The Bride of Christ

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Happy New Year to you.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are you ready for the new year?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is the new year ready for you is what we ought to ask, huh?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I am happy that the Christmas decorations are still up.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sometimes when we take them down just after Christmas, it kind of looks bare.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: After having been here for a few weeks.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I will tell you though, it is still Christmas season.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: January 6th is Christmas.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: according to the Eastern Orthodox religion.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So should you be in Russia at this time, they are still waiting for Christmas to occur on January 6th.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So uh that's why the Christmas decorations are still up.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Or because the crew did not get here this last week to take them down.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You can go with whichever option you want, but uh I like the Christmas decorations up.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They are uh add beauty to our facility here.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You see on the screen, oh you it was on the screen.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I saw it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, I saw it down there.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: There it was.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You see on the screen the title The Bride of Christ.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I was going to have a different title, and that it was I Have a Dream.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: uh kind of stealing that title from uh Martin Luther King Jr.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: in his uh

Pastor Dale Tunnell: speech there in 1963.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't remember it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I was just a baby at that time.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh but had to study it a few times.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And uh it is a beautiful and powerful uh message that he gave.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Um I've been here at Mesa Palms now for two months.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So I'm still in Ubi, still getting to know what goes on here.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh they don't always tell me when the lights are out.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh or when things need to be done around here, things just happen.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sometimes I'm here and catch people doing things.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sometimes they happen when I'm not here.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I realize I haven't been to all of your homes yet.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, I realize you have not invited me to your home yet.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have not received a lot of text messages and say, hey, I need a pastoral visit.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Maybe you don't need a pastoral visit, but I need to visit you.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Maybe you don't need me to visit you, but I need to visit you, because I'm realizing every Sabbath how many people's names I just still do not know.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now Cheryl's good at it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: She picks them up.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: She listens to conversations.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: She hears things.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: She you'd be surprised how many names she already knows.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And when she talks about you, I have no clue who she's talking about

Pastor Dale Tunnell: She has to describe a little bit more to me so that I can catch on.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, that's their name.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So um

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So I'm telling you, it needs to happen.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm I'm I'm still learning things, but I've like I said, I've been here two months.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: This facility that we have is is beautiful.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, God has given the church here a beautiful facility.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Um

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I look out here and see only about what?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What would you say?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: 50% full?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: 45% full?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Something like that?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh, I should look at the numbers and compare them with the seating capacity and see how that that rates.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Um

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The members that are here that I'm getting to know, the ones I have visited, the ones I've been in meetings with, the ones I've I've visited at the the midweek meetings, the one that is in board meeting, I've been at a few board meetings.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Board meetings are fun.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I like board meetings.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh that's uh when you get to know people a little bit better.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Elders' meetings.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Um

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's fun for me to get to know the Bride of Christ here in Mesa Palms.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I've thought and I've wondered if Jesus were to write us a letter for 2026.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What would it say?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If we had been included, or if we were included in the twenty I mean in the Revelation letters

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Uh the back here of the Bible, Revelation chapter two and three.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: There's letters there to the seven churches.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If we were included in those letters

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What would he say to us and how would he say it?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You remember some of those letters, right?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The Church of Ephesus?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What he had to say to the Church of Ephesus.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, the Church of Ephesus was a happening place.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were a growing church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were an exciting church to be at.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But Jesus tells them, he says, you have lost your first love.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Boy, that's that's that's strong, isn't it?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Those are those are hard words for us to hear sometimes.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean if you said that to your your your

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Your husband, you've been married, you know, month, three months, a year, five years, and you say you've lost your first love.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's your husband gonna think when you say that?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And then you go further, like Jesus says, He says, repent

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean those are you could almost be offended at those things.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Words like that could could be be painful to hear.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now some individuals say that the the the s the letters to the seven churches, there were actually seven churches that that John was writing to, or Jesus was writing to through John, sending these letters to, but that these seven churches actually also

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Our time prophecies throughout history.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The early church would be that church of Ephesus, the one that was growing, the one that was exciting, the one that was on fire for Jesus Christ.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: When the world was turned upside down, that would be the church of Ephesus.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But then it gets to the point where they lose their first love.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And and John, he writes, first, second, third, John, you read those books and he says

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Love one another, love one another, love one another.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Why is he reminding them to love one another?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Because of what Jesus had said.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You've lost your first love.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Could see it in the church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now I'm not going through the seven churches right now, but the the the the the Laodicean church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If that that section, these are letters to the time prophecies going through the history of the church, and we get to the seventh church there, the Laodicean church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That would be the last day church, the church that is in the in the in the last days before Jesus returns.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That would probably be our day.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What does he tell the Laodicean church there in in Revelation chapter 3?

