Service Times
Worship Service
Sun. 9:30am – 10:30am
Sunday School
Sun. 10:45am – 11:20am
Prayer Meeting & Bible Study
Wed. 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Crusaders Club (Seasonal)
Thurs. 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Crusaders Teens (Seasonal)
Thurs. 6:00pm – 8:00pm
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:24 — 52.6MB) Subscribe: Exodus 36:1-5
You are invited to join us each Sunday morning at 9:30 for worship. This week’s focal passage teaches us about God’s provision for His people. Chapter 36 continues the narrative history of worship. God has brought Israel to the place where they are to build the Tabernacle. God gave them complete instructions and provided to people every skill necessary to build it. From this passage we learn three more truths about God.
- EVERY SKILLED PERSON WAS TO WORK! vs. 1. God is omniscient – meaning He is all knowing. David tells us that in Ps. 147:5. Because God is omniscient, He knows the end from the beginning – Isa. 46:10. Since God always knows all of everything, He knows what all will be needed to carry out his perfect plans and purposes; therefore, He always provides all that is necessary to carry out His will. Look back at Ex. 35;30-35 where we are told every skill needed to build the Tabernacle was given and taught. In 35:31 we learn God’s Holy Spirit gave those skills and teachings. This is all so important because God never does anything that’s folly or unnecessary or wasted. God knew building the Tabernacle would be monumental for Israel, so He made sure everyone knew all of what they needed to do their part of the job. Now read Eph. 4:1-6 and 14-16. Notice how an Omniscient God uses the same plan to build His New Testament Church as He used to build the Tabernacle! The point is that God gives every believer ability (a gift) and a reason to use it in the Body of Christ. This includes YOU, Christian! You are a vital part of God’s plan for His Church and you have been skilled to work for Him. Now notice
- ONLY THOSE WHO CAME TO WORK RECEIVED! Vs. 2-3a. Notice how God gave everyone a skill, then He gave them an opportunity to use the skill. Notice what comes next! God allowed them to exercise their free will! Although He gave them each a skill of His choosing, He didn’t force anyone to use it. Why? Forced labor is slavery, and God had delivered them from slavery. Notice also that only those who came received what was given. Now, as then, God does not frivolously throw His heavenly gifts to people like candy being thrown in a parade. Only those who see the value of a gift from God receive the benefits of that gift. So how do you see your salvation? Are you receiving the great benefits of it or are you wondering why it is static? Check out your heart’s attitude toward your gift and toward doing service from your heart, for the Lord! Notice finally,
- GOD DOES NOT WASTE HIS RESOURCES! Vs. 3b-7. It was the workers who went to Moses to tell him there was enough. Then Moses told the people to stop bringing offerings. Think back a moment – do you think when the Egyptians were giving all this stuff to Israel as they left Egypt, the Israelites thought “what are we going to do with all this. Is there even a Mall where we are going so we can trade this stuff?” The point is that God knew what was in their future and why they would need the things He provided. So it is with us. God knows what’s in our future and He is providing all you need to do all He will ask. You may not understand it all now, so wait patiently and develop all God asks you too, because He will call on you to use His gift to you in service to Him.
