Sunday Morning Preview - June 3, 2018

Over the last few weeks and months as I pored over the scriptures in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, an amazing thing happened. Going back and forth, back and forth, to and fro, to and fro in my Bible (also drawing on a few key websites); suddenly the numbers all began to sync up in an almost magical way. Finally after more than two millennia the long hidden “day and hour” had emerged. 

Join me this Sunday morning as I announce the time and date of the great and terrible day! Also remember to bring your best (largest $$ sum) seed offering to help get this exciting news published around the world in every language… just kidding. Can you imagine?

Unfortunately the topic of this week’s passage has become associated, in the minds of many, with this kind of nonsensical hucksterism. Our goal this week will be to cut through all the silliness and get to the vitally important warnings and precious promises that will reach their ultimate fulfilment on The Day of the LORD.

Pastor Dan

Sunday Morning Preview - May 20, 2018

This fallen world can be a scary place. 

Natural disasters, wild animals, debilitating diseases, and sin-bent people all present endless, horrible possibilities. Our worst fears might spring upon us at any given moment causing  pain and suffering beyond all ability to endure. 

Those who want to avoid a life of cowering in paralysed isolation learn not to spend too much time thinking about it.

Enter the Bible with its approximately 120 admonitions to “fear not”.

Really? And what about the oft-repeated command to fear God? Isn’t that a contradiction?

Please join me this Sunday for more on this in, “The Fear of God - Part 2”.

Pastor Dan

Sunday Morning Preview - May 13, 2018

Please join me at DCC this Sunday morning for what is sure to be a wonderful time in fellowship and in the Word of God.

The morning begins at 9:30 with pre-service prayer and then coffee time.

The service will begin at 10:30 during which we will enjoy our usual time of worship, fellowship, and finally, Joel Cormie will be continuing his sermon series with week twelve in the book of Colossians. 

If you missed any of the earlier messages in the series they are available on our website at www.dakotacommunitychurch.com

Hope to see you all there! 

- Pastor Dan 

Sunday Morning Preview - May 6, 2018

Please join us at DCC this Sunday morning for what is sure to be a wonderful time in fellowship and in the Word of God.

The morning gets under way at 9:45 with pre-service prayer and then coffee time.

The service begins at 10:30 with our usual time of worship and fellowship, we will share Communion, and then Pastor Dan Van De Laar will be continuing his current sermon series entitled; A Study Through the Epistle of Hebrews. 

If you’ve missed any of the earlier messages in the series they are available on our website at www.dakotacommunitychurch.com

Hope to see you all there! 

- Pastor Dan 

Sunday Morning Preview - April 22, 2018

Please join me this Sunday morning as we continue our journey through the Book of Malachi with the conclusion of my sermon entitled Land of Delight.

In Part One we asked and answered a couple of very important questions regaurding this well known passage:

• Does the teaching on tithing in Malachi 3:9-10 apply to us today?
• Is the Christian who does not tithe cursed with a curse?
• Why doesn’t Paul use the command to tithe to enforce his efforts to raise money in the NT?

A correct understanding of scripture does not allow us to place Christians under a command to tithe, especially not a command that carries with it any kind of curse for failing to comply. How then can the church survive in a time when there is no end to consumer options and opportunity?

Pastor Dan

Sunday Morning Preview - April 8, 2018

We all knew this day was coming. From that first fateful moment last October when I announced my intention to preach a series on the Book of Malachi … 

we resisted it, tried to ignore it, but  all along … 

WE KNEW! 

Malachi 3:9-10 has been relentlessly approaching, consuming our thoughts, denying us sweet sleep; looming on the horizon like a dark storm cloud ready to rain down death and destruction.

Well, okay, maybe I’ve been obsessing about it a little more than most of you have. 

Here is the million dollar question I intend to answer as we walk through this next passage:

Does the teaching on tithing in Malachi 3:9-10 apply to Christians?

I hope you will join me!

Pastor Dan

Sunday Morning Preview - March 25, 2018

As we continue to work our way through the Book of Malachi we discover that God’s people have attempted to side-step His accusations of unfaithfulness by pointing their fingers at Him and launching a counter accusation of their own. 

