Grace At Fort Clarke Podcast

We’ve all done it. Everybody does. Every day. We speak about somebody who is not present, whether we are complaining, cursing or casting them in a bad light. Though we are taught not to speak evil of any person, we do. But where are those who refuse to talk bad of others? At all? Jesus gives us plain instruction on how to deal with those who have hurt us, and as we follow his method, we will be cured of talking badly about anyone. Ever. Again. QUESTIONS • Have you ever learned another person spoke about you behind your back? How did that feel? What did that do to your relationship?  • Do you speak negatively about others when they are not present? Why? What makes it feel justifiable to do so? • How did this message make you feel? Does Jesus know what he’s talking about when it comes to dealing with the person who has hurt you? • Have you ever followed these steps? How did it turn out? • What will you do going forward instead of speaking evil of others? How can you honor God—and the person who hurt you

Too often we find ourselves stuck in our walk with Christ, failing to move beyond where we are, due to something we have all but forgotten is basic to the spiritual life. Self-denial. Saying no to our desires, when they compete with what God wants for us. We know dieting is difficult. So is gossiping. Though the world and even our own nature cannot be depended upon to help us in this discipline, God wants to develop people learning to live as Jesus did, putting petty (and ungodly) desires to death in order to live free for him. QUESTIONS: • Do you feel you practice Self-denial pretty well? Consistently? What about Self-control? Where do you struggle in this area? • How does this message make you feel? Do you wonder whether this is truly the path God has for those who follow Jesus? Why or why not? • If you were able to incorporate Self-denial into your daily decisions, what do you believe the outcome could be for you? What do you think God is wanting to do in your life through denying yourself, taking up your

The times we live in are extremely challenging. It’s easier to fire off a tweet calling out somebody or canceling them altogether than to come together to discuss crucial matters. Nations are rising up against their leaders. Coronavirus has changed everything for all of us. The future seems uncertain, at best, terrifying, at worst. But God knows all this. And he is forging a way forward with his people. For our good and his glory. Joshua reminded God’s people they had never been this way before but God would not abandon them. He is saying the same to us today. QUESTIONS • How has the coronavirus pandemic affected your level of anxiety or uncertainty? On a scale of 1-10, how concerned are you about its impact in your life or the life of a loved one? • What is your reaction when people mention systemic racism, white privilege, or racial disparities? How are you managing these difficult conversations on sensitive subject matters? • How has God shown his faithfulness in past challenges you faced? Do you have

America is founded upon the Judeo-Christian principle that no person should ever exist under the tyranny of another person, people or government. It’s a message that all people should be free. Likewise, God sent his son, Jesus, to set you and me free. Free from past failures, present strife, guilt and shame, even from fear—especially the fear of death. Do you know this freedom? You can. It is in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. And it is given freely. QUESTIONS • What is it about being an American you value most? Would the world be a better place if every person enjoyed the things you appreciate that your country affords you? • What is it about being a Christ-follower you value most? • Have you been set free from something through God’s power in your life? Can you describe what happened? How do you feel being free from that? • What is it you believe God wants to set you free from currently? Is this something you believe he can—and wants—to do in your life? What do you believe he wants you to do to

We had a blast at "Mystery Island." June 21–25

We all agree that repentance is necessary for a person to come to faith in Christ in order to be forgiven and saved. But how many of us believe we are done with repentance and faith once we are “in Christ”? Does God merely cover our sins with the work of Christ, counting us as righteous and good but not actually making us righteous and good? When we realize our sin nature has been knocked down but not knocked out, that it is still inside us even though we are saved, then we must exercise repentance and faith to receive the promises of God to deliver us from both the guilt and the power of sin. This is a second work God does in us by his Spirit. QUESTIONS 1. Have you ever considered God has more than offering forgiveness for your sins, that he promises to deliver you from the power of your sins? Explain what you understand to be God’s intention for dealing with the sin that remains within you. 2. Do you struggle within yourself over the powerlessness to love God with your whole being and everybody else as yo

How many doors have you entered this week? Where did they take you? The bank lobby. A doctor’s waiting room. Your classroom. The office. Your car. Home. Some don’t feel welcome coming back home. Because of where they’ve been, what they’ve done. But Jesus stands at the door knocking, inviting, by his Spirit, all to come find forgiveness and cleansing so God can bring us into his home. Forever. Starting today. QUESTIONS • Describe the feeling you get when you return home—whether your childhood home growing up, or your current home. Does it feel like your “center” where you can unwind, be yourself, and recharge your batteries? Or is it not such a positive experience for you? • How were you led to place your faith in Christ? Can you trace the work of the Spirit in drawing you to God? • Why did you respond? (To be saved from eternal punishment? To know more of Jesus? To find peace? What was your motivation?) • How does it feel to be “home” with God in your relationship with Christ? Describe the things that make y

