Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA)

The first commandment is about true worship. Most people think of worship as something we do in various parts of the day. We think of participating in corporate, family, or private worship. When we aren’t engaged in one of those activities, then we are not involved in worship. But that is not true. Your circumstances may change daily or hourly, but the object of your worship must remain the same!...

One of the most important lessons we learn in life is the difference between personal beings and impersonal objects. All too often, we get into trouble when we think of other people as objects to be used much like we use our other possessions. There are some things that we value more than others. But people must always be given a higher priority than our stuff. We heard this debate carry out recen...

If you were to poll society regarding rules for life, you would get many different answers. Some of them might even contain a few examples from the Ten Commandments. But you would probably gather a large consensus around a few secular core doctrines. One popular sentiment would be that there is not one “right way” to live. Another might be that people should be allowed to do whatever makes them ha...

The mission of Grace Clovis states: “We exist to transform the people of Clovis by finding, equipping, and multiplying followers of Jesus Christ for the glory of God.” This mission really comes from a combination of the Great Commission to make disciples and Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 4: 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the sa...

Well, if you are anything like me, yesterday was difficult. We celebrated one of the strangest Easter Sundays of our lifetime. It was quite possibly the strangest Easter Sunday since that first Resurrection Sunday. Celebrating Easter from our homes was far from ideal, but it was nice to see everyone making the most of it. I want to encourage you to keep the benefits of Christ’s resurrection on you...

The resurrection is crucial to Christianity. Calling people to embrace Jesus, the risen King is the central topic of Apostolic preaching and writing. Last week, Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey to shouts of “Hosanna!” He was treated like a king. But by Thursday night he was being arrested, mocked, and beaten. By Friday morning the Romans were scourging and crucifying him. Ea...

Typically we have reserved this feed for sermon and devotional audio, but I thought it would be helpful for us to think about COVID-19 today. The post What Should We Think About COVID-19? appeared first on Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA).

Have you ever felt alone? I don’t mean socially distant. I mean isolated from everyone. Maybe that sounds like a good thing to some of you. Maybe you are the kind of person who enjoys going to movie theaters alone. I can understand the value of getting away from the noise of this world, but we really were not created for isolation. The post The Triumph of the Cross (Matthew 27:45-51) appeared firs...

I simply want to recommend four resources to help you to pray. One is essential, and the other three are very helpful. 1. The Word of God 2. Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney 3. A Way to Pray by Matthew Henry, O. Palmer Robertson 4. Echo Prayer App The post How to Pray to God appeared first on Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA).

The Shame of the Cross (Mt. 27:26-44) One of the most embarrassing moments of my childhood was when I went clothes shopping with my mom and older brother. I didn’t care much for shopping or picking out my own clothes. I pretty much was just there to try things on that my mom picked out for me. My brother, on the other hand, enjoyed taking his time. He wanted to look at every item in his size and t...

Who wants to hear someone telling them to “Calm down!” at a time like this? It sounds naive and trite. But, Paul wrote that from prison! He faced incredible challenges throughout his ministry. So we can assume that Paul was familiar with anxiety. He’s not rebuking people to “Chill out!” He’s calling upon everyone to join him in seeking peace from the only source of true and lasting peace. Phil. 4:...

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper – Part 3 Well, I’m about to preach God’s Word as I’ve never preached it before! Literally… Let’s just get over the fact that this is awkward. It feels very different speaking to you through a camera. I can’t see your faces when I say something confusing. On the plus side, I also can’t see you nodding off to sleep. This just feels awkward. And it should because Ch...

We are taking the time to reflect upon the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. As I explained in a previous video, we were about to wrap up a series on Revelation and move into a series on Matthew 26-28. In particular, I intend on teaching about communion (Mt. 26:26-29), crucifixion (Mt. 27), resurrection (Mt. 28a), and commission (28b). In the previous video, I introduced the subject and why it is im...