If we can help you with this or any other spiritual matter, call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:51 — 41.1MB) Subscribe: Exodus 35:5
Please join us on Sunday mornings for worship at 9:30. We are studying “giving” this month. That is usually a sore subject with people since most preaching about giving becomes meddling! I am privileged to serve in a local family where that is not the case. Our people give generously to The Lord’s work and He blesses us abundantly. Giving is one of God’s attributes discussed in the book of Exodus which is, as one writer says, a book of the theology of God. It reveals God’s name for Himself – I AM THAT I AM! He also reveals many of His attributes (personal characteristics), His Law, how He is to be worshiped, and how redemption works. The closing chapters are dedicated to worship. We learn that God desires to be with His people and meet their needs. Such is the essence of our focal verse today. Let’s consider
- GOD ASKS US TO GIVE ONLY FROM WHAT WE HAVE! The first principle God teaches is that giving is personally possible. Satan will try to make you think it is not! One of the most forgotten truths about how God works with His people is that He always works with individuals. God didn’t create Israel, He created Adam, then Eve, then through many individual births God formed individuals into one nation. It works the same way in Christ’s Universal Church which is many individuals making one body. The principle of giving is seen in the phrase “from what you have.” Notice also how very personal that is. We are never to compare our giving with what we think someone else gives. If all you have to give is a cup of water, give it and watch God turn it into an ocean! Notice also
- GOD ASKS UO TO GIVE ONLY WHAT WE CAN! He is teaching us the second principle in giving is personally practical. God never asks us to give more than we can. He knows perfectly well what our situation and circumstances are. God wants ALL our heart/mind/soul/ and strength and we are able to give it ALL to Him at the instant of our salvation. However, God understandswe aren’t going to work that way. I thank Him for His patience while He waits for me to see I can do what He asks me. God wants an offering so He can fellowship with me and bless me as well. Finally,
- GOD ASKS US TO GIVE ONLY WHAT WE WANT! The third principle of giving is that it is a personal preference. Notice in verses 5, 20, 22, 29 that God wanted only those who were willing to give to do so. We aren’t told what or how much each gave, just that those who did so gave out of the desire of their heart. Verse 20 tells us their hearts were moved to give. Why? Because God works in our hearts, not in our heads, to move us to serve Him. The concept of giving out of desire is the realm in which Christians are to live. Jesus taught that if someone asks for our coat, we are to give them our sweater as well. Paul told us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices which is our reasonable act of worship. God asks us to give him only what we have and can give with the stipulation that it is given to Him out of desire. When we give to God voluntarily He is then able to replenish whatever we give using His abundance. So the question is what part of you haven’t you given God yet? The second question is why are you choosing to live in poverty in those parts of your life?
If we can help you with these or any other spiritual questions call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:58 — 47.6MB) Subscribe: Revelation 21:1-5
We invite you to worship with us on Sunday mornings at 9:30. I haven’t yet read Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven, but I plan too! Recently one of our deacons shared some thought provoking questions from the book; for example: what do you think we will be doing in heaven? Do you think it will get boring riding around all day on a cloud, playing a harp? Actually we won’t be doing any of that but we will be very active and enjoy it all more than we can now imagine. Is your heart truly excited about going to heaven or do you just say that because it seems to be the “Christian” thing to say? If someone asked you what the Bible says about heaven, what would you say? Consider
- THE BIBLICAL DESIGNATIONS FOR HEAVEN. The term “Kingdom of Heaven” is used only by Matthew. It refers to God ruling throughout the earth. It specifically refers to the Messianic Kingdom that Jesus Christ offered to all people when He cam to earth the first time. Because of the unbelief, hardness of hearts, and ultimately rejecting Him as Messiah, the Kingdom was postponed until He comes back to earth. Have you ever wondered how much of God’s blessing in your life you have postponed because of your unbelief at the time the blessing was offered? Many Christians can attest to the truth that God is always ready to share blessings with those who are ready to receive them. It is our duty as Christians to advertise the Kingdom through our daily lives by practicing its principles. Have you ever considered what a privilege God has given us to be His personally chosen ambassadors for His Kingdom? The term “heavenly places” (Eph. 3:1) is used to teach us that God is now actively sharing the blessings of heaven with His children. Such sharing on God’s part is to help us understand we now have a present association with Christ. In other words we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to enjoy a relationship and association with Him, we get to be involved in them now! The general term that represents our eternal dwelling place is “heaven.” We will dwell forever in the very presence of the Eternal Godhead and all the angels. Let’s consider
- THE BIBLICAL DEMANDS TO ENTER HEAVEN! Someone has said heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. That is taught in John 14:3 ; 17:24; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; and 1 Thess. 4:17 to list a few. God tells us that we must (1) be like Christ in His standing before a thrice Holy God or we must be perfectly sinless. Since the second isn’t possible, we must trust the first. Romans 5:12-21 and 8:29-30 Teach us about God’s amazing grace that forgives all our sins. We must also (2) be like Christ in His state. Read 1 Cor. 15:42-58 for further explanation. At the Rapture all Christians will get new physical bodies. They will be glorified, eternal bodies that will never age, be sick, fail, or hurt. Bring it on!! It is a great comfort to think about our eternal home God is preparing for us (John 14:2-4). What a great day of celebration when the trumpet sounds and in the twinkling of an eye we will be “caught up” in the air to meet our Savior to be forever with Him!
