Longing for Perfection

Perfect in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:28

Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your eye, weeps imperfection; every harsh word which proceeds from your lip, mutters imperfection. You have too frequently had a view of your own heart to dream for a moment of any perfection in yourself. But amidst this sad consciousness of imperfection, here is comfort for you-you are perfect in Christ Jesus. In God's sight, you are complete in him; even now you are accepted in the Beloved. But there is a second perfection, yet to be realized, which is sure to all the seed. Is it not delightful to look forward to the time when every stain of sin shall be removed from the believer, and he shall be presented faultless before the throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing? The Church of Christ then will be so pure, that not even the eye of Omniscience will see a spot or blemish in her; so holy and so glorious, that Hart did not go beyond the truth when he said-

With my Saviour's garments on,

Holy as the Holy One.

Then shall we know, and taste, and feel the happiness of this vast but short sentence, Complete in Christ. Not till then shall we fully comprehend the heights and depths of the salvation of Jesus. Doth not thy heart leap for joy at the thought of it? Black as thou art, thou shalt be white one day; filthy as thou art, thou shalt be clean. Oh, it is a marvellous salvation this! Christ takes a worm and transforms it into an angel; Christ takes a black and deformed thing and makes it clean and matchless in his glory, peerless in his beauty, and fit to be the companion of seraphs. O my soul, stand and admire this blessed truth of perfection in Christ. 

Sent from the Morning and Evening Devotional, by Charles Spurgeon. For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit us at 43rdElement.com

Grace, Freedom, Laughter! 

Sunday January 27, 2013 at Dakota

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

We are a Christ centred, cross focused community of believers united by the good news of salvation by grace through faith!

This week is our annual business meeting which will be followed by a brief gospel message,

Please follow along in the Bible using the links below and enjoy the service!

Luke 18:9-14

 

The Great Physician

But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. 

- Colossians 1:22

A Christian is righteous and a sinner at the same time—both a friend and an enemy of God. The philosophers will not admit this paradox because they don't accept the right way of becoming justified. That's why they demand that people keep on doing good works until they don't feel sin anymore. This teaching has caused many people to become very distraught, because they have strived as much as they could to become completely righteous but could never achieve it. Even among those who spread this godless teaching, countless numbers of them have fallen into despair in their hour of death. This would have happened to me if Christ hadn't mercifully looked upon me and freed me from this error.

In contrast, we teach and comfort troubled sinners this way: Dear brothers and sisters, it's impossible for you to become so righteous in this life that you won't feel sin anymore. It's impossible for your body to become as bright and spotless as the sun. Though you still have wrinkles and spots, in spite of this, you are holy. But you may wonder, "How can I be holy since I sin and feel sinful?" Recognizing and feeling your sin is good. Thank God, and don't despair. It's a step toward health whenever a sick person recognizes his disease. "But how can I be freed from sin?" you wonder. Run to Christ, the Physician who heals the broken-hearted (Psalm 147:3). He makes sinners holy.

From Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther, James C. Galvin. ©2005 by Zondervan. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced without written permission from Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49530. Sent from the Martin Luther's Faith Alone Devotional. For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit us at 43rdElement.com

Grace, Freedom, Laughter! 

Sunday Morning Preview - January 27, 2013

It is that time of year again (already!) - time for DCC’s annual “Money Sunday”.

For those who may not be familiar with this particular tradition “Money Sunday” is our annual public business meeting. We will take a look at the year that was - financially, and lay out the projected budget for 2013. 

Please do not take this as an opportunity to skip church and sleep in. If Dakota is your church family then this is a meeting you should not miss.

Hope to see you all Sunday morning.

Sunday January 20, 2013 at Dakota

Welcome to Church

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

We are a Christ centred, cross focused community of believers united by the good news of salvation by grace through faith!

Please follow along in the Bible using the links below and enjoy the service!

Matthew 2:14-15; Matthew 13:34-35; Luke 22:34-36; John 19:28-30; Luke 24:37-47; Luke 24:25-32; 1 Corinthians 4:15-16; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-11; Ephesians 3:6-8; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:8

Sunday Preview - January 13, 2013

Well friends it’s January, and this Sunday will mark the first sermon I preach in 2013. If not for a revolutionary reawakening to the gospel, I would be trying to get you to take stock of your Christian progress. I would be asking you about God’s big dream for you, your “special” purpose, or maybe your Devine destiny! - I would be trying to wind you up, to launch you into another year of “DOING MORE” and “TRYING HARDER”.

I have some Good News for you - I’m not going to do any of that this year, in fact as you may have guessed from the title of this sermon, instead of pumping your tires about how special you are - I intend to do the opposite.
I want to encourage you to abandon entirely the idea that you are special. We both know that in the story of David and Goliath - we aren’t David! No, you and I are members of the cowering masses up on the hillside; desperately needing someone to come and save us.
I am going to encourage you at the start of this new year, to totally abandon yourself to nothingness in Christ. In the words of John the Baptist, in 2013, I want us to say “He must become greater, I must become less.”

