There will be a fellowship dinner, following the second worship service, in the commons on the lower level.
Charmed into Righteousness
The Purest Life
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
“Charmed into Righteousness: The Purest Life”
Reinhold Niebuhr: "On the whole, people do not achieve great moral heights out of a sense of duty. You may be able to compel them to maintain certain minimum standards by stressing duty, but the highest moral and spiritual achievements depend not upon a push but upon a pull. People must be charmed into righteousness.” (Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic 75)
Ellen White: "You cannot but be charmed with the matchless attractions of the Son of God." (Christian Education 76)
- The Uninvited Dinner Guest
- Luke 7:36-50
- The Unvarnished Gospel Truth
- The Bible’s testimony:
- 1 Peter 2:22—“He committed no , and no was found in His mouth.”
- 1 John 3:5—“In Him there is no .”
- Hebrews 7:26—He was “holy, blameless, , separated from sinners.”
- Jesus’ own testimony:
- John 8:46—“Which of you convicts Me of ?”
- John 14:30—“The prince of this world is coming. He has no on me.”
- Desire of Ages’ testimony:
- “He was the embodiment of . . . . an example of integrity.” (243)
- “[People] could not appreciate the of that spirit upon which was no stain of .” (196)
- “As one with us, He must bear the burden of our guilt and woe. The Sinless One must feel the shame of sin. The peace lover must dwell with strife, the truth must abide with falsehood, purity with vileness. Every sin, every discord, every defiling lust that transgression had brought, was to His spirit.” (111)
- “His spirit of stainless purity from the spectacle.” (461)
- “Christ suffered keenly under abuse and insult. . . . And He suffered in proportion to the perfection of His holiness and His hatred of sin. . . . To be surrounded by human beings under the control of Satan was to Him.” (700)
- 1 John 3:1-3
- Steps to Christ’s Steps to Purity:
- #1—If you long to be set free from impurity, “recognize this longing as the of God to your soul.” (28)
- #2—“Ask [God] to give you repentance, to reveal to you in His infinite love, in His perfect purity.” (28)
- #3—“Seek for the purity of heart that is in harmony with the of God and the of Christ.” (29)
- #4—“Do not the work of forsaking your sins, and seeking purity of heart through Jesus.” (32)
- Margaret Thatcher: “Sir, I have done battle every single day of my life.”
- Peter Hubbard: “We are not fighting a physical war, but a spiritual one. Sinclair Ferguson explains, ‘What then is this killing of sin? It is the constant battle against sin which we fight daily—the refusal to allow the eye to wander, the mind to contemplate, the affections to run after anything which will draw us from Christ.” (Love into Light: The Gospel, the Homosexual, and the Church Loc 724)
- #5—“He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness in you.” (64)
- #6—“The less we see to esteem in ourselves, the more we shall see to esteem in the infinite purity and loveliness of our Saviour.” (65)
- #7—“. . . Christ in His purity and holiness, Christ in His matchless love—this is the for the soul’s contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you are to be transformed into His likeness.” (70-71)
- 1 John 1:7—“The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”
- The Bible’s testimony:
Pure Michigan . . . Pure Jesus . . . Pure Me
Pioneer Operating Budget
I once met a student who entered college with such a low grade-point average from high school, that it’s amazing he was even admitted to college. He went on to eventually graduate from college with high honors and a perfect grade point average. The only difference for this student between high school and college was that now, for the first time in years, he had a bed. The student had been unhoused in high school, and had bounced around from location to location. The instability had wrecked his ability to focus on his academics as his stomach grumbled in class and he was fighting to stay awake.
Within the last couple of years, I have been blown away by how much my local church has gone above and beyond to support people who have been impacted by the global pandemic. Our church’s in-need fund has helped people with everything from buying groceries to paying their rent when they lost their job due to the pandemic. And what was amazing was that those who were able to, gave even more, knowing that there were many in need. This sounds a lot like the church in the book of Acts. Today’s offering is for our local church budget. Our church can have the ability to meet the needs of those in and outside of our church through outreach. Consider giving a generous offering today to meet the needs of our local church.
By Heather Thompson Day
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
We are looking for volunteers with flexible schedules to assist new and transfer students with their move into the dorms on Monday, August 19th, 2024. If you're available, please text the words "LOVEONTHEMOVE" to 269-281-2345
We would like our community to know that effective Sunday, September 1, 2024, Neighbor To Neighbor will only take donations Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Being found on the premises after hours will not be allowed and will be considered trespassing. Thank you for your understanding.
You are invited to a hymn-sing at The Old Rugged Cross Church on August 17 Sabbath, at 4:00 PM. The Old Rugged Cross Church is located at 61041 Vermont Street, Pokagon, MI 49047. Please bring your Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. A free will offering will help to maintain this historic church where the hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross,” was introduced to the public by the composer. For further information, please contact Melchizedek Ponniah, melponniah@gmail.com, or (269) 876-7476.
We are pleased to collaborate with the Andrews University 150th Celebration Committee to welcome our students back to campus! To make August 24th special, we'll need volunteers in various capacities. If you're extroverted, hosting a table might be the
perfect volunteer role for you. If you're introverted but enjoy volunteering in other ways, maybe cooking a lasagna or setting up the lemonade is the role for you! Either way, you are welcome to sign up by texting the word "PICNIC" to 269-281-2345.
Crazy Like Us video 3 week series with Andy Stanley. Everybody thinks he is. Few people really are. Being generous is not natural, it's not common, and it's not intuitive. In fact, it's a little crazy. Begins Sabbath August 3.
Everyone is welcome in PMC room 141 from 10:30-11:30 Sabbath mornings.
Pioneer Memorial Church is delighted to announce the selection of Jacob Gibbs as a new Associate Pastor. Pastor Jacob was introduced to Pioneer on July 27, 2024, although his official start date was July 18, 2024. Pastor Jacob will serve as Associate Pastor at Pioneer Memorial Church and an Associate Chaplain with the Center for Faith Engagement at Andrews University.
Pastor Jacob Gibbs felt a call to ministry when he accepted Jesus as his Savior in 2002. Over the next nine years, he pursued his purpose and training at Mission College of Evangelism and Andrews University—gaining experience as a Bible Worker and Literature Evangelist. Pastor Jacob graduated from Andrews University in 2011 with a Bachelor's in Art and Theology. He later returned for his Master's Degree in Pastoral Ministry.
During his undergraduate years, he met his wife, Emily Knott, and they were married in 2012. Pastor Jacob has served in the Michigan Conference for 13 years, starting with a three-church district in the central part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and most recently as the Senior Pastor of the Cedar Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church at Great Lakes Adventist Academy. Pastor Jacob's passions in ministry include hobby-based outreach, small groups, applied arts, and personal Bible studies. Pastor Jacob and Emily have two daughters, Eva and Avianne. They look forward to starting this new chapter of their lives by serving the communities of Andrews University and the Pioneer Memorial Church.