serious enough to resist the enemy, humbling yourselves, so that in His timing, He will pick you up... After you have suffered for a little while, He Himself will restore you, making you strong, firm and established. Pastor Mark's hope is that we will allow God to walk us through the process out of our pain back to a place of value, joy, rebuilding, hope, love, faith, courage, all of the things He has built into us.
Dr. Gene Selander begins the series of "When God Rocks Your World-Part I". We are going to see what God does to us internally. When the Apostle Paul was brought to his knees, little did we all know that the whole world would be bowing to the eternal God very quickly. When God rocks our worlds, He:
Dr. Gene Selander asks us today, "How's your soul?" Paul is concerned about the apostles of the church because they are dying off. Will they be men who will continue the tradition of being true to Christ? He is looking at Timothy and concerned that Timothy has a good soul and is looking at three things: 1. His charge... the first thing is to pray. It's a person-to-God encounter. Transitions work on the soul. 2. His caution... We need to protect from heresy. 3. His concern... please proceed with continuity. When the soul is right, our behavior will be right. Transitions can bring forth transformations. We as a church can look out for each others souls. We can serve Him but we have to follow Him too!
Dr. Gene Selander continues with his transition series... God uses transitions to make sure we really believe for ourselves and not someone else. It is part of God's plan where we stop thinking this is the God of your father or your mother and make it your God. What made the transition of Isaac to Jacob so important were the lessons Jacob learned wrestling with the angel. 1. The Importance of Connection 2. The Importance of Protection 3. The Importance of Recollection. We need to look for God and see where He is working.
Dr. Gene Selander continues with his transition series... He illustrates that God uses transitions to show us He never breaks a promise with the story of Abraham and Isaac. What happens when God does something completely new? How does He bring that about? He provides three unique actions in order to make that happen. 1. Obedience of Abraham 2. Observation of Isaac. 3. Control of God.
Dr. Gene Selander asks us "What happens when God does something completely new? How does He Bring that about? He provides three unique actions in order to make that happen. 1. His protection 2. His provision 3. His possibilities. We need to remember that God's promise is to make something new... something better!
Dr. Jim Howard explains to us how God cares and loves all of us. He is using Christians to change the culture around them for the better. We are a kingdom of priests who should be loving on others really well to make an impact around us... and that's why we are here!
Dr. Gene shares with us the transition from Moses to Joshua. How could Moses be replaced? God gave five things to Joshua in order for him to succeed as the father of Israel: 1. His Presence 2. His Providence 3. His Promise. 4. His Provision 5. His Protection. We as a church need to realize that even though we are going through a transition, we will be brought a "Joshua" that will take us places we've never been!
Pastor Mark speaks with us about how 1. Nothing is impossible with God - You can bet on Him. 2. The sky's the limit - He has bet on you. To experience His life to the fullest, you must take the jump and trust Him with your entire life.
Dr. Gene asks us "Why is it so important who rules?" It seems that whoever rules seems to be the key to any society. Two statements implied from Acts 1: 1. "You thought you lost me once but you didn't." 2. "You feel like you are going to lose me again but you won't!" Scripture suggests 3 God-intentional provisions for power in providing for us and abundant life. 1. Gives us power. 2. Gives us triumph. 3. Gives us progress. Conclusion: When we perceive that power is necessary and also precedes our freedom, we understand the abundant life.
Dr. Jim Howard from the Denver Seminary continues speaking about what we need to be aware of in order as we go through this transition period. We need to walk in unity, walk in holiness, walk in love and walk in light. Then if we follow all of these, we can walk in wisdom. We also need to put on the full armor of God and stand firm! As a church, we need to lock our shields together and stand side by side in unity to fight the spiritual battle.
Our guest speaker, Jim Howard from the Denver Seminary, asks the questions, "What does it mean to our church to be in transition?" and "What are we as a chuch community becoming in the Lord?" We, as a church community, should put off the old self and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. We should reflect God to a lost and dying world. It's important of what's going on inside and not just looking good on the outside. What do we want to be known as?
