Azure Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." -Ephesians 6:17, NIV. In warfare, the helmet and the sword were the last two pieces of armor picked up by the soldier. After fastening the rest of the armor on, the helmet, which was hot and uncomfortable, would be placed on just before heading off, protecting the soldier in battle. Often the believer’s battle wi...

The most frequently used word in this section on the armor of God is stand. The Scripture even compels us, put on the full armor of God so that "you may be able to stand your ground,” then it for emphasis, "and after you have done everything, to stand.” The enemy works to throw off our faith, using other people and situations to cause us to stumble. We are flooded with discouragement, temptation,...

I’m wondering, what is throwing off your peace this week? Have you faced difficulties, stresses, or relational struggles that have caused you to fear? Life is not easy. We must wear the right footwear for the journey. Pastor Tara VinCross will offer a message titled, The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace - The Armor of God, pt. 4. With shoes fastened in readiness of the gospel of peace, you don’t have...

Every day you’re a part of a spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:12 says, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood…” Yes, the struggle is real. This is how it is here on this earth, yet in this struggle, God has provided everything we need for protection. The Breastplate of Righteousness, held by the belt of truth, provides vital covering. Come and find out more about how we can put on this protection...

One of the devil's favorite weapons is lies. He distorts the truth, and makes it hard for us to see things as they really are. Yet, as we stand in God’s armor, we are surrounded by the belt of truth. God gives us discernment and wisdom to know the Truth. As we know and live in the truth, we are set free.   Pastor Tara VinCross will offer a message titled, The Belt of Truth - The Armor of God, pt....

Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world...” The very next verse says, "therefore put on the full armor of God…" There is a battle going on. Are we living in awareness of this battle? This fall, we begin a new series on the Armor of God. We look to the One who stood firm under enemy...

We're excited to welcome our guest speaker Pastor Raewyn Orlich! She serves as associate pastor for discipleship and nurture at the La Sierra University Church. In her book, “In Grandpa’s Shoes: An Invitation to Intergenerational Connection,” she shares how her grandfather, Eric Webster (pastor and ultra-marathon runner) helped inspire her ministry and provides reflection questions for small group...

We have come to the end of the story of the book of Mark and here we find the greatest miracle of all. We remember that in our own lives, “Healing and redemption are all about allowing, receiving, and creating space for the Wonder-Worker to move… We don’t make the miracle,” says Arianne Braithwaite Lehn. Braithwaite Lehn goes on to say, “And when we’re still in the place of the broken, sad, hard t...

Life if full of highs and lows. There’s no escaping it. As Kahlil Gibran says, "Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?" We look upon the One who experienced the depths of human joy and sorrow. Pastor Tara VinCross will share a message titled “Sweetness and Suff...

At the end of Mark 13, Jesus says "Watch!" and our natural instinct is to think that it's external; that what we need to watch for is something that we see. But what if it's an internal matter? What if the crux of what Jesus was describing was inward? Join in as we unpack from the topic "Watch, In."

We are excited to welcome our guest speaker, Elder Will Penick, to Azure Hills. He is the Ministerial Director at the Southeastern California Conference (SECC). Will loves Jesus and is blessed to serve our pastors in SECC. He has a passion to share the gospel in a divisive public space and encourages the church in growing as disciples, not just members. Will currently is living in Riverside with h...

Pastor Daniel Xisto, our new administrative pastor, shares his first message with our church family where he will invite us to explore the triumphant entry of Jesus in Mark 11. We will consider the crowd’s cry of "Hosanna!" We'll delve into the deep significance of this moment, understanding how it reflects our own hopes today. Prepare to reflect on what it truly means to welcome Jesus into our li...

What keeps people out of the Kingdom of God? Mistakes? Pride? Continual sinning? No, there are plenty of examples in Jesus’ ministry of people who did all of those things and more but were forgiven and accepted into the kingdom. Jesus did, however, point out certain people that would have a hard time entering the kingdom of heaven. And when he did that, the disciples, in amazement and disbelief sa...

In Mark 9, we find a father who is desperate to get help for his son. He prays a prayer that we’ve all prayed, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” Because our belief is imperfect we cry out for help. But that cry comes from a place of belief in our good and sovereign God. Faith starts by simply turning toward Jesus. Elder Keturah Reed will share the message, "Imperfect Faith."

In Mark 8, Jesus heals a blind man in Bethsaida. Though Jesus had touched Him once, his eyesight was not fully restored until Jesus touched him a second time. Mark 8 invites us to be dissatisfied with superficial discipleship, and to receive a deeper transformation through the uprooting of our long held assumptions, and by embracing the way of Jesus.

What good did it do for Jesus to walk on water? What good did it do to feed 5000 (or 10k+) people? Those amazing miracles didn’t seem to change anything in Jerusalem, or Rome, ...or Washington! Pastor Mike Leno continues the pastors’ sermon series on Mark with “Miracles and Misunderstandings.” This message probes the very human tendency to misunderstand Jesus’ message about his kingdom. Lest we th...

In Mark 7, we continue to follow the Miracles of God as Jesus encounters a man who is both deaf and mute. Imagine the man's confusion, consider his thoughts as friends ushered him over to a stranger, someone he'd never heard of...yet would change his life forever. In this text, we learn about what it means to be a community of miracles, and our response to the Gospel once we've witnessed one! Past...

We humans too easily, too quickly find ourselves in situations so low we can’t get out; so overwhelming we are hopeless. Three stories in Mark 5 clearly demonstrate Jesus is more than able to overcome evil. Nothing is too hard for him. He is here to take us back to community. He will come to take us home. At our 9am and 11:45am worship services, Pastor Steve McHan will share a message titled "Leav...

This week we celebrate the culmination of Vacation Bible School. Our theme this year is Scuba: Diving into Deep Friendship with God! Each day, the kids have focused on a different aspect of friendship with God. As we continue in our series on the book of Mark, we look at a story that takes place on the sea, and a time when Jesus’ disciples learned that their friendship with Jesus can bring them de...

Jesus was out of control! People thought it was great that he healed people and even cast out demons. But to many, he was reckless in the way he went about his work. He offended influential people. Even his family thought he was a little crazy at times. They decided that if Jesus was going to succeed, he would need some supervision before he blew it completely. Certainly he needed advice before ra...

In Mark 2, Jesus forgives and heals a paralyzed man. In this encounter, we find that the power of friendship can carry us through trying times. We also learn that Jesus isn’t interested in a superficial healing that only affects the body, but a deep transformation that binds the fractured soul. Pastor Gabriel Morales will share the message, "Forgiveness and Healing."

Mark opens the gospel in the most moving way, with the words the beginning of the good news. In Jesus Christ, we orient ourselves to what is true and good. We hold space for beauty and safety, hope and love. Some days, some weeks, it’s a fight to stay rooted and connected to the goodness of God. As Gabor Mate, Hungarian-Canadian physician says, "Safety is not the absence of threat; it is the prese...