The Arrest and Trial of Jesus

This past Sunday was a very different Sunday. Our usual meeting place, Heninger Elementary, was unexpectedly unavailable to us. At the last minute, we shifted gears and moved our Sunday meeting to the Houlton home. We were packed into the living room like a bunch of sardines, but aside from the location, nothing was different. We worshipped together, we listened to the preached Word from John 18, we took the Lord’s table together and fellowshipped with one another in the joy of Jesus.

There is no sermon audio recording available from last Sunday’s sermon, but nevertheless, the Lord has a lesson for all of us reading this blog post right now: the local church is a body of people gathered by God through Jesus Christ for the worship of His name. Regardless of where we meet. Regardless of how planned or unplanned our Sunday morning’s are.

Who knows, maybe we’ll make a tradition of an annual house-church service …

Lunch After Church In The Midst of Our Neighbors

On Sunday, June 2nd, come to church with a folding chair and a sack lunch prepared. Immediately after the service, we’ll walk or drive over to the second street promenade and enjoy lunch in the midst of our Downtown Santa Ana neighbors. It’s yet another moment of getting to spread the joy of Jesus in our city.

We’re Also Mindful Of Moms For Whom Mother’s Day Is Hard

Mothers are a gift from the Lord. We learn about the comfort, gentleness and kindness of God through mothers (Is. 49; 66; 1 Thess. 2). They’re the ones who raised us, loved us, fed us and taught us what sacrificial love looks like. Mother’s Day is a chance to acknowledge this and show them our affection. It’s a lovely day for mothers.

But not all mothers. For many mothers, this day simply brings to mind sorrowful memories and hard decisions. That’s why this Mother’s Day, we gave a gift to Livingwell Pregnancy Centers - a local nonprofit devoted to serving these very mothers and the children they bear in their wombs and give birth to.

We love the mothers in our church and in our neighborhood and ask God to bless them in their role as mothers.

Discipleship Happens At Small Group Meetings

These meetings are rare opportunities to gather in an undistracted way to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and to help one another do the same. In short, we grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. According to Romans 8, that’s one of the primary purposes of our lives as individual Christians.

Are You In A Small Group?

If you’re not currently in a small group, please contact office@sovgracesantaana.org. Anybody and everybody in the church, including guests are invited and encouraged to participate in the life of the church through small groups. We currently have two small groups, both of which meet on the first and third Friday evenings of every month at 7:00pm in the following locations:

• Houlton Home - Downtown Santa Ana / 17th Street and Flower

• Schlieder Home - East Santa Ana / West Tustin

Stay tuned in the next few months as we prepare to launch a third small group!

Two Implications For You

1. Welcome The New Members Among Us: This next Sunday, we have the opportunity and privilege of welcoming new members into our church. It’s a rare moment when we see the tangible evidence that God is indeed spreading the joy of Jesus in Santa Ana. Come prepared this Sunday to celebrate.

2. Move up and move in: Sunday mornings are filling up with guests and newcomers. When you walk into our worship service, take a moment to think like a first time visitor - for a number of reasons, you’d probably want to sit in the back or on the sides. Let’s be sensitive to and thoughtful of our guests by choosing our seats on Sunday morning with them in mind. If you can, please move forward a couple rows and toward the center of your row of chairs … for the glory of God!

Jesus Prayed For Sovereign Grace Santa Ana 2000 Years Ago

In one of the most profound and holy scenes in the New Testament, we find Jesus, God the Son, pleading with God the Father in John 17. In that “High Priestly Prayer”, Jesus prays for “all those who will believe through the [11 disciples’] word”. In other words, He prays for all future believers. Included in that number is our very own local church. What Jesus prays for is His greatest desire for our church in 2019. What is that desire? Unity. Jesus desires unity so that the world might be persuaded of His love for the glory of God.

Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to hear about Jesus’ priority of unity for our church.

Listen to the message here.

Thursday @ 7:00pm on the Front Patio of the 4th Street Market

All men, high school age and older are invited to join in our monthly men’s meeting. It’s a context where men learn to talk like men about God. Christians and non-Christians are welcome. If you’re a man, then you’re eligible to join on Thursday evening. Just come with yourself and prepare to be encouraged and instructed.

We Love and Respect All Mothers Among Us

This upcoming Sunday is Mother’s Day. While this is a holiday that’s not prescribed by Scripture or even centuries of church tradition, it’s a worthwhile holiday to celebrate. Why? Because mothers are a gift from the Lord. They’re whose instruction children should heed as they grow up (Prov. 6:20). They’re the ones who carried each of us within their very wombs. Their love is a picture of God’s gentle and compassionate love for us (Isaiah 66:13).

This applies to all mothers with young children. Mothers with grown children. Mothers who grieve over the children they’ve lost in utero or outside the womb. Even future mothers. Ladies, we respect you, love you and thank God for you.

Many Different Kinds of Support

From Thursday, May 2 through Saturday, May 4, 21 leaders from 8 Sovereign Grace Churches gathered in Orange County for an annual Regional Assembly of Elders Retreat. This “regional assembly” is a representation of our partnership with these particular churches from Pasadena and Orange, California; Tucson, Yuma and Gilbert, Arizona; and Westminster and Aurora, Colorado. While we love and pray for all Gospel-proclaiming churches in our city, we have a special kind of partnership with these churches. There is a commitment to accountability in our statement of faith. There is accountability for pastors in their leadership of churches through a regional judiciary committee. There is a mutual commitment to financial support of the Gospel mission in new church planting efforts in our regions. The benefits of our partnership go on and on and we’re grateful for our partner churches in the west.

Please continue to pray for these churches and for future church planting efforts within our region!

Marriages Strengthened For The Glory of God

Many thanks to Jim and Angie Cunningham for hosting and leading our church’s first “Art of Marriage” course. 6 couples, ranging in number of years married from 1 year to more than 30 years, went through 6 different lessons. They discussed, read material, did homework together and overall, sought to grow nearer to one another and nearer to Christ in their marriages. We believe that the Lord accomplished this. Thanks to all who prayed and participated!