Rudi and Sharon Swanepoel November 20, 2022 at 10AM

Rudi and Sharon Swanepoel are a dynamic ministry team. Valley Fellowship Church is so thankful to welcome them back to Huntsville, and you are invited to be a part of this eagerly-anticipated Sunday morning event! Their ministry touches multiple thousands of people each year. Rudi is a sought after preacher, teacher and leader with authentic, relevant and passionate insights into the Bible. His passion is to introduce people to Jesus Christ and see their lives transformed by the power of His Word and the Holy Spirit. Sharon is an anointed musician, author of several books, and a unique communicator. Sharon’s great joy is to connect people to Jesus. Their Seek and Save Project has led over 169,000 people to the Lord since 2011. Find out more about their ministry at www.godsglory.org.

HAVE YOU REALIZED YOUR VALUE TO GOD?

by Pastor Greg Simon

Do you remember when you first discovered you were valuable to God? Did the realization happen while you were listening to a sermon? Or perhaps something clicked inside of you during a discussion with someone you loved. Maybe you were meditating Scripture such as Isaiah 49:16a NLT, “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” Were you voicing Psalm 139:16b NLT as a personal song of praise? “Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Maybe you recognized your value to God while reading the Gospels and realizing Jesus’ love for people.

The worth of an item is based on the price paid for it. God valued you enough to give His Son for your salvation. “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT). You were bought with the precious blood of Christ Jesus. What does this say about your value and worth to God?

REHEARSE YOUR WORTH

Jesus encouraged, “For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32v NLT). Rehearsing your worth to God, increases your faith. Jesus reminded, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” (Matthew 6:26 NLT). Rehearsing your worth to God, increases your peace. Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!? (John 15:11 NLT). Realizing your worth to God, increases your joy.

No matter how long ago you realized your worth to God, please rehearse it. Don’t overlook that truth. Praise the Lord! God values you!

Harvest Festival is Saturday, October 29

You are invited to this free event! The community will gather at the 3205 Holmes Avenue Campus for lots of family-friendly fun. See you Saturday from 11AM to 2PM. Planned activities include bounce houses, face painting, popcorn, free chili and hot dogs, Elementary and Preschool games, and candy bags for all children!

ORU Worship with Kimmie Simon on Sept 25, 2022

We welcome Kimmie Simon and ORU Worship to minister at Valley Fellowship Church on September 25, 2022 at 10AM & 6PM! Kimmie Simon (daughter of Pastors Greg Simon & Patti Simon) is the ORU Worship Director.

ORU Worship is an artistic community from Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, OK). They seek to hear the voice of God and express what He’s saying through music, using creative gifts to minister to others and, in turn, find their own lives transformed. They enjoy worshiping God with the gifts He has given, and experiencing Spirit-filled worship. The mission of ORU Worship: raise up Spirit-empowered worshipers who are pure-hearted, Spirit-filled, Biblically-sound, leadership ready, and creatively skilled to go and change their world.

JACOB’S SHEPHERD

It’s good to end your life knowing you have completed God’s purpose for your life. Jacob (renamed late-in-life Israel) went through ups and downs in his life, but when he looked back on it all, he recognized that the Lord was his shepherd. In the final season of his life, “It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff” (Hebrews 11:21 NLT). Discover fresh insights in this recording of the live Zoom feed from the Sunday sermon, August 7, 2022, by Pastor Greg Simon.

ARRANGED BY GOD

Valley Fellowship Church is a local expression of the Body of Christ, committed to expanding God’s Kingdom in the Tennessee Valley and around the world. Our congregation is made of redeemed people who have a living and personal relationship with Christ. Loving Jesus forever changes a person and motivates a Christ-follower to fall in love with the Church that Jesus loves and for whom He gave His life.

Your connection to a local congregation is not an accident; God chose you to connect. The Apostle Paul, using the human body as a metaphor for the Church, makes the point, “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose” (1 Corinthians 12:18 ESV). God places people in a specific local Church for their good and the good of the local congregation.

