Simple Church

The translation of the word "gospel" is good news. The purpose of the gospel message of Jesus Christ is for all the world to understand He is the way to redemption. Peter and John carried this message after the resurrection to places that were not welcoming to this new proclaimation. The two were jailed for continuing to spread the gospel and healing people in Jesus' name. In the process of being punished for continuing to share the good news, these men were given the opportunity to speak the truth of Jesus' message to many people in the jail and even the leaders of the Sanhedrin Court.  The gospel opportunity was perfectly set up for Peter and John to share the truth. Thousands came to repentance and surrendered to Christ. The gospel changed the world and continues to bring redemption to people today.    Acts 4:1-22 Kenny Nix, Pastor

Paul tells us in Romans, because of the power of the resurrection of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are no longer captive to sin. We are not bound by our desires and we do not fight our battles alone. If we have surrendered to Jesus and have given ourselves to Him completely, we are controlled by the Spirit. We can walk with confidence in the freedom that Christ died to give.   Romans 8:1-39 Kenny Nix, Pastor

When we possess the true love of God inside, we can’t help but to love our neighbors. Our genuine transformation by the Holy Spirit coupled with the love we have for God will naturally overflow into our love for others. True love that Christ followers are called to emulate, will move us to love in action. Love is serving. Love is compassion. Love is motivation to meet a need. Love is hands on. Just as we are called to love others, we can clearly see Gods love for us through Jesus. Wounds taken care of, bill paid in full and a rescue like no other through faith in Christ. When we have a new heart, we will live like a new person. Knowing we can do nothing in and of ourselves, we lean into Jesus for life. We are called to show love and mercy as it has been shown to us. Luke 10:1-42 Kenny Nix, Pastor

Oftentimes, we walk in faith but do not see fruits of our labor. In our reliance on Christ we, like Habakkuk, trust and obey but only in blind faith. Habakkuk did not waver in his hope, faith or the joy they provided. He trusted in the faithfulness of God even when he did not see it come to pass in his lifetime. Habakkuk died while he waited on God. Paul tells us we have the same hope Habakkuk had. Our hope is not an emotion or a feeling. Jesus is our hope and His faithfulness is everlasting.   Habakkuk 3:1-19; John 1:14; Romans 8:1-39 Jameson Thacker, Youth Pastor

In our continued series "Habakkuk", we see waiting on God is more than simply being still until we hear from Him. Habakkuk teaches, by example, we are to be active in our waiting. Trusting God without a clear direction as soon as we would like, develops patience and a deeper reliance on Him. When we surrender to God's complete control by submitting to the authority of Christ, we are connected to the Holy Spirit. Only then can we walk in the freedom of Jesus and the confidence of the Holy Spirit who leads us. We will be ready to follow Christ anywhere He leads because we have trusted and followed in obedience.    Habakkuk 2:1-20 Kenny Nix, Pastor

When we are real and honest with God, He begins to speak to us. Oftentimes, we have to be chipped away to see truth. Truth will always set us free, but to see truth revealed in our lives, it is sometimes painful. Everyone experiences struggle, questions, heartaches and suffering. It is when we realize and accept God is able to use even the most dire circumstances to carry out His purposes that we experience true peace. Habakkuk and the psalmist witnessed the mercy and peace of God under circumstances that seemed impossible. God uses even the wicked at times to bring His plan to fruition, just as He did with the Babylonians.    Habakkuk 1:1-17; Psalm 40:1-17 Kenny Nix, Pastor

As believers, we are called to love, forgive and pray for those who have done wrong. Loving and honoring our brothers and sisters in Christ and not only going through the motions shows your heart belongs to God. Doing good in the face of adversity and living at peace with everyone as much as you can is what Paul teaches for a Christ follower to do.    Romans 12:9-21 Kenny Nix, Pastor

Without Christ, we feel captive by our sin. As we come to faith in Him, God allows you to see everything in a new light. The Holy Spirit renews us and urges us forward to share the light of Jesus with those who live in darkness.    Luke 4:16-21; Psalm 107 Kenny Nix, Pastor

God teaches throughout His word to reach out and help those in need. He reminds us He is the One we receive all things from, in turn we are to take care of each other. We give so others will give thanks to God for meeting their needs and others will see believers being obedient to the gospel of Christ.  Giving of ourselves and serving others is about God being glorified. Never in scripture does a servant of Christ receive and accept personal praise for an act of obedience or sacrifice in the name of Jesus. The praise for meeting the needs of others belongs only to God. We are called to be vessels that carry Living Water, giving God the glory for all He has done.   Proverbs 19:17; 2 Chorinthians 9:3-15 Kenny Nix, Pastor

As followers of Christ, we are called to share the gospel. We gather together so we can be fed and worship as a faith family. Making the buliding or a person an idol or the reason we gather is against the Good News of Christ. Leaders are called to be an example to those who are under their leadership in the church; likewise, every believer is called to lead those around them by example. Offering our lives to Christ as a living sacrifice by doing whatever the Holy Spirit leads us to do is the obedience we are called to.   Acts 20:16-38 Kenny Nix, Pastor

