Grace Fellowship Church - Ephrata Online: Recent Episodes
Grace Fellowship Church - Ephrata
Many people in Grace Fellowship Church know the importance and power of prayer, and, though the above photo is not from the normal GFC Prayer Meetings, it does exhibit the fact that we pray.GFC holds regular prayer meetings on Wednesday evenings from 7-8 p.m. and if you haven't been to one of our prayer meetings, we encourage you to come. The evening begins with prayers of thanksgiving as we thank God for the good things and blessings He gave us in the past week. Then we have a short Bible lesson and discussion time, followed by 30 - 40 minutes of prayer. We pray for requests shared by people in the group, or those that came in via the Connect Cards, Prayer Chain, or our Private Facebook Prayer Request Page. We pray for our community. We pray for our country. We pray for other churches. We pray for things happening in the world.This week, because it is Ephrata Fair week, we met last night, Tuesday, instead of our usual Wednesday, due to tonight being Ephrata Parade Night. Because the fair just began yesterday and runs through this coming Saturday, and because 80,000 - 100,000 people come into our town for this event some time during the week, we prayed for those traveling here. We prayed for safety for everyone attending the fair, walking in the parade, working stands or rides at the fair -- anything we could think of that relates to this almost week-long event in our community. That was our main focus at last night's prayer meeting, but we also prayed for any other needs we were aware of and those shared by those in attendance.If you've never seen what prayer can do, we would love to have you join our Wednesday Night Prayer Meetings. The group has grown quite a bit over the past few years, but there's always room for more who want to pray. Occasionally we talk about the prayers that we prayed, that were answered. If you ever doubt that God hears your prayers, listens to your needs and struggles, or gives you an answer, come and join us at our weekly Prayer Meeting, and you'll see that God does hear, listen, and answer. Join us to see and be a part of the power of prayer.Yes, we do pray out loud, but not everyone in the group prays aloud. Praying aloud is not a requirement to share requests or attend.
Pastor Dan is still working his way through Galatians on Sunday mornings, and yesterday morning he focused on Galatians 5:16-26:So I say, let the Holy spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!Those who belong in Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to the cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. (New Living Translation)Pastor Dan opened by talking about consistency and the need to be "consistent" in our walk with the Holy Spirit every day. He said, "Following the rules doesn't change your heart." Verse 17 says it's a constant battle, but the Holy Spirit is stronger and is the winner! So, why wouldn't we choose to be on the winning side?The Facts:1. Spirit-led people starve their desires to death. (v. 16-18) These people are choosing to walk in victory over passions, desires, etc. They are more concerned with living on the winning side, so their desires have less hold on them because they are in tune with what the Holy Spirit is doing in them, what He is leading them to, what He is convicting them of.2. Self-led people are self-centric. (v. 19-21)3. Spirit-led people are Spirit-centric. (v. 22-26)Our human desires only have the power that we give them. We give our passions and desires their power because they have nothing on a believer. That's our old master. We give the power to our passions and desires willingly because instead of surrendering all to Jesus, we surrender to our passions and desires. So, if someone says, "I just can't beat this sin", that's a choice. That's a choice not to walk by the Spirit, but to give in to our flesh.Example: Small sins become big sins; the habitual sins in our life. Let's compare sin to a small, little, tiny, baby dragon. So, the mythical, cute little creature. And we have that little baby dragon, and oh, it's so cute when it sneezes and that little puff of smoke comes out of its nose. Oh, it's so cute, I should feed it. So, we begin to feed the little baby dragon, and over a period of time, sooner or later, it starts to become a little bit bigger, then a little bit bigger, and we just keep feeding it. We keep giving it energy and power and the next thing you know, our whole house is filled with a fire-breathing dragon. But we fed it. We gave it the food.Paul lists the things, in the second italicized paragraph above, because they impact your life and they impact the community of the church, not just you as an individual. These are community sins. When you choose to be drunk continually, it impacts the church, and not in a good way. These things are fruit of the flesh and they cause division in the community of Christ.Some of the words on the list may be difficult to understand how they can affect community. Let's take a look at the the word "sorcery". In the context of Galatia, a translator translated this as a "drug-induced spell". The word for this is "pharmakeia". This sounds a lot like the English word "pharmacy". It was a drug-induced stupor, which people in this time would use to try to manipulate powers against other individuals.All of these things point to the above Fact #2: Self-led people are self-centric.In contrast, the third paragraph in italics above, talks about the fruit of the Spirit, and it says, "There is no law against these." Even Aristotle said, (paraphrased by Dan Alban), "You cannot create enough laws to create a righteous person."THE POINT: A church unites by the Spirit and divides by the flesh.CHALLENGE: A consistent Christian life is a Spirit-engaged life.To watch this message in its entirety or to watch the rest of Pastor Dan's series on Galatians, go to our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@gfcofephrata5041/streams
On Sunday Evening, June 21, 2024, Grace Fellowship Church held an Ordination Service for our very own, Tyler Lewis, who has been serving as our Children and Youth Department Director, and now, is officially our Children and Youth Department's Pastor, and we are blessed to have him.
The evening began with a close friend of Tyler's from their college days, above, leading some of Tyler's favorite inspirational and praise songs.
