Grace United Family Church

Grace United's Youth and Young Adult Sunday serves as an annual refreshment to the souls of the more seasoned among us. The fire and passion by which they serve the Lord is a sight to behold, and in the case of Aidan and Liam who delivered the message (both are 17 years old), we marvel at their strength of conviction about the word of God. Give a listen! You will be challenged and encouraged. To G...

Honor. Shame. These words carry a lot of weight. Regardless of time. Regardless of culture. In Israel, the Torah is to be the "sourcebook" to discover what actions are to bring honor to the Lord and to his people. The other side of the coin is what behaviors would bring shame, not only to the Lord but his people as well. Moses speaks of 4 shameful things in Deuteronomy 25. Strange things! What do...

"Love is the greatest thing in the world!" So says Miracle Max of the classic movie, "The Princess Bride." How many songs, movies, books, and so much more talk about these 4 English letters? The Lord has a LOT to say about love. But the love the Lord speaks of is far and away different than what the current cultural climate says about it. What does God consider love to be? How is it to be expresse...

What does the word "holy" do to your heart and mind when you hear it? Does it conjure up pictures in your mind and emotions that are unpleasant? Or is "holy" a beautiful thing? The God Christians worship is the Only True and living God. He is the high and holy One. Holiness is a high thing, repugnant to man's sinful nature. How can sinful people learn to embrace holiness and love the One who IS ho...

When one thinks of the Law of God, holiness comest to mind. It's almost axiomtic. After all, what is religion without rules? However, God's people delight in understanding and living out holiness as God describes it. This is for a reason: that God may be exalted and glorified. Come with the Grace United crew as we discover God's "boundary markers" of holiness and are encourged to live them out.

The Torah of God means "teaching God's ways to God's people." Torah is a Hebrew word translated as "law." "Law" often conjures up a hard and fast set of rules that, furthermore must be kept perfectly or God is not pleased. For all who believe this, there is some good news! Torah is all about life. Torah is all about family. Torah is all about the proper understanding of true authority. Come with t...

Father's Day is a time for a father to . . . encourage and exhort his family in the ways of the Lord. Part of this encouragement and exhortation is to tell things "like it is," both regarding the current state of culture and the eternal truth of God through Christ. Join the Grace United crew to be encouraged and exhorted to live the ways of the Lord in a day and age where true spiritual strength,...

War is among the uglliest, if not the ugliest activities anybody can engage in. People don't use the phrase, "war is hell" for nothing. Imagers of God actually killing fellow imagers of God with the sanction, with the approval, with the command of one's respective government. It was no different with Israel, as the Lord commanded his people to go to war. However Moses gave instructions about how s...

Many of us are familiar with the story of Pentecost. Hundreds of people fluently speaking in languages they had never learned. Flames of fire appearing over their heads. The apostle Peter preaching a powerful message. And when he was done, about 3,000 souls were added to the church. Certainly, Pentecost was a supernatural phenomenon. But what was Pentecost all about anyway? For people to speak in...

The Lord's Supper is regularly served in millions of churches all over the world. Followers of Jesus remember what he has done and just as importantly, who he is. But who is he? What is the extent of his salvation ministry? Scripture tells us that Christ died for the sins of the whole world. He as the Lamb of God has taken away the sin of the world. What does that really mean? When Jesus had his l...

You shall not kill. That is the Sixth Commandment. Or is it? What does God mean when he says we are not to do that? What about when one accidently takes the life of another? Is this punished in the same way as one who is guilty of premeditated murder? Is there room for the grace and mercy of God in his economy when it comes to the issue of one imager of God taking the life of another? Come with th...

Those who have a working knowledge of the Old Testament know that "priests" and "prophets" are all over the pages! Priests handle the holy things of God, and prophets speak to others in the name of God. But it may come as a surprise that the Bible tells us that priests and prophets appear in the New Testament as well. In addition, there are priests and prophets the church of Jesus Christ. Today. W...

