Category: Sermon Preview

Last Sunday

mic-1-1570690-1920x1440Sunday will be my last official Sunday here at Plattsville as the Lead Pastor. I’ll be transitioning to Bethany Community Church in the next few weeks, to be their teaching pastor, leading into being the lead pastor.

So Sunday will be a bit of a difficult Sunday for me, and also for many of you I suspect as well. All change is hard to process through, and this type of change is particularly difficult at times. It’s difficult because while I feel called to Bethany, I also love this church.

So on Sunday what I want to do is simply this: I want to affirm in this church why every time I think of you I am grateful. I want to affirm and share with you what you as a a church have done in my life in the past 4+ years. I want to share with you as Paul says, “You will always have a special place in my heart.”

So if you can join us on Sunday, please do. To not only say goodbye, but also to celebrate why Plattsville was, is, and will be a wonderful place for years to come.

by Andrew Mills

Sermons From the Vault

safe-1240163-1280x1920Okay so here is a good question to think about:

What are the top few lessons God has taught you in the past 5 years?

Take a moment and think about it. Because I believe that often what God teaches us in the past, is what is preparing us for his future. But the truth is this: we are quick to forget the lessons we learn. I know this is true of me, and I’m sure it’s probably true for you as well. That we learn something important, or really impactful but a few months go by and we forget or stop living that important truth out.

So here is what we want to do on Sunday. We are going to be looking back in our past for some of the key lessons God has taught us, so we can look forward into the future God has for us.

But before Sunday comes why not spend some time and think and pray about what God has taught you? Because remembering the lessons God teaches isn’t a waste of time, it’s how we grow.

by Andrew Mills

60th Anniversary!!

I hope you can make it on Sunday, as it is our 60th anniversary celebration. We will be having a free BBQ, cake, bouncy castles, rides, and lots lots more. So you don’t want to miss it. Oh and I’ll be speaking too – but don’t forget about the BBQ. So bring a lawn chair, come out to church, hear about our future, and celebrate in the park afterwards. All the details are below. Hope you can make it!

60th Annivseary

by Andrew Mills

3 Strands of DNA

diversity-1-1184126-1598x1024On Sunday we are looking at another value we have here at church. We are looking at how we hold to unity in diversity. And at first glance that statement looks well…innocuous. Like who cares?

But I would say this: that value is one of the most counter-cultural values today.

That value is one of the most needed values today.

That value is one that is most missing in our current Evangelical Christian sub-culture. We are quick to divide. Quick to call out people. We are quick to call our “heresy”

But in the process we have made an idol out of our own theological perfection. In doing this we have not only moved into dangerous territory, but unbiblical territory. And yes, I see the irony of saying “heresy hunters” are heretical…but my point is actually larger than calling out “heresy hunters”.

My point is that in Evangelical and Western Christianity we have forgotten how to hold onto unity in the midst of difference. We haven’t practiced well what the Bible calls us to be: one in love.

So on Sunday we are going to unpack this value, and most importantly, unpack how to practice it.

by Andrew Mills

3 Strands of DNA

On Sunday we are starting a brand new series here called: Our DNA: Three Strands ~ Grace, Transformation, and Harmony. We are going to be exploring some of what makes us – “us”. We want to be looking inward and to really examine some of our core values.

Because the truth is if you don’t know what you value, you can drift or lose them.

Holding onto who we are isn’t just important, it’s imperative, because just like how you were designed – I believe God has designed our church in a certain way. We all are unique with unique gifts to the world. And I believe the same is true of our church.

So that’s what we are starting on Sunday looking at the first of our values: grace. It might not be a surprise but it certainly does matter. Hope you can join us.

3 Strands of DNA

by Andrew Mills

Mystics, Wide-Eyed Dreamers, and the Book of John

mystic-1189958On Sunday we are going to be really diving deeply into the book of John. And in many ways I think that this is a book that is really needed for our day and age. In general we as a Christian culture I think are much more comfortable with tame, reasonable, and expected interactions with Jesus. We are less comfortable with things that seem…mystical…mysterious…or beyond us.