If we can help you with your spiritual questions or questions concerning the truth about heaven, call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:58 — 39.3MB) Subscribe: Ephesians 6:13
Join us for worship service every Sunday morning at 9:30. We are continuing our study in Eph. 6 and exposing some of the tactics of our enemy the Devil. Remember—our fight is not against each other, but against the underworld. Satan knows he’s been defeated but refuses to surrender by trying to do all the damage he can. How?
- ABOVE ALL SATAN DESIRES TO DESTROY THE WORK OF GOD! He wants to destroy God’s work in Christians and in The Church. The most effective way to destroy the works of God is attack the weakest link in the chain – that’s us! When Satan destroys any part of a Christian’s testimony (life and lifestyle) to the devil’s way of thinking, he has won and is energized to continue his destructive work. When The Holy Spirit changes us inwardly and those changes begin to show outwardly, God uses those outward changes to draw others to us so we can share the life-changing power of God’s salvation with them. If the devil can do anything to stop that process, he destroys the work of God. Because Christians are the centerpieces of God’s redeeming work, Satan wants to destroy them in any way possible. As God’s workmanship we must be very careful how we allow it to be marred! Another truth is
- SPIRITUAL GROWTH RESULTS IN MORE INTENSE BATTLE! Many Christians have been misled by what John calls antichrists, deceivers, and false teachers who teach the heresy that the more like Christ we become, the easier it is to live the Christian life, and the less Satan bothers us. That’s a satanic lie because it is exactly opposite what Scripture teaches. In Matt. 5:10-12 and 10:24-25 Jesus teaches that persecution is a normal part of a true Christian’s life. Jesus Himself was tempted all the time on a much higher level than any of us! Ask any person walking with the Lord and they will tell you that almost as soon as they get the words of loyalty to God at a higher level out of their mouth, Satan is there to keep it from happening. If you make an unconditional resolution to let God be the only Sovereign Ruler in your heart, rest assured Satan will make an unconditional resolution to do all he can to keep you from making it happen. Finally, we must know
- THE DEVIL USES MANY RESOURCES TO ATTACK US! No matter how much effort you put into learning to be strong in God’s mighty power, no matter how hard you work to submit to God’s Holy Spirit, no matter how long or hard you study, the devil will come at you from all directions—all the time to stop you. Remember, Satan has more power, smarts, and resources that you do! That’s why no true Christian ever goes to battle unarmed. The biggest, most valuable resource the devil has is your own ego! The Biblical word for ego is “self!” It takes the mighty power of God to kill the self and keep it killed! Satan can use self, emotions, other struggling Christians, the unsaved, our own weaknesses, even our successes (to revive our ego) against us. As Christians we need to remember that Satan will use every resource, at whatever level necessary, to destroy the works of God. Since true Christians are God’s workmanship, Satan wants to destroy us! All this is the reason Paul told us to be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power. The good news is that we have all that power in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is let Him direct His power in us.