The prophet Amos said to his wayward people back in the day, "Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." Justice is a huge deal today--in all of its forms: racial, social, economic, even reproductive justice. The national discussion and the ramifications in our culture take up many minutes on all things media. But is the justice promoted today the kind of thi...

R&R: We normally think "Rest and Relaxation." Taking things easy. Taking a break from the pressures of life. A great thing! But did you know that the Lord has a much more grand and glorious R&R in mind for his people? And it is not what normally comes to mind. The Lord wants his people to experience joy when they -- we -- engage in his R&R. So, what is the Lord's R&R? Come with the Grace United cr...

What in the world is a "shemitah?" Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Or something else? Gloriously, it is something else. God told his people to practice it every 7 years. And "double your money back" guarantee, it is not what American ears are used to hearing! Or American Christian hearts are so willing to put into practice. Come with the Grace United crew as we discover and apply not only "shemitah...

What in the world is a "shemitah?" Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Or something else? Gloriously, it is something else. God told his people to practice it every 7 years. And "double your money back" guarantee, it is not what American ears are used to hearing! Or American Christian hearts are so willing to put into practice. Come with the Grace United crew as we discover and apply not only "shemitah...

The most well known statements of the Lord Jesus is recorded in John 3.16. God gave his son that whoever believes in him would not perish but have eternal life. When Jesus prayed to the Father the night he was betrayed, he defined what eternal life is: "that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." As glorious as it is to know life on the other side of the grave...

The world is emerging from a physical pandemic. However, in Moses' day, Israel was threatened with a pandemic of their own. It was not physical, but spiritual. It was deadly. Radical action needed to be taken, lest the whole body of Israel die. What was it that needed such drastic attention? What sorts of remedies did Moses prescribe to help them, should the pandemic become realized? Join the Grac...

How can sinful humans approach the God of the universe? This must arrest the minds of all who would worship the True and Living God aright. The Lord is plain: There is such a thing as unacceptable worship. And glory to him, there is such a thing as worshp he does accept. How does one do that? What kind of worship does God accept? Come with the Grace United crew as we explore this most important th...

The Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. This is New Testament truth. But it is eternal truth. The Lord who called, redeemed and set Israel apart is the the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. As such, we can learn much from Israel, the Lord's son by covenant. He saved them by his grace and told them how to live--by way of the Torah. As Christians in the 21st Century, God still tell...

The Big "C" is a dreaded word in our world. "C" is painful. Surgery is almost always needed to cut the cancer out. But there is a big "C" in the Scripture as well. Circumcision. Circumcision is commanded for . . . all God's people. "But" we might say, "how can circumcision be commanded for all of God's people? Isn't it supposed to be for males only? Well, not exactly, although males in Israel are...

Anybody who is even remotely familiar with the Old Testament knows about Israel and golden calf. Moses was on the mountain of God, receiving much instruction from the Lord. The Lord himself wrote the 10 Commandments on 2 stone tablets. Meanwhile, Israel was having a fit for themselves--much to the Lord's great displeasure. How great? What did God do? Show amazing mercy and grace, and severe discip...

Christians understand that the New Testament speaks much of the grace of God. But what about the Old Testament? Is there anything about grace there? Certainly, God deals graciously and mercifully with his people as recorded in various places from Genesis (Enoch) to Isaiah (bringing his people back to their land after 70 years), and many other places besides. But can grace be found, say, when Moses...

Moses told Israel how to have a thankful heart. Jesus told his disciples the same thing. Not only that, but the Lord Jesus told his followers the very source of his joy, and invited them--us if we are his disciples--to experience the fullness of joy. There is a direct tie-in to obtaining a thankful heart and experiencing joy--but it is definitely not what we normally think. The Lord says, "My ways...

Genocide is an unspeakable evil. Full stop. To kill all members of a given group of people is beyond horrendous. But what if God himself gave a command for his people to do this--not only regarding 1 nation but 7? What is up with this? Come with the Grace United crew as we wrestle with this extremely difficult thing as we ask the question: Did God really command his people to commit genocide?