Grace Sagola Church

Oh, how easy it is to fool ourselves into NOT living the Christian Life.  In our world today, we must be ever vigilant make sure we haven't adopted a version of the faith that leaves us "checking" the holy box, but remaining lethargic when it comes to transformation.

The call to good works is first of all determined not by what we can do, but rather by what God has already done.  Easter is the perfect time to reexamine this truth and unite our efforts in service to God with the completed work of Jesus. 

To what degree are good works something the average Christian should concern themselves?  We will see that both the implications of the gospel and expectations of spreading the gospel require a careful devotion to doing good.

Equality is a subject that is often misunderstood in our world today, but it has its origin in God.  How should we as Christians seek equity and equality according to God's determinations?  And how can we best make sense of the way the world pursues this important subject?

The expectation of good works for the Christian is clear throughout the New Testament.  But in what way is doing good part of the Christian story?  Are we saved by doing good works?  Are good works even necessary at all?  What do the biblical writers think of someone who believes that all you must do to be saved is simply believe in God?  Today we will try to answer these questions. 

The Christian life is a difficult one to maintain in our own strength.  Even our best attempts at serving God, if done from the flesh, will ultimately make us grow weary.  We must place our confidence in the God who redeems and daily depend on Him to carry us through. 

The design of God strategy for reaching the lost involves displaying the gospel through our actions, so that a watching world will undeniably see the love of God

The challenge to the Christian is to live the way Jesus lived.  The task of selfless love is God's strategy for bringing the message of reconciliation to the world.  But it must first of all begin by practice and example inside the church. 

The Christian life was never meant to be lived in a bubble.  God designed our giftings to interlink and amplify each individual's effectiveness when we work together.

There is a specific purpose in God's design for his children on earth.  We have not been left here without instruction or expectations.  As the world continues to decay through the corruption of fall of man it plunges ever further in darkness. 

The early church had an expectant hope of Jesus return that characterized their community. They treated one another with mutual encouragement as those motivated by the return of their Savior. 

The Mosaic Law communicated the penalty for sin and provided the picture of God's rescue plan.  But it was always temporary.  The law could never impart righteousness.  It is only in Christ that the fulfillment of God's rescue plan could be realized.

For the first 300 years of our faith, the church withstood governmental oppression and persecution.  They were able to do so because they believed God's promise of eternal life and lived with a hope in the resurrection as promised by our living Lord. 

The message of Jesus is an illuminating message. But Jesus doesn't just say that His message is light, He declares that HE is the light of the world.

In our world that celebrates materialism we can easily become distracted at Christmas.  Even the blessings and gifts that are received through Jesus can unintentionally become more significant than the Giver of those gifts. 

Jesus delivers to the disciples a definition of God that will determine how they ought to view themselves. The answer to the question "Who is God" is the catalyst that can lead the Christian towards a life lived in love and truth. 

What influences our direction in life the most?  This question ought to help recalibrate where our faith lies and how we can learn to live as a Christ-follower in a world of obstacles and distractions. 

A the potential for division in the church has never been greater in our generation.  A vigilant believers we are challenged to show love above all, and in loving one another, we will also be loving our Lord in obedience to His commands.

The danger of self-deception is the refusal to recognize what God says.  As Jesus addresses the fake righteousness of the Pharisees, He does so to reveal their hypocrisy in light of God's intentions, and provide crystal clarity to His purpose in coming in obedience to God's Word by doing what man could not do as the law required.

The actions of a Christ-Follower must follow in characteristic to their nature.  As a "new creation" our nature has been changed, but this new calling is still resident in a sin-cursed-world.  Jesus gives clear and convicting markers for identifying the new nature. 

Once again we see the command "do not repay evil with evil".  Then verse 18 commands you to "live at peace with everyone."  How can you flip it, and repay "good" for "good"?  How do you think "good" actions will produce peace?

It appears that making a promise is extremely important to God.  Why do you think God holds promises with such a high accountability?

Divorce has wounded so many lives, and yet we've grown so numb to its effects in our world today, so that for many there is a failure to see the deeper transgression as marriage is truly an act accomplished by God, and therefore can only truly be an act dissolved by God.  

The topic of adultery for the Pharisees was cloaked in self-deception, and Jesus raises the veil to reveal that God's law was more than mere obedience to the letter, but must be understood through the spirit of the law. 

Anger is such a deceptive emotion.  Many feel justified in their anger because there is much injustice in our world.  But where anger promises justice it only delivers bondage.