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 6:1-32; John 9:1-3; Luke 13:1-5; Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9-10; Luke 9:23-24; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Matthew 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 6:1-32; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Zephaniah 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”. 

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Welcome - May 31, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Thank-you for joining us for the service this morning and Part 2 of; "The Word of God." 

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

Scripture for today's sermon:

2 Timothy 4:1-4; Mark 7:6-9; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-18; Galatians 1:6-9; Romans 7:18-19; Galatians 2:11; Matthew 24:24; Acts 20:28-30; 2 Corinthians 11:3-4

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Sunday Morning Preview - May 31, 2015

The plan for this Sunday morning at Dakota is to wrap up our look at what we mean when we say that the Word of God is authoritative in a Christian Church.

Last Sunday we established that the Bible does claim to be the authoritative Word of God and that the sinless Son of God treated it as such and rebuked those who placed their own traditions and preferences above it.

Now we will turn our attention to some of the various other voices that Christians often mistakenly take as authoritative. Just like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, many believers in our time hold to traditions and practises that contradict scripture. I hope you will join me as we expose and correct a few of these all too common errors.

Friday, May 01, 2015

Sunday May 3, 2015 at Dakota

We have been taking an extended look at the instruction from James in James 1 to, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

Our goal as believers is to know God; not to merely gain information about Him, however we have all met people with some pretty strange ideas that they claim have come out of their experience of God. We want to know the one true God as He is, as He has revealed Himself, not as we imagine or presume Him to be.

The text we are looking at now in James reveals an important truth about God that is vital for us to know in the face of hardship and/or trials of faith. Our God is immutable, He does not change — not ever, not even a little bit. That is good news indeed! I hope I’ll see you this Sunday morning.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Welcome - April 26, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Thank-you for joining us for the service this morning and Part 3 of; "Discovering God's Goodness." 

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

Scripture for today's sermon:

James 1:13-18; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Exodus 3:14-15; Psalm 119:89-90; Jeremiah 31:3; Psalm 100:5; Romans 11:34-36; 1 Peter 5:5; 1 Samuel 15

Friday, April 17, 2015

Sunday Morning Preview - April 19, 2015

The plan for this Sunday morning at Dakota is to continue our journey through the Book of Judges with a further look at the life and calling of Gideon. Last week we spend time 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 2”. 

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church - April 12, 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:

Judges 6:1-32; Romans 1:18-25; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Zephaniah 1:1 - 2:3


Thursday, April 09, 2015

Sunday April 12, 2015 at Dakota

I hope you will join me this Sunday morning as we celebrate communion together and return to the Book of Judges for the next few weeks.

You may recall that there is a repeated cycle throughout this book — a cycle of sin, bondage, repentance, and devotion, followed by sin and bondage again. Israel would follow the Lord when there was a leader who reminded them of the ways in which they should walk, but with his death they again wandered off into idolatry. We are now up to Gideon, the fifth Judge, so the cycle is becoming familiar. This time however; something new occurs, God sends an unnamed prophet to let the people know why these things keep happening to them.

The plan is to look at several foundational truths, including the difference between repentance and regret, as we lay the ground work for understanding this famous and complicated Champion of Israel.

Sunday, April 05, 2015

Welcome - He Is Risen!

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Thank-you for joining us this morning for our Easter Sunday Service.

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

Scripture for today's sermon:

Mark 16:1-8; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 6:9-10; Romans 6:3-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:14-19


Thursday, April 02, 2015

Easter Weekend 2015

I am hoping to see many of you twice this weekend as we celebrate the saving work of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection on our behalf.

Our annual Good Friday Inter-church Communion service is being held at Evangel Chapel [Now New Beginnings] at 1073 St. Mary’s Road at Dunkirk. This year's speaker will be Pastor Jerry Plett of St Vital EMC and our own DCC team will lead us in worship. The service will begin at 10:30 am.

On Easter Sunday morning I invite you to journey with me, via the pages of scripture, to that first resurrection morning so many years ago. It is the single most important event in history. The birth, sinless life, sacrificial and substitutionary death and ultimate resurrection of Jesus; everything else pales by comparison.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the guarantee of the final triumph of God’s kingdom on earth.

