01/15/23 | Thank you to Pastor Todd & Stephanie for over 23 years of faithful ministry here at First Assembly! We love you so much and are so excited for what God has in store for you in your next season of ministry.

On Pastor Todd’s last Sunday with us, he shares Reflections after 23 years at First Assembly. Reading from 1 Thessalonians 2:7-13, Pastor Todd echos the Apostle Paul’s heart for the Thessalonian Christians, pouring out his heart to them. This passage is so appropriate as it talks about:

1) Sharing Our Lives

2) My Thankfulness

3) My Charge

We know that you aren’t losing church family members, but instead simply gaining more as you step out and obey God’s calling.

01/08/23 | Pastor Jeff dives into the life of Joseph, but probably not the one you’re thinking of. In the New Testament, we are introduced to Joseph who was also known Barnabas, meaning “Son of Encouragement”, so named for his personality and presence among the Early Church. Pastor Jeff unpacks what we know of Barnabas from scripture, and challenges us to grow relationally this New Year to be like Barnabas:

1) Generous

2) Optimistic

3) Open-Minded

01/01/2023 | Happy New Year! While we reflect on 2022 and consider our goals for 2023, Pastor Matt challenges us with this question: What if God had a New Year’s Resolution for you to follow through with? Pastor Matt looks at the example of Jesus in Luke 2:52, which takes place right after the Christmas story, and challenges us with four ways that we can grow like Jesus:

1) Intellectually (Luke 2:51; Mark 12:30)

2) Physically (Luke 22:44; Mark 12:30)

3) Spiritually (Luke 2:49; 5:16)

4) Relationally (Luke 7:13; 23:24; Mark 12:31)

12/18/22 | The Christmas story didn’t begin with shepherds watching over their flocks, wise men following a star, and a young couple that couldn’t find a place to have their baby. It began much earlier than that, and it was more epic than anyone could have imagined.

In Week 3, Pastor Jeff shows how the Christmas season reminds us that God’s love can break through anything. Just as in the first Christmas:

1) God’s love can break through in spite of political obstacles

2) God’s love can break through in spite of geographical obstacles

3) God’s love can break through in spite of logistical obstacles

4) God’s love can break through in spite of occupational obstacles

12/11/22 | The Christmas story didn’t begin with shepherds watching over their flocks, wise men following a star, and a young couple that couldn’t find a place to have their baby. It began much earlier than that, and it was more epic than anyone could have imagined.

In Week 2, Pastor Matt talks about how we give gifts at Christmastime to show others that we love them. While of course God doesn’t “need” anything, in this sermon, Pastor Matt shows that God “needed” Christmas to show His great love for us:

1) To demonstrate His love (Romans 5:8)

2) To document His love (Romans 5:6; Galatians 4:4)

3) To redeem us with His love (Galatians 4:5)

4) To fill us with His love (Romans 5:5)

12/04/22 | The Christmas story didn’t begin with shepherds watching over their flocks, wise men following a star, and a young couple that couldn’t find a place to have their baby. It began much earlier than that, and it was more epic than anyone could have imagined.

In Week 1, Pastor Jeff talks about how the world needed a Savior, which is what we are reminded of each year at Christmas. He shows:

1) God wants to be known (John 1:14)

2) God loves the world (John 3:16)

3) God understands life (Matthew 1:20; Hebrews 4:15)

4) God can do anything (Luke 1:37)

5) God keeps his promises (Luke 1:69-70)

6) God wants to rescue the world (Luke 2:11)

11/27/22 | Pastor Jeff reads the powerful words of Paul found in his letter to the Philippian church about living in the power of the resurrection of Christ. Living within this power is a lifelong pursuit, and Pastor Jeff challenges each of us to look at our lives and grow to the next level in our walk with the Lord.

11/20/22 | “Thanksgiving” is defined as the ability to give thanks to God. It’s an essential spiritual attribute that is all too absent from our society and our personal lives. This series is all about three “thieves” that can steal thanksgiving from our lives.

Today we will begin by looking at the Third Thief - Bitterness.

Pastor Jeff unpacks the story of Esther, and takes a special look at the villain named Haman. Considering the biblical history around this character, Pastor Jeff shows how Haman’s hatred of the Jews was rooted in bitterness & unforgiveness that he allowed to take root in his life. Pastor Jeff talks about:

1) The Root of Haman’s Bitterness

2) The Consequence of Haman’s Bitterness

3) Freedom from Bitterness

11/13/22 | “Thanksgiving” is defined as the ability to give thanks to God. It’s an essential spiritual attribute that is all too absent from our society and our personal lives. This series is all about three “thieves” that can steal thanksgiving from our lives.

Today we will begin by looking at the Second Thief - Envy & Jealousy.

Pastor Jeff reads from about envy & jealousy that took place between Moses and his siblings in Numbers 12, and talks about:

1) Miriam’s Envy & Jealousy

2) The Dangers of Envy & Jealousy

3) The Consequences of Envy & Jealousy

4) The Remedy

In this seminar, Rev. Andrew Colón teaches on the topic of Deconstruction of Faith. As people sort through the faith they inherited and connect over stories of deconstruction, Andrew offers some sobering insight into this topic and what we can do it about it.

In Session 2, Andrew talks about how we need to teach evaluation skills and critical thinking, how to engage with many ideas that will come our way. These are adjustments we can make in regards to this topic:

He says that Pentecostalism is perfectly poised to engage this topic as we approach others in conversation being led by God's Spirit. Jesus' mode of ministry was the 1, the 3, the 12, and the masses.