Powell Butte Christian Church

ADVENT 2020 - A White Christmas Week 4: THE GREAT WHITE THRONE

Church - you know I tend to not be a hellfire and brimstone preacher. I believe that when you give people a taste of the Lord they will see for themselves that He is good, and then their decision to accept Jesus in order to make things right with their Creator is based on God’s goodness and kindness and the amazing Kingdom He has called us to live in - both here and in eternity. I don’t like to talk about salvation as mere “fire insurance,” because it doesn’t make sense to me to scare people...

ADVENT 2020 - A White Christmas Week 3: SNOW WHITE

This, our third week of Advent, a time of preparing our hearts for the celebration of Jesus coming into our world, is focused on another of those items in scripture that are white. Remember, this series is entitled White Christmas. We have these brilliant white decorations up here as a way of focusing on new beginnings, clean slates, etc. And none of the mentions of white in Scripture deal better with cleanliness and freshness than today’s focus: SNOW. Our main scripture today comes from Ps...

ADVENT 2020 - A White Christmas Week 2: MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB

This Christmas season for our Advent series it’s a WHITE CHRISTMAS! And we are looking each week at another thing found in God’s Word that are white - and what they represent. Last week we focus on the Christmas Light - the Light of the World coming into a dark world - and what a great thing to celebrate...not just in December, but throughout the year, throughout our lives. What other things found in scripture are white? This morning I want to show you the purity and the unblemished state o...

ADVENT 2020 - A White Christmas Week 2: MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB

This Christmas season for our Advent series it’s a WHITE CHRISTMAS! And we are looking each week at another thing found in God’s Word that are white - and what they represent. Last week we focus on the Christmas Light - the Light of the World coming into a dark world - and what a great thing to celebrate...not just in December, but throughout the year, throughout our lives. What other things found in scripture are white? This morning I want to show you the purity and the unblemished state o...

ADVENT 2020 - A White Christmas Week 1: LET THERE BE LIGHT

Have you ever stopped to think what Christmas would be like without light? Lights are significant - integral part of the celebration of Jesus coming into the world. Turn with me to John 1:1-9  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. Today starts ADVENT season - a time of preparing our heart to celebrate the true light that dawned on this dark world. And as you can see, this year the decorating team decided it would be best to go with all white as a symbol o...

ADVENT 2020 - A White Christmas Week 1: LET THERE BE LIGHT

Have you ever stopped to think what Christmas would be like without light? Lights are significant - integral part of the celebration of Jesus coming into the world. Turn with me to John 1:1-9  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. Today starts ADVENT season - a time of preparing our heart to celebrate the true light that dawned on this dark world. And as you can see, this year the decorating team decided it would be best to go with all white as a symbol o...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 8: WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

What happens to a relationship when someone loses that “loving feeling?” I know that feelings change and we shouldn’t build any kind of relationship merely on FEELINGS. If you’ve been married any number of years you will know that feelings will come and go. The loving “feeling” isn’t strong enough to sustain a long-term relationship… BUT what about a loving “decision?” The love we read of in the New Testament is based more on a selfless decision to love no matter what - and THAT has proven t...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 8: WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

What happens to a relationship when someone loses that “loving feeling?” I know that feelings change and we shouldn’t build any kind of relationship merely on FEELINGS. If you’ve been married any number of years you will know that feelings will come and go. The loving “feeling” isn’t strong enough to sustain a long-term relationship… BUT what about a loving “decision?” The love we read of in the New Testament is based more on a selfless decision to love no matter what - and THAT has proven t...

