Whispering Pines Church

Join us this Sunday as we read the passage of the adulterous woman in John 8. Jesus is being pressed by the Pharisees to lay judgement on an adulterous woman. In the end, Jesus tells her “Then neither do I condemn you,” Why did He not condemn her? Jesus has a plan for this woman and for you and me. God so desperately wants your presence with him in eternity that Jesus willingly took on the judgement meant for us to grant us access to the kingdom of heaven. -Elder Jason Moat

Throughout the world – people are hungry. We are familiar with the heartbreaking stories – and the pictures of people who are starving for food. But that’s not the whole picture. Many of those same poor people - - and many rich people with an abundance of food - - and people who have healthy families – who have experienced great accomplishment and gained power and position and the praise of other people – are still hungry. Often towards the end of their careers – or lives, they admit that they are still unfulfilled and unhappy – and without hope. They still have an unsatisfied hunger. Jesus Christ can satisfy that hunger. And He is the only one who can truly satisfy – and the only one we need. He gives a new, vastly superior quality of life – and one that endures forever! He is the Bread of Life which came down from heaven! He who comes to [Him] shall never hunger, and he who believes in [Him] shall never thirst. (Jn. 6:35). -- Michael Patrick (guest speaker)

In the New Testament, Paul exhorts his audience to be thankful approximately 45-50 times. Let that sink in for just a moment. Why? Why do followers of Christ need to be reminded to live a life of gratitude? In this life we live in the “already but not yet.” Somewhere between the pavement and the stars. We have been granted salvation by God, our eternal life with Him has begun, and yet we still experience heartbreak, disappointment, and grief. So, we are reminded in Scripture – that the evidence of God’s goodness is not simply our own lives. The evidence is the life of Christ – it is God’s actions toward us. This Sunday we’ll be looking at stories from the Exodus – God’s deliverance of His people from their circumstances - and their responses to Him. Join us this Sunday for our Community Thanksgiving Service – where we remember what God has done – and learn to respond to His goodness in a way that brings His loving kindness to others. -Pastor Nate Roschen

In John 6 the season of Passover is approaching, and as the people of Israel reflect on God’s deliverance from Egypt, the passing through the Red Sea and God’s provision of manna from heaven – Jesus returns to Galilee, feeds people with bread and fish miraculously, and walks upon the water. This is what God does - the sorts of actions that define Him. He feeds, protects, rescues and guides – though calamity may surround His followers. Join us this Sunday as we walk through these memorable stories of Jesus and see the connections between His work here and the Passover that His followers would have been familiar with! -Pastor Nate Roschen

This week we follow Jesus to the pool at Bethesda. Here Jesus encounters a number of people on the fringes of society - the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. Through engaging them in conversation – He learns that one of the men is a paraplegic, an invalid for 38 years. The challenges of a paraplegic in the twenty-first century pale in comparison with a person in the first century. His life would have been agony up to this point, crawling to move, isolated and unhygienic. This man is here to be healed. The belief was that on occasion, an angel would come along and stir the pool of Bethesda, and the first person to get into the pool would be healed. Jesus ignores this superstition, and simply tells the man to pick up his mat and walk. He does. He is healed. Join us this week as we explore Jesus’ heart here, as he selects the most vulnerable and most cast-off to heal, and then engages with the legalism of the religious as they confront this healing on the sabbath. Come and know the heart of Jesus! -Pastor N

Few stories in Scripture share the radical and counter-cultural nature of Jesus like John 4. Here we find the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Responses to this story have been varied. Some are genuinely troubled by the words they exchange, others find radical hope, while many more are confused – such was certainly the case with Jesus’ own disciples. What we have here is a story of such authentic love that it not only broke cultural norms – it radically affected an entire town. It is difficult to read these stories of Jesus and not wonder – how different would our world be if Christians were known only for our love and kindness? Join us as we follow in the dust of our Savior, Jesus! -Pastor Nate Roschen

