11A Worship

Grace of Christ

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11A Worship

October 27, 2024 • 1 Peter 4:10, Galatians 5:1, John 17:18

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Some of you know, I’m no stranger to Sunday mornings. I grew up a preacher’s kid in a large family. ….A-Lotta kids, A-Lotta ministry, so as you can imagine: …Not a lotta room for nonsense! Our household was, well…. Structured… to put it gently 😊 We had a clear set of rules and expectations that helped keep the peace and ensure things ran smoothly.

But while God made me quite adept at honoring my parents and obeying the rules… (I was never a rebel) … God also gave me the qualities of a box breaker. Ya know that kitten or that puppy that’s the first one to bust out of the nesting box or the play pen? God gave me a little bit of that. I have a big, thick streak in me that longs to be eager and unrestrained and out of the box!

So, I’ll never forget when I was reading my Bible one day, as a kid, and I came across this familiar passage: I’d memorized it and knew it by heart because we had all learned it in the song. You know it: [The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, etc .…. Gentleness and Self Con-troooool!] Right, well that’s where the song ends. But as I was reading, that wasn’t where the VERSE ended. You know how the verse ends??!

“AGAINST SUCH THINGS THERE IS NO LAW”!!! Man alive, that made me excited! I found something that the Bible says: I could do AS MUCH AS I WANT! There were NO RULES against doing these things. NO ONE can tell me NOT TO DO these things!! I can do them as much and as long and as far as I WANT!!

It might seem silly to you all now. “Of course, Kara, you can be good as much as you want cause that’s, well… GOOD! …Duh!” But that reaction of excitement and enthusiasm is the joy and elation of a kid who has been told: not what they CAN’T do… but what they CAN do!

And that is the topic I believe God wants us to hang out on today: What have you been SET FREE to do?? Who have you been set FREE to be??

Hebrews 12 says to “Fix your eyes on Jesus.” Psalms 119 talks about “Fixing our eyes on his Word.” Psalm 121 speaks of lifting our eyes to heaven for our strength and our direction.

Today we are being invited to stop and call to mind: What was the last directive you received? What is the current purpose and point of my Christian life? What have I been FREED to do, or who have I been FREED to be?

When you fix your eyes on God, what is the path He has set you on TODAY? What His current directive for you? When you go to The Lord in prayer, what does He speak to you? What has He revealed to you through His word? What passage of scripture has been highlighted in your spirit such that you know it's just for you? What has been the theme of how the Lord has been speaking, directing, revealing Himself to you recently?... or what has been His last directive or truth He’s given you to stand on? Or move on? f

More from ACTS: The Holy Spirit Working Through Us

11A Worship

November 17, 2024 • Curt McFarland • Acts 22:30, Acts 23:35

A friend of mine held a high-ranking position in the US Embassy in Cambodia. He invited Kathaleen and I to visit him and his family. At the airport in Phenom Penh, I knew instantly he had authority. We were escorted past those waiting for Immigration/Customs. We were treated as if we were important! Kath and I had to navigate our way from Seattle to Taipei, to Bangkok, and finally to Cambodia. That was our responsibility. BUT … over the entire trip, and all our time in country, it was clear he had the influence and power. It’s a weak analogy to our relationship with God … but there are some connections. God has given us certain freedoms and responsibilities … but we must not forget who is actually in control. God has all power. He always has and always will.

10AM Worship One Service

November 24, 2024 • Dennis Whitcher • Acts 24

I see two lessons for us in today's passage. Be stewards of God's grace: The Psalmist tells us that “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1). This means that everything, including our own self, belongs to God. All that we have and are (all by the Grace of God) is a gift from God and is entrusted to our care. How we care for our world is a stewardship question. How we care for our bodies is a stewardship question. How we use our time is a stewardship question. How we care for our children, how we use our talents, how we make and spend and save our money, and yes give financially to the church -- all of these are stewardship issues. Here, in Acts 24, Paul's stewardship of God's grace is demonstrated by his commitment to his faith in Jesus Christ, even when faced with legal and political challenges. Tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone: Felix, though “well acquainted with the Way,” missed out on a relationship with Jesus because God’s truth felt like an inconvenience in Felix’s indulgences. He tried to take God in small doses. Felix sent for Paul frequently then dismissed Paul when he had enough. It can be easy to slip into comfortable religion, consuming morsels of truth sporadically to dilute their impact. But the same way that eating ice cream for every meal isn't good for our physical health, sticking just to the Scriptures we like isn't good for our spiritual health. God invites us to feast on His Word, to enjoy all of His promises and heed all of His instructions.

11A Worship

November 10, 2024 • Curt McFarland • Acts 21:37, Acts 22:29, Acts 22:2–22

My freshman year at Whitworth I made friends easily. But there was one person, Greg, who did not like me. I couldn’t figure out why. How could he not like me? No matter how hard I tried to win him over it seemed to have the opposite effect. I finally stopped trying. 46 years later I still remember Greg. And, I still wonder why? There are times when others just don’t get us. They assume things about us that are not true. They believe the worst about us. They attack us. Dislike us. Maybe it’s just me … nope! Paul, the first century Christian leader, was the focal point for irrational anger. Not from one, or a few, but from a mob. They wanted him dead. His approach to such hatred … he told the story of how he met Jesus. The mob listened … for a while. And then they shouted, “he should not be allowed to live!” Tough crowd. Real life. Real faith.