Golden Hills Blog

This Weekend:

We are continuing the series on the Holy Spirit, with a message entitled "Power of the Force: Why the Holy Spirit is Better Than a Jedi Mind Trick"--hope to see you all there!

Jeff and Brenda Eitel had their new baby boy!! Please take time to send them a note of congratulations. Chase Allen is a beautiful boy and we are all very happy for his family :)

Upcoming Events:

Starting May 22 we will begin our remodel project and it will run through June 10 at the latest. Services will be held in the Fellowship Hall, so please plan accordingly! Contact Anita St. Onge if you need more details. 

Campmeeting [located at College View Church in Lincoln, NE] is fast approaching June 1-4 please make plans to attend if you can.

Devotional Thought:

"“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,  but the Father only" Matthew 24:36

Around the country people are waiting for Jesus to return tomorrow night at 6pm. I know for us, we will likely be in our van on the way to visit my folks in MN--where will you be when the world ends?

I think as Adventists we have had the lesson of not predicting the end of the world ingrained in us thanks to William Miller's failed prediction in 1844. However, there is one valuable thing that can from from Harold Camping's highly probable failed prediction in 2011--and that is taking time to think about Jesus return and what it means to us.

It is easy to lose sight of the Second Coming in the busyness of our lives, and its not a bad thing to pause and reflect asking the question "What if He was coming back at 6pm tomorrow?" If take the time to get into the shoes of Camping's followers and imagine believing that Christ's return was that imminent it can have a very sobering effect and put your life in perspective. Tomorrow take time to reflect on the reality of Jesus return, maybe make a vespers out of it tomorrow when you have family worship.

 Have a Great Weekend! 

Pastor Seth Pierce

We have recently finished our sermon series on sexuality at Golden Hills and I have had many postive responses. The one that has stuck out though, and has been repeated by many, is that fact people were blessed--and have sought to join our church--simply because we talked about sex in the first place. Apparently, there is still a feeling in some churches that sex is taboo and inappropriete to talk about. The problem is when the church silences itself on important topics, there are other voices that seek to replace it and lead people in the wrong direction.

The Bible says that we are to be a light to the world [Matthew 5:14] which means we have to deal with tricky topics from time to time. Its our responsibility to bring light into darkness--and based on the comments I have recieved people are hungry for truth, direction, and light. Psalms 104:27 in the KJV says that if people wait on the Lord He will give them "meat in due season". In other words, there are times of hunger and the church needs to serve up the spiritual food people need for nourishment.

We have a mandate to speak into darkness, and graciously, carefully, and tactfully address difficult topics. As we move into our next series, beginning March 20th on Parenting please pray for our church's influence in our community as we continually try to proclaim the light of truth in love so that people can find help, healing, direction and purpose for their lives.

Blessings,
PSP

I recently came across an interesting article entitled, The Ponzi Prosperity Gospel, in which the author outlines what he believes to be one of the biggest scams in Christianity.

"The Prosperity Gospel, also known as a facet of the Word of Faith movement (a louder voice in Pentecostalism), has been writing checks with its lips that’s its theology can’t cash. Last year’s Pew Foundation mega-poll, which surveyed nearly 35,000 people (one of the largest religion polls ever accomplished), revealed a few interesting facts about Christians in the Pentecostal tradition, among them:

• Pentecostals have the lowest incomes of any other Christian denomination.
• Pentecostals have the least education of any other Christian denomination.

The results show that Pentecostals have the most high school dropouts, the fewest college graduates, and the fewest post-graduates. But the most interesting thing is that they earn the least annual income of any other Christian tradition polled. This is shocking, considering that a main feature in popular Pentecostalism is the Prosperity Gospel, where church members are promised that God will make them rich beyond their wildest dreams if they tithe generously and believe that they will receive the money"

Like the author, I have been a member of a prosperity preaching church, and have seen some troubling things. And yet there are promises in scripture that point to God as rewarding those who are faithful to Him:

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you" [Luke 6:38, ESV].


And don't forget about:

"Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life" [Mark 10:29-30, ESV].


So how do we find the balance between extorting each other in the name of Jesus and encouraging faithful stewardship that trusts God for provision?

Feel free to post some thoughts and you can check out the Ponzi Prosperity Gospel article at:http://http//religiondispatches.org/archive/economy/1374/the_ponzi_prosperity_gospel/

Blessings,
PSP

"I have come to suspect that when people complain about 'organized' religion, what they are really saying is they can't stand other people."~ Kathleen Norris


I found this quote while reading Alden Thompson's new book, Beyond Common Ground: Why Liberals and Conservatives Need Each Other, and found it to ring true.

Usually when someone says they don't believe or like "organized religion" my response has been: "as opposed to DISorganized religion"? But I find this quote moves me in a better direction.