Pastor Dan presented a message that shed some light on what being a Pastor requires and means, and what Tyler can expect from the congregation. Pastor Dan also shared: 1 Timothy 3:1-5: "If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, (one who oversees a local congregation), he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone doesn not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?). -- NIV Pastor Dan also mentioned that Paul asked people to pray for him. He asked for prayer 5 times in scripture. Therefore, Pastor Dan said it is the congregation's responsibility to pray for Tyler.
The gentleman above, is Pastor Scott Cantner from the church in Baltimore, that Tyler used to attend. Pastor Scott shared the following scriptures: Titus 1:6-9: An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (NIV) Matthew 9:31-39: But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons." Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (NIV) John 20:19-23: On the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (NIV) 2 Timothy 2:15: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (NIV) Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (NIV)
Upon the speakers' conclusion, Pastor Dan asked Tyler to kneel, and Pastors Dan and Scott, and the elders of Grace Fellowship Church gathered around Tyler and prayed for Tyler and his ministry.
Finally, Pastor Dan presented Tyler with a Bible with his name inscribed near the bottom of it.This touching, inspiring Ordination service was followed by a time of food and fellowship.Congratulations, Pastor Tyler! We are blessed to have you as part of Grace Fellowship Church!
Our youth spent a week at Life Camp in Virginia, where they heard good messages:
Spent individual time in the Word:
Participated in team competitions:
and prepared to return home:
Stay tuned for more summer fun with the GFC's Axios Youth:
Sunday morning, June 30, 2024, Pastor Dan began a series on Galatians. This series will continue throughout the rest of the summer.Pastor Dan began by stating: "I believe that the Word of God should transform your life. Do you believe that? Because if it is not changing the way we think, the way we act, the way we see other people, the way we serve God, and the way we see Him, then we have to ask, 'has the Bible just become a textbook to us'?"The first message in this series is from Galations 1:6-9, which is Paul speaking to the church in Galatia:"6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be accursed! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be accursed!"THE FACTS:
- Ungrounded people drift. (v. 6)
- Deceivers will find the vulnerable. (v. 7)
- Counterfeit beliefs are cursed. (v. 8-9)
On Sunday, May 19, 2024, Pastor Dan began a series on "The Fine Art of Forgiveness". This first installment's subtitle was "Firing the Record Keeper". Pastor Dan shared Jesus's words from Matthew 6:9-15:"Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one.For if you forgive men when they sin against you,your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But ifyou do not forgive men their sins, your Father willnot forgive your sins."Pastor Dan focused on verse 12: "Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors" along with verses 14-15: "For if you do not forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Pastor Dan also shared a quote by C.S. Lewis: "Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive." There is no greater characteristic that men are like their Heavenly Father, than that they forgive.Hurts run deep and forgiveness can be very difficult. It's easy to see the offense instead of seeing the person when you look at someone who has wronged you. However, that is like being a record keeper -- someone who keeps a record of every little thing someone does wrong to them, and record keepers expect payback plus interest.But when you don't forgive someone for something, it not only affects your relationship with that person, but it also affects your relationship with God.THE PRICE OF UNFORGIVENESS:
- The only excuse for unforgiveness is indifference, which means you have tuned God out. -- Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you."
- Unforgiveness has a steep relational price. -- 1 John 4:7-8 "Dear Friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
- Forgiveness fires the record keeper. -- 1 Corinthians 13:5 "Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
On Sunday, May 19, 2024, Pastor Dan Alban began a new sermon series, "The Fine Art of Forgiveness". This first installment's subtitle is "Firing the Record Keeper".Hurts run deep. Therefore, forgiveness can be very difficult. However, as believers, we all know that we are supposed to forgive.Pastor Dan shared Jesus's words from Matthew 6:9-15:This, then, is how you should pray:"Our Father in heaven,hallowed by your name,your kingdom come,your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one." -- the Lord's Prayer is Matthew 6:9-13.Pastor Dan focused on verse 12: "Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors" along with Matthew 6:14-15: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."Pastor Dan also shared a quote by C.S. Lewis: "Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive."
