Grace Point Church: Recent Episodes
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Grace Point Church, in Vestal, New York. To know Christ and Make Him known is our mission statement. We are committed to loving God, growing together and serving others
Text: Romans 6 Paul tells us that we who believe on Jesus, are no longer slaves to sin. Yet sometimes we find ourselves "stuck" in it. Listen for the keys to success.
For those who are united with Jesus Christ, sin is no longer our master. God has said so in His word.
Text: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Psalm 119:9-11 When Jesus saves people from their sin, He makes us new and breaks the power of sin over us.
A deeper dive into the Christmas story reveals that Christ's coming is more than just about forgiveness. It is about allowing God to reorder our lives - allowing Him to be our Master rather than sin.
Text: Matt 2:11 & Heb 4:14-16 Jesus is the greatest high priest in that He paid the price for our sins because of His great love for us.
What was the significance of Myrrh? Why did the Magi bring it as a gift? Listen to find out.
The birth of Jesus is more than the babe in the manger. It was a clash between the Roman Empire and the Kingdom of God. Today, the battle still rages, but it has moved. It rages in the hearts of all people, including Christians.
When God wanted Moses' attention, He used a Burning Bush that would not be consumed. It was something that Moses couldn't understand, so it got his attention. God calls us (Christians) to be a people that the world cannot explain away - that they may turn their attention to Him.
When you share your faith, you need to remember that God is sovereign. He is in charge of the outcomes. You are just a player in His plan. At the end of every prayer, pray; “Sovereign God, enable me to speak with boldness."
Text: Acts 3 & 4:5-20 Question: Why is sharing the message of the gospel the core of Christianity? Answers inside.
How we invest our time in the lives of others is a reflection of how well we provide a nurturing environment for the seeds of faith to grow.
Three Basic Tools for planting seed of faith: 1) Artful Questions 2) Agreements, not Arguments 3) Invest Your Life
Text: 1 Cor 9:19-27 Today, ignorance of Biblical things is common. As a result, we need to learn to assume nothing about a person’s beliefs and understandings, and tailor our conversation to meet their needs.
The soil in this parable is analogous with our heart. The condition of the soil (heart) has a great bearing on the outcome (growth). Like soil, we can work at amending (improving) the condition to be more receptive and hospitable to the seed that is planted. When a farmer plans to sow seed, he first works the soil to get it ready to receive the seed. Our task, as Christians, is no different.
Text: John 4:31 - 42 For many decades, the church in America has been in "harvest mode". We are now living in a time that harvesting is difficult to do. We must learn to sow by taking time to invest in relationships with people who are different than us. It will take effort, time, and most of all, prayer.
Text: John 4 In order for Jesus to have a meaningful discussion with the woman at the well, He met her where she was. He went out of His way to accommodate her routine in order to quench her thirst with Living Water.
Reference: Matt 5:13, Col 4:5-6 Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. If we want to impact the world for Him, we need to be salty. Salt has many properties. It is used for seasoning, preserving, melting ice, disinfecting, etc. It also stings if it gets into a wound. We may need to be like all of these. Paul said "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity."
Luke 12:13-21 The short answer to this question is: "Everything". You can't take any of your possessions with you. However, more importantly, there is something you can leave behind to your children that is not material. This has the potential to have greater impact than any material possessions you have.
Text: Acts 17:16 - 34 Everyone is a "believer" of one belief or another. Hence, it is necessary to understand the "Thought Culture" of your audience before you can effectively communicate with them.
Text: Exodus 20; Matthew 11:28-30 The need for a Sabbath, a day of rest, is woven into Creation. Without rest, we can, and do, work ourselves to exhaustion. God never intended it to be this way, yet our culture drives us this way.
God designed us to take joy in knowing and serving Him. Our purpose in life is not a mystery. He clearly tells us. You were made to give Him glory, not to glorify yourself or serve yourself. We worship what we treasure. And God wants us to treasure Him above all other things that might seem like treasure.
The Israelites wandered through the wilderness for 40 years, before arriving at the Promised Land. What was the purpose for this long trip (a straight trip would have taken a couple of months on foot)? Do their experiences have any relevance to our lives, today?
In order to patiently respond to trials which produce maturity; - You must hear and obey God; - Be wise in what is said; and - Be humble rather than angry.
Confronting someone you care about, in order to help them get right with God, is never very easy. You know how much is at stake.
What you are as a Christian is what you are in prayer. If there is one thing James wants us to get, it is the fact that prayer is important. It makes a dent - an impact. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Does James tell us to avoid physicians? No. He is speaking about when we are weak & weary and what to do about it.
Suffering: Everyone goes through it. There are some kinds of suffering that we are able to see something good come from it. But then, there are times when it seems there is no good from the suffering we encounter. Suffering sometimes acts as a catalyst that forces you to look for God and wait for Him to save you.
