Sunday Recap—October 1

SERMON RECAP

October 1, 2023 || Genesis 19 || Walt Alexander

THE SINS OF SODOM

MAIN POINT: The only way to escape the wrath to come is by a living faith in Jesus Christ.

  1. The Lord warns judgment is coming. (v. 19:1-12)

  2. The Lord urges, “Escape the coming judgment now!” (v. 19:15-22)

  3. The Lord brings judgment. (v. 19:23-29)

Membership Class

WHEN: Saturday | October 7 | 8:30am-12:30pm

WHAT: Join us as we unpack our doctrine, values & the commitments we make to one another. Sign up below to get more information.

Baby Dedications

WHEN: Sunday | October 8 | 10:30am | YMCA

WHAT: We want our families to have a Biblical vision for their children. Parenting is a divine responsibility and we believe every child is a gift from God. If you are interested in dedicating your child, please sign up below for more information.

One-to-One Bible Reading

WHEN: Sunday | October 8 | 9am | YMCA

WHAT: This short class will give you the tools to facilitate conversations about Jesus with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors through reading scripture together.

Sunday Recap—September 24

SERMON RECAP

September 24, 2023 || Genesis 15 || Walt Alexander

THE COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM

MAIN POINT: Faith is not a blind leap - it is personal trust in the God of the eternal covenant purchased with the blood of Christ.

  1. The Test of Faith: Delay (v. 15:1-5)

  2. The Essence of Faith: Trust (v. 15:6)

  3. The Assurance of Faith: Covenant (v. 15:7-21)

Baptism Class

When: Sunday | October 1 | 9am | YMCA

What: The class is for you if you’re a parent seeking to lead your children to personal trust in Jesus. If you have never been baptized & wonder if you should be or if you’ve wondered what it means “to be a Christian” & want help finding the answer.

Sunday Recap—September 17

SERMON RECAP

September 17, 2023 || Genesis 11:26-12:9 || Walt Alexander

THE CALL OF ABRAHAM

MAIN POINT: The promise of God depends on faith that leaves everything to follow.

  1. An unexpected promise. (v. 11:27-32)

  2. An unbelievable promise. (v. 12:1-3)

  3. An impossible promise. (v. 12:4-9)

This coming Sunday, we are continuing our class on Parenting.

Are the teenage years a season of threat or opportunity? Come and be encouraged from scripture on how to make the most of these years while relying on the Lord for help.

Joins us this Sunday at 9am at the YMCA as we talk about parenting teenagers. Childcare will be provided.

Sunday Recap—September 10.

SERMON RECAP

September 10, 2023 || Genesis 10:1-11:26 || Walt Alexander

FROM EVERY PEOPLE & NATION

MAIN POINT: Let us long & labor for the gospel of Christ to reach every people & nation.

  1. All people are united as one by the blessing of God (v. 10:1-32)

  2. All people are divided into many peoples & nations by the judgment of God (v. 11:1-9)

  3. Those from every people & nation will be united again by the salvation of God (v. 11:10-26)

This coming Sunday, we are continuing our class on Parenting.

This week we are focusing on Finding Joy in the Middle Years—parenting ages 6-11 years olds. What should we focus on during these years, as our kids get older, begin school, & continue to learn about God?

Joins us this Sunday at 9am at the YMCA as we talk about parenting 6-11 year olds. Childcare will be provided.

Sunday Recap

SERMON RECAP

September 3, 2023 || Genesis 9:18-29 || Taylor Hollingsworth

NEW WORLD, SAME OLD SIN

MAIN POINT: Put your trust in Christ who covers our shame, lifts our curse, and blesses all who are united to him by faith.

  1. Noah’s Sin: Salvation & Tranforsmation (v. 18-21)

  2. Noah’s Sons: Shame & Honor (v. 22-23)

  3. Noah’s Speech: Curse & Blessings (v. 24-29)

Joins us this Sunday at 9am at the YMCA as we talk about parenting 0-5 year olds. Childcare will be provided.

