That's Grace Podcast

You probably familiar with the “Golden Rule”. You know, the one that says “do unto others as you want them to do to you?” Chances are you’ve heard someone mention that or maybe you yourself even strive to live out this rule. In essence, we are to leave others alone, keep to ourselves, and provide good to others if we expect to be treated that way. But in the first week of this series, Pastor Sean shows how Jesus took this saying a step further. He tells us to proactively do things for other people that they are not doing for us. Isn’t this something that easier to do for some people than for others? It’s easier to show love to someone who loves us back. Or it’s easier for us to help someone we know will return the favor, but when God asks us to love and serve those who don’t (and probably won’t) love and serve us back, it begins to test the bounds of how far we will really follow Jesus.

Being in close community with those who are working to follow Jesus is one of the best ways for you to continue growing in your faith and overcoming barriers and struggles in your life. But just joining a life group or growth group doesn’t mean you’re going to grow. In this week’s message, Pastor Sean talks about how deep down you are going to WANT to grow. Regardless of anything a pastor or church can do to help promote your spiritual growth, at the end of the day you must choose whether or not you are going to rearrange your life and make the necessary changes in order to follow Jesus.

We all have the desire within us to know others and be known by others. To have a tribe of people that we feel we are responsible for and are responsible for us. In fact, we are a healthier version of ourselves when we choose to open up and be deeply known by others. When we have people that we feel like we can share anything and everything with. In this week’s message, Pastor Sean talks about what it looks like at Grace Church to establish these type of close knit relationships with people who are trying to follow God just like you are. And no surprise, the Bible has a lot to say about why you need to know, and be known deeply by others.

Having a sense of belonging is one of the top needs of every individual. We were created to be that way. After food, water, shelter, and safety, we long to have a tribe of people that accept us, that make us feel as if we belong. The truth is our community often shapes the person that we become. But so often our faith is limited to an hour long on the weekends, and we are never able to belong to a community of people who are going in the same direction we are in our faith. In this weekend’s teaching, Pastor Sean talks about how community is not only vital to your faith and growth, but also to other around you. And when life gets tough, your community is the very thing that can keep you going in your faith.

Every year around this time we start thinking about what New Years’ Resolutions we are going to start making. Maybe you’ve already thought of some and are gearing up to start them this coming week. Maybe it’s to lose weight, stop a bad habit, or get back in church this year. While most of us won’t stick with our resolutions through next year, they are not necessarily a bad thing. Wanting to make a change in our lives shows us that we are somewhat self aware. We know that there are areas where we can improve. In this week’s message, Burt Parker, Avon location youth director, talks about we often wait until a big moment in order to make a change in our spiritual lives. We wait until Christmas or Easter, or we wait to make a new resolution, but God’s love towards us isn’t conditional upon our performance. We don’t have to get our lives together before we can get right with Him. So what are you waiting for?

When it comes to Christmastime, we love to hear the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph on the donkey. The baby being born in the stable and the shepherds and wise men traveling to see Him. We like our manger scenes but for some of us, that’s all the Jesus we want. This Christmas, Pastor Sean talks about how the Jews had been waiting for a Messiah to come and free them from Rome’s oppression. A Messiah that would show up with a sword and give them the political and social systems that they wanted. But when Jesus showed up, He was less interested in changing politics and more interested in changing people’s hearts. And this Christmas, many of us might want a Jesus that can change our circumstances, get us out of debt, or fix our marriages, but what we don’t want is a Jesus that will change our hearts.

When Jesus enters the world in the Christmas story, we see Him enter in the scene in the most humble and disadvantaged position. He wasn’t rich or powerful, he didn’t stand out in a crowd, and He didn’t demand the attention and affection of others. In this week’s message, we see that Jesus entered the scene looking to give up His right as God and intentionally be at a disadvantage so that He could serve everybody. To show that His love, hope, and forgiveness is for all, no matter their past. Pastor Sean talks about how this Christmas, we can take our next step as followers of Jesus by giving up our “rights” to serve those who don’t deserve it and to abandon our wants to follow God’s will.

There are some things that we all become so passionate about that we can’t help but tell everyone else. Like maybe you can’t stop talking about Essential Oils, or your sports team, or maybe your favorite place to eat. Regardless of what it is, the more passionate we become, the more we want to tell others about that. In this week’s message, Pastor Sean talks about how when God wanted to tell everyone about the birth of Jesus He chose to tell it to the lowliest and most looked down upon occupation–shepherds. So why did he pick the people who were the lowest of the low? The people who couldn’t get a job anywhere else?

Christmas time isn’t something that everyone looks forward to. In fact for many people, Christmas is one of the hardest times of the year and most depressing. Christmas is often the time where we can’t avoid seeing and interacting with the people who’ve hurt us the most. Or maybe Christmas reminds you of the pasts hurts you’ve experienced. In the first week of our series Christmas Classics, Pastor Sean looks at the Scripture and meaning behind the song O Holy Night and shows us from the Bible what steps you can take if you find yourself struggling with or dreading the Christmas season.

What is the one thing that you possess that you’d be LOST without? The thing that defines you and what you work hardest to hold onto? Maybe it’s a job or a relationship. Maybe it’s your reputation, your money, or your possessions. If God asked you to let go of it, would you? Before you say yes, think about what that would cost you. What would your life look like without that thing? In the last week of this series, Pastor Sean looks at how Abraham responded when God asked him to surrender his “everything” to Him. And from this story points out what things in our lives we are resistant to surrender for fear that God won’t provide, and what we need to do about it.