If we can help you with your spiritual questions call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:25 — 45.2MB) Subscribe: Ephesians 6:11
Come worship with us on Sunday mornings at 9:30. This week our study is centered on fighting the right war. The Devil’s blinding power of deception and destruction can be seen in the way he has reversed the focus of this truth from Scripture. His efforts have been very successful in America where the Church spends most of her time fighting herself rather than the enemy. Just to comfort you, Christians didn’t start the conflict with each other Cain did! Notice first
- THE METHOD OF WAR! Paul teaches we aren’t in conflict with flesh and blood. The word for conflict means “to wrestle” and is used in the LXX in reference to Jacob wrestling with God. The idea or concept of wrestling gives us a clear picture of one-on-one or hand-to-hand combat. The Devil’s method of war is very personal, much tailored, and very detailed to attack your mind to do the most possible damage to you and to God. The war with Satan is the ultimate “2 fer” deal. When we sin, even just in thought, we hurt ourselves and we hurt God at the same time. When Jacob wrestled The Angel of the Lord, Jacob held on until the Angel blessed him. Satan hangs on to us until he beats us down and we give in, or we get out of his hold by being strong in the Lord and His mighty power. That suggests that God must get us out of Satan’s hold!
- THE MISCONCEPTION OF WAR! Let’s consider four deadly misconceptions.
- Other Christians are not the enemy. The sad truth is that the Devil’s forces of evil are more unified and organized than are Christians. The reason is that they are all united in their hatred for God and anything or anyone related to Him; and they all have one common goal which is to destroy! As long as the Devil can keep Christians fighting one another, we aren’t fighting him, yet he is still destroying us! He does that by causing us to believe that God’s plan for our life is not as good as our own ideas. Remember, doubt always results in disobedience.
- The church can never offend anyone! That’s really saying there is no such thing as absolute truth! Read the first three chapters of Romans and see if you think God is concerned about offending us with our sin. My Bible tells me the mere preaching of the Gospel is an offense/stumbling block to the unsaved. It’s time the Church became more concerned about offending God than people!
- To reach/win the lost, the church must adapt to culture and society. You’ve heard the current idea that Churches must be “seeker sensitive!” Scripture teaches that there are NONE that seek after righteousness, all have sinned, none are righteous! There is just no such thing as an unsaved person seeking the Lord—sin doesn’t work that way! Watch how effective Satan is in his work. If someone came to church and was looking for the truth, and the church believes they can’t offend anyone, how is that person ever going to come face-to-face with the reality of the condemnation of their sin? Read 1 Cor. 1 and other passages like it. Sin is certainly an offense to God, and until it is an offense to people, it will only lead them to hell!
- We as God’s people can continue to live as though none of this pertains to us. As long as Satan keeps us focused on fighting other Christians instead of fighting together against him, we will continue to take a ho-hum attitude toward sin. Guess who will be offended at the Judgment Seat of Christ!
If we can help you with this or any other spiritual matter call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:59 — 48.5MB) Subscribe: Ephesians 6:11
You are invited to worship with us on Sunday mornings at 9:30. We have come to the place in our study of Ephesians where we are examining our enemy the devil. One writer says, “the primary truth to keep in mind is that to understand the human race one must realize it’s the result of the Fall.” The only way to understand any history whether secular or religious is to study it in light of Scripture. Such a study is the only way to understand our past, present and our future. How would you answer the question “what are the schemes of the devil?” Let’s consider our enemy by looking at
- THE DEVIL’S POSITION! Remember this! The devil’s soul desire is to destroy the work of God. All true Christians are God’s workmanship. Therefore, the devil’s soul desire is to destroy all true Christians. When God punished Satan, God limited him to only what Satan could do. Those limitations infuriate Satan, fuel his hatred with anger and determination to destroy! The reason is that “self” doesn’t want to be limited, but wants to be infinite like the Most High God! One reason God kills the “self” in salvation is because He knows how much destruction it can do. Satan’s primary position is to cause separation between God and Man to keep Man from worshiping God.
