Below you will find various resources from Grace Community Church, including our sermon archive, podcasts, and links to our worship albums.
One of the key elements of our corporate gatherings is congregational singing. Music has a God-given ability to affect the emotions and influence thinking. We are intentional about singing songs that communicate God’s character and reflect the gospel message.
While reading in Acts 7 the sermon Stephen preached as his defense against the accusation of blasphemy, I was struck by his strategy. He gave his opponents a history lesson that ended with Jesus. The accusation against Stephen was that he had spoken against the...
Christians should live in a heads-up frame of mind. “Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, ESV). The man who wrote these words shows us how he did it in Acts...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church we will again consider the early stages of persecution against the infant church in Jerusalem. I encourage you to read Acts 5 this weekend to prepare yourself for our time together. A common but unhelpful approach to Bible passages...
The great potential of marriage is that it can help us honor God, follow Christ, and walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Sadly, marriage can also be a relationship in which a husband and wife find no help in their discipleship or in which...
Our brothers and sisters who first tasted the grace of Jesus and were filled with the Spirit’s power soon felt the pressure of opposition. Acts 4 is their story. A new day has dawned as the Holy Spirit is poured out on the people of...
I had been a Christian a month or two when I began thinking about the Holy Spirit. In conversations with other Christians, it was suggested that there might be more to the Christian life than faith in Christ and following him as Lord. That “more,”...
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be devoted to the church. Here’s an interesting bit of trivia. The first known use of the word “decouple” was in 1938 (according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary). I would have guessed it was one of the...
This morning, I will write about the murder of Charlie Kirk. I was not trained, nor am I particularly gifted, to give immediate responses to public tragic events. I have been in many personal tragic events. I have stood at the deathbeds of people of...
The main message in Acts 2 is that Jesus of Nazareth is both Lord and Christ, and that the Holy Spirit fills Jesus’ disciples in their witness of him. This Sunday at Grace Community we will focus our attention on this message from the sermon...
It’s common for people to think that the book of Acts begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, which is recorded in Acts 2. The first chapter of Acts is often overlooked. But by slowing down and taking a...
For this week’s Word of Grace, I will let J.I. Packer speak to us on revival in the book of Acts. For almost thirty years I have read and re-read this passage from Packer. I have prayed for the aspects of revival he writes of...
The best way to read the Bible and listen to a sermon is in prayer. That’s because the Bible tells us God’s purposes and ways, and in prayer we submit to him and conform our lives to his will. As we read and preach through...
A travel program on television I recently watched showed a scene inside an art gallery. An art lover sat on a bench in front of a large painting for what appeared to be a long and patient meditation. The reward for her thoughtful gaze was...
All things are from God and are to be used for his purposes. Imagine a person who sits down at the table of a friend hosting a dinner. When the host brings the meal, the guest takes it to the den to eat while watching...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church we will take up the topic of work from the book of Proverbs. This weekend I encourage you to read the small letter of Titus to see how works play an important part in our Christian discipleship. Titus is...
Jesus said the greatest love one can have is to lay down his life for his friends. Then he turned to his disciples and said, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:13-14). Continuing with his disciples he said, “You...
Whenever a conflict or quarrel arises our first question is, “Who caused it?” We’ve all heard the reprimanded child’s cry of defense, “…but he started it!” Maybe that’s still our defense, even as adults. But does determining who started the conflict really settle the issue...
Every day we take care to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the harm evil people can do to us. We lock the doors and avoid going to certain places at certain times of the day to remain safe. These precautions can be considered...
We may have angered some people this week by installing speed bumps in the parking lot at Grace Community Church, especially those who use it as a short cut to avoid the traffic light at the intersection. Anger may be too strong a description of...
According to Jesus and the apostles he trained to give us his word, humility is not an option. The Lord is not like other leaders standing over us with twisted faces and clinched fists shouting, “failure is not an option,” only substituting failure with humility. Rather,...
Last night I made the last of the visits this year to all the Community Groups at Grace Community Church. This morning I have great joy from my experience with my brothers and sisters in these groups. Community Groups and other small groups have been...
We all want righteousness to reign and justice when it doesn’t. But what happens when we find ourselves on the wrong side of righteousness and judgment is upon us? Proverbs 6 is a passage in the Bible that when read too quickly and without much...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church we will consider the wisdom of Proverbs 5 concerning sexuality. The main message of Proverbs 5 is two-fold. Avoid the foolishness of sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage and celebrate married sexual expression as a gift from God....
The “whole-body” craze includes everything from workouts to skin care to wellness centers. This week as I read Proverbs 4, I heard the call to whole-body wisdom. To stay on the way of wisdom requires a commitment of the whole body. First, there is the...
To trust in the Lord with all your heart and in all your ways is the wisest way to live. But it’s possible that our conception of the wise person amounts to someone who doesn’t need to trust anyone or anything. Maybe if you have...
It’s spring break week in Middle Tennessee, and the weather cooperated. Two things happened this week, one without much thought and the other because some didn’t think. Both were related to the sun. Without even thinking about it, vitamin D synthesis occurred for more people...
Wisdom comes from God to those who fear him. Proverbs, the book of wisdom in the Bible, says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10). We might be tempted to think that the fear of the Lord is removed...
No one has ever asked me how to be a fool. Never has someone come to me seeking foolish counsel. Everyone I have ever spoken with about the issues of their lives wants to be wise and to act wisely. Yet, few people know how...
As the staff of our church knows, I love the 1970 movie, The Cross and The Switchblade. I saw this movie so many times in my youth group that if the reel-to-reel projector ever broke down, I could have acted out the rest of it....
This Sunday at Grace we will come to the final exhortation of Paul’s letter to the Colossian church before his closing greetings. He tells them to live and speak wisely and in ways that seek to silence the slander of unbelievers against them and to...
This week our community experienced another school shooting that resulted in a murder, a suicide, and deep trauma for many. We pray for help and healing for all impacted by this tragedy. This morning I read one of the many opinion pieces that included a...
I’ve been in some settings where the icebreaker question was of the “one thing” type. What’s one thing you would take with you to outer space? What’s one thing you can’t live without? What’s one thing you hope to do in the upcoming year? Whenever...
At this time every year, we can count on another round of posts and podcasts telling us how to make and keep New Year’s resolutions. And we fall for it again. With renewed inspiration, we resolve again to start, stop, change, or adjust something that...
The three means of grace the Holy Spirit has used to keep me in faith, and the three practices that I have employed to keep myself in the way of the Spirit’s work are prayer, reading the Word, and participating in the church. You can...
Starting the new year with a Bible reading plan has become cliché. But don’t let that stop you from doing it anyway. The legalists may say they will not plan to read the Bible in 2025 because they need to break the “should” cycle in their lives....
As I shared earlier this week, the Lord has used the simple practices of prayer, Bible reading, and participation in the church to keep me growing in grace and following him since the day of my conversion. As we approach 2025, I encourage you to make...
Images are used to help explain realities, but it’s important that we interpret them well so that we know what is real. This is the case with Colossians 3 and the clothing imagery used to communicate the new self in Christ and the practices that...
“The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” Psalm 147:10 Fear and hope are friends when they reside in the heart of one whose eyes have seen the glory and grace of the Lord. Psalm 147...
We need explanations to gain understanding, and sometimes we need experience to really know the truth. Colossians 1:9-10 teaches this connection between explanation and experience. There we read that we are filled with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding so that we can walk according to Christ. By...
We come to a place in Colossians 3 that may seem like a contradiction, but it reveals a perfectly consistent way to live by faith in the grace of God. As this chapter opens, we hear of the great grace of God by which he...
The gospel reality of union with Christ means newness characterizes our lives. We have been learning about the reality of our union with Christ from Colossians 3. Now we see the results of that union in our on-the-ground, everyday life. This chapter opens with the declaration...
The language of salvation we most often use includes words like forgiveness, reconciliation, and new life. Praise God for these realities of the gospel. A much less used phrase, but equally true and necessary, is “union”. By grace through faith, we are united to Christ....
The power of a phrase is undeniable. Marketers know this. Think of how many products you purchase and places you go that have a memorable slogan attached to them. Colossians 2 comes with a phrase that clarifies what we are to believe and how we...
This morning’s reading was the 100th Psalm. I read through the psalm quickly with the thought of moving on to some other reading I had planned. But as I slowed down, the force of it landed appropriately on my soul and I stopped to pray....
We have a life-long concern for our bodies. Have we come to see them as consecrated to God and the place where we serve Christ and his church? Toddlers learn to touch their eyes, ears, nose, and toes as they sing songs with their parents....
Here’s a deep-thought exercise for your final weekend of the summer. First, using as many commas as you need, summarize your life in a sentence. Some of you will find this exercise to be an energizing challenge. Others will have no interest in this kind...
This week will be our third consideration of Paul’s opening prayer in Colossians 1:3-14. One thing I have noticed is how he begins and ends his prayer with thanksgiving to God. If we follow Paul’s pattern, our prayers and our lives will be changed. In the...
All who set themselves to obey the command of Christ to persist in prayer experience times when they simply don’t know what to ask. Not knowing how to pray can happen when the situation is complex, when we are overwhelmed with emotion, or when we’ve...
The language used in reference to the gospel makes it clear that it is alive with power. That makes us want to pay attention and give ourselves to its influence in our lives. In the introduction of Colossians, Paul gives thanks for these Christians’ faith...
Modern greetings have become casual, carrying little meaning and adding almost no value to our conversations or correspondence. But when the Apostle Paul opened his letter to the Colossians, he made a bold claim that his readers were called to believe as they began to...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church we will begin a series of sermons from the letter to the Colossians. This weekend, I encourage you to begin well and press on in the months to come in this New Testament book that will lead us to...
Though the temperature reminds us that we are in the middle of summer, the first week of August marks the beginning of the fall season of ministry at Grace Community Church. Let’s take the weekend to pray for a deep work of grace by the...
We have had a great summer in the Gospel of Mark hearing Jesus tell us about discipleship and call us to faith that leads to following him. We will bring this sermon series to a close this Sunday, but that doesn’t mean we’ve heard the...
As a gift for graduation from college in 1985, a professor of mine gave me a copy of The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. My professor was both a deeply committed Christian and a historian. So, the book was a perfect representation of himself...
Every generation of Christians since Christ has had its challenges to discipleship in the world. Christians have not always been aware of these challenges, and so, have not faced them with faith and in faithfulness to Christ. Some, being aware, have made the decision to...
The calendar tells me it is Pride Month. Jesus tells me it is time to hear and accept his word, which is something pride will not allow. Pride is nowhere in the Bible represented as a virtue. It is a heart disease that leads to...
For several years I was overly ambitious about a summer reading plan. I recall packing more than one book to take with me on vacations and mission trips. After a few years of lugging books around that I never got around to reading, I changed...
How does one bring a preaching series on the book of Isaiah to a close? That is the question I have asked myself this week. After a few mental “run-ups” to this final sermon, I realized there is no need to try to make it...
We often pray for the Lord to do things for us without expecting that the answer will call for anything from us. But the greatest answer to prayer is the Lord himself. And when he stands before us and says, “Here I am”, we are...
We shouldn’t be surprised that at the end of Isaiah, we hear a loud cry for the Lord to rend the heavens and come down (Isaiah 64:1). An intercessor has heard the previous prophecies of sin, grace, repentance, renewal, and the newness that Messiah will...
Isaiah 61 is a chapter about the Anointed One and his preaching. His name is Jesus, and he preached the gospel. This Sunday morning at Grace Community Church we will hear his voice through the written word of God. Isaiah 61 closes with the voice of...
I’ve never been very good at predicting the future. I’ve missed picking the outcomes of elections and ball games so many times I’ve stopped trying. I can’t name a trend or movement in culture that I saw coming. The one thing I have learned about the future...
This blog post was originally posted on January 20, 2023. When a congregation gathers on the Lord’s Day to read from a portion of the Bible and give its attention to what is read in the form of a sermon, what is happening? From one...
I often use this Words of Grace opportunity to call us to prayer. This Friday morning as I reflect on our member information meeting last Wednesday and project ahead to our gathering for worship on Sunday, this is one of those calls. As I write...
The thing about holidays is that when they are over, whatever it was that we celebrated tends to diminish in our minds until the next year when its day comes back around. But we rose from the bed on Monday morning to the reality that...
As we approach Easter Week, let’s set our hearts on Christ and give ourselves to prayer. This Sunday is Palm Sunday, remembering the time Jesus entered Jerusalem to the crowd singing, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name...
I have had an interesting relationship with the word “vision” throughout my life. My first concern with vision was in school when I realized I couldn’t see well. Getting eyeglasses helped my physical sight, but I had just begun my journey with the idea of...
The God of glory is determined to keep it, reveal it, and bring his people into it. For this, we are forever grateful. Isaiah 48 is a chapter about how God dealt with his people in exile in Babylon. The chapter covers a lot of theological...
The most important time of your day is when you settle in your mind what is already settled in heaven, that the counsel of the Lord will stand, and his purposes will be accomplished. The questions of life abound, and many of them leave us...
It has been our practice at Grace Community Church to begin each year with a season of prayer we call, “Devoted to Prayer.” The Bible tells us to be constant in prayer, to pray without ceasing (Romans 12:12, I Thessalonians 4:17). Our January prayer emphasis is...
Somewhere along the way in ministry, I heard (or interpreted something that was said to mean) that preachers shouldn’t preach things that aren’t real in their own lives. My guess is that the point of whatever was said is that preachers should be striving to...
“They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 This Sunday at Grace Community Church we come to the end of...
If you ever thought that relating to God is a simple “do as I say” kind of thing, and that there is no real interpersonal interaction with him, Isaiah 40 will change your mind. One of the many things that makes this chapter of the Bible so...
We have been clipping along at a relatively fast pace through the book of Isaiah. In sixteen weeks, we have covered the first thirty-nine chapters. That’s fast for us. But the structure of Isaiah has allowed for this approach. I hope the messages have encouraged...