Pastor Mark Hill's message from the book of Ruth is an encouragement to mothers. Your darkest hours can fuel your brightest hours! 1. Desperation demands decisions... Ruth was desperate after loss of husband and sons and made the decision to move back home. She AROSE and RETURNS. Return informs the idea of "repentance" as a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual "turning around from the wrong direction and heading back to the place one belongs". 2. Convictions conquer circumstances... Paralysis from pain is not a healthy option. Healthy grief is the unpredictable journey experienced by each individual in their own dance between the memories of the past and the hopes of tomorrow. 1. The choice of Ruth.. she clung to Naomi and her commitment included: proximity, people, faith and death. 2. The grace of Boaz... he looked with protection, concern and charity towards Naomi... possibly learning from his own mother. Moms, you never know who God will use to bless your children. You can't know the end while you're in the beginning or the middle... No way Naomi could see four generations in the future!
Bill Spear speaks with us today about forgetting to remember... A lack of faith isn't caused by an insufficiency of truth, but there can be both ingratitude and self-sufficiency in the listener. Forgetting to remember where God has met us (and our needs), produces a "spiritual amnesia" that in turn causes doubts in our lives.
Bill Spear speaks to us today and poses the question: Is faith solid, or is it void, an unknown, a leap into the dark? A root implies groundedness. From Hebrews 11: 1-3, 6, we find that faith, itself, is certain and sure. The fallen world in which we live is way less certain. It is the object of our faith that makes faith certain and sure - faith is the "title deed" gifted by grace that assures the believer in Christ of eternity with Him.
Pastor Brian's last message finishes up with Paul's hardest and most loving thing he could have said... it's all about the truth, the foundation of everything, especially as we see the foundations around us being destroyed all around us. He refers to John Calvin as saying that the number one mark of the church is the faithful preaching of God's Word. We need to make sure that we do not fall away from the truth, God's Word. Brian wants for us to be steady and safe in a world of falsehood. We must protect and preserve the truth at all costs. He refers to the verse Romans 8:28 and we must remember that ...God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Pastor Brian Myers continues with Romans... we turn from the doctrines and precepts to the people. It's what the church is all about... not the pastor but the people. Pastor Brian has decided to leave the church and explained to us the process he has gone through to determine if this is what God wants for him and the church. We have looked at the sincerity of Paul's passion of ministry, of his love for the people-the same sincerity that can make us the caring community that we want to be. We have seen so far that Paul demonstrated his sincerity in two ways-through his affection for the fellowship and his dependence on the brethren. We saw that there's a safety net of care through prayer. This week we see the third proof-his devotion to the individual. You can make more friends in two months by becoming sincerely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. At its most essential-the church of Jesus Christ is the body of Christ in flesh and blood. In the form of you and me. A caring community of sinners saved by grace, each with their own story, together in one family.
Pastor Mark Hill talks with us today on being "Lost". He refers to the three parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. The story of the two sons... the young one who demanded his share and went away and squandered it all but finally came to his senses and returned to the delight of his father and the older one who was always there and resentful of his father's response. The potential traps of the older son... 1. Conflict 2. Self-actualization 3. Narcissism. The potential traps of the younger son... 1. Guilt & fear-based decisions 2. Moral conformity 3. Anger & indignation. The common ground of both is: 1. The illusion of control 2. Lostness: Blissfully unaware. Jesus was the Prodigal Brother. We need to recognize that we are lost and need to develop a desire to be found. 2. We need to choose to follow the prodigal son. 3. We need to relate with our brothers by expressing dignity, value and understanding. And learn compassion, respect and honor. We need to embrace the gospel of Christ and reap the benefits from His resurrection on this Easter Sunday!
Pastor Brian helps us today on Palm Sunday to prepare for next Sunday, Easter Sunday. He wants to celebrate the resurrected spirit of care that came from the Father, and which we can share... that's released through prayer. We've looked at the sincerity of Paul's passion for ministry, of his love for people, the same sincerity that can make us the caring community that we want to be. He showed his sincerity in three powerful ways. Last week we saw that when there's the longing and the leisure just to be together, it shows that our love is real, that it's truly sincere. Secondly, this week, we'll see his dependence on them, his dependence on the brethren, out of which he asked them to "strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." We see that there's a safety net of care that we call prayer, one that we dare not leave home without. In verses 30-33 we see his lifeline. There was a one-to-one correspondence between his life and his lifeline... between his plans and THEIR prayers. He knew about the power and the priority of praying for one another and the dependence that we all have on the prayers of the saints. Prayer creates caring on both the giving and the receiving end. Knowing that you're prayed for creates sincerity in love.
