It's the dead of night. The wind is still and Jesus is bowed on the ground. The silence can be cut with a knife as the trees of the garden stand still. His tears have covered the ground beneath Him, tinged red by the blood they contain. As he stands, his knees feel feeble from the exertion poured out seeking His Father. He moves towards the disciples, His friends, and finding them asleep a sound emerges in the distance. At first it is the clanking of a solitary sword. Then a crack as something moved through the brush. The clamor grows louder as one, two, three torches emerge in the darkness and eventually become many. As the crowd surrounds Jesus, the suffering servant, is sure of mission, this will be the moment where He relinquishes all of Himself for the will of the Father, and the plan set in motion long ago. 

Jesus knew what to expect in the hands of men (John 2:25).  Death, pain, shame, tribulation. 

Paul now writes that this same Jesus who lowered Himself, has been established in ultimate power on high. Now that the odds have changed, what can man expect from the God we’ve executed? 

This is the question we’ll seek to answer in this message. Hint, for those who believe, you will be pleasantly surprised! 

Pastor Matt McCarter

During my initial foray into the home construction realm, I had the pleasure of being invited to the open house of a very nice home that I helped to build over the course of a few months.  To my 18-year-old eyes, this particular home was dressed to impress.

The highlight of my tour through the home was the “home theater” room.  Yes.  A whole room of the house designed for visual entertainment.  It was amazing; leather acoustic paneling, surround sound, mood lighting, and in the middle of the room, a giant over stuffed chair upholstered with blonde Yak fur. 

I couldn’t help myself but to climb into that yak-furred chair and bask in the opulence of my surroundings. 

This Sunday we start a new series in the book of Ephesians.  Paul wrote a prayer on behalf of His readers right at the outset, “I pray your eyes would be opened to the RICHES” of what you have through Christ. 

Read through the first chapter before you dig into this message and we’ll dive into a further exploration of the expansive abundance of God’s goodness towards us. 

Dr. Pastor Aaron Weisser

My dad loves fishing! In the south, fishing looks a little bit different than here in Alaska. Back home, fishing is grabbing a cooler, a bucket of crickets, a lawn chair, and rod and hanging out on the edge of a pond back in the woods. My dad was and still is a little more serious, waking up in the wee hours of the morning and putting the bass boat in the lake. As a boy my dad would tell me the night before, right before bed, to be ready to go fishing in the morning. That meant, waking up at 2 or 3 AM driving an hour, and being on the water before the rooster crows.

The first word out of my mouth was always, WHY!?!?! Why do we have to be up so early?

The why! I have often heard it said that we should not ask God why questions. However, most of the time these are the questions we find ourselves asking the most. Why do I have to deal with this hardship in my life? Why did this event have to happen to me? I refuse to believe that asking any question of the Lord would be fruitless and at the same time I realize that God’s answer may not relieve my circumstances or my anxiety about life.

In this message, we are going to ask the why question. Why should the Galatians trust Paul and his conveyance of God’s truth? Why should they trust in faith not works? While we may not be able to answer some why questions this Sunday, we can come to an understanding of who God is and what He offers us after placing our trust in Him.

Pastor Matt McCarter

I have a very distinct memory related to my life as a young blonde Alaskan of German-Norwegian descent amidst a literal sea of dark-skinned, black-haired Filipinos. Growing up overseas in the city of Manila forced a superficial but sharp contrast of appearances that triggered an existential question in my young brain: “Why am I like me and not like them?”

Why was I born to Randy and Marla Weisser? Why was I born in America? Why was I born with my specific color and complexion? Why was I born with my specific set of traits? Why was I born into a Christian home?

My still developing brain began to wrestle with this truth; I didn’t have much say in choosing the life that I was given. I began to wonder about the ways of a God who made decisions about me before I even was. I began to question the methods of a God who decided about my life without consulting me. Seems like a lot of power.

And then somewhere along the road of my life, those feelings and thoughts began to shift. I went from wrestling with a God who dictates my very existence, to wrestling with the responsibility of creating the life I wanted. Somehow, without conscious awareness, I shifted from a deeply felt and fearful awe of God who is in control, to a sense of dread and defeat. Why? Because it was now up to me.

I don’t know that I thought this so much as I felt it, as I gradually agreed to carry the weight of my own merit, my own worth.

I have heard the same experience described to me many times by others. “It’s up to me.”

In this message, I have some good news for you if you are carrying this kind of weight. Read Galatians chapter 3 and 4 before you listen. I pray that God will meet you and that you will hear His kind promise; “You are FREE.”

Pastor Aaron Weisser

I recently found a corner of a rock at the edge of my property. This had happened before and I’d dug up a decent sized rock to use in landscaping around the house. This particular rock proved to be quite difficult to move. As I dug deeper, the rock revealed itself to be more of a boulder in size. What I thought would be a quick project turned into an all day affair that tested my stubbornness. (Hint: I won…sort of)

As Paul opens his letter to the Galatians he addresses a similar situation. The Galatians have found The Rock and heard of Jesus’ Gospel, and in a similar fashion are now adjusting the message of the Good News, the foundation of Christian belief, to incorporate their own efforts in being righteous before God. It’s a lie as old as time, that mankind can do a little better than what God offers, nothing could be further from the Truth!

