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, December 17, 2016
Program: 
As We Begin
Sing We Now of Christmas • Wayne Wold Glory to God (from Messiah) • George Frideric Handel
Praise
Joy to the World (Our God Saves) • O Come All Ye Faithful • Away in a Manger
Prayer
Sharon Terrell
Tithes & Offerings
Pastoral Symphony (from Messiah) • George Frideric Handel
Children's Story
Bible Reading
Luke 9:57-58, 61-62 NIV
Worship in Music
Hallelujah (from Messiah) • George Frideric Handel
Sermon
#RxF4Now—The Ogre by the Manger • Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card
In the Bleak Midwinter • 126 sung to the tune of 224
As We Depart
Sinfonia (from Messiah) • George Frideric Handel

 

RxF4Now—The Ogre by the Manger

www.newperceptions.tv

 

  • Research
    • Eastern Tennessee State University research published in the American Journal of Public Health (reported in Los Angeles Times 11-18-16)
    • American Journal of Public Health (reported in Los Angeles Times 11-18-16)
    • The median household income in the poorest “state” was $ —while in the richest “state” it was $ .
    • The average number of people per county in the poorest “state” was about —compared with about   in the richest “state.”
    • Although the poorest “state” had a much smaller population, the ratio of people to primary care doctors was that of the richest “state.”
    • Smoking prevalence was as high in the poorest “state,” and the prevalence of obesity was %  higher.
    • Life expectancy for women in the poorest “state” was   years, compared to   years in the richest “state.” For men, life expectancy in the poorest “state” was   years and   in the richest “state.”
    • The proportion of the population that was African American was   times higher in the poorest “state” than in the richest one.
    • In the richest “state” %  of residents lived in rural areas—whereas in the poorest “state” %  of people did.
    • People in the poorest “state” were living under conditions seen in the real United States around 1975 or 1980—whereas people in the richest “state” were already living under conditions that won’t apply to the real United States until 2020 and beyond—i.e., “the poorest “state” is between   years behind the living conditions achieved by the wealthiest “state.”
    • Comparing these poorest and richest “states” with 222 actual countries of the world—if the richest “state” were an independent country it would rank 8th in the world for life expectancy for men, 25th for women—but the poorest “state” would rank 123rd for men and 116th for women—meaning more than   the countries in the world have longer life expectancy than the poorest counties in the United States.
  • Reflection
    • Mark 10:17-22
    • The Greek for “great wealth” (NIV) literally reads: “. . . because he had     .”
      • The average American home today contains   items—which would certainly qualify for “many possessions”!
    • According to Joshua Becker, the author of The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own, we see about   ads every day telling us to buy more.
    • As the Huffington Post suggested, the mantra to hook us third millennials seems to be: “Buy like you , only more frequently.”
    • “Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus, known as ‘The Minimalists’ to their 4 million readers, help people live more meaningful lives with less through their website, books, podcast, and documentary.” (www.theminimalists.com)
      • Millburn: “How might your life be better with ?”
      • Millburn: “Consumption is not the problem.  consumption is the problem.”
    • Proverbs 30:15—“The leech has two daughters. ‘’   they cry.”
    • Julie Schor: “There is a widespread sense among the population that people have gotten too materialistic, and that's been around for a while. It’s also the case that materialism is the other person’s disease, so percent of people think that Americans are too materialistic.”(http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/juliet-schor-american-dream/409321/)
    • Schor: “Economically privileged people can be very critical of the materialism of very poor people, because they have a large television or a pair of sneakers.”
    • Desire of Ages: “The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden ‘the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.’ Romans 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and   stand rebuked in His presence.” (49)
      • The Ogre? There beside the manger human   stands rebuked.
    • Desire of Ages: “Selfishness is . . . . and the soul that refuses to impart will perish.” (417)
    • Self-surrender is most convincingly demonstrated by “  surrender.”
    • Jerry Bridges: “Contentment with what we have—whether it is possessions, or station in life, or mental and physical activities—is worth far, far more than all the things we don’t have. A multimillionaire reportedly was once asked how much money was enough, to which he replied, ‘One dollar more.’” (Transforming Grace 78)

 

 

Stuff

(Flyer, TV, Google search, name of person who invited you, etc.)
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