Pastor Brian talks with us today about the leisurely love that's at the heart of being a caring community, an authentic community, and how that kind of sincerity, the sincere desire just to be together, is the love that the world is looking for, by which they'll know we're His disciples as we go passionately. Sincerity applies to all of us... that your love be without hypocrisy... that it be real. The effectiveness of our ministry as a church will depend to a degree on our sincerity as a church. Paul's example of sincerity, when put into practice, means three things. First it means having a sincere affection. In a trustworthy church, there's a sincere affection for and attraction to each other. The foundation for ministry is relational sincerity all week long. The church can be an oasis, quenching our thirst.
Pastor Brian continues this Sunday with Part 3 or "Flow River Flow". The secret of Paul's passion is: having a lofty ministry, having a lowly identity, and now this week is having a laboring intensity. We need to stay in shape and not become a fat baby Christian. In order to stay in shape, we need first to keep our focus. We need to separate the call from all the clamor, realizing that there's far more need than we will ever to meet. Second we need to be fervent. Paul had a fervent focus. The power of God is unleashed by having a laboring intensity through a laid-back identity and by having recognized your source, when you seize your responsibility, others will say "flow, river, flow". In this year of Going Passionately, we must never forget that we were saved to serve... to channel the grace that was poured out at our salvation... making us rivers, not reservoirs.
Pastor Mark Hill and the Haiti Mission Trip Team share a wonderful presentation with us on their recent trip in February.
Pastor Mark Hill shares with us why we as a church and as individuals should continue with missions. He shares a quote from Spurgeon, "If there be one point in which the Christian church ought to keep its fervor at a white heat, it is concerning missions to the world." Two reasons we should are: 1. We are sent ones - Acts 10:27-43. Jesus started it but needs humans (us) to spread the Good News. Nobody is disqualified or unworthy of hearing the gospel. He ordered us to preach to the people. The return on the mission investment may or not be seen but it is unbelievable! 2. Sharing the burden - Romans 5:1-5. God is fully aware of the disparity of those without and those with resources. The ones with plenty have the opportunity to share and move towards the vacuum. With faith, peace and grace under it all, we can exult (celebrate) in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perserverance; and perserverance, proven character; and proven character, hope. So what can we do? We can share! Mother Teresa believed that we can all do small things with great love! DCC Missions strives to accompish this by 1. Everybody Entry - we all can do something in a mission trip. 2. Connect the Dots - find things that connect & build relationships/partnerships in the gospel that's sustainable. 3. Integration within ministries - where different ministries can connect/want to rally to a common point. 4. Passion Projection - If you are able to go, passion is infused and you are changed! Like Manno in Haiti has said, "You will fall in love with the people." And Mother Teresa also said, "A life without service for other people has no purpose."
Pastor Brian continues with preparing us for the 40 day churchwide fast that will start February 28. It's time to prepare ourselves and secure the perimeters of the church body by praying the Spiritual Warfare prayer of Psalm 35. We can be confident that He is our salvation against all the forces of wickedness because of the blood of Jesus. We can have peace with God through the blood of Christ and that's ALL that matters. We need to realize the power of the blood. Our most powerful weapons are the Word and prayer, all based on the blood.
Pastor Brian continues from last week sharing the secret of Paul's passion. This week we hear about Paul's lowly identity. He recognized the source of his fruit (God) and then reveled in the surge. We are just channels of God's work. God provides us with the ability to do things... extending our work far beyond our own capabilities. Just like Samuel Finley Morse typed with the first telegraph message he sent, "What hath God wrought?" It is the story of our lives and we shall experience the biggest surge through prayer and fasting this next 40 days.
