Simple Church

James teaches believers who face trouble have an opportunity for great joy. For those who do not know Christ, they have not yet experienced the true nature of great joy. As we mature in our knowledge and relationship with Jesus, our endurance to face trials of any kind also develops. This strengthens our faith and we are complete and do not need anything other than the knowledge that we are being led by the Holy Spirit. We begin to take on an eternal perspective regarding everything we experience. When we have all our hope and faith in God, we simply do not need anything else. The goal of the believer is for our hope to solely be linked to Christ and the joy of His salvation.   James 1:1-4 Kenny Nix, Pastor

Galatians: Defending God’s Gospel   Perfection on our own becomes dismissive of God’s goodness through the gift of Christ and, ultimately, the Holy Spirit. It is no longer by the law that we are made righteous to God. It is faith God desires from us. Faith in Christ alone redeems us. Christ took upon Himself the curse that was supposed to condemn us. He knew we could not do it on our own. Now, through Christ, we have right standing with God. We could never attain this on our own.    Galatians 3:1-14 Kassidy Nix

Jesus, fully God and fully man, came to seek and save the lost. He took the form of a servant to show us humility and love. Christ washed His disciples’ feet before sharing His last meal on earth with them. In their imperfection, He still showed grace. He even washed and dried the feet of Judas, the betrayer. Jesus calls us to repent and follow Him. He knows we can do nothing apart from Him, but has given each believer the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead us. In His gracious mercy, He offers forgiveness and new life in His name.   John 13:1-17 Kenny Nix, Pastor

In part two of our series, "Galatians", Paul is intent on emphasizing the importance of not adding anything to Christ's gospel. Anything we could ever add to the message of Jesus makes it a false gospel. Jesus never promised health, wealth or prosperity to His followers. In fact, He stated the world would hate believers because they hated Him. Christians who read scripture for what is says can clearly see suffering, pain, heartache and loss this side of Heaven. We are taught everything we face here is storing an eternal weight of glory and all things here are temporary. We look to the cross to see our redemption and we cling to the resurrection power of Christ for salvation. We have freedom in Christ when we surrender because of what He endured when He gave His life for us, not because He promised everything would be easy.   Galatians 2:1-21 Kenny Nix, Pastor

In the passage of the paralyzed man being brought to Jesus, we are pointed to the true need of each of us. The man on the mat had a physical need that Christ healed that day. His greater need was taken care of first. He had a spiritual need. Jesus addressed his sins being forgiven before he knew he could now walk.  When we have a seeking heart, Jesus is already working in us. Realizing we can get nowhere without Him is what ultimate redemption is all about. Surrounding ourselves with people who carry us to Jesus is important in our walk with Christ. Whether or not we receive our "healing", God is still good. Faith in Christ changes every aspect of life for a believer.    Luke 5:17-26 Kenny Nix, Pastor

In a new series entitled "Galatians: Defending God's Gospel", we immediately see the urgency in Paul's writing to the church in Galatia. The believers in the area had only known the truth of the gospel for a short time and already began distorting what they had been taught. Paul speaks to the Galatians in what still speaks to believers today, misrepresenting Christ or His message has eternal consequences. Anything done or experienced in or by the church that is not glorifying to God shows we have been deceived.  Bringing glory to God is the whole purpose we were created. Anything we do that is good is only because the Spirit within us is good and is glorifying God. We are unable to be selfless on our own. It is only by God that we are able to offer our lives to glorify Christ in our surrender.    Galatians 1:1-24 Jameson Thacker, Youth Pastor

As we conclude our series "Sighted", we look at a church Jesus addresses directly. This church may sound familiar to us today. It is a church who believes in a god they have created in their own minds. One who is not the same God of scripture. God specifically calls out the sinful nature of this church and points out the way they are choosing to live is detestable to Him.  God is not blind to our sin, His ultimate plan or the need our world has for Him. God's desire is for all to come to repentance and have an intimate, Spirit led relationship with Him through Christ. Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, He extends an invitation to take up our cross and follow Him. It is only when we fully surrender everything, we are able to fully walk in the freedom Christ died to offer. Jesus takes our spiritual blinders off so we can truly see our need for a Savior.   Revelation 3:14-22 Kenny Nix, Pastor

As we continue in our "Sighted" series, we see the conversion of Saul the persecuter of Christians to Paul the missionary for Christ. Just as Paul's life was completely transformed, renewal happens in the same way when we surrender to the call God places on our life. When God calls us to do something, we do not know the effect our obedience will have. He can use us and it can change not only us, but the world in the name of Jesus, for His glory.   Acts 9:1-31 Kenny Nix, Pastor

Even in times of feeling dry within ourselves, there is hope. Jesus breathes new life in every believer and puts His Spirit inside. Recognizing Christ as being the only way to get to God and surrendering in full repentance is what will bring life to our once dead, dry bones. Much like the Israelite army, we become brittle and allow the world to deteriorate what the Holy Spirit desires to make thrive within us. The world longs for truth and we are the means by which they should hear and see it. If we are alive again, those who see us should see what once was dead is now alive by the power of Christ in us.   Ezekiel 37:1-14 Jameson Thacker, Youth Pastor