Answering When God Calls - Gideon - Judges 6

Associate Pastor Andy Buchanan

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 7: A CITY ON A HILL

What is it about light? LIGHT BRINGS SECURITY - Need the hall light on. Why? Because I was afraid of the dark. LIGHT BRINGS CLARITY - I won’t stumble if I can see the obstacles in front of me. LIGHT BRINGS GROWTH - Vitamin D, photosynthesis, etc. LIGHT REVEALS, IT REPELS, IT CAN EVEN DESTROY VIRUSES APPARENTLY (whonu?) In the OT, the Tabernacle, and then the Temple housed the instruments of worship. There was a table of showbread - 12 loaves, representing the 12 tribes of Israel; and br...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 7: A CITY ON A HILL

What is it about light? LIGHT BRINGS SECURITY - Need the hall light on. Why? Because I was afraid of the dark. LIGHT BRINGS CLARITY - I won’t stumble if I can see the obstacles in front of me. LIGHT BRINGS GROWTH - Vitamin D, photosynthesis, etc. LIGHT REVEALS, IT REPELS, IT CAN EVEN DESTROY VIRUSES APPARENTLY (whonu?) In the OT, the Tabernacle, and then the Temple housed the instruments of worship. There was a table of showbread - 12 loaves, representing the 12 tribes of Israel; and br...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 6: If The World Didn’t Give It...

Look around you and find seven other people. Including yourself, that makes 8 Christians, right? Open Doors just released their World Watch List for 2020 that shines a light on the level of persecution believers face in this world today, and in that report they tell us that the number is now over 260 million Christians – one of every eight believers – experience high levels of persecution. Almost 3000 followers of Christ were killed this past year for faith-related reasons. Folks, that's eig...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 5: BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING

I love symmetry! And the Gospel of Matthew is constructed in such a way to demonstrate a beautiful symmetry a LOT. Most of these fall under the Moses/Jesus parallel Which includes Mosaic Law and Sermon on the Mount The Penteteuch and the 5 major teachings of Jesus Perhaps that's what draws Matthew to Jesus. Jesus draws parallels as well. And he structures these Beatitudes in a fascinating way. Make a quick study and you'll see that the next 3 Beatitudes in Matthew 5 directly parallel the...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 4: STAY THIRSTY, MY FRIENDS

The 4th Beatitude. In our series on the Sermon on the Mount, we are beginning as Jesus did: with the blessings - or beatitudes - that he speaks to his followers. These statements of Kingdom character are like a tree. Roots are there in the first three blessings as we consider our relationship with God, and how we need his grace and forgiveness and power to even LIVE in the Kingdom.  Then this 4th Beatitude, this 4th characteristic of the citizen of the Upside Down Kingdom, is really like t...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 2: BROKEN HEARTS AND FRESH STARTS

Last week we began a series on the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) This week, Beatitude #2 - some think this is a paradox. BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN. Or - Happy are the Sad. What in the world?? Let’s take a closer look at the verse. "Blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4 Does this really mean that we should be happy when we’re sad, or sad when we’re happy? Does it mean that we go around looking like the frozen chosen, scowls on our face?  Actually - like...

UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM Week 1: BLESSED

This morning we start a series that will most likely take us through the end of the year. It’s a series that will take a close look at the best and quite possibly the most famous sermon ever: the Sermon on the Mount. Of course these few chapters in Matthew’s gospel are not the ONLY words Jesus used while teaching - but the Holy Spirit prompted Matthew to record them because they represent the bulk of what Jesus meant when he announced that the Kingdom of God was at hand. He had a mission, ye...

Pursuing Greatness Week 3 - 1 Timothy 4

Associate Pastor Andy Buchanan

Purity

Associate Pastor Andy Buchanan

Pursuing Greatness Week 2 - Purity

Associate Pastor Andy Buchanan

Real Greatness - Mark 10

Associate Pastor Andy Buchanan

FLANNELGRAPH FOUNDATIONS Week 10: The Woman at the Well - John 4

Youth Pastor Ethan Waud

FLANNELGRAPH FOUNDATIONS Week 9: “Can You Spot the Difference” Mark 5-6

Have you ever seen this little game: Can You Spot the Difference? I love that game! Today’s flannelgraph foundation story is all about Spotting the Difference in a couple of ways. I want you to do some detective work as I tell the story on our flannelgraph, and see if you can spot the differences in TWO SEPARATE PICTURES we see in the story of Jesus healing a demon-possessed man.  Now for those who doubt the existence of demons, or the dark spiritual realm and how it can influence us; for ...