A group text message from a pastor friend came in this week with this arresting phrase… “Gratitude is spiritual warfare.” (1) Reading those words brought a liberating conviction in my “glass-half-empty” heart. As I took a prayer walk armed with the weapon of gratitude, I...
The Way of Holiness This Sunday at Grace Community Church we will continue our sermon series from Isaiah by considering the two roads that lead to two destinations found in chapters 34 and 35. Read these chapters this weekend and pray for our time together....
It’s November. That means it’s time for the annual Grace Missions emphasis and offering. For the next two weeks, we will hear a sampling of our mission activity and giving. In November and December, everything that is given to the Grace Missions Fund will go...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church we will hear a message of grievance and grace from Isaiah 28-31. Five “woes” are pronounced concerning the sins of God’s people, with promises of grace and the call to repentance and trust woven throughout. Do you hear the...
“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” –Isaiah 26:3 This is a welcome verse for people with the normal struggles of following Christ in a broken and busy world where peace eludes us. The...
The Bible shapes our perspective on life and events. This is true of the chapters in Isaiah about God’s judgment of the nations and the world (Isaiah 13-23) and in light of the terrorist attacks on the nation of Israel. The judgments pronounced on the...
The feedback I received from last week’s Words of Grace lets me know that I am not alone in asking why I pray. Apparently, that question resonates with some of you. Gratefully, you are still praying. Last week I mentioned three reasons to pray having to do...
If you have taken prayer seriously and given significant time to pray about the concerns of life and God’s work in your life, then you have likely asked yourself, “Why am I praying?” That question is not theoretical in nature. You are not asking about...
In Isaiah 6, the prophet recorded his own words twice. First, at the sight of the Lord seated on a throne and the sound of the seraphim calling out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts”, Isaiah said, “Woe is me! For I am lost.” Then,...
Built into the well-known vision that Isaiah had of the holiness of God is the lesser-observed contrast between two very different kings. Isaiah 6 begins with the death of King Uzziah as the backdrop for the message that the Lord is the one true and living King...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church we will consider the parable of the failed vineyard in Isaiah 5. While letting the weight of Isaiah’s words land as they will in our hearts, we will look beyond Isaiah to Jesus, the true vine from which a new...
We are using the word “judgment” a lot these days. Isaiah describes God’s attitude and actions toward the sin of Judah and the nations in what can only be called judgment. So, what are we to make of this word considering all that we have...
Sometimes there is no middle ground. The contrast is real and makes a difference. The ability to understand options, weigh alternatives, and make compromises can be a sign of maturity. Not every decision has only one clear choice, every problem only one solution, or every...
J.I. Packer wrote about the feeling of distance we often have when we read the Bible with its unfamiliar places, names, customs, and history. “Some Christians seem to resign themselves to following afar off, believing the Bible record, but neither seeking nor expecting for themselves...
During July we are reposting previous Words of Grace on the topic of prayer. We hope these posts will encourage you in your prayer life. Originally posted August 2, 2019 One morning this week, the text messages and emails started coming in early. One message...
During July we are reposting previous Words of Grace on the topic of prayer. We hope these posts will encourage you in your prayer life. Also, in July we will gather each Wednesday evening for Teach Us to Pray, a time of teaching and corporate...
During July we are reposting previous Words of Grace on the topic of prayer. We hope these posts will encourage you in your prayer life. Also, in July we will gather each Wednesday evening for Teach Us to Pray, a time of teaching and corporate...
During July we are reposting previous Words of Grace on the topic of prayer. We hope these posts will encourage you in your prayer life. Also, in July we will gather each Wednesday evening for Teach Us to Pray, a time of teaching and corporate...
During July we are reposting previous Words of Grace on the topic of prayer. We hope these posts will encourage you in your prayer life. Also, in July we will gather each Wednesday evening for Teach Us to Pray, a time of teaching and corporate...
How to Conclude a Bible Book Study There is a sweetness in studying a book of the Bible together as a congregation. The message is used by the Holy Spirit to do various kinds of spiritual work in us individually and collectively. Together we are...
“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another… Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.” -1 Peter 5:5,7 Everyone wants to be humble, but no one wants to be humbled. To be humble can imply that we humbled ourselves, which makes us feel good....
The local, on-the-ground, up-close-and-personal nature of the Christian congregation is where the action is. The New Testament epistles affirm that reality and give instructions for this kind of life together. I’ll admit that I’m wired to love being at home, with my home church, and...
As the vacation season begins for many people, a new ministry season kicks off for Grace Community Church. This is a great time to call ourselves to prayer for the summer opportunities we have for evangelism, discipleship, and care for one another. 1 Peter 4:7...
When the Apostle Peter tells us to have the same way of thinking about suffering that Christ had (1 Peter 4:1), he means for us to take on and share Christ’s attitude. Peter is thinking about something much deeper than “an interesting perspective” or “one...
When the Apostle Peter discusses the honorable response to suffering for the sake of righteousness, he says, “… in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy,” (1 Peter 3:15). Everything in the Christian’s sojourning life starts with the Lordship of Christ in the heart. Jesus...
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” 1 Peter 3:8 The history of the Christian Church is filled with schisms, and Christian congregations have often experienced division. This is evidence that the sanctifying work of...
In sermons, seminars, and small group studies I have taught a lot on marriage over the years. This week, as I studied the passage addressing wives and husbands in 1 Peter 3, I noticed a change in my thinking and some new thoughts on preaching on...
Maybe you have heard, or even used the words, “When all else fails, pray.” That statement reflects some bad theology related to God’s grace, the nature of the Christian life, and the place of prayer in our lives. But the worst part of that all...
“But what about…?” is a question we ask when a general rule is put before us. Asking that question can be a way of clarifying the rule to obey it better. 1 Peter 2:12-17 tells us to be subject to the government. That is the rule....
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in...
Dear Congregation, Time and truth are tools in the hand of God to heal and to guide his people. Pray with me that both will be used by the Lord to help the grieving families and friends of the precious humans killed on Monday. Let...
This Sunday evening at Grace Community Church, we are going old school. We are not going back to a decades old church practice. We’re going back much further than that. You might say we are going “Old Testament.” Psalm 89:1 says, “I will sing of...
Recently, I have been reading and thinking about the search for identity and purpose. My thoughts have been mostly related to how people and organizations are moving away from a fixed identity and purpose to a start-from-scratch search for these things. Redefinition seems to be...
If we have read and believed what the Apostle Paul wrote about the spiritual battle we are currently fighting (Ephesians 6:10-12), then we can easily imagine the devil and the forces of darkness in conversation, plotting ways to get the children of God to pursue...
I have a complicated relationship with blood. The sight of it can make me light-headed and cause my knees to buckle. When my blood is drawn, I look away, so I won’t see the needle enter my vein and the vile turn red. I figure...
Does anyone really think of beauty when they hear the word “holiness”? Not unless they have thought about God and what he is making his children to be. “Holy” is not an adjective for a cow, or a reference to a sanctimonious person. Holiness is...
I’ve been thinking about hope this week because the sermon text for Sunday is 1 Peter 1:13, “…set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” While being encouraged by my study, I have found...
This weekend we conclude our 21-Day Devoted to Prayer season. What do we do now? Maybe right now you feel badly because you never got around to praying for Grace Community Church the past three weeks. That prayer guide is still staring at you from...
When a congregation gathers on the Lord’s Day to read from a portion of the Bible and give its attention to what is read in the form of a sermon, what is happening? From one perspective, it seems obvious what is happening. One man is...
“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” -Ephesians 6:18, NLT That’s the way Paul concludes his teaching on how Christians engage in the spiritual battle that rages on until...
The life of a Christian is best lived praying. The work of a congregation is best done praying. To pray is a command, a necessity, and an encouragement to our faith. Praying is a way of life. As such, it calls for our whole self...
There was a time when Christmas Day was not. Still, the promise of the presence of God was real and relevant to his people. As much as we love Christmas time, we must admit that as a “holiday” it has shaped our reading of the...
The final chapter in the Gospel of John is both personal to Peter and a call to all who read it. The final word from Jesus to the disciple who failed is the same word to us. Jesus said, “Follow Me.” John and Peter were...
The gospel is good news on many levels. It contains a vast array of promises that flow from the cross. The starting point of them all is the promise of forgiveness of sins. For this reason, we proclaim repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. When...
I have concluded that what the Apostle John wrote in his Gospel is enough for me, and anyone else who reads it, to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Put another way, if I or anyone else reads the Gospel of...
For most of my life as a Christian, I have focused on the empty tomb, meaning the resurrection of Jesus. But each Gospel writer makes sure we understand that Jesus occupied the tomb, telling us where it was, how he got there, and how long...
The vision of Jesus in the Gospel of John just before the cross is him standing alone. In his loneliness we see the only-ness of Jesus. The scene is Jesus standing before the high priest, and then before Pilate the Roman governor (John 18-19). By...
One of the best things to do to grow in faith, hope, and love for Christ is to regularly look at him in the pages of Scripture. I recently sat with a young person whose parents I know well. I have not spent much time...
When we set aside Bible words because they seem complicated or uninteresting to people, the result is that the truth of those words gets neglected and lost. A better way to handle Bible words is to use them, understand them, and explain them. Doing so...
What Jesus asked the Father on our behalf becomes the pursuit of our lives in the world. The High Priestly prayer of Jesus (John 17) was prayed in the hearing of the disciples. That’s because the prayer was to have an impact on both the...
How can it be that Jesus Christ is glorified in ordinary, flawed, and failing human beings? Reading along in the High Priestly prayer (John 17:10), we come to an astonishing statement. Jesus said to God the Father, “I am glorified in them.” “They” are not...
Praying with each other is one of the cherished activities of congregational life. But here’s a situation that we can’t seem to correct. We spend more time talking to each other about our “prayer requests” than we do praying. Don’t get me wrong. There is...
How wise and kind of Jesus to give advance notice of what is to come for his disciples in the world. We love advance notice. We want to know the dress code for the party, what the subject matter will be for the meeting, and...
When your prayers are tired and flat, or non-existent, pick up your Bible and read. The average Christian “prayer request” is about a situation of need or concern. That means when we don’t feel a need or have a big concern, we don’t often pray....
I grew up with siblings, and we fought with each other. I don’t mean that we said things that hurt each other’s feelings. I mean we fought the old-school way. I had years of experience in hand-to-hand combat before my first day on the school...
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” -John 14:15 With these words, Jesus tells us something about himself, and about our relationship with him. The setting is the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, with the disciples gathered around him, as he speaks these final words...
Jesus speaks a message of hope and peace to the person who is troubled about the future. The disciples are sharing the last supper and Jesus tells them that he is going away. He says that where he is going, they cannot come (John 13-16)....
“The glory of the Son of Man arose from a death which was reckoned ignominious among men, and was even accursed before God… by it he glorifies God the Father; for in the cross of Christ, as in a magnificent theatre, the estimable goodness of...
At the darkest hour of Jesus’ life, he said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” The scene is John 13. Jesus took up the servant’s towel and basin and washed the disciples’ feet. When he resumed his place at the supper table he gave them...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church I plan to preach from John 13 and the account of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. Two messages will emerge. One is that Jesus’ ultimate act of service was on the cross where he secured the forgiveness of our...
An arresting phrase at the beginning of John 13 communicates a wealth of truth and encouragement about the love of Christ. We are told that Jesus, “… having loved his own who are in the world, he loved them to the end.” The setting of these words...
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1 In these simple words, the Apostle Paul gives us a command to obey and a...
When my daughters were in high school, they played on the soccer team. Game after game we parents would sit in the stands and shout out encouragement. Our team needed a lot of encouragement. When the game wasn’t going our way, one sweet, upbeat, optimistic...
I hope you will not be confused Sunday when we consider the Triumphal Entry a week after we celebrated Easter. If you are not familiar with the Gospels and the way the church marks the high points of Jesus’ ministry, here is a quick overview....
This Good Friday and Easter weekend, let’s gather around Jesus and hear what he is saying to his church. Have you ever noticed how many times Jesus is at a table or a feast in the Gospels? One of his great signs in the Gospel...
While working on a sermon, I often come across something that I know is not the main point of the passage, but that is important and helpful. I know that what I have found won’t be the main message of the sermon, but I want...
One of the most difficult things to trust is that God’s timing is for his glory and our good. The basis of this trust is the relationship we have with God. By grace through faith in Christ, God is our Father. We are his children....
“My sheep hear my voice,” Jesus said (John 10:16, 27). Well, I am one of Jesus’ sheep, but I admit that hearing his voice has been a topic of much consideration and confusion for me. The thought of hearing a voice in my ear telling me good...
I wonder if Jesus’ teaching on the good shepherd in John 10 seems relevant to today’s church. With all the challenges we are facing culturally, politically, and theologically, the image of a shepherd holding a furry little lamb doesn’t appear to hold much by way of instruction...
Don’t let the title throw you. I don’t mean “leaving church” as in finding another one. Or leaving church to never attend again. By “leaving church,” I mean being sent out after the weekly gathering of the congregation to live for God’s glory in the...
Last week, I wrote about preparing for church. This week, let’s think about attending church. There was a day when I didn’t give much attention to why and how I went to church. Looking back, I would say the reason I attended church was because...
One of the most helpful disciplines I have learned as a member of Grace Community Church is to prepare myself for attending church on Sunday. That may sound strange since I am the pastor and I preach most Sundays. If I don’t prepare the sermon,...
“I have so much to do today, I will spend the first three hours in prayer.” That quote is attributed to Martin Luther, the man who worked tirelessly as a pastor, teacher, theologian, and champion of the Protestant Reformation. I must admit that often Luther’s...
Let’s be honest. We are not always devoted to prayer. Sometimes our hearts are just not engaged to pray. The reasons for this are many. We are often confused about what is best to pray. We grow weary when we don’t see the answers to...
