Archive for January 2009

January 20, 2009 Posted by pughda in Church News, Nothing's Too Hard For God, Pastor David, Sunday Schedule

"No Addiction is Too Strong"

There are many types of addictions -- substance, pornography, sex, gambling, overeating, even power, to name a few. Often addiction begins with experimentation; justifying the habit only reveals the addiction. Why is addiction wrong? Because of its life-controlling and destructive nature. I. God's desire for us To not be addicted to or mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12), but to be mastered by Him only (Luke 10:27) II. How to overcome your addictions Deliverance; Dependence (on Jesus -- John 15); Devotion (hate the habit, love God); Discipline (takes time to replace bad habits with good ones) III. Your responsibility in the process -- Phillippians 2:12 Acknowledge the problem; Affirm your need of Christ; Affirm your need of others to help you; Account for your actions to someone; Abandon your sins; Amend your ways; Anchor your life in Christ IV. God's part in the process -- Phillippians 2:13 ("It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose"). Also, 1 John 1:9 -- "If you will confess your sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive your sins, and purify you from all unrighteousness." Do you believe that God wants your free? He will do His part; will you do yours?

January 16, 2009 Posted by pughda in Church News, Nothing's Too Hard For God, Pastor David, Rock Solid, Sunday Schedule

No addiction is too strong

This winter, we are committed to sharing the message with our community that "No Addiction is Too Strong". There are many types of addictions -- substances, pornography, gambling, sex, overeating....we'll even hear a story this winter about an addiction to power.

This Sunday morning, with some help from Rock Solid Youth Ministries, I will be preaching on our theme this winter. Whether you suffer from an addiction, or know someone who does, I encourage you to be here. I am believing that bondages and chains will be broken Sunday morning! That is good news for people who have not been able to find freedom from life-controlling problems: Nothing is too hard for God!

Then, at 6:00 Sunday evening, we will be back in the Book of Acts, with a tough, yet timely message on "Face to Face With Prejudice." Prejudice is a sin that has a choke hold on Christians today, and we will be dealing with that in our evening service.

What an awesome church family I have the privilege to serve! I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Pastor Dave Pugh <><

Acts 4:13

January 12, 2009 Posted by pughda in Nothing's Too Hard For God, Pastor David, Sunday Schedule

"Absolutely Nothing!"

Jeremiah 32:17 We launched our "Nothing's Too Hard for God" theme last year, and many discovered that 2008 was a pretty rough rear in several respects. But, I want to reiterate, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that is too hard for God! I. Consider His performance This verse reminds us of creation -- if God created the universe, He can certainly handle your problems! All of biblical history is a resume of God's ability to do anything. Modern history tells us that God is still not done doing the impossible. For example, check out the 8 real life stories on nothingstoohardforgod.org. Remembering how God has worked in your personal history is confirmation of what He can and will do today and in the future. II. Consider His promises The Bible is full of promises that He has already fulfilled. D.L. Moody said, "Take the promises of God. Let a man feed for a month on the promises of God, and he will not talk about how poor he is. You hear people say, 'Oh, my leanness! how lean I am!' It is not their leanness, it is their laziness. If you would only read from Genesis to Revelation and see all the promises made by God to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to the Jews and to the Gentiles, and to all His people everywhere -- if you would spend a month feeding on the precious promises of God -- you wouldn't be going about complaining how poor you are. You would lift up your head and proclaim the riches of His Grace, because you couldn't help doing it!" III. Consider His position, according to our text A. "Sovereign" -- a word reserved for God; He is completly in charge B. "Lord" -- denoting His authority over everthing C. "Great power" -- meaning exceeding strength D. "Outstretched arm" -- there is nothing beyond His reach We need to be reminded of the truth that "Nothing is Too Hard for God". What is "impossible" in your life? Let's trust God today!

January 9, 2009 Posted by pughda in Church News, Nothing's Too Hard For God, Pastor David, Sunday Schedule

Absolutely nothing!

I am pleased to announce that Sunday morning, I will speaking on "Absolutely Nothing!" You may ask, "What's different than any other week?" (Hopefully not, though.) Or, you may ask, "Why, then, should I even venture out to hear absolutely nothing?" Now, that's a good question that I hope you are asking!