FLANNELGRAPH FOUNDATIONS Week 8: “Hanging By a Thread” Joshua 2 and 6

Our main story today is actually a smaller story intertwined with another, bigger story that I want to tell you through Flannelgraph today…  And the walls came a-tumbling down. Except for part of one wall – a fact that, according to Answers in Genesis, has been confirmed by archeological digs in the ruins of ancient Jericho. A German excavation in the early 1900’s found that on the north side of the site of the ancient city there was a short stretch of the lower city wall that did not fall ...

FLANNELGRAPH FOUNDATIONS Week 7: “If You Want To Walk On Water” Matthew 14

It would be awesome to be able to walk on water, wouldn’t it? If there was a way for you to experience incredible things, would you do what was necessary in order to see those things happen? In this story there are three things I see that are needed in our lives in order for us to be able to walk on water, to see God work in ways we would never imagine, and to have our lives serve as a testimony for God’s protection, provision, and empowerment for work in His Kingdom.

FLANNELGRAPH FOUNDATIONS Week 5: “Won’t You Be a Neighbor” Luke 10:25-37

One day an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher - what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered: “You’re the expert in the Law...how do you interpret what it says?” And the expert in the law said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And you must love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said: “Cool. Then go do that and you’ll live.” But the man, wanting to find some kind of loophole, asked: “Yes, Teacher. But who is supposed to...

FLANNELGRAPH FOUNDATIONS Week 4: The Mountain of the Lord - Genesis 22

Mountains are significant. You don't pack up the fam and drive hundreds of miles to go to Magic Valley. You don't stand in line for 3.5 hours at Disneyland to ride Space Sidewalk. You don't cherish building top experiences. In the Sound of Music, the advice wasn’t to Climb Every Sand Dune. John Denver didn’t praise Rocky Rooftop High…  Mountain of the LORD – sounds impressive, right? Comes from OT prophecy - 2 places, in fact:: Isaiah 2 and Micah 4. And though these prophets were speaking of...

FLANNELGRAPH FOUNDATIONS - Week 3: Let the SON shine in - Mark 2 1-12

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man 2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat t...

FLANNELGRAPH FOUNDATIONS Week 1: I Want to See Jesus Luke 19

I want you to want to see Jesus. Our first story is about a man who desperately wanted to see Jesus, so much so that he really puts himself out there. Who is this man? You guessed it. Our guy today was an IRS agent in Israel - a Jewish man working for the Roman government - and if you think the reputation of OUR IRS agents is bad, you’re gonna find out that it was worse for this man named Zacchaeus..  What does the story of Zacchaeus  have to do with us?

“Show Yourself a Man” 1 Kings 2:2 FATHER’S DAY 2020

This Father’s Day morning I want to briefly address the men of PBCC. YOU MATTER. DADS MATTER. Our society has told you that you’re just a donor of genetic material. You have been relegated to an afterthought of the courts, an object of suspicion to the child welfare system, and a buffoon to the media outlets. But I believe that scripture models this principle for us: the more encouraged and supported the fathers in this country become, the better fathers they will become, and the better ou...

QUARANTINE: 40 Days of Spiritual Health and Hope Week 8 - "What Is Good" Micah 6:8

If only there was a way to know what is good… If only there was a way to know how GOD feels about George Floyd, the rioting, the anger, the lashing out, the racial tension, the perversion of justice, the oppression of people who are on the margins of our society… Wait a second… He has shown you, O Man - O Mortal - O Human, what is good. FaceBook tells me everyday how YOU feel about it (and I have friends on the extremes of this issue); but I want to assure you today that THISBOOK (the Bibl...

QUARANTINE: 40 Days of Spiritual Health and Hope Week 7 - Because He Lives

We are now at week 7 in a series entitled QUARANTINE - which means 40 days, looking at specific 40 day events found in Scripture. It’s been intriguing to see all the things we can learn in 40 days; to see how God brings about change in that amount of time… 40 days of rain. 40 of repentance. 40 days of relying on the Word of God. 40 days of resisting the humiliating taunts from the Philistine enemy. 40 days of drawing near to God amidst our exhaustion… But out of all those 40 day events fou...