Jesus promised to send to us ‘the Counselor,’ ‘the Helper,’ once he went back to the Father. And when this ‘Spirit of Truth’ comes, he said he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. How does the Holy Spirit convict a human heart, drawing people home to their Father in heaven? How does he wake us from our spiritual slumber to recognize our need for God? And what do people do when they feel this conviction? The first order of coming back to God is responding to the grace of God, something John Wesley called ‘Prevenient’ grace, or the grace that goes before. QUESTIONS • Can you recount the ways God convicted your heart to consider turning your life over to him? What were the circumstances, and how did it work for you? • Do you remember making the decision to surrender your life to Christ? What role did the Holy Spirit play in that? • Are there people you know that you are concerned might be spiritually ‘asleep,’ not living their lives for the glory of God and with love

Grace Worship Dance Ministry perform to "A Mother Like You" by JJ Heller. During Mother's Day Sunday service on May 9, 2021.

Do you feel like a disappointment to God? That you have disqualified yourself from being somebody who counts, because of your failures and sins? This is how Peter felt after denying Jesus not once but 3 times! Yet Jesus does something to restore Peter and show him he was never disqualified, only unaware of his total need for the grace of God all along the way. Jesus is doing the same for each of us as he prepares us to receive his Spirit. QUESTIONS • When have you felt like you’ve blown it with God? Have you ever done something to think He has had enough of you, that He was most likely ready to move on without you? • If you know the shame Peter felt before his Lord, where are you today in relation to those feelings or fears? What has God done to restore you to the fact of his love for you (and your love for him)? • Did you think Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him because Jesus was wondering? How has this message challenged you to see God’s love for you in a different light? What will you do with what He’

Do you know that God speaks your name? That Jesus calls out to you with words he has for you personally, specifically? How do you know the voice of the one calling you? This isn’t just something cool to realize—it’s life to hear the voice of God. And it is something he wants to waken you to practice. QUESTIONS: • When you were little, were you able to hear your mom or dad calling your name, even though others were speaking? Are you able to pick out your child’s voice in a crowd? • Do you believe God knows your name and speaks to you? How has he spoken to you in the past? What have you heard him speak? • How do you test the voices to know you are hearing from God and not your own wishes, or the crowd’s voices? • What would it take to quiet yourself to hear his voice? How would this affect your prayer life? Your worship? Decisions you are making in life?

One of the things Jesus’ disciples did not understand was that God’s anointed Savior, or Messiah, would suffer. When he appeared to them after his resurrection, Jesus emphasized from Scripture this was God’s plan all along—to enter the pain of the world He came to save. It is the same plan for us as followers of a suffering Savior. You and I are most like God as we suffer alongside those who are hurting and broken. This is the path to glory.

All of us have experienced falling asleep and dreaming so vividly we believe it is really happening, only to wake and need some time to figure out where we are and what’s really going on. This is what happens when we encounter the resurrected Lord of life. Jesus wakes us from our slumber, making us fully alive, fully awake. And he draws us into the larger story he is carrying out in this world. QUESTIONS • Can you remember having a dream that seemed so real that when you awoke it took a moment to collect yourself, know where you were and what was really going on—it was just a dream? Share how it made you feel knowing it was a dream all along. • How has your relationship with Jesus opened your eyes to realities you were previously unaware of? What has excited you about what he has revealed? Or, what are you most grateful for being in a relationship with the resurrected Lord of life? • Describe the peace Christ has brought to your life. • Have you ever experienced the joy of leading another person to faith in

There are lots of things the Resurrection of Jesus means, but there are two specific things why the Resurrection means the world to God. Once you understand the heart of God for his children, you will celebrate Easter Sunday even more!

God has a purpose for your life, and it has to do with becoming like Jesus. He will complete the job no matter what he’s working with. There is no need to fret or worry. But there are some things to do as followers of Jesus on the way to completing his purposes in your life. On Palm Sunday, the disciples of Jesus displayed these things, and God promises to do the same in you for his glory. QUESTIONS • Do you believe God has a purpose for your life? What do you think this means? What do you think it doesn’t mean? Do you believe He will fulfill it in your lifetime? • Has God ever sent you to do something you found to be perplexing? How did it turn out for his glory? • Name a work God has done in you that you are very grateful for? How are you different because of his work in your life in this area? • How have you found it hard to keep silent about Jesus to others? Have you ever been ridiculed for your faith?