Sunday Recap

SERMON RECAP

August 27, 2023 || Genesis 8:1-9:17 || Walt Alexander

NEW WORLD, NEW COVENANT

MAIN POINT: Life is forever the undeserved gift of God and to be lived unto him.

  1. God remembers Noah (v. 8:1-19)

  2. God blesses Noah. (v. 8:20-9:7)

  3. God makes a covenant with Noah. (v. 9:8-17)

Joins us this Sunday at 9am at the YMCA as we talk about parenting 0-5 year olds. Childcare will be provided.

Who Told You?: David Park

1Co 3:5-7 - “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

This passage captures the truth of how God uses his people to carry out his purposes of bringing new life - and he often does so incrementally.

This past Sunday, we invited David Park to share about who planted and watered the gospel in his life and how God used this influence to bring the gospel’s effects to fruition in his soul.

The following is David’s testimony:

My name is David Park. My family and I have been attending Trinity Grace for about a year and a half. We officially joined the Church in the most recent batch of new Church members. We couldn’t be happier to be here. 

When asked if I would do “Who Told You” I began to think through and remember the various people God has placed in my life to share the Gospel with me. I was four years old when I was saved. It’s one of my earliest memories.

I do have one memory before that, it was a doctor giving me stitches, three year old me did not like that he was poking me with a needle, then when he approached my face with a pair of scissors, I was completely done (get the man with the scissors away from me!). 

I have virtually no memory of not being a Christian. I grew up in an amazing environment where Deut. 6 was lived out. The Gospel saturated our lives when we sat in our house, when we walked by the way, when we lied down and when we rose. And leading the way in that lifestyle was my father.

My dad has been in full time ministry (writing, speaking, counseling) for nearly forty years. One of the core truths he’s focused on during that time is the message of who we are in Christ. I grew up immersed in truths like,

- I am a child of God, I have been adopted by him

- You are a new creation, the old has passed away, behold a new thing has come

- I am a temple of God (the holy of holies)

- The Holy Spirit is at work in me to bear fruit 

Whenever I was headed out the door, my dad didn’t say things like, "be good.” Instead he always said, “Remember who you are.” I knew exactly what he was talking about. It helps too, teenage me made way better decisions because I gained my self worth from my identity in Christ, not from my peers. 

The second thing my dad did, he made the Christian life fun, adventurous, and incredibly attractive. There was so much laughter in our house. Christianity was never a stuck up, stiff, dead thing in our home. Instead we had a mission, there were people who needed to be saved, places to go, and stories to tell. My dad reminds me of King Lune from the Narnia book, A Horse and His Boy. He was a jovial, happy man who delighted in his sons and in the book King Lune tells his son, 

“For this is what it means to be a king: to be first in every desperate attack and last in every desperate retreat, and when there’s hunger in the land to wear finer clothes and laugh louder over a scantier meal than any man in your land.” 

My dad lived that out. 

Third, he has modeled a lifetime of faithfulness. In decades of serving God, he never gave up, burned out, or quit. A few years back he had triple bypass, open heart surgery. It’s a brutal procedure and he had complications that made it really touch and go for a while. But he’s there, laying in his hospital bed leading a nurse to Christ. He’s basically on his death bed but he’s busy furthering the Kingdom of God. And he hasn’t quit since. He’s in almost constant pain but he’s leading tours in Israel, he’s speaking in conferences, he’s writing, he’s mentoring people. He’s just not going to stop till he hears the Father say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. 

I know what it’s like to have a dad who spoke the truth (who God is and who I am), a dad who laughed and brought joy to his home, and who did that faithfully. I recognize now what sacrifices go into that, but I couldn’t be more grateful that my father blessed us in that way.

God bless!

We Believe starts next week!

WHY WE NEED WE BELIEVE?

Most people in our culture know what they don’t believe.

The headlines are the seemingly endless back and forth of the far right and the far left, the LGBTQ+ affirming and the not affirming, the Trump-supporting and the anyone-but-Trump-rejecting. The two sides are lined up and opposed to each other.

They know what they don’t believe—but they know what they believe?

Do we know what we believe?

We Believe is a course designed to help you know what we are for.

WHO IS WE BELIEVE FOR?