Pastor Brian continues preparing us for praying and fasting before Easter. This prepares us for the difficult times ahead. God works powerfully through praying and fasting... always. He has us look at Paul's passion for ministry. We were saved to serve and should allow the river flow and not be "couch potato" believers where we are just a reservoir. Ministry is a lot of work yet an oasis in disguise. Paul's secrets/examples of how to do it are: 1. You need a lofty ministry. 2. You need a laid back ministry. 3. You need a laboring intensity. We will use the book, "God's Chosen Fast", the Spiritual Warfare Prayer, focus on some issue and pray for a breakthrough, and shod our feet with peace to lead up to inviting a person to Easter service.
Pastor Brian begins the sermon today asking who was it that said: "The ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me." What if Pastor Brian were to say it right now? Would we know what to do? What would we do if we knew it were true? Who is the ruler of the world? Well, of course satan is. We must never forget who the real enemy is... who will exploit all things to his ends. We must not be ignorant of his schemes and part of not being ignorant is being ready. Pastor Brian feels that it is his place to prepare us. Christ said it before He went to the cross. We can be prepared because we have Christ with us and in us. We can strike the posture of being strong in the Lord and with the strength of His might. It begins with prayer and fasting. Three things to focus on during the fast: First, the spiritual warfare prayer; two, focus on some issue where you want to see a breakthrough; three, we'll shod our feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace and taking up the armor of God in the evil day.
Pastor Brian reminds us that it is the Sanctity of Life Season for the evangelical world. Since legalized abortion in 1973, there have been 53 million abortions in the United States. There is a fine line between righteous indignation and fleshly indignation. If not handled in the right way, our anger/wrath can make it 1. an unforgivable sin (which it's not) and this can lead to unconsolable grief and 2. a disservice of not "winning the loss". We have to learn to think consequentially when making decisions. We also need to remember that there is nothing outside of God's control and He will allow things to get worse to bring us to Him. We need to show with style what God proposes to those involved with abortions. We need to help the cause of Christ without condemnation and hatred. These are not family values! We need to build a bridge of humanity between prolife and prochoice...just like God has done by sending His Son. One thing that will help us to fight for life without making a god of life, is prayer. It changes hearts. It is our most powerful weapon. That is what the Women's Resource Center is asking for this next year.
Michael Obar, our new worship director, shares his life story with us today. He asked God why he was here on this earth and to find him a teacher... God told him that He would be his teacher... to learn how to worship. He learned that even if he doesn't know what to say or do, God will lead him. He has learned to have a heart to reach out, to worship and God has shown him that who you are is mine (God's)! He shared a few life moments such as when his dad passed away... others told him that they could see his father's eyes in Michael. We should be proud when others can see Christ's eyes in us. Sports teaches us a lot... like when the Broncos were losing, he wanted to turn the tv off but didn't. He encourages us as a church that when we go through hard times as well, no matter the outcome, we shouldn't give up. He prays throughout the day. His desire is to lead people into His presence at all times versus leading us to just worship on Sunday mornings. He is wanting to learn and know the heart of the church. He challenges us to also look at what we are doing during the week. Are we cultivating a heart for God or at the tasks at hand? What do we bring to the table?
Pastor Brian continues with his New Year's resolution for the concegration. His top three priorities are: 1. The Word. 2. Prayer. 3. People. He reminds us that he wants to go back to his roots/his deepest call as a pastor when he candidated here five years ago. He begins each message with asking us to open our bibles... "just" to bring us to God and His word, not to Brian, himself. He asks us the inevitable question... What do we want? The presence, agenda and leadership of a man or of God? He believes that we need a pastor that is the people's representative of God. He wants to be centered and not scattered by trying to do too much or trying to please all of the people all of the time. He asks what is a greater love? In secret with God or in front of men? He believes that by spending time in prayer he/we will walk so closely with God that we will know what His call is, what His will is, what His game plan is for us. The bottom line is growing intimacy with God. We will wait upon you, Lord!
Tom Fraser, our new youth director, shares his life story along with a q & a time with Mark Hill. He refers to John 15: 12-13... This my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. This is what ministry is about-being inconvenienced. It's not about me, it's about you. Welcome Tom!
