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, January 28, 2017
Program: 
As We Begin
Praise to the Lord • Johann Walther | We Are Singing, for the Lord Is Our Light • Traditional South African Melody
Praise
Praise to the Lord (1) • Blessed Be Your Name • Made For Worship • I Will Exalt You
Prayer
Choral Call to Prayer—A Future With Hope • Mark Miller Choral | Response to Prayer—God Calls To Us • Mark Miller
Ben Martin
Tithes & Offerings
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light • Wayne Wold
Children's Story
Bible Reading
John 15:1, 4-5 NIV
Worship in Music
I've Been in the Storm So Long • Traditional Spiritual / Jeffrey Ames
Sermon
“STORM: Finding Jesus in the Gathering Dark”—3 • Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card
The Savior Is Waiting • 289
As We Depart
Praise to the Lord • Martin Shaw

“STORM: Finding Jesus in the Gathering Dark”—3

www.newperceptions.tv

 

  • Two sides to the coin
    • Jesus: “If you remain in Me [ are in Christ] and I remain in you [Christ is in ], then you will bear much fruit.”
    • Two sides to the Salvation Coin:
      • → Christ = forgiveness/justification
      • Christ →   = fruit/sanctification
      • Galatians 2:20—“I am crucified with Christ [ are in Christ]: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me [Christ is in ]: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
    • The “Christ is in us” side of the coin:
      • John 15:5—“‘Abide in Me and I .’”
      • Galatians 2:20—“Christ lives .”
      • Galatians 4:19—“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed .”
      • Ephesians 3:17—“ . . . so that Christ may dwell in through faith . . .”
      • Colossians 1:27—“ . . . God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this [Gospel] mystery, which is Christ , the hope of glory.”
      • Revelation 3:20—“‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will and eat with that person, and they with me.’”
    • Jesus—“‘I am the Vine and you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much .”
      • For God—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—bearing fruit is a huge deal—because it is the only way to that the branch is truly connected to the Vine.
      • Luke 13:6-9—“‘If it bears   next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
      • Galatians 5:22-23 NRSV—“The   of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
      • Job was bearing fruit that showed he had the faith of Jesus: “Though He slay me, yet will I   Him” (Job 13:15).
      • And what is “the faith of Jesus”? “I will put My   in Him” (Hebrews 2:13).
      • There will be a generation at the end of time that will demonstrate the faith of , because they have the faith of .
      • And the faith of Jesus is revealed in the fruit of the .
    • Desire of Ages 677: “‘Herein is My Father glorified,’ said Jesus, ‘that ye bear much fruit.’ God desires to manifest through you the holiness, the benevolence, the compassion, of His own . Yet the Saviour does not bid the disciples to bear fruit. He tells them to   in Him.”
    • Mike Mason—“Marriage, even under the very best of circumstances, is a crisis—one of the major crises of life—and it is a dangerous thing not to be aware of this. Whether it turns out to be a healthy, challenging, and constructive crisis or a disastrous nightmare depends largely upon how willing the partners are to be changed, how malleable they are. Yet ironically, it is some of the most hardened and crusty and unlikely people in the world who plunge themselves into the arms of marriage and thereby submit in almost total naiveté to the two most transforming powers know to the human heart: the love of another person and the gracious love of God. So be prepared for ! Be prepared for the most sweeping and revolutionary of a lifetime.’’ (The Mystery of Marriage: As Iron Sharpens Iron 60-61)
  • One example to follow
    • Matthew 4:4—“‘It is written: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every   that comes from the mouth of God.”’”
    • Psalm 40:8/Hebrews 10:7—“‘I desire to do Your will, my God; Your   is within My heart.’”
    • Psalm 119:11—“I have hidden Your   in my heart that I might not sin against You.”
    • Psalm 16:8-10—“I will keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at My right hand, I will not be shaken. . . . because You will   abandon Me to the realm of the dead, will You let Your faithful one see decay.”
    • Cameron Schofield: “If you don’t get anything else out of this study, I want you to listen carefully and get this. Take it home with you and do not forget it. How was it that Christ was able to give himself up into the hands of the Father? How was it that no matter how dark the malignity of sin was, how terrible the weight of guilt, how impossible it seemed that there was any way out, how did He conquer? He believed that God would keep His . By faith Christ was victorious! ‘And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.’ 1 John 5:4. Is your faith the faith of Jesus?” (Heralding the Loud Cry 94)
    • Desire of Ages 677: “It is through the   that Christ abides in His followers. . . . The words of Christ [in the Gospels] are spirit and life. Receiving them, you receive the life of the Vine. You live ‘by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4. The life of Christ in you produces the same   as in Him. Living in Christ, adhering to Christ, supported by Christ, drawing nourishment from Christ, you bear fruit after the similitude of Christ.”
    • If you want to abide in Christ and want Him to abide in you, everyday ask for the   of Jesus as you read the   of God.

 

“Abide in Me and I in you”

 

(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