SummitPA Sermon Audio

In the final message of our series called In the Meantime, Pastor Mel teaches why weeping is both acceptable and to be expected while you wait. Often we don't get to choose whether we wait, but we always get to choose how we wait. Preaching through 2 Corinthians, Mel talks about Paul's famous thorn in the flesh and how Paul begged the Lord three times to take it away - yet the Lord didn't. He also tells Mary's story and how she stood near the cross when her son Jesus was crucified. He explains how tragic this scene must have been and how crushed Mary must have felt. The message finishes with a reminder of the salvation we have in Jesus. Christians are set free to weep with hope because they don't need to grieve as those who have no hope.

Mel and Michael talk about succession plans. Why is it important for every organization to have pre-drafted succession plans? Should these plans take on the character of advance directives in case the leader is no longer around to execute them? You can also expect to learn about staff development. Should staff development fall on the shoulders of the leader or should it be delegated to managers? Do succession plans need to be in place for each employee you bring onto the team? Is there a right time or right way to make the successor aware that they are the planned replacement as leader? When you’re leading an organization how do you balance the wisdom of a proper succession plan with the value of being needed by the organization since you’re the only one trained to do your work?

In the third part of our series called In the Meantime, Pastor Kim teaches what it means to work while you wait. Waiting without working leads to apathy, laziness, bitterness, and hopelessness. The apostle Paul had plenty of opportunities to slip into these kinds of issues throughout his imprisonment but he chose to work while he waited. Paul worshipped, wrote prison epistles, and kept doing everything he could to spread the gospel. Kim also tells the story of Joseph and how remained diligent while he waited for the brith of Jesus.

In the second message of our series called In the Meantime, Pastor Mel teaches that we get to choose how we wait. We get to choose what we do in the meantime as we are awaiting results. Mel explains how Paul was made to wait at several points throughout his missionary journey, and that Paul chose to watch while he waited. He was watching to see how the churches were doing and watching to see what was needed. The wise men also watched with anticipation as they awaited the birth of Christ. In the first message we learned how worship redeems waiting periods, and in this message we learn how watching with expectation for God's next move can make our waiting periods more productive.

In the first message of our series called In the Meantime, Pastor Mel explains what to do when we're in the space between our expectations and results. What do we do in the meantime? Preaching through Acts 9, Mel explores what it must have been like for Paul while he was waiting to find out whether he would ever see again. During this time Paul worshiped, and we too must worship while we wait. Mel explains why worship redeems the waiting periods in our lives. Time spent waiting is not time wasted if you are worshipping during the waiting. The message finishes with Mel working through a passage in Luke 2 and showing us how Anna and Simeon long-awaited the birth of Christ.

Pastor Christina preaches through Matthew 26 and shows how Jesus exemplified godly obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane as well as throughout His Passion. Obedience means choosing to submit to and trust God's heart. Christina explains how obedience means choosing to be faithful and submitted in the mundane and in the painful. She finishes the message by challenging us that Christ's obedience calls for us to obey Him. How do we do this? Christina teaches that obedience truly begins with knowing the heart of God and abiding there.

Pastor Collin unpacks what it means to be a disciple and explains why there's more to the Christian life than initial conversion. Every next step we take with Jesus leads us to a deeper relationship with God. Brother Lawrence said, "The More we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him. As love increases with knowledge, the more we know God, the more we will truly Love Him. We will learn to love him equally in times of distress or in times of great joy. Let us occupy ourselves with knowing God." Every next step we take with Jesus leads us to a life of freedom and a role in God's greater mission.

In part two of our series called Absurdity of Generosity, Pastor Mel teaches how trusting in the providence of God is crucial to being generous. We can be generous with others because we know that God is generous with us. Generosity begins with the question, "What can God do with what I have in my hand?" Contentment is a key part of learning to be generous because if you're not content then you'll always be looking for the next gain. Preaching through Mark 6, Mel reminds us of the power of God's providence by unpacking the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. This message includes a special surprise of radical generosity given to a service-worker in our community.

In the first message of our series called Absurdity of Generosity, Pastor Mel explains what it means to be radically generous. At Summit Church we believe God has been radically generous with us and we want the world to see that in how we live and how we give. Mel dispenses with three myths when it comes to generosity: that you must be rich to be generous, that you only have to give if you can afford it, and that if you give God will make you rich. Mel uses the story of the Widow's Mite found in Mark 12 to explain how the amount of money in your bank account will not change the amount of generosity in your heart. The message finishes with two challenging questions: what can God make possible with what I have in my hand? What would it look like if the people of Summit Church began to live lives that are radically generous?

The fifth and final message of our series One Nation Under God brings Pastor Mel teaching about Christian generosity as well as the tithe. The thematic idea for this series is that political transformation is easy while spiritual transformation is hard. Mel begins by explaining the differences between how Romans and early Christians viewed money. Romans were stingy and self-serving, while Christians were open-handed and generous. Mel explains the distinctions between The First Tithe, The Festival Tithe, and The Poor Tithe. What does the Bible say about the spiritual significance of tithing? Mel finishes the message by challenging us that we fail to find peace with our finances because we fail to trust in God. The world will not be changed by our spare time and our spare money, but authentic Christian generosity has the power to change everything.