Grace Community Bible Church

Tony continues his series “The Toxic Soul” with this sermon from Isaiah 30. Suffering can be toxic for the soul, mainly if you do not understand what is going on in suffering. If all you see is the pain, then that can be toxic. But if you see God and His all loving hand in it then you see reality and are blessed.

We groan, along with all of creation, because we know something isn’t right. We are off. Things are not as they should be. But sadly, we gravitate toward toxicity to find answers and satisfaction. 

In this opening sermon, Tony brings us back to a series he preached 20 years ago called “The Toxic Soul.” This is the opening sermon and he introduces this whole topic to us today.

Who do you follow? Who is following you? Paul says the people of Philippi should practice what they have learned, received, heard, and seen in him. The good news is, when we follow Paul to Jesus, the God of peace is with us! Find out what makes someone followable to Jesus!

In this final part of Tony’s three part series about the newborn church, he points out the results that this church experienced because of their deep devotion to God and each other. It might not be what you would think. Luke tells us that they were filled with awe, there was a fear of God that was born in them as a result of being devoted to the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and...

When it gets right down to it, Luke tells us that the newborn church that started on the Day of Pentecost, was deeply devoted to God and each other. But it was not just lip service to them. They showed their devotion every day, loving the apostle's teaching, to fellowship, breaking bread, and praying. They ordered their lives around these things. And you know what? That is the Christian life!

What Luke wants us to know immediately about this new community that was formed after Pentecost is that they were a “devoted” people. So in this sermon Tony wants us to see their devotion and how they became devoted. He leads us to considering if we are “dabblers” rather than “devoted.” 

The aim in Gospel teaching and and in making disciples is that people would grow to be people of love. This sermon looks at the conscience and how a good one produces love. 

Parenting can feel exhilarating and overwhelming. Being a grandparent can bring joy and desperation. How do we handle this day to day? We make our home in Jesus and watch our homes magnify Jesus. Then, we do all of this together as His church.

Pain and suffering are universal to humanity and all of creation. Christians are promised suffering. So, the question is, how do we keep going?

“Repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” That is what Peter told the crowd gathered on the day of Pentecost. What he was really doing was inviting them into a covenantal relationship with the Lord and sharing the conditions of the covenant. 

Just before Peter started his sermon on Pentecost the crowd asked him a question, “what does this mean?” And at the conclusion of his sermon the same crowd asked another question, “what shall we do?” They were taken from curiosity to conviction. In this sermon Tony shows us what happened to this crowd that took them from wondering and confused to feeling guilt and shame.

Peter says “this Jesus” three times in his message on Pentecost. He is defiantly wanting to make a point and he does it. Jesus was executed, raised to life, and exalted by His Father!

Thomas gets a difficult nickname in our world. Doubting that someone can rise from the dead is reasonable. What do you do when you doubt? Is God ok with our questions? Are we able to trust without understanding? Praise God Jesus is patient with us and will love us while we wait and question. 

In this sermon we look closely at the message Peter preached on Pentecost, to see that Jesus died and was raised because it was God’s plan, a plan that was driven by God’s love!

In this Good Friday sermon Tony wants us to feel the responsibility we have for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He helps us to understand it by taking us to two gardens - the garden of Eden and the garden of Gethsemane

As Peter rises to speak to the crowd on Pentecost, he takes them straight to the scriptures to show that it is one of the prophet Joel’s prophecies that is being fulfilled and the power and beauty of it is that now, God’s people are His temple, where He dwells.

In this sermon we think about that day the Holy Spirit came and filled the Jesus' followers who were waiting for Him. It had a profound effect on them when they were filled with the Holy Spirit and those who witnessed it asked the right question, “What does this mean?”

Paul wanted to know Him and the power of His resurrection. What is that power? This sermon seeks to answer that question from the scriptures. 

Knowing Jesus produces a counter-cultural, single-minded passion to know Him more. This is at the heart of the Lenten season. 

It is commitment Sunday at Grace Community Bible Church. The church is refreshing and renewing the commitments they made a year ago, financial commitments that are going towards 27 acres of property the church purchased to be the future home of the church. In this sermon Tony answers the question, “why should I commit and what keeps me motivated to commit?”

After the ascension of Jesus, back to His Father in heaven, Luke tells us that this little band of believers, 120 of them, were of “one accord.” What a beautiful and fascinating description of the people of God.

In this sermon Tony focuses on Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8, specifically “comes upon you.” Jesus told His apostles that the Holy Spirit was coming upon them. What does this mean? It means so much more than we appreciate.

Tony continues, in this sermon, looking at what Jesus said and did during his last 40 days on earth before ascending to His Father. In this sermon he leads us to look closely at Acts 1:8 and the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives in general, as well as our witness.