Seasons

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A look back at the early church & a look back on this past year of our church. In this post we are going to look at some passages in Acts that describe the early church.  As we walk through these passages and unravel the story, I want to place another story alongside it. That … Continue reading Seasons

ONE: Call to Unity

FeaturedHalf-Million Mobilization

Last week I introduced the Vision Statement of the Church of the Nazarene, USA/Canada Region. We looked at the differences between Mission: Make Christlike Disciples in the Nations And VISION, or the way we live that out in our generation, in this day and age. There were 4 parts to the Vision for ministry here … Continue reading ONE: Call to Unity

ONE: From Mission to Vision

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Over a year ago, the USA/Canada Region of the Church of the Nazarene sought to understand God’s Vision for ministry in our present day and age. We know the mission: “Make Christlike Disciples in the Nations” but what is it specifically that God has called and equipped us for? (Original message written by Pastor Tim Fisher, Crossroads Community Church. Edited for local context and presented by Pastor Matt Angell of Viroqua Nazarene.)

Easter Text Message

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An Easter Sermon from Viroqua Nazarene. Click Here for the podcast of this message. “He is Risen.” “New Phone. Who Dis?” It’s Easter Sunday. People rushing around, dressing up in colorful outfits, going to lunch with their extended families. One would hope they would find themselves in a church, at some point. But why? To … Continue reading Easter Text Message

Palm Sunday Stump and the Hope of Regrowth

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They had waited. They had experienced other anointed ones. Told stories of those great figures of their past and the things they did to free and redeem the children of Israel, but somehow, they still ended back in exile, needing not just a savior, but the savior. Who did people put their hope in, looking for new life, but inevitably just left with a stump…the stump of Jesse? 

Tool Time (Isaiah 10)

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The bible has many exciting things, fanciful things even. Hands appearing out of nowhere in the book of Daniel and writing words on a wall. Donkeys rebuking their owner for hitting them. People tossed into fire and not burning up. But today’s message is about tools that talk back. That’s right! Have you ever been working with a tool and it malfunctions? Hammer slips and smashes your thumb! What a mean hammer! Or the powered screwdriver strips a screw and now you have to leave the screw there or cut it off? I don’t know about you, but I do have a propensity for not talking so nice to my tools when they act up. Today we will be looking at a tools that God used in the bible. Also what happened when that tool talked back.

A Poor Sermon About Poverty

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Today’s message is entitled “A Poor Sermon on Poverty.” It's not poor because it’s bad or anything…(well perhaps you can judge for yourself when you are done reading or listening to it.) But rather I want to talk about the reality of poverty and what the bible does say about this topic. The first thing might surprise you. In a society so outwardly focused on political policies that  herald themselves as a fix for poverty, Jesus gives us these comforting words: You will always have the poor among you.

The Right Prophet at the Right Time

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Now to start today’s post, we actually start 6 chapters into Isaiah. He has an amazing experience with God almighty, it changes his whole life and of course he lives to tell the tale. He became the Right Prophet at the right time. There are stunning similarities to Jesus, who not only was and is the King and Priest, but was the Perfect Prophet for all time. As we get further into this series, we will learn about the Righteous King, who rules with his sword of justice. We will see how God plans to direct his children back to him, but at the conclusion of today’s message it is my hope we will have some active understanding of what has been done for our salvation and what our response should be.

Listening For Your Calling

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I was at Northwestern Illinois weekend youth retreat - I was probably 9th or 10th grade Planned to go to a Christian college after highschool, but I wanted a clear direction as to what I would study before committing all that time and money. I prayed and prayed. Every chapel service I could, I would be down at the altar praying. There were times I wasn’t sure why I felt compelled to pray at the altar. Later I realized I was getting ready, getting quiet. Allowing myself to be available - listening to what God might say.

Healing Beyond the Walls

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Friends, do you want to know more about the God who can bring the Dead back to life? I sure hope so. Today we will look at a passage where Jesus performed his second miraculous sign, a sign of healing  - one that can’t simply be ignored. It can’t even be ignored by the hardest of hearts. My goals For this message are: to read and listen to The Scripture, reflect on it, then point out a couple big ideas from The passage that seem especially relevant to our current situation.

BackStory: The Unexpected Ending to Big Bad Ahab

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BackStory: Recapping King Saul and MiriamWeak Ahab looking bad, gets invaded.Ahab is handed a planArameans receive Bad IntelAhab fails to seal the dealA Troublesome TreatyAhab gets down and humbledWhat about your story? BackStory: Recapping King Saul and Miriam Over the past couple of weeks, we introduced this theme of backstory. Bible characters who we-for the … Continue reading BackStory: The Unexpected Ending to Big Bad Ahab

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Complaining – Part 3

Devotional -“ just unalive me now.” Preface: I recently learned that the term “unalive” (grammatical incorrect, I know) is used online in place of the word “kill.” Perhaps someone is trying to make a joke, but on the internet sarcasm doesn’t really translate…[like at all.]So they might use this term in place of kill. Additionally … Continue reading Complaining – Part 3

BackStory: No Guts, No Glory?