Scripture isn't against saving money and having things, but there is a line that it draws between saving and hoarding.
We sometimes forget to consider God in making our everyday plans. James tells us this is sin. How do we deal with that?
One of our problems is how we handle the truth in everyday life, especially in our closest relationships.
If you want to be right with God; if you want to put yourself in a place where He has said He will bless you and not oppose you, there is only one way to do it. You must humble yourself in the sight of the Lord.
We do that which we believe will bring us happiness. Sometimes we fight/argue/quarrel with others for it. How do we move away from this behavior?
Life is like trying to ride a wave. Some seem to be able to surf along the wave, while others get pummeled by it. How you handle the wave is up to you. Will you respond with fear and complaints, or will you respond in faith and contentment?
Since the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christianity, evidence of this event is of great importance.
Our love for Christ is a function of how much we realize the extent to which our sins are forgiven. If one thinks they do not need forgiveness, they will have little love for Christ.
God shows His love for us and wants us to show that love to others. Should we be just a "group of people" meeting on Sunday, or should we be the church "being the church as God called us to be"?
How Should/Does Grace Point use what we have been given by God to fulfill the Great Commission?
James tells us that wisdom from God makes your life beautiful. What does this mean and how does it work?
What makes a church grow? When everyone decides to use their gifts to serve the Lord. What makes an individual grow? When you individually decide you will use your gifts to build the church and influence people who are far from God to hear what God has to say to them.
The day after Valentines Day - Candy, Flowers, Cards, etc - most are 1/2 OFF. Discount Love. When we look at how our society handles love and marriage, that is what we see so many people experiencing. Discount Love. Not the kind of love that God designed, but something that is cheaper. Something easier to get into and out of. We are given only half the story.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forthe good; and an evil man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45
3 Observations Regarding True Faith: 1-Faith causes you to get involved. 2-Faith is never independent of works. 3-Faith is not invisible (it is personal, but not private).
One of the amazing byproducts of the commercialization of Christmas is this: once a year at Christmastime, the basic truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ become very accessible to an enormous audience. What shall we do about it?
Jesus became the poor man, the leper, the one cast out. He gave up his glory so you an I could have a noble name. He was judged so we could have God's mercy. Have you looked at the goodness and glory of Jesus Christ lately? have you seen how beautiful He is to us so that we can reflect it and act in beauty and mercy and compassion to others?
You don't have to try to find your significance by putting someone else down, or hoping someone higher will lift you up. All significance and glory has already been given in Jesus Christ.
A look at the process that God uses to transform us from what we were, to be more like Christ.
Question asked in the first century: How can a Christian be a citizen of heaven and also be a citizen of Rome? Good question that applies to us, today.
What can we do to avoid temptation? 1-Remember God always gives good gifts. 2-When under pressure, be quick to listen, slow to speak/anger.
Trials & difficulties force us to seek God to ask for wisdom. But this only happens is we realign our perspective and engage our attitude to look to what suffering can bring in us. If we cooperate with what God wants to do in us and stand firm with what we know is good and right, we will be purified like gold.
Every trial is a disguised opportunity to grow. God's priority for your life is not to change your circumstances, but to use your circumstances to change you! God's goal in you is to develop a maturity & wholeness in godly character that lacks nothing. By design, God desires to use trials in your life to turn your attention towards Him.
When you are confident that God himself is better than anything life can give us, or death can take away, then you will be able to handle anything this world can throw at you.
Every religion gives us stories and tells us to believe them. But Christianity gives us something more than a story. It gives us an actual person who raised from the dead. The writer of Hebrews is telling us that Jesus is better, because He is the Lord of the resurrection, and He offers it freely to anyone who follows Him fully.
When you trust God's promises, and believe He is sovereign (that nothing will stop Him from fulfilling His promises), it will change your life. It will also change your outlook on death - and then you can say with the Apostle Paul, "Death, where is your sting?"
3 Questions to answer for your life: 1-Where are you going? 2-How will you live until you arrive? 3-What do you need to leave behind?
Faith neither guarantees nor rules out comfort & success or pain & suffering. It doesn't give you a ticket out of hardship; but it does give you a key to live with the expectation of God doing amazing things in the midst of your hardship.
We (mankind) exited our relationship with God through unbelief, and we must come back to Him through belief/faith.
Faith is the centerpiece and currency of every good relationship. Where there is a lack of trust, the relationship will suffer.
How do YOU define Faith? Faith is not just a religious thing. People use faith everyday; but, how does "everyday faith" differ from "Biblical Faith"?
Ken gives specific examples from his life of how God's wisdom was revealed through the trials he faced.