It is entitled We Believe: Doctrines to Know, Believe, & Live. It seeks to introduce and explain what we believe by carefully unpacking our Statement of Faith.

It is for all members, whether young or old, new to the faith or a seasoned saint.

But it is also a great course for your high school students as well. Last year, we had both a father & son take the course together, as well as a mother & daughter.

Do we know what we believe based on God’s Word?

We Believe is a course designed to help you know what we are for as a body of believers.

WHAT IS THE FIRST CLASS?

It begins next Wednesday, August 23 by studying the doctrine of Scripture. How did we get the bible? What is the bible for? Can we trust it? Can we build our lives on it? Please join us to explore these questions and more by signing up below.

Sunday Recap & Day of Fasting

SERMON RECAP

August 13, 2023 || Genesis 5:1-6:8 || Walt Alexander

MAIN POINT: Death reigns—but the good & glorious purposes of God remain for his people.

  1. The good purposes of mankind still continues.

  2. The offer of fellowship with God still stands.

  3. The promise of God still endures.

Day of prayer & fasting

Last Sunday, we noted how Lamech hoped in God. He named his son Noah, which sounds similar to comfort. And then, he said, “Out of the ground, this one shall bring us relief from our work & from the painful toil of our hands” (Genesis 5:29).

In the world under the shadow of the fall, Lamech refused to turn to anyone else but the Lord.

I want us to be like Lamech.

Right now, our church is afflicted by disease & I believe God is calling together to cry out to him. Greg Johnson is battling stomach cancer. Janet Hamm has just completed her third bout with breast cancer. Sara Jaquish is battling leukemia. Jenna Barbee is battling inflammatory breast cancer & is being seen at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas this week.

I want us to hope in God through this season of cancer.

For this reason, we are having a Day of Prayer & Fasting on Wednesday, August 15.

WHY SHOULD WE FAST

We should fast because we do not hunger for God as we ought.

We allow him to be tucked into the margins of our lives. We find it easy to spent hours on social media but struggle to spend a few minutes in prayer. We carve out plenty of time for work and sports but find little time for God. We do not hunger for God as we ought.

When we fast, we are saying to the Lord, I want to hunger for you more. I want to know you more. I want to be satisfied in you alone.

In addition, throughout the story of the Bible & church history, the people have regularly set aside days & seasons too fast together. That’s why we are fasting right now as a church together.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN WE FAST

In a word: Pray!

If you begin fasting at dinnertime on Tuesday & continue until dinnertime on Wednesday, take all the times you would normally eat to pray. And, whenever you experience hunger pains during those 24 hours, take time to pray.

Below are some things to pray for:

  • Pray for wisdom, guidance, & clarify for Jenna & John Barbee this week in their meetings with doctors at MD Anderson.

  • Pray for strength & perseverance for Greg Johnson as he recovers from a chemo treatment last week & prepares for his next treatment on September 1.

  • Pray for strength & help for Sarah Jaquish as she struggles with the ongoing symptoms of leukemia & other health concerns.

  • Pray for a clear scan for Janet Hamm in October & for the cancer to not return.

  • Pray for full healing for each of these individuals & for them to be able to serve you with all their heart, soul, mind, & strength!

Announcements + Sunday Recap

SERMON RECAP

Genesis 4 // Cain, Abel, & the Enemy Within

August 6, 2023 || Genesis 4 || Walt Alexander

MAIN POINT: Kill sin or sin will master and kill you.

  1. Ungodly desires lead to sin. (v.1-8)

  2. Sin brings about the judgement of God. (v.9-16)

  3. Despite sin and judgment, God gives more grace. (v.17-26)

TGKIDS RECAP

TGKIDS

The heart of TGKids is to help children understand that the Bible is all about Jesus! Below is the story, scripture, and main teaching points from the TGKids lesson, so that you can talk with your kids about what they learned.

Bible Story: The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Scripture: Luke 1

Bible Truth: The baby to be born to Mary would be the Savior of the world.

Where is the Gospel?

How does today’s Bible story fit into God’s greater plan of redemption?

