Grace Baptist Church Audio Podcast

Can you think of your biggest loss in life to date? Maybe it was a financial loss? Perhaps it was a relational loss or the loss of a loved one. Losses are difficult and often are accompanied with significant waves of grief. Paul knew what it was to loose everything that was valuable to him in life. Powerfully, Paul asserted that those losses was how he gained everything—Christ Jesus his Lord. Toda...

Have you ever noticed how that those that deny or disregard the truth of God’s Word are oftentimes very unhappy people? There is a very solid connection between joy and truth. The Philippian believers were being afflicted by a group of false teachers. Paul urged them to choose to have joy in their relationship with Christ and and warned to avoid those who were teaching error. This message is so re...

Do you have a bio? A bio is a short biographical profile on someone. It may be a sentence or a list of adjectives, but it tells an important story—what a person is all about. As Paul continued to write the epistle to the Philippian believers, he pens his bio, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” His whole life is summed up in eleven words. He surrounded those words with personal testimon...

Are you familiar with trolling? It is defined as making a deliberately offensive or provocative online post with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them. We live in a culture that is ready to criticize, teardown and sarcastically provoke others for fun. The Bible teaches us that we have a responsibility to edify—to build up with words and actions. Paul wrote to the Th...

Life is full of interruptions. It may be a phone call, the endless notifications, someone stopping by, an unexpected accident, an advertisement in the middle of the best part of a show, a winter storm, or a sick child in the middle of the night. We all face interruptions and it is easy to become agitated because of the interruption—even become angry at the interruptor. Life can feel like a series...

It all began when the Apostle Paul met with a group of ladies by the riverside in Philippi. (Acts 16:11)  The message of Jesus Christ was received by that small group and the Gospel began to spread across the city through their witness as the partnered Paul. Lives began to be radically changed which brought about persecution especially for Paul and Silas. Paul was forced to have to goodbye to the...

Have you ever tried to drive down the highway while staring into the rearview mirror? When you do, you run the risk of knowing all the cars that are behind you, but not the ones you are about to hit or the lines you have crossed.  A glance in the rear view mirror can be helpful, but a gaze will bring much harm. How can we truly forget those things which are behind us? Thanks for joining us for thi...

Where will you be in five years from now? What will your relationship with Christ be like in a year from now? While none of us can predict the future, one thing is for sure— the pursuit of your days determines the outcome of your life . If we pursue the pleasure of sin, we will find that they only last for a season. If we pursue coveting money, we will pierce your soul through with many sorrows. I...

Have you noticed that the name of Jesus always evokes a response? While there are differing degrees of response, people in our society are either for Him or against Him. This is not new! Through the Old Testament Prophets and the New Testament Apostles, God revealed to us that this would be the response to Christ and His Gospel. In order understand this better, we will see how Christ is likened to...

Can you remember the day you encountered Christ? Do you recall how your life began to change miraculously? Paul could! In fact, Paul never stopped expressing gratitude for all that Christ did for him. When he wrote his epistle to the Galatian believers, he gave personal testimony of his life before Christ, when he met Christ and how Christ changed his life. As we pause this week to give thanks to...

Over the last couple weeks we have been inspired by the life of Joseph and Gideon—both of whom were strengthened by God through amazing amounts of struggle. So many more Bible characters like Job, Samson, David, Jeremiah, Hannah, Mary, Paul and John could be studied. All of them would be rich with application for our lives. Today, I want to draw or attention to an interesting individual—Deborah. S...

The children of Israel were bondage to the Midianites, a people from east of the Jordan River, known for strife and contention. Judges 6:1 records that “…the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.” Sin always enslaves people. God’s chastening hand had its desired effect—they turned to the Lord and sought deliverance. G...

Wouldn’t it be really nice if life was struggle free? Oftentimes we want the strength of God without the struggles of life. Life teaches us that it is the struggles that bring strength. It is the wind that makes the tree resilient and strong. It is the fire that tempers steel giving it hardened strength. James noted that it is trials that develop endurance in us. Today we will see how that God use...

From 2 Peter 3:18 comes a call for believers to remain steadfast by growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, giving Him glory “now and forever.” Grace is shown as the believer’s constant need—it saves, sanctifies, sustains through trials, and empowers service—while true knowledge of Christ is gained through Scripture and obedience. The passage warns against being drawn away by false...

Christ willing offered Himself on the cross of Calvary for the the sins of all mankind. Through His death, burial and resurrection He made a way for man to be made righteous before Holy God. For this, He deserves the greatest worship and adoration. Thanks for joining us for this episode and please take a moment to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enj...

The life of a blind man in first century Jerusalem was very difficult. The society of that day considered those with disability to be under the judgement of God. They were often looked down upon and disregarded especially by the religious leaders. This is why it created quite a stir in Jerusalem when Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath day. The man could see for the first time in his life, and...

Isaiah was called of God to minister to the Nation of Judah about one hundred and fifty years before they were taken into captivity. Like many of the prophets, his task was to receive revelation from God declare it to the people. One day after Uzziah died, Isaiah encountered God in a very personal and real way. This encounter was not about getting a message for the people, but for himself. He saw...

Pride will steal our spiritual strength immediately. It clogs  the flow of God’s grace into our lives and hinders us from reaching our full potential. Peter challenged Christian elders or pastors to fully embrace their calling and leadership. He urged the church members to humbly follow the spiritual leadership of their pastor and have a humble respect toward one another. None of this was possible...

“I am so worried about….”   “My anxiety is really getting me.”  Have you said something like this before? According to a recent study of Americans, anxiety has become an unstoppable force impacting millions across the United States. It’s no longer just a personal struggle—it’s a national epidemic. Too often we look at the worry or anxiety we feel and resign within ourselves that nothing will ever...

Paul was grounding the Colossians in this truth, Christ is sufficient. He was all they needed for salvation and He was all they needed in order to live a life that was well-pleasing to God. Because they had been risen with Christ, Paul called on them to seek after what was eternal. This meant that they would need to renounce that which was temporal, sensual and earthly. If they would live for what...

David boasts in the magnificent care of the Good Shepherd. He boldly declared that, “The Lord is my shepherd…” and because of that fact he said, “…I shall not want.” David knew that as long as the Lord was his Shepherd he would not lack—He would provide everything that he needed. Greater yet, David rejoiced that his Shepherd continually restored his down cast soul and led him into righteous paths....

Paul was very burdened for the believers of Colossi after receiving a report from Epaphraditus, one of his young ministry partners. While Paul had never spent time with the Colossians believers, he was concerned that they would continue to to follow after Christ and not be drawn away by false teachers. They taught that believing in Christ alone was not enough for salvation and more knowledge and t...

When we live with the awareness that the Lord is our shepherd, we can confidently declare with the Psalmist, “ I shall not want. ” How could he be so bold and assured? Didn’t David face times of difficulty and uncertainty? Certainly he did! Even in his youthful years, he was mistreated and often disregarded by his family. He faced life-threatening dangers that would have overwhelmed the toughest o...

One of the most calming, reassuring texts of Scripture is Psalm 23. David, the Psalmist, was the son of a shepherd and a shepherd himself. From a young age, he was keenly aware of the responsibility and rigors of protecting and providing for his sheep. He endured times away from his home and family in order to adequately care for constant needs of his flock. Two times he risked his own life for th...

Our lives are all about Christ. He alone saved us by His substitutionary death, burial and resurrection. He has made us to be accepted in the beloved. Through Him we have equal and instant access in the the presence of our Father to make our requests made known. We are awaiting His soon return to take us to be with Him for all eternity. Until then we are carrying out His mission—to go into all the...