Our prayers reveal what we truly believe. Ask a Christian what he or she believes, and they might say the gospel. Their prayer life will tell you the truth. Ask a congregation what it believes, and someone might hand you a statement of faith. Show...
There is one simple command in the Bible that remains for us to obey at all times and in all seasons. That command is to pray. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:12 that one of the marks of a faithful Christian and steadfast congregation is to...
At all times and in all seasons, our greatest need is to behold our God. And maybe like no other time in my lifetime the sense of this need is strong. Beholding the grace, greatness, glory of God has a profound impact on our lives....
We are four weeks into our time together in John 6. As we come to the final message from this chapter on Sunday, the focus will be on the reaction of the people to Jesus’ words, and their response to him as a person. The reality...
One of Jesus’ most famous sayings is, “I am the bread of life.” We know that Jesus is speaking metaphorically, so the line is acceptable to us, even appealing. Because we love bread, the words of Jesus are as pleasing to our minds as the...
I’ll let you in on a preacher’s dilemma. Sometimes it’s just as difficult to figure out how to preach a passage as it is to figure out what the passage means. John 6 is a great example of this dilemma. By biblical standards, this is a...
We are grateful for every word of the Gospel of John, all twenty-one chapters. But with the three chapters between Jesus’ first and second signs in Galilee, we have enough to believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God. John wrote this Gospel...
For four weeks, we have been considering the mission of Jesus to Samaria recorded in John 4. This mission reveals much about the grace of God toward sinners, and how that grace shapes a church. Go back and read the account (John 4:1-42). Notice the...
This Sunday at Grace, we will take up John 4 and once again hear the words of Jesus to the woman of Samaria. We will focus on what Jesus has to say about true worship. Spend some time this weekend reading John 4:20-26 and pray for our...
Some of Jesus’ most well-known words were spoken in an unlikely place–Samaria. The location of his words is as instructive as the words themselves. In John 4 we hear Jesus say that he gives living water, and everyone who drinks from this water will be...
If you ever wonder if God is working in your life, here is a simple way to know. Are you seeking to increase and elevate yourself in some way, or are you seeking the increase and elevation of Jesus in your life and in the...
Dear Congregation, It’s been a while since I used this Words of Grace space to call us to a weekend of prayer. Today is a great day to return to this theme. This weekend, let’s pray for Grace Community Church. Let’s pray for the word...
Sometimes we use the account of Jesus cleansing the temple as cover for our anger and justification for doing destructive things. The problem is, we don’t keep reading the record to see behind his actions the unique, redeeming love of Jesus that led to his...
Sometimes when we are trying to make a point, we end up undoing another point that needs to remain. I really don’t want to do that. So, let me say up front that the point I want to make about ongoing, growing, deepening faith is...
In one chapter of the Gospel of John we take a journey from the eternal Word who is God to Jesus Christ talking to one man who sat under a fig tree. Jesus gets personal. The Gospel of John opens with lofty words about the...
Last Sunday we began the Gospel of John as the next sermon series at Grace Community Church. In John 1 we were introduced to the Word who is God from all eternity, and who became flesh and lived in time. The Word was identified as...
Psalm 1 gave us a picture of a healthy Christian in the image of a fruit-bearing tree planted by streams of water. Psalm 78 tells us that these Christians grow in healthy congregations. Our mission at Grace Community Church is to bring glory to God by being a...
God has graciously given us his thoughts in language that we can understand. He has created us with the amazing and helpful ability to read, reason, and make comparison. In literature we use simile to stir the mind’s imagination to get at the nature of...
It’s graduation season. Young people around the world are wide-eyed and ready to go do something with their education. When I was in school, I spent as much time thinking about getting out and what I would leave behind as about entering into the future. The...
In his meditation on Psalm 81, Charles Spurgeon says the divine voice speaks warnings, promises, and precepts. All three are necessary and good aspects of the word of God. Sometimes we emphasize only one aspect of God’s word. We can hear only the warnings and become...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church we will continue with the theme of congregational ministry, from Romans 15. This week, the focus will be on our ministry beyond ourselves. I sense that this focus on our ministry beyond ourselves is especially important in these days. ...
The central command of Romans 14-15:13 is to welcome one another in the church even when we hold different opinions over nonessential issues of the faith. We have been considering this long section of Romans for a few weeks at Grace Community Church. We have put the...
For several weeks we have been considering how God’s mercy in Christ transforms us. When Paul makes an appeal to us by the mercies of God, he is reminding us that God saved us for a purpose (Romans 12:1). The first appeal is that we...
The ice will melt, and the effects of COVID-19 will subside. . .someday. The question is not when will we come to church, but how? As a congregation, we are walking through Romans 12 in prayer and in preaching. This chapter opens with a reference...
Motivation matters. That’s true because we need motivation to do the right things, and also because we need to do things from the right motive. The mercy of God is our motive and motivation in life. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies...
A good way to read the Bible is from the thirty-thousand feet vantage point. When we do, we see the flow of the grand story of God and the big truths about him and his work. Then, the details are understood in light of the...
Every Christian has what we call “a testimony.” A testimony is an account of how a person became a Christian. Testimonies can include dramatic events that tell of obvious changes in a person’s behavior after coming to faith in Christ. Or they can tell of...
Let me tell you something about myself that concerns me. Sometimes I read and talk more than I pray. I would rather get the perfect book on prayer than actually pray. This morning I read a few news stories and talked to my wife about...
Dear Congregation, As we watched the events of yesterday unfold- the election certification process, the disruption to that process, the violence that took place inside the United States Capitol building, and then the reconvening of congress to complete its work- we heard many times the...
We can acknowledge that for many people fatherly and family dynamics are difficult, without diminishing the goodness of calling God our Father and other Christians our siblings. Dysfunctional families and strained parental relationships have been with us since the beginning of time. Just a few...
Every person with the Spirit of Christ wants God to be glorified on earth. That’s because Christ wants the same thing. Jesus said in John 17, “Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…” That one statement sums up the...
Of all the promises of the gospel in Jesus Christ, forgiveness is at the foundation. “In him we have redemption in his blood, the forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7). The removal of sin is necessary for reconciliation...
Conflicts without arise from unanswered questions within. Drill down on the reasons for fighting and quarreling and you will find people trying to secure something they aren’t sure they have. They are asking questions like, Am I respected? Do I have what I need? Am...
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son (John 3:16). God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32). Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)! Yes! God has given...
In the spring of 2018, Grace Community Church voted to build a new building for worship and ministry. In the fall of that same year, we entered the Future Grace Three Giving Campaign. In the summer of 2019, we broke ground and construction began. Now...
“Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” -Romans 8:26 Here is the comforting reality that greeted me this morning-...
“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:24-25 In the passage we will...
A few misguided people will actually downplay the need for holiness. But, many Christians who start out strong and then find themselves struggling with indwelling sin will drift into the discouraged mindset that simply gives up on holiness. These people stop asking how to obey...
I’m looking at the weather report for the weekend… amazing! Pull back the curtains and let the light in. Get outside and breathe. Feel the warmth of the sun. And as you do, pray. This weekend, let’s all take some time to pray for our...
We are not the first generation of Christians to be disoriented by current events, distracted from devotion to Christ, and discouraged in our faith. The message of the Book of Hebrews is a timely word to first century Christians who suffered for their faith in...
Dear Congregation, This Sunday at Grace we will share the Lord’s Supper, also known as Communion. This will be the first time since March that we have observed this ordinance of the church together. We look forward to resuming our regular practice of remembering and...
The Apostles’ Creed begins with the words, “I believe in God…” It then goes on to affirm the trinitarian nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Asking Christians to affirm this belief seems a bit like asking a bird to affirm the sky...
As soon as Paul wrote in Romans 5 that where sin increases, grace abounds all the more, the questions arose, “What about sin and the Christian? Does a Christian continue in sin in light of God’s grace? Do we sin as a way of showing how...
In March of this year, our world changed. Due to coronavirus, work, school, church, and many other parts of our lives either stopped happening or were drastically altered. When this happened, our prayers reflected these changes. We prayed for medicines and a vaccine to combat...
There are two ways we find ourselves far from what we know to be true and good. One way is by making a big, decisive move to another position and place. The other way is to drift there. Drifting can be the result of many...
In a few hours I will attend the grave-side service of Lee Anderton, the oldest member of Grace Community Church. Lee died this week at 101 years of age. When I met Lee and he joined our congregation, he was already in his mid-eighties. I...
We’re reading along in Romans and we come to chapter four. A man named Abraham appears. Do we read on, or skip to chapter five? If we think that reading about Abraham is for the Jewish people only, we’ll move on. If we see Abraham...
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, are you pressing on or have you grown weary in well doing? Are you still praying? We have further to go on this journey. We are not home, yet. There is much to do here for the glory of our...
Dear Congregation, For twenty-seven years it has been my hope that Grace Community Church would be a praying congregation. I believe prayer is at the heart of what it means for us to be Christians and a local church. Prayer is only possible because Jesus made the...
A snap-shot scene from the ministry of Jesus among his disciples is instructive for us as his followers today. It’s a scene that points to the transformation Jesus works in us and therefore among us as his church. In Mark 9:33 we read that Jesus...
“… that we may be encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Romans 1:12 This morning’s phone call was supposed to be a pastoral care situation. That’s where someone asks me a question and then I give an answer. This is the way...
I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8 We are always moving forward. There is always something before us. I live by my calendar. I get a sense of security from...
This blog was originally posted on January 25, 2019. In our trials, we must remember that though God will do it, we must go through it. This is the message of the first chapter of the book of James. James is writing to Christians who...
Once again this morning I awoke early, made coffee, and opened the Bible. Today, two things met together and moved me to pray. First, my daily reading was Psalm 27. Here I read, “Teach me your ways, O Lord, and lead me on a level path...
Dr. Bill Maynard is a Nashville physician, and a long-time member and elder here at Grace Community Church. Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. -Hebrews 12:28 By mid- March we had three confirmed cases of COVID-19 among my patients....
One of the striking messages of the Psalms is that God’s faithful people, real believers in him, experience deep longings that seem to be unmet. Take, for instance, Psalm 119:81-82, “My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your...
When I was a child, my family spent a few summers camping at a lake in East Tennessee. A floating platform was situated off the shore of the lake, just far enough to be reached with an easy swim by an average swimmer. But, I was...
Believe it or not, I am not normally a confident decision-maker. Being faced with a challenging decision that has no clear, certain path can put my already anxious mind in the red zone. And yet, decisions are a part of my everyday life and my...
On Saturday morning I plan to do two things. First, I will write the final draft of the Sunday sermon from Romans 1:16-17. Will you pray for me? Second, I will pray for Grace Community Church and one other congregation in our city. Will you join...
“YOU ARE CALLED TO BELONG TO JESUS CHRIST.” -ROMANS 1:6 Living as a Christian is like responding to a call. In grace, God calls us. By faith, we respond. “By grace through faith,” is the call and response of the gospel. In the opening chapter...
Messages shape us. Some messages go to the deepest core of our being and are hard to replace. Others awaken newness in us that redirects the course of our lives. For good or bad, messages are powerful. That’s why we can be grateful that God...
A disciple of Jesus is one who learns from him. The learning of a disciple is more than gaining knowledge, it is taking on the character and ways of the teacher. A disciple sees the world the way his teacher does and is concerned with...
Christians are still humans. The reality is that sometimes our hearts are just not responding to God’s grace with the faith it deserves. Our minds wander when reading the Bible or hearing a sermon. Our emotions are dulled to songs of praise and testimonies of...
At Grace Community Church, we are in our second week of praying for spiritual renewal and revival from Psalm 119. One reason we love praying from this psalm is because we don’t have to wonder if we are praying the right prayer. The prayer for God...
Built into the New Year’s resolution is the idea that something new needs to be done. Whether it’s a diet, an exercise plan, a budget, or some other lifestyle change that we resolve to begin, it is the newness of the resolution that gives us...
“And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.” –Malachi 3:1 The structure of this passage, along with the New Testament writers’ use...
We have begun our journey through the book of Malachi and down the road to renewal. This Sunday, we will continue with the second of six messages in this series. From Malachi 1:6-14, we will consider true worship and honor for the name of the...
The Old Testament prophet Malachi shows us that we can carry out religious rituals without having our hearts renewed in love for God. When Malachi rebukes the people of God for this sin, he points to the way of spiritual renewal. This Sunday at Grace,...
Change is constant but the foundations remain. Grace Community Church is experiencing change, and will continue to do so. It is important that we remember the foundations given to us by God so we will continue to honor him in our congregational life together. The...
A recent conversation surfaced a common issue many Christians face. My friend said he struggled for years wondering if he should “go into the ministry” as a way to best live out his devotion to Christ. The interesting thing about my friend is that he does not...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote two books in which he discussed the call of Christ both to the individual and to the congregation (The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together). He said that Christ calls the individual alone, but that individual does not remain alone. Bonhoeffer gave us a...
A strange thing has happened since Jesus first told his disciples that he would always be with them. The promise of Jesus’ presence has been separated from his command to go make disciples of all nations. The Lord is with his people always and everywhere....
A strange thing has happened since Jesus first called people to follow him. Faith in Jesus for salvation and following him as Lord have become two distinct Christian experiences. It’s as if there are two different ways of approaching Jesus and we are free to...
We all want the world to be right. We want goodness and peace. We long for things to be as they should be, where people are doing what they are meant to do and the world is functioning well. This is a good longing, and...
As important as it is to have something to live for, we can’t overlook the need to have something to live by. We live for a purpose, a calling, an ultimate goal. We live by some kind of guiding principle, set of values, and convictions...
Years ago, I realized that I didn’t really like going to conferences related to my work. I almost gave up reading anything related to pastoring and church growth. There was one big reason for this: I wasn’t “amazing.” Listening to the experts often left me...
