Speaker

Dwight K. Nelson

Dwight Nelson served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University from 1983 to 2023. During his time at Pioneer he spoke on the “New Perceptions” telecast, taught at the theological seminary and has written books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.

Offering

Saturday, September 03, 2016
Program: 
As We Begin
Praise to the Lord • Johann Walther Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) • Craig Courtney
Praise
Majesty • How Great is Our God • We Fall Down
Prayer
Sabine Vatel
GO Project: Our2Cents
Rodlie Ortiz
Tithes & Offerings
Jesus, My Joy / Jesus, Guide Our Way • Johann Crüger / Adam Dreese
Children's Story
Hope Trending: Watch Parties
Sabine Vatel & José Bourget
Worship in Music
Within These Walls • Stephen Caracciolo
Sermon
#RxF4Now—Dead Man Walking • Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card
Hymn
Just as I Am • st. 1-2, 5-6 of 313 (sung to 314)
As We Depart
Bless the Lord, O My Soul • Charles Wood

 

#RxF4Now—Dead Man Walking

www.newperceptions.tv

 

  • The Self-portrait—Romans 7:7-24
    • Psalm 38:5 NLT—“My wounds fester and because of my foolish sins.”
    • Isaiah 1:6 NLT—“You are from head to foot—covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds—without any ointments or bandages.”
    • Martin Luther: “Human nature is like a peasant. Lift him into the saddle on one side, over he topples on the other side.”
    • Philippians 3:4-6—“If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day . . . in regard to the law, a Pharisee; . . . as for righteousness based on the law, .”
    • Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28: “‘You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder” [6th Commandment] . . . But I tell you that anyone who is with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. . . . You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery’ [7th Commandment]. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his .’”
    • The Tenth Commandment (“You shall not covet”) radically shifts our focus on the Law of God/Ten Commandments from compliance to obedience.
    • Psalm 119—David sings about the Law of God:
      • v 97—“Oh, how I love Your ! I meditate on it all day long.”
      • v 172—“May my tongue sing of Your word, for all Your are righteous.”
      • v 127—“I love Your more than gold, more than pure gold.”
      • v 18—“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your .”
      • v 64—“The earth is filled with Your , O LORD; teach me Your decrees.”
    • Romans 7:12—“So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and .”
    • John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners: “I was more loathsome in my own eyes than was a toad; and I thought I was so in God’s eyes too; sin and corruption, I said, would as naturally bubble out of my heart, as water would bubble out of a fountain. I thought now that everyone had a better heart than I had; I could have changed heart with anybody; I thought none but the devil himself could equalize me for inward wickedness and pollution of mind. I fell, therefore, at the sign of my own vileness, deeply into despair.” (quoted in Camron Schofield Heralding the Loud Cry 32).
  • The Savior—Romans 7:25
    • The purpose and point of the Law is to us to .
      • Galatians 3:24—“Therefore the law was our tutor [guardian] to us to Christ.”
      • To throw the Law out, to get rid of the Ten Commandments—as some are inclined to teach and to do—is to cut your soul off from the very Law Giver who is your only .
    • Christ’s Object Lessons: “His law is a transcript of His own , and it is the standard of all character. This infinite standard is presented to all that there may be no mistake in regard to the kind of people whom God will have to compose His kingdom.” (315)
    • Camron Schofield: “So if you did everything right in your whole entire life, will the law be satisfied? It can’t be satisfied because your right-doing [the definition of “righteousness”] is not what the law wants. What the law wants is God’s right-doing, God’s perfect life—and we, in ourselves, do we have it to offer? We don’t. Is there any room for you in this picture? Can you satisfy the law? Can you? Have you in your life attained unto the very perfection of God? To do that you would have to be God yourself. Are you God? You’re not God!” (Heralding the Loud Cry 33)
      • “We CAN NOT. We can do nothing to effect our own salvation. And it’s a frightful realization when we meet the law as it really is. We are dead men walking.” (35)
      • “The question is: are you bad enough to come to Christ, because if you don’t think that you are too bad, you won’t come to Christ.” (35)
    • Steps to Christ: “If you see your sinfulness, do not wait to make yourself better. How many there are who think they are not good enough to come to Christ. Do you expect to become better through your own efforts? . . . There is help for us only in God. We must not wait for stronger persuasions, for better opportunities, or for holier tempers. We can do nothing of ourselves. We must come to Christ just as we are.” (31)

 

“Just as I Am”

 

Mission and Strategy Statements Town Hall Meetings

The Elders have finished! After many months of prayerful and concerted work, the draft of Pioneer's potential new mission and strategy statements are ready for your review.  

Please join us at any of the identical Town Hall/Q & A sessions listed below to hear Pastor Shane and our elders present the drafts for your feedback.  Our goal is to take your input, modify the drafts as needed, sent them back to the church board for final review, and begin implementation in the Fall.  

Please join us for any of these important and impactful meetings that will help guide Pioneer's witness for years to come!

