Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien May 26, 2024 INTRO Good morning. Good to be with you today. Let me begin with a story. It all began when he was just a boy. He and his friends stole some pears from a neighbor’s pear tree. He “relished and enjoyed” the taste of that juicy pear, and the seeds of some dark thought began to sprout in his mind: I can have whatever I want; I can just take it; and boy does it taste good! But what he quickly realized was that a few pears weren’t enough. They tasted good, sure, but soon he started to seek out more extreme things. By the time he was a young adult ..read more

Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien May 19, 2024 INTRO Good morning everyone. I want to start with two quick personal updates: Just want to say thank you for making it possible for me to participate in the commencement ceremony at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School last weekend. I’ve been working on this doctoral program for the last 5 years, so it feels great to be done! Many of you helped me! Sarah and the girls were there, as well as my parents. (SLIDE 2) It was extra special because my dad is now the president of Trinity, so he was the commencement speaker and he got to hand the diplom ..read more

Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien May 5, 2024 INTRO Good morning! We’re continuing to work our way through the book of Acts as we see the incredible things that God was doing during the early days of the church. One of the most important themes we are seeing come into focus in these early chapters is that there is opposition and all kinds of pitfalls or problems that endangered the infant Christian church in Jerusalem. These issues are not merely neutral or innocent in nature. Peter made it very clear when he confronted Ananias and Sapphira that the powers of evil are at work to undermi ..read more

Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien April 28, 2024 INTRO Good morning! We working our way through the book of Acts, and today we come to the second of three confrontations between the Apostles and the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. As we look at our text today, we need to remember the original commission from Jesus for his disciples in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” If you look at the Series Overview document I created, which is linked on your no ..read more

Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien April 21, 2024 INTRO Good morning! We are in our series in the book of Acts called “To the Ends of the Earth” and we have already seen the early church encounter some opposition. There have been threats from the outside that have tried the keep these early believers from speaking in the name of Jesus. Now we come to a passage where the church faces the internal threat of lies and deceit. Here we are at the very beginning of the church, and as Luke the historian records the words and actions of these early believers, he doesn’t hide their flaws or choose to ..read more

Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien April 14, 2024 INTRO Good morning! I’m excited to continue our series in the book of Acts entitled “To the Ends of the Earth.” A talked with a few people who drove south to be able to see the totality, which is the full blocking of the sun by the moon that is only visible from a very small area of only 115 miles wide in what is called the umbra. This is what the umbra looked like from space. (SLIDE 3) The fact that a total solar eclipse happens at all is incredible and it is evidence of God’s power and his goodness. Here’s why: the moon is 400 times small ..read more

Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien March 24, 2024 INTRO Good morning! We are beginning a new series today. For the next 6 months we will be studying the book of Acts. We are calling this series “To the Ends of the Earth” and today’s message will kick off our study with a foundation-setting passage that defines the central missionary task of the church. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is this: Join in the mission of God through the saving work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to spread the rule and reign of Jesus as God calls and redeems people from every nation, tribe ..read more

Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien March 17, 2024 INTRO Good morning! I’d like to begin this morning by teaching you a little church history. Today is St. Patrick’s Day. I want to tell you about the real Patrick. Born in Roman occupied Britain in 389 AD, the same time period of the famous theologian Augustine, Patrick’s original name was Magonus, which means “servant-boy.” He was taught about Christ as a small child because his father and grandfather were active in the church, yet he didn’t have much of an active faith himself. At age 16, Patrick was kidnapped by pirates and taken across ..read more

Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien March 10, 2024 INTRO Good morning! Before we get started, I want to give a quick report on a special opportunity I had on Wednesday this week. I was invited to join 4 other pastors from Hastings through Minnesota Family Council’s Church Ambassador Network to go to the Minnesota State Capitol to go door-to-door to pray with state representatives and state senators. (SLIDE 2) You all know, this is a polarizing time and there has recently been a lot of radical legislation in Minnesota. Our governmental systems are a mess, and this is a critical moment in his ..read more

Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien March 3, 2024 INTRO Good morning! A quick report from the Men’s Retreat: We had a three-hour game of floor hockey on Friday night, and I’m super sore today! Everyone is having a great time, and we have had wonderful times of fellowship, Bible study, and activity. ILLUST — I remember being in a similar position when I first arrive in San Francisco to do church planting work in 2013. I was young, inexperienced, unsure of myself, and worried that I would fail. I had wonderful mentors who came alongside me and helped provide guidance to understand the proper pe ..read more