But It Always Requires Patience

The church, not just its leaders, cares for the church. Every Christian is a counselor - equipped by God with the necessary tools and skills to care for others in the local church context. But what that care looks like can vary from person to person and situation to situation. The Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 gives some of the most practical instructions to be found concerning interpersonal ministry. What we find is that we have to work hard to listen and to know and that the motivation and the example for that hard work comes from Jesus, who suffered long - completely, in fact - with us and for us in His perfect efforts to care for us in our need.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

We Hope You Experienced The Joy Of Jesus This Easter

On our 5th consecutive livestream Sunday worship meeting, we had the joy of celebrating the Resurrection of our Savior. Since the Lord established our church back in 2017, we’ve regularly said that “we exist to spread the joy of Jesus in Santa Ana”. This Easter Sunday, Kyle taught from Romans 8:31-39 in a bilingual sermon that this very joy is unchangeably tied to the resurrection of Jesus. Since Jesus is alive, nothing can steal His joy from you - not even a pandemic, job loss or being quarantined at home. Further, as those who have that immovable joy, we have the distinct privilege of spreading it to our neighbors who are struggling for joy even now,

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

A Message About Leaders From a Developing Leader

This last Sunday, we announced that Jeff is officially transitioning from intern to resident. In celebration of this, Jeff preached from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13. This was a tall order for him - the text regards instruction for members of a church to respect their leaders. The Lord demonstrated through Jeff’s sermon, though, why he’s progressing on towards residency; why he as well is due respect. He spoke of the necessity of leaders being sacrificial servants who follow Christ. He spoke of leaders being “repurposed sinners” deployed for God’s purposes. We’re grateful for and respect Jeff and the leaders among us. Know also how deeply your leaders love you and care for you and long to be back with you once this pandemic abates.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

We Don’t Know When. But We Know He’s Coming Back.

In a time when instability and uncertainty dominates the landscape around us, we have un unshakeable assurance that Jesus is still in control and will one day come back to receive His own to Himself. Until then, our role is to live “soberly” as we await His coming. Listen to this past week’s message to ground yourself in one of the most rock-solid assurances you can have.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

How You Respond To The Reality of Death Tells Your Neighbors How Real Your Jesus Is

Death is the great equalizer. In a fallen world, its reality constantly looms. Sometimes, though, we’re more aware of it than at others. When faced with death, whether actual or potential, how do you respond? The First Century church at Thessalonica were tempted to despair at the death of their loved ones. Why? Because they misunderstood the implications of the resurrection of Christ. We, likewise, must understand - what death is, what Jesus’ resurrection means for us, how steadfast His hope is and what grieving should look like for a Christian in the face of death. This is a subject which has extreme relevance in these days. Listen to this week’s message to learn more.

If you missed tuning into this week’s livestream, you can listen to the sermon here.

Keep Sending Pictures of Your Household Worshipping Together

This was our first Sunday apart from each other. We missed you terribly. We’re grateful to the Lord, though, for modern technological advances that allow us to worship together despite the inability to meet in person. Thank you for sending photos and videos of your household worshipping together to photos@sovgracesantaana.org. We loved seeing them. This will be what services look like for at least another few weeks, so keep sending them along to remind your brothers and sisters of the voices that are joining together with them as we sing, listen and pray on Sunday mornings. Take a look at a few photos from this first livestream Sunday.

If you missed tuning into the first livestream, you can listen to this week’s sermon here.

We Remembered And Proclaimed

Our third annual communion service was a wonderful time of singing, listening, sharing, loving and remembering. A break from our normal order of service, our annual communion service is an entire Sunday celebration centered around the Lord’s Table. We share an actual meal together - many thanks to the hands that prepared the food, decor and everything else - and then together, we took the bread and the cup in remembrance of Jesus’ broken body and shed blood.

His Body Broken. His Blood Shed.

Listen to the message of the Bread and the Cup from last Sunday here.

Holiness - A True Sexual Revolution In A Sexually Permissive World

This past Sunday, Jeff Schlieder preached from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 - a passage which deals with the temptations to sexual immorality present within the first century church at Thessalonica. While the “sexual revolution” taking place in our modern world might seem at times like a new level of normalization of sinful behavior that the world has never seen the likes of, the reality is that sexual permissiveness has often been the norm in our fallen world throughout history. It certainly was in First-century Greece, even more-so than today.

What is truly revolutionary, though, is the standard of purity, the standard of marital fidelity, the standard of holiness introduced into this fallen world through God’s Word. This standard is no mere written list of rules, but is based ion our very union with Christ and in the Trinity itself. Take an hour out of your day and be reminded of the Gospel reality that the whole you is called to holiness.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

Everyone Will Stand Before God’s Judgment

At the end of 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul summarizes his prayer for the small church in Greece by asking that the Lord would make them “increase and abound in love”. The reason he prays this is “so that [their hearts may be] established blameless in holiness … at the coming of our Lord Jesus”. In other words, Jesus’ future return is a motive for growing in love right now.

An Outward Badge Demonstrating An Inward Reality

While Jesus’ atoning death completely bore God’s wrath for anybody who has believed in Him, genuine love for others demonstrates that one has actually believed. It’s an outward badge confirming an inward reality. Listen to last week’s sermon to learn more about this and to learn what it means to “increase and abound in love”.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

Suffering Will Come. When It Does, Where Will You Turn?

The New Testament is clear that among the many experiences a Christian can expect during the course of following Christ, one very real expectation is that we will suffer for His name. When those moments do come, what is our hope? Where should we look for comfort and encouragement? Listen to this week’s sermon from 1 Thessalonians 3:1-10 to learn about the miraculous power of the average local church to support one another through suffering.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.