Church guide

In July 2016, Mike Gebes saw a neighbor’s field on fire and rushed to help, but the Milesville, South Dakota, farmer was caught by the flames himself, ending up with burns over 22 percent of his body. As Gebes recovered in the hospital, 270 acres of his wheat—worth tens of thousands of dollars—remained in his fields unharvested. But his neighbor, Heath Morrison, saw the need and refused to sit idly by. After Morrison put the word out, a crowd of 70 friends and neighbors showed up—including seven combines, three grain carts, and eight semis—to harvest Mike’s crop. The South Dakota Farm Bureau grilled hamburgers and brats for the volunteers. “We all decided,” said Heath, “that since he left everything he had to do to go help his neighbors, we would leave what we needed to do to go help him.” Normally, harvesting 270 acres would’ve taken Mike Gebes by himself a week or more, but his neighbors had it done in four hours. The local co-op gave Gebes free storage for his grain in their bins for a year. “Just thinking about that day,” said Morrison, “gives this country boy goosebumps.” When we all jump into work together, it’s amazing what can be accomplished. In Matthew 9, Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” For 77 years, Ozark has been preparing more workers for the harvest field, and we appreciate your partnership. Thank you for seeing the need and refusing to sit idly by. Thank you for jumping in to help with the harvest. If you’re like me, you get goosebumps thinking about what God can accomplish as we work together. Join us in praying for a “bumper crop,” and please know that we are grateful for friends and neighbors like you! Find out more about Ozark Christian College at occ.edu. Matt Proctor, Ozark Christian College

Message recap with Mark

We all have a place at Jesus’ Table. That table has an infinite number of leaves because Jesus invited us and paid the price so we could be there.

My favorite story in the Bible is the story of Joseph. He was sold into slavery by his own brothers and eventually made his way up working directly with Pharaoh in Pharaoh's court. What a wild life! He and his family had gone through so many things (some of which are almost unbelievable). All through his life, even though Joseph was wildly mistreated for some of it, he still clung close to God. Beyond the life of Joseph, there is so much packed into all 66 books of the Bible. There are many other examples of people who have chased after God with everything in their life. In Scripture, there is wisdom, history, story, sacrifice, commands, poetry, and love. Scripture is rich and withstands all generations. It can also be condensed down to one verse: “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 Everything we do comes down to loving God and loving others. In everything that we do and everything that we say we should strive to give glory to God by loving Him with our head, hearts and hands. Through loving God, we will also love others. One cannot be done without the other. They go hand-in-hand. This week our passage is John 15:9-16:4. Please take time to read this verse outside of Sunday morning. Take time to meditate on the words and on the idea of loving God and one another. Ask yourself these questions: How am I loving God with my head, heart and hands? How am I loving others with my head, heart and hands? - Zoey Harp

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Sermon recap with Elijah

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NLT) This is the last of seven “I AM” statements Jesus made in John’s Gospel and a rich visual for his disciples. Jesus had just shared the last supper and many of his final words with his disciples before his death. He warned them again of what was about to take place and Peter of his denial (13:31-38). He gave them a new commandment to love each other (13:34). He comforted and reminded his friends that he would always be with them. He made a promise to return for them to take them to their heavenly home one day (14:1-3). Jesus encouraged his disciples that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter He promised, would be coming soon and that the Spirit would give them all the power they needed to be his witnesses (14:15-18). He promised that he and the Father would come and actually take up residence in their hearts (14:23). Jesus promised them his peace, lasting peace (14:27). It may be helpful at this point in John’s account to pause, close your eyes and imagine leaving the upper room and walking with the disciples toward the Mount of Olives. As you walk along the path Jesus stops and calls your attention to a vineyard and one vine in particular and he begins to teach. Allow me to paraphrase. “I am like this grapevine. You are like these branches that are connected to it, to me. My Father is the one tending to us. He inspects the vine and goes to work. He makes a distinction between those branches, those individuals who appear to be believers and those who are truly mine. It’s not hard for the Father to make this distinction between those who belong to me and those who don’t. Those who belong to me obey me and bear fruit. Those who are not truly part of me do not obey me and therefore do not bear fruit. The vinedresser, my Father, cuts offs and throws away those branches that are useless. Then he cuts back those branches that are producing fruit so that they will be able to produce more. It’s my Father’s goal to make all those who are part of me more and more fruitful. This brings him greater and greater glory.” And then he looks at you and says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” You stop and ponder what this means. It’s crucial and Jesus wants those words to linger in your heart for a moment. Remain… He’s going away… but he wants me to remain connected to him. You don’t understand all the ramifications of his words in that moment but you know somehow that everything hinges on this command. If I remain in Jesus, he will remain in me. There’s a responsibility here isn’t there? You and I have a responsibility in this relationship. We are to remain in him. What exactly does that mean? It means we remain in faith. We hold firmly to the truth that Jesus is who he claimed to be…God’s Son and the Savior of the world. John would later write, “All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love” (1 John 4:15-16). Remaining in Christ is remaining steadfast in our faith, believing in Him, who he is and his love for us. Remaining in Jesus means we also continue to do what he says. Jesus said, “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me” (John 14:21) and “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love” (John 15:10). We cannot call ourselves disciples and ignore the teachings of Jesus. His commands are not suggestions and his disciples will take responsibility for personal obedience. Remaining in Jesus also means we relate to others in love. He said, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you” (John 15:12). Believe. Obey. Love. Jesus said, “But if you remain in me and MY WORDS REMAIN IN YOU, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples” (John 15:7-8). We are responsible to know Jesus’s teachings, his Word, his heart, and to align our hearts with his. When we do this we will pray effectively asking for what God truly wants to grant us because we ask for that which is good. When we remain in Jesus, He is able to produce much fruit in us, fruit that will last. What fruit are you seeing as a result of your relationship with Jesus? Galatians 5:22 tells us what this fruit looks like – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Is there anything in that list you are not experiencing as a result of your walk with Jesus? Let this be an encouragement to begin to ask God to “prune” or cut away those parts of you, those dead things, that need to go. We have a loving vinedresser already at work in us. Father, lift us up, clean us continually and cut away what You must. Teach us to remain in Jesus that we might bear much fruit. - Dennis Hounshell

