THE STORY OF JOSEPH

Exodus is the story of Israel's release from captivity in Egypt. But how did they get there? Enter Genesis 37-50 and the story of Joseph. This story tells us HOW Israel got to Egypt. But even more than that, it tells us WHAT we should be doing when we're not sure what God is doing - and WHY. Through Joseph's life, we learn how to live faithfully while waiting for God's mighty acts of deliverance. Beyond this, we encounter the great anchor upon which our faith rests: the sovereign and good purposes of God. 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

A NEW SERMON SERIES BEGINNING OCTOBER 26TH

This fall, we’re kicking off a new sermon series in Exodus. A book we could rightly call “The Gospel of the Old Testament.” The very center of the life of God’s people before Christ came. The story apart from which we cannot understand or appreciate the work Christ has done to set his people free - now & forever.

PREPARE YOURSELF TO RECEIVE THE WORD

We encourage you to take the steps below to get the most out of God’s word this fall:

1. Pray for the series. Pray for the men who will preach the word. Pray God would use it to build up our church, make us more like the Savior, and remind us not only what we’ve been freed from, but what we’ve been freed for. Pray he’d set free our friends, neighbors, and guests who are still in bondage to sin. Pray that the gospel of the Old Testament would deepen our love for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. Read the entire book.

3. Check Out These Articles - Introduction to Exodus & How Exodus Challenges our Preconceived Notions of God

4. Watch these videos - BibleProject Summary pt.1 & BibleProject Summary pt.2

“The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him” (Ex 15:2).

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AT 7PM

This week, 4 groups will meet throughout our city to share in the joy of Jesus and apply his gospel to each other’s lives. Outside of Sunday mornings, small groups are the most important moments in the life of our church. Make it a priority to attend one this week.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SMALL GROUPS, CLICK HERE

1ST & 3RD SUNDAYS AT 6:30PM

After taking a week off for Houlton send-off festivities, Youth Ministry is back! They are ready to jump back into discussions of C.S. Lewis’ classic The Screwtape Letters. Grab a copy of the book, and join in this Sunday.

FIND MORE INFO ON CGSA YOUTH MINISTRY HERE

OCTOBER 14 - OCTOBER 20

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. Below we’ve got a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14

• Basketball in the Park

  • 6:30pm - El Camino Park

    • Reach out to Manny for more info

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16

• French Park Run Club

  • 6:30am - French Park Grass Area

• Small Groups

  • 7:00pm - Lee & Roenicke Home

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17

• Small Groups

  • 7:00pm - Erkelens & Williams Home

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19

• Sunday Gathering at Ebell Club

  • 10:00am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

• Youth Ministry

  • 6:30pm - Hopper & Burr in DTSA

    • Learn more about Youth Ministry here

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20

• The Bridge Course

  • 7:00pm - Hopper & Burr in DTSA

    • Invite your friends to join us for Bridge!

STARTING POINT- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND

If you’ve been visiting Cross of Grace for any length of time and would like to learn more about what we believe as a church and how those beliefs take shape in the life of the church, this class is for you. If you’re discerning whether or not this is the church family the Lord is calling you to, this class is for you. If you’re ready to take the next step in pursuing membership at Cross of Grace, Starting Point is your starting point to do so!

Wherever you’re at in the process, we invite you to join us one two hour class. Immediately after church at the Roenicke home in Santa Ana with lunch and childcare provided.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

TAKE CARE HOW YOU BUILD UPON IT

It is a rich privilege to be God’s instruments, but a profound relief to know we’re only instruments. Amazingly, we get to be tools in the hands of the living God. But we are just tools. Any fruit, any progress in our mission and sweetness in our life together comes from God “who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:7). It’s good news to know that our experience of all this does not ultimately depend on any one of us. That the church is not about any one of us. It’s all about Jesus. He is the foundation of our life. The fuel for our faith. And the rock solid confidence we have as we face the future. Our job is to take up what he’s laid down and then build upon his foundation with godly ambition.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

508 YEARS LATER

On October 31, 1517, a German Monk named Martin Luther nailed a document calling for reform in the Catholic Church to the door of the local church in Wittenburg. What followed was a movement that has changed both the Church and the world to this day!