Pastor Brian poses the questions: Do we have a place to stand? Do we have a place to land? He focuses on getting back to the heart and soul of our vision of Growing Intimacy with God. We all need to be centered on Christ... just like Mary listening to His word, seated at His feet. The three things that can keep us from deepening our roots in our faith are: 1.Running tired. 2. Running busy. 3. Running filled but unfulfilled. The two solutions to be centered on the source is to be more rooted in the church community and more reflective at the feet of God. We need to be centered, rooted, grounded and on our knees, seated at His feet in solitude and community. We need to put our hand in His.
Pastor Brian asks us if we have ever felt frightened by the load we bare just like Mary felt when she was told by the angel Gabriel she was the favored one and would conceive a son. We need to remember the promise that when we are with a lowly spirit, it will result in the birth of something we deeply desire. God is true to His Word. We need to "T.A.P." into Him so He can fill us. "T"-Tell Him how you are feeling with all your heart. "A"-Affirm what He is doing with thanksgiving. "P"-Plead with Him with all your heart's desires. vs. 37: "For nothing will be impossible with God."
Pastor Mark Hill speaks to students and parents on advice that we all need and on advice that we can give to others, as well as the church family being equipped and willing to enable families. Advice to students: 1. Reality entertainment is NOT reality. 2. Take responsibility for your part in the family relationship. 3. Parents understand more than you think they do! Advice to parents: 1. Don't freak out/overreact. 2. Be the big person and don't take it personally. 3. Dont' squeeze too hard because the kids will pop out somewhere else (like a water balloon!) All ministry is youth ministry!!
Pastor Brian Myers shows us the true meaning of the Christmas tree. He refers to the Christmas song... O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum... your boughs can teach a lesson. Traditions/lessons are rooted in the bible and over the centuries, Christians have come to celebrate Christmas with the Christmas tree. It is seen as the Tree of Life... just as Christ is to us.
Pastor Mark Hill shares with us his story, his milestones, that has brought him to today. Have we noticed that the bible is 50% narrative? Theology is set in the messiness of life. We need to ask ourselves: What stones has God asked me to set? Three points are: 1. Mnemonics: Remembering stones. 2. Hope in Common Ground amongst ourselves. 3. God is the Hero! We all have various "stones" throughout our lives... some are those that we have put to death, such as abandonment, self-centeredness, inadequacy and others that are worth celebrating, such as our heritage, the Gospel and scripture, trust and worship.
Pastor Brian helps us understand what Thanksgiving is all about. It is an attitude of gratitude. It is about having the Godly gratitude of a true American Christian and the other worldly attitude of a true pilgrim. It's about seeking God's Kingdom first! How do we become more of a true pilgrim? 1st-Be generous. 2nd-Don't complain. 3rd-Get to know God. 4th-Trust and obey. 5th-Let go and let God. 6th-Learn about heaven. 7th-Read the book of Ecclesiastes. And know that the best is yet to come!
Pastor Brian continues with our 40 Days of A Caring Community. As a caring community, we are creating an environment where our hearts and souls are softened... we are seasoning the environment... where we nourish our and others' souls. We have learned that we belong to each other and we need each other. Life is about relationships... with God and others. We have also learned about growing together, about serving together, and about reaching out together.
Pastor Brian Myers continues sharing what it takes to be a caring community. Having a generous spirit is at the heart of being a caring community and going passionately into the world. The sense of community is deepened by participation, contribution and generosity. The benefits of generosity are: 1. creates a strong community; 2. defeats greed (materialism); 3. strengthens your faith in God.
Pastor Brian Myers shares with us on what it takes to build a "TEAM". The first one is "Trust". The second one is "Empathy". The third one is "Accommodation". The fourth one is "Mission".
Pastor Brian Myers shares with us how to help each other grow better together. 1st way is to affirm each others' worth. We do this by showing acceptance, by showing attention, by showing affection and by showing appreciation. The 2nd way is by praying for each others' spiritual growth.
Pastor Brian continues in the 2nd week of how to deepen our caring community. He shares with us the four enemies that can destroy relationships and also offers the antidote/victory to the enemies. The four enemies are: selfishness, pride, insecurity and resentment. The four antidotes are: selflessness, humility, love and forgiveness. He ends the sermon with Colossians 3:14... Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Pastor Brian Myers explains to us the spiritual discipline of fasting and why we should fast. We become a sword in His hand... we are a weapon in the divine dimension.