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper Many of you have seen the quote from C.S. Lewis regarding how people should live in an “atomic age”, with the reality that a bomb might drop upon them and wipe them out at any moment. It was an important question that many people were asking and it makes sense to apply that to our situation today in dealing with the fear of the Coronavirus. I have seen a dramatic...

The Coronavirus has given us an opportunity to shepherd you through these difficult times in ways we have not done before. May God grant us spiritual unity as we remain physically apart. This video is an explanation of our tentative plan through the end of March, 2020. The post Ministry in a time of Coronavirus appeared first on Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA).

The New Jerusalem – Pt. 2 (Rev. 21:22-22:5) I wondered whether we should take a week to consider how the Bible might encourage us during this Coronavirus pandemic. The response from people around the world has ranged from sheer panic to complete indifference. We certainly want to avoid both extremes. We also need to prepare to show compassion to those who are vulnerable and in need during this tim...

The New Jerusalem The New Jerusalem Brad Mills / General   When God called Abraham out of Ur, away from his family, he departed with nothing but faith in God’s covenant promise. He did not know where he was going. He did not know the challenges that awaited him on his journey. What Abraham did know was that the promises God gave to him were not going to be fulfilled in his lifetime. He had a persp...

The New Heaven and New Earth The New Heaven and New Earth Brad Mills / General   In 2008, a Dutch newspaper poll voted the city of Charleroi to be “The Ugliest City in the World”. Honestly, I can think of plenty of places in worse shape. The voting was weighted to places in the Belgian region, but it still felt like a low blow to those who lived there and appreciated its charm. No doubt, everyone...

Great White Throne Judgment Great White Throne Judgment Brad Mills / General Revelation / Eschatology: Last Judgment / Revelation 20:7–15   Think of a time in your life where you greatly offended your parents and received some form of discipline. I realize the spectrum of responses may span from one of neglect and indifference to (unfortunately) even physical abuse. For some of you, the punishment...

The Thousand Years The Thousand Years Brad Mills / General Revelation / Millennium / Revelation 20:1–6   In Adolph Hitler’s first speech as the German Fuhrer, he assured the nation that Nazi Germany would last a thousand years. He believed that Germany needed to return to its roots in the Holy Roman Empire which inspired visions of “agriculture virtue, simplicity, community, and social harmony.” I...

The Great Supper of God The Great Supper of God Brad Mills / General Revelation / Second Coming; Christ as King / Revelation 19:11–21   Christians were already enduring various levels of persecution. A few had been martyred for their faith. Others were experiencing social and economic hardship, as detailed in several of the letters sent to the seven churches in Asia Minor (Re 2-3). Much of John’s...

The Marriage of the Lamb The Marriage of the Lamb Brad Mills / General Revelation / Joy; Heaven; Marriage of the Lamb / Revelation 19:1–10   Revelation contains many contrasting themes. Darkness is followed by scenes of bright light. The torments of persecution on earth are followed by the glories of saints in heaven. In this case we jump from the theme of the world lamenting at Babylon’s funeral...

A Lament for Babylon A Lament for Babylon Brad Mills / General Revelation / Judgment; Idolatry; Harlot / Revelation 18:1–24   Babylon and the beast represent the assault of Satan upon the Church through the seduction of our lustful desires and indulgence of our misplaced fears. Those threats are not finally removed until they are destroyed by Christ at his Second Coming. That can only be seen from...

The Harlot and the Beast The Harlot and the Beast Brad Mills / General Revelation   The best classic novels represent excellent writing and story telling, but those with the greatest impact typically illustrate some moral purpose. One of my favorite novels portraying the devastating consequences of immorality is Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. The story follows the lives of two main characters. Anna,...

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath Brad Mills / General Revelation / Wrath of God / Revelation 16:1–11   Although judgment is a dirty word in our culture, it is biblical. The holiness of God demands his wrath. Liberal pastors minimize God’s wrath in order to be accepted by the culture. But this comes at a great cost to the truth and sufficiency of Scripture. Arguing agai...