HE’S ALSO COMMITTED TO GIVING US HIS PRESENCE

Jesus has placed us in Santa Ana for a reason - He’s called us to make disciples in this city, baptizing them and teaching them all that Jesus commanded. This isn’t a suggestion Jesus has given us - it’s a command; a commission. He alone has authority to send us. But He alone also provides what we need to go and have the confidence to go and to have any hope of actually accomplishing what He has sent us out to do. He has promised His presence and that changes everything. This last Sunday, we heard God’s Word preached from Matthew 28:18-20. God stirred our hearts by His Spirit to take the Gospel of His grace to our unbelieving friends and neighbors.

For security reasons related to Sunday’s guest preacher, the sermon was not recorded - either via audio or video. However, here are a few resources to continue your learning and progress toward walking in obedience to the Great Commission in all of life:

• Book: Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by JI Packer

• Book: Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by Mack Stiles

• Podcast: Help! I’m Not Ready To Share My Faith

• Article: How Can I Speak More Boldly About Christ? by John Piper

A FAITHFUL COUPLE EMPOWERED BY A FAITHFUL GOD

On Sunday, Lynn Baird visited us from Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena, a church he’s pastored for over 35 years after pastoring for another 10 years before that. Our own church, Cross of Grace Santa Ana exists in part due to Lynn (we’re sort of his grandkids), but in three short week’s he’ll be retiring from full time ministry. It was our privilege to host him and to hear him proclaim the Gospel to us from Ezekiel 37, through which we were instructed from a lifetime of ministry lessons. Lynn and his wife, Terri will be moving to Gilbert, Arizona next month. We wish them God’s blessings and extend to them the most profound gratitude and respect.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE.

Following the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection the prior Sunday, Pastor Jeff preached from Acts 22:23-23:11 this past Sunday and furthered our understanding of what Jesus’ resurrection means for us. Namely, drawing from Paul’s claim in 23:7, that Jesus’ resurrection gives us confidence that we have not been called to live, suffer and persevere for the sake of a dead Savior. Rather, Jesus stood up from the grave and, like He did with Paul, stands with us as we live for him. To learn more about what it means to stand with a living Jesus who stands with you, listen to Sunday’s sermon.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE.

LISTEN TO THE BILINGUAL EASTER SUNDAY MESSAGE

The resurrection of Jesus is a historical reality that matters to all people. While it can often be seen as something relevant only for Christians, that fact that Jesus rose bodily from the grave proves that He is Lord - of both the living and the dead, without distinction. This means that whoever you are, He is Lord over you life - either to your glory or your condemnation. Listen to the message to hear more about what this means for you and how you should respond.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE.

In Acts 21, when the Apostle Paul arrives in Jerusalem, he arrives in the city populated by “his people” - those he identified with culturally, ethnically and traditionally; those he grew up amongst and knew. Yet, false rumors were spreading about what he was teaching and he quickly found himself subject to violence at their hands and being turned over to the gentiles for judgment. The scene is meant to remind us of another scene - when a certain Savior of the world was rejected by His own (John 1:10), turned over to the gentiles to be judged and was even forsaken by His own Father (Mark 15:34). Today, when facing rejection from “our own people”, we look to Jesus’ example - He identified with us at our worst, suffered rejection for our sake and didn’t respond to rejection with rejection. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

WHAT INSTRUCTIONS WOULD YOU LEAVE?

In Acts 20, Paul calls the Ephesian elders to meet him at Miletus. After ministering together for three long years and developing a wonderfully close relationship, he knows he’ll never see them again. For all he knows, he may even be nearing the end of his life. When they arrive, Paul addresses them one final time and gives his dear friends and colaborers his final instructions - describing what matters most in life and ministry moving forward. His farewell speech could be summarized as “There is no better life than the one God has called you to”. To learn more and to understand what Paul would tell you “matters most”, listen to last Sunday’s sermon.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

OUR ANNUAL COMMUNION SERVICE

On Sunday, Jeff Schlieder conveyed from Acts a Biblical understanding of the sacraments of the Church - Communion and Baptism. While we can often “go through the motions” with these two sacraments, we were encouraged to value them, see the Gospel made visible and tangible in them and to treat them as expressions of God’s grace to us. The sermon was followed by a special bilingual sharing of the Lord’s Table and an offsite lunch afterward.

Listen to the sermon and check out the additional blog post with suggested resources to deepen your understanding and appreciation of the sacraments Christ gave to us.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

DO YOU EXPECT THE MIRACULOUS WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Theologian Ekhard Schnabel explains that “miracles demonstrate that the resurrected life and work of Jesus continue in the life and work of the church”. This happens through the Holy Spirit, who is constantly at work among us. The questions we’re left with then are, “do you have eyes for the ‘everyday’ miracles of God?'“ and “do you expect and pray for God’s Spirit to perform the miraculous among us?”

To learn more about what the Bible teaches about miracles and what implications that has for your life, listen to last Sunday’s sermon from Acts 19:11-12.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

On Sunday, we had the joy of hearing the preached word from our own Kevin Ing.

Leadership development is a high priority of the pastoral team at Cross of Grace (2 Tim. 2:22). Where God has gifted and called, we aim to give opportunities for the formation of those gifts, whether they be teaching, serving, leading ministries, etc.

Kevin comes with a robust educational background, having earned his Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary (CA). But the most important thing the Lord gave us on Sunday was not a sermon from a learned individual, but the preaching of the Gospel from a man who loves what Jesus has created in the local church and wants others to be able to appreciate the reconciling effects of the Gospel in the church as well. Listen to his sermon from Ephesians 2:12-22 to hear more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE.

Below is a reproduction of the chart used near the end of Sunday’s sermon:

Paul’s third and final missionary journey is one which bears a striking resemblance to Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem in Luke’s Gospel. It’s one that’s characterized overall by self-denial - something that Jesus modeled during His life and ministry and something that He requires of anyone who would follow Him. As Paul follows Jesus in his life, but also this journey, we discover what it looks like to leave ourselves behind and just how much we gain in Christ by losing ourselves.

Listen to the sermon here.