We have all heard that actions speak louder than words. God’s action is his word. We hear his voice by seeing his deeds. Romans 5:8 says that God demonstrated his love for us by sending his Son Jesus to die for us while we were...
Embedded in our culture is the proverb to “follow your heart.” The idea is that we are what we are, what we are is basically good, and we should let what we are take us wherever it leads. This way of living is thought to...
This Sunday at Grace we will bring our summer preaching series on prayer to a close. In June, we considered Jesus’ prayer in John 17. In July and August, we have been in the Gospel of Luke. We could talk about prayer from any book...
Jesus told his disciples that the world is a harvest field and that they are the laborers (Luke 10:1-3). We understand Jesus to mean that the church is to pray and go into the world with the gospel of the kingdom of God and call...
One morning this week, the text messages and emails started coming in early. One message was from a woman struggling both physically and emotionally. Another message was from a family on vacation who met a man I know. This man lost his wife earlier this...
Why are “momma” and “more” among the first words a child learns? The mother has fed the child. The taste of something good, from a loving mother, stirs the request for more. King David exhorted himself, and all the faithful who would read his words,...
Just as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are involved in our salvation, so is each person of the one living and true God involved in our praying. It is only as we read the Bible that we learn to...
“Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” –Hebrews 4:16 There is a throne of grace where God resides and people come to pray. The doorway into this...
In Praying, J.I. Packer wrote, “True praying is an activity built on a theology.”¹ What is this theology upon which our praying rests? What is it about God that makes praying possible, effectual, and joyful? God is one being in three persons. We call this...
Summertime is often a time to disengage from the normal routines of life, work, and school. This summer, let’s re-engage in prayer together. Here are a few ways we can draw near to God in worship, fellowship, and the practice of asking him for our...
Our service in the church includes praying for each other and pleading with each other. We pray to God on behalf of one another. We plead with each other on behalf of God. Praying keeps us in the truth. Pleading comes in when someone wanders...
We benefit from reading the longer prayers of the Bible (the prayers of King David in 2 Samuel 7, King Solomon in 2 Chronicles 6, and Greater King Jesus in John 17). We also enjoy reading the prayers of others written in verse, like what...
It’s always good to remind ourselves of what we do, and why and how we do it. At Grace Community Church we pray. This Sunday, from James 5, we will consider why we pray. Here are twelve ways we pray: 1. We pray during the...
Advances in technology seem to have shortened the distance between then (the ideal world we are looking for) and now (the reality in which we live). We can travel to another continent in a day and communicate to someone on that continent in a second....
Few of us view ourselves as rich. But many of us have some form of riches. As those who hold the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, this requires us to consider the connection between love and money. James 5:1-6 is a hard word...
Two men walk the road with sad hearts (Luke 24). At first their hearts were full of fear. The Gospels tell us that as Jesus’ ministry progressed he moved closer toward Jerusalem. Jesus told his disciples (which included the twelve and many others who were...
It is the Jewish Passover. Jesus and his disciples sit around a table eating the meal and remembering Israel’s great deliverance from Egypt. They are talking about grace and the future. They are thinking about God and his kingdom. Then Jesus takes the bread from...
Let’s make prayer a part of our weekend plans. And then, let’s gather on Sunday to pray as a congregation, praising God for his great grace and asking him for great things. Pray for the message of James to work in our hearts and bear...
The clear-sky moon shown through my widow this morning bright enough for me to find my slippers by its light. Today will be a sunny day. But, for years I have greeted the morning with a dark cloud hanging over my head and heavy in...
Why is the first step of Alcoholics Anonymous the admission that one is powerless over alcohol and that his or her life has become unmanageable? Because admission is necessary before the alcoholic can take the second step, which is to believe that a Power greater...
My wife shared with me an illustration from a sermon that she listened to online this week. The illustration had a point, but I narrowed my focus to the illustration and had to remind myself not to miss the point. This reminded me of the...
We shouldn’t wait until we run out of words to start praying, but sometimes we do. So much is happening in our personal lives and in our world that calls for us to speak. God gave us truth and tongues, so we should speak. But...
The great commandment given to us in the Bible, both the Old Testament and New Testament, is to love the Lord our God with our whole being (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 22:37-38). When the Jewish people of the Old Testament first heard these words, they were...
Sometimes we shout the loudest to silence our guilty conscience. The voice of our own conscience speaks to us. We are unsure about our rightness. We have no place to turn to settle this internal conflict, so we shout. Group shouting is even better, so...
In our trials we must remember that though God will do it, we must go through it. This is the messages of the first chapter of the book of James. James is writing to Christians who are experiencing all kinds of challenges, some related to...
I often find myself in the middle of a parent-child teachable moment. The parent is trying to teach the child how to introduce himself. “Look at Pastor Scott, shake his hand, and tell him your name,” the parent says. All the while, the child is...
When you read the book of James, the Holy Spirit will read your heart. This is a good thing. In most introductions to James you will read that this short New Testament book is like Proverbs in the Old Testament. James deals with practical matters...
Devoted to Prayer: Praying Through the Book of James At Grace Community Church, we are beginning 2019 with prayer. The book of James will be our guide. James opens with this call to prayer: “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God.” (James 1:5). My...
A good phrase evokes a beautiful image. So it is when I read the Apostle Peter’s words to dispersed Christians in the first century. “As you come to him.” (1 Peter 2:4) Given the context of this phrase, we can see the beauty of God’s...
As I read through the book of Acts this week I was struck by the joy that comes from the grace mission of God. In the fifteenth chapter of Acts, two missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, were traveling through cities where new Christians lived “describing in...
I remember when I heard the news that I would be a father. I was sitting in a seminary classroom just before the end of the lecture when I looked out the window and saw Beth driving into the campus parking lot. This was unusual....
According to Jesus, the evidence that there is faith on earth is that his people are praying (Luke 18:1-8). Is there faith at Grace Community Church? Yes, if we are praying. Join me in prayer before we gather on Sunday to prepare our hearts, and...
What is the kingdom of God? Is it our local congregation, your family, or a particular nation on earth? Is the kingdom of God within human consciousness or is it a place we go on pilgrimage? These are just a few of the many questions...
With great thanksgiving I am happy to announce that this week our congregation gave and pledged 2.8 million dollars toward the Future Grace Giving Campaign. We can all be grateful for the way God has worked among us and provided needed funds for future ministry....
In this final week of the Future Grace giving campaign, many of you are asking how to think about how to give? How do you discern and come to a decision about your offering and pledge to the facility expansion at Grace? Let me share...
I have returned from Eastern Europe where I spent several days with friends, pastors and church planters. Thank you for praying for me. How encouraging it was to see the good news of Jesus being communicated so clearly and received by so many. To see...
As you receive this Words of Grace in your inbox, I am in another country. I am visiting some friends of Grace, pastors who are planting and leading churches. I’ve been asked to share my thoughts on church planting, discipleship, and leadership. And, I’ll preach...
The Future Grace Giving Campaign is here. During this first week, I encourage you to engage in two ways – inform yourself and pray. Future Grace is a giving campaign, and we will take an offering and make a pledge. But more than that, this...
I’ve talked to many people who have had a similar experience in prayer – a wandering mind and disengaged heart. And, like me, they gave up after a few minutes and went on to other pressing things. But could it be that we have missed...
“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.” Job 42:5 From the start of Job’s suffering, he and his friends engaged in long discussions about its causes and remedies. They debated what they believed were the...
Most famous quotes have survived without their context. But context is what makes the quote worth remembering. A famous line in the Bible and in the Christian faith is, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth....
The suffering of Job is well documented in the first two chapters of the book of Job. There are two rounds of suffering that include the loss of his children, possessions, and health. It is a devastating loss that would have killed some people. Job...
The hard reality is that we can come to a place in life where we wonder if it’s worth living another day. People get to this place for many reasons. Some people romanticize death. They think that somehow in death they will enjoy attention or...
The book of Job raises many questions about God and suffering: is he in control in our suffering; is he with us in our suffering; is there some purpose for our suffering? We are considering these questions here at Grace Community Church during this sermon...
[This Words of Grace was originally posted on December 22, 2016.] “Those who suppose that the doctrine of God’s grace tends to encourage moral laxity are simply showing that, in the most literal sense, they do not know what they are talking about. For love awakens...
[This Words of Grace was originally posted on April 3, 2012.] “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 How can we believe in the love of God when there appears to...
[This Words of Grace was originally posted on May 12, 2017.] Twice, the apostle John wrote the concise theological statement that “God is love.” (I John 4:8, 16) He never meant to say that love is God. God is a personal being; love is an...
[This Words of Grace was originally posted on August 7, 2015.] We have one word for many kinds of affection. The word “love” is used for food, sports, and spouses. It applies to marital fidelity and fornication. The only way to know what it means...
Paul closes his letter to the Colossians Christians with a sentence that has captured my attention, “Remember my chains.” For months Grace Community Church has been reading, preaching, and discussing Colossians. And, Colossians has been reading us. As we come to the end, what are...
To be honest, praying about buildings initially seemed a bit strange to me. I have had to get over the idea that we should pray about the “spiritual” things, like evangelism and discipleship, but not the things like building plans and money. Maybe my hesitance...
“Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!” Psalm 117:1 This morning my Bible reading began with the clarion call to all nations to give praise to the LORD. God is not provincial. He does not belong to a nation or a people. His...
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body” Colossians 3:15 We naturally think of a ruler as someone who tells other people what to do. The ruler has the power. And in a fallen and...
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Mark 14:38 This Sunday at Grace, we will continue to let Colossians 3 read us. We will focus on verses 10-14 and the call to put on the new self with its qualities of love....
“You have died… put to death therefore what is earthly in you.” Colossians 3: 3, 5 There are different ways to die, but the result of each is the same: a lifeless heart. Christians have a new way to die. We put to death the...
I have a terrible habit. Most mornings when I wake up, I grab my phone and look at yesterday’s news or the most recent Twitter feed. For me, looking at the news brings up a lot of different emotions: sadness, confusion, doubt, fear, anger, and...
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2 “Get your head in the game.” If you attend a ball game this spring, you are likely to hear the coach say this to the kids standing in...
“If then you have been raised with Christ…put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Colossians 3:1,10 Has anyone ever asked you how new you are? The fact that everything is getting older is reflected in...
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8 You’ve probably heard about, or experienced, choice overload. This happens when people...
“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:28 It is not hard to figure out from the context of Colossians that when Paul wrote, “Him we proclaim”, he was talking about Jesus...
“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 This weekend some of us will be resting, some will be working, and some are recovering from the flu. Whatever your situation, I hope you will include prayer in your weekend plans. If you are a morning person, spend...
“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death.” Colossians 1:21-22 We change our minds every day, mostly about insignificant things like what to eat and what clothes to...
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” Colossians 1:3 For reasons that remain a mystery, I pulled my hand from the grip of my mother and darted across 21st Avenue to the grocery story that was...
Our Church Reputation “…we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” Colossians 1:4-5 (ESV) Being a pastor and living in a city like Nashville,...
I was taught not to major on minors or build a theological system on a single passage of Scripture. That’s good advice, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t major points of truth in what appear to us to be insignificant parts in the Bible. I...
When I became a Christian in 1977, I already knew a few things about the Bible. I knew the difference between the Old and New Testaments, that there are 66 books in the Bible, and that we find the information about Jesus’ life, death, and...
Subtle changes can become seismic shifts over time. Here is a change that is sometimes made with good intentions, but ends up making a mess of our discipleship: We can shift from understanding that our calling is to serve the purpose of God, to believing...
The word to the Christian is always “forward.” There are times to pray, times to reflect, and even times in which we are called to wait. But our praying, reflecting, and waiting are always with an eye on the road ahead. Israel, just delivered from...
I read the Bible with a very simple principle in mind: God never wastes words. If God says something, shows his character, gives a command, or speaks a word of comfort, we need it. Whatever is in the Bible is included on purpose. One phrase...
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… for in it the righteousness of God is revealed.” Romans 1:16-17 If you ask the average person what makes them anxious and fearful about the...
Three names are associated with the history of the translation and publication of the Bible into the language of the people; John Wycliffe (died 1384), John Hus (died 1415), and William Tyndale (died 1536). Others championed this cause and helped in the effort. You can...
In this week’s Words of Grace, let me ask you to pray. You may have some time for an extended prayer time, or you may be busy with work or other events and need to tuck these requests in your mind and pray as you...
We have always heard that, at the end of the book of Revelation, we find the end of the world. Actually, we hear a prayer. Revelation 21 shows us the final state, which will be all things made new in a new heaven and new...
Newness is the theme of the gospel. The direction in which the plan of God is moving is toward newness. The final state, after this world passes away, is one of newness. This is why the one who is seated on the throne of heaven...
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15 “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4 “…the Lord God will be their...
The proverbial pendulum swings. It can be difficult to live in the balances (maybe we should call them tensions) of life. When we attempt to avoid one mistake we tend to overcompensate and make a different mistake. Christians have struggled with this tension in each...
“Here is the call for the endurance of the saints.” Revelation 13:10 For years, I assumed that Revelation contained a hidden message, one too difficult for me to understand, and so I stayed away from this book. Though the book of Revelation is written in...
Why do we recoil at predictions of judgement? Why do we resist warnings? Do we not think that warnings of judgement to come can be words of grace as well? Just last night, as the storm from Hurricane Harvey blew across our city, I was...
I’ve had some crazy dreams in my lifetime. The strangest ones are when things or people morph into others. In some dreams, I’m carrying on a conversation with one person in a certain location only to be transposed to another location where I am speaking...
I have been amazed this week at how relevant Revelation is to our lives today. Revelation 4-5 give us a picture of heaven in the form of a vision. In this vision, we see the redeemed people of God gathered around his throne to worship...
Titles have always been somewhat of a challenge for me. Early in the life of our church, people wanted to know what they should call me. Reverend Patty? Brother Scott (a good Baptist term)? When asked, I would say, “Just call me Scott.” That didn’t...
