Northgate Christian Community

Guest speaker Bishop Tommy Reid speaks today on how God works in a sinful world today just as He did in Jesus' time. Although the culture of America has changed greatly in recent years, Bishop Reid reminds us that Jesus came into a world controlled by secular principals as well. While we may long for the day when Christ's law reigns over all the Earth, we can still love the people around us unconditionally without compromising ourselves.

As part of a series of sermons leading up the walls coming down at Northgate, Pastor Jon spoke on the topic of breakthrough. Taking examples from two men of God, David and Jonathan, Pastor Jon illustrated how both men experienced breakthroughs in their lives from seemingly overwhelming circumstances (Read: 1 Chronicles 14:10-13, 1 Samuel 14:1-2). Their lives illustrated how we too can overcome barriers in our own lives through 1) learning to be worshipper 2) listening to the Lord 3) prayer and 4) dependency on God. God wants us to step out in courage and breakthrough the obstacles/walls in our lives and experience a life of abundance in Him.

Pastor Jon broke his message into two parts; reflecting about the history and plans of Northgate in the first half of the message, then he directed the second half of the message towards the actions and thought process of the disciples in the story from Matthew where the food of one boy was multiplied exponentially to feed an enormous group of people. Jon also explained the story about how Pastor Bender’s vision from God was to see the church wall broken down to make room for an addition, a vision that will be fulfilled after his own passing. Jon concluded his message with a call to action for the congregation, asking the church to pray through what walls in their lives have been built up over the years that God is pressing into us to break down.

Jake and Rebecca shared their life story during their message, which included a journey of faith that led them from Liberty College in Lynchburg, Virginia to their roots in Buffalo. Though the journey wasn’t easy and had many difficulties along the way, they learned to open their hearts up to the purpose that God has in store for them. Their ultimate goal is to share Gods love with the Buffalo community; God put a specific vision on Jake’s heart to work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), where he will have an opportunity to minister to athletes and coaches in schools within the Buffalo community. They concluded their message with an encouraging hope and plan that God has placed on their hearts for the city of Buffalo, and believe that there will be many participants from various backgrounds that will play a pivotal role in the revival of faith and prosperity in Buffalo.

Pastor Penn Clark centered his message on the workings of the Holy Spirit and conveyed the fact that in some cases simple ten second decisions can have a profound influence, both positive and negative, on one’s life. He illustrated the story in Genesis 25 of Jacob and Esau, explaining that Esau’s entire inheritance was lost because of one meal, one moment of weakness. In contrast, Penn mentioned the story of Rebekah in Genesis 24. Rebekah could not have foreseen that one small decision to humble herself and offer hospitality to a man sitting with his camels would have such a lasting impact on her life. Penn wove in numerous personal experiences he had in his life where quick decisions led to amazing works by the Holy Spirit through Penn’s life and through the lives of those around him.

Penn Clark

Jon & Yolande continue to share on how to build bridges in our relationships.

Happy Father's Day!