to the Pioneer Evergreens Juniper Team! They earned 1st placed at the 2024 Pathfinder Bible Experience in Colorado. The team thanks the Pioneer Memorial Church members for your prayers.
How to be More Like Jesus
The Implausible Prayer
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
More In This Series
“How To Be More Like Jesus: The Implausible Prayer”
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□ The Prayer
- Ephesians 3:14-19
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The Creator and King, who rules over a galaxies and a stars
across billion light years (and has all the stars—Psalm 147:4), wants
to in .
- The implausible prayer: “That Christ may in your by faith.”
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“May your become His .”
John 14:23
Jesus: “We [the Father and I] will come to you and make Our with you.”
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Desire of Ages: “The contemplation of the of God will stir the heart and arouse the
powers of the soul as nothing else can.” (478)
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□ The Product
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Frederick Buechner: “In my books, and sometimes even in real life, I have it in me at my best to
be a saint to other people, and by saint I mean life-giver, someone who is able to bear to others something of the Holy Spirit. . . . Sometimes, by the grace of God, I have it in me to be to other people. And so, of course, have we all—the life-giving, life-saving, and healing power to be saints, to be , maybe at rare moments even to ourselves.” (The Longing for Home 28)
- When Christ dwells within us, He spreads Himself us.
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Stuart Devenish: “Every Christian generation has produced two kinds of Christians: the
common, ordinary garden variety, and those who have discovered the deeper life. . . . [a life that] reflects a deep experience of Christ-likeness” (quoted in Beyond Well-Being: Spirituality and Human Flourishing 58).
- The grand goal of the everlasting gospel!
- “Be like Jesus, this my song, in the home and in the throng . . .”
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NB: This is a collective invitation.
- “That Christ may dwell in your hearts [plural] by faith.”
- The GROW Group experience: “. . . together with all the Lord’s holy people” (v 18)
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F. F. Bruce: “. . . it is Paul who gives distinctive expression to the idea of all believers,
whatever their race or social status, united in a life as fellow-members of the body. . . . [T]he prime function of the indwelling Spirit in the believing community, as in the individual believer, is for Paul the reproduction of the Christ-likeness in his people, until the whole body corporate attains ‘the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ (Ephesians 4:13).” (Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free 210, 211)
- Join a GROW Group now @ http://www.pmchurch.org/article/563/grow-groups/signup
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John Gilbert—“If Jesus Came to Your House”
I want to be more like Jesus
I’m following in His waysI’m trying to love as He did
In all that I do and sayAt times I am tempted to make a wrong choice
But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers:REFRAIN
“Love one another as Jesus loves youTry to show kindness in all that you do Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought
For these are the things Jesus taught.”
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Frederick Buechner: “In my books, and sometimes even in real life, I have it in me at my best to
I’m trying to love my neighbor
I’m learning to serve my friends
I watch for the day of gladness When Jesus will come again
I try to remember the lessons He taught
Then the Holy Spirit enters into my thoughts saying:
—adapted from Janice Kapp Perry
Are you willing to enjoy a quiet few hours in a Children's Sabbath School room mending Bibles, refreshing the room decor, replenishing table supply kits, or a little deep cleaning? Can you gift one day (or evening) per month to come in to support our awesome volunteers who already do so much on Sabbaths? Email childrenss@pmchurch.org or text 269-845-0178 including your name, what projects you're willing to help with and we'll get you connected soon. Thanks for adding your gifts.
Explore Scenic New England and it's Rich History from September 1-8, 2024
Michigan Advance Partners
As we sang our closing song for worship that night, I knew this week would be a special one I would remember forever.
I was in high school, and I signed up to work at FLAG Camp, which stands for Fun Learning About God. It is a day-camp based at Andrews University in Michigan, and before the summer even began, we as staff went to a staff training week where we bonded and learned how to best serve the children who would come to our camp that summer.
Camp, for that summer and several after, served as a key turning point in my relationship with God. Though I was still figuring out my own faith, I saw God use me and my team members in such mighty ways! Children, even our youngest campers, were turning their hearts towards God and giving their lives to Christ.
I still think fondly of my days as a camp counselor, and I credit the confidence I built during that period in my life as the reason why today, as an adult, I am able to freely share the hope I have in the gospel of Jesus Christ! Today’s offering is for Michigan Advance Partners, which goes to support things such as our camps and youth and young adult ministries that span our conference.
Please know that when you give, your seed of a gift will ripple beyond that amount, and touch people forever.
By Heather Thompson Day
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
Please see the letter below regarding a Pastoral Staff transition at Pioneer.
Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage.
- April 13- The Tale of Two Brain-Part 1
- April 20-The Tale of Two Brain-Part 2
- April 27-The #1 Key to Incredible Sex
- May 4-How to Stay Married and Not Kill Anybody
Everyone is Welcome Sabbath mornings from 10:30-11:30 in PMC room 141.
Oasis Public School Ministry provides a safe community for real talk, good food, fun activities, and building relationships between students, leaders, and God. This ministry is open to all public middle and high school students and meets Tuesdays 6:30-8:00 PM in the 5th grade Sabbath school room. Bring a friend and check it out! For more information, contact Diane at simplestirrings@yahoo.com.
Winter is coming and for many of our students these are the hardest months to get through without their families. You can help create a home away from home by joining our Belong Ministries Adopt-a-Student program. You'll build meaningful connections by hosting the student for a home cooked meal, surprising them with their favorite treats, and reminding them that they've been prayed for. The time commitment is at your discretion.