This Sunday at Grace, we will begin a sermon series from the Book of Revelation. Revelation is a book of the Bible that stands out from other books because of its style and content. It is often called apocalyptic or prophetic because it reveals certain...
“… to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” Ephesians 3:19 Years ago, I found myself sitting in a Chicago church Sunday school class for adults who had mental health challenges of various kinds. Most of them lived in half-way houses or were homeless....
“Beloved, let us love one another,” writes the Apostle John (1 John 4:7). Jesus and John both said that to love one another is a command. What were they thinking when they commanded us to love? Did they mean that we should love people from...
In our meditation on the love of God and the command to love one another, we cannot overlook a central point: those who love have been born of God (I John 4:7). Jesus said we must be born again to enter the kingdom of God...
The love of God is often called into question. When natural disasters occur, we ask how God allows this to happen. When an evil person harms innocent people we wonder where God is. Our depression can easily be interpreted to mean that God has abandoned...
Twice, the apostle John wrote the concise theological statement that “God is love.” (I John 4:8, 16) He never meant to say that love is God. God is a personal being; love is an attribute of a person. God exists as an independent being; love...
We’ve come to the end of Acts, and what an ending it is. The trajectory of this book has been toward Rome from the beginning. Jesus said the news of his name would spread to the “ends of the earth.” Not one apostle could have...
As Christians, we often set our hearts on things that God has not promised while failing to take heart in what he has promised. It is important for us to know what God has, and has not, promised. Once we see the great and enduring...
“Arise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose…” Acts 26:16 In the Bible, we can see things happening on more than one level. We can see the actions of God’s Spirit moving his purposes forward in the world....
When I was learning how to read the Bible someone told me to look for words in a passage that are repeated. Repeated words are a clue to the message being communicated. I have found this hint to be helpful. As I’ve read through Acts...
If you read much about the conversion of people to Jesus Christ you start to see a simple, yet profound, pattern. A person is headed in one direction, he encounters Christ, and the impact is so great that his life is fundamentally redirected. We know...
We often view the city as a place of political, cultural, and economic power struggles. We know this is the case. But the book of Acts shows us that there is a more fundamental struggle going on. This is the struggle between light and darkness,...
When the Apostle Paul was being opposed in the city of Corinth, the Lord came to him in a vision and promised him two things. First, the Lord promised Paul his presence. Second, the Lord said he had many people in the city who belong...
One of the problems with reading about the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts is that so few of us are like him. Of course, we are like him in some ways. He was, and we are, human. But in terms of giftedness, experience,...
Acts 16 is the record of the founding of the Christian church in Philippi, today Filippoi, Greece. What’s interesting about this account is that Luke the writer gives us a picture of God’s grace in the conversion of three individuals. Many people came to faith...
So much of what we argue and divide over is simply not worth it. Over the years I’ve seen friendships and families separate over issues that could have been worked out or overlooked. I’ve seen churches experience deep divisions because members and leaders thought their...
Acts 13 shows us that the word of the Lord is for the city. Acts 14 shows us the need for the church in the city. Paul and Barnabas brought the message of forgiveness and freedom through repentance and faith in Jesus to cities, and...
Have we sequestered the word of the Lord to the confines of the church walls? Never in the history of the Christian church have there been more Bible study tools available to the average person than we have today. Never before has there been as...
Acts 12 records the fate of two leaders of the early Christian church. One, James, is killed by King Herod for his part in the advance of the gospel. The other, Peter, is imprisoned by Herod who intends to kill him, but then is miraculously...
Churches, like people, need mentors. When Grace Community Church started, we found a mentor in Acts 11. As the first core group met together to talk about what a church is and what our church should be like, we looked to Acts for guidance. There...
Perhaps one of the most compact and clear statements of the grace of God toward us is found in Acts 11:18, “Then to the Gentile also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” The early leaders of the Christian church, who were all Jewish,...
Here are my predictions for 2017: the church will be challenged and Christ will keep us in the love of God. These predictions are straight out of the small letter called Jude found in the New Testament. Jude is the book of the Bible that...
“Those who suppose that the doctrine of God’s grace tends to encourage moral laxity are simply showing that, in the most literal sense, they do not know what they are talking about. For love awakens love in return.” J.I. Packer (Knowing God) That phrase, “love awakens...
The idea of power evokes strong feelings. For some, there is a reaction against power because its use is so often abusive and leaves people damaged. For others, there is a lust for power because it is seen as the way to gain control over...
“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.” Ephesians 4:17 (NLT) We must, we are told, be who we are. We must identify ourselves by some designation that most closely aligns with our inner...
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 A casual reading might lead us to think that the Bible...
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1 This psalm contains nothing but praise. It can only be fully enjoyed by a devoutly grateful heart. We thank our parents, let us praise our heavenly Father; we...
If you put me in charge of getting the message of Jesus to all the nations on earth I am probably not going to return your call or answer your email. The calls I would make are going to be to the Christian leaders around...
Assuming the election next Tuesday is not too close to call, and that there are no legal challenges to the outcome, next Wednesday we will have a new president and congress elect, as well as some new state and local public servants. Let me say...
Repentance, faith, and public identification with Jesus through baptism are the beginning of warfare for the Christian and the church. This is a reality that must be recognized if we are to live faithfully to Christ in the world. Acts 2 is filled with the...
We live in a day when we have little room in our lives for feeling bad. Taken to the extreme, this kind of thinking leaves no room for the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. There is no virtue in self-loathing, shame, and...
A good way to kill a party conversation is to tell someone you were a history major in college. People automatically assume you are into names, dates, and war facts, not music, sports, and good food. While history may not be many people’s favorite subject...
“We hear them telling in our own language the mighty works of God.” Acts 2:11 There are times when people repeat back to me what they think I said in a sermon or a conversation. I am often surprised that what they heard is not...
“The Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David ” Acts 1:16 “What God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:6). Jesus was talking about marriage when he spoke these words. But they apply as well...
The phrase “timing is everything” is so commonplace that it’s impossible to attribute it to any one person. You will find endless uses of the phrase in some form or another in songs, psychology, and speeches. It’s the advice given to investors and comedians. There...
No one would argue that we are not “selves,” with possibilities and responsibilities. The Christian message affirms that we are individuals, accountable to God and called to follow Christ as such. As Christians, our new aim in life is to bring glory to God. This...
“Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.” Psalm 85:6-7 The last verse of Judges is, “In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what...
When we come to the end of the book of Judges we are left with a bleak picture of the state of God’s people at this point in history. “There was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” As...
Without an understanding of the gospel, we are not likely to appreciate the word repentance. Repentance is for most people a bad word. It sounds harsh and judgmental to say we need to repent. It sounds like it leads to the death of fun and...
Worship is the expression of the relationship of grace and faith that we have with God. This relationship (called a covenant in the Bible) is foundational. God calls, saves, keeps, and leads us by grace. We respond to him in faith. Faith is trust, love,...
One of the reasons the Bible has been such a challenge for me over the years is because some of God’s people are so flawed and they do such horrible things. I still have trouble getting my head around some of the people and events...
This Sunday at Grace I will be preaching a sermon from perhaps the most graphic and disturbing passage in the Bible, outside of the crucifixion of Jesus. A woman is given up by her husband in exchange for his own life to a band of...
I awoke this morning to the news that five police officers were killed in Dallas at a march protesting the death of two men killed by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota. I am working on the sermon for Sunday from the book of Judges...
A moment of honesty here Judges is one of those books that I have not been eager to preach. I’m sure there are hardcore pastors who relish the thought of talking about battles and blood, and preaching through Judges is permission for them to do so....
This Sunday at Grace we will bring our Philippians sermons to a close. Finishing a sermon series on a book of the Bible feels a bit like saying “good-bye” to a friend after a rich conversation over a long meal. We’ll always be friends but...
We read the Bible through the lens of individualism. I often preach that way. A discipline I am learning is to read, think, pray, and live corporately. Here’s an example. The past couple of weeks at Grace we have considered passages in Philippians 4 that...
A couple of times in my life I have been driving in my car and suddenly realized that I didn’t recognize where I was. I had become so deep in thought that I made driving decisions without conscious awareness of where I was going. Thankfully...
Some of the most difficult sermons to preach are those that touch on human emotions and experiences that are raw. These can also be the most difficult ones to listen to. Why is that? Consider the passage we will deal with this Sunday. Philippians 4:4-7...
Be honest. There are some people you prefer to be with more than others. And there are some people you prefer not to be with at all. There are some people you find agreeable. There are others with whom you disagree. OK, be really honest....
Fear and impatience can cause us to do things we later regret. This is a big issue for Christians who are called to eagerly await our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are pressing on in faith, growing in Christ-likeness, proclaiming the gospel, and serving...
One big temptation we face as Christians is to set our affection on earthly things and to forget about the things of heaven. We feel the tension of living in two worlds the moment we read about this temptation in Philippians 3. We live on...
If you like the big picture view of things, you will love Philippians 3. This chapter presents the whole life of a Christian, from beginning to end, in the space of a paragraph. I must clarify: Philippians 3 will not give you the details of...
There is an aspect of our human nature that is rarely realized and almost never acknowledged: we all are self-righteous. The only difference between people is the standard we use to assure ourselves that we possess some sort of rightness in this world and with...
Joy is more than a feeling. It is a necessity. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). We need strength of mind, emotion, and resolve. We need strengthened hope for today and tomorrow. We need strengthened confidence that our past will not...
We humans have a tendency to rely on anything other than God. This tendency may be the most evident aspect of our fallen nature. It is certainly our fundamental sin. There are many ways to put words to this tendency. We can say that we...
The day after Easter is when many people rest. Holidays can be full of activity. It’s also the day when many people ask, “What’s next?” We tend to live in anticipation of the next big event on the calendar. In the Christian life, the day...
Easter Sunday – The Confession “ at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 Thomas the disciple is...
Saturday – His Lordship “ and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,...
Good Friday – His Exaltation “Therefore God has highly exalted him…” Philippians 2:9 It was hard enough for those who followed Jesus to mentally and emotionally deal with his crucifixion. They certainly were not expecting his resurrection. But Jesus told them that both would happen....
Thursday – His Obedience “ he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:8 Jesus prayed to God the Father and said that he had accomplished the work given him to do (John 17:4). What was that...
Wednesday – His Taking On “ taking the form of a servant ” Philippians 2:7 It is hard to speak of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as a servant. Personally, I am only comfortable doing so because the Old Testament prophecies of Isaiah spoke of the...
Tuesday – His Laying Aside “ he made himself nothing ” Philippians 2:7 We know someone’s commitment to a purpose or a cause by what he or she is willing to give up for it. Philippians 2 shows us that the Son of God was totally committed...
Monday – His Thinking “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped ” Philippians 2:5-6 What was Jesus thinking? We see in the...
Every Sunday churches gather to worship Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead for our life. Every year churches around the world hold special services designed to remember and proclaim the cross and resurrection of Christ....
One question I was asked this week as a follow-up to the sermon was, “What is creative obedience?” In last week’s sermon from Philippians 2:12-16, I mentioned that “working out our salvation” is essentially the obedience to Christ that comes with new birth of the...
Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The Apostle Paul echoed this statement when he said, “ work out your salvation ” (Philippians 2:12). To work out our salvation is to keep the commandments of our Savior. Obedience is a priority...
As Christians we let Jesus set our priorities. He tells us what we should be like and what we should pursue. He does so in the Bible. When we read the Bible we notice that some of the things we think are so important are...
As a pastor, it is not my role to tell you who to vote for in an election. It is my responsibility to help followers of Jesus who live in a democratic society understand how voting can be an exercise in Christian discipleship. Official church...
Now would be a great time for graciousness to flow from the people who have experienced God’s grace. Someone needs to speak a word that will bring grace to a home, office, and classroom. Some church member needs to enter the chaotic church gathering and...
“Strive together for the faith of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:27) This verse is one place when the words “strive” and “gospel” should be kept together. We never strive in our own moral goodness to earn our salvation. “By grace through faith” is the gospel message....
The recent snowstorm made us aware of the importance of stability. A slip on the ice or a car headed into a ditch means we’re off balance and out of control. That’s frightening. When it comes to our faith, we often feel unstable as if...
Dinner had not reached our table at a local restaurant when my friend asked me, “So, are you an evangelical?” My sense was that, like most Americans, he recently heard that evangelicals are a “voting block” being pursued by presidential candidates. The pace of our...
Reverence for God and respect for the life he created is the foundation for every moral decision we face. We do not have one reason to abolish abortion and another to remove racism from our hearts. We do not have two different reasons for ending...
There was a time when the sermons, songs, and conversations of the church reflected the Bible’s priority on life and death and on life in relation to death. It seems we have gotten away from this priority and shifted to themes more related to life...
Some of what we will experience in 2016 will bring us joysome of it will not. Joy seems so uncertain because our experiences are so unpredictable. Is there a sure way to find joy? Is there a stable place to attach our joy? This Sunday...
O Lord, Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in your presence, in your service, to your glory. Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour, that I may not be one moment apart from...
O Love beyond compare, You are good when you give, when you take away, when the sun shines upon me, when night gathers over me. You have loved me before the foundation of the world, and in love did redeem my soul; You do love...
One of my annual practices is to think through how I will spend time in prayer and Bible reading in the upcoming year. This year, I would like to invite you to join me. I have used Bible reading plans that take me through the...
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 Jesus came to save his people from their sins. His people are a people, not just individual people. There is a corporate...
Mountains, oceans, and views into space inspire a deep sense of wonder in us. Grand human achievements in art and science and great acts of heroism grab our attention. In theology, the “omnis” of God’s nature (all knowing, all present, all powerful) elevate our thoughts...
When I was a young Christian, I learned to meet with the Lord everyday through reading my Bible and praying. This was called “fellowship” with God. Over the years I have tried to consistently do this in the mornings. I have benefited greatly from this...