When Mary saw Elizabeth with child, she realized that what the angel Gabriel had told her was true. Then she heard Elizabeth’s prophetic blessing. Filled with wonder and joy, she worshiped God with a song.

Mary was a sinner just like us. She needed a Savior (Luke 1:47), and she knew that God’s promise was going to be fulfilled with the birth of the baby inside her. She knew that God’s plan of salvation would somehow be about her son. Her words are a song of praise to God for his incredible promise to Abraham and his descendants. The fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham was going to come through Jesus. But Mary could not have understood that her son would be sacrificed on the cross in order to fulfill that promise. It is through Jesus that people from every nation are blessed.

If you want to learn more about TGKids, click the button below!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

TG Youth Starts August 9

WHEN: Wednesday | August 9 | 6:30 pm

WHAT: 6th-12th graders and parents are welcome to join us at the Pritchett’s house!

Back to School Block Party

WHEN: Saturday, August 12th

WHAT: Be a part of the fun and fellowship as we celebrate back to school at the Athens YMCA from 11 am - 2 pm. Sign up below for more information on how you can volunteer.

Community Groups are back in August

WHEN: Sunday afternoon/evening or Wednesday evening every other week.

WHAT: Community Groups are starting back the first week of August. If you would like to find out more about a Community Group and how to get involved, select the link below.

We Believe

WHEN:  Monthly on Wednesday | 7 - 8:30pm | Church Office - Starts August 23


WHAT:  In a culture that is rapidly changing and redefining so many things, it is important to know what we believe. Sign up below to get more information.

Membership Class

WHEN: September 16, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

WHAT: Join us as we unpack our doctrine, values, & the commitments we make to one another. Sign up below to get more information.

Women’s Retreat

WHEN: September 22-23

WHERE: Camp Fairview

Mark your calendars! You will not want to miss this spiritually refreshing retreat and wonderful time of fellowship, food, and fun. Registration is now available with more information coming soon.

Announcements + Sunday Recap

SERMON RECAP

A Psalm of Creation

July 30, 2023 || Psalm 8 || Walt Alexander

MAIN POINT: Let our all-powerful God be exalted & let us serve him in heartfelt awe.

  1. The power of your weakness.

  2. The wonder of your insignificance.

  3. The potential of your toil.

TGKIDS RECAP

TGKIDS

The heart of TGKids is to help children understand that the Bible is all about Jesus! Below is the story, scripture, and main teaching points from the TGKids lesson, so that you can talk with your kids about what they learned.

Bible Story: Nehemiah

Scripture: Nehemiah 1 - 6

Bible Truth: God works through people to accomplish his redemptive plan.

Where is Jesus: Mark 15: 22 - 24

One day Jesus would minister in the restored city of Jerusalem. Although the people of Israel rebelled against God, God had a plan to redeem his people through Christ.

Part of that plan was to restore the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was crucified just outside those city walls. Jesus walked through the Judgment Gate in the wall that led to Golgotha, also called the Place of the Skull, where he gave his life for the atonement of our sins.

If you want to learn more about TGKids, click the button below!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

TG Youth Starts August 9

WHEN: Wednesday | August 9 | 6:30 pm

WHAT: 6th-12th graders and parents are welcome to join us at the Pritchett’s house!

Back to School Block Party

WHEN: Saturday, August 12th

WHAT: Be a part of the fun and fellowship as we celebrate back to school at the Athens YMCA from 11 am - 2 pm. Sign up below for more information on how you can volunteer.

Community Groups are back in August

WHEN: Sunday afternoon/evening or Wednesday evening every other week.

WHAT: Community Groups are starting back the first week of August. If you would like to find out more about a Community Group and how to get involved, select the link below.

We Believe

WHEN:  Monthly on Wednesday | 7 - 8:30pm | Church Office - Starts August 23


WHAT:  In a culture that is rapidly changing and redefining so many things, it is important to know what we believe. Sign up below to get more information.

Membership Class

WHEN: September 16, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

WHAT: Join us as we unpack our doctrine, values, & the commitments we make to one another. Sign up below to get more information.

