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

No matter where you go on this planet there are always three things that people universally love. Could the greatest blessings God gave to humanity be the very things the Enemy uses to enslave us?
Saturday, April 05, 2014

More In This Series

03/29/2014
Innocently deceived. Ruthlessly held. This series will take a closer look at the Enemy's tactics in this raging spiritual warfare, and how freedom is not just possible, but promised.
04/12/2014
Does addiction seem like an unbeatable challenge? Here are 7 steps you can take to turn your defeats into victory.
04/19/2014
Feeling trapped by addiction? What if the very same power that freed Jesus from the tomb was available to free you from you're own bondage?
04/26/2014
The same One who can break your bondage to sin can also wash you clean and keep you that way for the rest of your life.

“The Bondage Breaker:
Global Addiction, Global Deliverance”

www.pmchurch.tv

  • □  Genesis 3 and Matthew 4
    •   Gerald G. May, MD: “I am not being flippant when I say that all of us suffer from

      addiction. Nor am I reducing the meaning of addiction. I mean in all truth that the psychological, neurological, and spiritual dynamics of full-fledged addiction are actively at work within every human being. The same processes that are responsible for addiction to alcohol and narcotics are also responsible for addiction to ideas, work, relationships, power, moods, fantasies, and an endless variety of other things. We are all in every sense of the word.” (Addiction & Grace 3, 4)

    •   What do food, drink and sex have in common? They are all human .
    •   In Genesis 3:1-6 six times in six verses the words “eat” “ate” and “food” are embedded to highlight the enemy’s strategic attack on .
    •   The heart of is unbridled, unregulated, uncontrolled .
    •   American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: “Nearly 12 million people suffer from sexual addiction in the United States. Due to the accessibility of sexual material available on the Internet, cable television and videos, these numbers are increasing.” (www.aamft.org/imis15/content/consumer_updates/sexual_addiction.aspx)
      •   The Internet porn industry now rakes in over billion a year.
      •   Online porn makes over $3000 .
      •   According to the Polaris Project 27 million people are in “modern-day slavery” across

        the world—with 800,000 people trafficked across international borders every year— and million children “exploited by the global commercial sex trade, every year.” (www.cicatelli.org/titlex )

  • □  Four Anti-Addiction Actions You Can Take:
    •   #1—A the P (of temptation).
      •   “In order that Satan might not us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
      •   Therefore “avoid [even] the of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22)
    •   #2—A through P (your dependence on God).
      •   Rick Warren: “Think of it this way: You have a small battery inside of you. It has a limited amount of energy. When it depletes, you shut down. At the same time, God offers you access to his unlimited power plant. All you need to do is plug in—and the power cord is .” (The Daniel Plan 52)
      •   “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the , and he will flee from you. Come near to and He will come near to you.” (James 4:7, 8)
      •   “ upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you; and you will glorify Me.” (Psalm 50:15)
      •   “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you .” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
    •   #3—A the P (of God’s promises).
       “He has given us His very great and precious , so that through

      them you may participate in the divine nature, having the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)

  •   “I have hidden Your in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)
  •   Desire of Ages: “When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the . All its strength is yours.” (123)

 #4—A to a P (for accountability).

  •   “Therefore confess your to each other and pray for each other so that you

    may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James

    5:16)

  •   “Carry each other’s , and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

    (Galatians 6:2)

  •   “Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that

    feels its nothingness and relies wholly on the merits of the Saviour. By prayer, by the study of His word, by faith in His abiding presence, the weakest of human beings may live in contact with the living Christ, and He will hold them by a hand that will never let go.” (Ministry of Healing 182)

    Because He won, you can. 

MORE than MORE+ Discipleship Experience
Pioneer Commons

What we experienced at the MORE+ Conference was a wonderful start. Reformation/Discipleship is the indispensable follow up to any such revival experience.
Come and fan the flames of revival.

On Wednesday, April 16 we begin a 7-Session Discipleship Journey using an interactive curriculum created with Pastor Don MacLafferty, participants will experience seven principles of discipleship in fresh ways.

Register by April 11

Pentecost 2025
Pioneer Memorial Church

We invite you to join us at Pioneer for an in-person evangelism training event from Friday, April 4, to Saturday, April 5. This is open to all Seventh-day Adventist churches in the North American Division. We encourage every member—pastors, teachers, young adults, and students—to participate. The event will feature keynote speaker Mark Finley. Additionally, there will be breakout sessions available in both English and Spanish. The King's Heralds will provide music during the Friday evening service, both Sabbath worship services, Sabbath afternoon, and the evening concert. Don’t miss this opportunity to be equipped and inspired for impactful evangelistic ministry as you prepare for Pentecost 2025!

Register

Lebanon Mission Vespers
Pioneer Youth Chapel

Our Pioneer Youth Missions team has just returned from Beirut, Lebanon. Come to the mission vespers at 6:00 PM on Sabbath, April 5, to hear the testimonies, see the pictures and be inspired by what God is doing in the Middle East.

Offering for March 29, 2025

Pioneer Operating Budget

Jesus shared the parable of the talents to illustrate our relationship with Him and purpose in life. The three servants were each given talents according to their abilities. In the end, two were commended for investing their talents wisely, and one was not.

The parable teaches us that we need to use the talents we’ve been given to grow God’s kingdom and for God’s glory. We shouldn’t hide or neglect them. God rewards those who act in faith by investing what He has given. He gives us the responsibility to manage our time, talents, treasures, temple, and testimony.

What belongs to God? For time, it is one-seventh of our week; for talents, we must use them and double them; for our treasures, one-tenth; for our health, we must care for our bodies because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit; and for our testimony, we must tell the story of what God has done for us and how he is transforming us.

God has committed these things to us; how we invest them reveals whether we can be entrusted with eternal riches. By using and growing these talents, they develop in us Christ-like characters and He then multiplies what He gave to us.

Why not ask God to help us manage His gifts? 

North American Division Stewardship Ministries

Easter Devotionals

Pioneer Women's Ministries invites you to join us for 10 days of devotionals leading up to Easter (April 11-20). Together, we will consider what various individuals present at Christ's arrest, trial, and crucifixion might have thought and experienced. If you would like to receive daily text teasers and emails with the full devotional insights, please text the word "CROSS" to 269.281.2345.

Help Us Connect by Sharing Your Sabbath School Details

We are creating a master list of all Pioneer Sabbath schools. If you are a teacher/coordinator of a Sabbath School class that meets outside the sanctuary, please email your name, class location and meeting time to Melchizedek Ponniah at melponniah@gmail.com

Howard Series Presents: The Katinas

The Katinas have traveled the globe with the mission of hope and love at the heart of their vision. Who you are, where you’re from, what you believe, it does not matter.  The love of Jesus Christ is a gift for us all. Through their music and their actions, the Katinas strive to embody this love. Please go to howard.andrews.edu to purchase your tickets.

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/.

Master Guide Club

Do you want to complete your Master Guide Program? If so, please consider joining the Master Guide Club that meets weekly on campus to help you complete the requirements.

For more information or to join, please visit cye.org/toolbox