Sunday, June 28, 2015

Welcome - June 28, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church
Grace, Freedom, Laughter
Thank-you for joining us for our service this morning.
Please enjoy the service and follow along in the scriptures using the links below.
Scripture for today's sermon:

Quotes from today's sermon:

Martin Luther 
"I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I placed in God's hands, that I still possess." 

St. Augustine 
"Tithes are required as a matter of debt, and he who has been unwilling to give them has been guilty of robbery. Whosoever, therefore, desires to secure a reward for himself, let him render tithes, and out of the nine parts let him seek to give alms." 

C.S. Lewis 
"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them." 

John Piper 
"The issue of money and lifestyle is not a side issue in the Bible. The credibility of Christ in the world hangs on it." (John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life, 109) 

Randy Alcorn 
"Show me your chequebook, your VISA statement, and your receipts, and I'll show you were your heart is." (Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, 2001, 44) 

"He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss. He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity; he's moving daily toward his treasures. To him, death is gain." (The Treasure Principle, 2001, 45)

"God's money has a higher purpose than my affluence. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. Giving affirms Christ's lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him. It breaks the chains of mammon that would enslave me." (The Treasure Principle, 2001, 59) 

"When people tell me they can't afford to tithe, I ask them, "If your income was reduced by 10 percent would you die?" They say, "No." And I say, "Then you've admitted that you can afford to tithe. It's just that you don't want to." (The Treasure Principle, 2001, 67) 

"If you cannot trust God for temporals, how dare you trust Him for spirituals? Can you trust Him for your soul's redemption, and not rely upon Him for a few lesser mercies?" (Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn, 336) 

A.W. Tozer
"The man of pseudo faith will fight for his verbal creed but refuse flatly to allow himself to get into a predicament where his future must depend upon that creed being true. He always provides himself with secondary ways of escape so he will have a way out if the roof caves in. What we need very badly these days is a company of Christians who are prepared to trust God as completely now as they know they must do at the last day."

Friday, June 26, 2015

Sunday Morning Preview - June 28, 2015

The plan for this Sunday morning at Dakota is to take an honest look at the state of affairs financially at this, the mid-way point of 2015. 

The topic of giving is always a sensitive matter for some believers but it is very important that we understand what is expected of us especially in light of the correct distinctions between law and gospel.

The Law of God is the way He wants us to live, His commandments, principles, and injunctions. As such, the Law of God always "Shows Our Sin" because we can never perfectly keep God's Law. The Gospel is the Good News that though we can never earn God's favour with our works, merit, or worthiness, God has provided salvation for us free of charge in Jesus.

So how does this wonderful good news effect our finances and the support of the local church?
I hope you will all join me for this mid-year “State of the Church Address

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Welcome & Happy Father's Day!

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Thank-you for joining us for our service this morning.

Please enjoy the service and follow along in the scriptures using the links below.

Scripture for today's sermon:

Judges 6:1-32John 9:1-3Luke 13:1-5Isaiah 29:16Isaiah 45:9-10Luke 9:23-242 Peter 1:3-4Matthew 10:34-38

Friday, June 19, 2015

Sunday Morning Preview - June 21, 2015

We have a great morning planned for this Sunday at DCC. We will be dedicating the newest member of our family to the Lord and praying together for her parents. 

As a special gift from myself to all the dads in the congregation; I will NOT be preaching a father’s day sermon — instead we will be wrapping up our look at the life of Gideon with special focus on the use of this passage as a support for the idea of positive confession theology. A couple of ideas for you to chew on in preparation:

God spoke the world into being, and we are created in His image; does that mean that our words are a creative force to be used or misused in shaping our lives?
Is the angel of the Lord trying to get Gideon to change his confession about himself in Judges 6:12?
Is the LORD in need of human co-operation in order to accomplish His purposes here on earth?

I hope to see you all Sunday!

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Welcome - June 14, 2014

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Thank-you for joining us for our service this morning.

Please enjoy the service and follow along in the scriptures using the links below.

Scripture for today's sermon:

Judges 6:1-322 Corinthians 7:10Zephaniah 1:1 - 2:3


Thursday, June 11, 2015

Sunday Morning Preview - June 14, 2015

The plan for this Sunday morning at Dakota is to return to our journey through the Book of Judges with a further look at the life and calling of Gideon. Last time we were considering the important differences between repentance and regret and now I want to go on from there to contrast the righteousness of God to the continually rebellious heart of His people.

I think most of us would agree that life on this fallen planet is not fair, justice here is exceedingly rare.
It is not fair that you and I were born here in a land of plenty and other wonderful children are born in abject poverty in third world nations. It is not fair that some but not all face childhood disease. It is not fair that some get 100 years of life while others die in the womb. We could go on indefinitely! 

Do any or all of these harsh realities mean that God is either unloving or lacking power? 
I hope to see you all Sunday morning for “Gideon 3”.