Believers should make time for corporate prayer especially when the church gathers. There is tremendous power in corporate prayer; God meets with us in a special way when we participate in it. Even the Lord's Prayer implies our need to pray corporately. It says, "Give 'us' our daily bread. Forgive 'us' our debts..."
We are in the fifth week of our seven-week sermon series “Why Church?” taking seriously the question, why do I need to go to church to pray? It is common to hear from someone that they can "pray better" when they are enjoying nature or from the comfort of their easy chair rather than in church.
This Sunday we will look at why Christians, from the early church to today, in every time and place, pray together? In part, because heartfelt prayer requires fresh glimpses of God, and we know how little we see by ourselves. We want to take in and experience more of Jesus than we would ever see on our own. We want to kindle our adoration before God through the eyes of others.
Church is the place where believers can love one another, encourage one another, “spur” one another to love and good works, serve one another, instruct one another, honor one another, to be kind and compassionate to one another, and pray for one another and others
We Pray Best Together (11AM)
October 16, 2022 • Dennis Whitcher • Acts 2:42–47
We Serve Best Together In Ministry (11AM)
October 30, 2022 • Curt McFarland • 1 Corinthians 12:5–31
Each Sunday for the past two months we have been asking the question “Why? Why Church?” Do we really need the church to know about God, to worship God, to pray, to serve, to love? Aren’t there better, or at least equally effective, ways to do all of the above on our own terms, when, where, and how we want? Why Church? What has been stated repeatedly these seven weeks is that the Church was not founded by a bunch of eager, starry-eyed, religious fanatics. The origin of the Church is supernatural. The Church was established, chartered, initiated, by God Himself. When God set the Church in motion His priorities were not walls, windows, carpets, and lighting. His priority, then and now, has always been people, real people, including you and me. We are God’s priority, God’s Church. In our passage from the Bible this morning it is clear that each of us, without exception, has been blessed and gifted by God so that we can be a blessing and gift to others. Every Christian, every single Christian, has a God-given mission (a place to serve others) in their community, and a God-given ministry (a place to serve others) inside their church. We need the Church to discover and engage, in the right ways and for the right reasons, the passions and abilities given to us by God. If we reject the Church even our best intentions and efforts get messed up. This Sunday is also the first of four Stewardship Sundays. As we ask “Why?” we also ask “How?” How can we best steward (take care) of God’s Church here at Grace. These are Big Questions, beautiful questions, challenging questions, questions that lead us closer to God and to each other.
We Serve Best Together In Ministry (9AM)
October 30, 2022 • Curt McFarland • 1 Corinthians 12:5–31
Each Sunday for the past two months we have been asking the question “Why? Why Church?” Do we really need the church to know about God, to worship God, to pray, to serve, to love? Aren’t there better, or at least equally effective, ways to do all of the above on our own terms, when, where, and how we want? Why Church? What has been stated repeatedly these seven weeks is that the Church was not founded by a bunch of eager, starry-eyed, religious fanatics. The origin of the Church is supernatural. The Church was established, chartered, initiated, by God Himself. When God set the Church in motion His priorities were not walls, windows, carpets, and lighting. His priority, then and now, has always been people, real people, including you and me. We are God’s priority, God’s Church. In our passage from the Bible this morning it is clear that each of us, without exception, has been blessed and gifted by God so that we can be a blessing and gift to others. Every Christian, every single Christian, has a God-given mission (a place to serve others) in their community, and a God-given ministry (a place to serve others) inside their church. We need the Church to discover and engage, in the right ways and for the right reasons, the passions and abilities given to us by God. If we reject the Church even our best intentions and efforts get messed up. This Sunday is also the first of four Stewardship Sundays. As we ask “Why?” we also ask “How?” How can we best steward (take care) of God’s Church here at Grace. These are Big Questions, beautiful questions, challenging questions, questions that lead us closer to God and to each other.
We Serve Best Together In Mission (11AM)
October 23, 2022 • Alex Rule • 2 Corinthians 7:13, 2 Corinthians 8:15
Many of us have learned as children to love God, to be grateful, to ask for things before taking them, to say please and thank you, as well as to respect and serve people, and to have compassion and be generous with others in need. Paul is comforted that the Corinthians wanted to reform their lives and ways. He is please not only because of their good resolve but also because of their good actions by which they were correcting their former practice he even said that after he had boasted about the Corinthians to Titus, they had not let him down. Paul offered the Macedonians the highest praise, for even in the poverty they give generously of what they have. They wanted to offer even more than their strength allow by giving themselves wholly to God first, and then to their fellow believers with exceptional generosity of their own free will, with this the Macedonians demonstrated their sincere desire to receive a spirit gift. Paul sent Titus to the Corinthians to encourage them to imitate the Macedonians.