Posts by Natalie Wierenga
November 22, 2023 Midweek Update
Dear Brothers and Sisters, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). We could spend our whole lives listing out things to be thankful for as believers, and we would never get to the bottom of the list, because God’s gifts to us are infinite.…
Midweek Update Oct. 18, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, The book of Hebrews is one of the most theologically rich books in all the New Testament, but it is also a book that is immensely practical. In our passage for this Sunday, Hebrews 12:12-17, the author is very specific about how we are to put into practice what he has been preaching. He calls us, for example, to “[s]trive for peace with…
Midweek Update: September 13, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, The dominant theme that ran through Sunday’s worship service and Vision Campaign presentation was the faithfulness of God. Our God is faithful at all times and in all circumstances. During the Vision Campaign presentation, I shared from Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are…
Midweek Update – August 9, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, One pattern that we see in several of the New Testament letters is the movement from explanation to application. Another way you could put this is the move from indicative to imperative, or, perhaps, from precept to practice. In the passage for this Sunday in our series The Glory of Christ, there is a grand transition in Hebrews from focusing on…
Midweek Update – August 2, 2023
Dear Faith Community Church Family, Thank you for your prayers for our family’s safety as we traveled. We enjoyed our time with my parents and siblings and were refreshed as we had the opportunity to take in the beautiful views of the gulf coast. I am looking forward to worshipping with you this Lord’s Day. On Sunday, we will turn our attention to Hebrews 10:1-18, where…
Midweek Update July 19, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters: This past Sunday Pastor Rhett preached from Hebrews 9:23-28 about the sacrifice Christ offered once and for all. Through His sacrifice we are guaranteed that Jesus intercedes for us, we are guaranteed forgiveness of sin, and we are guaranteed that Jesus will return for His people. Pastor asked us the question: “Are you longing for the return of…
Midweek Update July 5
Hebrews 9:12 states the following regarding Jesus’s work on our behalf: “[H]e entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” The author is emphasizing the contrast between the limited effectiveness of sacrifices under the Old Covenant (which had to be made…
Midweek Update: June 14, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Do you know how Hebrews 7 describes the salvation Jesus provides for his people? Hebrews describes it as a thoroughly complete salvation. We are told in Hebrews 7:25 that Jesus is “able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” This is an “uttermost”, unlimited…
May 17 Midweek Update
This past week we were led in worship by Rev. Andy Iversen. As we studied Romans 8:1-4, we see that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. Christ has fulfilled the righteous requirement that we could not. We are in Christ and free of the law of sin and death. Let us walk according to the spirit with this life in Christ by setting our minds on the things of the…
Midweek Update: Feb. 2, 2023
Dear Faith Community Church Family, One of the most comforting truths that we see in the book of Hebrews is that Jesus is with us and for us in the Christian life. In other words, when we believe in Jesus, we are given a Savior who not only covers our sin with his own blood, but also actively helps us and aids us in every part of our Christian journey. Hebrews 2:18 says,…
Midweek Update: January 25
Dear Brothers and Sisters, In our sermon series in Hebrews, we’ve talked about the importance of staying faithful by staying focused on Jesus. In this week’s sermon text the author emphasizes the critical nature of not drifting away from the foundations of the Gospel: “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from…
Midweek Update: January 18
Our God supplies everything we need to remain faithful in the Christian life. In reference to angels, Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” The angels are called here “ministering spirits,” but who are those “who are to inherit salvation”? The answer is us! Here we see that our God…
November 23, 2022 Midweek Update
Happy Thanksgiving! “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is…