What do you see when you look at people? Do you see differences that make you angry or uncomfortable? Demands that make you want to turn and walk the other way? Obstacles to your agenda for the day? A personal threat? Maybe you see the...
Discipleship is not dry duty, but the result of a spiritual dynamic at work in the heart of a person made new in Christ. This is seen clearly in the activity of love. The command to love God and our neighbor is given, implied, or...
I am keeping watch with my dying father. He is a man in Christ. Soon he will cross over and be safely home. Like most men in this world, Kyle Richard Patty is unspectacular, unremarkable, and unlikely to be remembered as “the best.” In our...
The Gospel of Mark in the New Testament transports us back to the beginning of the good news about Jesus and from Jesus. In these pages, we encounter Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We see him in action — healing, overcoming evil, and performing...
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 Grace, love, and fellowship. Here is the true and lasting comfort that God gives us through faith in Christ....
We usually have two responses to the experience of being weak. One is to ask God to remove it. The other is to compensate for weakness with strength. What happens for the Christian when weakness simply will not go away? The Apostle Paul called his...
Today I am praying about three transitions. I hope you will join me. First, pray with me about the transition happening at the International Mission Board. The IMB is the agency our church supports and partners with for international evangelism, church planting, and the relief...
I recently sat with a small group of pastors for an afternoon conversation. We do this regularly enough to have developed a pattern. We each take our turn to give a brief update on life and ministry. Then we put our leadership challenges on the...
Last Sunday, we saw from 1 Corinthians 15 the great end toward which God is moving the world. It all started with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will continue with the resurrection of all who are “in Christ” (Christians), and conclude with Christ...
It’s been an interesting week to think about life. Last Sunday, after preaching from 1 Corinthians 15 on the resurrection of the dead, I went to the Hope Clinic for Women. There I heard how everyday clinic workers have conversations with women making the decision...
We have one word for many kinds of affection. The word “love” is used for food, sports, and spouses. It applies to marital fidelity and fornication. The only way to know what it means when it is used is to listen for the context or...
A Letter from Former Elder, David Atchison Dear Brothers & Sisters, Last month, the elders recommended my wife Elaine for the position of Director of Congregational Care. Upon the church’s affirmation, I submitted my resignation as an elder of Grace Community Church in keeping with...
Christians have forever asked what it means to be spiritual. What spiritual experiences must we have, knowledge must we attain, and personality must we possess to be spiritual? That is the question being addressed in 1 Corinthians 12, which we will consider this Sunday at...
The discussion in 1 Corinthians 11-14 is carried along by the phrase, “When you meet together.” These four chapters are about what we call “going to church.” Paul addresses three different issues in the worship gatherings in Corinth: head coverings, the Lord’s Supper, and the...
It has been said that church and politics don’t mix. There is some truth to that statement. Churches are not citizens. They don’t vote, run for office, or serve on school boards or city councils. Churches are not political action committees. They don’t endorse or...
Today is a good day to be grateful for God’s good gift of marriage and to commit ourselves again to honor marriage as he has designed it and revealed it to be in the Bible. In 2004, the elders of Grace Community Church presented a...
Congregation, A text message came in early this morning: “This world is so sick and sinful. My heart is heavy. I need an encouraging word from my pastor today.” I knew this person must be watching the news reports about the diabolical killing and wounding...
Most Christians – and most people for that matter – struggle with a disease of the mind called forgetfulness. We can forget small things like our car keys or wallet, but there is an even greater tendency to forget more significant things. For the Christian,...
We are promised that with every temptation we face, God is faithful to provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). The way of escape is not a way that avoids temptation, but a way through it and a way to endure it. Temptation is...
I have heard Christians use the word “legalism” when they have discussions about self-discipline. There seems to be confusion about what legalism is. Legalism is depending on our efforts to secure and maintain right standing with God. We become legalists when we fail to grasp...
This Sunday at Grace, we will consider the Apostle Paul’s statement that he “became all things to all people for the sake of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). This is what D.A. Carson calls becoming a world Christian. Carson describes a world Christian as someone for...
As new people in Christ, we have a new way to walk in the world. Our new aim is to bring glory to God in everything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). We need wisdom to walk this way. There are many issues and opportunities in...
What is radical discipleship? Some think if it’s big, out of the ordinary, and dangerous, it’s radical. Some think “radical” is for a few, and the rest of us are just average. Not true on both accounts. In 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul gives...
What a morning. I watched the riots in Baltimore, the devastation in Nepal, and a report on the Supreme Court arguments on same-sex marriage. I was reminded that Jesus told us to “watch and pray” (Mark 14:38). Today, watch. Watch the news reports, read your...
One question many Christians ask is, “Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing in life?” One confusion many Christians have is that the most important thing in life is what we do. It seems this was the question and the confusion Paul...
In 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul naturally moves to a discussion of marriage as a continuation of his teaching on sexual purity in 1 Corinthians 6. This is because sexual purity and sexual immorality necessarily have to do with marriage. And that is because...
This Sunday at Grace, we will talk about our bodies in relation to sexual sin and sexual purity from 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. The Christian’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies were bought with the price of Christ’s blood. Our bodies will...
“God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the...
The gospel is about God changing us. The gospel change described in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 can be summed up in the phrase, “such you were, but now you are.” Here Paul gives a list of the kinds of people who will not enter the kingdom...
When I first began to study the passage for this week’s sermons (1 Corinthians 6), I asked all the technical questions to present a clear message on this issue of lawsuits among Christians. When can a Christian go to court? What steps should be taken...
Bob Briner, author of Roaring Lambs and a friend of Grace Community Church, used to say, “God’s power to preserve is greater than Satan’s power to corrupt.” Bob would say that when he was talking about how Christians are reluctant and afraid to associate with...
We hold martyrs in high regard. Laying down one’s life for Jesus’ sake is in our minds the highest form of self-denial. But are there not other forms of suffering for Jesus’ sake? Does not Jesus’ call to “deny yourself, take up your cross, and...
We fallen humans are full of wrongly ordered desires. We Christians are still humans and we still struggle with wrongly ordered desires. These desires are for things that are not God’s will for our lives. This struggle is called temptation. Being a Christian means we...
Two obvious reasons to affirm marriage as the union of a man and a woman include loyalty to Jesus and faithfulness to the Bible passages about marriage. But there is another reason: for the clarity of the gospel. The one human relationship given to us...
A few years after I became a Christian, a friend asked me, “Have you always been this way?” He meant had I always been a Christian, pursuing spiritual things. I assured him that I had not! In fact, I had been pursuing my thing. So,...
Each January many people in America observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. While affirming the dignity and value of human life, we have also mourned the loss of over 55 million lives through abortion since the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade (1973) that...
Whenever Christians talk about the culture, the conversation can go in one of two directions. We can talk about how bad the culture is and how we should stay as far away from it as possible. Or, we can talk about how much we need...
We are on the journey through 1 Corinthians. Along the way we expect to deal with many of the issues that can trouble Christians and local congregations. This Sunday we will hear about divisions in the church. 1 Corinthians is not all about problems. Along...
Church Problems and Promises in 1 Corinthians Going to church after the Christmas and New Year holidays feels like having the family home for a meal. I look forward to having us all home and around the table of grace as we worship together this...
“Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” – Proverbs 23:18 Congregation, I prayed for us this morning. I prayed that we would see the future as God sees it and have hope. Why this prayer? Because depression, anxiety, and...
I encourage you to watch this interview with Rosaria Butterfield, author of “The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert.” On the surface, it is about homosexuality, but underneath, it is about humility and hospitality in bringing Jesus to people. It will take you 40 minutes...
The Lord commissioned the prophet Jonah to call out against the evil of the Ninevites. Jonah did not want to. So he went the other direction, as far from Nineveh and the presence of the Lord as he could (or so he thought). The Lord...
If we are supposed to live with a mission mindset all the time, why are we emphasizing missions in November? Here are three reasons: We need to be reminded of what’s important. Busyness can be detrimental to priorities. The important can be sacrificed for the...
“For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:15 This verse is a massive reminder of what God is really doing in our lives...
Jason Miller, Pastor of Children and Families, will preach at Grace this Sunday on the worth and dignity of human life and our calling to protect it. Also, the elders of Grace will present the Statement on the Sanctity of Life that they passed in...
In 2 Corinthians 4:7, the Apostle Paul said, “we have this treasure in jars of clay.” The jar of clay is a metaphor for the weakness and ordinariness of our humanity. Don’t miss this. Paul is saying that God has entrusted the gospel of the...
The Apostle Paul said, “We do not lose heart.” Really? It seems like we are always losing heart and getting discouraged. I can think of a thousand reasons Christians lose heart. Two reasons are found in 2 Corinthians 4. We lose heart over the perceived...
We started our church-wide discussion on love several weeks ago with 1 John 2:15, “Love not the world nor the things of the world.” Now we read in John 3:16 that God loves the world. Shouldn’t we love what God loves? Should we love, or...
Whenever I hear people say they love their church, I wonder if they really mean that they love something about their church. I assume that they like something about the style of music, the preaching, the building, or the demographic makeup of their church. I...
“To know the love of God is indeed heaven on earth. The New Testament sets forth this knowledge, not as the privilege of a favored few, but as a normal part of ordinary Christian experience, something to which only the spiritually unhealthy and malformed will...
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” – 1 John 2:15 “The love of the world cannot be expunged by a mere demonstration of the world’s worthlessness....
As we come to the end of the Hebrews preaching series, we remind ourselves that the main exhortation is to keep our eyes focused on Jesus to endure in faith and faithfulness to him. I want to remind us that endurance in faith and faithfulness...
The one reason for leaders to lead in congregations and for congregations to follow leaders is endurance in faith and faithfulness to Jesus Christ. Jesus is supreme. All things are for his glory and the service of his purposes. God has designed congregations to have...
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The verses that follow in Hebrews 13 tell us that since Jesus remains the same, we are to remain with him. Here at the close of Hebrews, the message of endurance is...
“Let brotherly love continue.” – Hebrews 13:1 The message this Sunday at Grace will be from Hebrews 13:1-6. Here we are told to let love endure. We are to let love continue to come from our lives in very practical ways. The expressions of love...
We often view the worship of God as an event that we attend on Sundays. But there is a greater reality to our worship than what we do during the worship service. We worship God because Jesus brought us to God. God himself has sent...
The experiences of faith-testing struggles can cause faint-heartedness or be faced with faith-heartedness. Hebrews 12 shows us the way of faith. Jesus endured hostility from sinful people in this world. That hostility eventually led to his crucifixion. But his suffering was meaningful. He proved himself...
How? We have been asking that question all of our lives. From tying our shoes to solving a math problem to navigating the adult world of career, family, and finances, we need to know how to do it. At Grace we have been talking about...
Over 300 years ago, John Bunyan sat in a prison cell and wrote about endurance in the Christian life. He had been sentenced for preaching the gospel without a license from the established church. He was experiencing understandable bouts with doubt, emotional stress, and depression....
According to Hebrews 11:17, Abraham’s faith was tested when God told him to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering (a sacrifice). You will want to read the account in Genesis 22. As I read it again today, I could feel the tension in...
Abraham and Sarah are presented to us in Hebrews 11 as examples of faith. When you read the account of their lives in Genesis 12-21, they look like examples of stumbling and bumbling humans like us. So what do their lives teach us about faith?...
Since I don’t think we can separate our faithfulness to Jesus from the realities and relationships of our lives, I believe we can apply the passage from Hebrews 12:1 to endurance in marriage: “Laying aside every weight, and the sin that so easily entangles us,...
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” – Psalm 95:6 Each week the church staff and volunteers prepare for the Sunday worship gathering at Grace. The sermon, songs, buildings and bulletins must be prepared during the...
Each January many people in America observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. While affirming the dignity and value of human life, we have also mourned the loss of over 55 million lives through abortion since the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade (1973) that...
We are praying together at Grace this week. The “Devoted To Prayer” guide you received on Sunday gives you Bible passages and prayer requests for eight days. Here are four benefits of persistent prayer I hope we experience this week: 1. The increase of the...
The last time I ran a marathon, I wanted to change the course distance at mile 20. I wanted to exchange my lungs and legs for those of an elite athlete. I wanted to move the hands of the clock forward so the race would...
Jesus came to be met. So many people don’t realize this. To them, Jesus is a figure in history long dead and irrelevant, or the inspiration for discontent cultural revolutionaries, or the leader of morally uptight Americans. But a person to be met and known?...
This past Sunday at Grace, we talked about the windows through which the light of Christ shines out of our lives to others (see Matthew 5:14-16). These windows include being, doing, and speaking. Being is the window of our character being transformed by the power...
In yesterday’s sermon we saw that the fear of the Lord is that good, grace-produced, awe-filled, respectful, deferential, and delightful attitude toward God that produces worship, obedience, love and loyalty to him. You can hear that message here. So, how do we come to fear...
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is...
A man told me that the worst part of his day was the morning. He had lived a long life and was alone. Each morning, he awoke to a sense of dread knowing that the day would hold the same struggles as the day before....
I told a friend, who is also a minister, that I was going to preach from Ecclesiastes for several weeks at Grace. I expected to get a bit of sympathy because of the nature of Ecclesiastes or maybe a bit of respect for tackling the...
At some point in life, everyone asks these questions: How do I relate to God? Who am I, and where do I belong? How am I supposed to live? For six months, we have listened to the message of Galatians in each Sunday’s sermon. What...
Grace Community Church will soon bring our six-month sermon series from the book of Galatians to a close. Before we transition from Galatians to other portions of the Bible for our Sunday morning sermons, we want to pay close attention to the final words of...
J.I. Packer states: “Honest, faithful, honorable work of any sort, done as best one can and as helpfully to others as possible, glorifies God. So a believer may see his or her work as hallowed, whether that work involves handing fast food out of a...
