Baptized Disciples

Here is a recording of a sermon from Don Splitt to the Sacramento Church. C lick on the link and go to the sermon heading "Baptized Believers in Jesus".

Baptism is a touchy subject, but since it is tied into the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15-16), it is essential to our conversion into a saving relationship with Christ. I urge you to examine the Scripture to see where are you in your own relationship with God and tell others about how to really come to know Him.


Charles Linzie

As promised..

Earlier this month, I was in San Diego for the Southwest Christian conference. I noted that I was going to post notes from the lessons. Instead, I am going to give you a link to all of the lessons on this site http://www.southwestchristianconference.com.


In the coming weeks, I will post lessons on the theme, The Core Principles of the Christian Church.

Charles Linzie

Back to school coming soon.

School is starting up again for Sacramento-Area colleges. For next week, I will post several mini devotionals to get all students hearts prepared for the upcoming school year. Stay tuned...

Charles Linzie

Flex Your Faith!

Note: This is a sermon delivered by Drew Nitchoff to the Sacramento Church on July 25, 2010.

Hebrews 11:1-3
-NOT seeing is believing!
-trust in God isinstant obedience to His Word.

Matthew 14:22-33
-Jesus cares about our faith.
-Do being tested reveal where your faith is?

II Corinthians 11:23ff
-Don't allow hardships to hinder your faith!

James 1:1-3
-Are you insecure about trials and failure?
-Are you willing to learn from them?

Comment: Dealing with failure and harships are the toughest things for me to grasp in my walk with Christ. The more I strive to please Him, the more I feel that I am failing God due to my physical and mental limitations. I have to constantly refer to the cross of Christ and learn to rely on the Spirit, rather than my own efforts, to effectively serve Him. -CL

Through the Eyes of a Father

Note: This is a Father's Day sermon preached by Drew Nitchoff to the Sacrmaneto Church on June 20, 2010.

Mark 5:21-24a-"You got to get to Jesus!"
-Do you go to Christ whenever there is a crisis?
vv. 24b-34-Storms will pass in God's timing, not ours!
(Jesus performed a healing before attending to another).
vv.35-43
-Are you critical when bad things happen to you (i.e. a loss of loved one)?
-What is your reaction of seiing a miracle from a desperate situation?
Let us remember the Greatest Father of all for giving us His Son!

Comment: This brief Father's Day lesson dealt with the trials that I go though on a daily basis. We all have to remember that God gets us through tough trials rather than sheild us from them. -CL

Living the Resurrection

Note: This is the Easter sermon delivered by Don Splitt to the Sacramento Metro church of Christ on April 4, 2010.

John 20:1-9
-Do you truly believe Jesus rose from the dead as He promised?
Acts 2:1ff
-Several examples on how the Apostles changed after the resurrection of Christ.
-It is not good enough to acknowledge His resurrection, but we must live it out!
-It is like being kicked out of the nest; are you flying or waiting to build a better nest (i.e. prepared to live for Christ)?
Acts 4:23-31
-The Apostles prayed differently after the Resurrection.
-Every great deed for God is preceded by great prayer.
-How is your prayer life? Do things change as you pray?

"Praying men stop sinning, but sinning men stop praying." -Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarries?

I Corinthians 1:18
-The message of the cross is powerful for those raised in a new life with Christ!

Comment: This was not your run -of-the-mill Easter message about Christ's resurrection, but rather to call for us, as His disciples, to live for Him! -CEL

Servant Leadership

Note: This is from the Sacramento Church's Family Group Leaders meeting on January 24, 2010:

I Timothy 3:1
-As leaders in the Lord's church, we respond to a noble task.
-Is our hearts right in this task? What comes along with it?
Jeremiah 45: 4-5
-We cannot seek greatness for ourselves!
Mark 10:41-45
-True greatness requires giving ourselves to others, NOT coaxing others to serve us!

Commnet: Jesus stresses that serving others is a sign of greatness in His Kingdom. If we do not serve others, we cannot be great in God's eyes. As leaders, we are called to give a lot of ourselves to make others around us great as well. -CL.

Reflections of 2009.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." -Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV

2009 for me was a time of transition and the move of the Holy Spirit in my life. God not only showed me that I had to take initiative in my own life, but grow in my own walk with Him. It revolves around the call for me to be a leader and a servant and be grateful for the opportunities which appeared in my midst.

First, while I attended Sacramento City College, I was involved in the Honors service club (which coincided with my induction into Phi Theta Kappa on November 6, 2008). There were a lot of vacancies in officer positions due to several people leaving the institution. Since I was already involved with the Honors Program at SCC, I seized the opportunity to be in leadership. However, the only slot open was the Vice President of Fellowship, which involves being an ambassador for the Honors programs. Being that social interaction is difficult for me, I reluctantly took this opportunity. Basically, all it did was put a face to what I did anyway: get involved with this campus. Upon receiving an AS in Graphic Communication this summer, the Lord used this to help me see that I am valuable.

Secondly, I was privileged to attend a Campus Ministry conference sponsored by the Los Angeles church of Christ. I felt the least worthy to attend a huge faith-building event because I am not a "traditional" student (because I turned 30 a month earlier). However, in listening to the speakers, I caught vision on how to grow in my own faith in Christ and how to build the campus Ministry for the Sacramento Church. Among the many people I encountered was Don Splitt. It turned out that he was hired as the new Campus Minister for the Sacramento Church, which was an answer to my prayer for additional leadership for the church. God has totally blessed Sacramento as more students are willing to be trained for ministry.

Lastly, I saw that I still had a lot to learn about taking things higher. I entered CSUS in Fall 2009 and participated in what I thought was a successful evangelistic campaign. However, a tragedy on campus rattled me and began to lose faith. In addition, the 32% rise in tuition and a so-so academic performance led me to question whether I should stay at Sac State or go elsewhere. While I'm still committed to win this campus for Christ, I am praying that God can help me overcome any of my doubts.

This basically sums up what i went through in 2009. I pray that the Spirit moves in 2010.