SummitPA Sermon Audio

Pastor Kim Masengale preaches a special Mother's Day message about being made whole. Spiritual healing is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Preaching through John 5:1-15, Kim explains why many of us come up with reasons and excuses for resisting spiritual healing. Being a victim can feel safe because we're no longer responsible for our own shortcomings. At the pool of Bethesda, Jesus healed a man who had been sick for 38 years. It was an impossible healing performed miraculously in a single instant. Before the healing, the man presented reasons for why he has not yet been made whole, but Jesus countered by bluntly telling him to pick up his mat and walk. Jesus has the power to heal you right now, so if spiritual healing hasn't happened in your life then it's worth trying to discern the reasons why - your own biggest detractor might be yourself.

In the final message of Paul's letter to Titus, Pastor Mel teaches through chapter three. This chapter is prescriptive for what the Church should do when a person is acting on malevolence. Someone doing bad in this context might be subversive, divisive, or quick to engage in petty arguments over secondary issues. Mel encourages us to do good by explaining how doing good is not the same as not doing bad. Asking yourself whether a certain action is sinful becomes the wrong question because this indicates you're just trying to get away with as much as possible. A properly ordered heart would desire to praise and honor God, not merely avoid His wrath.

In this edition of Leadership Night, Mel recounts various situations from his 25 years of leadership experience and teaches us the lessons he's learned. One of the main themes of this lecture is that a career in leadership seldom turns out how you expect it to. A good leader with a lot of experience will have endured incredible amounts of stress, the pressure of stewarding his or her employees' well-being, and the betrayal of those he loves. Despite the seriousness of these challenges, there are strategies a leader can develop to maintain a positive outlook, a positive impact, and a healthy life. Mel presents these strategies along with Q&A at the end.

In the second week of our series covering Paul's letter to Titus, Pastor Mel teaches through chapter two which discusses wise living. Wise living entails a positive ambition for godliness, rather than a mere avoidance of sin. This chapter specifically addresses older men, older women, and then later younger men and younger women. Mel talks about the importance of older men exercising self-control and possessing sound faith. A man who has these qualities will engender respect from others as a consequence of prudence. Older women should resist gossip, avoid heavy drinking, and be diligent as they teach others what is good. For all Christians, humble submission to spiritual authorities as well as a commitment to wise living are necessary requirements for walking in righteousness.

This sermon was preached live by Pastor Collin McKnight to the congregation at Summit Blairsville. While Collin was preaching on the same text as Pastor Mel for week 1 of our series on Titus, Collin's sermon is entirely distinct from Mel's. In this message you should expect to learn some of the history behind Paul's letter to Titus, as well as what it means to be a bondservant of Christ. Collin focuses on the character of Paul as he explains what it means to find purpose and perspective as you follow Jesus.

In the first message of our series on Paul's letter to Titus, Pastor Mel preaches an expository sermon on chapter 1. This chapter is all about which virtues to embrace and which vices to avoid as a proper Christian. Paul encouraged Titus to appoint elders who lived a blameless life. The elder's own house must be in order if he can expect to be a shepherd in the house of God. An elder must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be followers of Christ who don't have a reputation for being wild and rebellious. The elder enjoys having guests in his home, loves what is good, and he lives wisely and justly. Perhaps most importantly, the elder has a strong conviction in the scriptures and maintains a commitment to sound doctrine while rebuking false teachings.

In the final message of our series called Win By Losing, Pastor Mel teaches about the value of being bold about your faith. Jesus said, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels." The key to being bold about your faith is to understand that God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. The apostle Paul suffered in prison for his work in the gospel, but he was not ashamed of it because he knew the One in whom he trusted. When you know Jesus and when you trust Jesus, there is no need to be ashamed.

In part three of our series called Win By Losing, Pastor Mel interviews special guest Sgt. Shilo Harris. Shilo survived an IED blast in 2007 that left major burns on his body. Three of the five soldiers in Shilo's Humvee were killed in the explosion. Throughout the interview Shilo tells a story of resilience and dependence on God as he overcame seemingly impossible odds. So much of life, especially for a Christian, is characterized by the endurance of tragic suffering. The testimony of Sgt. Harris will give you hope and encouragement that by the grace of God you can make it through almost anything.

On Leadership Night Mel often presents information on how you might lead others well, but in this episode he teaches us how to lead ourselves. He explains why being a good leader requires that you own your mistakes. He talks a little about how to foster an atmosphere where leaders and employees aren't afraid to admit their mistakes. Being an effective leader also requires that you establish good boundaries. You need to know what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate relationships. Furthermore, every good leader needs to be able to respond well to adversity. Mel also talks about how a leader might recover lost credibility after a leadership failure. Q&A follows.

In the second installment of our series Win By Losing, Pastor Mel walks us through the four things we must lose in order to follow Jesus. Using selected scriptures, Mel argues that being faithful requires us to lose our minds. Romans 12:2 admonishes us not to copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Then we will learn God's will for us, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Being faithful also requires that we lose our own way. Jesus said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me." Taking up our cross also means we must be willing to lose our lives. The fourth, and often most difficult, loss we must accept to be followers of Jesus is our loss of control. Accepting God's will for your life means submitting your own will, and thus your control, to God's purposes.