Grace Fishers Church

Today were going to focus on a part of the Easter story we don't often talk about found in the gospel of Luke - a story about average people encountering the resurrected Jesus. A story about what God is up to in our world. A story that shows us how to live as followers of Jesus. Are you part of the story?

When we or someone we care about is wronged, the desire to see it made right is deep and intense! The cry of our soul is: “Someone’s gotta pay for this!”. Even if you struggle to believe in Jesus, this probably resonates deeply with you – because we all have a desire for justice. So why did Jesus have to pay such an enormous price?

Jesus’ life wasn’t just a turning point in history. It’s been the turning point in many lives as well. And it's not just His life, but as we’ll see in this series, it's His death and resurrection. And it's all good news! In fact, it’s the best news possible!

An “us vs. them” mentality seems to permeate our society right now. Small and great disagreements alike create harsh division, and we view other people as our enemies in a war we must fight. Paul reminds us that our war is not against the people we disagree with. We struggle against unseen forces that strive to drive people away from God.

Our response is to be equipped for a different kind of battle. A battle that takes place spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

As we seek to imitate God and live righteously, it is not always easy to navigate the grey areas. Wise decision-making, especially in the grey, glorifies God and sets us up for a better and easier life. When we live wisely, we live in a manner that invites the Holy Spirit to be a regular, active participant in our lives. This sets us up to be empowered by the Spirit, which cyclically, allows us to live even more holy and wisely. Thus, our growth and maturity abound.

Our words matter… and they have power. When Paul says, “Do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live,” he urges his readers to live a worthy life. Interestingly, he focuses mostly on our speech. What we say and how we say it is important – there is power in our speech.

Our words have power. What we say and how we say it affects everyone around us – even our very own souls.

If we desire to live more like Jesus, it begins with a new self.

Our identity in Jesus results in living differently; righteously. However, we are not talking about just behavior modification. Mere behavior modification can be frustrating and fruitless on its own. A disciple of Jesus deconstructs their self, the fount in which behavior flows, and reconstructs it in the image of Jesus. Under the burden of sin, we are enslaved to a false self that deceives and leads us away from our created purpose. Under the freedom of Jesus, we are free to cast aside the false self for our true self, which is created to be righteous and holy.

Our path toward maturity in our faith is paved with Church unity and mutual discipleship.

1. the unity of Christians
2. the equipping gifts as how we are capable of living out our calling as disciples of Jesus

These two things work in conjunction to form rhythms of maturity and growth. With them, we will not be drawn away from our calling by false calls in this world, such as calls to tribal identity, hot-button topics, political parties, celebrity worship, or the many other distractions in our world.

You are “called” to be a disciple of Jesus: no more, no less. And that is a worthy life. The language of “calling” has been used to mean many things to the Church, often incorrectly or resulting in harm. To be “called” is not synonymous with our gifts, desires, or individual career. “Calling” is not to be a burden or fear of missing out on God’s will for your life.

We sacrifice, we serve, we love others, we strive to live holy, and we still experience grief and suffering. We can sometimes ask: Why God? How can your promises be encouraging in the midst of our daily lives? Because God is gentle and merciful toward us, we can rejoice that His promises are a blessing, not a burden. God’s character matters for how we understand and interact with Him, and how we view His promises and actions.

Because God is love, we can trust His promises are made as an expression of His love for us. God’s love is shown by the cross and in His faithfulness over history and our lives. The evidence of God’s love gives us confidence that He will continue to be true to His promises in the future, as He has in the past.

Because God is in control, we can trust He has the power to fulfill His promises.

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

-Hebrews 6:19-

Because God is unchanging, we can trust His promises of salvation, hope, access to God, comfort, and redemption. We can confidently embrace those promises as true and sure. Such confidence and hope carry us through the most difficult times as His promises are anchors for our spiritual, mental, and emotional health.

Members of our congregation shared personal stories to remind us of God's faithfulness as we begin a new year.

Jesus’ arrival means that peace can be achieved between God and humankind. Peace comes through Jesus. We are both recipients & providers of peace.

Zechariah's story is a reminder that God hears our prayers and is at work in ways that are beyond what we can often imagine, even if it exceeds our life on earth.

Mary responded in faith to the angelic messages given to her. She responded thoughtfully, gradually, in amazement and wonder, and willing to surrender.

Simeon's Spirit-led response song is full of awe and worship, reminding us of the hope Jesus brings, not only to the Jews, but to all of humankind.

God is faithful. Today, let's stop and take time to celebrate God's faithfulness through The Reach Initiative and beyond.

God is at work at Grace Fishers just like in the early days of the church! We are in this together. Every part matters.

As we align ourselves with God’s desire to show love to the world, while setting ourselves up financially to do that even better in the years to come for the next generation, we must stop and focus on one simple question - how do I make decisions?

Reaching our "ones" will require all of who we are. Reaching our world as a church will require us to grow in our generosity.

The church is God’s primary means of grace. God wants to empower you to reach your friend. We are the answer to Jesus' prayer to reach the world.

God uses ordinary, broken people to reach ordinary, broken people. A relationship with God compels us to genuinely care for others. Today we are going to look at our motivation. Why should we really do this? Why talk about Jesus? Why intentionally step into someone else’s life and love them when it’s more convenient to just not? Does even thinking of someone as your “one” turn this into some kind of messed up manipulation? Is it not insensitive, intolerant, or even unloving to push my faith upon another?

We are kicking off The Reach Initiative. REACH will help us answer the questions: where are we going on this journey and what is God asking us to do? We have opportunities ahead. There is also a challenge ahead. Who is Jesus calling you to invest your life in?