Pastor Dan began a new sermon series called "When Words Attack" on Sunday, April 7, 2024. On that Sunday, the key passage was:"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." -- Luke 6:43-45What we learn from Jesus in the passage from Luke:Fruit is an outward symptom of an inward condition. -- The abundance of the heart comes out of the mouth. However, we should not make a judgment of a person simply based upon what comes out of their mouth/the fruit. The fruit is an outward symptom of something that is inward.You can't hide what you have inside. -- Heat in our life, the right situation that causes tension/friction. You may think you can hide things inside your heart--complaining, bickering, gossip, slander--but given the right condition, it just comes out. You can't hide what is going on inside.The roots determine what comes out. -- We need to understand that the soil that you're putting yourself in is going to impact the way that you talk. The people I hang out with; the environment I'm in--that is the soil that I have planted myself in, and it is going to feed what is inside of me. So we better be careful what soil we're planting ourselves in because, ultimately, the roots are going to determine what comes out of us because we put ourselves there; because we put ourselves around those friends; because we listen to or watch this. You can't help that it affects you. Those things will impact us."Word problems reveal heart problems. The people and situations around us do not make us say what we say; they are only the occasion for our hearts to reveal themselves in our words." -- Paul Tripp, from his book War of Words.Where we plant ourselves; what we feed ourselves; what's going on inside of us cannot be hidden and is eventually going to come out. For some of us, maybe it's behavior more than words, but no matter what, it's going to be visible. It's going to be seen, so we best be real careful.The Point: You need to explore beyond words to get to the motivation of the heart.This applies two ways:1) When you're dealing with somebody who is complaining all the time, gossiping all the time, slandering all the time, you name it; any of these word sins that we see throughout scripture are contentious.It's so easy for us to just judge a book by its cover. Let's just attack that. But how much better, and how much greater is it for us to begin to ask questions of that person to really understand what's behind that. You may be surprised to find it was an upbringing that they were in and this was just how they talked. We're influenced by our upbringing. If you are the kind of person who just can't help but complain about everything, I wonder, and I would be curious -- was that the home that you were raised in?We need to get to the motivations of the heart instead of just judging a person by their fruits. It takes a lot of effort and involvement for us, and sometimes we just don't feel like doing this, but it's important according to Jesus because until we know what the root is, we're not going to understand that words that are coming out.2) You need to get to the heart of why you say what you say.Around the time that Jesus was teaching this, there was also another similar passage that says, how dare you tell someone to take a speck out of their eye, when you have a big, old log sticking out of your eye. If we're going to talk about how other people talk and make our judgment calls, let's begin with ourselves. If we begin to evaluate what's really really bothering us, what's really, really motivating us to gossip, if we begin to evaluate why we have to use some choice words from time to time, it's amazing what God will begin to reveal about our hearts that we need to work on.Paul Tripp gives us an great illustration of this in one of his books. He says the desire battles for control until that desire becomes a demand. The demand, then, is expressed as a need. My sense of need then sets up my expectation, expectation that if unfulfilled, leads to disappointment. Then disappointment leads to some sort of punishment.Example: Begins with a desire: "I desire church to be done the way that I feel comfortable."That leads to a demand: "I must have church the way that I feel comfortable -- the music I like, the preaching I like, the children's ministry I like, the coffee I like.That demand then leads to a need: "I will get it the way I want it."Which then leads to expectation: "You need to come around to what I think we should be doing for church."And that expectation then leads to disappointment: "You didn't do it. How dare you. Don't you know I need this?"Which then leads to punishment: "Because you didn't, I'm going to sit here and be unhappy. I'm going to withhold my tithe, or I'm just going to go to another church."See how this works?Ultimately our words are controlled by what's going on in our hearts, our passions. Our behaviors are determined by that and our actions come out. What you are stirring up inside of you.The heart is the wellspring of life. You better guard heart because out of it will come what's stirred up inside of you.When the punishment happens, what gets blamed, "Oh well, it's the situation's fault." Or, "it's God's fault that I'm not getting what I want." Rarely ever do we say, "It's my fault that I'm not getting what I want."It's always easy to point fingers. That started in the Garden of Eden when Adam said, "God, the woman that you gave me, she made me eat the fruit."We never want to take responsibilities for ourselves. We never want to take responsiblity for what's going on in our hearts. We always try to blame everyone else.How do we remedy this?"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts." James 4:7-8The only power the devil has on you is the power you let him have on you because he's a defeated foe. He lost. We give in to him.Start spending more time with God, in His word, in worship, and in prayer, and in service. When we do these things, we draw near to God. Our intimacy grows with Him, and He fills us up. That's where we need our root system -- in Christ.Replace some of the junk in your life with stuff that's actually uplifting and positive for us."Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24
