In the fourth week of the "Stories" series, Pastor Andrew Zemianek puts a spotlight on the main reason behind the story of the woman at the well. Jesus' offer of living water was so appealing to her because she was tired of coming to the well by herself due to her reputation which caused her to be cast out by the others in her community. Through this story, Jesus shows not only His knowledge of our pasts, which He could not have were He not the true son of God, but His willingness to associate with us in spite of them. Jesus not only gave her hope, but He gave her a testimony to bring to the rest of her community. This story exemplifies the true heart of Jesus which is to give us hope & a future; dwelling in your past only keeps you from helping to influence someone else's future.
Stories: Week 3
In the third week of the "Stories" series, Pastor Nathan Gagne speaks about the origin of baptism. Even Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist as a show of His faith & dedication to living for His father. Baptism is a step taken to outwardly acknowledge & profess Jesus as one's Lord & Savior; it's a commitment to try to live by example for those who might not know His love & forgiveness. Although it may seem like a far off biblical principle, baptism is still practiced today throughout the world. This point was accentuated by the sharing of testimonies of those being baptized at the conclusion of this (live) message.
Stories: Week 2
In the second week of the "Stories" series, Pastor Nathan Gagne shares from Luke 8 in which Jesus calms the raging storm. The disciples knew Jesus' miracles but they didn't realize the true depth of His power. Jesus responded by asking them where their faith was. Part of the reason Jesus does miracles isn't simply to help the blind or lame, but to show us that walking with Him opens up more possibilities than we can imagine.
Stories: Week 1
In the first week of the "Stories" series, Pastor Nathan Gagne begins sharing the stories of Jesus as many have an image of Jesus without any context. We have all likely seen countless pictures of Jesus, but do they tell us about His character? Through the stories in the bible recounting Jesus' life, we begin to see the content of His character. Jesus turns no one away & is friend to the friendless; exemplified by the passage in Luke 7 in which He admonishes the Pharises for believing a prostitute's sins are worse than theirs. None of us are guiltless, but Jesus allows us to come, no matter our sin or reputation.
Fear Not: Week 3
In the final week of the "Fear Not" series, Pastor Nathan Gagne reads from Philippians 4 in which Paul instructs us to be anxious about nothing instead relying on prayer, supplication (earnestly asking), thanksgiving and making requests known. In this way, our faith is grown as we allow Jesus to reveal our potential once we leave our comfort zone. Anxiety is an ailment many deal with, however, it keeps us from reaching out as it keeps our minds preoccupied with our needs & how we will ever hope to meet them rather than the needs of others & how we can show them the hope we've found that meets our needs.
Fear Not: Week 2
In the second week of the "Fear Not" series, Pastor Andrew Zemianek expands on the idea that faith & fear cannot coexist. He shares examples from his own life regarding fears he has had, both rational & irrational, and how God comforts us in our anxieties. Pastor Andrew also mentions the story of Peter walking on water. Within the first few steps, he was at peace, keeping his eyes only on & trusting only in Jesus. However, as he starts to hear the wind & begins to rationalize what he is doing is "impossible", he begins to allow doubt & fear to overshadow his faith and inevitably calls out to Jesus to save him. If we exercise the faith God intended us to have, we will realize we have nothing to fear, because He is always with us. God pursues us relentlessly; even in our fears, storms, chaos.
Fear Not: Week 1
In the first installment of the "Fear Not" series, Pastor Nathan Gagne reads out of Luke 12; dispelling the myth that God will leave you when you need Him most or that He does not love you enough to care about the small details of your life. God tells us not to fear as it is His pleasure to help us. As Pastor Nate points out, "you cannot follow God if you're following fear". A life of faith will not be without struggle, however, He will always be with you & will help if you ask it of Him. At times, we don't ask for God's help because we feel guilty for getting ourselves where we are in the first place or because we are ashamed. What we must remember is that He knows everything about us, every shameful detail, but yet, it's still His good pleasure to give to us; His children whom He loves.
Skeptic: Week 5
In this final installment of the "Skeptic" series, we are equated to King Solomon, in that, even the wisest among us can have our devotion to God diminished due to other things in our lives which we give our attention to. For Solomon, rich as he was, his many wives & concubines were his undoing as they led him toward a belief in other gods. In Matthew 6, Jesus warns against trying to serve two masters; storing up treasures here on earth while our ultimate goal is heaven. Being asked to give of our money can serve as a rationalization for our skepticism, however, even Jesus had financial support in His ministry while on earth.
Skeptic: Week 4
In this fourth week of the "Skeptic" series, Pastor Nathan Gagne reads from John 6 revealing that some of those following Jesus were doing it for what they could gain & not that they necessarily believed in him. After the miracle of the loaves & fish, Jesus found He had a large following, He made it clearly apparent to them what it meant to truly follow Him & many left. Peter, one of the 12 disciples spoke for them saying, 'to whom would we go? Only You bring the words of eternal life'. Although wrestling with skepticism is something most will encounter throughout their lifetime, as Peter states, there is no other way to eternal life but through Jesus.
Skeptic: Week 3
In the third week of the "Skeptic" series, Pastor Nathan Gagne reads from the book of James underscoring how even Jesus' closest family members were skeptical of His teachings throughout much of His time on earth. Eventually, Jesus' brothers began to believe in Him, however, Jesus had love them even when they didn't believe in Him & to help them walk through a season of skepticism. In Pastor Nate's own experience, a close aunt came to Easter service & received Christ one year to remain skeptical & investigative throughout the remainder of her life. Skepticism is not something to be hushed up but to be explored; keep asking questions & keep an open mind to the testimonies of others.