In this message, we’ll look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians and be encouraged to remain adamant toward The Truth of God’s Good News towards us! If you’d like to read ahead, we’ll be looking at Galatians 1-2.

Pastor Matt McCarter

I am so thankful for our church.  So many of you have encouraged me.  So many of you have built up my faith.  So many of you have pointed me toward Christ through your own faithful pursuit of Him.  It is such an awe-inspiring thing to be in true community with each other and to experience a fellowship that is built on the foundation of God’s love for us. 

As my own understanding of His goodness grows, I find myself more motivated toward the mission of making His goodness known to the others.  As I experience His kindness and learn to trust in the abundance of His promises, I find myself more at peace and with a greater joy. 

This Sunday I want to look to Him together.  I want to link arms and remember; we are His body, the bride of His choosing.  I look forward to worshipping together with you.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

I spent a while in the woods recently.  The woods has been a wonderful place for me to sit and think, especially when the moose are quietly napping and minding their own business.  The woods where we hunt is far beyond the reach of cellular service which, as it turns out, is also beneficial toward the goal of reflecting on my life and relationships.
 
While sitting in my Muddy: The Boss XL tree stand straining my ears and eyes for any sign of ungulates, I was hit with this thought: I think I have significantly underestimated the goodness of God.  For most of my life I have fallen far short of a clear understanding of the benevolent, beneficent, bountiful good intentions and actions of God on my behalf.
What triggered this realization?  I have been reading through the book of Acts, and particularly Acts chapter 10.  There was something in the story that hit hard, a feature I had not noticed before.  Then, I realized this narrative feature was in other places as well.  And there I was, in the woods, all alone with the Creator of this beautiful world, in awe of His goodness towards me. 
Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

One of our kids got their blood drawn this week at a Dr’s appointment. I anticipated my wife returning with a story of rebellion. After the check up her words were “killed it." I am thankful that I didn’t have to attend the doctor’s visit. Over the years I have increasingly grown uncomfortable at the thought of blood, other people's blood isn't as bothersome as my own, but just imaging open heart surgery makes me queasy. I’m not sure how doctors do it, cutting through bone, vacuuming liquids, opening organs.

There are moments in my life where I am just as squeamish about what God is doing in my heart. What medical doctors do for physical men, the God of heaven achieves for spiritual men, taking broken hearts, removing what’s broken, and equipping us with new life. In the story we’ll examine this week it is the case that most of it’s subjects rebel against the will of God and yet are unable to do anything in opposition to His plan. God achieves open heart surgery when, where, and how He wishes.

Pastor Matt McCarter

Church on the Rockers,
 

What do Peter, Rocky, Elle, Rudy, Jamal, Forrest, and Samwise all have in common? They are the underdogs of the story. (Bonus points if you can name the movie they’re in) They are the unlikely characters who come out on top at the end of the story line. The below average men and women of the story who are seen as unintelligent, unskilled, and unable to do great things. 

This weekend we're going to hear the story of Philip, one of the Helenist complainers elected to service, filled with the Holy Spirit, and SENT by God to build His Kingdom. What we're going to see in the story is not the will power and effort for human success, but the power of God at work in the lives of those who repent, submit, and give their lives to a Wonder Working, Miraculous Savior who was also the underdog and came out on top!

Pastor Matt McCarter

When we are full of Holy Spirit, love, faith and power there is no room for fear, because the perfect love of God casts out fear. When we know our assignment from God, and know who are, we become unstoppable…even in the face of flying stones.
In Acts 6-7, Stephen and six other apostles are chosen, blessed and sent to meet the needs of a church that is growing daily. Stephen, doing the common work of meeting the needs of widows and orphans, finds himself doing the uncommon. God’s power begins moving through him in signs and wonders. Seeing this, self-righteous religious leaders grow jealous and conspire against Stephen. Stephen doesn’t shrink back. Full of the Holy Spirit and without fear He begins to share the indisputable truth in God’s word that is usually only known by years of study. The self-righteous religious leaders are infuriated. Stones begin to fly even though they see Stephen with the face as an angel. Stephen fearlessly and lovingly continues to share God’s word until his last.

When we truly know God, we are full of the Holy Spirit. When we are sent by God, the reality of our mission is greater than any challenge we might face.
Paul writes in Philippians 1:21, maybe even inspired by Stephen, “For me to live is Christ, for me to die is gain.”
If we are true believers, full of Holy Spirit, faith and power, we know we overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. When we are totally full, we won’t even shrink from death.
Stephen’s fearless act of faith becomes contagious. The church continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Today, the promised Holy Spirit gives us the power to become His witnesses in the face of the world’s current wickedness. Get filled with Holy Spirit so that you, like Stephen, can with peace and power confidently say, “Hit me with your best shot."
Guest Speaker, Bill Pagaran