Encounters with Jesus
The Sender
May 28, 2023 • Pastor Tim Veenstra • Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4–8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you….” It is wild that Jesus told His disciples that it was better that He leave them, so that He could send the Advocate. This Advocate must be pretty amazing for it to be better than having Christ in the flesh. An encounter with Jesus leads to an encounter with the Holy Spirit.
The Timekeeper
May 21, 2023 • Pastor Dave Engbrecht, Jon and Julie Dingeldein • Acts 6:1–8
It’s amazing how our behavior changes when we realize the time clock is ticking down. Jesus wanted His disciples to live with a sense of urgency. There was a mission to accomplish. There was a message to be shared. There were disciples to be made, all while the time clock was ticking down. His final words to His disciples and to us are focused to live ON MISSION—His mission.
The Master
May 14, 2023 • Pastor Tim Veenstra • John 21:18–22
Jesus’ words to Peter are simple: “FOLLOW ME.” Yet, almost immediately, Peter gets sidetracked, unfocused, and off mission. Sometimes we have the tendency to make following Jesus harder than it needs to be. Let’s fix our focus on the Master and follow Him.
The Lord
May 7, 2023 • Pastor Tim Veenstra • John 21:1–17
For a third time, we get a glimpse of Jesus encountering His disciples in John 21. Specifically in this passage, we're given access to an intimate moment between Christ and Peter. Peter has had quite the journey leading up to this encounter; he’s had a lot of high highs and low lows. This encounter with Jesus will, again, forever change his life. All it takes is one encounter with Christ.
The One With Holes in His Hands
April 30, 2023 • Pastor Tim Veenstra • John 20:24–31
Do you believe? Is believing without seeing difficult for you? Thomas, commonly referred to as Doubting Thomas, may be unfairly nicknamed. We, today, are in a similar place as Thomas was before seeing the resurrected Christ. Do we believe, without seeing, that Jesus is in fact resurrected from the dead? All of Christian faith rests on this belief.
The Gardener
April 23, 2023 • Pastor Gabe Reed • John 20:11–18
We all have a story to tell. A story filled with pain, heartache, failures, mistakes, victories, joy, happiness, and the list can go on. What happens when Jesus steps in and rewrites our story? How do our lives change course and redefine our purpose? Mary Magdalene’s life was changed by Jesus, and this change propelled her onto mission. Encountering Jesus leads us to an empowered purpose.
The Stranger
April 16, 2023 • Pastor Tim Veenstra • Luke 24:13–35
The road to Emmaus is an incredible story that only Luke shares at the end of his gospel. It serves as the perfect parallel to all our walks of faith. Coming to know Christ is walking down a path. Understanding Scripture is a life-long process. And communing with Christ is a gift of sight. May we be people of the path, the book, and the table.