J.I. Packer writes of the calling to faithfulness to Christ even as we live with weakness and the reward of glory that awaits those who are faithful to him: “Men and women of the world draw on their talents and ingenuity to map out for...
J.I. Packer says: “Many view money as a kind of magic: the more they have of it, the more they want; the more doors they expect it to open for them; and, not surprisingly perhaps, the more reluctant they are to part with any of...
J.I. Packer sums up the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” reasoning (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) this way: “Paul models the discipleship, spiritual maturity, and growth in grace that all believers are called to pursue. When the world tells us, as it does, that everyone has...
I recently attended a funeral service led by my pastor, Bob Mowrey. Everyone calls him Bro. Bob. Bro. Bob served as the pastor of Park Avenue Baptist Church in Nashville for thirty-five years. After his “retirement,” he served several churches as interim pastor and helped...
While on sabbatical during February and March, I had the privilege to participate in Sunday worship at Grace for eight weeks without preaching. During these weeks, I gained some insights into the practical aspects of Sunday worship. Here are a few things I learned. 1....
Here are two new stories of grace at Grace: Incredible Privilege to Walk in Community “Let’s go talk and pray with the elders at Grace first and then go from there.” It was my husband’s voice speaking and his words broke through my foggy mind....
Here is a story of grace at Grace written by Katie Thompson: I was eighteen years old when I attended my first service at GCC in 1993. A few things still stand out to me from those early days. There was just one guy with...
Here is the latest story of grace at Grace from our church plant, Redeemer Church: We are pleased to join you in celebrating 20 years of ministry as a congregation. We are thankful to God for His provision, protection and blessing upon you. We see...
“The grass withers, the flower fades ” The fact that the grass and flowers wither and fade doesn’t mean they are bad, but that their beauty is not forever. Nothing in this life can make the claim of “forever.” Everything changes and we can’t change that....
Read Cindy Curtis’ story of grace at Grace: “I have most known grace at Grace through our times of worship. I will never forget my first Sunday at Grace in the Lifeway building. I felt that God opened my mouth and poured refreshing water into...
Read Allison’s story of grace at Grace: “For those at Grace, these words from the song ‘Never Cease to Praise’ are probably very familiar: May the words we share be Your grace and peace, May our tongues speak Your proclamations That the many parts of...
Here’s another story of grace at Grace, written by John Kramp: Among a long list of ways I have experienced God’s grace at Grace, two surprised me congregational singing and prayer. I experience God’s grace as the congregation sings each Sunday. I don’t really...
Here is the latest story of grace at Grace, written by Elaine Atchison: In 1990, we lost our business, our wealth and our home. I was mad at God — hadn’t we been faithful, ethical and generous? I felt we deserved better and descended into...
I am thankful for Grace Community Church because I have a powerful reminder of the power of Christ to change lives, which gives me a reason to keep believing and preaching the gospel. weekly encounters with the faithful, which strengthens my weak faith. suffering friends...
Two people walked out of the same small group that meets on the church campus last night with an obvious expression of joy. One of them stopped me and said, “Scott, you would have loved being in our group tonight. We spent the whole time...
The gospel is the multifaceted message of Christ that includes who he is and what he did on our behalf to save us from sin and for God. Repentance and faith are the proper and saving responses to the gospel. Once believed and received, the...
Dear Congregation, Once again, in celebration of our 20th year of ministry, Grace Community Church will record an album of songs that we enjoy each week in corporate worship. The past recordings have been of great benefit to our members and their friends. They have...
We said Sunday that the “thing” the Apostle Paul said he could do through Christ who strengthened him was to be content in all situations (Philippians 4:13 – click here to hear the sermon). Paul could be content in all circumstances because Christ was the...
Memorial Day weekend, graduations, and the opening of the YMCA swimming pool means summer is here. The change of schedule and shift in routine can leave many people feeling a bit disconnected from encouraging friendships and church life. Here are a few ways to stay...
Fifteen years ago I read this paragraph: “Revival I define as a work of God by his Spirit through his word bringing the spiritually dead to living faith in Christ and renewing the inner life of Christians who have grown slack and sleepy. In revival...
Let’s not move too quickly to a new topic now that Easter Sunday is behind us. The content of many churches has changed in the past two weeks. The resurrection has been replaced by other themes important to our faith. But wait, when I read...
“In his great mercy God has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3 The Christian hope focuses not only on our individual future (the resurrection of the body) but also on...
“The Lord Jesus Christ . . . will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21 Christ’s conquest of death also indicates the nature of resurrection. Firstly, the risen Lord was not a resuscitated corpse. We do not...
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:17 The second significance of the resurrection is that it assures us of God’s forgiveness. I have read the statement of the head of a large English...
“The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the deadwhom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior . . . We are witnesses of these things.” Acts 5:30-32 It is hard...
“I want to know Christ . . . and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” Philippians 3:10 The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith. Sensitive spirits ask if it can possibly be reconciled with God’s justice and...
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 How can we believe in the love of God when there appears to be so much evidence to contradict it? The apostle Paul spells...
“For Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:18 This is one of the great New Testament texts about the cross. It tells us the major reason why Christ died. Now we...
Congregation, Join us in private and family devotion as we prepare for public worship on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This Holy Week, we will let John Stott guide us through the New Testament message of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each...
Recently I heard someone say, “There is no pit so deep that you can’t climb out.” When I heard those words I immediately remembered another quote from Betsy ten Boom, who, with her sister Corrie, endured the evils of a Nazi prison camp for their...
During the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his death, a fight broke out. The disciples were arguing over who was the greatest. Jesus stepped into the dispute with a question, “Who is the greater, one who sits at the table to be...
This past Sunday we looked at Luke 22, which begins with the planning of the death of Jesus. This began our approach to Good Friday and Easter. You can hear the message here. In the message I said that the planning of the death of...
Originally posted on December 25, 2010 The Fullness of Time “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son.” Galatians 4:4 Why did the incarnation take place when it didprobably by our reckoning in 5 BC, about a year before the death of...
Originally posted on December 24, 2010 The Shepherds “There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby . . . An angel of the Lord appeared to them . . . [and] said to them, ” . . . I bring you good news of...
Originally posted on December 23, 2010 Bethlehem “She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7 It is Luke who tells us the...
Originally posted on December 22, 2010 Mary’s Submission “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Luke 1:38 “The first and most indisputable fact about the birth of Jesus,” wrote Bishop John A. T. Robinson, “is that...
Originally posted on December 21, 2010 I hope these readings will help you focus your mind on Jesus and consecrate your heart to him during this Christmas season. Glory to God in the Highest, Scott The Virgin Birth “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,...
Originally posted on December 20, 2010 I hope these readings will help you focus your mind on Jesus and consecrate your heart to him during this Christmas season. Glory to God in the Highest, Scott Mary’s Song “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit...
Originally posted on December 19, 2010 Dear Congregation, Join me this Christmas week in private and family worship. This Christmas I plan to let John Stott guide be through the narrative of the birth of Jesus in the Gospel According to Luke. I invite you...
Originally posted on October 29, 2010 I made the point in the sermon that we fight our temptations just as Jesus did, with the Scripture. Jesus quoted from Scripture to resist the devil, but he also had the entire storyline of the Old Testament in...
Originally posted on October 22, 2010 While preparing to preach from Luke 4:1-13 on the temptations of Jesus, I have been trying to understand the nature of each temptation, what each one means and how each one applies to us. Today it dawned on me...
Originally posted on August 26, 2010 One of the simplest lessons I have ever learned as a Christian is the importance of showing up. To receive the ongoing grace I need to walk with God, the first thing I need to do is show up....
Originally posted on July 28, 2010 God has given us the gift of 250 children at Grace Community Church. That’s 250 souls, created in the image of God, carried in the womb by their mothers, placed in families who love them, and put under the...
Originally posted on July 22, 2010 It’s Thursday morning and I have had the privilege of seeing ministry happen all week long. This is Vacation Bible School week at Grace, and at this moment I can hear the voices of children and volunteers outside my...
Originally posted on July 2, 2010 Today is the First Friday Prayer and Fast day at Grace. I often fast out of duty (since I’m the one who asks our church to fast each month, I need to do it myself). I am grateful that...
Originally posted on June 11, 2010 Today it is good to be preparing to preach on Sunday. After two Sundays away I am glad to be back. Thanks to Jason Miller and Bill Maynard for bringing two great messages the past two weeks. As I...
Originally posted on January 15, 2010 There are many voices speaking into the tragedy in Haiti. Here is one that reminds us that God loves Haiti. Pastor Scott Does God Hate Haiti?
Originally posted on September 15, 2009 Hear the Word of the Lord In the last month the only thing I have listened to on my iPod, other than music, is the book of Ephesians. This has been so helpful to me that I want to...
Originally posted on July 15, 2009 “This is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.” I Thessalonians 4:3 (NASB) This summer at Grace we are considering the exhortation of Scripture to “pursue . . . sanctification (holiness) without...
Originally posted on June 9, 2009 Scott Patty is out for a couple of weeks, so the staff has selected links that we believe will be helpful to you on a variety of topics. Jamie Mosley’s Pick: To Marry or Not To Marry (part one),...
Originally posted on May 14, 2009 For this month’s Links to Grace, I share with you a gold mine of great talks and interviews on various topics at The Gospel Coalition web site . I’ve selected a few of the offerings, but I hope you...
Originally posted on March 17, 2009 Enjoy these messages on prayer, culture, and the gospel in this month’s Links To Grace. For a full explanation of Links To Grace, see the January edition. Prayer Since we are in a 15-Day season of prayer at Grace,...
Originally posted on February 12, 2009 Dear Congregation, Here is this month’s Links To Grace. If you are new to these monthly emails, go to the January Words Of Grace on the web site for an explanation of Links To Grace. I am continually grateful...
Originally posted on January 15, 2009 For several years I have periodically sent a message of spiritual encouragement to the congregation called Words of Grace. I hope these e-messages have been helpful to people. I plan to continue to share my thoughts with you in...
Originally posted on August 27, 2008 Churches Send People Into The World The New Testament vision of the church is that it serves as light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16, Philippians 2:15). In order to bring light to the world, the people of the church...
Originally posted on July 17, 2008 Churches Show the Power of the Cross By Living In Peace Churches have the opportunity to show the power of Christ by living together in unity, peace, and mutual service. Where else besides a local church do sinful humans...
Originally posted on July 3, 2008 Churches Are To Be Good Neighbors God put our church in Nashville to be a neighbor to people. Jesus taught us that good neighbors bring His mercy to others in word and deed. The story of the Good Samaritan...
Originally posted on May 30, 2008 Churches Have A Prophetic Voice Most people associate the call to repent with what they perceive to be the angry prophets of the Bible, and the act of repentance with the decision to stop doing bad things. There are,...
Originally posted on May 23, 2008 A Witness of the Grace of Jesus God put Grace Community Church in Nashville to be a witness of the grace of Jesus Christ, which is most clearly displayed in His death on the cross for our sins, and...
Originally posted on May 15, 2008 Churches Bring Glory to God Here’s the question. Why did God put Grace Community Church in Nashville? Here’s the answer. “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever” (Ephesians...
Originally posted on May 9, 2008 The elders are in unanimous agreement that the course of action to be taken is to continue with the plan to construct the building for the discipleship ministry of Grace, as recommended by the elders and affirmed by the...
Originally posted on April 25, 2008 Here’s an issue that came up in conversation this week. In light of the Future Grace Giving Campaign, how do we think about the various opportunities we have to give money to other very good causes? In a church...
Originally posted on April 18, 2008 This week, I have been at the Together For The Gospel conference in Kentucky. This was not a good week for a conference as the responsibilities of family, ministry, and Future Grace are particularly heavy right now. But, since...
Originally posted on January 17, 2008 Everyone knows what prayer is, but many people would say they don’t know how to pray. That usually means they don’t know what to say, or how to say it in a way that makes them feel like they...
Originally posted on January 15, 2008 When we know why we are to do something, doing it ceases to feel like duty and the discipline required to do it is gladly undertaken. As you know, Grace Community Church is in a 14-day season of prayer....
Originally posted on January 3, 2008 Each month we read in our prayer guide, “Devoted To Prayer”, these words. “We believe the power of the Holy Spirit is required to accomplish the mission of the church. We believe prayer is the means by which we...
Originally posted on October 30, 2007 Dear Grace Family and Friends, November 4 and 11 are two Sundays we have designated for emphasis on Grace Missions. On these days, we will look to God’s Word to gain His vision and passion for the spread of...
Originally posted on June 22, 2007 “Do not be wise in your own estimation.” Romans 12:16 Our estimation of ourselves is rooted in pride. We’re human, which means a pre-occupation with self is in our nature. This obsession with self is pride. It also colors...
Originally posted on June 12, 2007 The most basic command in the Bible is to love. And yet, the most basic human failure is to not love well. For example, Romans 12:9 tells us to love genuinely. The following verses give us twenty-five commands that...
Originally posted on May 31, 2007 “Let love be without hypocrisy.” Romans 12:9 Unmasked Love You can’t treat love like a mask used to cover up your true intentions. Genuine love is unmasked. The word hypocrite comes from the world of acting. The actor would...
Originally posted on May 25, 2007 “We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Romans 12:5 Members By Mercy The same mercy that saves us from sin and reconciles us to God also connects us to other believers...
Originally posted on May 9, 2007 in view of God’s mercies. Romans 12:1 think so as to have sound judgment. Romans 12:3 we who are many are one body in Christ. Romans 12:5 since we have gifts that differ, each is to exercise them accordingly....
Originally posted on April 20, 2007 ” Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.” Romans 12:1 Mercy Motivated Bodies What you do with your body is based on how you...
Originally posted on March 28, 2007 “They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of the Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.” John 19:17 Go on up to the mountain of mercy, to the...
Originally posted on March 23, 2007 After eleven chapters of pure mercy from God toward sinners, Paul opens chapter twelve of Romans with a strong exhortation. “I urge you,” he said. In light of God’s mercy in Christ, Paul wants to motivate the people to...
