New Series: DNA of a Hero
This week we began a new message series called DNA of a Hero. In the coming weeks we’ll be looking at various men and women of Scripture and the characteristics of their lives that made them great in the sight of God.
While we’re not talking about flying faster than a speeding bullet, being more powerful than a locomotive, or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, we are talking about living to the fullest the life we were created to live – a truly extra-ordinary life.
This past Sunday, the introductory message was called “A Heroic Life” from Hebrews 11 which is now available for streaming or mp3 download here.
New Series: DNA of a Hero
This week we began a new message series called DNA of a Hero. In the coming weeks we’ll be looking at various men and women of Scripture and the characteristics of their lives that made them great in the sight of God.
While we’re not talking about flying faster than a speeding bullet, being more powerful than a locomotive, or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, we are talking about living to the fullest the life we were created to live – a truly extra-ordinary life.
This past Sunday, the introductory message was called “A Heroic Life” from Hebrews 11 which is now available for streaming or mp3 download here.
Penn-Del Ministry Summit
Today I am attending our Penn-Del District Council. This is the time of the year when as many pastors as possible from our fellowship in Pennsylvania and Delaware gather together for prayer, ministry workshops, and business sessions.
This morning began with a prayer service led by pastor and blogger Paul Grabill, of State College Assembly of God. The service was a powerful hour of worship and prayer in the presence of God. I’m really looking forward to connecting with some fellow pastors and leaders from our district.
Penn-Del Ministry Summit
Today I am attending our Penn-Del District Council. This is the time of the year when as many pastors as possible from our fellowship in Pennsylvania and Delaware gather together for prayer, ministry workshops, and business sessions.
This morning began with a prayer service led by pastor and blogger Paul Grabill, of State College Assembly of God. The service was a powerful hour of worship and prayer in the presence of God. I’m really looking forward to connecting with some fellow pastors and leaders from our district.
20 Exhortations to Maintain a Healthy Church
Just finished our board meeting for April! It’s a privilege to minister and work with such amazing people. I shared a basic list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul. Thought I might blog about them here:
This list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul describes powerfully how a healthy church should operate. The church is not primarily a building or an organization but people. It is the community of believers in Jesus Christ sharing one heart and mind, wholeheartedly pursuing the mission of Jesus here on earth.
For the mission to be fulfilled in its greatest capacity there are certain characteristics that it must embody. Here in Romans 12:9-21, the Apostle Paul gives a straightforward list of exhortations that need to define the way the church relates to itself and to the world.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice;mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
1). Love sincerely
2). Hate evil
3). Be devoted to one another
4). Keep spiritual fervor serving the Lord
5). Be joyful in hope
6). Be patient in affliction
7). Be faithful in prayer
8). Share with the needy
9). Demonstrate hospitality
10). Bless persecutors
11). Rejoice with those who rejoice
12). Weep with those who weep
13). Live in harmony with one another
14). Do not be proud, associate with the lowly
15). Do not repay evil back with evil
16). Do what is right before others
17). Live at peace with everyone
18). Do not seek revenge
19). Bless enemies
20). Do not be overcome by evil, overcome it with good
I love how straightforward Paul is on all this. You can’t go wrong working these characteristics into the heart of your church. This is definitely the kind of church I want to be a part of!
20 Exhortations to Maintain a Healthy Church
Just finished our board meeting for April! It’s a privilege to minister and work with such amazing people. I shared a basic list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul. Thought I might blog about them here:
This list of exhortations from the Apostle Paul describes powerfully how a healthy church should operate. The church is not primarily a building or an organization but people. It is the community of believers in Jesus Christ sharing one heart and mind, wholeheartedly pursuing the mission of Jesus here on earth.
For the mission to be fulfilled in its greatest capacity there are certain characteristics that it must embody. Here in Romans 12:9-21, the Apostle Paul gives a straightforward list of exhortations that need to define the way the church relates to itself and to the world.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice;mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
1). Love sincerely
2). Hate evil
3). Be devoted to one another
4). Keep spiritual fervor serving the Lord
5). Be joyful in hope
6). Be patient in affliction
7). Be faithful in prayer
8). Share with the needy
9). Demonstrate hospitality
10). Bless persecutors
11). Rejoice with those who rejoice
12). Weep with those who weep
13). Live in harmony with one another
14). Do not be proud, associate with the lowly
15). Do not repay evil back with evil
16). Do what is right before others
17). Live at peace with everyone
18). Do not seek revenge
19). Bless enemies
20). Do not be overcome by evil, overcome it with good
I love how straightforward Paul is on all this. You can’t go wrong working these characteristics into the heart of your church. This is definitely the kind of church I want to be a part of!