“Even if we have been unfaithful, You have blessed the wicked and allowed injustice to prevail in the land.” (Pastor Dan paraphrase)

The LORD acknowledges their complaint with an assurance that no wicked deed is going unnoticed and that at the appropriate time every injustice will be righteously resolved. This assurance however, is not given in a sweet and comforting tone, instead it comes as a hard promise with terrifying imagery.

Justice will come in the form a messenger, a man who will scorch and scrub and execute judgement.

“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?”

I hope to see everyone this Sunday morning at DCC.

Pastor Dan

Sunday Morning Preview - March 18, 2018

We’ve spent the last little while in the book of Malachi reviewing God’s accusation that His people are not treating Him as Holy, citing their conduct as evidence. 

Now the children of Israel give a defense of their behaviour saying, “God blesses the wicked and allows injustice to go unchecked. How can He expect to be revered as holy and sovereign when this is the case?” 

I can see their point and will admit I too find it frustrating when the wicked prosper.

On Tuesday night I watched the Jets lose to Nashville and I had to change the channel I was so upset. The Predators  were playing really dirty hockey; slashing, hooking, holding, and cross-checking in plain view of the officials who were clearly calling the game with a strong bias for the home team. 

Most of you are probably noticing a more obvious bias. 

Could something similar be happening when we accuse the Lord of allowing injustice?

Please join me this Sunday as we examine this issue in greater detail and discover God’s exciting response. 

Pastor Dan

Time Change Tonight

Sunday Morning Preview - March 11, 2018

This Sunday at DCC we will share Communion and then wrap up last Sunday’s sermon. Issues still to be covered include:

• How crucial is marriage to the Christian life and should all adult believers pursue it?
• Must all christian marriages produce children? If so how many is enough or how many would be too few? In this age of birth control options, who makes the final decision?
• When it comes to parenting and discipline, how strict is the christian standard? 
• The homeschool vs public school debate has been raging for generations in the church now — which side is right? We’ve all heard their arguments, but what's really motivating the other side?

If you missed the March 4 message you can hear it here: 

http://decormie2551.sermon.net/main/main/21121631

Pastor Dan

Sunday Morning Preview - March 4, 2018

I hope everyone will be able to join me this Sunday as we wrap up our study of Malachi 2:10-16 with an in-depth look at the marriage covenant and several important issues that flow out of it.

• How crucial is marriage to the christian life and should all adult believers pursue it?
• What role, if any, does individual happiness play when the union is difficult and divorce seems like the best option for everyone involved?
• Must all christian marriages produce children? If so how many is enough or how many would be too few? In this age of birth control options, who makes the final decision?
• When it comes to parenting and discipline, how strict is the christian standard? 
• The homeschool vs public school debate has been raging for generations in the church now — which side is right? We’ve all heard their arguments, but what's really motivating the other side?

Don’t miss out when the fur hits the fan this Sunday at DCC - safety goggles and helmets are recommended!

Pastor Dan

Sunday Morning Preview - February 25, 2018

Please join me at DCC this Sunday morning for what is sure to be a wonderful time in fellowship and in the Word of God.

The morning begins at 9:30 with pre-service prayer and then coffee time.

The service will begin at 10:30 during which we will enjoy our usual time of worship, fellowship, and finally, Joel Cormie will be continuing his sermon series with week eleven in the book of Colossians. 

If you missed any of the earlier messages in the series they are available on our website at www.dakotacommunitychurch.com

Hope to see you all there! 

- Pastor Dan 

Sunday Morning Preview - February 11, 2018

Please join us at DCC this Sunday morning for what is sure to be a wonderful time in fellowship and in the Word of God.

The morning gets under way at 9:45 with pre-service prayer and then coffee time.

The service begins at 10:30 with our usual time of worship and fellowship, we will share Communion, and then Pastor Dan Van De Laar will be continuing his current sermon series entitled; A Study Through the Epistle of Hebrews. 

If you’ve missed any of the earlier messages in the series they are available on our website at www.dakotacommunitychurch.com

Hope to see you all there! 

- Pastor Dan 

Sunday Morning Preview - February 4, 2018

Please join us at DCC this Sunday morning for what is sure to be a wonderful time in fellowship and in the Word of God.

The morning gets under way at 9:45 with pre-service prayer and then coffee time.

