Seneca Community Church Messages

The internet is full of life hacks, shortcuts, tips to make your life simpler or easier. Some are great ideas, some are silly, some are a dead end. But why do we seek them out? Why are they so popular? The answer is simple - we don't want to waste our time! Time is a precious commodity and we want to spend it on what is important to us. Join us as we start our new message series, Life Hacks: When You Just Need a Better Way, and look at how following Christ and wanting His best for our lives affects how we use our time. If you have a chance, prepare by reading Ephesians 5:15-21.

Have you ever been in a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or really big storm? What happened? Would you consider that a good day or a bad day?  Join us for our final installment of Jesus Never Said That... - Part 4: "You won't have bad days." We will look at how Jesus never promised us that we would only have good days and how we can be thankful for that promise! If you have a chance, prepare by reading Matthew 7:24–29 (page 662 in an SCC chair rack Bible).

We're all familiar with the phrase, "caught with your hand in the cookie jar!" Has that ever happened to you - with an actual cookie jar or something else? What is your best "getting caught" story? Did you get what you deserved? The idea of getting what you deserve is popular in our society, isn't it? Think about a time when someone could have given you what you deserved, but they gave you grace instead. Then join us for Jesus Never Said That... Part 3, as we look at the Easter story and through Jesus' death and resurrection, see how God doesn't give us what we deserve.

3/29/2024 (Good Friday) - Jesus Never Said That... - Part 2: "Go do what makes you happy." by Dave Spencer

Many times in our lives, we have all felt like calling out, "I need saving and I need it now!" When was the last time you felt that way? Who did you call out to? What happened? In Mark 11:1-11 (page 691 in an SCC chair rack Bible), the people of Jerusalem lined up and shouted "Hosanna!" to Jesus as He entered the city. "Hosanna!" is a Hebrew expression that means "Save!" Do you think the people saw how much they needed a Hosanna life-change? Do we see that need in our lives today? Join us for Palm Sunday and the first part of our new message series, "Jesus Didn't Say That..." as we see that part of that Hosanna life-change we're all looking for is the way we receive forgiveness and offer forgiveness.

Have you seen the movie Groundhog Day? It's funny to watch Billy Murray wake up to the same day (and the same song on the radio) over and over, but it probably wouldn't be much fun to experience that in real life! When does life feel like you are living your own Groundhog Day? Our jobs, our conversations, our responsibilities, our morning routines (there's that pesky alarm clock again), even the food we eat can get repetitive and we can feel like we're held captive by our circumstances. Hope you will join us we see that David’s life (and even Saul’s life) came to feel a little like Groundhog Day.

According to a Forbes Advisor article from January 2024, dogs are the most popular pet in the United States, with about 65.1 million U.S. households owning a dog. We're not trying to start a debate on the best pet, but do you have a dog? What do you love about your dog? What do you not so much love about it? If you don’t have a dog, why? What is your best dog story? Join us Sunday for our next installment of The Seeking King as we continue to follow David's story and see why he'd like to answer the age-old question, "Who let the Doeg out?" (Yes, that is a play on words - check out 1 Samuel 22:1-23, page 200 in an SCC chair rack Bible, to find out more!) We'll find out how a dog (or Doeg) running loose can cause turmoil in other people's lives and see how that connects to all of us keeping our focus on the Master, no matter our circumstances.

This Sunday, we jump back in to the story of King David and find that he is still on the run from Saul, but now he is stuck. In a cave. And people followed him there! This guy cannot seem to catch a break! You may not have run for your life and found yourself in a cave, but at times in our lives, we have all found ourselves stuck. What happens when you find yourself stuck - physically, emotionally, spiritually - with a group of people? How is helpful to be stuck with others? How can it be harmful? How can they overlap? Hope you will join us for our next installment of The Seeking King - Part 10: Your Cave as we continue to learn from the life of King David and discover how following God's Word (Scripture) and His will can help us climb out of whatever "cave" we may find ourselves in!

