Waterbrooke Church

"Unintimidated" Acts 4:32-37 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday’s sermon was called “Unintimidated”. In Acts 4:32-37, we see the fruit of the collective praying of the early church disciples. The number of the disciples had been growing rapidly. There were now at least 5000 of them (Acts 4:4). With that growth, there came an increased opposition from the temple leaders. The chief priests, the Sadducees, and the temple guard arrested Peter and John and threatened them. Their goal was to stomp out this fast-spreading fire quickly. They hoped to do what they had done earlier. Fill the disciples with fear and watch them scatter. Instead, the opposite happened. 
The church immediately went to prayer (Acts 4:23-31). As a response to prayer, the Holy Spirit filled them and the place where they were gathered was shaken. Interestingly, the Holy Spirit didn’t change the religious leaders' threats. The Holy Spirit changed the church. What the Lord intended was to create a community that had fear-resistant characteristics.  The community was now characterized by something that the fear of man could not threaten. We studied how the Holy Spirit uses the gospel to produce in us the opposite of what fear intends to produce and that creates a community that cannot be intimidated. Pray for God to build these characteristics into our lives at Waterbrooke Church and to build a movement of grace that reaches far beyond the walls of our church building. 
Thank you for listening today, friends.  If you want to connect with me or our church, go to waterbrooke.church and click contact Us.
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"Praying Together for Courage" Acts 4:23-31

This Sunday, we examined the subject of praying for courage as we seek to share the hope of Jesus with others. 
In Acts 4, Peter and John are remarkably bold in speaking about Christ to the religious leaders who are threatening them. These are the very same religious leaders who had recently arranged and successfully carried out the crucifixion of Jesus. 
The boldness of the disciples was not natural. 
It was supernatural. The timid Galilean disciples had recently fled in fear. Now, they faced the threats of the religious leaders with amazing courage (Acts 4:13). So much so, that even their enemies were blown away. What we see after this, however, is that Peter and John immediately went back to the others and they joined together in prayer. No bravado. No “We showed them!” No post-touchdown taunting in the end zone. Courage required the help of the community, and specifically, the help of a community on its knees. Courage in evangelism is a gift from God. Let’s learn how "Praying Together for Courage" (our sermon title) is one of the core privileges God has given us as His people with one another.  Let's worship our King Jesus.  Remember, He reigns!
Pastor Kevin Dibbley
To find out more about Waterbrooke Church, please go to www.waterbrooke.church.

"Uncommon Courage" Acts 4 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday’s sermon is entitled "Uncommon Courage." If there is any chapter that indicates a radical shift in the lives of Jesus’ disciples, it's Acts 4. Luke writes in Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” The religious leaders were astonished at the change in Peter and John! They had gone from fearful cowards to openly courageous evangelists. This Sunday, we will looked at how the Holy Spirit transforms God’s people so that we can’t help but share the greatest part of our lives – Jesus, crucified, risen, and reigning! Let’s pray for Holy Spirit birthed boldness for each of us as we seek to be God’s witnesses to a world in need of Jesus! 
 
Pastor Kevin Dibbley
We would love to invite you to join us on Sundays at 9 & 11. Go to Waterbrooke.church and click "Plan a Visit"

"Repentance & Restoration" Acts 3 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday's sermon was taken from Acts 3.  Luke recounts the story of the first healing miracle in the Book of Acts. Peter and John encounter a lame man who is begging for alms at a place in the temple called “The Beautiful Gate.” 
 
Here’s the great news: Jesus is the Beautiful Gate opening to a glorious new creation. That lame man represents all of us spiritually. More than just us, the lame man represents a lame world. 
 
Sin has broken us.
 
It has deeply shattered the world. 
 
But with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, everything is about to change. Sin has been defeated. Christ has been exalted. He is now making all things beautiful through the gospel. 
 
