Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA)

Brad relays to us Paul’s final charge to the Ephesian elders in his last sermon to the church. The post Acts 20 appeared first on Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA).

Join Brad Mills as he examines Acts 2:42 and the early church’s devotion to prayer. The post Devoted to Prayer appeared first on Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA).

The post Leviticus 20 appeared first on Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA).

When people are asked to describe the church they often use terms very different from Luke’s description here in Acts 2:42-47. The church is no longer known for its commitment to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, but whether it is aligned with cultural norms. The church is not generally considered to be a loving community, but an exclusive and bigoted community. The sacraments are rare and...

Few things better illustrate anticipation than a child on his way to Disneyland. Yet, by the end of the day, there are fewer places where you will hear more whining and complaining than Disneyland. Life is full of examples when reality does not live up to our expectations. We build up our goals and spend so much energy trying to achieve them, only to be left disappointed that the reward was not wo...

When Marshall McLuhan argued that “the media is the message,” he was suggesting that you cannot separate the content of the message from the means by which it is received. He emphasized the fact that new technology can change the values and norms of society over time. The means through which we approach God is critical to our understanding of the content of his revelation. The means by which the O...

When a writer for a Christian magazine asked N.T. Wright which books were the most important in his thinking and work, he told them it was the reference works that he always keeps near his desk. He noted how the dictionaries and encyclopedias, especially those dealing with the original languages, help bring the darkness of another world to light. I probably would not have answered that way, but I...

How is your daily bible reading going? Do you follow a plan? Have you been able to stick to it? When you read, is your heart warmed by your communion with the Lord? Are you filled with anticipation, excitement, and joy? What does any of this have to do with the resurrection of Jesus? It happens to be the central point of one of the most significant resurrection accounts recorded for us in Luke 24....

Charismatic leaders have deceived entire nations into following them. They have stirred up support to enter into unjust wars. They have tortured and slaughtered innocent people (oftentimes their own citizens) in order to extend their wealth and power. History is full of leaders of that sort. The King of Kings was radically different. Rather than earning wealth and power, the second person of the T...

There is a growing body of research on the concept of hope. There is even scientific research suggesting that those who have hope are better off physically, psychologically, and socially. Researchers acknowledge that trauma can have a negative impact upon the capacity for some to experience hope. For instance, a fatal diagnosis from your doctor can deplete every ounce of will power to pursue every...

The author warns his readers to grab their attention. The audience had yet to mature beyond milk to solid food (Heb 5:11-14). They were stuck still learning the elementary doctrine of Christ (Heb 6:1-3). Pray & Read Hebrews 6:1-8. Three primary interpretations of this passage: 1. Genuine Christians who lose their salvation which would be contrary to Scripture that speaks to the perseverance of the...

Jesus is greater than the angels and Moses. He is a superior high priest. But before he can elaborate upon Christ’s superiority, he warns his readers to grab their attention. The audience had yet to mature beyond milk to solid food (Heb 5:11-14). They were stuck still learning the elementary doctrine of Christ (Heb 6:1-3). Pray & Read Hebrews 6:4-8. In 1981, Rev. Mansfield Kaseman, of National Cap...

Native Americans have a practice of planning for their future with the seventh generation in mind. In other words, tribal leaders expect their actions to impact their people for the next 150 years. Not only do they keep future generations in mind, but they also reflect upon past generations with gratitude. Considering the fact that God “has put eternity into man’s heart” (Eccl. 3:10), it is natura...

T. David Gordon, under a fatal diagnosis of cancer (25% chance of survival and two months to live), wrote some choice words for preachers in his book, Why Johnny Can’t Preach. Here’s a brief sampling of what I read as an aspiring preacher in seminary… “[T]he entering seminarian today has the faculties of a sixth- to eighth-grader sixty years ago, and the seminary curriculum cannot make this semina...

The post What Is Evangelism? appeared first on Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA).

The post What Is The Evangel? appeared first on Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA).

More than 60M abortions since 1973. That is equivalent to the populations of California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Nevada combined! Imagine every human being in those states disappearing. That is roughly 19% of the population of the United States today. I don’t typically preach topical sermons, but today is the 50th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade and the first year since the Supreme Court of t...

Cornell University social psychologist David Dunning, studied the tendency for people to overestimate themselves. He found that those who were the least competent performers have the most inflated view of themselves. The study also revealed that their over-inflation wasn’t due to arrogance, but ignorance. Obviously, this can be true for Christians as well. We routinely flatter ourselves with false...

What are you hoping to change in 2023? Do you ever wish you could enjoy more rest (physically, psychologically, and spiritually)? “Rest” occurs 12x Hebrews 3:11-4:11. Primary application. Goal = why it’s important and how you might find it. Jesus > Everything • 1-2 Angels (Jesus speaks a better word, 1:1-2, 2:1-3) < <

Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy that confirms Jesus’ humanity as well as his royal heritage. Although Jesus was born into the line of King David, his immediate parents were actually poor and insignificant. Jesus had a true humanity. And yet, the genealogy was unique in how it explained his relationship to his parents. Instead of following the pattern of naming the father, Matthew carefu...

The bulk of our passage this morning is a direct quote from Psalm 95. That psalm opens with a familiar call to worship. We’ve used it several times to open our own worship service.  Psalm 95:1 ESV Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Some bible scholars suggest that this psalm was liturgical and frequently used during the preamble of the servic...

Martin Luther provides a helpful definition of God Larger Catechism “A “god” is the term for that to which we are to look for all good and in which we are to find refuge in all need. Therefore, to have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe in that one with your whole heart. As I have often said, it is the trust and faith of the heart alone that make both God and an idol. If The post Jesu...

I’m sure you have heard of this quote from George Bernard Shaw, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” I have noticed that many times—Business teachers have experienced one or two failed business endeavors. Marriage and Family Therapists come from broken or troubled marriages. Church planting coaches tend to be men whose own church plant failed. So why would anyone want to learn from those w...

Before knowing God, Jonathan Edwards had a fear of thunderstorms. “I used to be a person uncommonly terrified with thunder: and it used to strike me with terror, when I saw a thunderstorm rising.” But after his conversion, Edwards writes: “Now, on the contrary, [thunderstorms] rejoiced me. I felt God at the first appearance of a thunderstorm. And used to take the opportunity at such times, to fix...

In 1970, Stanford professor Paul Ehrlich published The Population Bomb, where he predicted that hundreds of millions of people would starve to death—regardless of any mitigating efforts we might implement. The opening sentence reads: “The battle to feed all of humanity is over.” He went on to blame nearly every social problem upon the fact that we simply have too many people.  His doomsday predict...