As we continue in our series "Glory", we look at the life of a woman who, through a seeking heart for God and her commitment to the Israelites, became someone who would be woven directly into the lineage of Jesus Christ. We often look down on others for mistakes made in their lives. It seems easy to cast someone off or assume they have used up all the chances to be deemed "beneficial" to God's Kingdom. In reality, we all should be counted as useless in the cause of Christ. Fortunately, God did not see it that way. He has chosen to take even our worst days to further glorify Himself. Rahab had faith and hid the spies. Because of this, her entire life and legacy was rewritten. It is the same when a repentant heart cries out to Jesus for rescue.   Joshua 2; 6:22-25; Matthew 1:5-6; Hebrews 11:31 Dawn Hedgepeth

When God opens our eyes, something supernatural happens. We are able to see who we are in light of His holiness. We begin to understand we need Christ and can do nothing apart from Him. The Holy Spirit transforms us and redeems our rebel hearts to hunger after the things of God. We are no longer blinded by our sin, but we are led from the darkness by the Light that lives within every believer.   John 9:1-41 Kenny Nix, Pastor

As a Christ follower, repentance is the lifeline to true fellowship with Him. When God redeems our rebel hearts and gives us true purpose, our desires begin to shift toward things that will bring glory to God. We are able to see the direction of the Holy Spirit and the overflow of our lives show who is truly leading us. Offering ourselves to God is all we have to give, but if we fully surrender everything, we can walk in the full freedom Jesus died to give.    Proverbs 3:1-35 Kenny Nix, Pastor

In our new sermon series, "Sighted", we begin by seeing everything comes from God. Elisha understood God was in control and he used Elisha to be a leader in a battle that was already won. God allows a seeking heart to find Him and to experience His power in a way that reveals His glory. When we blindly trust God, we can clearly see Him.   2 Kings 6:8-17 Kenny Nix, Pastor

In our new series, "Glory", Jameson walks us through the upcoming weeks with a picture of how scripture describes the glory of God. We often insert ourselves into the stories we read about in God's Word. The truth in these stories show God's holiness, coupled with the obedience of Christ, being the rescue for the world. God's glory has nothing to do with us and everything to do with how holy He is.    Jameson Thacker, Youth Pastor  

Filling our lives with everything the world can offer will never replace what Jesus offers us. He alone sustains us and provides a new life to our once dead hearts. Without Christ, we are unable to know the power of His grace and the transformation that happens after we surrender to Him.    Kenny Nix, Pastor John 6:52-71

Joy is often mistaken for happiness in our lives. We sometimes believe if we are not happy in the moment our joy has been stripped away from us because of a situation. The reality is, only the Holy Spirit can truly give someone joy within themselves that is not circumstantial. Joy for a believer is meant to produce joyful obedience to Christ. When we feel a calling on our lives, we can become overwhelmed by thinking we are not qualified or equipped to carry out the work God is laying before us. In reality, He does not call anyone to do anything He has not given them the ability and capacity to carry out, for His glory.   Matthew 13:44; Psalm 16:11, 32:11, 37:4, 67:4, 100:1-2 Jameson Thacker, Youth Pastor

Sunday, December 22, 2019   Kenny Nix, Pastor

When Jesus was here, He always led by example and by giving truth to those who listened to His teachings. The same holds true for our lives. Jesus gave us an example of how to pray when He led what we often refer to as, "The Lord's Prayer". This prayer Jesus speaks about is about pledging allegiance to God and coming to Him with the understanding that He is sovereign and completely holy. He is the giver of life and all life flows from Him. We are not required to speak the exact words in this prayer. God's desire is for us to come before Him with humility and recognize the God of the universe cares enough to hear us when we cry out to Him.  Complete freedom comes when we lay everything aside and surrender to Him. Total peace comes when we rest in the truth of His faithfulness.    Matthew 6:9-13 Kenny Nix, Pastor

When we face struggles of any kind, we feel the weight of worry, fear, anxiety and stress, just to name a few. Scripture actually provides great comfort and relief from the things that weigh us down. Paul urges and encourages the believers by saying what we persevere in here on earth, for the sake of Christ, is temporary and is producing an eternal weight for us in Heaven. What seems too great to overcome in our eyes is actually small when God is leading you. Paul pushes every believer to remember this and never give up. Investing in Christ and the spread of His gospel is what produces endurance and strengthens our faith in Him.   2 Corinthians 4:11-18 Kenny Nix, Pastor

In suffering, comes praise when our focus is seeking Christ. The psalmist cries out many times from places of pain, confusion and suffering. He asks, "Why?", in times of not understanding his circumstances; but in, all things, he trusts God above any hardship he faces. The psalmist understands the truth must overrule the emotional side so his faith is not shaken. In our lives, we often face what seems to be insurmountable circumstances. We see what lies ahead and wonder how we will be able to push forward, holding tight to our trust in Jesus. If our foundation is truly in Christ and not ourselves or anyone else, we will feel Him leading us. The Holy Spirit is never separated from the believer. If we are seeking the heart of God, the heart of God will be our guide.    Psalm 42:1-11 Jameson Thacker, Youth Pastor