April 26, 2026

Sunday AM Recap

April 26, 2026

Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/RyyhIWhGTP4?si=CI4i8VQmq6Gz2hbK 

Anna Ozbun opened the service with a rock that she had painted her dreams on.  She left it on the front table as a reminder to base your dreams on The Rock. 

Rachael Gilmore led worship. 

Early Childhood Worship

Link: https://youtu.be/opG4jKj9j8U?si=ycsenDwCL6v-XL25 

Bible story: Joseph Forgives

Verse: John 13:34

Big Idea: I can say sorry when I make a wrong choice. 

---

Message: Pastor Jeff Spangler

Title: “Why me? or Who am I?”

Wouldn’t you agree?

Reference to last week’s message: “Mr. Speaker, wouldn’t you agree?”

Philippians 2:1-4

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

If you have benefited from Christ, then MAKE HIS JOY COMPLETE by…

1. Being like-minded

2. Having the same love; being one in spirit and one in mind 

Our forefathers looked to the Scriptures to define our inalienable rights: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness/protection of your own property. 

This goes back to the idea of what we VALUE. Apostle Sue sang prophetically - apostolically - during worship: “I’m not here to lead You, God, I am here to follow You.”  This goes back to what we VALUE.

Definition of value: perceived worth.  Utility. Importance of something. Often represents fair return in money, goods, services, balance of benefits OR intrinsic worth derived from being created in God’s image, not by material wealth or utility (spiritual righteousness over material possessions)

Our enemy fights us with lies - WORDS. God says the enemy is a father of lies and he roars LIKE a lion.  So it’s important to understand the value and worth of words 

We have questions like this: Why me?  I’m nothing special.  You want ME to do that?  

We doubt ourselves.  We have disillusionments.  But there’s something in us that can declare that we are in the image of God and the words of the enemy cannot contradict our intrinsic value. We’ve had nothing since we were born but voices trying to destroy our value.  But God has placed the treasure in us!!    There is NOTHING you have that compares to the image of God! And that’s the battle - to hold on!  Do not let those words take your value away from you! 

And the truth is you are nothing special.  God loves ALL His children.  Even the people you hate.  He has given that value to ALL His children.  So don’t make it all about YOU. 

Perceived worth - we compare ourselves to others and perceive our worth that way. Jesus came to show us REAL value - to lay down His life for another.  There are two laws that He said were the most important: !. To love the Lord your God with all your heart because He has value and gave you value, and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself, because they have value as well.

He sets the standard, and He has put a piece in us so it woos and draws others.  It’s a God-sized hole that we want to fill because it makes us feel a certain way. 

Next up: Interest.  Cost and reward.  

Philippians 2:3

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves

Don’t go to church for yourself - go for them!  This should be your filling station - sometimes we need it to be our hospital, but our focus shouldn’t be US, shouldn’t be out of vain conceit.  When you think of yourself, it will pay in vain.  Cost and reward.  And it’s not going to get you where you want to go. 

When you understand your value and treasure, you protect it more.  You value it more.  He knows you!  Everything about you!  And He wants to help you increase in value - not for yourself 

PLE vs PAL - we want the character to come out, not adoration for ourselves (see last week.)

Rather in humility, value others 

Remember what value is: intrinsic worth of being made in the image of God. Look at people, not for the offense they give or the ability they have,but in humility, look into their heart and see the image of God in each one. Are we judging or praying for them?  Are we using judgment or discernment?

It’s not about looking to your own interest: “what’s MY cost, what’s MY reward?” Instead think what’s THEIR cost, what’s THEIR reward?  

How would Jesus respond?   

If you’re going to understand value and interest, we have to ask some good questions.  He wants us to be like-minded.  So if someone walks in here needing someone, do we look to the pastor to take care of it?  Or do we all have the same answer?  Not brainwashed, but like-minded.  They get the same message in the end. 

Sometimes their reward is your cost. 

Sometimes their cost is your reward. 

But we can’t base what we do out of our reward.  We follow Jesus and lead others - because we have to help them discover their value in God 

Today Part 2: “Why me? or Who am I?”

Who do they say I am?  Or - who am I?  

Who do YOU say I am?  Who am I?  When Jesus asked this of his disciples, 11 sat quiet.  One said “you are the Christ!” In other words, “ I see your value that was given to you from God!  The anointed one!  I see value in you!” 

And Jesus said “that can only be given to you as a solution from God!”  Peter had already answered the question in his heart.  It had already been established as an answer in him.  He’d been walking with Jesus for a year and a half - he’d been asking the questions and the Lord released it in him 

In our circumstances, we tend to ask “why me?”  And God says that is not a good question.  Why belongs to God.  Why is selfish ambition and vain conceit.  God says to ask good questions.  

“Why me” is self-pitying.  “Who am I” digs deeper.  Digs into the mystery. 

Philippians 4:12

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 

“In other words, I have learned in plenty and in want to know who I am in Christ.”  Unlock the value in others - not looking for the reward and value in yourself 

Let’s take a look at David:

God told Samuel to stop looking at the outside but to look at the value God had placed in David.  David is said to be a Man after God’s own heart:  In David’s heart, he said “I’m not letting go of You.  In my sin, in everything, I will hold onto You, no matter what.” 

1 Samuel 26 

David is running from Saul  

6-11 

6 David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?”

“I’ll go with you,” said Abishai.

7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.

8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.”

9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? 10 As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”

This is a test for David.  David saw Saul’s value.  There were lots of reasons to kill Saul - but who are we to lift a hand against God’s anointed?   

David had asked before, “who am I that I would be anointed?”  But now he was saying “YOU said this is who I am.  And You are not telling me to kill him. Who are we to lay a hand?”  

Verse 11

 But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”

 

He KNEW not to lay a hand against Saul.  It was not that he was afraid of Saul - but he had purposed in his heart that it was not for him to destroy Saul, but to let God do what God was going to do. 

VALUE determines your path.  WHAT you value determines your path.  What you say yes to going up the mountain will own you at the top. 

Keep studying!!!  This is very much a test - see Verse 12.  Do what you want David, but this moment will determine the rest of your life. 

David asked a good question: “Who am I?  A child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and I fear God more than I fear man.” 

Skip down to 21-24 (But study the in-between on your own!)

21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong.”

22 “Here is the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. 23 The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. 24 As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.”

Who is in your sphere of influence?  Would they say “I see you value my life more than your own”?  Can you elicit a response like Saul’s?  “I can see that you view my life as precious.” 

If someone comes in needing Jesus and asks who to talk to, Pastor Jeff wants to be able to say “pick one.”  Because we all have the same answer, and we can all get them there.  

David:  “We cannot touch the Lord’s anointed.”  Cost: “He may kill me.”  Reward: for Saul to say “I have sinned.”  

How much of you or how much of the Spirit is coming through the cracks?  

Our greatest reward should be them coming to Christ.  That we see the value in them.  More PLE than PAL. 

David was leading Abishai, but he was following Yahweh. 

Saul repented because he recognized his wrong actions  because he measured his actions against David’s. That measurement changed Saul’s life for the moment.  There are those in the community that need to understand they have sinned because YOU see their life as precious. 

The Lord rewards interest.  Not cost.  David was going to have it hard a little longer - a cost.  

David valued life.  There is a debate right now in our culture on valuing life.  When is life?  What is life? God says “I VALUE LIFE.”  Do you?  If so…do you value that life in others?  

So don’t ask Why Me?  See life in others as PRECIOUS. Followers of Christ leaders in humility. 

Saul humbled himself because he saw that Daivd valued the Lord above everything else. 

So get off your judgment seat and see the value in others. 

April 19, 2026

Sunday AM Recap

April 19, 2026

Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/ITJCH3wPgg8?si=ZYvhjlUr-oxzehUf 

Pastor Jeff Spangler opened the service: 

Come with expectation. 

Worship by choice in agreement. 

Worship with our tithes and offerings - have a freedom to give back to God what is God’s. 

New challenge - in worship, become of one mind with HIM so we care bringing our seedbag to the message and grabbing what we need to share what needs to be shared.  Moving from spending so much time in word study and eating regurgitated food to eating steak because we are READY in EXPECTATION. 

Apostle Susan Powers led worship for the first time since 2021. In preparing for worship, she was looking at the latest worship songs out there, and the Lord told her:  “Susan, I’m not trending. There is an anointing on your life, and it was a season but it’s also a SEASON.”  

The Lord said worship this morning was a reset - not that we did anything wrong, but it’s time for a rest, to remember who we are singing to. 

Elementary Worship

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQpYxrm0CfE 

Bible Story: Saul Becomes a Believer

---

***Some notes to start (not in message):

***Definition of value: perceived worth.  Utility. Importance of something. Often represents fair return in money, goods, services, balance of benefits OR intrinsic worth derived from being created in God’s image, not by material wealth or utility (spiritual righteousness over material possessions

Pastor has been watching legislation in the Kansas House and Senate.  Things that affect you are being discussed and legislated.  Example: Wednesday night.  

There’s a right of order that you debate legislation.  You don’t debate directly at someone, you debate at a mediator.  The Speaker of the House runs the order of events.  The person who wrote the bill presents it, reads it, and then presents themselves for questions.  Then as people stand to discuss the bill, they address their questions to Mr. Speaker.  And if they start to address each other, the Speaker will say “please address me.”  Same process in the Senate. 

The process goes through a MEDIATOR.  

In this day and age, we like to debate at each other rather than through a mediator.   Now if we don’t think alike, you’re a hater and you’re wrong.   

We need to be in a mindset of asking the Lord Jesus to be our mediator, as we question and as we answer.  And it’s important to not just ask for good answers but good QUESTIONS. 

New series: “Good Question”

We don’t always have to be the smartest in the room. Sometimes we need to be the smartest questioner in the room.  Example:  “It’s not the way I think it is”…so a good question would be: Lord, how is it? 

Our Lord wants to answer good questions!  But it’s up to us to formulate a good question.  It’s time to not just be a hearer of the Word, but to formulate questions to chew on all week long to become something different.  

Watching debates - it’s all about getting their points across so they can get votes.  Expressing disdain for their opponents rather than actually solving anything. 

You get out what you put in.  Put in a bad question, you won’t get great solutions.  We need to understand about asking GOOD QUESTIONS.  

If we don’t ask the right questions we can’t get the right answers!

We all desire to not look stupid.  We start questions with “let me start with a dumb question.”  What we really mean is, “help me understand.”   If we just nod along, it’s assumed we are like-minded.  Expectations are built. Asking good questions is important for being like-minded! 

It’s important to have good questions in order to have good solutions. 

“It’s not the way you think it is.”  “Oh Lord…how is it?”

Matthew 16:17-20 

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Jesus didn’t tell them who He was - He SHOWED this who He was  But not all of them perceived Him the same. “Who do THEY say that I am?”

It’s time to read it again…differently. 

1. This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.  Another way: this didn’t come from the Earth, it came from up above.   Are there things by said by others that formulate how you think?  We debate back and forth - and we leave the mediator out of it.  Jesus says: “ADDRESS ME.”   JESUS has a plan. HE is relevant.  It’s time that we address Him in all that we do.  Flesh and blood - that’s judgment.  What we see and hear, as human beings we judge. But DISCERNMENT comes only from the Father, and your judgment does not.  So the question is: am I sitting in judgment of the situation? Or exercising discernment from the Father?  Who influences you?  Hopefully Jesus does much more than your situation, or how learned you are.  Not revealed by flesh and blood but by the Father…judgment vs discernment,  Don’t sit in a position where flesh and blood is dictating to you.  

2. I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; We think we have to get everyone saved and then disciple them.  Jesus went out and made disciples, over and over. And PRAYED for them. And then He released them to go and disciple others.  It’s not about counting the number of saving pledges.  It’s not about just inviting people.  In building a church, it will be about gates and keys.  What would we call a person whose job it was to maintain the keys to the gates…GATEKEEPER.  God has called us special forces…but it’s not the way we think it is.  We are Special Forces Shepherds, out here to teach the sheep in our own pastors to teach them the ways of The Good Shepherd. We can’t fear the gates of hell, they won’t overcome us!  So when we are in a rough place, we are positioned with the keys!  The keys to the Kingdom!  Building a church takes gatekeepers that are taking their keys to the gates!   We have been GIVEN KEYS! 

3. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be] loosed in heaven.  Sometimes we are unlocking things that need to stay locked and locking up things that we need to loose.  Be asking the right questions…what should we be loosing and binding?  God doesn’t NEED you to loose anything, He’s a big God.  It’s not about us!   Ask the questions: who is caught behind the gates of hell?  How do we use these keys to set slaves free?  Are you trying to loose something that doesn’t know it's caught?  Maybe things need to be bound before things are loosed.  We have to ASK GOOD QUESTIONS about loosing and binding!  What you value will determine your path, decision, and actions.  (***See notes above!)  We value different things!  And the way we value will determine our path…so be careful where you place your value! 

When people come for The Gardens, people are not going to look the way you are used to.  Are you going to judge or discern?  They are up against the gates of hell - are you ready to show up with your keys?  Are you asking what to loose and what to bind?

So if we are going to ask good questions, we need to know how to like-mindedly lay value the same way. The Gardens depend on it. 

Philippians 2:1-4 

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

THEREFORE - go study that! 

3 things: 

1. Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  We are the church - we must be like-minded.  With who? With Christ, same love, One Spirit, one minded.   Like-minded happens when we ASK GOOD QUESTIONS.  IT’S TIME TO ASK GOOD QUESTIONS. How can we be one-minded in Christ?  If you have these things from Christ - comfort, tenderness, compassion - then we are to be one in spirit and of one mind. 

2. In humility value others above yourselves, Humility - valuing others above yourself.  Are you about your own interest or others’ interests?  False humility is myself over others.  So a good question to ask would be: how do I see value in others?  

3. Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Interest - cost and reward.  Cost vs reward. To have an interest in something costs us something.  To have an interest in Jesus costs us something.  The other side of interest is reward.  There’s a reward to asking a good question, and there can be a cost!  Interest is a good study!  And it’s not about YOUR cost and YOUR reward, it’s about what it is going to cost THEM!  Interest is calculated by principle…the bank way is princiPAL.  In Jesus it’s princiPLE.  God’s principles must come into play.  So good question is…which is it?  Principal or principle?  PAL is about what it costs you…PLE is about OTHERS. 

(***Rhonda Brisendine: Look at it as an investment in others because you BOTH benefit.)  

IT’S TIME TO ASK GOOD QUESTIONS.  The point of asking a good question is so we have the same answer - like-mindedness!!!    And this is not to benefit you…it’s to benefit others…care about them so all will go well with you.