Photo by Mari Potter on UnsplashA leading church is a reading church. As believers, we have the ability to continually challenge and grow our minds through the gift of reading. Pastor Dan has mentioned that this has not been a big discipline most of his life. However, over the last few years, he has used Goodreads to help set goals and challenge himself to read more consistently. It has enriched his thinking, and he wants to encourage our church to discipline themselves to read--and to read books you wouldn’t normally read--to gain more insight and understanding.Pastor Dan has often suggested books to read at the end of his sermons. Here are three of the more recent reads that have challenged him and will grow you! Pick one and start reading today! Life in the Negative WorldWe aren’t living in Mayberry anymore. Aaron Renn diagnosis the current era we live in and how we got here: where publicizing your Christian faith has become a liability and even a danger. He takes us through the decline of Christianity in the eyes of American culture and gives some simple suggestions on how to move forward as the church despite the resistance.Here's a link:https://www.amazon.com/Life-Negative-World-Confronting-Anti-Christian/dp/0310155150/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WYXAZ4NOFZ22&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CfuaMtNFNJvLe6NNpE38dQQp_0STCuN6UTlbwcfpYELGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.ldW8FOAr9Cj0ojdN4ARaflGFZlneGJ4Mbt3kMyLCbmA&dib_tag=se&keywords=Life+in+the+Negative+World+-+Aaron+Renn&qid=1710862881&sprefix=life+in+the+negative+world+-+aaron+renn%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-1 Why Men Hate Going to ChurchThis is a classic and has sold over 125,000 copies. David Murrow looks at the way many churches are functioning and how men have become disengaged with it. He has some practical ideas to remedy this issue to reach young men again. Thought-provoking to say the least.Here is a link:https://www.amazon.com/Why-Men-Hate-Going-Church-ebook/dp/B005VHBQSM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3IJEAO2I8Y25H&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2b2MvvxuJxiDpmcWpRgiMR8MTjbIhqKL34YdbL4AsKHGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.0EdXhXE9PRTGlc15i_Sk6W0Jw_ajpsEJm1ELSBDHE8&dib_tag=se&keywords=Why+Men+Hate+Going+to+Church+-+David+Murrow&qid=1710862903&sprefix=why+men+hate+going+to+church+-+david+murrow%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-1 Strange New WorldThis is a short version of a longer book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. Carl Truemann looks at some of the cultural issues that have become mainstream over the last 10 years and looks back through history at how we got here. It will help you understand some of the current problems in our culture in a deeper way. This is an up and coming classic and is very thoughful.Here is the link:https://www.amazon.com/Strange-New-World-Activists-Revolution-ebook/dp/B09J1L27BR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34275AMKQZ2J3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Jb4fGIkla9x9oo3rTR3hPw.sVlLfPlICdUqO7vUW7KNjRSwA3KQRaDvuNAmM6rNxU&dib_tag=se&keywords=Strange+New+World+-+Carl+Truemann&qid=1710862920&sprefix=strange+new+world+-+carl+truemann%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1
On Sunday, March 24, 2024, Pastor Dan preached about How Jesus Saves, focusing on the word Reconciliation and scriptures from Romans 5 and Galatians 4.Reconciliation in Greek is ketallassó, meaning "to return someone back into right with you" or "to reconcile". According to R.C. Sproul, the definition of reconciliation is "bringing people together in peace -- people who were once estranged (broken) from each other."The Point of this messsage is "Sin's bond was broken. Adoption's bond can't break.""Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. -- Romans 5:9-11 (NIV)Breakdown of Reconciliation
- God, the "offended" (he was offended by our sin), initiates.
- We are no longer "estranged" from God.
- Acceptance into a family
- Access to God the Father
- Acquire family benefits
- Authorized as heirs
- Attaining permanent security
- The reconciled are ambassadors. -- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. -- 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (NIV)
On Sunday, March 17, 2024, in Pastor Dan's series about "How Jesus Saves", he focused on the word Justification through Romans chapters 5 and 8.Romans 5:1-2 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."Believing and trusting in God, we have something we didn't have before, but you must have it to have access -- you must have faith in God. We are justified by this faith in God.Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, (Adam), and death through sin, (that means spiritual death. Ultimately, if you don't put your faith in christ, it does mean eternal separation from God in the place that we refer to as hell), and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned---*Note: Words added in parentheses, are Pastor Dan's additions/clarification.Death. Because of Adam and Eve, Adam passes sin on to his children, who passes it on to their children, who passes it on to their children, and here you are. All of us have been marred by spiritual death and corruption of sin because of Adam. It just spread, and there was nothing you could do about it, like the stomach bug that, when one member of your family gets it, you know it's going to hit everyone in the house.Then Romans 5:15 "But the free gift (of God) is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man, Jesus Christ, (the second Adam), abounded for many." And verse 16 says, "And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following (Adam's sin) that one trespass brought condemnation (upon all of us - you're condemned), but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification (through the work of Jesus Christ)."So, here's what this is saying, Adam messed up and brought spiritual death. But Jesus came and did what Adam could not do. He was able to live a sinless life, a perfect life. He was able to pay the price for our sin, take your punishment on himself. He bore it, so that you can have a relationship and friendship with God. Jesus fixed the problem that started with Adam.Romans 5:19 "For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."You, if you have given your life to Christ, have been justified because Jesus perfectly obeyed God.The Greek word for justification is mentioned 200 times. If it's mentioned 200 times in the New Testament, it's probably something you want to make sure you pay attention to. Justification by the Greek means a legal declaration of righteousness or a judicial declaration.So, the BIG Definition of Justification is God sees our sins as forgiven, Christ's righteousness belonging to us, and declares us morally perfect (righteous).Breakdown of Justification:
- God deletes all of our debt.
- God credits our account with Jesus' perfection.
- God proclaims our perfection.
- Good works earn nothing. "Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.