- THE DEVIL’S PURSUIT! Satan is not omni-present. He “walks about on the earth” causing havoc and destruction wherever he is. Throughout Scripture Satan is seen doing his destructive work. There is never a time when those spiritual forces of evil are not pursuing people to destroy them in any and every possible way. To underestimate the devil and his destructive works is both naive and deadly! Now consider
- THE DEVIL’S POWER! Before Satan fell he was the coving cherub of the Throne of God. He was the most powerful and intelligent being outside the Trinity. When God cast him out of heaven, all Satan lost was his position. His awesome power is one thing that makes him so deadly and dangerous. The “comforting” thing is that all his power is subject and subservient to God. Satan focuses on the use of his power on man’s mind. Man’s ability to think logically, to reason, to argue, and to think objectively, all set him above the animals. Man’s mind is what makes him most like God. One writer said our mind is our highest gift from God. Therefore, Satan takes a special interest in man’s mind. Finally, consider
- THE DEVIL’S PURSUASION! As complicated as the “evil schemes of the devil” are, all of them can be reduced to just two words – create doubt! The devil knows all he has to do is get you to doubt or question God, and your “self” will do the rest. It is a very short distance between doubting God and backing away from His will, His way, and especially His Word. We have all experienced the doubt Satan causes when it comes to anything about God, haven’t we. We must remember that all this about Satan is subservient to God’s ALL-mighty power. God’s mighty power, in its fullness, resides in you in the Person of The Holy Spirit – if you are truly one of God’s adopted children.
If you have doubts about that, call us at (574) 643-9419 and we will help you come to the assurance that God will forgive all your sins and adopt you as one of His eternal children.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:28 — 38.0MB) Subscribe: Exodus 20:1-6
You are invited to join us each Sunday morning for worship at 9:30. There is a popular song that has the phrase “getting back to the heart of worship – it’s all about You…” That is a very Biblical statement. God is at the heart of worship. In order to worship as God intends a Christian’s heart must be God-centered and God-focused. We have allowed life to get in the way and turns our hearts to busy-ness and worldliness, causing us to mistake church attendance for worship. For true Christians, worship is not a Sunday morning experience that is turned on when they come through the doors and turned off when they leave. For the true Christian, worship is a way of life 24/7/365! God gives us a very clear picture of worship in this passage.
- WORSHIP RECOGNIZES OUR REDEMPTION BY GOD. The most amazing event in any person’s life is their redemption. Only through redemption can any person have a relationship with God. Once a person is redeemed they must submit to His mighty power allowing Him to work through them to accomplish His perfect will for us. Verse 2 clearly tells us God is responsible for our redemption when He says “I AM the One Who brought you out of slavery.” In order to be set free from any kind of slavery, the power of the Deliverer must be greater than the power of the captor! To free Israel God had to destroy Egypt’s idolatrous gods and its military. To free you and me God had to sacrifice His Only Son! If that was all God ever did, it would be enough to cause us to worship Him continually!
- WORSHIP RECOGNIZES OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD! God uses the name Jehovah-Eloheka for Himself meaning The LORD YOUR God. It is one of the most personal names God uses in reference to Himself. At our salvation, God establishes an eternal relationship with us as His children. Since God establishes the covenant, He alone is responsible for holding it in place. Our relationship with God is more intimate, more personal , more dedicated than our relationship to any other person! We take our relationship to God far to casually today unless we see
- WORSHIP RECOGNIZES OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GOD! After reading verses 2-11 most Christians would say “at least I’ve got that much under control.” To see if that’s true in your life answer these questions: Do you fit worship into your schedule, or do you fit your schedule into your worship? Did you have quiet time, prayer time, Bible study, Scripture memory every day this past week? Whatever you might use as a “reason” you didn’t is really an idol in God’s eyes! Did you know every act of a Christian’s life is to be an act of worship? Did you worship this week by sharing the saving grace and mercy of God with someone who is still dead in sin? Did you worship every day with your spouse, children, grandchildren? Worship is not a once-a-week event that is a routine or liturgy in a building called “church!” Worship is a way of life that puts, and keeps, God at the center of life. Now, here is a question for you! Where you find yourself short in worship, what are you going to do about it? It is one thing to recognize a short-coming, and quite another to do something about it. If you live a life of worship before God, keep it up because it is a testimony God will use in a powerful way. If you need to change some things – DO IT!
If we can help you with this or any other spiritual question, call us at (574) 643-9419.
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