GCCWS Weekend Messages

In this sermon, Pastor Mike explores the story of Jonah and the call of God on his life. Through this timeless tale, we learn about the importance of embracing and fulfilling our own divine calling. Whether you're feeling called to ministry, missions, or another path, this message will encourage you to take bold steps forward in obedience to God. Plus, you'll learn how to pray for and support others as they follow their own callings. Don't miss this inspiring message and be sure to share it with others who may need encouragement in facing their own calling

Like, comment, & subscribe to stay updated with the latest content! 

CONNECT WITH US:

► Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gccws_gram

► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gccws 

► Website: http://www.gccws.net

OUR RESOURCES:

►Recharge Devotional: http://www.gccws.net/recharge 

►Online Church: http://live.gccws.net 

►Online Bulletin: http://www.gccws.net/bulletin 

►Discipleship Classes: http://www.gccws.net/adults 

►Events Coming Up: http://www.gccws.net/events 

#gccanywhere #gracecommunitychurchofwillowstreet #YouTube #ChurchMinistry #LancasterCounty

Join us this Weekend for a powerful message on loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We'll be exploring the importance of "the greatest commandment" and how it shapes our relationships with God and with others. Start your year with inspiration and encouragement in Christ.

In his pointed, practical and powerful description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul writes, “Love…keeps no record of wrongs.”  You will recall from the last two weeks of sermons that this well-known chapter of the Bible was written in the 1st century to a church in the ancient city of Corinth where love was not always in the air!  It was written to Christians who were struggling to love one another.  They had sinful attitudes that got in the way of the love God wanted them to practice.  LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS.”  Now that’s a tall order, which is why I singled it out for a sermon all its own.  Love keeps no record of wrongs,, but what does that mean and how do we love that way?  The answer is found in a gift of God called forgiveness.  Join your GCC family as we discover this gift in Christ and learn to exercise it in love toward others.  I look forward to worshipping with you this weekend!

Love came down!  That’s the great truth of Christmas.  The kindness and love of God appeared in the flesh in a manger in Bethlehem.  And His name is JESUS!  He is love and He wants us to love like He loves  Last week, we learned that love is a choice and an action.  The apostle Paul makes that very clear as we dig into 1 Corinthians 13:4-5.  What are we choosing to do and to be when we love others?  What actions does God expect us to take when we love others?  What should love look like in us as we love others?  This weekend, let’s look at the first eight practical descriptions of love in verses 4-5.  As we study these verses, notice that they perfectly describe the character of Jesus.  With that in mind, join me as we learn what love is and how we should practice it so that, through us, the world will experience God’s love in Jesus Christ.

What is love? At Christmas, love is shared, sung, and celebrated worldwide.  Yet, what is it?  Is it a feeling or an action?  A quick internet search says, “love is a feeling of intense affection, a great pleasure, or enjoyment.”  It seems simple; love is a feeling according to these definitions.  Yet, when we look closely, this love is nothing more than raised emotion.

No, the Scriptures teach us that love is an action.  It is the right action with the right attitude toward God and others.  Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 16:14, “Let all that you do be done in love.” Or Colossians 3:14 - And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Or, John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

The world we live in is a broken and complex world.  Pick up a newspaper, look at a newsfeed, tune into FOX or CNN or WGAL, and you’ll see and hear the stories of a broken world. Frankly, the number and nature of these stories of brokenness can be so overwhelming that we’re tempted to tune them out or turn them off, but don’t do that!  Instead, ask this question - What IN THIS BROKEN, HURTING WORLD should we be doing?  As followers of Jesus Christ, how can we make a difference in this world?  What can we do, as a church, to address the brokenness of people around the corner and around the world?

Join your GCC family this weekend as we step back in time to the first church that was established by the power of the Holy Spirit nearly 2000 years ago.  In this “Dear Church,” series, we have learned that Church is designed to be the body of Christ on earth.  As a church, we are to be the visible representation of Jesus to the world.  Frankly, that’s a tall order!  How do we do it?  Let’s take a look at the early church as described in Acts 2:42-47.  The activities of this “first church” are very similar to the activities of our church, but we want to focus our attention on the atmosphere of the early church.  What did it feel like to be part of the church in the year 33 AD, and what does that mean for each of us and our church today?

This weekend, we want to hear what God has to say to His church about pastors – who they are, what they do, and how they do it!  It’s the next sermon in the series, Dear Church, and it’s a topic rarely heard in our churches.  A sermon about pastors by a pastor!  You, the Church, need to know what to expect from your pastors.  We, your pastors, need to know what God expects from us.  And then there is the community outside the church walls.  The community needs examples of good, godly pastors who love Jesus and love others.  Join your GCC CHURCH FAMILY as we search the rich truths of 1 Peter 5:1-4 and discover God’s Word for pastors and the people they are privileged to serve.  I’m excited to preach this message about a calling I have loved for nearly 40 years.

As we heard last week, GCC comprises many people from many places and backgrounds. And, yet, we are part of the One Church with One Lord! And according to scripture, beyond being responsible for fulfilling Jesus’ great commission (Matthew 28:16-20) and command (Matthew 22:36-40) is an extraordinary calling – to maintain the unity of the body.  So, how do we do that? How do we continue to grow as a unified body? In other words, how do we avoid allowing the polarizing attitude of our current culture to influence the Church?  In part two of our series called “Dear Church,” we continue to learn who we are and what Jesus wants us to do as His Church.  Join us this weekend as we open up Ephesians 4:11-16, where the Apostle Paul helps us maintain unity in a divisive world by focusing on this one truth: unity is a by-product of maturity.

As far as our culture is concerned, the church is a lost cause.  Out of step, out of date and out of touch.  Fallen preachers and hidden scandals haven’t helped.  When you compare the statistics of “professing Christians” in America against declining church attendance, it does appear that “I love Jesus but not the church” is a ‘real thing.’  And that’s not good, for no other reason than it’s not how Jesus sees or understands His Church.     Over the next five weekends, we will hear Jesus speak to the Church.  We need to hear what He has to say about us.  If we listen well and apply what we learn, Jesus will reset our understanding of Church and even deepen our love for Church.  The series is entitled “Dear Church,” because each sermon focuses on a truth that Jesus wants the Church to learn – truths about who we are and what He wants us to do.  This weekend, we begin with “Dear Church, You are My Bride!”