Our medical professionals are on the front line of this epidemic and we want to show them love and support. In the next week or two, we want to send a prayer caravan to drive around the hospital. We'll let them know ahead of time that we'll be praying—and perhaps honking our horns—at a designated time. To get more information and to register, please click below and select the prayer caravan option. We'll see you soon!
The Bondage Breaker
The Bondage Breaker: The Easter Rout!
DVDs
To purchase a DVD of this sermon please visit our online shopping cart. Proceeds go to support the New Perceptions media ministry.Buy series
Speaker
Dwight K. NelsonSince 1983, Dwight Nelson has served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University. He preaches on the “New Perceptions” telecast, teaches at the theological seminary and has written some books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.
Offering
Saturday, April 19, 2014
More In This Series
“The Bondage Breaker: The Easter Rout!”
-
□ The Resurrection
• Matthew 28:1-6
• Frederick Buechner: “If we are to believe [Christ] is really alive with all that that implies, then we have to believe without proof. And of course that is the only way it could be. If it could be somehow proved, then we would have no choice but to believe. We would lose our freedom not to believe. And in the very moment that we lost that freedom, we would cease to be human beings. Our love of God would have been forced upon us, and love that is forced is of course not love at all. Love must be freely given. Love must live in the freedom not to love; it must take risks. Love must be prepared to suffer even as Jesus on the Cross suffered, and part of that suffering is doubt.” (The Magnificent Defeat) -
□ The Evidence
-
#1—The of Jesus (Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-33; John 2:19-
22)
It was common knowledge in Jerusalem that this Man predicted He would rise from the dead(Matthew 27:63).
-
#2—Many “” proofs (Acts 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:5-9)
The NT records at least 10 such appearances
-
#3—The conversion of witnesses—James and Paul
James, the step brother of Jesus, publicly declared that Jesus was “out of His mind” during Christ’s ministry (Mk 3:20-21—but see Acts 1:14).
Saul/Paul was the archenemy of the infant church (Acts 9:1; but see 9:22).
- #4—Fearful to
-
#5—The tomb
Even the soldiers, assigned to guard that tomb, testified that it was empty—to which the chief priests concocted the lie while the soldiers slept Jesus’ disciples had stolen the body (but how would a sleeping soldier know who had stolen the body?).
-
#6—The existence of the (Acts 2:23-24; 3:14-15; 4:10-12; 4:33; 5:30-31, et al) Tim Chaffey: “The reality of the Resurrection was central to the message the apostles
preached. The book of Acts, almost universally recognized as reliable history of the period,
claims that these men spoke about the Resurrection repeatedly.” (Answer April-June 2014)
-
#7—Principle of
Why would writers of history invent details that do not seem to help their cause?
Tim Chaffey: “Either the writers were quite foolish or exceedingly clever or they wroteprecisely what happened.”
- #8— hearts in later generations
-
#1—The of Jesus (Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-33; John 2:19-
-
□ The Change
• Ephesians 1:18-20; 2:1, 4-5
• Paul’s inescapable point: The power that freed Christ from His is the identical powerthat can free us from our .
• The devil can no more hold you in your sepulcher of than he could hold Christ in thetomb of .
• “Christ’s death and resurrection have opened before every soul an unlimited source offrom which to draw.” (RH 11-5-1901)
Unlimited!
Prayer Car Caravan for Our Medical Professionals
GC 100 Days of Prayer Commence
This week I learned of our world church headquarters appeal for prayer throughout the global Seventh-day Adventist family. Originally timed to end during the recently-postponed General Conference session in Indianapolis, our church leaders are calling us to now focus 100 days of praying (March 27-July 4) on behalf of the global coronavirus pandemic. There could hardly be a more urgent need for earnest praying!
A pastor friend of mine, Jim Moon, pointed out a two-verse juxtaposition I'd not noticed before: "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a pestilence among My people, if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:13-14). While everyone knows the beloved prayer call in v 14, few of us connect it with the preceding divine action in v 13. "A pestilence among My people" certainly could represent a global pandemic like the coronavirus COVID-19. While Satan is the originator of destructive calamities, what more faith-appropriate response is our collective prayers to the One who can deliver this nation, this world, these people, from the grips of pestilence.
So let's join together in humbling ourselves before God and praying and seeking His face—that our world might be saved and our faith community might yet be mobilized to share the glad tidings of Jesus' soon return.
- Pastor Dwight
2nd Quarter Adult Sabbath School Lessons
Due to the COVID-19 stay at home mandate, Pioneer is unable to provide physical copies of the Adult Sabbath School Lesson at this time. Both teacher's edition and standard edition are available online for free.
Livestreaming Schedule
Pioneer will be worshipping online online until further notice. We look forward to having you join us there.
9:00 AM ET - Pioneer at Worship
10:30 AM ET - Sabbath School
11:45 AM ET - Pioneer at Worship
Home Visits
The Board of Elders, under the leadership of Bryan and Becky von Dorpowski, has responded to the immediate spiritual and emotional needs of our oldest Pioneer members. Recognizing many of them will chose to protect themselves from the coronavirus by limiting their time in the wider community and thus missing the weekly fellowship that worship and Sabbath School provided, the elders will be focusing on those Pioneer members in their 70s, 80s, 90s and 100s—and will be reaching out by phone to visit with them. (In order to protect the health of our members our elders will not be making home visits at this time.)
If you know of an at-risk member who needs personal attention, please call Claudia Sowler 269.471.3134. The elders are praying these targeted phone calls will bring the ministry of our Good Shepherd Savior to these who have faithfully walked with Him throughout their lives.
Family, Faith, and Fun!
During this time of potential boredom and cabin fever, enjoy these fun ideas for spending quality time together as a family.
After the long winter of gray and brown, get outside and look for all the buds, sprouts, and new leaves you can find. Try to identify what each one is. You can use your phone to look on the Internet or use an app like Pl@ntNet to identify leaves. Currently, you can see things like crocuses, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, snowdrops, moss, ferns, ramps, and wild chives. It is so nice to be reminded that even when things look bleak, God is still there and recreating!
You can also "adopt a friend" each day or week! Send several encouraging and kind notes to a friend via text, email, Messenger, etc. Let them know you are thinking about them and even praying for them.
Sponsored by the Family Life Committee
Volunteer for the Most Vulnerable
We are looking for teams of volunteers that can help people who are more vulnerable in our community to run errands such as picking up groceries and medicine. We're also asking for volunteers to make calls and pray for our members and community.
COVID-19 Grow Group Update
Community and gathering in some form remains vital. We have asked Grow Groups of more than ten people to start meeting online. For Grow Groups of less than ten people, we're asking them to practice safe social distancing of at least six feet—as per the CDC.
Love on the Move
Over the summer and fall of 2019 Pioneer underwent significant physical renovation—including a new roof and a major Sanctuary makeover. During the same time congregation leaders engaged in multiple conversations about our missional renovation—how does a faith community like Pioneer seriously engage and impact the people around us for Christ? From this dialogue emerged a fresh new expression of our Pioneer mission: "Love on the Move."
Campus News
For more events impacting our local university campus, please visit www.andrews.edu/agenda.