Sermons – GraceLife Church: Deltona, FL

How do you know if you’ve really understood and believed the gospel? Where’s the fruit? Do you look at the strength of your devotion? Maybe your Bible reading habits and prayer life? Here’s a test the apostle Paul holds out: How’s your welcome of others in church who don’t share your personal convictions? For a person without a strong grasp of the gospel, that’s a huge obstacle. Nearly insurmountable. But when we understand the grounds of our acceptance by God, something powerful happens: we let our guard down. We open up. We welcome others—in spite of their differences. That’s gospel unity. That’s Romans 15.

Every weekend, Christians around the world gather together in person to fellowship, pray, sing, and listen to a sermon. The particulars vary, but that’s a common church experience no matter where you go in the world. This week at GraceLife, I want to help you understand why preaching matters, how God has used it throughout history, and how you can make the most of hearing a sermon. I think you’ll be encouraged!

A cultural frenzy seems to accompany every election cycle. Polarization deepens. Unthoughtful opinions fly back and forth. Misinformation gets thrown into the mix. It’s a toxic cocktail. For those reasons and others, Christians sometimes check out. It’s a tempting prospect. A recent Barna Research Poll projected a shocking 32 million Christians are unlikely to engage in the election this November. That number represents historic disengagement. Reasons were cited such as distrust in the system, distaste for candidates, disillusionment with politics in general, and feeling their vote won’t make a difference. Although there’s no specific chapter and verse in the Bible for how to approach a national election, God gives us wisdom to navigate. I’m excited to share some of that wisdom this week at GraceLife. I hope you can join us for “Knowing the Times.”

Life is hard east of Eden. A distant God. Painful childbearing. A cursed ground. A cunning enemy. In a word, CONFLICT—everywhere. With God. With the creation. With Satan. With one another. We see this in one of the most infamous murders in history. Cain and Abel. God front loads the Bible with this conflict to serve us notice. Sin has a strategy for you, but He offers a redemptive, peacemaking alternative—if we’ll trust Him. Join us for our 5th Sunday service, Raising Cain. Come hungry! Chili Cook Off to follow!

We’ve all encountered THAT guy. He has a sharable list of the do’s and don’ts of Christianity—and he’s crushing it. He knows what to eat, what to drink, what days to observe. He has all the answers. He’s a strong Christian…or…IS he? In Romans 14, Paul shares a word on weak and strong Christians. How do we recognize, welcome, and live in harmony with weak believers? Need some help in that area? Join us at GraceLife this week as we dive into Romans 14. Welcome the Weak.

When the New Testament describes the first gatherings of the early church, the scene is explosive. Those new Christians met frequently and turned the world upside down. But how? It had nothing to do with programming, administration, or even logistical planning. Their strategy was simple: they wanted to be together—a group of joyful, authentic Christians who devoted themselves to Jesus and one another. Their cultural impact was un-ignorable. Ours can be too. Join us at GraceLife this week as we study Life Together from Acts 2.

We hear about Christian “Breakthroughs” all the time: a book that will change your life, or a conference that will restore your marriage. But so often, those “experiences” and resources fall flat. They over-promise and under-deliver. The personal change we sought still seems beyond our reach. What’s missing? Why do we stay stuck in unhealthy patterns of living? The story of Jacob from the Old Testament holds out some answers. It’s a powerful paradigm for how God often engages us—and changes us. At the center of that story is a tremendous personal struggle, with breakthrough on the other side. Often God must hurt us to help us. Wrestling with God, Sunday at 10am. DHS Auditorium.