This week, in John 3, we are met with story of Jesus and Nicodemus. This is another story that is exclusive to the gospel of John – Nicodemus is never mentioned outside of this book. Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, comes to Jesus in the night, in order to gain understanding. He believes that Jesus is a teacher who has come from God – because no one could perform the signs Jesus does if God were not with him (John 3:2). What we find in their interaction is stunning. Jesus confounds him, puzzles him, explains the kingdom of God in terms Nicodemus has never considered. Much of what happens here is a common experience for anyone who encounters Jesus. We find, through Him, that God has more for us than we ever would have asked or imagined. Our worldview is challenged – and then transformed. Join us as we explore this fascinating conversation! -Pastor Nate Roschen

In this second chapter of John – Jesus and His disciples (just four of them at this point) are invited to a wedding. Jesus is not separate from the people. He is no celebrity. In attending this wedding, He isn’t leading or officiating the service. He simply attends. And what happens there will be understood as His first miracle. A miracle that would communicate what He had come to the earth to do. In chapter 2 we see some of the extremes of Jesus’ behavior while on this earth. At Cana – He is approachable, a man of the people, kind, generous. And later in the chapter, when He goes to the temple – and finds people selling in the temple courts – Jesus makes a whip, overturns tables, and creates a scene. Both of these scenes are recorded for our benefit. Both tell us a lot about Jesus and His mission. Come – let’s reflect on the life of the Savior. -Pastor Nate Roschen

This Sunday, Rachel Ney will be coming to share during service. Rachel grew up in our church and now serves with Unto, the humanitarian ministry of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ). For the past two years, she has been serving as a missionary intern and is now building her ministry partner team in preparation for long-term ministry. Rachel will be sharing with us this Sunday about her next steps as a missionary and inviting you to join with her in her work.

The fourth Gospel is the legacy of John’s ministry – and it is no less beloved today than it was in the earliest years of the faith. This week we introduce this book, as well as its author. Immediately, we’re ushered into a very different setting from Matthew, Mark and Luke. John’s Gospel is passionate, definitive, and bursting with literary energy. In the pages of this book, we will be introduced to a portrait of Jesus that is deeply satisfying. Join us this week as we step into the first chapter of this book to learn about the centrality of Christ, and the attitudes and hearts of those who prepared the way for Jesus and who walked with Him in His ministry. We’ll also take some time to understand the methodology in John’s writing of this book. Come and see the story of Jesus’ life and ministry! -Pastor Nate Roschen

Last week we began a discussion around marriage and relationships. We saw Scripture define how and why we are relational creatures. Our relational identity finds its origin in our creation in the image of a relational God. This week we turn to praxis – what do we do with this? How can our relationships reflect our faith? How can our marriages tell of God? And how do we, as a community of faith – use our relational nature to expand the Kingdom of God? Join us as we explore more of marriage and relationships – and then, seek to live them out missionally, together. -Pastor Nate Roschen

The first thing I want to convey in describing this two-week series on marriage & relationships is that nearly everything that I have to say about marriage will be applicable to relationships and friendships. In this two-week series we will be taking a look at God’s desire for Christian relationships and friendships. Our God is a relational God and He has made us to be relational creatures. All people are made in the imago dei – the image of God. This not only gives value to every human life – it also tells us a lot about who we are, how we function, and what we need. Join us for these couple of weeks at the beginning of September as we reflect on what Scripture tells us about what we need from each other – how we can be intentional in building and edifying one another – and how we can learn from Jesus in all of this! -Pastor Nate Roschen

Worship is often used to describe certain parts of our lives, whether it is our daily devotions, our time at church on Sunday, or our time in the car listening to worship music. Psalm 96 explains the life of a believer in light of the God we worship. With the numerous distractions of our day-to-day life and the multiple directions we are so often pulled, this psalm reminds us to remain fixed on our Savior. With joy the psalmist instructs us to live our lives worshiping, and to let that worship flow into every part of our lives. Who we worship, why we worship, how we worship, and the result of worship are necessary questions for us to ask, and Psalm 96 gives clarity to those questions. Jesus speaks to worship that is not locative but rather worship of the Father that is in spirit and truth. Join us this Sunday as we worship and as we grow in our understanding of what it means to be worshipers of our King. Micah Ward