On Sunday, March 10, 2024, in Pastor Dan's series about "How Jesus Saves", he focused on the word Regeneration.Titus 3:5-7 tells us how we are saved:"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (regeneration), whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."The BIG Definition of regeneration is: When God brings spiritual life to the spiritually dead so they can trust in Jesus.The word regeneration comes from the greek word palingenesia which means renovation; restoration.The Order of Salvation:
- Jesus' death atones
- The Call
- Regeneration so you can respond to the call
- Faith
- Justification
Easter is just two weeks away, and Pastor Dan has been preaching about "How Jesus Saves" in these weeks leading up to Easter. That is what makes Christianity different from any other religion -- we believe that God sent his son to die in our place. Each of Pastor Dan's messages this month centers on one important word that explains "How Jesus Saves" and each message comes from the Book of Romans.March 3, 2024 focused on the Greek word PROPITIATION and how Jesus is our propitiation:Romans 3:23-24 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."Romans 3:25 "God presented him (Jesus) as a sacrifice of propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance (God delayed an extreme punishment) he had passed over.The BIG Definition of propitiation is "a sacrifice that bears God's wrath so God becomes favorably disposed toward us".Jesus was offered, by God, to be someone who would bear God's wrath, all of it, against sin, so that God looks at us in a good/favorable light -- those that have given our lives to Him. Because Jesus bore the weight of our sin and the punishment of it, bearing the wrath of God, we have the ability to have a relationship with our creator again.John Owen, an old Puritan pastor said, (Pastor Dan paraphrased), "There's four elements to explain propitiation: 1) There's an OFFENSE, something that was done wrong to somebody. Sin is a serious offense. It is an offense against God. Sin offends a holy, perfect God. Sin makes us an enemy. He cannot have sin in his presence. Therefore, every time we sin, we take a step back (away) from God, and the distance between us grows, and our relationship is broken and not getting any better until by his grace, we overcome that sin, and as we draw on fellowship with him, we begin to grow. 2) There's an OFFENDER -- us, all humanity has offended God, and it's passed down, generation to generation through family -- that we have the sin nature. 3) There is the OFFENDED -- God, who is offended by our sin. The word "wrath" is used in the Bible 580 times, most of the times it is mentioned, it is against one thing -- sin. Many people want to think of God only as love and forgiveness and as a healer, and those are all true. However, God is also a God of justice and wrath. And God has wrath against sin because he knows that sin is destroying fellowship. Sin breaks the relationship that mankind can have with God. This wrath is the same wrath that we see in Genesis that motivates God to regret that he made man, and causes a flood -- a flood, caused by the wrath of God against sin, that killed millions of people. It is also the wrath that caused God to destroy a city that did not care to ever repent -- Sodom and Gomorrah, which God turned to ash. That is the wrath of God that Jesus bore in our place. That is propitiation. And lastly, 4) there is a SATISFIER -- someone that satisfies that wrath of God, someone that meets the debt, the massive debt because of our sin. So someone or something comes in as a satisfier. In the Old Testament, it was two goats that would be sacrificed. Jesus fulfilled what the two goats could not do permanently. Jesus was a Satisfier of God's wrath. He was innocent. That's what makes the death of Christ so unjust by human measure, that Jesus was innocent. Innocent and killed at the hands of false accusations, killed at the hands of his own creation. That's unjust. If we were to see anyone paying for someone else's wrongdoing today, we would say, "that's unjust. We need justice." Because Jesus took this punishment for us, God looks upon us favorably.The Point of this messsage is: At Jesus' pain, God's wrath was restrained.How does this help us? Well, the reality is, we didn't get what we deserve. Jesus got what we deserve. But, as a result, we get what we don't deserve. We get mercey and grace from God. We don't deserve it. The sacraments of communion represent the body of Christ and the blood of Christ. When we take communion, we better be grateful to God for what has done. Jesus was my propitiation. He was your propitiation.Things to Think About:God's not mad at you. (1 John 4:10) "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice (propitiation) for our sins."Stop punishing yourself. (Hebrews 2:17) "Therefore, He (Jesus) had to be made like his brothers (us) in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."Jesus bore more than we can comprehend. (1 John 2:2) "And He (Jesus) is the reconciliation (propitiation) for our sins: and not for ours only; but also for the sins of the whole world."
On Sunday, February 18, 2024, the GFC Womens Ministry Committee held a new event -- Food & Fellowship. Most of the women who attended brought their favorite prepared recipe to share, as well as a written copy of the recipe to be copied and shared with the other women who enjoyed the dish and wanted the recipe.
There was a good turnout for this event, 25 ladies attended (this included the Women's Ministry Committee). 
Main dishes and sides filled two tables. Additional activities included food related icebreaker questions to discuss at the table. A fun trivia game to see how many ladies recognized restaurant advertising slogans/jingles. There was a three-way tie of winners for this game. 
Desserts and drinks filled one table. 
Our pastor's wife, Beth Alban presented a devotion about "Gathering Around the Table".Beth pointed out that in Ephesians 1:4 "He chose us before the creation of the world." So even before Genesis 1, where God created the world and all that is in it, He chose us so that we would have a relationship with Him.In the Bible, God also talks about the table in several passages, including Psalm 23, where it says "He prepares a table for us." God uses everyday things to teach us about himself. Beth also mentioned that in the Song of Solomon, spices are mentioned, something else that goes along with cooking and sitting at the table.Beth shared that gathering around the table has three purposes: community, conversation, and connection. When we sit around the table, especially when we sit face-to-face, it may sometimes feel awkward, but it enables us to have real, honest communication. It encourages us to be vulnerable. Beth shared how many women often feel like they need to be up and about, preparing food and/or serving the food like in the story of Mary and Martha from Luke chapter 10. Beth said, "Sitting at the table can be awkward, but sitting at the table gives you the opportunity to share real life. Where you can have a relationship. Where you can talk about anything. Where you can share in honesty and intimacy."Beth shared how God knows all about us anyway, so we should not feel awkward to be vulnerable and honest when we speak with Him.Finally, Beth mentioned that in Revelation, Jesus speaks to the Church in Laodicea, and in Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Behold! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."After Beth's devotion, the ladies had a time of sharing with one another at their tables before the evening came to a close.