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What was it?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You don't need me.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It says, you think you are rich and in need of nothing

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Boy, that that kinda sounds like the world we live in, doesn't it?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: People in the valley here think they're rich and they need of nothing.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They they they have everything they need to make life happen.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We get to the place where we we we don't even need the the community.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Look here chapter three there if you have your Bibles you can open it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I didn't put it on the screen for you

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I know your works that you're neither hot nor cold.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I could wish that you were cold or hot.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold or hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Because you say that you are rich, I have become wealthy and have need of nothing, do you know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you want to receive a letter like that?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't either.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't want to receive a letter like that either.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't want you to receive a letter like that.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Because that is painful to hear, painful to look at.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And so I will say, I have a dream

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have a dream for the Mesa Palm Seventh day Adventist Church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have a dream where every member has a personal relationship with Jesus.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Every member.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now I know some of you didn't get the card so you could fill out the five names because you're you're not a voted member here.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But if you're attending here, you're a member here, okay?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Wouldn't it be nice if every member had a personal relationship with Jesus

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, do you have a New Year's resolution that you want to have a personal relationship with Jesus this year?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You want to improve your relationship with Jesus?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: John 10, 27.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Jesus says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You talk about a New Year's resolution.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I want to hear God's voice.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I want the congregation to hear God's voice.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I want us to know God's voice.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: For him to know who we are, and for us to put into practice.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sometimes that's harder than just hearing.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Right?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We may hear, but we don't always put into practice.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I want us to hear his voice and to do what he asks us to do.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: To have that personal relationship with him.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That means we're going to have to be spending time with him regularly.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That means we're going to have to be going on errands for him regularly.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now I know this applies to me also.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know, many times the pastor is preaching to himself.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You guys are just here listening.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is what I need to hear as well.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I want for us as a church to have that personal relationship with Jesus

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What would that look like?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What could we do as a church to encourage one another to have that personal relationship with Jesus?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, I I I was thinking about that this week and I I'm thinking, you know, we already have some things that are really in place for that purpose.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: When the Seventh-day Adventist Church started, one of the things they wanted was everybody to grow because the knowledge that was taking place at that time, they wanted everybody to grow spiritually, significantly.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Not just incremental, but significant spiritual growth.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And that was going to have to happen quickly.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And so they they they started what we call Sabbath school.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We're not original with that idea.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We got it from the Methodists.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They had Sunday school.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We started Sabbath school.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The purpose for Sabbath school.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is so that we can grow spirit.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's to get us into God's word so that we are studying on a regular basis.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Those Sabbath school lesson guides, the the Bible reading guides.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's so you can study it every day, every day, every day.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And you you you begin to learn, you begin to grow, and we come together and we go to the classes and it's where a discussion

Pastor Dale Tunnell: can take place so that we can share what we've learned during the week and how we can apply it to our life.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That was an advertisement for Sabbath School.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: In case you weren't catching on.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know, there were times in in in Adventist history that we were known as people of the book, and that was because of Sabbath school.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: There were times in Seventh day Avenue's history where we would have 150 people coming to Sabbath school and only 100 showing up to the worship service.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We had more people in Sabbath school classes than we did that were members of the church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: At one time, Sabbath school class is where Bible study was taking place.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's where we were getting individuals to come and study with us, and they weren't even members.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were learning how to grow in Jesus Christ.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were learning how to study the Bible.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were growing to be able to hear God's voice.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They were growing to know what God's will was for their life.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sabbath school a long, long, long time ago, used to be the evangelism for the church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Making sure that people studied and and and grew and knew their Bibles, making sure they had that relationship with Jesus.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Advertisement again for Sabbath school if you're watching on video, if you're the and listening, advertisement for getting together with the church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We need Sabbath school.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You need Sabbath school.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean if there if you are not here well let's see I shouldn't say that I'm not preaching next week