In this final message in our series on prayer – we come to the conclusion of Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17. Here Jesus prays for you. And what He prays for us – is that which we long for. I don’t know that it has ever been fully realized – at least in our eyes and from our perspective – but it’s necessary and vital to our testimony. He prays for our unity. Unity and peace have very different meanings from a worldly perspective. They are both relatively passive ideas. They are the absence of something, rather than active participation in something. Jesus prays for the latter. Join us this Sunday as we see what Jesus prays for you! -Pastor Nate Roschen

This week, we continue to seek out the heart of Jesus as He prays for us in John 17. What we find Him praying for is fascinating – unexpected. He prays in this chapter for protection for His followers as they serve as His witnesses and ambassadors in this world. But the focal point is always around one thing: Our witness. Christ never guarantees freedom from illness, pain, loneliness, or death. His prayer is that we would be One, and that we would be protected as we traverse the challenges of our lives – in order that our witness be protected. Consider with me this week – that Christ’s intentions for our lives are nearly identical to the designs He had on His own. That we would have a similar touch, reach, scope, and intention. Join us as we come to know His heart through His prayer for us! -Pastor Nate Roschen

The prayers we’ve looked at so far in this series have been both memorable and memorized. These prayers have been given by God for His people to pray. They are instructive, telling us more about who God is and what He desires. This week we begin to look at a prayer that is less familiar, but no less important. In Christ’s high priestly prayer, offered in John 17 – Jesus prays for us. Join us as we dive into this book and this prayer – offered by the Son of God on your behalf. What does Jesus pray for as He prepares Himself for the cross? -Pastor Nate Roschen

One of the great blessings of praying a prayer like the Lord’s Prayer is that we join with generations of Christians who have prayed this prayer over the centuries. It is a prayer that looks forward, and acknowledges that history is moving in a direction. This prayer – offered by Jesus in response to a direct question by His disciples as they sought to know how to pray – is loaded with instruction. It is a prayer that takes us outside of ourselves, while also acknowledging our very practical and tangible needs. Join us this Sunday as we examine this prayer that we’re all very familiar with – through a historical lens – as Jesus teaches us how to pray. -Pastor Nate Roschen

Join us this Sunday as we celebrate Community Sunday – a week where our focus is on the fact that the gospel we pin our hopes on is meant to go beyond these walls. This week’s message will take a look at the compelling nature of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it’s the simpler stories of Jesus that convey the most about the depth of Jesus’ love. In Matthew 9, Jesus is in a hurry. He’s rarely in a hurry, never in a rush. But He is here. A girl is dead. Jesus has been contacted by her father with an urgent mission to go and pray for her. Jesus got up, immediately, and went with His disciples to see the girl. But on the way – a new need arises. Humanity brushes past Him. Just as needy, just as broken. How does Jesus respond? In this story we find a Savior that we need. A Savior we could have never expected – but dearly, desperately, needed. Join us, and take a friend by the hand! -Pastor Nate Roschen

“Jesus loves me” is one of the earliest songs about the Christian faith that many of us ever learned. The song is simple and catchy, and reminds us of God's ability to love and care for us. Not long after we learn this song and important concept – we’re taught that we are to, in turn, love God. We’ve grown up with this understanding – we’ve never known teaching about God apart from it. But the concept of loving the God you worship – was entirely new to the Ancient Near East when it was introduced in the book of Deuteronomy. Other gods were feared, worshipped, sacrificed to, but never loved. In the Shema – we learn about the love of God – and the love we are to have for Him. Join us as we explore this essential understanding around prayer! -Pastor Nate Roschen

What is a blessing? The oldest recorded passage of Scripture written down anywhere in the world is a blessing – the one that the priests were commanded to bless the Israelites with. As we continue our study of prayer – we turn our attention to a prayer for the greatest gift imaginable in the Old Testament – God’s presence and favor. The Israelites were taught to pray real prayers - not abstract and intangible, but real and personal. Join us this week as we turn to the book of Numbers to see how the history of the Jewish people gave important context to their need to learn to pray in such a way. We will study together this first example of a model for prayer and blessing. -Pastor Nate Roschen