Pottstown Seventh-day Adventist Church

05/30/2026

Worship Service 5/30/2026
"How I Love Jesus Christ"
Pr. Sarel Smit

05/23/2026

Worship Service 5/23/2026
"I Love Jesus"
Pr. Yves Monnier

05/16/2026

Worship Service 5/16/2026
"The Joy of the Lord: Rejoicing in Christ Through Every Season"
Pr. Sarel Smit

05/09/2026

Worship Service 5/9/2026
"Forgiveness: A Focal Issue or a Skill?"
Pr. Sarel Smit

01/04/2025

Worship Service 1/4/2025

01/04/2025

Sermon 1/4/2025 - "Back to the Altar"

English version

01/04/2025

We are experiencing technical difficulties with Facebook Live. Video of today's worship service will be available after the service.

07/27/2024

Our church is undergoing changes to the audio/video system. Please excuse any technical difficulties during this time. Thank you!

01/01/2024

11/05/2022

Leaders and Followers

Judges 5:1-2
Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying: “When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the LORD!

The book of Judges has some of most mind-boggling things that ever happened. Yet these things happen because some don't lead in righteousness, and many follow in sinfulness.

There is a certain pattern in Judges that can be described by this chiasm:

A) Israel "does evil in the eyes of the LORD"
B) The people are given into the hands of their enemies and cry out to the LORD,
C) The LORD raises up a leader,
C') The "spirit of the LORD" comes upon the leader,
B') The leader leads to the defeat the enemy, and
A') The land has rest (peace).

{A. Israel does evil, A'. There is no peace for the wicked}, {B. Enemy conquers, B'. Enemy is conquered}, {C. A godly leader, C'. Leads by God's Spirit}

Judges 2:7-23 gives a complete summary of this pattern.

The Bible is clear about the effects of a lack of strong central leadership, it explains:

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6, 21:25

I wondered why there was not a leader after Joshua but he was a type of Christ, and no one will come after Christ.

Whenever a judge appeared, the people fell in line and obeyed. As soon as he died, they rebelled. What does that tell us about godly leaders?

Leaders send men to death (e.g. Putin), to insurrection (e.g. ?), to acts of valor (Zelenskyy) and to conquer the world in righteousness (Jesus).

You are a leader, not just prominent people. Parents lead children, we can lead our friends, elders lead churches. Can you imagine the effect of an ungodly pastor or priest? A corrupt politician?

What will be the story of your life? Are you going to lead in righteousness? Or will you follow after the ways of sinfulness and lead others astray? Every stone that falls in the pond creates a ripple. There's no effectless action. What will be written against your name?

“When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the LORD!

Happy Sabbath