EVEN THE DEMONS HAVE TO ASK FOR PERMISSION

In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus faces down the supernatural forces that are fearfully arrayed against us. The demoniac is a walking-dead, bell-tolling, rooster-crowing, alarm-ringing, reminder of darkness and death (5:2-5). He personifies the problem of death and provides a visual representation of the unseen realm of demonic powers. He is the Gerasenes unsolvable predicament - none can control, subdue, or bind this threat of evil - but then Jesus comes to town. Jesus overcomes the power of death and brings peace to the man once caught in the throes of demonic possession. He overcomes the power of death in our own lives and brings peace to those living in fear of any and all unseen forces. Listen to Sunday’s sermon to hear more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

THE LORD MERCIFULLY MET US IN IDYLLWILD

This past weekend, many of us gathered with our sister churches Sovereign Grace Church of Orange and Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena, for the 2022 Celebration California Retreat. We sang loudly, made new friends, enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation and listened to gospel-centered preaching.

Enjoy some pictures from the weekend! You can check out the full album here (special thanks to Karla Martinez for capturing great photos!).

SAVE THE DATE FOR NOVEMBER 6TH AFTER SUNDAY SERVICE

By God’s grace and for God’s glory, Cross of Grace Santa Ana is turning FIVE years old! Because it would be inappropriate to respond to such grace without a celebration, we’re definitely throwing a party for this milestone anniversary!

Plan on heading over to the Houlton’s home after Sunday service for food and our 5th annual kickball game. Make sure to wear or bring some sort of active clothing. There will be activities for the kiddos, including a piñata! Invite your friends and neighbors.

WE CAN’T WAIT TO CELEBRATE WITH YOU!

MAKING AND MATURING DISCIPLES ON FRIDAY

This Friday, our small groups will be meeting for the first Friday in October. The Roenicke and Erkelens small groups will be meeting at their regular locations at 7pm.

The Houlton small group, however, will be taking the OC Rescue Mission Chili Van out into our city to share a meal - and the Gospel - with our homeless neighbors. They’re going into our city to speak to our city. If you’re not a member of the Houlton small group, but would like to join the Chili Van outreach this month, let your small group leader and Pastor Jeff know.

And as we ask God to make disciples through this outreach, we’re asking him to mature disciples through our small group meetings. As you prepare for Friday, whichever activity you’re engaging in, please pray for God to work among us and through us for His glory.

OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9

Every Tuesday we publish a blog post to lay out in one place what’s going in the life of the church for the upcoming week. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7: CHILI VAN OUTREACH OR SMALL GROUPS

• 6:00pm - Chili Van Outreach (Houlton Small Group)

• 7:00 pm - Small Groups (Schlieder or Erkelens Home)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Theater

FIFTY REASONS WHY JESUS CAME TO DIE BY JOHN PIPER

Throughout our Mark Sermon series, we have explored some of the most important questions we can ask about Jesus, and we will continue to ask those important questions as the weeks progress into our series. This is why our October Book of the Month is a great compliment to our study in the book of Mark. John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons to answer the all-important question: What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?

We will be giving you a copy of this book out for FREE this Sunday!

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SPEND THE WEEKEND TOGETHER

Celebration 2022 is here! As we prepare for the weekend, we invite you to pray with us. Specifically, you can pray for the following:

• Ask God to deepen the relationships within our church and among our sister churches.

• Ask God to bless us and change us as we sing and study together.

• Ask God to use the Celebration Kids volunteers and curriculum to teach our children about Jesus.

We believe the Lord will meet us at Celebration. We’re expecting good things, and we’re excited that we get to experience it together. If you need a welcome packet, you can find it here. As a reminder, we will not have a Sunday Service at the Ebell Club on 10/2.

3 CHURCHES WITH ONE VOICE

Of all the blessings we anticipate at Celebration 2022, we expect the singing to be a big one. It thrills and strengthens our souls to hear other saints singing to the same Savior as us. That happens every Sunday. But it will be even more special to sing with two other churches.

WE’VE GOT YOUR PLAYLIST FOR THE DRIVE UP THE MOUNTAIN

We’ve put together a Spotify playlist with all the songs the worship team will be drawing from this weekend. There are even a few new ones. So put this on and sing through the songs while you’re driving. It’ll be the perfect preparation for your heart and your vocal cords.

We’ll see you and sing with you in Idyllwild!

SEPTEMBER 26 - OCTOBER 2

Every Tuesday we publish a blog post to lay out in one place what’s going in the life of the church for the upcoming week. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30: CELEBRATION CALIFORNIA DAY 1

• Idyllwild, Ca

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1: CELEBRATION CALIFORNIA DAY 2

• Idyllwild, Ca

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2: CELEBRATION CALIFORNIA DAY 3

• Idyllwild, Ca

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2: NO SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• Sunday service will take place in Idyllwild, CA

THE QUESTION ASKED BY ONE WHO HAS SEEN THE TRUE IDENTITY OF JESUS

In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus’ disciples tremble in fear and awe as they witness Jesus exert His power of nature itself. Until this point, Jesus was still a stranger to His disciples. They thought they knew and understood Him, but a moment of revelation makes them suddenly realize that the God of the universe very well may be with them in the boat. Is Jesus still a stranger to you? Do you tend to tremble in awe and fear at circumstances and the natural world instead of the Lord over nature? Listen to last Sunday's sermon to dive deeper into this incredible passage from the Gospel of Mark.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE