If you would like to honor the memory of someone who has passed away since last Easter, you are invited to bring a spring flower to place at the foot of the cross during the Processional of Hope at either service this coming Sabbath, April 19, 2025.
#RxF4Now
2nd Hand Faith
Speaker
Dwight K. NelsonDwight 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
More In This Series
#RxF4Now—2nd Hand Faith
- “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 . . .
- Clinton Meharry’s 5 Foundational Truths from “Jesus Loves Me”:
- 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)
- Romans 4:3—what did Abraham do to become righteous?
“AMEN!”
In Memory With Hope
Offering for April 19, 2025
Pioneer Operating Budget
Charles Schwab, Bank of America, and Fidelity are among many financial institutions that provide financial advisers to help people invest their money to prepare for retirement. Christ gave solid investment advice, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV).
In other words, invest your treasures in the kingdom of heaven. God has a simple plan in place to finance His kingdom work here on earth. It’s so simple. First, He blesses His children, and then they return faithfully the tithe and freewill offerings. That’s it. As there are greater needs in growing God’s kingdom, He increases the blessings He gives to His children. So, the more faithfully we return, the more He gives. This is the divine partnership God wants His people to understand. There is no other plan, no substitute, no alternate. An all-wise God knew the right plan from the beginning. His investment system is fail-proof. Do you want to see God do a miracle? Let’s invest in Kingdom work and watch Him work His wonders.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
K-ANTHONY and Friends
Join us for a free vespers concert at the Howard Performing Arts Center lobby on April 25, 2025. K-Anthony and Friends will engage us in an awesome evening of worship and vibing.
Howard Series Presents: Carla Trynchuk & Elena Braslavsky in Concert
Violinist Carla Trynchuk and pianist Elena Braslavsky will be performing a recital including works by Bach, Brahms, and the Ukrainian composer Silvestrov. Trynchuk, faculty at Andrews University, has performed internationally as soloist and recitalist in more than 15 countries. Braslavsky, formerly a faculty member at The Juilliard School and the Mannes School of Music, currently serves on the piano faculty of the Mozarteum University of Salzburg. Trynchuk and Braslavsky were classmates together at The Juilliard School. Please visit us at our website howard.andrews.edu to purchase your concert tickets.
Best Buddies Friendship Walk
Best buddies is a worldwide organization that fosters relationships between individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with others in the community. This April there will be a friendship walk on the Andrews campus. This will help us raise money for the organization, which then helps other chapters to be opened in new schools as well as programs in schools, workplaces, and communities. If you are interested in joining us for the walk you can sign up, and if you can not join us on April 27 you can still donate. All donations are welcome and appreciated.
Memorial Service for Bruce Wrenn
The Memorial Service for Bruce Wrenn will be on Sabbath, April 26 at 5 PM at Pioneer Memorial Church. Visitation with the family will be in the Narthex from 4-5 PM.
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!
Request to Sabbath School Class Teacher/Coordinator
If you are a teacher/coordinator of a Sabbath School class that meets outside the PMC sanctuary, you are requested to inform your name, location and meeting time. This information will help to create a master list to assist visitors and members. Please mail your response to Melchizedek Ponniah, melponniah@gmail.com.
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.
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/.