Women’s Retreat

WHEN: September 22-23

WHERE: Camp Fairview

Mark your calendars! You will not want to miss this spiritually refreshing retreat and wonderful time of fellowship, food, and fun. Registration is now available with more information coming soon.

VBS: Stories of Radical Rescue - In Pictures

The members of Trinity Grace Church partnered with the YMCA to facilitate a short Vacation Bible School (VBS) as a part of Day Camp. The theme was Radical Rescue. Each day featured a story that pointed to the power, kindness, and goodness of God.

Through stories, songs, games, and crafts, we highlighted the good news of Jesus Christ in the stories of Jesus calming the storm, the lost son, and the Good Shepherd.

It was a joy-filled, high-energy time of serving our community. We are grateful that the Good Shepherd laid down his life for his sheep. We hope more sheep in McMinn County will be added to the fold (John 10:11).

Below are some pictures of our 3 days of VBS. Enjoy!

Announcements + Sunday Recap

SERMON RECAP

Paradise Lost

July 23, 2023 || Genesis 3:7-24 || Walt Alexander

MAIN POINT: The only appropriate response to the unimaginable wreckage of sin is turning in humility to God.

  1. Sin is worse than imagined (v. 8 - 13).

  2. Sin’s effects are greater than imagined (v. 14 - 19).

  3. God’s grace is better than imagined (v. 20 -24).

TGKIDS RECAP

TGKIDS

The heart of TGKids is to help children understand that the Bible is all about Jesus! Below is the story, scripture, and main teaching points from the TGKids lesson, so that you can talk with your kids about what they learned.

Bible Story: The Temple is Completed

Scripture: Ezra 6 - 7

Bible Truth: Nothing stops God from redeeming his people.

Where is Jesus: Ephesians 2: 19 - 22

After the rebuilding of Zerubbabel’s temple, seven hundred animals were sacrificed. At the completion of Solomon’s temple 142,000 animals were sacrificed. Neither temple remains today. Those hundreds and thousands of sacrifices were temporary. Those temples were temporary.

Jesus is God’s temple (Revelation 21:22) just as Christ’s body—the church—is God’s temple (Ephesians 2:19–22). As a part of the church, we are each individually God’s temple (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

We are God’s temples because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Together we make up his church and all of us form the body of Christ. In Christ we have become the new temple of God. Only one sacrifice was made and only one was ever needed—the death of Christ on the cross.

If you want to learn more about TGKids, click the button below!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Gil Balch Special Offering

WHEN: Sunday, July 30th

WHAT: You are invited to prayerfully consider participating in a special offering to help support Gil Balch and his family as they step out on faith to pursue the Lord’s calling on his life.

Back to School Block Party

WHEN: Saturday, August 12th

WHAT: Be a part of the fun and fellowship as we celebrate back to school at the Athens YMCA from 11 am - 2 pm. Sign up below for more information on how you can volunteer.

Membership Class

WHEN: September 16, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

WHAT: Join us as we unpack our doctrine, values, & the commitments we make to one another. Sign up below to get more information.

Women’s Retreat

WHEN: September 22-23

WHERE: Camp Fairview

Mark your calendars! You will not want to miss this spiritually refreshing retreat and wonderful time of fellowship, food, and fun. Registration is now available with more information coming soon.

Announcements + Sunday Recap

SERMON RECAP

Paradise in Tension

July 16, 2023 || Genesis 3:1-7 || Walt Alexander

MAIN POINT: Watch out, your main enemy is not the world, the devil, or your neighbor—it is your own sin.

  1. The Serpent (v. 1 - 3).

  2. The Lie (v. 4 - 5).

  3. The Sin (v. 6 - 7).

TGKIDS RECAP

TGKIDS

The heart of TGKids is to help children understand that the Bible is all about Jesus! Below is the story, scripture, and main teaching points from the TGKids lesson, so that you can talk with your kids about what they learned.

Bible Story: The Exiles Return

Scripture: Ezra 1 - 3

Bible Truth: God moves in the hearts of men to rebuild the temple and accomplish his purpose.

