Messages

How often have we heard people say things – with a level of certainty – about what they think Jesus’ said, which He never said?

Today were going to focus on a part of the Easter story we don't often talk about found in the gospel of Luke - a story about average people encountering the resurrected Jesus. A story about what God is up to in our world. A story that shows us how to live as followers of Jesus. Are you part of the story?

We all have a desire for justice, so why did Jesus have to pay such a high price?

Jesus’ life wasn’t just a turning point in history. It’s been the turning point in many lives as well. And it's not just His life, but as we’ll see in this series, it's His death and resurrection. And it's all good news! In fact, it’s the best news possible!

An “us vs. them” mentality seems to permeate our society right now. Small and great disagreements alike create harsh division, and we view other people as our enemies in a war we must fight.

Our words have power. What we say and how we say it affects everyone around us – even our very own souls.

If we desire to live more like Jesus, it begins with a new self.

Our path toward maturity in our faith is paved with Church unity and mutual discipleship.

“Calling” is not to be a burden or fear of missing out on God’s will for your life, but what does it mean?

God’s character matters for how we understand and interact with Him, and how we view His promises and actions.

Because God is love, we can trust His promises are made as an expression of His love for us.

Because God is in control, we can trust He has the power to fulfill His promises.

Because God is unchanging, we can trust His promises of salvation, hope, access to God, comfort, and redemption.

Members of our congregation shared personal stories to remind us of God's faithfulness as we begin a new year.

Jesus’ arrival means that peace can be achieved between God and humankind. Peace comes through Jesus. We are both recipients & providers of peace.

Zechariah’s story is a reminder that God hears our prayers and is at work in ways that are beyond what we can often imagine, even if it exceeds our life on earth.

Mary responded in faith to the angelic messages given to her. She responded thoughtfully, gradually, in amazement and wonder, and willing to surrender.

When you embrace Jesus as Comforter, it changes everything.

God is faithful. Today, let's stop and take time to celebrate God's faithfulness through The Reach Initiative and beyond.

God is at work at Grace Fishers just like in the early days of the church! We are in this together. Every part matters.

We never know how God will use what we bring.

How do I make decisions?

Reaching our world as a church will require us to grow in our generosity.

We are the answer to Jesus' prayer to reach the world.

God uses ordinary, broken people to reach ordinary, broken people.

Imagine what would happen to this community if each one of us invested in the life of one person?

Even as this life experiences difficulties, suffering, and trials, we can confidently live knowing God is for us, evidenced by our salvation even if nothing else is apparent.

No Christian lives their faith in solitude.

We live as a voice of peace in this world, as we recognize more than anyone the source of hostility (sin) and have the solution

Jesus can life be breathed into us, and we experience a spiritual resurrection. Only then may we truly live a life of freedom, joy, and love.

God chooses and pursues individuals for His offer of salvation, which is fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

How can we be concerned without worrying? What tools does God give us to combat worry and anxiety?

In a world where we often encounter "bad", how can we find joy?

Society puts so much emphasis on social status and recognition, but as Christians we are called to live a more humble life.

What is joy vs happiness? And what practices can we add to our lives to give us joy?

In the parable of the bridesmaids, Jesus is telling His follower that they need to be prepared and ready.

What does it mean to do mercy?

Prodigal derives from Latin as “wasteful, to drive forth or away’ to waste, squander. It is one who spends or gives lavishly and foolishly - one who has returned after an absence. The story of the prodigal son is a picture of God's love for his children.

Parables have the unique ability to transcend space and time. You see, in Jesus’ stories, you don’t just encounter characters, you are a character. You’re not just reading “a” story, it’s “your” story. A parable takes something abstract and makes it concrete.

Your character determines the quality of your life. Your character is no better than how you treat others.

God’s wisdom holistically transforms you. You are changed by God’s gift of wisdom.

As we dive deeper into Proverbs, we're going to see how it points us towards a fuller relationship with God and how we may take steps towards Him. Without Him, we fall to folly.

What is the purpose of Proverbs in the Bible? How can the information found in this Book of the Bible help us live a life of wisdom?

Have you ever been in a season of life where something or everything was up in the air?

Don't mistake Jesus as being passive. The Ascended Jesus is present with us.

Who taught you what life was about? Mentor? Teacher? Parent?