The gospel is not just the announcement of sin being forgiven. It is the glorious news of God’s cosmic restoration project. For our world where sin and war and trauma and brokenness dominate the horizons of our lives, the gospel is really gloriously good news.
Come as we listen to the apostle Peter preach his second sermon in the book of Acts and as he announces how great the good news is and how we can be a part of it as His people. Our sermon is called Repentance and Restoration. Join us on Sundays at 9 and 11. Pray and bring a friend. 
Plan a visit by going to waterbrooke.church

“The Fellowship of the Spirit.” By Pastor Kevin Dibbley

When Christ takes hold of our hearts, the Holy Spirit doesn’t produce a reluctantly obedient group of people who are dutifully carrying out a list of religious behaviors. The Holy Spirit creates a new community with a shared passion for Christ and the kingdom of God. Life in the Spirit flows out into life in community with God’s people. It is supernaturally “natural” for Christ followers to want to do life together.
This explains why genuine Christians often struggle. The busyness and noise of life often work in counter purposes to what our new covenant hearts desire and what the Spirit is calling us to – a deeper relationship with God through deeper relationships with one another.
Come as we witness in Acts 2 how the Holy Spirit produces a deep devotion to growing and going together as God’s new temple community. We are His temple indwelled by His Spirit and His Spirit builds His church by bringing us to share life in Christ together.
If you are in Christ and the Spirit of Christ resides in you this is what you were made for – Life Together. Pray for a real work of grace in all of us as we meet and worship our Lord and King together. 

"Pentecost: When God Came to Stay" Acts 2 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday we studied one of the most exciting passages and important passages in the New Testament. Acts 2 records the crucial event of Pentecost. God Himself shows up big time and the trajectory of human history is now and forever changed. God is here. God is on the move. God will extend his reign to the ends of the earth. Pentecost is the biggest game-changer for the church and its mission after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. God’s blatant determination to usher in an age of global advancement of His kingdom has now been placed directly upon His own shoulders. Aslan is on the move! Come and be encouraged this Sunday as we consider the historical and missional implications of Pentecost. Our sermon is called – "Pentecost: When God Came to Stay". Pray that God would grip our hearts with His unfailing commitment to claim the nations and to claim our lives for His glory. We are celebrating the Lord’s Supper this week. Pray for hearts that are receptive to His Holy Spirit as we worship the King together. 

"Waiting on God Together" Acts 1:12-26 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday’s message is called “Waiting on God Together.” Jesus gave his disciples clear directions when He ascended to the throne of heaven. His charge to them was that they were to go to Jerusalem and wait for God to send the promised Holy Spirit. So, 120 disciples gathered together in an upper room and waited together. We often are placed by God in seasons of waiting. Some of those seasons are longer than others. For those of us who aren’t good at waiting patiently (which is most of us), it can feel like we have been put in “time-out” by our heavenly Father. We cry out with the Psalmist, “How long, O Lord?” (Psalm 13:1). What the Book of Acts teaches is that waiting on the Lord is meant to be a regular discipline of the Christian life and the local church. In Acts, a pattern begins to form where we find God’s people gathering together and waiting for God to work in them and through them by the power of the Holy Spirit especially when they are facing hostility and opposition to their mission. Whether you find yourself in a season of waiting on God because of health, work, or relational challenges or whether you are finding it hard to slow down and wait on the Lord, this Sunday’s passage in Acts 1:12-26 will be helpful for all of us. We need to learn to wait on God and we need to learn to do it together as God’s people. 
Join us on Sundays at 9 & 11 as we worship together!  We would love to see you there. 

"The Ascended King" Acts 1:1-11 - NEW SERIES! By Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday, we BEGAN a new series in the book of Acts. The book of Acts is a careful recording of the advancement of the kingdom of God into the Gentile world despite hostility and hardship. We constantly need to be encouraged and reminded that the mission of God happens through the unlikeliest of people (ie., Saul of Tarsus) in some of the most hostile environments. This happens precisely because our God reigns. Where are some of the hardest places that we least expect the gospel to advance? Who are you least hopeful would respond to the message of Christ? Waterbrooke Church’s mission statement is this: Waterbrooke seeks to be a gospel-centered multi-ethnic family that is captivated by Jesus, compelled to love others, and called to make disciples to the glory of God. What brings more glory to God than the salvation of the least likely people and peoples?Would you pray for yourself and our church community that we would grow in our confidence in God and His gospel? Take a little time and think about hard and seemingly impossible people or people groups and begin to ask the question, “Is anything too hard for our God?” Acts is a book intended to fuel the mission of the gospel to the ends of the earth. It’s designed to show us that nothing is too difficult for our God and King. The series is called “No Other Name.” The message this week is entitled “The Ascended King”. Luke begins his gospel with Jesus ascended and seated upon the throne. That’s the truth that drives global and local missions. Let’s start praying for a fresh movement of God for the salvation of our neighbors and the nations.
 