Pastor Dan preached, again, from Nehemiah yesterday. The message was about leadership. Maybe you don't think of yourself as a leader, but everyone is a leader, whether they think so or not. Husbands are leaders to their wives. Parents are leaders to their children. Friends are leaders to one another. Bosses are leaders to their employees. Teachers are leaders to their students. The list goes on and on.Now that you know you are a leader, let's look at what "being a good leader" looks like, according to Pastor Dan's message from Nehemiah 5:1-18.Leaders face crisis instead of avoiding it. Leaders take risks instead of playing it safe. Leaders defend those on the fringe instead of the favorites.Pastor Dan also pointed out that Nehemiah realized that he was doing the same thing he was calling others out for, and he confessed this in Nehemiah 5:10. "For even I, my brothers, and my servants are doing the same. Let us stop exacting on the people."In Nehemiah's confession, he shows that "leaders own up instead of covering up".Authentic Leaders:• Are open about their weaknesses.• Is someone people relate to.• Provide a model for what people aspire to be and a guide on how to get there.• They hold a higher loyalty with their followers because they are one of them.Isolation is not healthy for a leader. You should not give people orders then go off by yourself for a long period of time. You may have to go off on your own for a short period of time on occasion, but do not isolate yourself because good leaders lead with people instead of isolating.What Good Leaders Do:• Leaders own up, instead of covering up.• Leaders lead with people, instead of isolating.• Leaders focus on the mission instead of the perks (what's in it for them).Philippians 2:4-8 shows us how Christ proved to be a good leader:Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!As you consider your own role of leadership, here is your challenge: Leading by character gains influence.
On Friday, January 26, 2024, GFC held a Family Game Night. There were lots of delicious snacks, and many people came out to enjoy games and fellowship. As you can see from the above photos, both the young and young-at-heart, and those in between, participated in games like Uno Attack, Connect Four, Barbie Monopoly, Qwirkle, Chronology, and more.
Those in the photo directly above are in deep thought trying to determine if an event happened before, between, or after the years on the cards they already have in front of them. This group is playing Chronology -- a game of historical trivia. They played two games and the second game came down to two possible winners and it took another four rounds for one of them to come out on top! This group enjoyed some friendly competition, and when the final winner of the second game was determined, the loser gave the winner a congratulatory high five.A fun time was had by one and all.
On Friday, January 19, 2024 amidst a snow storm, 11 youth and 3 youth leaders from Grace Fellowship Church braved the icy road conditions to travel to Tuscarora Retreat Center for Tundra '24, a weekend youth retreat. God had a plan for this weekend and made sure this group arrived at Tuscarora safely. The retreat speaker, Lance Svendsen encouraged GFC's students to be vulnerable and get out of their comfort zone. Our students took that challenge and during small group time, most of them were able to open up and honestly discuss struggles in both their personal lives and their spiritual walks.
At the last lesson of the retreat, Lance left the group with the encouraging verse you see above the heads of the young men in the photo above.
During this month of January, Pastor Dan has begun the new year with a series of sermons from the book of Nehemiah. On January 7, 2024, Pastor Dan preached about Nehemiah's God-Inspired Vision to build a wall around Jerusalem. His challenge to the congregation was "Pursue Your Calling". (Nehemiah 1:1-4)On January 14, 2024, he preached about how Common People were part of Nehemiah's project from the Spiritual Leaders to professional businessmen, like perfumers, to notable families, disgraced families, and even women. All of these were involved in building the wall. His challenge to the congregation that week was "Don't Underestimate the Impact of a Few, Fully Committed to a Purpose". (Nehemiah 3)Yesterday, on January 21, 2024, Pastor Dan preached about how Resistance is Fruitful. He taught that anytime anyone tries to do something for God, they will face resistance. He explained how Sanballat, the Governor of Samaria, Tobiah, a Persian Official, and Geshem, King of Kedar all tried to stop Nehemiah. They brought resistance in several different forms: disruption causing confusion (Nehemiah 4:8); demoralization and threats (Nehemiah 4:10-11); dismay/fear (Nehemiah 6:9); and distraction (Nehemiah 6:2 and 6:10-12). However, Nehemiah and the people prepared to meet the resistance physically (Nehemiah 4:16a) and spiritually (Nehemiah 4:20).Pastor Dan gave the following recommendations for "Reacting to Resistance":Remember whose fight it is (Romans 8:31b)Expect casualties (Matthew 24:10-13)Stay on target (Nehemiah 6:9b)He posed the question: What if the resistance you are experiencing is God's conformation that you are doing something right?Pastor Dan also said, "Overcoming resistance leads to reward."This series will continue in a couple weeks. You can find the video recordings of these messages on the church youtube channel -- youtube.com/@gfcofephrata5041
Adults meet in the library at Grace Fellowship Church on Wednesday evenings from 7-8 p.m. These meetings are led by Pastor Dan or Argyl. Sometimes, one of the other elders will lead. We begin with a time of Praise, followed by a short Bible lesson and discussion, and ending with a time of prayer for the needs of our church, our country, the world, and requests presented by those in attendance.Prayer is vital to the life of believers and to the church body, and those of us who have been attending the Wednesday night Prayer Meetings have seen God answer many prayers.In many places in God's word, we are called to pray. Here are two:Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -- Philippians 4:6-7Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ. -- 1 Thess. 5:16Everyone needs prayer and all believers need to pray. Won't you join us on Wednesday nights for prayer meeting and see what God can do in and through you?