There are lots of reasons why people walk away from their faith, but what I believe to be one of the biggest ones is that they don’t feel like they have permission to have unanswered questions and doubts.

How has Jesus revealed Himself to you?

Jesus forgives us and seeks to restore us.

You can have an encounter with Jesus, and just like the disciples, it changes you forever

Why do we celebrate Easter?

Jesus intercedes for the church and His intercession is a promise.

Jesus calls us to live fruitful lives born out of loving relationship with Him. And as we do that, we’ll experience joy and opposition.

Jesus is God and we know God through Jesus and Jesus alone.

Jesus’ love is persistent, even with full knowledge of betrayal.

Discipleship is walking with one another toward Jesus and God acts within healthy discipleship. But what does discipleship look like? It can take many forms - small groups, teaching and preaching, and even individual relationships.

Have you had a mountaintop experience and then your world came crashing down?

Get back to your first love, back to basics. Remember your identify and stand firm in faith.

Zarephath, which means "to melt/smelt" or "crucible", was a place for further refinement for Elijah in preparation of his public ministry.

God will provide. We need only trust in Him.

It’s really hard to love your neighbor well, if you don’t have the breathing room to care for yourself.

There’s a difference between standard of living and quality of life. How can we create financial breathing room?

Does your relationship with Jesus Christ wither due to an overloaded schedule?

In your attempt to get the most out of life, don’t lose control of your life

As we begin a new year, let’s leave enough margin and space for rest.

Kids bring joy all year long including in the Christmas story. But in a world full of darkness and difficulty, we need more than a baby in a manger.

As we look beyond a simple reading of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, we see there was much more than a peaceful nativity scenes and serene Hallmark cards.

There will always be people who disagree with you. Are you in a place where you accept that will and can still have relationships with them?

God uses common people to do uncommon things.

We worship when we reflect the image of God in how we live out our lives.

How we worship matters. So, how do we worship?

Worship is a response to God's revelation. But when do we worship?

Everybody worships. What is it? How is it for? And why does it matter?

Stand Sunday is a call to the church to stand together so that no child or family in foster care has to stand alone.

What's the big deal about living good lives? Because we're going to suffer for following Jesus, we need each other to help us get through.

How we live our life matters, because we have hope and, because others need hope.

Why be good? What's the big deal with how e live our lives? Why does hope matter? Why does how we live matter?

Being a disciple is to be a follower of something, so discipleship is to point people toward that which you follow.

If we want to experience the transformational community we were created for, we need to trade all this striving for something else.

What keeps me clinging ever so tightly to independence? I do – whether out of prideful self-reliance, fear or something else – I can be the biggest obstacle to what Jesus has for me.

To experience the community we were created for, we must be willing to trade some old habits and behaviors for new ones.

Baptism is something we do, it’s something rather important, but we don’t talk about it very much.

How does your life align with what you say is important? Are you living your life on purpose?

Grace Fishers is for families! We are a spiritual family committed to loving one another as Jesus loves us.

Grace Fishers is for you! We want to help you grow and flourish in all aspects of your life.

God has been faithful to us over this last year as we launched independently. We take a look back at all that has happened at Grace Fishers over the past year.

It’s easy to be critical of the Church and focus on what’s wrong with her (and rightly so at times), but let’s look at what Jesus had to say about His Church.

It is easy to be distracted and drawn away from Jesus by our desires - even desires for something good.

The Gospel is for everyone who fears and believes in Jesus Christ.

God wants to remind you today that He is fighting your battles.

His forgiveness of us is the foundation stone. Our forgiveness of each other will build the church.

Communion is not simply a transfer, it’s a trade. It's an important spiritual practice and Christian tradition.

How do we find joy when things aren’t going our way?

What limits your capacity to serve God faithfully for the long haul? It requires unwavering resolve on our part to tap into His unlimited resources.

If you want to show people the love of Jesus, help them, don’t hurt them.

What kept Judas, who spent so much time with Jesus, from accepting who Jesus was? What keeps us from surrendering our lives to Him?

The truth is, your journey is not done. Jesus is continuing to change us

While we love stories of dramatic transformation, most of our transformation takes place over the long haul. But sometimes the change is invisible, and those stories are easy to miss.

How can you trust God in difficult and bad times? How can you use scripture to encourage you when you are down? Hear Jacki's story of struggle and faith.