Grace & Peace PGH

Some will respond to Jesus and his message and many will not. And their willingness to really hear is what makes all the difference in their response.

Gospel of transformation of relationships

"Romans 8 teaches us that believers have two intercessors, the Holy Spirit and Christ. Christ performs his intercessory task in Heaven . . . ; the Holy Spirit, on Earth. Christ's intercerssion takes place outside of us, the Holy Spirit's within us; that is, in our very hearts. . . Christ prays that the merits of his redemptive work may be fully applied to those who trust in him.

Radical Prayer goes to the root, the heart, the center. The word radical itself comes from the Latin radix, which means "root." Radical Prayer refuses to let things stay on the fringes of life's great issues. It dares us to believe that things can be different. Its aim is the total transformation of persons, institutions, and societies." Richard J. Foster, Prayer, 243.

"Radical Prayer goes to the root, the heart, the center. The word radical itself comes from the Latin radix, which means root. Radical Prayer refuses to let things stay on the fringes of life's great issues. It dares us to berlieve that things can be different. Its aim is the total transformation of persons, institutions, and societies."- Richard J. Foster, Prayer, 243.

"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to vbelieve, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors."--C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, 15.

"If we are not harder than iron, this exhortation ought to soften us, and render us disposed to forgive offences. Unless God pardon us every day many sins, we know that we are ruined in innumerable ways: and on no other condition does he admit us to pardon, but that we pardon our brethren whatever offences they have committed against us. Those who refuse to forget the injuries which have been done...

"The event of the resurrection, the empty tomb, and the risen Lord breaks every mold that would imprision God in the rationalism of a fallen world. But it is the starting point for a new kind of rationality, for the possibility of living hopefully in a world without hope, for the perpetual praise of God who not only creates order out of chaos but also breaks through fixed orders to create ever-new...

"These words remind us that, unless God feed us daily, the largest accumulation of the necessities of life will be of no avail. Though we may have abundance of corn and wine and everything else, unless they are watered by the secret blessing of God . . . we shall famish in the midst of plenty.'--John Calvin, Commentary on the harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Vol.1, 325.

Open Discussion, April 6, 2025

"We are constantly under pressure to conform to the self-centredness of secular culture. When that happens we become concerned about our own little name . . . about our own little empire . . . and about our own silly little will . . . But in the Christian counter-culture our top priority concern is not our name kingdom and will, but God's. Whetyher we can pray these petitions with integrity is a s...

"The name of God is not a combination of the letters G, O and D. The name stands for the person who bears it, for his character and activity. So God's 'name' is God himself as he is in himself and has revealed himself. His name is already 'holy' in that it is separate from and exalted over every other name, but we pray that it may be hallowed, 'treated as holy,' because we ardently desire that due...

"This address lends a twofold character to the entire prayer. On the one hand it pervades it with a childlike trust ("Our Father"), on the other hand, with reverence and an awareness of distance ("in heaven"). Such a frame of mind grants God the honor that is His due and grants the person praying the certainty that he will be heard."- Herman Ridderboss

"We have good biblical and theological reasons for our fasting and abstinence. Through our fasting we are acting as living sacrifices, living memorial stones, asking God to heal our world, a world that we can surely see is in desperate need of His healing touch."--Tim LeCroy, _And When You Fast_

Encouraging believers to more frequently consider God's holiness and mercy.

“The issue is not the method or frequency of prayer… but the attitude of faith which underlies and inspires it.” – R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, 240-241.

“I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time – waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me.” – Quote from Shadowlands

“Christians should daily remember their baptism as a seal of the promises God has made to them.” – Rodger M. Crooks, Salvation’s Sign and Seal, 39.

This is a sermon from guest preacher, Derek Bates.

“A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who go blithely through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to li...

This is a sermon from guest preacher, Joseph Bianco.

“Mary was a mere Palestinian peasant girl, but God chose her as an agent through whom the divine promise would be fulfilled in the person of Jesus, the Son of God… She is blessed, not because she is pregnant, or because of any intrinsic holiness or merit but because God’s salvific purposes are being accomplished through her. Mary thus becomes one in a long line of recipients of God’s grace and mer...