Aliquippa Christian Assembly

Today we worshiped at Aliquippa Christian Assembly, 166 West Shaffer Road, Aliquippa, PA 15001 724.775.9101, www.aliquippachristianassembly.org, Pastor John Bannon.

Scripture – NKJV

Ephesians 2:8-10 –

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Romans 5:15-18 –

But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

Romans 8:1 –

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Romans 6:14 –

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Hebrews 7:26-28 –

For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

Romans 8:15-16 –

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Galatians 3:13-14 –

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

2 Corinthians 5:21 –

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Ephesians 2:4-9 –

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Galatians 3:13-14 – MSG –

Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it.

Deuteronomy 28:3-13 –

“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

“Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

“Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

“Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

“The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

“The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

“The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.”

Psalm 84:10-12 –

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Bob’s thoughts:

As we tried to decide where to worship today, I remembered this church as being hard to find. Sure enough, the GPS dead-ended us in a residential area, but my navigator got us back on track in time.

                        

We were welcomed often from the door to the sanctuary. We both peaked early on standing to sing, and I had a first: a woman came in to sit in front of us and inquired if I would be able to see okay with her there.

From the rear of the sanctuary the blocks that form the impressive cross look like wood, so I had to stop after the service to confirm the construction. The chancel/stage has the welcoming look of a living room.

The choir seemed to struggle a bit like a traditional choir with praise songs, but warmed up with a rousing song at the offering.

Seeing some of the words on the screen was challenging because they consisted of white letters over white water scenes.

A lot of Scripture was quoted in the message but I had trouble finding it in time; I usually need to know the book before the chapter and verse.

The message was well supported by Scripture; one important thought was our ability to resist temptation to sin with help from the Holy Spirit.

Following the sermon there was an altar call that didn’t seem hurried at all.

We had a great visit with the pastor after the service. I also got to meet a Marine and a daughter of a Marine, which is always a highlight for me.

I was delighted to hear there is a prayer ministry in place to have those who are shut in praying for those with needs. This is something I feel God encouraging me to suggest to the churches we visit.

I would encourage signage further out at the main road. There are people out there that need this church and don’t know it’s here.

Jan’s thoughts:

It has been seven years since our last visit here. We were greeted as we entered the door and by numerous others before, during, and after worship.

The spacious lobby seemed empty, probably due to preparation for Christmas decorating after the service. The worship area is large with well-spaced, comfortable chairs. The chancel had a living room-type feel to it because of two chairs, and it’s all nicely coordinated.

The voices of the praise band blended beautifully. I knew none of the five songs at the beginning, but I thought the one sang as the offering was taken, The River, was inspiring.

The pastor used numerous Scripture references to illustrate his point that grace is God’s free gift, the source of salvation which is already accomplished at the cross. Because God the Father took out His wrath on His Son on the cross, He is no longer angry with those who believe and we can therefore expect good from God, not wrath.

But it’s not about us…it’s all about Jesus. He willingly gave His life to ransom all who would accept His gift of forgiveness. He was the only one who could possibly accomplish this mission. He is the key, and by believing in Him, we are set free. Hallelujah!

We appreciated the extended conversation with the pastor following worship.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray for Your continued Presence as this congregation works to impact their neighborhood with the Good News. Amen.