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Raising children can be rewarding and exciting as well as challenging and sometimes just plain exhausting! How many times do we say the same thing over and over again to our children?! It can be as simple as eat your vegetables, brush your teeth, pick up your room. As our children mature, the dialogue changes to guiding them away from destructive behavior; teaching them to be good citizens; helping them learn the truths of God and praying they make our faith their own. All too quickly, our children are faced with challenges and they are forced to make choices that may test beliefs and family values. In our family history, we’ve had great victories as well as encounters that did not go as we would have hoped. We found noble intentions and the knowledge between right and wrong was usually not lost. However, the old proverb “We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions” became a defense and a justification of our mistakes. All four gospel accounts describe the last few days and hours of Christ’s walk here on earth. Each is from a unique perspective with similarities as well as distinct differences. The book of John is particularly rich in the actual words of our Lord. (John 14: 25-31) Like a parent sitting around the dinner table, Jesus repeats words He spoke so many times along His journey with the disciples. He showers them with blessings, reminders, instructions, promises, commands. Reminding them that though He is leaving, they are NOT to be troubled. Jesus will overcome ‘the ruler of the world’ and when they see it come to pass, they will remember His words and believe! Jesus reminded them of the promise of a Helper, a Comforter, an Advocate…One who will teach and even bring to mind all He had previously taught. I can imagine myself sitting at the table while our Lord speaks. I find my heart and soul pierced to the point of tears as I reflect upon the beautiful words from our Savior. I can hear myself joining with each disciple as they promise to stay firm and follow Him to the end - intentions strong, true, noble, sincere, honest and genuine! I wonder if I would even side with Peter as he argued with Jesus after he hears they would all fall away and forsake Him. Although the disciples believed they would keep the promises made, each one of them abandoned Jesus in His hour of suffering. (Matthew 26:30-35) Peter failed further by denying even knowing Jesus. Although they had a perfect Teacher, they failed to understand him correctly. Nevertheless, Jesus used them. God in His mercy forgave them and resurrected their faith! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, their faith was revived and it stood strong. Their ultimate spiritual success was a result of God’s work, not human achievement. Just like Jesus’ followers, without the power of His Holy Spirit, we all too often stumble and fall. May we learn from their example and consider words by Watchman Nee: “Outside of Christ, I am only a sinner, but in Christ, I am saved. Outside of Christ, I am empty; in Christ, I am full. Outside of Christ, I am weak; in Christ, I am strong. Outside of Christ, I cannot; in Christ, I am more than able. Outside of Christ, I have been defeated; in Christ, I am already victorious. How meaningful are the words, ‘in Christ.’" Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” - Cindy Cutler

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Message recap with Peter

By offering us peace, joy and faith Jesus gives us the solution to all the problems this world faces. Not by fixing the issues, but by getting to the symptoms of the issues.

Join us for our time of teaching together.

Join us for our time of teaching together.

It was a cold and dark Saturday morning, 5:30 am, December 3, 2011. I sat scared in my car on the parking lot of Watered Gardens Gospel Rescue Mission. My mom’s church served a monthly breakfast there, and she needed help that morning. People were milling around the grounds, smoking & drinking coffee. I worried that these people who looked, smelled and acted differently would rob or proposition me when I got out of my car. Couldn’t they tell I came here to do a good Christian thing and bless them?! Yes, the enemy was already working on me before I even entered the building. When breakfast was ready, we prayed & started serving. As the sleepy shelter guests lined up, I confronted my fear, smiled and said, “Good morning!” as I looked into the eyes of every face as I handed each of them their plate. My heart started to swell with every “Thank you,” and I found myself holding back tears. These people weren’t different. They were just like everyone else. They were just broken in a more public way – a way the world finds easy to judge and condemn. I could barely contain myself, and when breakfast was over, I said a hurried goodbye to my mom as I ran to my car. I then cried all the way home. I had this overwhelming desire to go back and serve there. I’d never felt the Holy Spirit stir so powerfully in my soul; I wanted to share the Good News of Jesus, to share His love and hope! When I got home, my husband looked at me and asked, “What happened? Why have you been crying?” I told him I didn’t know what happened to me, but I had to go back to the mission. To serve there. To love people. To share God’s love & hope! I sat down and immediately penned 10 pages of ideas to raise funds for the mission and to share meaningful opportunities with the Church to get involved at the mission. The options were truly endless! - Ruth Willoughby, Outreach Coordinator, Watered Gardens Gospel Rescue, May Mission Of The Month

Message recap with Mark

Join us for our time of teaching together.

Heaven is not a one day thing, it is a today thing.

Message recap with Mark

We all have a place at Jesus’ Table. That table has an infinite number of leaves because Jesus invited us and paid the price so we could be there.

Sermon recap with Elijah

Christianity isn't just a change in lifestyle, it is a change in nature.

Join us for the message.

Join us for this morning’s message.

Message recap with Peter

Join us for our time of teaching together.

By offering us peace, joy and faith Jesus gives us the solution to all the problems this world faces. Not by fixing the issues, but by getting to the symptoms of the issues.