  • May 13, Tuesday, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
  • May 18, Sunday, 9:00 - 11:00 AM
  • May 22, Thursday, 7:00 - 9:00 PM (Zoom only)
House of Prayer Series Led By Pastor Dwight Nelson

“How to Pray for Rome NOW: Following Jesus in Today’s Headlines” 

House of Prayer Spring Series, 7 PM, Pioneer Earliteen Loft, May 2025 

  • May 7 “The Sea Beast and Jesus” (Revelation 13) 
  • May 14 “The Little Horn and Jesus” (Daniel 7 & 2 Thessalonians 2) 
  • May 21 “The Purple and Scarlet Woman and Jesus” (Revelation 17) 
  • May 28 “The Babylonian Queen and Jesus” (Revelation 18) 

“Prophecy is fast fulfilling. More, much more, should be said about these tremendously important subjects. The day is at hand when the destiny of every soul will be fixed forever. This day of the Lord hastens on apace. . . . Great pains should be taken to keep this subject before the people. The solemn fact is to be kept not only before the people of the world, but before our own churches also, that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly. The fearful warning of the prophecy is addressed to every soul. Let no one feel that he is secure from the danger of being surprised. Let no one's interpretation of prophecy rob you of the conviction of the knowledge of events which show that this great event is near at hand.” (Fundamentals of Christian Education 335)

Mission and Strategy Statements Town Hall Meetings
Pioneer Youth Chapel

The Elders have finished! After many months of prayerful and concerted work, the draft of Pioneer's potential new mission and strategy statements are ready for your review.  

Please join us at any of the identical Town Hall/Q & A sessions listed below to hear Pastor Shane and our elders present the drafts for your feedback.  Our goal is to take your input, modify the drafts as needed, sent them back to the church board for final review, and begin implementation in the Fall.  

Please join us for any of these important and impactful meetings that will help guide Pioneer's witness for years to come!

May 13, Tuesday, 7:00-9:00 PM

May 18, Sunday, 9:00-11:00 AM

May 22, Thursday, 7:00-9:00 PM (Zoom only)

The Tent

Join us for a special Evangelistic Series presented by the Jr. High Students of Ruth Murdoch Elementary School. We hope you can join us in big white tent near Griggs Hall at 7pm starting Friday May 9 through May 18. There will be no meeting on Tuesday. Come and be inspired as our students share messages of hope, love, and the good news of Jesus. Your presence will encourage them, and more importantly, you can help bring someone closer to Christ. Bring a friend or family member and experience God's message together!

Holding Onto Jesus

Sunday, May 25, 3-5 PM Pioneer Youth Chapel What do we do when our life is shaken by illness, a great loss, or some other devastation? How do we find God when it feels like He isn’t there? Women of all ages are invited to hear Emily Gibbs share her testimony, and explore ways that we can have resilience in the midst of difficult experiences. Register by texting TRIALS to 269-281-2345. Questions? Email women@pmchurch.org.

AdventistGiving Online (AGO) Contributors

 Your faithfulness is very much appreciated.  To ensure that your donations are properly credited to your account, when contributing through Adventist Giving, please log in under your name, instead of contributing as a "Guest."

Adventist Seniors of Michiana Meeting May 18.

Seniors 55 and up are invited to the Adventist Seniors of Michiana program to be held in the PMC Commons May 18. Bring a dish and enjoy the potluck starting at 1 PM followed by a program featuring Ken Denslow, recently retired Lake Union Conference President. His topic will be Project Amigo and Other Missions. For any questions call Cheryl Doss at 269-277-0767

Love on the Move

 Would you like to make a difference in our community? God's Hands 4 Kids has ways you can do that. GH4K loves the "True religion way to love the least of these" James 1:27. The Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner is being held on May 16 in a church in our community. We are working with the Berrien County Department of Health and Human Services to put this on.  We are looking for childcare help. Also seeking gift baskets, gifts or gift cards. For more information contact Carol Jordan at Godshands4kids@gmail.com There is a presentation this Friday evening from Unaccompanied Refugee Minors. Ask for more info if interested.

Music Camp at Pioneer!

The Institute of Young Musicians for Christ is excited to be having a music camp at Pioneer Memorial Church! At our music camps young people ages 6-17 are offered an immersive, week-long musical experience. Our quality musical training—combined with fun, friends, and faith-building encounters— provides a truly incredible opportunity. The camp offers tracks for children 6-12 with or without musical experience and a track for teenagers with significant musical experience. To learn more and register, visit iymcsda.org/michigan. We hope to see you there!

Lamson Hall Upgrades with Maranatha

From May 11–June 8, 2025, Maranatha Volunteers International will be working at Andrews University to update the Lamson Hall residential rooms and suite bathrooms. Please consider volunteering and letting your family and friends know of this opportunity. All individuals (including local) should sign up at the Maranatha website: https://maranatha.org/volunteer-opportunities/.