The Holy Spirit within the believer empowers us to live with confident hope due to the immeasurable grace of salvation and God’s good favor and blessings. Even as this life experiences difficulties, suffering, and trials, we can confidently live knowing God is for us, evidenced by our salvation even if nothing else is apparent.

No Christian lives their faith in solitude. We are a community of saints unified and supported by a common foundation in the person and work of Jesus, Scripture rightly understood and preached and clear theology.

The Ephesians are mostly Gentiles, once cut off from access to God, now they have a way to God through the cross. In the same way, sin cuts people’s access to God but we can have a way to Him through Jesus. We have compassion, love, and grief for the unbeliever, because we are only separated by His grace. Plus, we live as a voice of peace in this world, as we recognize more than anyone the source of hostility (sin) and have the solution (Jesus). Engaging in hostile behavior is not beneficial to the kingdom, of which we are citizens. So, we showcase peace in two ways.

Due to the fallen nature of our world and ourselves, all people live a life of spiritual deadness. Even the best of lives will be shadowed by this spiritual undeath. Only through Jesus can life be breathed into us, and we experience a spiritual resurrection. Only then may we truly live a life of freedom, joy, and love. A life that, even then, is still merely a foretaste of eternal glory.

God chooses and pursues individuals for His offer of salvation, which is fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Those who accept are not only saved but adopted as God’s family – inheritors of eternal grace. Additionally, our status as adopted children includes a plethora of blessings during this life as well: grace, kindness, wisdom, understanding, assurance, sanctification, joy, and purpose.

The fourth chapter of Philippians tells us to rejoice always, but in times of trouble, that can be hard. How can we be concerned without worrying? What tools does God give us to combat worry and anxiety?

In a world where we often encounter "bad", how can we find joy? Learning from our past, forgiving others, and choosing not to live in disappointment and regret can lead to repentance and hope that God has a future for us that outshines all the bad we experience.

In second chapter of Philippians, Paul reminds us that to imitate Christ, we must emulate His humility. Society puts so much emphasis on social status and recognition, but as Christians we are called to live a more humble life. With a life of less, we can gain more.

The first chapter of Philippians is full of practical applications for our lives. We learn from Paul that when we live joyfully in Christ, we will live with meaning and purpose; however, if we choose to live by worldly standards, we will live a miserable life. What is joy vs happiness? And what practices can we add to our lives to give us joy?

In the parable of the bridesmaids, Jesus is telling His follower that they need to be prepared and ready. But, why do we need to be ready? Because Jesus is coming back! This is an important parable, because it leads us to examine if we are we prepared or not prepared for Christ’s return.

What does it mean to do mercy? Let's look at the Parable of the Good Samaritan as Jesus told it. Examining this story can help us learn how Jesus wants us to show mercy, then as Jesus commanded, we can go and do likewise.

Prodigal derives from Latin as “wasteful, to drive forth or away’ to waste, squander. It is one who spends or gives lavishly and foolishly - one who has returned after an absence. The story of the prodigal son is a picture of God's love for his children. 

Good stories are great. Whether it’s a movie or book, stories can move us in ways other forms of communication cannot. Some of us have favorite books and I often ask for suggestions for great stories. I particularly like historical fiction. Jesus was a very good storyteller.

Parables have the unique ability to transcend space and time. You see, in Jesus’ stories, you don’t just encounter characters, you are a character. You’re not just reading “a” story, it’s “your” story. A parable takes something abstract and makes it concrete.

Your character will determine what kind of life you live. We are sanctified by God’s Word and a holy life brings favor in our relationships with other people. Many Proverbs speak to how we may interact with others in wisdom to live a full, godly, and satisfying life. Throughout this message, evaluate yourself and how you treat others.

Sermon | June 18, 2023 | Nathanael Sommers. God’s wisdom holistically transforms you. You are changed by God’s gift of wisdom. Folly is not as tempting, and we are grounded in wisdom. In fact, we gain joy by making wise decisions. Through this message, evaluate how you may apply these things to yourself. How you think? How do you make decisions? Change your heart and mind to value and believe in wisdom as the best way to live. Wisdom becomes your automatic response to life.

Sermon | June 11, 2023 | Kevin Roth.

Wisdom is God’s gift to the faithful. Wisdom comes from the Lord. Treasure God’s Word and pursue Him. God honors your devotion and love with understanding, wisdom, and protection. As we dive deeper into Proverbs, we're going to see how it points us towards a fuller relationship with God and how we may take steps towards Him. Without Him, we fall to folly.

Sermon | June 4, 2023 | Rob Yonan.

What is the purpose of Proverbs in the Bible? How can the information found in this Book of the Bible help us live a life of wisdom? We need wisdom. The same is true for all of use, which is why we'll be focusing on wisdom, primarily found in the book of Proverbs for the first part of the summer.

Sermon | May 28, 2023 | Nathanael Sommers

Have you ever been in a season of life where something or everything was up in the air? Maybe you're graduating from college, were laid off from work, are looking for a new career, recently lost a loved one, aren't sure how you'll pay the bills this month, or are experiencing some other circumstances that are out of your control. No matter how well or poorly you may be dealing with the situation you find yourself in, we are  all left asking a pretty simple yet fundamental question:  what happens next?

Don't mistake Jesus as being passive. The Ascended Jesus is present with us. He is active. He is present with us. Jesus is working all things for our good. He takes tough situations and turns them for the good.

Who taught you what life was about? Mentor? Teacher? Parent? The truth is that we’re all a disciple of something. It may not be Jesus and if you’re not there yet, that’s ok.

There are lots of reasons why people walk away from their faith, but what I believe to be one of the biggest ones is that they don’t feel like they have permission to have unanswered questions and doubts. We want to be a church that is FOR YOU and part of being for you is creating space for you to process your doubts and questions in a way that is healthy.