Where is Jesus: Ezra 3: 8 - 13

Some of the people of God who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon were very old. If a child had been a ten-year-old when first captured, he would be an eighty-year-old now after the seventy-year captivity in Babylon.

The older men remembered how beautiful Solomon’s temple had been before being destroyed. That’s why they were sad and crying. But their children, who had grown up in Babylon, had never seen Solomon’s temple, so they rejoiced when the foundation was laid.

Even though the new temple was not as big and beautiful as the original, something very special would one day happen there. Jesus would visit this rebuilt temple; he would walk across the very foundation they were laying. The older men had good reason to be sad, but if they had only known that Jesus would teach and heal in the rebuilt temple, they would have rejoiced instead of crying.

Jesus is the new temple. When we become Christians we become a part of Christ’s body, the church—we become a part of the new temple (1 Corinthians 3:16–17). God’s new, most glorious temple is not man-made but God-made. The same presence of God that filled Solomon’s temple fills the heart of every Christian.

If you want to learn more about TGKids, click the button below!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

VBS: Stories of Radical Rescue

WHEN: July 19- 21 | 2 - 4 pm | YMCA

WHO: TGC kids ages 5-12 years old are welcome to join for free!

HOW: Please arrive around 1:45p and let the front desk know you are dropping kids off for VBS. Parents can then register their kids for the day in the gym. Pickup is in the gym at 4pm.

Advance 2023!

WHEN: July 27 - 29

WHAT: Advance is back . . . and better than ever!  Advance is a summer retreat for youth.  Sign up below to reserve your spot.

Membership Class

WHEN: September 16, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

WHAT: Join us as we unpack our doctrine, values, & the commitments we make to one another. Sign up below to get more information.

Women’s Retreat

WHEN: September 22-23

WHERE: Camp Fairview

Mark your calendars! You will not want to miss this spiritually refreshing retreat and wonderful time of fellowship, food, and fun. Registration is now available with more information coming soon.

Lawncare & Prayer in Pictures

Nearly 30 members of Trinity Grace participated in our Lawncare and Prayer day. Baskets were assembled with baked goods, information about our church, and a copy of “The Cross-Centered Life” by C.J. Mahaney. 5 teams fanned out across Athens to help folks in need. It was a wonderful day connecting with people in the community and serving together. Below are just a few snapshots from the day. Please pray for opportunities to follow up with some people who are interested in learning more about Jesus.

Keep an eye out for future serving opportunities. We hope to connect with more and more people in our community who do not know Jesus and do not have a church home.

Announcements + Sunday Recap

SERMON RECAP

Openness to the Lord

July 9, 2023 || 1 John 1:1-2:1 || Gil Balch

MAIN POINT: God is holy, and he calls us to live in humble, honest confession to receive forgiveness through the blood of Christ.

  1. The Standard (v.5).

  2. The Claims (v. 6, 8, 10).

  3. The Truth (v. 7, 9, 2:1).

TGKIDS RECAP

TGKIDS

The heart of TGKids is to help children understand that the Bible is all about Jesus! Below is the story, scripture, and main teaching points from the TGKids lesson, so that you can talk with your kids about what they learned.

Bible Story: Daniel in the Lion’s Den

Scripture: Daniel 6

Bible Truth: God Preserves His People by His Sovereign Hand.

Where is Jesus: 1 Timothy 1:15-16

Like Paul, we are all sinners. We have broken God’s law and deserve a death sentence. God’s law cannot be repealed or changed. Similarly in Daniel’s day, the law of the Medes and Persians could not be repealed. When the king’s law was broken, the person who broke the law had to be punished. King Darius could not save Daniel. God, however, could save Daniel.

Like Daniel, we have all broken a law that cannot be changed: God’s law. But, we have a heavenly king who can save us, not by changing the law but by taking the punishment we deserve. God saved Daniel from the lions by the angel and God has saved us by the death of his Son, Jesus, on the cross. Our God is a God who saves! By remaining in the lions’ den overnight, Daniel satisfied the law of the Medes and Persians. By taking our punishment on the cross, Jesus satisfied the law of God.