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"Our King Forever" Psalm 146 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday, we spent some time considering a glorious psalm of praise - Psalm 146. That psalm begins: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, o my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live and sing praises to my God while I have my being.” One commentator writes “The believer’s life should be continuous praise.” “Should be” are the operative words. We often find ourselves in a wide array of challenging circumstances. Sometimes, beyond challenging! I was talking to a fellow Christian this week who said that “despair has been afflicting me today.” Has despair been afflicting you lately?
There are times when the words of Psalm 146 seem next to impossible. We cannot see a way through the challenges and the brokenness that surround us. Psalm 146 teaches us that there is only One thing that can change our view of every experience. It’s a clear view of the Lord (Yahweh). Hallelujah means “Praise Yah” (short for Yahweh). Our Lord is not a God who is indifferent to our sufferings. He is not distant from our struggles. In fact, He is the One who has climbed right down into the pit with us. Our Lord has entered into our sufferings in order that He might carry us through them and out into endless glory. Our message this week reminds us where our help and our hope come from as Christians. Come this Sunday whether you are struggling or rejoicing. Our sermon is called “Our King Forever” and, praise the Lord, He is!
In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor

"The Unfailing Love of the King" Psalm 103 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday, we studied Psalm 103. We are meant to hear in this Psalm Jesus’ voice calling to us to rejoice in Yahweh, the Lord! Why? Because He loves us unconditionally in Christ. We live in a world where love is hard to find and it is especially hard to keep. People are fickle. Friends are often fickle. What makes it especially challenging is that we are sinners and so, there are often good reasons for why people struggle with us. Psalm 103 is glorious for the simple reason – God is glorious. He is unlike anyone else. Psalm 103:10 reads, “He does not deal with us according to our sin, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” That should stun us. He pursued us when others wouldn’t. He rescued us from our guilt and shame when we deserved judgment and condemnation. God’s love (hesed) is as “high as the heavens are above the earth” (Psalm 103:11).  This Sunday’s message is called “The Unfailing Love of the King.” We are going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper together and this is a great passage to prepare our hearts to take communion as God’s people. Come and join us this Sunday and let’s bless the Lord with all our being.In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor
waterbrooke.church

"The Covenant Keeping King" Psalm 31:1-24 by Andy Keppel

This Sunday Andy Keppel will be leading us through Psalm 31. Here's the first part of the text to help you prepare:   In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;      let me never be put to shame;      in your righteousness deliver me!2 Incline your ear to me;      rescue me speedily!   Be a rock of refuge for me,      a strong fortress to save me!3 For you are my rock and my fortress;      and for your name's sake, you lead me and guide me;4 you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,      for you are my refuge.5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;      you have redeemed me O LORD, faithful God.  
 
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"The King at Rest" Psalm 132 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

Waterbrooke Family,
This Sunday's sermon was taken from Psalm 132 and is a glorious picture of Jesus’ love for us, His bride, the church. The message is called “The King at Rest.”  It’s a picture of the King and his Bride finally living together in unity and love and peace for all eternity. This past week was our nephew and niece’s 13th wedding anniversary. They shared a picture of the wedding ceremony which was outdoors in Michigan. In the middle of the wedding, a huge rain shower broke out. The pictures are classic because they show not frowns but smiles on the drenched couple. It didn’t matter to them because they were in love. They were getting married that day and they turned rainclouds into a big joyous wedding party. Where they focused made all the difference, not just on their wedding day but on the next 13 years to come. I think that is helpful to us. We often focus on the problems with the church. We can begin to take on the perpetual cynicism of the culture rather than the perpetual love and grace of Christ towards his bride. This Sunday, I am going to ask you to commit yourself to pray for our church, Waterbrooke Church. However, I am going to ask you to pray like the pilgrims in Psalm 132 who journeyed towards Jerusalem. Pray for the church with the perspective of Jesus for His bride. It will radically transform who you see, pray, and love the church. Listen and be encouraged.In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor

"Jesus: The Priest King" Psalm 110 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

Waterbrooke Family,
This Sunday, we discussed persevering as a believer in a broken and a hostile world. Jesus says these words in Matthew’s gospel: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). He says this is in the context of teaching his disciples that the mission of God will happen in an increasingly hostile world: “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to the nations, and then the end will come.” How is your faith? Are you feeling like throwing in the towel? Are you weak and weary? This Sunday’s psalm is a great one. It’s Psalm 110 and it is the most quoted Psalm in the entire New Testament. That might say something about how crucial it is to our lives and to Christ’s mission. Our hope in perseverance is not our power to persevere but in Christ’s power to hold us and to keep us to the end. This is truly great hope and encouragement. Our sermon is called “Jesus: The Priest King.” 
In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor

"The Praying King" Psalm 72 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

Waterbrooke Family,
In Psalm 72, we have a song written by Solomon. It is the last psalm in a collection (Books 1 and 2 of the Psalms) that is considered to be largely psalms written by David. Psalm 72:20 reads, “The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.”
What’s beautiful about this psalm is that we get the heartbeat of the son of David for the kingdom. Solomon prays for God’s blessing on his kingdom but he does so because of a deep heart of compassion for the people and the nations. We are clearly meant to see not simply Solomon’s heart but the heart of the great Son of David, Jesus, in this song. This would be the Old Testament version of “The Lord’s Prayer.” 
Come as we see the heartbeat of the King as he prays for us. Come learn how much we are loved and how determined the King is to see His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Our sermon is called, The Praying King… and praise God, He is praying for us! See you Sunday!
In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor

"The King of Love" Psalm 45

Waterbrooke Family,This Sunday, we studied Psalm 45, which is a “love song”. This is one of the greatest and most joyful psalms in the Bible. It was written to celebrate the marriage between the King and his Bride. The words contain effusive praise for the King and what He is like as it invites the bride to embrace the abounding joy of her impending marriage. Often, in fairy tales, the handsome prince finds a fair maiden languishing in poverty and abuse in some far-away corner of his kingdom. He discovers her and seeing her true hidden beauty (that others have either neglected or envied), He rides in and rescues her and makes her his own royal queen. In the Scriptures, this is no fairy tale. It’s the story of King Jesus and God’s plan of redemption. Christ comes and redeems His bride, the church. The trajectory line of every Christian shifts radically when we discover how safe and how loved we are in the eyes of our King. Jesus never found our hidden beauty and fell in love with us. Jesus knew us when we were in our sins. Yet, we are meant to see, to believe, and to celebrate that though we are and were sinners, we have been sought, bought and made to be His precious bride. Our destiny has changed radically. If you are feeling unloved and unworthy, you need to come and see this Sunday, how Christ views you according to Psalm 45 and why you should rejoice in the glory of your King. Together, let’s be filled with the joy and love of Christ that overflows from this psalm and beckons us into His gracious, eternal, and forgiving love. Our sermon is called, The King of Love.
In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor

"The King's Treasure" Psalm 19 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

