In almost every way that the world works there is always comparision, and the church is not immune to this! We often find ourselves comparing worship, or teaching, or ministries, or facilities, or children's programs as we visit or travel from church to church.

But, as the Apostle Paul shows us in the book of 1 Corinthians, churches follow Jesus -- Paul, who has written so much of the New Testament, follow's Jesus. And no matter who the leader is, or how amazing the program within the church is, if they are not a servant first, then they are only accomplishing things through their own strength...and that won't last.

We all have value and purpose in the little "C" church. We are all part of the ekklesia, regardless of where we are called, or what we are called to.

This Sunday, Pastor Tim continues in 1 Corinthians 12 and takes a look at how we, as the ekklesia, cannot exclude weaker or unimportant parts of the body. Those who are lesser in the body of Christ are greater, worthy of greater honor, and indispensable.

There are many things that the community of Christ-followers are instructed to do, such as worship, fellowship, sharing of God's word. But the primary mission of the body, of the ekklesia, is to fulfill the instructions that Jesus gave us -- to include the Great Commission.

This Sunday, Pastor Tim shares from 1 Corinthians, chapter 12 and discusses the different parts of the body of the church and how our diversity becomes unity under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

I think we would all agree that Jesus is our foundation - but what does he have to say about the ekklesia?

This Sunday, Pastor Tim takes a look at what Jesus says when Jesus specifically mentions ekklesia in the gospel of Matthew and how those two chapters help us to define who the church is.

WE are the church.

In this introduction, Pastor Tim focuses on the basics. What does the greek word "ekklesia" mean, and more importantly what does it not mean.

Simply put, the Kingdom of God is upside-down. Often we find ourselves looking to do the minimum required, and the Kingdom tells us to go the extra mile. The world says that leaders are always at the top, but the Kingdom tells us that leaders are found at the feet of others.

This morning, Pastor Tim shares with us out of Luke, chapter 6, verses 37 and 38 about how this upside down-ness not only shapes our personal giving, but is shaping how Grace Church gives to those in our city who are in need.

The word, "believe" in our culture today, is used in so many situations and contexts, but in the Bible it means to place confidence in, to have faith, to think to be true.

This Easter Sunday, Pastor Tim shares with us three different reactions to Jesus' resurrection and the empty tomb, and three different ways we come to believe.So, the question remains, are you a John, Peter, or Mary when it comes to believing in Jesus?

In our culture today, to be a part of the "in-crowd" you have to go along with everyone else, no matter where or what they are doing! Most often those actions result in our identity becoming adapted to who we spend time with most.

But, on this Palm Sunday, Pastor Tim shows us that despite the multiple times Jesus was set before a crowd, He still did "what the Father told Him to do," and, "said what the Father told Him to say." Never once giving into the crowd and always sticking close to His Father.

The enemy continues to assault the self-perception of humanity, effectively removing all authority of a loving and grace filled Creator. But as followers of Jesus, we have to passionately love others AND passionately cling to the truth of the scriptures.

In exploring our identity, the first thing we have to do is throw away anything that the world has told us, "the scripts" or words that we have learned through our growing up, and look to God's word about what is true. Only the Creator can define the creation.

This Sunday, Pastor Tim starts to delve into answering some of the questions about, "Who Am I," by looking first at 1 Peter, chapter 2, and reading what God actually says about his children.