I hope to see you this Sunday morning for: “2013 Aim Low”

Pastor Dan

Welcome to Dakota

We are so glad you have joined us this morning at DCC.

 

Enjoy the worship and fellowship along with the preaching of the Word of God by special guest speaker Pastor Brian Hamilton.

 

Thanks again for joining us.

This Sunday - January 6, 2013 - at Dakota

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 the first service of the new year to a missions emphasis.

I know you will be encouraged and inspired as once again this year we welcome Pastor Brian Hamilton of Ambassadors for Christ Canada - AFC is the Ministry that Kathy and I (And hopefully many of you soon!) 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! May God richly bless each and everyone of us as we enter the harvest field in 2013.

Sunday Morning Preview - December 30, 2012

I trust everyone is enjoying the holiday season, resting from the daily grind and especially finding that rest that is only available to those who believe - the rest that is ours to enjoy if we are “in Christ”.

Is the gospel having an effect? Have you grown in your faith this year?

Has Christ’ strength enabled you to persevere in the face of suffering?

Please come prepared this Sunday morning to share your testimony of God’s faithfulness and to look back over the highlights of the teaching of God’s word at Dakota Community Church in 2012.

See you this Sunday morning.

Pastor Dan

Welcome To Church & Merry Christmas!

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

How does the God-centeredness of God relate to his love for sinners like us?

How is God's passion for His glory an act of love?

This morning we will see that God's love for us keeps HIM at the center because it has to!

Please follow along in the Bible using the links below and enjoy the service!

Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1Corinthians 10:31; Revelation 4:11; Psalm 144:15; Philippians 4:4; Revelation 21:3-4; Job 1:8-22; John 11:1-6; Matthew 11:2-6;Isaiah 61:1 

Serving Those In Need

She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. - Luke 2:7

All of us should use the gospel to evaluate ourselves. How near or far are we from Christ? How are we doing in faith and love? Many become inflamed with dreamy devotion when they hear about how impoverished Christ was when he was born. They grow furious at the people of Bethlehem and criticize their blindness and ingratitude. They think that if they had been there, they would have served the Lord and his mother. They wouldn't have allowed them to be so miserable. But these people don't even notice their own neighbors who are nearby and need their help. They ignore them and leave them as they are. Who on earth doesn't have miserable, sick, blundering, or sinful people around them? Why don't they show their love to these people? Why don't they do for their neighbors what Christ did for them?

Don't deceive yourself by thinking you would have treated Christ well when you don't presently do anything for your neighbor. If you had been at Bethlehem, you would have paid just as little attention to him as everyone else did. You only want to serve him because you know who he is. Let's say that he were to come, lie in the manger, and let you know that he is the one you now know so much about. Of course you would want to do something to help. But before that, you wouldn't have done anything.

Similarly, if you could see your neighbors now as they will be in the future, and if they were lying in front of you, then you certainly would take care of them. But because you only see them for what they are now, you ignore them. You fail to recognize Christ in your neighbors.

From Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther, James C. Galvin. ©2005 by Zondervan. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced without written permission from Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49530. Sent from the Martin Luther's Faith Alone Devotional. For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit us at 43rdElement.com

Grace, Freedom, Laughter! 

Sunday Morning Preview - December 23, 2012

We know that God loves us and yet we have repeatedly seen that His story, the Christian story, is not about us. Somehow God’s love for us means that our purpose is to glorify Him, to make much of Him, to enjoy - that is; to find all of our satisfaction - in Him.

Does that seem a little backward to anyone else?

I feel loved when I am the one being made much of, not when I am being told I am not central; and doesn’t all of this “glorify Me” talk leave God seeming petty, self-absorbed, and maybe even a little narcissistic?

How does the God-centeredness of God relate to his love for sinners like us?

How is God's passion for His glory an act of love?

This Sunday morning we will see that God's love for us keeps HIM at the center because it has to! - “HE created all things, and by HIS will they were created and have their being.”

I hope to see you for more along these lines this Sunday morning.

Pastor Dan

Welcome to Church!

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

Today at DCC Pastor Dan will address the horrific events that took place in Connecticut on Friday morning and how they impact our celebration of the “joy” of advent.

Please follow along in the Bible using the links below and enjoy the service!

Genesis 6:5-8; Romans 7:21-25; Luke 18:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Deuteronomy 1:39-40; Mark 10:13-16

Romans 14:17-18; Matthew 6:9-10; Luke 12:32; Romans 14:1-10; Romans 8:1-4; Romans 4:23 – 5:2; Romans 12:9-21; Galatians 5:1; Galatians 5:22-23

 

Sunday Morning Preview - December 16, 2012

The big day is fast approaching and with it, for some, a very great deal of pressure! The right gifts, the right party clothes, the right guests seated in the right places... on and on it goes; when we make the mistake of allowing good things to become ultimate things - the only possible outcome is disappointment.

