Grace Church NWA

In John 11, Jesus drops the most startling of his I AM claims: “I AM the Resurrection and the Life.” What does this mean? And “Do you believe this?”.

Listening to His Voice - 02:18:18 (John Ray) by Grace Church NWA

NOTE: The recording of this mp3 started just a little late, but the bulk of the message is here.

Faith is the way into our born-from-above identity. And that identity is the key to everything else.

Zeal - 01:21:18 (John Ray) by Grace Church NWA

Jesus' first miracle start us on a treasure hunt that will lead us to a deeper-than-ever love and understanding of Jesus.

Encountering Jesus, we are invited to seek and find, see and be seen, maybe even have our name changed along the way. But first we have to follow.

Christmas Eve Worship — 12/24/17 (John Ray) by Grace Church NWA

We can never find true and lasting peace in the absence of God. But what if we seek and God can’t be found?

The ultimate joy of God’s people is not dependent on instant gratification or the resolution of conflict. So what is it dependent on?

The people of God have an ultimate hope that goes much deeper than personal comfort, convenience or even personal salvation. What is it?

What we can never do for ourselves, God does for us—often in a subversive, miraculous fashion.

What does the Bible tell us that we can’t glean from a message on a bracelet, keychain, mousepad or plaque? A lot.

We are so accustomed to thinking about God’s love that we can’t imagine God’s ever feeling hate. But there is something God really hates, and he’s not keeping it a secret. The truth might surprise us, but it’s imperative that we pay attention.

Holy Work In Progress – 11/5/2017 (John Ray) by Grace Church NWA

We live in a Heaven-soaked, glory-filled world. Let's do everything for God's glory.

A biblical understanding of Jesus—based on the doctrine of sola scriptura— is absolutely essential to the faith by which we are saved, in which we live, and in which we are willing to die. Indeed, virtually every council with its subsequent creed or affirmation of faith was focused on this one critical question: Who is Jesus?

Sola Scriptura is the freeing of Scripture to have its full effect in our hearts, minds, lives and communities.

Ruby Slippers Or Dusty Sandals? 10/8/2017 (John Ray) by Grace Church NWA

Only the One who created us can recreate, or redeem, us. Grace alone is an antidote to hubris, the original sin: the determination to substitute ego for God at the center of our lives.

There are two fundamental ways of bridging the gap between heaven and earth, of trying to make contact with God. Our way: the way of the Tower, from the bottom up. And God's way: the way of the Ladder, from the top down—it's about what God wants to do for us that we could never do for ourselves.

Faithfulness leads us into uncharted waters where we learn otherwise unlearnable truth about God, ourselves and the world.

Understanding that we are part of God's creation helps us understand who we are and what we are to be about.

How we understand “calling” goes a long way in determining where and how we end up.

The Gospel is best and most obviously expressed in how we treat others. The Church is to be the place where the highest expression of love for God and each other is practiced.