Pastor Brian begins by showing us a video of the father and son team, Rick and Dick Hoyt and asks us the question,"Are you running alone?" We all need someone to lean on... lean on God. God also wants us to be inter-dependent with one another... not independent. Together has power! He begins with an introduction of why we need each other. 1. It's safer. 2. It's supportive. 3. It's smarter. 4. To witness with others. We need to look out for each others' souls and keep being concerned about one another. Community is God's answer to defeating satan. We will focus on deepening community within the church and then reach out into the community around the church. Under it all, we need to lean on Him!
Dr. Lars Dunberg asks us, "Do we live our life from Him, through Him, and to Him? We need to grow in our faith so that we can be full of life and go out and share the gospel with other people wherever we go. The harvest is now! There are four points he shares: 1. We have the "good news" factor. 2. We are ambassadors for Jesus. 3. People are lost. We need to help get them to heavenl. 4. There is no better experience than bringing someone to Christ.
Bill Spear, one of our local missionaries, speaks to us on this Mission Festival Sunday.
Pastor Brian continues to share with us how to live with vitality in light of eternity.
Pastor Brian begins sharing with us the 7 secrets of "How to Live in Vitality In Light of Eternity". The #1 secret is: Stay awake to your hope. Be on guard. Are you ready to live in vitality? Do not believe in Satan's short list... No hell; No heaven; No hurry. Christ allows trials and tribulations to keep us awake. We need to be aware of the signs of the times such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, dust bowls, droughts, fires, etc. as well as the strange events in the skies. He is trying to get our attention and wants us to rely on Him. He will continue with the other secrets next Sunday.
Pastor Brian addresses the opposite of heaven/the absence of God... hell. Satan is real too and hell is a real place. Everything that's not from God will go away. God has given us amazing grace... if we choose it.
Pastor Brian concludes his series on heaven... At Iron Hour, he asked the question "What are some of your thoughts on the current global and local financial crisis?" There are two columns... 1. What are we thinking? and 2. What are we doing? We need to be anchored in the certainty of our hope in Him and we need to be ready in the light of the times.
Pastor Brian continues sharing about the details about the New Jerusalem. We have already learned that it will be "historically rooted", "physically real". This week we learn that it will be "universally resplendent". We are asked to shine the light with all we know and meet and with all that we do. All the world is a stage where we shine the light for everyone to see.
Pastor Brian continues sharing with us about the new creation that God is preparing for us. Last week we learned that it will be "historically rooted". This week he describes the eternal city, the New Jerusalem, and it will be "physically real" with vast dimensions with the best specifications. It will last forever because it is made by God!
Pastor Brian starts by asking the question, "What have you built or accomplished that you can feel proud of?" Our work here on earth matters to God. It has eternal value. There is a connection between the earthly church and the eternal city... the New Jerusalem.
Pastor Brian Myers continues with his "Heaven" series looking at Revelation 21, verses 5 and 6. At the Men's Iron Hour, he posed the question, "When do you know you're REALLY living? Perhaps it's when you can say, "Life just doesn't get much better than this... does it?! God wants us to enjoy all that He has given us... the tastes of Heaven.
Pastor Brian Myers continues with the "Heaven" series in Revelation 21, verses 1-4. He shares with us what a difference heaven can make! Christ will carry us home and we will feel it down to our marrow. Are we feeling fear or hope? What road are we on and where are we headed?
Pastor Brian Myers begins a series on Heaven. We should be putting all our eggs in our Heavenly Basket and not our earthly basket. Heaven has three phases: 1. The Intermediate State with Jesus; 2. The Millennial Kingdom with the anti-christ; 3. The Eternal Kingdom with God!
Pastor Brian Myers shares a father's day message with us. A father's presence is needed... a rock-solid presence... a mountainous silence. A father's presence makes a WORLD of difference.
Pastor Brian Myers delivers our last message for the year of the caring community. It's all consummated in our worship. But there's one problem... "Worship Wars". The heart of worship and the highest expression of worship comes from a caring community. Verse 5 is the key verse: "May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another... that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." This happens as we "let each of us please his neighbor for his good" (15:2).
