Silver Creek Church

Today we look at a time when Jesus was physically in the wilderness and found Himself being tempted by Satan. From this account we can see there are times when God will lead us into the wilderness but it's for the purpose of His ultimate plan for our lives. Jesus was tempted in this place of barrenness but He clung to the words of Scripture to help Him through it. We can be encouraged by the example of Jesus on how to handle our times in the wilderness!

This morning we continue to look at the life of Moses, we see 5 things that we will all learn when we are in the middle of those wilderness times in our lives. The important thing to remember is this - whatever you are facing in front of you and whatever is behind you, you are not alone. Just as God did with the Israelites, He will go before us as He guides us through the wilderness!

There are times we find ourselves in a place resembling the wilderness and we're not sure how we got there or what we're doing there. Often times though, it's in those times that God is preparing us for some extraordinary. This morning we look at the story of Moses and the literal and figurative wilderness he found himself in and how God was using that time to prepare him for God's purpose for his life!

There are many arguments that people have tired to make over the centuries since Jesus' life that say He wasn't exactly who He said He was. They have tried to say the fulfillment of prophecies through His life were just a coincidence or that Scripture had been falsified or that Jesus intentionally made choices and decisions to fulfill Old Testament words about the Messiah. At the end of the day all those accusations are left as they began - empty. Instead, we continue to see irrefutable proof that Jesus was in fact the Son of God!

The story of Jesus' birth as celebrated at Christmas can bring up a number of questions or doubts in our hearts and minds. There is however, a great deal of proof from a historical perspective that shows us the validity of the Scripture account of Jesus' birth. While our faith in God is just that, faith, we can add these verifiable facts to what we what hold as truths as Christ followers!

As we continue to look at the scientific proof of the birth of Jesus, this morning Pastor Kevin looks at the archeological evidence that can be seen throughout history that helps corroborate what we read in Scripture. While it is thought that what can be found through archeology cannot prove or disprove spiritual truths, we do see that it can help to determine the validity of the facts that go to support those truths!

As we begin our series called "Believe", we're looking at the evidence of Jesus' birth - born to the virgin Mary just as Scripture said he did! Just because we aren't able to verify how it happened with our own eyes doesn't mean that it did not in fact pass The Eye Test from the historical witnesses that have verified what we read in Scripture!

Pastor Kevin continues this morning, giving us a few more Words to Live by from the book of Proverbs! Some of the most important words we can apply to our lives aren't that enjoyable, but they serve a greater purpose if we will let them!

The book of Proverbs as a whole is written much like a conversation between a father and son. As a father would give his son specific advice to live by, this morning we discuss a few of those important important words that we can all live by or that we should avoid all together!

As we continue to look at the words of Proverbs, this morning we look to answer a simple question - what's the difference between wisdom and folly? There are times in life where things that are wise seem foolish and others where thins that are foolish seem wise, so how can we tell them apart? Pastor Kevin compares the two and encourages us to weigh them in our own lives!

This morning we begin our November series called "Foolproof". Throughout the month we will look at the book of Proverbs and all it has for us with regards to wisdom. Pastor Kevin starts us off by looking at how wisdom is found and kept in the person of Jesus Christ. If we want wisdom, we must have a personal relationship with the one who holds it!

This morning we welcome a very special guest speaker as we conclude our Crucial Conversations series. Diane De La Santos is the Executive Director of City on a Hill in Milwaukee, WI. City on a Hill exists to save the children, reach the parents and change the city of Milwaukee! Diane shares the importance of listening to the still, small voice of God as He speaks to us on a daily basis and the eternal impact that can be made through that attentiveness!

Many of us know the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace but today we are challenged by the Crucial Conversation they had with King Nebuchadnezzar. They had every opportunity to abandon their convictions in favor of their own lives but they didn't do it! In fact, their crucial conversation with the king led to incredible changes for the people of Babylon!

As we look at Crucial Conversations, Pastor Kevin looks at the story of Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3. Nicodemus was in the Valley of Decision himself - even though he was a Pharisee, he was at a point where he was believing in who Jesus said He was! We should be ready when we encounter people who are looking for hope in their lives and are waiting for someone to introduce them to the love of Jesus!

This week we start our Crucial Conversations series and we start out by looking at the most crucal conversation in all of history! Eve's conversation with the serpent wasn't the act of disobedience that introduced sin into the world, but it was the gateway that led her to disobey what God had commanded her. Our conversations have more weight than we can imagine - put simply, your world can change with a conversation!

As we look to welcome back and encourage NMU students, staff and faculty this morning, NMU Chi Alpha Director Mike Murray shares an encouraging message from Mark 2. We are challenged by the faith of the friends who brought the paralyzed man before Jesus and their willingness to do anything to get him where he needed to be. How can we be like those determined men today, ultimately bringing others closer to Jesus?

It's no secret that more can be accomplished together than on our own and this is no clearer than when we, as Christ followers, attempt to make an impact on our world! It can seem scary and overwhelming but at the end of the day, God isn't looking for us to be superheroes, but rather willing to be part of His plan. Put simply, together we can change the world!

The theme of this month's messages is the fact that we are indeed better together! This morning, on Back to Church Sunday, we look at and celebrate the reality that as a group of Christ followers, we grow in strength alongside each other! The Church is a living, breathing, life giving organism and our involvement in it helps it grow stronger as well as ourselves!

There are times, as the church, that we misrepresent the message that God intended us to carry out. At it's core, God commands us to share His message of love. Not one of personal preference, judgement or hypocrisy, but love. At the end of the day, His plan is love and it's that love that binds us together as Christ followers.

We have a habit of secluding ourselves on a daily basis - often times it can be passed off as self-sufficient. when we allow that seclusion to happen we forget about the simple fact that God has created us to be better together! Sure we may feel insignificant at times, but together we come into a much greater picture. A single LEGO looks small and useless, but it is designed to be used with others and when it is, the possibilities of what can be made are endless. We can and should find peace as we experience life together!