QUARANTINE: 40 Days of Spiritual Health and Hope Week 6 - Under the Circumstances

It’s entirely possible that just about now you’re getting really tired of the coronavirus situation. I’m tired of staying inside so much, tired of the restrictions and the dumb ways people are implementing them (or NOT implementing them as the case may be. I'm tired of going into the bank looking like I’m part of the Hole in the Wall Gang. I’m tired of Zooming!! What do we do when we feel inundated, overwhelmed by life and BURIED by all the things we have to deal with.  How do we rise above...

QUARANTINE: 40 Days of Spiritual Health and Hope Week 5 - You Can't Go Back to Egypt!

So much has transpired in the days of the coronavirus: we’ve talked about watching what God is doing, listening for what God is teaching us, making His Word central in our lives, finding out what needs to be done away with that fails to bring glory to God… I hear a couple of things: 1 – we want this to be over (Yes, of course) 2 – we can hardly wait to go back to the way things used to be… AH! There’s the rub for me as your pastor. DISCLAIMER: Yes, I know what you mean. You want to get b...

QUARANTINE: 40 Days of Spiritual Health and Hope Week 4 - The Road to Revival

“Lord, let me out. You hurled me in here! I’m in the midst of seaweed wrapped around my head and stale water all around me. I know You can lift me up from this stench. I forgot You for awhile – but now I remember! I know that others cling to worthless idols. I know they turn their back on the grace that could be theirs. Even in this muck,I will sing a song of Thanksgiving because I know that it’s only You Who can save me. You!” And with those thoughts, Jonah, still in the belly of a great f...

QUARANTINE: 40 Days of Spiritual Health and Hope Week 3 - Not By Bread Alone

So, where’s your focus right now? On things you’re missing? I’m sure your list is growing: Visiting parents, Hanging out with friends, Our “normal” routines: school, workplace, etc., Ministry I’ve told you this story before – it was on my way back into town on an early Sunday morning. I was in a bit of a rush… and all of a sudden I hit that dang red light there at Veterans and 97. I was inconvenienced, frustrated, a bit angry. I had just expressed my…uh…disappointment when I felt God movin...

QUARANTINE: 40 Days of Spiritual Health and Hope Week 2 - Floating But Not Forgotten - 1 Sam 17

QUARANTINE: 40 Days of Spiritual Health and Hope Week 1 - Getting Goliath Out of Your Head

A thought came to me this past week. Most of you have heard the 23rd Psalm read at some point – perhaps at a funeral, maybe in a sermon.  What caught my attention this past week was the phrase “He makes me lie down.” On Sunday, someone shared with me that one perspective of my injury was that it MIGHT have been God’s way of getting my attention during this pandemic, and the quarantine conditions we have been forced into. I guess if you would have asked my wife, before my injury, I wasn’t r...

Easter II - EMPTY PROMISES

2020 – an election year. You know what that means? Promises ever intended to REALLY be fulfilled. A cynic once said the way you can tell if a politician is lying is if he is moving his lips. From the opening story, we can see that politicians aren’t the only ones who make empty promises. Satan – the enemy of God’s Kingdom – our adversary - is SKILLED at those kinds of lies.  Resurrection Sunday will forever stand as an example of a few empty promises the devil made to the world – or at lea...

Easter - Why the Grave Could Not Hold Him

Associate Pastor Andy Buchanan

Easter Sunrise Service

ID: IMAGO DEI – A Study in the books of 1 & 2 Thessalonians Week 5: WATCH

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE HAD A BAD DAY WHEN: You see a "Dateline” news team waiting in your driveway when you get home from work Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles You wake up and discover your waterbed broke and then realize that you don’t have a water bed. Your income tax check bounces. Your twin brother or sister forgets your birthday The bird singing outside your window is a buzzard. It’s REALLY a bad day when you come to a point of your faith where you really do...

