From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

The Mystery of the Star

It is possible, that when Christmas time comes and you listen or come to a church service, that you think to yourself “I already know this by heart”  You might even think to yourself that you might get bored today, because you already know this so well. I hope to show you today that there is much, much more to the Christmas story than what first meets the eye in the opening chapters of Matthew and Luke.  Today’s message will get you thinking about one of my favorite features (apart from Jesus Himself) of the Christmas story – the star.  …

Sunday Sermons

Peace on Earth?

What do you think of when you here the word “Peace”? Peace is complex and multi-faceted.  Do you think in  terms of political peace or inner peace? Maybe national peace?  We could go on and on talking about what peace means.  Today, I want  to share with you some things that the Bible says about peace.  I will discuss four categories of peace, talk about which one is the most important, and most of all, how we can achieve peace. Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace” so I think it is fitting we will look at what that means …

Sunday Sermons

Finding Hope In Prayer

Our hope is only as good as what it is in.  When what we hope in fails us, we are devested, wrecked, and may not recover.  It is so important to take an honest look at what our hope is in and what are we hoping for.  There is only one sure hope, and it is Jesus Christ.  He needs to be where our hope is.  Many of you reading this may already know that, but let me ask you that other question, “What are you hoping for?”  You may say you have hope in Jesus, but what do you …

Sunday Sermons

The Need to Give Thanks

Are you a glass half full-person or glass half-empty?  Some of that is related to personality, I realize.  Just going around optimistic all the time may sometimes be more about ignorance and avoidance than virtue (according to the pessimist), but being thankful is a choice.  Being thankful is not thinking everything will work out right.  Being thankful should not be contingent on a perfect world or a perfect situation in your world.  Giving  thanks is a choice to acknowledge the blessings we have, even when they exist together with many troubles.  More than that, giving thanks does something in our …

Fun Stuff / Sunday Sermons

Shoebox Sunday!

Join us today as we celebrate Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Sunday here at Elimsport!  This a a kid-centered event with upbeat songs from previous Vacation Bible Schools and other special elements designed with kids in mind.  We will be learning more about Samaritan’s Purse OCC program, watch a recorded testimony of how a shoebox changed the life of a Filipino girl, and then spend some time praying for God to bless and use our shoeboxes in great ways.  I hope you can join us!

Fun Stuff

Living By Truth

I was reading over some of my daughters notes from her class on conflict resolution.  I was struck by all the ways that we as humans can be different from each other:  Different in gender, different regarding our family of origin and its structure,  different regarding our culture and ethnicity, different in temperament, different in skills, different in social status, and on and on the list goes.  These differences make us look at our world differently and interact with it differently.  It also makes it hard to determine what is truth and what is just my perspective?  What should be …

Fun Stuff

Standing Strong in the Lord – Part 2

At the time Paul was writing the letter to the Ephesian church, he was a prisoner of Rome.  Jewish leaders that hated him and  the Gospel that he preached, had brought false accusations against him.  He had a strong case for his innocence, but had appealed to see Caesar in Rome because political pressures in the Judean region were preventing him from getting a fair trial.  This resulted in a lot of waiting and a lot of time in jail or under house arrest.  Throughout this difficulty he came to know what it meant to stand strong in the Lord, …

Sunday Sermons

Standing Strong in the Lord

What are you doing with your life that Satan would love to stop?  What are you doing that Satan would love to see you keep doing?  Those are two big battlefields in your life: the things that you know you should do for God and the things you know that God wants you to give up.  Two weeks ago we looked at the reality of spiritual warfare and the danger of thinking we are able to handle it ourselves.  This week we want to continue that study, looking at how we can be successful in it.  We truly live in …

Sunday Sermons

Special Guest – Cliff Bourne

A special guest speaker, Cliff Bourne, shared how the creation clearly declares a Creator. We accept the Genesis account of creation and believe that man came by direct creation of God and not by evolution. We understand the Bible to clearly teach that the creation of the world took place in six literal, consecutive, 24 hour days, and that God rested on the seventh day (Genesis. 1 and 2; Exodus 20:11, 31:17; Colossians. 1:16-17; John 1:3).

Sunday Sermons

The Delusion of Safety and Self-Sufficiency

There are two things we tend to believe that are completely untrue in our walk with God.  The first is that we are sufficient in ourselves to live the Christian life and obey all the commands God has given us.  The second in that things will by nature work towards our success as believers if we don’t mess them up.  Both of these beliefs are wrong, they are a delusion. All through Scripture God calls on us to look to Him for strength, to “Abide in the vine” which refers to being to Him through prayer and His Word.  Scripture …