This week, we talk about how the people of Israel lost their faith in the one true God, placing their affections in the wrong place. Then we talk through how can we avoid this same fate and keep our hearts focused on the God who gave everything for us.

This week, we pick up where we left off in Chapter 2 and continue reading and studying Chapter 3. We explore a key to living in exile, understanding the role of Ezekiel as a "watchman," and dig ever-so-slightly into the sign acts that God used to communicate His impending judgment to the people of Israel. 

Bottom Line: God keeps His promises. He is the great communicator.

Questions to consider: What responsibilities do you have that are similar to those of Ezekiel? How are you doing with them?

Today, we kick off a brand new series in one of the most confusing books of the Old Testament. Covering chapters 1 and 2, we take a look at the Spirit of God and His presence that pursues us and remains with us. We also nerd out with an OT timeline. We hope you enjoy and are encouraged by this message.

In the final installment of this series, we look at the problem created by a world that says "Follow your heart" and "Be true to yourself" and the invitation of Jesus to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. We hope you enjoy this deep, extended conversation about the meaning and implications of Luke 9:23-25. Jesus is still worth building your life on!

Politics in church? Just the idea makes most of us squirm. But the truth is that many modern Americans are leaving the church and faith they've grown up in because of the way they see Christians behaving in the political sphere. For far too long, we've allowed one another to compromise convictions and turned turn our faith into a political chess piece, picking and choosing Bible verses and stories to support our political ideas and platforms.

What if the Christians who've remained committed to Jesus and His church in these crazy times would simply recommit to taking Jesus's instructions seriously? To make sure we love God and worship Him only as our ultimate authority? To not violate His new command that we love one another the way He loved us? To pursue unity and honor His prayer for us in the garden? And to make His first priority the most important pursuit of our lives?

That would change the narrative. That could change the world. It has before. Today's message presents a Biblical framework for Christian engagement in American politics. We hope you are encouraged as you listen.

If that person is a Christian... If that church is full of people who are claiming to follow Jesus, and HE or SHE or THEY are capable of hurting me or other people in such an awful way, why would I want to have anything to do with Jesus?

This question has been posed by many who are leaving the Christian faith and church in the modern phenomenon known as DECONSTRUCTION. The truth is that all people are complex and complicated, a blend of good and bad, righteous and evil.

That's no excuse for bad behavior. But it can provide the dose of humility we need to remember that none of us is always great, none of us have it all figured out, all of us experience doubt, and that if we're going to figure out how to grow, we need each other.

As always, Jesus has the perfect words to study and reflect on as we address hypocrisy in the church, and the problem with hurt inflicted by Christian people and churches.

Scripture References:
Philippians 1:27
John 13:34-35
Matthew 18:1-9
Matthew 23:1-36

In part 2 of our series addressing DECONSTRUCTION and the reasons people are leaving the church and Christian faith, we dive into perhaps the biggest and most difficult question posed of God.

This question was first asked by Epicurus, a 3rd century (B.C.) philosopher, and it goes something like this: If God is good, then why does evil exist? If God is all-powerful, then why doesn't He do something about it?

We tackle this question head-on by exploring what the Bible has to say about (1) the source of evil, suffering and pain, (2) God's posture and attitude toward these things, and (3) what we are supposed to do with and about the worst experiences in our lives and the world around us.

While there is no easy answer to the great WHY? question, we do see that God has intervened in sending Christ to defeat evil and death, and we can have hope as we look forward to the day in which He has promised to make all things right.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans who once identified as Christian and attended church regularly have stopped doing both in the past several years. The term used to describe this process is DECONSTRUCTION, and the rate is increasing. Some think its a new phenomenon, but the Bible tells a different story. John 6 describes followers of Jesus who decided to stop following him. Paul's letters to Timothy address his concern for the people in Ephesus who would walk away from Christian doctrine and start to believe other, different things.

It is long past time for the church (and our church) to engage in an honest and raw conversation about the reasons people are giving for their departure. So that's what this series is all about. In diving into the scriptures and these conversations, we may also discover that there are things faithful Christians need to "leave behind" in order to better follow and help people discover Jesus.

Part One addresses a skeptic or deconstructionist's problem with the Bible. We hope you are challenged, encouraged and equipped to better follow Jesus as you join us.

Scripture References:
John 6:60-66
Luke 8:6 and 13
2 Timothy 4:2-4
2 Timothy 3:14-17
Hebrews 4:12
Matthew 5:17-18
Luke 4
Matthew 7:24-27

Our College Pastor, Christopher Weeks, helps set vision for what it could mean for us as individuals and as a church to think about investing in the lives of those around us, and specially the next generation.

Ever so often, it is appropriate to remind one another of our mission and calling. At Grace City, we exist to help people discover (real, abundant) life in Christ by grace, in community, and with purpose. In addition to this mission, we live in a particular time and place that brings a set of unique opportunities and responsibilities. This morning's message is one pastor's prayers for the alignment of God's mission at Grace City with the context in which we are living - that Jesus's church would be true to the character and heart of God and live into our unique calling as a family of faith.

Scripture references: Matthew 11:25-30, Jeremiah 29:1-7, Mark 10:13-16, Matthew 18:1-5 and Lamentations 3:25-27.