Grace Sagola Church

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.

Download Small Group Study Guide HERE The story of Mary and Joseph forgetting Jesus in Jerusalem highlights for us some of the uniqueness surrounding their child, and Jesus’ perspective in terms of application of the question “What is the most important thing in life?” Observations & Conclusions 1 – “Life” can draw you away from Jesus 2 – If you’ve lost Jesu...

Today we look at the story of two of the Lord's faithful servants, who exemplify what it looks like to wait on the Lord.

Its amazing to see the contrast in some people's response to Jesus.  Sometimes he is met with acceptance and transformation, and other times refusal and rejection.  

The journey to Bethlehem wasn't an easy one. It was filled with faith filled steps as Joseph walked in obedience to the instruction of the angel of the Lord.

There are a lot of things the can cause difficulty and pressure in our world.  But it is imperative that we as Christians learn to rely on God to direct and provide within our circumstances. Our passage for today is a story between two moms, who have been chosen by God, and their response to God's purposes and His faithfulness in their lives. 

The reality for mankind is that we are all under a common curse of sin. It pervades our every fiber and thought, and skews our intentions to the very deception of our own hearts. The sad truth of the curse of sin is death. Paul writes, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned."

Perhaps the most crucial foundation in our understanding of God is found in His character to keep-His-promises. The difficulty for a church that is struggling with persecution is identifying the correct response to trusting God's promises. Sometimes its easy, but most of the time it is hard.

This past week marked the 500th anniversary to the Protestant Reformation.  Even though we have good reasons to adhere to this particular expression of Christianity, it needs to be said at the outset that even though we are not Roman Catholic, we cannot claim to be perfect in all we do. 

One of the most abused components of Christianity today is the way in which people have come to misunderstand Christian “faith.” As we stand the threshold of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, we examine today the evangelical confession of faith as the scriptures indicated it, as opposed to how many churches today have twisted it.

We have been shaped by the world we live in, whether we are aware of it or not.  One way that many Christians have been conformed is in their expectations and expressions on the subject of worship. 

Prayer has had many forms throughout the years of the Christian church, and even today our culture has many expressions for calling out to the Lord. The problem is many of us have subconsciously inherited one of these forms without recognizing the potentials for its deficiencies when it comes to expressing and understanding prayer.