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, November 05, 2016
Program: 
As We Begin
Acclamation • Arnold Sherman
Praise
Open the Eyes of My Heart • How Marvelous • Take My Life
Prayer
Ben Martin
Tithes & Offerings
Festive Psalm of Gladness • Hart Morris
Children's Story
Baptism
Jaiden Nicolas Leiterman with Ben Martin
Bible Reading
Romans 4:1-5 NIV
Worship in Music
Within the Darkest Night • Derek Hakes
Sermon
#RxF4Now—2nd Hand Faith • Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card
I Know Whom I Have Believed • 511
As We Depart
Guide Me: Strong Deliverer • Kenneth Logan

#RxF4Now—2nd Hand Faith

www.newperceptions.tv

 

  • “The Maker of all things loves and wants me.”
    • Clinton Meharry’s 5 Foundational Truths from “Jesus Loves Me”:
      • #1—When I know I am   by Jesus, I am drawn to Him.
      • #2—When the conviction that He loves me is based on what the   says, rather than my feelings, I will be able to experience inner peace and security, no matter what circumstances I am in.
      • #3—When I understand that I to Jesus because He created me and redeemed me, I am free to serve Him out of love and appreciation, rather than out of fear of punishment or a desire to earn His favor.
      • #4—When I remember that I am   and helpless to do anything good on my own, I will remain humble and dependent on Him.
      • #5—When I remember that He is and has already conquered the enemy, I am free to live without fear, trusting in His power and providence every day. (The Compelling Love of God 33)
    • But why this reiteration of so simple a truth?
      • I am concerned that we may be tempted to think that R x F (justification, sanctification, glorification)—all those dry ancient theological terms—is archaic language to describe theological jurisprudence, legal niceties that allow God to be true to Himself, while still saving abject sinners like us.
      • I am concerned that R x F will become more 1888ish and not 2016ish.
      • After all R x F is a universal story . . .
  • Romans 4
    • Romans 4:3—what did Abraham do to become righteous?
      • Psalm 33:6, 9
      • Isaiah 55:11
      • John 6:63
      • AMEN—I believe!
      • “And it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.”
    • Romans 4:4-5—“God justifies [acquits/pardons/forgives] the ungodly/the wicked.”
    • Camron Schofield: “God says [it], I believe it, I assent to it, and God counts it as righteousness. Can you see how simple it is? It takes a bit of sinking in because it’s almost too simple. In Romans 5:1 it says: ‘Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ We have peace with God. Connect that with Amos 3:3: ‘Can two walk together, except they be agreed?’ If God says a thing and we agree, then we have peace with God. Peace with God is righteousness by faith.” (Heralding the Loud Cry 81)
    • Romans 4:17—God is “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”
      • Gideon—Judges 6:12
      • Peter—John 1:42
      • Abraham—Romans 4:17
      • God calls things that are not yet as though they already .
    • Desire of Ages: “God counts the things that are not as though they were. He sees the end from the beginning, and beholds the result of His work as though it were now accomplished.” (606)
    • 2nd hand faith is my   in the God who has   in me.
    • Ellen White: “The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through . . . Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. . . . Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family.” (Testimonies to Ministers 91)
    • Camron Schofield: “When we are at that point where, whatever it is that God says to us, we will say, ‘Lord, it is so!’ and we will believe it and assent to it; then Jesus can come soon, very soon! Can you see that? Because God says, ‘Righteousness!’ and even though you don’t see righteousness, if you believe it, there is righteousness. And what’s He waiting for? He’s waiting for righteousness. When He sees His righteous character perfectly reflected in His people, then He will come and take them home. So He is waiting for us to believe, because when we believe, then He can say, ‘There is righteousness, and I can come and take them home.’” (83)

“AMEN!”

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

Offering for May 10, 2025

Disaster & Famine Relief

This Sabbath, our church joins many others in collecting a special offering to support ongoing disaster relief efforts. Funds collected today support both Adventist humanitarian organizations, Adventist Community Services and Adventist Development and Relief Agency. Each serves in different geographical areas. Adventist Community Services responds to disasters of all kinds across the North American Division which includes the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Guam, and Micronesia. As we approach Christ’s return, the Bible tells us that crisis events will increase. Emergency Management records have tracked disasters for over 50 years and confirm tornadoes are touching down with greater impact, hurricanes are moving at greater speeds, and violent killings in the form of mass shootings increase with alarming frequency. Adventist Community Services stands ready to serve those affected by these and other tragedies. Some services provided are:

  • open collection centers to receive and sort donations, sending them to areas of greatest need,
  • provide emotional and spiritual care to the distraught,
  • and deliver essential supplies to areas hardest hit by a disaster.

1 John 3:18 tells us to love with action and in truth. Today, we ask that you give liberally, and we thank you for joining the team who extends the hand of mercy to people in crisis. Together we are serving communities in Christ’s name. 

North American Division Stewardship Ministries

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/.