Please join me this Sunday morning at DCC where we will celebrate with the lighting of the third advent candle, the “joy” candle, and we will take a look at the very substance of the Kingdom of God. A Kingdom, by the way; which scripture reveals includes joy in the Holy Spirit as a key characteristic of its citizens, not only during the holiday season, but everyday, all the time.

I hope to see you this Sunday morning for: “The Gift of Joy”!

Live By The Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1

The following illustration is overly simplistic, but it makes the birth of the Son of God a little easier to understand. As a human son receives his body and his very being from his father, so the Son of God, born of the Father, receives his divine essence and nature from the eternal Father. But this or any other illustration can never adequately describe how the divine majesty can be given to another, as when the Father gives his entire divine essence to the Son. A human father can't give his entire being to his son. This is where the comparison breaks down.

However, as far as the divine being is concerned, all of God's divine essence and nature passes into the Son. Yet the Son, who remains in the divine being together with the Father, is one God together with the Father. Likewise, the Holy Spirit has the same divine nature and majesty as the Father and the Son.

You must simply believe this. No matter how clever, sharp, or intelligent a person may be, the human mind will never be able to fully comprehend it. If human wisdom were able to grasp this, then God wouldn't have needed to reveal it from heaven or announce it through Holy Scripture. So you should say, "Even though I can't completely comprehend it, I believe and confess that there is one eternal God, who is also three distinct persons. Holy Scripture is God's Word and says that this is the way it is. I will live by what it says."

From Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther, James C. Galvin. ©2005 by Zondervan. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced without written permission from Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49530. Sent from the Martin Luther's Faith Alone Devotional. For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit us at 43rdElement.com

Sent from my iPhone

Sunday Morning Welcome

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

We are a Christ centred, cross focused community of believers united by the good news of salvation by grace through faith!

Thank-you for joining us this second Sunday in advent; our theme for today’s service and title of our message is: “Peace on Earth”

Please follow along in the Bible using the links below and enjoy the service!

Luke 2:8-20; Colossians 2:6-15; 1 Corinthians 4:4-5; John 14:27

 

Sunday Morning Preview - December 9, 2012

This week we celebrate with our annual favorite Children’s Christmas Concert and we will light the second candle - the peace candle - in our advent wreath. I will be preaching a sermon in keeping with the festivities entitled; “Peace On Earth”.

What did the angels come to announce all those years ago, and has it turned out to be a false message?Look at any evening news report; did God accomplish the announced objective?

Most who awaited Messiah did not believe that He had come in Jesus.
They awaited a conquering king; not a suffering servant.They awaited a political enforcer; not a spiritual healer. They awaited an earthly kingdom; not an eternal invisible one.

The original advent was missed by most people because of their incorrect carnal assumptions.
Could this also be true of us in our search for God’s peace?

Find out Sunday at 10:30.

Only God's Word Can Make Us Clean

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.John 15:3

In this passage, Christ is offering us a remedy for the poison of arrogance, which is overestimating your own holiness. Jesus says this so none of us will think that our own suffering, apart from Christ, can attain forgiveness of sins or make us fruitful branches in the sight of God. Here's what usually happens: Someone does many good works and endures much suffering. That person becomes aware of producing fruit. In other words, they are aware of achieving something through preaching or some other method. Then that sweet poison begins to make the person think, "Oh, I have now done something that will make God notice me and be merciful to me." In this way, little wild branches begin growing alongside the true branches. These wild branches steal the sap and energy from the true branches so that they don't flourish. That is why the Gardener must be alert. He has to restrain such arrogance and presumption by constant application of the Word.

Christ is saying here, "You aren't clean because of what you do, what you suffer, or the fruit you produce. You wouldn't have done any of these things if you hadn't already been pruned and been made into good and true branches. Only God's Word can make you clean." It must be present at all times. The Father sends various kinds of suffering, danger, anxiety, need, and temptation to you so that you may hang on to God's Word tightly and so that it may work powerfully in you. In this way, he humbles you and teaches you that you can't make yourself clean. Your suffering doesn't make you clean before God. Yet it drives you to reach for God's Word and hold on to it more tightly and firmly. This is how God exercises your faith.

From Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther, James C. Galvin. ©2005 by Zondervan. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced without written permission from Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49530. Sent from the Martin Luther's Faith Alone Devotional. For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit us at 43rdElement.com

Grace, Freedom, Laughter! 

Sunday December 2, 2012 - Welcome

Welcome to Dakota Community Church

Grace, Freedom, Laughter

We are a Christ centred, cross focused community of believers united by the good news of salvation by grace through faith!

Thank-you for joining us this first Sunday in advent; our theme for today’s service and title of our message is: “Hope for the Season”

Please follow along in the Bible using the links below and enjoy the service!

Isaiah 59:9-11; Ecclesiastes 3:9-14; Psalm 51:1-5; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Proverbs 13:12; 1 Timothy 1:1; John 4:13-14; Matthew 11:28-29