SOMETHING TRUE, NOT SOMETHING NEW

The triumph of the Reformation wasn’t the development of new doctrine that took the world by storm, but the rediscovery of the biblical gospel. It was the recovery of “the church’s true treasure,” as Luther said time and time again.

At Cross of Grace, we gladly locate ourselves downstream of the heritage and theology that flowed out of the Protestant Reformation. “Reformed Theology” is one of the 7 Shared Values that mark our family of churches. The story of the Reformation is important to us because it’s a story that helps us better understand ourselves. It points to the shoulders of the gospel-centered saints of old that we still stand upon today.

RESOURCES TO KEEP US REFORMING

You can find an excellent summary of what the Protestant Reformation was all about and why it remains relevant today in the article Does the Reformation Still Matter? by Stephen Nichols. In addition to this, below you will find a selection of resources that will immerse you in the story of the Reformation as you sing, watch, and listen to the events which have shaped our church and the world around us.

• Sing

  • The Five Solas by Psallos puts the 5 summary slogans of the Reformation (Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, & God’s Glory Alone) to music and drives the truth of the gospel down into our hearts.

• Watch

  • Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer - Available to stream for FREE. “Watch this documentary to discover the events God used in Martin Luther’s life that led him to rediscover the gospel of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.“ You can also download Ligonier’s free accompanying study guide.

  • The Story of Martin Luther - a short, kid-friendly animated film surveying the life of Martin Luther.

• Listen

  • Luther: In Real Time - There are 2 seasons to the podcast. It was first released 500 years after the events described, this podcast allows you to walk in Martin Luther’s footsteps from his heresy charges to his famous stand for the authority of God’s Word at the Diet of Worms.

We hope this list makes you grateful to God for his work in the past and also encourages you to keep the spirit of the Reformation alive as we seek to always be reforming our church and our lives according to God’s Word. Semper Reformanda!

EVERY 2ND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

This gathering is all about men in Christ growing as men in Christ. Every month, guys, 15 years and older, sit under the word, engage in robust discussion, and bear their brother’s burdens. Join in at the Robles home in SA at 7:00 pm.

REACH OUT HERE FOR THE ADDRESS

WE ARE YOURS FOREVER BY SOVEREIGN GRACE MUSIC

This Sunday, we’re excited to introduce a new song that celebrates our adoption into God’s family through the work of Christ the Son. As our friends at Sovereign Grace Music put it:

“It's a source of inexpressible amazement, joy, and awe that God provided a way for us to be forgiven by offering his Son as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. But the story doesn't end there. We've not only been forgiven - we've been adopted. We've are no longer enemies of God, under his wrath. He has made us his dearly loved children. That's why J.I. Packer has written, "To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is a greater.” This song helps us celebrate that reality with unbridled joy.”

Listen to the song, read the lyrics, and come ready to sing and hear the gospel this Sunday.

VERSE 1

O God, when You spoke into darkness
And said, "Let there be, " and it was
You made us the crown of creation
To share in Your love
And when we rejected Your goodness
To follow our foolish desires
You knew that one day You'd redeem us
Through one sacrifice

CHORUS

Oh, what a love You have lavished on us
To call us Your children, daughters and sons
One with the Savior, bought by His blood
We are Yours forever

VERSE 2

By grace You have made us Your family
We're kept in Your kindness and care
With boldness we know we can bring You
Each burden we bear
And though we are longing to see You
Your Spirit within testifies
That we are adopted and treasured
'Til faith becomes sight

BRIDGE

What now can separate us
From the hope You gave us
We will be like Christ our King
We are Yours forever

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE