Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 10/19/25 by Rev Bernie Knefley.



We are told in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 that we will be afflicted. When life gets you down, what do we do?







Sometimes we panic. Sometimes we do the opposite of what we should do. Life happens while we're making other plans.



How do you respond? What do you do next? 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.



Our intentions are good, but our follow-through often falls short. Just like Peter when he denied Jesus 3 times in Matthew 26:34-35.



Our words and actions are two different things. We need to draw closer to Christ, and put on the armor of God daily.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 10/12/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Life puts us in places where we feel unprepared. More accurately God puts us in places where we feel unprepared. A change of job. An illness. A windfall. And we ask ourselves am I ready for what is ahead?







Beliefs that are essential for receiving God's wisdom. Believe that God is a God of grace - hesed. Believe that you are in need. Believe that the task is weighty. The tasks God gives are difficult. The tasks God gives are greatly important. Believe that nothing is more important than serving God.



This wisdom becomes accessible at the cross. You need grace. The work is too weighty for you. You can't do this without God. Prioritize serving God.



Be prepared to receive wisdom.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 10/05/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Paying attention helps you live wisely. Failure to pay attention can cause drift. Failure to pay attention can bring disaster. Paying attention makes it possible to receive blessing..







Focus your attention on things that advance the Kingdom. What's going on around us. What God says in His Word.



Hold on to what you have learned. Visit it repeatedly. Unpack it thoroughly but not creatively. Live it deliberately and dependently.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 9/28/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Wisdom is the centerpiece in all of life. You need wisdom in the good times. You need wisdom in the bad times.







James 1:5 (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James is talking about a wisdom that helps us stick with God. Trusting that His plan is a good plan.



As you grow in wisdom, you trust God's plan and as you trust God's plan, you grow in wisdom. Trust God's plan so that you don't get tossed around. Trust God's plan so that you don't get tricked. Don't be deceived.



Receiving wisdom requires humility. The humility to revere God - to fear God. The humility to submit to God. The humility to trust God.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 9/21/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Wisdom is a gift that must be pursued. While wisdom comes as a gift from God, you must pursue it as though it depended upon you.







Wisdom expands your life by limiting you. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6



Wisdom is both earthly and spiritual. Biblical wisdom protects you spiritually.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 9/7/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



What is the church? A building. A family. A gathering. A moral and cultural fixture. A body. God's implement to shatter the gates of hell.







Why I'm committed to Alliance Missions.



Our message is the centrality of Christ. Jesus answered "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.



Our mission is to complete the great commission. A commission is a calling to complete a task. "...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20



Our method is to plant missionary churches.



Our members are a missionary movement.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 8/31/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Pastor Steve takes us through Luke 12:35-48 and asks the question are you ready for the end times?







What are the essentials? The return of Jesus Christ is an absolute certainty and He expects us to be ready. Don't confuse end-times study with end-times preparedness.



Being prepared means being the people who do what Jesus commanded. Love one another, Love your neighbor, Love God. Love your enemies, Turn the other cheek. Do good to the "least of these". Go above and beyond. Your preparedness reveals your heart!



What does a ready heart look like? Watchful, faithful and diligent.



What kind of servant am I? Are you thinking about what matters? Are you doing what matters? Are you being who you were made to be?

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 8/24/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Listen as Pastor Steve leads us through Matthew 18:21-35.



When we fail to forgive, we show we don't get it. God shows us grace, and we need to show others grace.







God shows us a grace that is grace, that is faithful, that is available to all, that is counterintuitive, that is effective, that brings glory to Himself.



We show others grace that is grace, that is faithful, that is available to all, that is counterintuitive, that is effective, that shows God's glory and goodness. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:31

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 8/17/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Listen as Pastor Steve goes through the parable found in Matthew 25:31-46.







The determining factor are you "blessed" or "cursed"?



Unless you have humbled yourself and understood your own need for grace, giving grace to others doesn't come naturally. The way you live doesn't determine your spiritual destiny - it reveals your heart.



The judgement tells us you do have to face the reality that you need forgiveness. You get to live your faith as an expression of your experience with grace.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 8/10/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Listen as Pastor Steve goes through Proverbs 3:1-10, 21-35 on back to school.







Don't forget you are being formed every day in your life. You are being formed in surprising environments.



As we head back to school remember to not set your OS for automatic updates. Consider the source. Do the math. God's wisdom is greater than my wisdom.



As you move forward in life ask God to lead you. As you move forward in life stay away from evil. As you move forward in life honor God with what you have.



Don't forget to trust in the Lord.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 8/3/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



What is the kingdom worth? If you could purchase citizenship in the kingdom, it would be worth giving up all you have. What is a person worth? In God's eyes, your value is immeasurable.







Listen as Pastor Steve goes over the common interpretation and a concurrent interpretation of the parable found in Matthew 13:44-46.