Whenever I had had a conversation with someone who no longer attends church or something as simple as a Bible Study, most of the time the driving issue is that someone said something or did something nasty to them. Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hills Church in Grand Rapids MI, always says his first response to the anti-organized religion comment is "what was the name of the person who hurt you?"

It is so easy to label an entire organization and anyone in it because one insensitive jerk or well meaning critic torqued us off one Sabbath or Sunday morning. It is much easier to sit at home alone with our Bible or watch something spiritual on television than deal with people. But I think there are deeper issues at work than random church jerks.

Most people have had an awkward moment with their parents or a sibling or a cousin etc. But how many of us after such a confrontation simply walk out the front door and subsequently label "organized families" as a joke...okay some people may but not a lot of people find that to be rational.

Or think of you favorite clothing store or restaurant chain. You may occasionally get a bad experience, but you dont write off the entire company as destructive and uncaring and never speak to anyone who works for them ever again.
Someone who made a habit of this would find themselves very lonely. To expect any organization with people in it to behave itself flawlessly is an unrealistic expectation. Much less the church that is FOR broken and hurting people.

Now in some cases the hurts run deep--there have been some awful abuses in religious organizations--and the one retreating has a reason to be concerned. But Im not talking about the extreme cases. Im talking about the people who look for opportunities to be offended so they have an excuse to bolt.

It suggest, number one, that perhaps they have not understood that Jesus requires us to love unlovable people [Mark 2:17, Romans 5:8] by His grace. It also suggests someone who avoids conflict--another unrealistic expectation in life. Jesus says the peaceMAKERS not the peace KEEPERS will be blessed [Matt 5:9].

A lot of people want to find God on their own, and certainly there is room for individuality and solitude in the Christian experience. But God made people to live in community and develop character in community. And to think that you can walk the Christian path--and avoid dealing with people--is a self deception. Just think if God decided to abandon His mission to earth because He ran into unpleasant people. We are called to emulate Christ--and Christ lived in community with others--even if they treated Him poorly.


PSP

This is the vision a lot of people have when people contemplate witnessing to their faith.

We are afraid if being asked a question that makes us stumble and to give an answer that makes us more confused than ever--and subsequently let those listening to us know that we have no idea what we are talking about.

The Bible says that we should be able to given an answer regarding our faith when someone asks [1 Peter 3:15].

It is very easy to coast on a church experience or a social experience with other believers and never seriously ask yourself why you believe what you believe.

So, as the holiday approaches, I offer some resources for you to consider as gifts to fellow believers--or gifts to yourself that will help you understand your beliefs better...


1. Questions on Doctrine, George Knight [editor]
2. The Reason for God, Tim Keller
3. The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel
4. New Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell
5. Devil's Delusion, David Berlinksi



I hope these are helpful in addition to your Bible study.

Blessings,
PSP

This is one of my favorite videos of Jesus. Not because its accurate--but because I think it accurately depicts how a lot of people view Jesus.

Including Christians.

What's more--is that every time I watch this I think of people I know who remind me of the Jesus portrayed in this clip. Its both funny and sad.

For a lot of people, Jesus is a nit-picky, sin hunting, critical spirit. And too many of these people embrace those as Christian core values and turn people off to Christianity.

Contrast this picture of some snapshots we get of Jesus in scripture:

1. He came to SAVE people not condemn them [John 3:16-17]
2. He loves children [Matthew 19:14]
3. He rebuked people who practiced hypocrisy [Matthew 23:13]
4.  He ate with sinners [Matthew 9:11]
5. He attended celebrations [John 2:1]
6. He had no tolerance for legalism [Mark 2:27]
7. He loves mercy [Matthew 12:7]


And these are just a few. Now for some concerned about calling "sin as sin" Im not suggesting Jesus never had a  non-confrontational approach. The "temple tantrum" He had with the religious leaders who were cheating others is evidence of that. But that is only one facet of His character--and the times He did go off on people involved deep rooted misrepresentations of the character of God by the people who were supposed to know Him best.

So if you bear the label "Christian" let your character saturated with the core element of God's character described in 1 John 4:8.

Love.


Blessings,
PSP











 

 Hello! And welcome to the new Golden Hills SDA Church website! We have been developing this site for a few months now and I am excited to finally make it available to you. In Habakkuk 2:2, God says, “Write the vision, and make [it] plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” [KJV]. In other words, make information about God is doing available for people to see so they can act on it—and that is what we want to do with this new website.

From week to week, you will be able to check church schedules, audio sermon uploads, upcoming evangelistic meeting video, and of course our church blog. My prayer is that you will be able to connect with our church family like never before, and if you have never attended our services, find a safe place to see what we are all about before visiting.

May God bless you as you navigate our new website!

Blessings,

PSP [Pastor Seth Pierce]