The service will begin at 10:30 with our usual time of worship and fellowship, followed by Pastor Dan Van De Laar with the continuing sermon series which he has entitled; A Study Through the Epistle of Hebrews. 

If you’ve missed any of the earlier messages in the series they are available on our website at www.dakotacommunitychurch.com

Hope to see you all there! 

- Pastor Dan 

Sunday Morning Preview - January 28, 2018

This Sunday at DCC we will have our Annual Business Meeting which includes the 2017 Financial Report and the Budget Projection for 2018. This past year was in many ways our best to date fiscally so please come out as we rejoice in God’s faithfulness and answered prayer.

I expect the business meeting will be short, encouraging, and uneventful and that there will be plenty of time to wrap up the passage of Malachi that we have been working through for the past month.

I must admit that it delights me to no end to be able to preach a sermon entitled “Unfaithful-Part 3” on the day of the annual business meeting. Hope to see everyone there!

Pastor Dan

P.S. The sermon is about marriage, not money! 

Sunday Morning Preview - January 21, 2018

This Sunday we are excited to welcome Pastor Terry & Teen Challenge to minister at DCC.

Adult & Teen Challenge of Central Canada is a 12-month Christian discipleship program for men & woman struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction.

The first Teen Challenge centre was founded by the late David Wilkerson, author of The Cross and the Switchblade, more than 50 years ago in Brooklyn NY. Today Teen Challenge operates more than 1000 programs in 80 countries around the globe, making it the largest and most successful faith-based drug treatment program in the world.

Invite a friend who would be encouraged to hear and see the life changing power of the gospel in the lives of those who come to faith in Christ.

Sunday Morning Preview - January 14, 2018

This Sunday at Dakota:

• Communion

• Pick-up 2017 Donation Receipts

• Part 2 of Unfaithful from Malachi 2:10-16

Hope to see you all out for this holy gathering! 

Pastor Dan

Sunday Morning Preview - January 7, 2018

I saw the inside of a lot of churches when I was kid, Dad was posted to a new Army Base every few years, so there was that. Plus we visited church going relatives during holidays AND it used to be the polite thing to do to accept any invitation to a “special service” at the church of a random co-worker or neighbour. It all added up!  

Mostly I remember the mind-numbing boredom, “How many verses can one song have anyway?” I remember something else too though. I remember a hushed sense of awe, a quiet reverence, stained glass windows with the morning sun shining brightly through, huge oak beams and polished wooden pews that smelled of lemon pledge. There was something special about it all, though I could never put my finger on just what.

In all of those church visits I never once heard a clear proclamation of the gospel so when I finally did become a believer I rejected everything that smacked of those empty childhood religious experiences. I’ve since learned that was a mistake. 

To profane something is to treat what is holy as though it were common. 

That is what Malachi is going after this week… me too! 

Pastor Dan

Sunday Morning Preview - December 31, 2017

This Sunday morning we will gather to say farewell to the year 2017. For some of us the year will have been marked by wonderful achievements, celebrated milestones, and great joy; others will be staggering to the finish line — thrilled to see it finally ending.

It has been a tumultuous year in the world around us. Many rich and influential men saw their lives crumble in the face scandal as abuses of power and position were exposed and condemned. Accusations of criminal corruption continue to circulate at the highest levels of government, and horrific attacks of terror spread panic in the streets from Las Vegas to London and beyond.

In Luke 12 Jesus has much to say about fear. 

Please join me as we end the year focused on the only words which really matter in times like these. 

Pastor Dan

Two Services Christmas Eve 10:30 AM and 5 PM

In the first of our two services this Christmas Eve (10:30 AM) I am planning to look at what Jesus has to say regarding traditions in Mark 7. 

The holiday season for many of us in the western world is steeped in an almost mystical kind of nostalgic feeling that is propped up in large part by family, social, and even Christian traditions. Is this a good, bad, or irrelevant thing? 

Advent candles, wise men at the manger, decorated trees, and Santa Claus; all will be tested in light of Jesus’s teaching on the place of scripture and tradition.

Our second service (5:00 PM) will feature Christmas Carols, Communion and a sincere call to come home for those who have wondered far from faith.

I hope to see each and every one of you this Sunday as we celebrate the joy of advent.

Pastor Dan