Grace Sagola Church

The design of work has been corrupted by the sin and the fall.  Where originally it gave fulfillment and joy, work has become for many a chore or a punishment to be avoided.  This unfortunate perspective has crept its way into each successive generation, and today the avoidance of work is a symptom characteristic in young people that needs to be addressed within the church. 

Have you ever lifted something too heavy to carry; maybe an arm load of groceries, and giant pumpkin, or a wiggly puppy?  Chances are you felt the contrast between a desire to carry it and your inability.  This is what it is like to raise children.  They will inevitably grow up and our possession of them will prove to be temporary.  In order to parent with assurance of their protection and future...

What we pass down to our children is their inheritance. For the Christian, the most valuable thing you have is your faith. The treasure of passing down your faith to the next generation is often predicated on following some very clear and basic principals that require intentional integration with the many various facets of your life.

Is God with us? Does He have a plan? How does the Christian message speak to the events of our world today? The gospel tells of a God who enters into our mess, takes upon Himself the punishment of our sins, and rises from the grave in victory - that is then offered to all who believe.

The death of Jesus is for too many of us out-of-sight and so therefore out-of-mind. It is shockingly easy for the Christian to become side-tracked and deceived to sacrifice the best thing for some good things. And we are sometimes the main culprits in deceiving ourselves because no one likes to admit they are all-that (and a bag of chips).

If you are a child of God then He has you under construction. This formation of Christlikeness in you is a process called sanctification. God uses the difficulties of this life as one of His primary mechanisms for shaping and molding us. We cooperate with God in His work when we're honest about those moments of difficulty and thereby embrace God's purposes as we learn to ground ourselves upon His...

Time is the most priceless commodity there is. But our time is often stolen away by fear, discouragement, laziness, and ignorance. Without an intentionality of spirit, we run a great risk of missing the opportunities given to us in the seasons of life.

God has done something very unique in the virgin birth; He has made a way of redemption for the human race through a miraculous new creation found in the humanity of Jesus. The virgin birth unites God with man and supernaturally reveals God's gracious provision to reunite man with God.

The absence of fellowship, the restrictions on travel and and familial interactions, the loss of our regular routines, have all been a difficult wake-up calls for us.  We used to live in a time of plenty of abundance, and we didn't even know how fortunate we were.

The crucifixion of Jesus is far too easily overlooked in its offensiveness and cruelty; where we’ve grown accustomed to crosses on jewelry and bookstore trinkets we’ve likewise forgotten what the cross stands for. Its transformation in the heart of the Christian must be one of significance and not one of elegance. Why is the cross our only boast?… because it has become they symbo...

The upheaval and inconveniences of our world right now are nothing compared to the turmoil to be experienced by those who are ignoring Jesus' return. The image of marathon runner who focuses all body, mind, and soul in each step to reach the finish line is a picture of the faithful endurance and perseverance that is expected of all Christians.

The ascension of Jesus is often overlooked due to the magnitude of the Resurrection at Easter. However, it is in the doctrine of the Jesus' ascension that we find the proper posture of our hearts towards dependency rather than self-sufficiency. Without the ascension we lose our present source of aid, and our faith would only be ever past-tensed reminder.

The story of Easter is part of a greater narrative describing and declaring the glory of God. We would do well to give our attention and affection to that which has unfolded in the resurrection and realize that the greatest good, namely God's glory, is on display at Easter.

Palm Sunday contains a beautiful picture of God’s amazing grace in the scene of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on the back of a colt; not a mighty steed, flashy mustang, or towering chariot… the Messiah on the back of a humble donkey.  We will use this picture for an examination of God’s undeserved election of His children.

In a world that is sorting through the challenge of increasing uncertainty and fear, we need a reminder of a hope that comes from beyond this world.  Easter is far more than chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs; it contains the very center of the Christian message.

That which is easily received is often easily forgotten. Let's pause for a few minutes to reflect on the miracle inside the miracle we call Easter.

The world we live in today has adopted an attitude towards authority that is marked with distrust, distain, and dysfunction.  The values of individualism and moral relativism have led the charge on the attack of God's authority.  If we are to help our children understand the "fear of the Lord" it begins by modeling for them a proper balance in our approach to authority. 

The nature of our influence upon the next generation isn't only in the negative, we can and must have a strategy for how we can entrench our own Godly strongholds on the battlefield for their souls. 

Everyone makes excuses... it's just human nature - or perhaps I should say, "unfortunately" it's human nature.  Ever since that first sin in the garden, we humans have been trying to place the blame on others or rationalize our way out of our sin predicament.

Everyone has a story for how sin has affect their lives through their parents or grandparents.  We pass down a lot of things to our kids, but unfortunately, they've also inherited a sin nature from us as well. 

The importance of passing on our faith to our children is a "all-hands-on-deck" responsibly in the body of Christ.  Ultimately, how we treat the "little ones" in our church is a indication of how Christ-centered we are in our desires. 

There is a common saying, "Children don't come with instructions."  While this is true for so many aspects of learning the ropes of parenting, there are however instructions given to parents by God for how we are to raise our children.  They may not cover each specific scenario, but they are the general principles that we will find applicable throughout the entire journey.

"Fear of the Lord" teaching is too woefully absent from many families today.  Throughout the marketplace of popular fads and influencers is a common rejection of authority.  Those who seems most admired in our world are those who march to the beat of their own drum: the captain of their own ship.

When you think about it, it is a heavy responsibly to be a parent.  Every little thing we do or say is absorbed by those little spongy eyes and ears of our children.  However, this reality can be an excellent starting point for their discipleship if we take seriously the influence we are on their faith. 

The church in America today is in epidemic decline and is experiencing a falling away that cannot go unaddressed.  The most critical of demographic is seen in the youngest generation where 2/3rds of young adults are leaving the church for good.