On Sunday, December 31st, in the morning service Pastor Dan shared many of the highlights of the year of 2023 for Grace Fellowship Church:Beginning with activities and events:We had a contest for those who enjoy being creative, where anyone could create a Peep Diorama for Easter and they were displayed in the hallway for everyone to see.We had a 70th Anniversary Celebration because Grace Fellowship Church turned 70 years old in 2023!We had our annual church picnic, but had our morning church service at the retreat where we have our picnic, so that we had our worship service, lunch, and fun activities all at the same place.We had a Fast Car EventOur Grace For Moms ministry has grownTyler took the youth on a Winter Retreat and a Youth Christmas Bowling activity.There were a couple Men's Trivia Nights where the men participated in some friendly competition.We had Backyard Church events several Sunday evenings over the Summer where we learned more about some of the local ministries GFC supports, as well as learned about some local ministries we weren't aware of.Men's Prayer BreakfastsWe had a Christmas Breakfast in 2023 and 105 people attended!We also had a Christmas Eve service and 111 people attended!Five of our Men went on a short-term missions trip to the Dominican Republic.During Ephrata Fair week, we had "Prayer at the Fair" on Tuesday night.In addition to these great events and activities, the BIG NEWS is that in 2023, Grace Fellowship Church had 3 people come to Christ and become New Christians, 2 people were baptized, and Grace Fellowship received 5 New Members!Pastor Dan taught us how to Live Beyond Our Limits through all of his sermons in 2023, all of which was based on Ephesians 3:20-21: "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Pastor Dan wanted each of us to do something to grow our faith, because if we aren't doing that, we are stagnant, and stagnancy leads to death. As a church and as individuals, Pastor Dan says, "we need to be finding opportunities to grow in our faith." Therefore, we talked about: how to love people who, maybe, make you feel uncomfortable, how to share Jesus with them. We talked about Prodigals and praying for the prodigals in our life. We also talked about praying great prayers. And, Looking ahead to 2024, here's a few things GFC has planned:In April, Servant Stage will be performing one of their shows at GFC!July 4th, we'll be doing something for the Firecracker 5-Mile Run, since we're right along their routeSince we're right along the rail trail, we'll be doing something to let people who use the trail know that we're thereDuring Ephrata Fair Week, we'll very likely do Prayer at the Fair again, and maybe something in addition to thatPastor Dan is teaching us that it's important to "Love Where You Live".Jeremiah 29: 4-7 "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: "Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters -- that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace."Pastor Dan said, "Citizenship is an exercise of stewardship. When you love where you live, you feel responsible for it."
On Friday, December 15, we had our First Ever Christmas Extravaganza! There were Christmas songs, and in addition to Christmas songs, the youth group presented a Christmas mystery via video that the kids who attended the event had to help solve. Tyler and Jonathan, pictured above, helped guide the kids in finding clues. Tyler and Jonathan also led all who attended the Extravaganza in playing a Christmas Trivia game, which was a lot of fun and included some friendly competition.Another fun activity that everyone could participate in was raising glow sticks that matched the color of blocks moving upward on a screen while a Christmas tune played. As the blocks got smaller and moved faster, raising and lowering our glow sticks at the right time became quite a challenge.Winners of both of the above mentioned activities received gift cards. There were also names of attendees drawn from a basket, and those attendees whose names were drawn also received gift cards.Gift cards were for Dutchway, Fox Meadows Creamery, Dairy Queen, and New Holland Coffee Company. Following the singing, games, drawings, and the solving of the mystery, everyone gathered downstairs in our fellowship hall for cookies, cider, and, of course, fellowship.There was a good turnout for the event with members of our congregation, as well as people who had visited in the past and people who had never been to Grace Fellowship Church before. Everyone was welcome and a good time was had by all in attendance.Christmas Extravaganza Christmas SongClick the above highlighted words to watch a full video of the event.
Looking for something fun to do to celebrate the upcoming Christmas holiday?Then join us for our Christmas Extravaganza this Friday, December 15, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.This is a celebration for ALL ages! Come expecting fun with singing, games, prizes, and cookies! No grinches allowed! On Sunday morning, December 24, 2023 at 10:30 a.m., we will have a Christmas Celebration service. Join us to sing Christmas carols and to watch a SKIT by our kids! Then come back in the evening and join us at 5:00 p.m for our annual Candlelight Christmas Service which will include candlelight, singing, and a short message to make Christmas Eve special and focused.
The previous blog post was about Pastor Dan's "In it to Win It" series of messages that taught about how we can be generous. This post is to show you just a couple of ways that GFC showed their generosity in 2023.
Grace Fellowship Church has been participating in Samaritan's Purse's Christmas shoebox event every year for many years now. Members and regular attenders of our congregation enjoy taking a shoebox or two, and the list of suggested items for the boy or girl of the age they want to shop for, and going shopping to fill the shoebox(es). Then they bring them to the church and place them on the platform in the sanctuary, and on the last Sunday of collection, someone prays over the shoeboxes and for the boys and girls who will receive them. In the above photo, one of GFC's elders, Steve, prays over the shoeboxes. GFC collected a little over 60 Christmas shoeboxes by the due date Sunday this year.