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you are not here worshiping in two weeks, here, in this room, worshiping with me in two weeks, if you are not here, but you attended Sabbath school,

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I would say hallelujah.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: To me, Sabbath school is more important than what happens here

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you want to bring guests, bring them to Sabbath school.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sabbath school is where we really study the word

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Sometimes we'll have a Bible study here, but man, if I part of my dream is to grow Sabbath school.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm gonna tell you, we have this thing called midweek service or or prayer meeting.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I know you don't drive at night.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I know Wednesday night is a difficult time.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Friends, we need to be getting together to pray

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We need to pray together as a community.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That midweek service is

Pastor Dale Tunnell: is something special.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: This opportunity we have is at the world church, this ten days of prayer that we're going to have starting Wednesday evening and going to conclude on the on the 17th.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's a special time where the world church has things that they're praying about.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But we as a local community, we have things that we need to pray about.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And we need to be sharing those with each other.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And it builds community.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: When you listen to each other pray, when you hear each other pray, it builds community.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: When you when you can sense the other people's hearts, it builds community.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We don't pray enough together

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Okay, how many commercials you want during this section?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know, sometimes you watch that uh programs and there's just commercial after commercial after commercial.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have a dream that every member has a personal relationship with Jesus.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What a wonderful place that would be.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have a dream that every member is using their spiritual gifts that God has given to them.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you have a spiritual gift?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Ephesians chapter four

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Ephesians chapter 4, verse 7 and 8, it says, But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Ephesians 4:7

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Therefore, he says, when he ascended on high, he left captivity captive and gave gifts to men.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's it say there?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: He gave gifts to men.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Continues on in verses eleven through sixteen.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: till we all come to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

Pastor Dale Tunnell: that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of

Pastor Dale Tunnell: deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things unto him who is ahead, Christ.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working of which every part does its share, causes the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you have a spiritual gift?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know what your spiritual gift is?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, that's part of the problem, isn't it?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We don't know our spiritual gift.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So we don't use it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Romans chapter 12, they kind of go together with Ephesians 4 and they talk about spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention Romans 12 · chapter mention

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And Paul uses the analogy of a body.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now, all of you know about a body, right?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know the parts of the body.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Paul says when one part of the body isn't working, what happens to the body?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If your foot isn't working, what happens to you?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You limp.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If the church is a body and part of the body isn't working properly

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now I'm going to say that differently.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If the church is a body and part of the body is not using its spiritual gift appropriately, what happens to the body?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's limping down the trail.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Or maybe it wasn't the foot that was hurt.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Maybe we're able to run, but we're not able to think.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You understand that what would the church be like if everybody was using their spiritual gift?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We'd be healthy.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, we understand this body analogy a little bit.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We understand that there are 11 systems in the human body.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know about these systems, right?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You go to the doctor to when when one of these systems isn't working, you go to the doctor to find out what's the problem.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Why am I not breathing properly?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, my bone's sticking out of my skin here.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What should I do?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We know when there's a problem and we go and do we are searching for a cure.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We understand the human body.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do we understand the church body?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do we realize that there are eight systems for church organization that have to be functioning properly in order for a church to be healthy?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What would happen if we went to the church doctor?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Or if the church doctor came and made a house call to us and began talking to us about the systems in our church and said.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm sorry, but your church is gonna die.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's on life support

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Four of the eight systems aren't working properly.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Well, what do I do

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Well, you need to get the systems resuscitated.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You need to get them have surgery on them.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You need to get them so that all the gifts in the church are being are working appropriately.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If we don't understand this, I mean a church is supposed to have leadership development that's taking place regularly.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We're supposed to be discovering our spiritual gifts and implementing those things.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Evangelism and outreach need to happen.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: regularly in a church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Small groups need to be taking place in a church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Developed biblically authentic and loving relationships needs to be happening in a church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Worship development needs to be taking place.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Finances, management, and administration need to be taking place.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If these things are happening, the health of a church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It makes it so much more fun to come to church when all of these things are working smoothly.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It brings joy to the church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's fun to go to church where you have a baptism every Sabbath.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, I haven't been in one of those.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Have you?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Wouldn't it be nice to be in one where it was taking place every Sabbath?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But I've been in healthy churches before, and it's they're exciting places to be.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: When we're all using our our spiritual gifts, man, it works together like

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, like riding in a new automobile.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: How smooth it is when you get in that new automobile, how the the engine purs just right, how the tires are are rotating properly, how

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You're up to 95 miles an hour before you look at the speedometer.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh my, how did I get that fast so easy?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You're just cruising when everything's working good.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have a dream here for Mesa Palms.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And that would be for everybody to understand that we're not on a cruise ship.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Some of you have been on cruises.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm not talking about against cruises.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I've enjoyed a cruise.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But here at Mesa Palms, this is not a cruise ship.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Because on a cruise ship, there's a crew that's behind the scenes is taking care of everything.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And the passengers that are on board, they are just having fun.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Friends, we're in a warfare.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is a battleship

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And this is when so when the cry goes out: man your battle stations, you know exactly what you're supposed to be doing and when you're supposed to be doing it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you're the chief cook and bottle washer, that means you're supposed to be cooking.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you're the ones that's the gunner out there on the deck, that means that you're supposed to be there behind the gun.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's your spiritual gift?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know it?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And if you say no, come talk to me about it

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's one of my jobs as the pastor, my spiritual gift, pastoring, one of the roles that I'm supposed to play is to help the church members find their spiritual gifts and to plug them in.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh man, we got nominating committee coming up.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We are going to be choosing officers.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We're going to be looking for people to plug into places.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh, this is going to be a fun next three months.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are you ready for it?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What station do you want to be at?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What do you want to be doing?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And if you're on a luxury cruise, this may not be the place.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Because scripture tells us that this this I'm gonna go back to that.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Did you see what it said there?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: These spiritual gifts are for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all come to the unity of the faith.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure and stature of the fullness of Christ.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are we there yet?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If we're not there yet, then

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We should be getting there.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We have a ways to go.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We need some training to take place.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And when that takes place, that means we gotta have people that are sitting in the seats being trained

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know your spiritual gifts?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know what you're supposed to be doing in the church?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know what battle station you're holding?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have a dream for every member is using their spiritual gifts that God has given to them.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now lest you think, you don't have much.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It says everybody receives a gift.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And that Matthew 25 parable about the talents where you go and hide it in this in the dirt.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You know what happened to that guy, don't you?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't want you to be that person.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I really don't want you to be that person.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I want every person to be using the spiritual gifts that they have.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have a dream.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have a dream where here at Mesa Palms we are fulfilling the mission that God has given to his followers.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What does that mean?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The mission that God gave to his followers.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do we understand what that is?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Acts chapter 1, verse 8.

Acts 1:8

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Jesus talking to his disciples, his followers, just as he's getting ready to leave the earth, he says, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses to

Pastor Dale Tunnell: To me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What are the followers of Jesus supposed to be doing?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Witnessing.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Witnessing about what?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Jesus.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is Jesus your friend?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are you telling people about him?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are you winning people to be a believer in Jesus, a follower of Jesus?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are you teaching them to understand the things that Jesus wants them to understand?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean, Jesus says this in Acts chapter 1 there to his disciples.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Verse 41.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I mean Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Well, we know what happens in Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The Holy Spirit falls on the disciples in a marvelous way.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: After

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Ten days of prayer.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Some of you are connecting the dots here, just so that you are able to do that.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: After the ten days of prayer,

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The disciples received the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit had already been working.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: For years and years and years the Holy Spirit had already been working, but it was a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit that was given.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Peter preaches a dynamic sermon in Acts chapter two, verse forty-one.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It says, and then those who gladly received his word were baptized.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And that day about 3,000 souls were added to them.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Isn't that beautiful?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: 3,000.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Are you looking forward to the day when we can have 3,000 people baptized there?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't know.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That tank's not big enough.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It'd take us a long time for 3,000 to go in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We might have to get we might have to go over to my apartment building and and get all the elders together and all of us take turns baptizing at the swimming pool over at our apartment.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Wouldn't that be more fun?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Go to the river.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, I like that idea.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Go to the river.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Have the baptism.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Friends, you and I are part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: As a church, you may not know this, but as a church, in the year, I'm gonna see if I can get this right, in the year 2024.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Numbers haven't come in for 2025.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But in the year of 2024, we as a Seventh-day Adventist Church were baptizing over 4,000 people per day.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Let me try that again.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: As a church, we were baptizing over 4,000 people per day.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's fantastic.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's wonderful.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's great to be part of a world church that is doing that kind of thing.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We may be the the Can't see the numbers right now.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I think that we are the fastest growing denomination in the world.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If we're not, we're very close there.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And that's something special, especially in the day and age when many denominations are declining.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's exciting to be part of a church like that.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And while that is wonderful, it's not good enough.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know how many people are being born every day?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, I didn't figure you'd know

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And I didn't look it up either.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But I'm gonna tell you it's more than 4,000.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know every day we baptize 4,000, we're getting further and further behind?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is that saddening to you?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's happening here in the valley?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: How many are we baptizing regularly

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You may know the numbers better than I do.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I I don't know what's going on in all the other churches.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do we see the the the kind of growth that we would expect by people that are filled with the Holy Spirit?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Listening to the voice of God, using their spiritual gifts, seeking to fulfill the mission that God has given to us.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Look at verse 46, 47 of chapter 2, there at Acts.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, oh it did put it there

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So so continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Praising God and having favor with all the people.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What did God do?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: God added to what?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The church daily, those who are being saved.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now my question is: Is God working here in Mesa?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: He is?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is he adding to the church daily those who are being saved?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Which church where?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Part of me is confused.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you see part of the problem that we have?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: God is supposed to be adding to his church daily.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If we're not seeing those kind of of results, that is

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What did they say?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Operator error.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Something that's happening that isn't supposed to be happening.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Mesa Palm should be a collection point for those people Jesus is saving.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We should be able to to to gather them here, letting people know that this is a place that they are welcome

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That this is a place they can grow in Jesus, that this is a place where they can can pray together, this is a place where they can build community, this is a place that that God has provided for them so that they can know the three angels' messages.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Now some of you have been here at Mesa Palms a whole lot longer than I have.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know the Mesa Palms mission statement?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: They tell us the mission statements for an organization is important and that every member of the organization should have the mission statement memorized.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: so that they know what they are to live by.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you know the mission statement for the Mesa Palm, Seventh day Adventist Church?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Anybody want to stand up and recite it for us?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Yeah, it was handed to me in uh in a in a book uh several months ago.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's the only reason I know it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So here it is.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Here we go.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's that?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's on the back of the bulletin.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But none of you started reading it?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm glad you knew where it was.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Let's try it together here.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Following Christ by creating environment for a healthy, loving relationship with him and his family.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Beautiful mission statement.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Somebody's taken time and put some work into developing a mission statement like this.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We need to know it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Evidently having it on the back of the bulletin's not enough for us to know it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We need to take this to heart.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Say this is the this is the mission we've talked about.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is the mission our our our leadership has has chosen.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is this is what we're striving to do.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We want to make this happen.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Well what would happen if we were following Christ, listening to his voice, hearing his word.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: This is the way, walk you in it, doing what he wanted us to do, creating an environment for healthy.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: loving relationship with him and his family.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'll use a different word for for

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Today's sermon title, And His Bride

Pastor Dale Tunnell: God wants to add individuals to his church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We should be his witnesses.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Here

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What's here?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Mesa?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The valley?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Greater Phoenix area?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Is that what you want to say?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Here is

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Judea?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: What do you want to say?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Arizona?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Then the rest of the United States?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And then the world.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: People need to know Jesus is coming soon