If you want to learn more about TGKids, click the button below!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lemonade Stand: Isaiah 117 House

WHEN: Saturday, July 15 10am - 2pm

WHERE: YMCA, 205 Knoxville Ave

Enjoy some refreshing lemonade and support the work of Isaiah 117 House as they provide physical and emotional support in a safe and loving home for children awaiting placement.

VBS: Stories of Radical Rescue

WHEN: July 19- 21 | 2 - 4 pm | YMCA

WHAT: Are you interested in helping serve at this year’s VBS at the YMCA as we proclaim the good news about the radical rescue of Jesus Christ?

If so, click the button below to sign up and receive more information.

Advance 2023!

WHEN: July 27 - 29

WHAT: Advance is back . . . and better than ever!  Advance is a summer retreat for youth.  Sign up below to reserve your spot.

Membership Class

WHEN: September 16, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

WHAT: Join us as we unpack our doctrine, values, & the commitments we make to one another. Sign up below to get more information.

Women’s Retreat

WHEN: September 22-23

WHERE: Camp Fairview

Mark your calendars! You will not want to miss this spiritually refreshing retreat and wonderful time of fellowship, food, and fun. Registration information coming soon.

Who Told You?: Jeremiah Kersey

1Co 3:5-7 - “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

This passage captures the truth of how God uses his people to carry out his purposes of bringing new life - and he often does so incrementally.

This past Sunday, we invited Jeremiah Kersey to share about those who planted and watered the gospel in his life and how God used their influence to bring the gospel’s effects to fruition in his soul.

The following is Jeremiah’s testimony:

My name is Jeremiah, and I’ve been a Christian for 10 years. I would like to tell you about the person who told me about Jesus and the true gospel.

I was born in Cleveland, Tn.  I did not grow up in Church, but I was raised with the understanding that my family was Christian. When I was about six or seven years old we attended a handful of services, but then we stopped and never returned.  My father explained that the church was full of hypocrites.  I didn’t understand what he meant.  As I got older I assumed that church attendance was mostly for appearances, and in no way necessary.

My views on Christianity were so warped that I thought everyone I met was a Christian.  I knew other religions existed and that some people didn’t believe in God, but it wasn’t until middle school that I listened to someone, face to face, deny God’s existence.  They were obviously trying to be as edgy as possible, and it was goofy.  Even though it was memorable, it was not compelling in any way.  This is also the same year I met another kid, who would become my closest childhood friend.  

 Later in high school this was the young man who told me that God wasn’t real.  I remember feeling afraid and nervous.  He wasn’t trying to get a reaction.  He was sincerely sharing his beliefs with his best friend.  I admired him so much that I had to hear his reasoning.  He provided several arguments against the authenticity of the Bible and walked me through the problem of evil.  With no biblical knowledge and a whopping 4-5 entire children’s church sessions under my belt, it’s safe to say I was ill-equipped to provide any rebuttal.  We just never talked about it again, but my understanding of the world was dramatically changed.  By the time I was a senior in high school I was firmly agnostic.  Like any good agnostic I researched a ton of sources that confirmed my bias and settled into a more atheistic stance. 

A few years later while I was working in Cleveland a beautiful girl named Carrie started her first week of training at the same call center.  A couple dates, a ringless proposal, and within 6 months we were married.  During our very short engagement she had one requirement.  I had to attend church services with her.  I didn’t argue because beliefs are loosely held when you throw a cute girl into the mix. So, in the blink of an eye I went from an atheist back to agnostic.  I attended services with her, but I mostly just spaced out until they were over.  Anyways, as young love goes we both ended up losing our jobs from missing too many days.

Thankfully, I was able to land my first IT job and that’s where I met a man who would quickly become a close friend and mentor.  His name is Anton Burnette, and this is the man who told me about Jesus.  I don’t know why he took an interest in me, but I will forever be in his debt. Not only did he mentor me regarding the day to day job, but he also taught me how to work diligently in any position and how to lead a team.  More importantly, he shared the gospel and defended the faith against every argument I had.  He would walk me through the most basic points, step by step, until I realized I had no defense for that particular belief.  Through the next 2 years Anton sent me countless videos, websites, and books on various Christian doctrines.  I knew that there was no possible argument against the Christian God.  He was absolutely true.  I knew that the Bible was God-breathed and uncorrupted.  I understood the doctrines of grace.  

