Grace Sagola Church

We've grown accustomed to the false understanding that we have authority in this world, that the things we own actually belong to us, and that a lifestyle conditioned on our desires is to be accepted and encouraged.

A confusion in our world today is that we actually have a kind of freedom that rests upon the popular or majority decision.  While its true that we enjoy many freedoms in our country, we have missed a fundamental and foundational understanding that everyone is a slave to something. 

Have you ever heard the saying, "people don't care what you know, until they know how much you care?"  Jesus modeled this axiom by regularly challenging the expectations of the religious elite by eating and interacting with sinners and tax collectors.  And in doing so, Jesus drew these untouchables to Himself; His identification with them was that which touched their hearts and ultimately drew the...

There is a epidemic of failure in our culture's understanding of fatherhood. Far too many families are without fathers, physically, spiritually, and with engaging emotion We've failed to emphasize the crucial component of Godly character within the family concerning dads -- it means far more than simply producing children.

Have you ever asked the question, "How is someone saved?" In Romans chapter 10, the Apostle Paul reveals the 5 necessary steps to carry the gospel such that God's children can "call" out to him for salvation.

It isn't hard to regularly see the many ways "this" world is broken. Too often in ministry we find this world producing not only an external opposition to the gospel, but often an inward creep of discouragement, doubt, and fear.

When Paul communicates to the church in Ephesus he implores them to recognize the evil days in which they're living, and to therefore "redeem the time." The command to believers to answer, witness, and evangelize is predicated on the reality of our identity in Christ. Because we've been changed from darkness to light, we can live our lives a beacons of God's love.

Jesus commanded his disciples to the task of disciple making. Today we will hear from missionary Aaron Turner as he gives us a reminder of the need for intentionality in our obedience to Jesus' call.

Today as we continue in our series on missions called: Go to Everyone, we will see how our ability to serve on the mission field for Jesus is predicated on our maturity to live like Jesus towards one another. Before we can be peace bringers to the world we must learn to be peace makers in our churches.

The church is God's instrument for the advancement of His Kingdom and rule on the earth. However there are many places throughout the world where the children of God are not welcomed. In fact persecution, hatred, scorn, and arrests are commonplace for many of our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Have you ever found it difficult to serve our Lord in this world? Take heart, because you are in good company with our Lord. The Word teaches that "friendship with the world is hatred towards God" (James 4:4), and that our true "citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 2:20).

The central hope for the Christian is our future resurrection and the culmination of our salvation whereby our spirits are reunited with bodies crafted from incorruptibility in the resurrection of the dead. But all of this is firstly dependent upon one historical fact: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

There are modern contributors to the church's ignorance of the most basic of truths of our faith, namely the hope of resurrection.  Today we will examine 3 major mistakes in our theology stemming from the contemporary influence of our culture that have hindered the church's hope. 

1. Wherever He is that’s where I want to be 2. God will make a way 3. Our answer will come from Heaven 4. God can do the impossible 5. God keeps His promises

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death... For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

How do we respond when we feel things are out of our control?  Why is it so difficult for us to remember that God is still in charge, despite our circumstances?  

Today we enter into one of the most difficult narratives of the passion week, when Jesus is betrayed, arrested, and abandoned. The question we will look at is "why?"

Could there be "pop quizzes" that we're not prepared for in life?  Do you ever find yourself in dismay as to the seductiveness of sin and temptation, and are you tired of battle?  Jesus gives his disciples a key resource in fighting the "good fight" with the spiritual discipline of prayer.  

Its far too easy in our world today to simply be concerned with self.  We want to be GREAT, like our idols and role models found in movie stars, professional athletes, and the powerful movers and shakers in our world.  However, Jesus calls us to a deeper understanding of what it means to be "Great."

There are many voices calling out for our allegiance in our world today. The problem is we can only follow after 1 master. Jesus is up-front and clear about the demands of becoming a disciple, and His challenge from Luke 9 focuses us to ask the question "how committed are we" to following after Jesus?

There is a challenge we face in our world today, which is identifying sin.  Unfortunately much of the world has found a way to condone, ignore, or whitewash sin.

We've all heard the "Golden Rule," but I suspect we've missed the really difficult part of it. Culturally, we all know its "nice to be nice." However, Jesus will show that His followers are called to go above and beyond in their expression of care and love to their neighbors.

Faith is a difficult thing to practice today. For many reasons we've crafted around us a world that minimizes the need for genuine faith. Insurance companies, investments, accessibility of modern conveniences, even the lack of expectations in church: from our jobs to our devotional life, very few of us are challenged towards defining actions of faith.

We live in a world where temptation is hiding around every corner and under every stone.  Sadly, most of us find few victories and are left with a faith that needs to continually play catch up between our desires and our actions. 

The Reformers creed, declaring salvation by grace through "faith alone," requires a very important asterisk. While its true that salvation is in no way earned or contrived through our effort or works, it is only through the evidence of the "fruit of repentance" that our faith is shown to be genuine.