We at Pioneer were richly blessed by the ministry of Pastor Ben Martin. Unfortunately, due to tithe shortfalls (not at Pioneer, but in other portions of the conference), Michigan Conference administration has determined that his position will not be filled at this time. Please combine your prayers and patience with mine as we work to cover Pastor Ben’s duties with existing pastoral staff members and volunteers. - Pastor Shane
Ground Zero and the New Reformation
How to Be Baptized with the Holy Spirit - Part 2
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
More In This Series
"Ground Zero and the New Reformation:
How to Be Baptized with the Holy Spirit"—2
www.newperceptions.tv
Jesus—"If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him [GK—continually]."
—Luke 11:13
"Morning by morning [Jesus] communicated with His Father in heaven, receiving from Him daily a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit."
(Signs of the Times November 21, 1895)
- One Story
- Matthew 25:1-13
- Helmut Haubeil: "The lamps of the foolish virgins that only burned for a short time show us that they did have something from the Holy Spirit. But it wasn’t enough. There was too little oil. That was the difference." (Steps to Personal Revival: Being Filled with the Holy Spirit 33)
- "When the five came asking to be let in, Jesus answered: ‘I do not know you.’ They were too late in attending to the oil, the Holy Spirit. The door remained closed. Jesus’ statement shows us that our personal relationship with has something to do with the Holy Spirit." (Ibid)
- A Letter
- Revelation 3:14-20
- Question: Why did Jesus call the believers in the church of Laodicea lukewarm?
- Answer: Because they kept Him .
- 1 John 3:24—"The one who keeps God’s commands lives in [Christ] and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the He gave us."
- Note this carefully: When we have the , we have Jesus.
- Romans 8:9—"If anyone does not have the of Christ, they do not belong to Christ."
- Note this carefully: When we don’t have the, we don’t have Jesus.
- Because the Holy Spirit is all about a very relationship with Jesus.
- Three Groups
- #1—The person—no relationship with God (in Laodicea called ).
- #2—The person—full, genuine, real relationship with God (in Laodicea called /10 virgins ).
- #3—The person—divided, feigned or pretended relationship with God (in Laodicea called /10 virgins )
- 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3
- Helmut Haubeil: "Paul addressed the carnal people as ‘dear brothers’ [15:58]. This shows that he was dealing with church members. Paul couldn’t speak to them ‘as to spiritual people’ . . . [meaning] they weren’t filled with the Holy Spirit or weren’t sufficiently filled with the Holy Spirit. He had to speak to them as ‘babes in Christ.’ This shows that they haven’t grown in faith as they should have. A person can have great biblical knowledge and still not grow spiritually." (33)
- "Carnal church members can be very active and even have leading positions in the local church or even in the church administration. They may even do a lot for God." (Ibid)
- Jesus: "Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.’" (Matthew 7:22-23)
- "Spiritual growth has to do with our complete dedication to Jesus and a constant life in the Holy Spirit." (Ibid)
- John 15:4—"Abide in Me as I abide in you."
- Desire of Ages: "Abiding in Christ means a receiving of His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender to His service."
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock" —Jesus
For study guide answers download the Study Guide PDF
There will not be any fellowship dinner this Sabbath.
The Pioneer Youth Missions team is getting ready for the January 2-12 project in Honduras. The team will be conducting a camp directed by Scott Schalk for about 100 children from the Hogar de Niños and the surrounding community. Additionally there will be many worships, activities and projects at the children's home. Your financial support and prayers are requested. For more information, contact Glenn Russell (glenn@andrews.edu)

Soup for Students is just around the corner! Sunday, December 7, at 6 PM in the PMC Commons. We’d love to know what you’re planning to bring—soup, bread, your smile, or all of the above! Simply text “NOURISH” to 269-281-2345 to sign up
This holiday season, help make Christmas special for a student/student family by selecting a card from one of the Christmas trees at church. Each card includes a family’s list of needs and wishes—simply choose a card, shop, and deliver your items by December 14th. No need to wrap—we’ll handle that for you! Let’s spread joy together with Belong Ministries this Christmas!
Spring semester GROW Groups will begin the 1st week of February. If you would like to lead a group please text LEAD to 269-281-2345 or click the link below to submit the attached form on or before December 15. https://pmchurch.org/ministries/growgroups/register
Woodrow Whidden died peacefully at home beside his loving wife, Peggy, on Tuesday, November 11. He lived a full life devoted to his family, the ministry, teaching and academic writing. Pioneer has been his home church since 1990 when he began teaching at Andrews. Your love, generosity and comforting presence in the days since Woody's passing have meant so much to our family. Everyone is invited to a public memorial service here at Pioneer on Friday, December 5, at 1 PM. Love and Thanks from The Whidden Family
Michigan Advance Partners
I remember the moment when my wife and I said, “I do” on our wedding day. We made a covenant promise and pledge before God that we would love and be faithful and true to each other. We expressed this covenant of love with words, actions, and gifts to each other! The day we all accepted the Lord, we too made a covenant of love with Him. We honor Him when we take time to worship Him and share His love with others by acts of kindness. But another way we develop our relationship with God and honor and glorify Him is when we return our gifts of time, talents, and our tithes and offerings to Him. "The Lord made a special covenant with men, that if they would regularly set apart the portion designated for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom, the Lord would bless them abundantly, so there would not be room to receive His gifts" (Counsels on Stewardship, p.77).
God has given us this opportunity to enter into a partnership with the Ruler of the universe who is not only interested in the orderly operation of the great galaxies of heaven but also interested in every detail of our lives. Have you set aside your gifts for Him today? Let’s support the ministries around our conference that help people learn more about our God of love.
—Melvin Santos, Kansas/Nebraska Conference in partnership with the North American Division Stewardship Ministries
The Happy, Healthy Holiday 2025 Cooking demonstration will be on Sunday, Nov. 23 from 3:00 to 5:30 PM in the Youth Chapel, with samples for everyone downstairs. They are featuring vegan foods suitable for festive events. This event is being co-hosted by Pioneer Health and Wellness, Healthy Together Friends, and RMES Home and School. To register text "FOOD" to 269-281-2345. Questions: please contact Evelyn Kissinger at evelynkissinger@gmail.com.
Pioneer Women’s Ministries’ Advent devotionals will highlight a few of the promises of Jesus. To receive the “Red Letter Promises” daily devotionals by email for the first 25 days of December, text the word “ADVENT” to 269-281-2345. You can also receive a short daily text message preview of each day's devotional by providing your cell phone number when you register. We pray you will sense the nearness of Jesus during this holy season through these devotionals.