However, something didn’t feel right.  I had knowledge of God and a defense of the faith, but it was just knowledge.  Through both God and Anton’s wisdom a couple of things happened, almost back to back.  Anton sent me a youtube link on a discussion of Acts 2.  Two of the verses referenced were Acts 2 v.38 and 39, “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”  I didn’t really think anything about that particular reference as I watched it, but then that ole youtube algorithm hit the jackpot.  I came across R.C. Sproul’s lessons on “The Assurance of Salvation.”  Here again, I seemed to understand the lesson and I would pause the video and confirm my understanding with Anton and nothing surprising came up.  I was, however, growing more and more scared as the lessons continued.  There was a reference to Matthew 7 v.23, “...depart from me I never knew you.”  Then there was a section on all the variations of false assurance.  Finally at the end R.C. Sproul explained that a person could know they have been regenerated by their new found hate for sin.  A person’s correct love of Christ would cause them to love Christ’s law and to hate lawlessness.  

A number of things washed over me at that moment:  I admitted that I always knew God existed, but I didn’t love him before.  I loved my sin.  At that same moment I realized how disgusting my sins were in the sight of God.  As my eyes were welling up my mind flooded with the number of times Anton had referenced Acts 2 v.38, but this time it clicked.  I finally understood the gospel, and after my eyes dried up I turned to Anton and said, “I need to be baptized.”  I was baptized two weeks later.  Anton continued to instruct me in biblical doctrines over the next three years until our careers took different paths.  He will always be one of my most trusted friends.

I thank God for putting Anton in my life. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him.  He set an example that I will always strive for.  Thank you all for the opportunity to share my story.

Announcements + Sunday Recap

SERMON RECAP

What is Marriage?

July 2, 2023 || Genesis 2:24-25 || Taylor Hollingsworth

MAIN POINT: Honor, protect, and rejoice in the covenant of marriage for God’s glory and for our good.

  1. Marriage is a design created by God.

  2. Marriage is a covenant ordained by God.

  3. Marriage is a sign displaying the gospel of God.

TGKIDS RECAP

TGKIDS

The heart of TGKids is to help children understand that the Bible is all about Jesus! Below is the story, scripture, and main teaching points from the TGKids lesson, so that you can talk with your kids about what they learned.

Bible Story: The Glory Belongs to God Alone

Scripture: Daniel 4

Bible Truth: The glory for all we do belongs to God.

Where is Jesus: Daniel 4:27–33.

Daniel told the king to obey God’s commands—to stop sinning and practice righteousness. But even if the king wanted to stop sinning, he would not be able to. And if he could stop sinning, he would still be guilty of all the bad things he had already done and would still need to be punished for his sin. What the king really needed was to give up and call out to God for mercy.

We are all sinners. We continue to sin no matter how hard we try not to. Plus, all the good things we do cannot cover up the bad things we have already done. Our only hope is to call out to God to save us. God has provided a way for us to be forgiven by sending his Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. It is only when we trust in the good work of Jesus on the cross that we can be saved..

If you want to learn more about TGKids, click the button below!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lawn Care & Prayer

WHEN: July 8 | 8am - 12pm

WHAT: We want to freely give to people in our community as a small expression of how Christ has freely given to us in the gospel by serving folks who may struggle to maintain their lawn for one reason or another. Our Lawn Care & Prayer teams will consist of people like you who will physically care for the person through mowing or spiritually care for the person through prayer.

Click below for more information on how to serve.

Picnic on the Lawn

Join us this Sunday, July 9th, after church for a time of fellowship. Bring your picnic lunch and lawn chairs and enjoy some summer fun!

VBS: Stories of Radical Rescue

WHEN: July 19- 21 | 2 - 4 pm | YMCA

WHAT: Are you interested in helping serve at this year’s VBS at the YMCA as we proclaim the good news about the radical rescue of Jesus Christ?

If so, click the button below to sign up and receive more information.