Pastor Brian explains to us that rights are wrong when our brothers are hurt. America is in danger of being destroyed and the people in politics are self-destructive. We need to find common ground to stop destroying America. We as Christians need to rise above the fray.
Pastor Brian speaks to us from Romans 14: 20-23 in regard to how valuable and vulnerable is your conscience - AND your brother's! As Jiminy Cricket said, "When you get in trouble and you don't know right from wrong, give a little whistle... And always let your conscience be your guide. "All things are indeed clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves." He focuses on specific areas where we especially need to listen to our conscience. On the consequences of ignoring the conscience and criteria for following the conscience.
Pastor Brian continues with talking about the quality of love that is shown by how we show respect and honor to others... in every relationship we have.
Pastor Eric Robertson talks about lessons learned and focuses on the second greatest commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself.
Pastor Brian Myers honors mothers for Mother's Day and shows us seven ways to love your mother through obeying scripture.
Pastor Brian poses two questions regarding the resurrection... the first one is: What does it mean? And the second one is: What does it matter?
Pastor Brian Myers continues with the series 40 Days of Love: Message 6 - Love Is Not Easily Angered, Part II
Brian Myers continues preaching alongside our 40 Days of Love emphasis, learning all about what the bible says about love. This week is about love and anger. These are not opposites, actually, and anger is the most mis-understood and mis-applied emotion. Anger is healthy and even right depending on the context. We must understand anger if we would learn to love one another according to the Relationship Principles of Jesus.
Pastor Brian continues with 40 Days of Love - Loving Difficult People. Love is not rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and love keeps no record of when it has been wronged... I Corinthians 15:3a
Pastor Brian continues with 40 Days of Love: Message 3 - Loving With Your Words from various texts.
Pastor Brian continues with 40 Days of Love: Message 2 - Loving Like Jesus Loves Me from John 13:34
Pastor Brian begins this week with Message 1 - The Priority of Love in our "40 Days of Love" series. Life is all about learning to love.
Pastor Brian Myers' message - "The Basics of Love" - tees up for the 40 Days of Love series. He gives us an overview of How to Build Relationships.
Paul outlines 4 tasks or qualities for building up a believer in Colossians 2:7. Pastor Eric Robertson covers the first two, "Rooted and Built Up in Him" this week and shows how this works out best in the context of small groups.
Pastor Brian Myers speaks from Proverbs about the role of small groups in the life of the church.
Romans 14:10-12. “God is the Judge” “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” If you’re holding someone in contempt you are in contempt because God is the judge. The tell-tale sign that we’re playing God is an attitude of contempt, because being fleshly we cannot (yet) handle the seat of justice, and so whenever we climb up there we become contemptuous, both in our attitudes and in the eyes of the Judge. We must never assume that people are as they appear because we can’t see to the heart, nor do we know how far they’ve come from where they were, nor what they’re up against. (I’ll give some real life examples of this.) The dangers of Pharisaic moralism among evangelicals that creeps in without our even knowing it. “Search me, O God, and know me…” Billy Graham set the example in the Clinton years when (to the great anger of many evangelicals) he said “I forgive him. I know the frailty of human nature.” How you see is just as important as what you see.
Pastor Brian Myers continues our series in Romans 14, telling us what Paul meant by "Brother's Keeper"
Pastor Brian Myers gives a new year's message from the scriptures and the song Auld Lang Syne.
Associate Pastor Eric Robertson preaches a year-end message about renewal and second chances.
Pastor Brian Myers preaches a Christmas message of hope about God's plan for your life. If he could care for Joseph and Mary, He can care for you!
Pastor Brian Myers tells us how to let our light shine, especially at Christmas, by showing us Paul's application for the Roman church of his direction in chapters 12 and 13.
Pastor Brian Myers preaches the message from the memorial service for his mother, Ruth Myers.
Associate Pastor Eric Robertson walks us through the elements of communion. Jesus chose Bread and Wine very intentionally, and understanding the reasons makes our celebration of communion that much more rich.