Guest Speaker

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Guest preacher Jared LaCoste reminds us that Jesus said we are the light of the world! Light is not just something God gives; God IS light. Jesus IS the light of the world. If we focus on His light, darkness has no authority over us. We are to reflect the light, but we can only do this if we stay close to it.

Light is Christ’s mission, and it is our calling as Christians to shine that light in the darkness. People are looking for hope, and if we are present in their world, where they are, in whatever darkness is around them, we can offer that hope. The fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control) are becoming less common in our world, and if we are full of this fruit in dark circumstances, people will notice it and wonder where it is from. Darkness has a purpose in the world. Without darkness, there is no need for light.

Even when we are focused on the light of Jesus, we are still required to walk by faith. God does not reveal the whole future to us – and that is probably a good thing. We only need to take the next step, knowing that He is the lamp for our feet and the light on our path.

We must remember that the light is not given to us so we can hold onto it and bask in it by ourselves. Jesus said to “go” and we are to do that. We are to come to church, receive light, and then take it out with us and carry it into our various communities. We can’t see the end of our efforts, but we trust that God is leading us into the right place. Pray that our light will grow, that we will stoke the flame so it can be seen, and that God will lead us to the people who are longing for the light.

“Light up the Night” by Pastor Jared LaCoste

Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT) ; 馬 太 福 音 5:14-16 (CUVS)
John 1:4-5 (NLT) ; 約 翰 福 音 1:4-5 (CUVS)

You can set up a real-time transcript when you listen on your device.

Photo by Arthur Chauvineau on Unsplash

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Guest preacher Ron Philips reminds us of the full story of salvation and what it means for us to be part of it.

“Let Earth Receive her King” by Pastor Ron Philips

Isaiah 52:7-10 (NLT) ; 以 賽 亞 書 52:7-10 (CUVS)
1 Timothy 2:1-7 (NLT) ; 提 摩 太 前 書 2:1-7 (CUVS)

You can set up a real-time transcript when you listen on your device.

Painting by Andreas Plousios (Russia, 1832-1883), uploaded from Wikipedia Commons with a Creative Commons License CC BY-SA 4.0

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Guest preacher Randy Chase takes us through the story of the woman who was healed by touching the hem of Jesus’ robe in the midst of a crowd, and reminds us that we can also come to Jesus in faith when we are exhausted by life.

“An Unwelcome Guest” by Pastor Randy Chase

Psalm 46 (NLT) ; 詩 篇 46 (CUVS)
2 Corinthians 12:1-9 (NLT) ; 歌 林 多 後 書 12:1-9 (CUVS)
Mark 5:24-34 (NIV) ; 馬 可 福 音 5:24-34 (CUVS)

Pastor Randy played this video during the service.

You can set up a real-time transcript when you listen on your device.

Photo by S. Laiba Ali on Unsplash

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God loves us. He loves us so much that he mounted a huge Search & Rescue operation to save us from the darkness of this world. Guest pastor Ryan Tuck elaborates on this mission in the context of Jesus’ parables about three lost things: a sheep, a coin, and a son.

“Search & Rescue” by Pastor Ryan Tuck

Psalm 103:8-13 (NLT) ; 詩 篇 103:8-13 (CUVS)
Luke 15 (NLT) ; 路 加 福 音 15 (CUVS)

You can set up a real-time transcript when you listen on your device. You can also read Ryan Tuck’s sermon notes.

Photo by KOBU Agency on Unsplash

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“Have Mercy on Me!” Blind Bartimaeus called out to Jesus from the side of the road. Jesus answered, and Bartimaeus leapt up and followed. Pastor Barry Bruce encourages us to imitate Bartimaeus from wherever we are on our road of life.

“From this Day Forward, Follow Jesus,” by Pastor Barry Bruce

Lamentations 3:19-32 (NLT) ; 耶 利 米 哀 歌 3:19-32 (CUVS)
Mark 10:46-52 (NLT) ; 馬 可 福 音 10:46-52 (CUVS)

You can set up a real-time transcript when you listen on your device. You can also read Pastor Barry Bruce’s sermon notes (not a transcript).

Photo by KOBU Agency on Unsplash

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Pastor David Mamani explores what “righteousness” and “peace” refer to in God’s kingdom, and what they mean for us.

Isaiah 1:15-23 (NIV) ; 以 賽 亞 書 1:15-23 (CUVS)
Ephesians 2:11-22 (NIV) ; 以 弗 所 書 2:11-22 (CUVS)

Here is the video David made to illustrate the concept of biblical justice.

“God’s Justice” NIV Bible that David refers to in his sermon.

The closing congregational prayer, written by Pastor Rene Padilla:

Our compassionate Father,
we thank you for the indescribable gift you have given us through your Son,
Jesus Christ, through whom, by his undeserved love,
you have given us all things.
Fill us with your love and deliver us from the materialism that surrounds us
in the money-dominated consumer society in which we live.
Make us faithful stewards of your creation and
empower us to receive material possessions as gifts of your undeserved love,
gifts not to be accumulated for our own benefit,
but to be shared with others specially with the excluded ones.
Give us a true hunger and thirst for justice.
Now, guide our eyes to see the plight of those who suffer basic human needs
by the power of your Spirit,
and allow us to bear witness to the new creation you have begun
through Jesus Christ.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen

You can set up a real-time transcript when you listen on your device.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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Jesus identifies himself with the poor in the scripture reading from Matthew below. Guest preacher Murray Hack explores why he does this, why we should minister to the poor around us, and what doing so can teach us about the greatness of our salvation.

“Ministry to the Poor and the Connection to Global Missions” by Pastor Murray Hack

Luke 7:36-50 (NIV) ; 路 加 福 音 7:36-50 (CUVS)
Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV) ; 馬 太 福 音 25:31-46 (CUVS)

The largest cross in the world

You can set up a real-time transcript when you listen on your device. Murray has also given us permission to share his sermon notes.

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In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins with “Therefore, I tell you, don’t worry about what you will eat or drink or wear.” If you look at what he is referring back to, he is talking about making our relationship with God and with our neighbours our priority. In this light, Pastor Juli talks about how much Jesus loves us, and why, if we put his kingdom first, we really don’t have to worry at all.

“Love Lifted Me,” by Pastor Juli Wells

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 (NLT) ; 傳 道 書 3:1-14 (CUVS)
Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT) ; 馬 太 福 音 6:25-34 (CUVS)

You can set up a real-time transcript while you listen on your device.

Photo by Sharon

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Preparation precedes The Promise – God made both the Garden of Eden and the wasteland, and He is present in both. We need to learn to reframe our mindset in a season of trial. We need to rename it a Season of Preparation and allow God to meet us there.

“Embracing the Dust” by Chaplain Jared LaCoste

Isaiah 43:19 (NLT) ; 以 賽 亞 書 43:19 (CUVS)
James 5:7-11 (NLT) ; 雅 各 書 5:7-11 (CUVS)

You can set up a real-time transcript when you listen on your device.

Photo by Austin Ban on Unsplash