In light of the war between Israel and Hamas, Pastor Gary Hamrick presents a Biblical perspective of the events. Who/what is Hamas? Why are they so intent on destroying Israel? Who are the Palestinians and why do many of them think of the Jews as “occupiers” and “colonialists”? And do these current events point to any particular Bible prophecy about the End Times? Join us Sunday as Pastor Gary answers these questions and more. If you are interested in more information on the topic, there is a study guide available online.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works…" You may have read Ephesians 2:8-9 and wondered, "Do our works actually matter?" Join us as guest speaker Tyler Miller answers that question.

When was the last time you were caught between a rock and a hard place? How did you respond? How natural was it to rely on God or take things into your own hands? Why do you think you did what you did? Join us for our next installment of The Seeking King - Part 9: Between a Rock and a Hard Place as we see how David responded to being cornered. If you have a chance, prepare by reading or rereading 1 Samuel 21 (page 199 in an SCC chair rack Bible).

What is your favorite burger or sandwich? What would you do for one right now? In 2010, Burger King ran an ad campaign that actually got people to unfriend 10 people on Facebook to get a free Whopper. They called it The Whopper Sacrifice. The online ad campaign was so successful that they had to pull the ad within two weeks. The New York Times reported that in the first week, 233,906 friendships had been terminated and Burger King was on the hook for 23,000 free Whoppers. Facebook also didn't care for those results. Why was it successful? Let's be honest, do you have 10 so-called friends that you would sacrifice for your favorite burger or sandwich?  Join us for our next installment of The Seeking King - Part 8b: Friendship as we continue to look at David and Jonathan's strong friendship. If you have a chance, prepare by reading or rereading 1 Samuel 20 (page 198 in an SCC chair rack Bible).

1/28/2024 - The Seeking King - Part 8: Friendship by Dave Spencer

Resources include messages by Alistair Begg and Larry Osborne.

From the Wizard of Oz to Les Miserables or even Jurassic Park, whether you prefer books or movies (or like both), an escape story can be riveting! It keeps us on the edge of our seats, wondering, "Will they make it out of there?" What is one of your favorite (fictional) stories of escape? What happened? What makes it your favorite? What about a true story of escape, either of a well-known person, yourself, or someone you know? Join us as we continue to look at the story of David and find out who he needed to escape from, if he made it, and who stayed with him through it all. If you get a chance, prepare by reading 1 Samuel 19:1–24 (page 197 in an SCC chair rack Bible).

Who is your favorite bad guy from a movie or TV show? What makes them wicked good at being wicked bad? How would it be to have them as a friend?   This weekend, we are going to look at a wickedly-good wicked bad guy - Saul. We can learn much from David and his actions in this part of the story as well as how we can be like Saul ourselves. Be hopeful because even when you are at the mercy of a wickedly-good wicked bad guy, God has His eyes on both of you. We'll also talk about how this God-inspired verse written by Paul comes into play: That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.  Romans 8:28 MSG  Join us as we continue to look at the story of David and see how being who we are and who God created us to be is a part of religion VS relationship. If you get a chance, prepare by reading 1 Samuel 18:14-30 (page 196 in an SCC chair rack Bible).   Resources include messages by Alastair Begg, Ray Fowler, and Bryce Morgan.

What better way to ring in the New Year than hearing from two young men who spent many of their growing up years here at SCC? We're thrilled to have Paul and Phillip McDonald join us this Sunday to give us an update on everything God is doing in their lives as well as share a message about the Great Commission that God has put on their hearts. You won't want to miss it!

What better way to ring in the New Year than hearing from two young men who spent many of their growing up years here at SCC? We're thrilled to have Paul and Phillip McDonald join us this Sunday to give us an update on everything God is doing in their lives as well as share a message about the Great Commission that God has put on their hearts. You won't want to miss it!

Join us for our Christmas Eve candlelight service as we hear more about the true story of Christmas.

12/24/2023 - Christmas (What You Thought You Knew) - Part 4: Meet the Wise Men by Dave Spencer