Skeptic:Week 2
In the second week of the "Skeptic" series, Pastor Andrew Zemianek shares of his time as an atheist in his early teen years & how the love of his mother & the persistence of her faith in spite of their differing world views eventually brought him back to a life of faith. He expounds on the human longing to understand how & why we were created. Conventional science seeks an exclusionary definition in regard to faith whereas, in Pastor Andrew's perspective, he has been able to find an inclusive definition.
Skeptic: Week 1
In the first week of the "Skeptic" series, Alycia Wood of Ravi Zacaharias International Ministries, relates Christianity to other religions; specifically exemplifying the forgiving, just, personal, self-sacrificing nature of God as Christians believe Him to be. Whereas other religions believe in many different gods or less personal relationships with God, Christians believe in a God who cared enough to come to earth to die on a cross to avert their punishment. Alycia intertwines pieces of her personal experience with scholarly writings and examinations of what she calls 'the human condition'.
Keep Moving Forward Toward Legacy
Pastor Nathan Gagne revisits some of Restoration Church's core values, keep moving forward & legacy, in this stand alone message as the new Plymouth location is officially incorporated. As he celebrates 6 years as Lead Pastor, he speaks of the floor set for this generation at the ceiling of the last. It is our prerogative to keep moving forward toward leaving a legacy for the next generation to build on as well. The incorporation of a new location & talk of launching a 3rd are the foundation of that mission, encompassing the vision of Restoration Church; just one more.
Does God Damn? Week 4
Following a few words from Mike Chase, missionary to Taiwan, and a big announcement concerning the future of Restoration Church, Pastor Nathan Gagne wraps up the "Does God Damn?" series. In the 4th & final chapter of the book of Jonah, God causes a shade plant to grow above Jonah's camp on the outskirts of Ninevah just to cause it to wither. God then uses Jonah's own disgruntlement over the withering of the plant (the dissolving of his comfort) as an illustration for his selfishness in being unwilling to take up God's call to reach the 120,000 people of Ninevah who are destined for hell without intervention. Although we aren't all called to be missionaries or prophets, at some point we will all have to leave our comfort zone to accomplish God's will. Are you willing?
Does God Damn? Week 3
In this third installment of the series, "Does God Damn?" in which we are exploring the life of Jonah & the path he initially takes away from God's will, Pastor Nathan Gagne walks us through how Jonah eventually ended up at rock bottom in the belly of a fish after being thrown of a boat. At any point, Jonah could have repented (Turned back to God) & the storm would have calmed meaning he never would have had to endure three days in the fish's belly. But, as Pastor Nate stated last week, "Running from God never brings you anywhere you want to go" which was followed up by this statement this week, "pride keeps us in places outside of God's will". Jonah was too proud to bring the Good News to the sinning people of Ninevah; are you too proud to follow God where He's leading you?
Does God Damn? Week 2
In the second week of the, "Does God Damn?" series, Pastor Nathan Gagne reads from the book of Jonah; focusing on the reason why Jonah ran from God's call on his life. Jonah ran not because he was afraid to speak publicly about God, but because he believed the Ninevites were too corrupt to be saved. One's willingness to share God's redemptive power should not hinge upon their opinions of others but on their knowledge of what God rescued them from. "If you think that God could only rescue you & nobody else, then you think too highly of yourself & too little of the cross."
Does God Damn? Week 1
Anthems: Week 5
In the final installment of the Anthems series, Pastor Nathan Gagne reviews King David's praises to God in the Psalms and contrasts them against Post Malone's praise of himself in the contemporary song, "Congratulations". The message of the contemporary song being that once one has "made it", they should revel in the congratulations of those who did not believe in them from the beginning. However, in the Psalms, David encourages that God be praised in all seasons of life, as He is the One who brings us through all the challenges in life and sets us up for success.
Anthems: Week 3
"If we are in the midst of upheaval, we are in the moment of opportunity." - Pastor Andrew Zemianek. In this 3rd installment of the Anthems series, Pastor Andrew relates Ed Sheeran's song 'Castle on the Hill" to Psalm 27 in which David reminds us that in every dark situation, there is light. Pastor Andrew goes on to share a personal situation in which he thought he would lose his grandmother & his girlfriend in the same weekend. However, the dark situation of his grandmother's hospitalization actually worked to bring him closer to his then girlfriend, now wife. When we choose to see our light, Jesus, in the dark situations as Ed Sheeran chose to remember the castle on the hill, a positive memory from his childhood as opposed to the negatives, we are much more likely to receive the blessings God has for us.
Anthems: Week 2
Continuing the Anthems series in which chart-topping songs are compared to the Psalms, Deacon Mike Younus compares the song, "Believer" by Imagine Dragons with the passage in Psalm 69 which speaks of King David's request for encouragement within his pain. The lead singer of Imagine Dragons sings about his struggles with both emotional & physical pain but how through it, he has become who he is. Similarly, King David states in the Psalm that God admires those who can be thankful even in times of pain & trial. Pain is unavoidable within our lives, however, how you react to it will determine the road it leads you down.