That's Grace Podcast

Why does it seem like the topic of money always seem to come up in church? You've probably heard at least church talk about money and maybe you felt like they were trying to get something from you. So why is money such a big deal and why do we have to talk about it in church. Would it surprise you know that Jesus talked more about money than He did heaven and hell combined? But why is this? In this message, Pastor Sean shares why God cares so much about our money and how the habit of generosity can help you grow in your relationship with God.

The word worship often makes us think of some sort of religious service. It's how we typically describe the music portion of a church service or maybe a Christian concert. Or maybe you think of the word in the sense that someone "worships" the ground someone else walks on or that someone "worships" money. Worship is the act of assigning value to something or someone in our lives. It means centering our lives around that person or thing and placing it first in our hearts. In today's message, Pastor Sean sees what the Bible says about worship and shares 3 different types of ways in which we can give worship to God and how each of these types of worship affects us.

Have you ever felt out of sync in your relationship with God. Like you just weren't on the same page. Instead of being in rhythm and in tune with God, it felt like you were playing playing different notes of even a different song altogether. Maybe an experience like this even led you to the place where you are wondering if God is there at all. So if you find yourself feeling disconnected or out of sync with God how to get back into a right rhythm? In today's teaching, Pastor Stephen talks about a powerful tool that God has given us so that we can be more aligned with God - prayer.

Reading the Bible is one of the most foundational and essential habits that should be a part of a Christian's life. But why so often does it seem to be such a drag? Why is this habit harder to put into place than other spiritual disciplines. And what does it matter if we are not spending time every day reading the Bible. In the first week of our series, Pastor Sean answers some of these questions and gives us a practical way for us to begin having the Bible become a more regular part of our lives.

Our country has struggled with race relations from the very beginning. Racism is not an American problem, it's a people problem. It is a reality that many of us have to face daily while seems to avoid the attention and justice it deserves. In this week's message, Pastor Sean talks about how racial division was evident even in the very first church but it didn't take long for God to straighten their thinking out. While we might be divided as a nation, there are things those who follow God can do to bring about change in their hearts, change in their communities, and in our country as they pursue justice, love, and mercy.

We've all felt like outsiders at one time or another. Whether it was a team we wanted to be picked for or a social group. Maybe it was a job that you really wanted but you didn't get it. In this week's teaching, Pastor Stephen talks about how God made the shift in the book of Acts to give access to Himself to everyone. No longer was it for a certain people group or for those who followed religious rules. It was inclusive of everyone. Regardless of what you've done, what's been done to you, or whatever reasons you feel God can't love you, God has a seat for you at His table. Bit it's up to you to take your place at the table.

When crisis comes it's hard to see anything positive coming from such a negative situation. We often begin to get anxious, stressed, and depressed. It feels like this crisis will never end and that it's so big it's the only thing that can be seen in life. But in this week's message, we talk about how there are actually some advantages to going through crisis. While nobody wants to go through difficult times, it's often an opportunity where our attention begins to focus on things we've overlooked or taken for granted. And from the book of Acts, Pastor Sean answers three important questions for us to consider when dealing with challenging times.

We all experience moments of crisis in our lives. Sometimes it's when things don't happen how we intended them and sometimes these moments of crisis come out of nowhere. Crisis is a normal part of life, but we can choose to have a response that is anything but normal. But how can we choose to think and act calmly in the midst of the chaos we experience in life. In this week's message, we learn from the early followers of Jesus when they faced chaos and we can see a 3 step pattern of thoughts and choices they made when faced with crisis.

We all are wired to have a purpose in life and to know that purpose. Without it, we can feel lost, unmotivated, and stuck wondering why we are here in the first place. Purpose is what helps us focus on what's important and what needs to be accomplished. In this week's message, we see in the book of Acts that after God gives His presence to a people, He then gives them a purpose as well. So what was this purpose He gave them? And what is the purpose He has given to you? When we discover God's purposes for our lives we not only discover the joy and passion we desire, but we also can bring God most glory and others most good.

What does it take to experience God's presence in our lives? Some of us have been told that we need to be in a church or maybe even a temple to feel God. Others of us might have been told that the more good we do, the more likely we will feel God. But what does the Bible say about feeling God's presence? In the first week of this series, we see that one of the first things that God does is move His presence from a specific place (the Temple) and to people. No longer was it required to go to the Temple or to communicate with God through a priest. So how can we today experience more of God's presence in our lives and what does this mean for our lives?