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Below is Sunday's message in blog-format. If you'd rather listen to the podcaast of this sermon, Click Here or use the Spotify Player at the end of this post. When read the words “King Saul” what comes to mind? Tyrant? Emotionally Unhinged? Angry and controlling? Cowardly? Disgraceful? King Saul was Israel’s first anointed king. Historically, … Continue reading BackStory: No Guts, No Glory?

Noel – Christmas Service

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Did you miss out on our Christmas Sunday Service? We've tried to recapture this service in blog form. to listen to the service in it's "entirity" CLICK HERE and listen on Spotify. Sing along, read along and reflect on "What God has Done!" Prelude: “ Come Thou Long-expected Jesus” Reading 158 “Our God Comes” “I … Continue reading Noel – Christmas Service

Noel – Light of the Word

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Mankind regularly finds itself in dark places. We need to see what is right before us, gain an understanding of our surroundings, our current situation. We need guidance, the light at the end of the tunnel that beckons us to better things. We need to be cleansed and purified from sin and unholiness. Jesus doesn't just point these things out to us,

Noel – Happy Birthday Songs

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Christmas 2022 Sermon Series Imagine for just a moment, it’s your special day. You’re having family and friends come over for dinner or perhaps joining them at a restaurant, and it’s all because you are celebrating your birthday. They are thankful for you, you are grateful to the Lord for another year to serve him … Continue reading Noel – Happy Birthday Songs

#SoBlessed – Jesus At Arm’s Length

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Today we are on week two of our series #SoBlessed. Last week we looked at the “Flip-side to blessing.” The very things we think seem to make us blessed, namely material possessions, actually hamper us from being truly blessed. We left off with this word - If Jesus says, “you’re blessed: take comfort. If he … Continue reading #SoBlessed – Jesus At Arm’s Length

Sanctifying Grace – Navigating the Gap

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Let's recap previous areas we've talked about on the Journey of Grace. This Journey to becoming made a disciple. The first stop along the way has been The Compelling Invitation. Someone's story, their life is so compelling we can't help ourselves. We reflected on the links from John the Baptist all the way to the … Continue reading Sanctifying Grace – Navigating the Gap

Saving Grace – “Different Stories, Same Need.”

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Thanks for joining us again at Viroqua Nazarene. We’re in this series called “Journey of Grace.” It’s all about discovering the Grace of God along your path to becoming more and more like his son, Jesus. And becoming more like Christ is the essential characteristic of a person called “Christian.” We talked two weeks ago … Continue reading Saving Grace – “Different Stories, Same Need.”

The Journey of Grace – The Compelling Invitation

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I'm going to start this new sermon series by addressing some criticism. It’s not personal to me or to our church, but rather criticism some folks have about the Christian Faith and Christian churches. The top criticism not believers and non-church goers have about church is that it’s filled with hypocrites. We hear this frequently, … Continue reading The Journey of Grace – The Compelling Invitation

UnComfortable: The Sins of the Father

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A Series on topics we'd rather not talk about. I’ve titled today’s message “The Sins of the Father.” Today we will look at several verses in the Bible that address this concept. Here’s something uncomfortable to start with: a cursory reading of them might lead you to believe they contradict one another. Where one insinuates … Continue reading UnComfortable: The Sins of the Father

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UnComfortable: “That is what some of you were”

A series discussing topics that we'd rather not. Uncomfortable topics. Out of all of them, today is one I am probably least comfortable with. Perhaps you are in the same boat. You know about this topic, you have beliefs about this topic, and perhaps you wouldn’t mind discussing it…but not in a church setting. That … Continue reading UnComfortable: “That is what some of you were”

UnComfortable: Port Authority

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I’m going to decide that the length of my shoe = 1 Foot, because ya know it’s 1 foot. One of my feet at least. This is not a standard that everyone can measure by. Some people have smaller feet and others, longer feet. If we determined the length of our church sanctuary using that form of measurement, using our own feet as the measurement for “1 foot,” we’d all come up with something different. This is an illustration of our world today. For many people, Truth is not absolute. There is no standard. No consistent measurement. And this is the problem. It was Pilate’s problem.

Proverbs 28 – Cloudy with a chance…

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“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.”Proverbs‬ ‭28:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Have you ever seen the movie, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?" It's about a young inventor who tries to use science to make it rain food. It sounds silly and of course … Continue reading Proverbs 28 – Cloudy with a chance…

Proverbs 29 – Justice For All?

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“By justice a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.”Proverbs‬ ‭29:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ For me this seems like a verse that can easily translate into our life. A Leader (king) who actually enforces the laws, supporting justice: all of that gives the area over which they lead - … Continue reading Proverbs 29 – Justice For All?