Heaven rejoices when an individual makes that personal decision to move from attending church to being the church. Something amazing happens when a person gets the revelation that the local church is God’s idea and is worthy of time, talents, finances, and involvement.

WATER BAPTISM IS SIGNIFICANT.

Water Baptism is an expression of faith in Christ and is also a meaningful benchmark of commitment. Benchmarks in life serve as important points of reference that something really significant happened. Your birthday is a benchmark. Graduation day is a benchmark. Your wedding date is a benchmark. Water Baptism serves as a benchmark for believers.

Water Baptism is an outward sign of the inward reality of salvation. God designed water baptism as an act that meets our need for a meaningful expression of faith. Baptism is a purposeful experience in the life of a new believer, and it is a positive testimony of faith to those who witness it.

Jesus is the source of salvation. When we put our trust in Him, repent and receive forgiveness, and publicly testify to our faith, we are assured of salvation. Water Baptism then acts as a point of reference that we have completed what God has asked us to do in response to His offer of grace.

Jesus chose to be water baptized in order to fulfill all righteousness and carry out all that God requires. “Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk Him out of it. ‘I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,’ he said, ‘so why are You coming to me?’ But Jesus said, ‘It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.’” So John agreed to baptize Him (Matthew 3:13-15 NLT).”

Here is reason enough to be baptized: We are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus didn’t need His sins forgiven—He was perfect—but He still thought water baptism important enough that He walked forty-plus miles to meet John at the Jordan River.

Will you follow His example and humbly yield your life to Jesus’ Lordship? If you are interested in carrying out what God requires regarding water baptism, please, contact Pastor Greg. Water Baptism is scheduled for Sunday, May 9, 2021 – Mother’s Day! What a great opportunity for your public expression of faith in Christ Jesus!

WITS’ END

by Pastor Greg Simon

At times, the Apostle Paul was perplexed, at wits’ end. Luke records one instance in Acts 27:20 (MEV), “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was upon us, all hope that we should be saved was lost.”

But, wits’ end can also be the place from which we reflect, remember, rejoice, and receive. “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will OVERFLOW with CONFIDENT HOPE through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NLT). Listen to each of three sermons and discover confident hope and supernatural resources and fresh trust in your Heavenly Father.

“HOPE FOR WITS’ END” (recorded September 27, 2020)

“CONFIDENT HOPE & SUPERNATURAL RESOURCES” (recorded October 4, 2020)

“TRUST GOD, NOT MAN” (recorded October 11, 2020)

 

REJOICE: Pressed but Blessed

by Pastor Greg Simon

The link below is from the September 20, 2020 recording of Pastor Greg Simon preaching “REJOICE” from the “Pressed but Blessed” series at Valley Fellowship Church in Huntsville, Alabama. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4 MEV)”

The ultimate key that unlocks our joy is the Source, the Lord. To successfully obey God’s command to rejoice:

• Center on the Lord – not the problem.
• Center on the Lord – not the victory.
• Center on the Lord – not the enemy.

Shut d’ door to the enemy’s foothold, to the enemy’s intimidation, and to the enemy’s condemnation. Jesus Christ promised, “Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] (John 14:27 AMP)”

THE WORD

by Pastor Greg Simon

The Apostle Paul’s overcoming attitude is evident in the way he describes his personal troubles in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10. If you cannot see good in your future, then the problem is not with God, but with your “seeing”. Too often believers get caught up in contemporary culture’s commitment to comfort, health, and safety. Our current pandemic conditions threaten us all, but we can overcome. In his letter to Timothy, Paul reveals some keys to overcoming. According to verse 14, an 0vercomer: (1) continues in Scripture, (2) learns Scripture, (3) is assured of the Scriptures, and (4) knows his/her teachers. Listen as Pastor Greg teaches from 2 Timothy 3:10-17. This recording was made during the 10AM Service at Valley Fellowship Church in Huntsville, Alabama on September 13, 2020.

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