But John is all about connecting with Jesus in mystical ways. He is all about breaking the box we put the Spirit in, and saying you can fully connect with Jesus. John uses images of water, vines, new birth, bread, and resurrection to remind us of something that is amazing – you can connect fully with Jesus.

So this is the theme we are going to look at on Sunday. We are really going to explore this topic and maybe push us past our comfort zones a bit. Because John wants to move past what is comforting and normal into something that is life changing and transforming.

So we are going to explore the mystical and deeply personal book of John and how you might connect with Jesus through this book. I hope you can join us.

by Andrew Mills

The Gospel of Luke and Baptisms

water-baptism-1431326I’m really looking forward to Sunday, because on Sunday we are doing some baptisms. So for me this is a real highlight of the year because we will hear testimonies of what God is doing in people’s lives, we will hear people share about Jesus, and we will watch them take a big step in obedience.

Oh and I’ll have some things to say about the gospel of Luke and what it’s all about, but the real message will be in and through the baptisms.

So come on Sunday and join us celebrating people walking in obedience, to hear stories of transformation, and to maybe even be transformed yourself. 🙂

 

by Andrew Mills

The Gospel of Mark and Batman

The_Lego_Movie_69086My kids love the Lego movie so so much. Like too much, in that I have almost the entire thing memorized. And there is this part in it where Batman has this song where he sings, “Darkness, Continued Darkness, More Darkness, The opposite of light, Black Hole” And it just keeps going…it’s a pretty dark song obviously.

But a little while ago I read through the book of Mark straight, and I noticed that it too, like this Batman song, has a really dark undercurrent. That if you read the book of Mark at many points it just seems…” dark, continued darkness, more darkness”. You read of the crossing of the sea, the disciples fear, their confusion, and then this happening a second time. You read of fear of the demon possessed man. You read a really dark crucifixion scene, and the ending of Mark (the original one) ends with just fear and trembling. In many ways it’s a dark book.

On Sunday, what we are going to do is to open up why this is the case, and more importantly, where we can find hope in the midst of the dark. But right away there is one lesson from Mark that jumps out – there is not help or hope in denying the difficulty you are in. Mark is honest and then so should we be. So come Sunday we are looking at the book of Mark, darkness, and finding hope in the midst of difficulty.

by Andrew Mills

4 Books and 4 Questions

On Sunday we are starting a brand new series that will look at something both so utterly obvious and simple, but also controversial and challenging:

The gospels are different.

I know that’s so patently obvious to anyone who has read…well two of them. Mark is very different than John for example. And anyone who has ever read the gospels quickly notices differences and different perspectives. And some in the past have tried to “iron” out some of the differences. The problem is that the early church said that’s heresy.

We have 4 gospels told from different perspectives and we need all 4.

So come Sunday we are going to be introducing this series, and looking at the book of Matthew and asking this question: why are they different?

Because when we start to understand the different contexts, the different audiences, and the different questions the authors were trying to answer new insights leap off the page. So join us as we take a high level look at some of the most important 4 documents ever written.

4 Gospels

by Andrew Mills

The Mission of Easter

(GUEST POST Carter Whyte)

Easter is such an amazing reminder of the good news that we have received. It is an amazing reminder of the power and miracle of Jesus dying and raising again; as well as the powerful miracle he does in our lives when we believe in him. He miraculously and lovingly gives us new life and a restored relationship with him! This is the foundation and reason for everything Christians live for. The love of Jesus and his ability and desire to transform our lives to become new and beautiful.

But Jesus doesn’t only give us a new identity, hope, and a restored relationship with Him. Jesus gives us a new mission – a mission that is part of his continued transformation in our lives. Jesus sends us out with the Easter message to love others, share with them this message of hope and transformation from Jesus, and walk with them as we both walk with Jesus. This is the mission to make disciples – the Great Commission.

This week at Plattsville we are going to look into Matthew 28:16-20. We will discover what this mission is, what it requires of us, and how much of a blessing it will be if we actually adopt this as our life mission like Jesus desires! It will be a blessing to get to share this message, as the pastoral intern here at PEMC. I look forward to being changed by Jesus together this Sunday – and learning how to change lives with Jesus!

by Andrew Mills