Above, some of the boxes are loaded to be taken where they will be collected to be shipped.Those who filled a shoebox can go to a website later, to find out what country their shoebox(es) went to.In addition to the Christmas shoeboxes, Grace Fellowship Church also provided Thanksgiving baskets for those who needed them in our church and in our community this year. People of our church provided items necessary for a Thanksgiving dinner and the items were placed in baskets. These Thanksgiving baskets were then given to people in the church or delivered to people in our local community to bless them with a Thanksgiving meal this year. Unfortunately, no photos were taken of the Thanksgiving baskets.
In the month of November, leading up to Thanksgiving, Pastor Dan did a three part sermon series entitled, "In It To Win It". The focus was on generosity -- how can we as believers, have a generous spirit and be willing to give?Pastor Dan began with a passage you may have heard before, Matthew 6:19-21, where Jesus is teaching. Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (NIV)This scripture is saying that:
- A generous heart is committed to the eternal.
- A generous heart is motivated by missional principles.
- A generous heart is all-in with its generous ruler.
- Disciplined giving is an act of submission. (2 Corin. 9:7, Psalm 24:1)
- Disciplined giving is an act of faith. (2 Corin. 9:10, Matt. 6:33)
- Disciplined giving is an act of worship. (Deut. 4:22-23, Prov. 3:9, 2 Corin. 9:11-13)
https://youtu.be/JvUcWR6EsDM?si=lOm5HBHLc34G3q-7Four men from GFC spent a week in the Dominican Republic helping the needy people living in batays there. When they came back, they shared this short video.When asked what impacted them the most, these were their responses:"I was interacting with one of the translaters. We were talking about things in America when he asked me, "What is going on with the church in America?" He went on sharing that a friend from the D.R. had moved to Boston and was now living in sin, yet is still an active leader in his church. The translator said, "America sent missionaries to the D.R. and brought the gospel. Now it is approving my friend's sinful lifestyle!" He was grieving and felt that the D.R. could not depend on American Christians to be grounded in the gospel anymore. It was a humbling discussion -- a reality check from outside our country." -- Pastor Dan"Joy is circumstancial. In the U.S., we look at money and possessions and think having these things brings us joy. Children living in dire circumstances in the D.R. showed joy and were all smiles." -- Tyler"We gave out over 200 pairs of glasses. I saw one gentleman, I fitted with reading glasses, reading his Spanish Bible and he was so happy! That showed me we were an immediate blessing to those people." -- Ray"People were happy despite their circumstances; depsite their lack of things. Happiness doesn't depend on things." -- Richard
During the month of September, Pastor Dan preached a series entitled "Fact Check: A Series About Truth". However, on Sunday, September 17, 2023, Pastor Dan gave our new Student Ministries Pastor, Tyler Lewis, the opportunity to preach his first sermon. Tyler's focus, as part of this series, was on "The Three Types of Dishonesty". Tyler said, "I don't think you can truly understand honesty without having a full understanding of its opposition, which is dishonesty."Dishonesty affects relationships, self awareness, and causes other issues.Tyler spoke from the passage of Matthew 26:69-75, the passage where Peter denies knowing Jesus three times. This happened just a few hours after the Last Supper where Peter swore to Jesus he would never disown him, even if he had to die.So, why did Peter lie? Because he was afraid of what would happen.Tyler listed the Three Types of Dishonesty as:1) Lying to others -- probably the most common2) Lying to self (Self Deception) -- this is dangerous3) Lying to GodThe Merriam-Webster definition of lying is the deliberate act of making a false statement with the intent to deceive or mislead somebody.Tyler shared Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can understand it?"The Point of Tyler's message is: God knows when we are lying even when we don't.Tyler also shared that we can escape a life of dishonesty through a life and relationship with Jesus. Jesus represents truth, hope, and deliverance. Then Tyler issued a challenge: Examine your life for areas of dishonesty and commit to addressing them.For the complete message, with all of the life examples Tyler shared, click the "Sermons Video/Audio" button at the top of this website's main page and you can watch Tyler present this message on YouTube by clicking the "Fact Check -- 3 Types of Dishonesty" September 17, 2023 image.
On September 10, 2023, Grace Fellowship Church held their annual church picnic. But this year, things were different. The morning church service was held at the retreat center. This included a message by Pastor Dan followed by a report on changes in the lives and work of two of the missionaries GFC supports. There were over 100 people in attendance!
Following the church service, those in attendance were able to enjoy appetizers and fellowship with one another until the main meal was ready. Following the main meal, which featured barbecue chicken prepared by our very own elder, Steve, delectable desserts were available, including 4 flavors of ice cream!After the three-course meal, attendees had the options of spending time in fellowship inside or out on comfortable rocking chairs on the porch, taking a long walk on the property, participating in friendly competition in a corn hole tournament, or enjoying an exciting downhill ride on the water slide. All of these options had several participants, and Kenny and Nate won the corn hole tournament.Attendees reported that they liked having service at the retreat, then transitioning to the meal, then the activities. This format took better advantage of time and all of the events and activities flowed better. If you missed out on this event this year, we hope to see you there next year!
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