Weekend Reflections
Saturday morning we had the privilege of joining the committee to clean and beautify Ambridge for their Spring kick-off. A group of about 12 of us from ACC hit the streets with probably about 40 other people for a couple hours of spring cleaning! I can’t think of a more appropriate way of demonstrating love for a community than helping to clean it up.
In service on Sunday I really felt an exceptional spirit of joy and enthusiasm during the worship time. The atmosphere was just charged with expectancy. I gave a message called “The Unstoppable Church” from Matthew 16:13-18. We looked at the importance of having a right belief about who God is, how Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God” is the true foundation of the church, and the indestructability of the church, which the gates of hell can never overcome.
The gates of hell will never prevail against the church of the living God! Gates are stationary, defensive structures. So many times, as the church, we take a retreatist mentality. We go into hibernation mode and hide from the world. There’s one problem with that: The church is called to play offense! There is nothing we have to fear because we are being led by the One who has all authority in heaven and earth. It doesn’t matter what sport you’re playing, you won’t win if you don’t play offense. I think a lot of times we disguise our fear as caution. I’m not saying that there won’t be times to scale back and huddle, but when it’s motivated by fear it’s not of God.
We concluded by illustrating this with the story of Esther. She decides, despite the risk to her life to go before the king and plead for her people. I love the resolve she displayed, “If I perish, I perish.” She wasn’t going to be remembered as a loser. She knew she was created for “such a time as this” and she didn’t retreat in fear.
Really makes me want to go for it!
Weekend Reflections
Saturday morning we had the privilege of joining the committee to clean and beautify Ambridge for their Spring kick-off. A group of about 12 of us from ACC hit the streets with probably about 40 other people for a couple hours of spring cleaning! I can’t think of a more appropriate way of demonstrating love for a community than helping to clean it up.
In service on Sunday I really felt an exceptional spirit of joy and enthusiasm during the worship time. The atmosphere was just charged with expectancy. I gave a message called “The Unstoppable Church” from Matthew 16:13-18. We looked at the importance of having a right belief about who God is, how Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God” is the true foundation of the church, and the indestructability of the church, which the gates of hell can never overcome.
The gates of hell will never prevail against the church of the living God! Gates are stationary, defensive structures. So many times, as the church, we take a retreatist mentality. We go into hibernation mode and hide from the world. There’s one problem with that: The church is called to play offense! There is nothing we have to fear because we are being led by the One who has all authority in heaven and earth. It doesn’t matter what sport you’re playing, you won’t win if you don’t play offense. I think a lot of times we disguise our fear as caution. I’m not saying that there won’t be times to scale back and huddle, but when it’s motivated by fear it’s not of God.
We concluded by illustrating this with the story of Esther. She decides, despite the risk to her life to go before the king and plead for her people. I love the resolve she displayed, “If I perish, I perish.” She wasn’t going to be remembered as a loser. She knew she was created for “such a time as this” and she didn’t retreat in fear.
Really makes me want to go for it!
Weekend Reflections
This past weekend was awesome. Friday night we got to attend the Rochester High School play “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” So proud to see Mike Winich, one of our youth students play Judah. It was a great show.
Had a great time Saturday night giving the prayer at the Beaver County Young Life banquet at Geneva College. Young Life is an amazing ministry reaching junior high and high school kids for Christ. At the banquet we got to hear a testimony from Neil Berger, a Sophomore at Ambridge High School who gave his life to Christ through the ministry of Young Life and is now actively involved in our church. My friend Jason Smith, Area Director of Young Life in Beaver County and his staff are doing a phenomenal job reaching teenagers with the message of Jesus Christ!
Church Sunday was great. We concluded the series “Fit To Be Untied” with a message called “Freedom Catalysts.” We discussed how each of us are called to know God and make him known. Each of us were created to leave a mark in history. God has given each of us the calling and responsibility of spreading his kingdom. In a way, all of us are preachers because our lifestyles proclaim something. We looked at how God desires that our lifestyles would in every way proclaim his life-transforming power.
We saw from Matthew 9:35-10:8 that ministry flows from compassion, calling, and his power that we have received. Each of us are called to be catalysts, sparking a chain reaction of freedom in the lives of the broken and hurting people around us. The closer we get to Jesus the more of his compassion we will feel when we see people. Christ’s calling qualifies us for ministry, not our abundance or lack of credentials. True spiritual authority comes not from paper, but from God. What matters is not education or titles, but a burning passion for Jesus and a love for people. We certainly shouldn’t downplay education or training, but it can never substitute for relying on God’s power. What a privelege we have been given, to freely give to others what God has given to us!
Weekend Reflections
This past weekend was awesome. Friday night we got to attend the Rochester High School play “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” So proud to see Mike Winich, one of our youth students play Judah. It was a great show.