The answer: Only because it could possibly revolutionize your life! I don't like to overstate anything, but we are living in tough times, and I believe that the message Sunday morning will renew your faith and hope in God's power and activity in your life!

Then, we will be at Golden Year Senior Center at 6:00 Sunday evening for our Soup Supper and Game Night. This will be an informal time of fellowship; we would like for you to bring either a pot of soup or some sort of side dish or dessert to share. I will have several games there for all ages. It will be a time that the whole family will enjoy. If you have not yet done so, please sign up at the church to bring either soup or a side dish, or if you would like, you can just reply to me, and I'll put you down (some can never remember to actually sign up on Sundays!!).

Finally, one more item: we are looking to borrow a strobe light for next Sunday. If you have one that we can use, or know of where we can get hold of one, would you please let me know?

Have a wonderful Friday!

Pastor Dave Pugh <><

Acts 4:13

January 2, 2009 Posted by pughda in Church News, Pastor David, Sunday Schedule

Reach higher, go further

Well, the holidays are over, and it's back to real life! However, I trust that the spirit of Christmas and of the New Year will be with you throughout the year!

Sunday morning I will be setting the tone for the new year here at First Assembly. I do believe that we have not even scratched the surface of what God has for us in the coming year, should the return of the Lord be delayed any longer. Sunday morning's message will be a challenge to "Reach Higher, Go Further".

Sunday begins a Week of Prayer for us as a church. What a way to begin the new year! We will be giving you suggestions Sunday morning on how to pray throughout the week. There will also be three opportunities to come together corporately to pray about specific areas of our church. Sunday evening at 6:00, we will have a "Concert of Prayer", in which we will be praying through our vision for the coming year.

Wednesday night at 7:00, instead of our regular slate of midweek activities, I am encouraging the whole church to come together for a time of "Breakthrough" prayer. Finally, Saturday night at 7:00, we will close the week with a prayer rally. Each of these three services will be held in the church auditorium, and I encourage you to join us.

There is one other item I need to bring to your attention today. We have had some "technical difficulties" the last couple of weeks, so we have not been able to include interest slips in the bulletins regarding our January Membership Classes. That should be resolved for this Sunday, but let me say that if you are interested in signing up for the 4-week Membership Classes, to be held each Sunday evening during the month of January, please let me know by contacting me through this web site, or by e-mailing me. These classes are for anyone not only interested in membership, but also who simply want to know more about First Assembly.

Thank you for your time!

Pastor Dave Pugh <><

Acts 4:13

January 2, 2009 Posted by pughda in Pastor David, Sunday Schedule

"Playing With the Empty Boxes"

Matthew 7:9-11 God is committed to giving us good gifts (James 1:17). But, too often, like small children on Christmas Day, we ignore the gift and play with the empty box! The box is how the gift comes, but it's not the gift! I. Gift of Eternal Life -- Romans 6:23 The gift is eternal life, not death. Death is separation from God. Death is the box (Christ's death is how we receive the gift of eternal life). Too many people receive this gift, then spend all their time playing with the sins that lead to death. You've been forgiven and set free of those things -- walk away from acts that lead to death, and step into the full life that Christ has for you! II.. Gifts of the Spirit The Motivational gifts are listed in Romans 12; the Manifestation gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12; the Ministry gifts are listed in Ephesians 4. 1 Peter 4:10 says, "each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." (italics mine). The gifts are what God distributes so that the body of Christ will be served and ministered to. The box is described in 1 Timothy 4:14: "Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you." (italics mine). Too many people enjoy the "doo-dads" of spiritual blessing and the "Pentecostal motions", never realizing that the blessing is only the box -- the gifts are serving others. Pentecostals tend to be very selfish, leaving Christian service for the "main-liners", while we spend our time enjoying "blessings". The fact is, we ought to be at the forefront of serving others! III. Gift of the Holy Spirit, described in Acts 2:1-4.\ The gift is Holy Spirit power, according to Acts 1:8. The box, or initial evidence, is speaking in tongues. Too many Pentecostals are content only with the experience of speaking in other tongues, not with exercising the power to witness. If you speak in tongues on a regular basis, but don't open your mouth to share the gospel message with the lost in English, then you are playing with an empty box! God has given us many gifts, and eventually playing with empty boxes will lead to boredom and frustration. I challenge you to lay aside the box, and take hold of the gifts!