Please join me for a special Easter sermon which I have entitled: “Good News From the Grave”.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Welcome - March 29, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Thank-you for joining us this morning for our Palm Sunday Service and Pancake Breakfast.

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

Scripture for today's sermon:

Matthew 21:1-17; Revelation 19:11-16; Zechariah 9:9; Isaiah 56:6-8; Matthew 11:2-6; Isaiah 35:4-6; 2 Kings 9:13; Psalm 118:25-26; Psalm 8:1-2


Friday, March 27, 2015

Palm Sunday 2015 at Dakota

I hope you will join me this Sunday at DCC as we prepare our hearts to focus on the most important event in human history; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It all begins with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the first day of His final week of earthly ministry, soon the joyous shouts of “Hosanna” and “Glory to God” will turn to angry cries of “Crucify Him”. 

Friday looms large on the horizon, but Sunday is coming right behind it.
The sermon will be followed by a pancake brunch. Remember to arrive a little early if your food items need warming.

Friday, March 20, 2015

March 22, 2015 at DCC

We have been taking an extended look at the instruction from James in James 1 to, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

After setting his readers straight on the issue of blaming God or anyone else for the temptation to sin, James goes a little farther now by describing exactly what happens when we are tempted with the desire to do things that God has not approved. He is warning us in particular not to give in to temptation in the face of difficult trials, a time when we may be even more susceptible to the idea of taking a little break from godly living.

I hope you will join me this Sunday morning as we consider some powerful scriptural imagery regaurding sin, its consequences and how freely we should proclaim the gospel of grace.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

March 15, 2015 at Dakota

We have been taking an extended look at the instruction from James in James 1 to, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

Most of us can no doubt point to various trials we have endured with a sense of gratitude for what the Lord has been able to accomplished in us through these difficult times. We have seen and received the grace that God gives to the humble, we have sought His wisdom and found the promise to be true. 

Now James tackles what I would say is a more common human reaction to hard times; the question of blame. 
What is the cause of all this trouble, who is responsible for the mess I find myself in?
If God is Sovereign and the creator of everything then does it not logically follow that He is ultimately the source of all temptation to sin as well?

I hope to see you all this Sunday as we observe James’ answer to this wrong line of thinking and spend a little time becoming more familiar with the goodness of God and the perfection of His character.  

Sunday, March 08, 2015

Welcome - March 8, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Thank-you for joining us for the service this morning and a message entitled; “Enter By The Blood.”

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

Scripture for today’s sermon:

Hebrews 9:1 – 10:25; Galatians 2:15-16

Saturday, March 07, 2015

Sunday Morning - March 8, 2015 at Dakota

Hope you will all join me for Communion Sunday tomorrow morning.
Don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour before bedtime tonight.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Correcting doctrinal error in sermons I preached years ago.

Welcome - February 22, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Thank-you for joining us for the first message in a new series entitled; "Sermon Do-Over", in which I am selecting old sermons from the DCC archive and correcting theological error.

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

Scripture for today's sermon:

John 9:1-10:21; Luke 12:51; Mark 10:42-45; Philemon 1:15-16; Colossians 3:22; Psalm 91: 14-16; Hosea 4: 6; John 8: 31-32; Luke 17: 3-4; Matthew 6: 14; Romans 12: 9-21; Psalms 23: 4-5; Philippians 4: 4-8; Philippians 3: 13-15; 1Peter 1: 8-9


Thursday, February 19, 2015

February 22, 2015 at Dakota Community Church

Since 2002 I have been sharing many of my sermons on the internet at a website called Sermon Central as a way of blessing other ministers in their times of preaching preparation. Once a sermon is ready to present to a congregation it can be very helpful to look at what other pastors have had to say on the same topic or passage of scripture. My sermons at SC have been viewed over 400,000 times and I receive requests for powerpoint presentations from all over the world, almost every week. The problem is that since 2002 I have undergone a complete theological transformation and many of the sermons from those earlier days in the ministry are; to put it nicely, “A little off.” 

In order to at least partially remedy this situation I am going to begin a new series entitled; Sermon “Do-Over” in which I will select an old sermon and theologically point out and correct the errors it contains.