ID: IMAGO DEI – A Study in the book of 1 Thessalonians Week 4: HOPE

The year was 1988. I was in Bible College and many of my peers were all abuzz. This was supposed to be the year of Jesus’ return. There had been a book written entitled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. Experts watched the signs they felt so sure of. People sold their homes, liquidated their assets and waited…  Folks - just STOP IT, would ya?? I’m thinking that MAYBE we don’t really have a clue as to when the end of the world will occur… Sounds like I’m being cynical. But please u...

ID: IMAGO DEI – A Study in the book of 1 Thessalonians Week 3: SHINE

 I remember when one of our elders, Scott, showed me the news of the shut-down of the NBA. No more basketball. Frustrating. Then no March Madness. Righteous indignation! 😊  Then the shut down of large gatherings. My little sister, Talicia, is getting ready for her wedding on April 18. This is a big deal. 41 years old – never been married. TONS of people who love her coming to celebrate… not anymore.  I was angry at the news that churches had to shut down. The government, I argued, can’t te...

ID: IMAGO DEI – A Study in the book of 1 Thessalonians Week 2: FAITH

Pretend that you are travelling alone through a vast desert and have been for a while. You are weary and weak, and your canteen is empty. When you come across the strangest sight: there is a water pump standing alone in the desert and tied to it is a handwritten sign that reads "I have buried a bottle of water right here in the sand. The purpose of the water is to prime the pump. There’s just enough water to get the pump working properly, so do not drink any of it." "To get the pump working...

ID: IMAGO DEI – A Study in the book of 1 Thessalonians Week 1: IMPACT

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, would it make a noise? If PBCC were to close its doors this week and cease to exist as a church – would anyone notice? That’s a haunting question, isn’t it? At the heart of that question lies our purpose and identity as a church. Are we making a difference at all in our community? Is the gospel giving people hope? Are we sharing the love of Christ with the world? If this tree fell, would it make a noise? Often when you look at the letters...

Handling Church Conflict: Week 2 – Practicing Reconciliation Matthew 18

Last week we started a two-week look at church conflict. We saw from the book of Philemon how the potential for conflict in the church was there from the very beginning as the church was made up of people from all walks of life, all political persuasions, all races, all economic classes, even masters and slaves – all becoming disciples of Jesus, and having Jesus as the one thing in common. And because all of these people bring their humanity and brokenness and sinful natures with them into ...

Handling Church Conflict: Week 1 – The Priority of Reconciliation - Book of Philemon

Fights happen. Just because you’re a believer doesn’t mean you are immune to conflict in your relationships. Considering the church: comprised of all SORTS of people. In speaking of the church, Paul declares to the believers in Colossae: Colossians 3:11-15a  Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothes yourselves with compassion, kindness, ...

Guest Speaker - PBCC Elder Cliff Roper

SERVANTS WHO LEAD / LEADERS WHO SERVE Week 4 – Follow the Leaders

“You’re‌ ‌not‌ ‌the‌ ‌boss‌ ‌of‌ ‌me”‌ ‌“You‌ ‌can’t‌ ‌tell‌ ‌me‌ ‌what‌ ‌to‌ ‌do.”‌ ‌Especially‌ ‌in‌ ‌Western‌ ‌culture,‌ ‌where‌ ‌we‌ ‌are‌ ‌used‌ ‌to‌ ‌having‌ ‌the‌ ‌right‌ ‌to‌ ‌do‌ ‌what‌ ‌we‌ ‌want‌ ‌to‌ ‌do,‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌difficult‌ ‌to‌ ‌submit‌ ‌to‌ ‌authority.‌ ‌ But‌ ‌as‌ ‌Christians,‌ ‌the‌ ‌whole‌ ‌idea‌ ‌of‌ ‌Lordship‌ ‌involves‌ ‌submitting‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌correct‌ ‌perspective‌ ‌of‌ ‌authority.

SERVANTS WHO LEAD / LEADERS WHO SERVE: Week 3 - The RESPONSIBILITY of Deacons

If you recall our mission statement: You’ll see that we tend to focus in on 75% of the mission a lot. -   “Greeting time” – designed to give you an initial connection (hope it deepens) -   “Newcomers gatherings” -   GO Moments, Mission Sunday -   Lots of classes to help you grow. But what about “equipping them to SERVE?