This Sunday, we studied another great Psalm – Psalm 19.
C.S. Lewis wrote: “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world” (Reflections, 73). What makes this Psalm so beautiful is that it opens up to us God’s glory not just in creation but in His Word. 
Here’s the challenge that we all face: We live in a world of both glory and catastrophe. We behold the majesty of billions of stars in a northern night sky. We feel the warmth of the summer sun as it caresses our faces as it makes its way across the Minnesota sky. It is glorious! Yet, inside and all around, simultaneously, we feel deep brokenness. Injustice and corruption plague the world where we work, create, and play. Sin continually tempts us and draws us away from enjoying God’s glory. Beholding glory creates a deep ache for God’s glory to fill all the earth and all our lives for all eternity. Herman Bavinck writes, “The gravity and the vanity of life seize on us in turn. Now we are prompted to optimism, then to pessimism. Man weeping is constantly giving way to man laughing. The world stands in the sign of humor which has well been described as a laughter and a tear.” This is where God’s word becomes precious to us. It helps and guides and restores and revives us in a world of glory and catastrophe. Come as we realize why the Law of Yahweh is “The King’s Treasure” and why it must be ours as well. Praying for a real encounter with God together as we worship our King!
Waterbrooke Family,In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor

"The Exultant King” Psalm 18 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

Waterbrooke Family,This Sunday’s message is from Psalm 18 and is called “The Exultant King.” Psalm 18 is written by King David when God has finally established his kingdom and defeated all his enemies. It is recorded near the end of David’s life in 2 Samuel 22. There is no doubt that David is blown away by the abundant goodness and unfailing love of God towards him throughout his life. There were numerous dark and difficult times. Times of brokenness and betrayal. Yet, it feels so good to rest and to look back at the amazing love of God in his life through it all. The king is so blown away that He wants to sing God’s praises to the ends of the earth! Exultant love for God drives the Christian to make much of God. Come as we marvel with David at how good God has been to us and have our spiritual hearts set aflame again to sing of His love forever! See you Sunday and bring a friend!In Christ,Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor

"The Compassionate King” Psalm 13 by Guest Speaker Bruce Washington

Have you ever felt God is taking a long time to answer your prayer?  Does it feel like sometimes your prayers have gone no higher than the ceiling? Join us this Sunday as we walk through Psalm 13 and see how Jesus, Our Compassionate King is truly with us during these times.
In Christ,
Bruce Washington

"The Desperately Happy King" Psalm 16 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley

Well, this has been the summer of rain! I actually love how green everything is but it has been recently providing challenges for farmers and folks in our area. There are little lakes in fields where there normally isn’t water and there shouldn’t be. I get updates from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and some of the portages between lakes have been closed due to erosion caused by rain.Water can quickly wear away at the foundations of buildings and land. It reminds us of how living in a world of sin and a world of pleasures and temptations can wear away at the foundations of our faith in the Lord. They can erode our experience of joy and peace. Thank God that we have a Rock in Jesus that cannot be moved!This week our message in the Psalms is taken from Psalm 16 where David writes “Preserve me, O God, for in you, I take refuge.” Our sermon is called “The Desperately Happy King.” We are going to see how David sees the Lord as both his greatest good and his only means of experiencing stability and joy in a life that seeks to continually erode His faith. Come this Sunday and be encouraged by the goodness of Jesus.In Christ,
Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor

"The Shepherd King" Psalm 23 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley - Sing to the King Summer Series in Psalms

This Sunday was Father’s Day. For our message this week, we spent a little time together meditating upon Psalm 23. The twenty-third psalm is without a doubt the most well-known and, I would suggest, well-loved of all 150 psalms. And I think rightly so.
This psalm brings the assurance that from beginning to end the Lord, Yahweh, shepherds his people through all the storms of life and brings us safely into our eternal home with Himself forever. It is a psalm of enormous comfort. It is a psalm of rock-solid hope and peace. What we often don’t recognize is that it is also a very personal psalm from the Son about his Father. 
One commentator reminds us that the Psalms are the most quoted part of the Old Testament in the New Testament. He writes: “This was not because the Psalms seemed to them to cover the full range of human emotions – a psalm for every mood. Not at all. It was not sentimentalism or anthropocentrism. Rather, it was because the Psalms were about the Messiah, the Christ of God.” Come this Sunday as we consider the twenty-third psalm through the lens of Jesus. It will prove to be an amazing picture for us of the purest and highest Father and Son relationship that led to our adoption into God’s family. Because Psalm 23 is about Jesus, we can be sure that He will shepherd us all the way home! Looking forward to worshiping with you all!
In Christ,
Kevin Dibbley, Senior Pastor