Had a great time Saturday night giving the prayer at the Beaver County Young Life banquet at Geneva College. Young Life is an amazing ministry reaching junior high and high school kids for Christ. At the banquet we got to hear a testimony from Neil Berger, a Sophomore at Ambridge High School who gave his life to Christ through the ministry of Young Life and is now actively involved in our church. My friend Jason Smith, Area Director of Young Life in Beaver County and his staff are doing a phenomenal job reaching teenagers with the message of Jesus Christ!
Church Sunday was great. We concluded the series “Fit To Be Untied” with a message called “Freedom Catalysts.” We discussed how each of us are called to know God and make him known. Each of us were created to leave a mark in history. God has given each of us the calling and responsibility of spreading his kingdom. In a way, all of us are preachers because our lifestyles proclaim something. We looked at how God desires that our lifestyles would in every way proclaim his life-transforming power.
We saw from Matthew 9:35-10:8 that ministry flows from compassion, calling, and his power that we have received. Each of us are called to be catalysts, sparking a chain reaction of freedom in the lives of the broken and hurting people around us. The closer we get to Jesus the more of his compassion we will feel when we see people. Christ’s calling qualifies us for ministry, not our abundance or lack of credentials. True spiritual authority comes not from paper, but from God. What matters is not education or titles, but a burning passion for Jesus and a love for people. We certainly shouldn’t downplay education or training, but it can never substitute for relying on God’s power. What a privelege we have been given, to freely give to others what God has given to us!
Love Ambridge
I’m very excited about an opportunity we have to reach out and love our community. Saturday, April 21 we are going to join with the Committee to Clean and Beautify Ambridge for their Spring Kick-Off! As you may have already guessed, we will be cleaning and beautifying Ambridge.
In John 13, Jesus served his disciples by washing their feet. We get to serve our community by washing it’s streets. I love opportunities like this to tangibly demonstrate Christ’s love!
If you’re interested in going with us, send me an email here. We’ll be meeting at 8:30am on 4.21 at 552 Merchant St. Love for you join us!
Love Ambridge
I’m very excited about an opportunity we have to reach out and love our community. Saturday, April 21 we are going to join with the Committee to Clean and Beautify Ambridge for their Spring Kick-Off! As you may have already guessed, we will be cleaning and beautifying Ambridge.
In John 13, Jesus served his disciples by washing their feet. We get to serve our community by washing it’s streets. I love opportunities like this to tangibly demonstrate Christ’s love!
If you’re interested in going with us, send me an email here. We’ll be meeting at 8:30am on 4.21 at 552 Merchant St. Love for you join us!
Easter Sunday
I love Easter Sunday! I love seeing new faces and meeting new people. We had a great service with about 85 people in total attendance. I spoke about the resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15:1-16.
I’m really excited to welcome Pastor Cal to lead our Children’s Ministries on Sunday mornings! Pastor Cal comes to us with 32 years of experience as a children’s minister. Today was his first Sunday with us. Really looking forward to partnering with Cal to reach the kids in the Ambridge Area.
Easter Sunday
I love Easter Sunday! I love seeing new faces and meeting new people. We had a great service with about 85 people in total attendance. I spoke about the resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15:1-16.
I’m really excited to welcome Pastor Cal to lead our Children’s Ministries on Sunday mornings! Pastor Cal comes to us with 32 years of experience as a children’s minister. Today was his first Sunday with us. Really looking forward to partnering with Cal to reach the kids in the Ambridge Area.
ACC History
Pastor Jeff from Allison Park Church is currently writing blog articles about the various churches that they have planted. Ambridge Christian Center is the second of six churches they have started in the Pittsburgh area. Jeff does a really good job retelling our story. Check it out here.
ACC History
Pastor Jeff from Allison Park Church is currently writing blog articles about the various churches that they have planted. Ambridge Christian Center is the second of six churches they have started in the Pittsburgh area. Jeff does a really good job retelling our story. Check it out here.
Ambridge Network of Hope
I’m very excited about partnering with Network of Hope to reach people in the greater Ambridge Area. The mission of NOH is to promote lasting change in individuals, families, and communities. This Sunday, our NOH pioneer for Ambridge, Mary Niewola, will be giving a presentation introducing NOH to our congregation. Looking forward to collaborating with NOH to see lives changed for God’s Kingdom 
Ambridge Network of Hope
I’m very excited about partnering with Network of Hope to reach people in the greater Ambridge Area. The mission of NOH is to promote lasting change in individuals, families, and communities. This Sunday, our NOH pioneer for Ambridge, Mary Niewola, will be giving a presentation introducing NOH to our congregation. Looking forward to collaborating with NOH to see lives changed for God’s Kingdom