God placed a call on Gideon's life. He had a chance to use the opportunity for God's glory but he ultimately chose to use God's calling on his life to his advantage.  God sees our heart. He knows our truest intentions regardless of what we portray to the world. Christ calls us to full surrender, so we can live with the hope eternity with Him provides.   Judges 6-8 Jameson Thacker

God’s grace is sufficient to cover all sin. In the lineage of Christ, we see strife, discord, betrayal and sexual sin just in the life of Judah. There comes a moment in our lives when the invitation given by Christ to turn from ourselves and surrender to Him becomes something we have to face. A repentant heart will fully give over what it holds tightly to in order to completely trust in the grace Jesus provides.  Because of the death and resurrection, we are no longer controlled by sin. We are liberated through the mercy of the cross.   Genesis 38 Kenny Nix, Pastor

As we celebrate Easter Sunday in a way which feels unfamiliar to what we may be used to, the truth of the gospel has not changed. Listen as our pastor, Kenny Nix, walks us through a passage we may all be accustomed to hearing each year. This is more than a story. This is the truth of the power of God that raised Christ from death to life. It is this power that has spiritually raised every believer from death to life.   1 Chorinthians 15:21-27, John 19:7-11, John 2:18-22; Luke 23; Matthew 28 Kenny Nix, Pastor

In times of change and uncertainty, God shows us our ultimate need is Him. The only place we will truly find peace and rest for our heart is at the feet of Jesus in full surrender. There is freedom in relinquishing our illusions of control to the only One who is actually in control of all things. In times of distress, remember Christ ultimately uses those times to draw us to Himself if we allow our hearts to seek Him.  "But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;" Psalm 77:11   Luke 7:18-22; Psalm 77 Kenny Nix, Pastor

Daily the disciples continue to learn more about Jesus and what He came to do during His earthly ministry. He was shaping their faith as they bore witness to the miracles He performed. Christ came to save the lost and He taught His disciples what it meant to truly deny themselves and follow Him. He wanted them to know the cost was high because of our sin, but the reward was eternal life with God. Because of Christ's obedience to the cross and the power of God raising Him from death, we too can have eternal life with God. Our calling today as believers is the same as it was for the disciples: deny ourselves, follow Jesus and share the gospel until Christ returns.    Matthew 16; Psalm 51; Psalm 101  Kenny Nix, Pastor

During the time of Paul's ministry, he faced many challenges when trying to spread the gospel to unreached areas. We can follow his journey in scripture and see his focus never changed regardless of his circumstances. His mission was to preach the saving power of Jesus Christ and he was willing to lose his life on earth to spread this message. When he was in prison with Silas, they worshipped under the most detestable conditions. Everyone was listening. Everyone was impacted by the worship that filled the prison. The jailer, in what seemed the worst day of his life, became the day his soul met Christ.  Amid such uncertian times, the world is watching believers everywhere. When things seem bleak and desperate, the world will hear the believers in worship. Hope will be known to be more than a feeling or emotion. The Hope we come to know is a person. His name is Jesus and He is always aware of every situation, working all things for our good and His glory.   Acts 16; Psalm 66 Kenny Nix, Pastor

In a time of uncertainty and questions, we turn to God's word for comfort and guidance. We have not been given a spirit of fear and we will continue to trust the leadership of the Holy Spirit as we walk through the coming days. "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39   Jameson Thacker, Youth Pastor

The chosen twelve, Christ's disciples, were ordinary men who answered the call to follow Jesus. All of these men were sinful in nature, just like you and I. Many times during Jesus' ministry they witnessed the very power of God through Jesus and still sinned in ways we sometimes view as shocking. Jesus knew exactly what these men would do and say along the way, but still chose them to carry out a calling that would ultimately change the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In our own faith journey, we will not live without sin. The gift of the Holy Spirit is that sin no longer controls us. We are not bound by the sin that destroys; we are liberated through the power of Christ's death and resurrection. We can walk confidently knowing Jesus has equipped us with everything we need to carry out the calling He places on us, if we walk by faith in Him alone.    Matthew 16:13-23; John 11:14-16; John 20:24-28; Matthew 20:20 Ken Nix

As Paul and Silas preached the gospel, they faced opposition more often than not. When a slave girl who was possessed by an evil spirit was shouting who these men were, they cast the spirit from her. This freed the girl and she was no longer under the control of the spirit or her slave owners. The truth of the gospel works in the same way for us today. Once we know the truth and have been impacted by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can walk in the freedom Christ died to give us. No longer enslaved to our sin, we are a light to the world that illuminates the faithfulness of God. The gospel is about God's perfect plan to redeem what is truly impossible to redeem outside of Him. It is only through Jesus Christ that we are reconciled to God and forgiven. The truth of Christ is the only hope we have of ever being truly free and the answer to whatever we face.    Acts 16:13-24 Kenny Nix, Pastor

Now that Christ has come, we are no longer bound to the law. With our faith, we are coheirs with Jesus and pursuing a relationship with Him defines our life. The law of Moses emphasized how desperately we needed a savior. We are unable to live righteously without being made new by the Holy Spirit. Once we are new in Christ, we receive the full promise that God made to Abraham because we are His children.   Galatians 3:15-29 Jameson Thacker, Youth Pastor