Pastor Dale Tunnell: People need to know Jesus wants to save them.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Jesus died to save them.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: People need to hear the good news that we have as Seventh-day Adventists.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Those three angels' messages there in Revelation, those are the loud cry that needs to go to the world in the last days.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Everybody needs to know.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And it's not enough just for the pastor to preach it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's not enough just for each of us to to to live it personally.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We've got to to to to live it in such a way that it takes over our life and it consumes us.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And the zeal that we have for our God consumes us.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And we can't stop talking about it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We want to tell somebody.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Some of you gray haired people

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you remember when you first fell in love?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Or you saw somebody you wanted to fall in love with?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Or you saw somebody that

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Who'd you tell about it?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Oh no, we gotta keep that a secret, right?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: No, those are the kind of things you tell.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Those are the kind of things you share.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Those are the kind of things you call home and tell mom and dad about.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That love experience was good news.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's the kind of love experience we need to be having with Jesus Christ.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's good news, and we can't help ourselves.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's just bubbling out of us.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Following Christ by creating an environment for a healthy, loving relationship with Him and His family.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Beautiful statement.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Ephesians chapter 5, our scripture reading for the day

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Ephesians chapter five says, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that he might present her to himself

Pastor Dale Tunnell: A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Friends, that's what God desires for his church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: God has a dream.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: He has a plan for his bride.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: He has a plan for his Mesa Palm bride.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That they are preparing people for his soon return.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That he wants them to be a glorious church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's what the text says: a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: A holy church without blemish, a glorious bride

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Friends, this is 2026.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: As was said during the the song service, as was said earlier today, we want Jesus to come soon.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I know a date was put on it this year, and that would be fantastic.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's not too soon.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: But it doesn't give you and I much time.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We've got things that need to happen.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Do you have friends and neighbors you want in heaven?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I'm sorry, I forgot to do something at an earlier point, so I'm gonna do it now.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So you're gonna wait a couple more minutes.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Some of you met my parents that were here a couple weeks ago.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Um

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Missionary Book of the Year was sitting out here in the lobby when I brought my dad to look at the facility here.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: He stole it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's the kind of example I have as a pastor, son, growing up, and he read it

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And he got on the phone and he made sure his church had 400 copies.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And he's only got a small church there in Georgia.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And he said, Dale, he says, you need to get your 400 copies.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I said, these things are $2 apiece.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I said, I got our church to vote to order a whole case of them so we could get it down to the price of $2.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And he said, Why are you paying $2 for that book?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: He said the Georgia Cumberland Conference is selling them to those churches out there for only a dollar a piece.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: He kinda got under my skin a little bit and talked me into ordering four cases

Pastor Dale Tunnell: for our church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: There are three cases that are sitting out here on the pews.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: The other fourth case that we had already ordered has not here yet.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And some people had already said we want so many books, but we have some books for you so that you can share.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You can take one for yourself or your family.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And then you can take four more.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That's five.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You decide who to give them to, okay?

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I don't want you just to pick it up on your way out of here and leave it in the fellowship hall during potluck.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I want these things to go home with you.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: And I don't want them just to sit on your night table, nightstand, or your coffee table in the living room.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I want you to decide who's going to get these.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Friends, there's good writing in here.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: People need to read it, understand it, hear about it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: If you have to, start a book club to read this book.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Discuss each chapter with people.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Encourage them to to

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Give comments on it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Talk to you about it.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: You ask them, how'd you like the book

Pastor Dale Tunnell: It's a gift for you from your church

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Because it's important for us to be doing what God wants us to do, fulfilling the mission of his church.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: So I'm going to re say this again.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: I have a dream that we know and listen to his voice

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Whatever it takes for us in 2026, we need to know and listen to his voice so that he knows us.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We don't want to hear those words, I do not know you.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We want to hear the words, welcome home children.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: That happens when we know and listen to his voice.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: When we are utilizing the gifts that he has given to us.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: He has given us gifts.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Let's use them.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: All of us use them.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: using them to fulfill the mission that he has called his church to fulfill.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We can do this

Pastor Dale Tunnell: Jesus is coming soon.

Pastor Dale Tunnell: We have a blessed hope that Jesus is coming soon.