In the common interpretation, the treasure and the pearl represent the kingdom. The man/merchant is a seeker. The response is to give all for the kingdom.



In the concurrent interpretation. The treasure is you and me. The treasure seeker is Jesus. The response is Jesus purchases persons with His blood.



Carry these truths in your heart. Pursue the kingdom of Heaven with all you have. Rest in the incomprehensible sacrifice that Christ made for you.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 7/27/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Listen as Pastor Steve goes through the parable of the tenants.



People tend to reject God's Word and those who bring it.







What's up with the Stones? The Stone is Jesus. We get our life from the Stone.



How do we live from the Rock? Let go of sin that damages your connection with the rest of the building. Have an appetite for spiritual growth. Expect to become part of something greater. Jesus makes you one of many living stones.



The Father loves the stones. He is pleased with His Son. He is pleased with those who trust the Son. He is pleased to make us a part of the Kingdom.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 7/20/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Pastor Steve will walk us through Matthew 13:3-23 and the Parable of the Sower.







You can walk with God if you really want Him. A key phrase in the passage is Whoever has ears, let them hear.



Experiencing Jesus requires your heart's attention. People who want God don't give up easily. People who want God don't pretend.



Give your soil attention by giving your heart attention. Be on your guard against the evil one. Receive the presence of God deeply into your life - into every aspect of your life. Use weedkiller! Let anxieties push you to God. Manage your money intentionally. Don't let money manage you. Allow the Spirit of God to produce His fruit in the soil that is your life.



Jesus invites you to hear the Word, understand it and let the Spirit of God use it to transform your life.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 7/13/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



How does kingdom growth happen?







God plants a seed. God brings the kingdom to life. The kingdom grows well in good soil. Kingdom growth is a process. Kingdom growth is absolutely certain because God makes it happen.



The kingdom is people. Not just numbers or influence. God grows the kingdom by growing us. Our place in the process is to cooperate.



How does personal spiritual growth happen?



God plants a seed. God brings you to life. You grow as the soil of your life receives the seed. Your spiritual growth is a process. God's work in your growth is certain. Our job is to cooperate with God.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 7/6/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Listen as Pastor Steve goes through Luke 19:11-27 and the parable of the ten minas.







Waiting is more of an art than a science. Science has predictable events and repeatable outcomes. Art is more open-ended. Perhaps more from the heart. We play a role. We manage our mina.



How do we play our role without a script? By knowing the Director. By knowing the big picture and the flow of the story. By knowing yourself. By being aware of need. By listening to the Holy Spirit.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 6/29/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Listen as Pastor Steve speaks about drifting in our spiritual lives.







Who are the people who drift or kind of get lost? It can be people like you and me who drift. Often it isn't due to something catastrophic.



It's easy to get lost. We can get sidetracked by sin. We can get sidetracked by life. Even the good things in life.



How do we avoid drifting and avoid being sidetracked? Keep the main thing the main thing! Be sure you follow the right person. Be sure you are looking in the right place.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 6/22/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Listen as Pastor Steve goes through the meaning of baptism based on Matthew 3:3-17.







Biblically, baptism is a cleansing with water by immersion.



Personally, baptism shows people your commitment to Christ. It shows God your commitment to Christ. It shows you that you are committed to Christ. It is a mile marker.



Spiritually, baptism reminds you that you are clean. Washed by the blood of Christ and free from guilt and shame. It reminds you that you are new, dead to sin, and alive to God.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 6/15/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



In this parable found in Luke 18, there are two different kinds of people. The Pharisee who is the epitome of what we understand as righteousness, and the tax collector who is the epitome of wickedness.







These two different kind of people had two very different kinds of prayers. The arrogant prayer was made by the pharisee who stood and was praying to himself. The broken prayer was given by the tax collector, who realized he was not alright.



There were two different outcomes. One is humbled and one is exalted. One is not justified and one is justified.



Jesus tells this parable to force us to see our need for grace. Coming to God clothed in our own righteousness is obscene. Jesus invites us to come to Him in our brokenness.

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 6/8/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Listen as Pastor Steve discusses the parable concerning the shrewd manager in Luke 16.







Remember that Scripture should be interpreted as the writer intended. What did the writer want his reader to understand as he penned these words?

Presented at Curwensville Alliance on 6/1/25 by Pastor Steve Shields.



Pastor Steve begins by presenting the elements in the parable. The ten virgins are the bridal party. The bridegroom is Jesus. The wedding banquet is the reception. The lamps are necessary to make the journey. The oil is the Holy Spirit.







Foolishness can neglect an encounter with the holy, the sharing in the joy of others, or God-given glimpse of eternity.



Signs of neglect are a casual attitude toward the gift, a dimming of the light - a cooling of the fire, or a disinterest in the return of Christ.



To avoid the pitfall of neglect be sure you have the gift. Keep the end in mind always. Be alert.