The sermon I have selected for this first instalment is one I originally preached on March 21, 2004. If you would like to review it in advance - Satisfaction Guaranteed - can be seen here: 


I hope to see you all Sunday!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Welcome - February 15, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Welcome again and thank-you for joining us as we continue our journey through the book of James.

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

Scripture for today's sermon:

James 1:2-18; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Hebrews 10:32-39

Friday, February 13, 2015

Sunday Morning Preview - February 15, 2015

The plan for this Sunday morning is to wrap up our look at tests and trials and the role they play in the Christian life. Included on the agenda:
  • The many faces and forms of suffering.
  • Tests and trials in the context of congregational life. Is the church a safe and supportive haven or a place to suffer alone in a crowd?
  • Do Christians experience hardship because they don’t have enough faith?
  • Is it safe to assume that most suffering is the result of secret sins?
  • Why would James say that believers should rejoice when they face tests & trials?

I hope to see you all Sunday!

Friday, February 06, 2015

Sunday Morning Preview - February 8, 2015

We have a full schedule of events planned for this coming Sunday morning at DCC:

We will share communion.
We will pray for Joel and Hannah as we dedicate Levi.
We will gather in worship and feast on the Word of God. The sermon will focus on the topic of tests and trials seeking to understand whether or not suffering should play any part in the christian life.
We will enjoy a pot-luck chilli lunch followed by skating at the outdoor rink across the street from the church.

I hope to see you all Sunday!

Friday, January 16, 2015

Sunday Morning Preview - January 18, 2015

For far too many Christians the New Year involves resolutions, self improvement, goal setting and just a whole lot of navel gazing in general. In order to remedy this situation we started a new tradition at DCC a couple of years ago; devoting one of the first few services of the new year to a missions emphasis.

I know you will be encouraged and inspired once again this year as we welcome Pastor Brian Hamilton of Ambassadors for Christ Canada. 
AFC is the Ministry that Kathy and I have visited the Dominican Republic and Cambodia with.

Pastor Brian will share the value of short term missions and the unique AFC approach to getting the job done in third world countries.

Invite a friend and start the year off on the right foot! 

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Welcome - January 11, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Welcome again and thank-you for joining us as we continue our journey through the book of James.

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

Scripture for today's sermon:

James 1:27; James 2:1; James 4:8-10; James 4:17; James 5:9; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Galatians 6:8-10; James 1:1-21


Thursday, January 08, 2015

Sunday Morning Preview - January 11, 2015

I hope everyone will be able to join me this Sunday morning at Dakota as we wrap up our introduction to the Epistle of James and begin to look at the alleged joys of tests and trials.

According to James the Holy Spirit requires us to visit orphans and widows in their distress, to keep ourselves unstained from the world, to purify our hearts and to be single minded in our passion for Him. He expects us to be thankful and compassionate, concerned for the lost and poor, and totally impartial toward others as far as social stature is concerned.

I think we all want to see these evidences of salvation and more in our lives as we walk with the Lord… except… well; what about when we don’t? What about when we rebel against all that?

Sunday, January 04, 2015

Welcome - January 4, 2015

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Thank-you for joining us for this first service of 2015.

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

Scripture for today's sermon:

Ezekiel 14

Friday, January 02, 2015

January 4, 2015 at Dakota

I thought we’d start 2015 off with a little fire by way of a study of Ezekiel 14 which addresses the serious problem of idolatry and the judgement it demands. 

To set up an idol is to reject God in favour of human preferences. I think you will agree that we don’t have to travel back to Ezekiel’s time to see this practice amoung believers, it is evident all around us. We hold to a confession of faith but our lifestyles routinely deny it. We claim devotion to church, but the slightest excuse to miss will do, we sing fervently in worship and support missions but many of us haven’t actually shared the gospel with anyone in years. We boast of a love for the LORD and maintain a show of loyalty to HIM but our deepest concerns, our financial habits and our use of time betray idols of sex, comfort, success and a thousand other exultations of self.


I hope to see you all Sunday morning for a fiery good time in the first service of the New Year and a sermon I have entitled, “Taking Idols into our Hearts.”