Grace Baptist Santa Clarita: Service Podcast

We use a lot of confusing terms at church, and this is certainly true in reference to how we speak of worship. To the casual observer, it would seem that worship happens when you enter the worship center for the worship service and the worship music starts. But confusing terminology aside, the American church has a skewed view of worship, which has “me” at its center. But worship isn’t about me, nor is it a perfunctory religious rite we endure weekly. No, worship is about the overflow of a heart that beholds the greatness of God and desires, more than anything else, to give God the praise due his name. Simply put, worship is the obedient overflow of a heart and life that is more in awe of God than anything else.

The word “discipleship” is common in church life. But just what is a “disciple?” And what is the process of “discipleship?” Further, what does discipleship look like in the home and in the church? This weekend we take time to consider the command of Jesus to “make disciples” as well as the responsibility laid on both the family and the church to reach people with the Gospel, leading those of no faith to first faith and on to firm faith.

We’re all familiar with the term “gospel” as God’s good news for mankind extended to us in Jesus. But what place does the Gospel play in our families and in the life of the church? This weekend we will see how our commitment to the Gospel is also a commitment to a passionate partnership with the local body of Christ … Grace Baptist Church. May the delight of the Gospel unite our hearts in the mission of Jesus, through Grace, to our world.

Our society is making it harder and harder on the family and on the family of God … the local church. How does God want these two institutions to relate to one another? Is the local church simply a useful resource for the family, available to them when they feel a need? Or is the local church an essential element in what it means to walk “in a manner worthy of Christ?” Over the next few weeks, we will explore the riches God has for us through the Body of Christ and find that passionate partnership in the local church is God’s design for every one who desires to follow the Lord Jesus.

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7

Change is hard, especially after we have put some years into pursuing a certain course of life. But...what if our view of the world and life and God and eternity turns out to be wrong? What wold make us take another look at our core beliefs? Today we take time to interview the Apostle Paul and find out why he left a very prestigious positionto become a bond servant of Jesus Christ.

On this Palm Sunday weekend, we take time to reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The city was already filled with those coming to celebrate Passover. Little did anyone know Jesus would be the great Passover Lamb whose death would forever deal savingly with the problem of sin for all believers. But Jesus knew. And he intentionally depicted his Messianic mission as one bringing peace by riding not on the mighty steed of a conquering hero, but as the Prince of Peace, humble and seated on the foal of a donkey.

Paul has finally made it to Rome. Through the providence of God, the messenger of the Gospel has come to the center of the empire. In some ways, this marks the beginning of Paul’s ministry even as it marks the final years of his life. He has travelled extensively, but is now under house arrest. But while he may be chained the Gospel of Jesus has just begun it magnificent growth outward, through the church, to the ends of the earth.

God cares for, maintains, and directs for his purposes all of creation through the natural properties and laws he has ordained. But sometimes God works contrary to natural law in order to display his power. These we call “miracles.” Today the idea of a miracle can be quite confusing. If your team wins, is it a miracle? As Christ-followers we must understand miracles occupy a very special and important place in God’s self-disclosure, and it is necessary for us to understand them as the Bible means for them to be understood.

As Paul is finally on his way to Rome to witness of Christ Jesus, the journey is filled with great peril. Yet throughout the voyage, the overarching theme is the providential care of God whereby the one he has chosen as his witness to the gospel is brought safely to the center of the Empire. Through Luke’s exciting narrative, we come to understand the nature of God’s providence and realize the rest that is found in a profound trust in God’s promise.

This week we approach Paul’s fifth and final defense of the gospel in the book of Acts. We will observe two trials, one before Festus, the new Roman Governor, and the other before Agrippa, a Jewish King. Luke, the author, is writing to two very different worldviews– one Jewish, the other Roman. All the books of the Bible previous to Acts are written in the Jewish context, but once we encounter Acts and the rest of the New Testament the context is distinctly Roman. In Acts 25-26 we see Paul defend the gospel to both the Jewish and Roman mindsets: to Festus and Agrippa. This week Paul will show us what we need to know about defending the gospel.

Paul’s time in Jerusalem was a period of great contrast. While personally he was being subjected to great bodily harm, he also was taking advantage of great opportunities to testify to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the end, while under house arrest, the greatest conversations were with the Roman governor Felix, and it is here we find Paul’s assessment of the essential elements of the good news.

When Paul is put before the Sanhedrin, he uses the doctrine of resurrection to divide the members and once again escape indictment. But was this merely a clever rhetorical tool or something more? What we will discover is that, for Paul, the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, with all its ramifications, really was what separated him from those on the council. His experience with the risen Jesus on the Damascus road forever changed his life and grounded his theology.

Over the last few chapters of Acts we will watch as Paul is put on trial for the gospel. Like his Savior before him, he will be falsely accused and imprisoned. He will also be the target of several criminal attempts to end his life. But in the midst of it all, his one desire is to declare the glorious story of God’s grace to sinners, extended by his risen Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. In every case, Paul’s legal defense was essentially a presentation of the gospel.

As we join Paul and his companions on their journey from Asia to Jerusalem, we encounter two important questions along the way. At every stop Paul hears from those through whom the Spirit of God is speaking. Yet they seem to be going against what Paul himself has heard from God. What do we do with this? How do we know what God wants of us today? Even more serious is the situation Paul is facing. He is walking into adversity and maybe even death. How are we who are committed to Jesus to think about death? And even more, how are we to prepare to face it righteously? Fortunately, the Bible holds all the necessary answers to inform, encourage, and embolden us to face both life and death in a manner worthy of our Savior.

Everything stands or falls on leadership. Paul’s final charge to the elders of the Ephesian church stands as one of the greatest leadership directives of all time. No matter if you are a leader in the church or in the family, at work, or simply learning to lead, the principles here are foundational for anyone desiring to help a group of people accomplish their God-given mission, by his grace and for his glory.

What do you think of when you hear the word “idol”? Chances are your mind fills with pictures of ancient pagan religion and their rituals. But make no mistake: idolatry is alive and well and living in our hearts today! This weekend, with the story of an Ephesian riot as the backdrop, we’ll take a look at how following Christ is also a call to rid our lives and attitudes of the desire to either replace God or domesticate him. Both constitute idolatry, which is the enemy of faithful obedience to Christ from a heart of sincere love. If our relationship with Jesus is driven more by manipulation than adoration then – like it or not – we’re practicing a sneaky form of idolatry.

As we re-enter Luke’s account of the Apostles’ sharing of the story of Jesus, we meet Paul in the city of Ephesus. His experiences there form a great model for us as we prepare to enter a New Year intent on increasing the fervency of our everyday evangelism in the normal rhythms of life and the privilege of discipleship in the cause of Christ.

Some time after the birth of Jesus, Magi from the east found their way to him in what is one of the strangest stories in the Bible. Who were they? And why did Matthew think it important to narrate their journey and response to Jesus? And what are we to make of the clear contrast he draws between Herod, the Jewish king, and the Gentile Magi?

From our point of view, the work of God in the lives of Zechariah, Joseph, Mary, and the Shepherds sure looks like a series of interruptions. Yet in reality, they were all elements in the plan of God, settled from before time. And all of them were only preliminary steps along the path that led to the grand fulfillment of God’s redemptive promise in the birth of Jesus. When he was born, all heaven rejoiced; and while few knew it at the time, his birth would forever be recognized as the most glorious “interruption” humanity would ever know.