Originally posted on February 9, 2007 Obligations of Objects of Mercy You have heard it said that with privilege comes responsibility. A Romans way of saying that is, objects of mercy have obligations. The good news is that the obligations of being shown mercy are...
Originally posted on January 19, 2007 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God ” Romans 12:1 Fourteen Years of Mercy On the third Sunday of January 1993, we held our first Sunday worship service as a church. The best explanation I have for...
Originally posted on January 12, 2007 One of the mercy prayers for 2007 that I have for our church is that we renew our minds in the mercy of God. I take that prayer from Romans 12:1-2, “I urge you by the mercies of God be...
Originally posted on January 10, 2007 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be...
Originally posted on December 1, 2006 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us.” Isaiah 9:6 To Us A Son Has Been Given The prophecy of Isaiah that a son would be given to us was made 735...
Originally posted on November 14, 2006 Two things have come together for us here at Grace in a powerful way. First, we have been meditating on Romans 8 together for several weeks. Second, this is Grace Missions Month. The timing of these two events is...
Originally posted on October 20, 2006 “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26 Why Weakness Is...
Originally posted on October 13, 2006 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16 Calling On The Witness Of The Spirit When in doubt, we call on a witness to set the record straight. God has given the...
Originally posted on September 29, 2006 “If, by the Spirit, you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” Romans 8:13-14 The Spirit Leads...
Originally posted on September 15, 2006 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 Last Sunday we heard God’s word declare over us that in Christ Jesus we are not condemned. Christ took on the penalty for our...
Originally posted on September 7, 2006 Here we stand at Romans 8. Here in Romans 8, we will walk for three months. Here is what I hope we gain from this magnificent chapter of the Bible. I must say, before I tell you what I...
Originally posted on August 24, 2006 Jesus clearly had the growth of His church in mind when He gave the Great Commission. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,...
Originally posted on August 17, 2006 The concise wording of our mission statement at Grace is, “Building healthy people for ministry in the world.” There are many truths implied in this statement that need to be articulated and understood. 1. God’s glory is the ultimate...
Originally posted on August 11, 2006 Here’s a radical thought. Grace Community Church is not on this earth for Grace Community Church. Grace Community Church exists for God’s glory, for the building up of Christ’s body (the church), and for communicating in word and deed...
Originally posted on June 21, 2006 During the month of June the Grace family has been meditating on Psalm 34, and learning that together we worship, pray, delight in God, learn, and express our brokenness. There is something else we do together- the great commission...
Originally posted on May 18, 2006 “And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:11 Joy In God The summit of the gospel mountain is God. Jesus is the...
Originally posted on April 20, 2006 Just over two years ago our church launched into the challenge of raising money to purchase property and build the facilities we now call home. Five months ago, we wrote Bible verses on the bare floor of the chapel...
Originally posted on March 17, 2006 “ be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is.” Romans 12:2 Will we ever fully understand the brain? God gave us a marvelous muscle capable of mental activity...
Originally posted on February 10, 2006 This past Sunday we finished the opening verses of Romans (1:1-15). These verses contain Paul’s personal words to the Christians in Rome. In them we see God’s work in Paul in two ways- showing him mercy and transforming his...
Originally posted on January 19, 2006 This Sunday at Grace, we begin a study of the book of Romans. As I approach this sermon series, I have many of the same feelings I’ve had at the start line of a marathon. I know this journey...
Originally posted on December 21, 2005 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free...
Originally posted on December 15, 2005 “I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire Now when all...
Originally posted on December 14, 2005 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles,...
Originally posted on November 18, 2005 Taking the message of God’s grace in His Son Jesus Christ to the world is a multi-dimensional task. Speaking the words of the gospel to people can take many different forms. Supporting local and global missions calls for meeting...
Originally posted on November 1, 2005 We moved in, now what? The future of Grace is not to be thought of as a location in Nashville or a building. Nor is our future defined by a worship style or a set of programs. God owns...
Originally posted on October 27, 2005 God uses the material things of this world to advance His kingdom in the world. God calls His people to be good stewards, managing those material things for His purpose. The computers we are using to communicate are material...
Originally posted on October 26, 2005 Over the years, God has built into the culture of our church several defining qualities. As we pack up the final boxes and make the move this week, we’re intent on bringing this church culture with us. God has...
Originally posted on October 25, 2005 When I say that we can’t forget our doctrine and theology when we move to our new location, I mean we can’t forget that we have a doctrine and we must remember what it is. The biggest reason churches...
Originally posted on October 24, 2005 The fifth thing Grace Community Church needs to remember as we move our congregation to a new location is that being a healthy church requires us to carry out a balanced ministry. We all hope to mature physically, intellectually,...
Originally posted on October 22, 2005 Changing locations should not change our mission. When Grace moves, let’s not forget to bring Christ’s command to make disciples with us. Jesus told us that a disciple is someone who confesses Him as Lord and identifies with Him...
Originally posted on October 21, 2005 The third valuable thing to remember as we move to our new location is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of our hearts and the theme of our witness. The gospel is our message. Every building,...
Originally posted on October 20, 2005 For nine days, my Words of Grace are devoted to sharing nine things to remember as we make the move into the new building. Here’s number two. We must remember our chief end: to keep God’s glory as our...
Originally posted on October 19, 2005 Counting Down We are in the final days of preparation before we move into our new building. As you can imagine, the intensity level is high. Around the office it is all hands on deck. Many Grace people are...
Originally posted on October 6, 2005 “We who believe are joined together into God’s holy temple. Through Christ we are being made into the dwelling of God by His Spirit.” Ephesians 2:21-22 Then We sat in a circle in the home of one of our...
Originally posted on September 7, 2005 “Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me.” Psalm 131:2 Faith For Every Situation We all face situations that unsettle us. Sometimes...
Orginally posted on September 1, 2005 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” I Timothy 1:17 Are you having difficulty giving praise to God? When you come to corporate worship do you find your...
Originally posted on June 24, 2005 “For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we...
Originally posted on May 27, 2005 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5 Ethos The word “ethos” means the spirit and attitude that characterizes a community of people. Every group has an ethos. Fear, pride, service, compassion, openness, prejudice,...
Originally posted on May 11, 2005 “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:6 The Vision Of A Missionary Spirit What vision the psalmist had! He didn’t say, “let everyone I know, or everyone in my family, or everyone in my church, or...
Originally posted on May 4, 2005 Future Grace “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come...
Originally posted on April 28, 2005 A year has passed since we began our Future Grace Giving Campaign. The future of Future Grace is now. As I write this letter, I am sitting in my office on our new church property, looking out my window...
Originally posted on March 25, 2o05 “Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'” Matthew 27:46 Can anything generate more fear in the human heart than the thought of being abandoned? To be left alone, with...
Originally posted on March 18, 2005 “When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, Women, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, Behold, your mother!’ From that hour the disciple took her into...
Originally posted on March 17, 2005 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” John 19:30 One of the seven statements Jesus made from the cross was “It is finished.”...
Originally posted on March 11, 2005 “ those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun.” II Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) In this Words of Grace series on truth shaped living, our...
Originally posted on March 9, 2005 “All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time....
Originally posted on March 3, 2005 “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to become first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,...
Originally posted on February 25, 2005 “The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.” Psalm 145:15 “Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds, to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.”...
Originally posted on February 22, 2005 “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36 Could there be a more succinct yet all-encompassing statement on the connection of all things to God? From...
Originally posted on February 18, 2005 “Sanctify them in truth, Your word is truth.” John 17:17 Jesus prayed that His followers would live their lives by the truth of God’s word. He prayed for truth-shaped living. Two thousand years later, there are two things we...
Originally posted on January 13, 2005 Along with my wedding anniversary, the third Sunday in January will forever be special to me. On that Sunday twelve years ago, Grace Community Church held her first worship service. As we gather together this Sunday for worship, we...
Originally posted on December 29, 2004 As 2004 began, I knew it would be a year of intensive effort, and I prayed that God would grant us the greatest year of spiritual growth our church has ever known. 2004 was certainly full of activity and...
Originally posted on December 16, 2004 At the birth of Jesus, Mary could hardly take in what had happened and what was being said of Him. She was the first, and only, woman in history to give birth while still a virgin. The angel of...
Originally posted on December 7, 2004 “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”Matthew 25: 40 What will you give Jesus this Christmas? That...
Originally posted on November 5, 2004 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder, I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no...
Originally posted on October 22, 2004 ” Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord. Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.”Isaiah 1:18 Is there a...
Originally posted on October 21, 2004 Now that the title of this e-message got your attention, notice that it says how to vote, not who to vote for. As a pastor, it is not my role to tell you who to vote for in an...
Originally posted on October 15, 2004 “You are the light of the world let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 6: 14,18 Last week I encouraged us...
Originally posted on October 8, 2004 “If the bugle doesn’t sound a clear call, how will the soldiers know they are being called to battle? And it’s the same for you. If you talk to people in a language they don’t understand, how will they...
Originally posted on October 1, 2004 “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face...
Originally posted on September 16, 2004 What comes after a time of communion with God in prayer and the Bible? Life! On a rainy morning like today, in a quiet house and in a good prayer and reading mood, I feel like I could stay...
Originally posted on September 9, 2004 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be...
Originally posted on August 26, 2004 “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word.” Psalm 119: 97, 148 The best part of relating to God in a...
Originally posted on August 19, 2004 “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?” Psalm 42:2 This verse is one of a thousand verses on communion with God in the Bible. The writers of the Psalms,...
Originally posted on June 23, 2004 Whenever I counsel engaged couples, I tell them that when they get disappointed with their spouse, they are then ready to love. The same is true in church. When you make an attempt to connect with people in church,...
Originally posted on June 15, 2004 At the risk of sounding like Yogi Berra, let me say that no one ever connected without connecting. In other words, if you are not in the presence of others, you’ll never connect with them in meaningful friendships. This...
Originally posted on June 9, 2004 Last week I wrote to you about overcoming the problem of disconnection. I shared with you the common traits I have seen in people who have overcome the feeling of being disconnected at church. Let me share with you...
Originally posted on June 2, 2004 Everyone sometimes has trouble connecting with others. Church people are no different. Life pulls us in many different directions, making it necessary for us to be committed to connecting. But we must connect. God gave us to each other...
Originally posted on May 6, 2004 Sometimes walking by faith requires taking a specific action step into the unknown. It means making a decision. It’s like crossing a line. My favorite “line crossing” story is really about crossing a river. In the Bible we are...
Originally posted on April 23, 2004 The Old Testament leader Nehemiah shows us what it looks like to face and overcome difficulty by faith. Nehemiah’s mission was to rebuild the walls around the city of Jerusalem and to strengthen the hearts of the discouraged people...
Originally posted on April 15, 2004 The Verbs of Faith Hebrews 11 is the chapter best known for its teaching on faith. The phrase “by faith” is used twenty times to describe the lives of many of the great people of the Bible. When we...
Originally posted on April 8, 2004 “By grace through faith” is the Bible’s way of expressing the basic way God deals with people. This means that as a Christian, we live the life of faith that believes and acts on everything God has given us...
Originally posted on April 1, 2004 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to...
Originally posted on January 23, 2004 We all need a “center”. A center is the bedrock truth that determines how we live. It is also the truth we keep coming back to for perspective, encouragement and energy to keep moving forward in life. The center...
Originally posted on December 30, 2003 “I will tell all my brothers the greatness of Your name, in the presence of the whole congregation I will sing your praise.” Psalm 22:22 Dear Grace Family, As I reflect back on 2003, I see the faithfulness and...
Originally posted on December 11, 2003 This past Sunday, I preached a vision message looking forward to 2004. I gave three prayers for our church that would become three pursuits of our church. The first prayer pursuit is that Grace would experience the greatest year...
Originally posted on November 27, 2003 Christ told us to love one another; however, he also told us to fight! The key is to know when to do which, and with whom. We love people because people are not our enemy. We fight the evil...
Originally posted on October 30, 2003 To ground our praying in God’s word and to give us confidence and purpose in our praying, we considered Ephesians 3:20-21. These verses come at the end of a longer prayer. In the prayer, the Apostle Paul prayed that...
Originally posted on September 26, 2003 The first century missionary tour of the Apostle Paul in Europe saw mixed reception. Some believed his message of Christ and become followers, while others did not. Those rejecters of the message did not quietly go home and leave...
Originally posted on August 20, 2003 The internet allows us to take what once was an in-house discussion and open it up to anyone who cares to log on and read. Here at Grace Community Church we usually have these discussions in the form of...
Originally posted on July 9, 2003 Talking about God is certainly an acceptable topic for a church. But talking about sinners is another matter. To do so seems so outdated. After all, aren’t we just wounded, or misguided, or in process? For many, “sinner” is...
Originally posted on June 23, 2003 If you are checking out this web site, there is a good chance you are searching for spiritual truth; for meaning, purpose, and love; for God. Every search is really a question in need of an answer. A friend...
Originally posted on April 1, 2003 As good citizens, we consume the news of the events of war, make decisions and form opinions, use our constitutional freedom to express our views to our leaders, and support those who serve our country and the world in...
Originally posted on February 27, 2003 “Growth in not an option.” When I heard those words from a conference speaker a few years ago, I knew he had spoken one of the most important sentences I would ever hear. It’s true, growth is not an...
Originally posted on February 26, 2003 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knows his people in advance, and he chose them to...
Originally posted on February 7, 2003 The great work of Christian missions is to present Jesus Christ as Lord to the world and to call all people to willingly, lovingly, and savingly confess Him as such. Philippians 2:10 envisions a day when “every knee will...
Originally posted on January 14, 2003. Times of celebration are great opportunities for renewal. When a couple celebrates a wedding anniversary, they often renew their love for one another. When athletes celebrate a victory, they renew their commitment to hard work to ensure another taste...
