YOUR ROLE AND BELONGING IN THE CHURCH IS THE BIG STORY ABOUT YOU

During a sweltering outdoor Sunday service, Kyle Houlton preached from Acts 1:12-26 concerning the choosing of Matthias to replace Judas. This story seems random and insignificant at first blush - much like we often view our Christian lives. However, when properly understood, this brief event serves as a major link in the chain of God’s historic and unstoppable vision for His people. It further demonstrates that if you’re a Christian, your role and belonging in the Church is not one random fact about you, but rather the big story about you.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

Politics and Conscience: Agree on the Non-Disputables. Give Grace and Assume the Best on the Disputable Issues

In the second of three Summer School classes in partnership with Sovereign Grace Church of Orange, we were well-served as Dustin Smetona offered sound Biblical principles to help each of us navigate matters of conscience and politics. This is an especially helpful topic given that we’re now launching into the 2020 election season.

If you’d like to continue your education regarding how to engage in political discussion and thought through a biblical lens, here are a few recourses to help you along the way.

Articles

12 Principles on How to Disagree with Other Christians:
https://www.9marks.org/article/romans-14/

Books

Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Andy Naselli and J.D. Crowley

How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? by Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli

Politics - According to the Bible by Wayne Grudem

THIS SUNDAY AT 4PM

Every year we aim to hold twice-annual members meetings. However once COVID-19 struck, we had to adjust our plans. Church member meetings are moments in the life of the church when we evaluate what the Lord has done in the past 6 months and look forward with faith toward what we believe the Lord will do among us and through us in our neighborhood. We celebrate what He’s doing. We pray for what we hope that He’ll do.

THIS TIME WE WILL BE MEETING VIA ZOOM RATHER THAN IN PERSON

All members of the church are expected to attend these meetings. Given the occasional nature of these meetings and the importance of the topics discussed, we appreciate you prioritizing this meeting. All guests and non-members are welcome to attend as well, however, for anyone who’s interested in hearing about how God is working in and through Sovereign Grace Santa Ana.

The Zoom link will be emailed our to our church directory before the meeting. If you think you may not be on our directory, email us to be added.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

Keep sending us your prayer requests. We’ll keep sharing them (anonymously) and share other suggestions for how you can be praying during the week. It’s important to know how to pray for one another and to ask the Lord to guide us, sustain us and encourage us each individually in this season.

1. Pray for those continuing to be financially challenged through this COVID-19 season.

2. Pray for students, teachers and parents as the remote fall semester begins.

3. Pray for parents with young children as they seek to worship the Lord on Sundays without the assistance of children’s ministry.

4. Pray for our children’s ministry leaders and volunteers for creativity in how we might be able to serve the parents and small children.

5. Pray for the sustaining and fruit of our men’s and women’s meetings.

6. Pray for those making transitions and big decisions during this period.

7. Pray for God to work mightily through His Spirit during the current preaching series in Acts.

8. Pray for unity, wisdom, patience and grace toward one another as we enter into election season. Pray also for those in authority over us.

9. Pray for the salvation of our neighbors in DTSA and French Park who don’t know Christ.

10. Pray for the requests of individuals who have shared them on our church Slack prayer channel. If you have questions about how to be added to this, email office@sovgracesantaana.org

    KEEP SENDING PRAYER REQUESTS TO PRAYERS@SOVGRACESANTAANA.ORG.

AUGUST 10-16

Every Tuesday we will be publishing a blog to share what is going in the life of the church for that week! We hope that this serves you and helps to keep you updated.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11: SUMMER SCHOOL CLASS: Politics: Matters of Wisdom, Conscience and Love.

• 7:30pm. Zoom Link will be sent via email. If you aren’t sure if you are in our church directory, contact us here.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13: MEN’S MEETING

• 7:00pm. Outdoor Dining Patio at 4th Street Market

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00am. Meeting Room - Outdoor Courtyard

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16: All Church Members Meeting

• 4:00pm. Zoom Link will be sent via email. If you aren’t sure if you are in our church directory, contact us here.

Politics: Matters of Wisdom, Conscience and Love.

Our second Summer Sunday School class is tonight at 7:30pm. You should have received an email with the Zoom Link and call details. If you did not receive it, you can send us an email now to get the info in time for the call tonight!

7PM AT THE 4TH STREET MARKET FRONT PATIO

At all our mid-week meetings, we are following recommended guidelines to ensure the health of all attendees. These meetings will occur outdoors until further notice, with 6 feet of social distance between each member present, masks required and in observance of CA Guidelines. Childcare will not be provided.

If you have any questions about this meeting, please email office@sovgracesantaana.org

Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Vida en Comunidad por Dietrich Bonhoeffer

August’s book of the month is Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This short 120 page book has stood the test of time. Written by a man who spent the majority of his short life teaching and ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ before being executed by the Nazi regime in WWII Germany, Bonhoeffer offers one of the most stirring teachings on what it means to be the Community of Christ.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS YOU’LL EVER READ ABOUT BIBLICAL COMMUNITY

Pick this book up - we’ll be going through it in small groups this fall as we seek to engage in and enjoy Biblical community with one another to the glory of God.

Purchase the book in English here.

Purchase the book in Spanish here.

LIFE CAN BE FRUSTRATING

Life “under the sun” can become wearisome. It can seem repetitive. The outcomes and results of your efforts don’t always match with the success that you had hoped would be produced. But does this amount to meaninglessness? Without God, in a word, yes. But the book of Ecclesiastes was written to bring us to the end of our attempts to find meaning and purpose and success apart from God. If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated with life under the sun, listen to this week’s sermon from guest preacher, Jason Roenicke from Ecclesiastes 1:1-11.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

SAVE THE DATE - Sunday August 16th at 4:00pm

Every year we aim to hold twice-annual members meetings. However once COVID-19 struck, we had to adjust our plans. Church member meetings are moments in the life of the church when we evaluate what the Lord has done in the past 6 months and look forward with faith toward what we believe the Lord will do among us and through us in our neighborhood. We celebrate what He’s doing. We pray for what we hope that He’ll do.

This Time We Will Be Meeting via Zoom Rather Than In Person

Finally, all members of the church are expected to attend these meetings. Given the occasional nature of these meetings and the importance of the topics discussed, we appreciate you prioritizing this meeting. All guests and non-members are welcome to attend as well, however, for anyone who’s interested in hearing about how God is working in and through Sovereign Grace Santa Ana.

The Zoom link will be emailed our to our church directory before the meeting. If you think you may not be on our directory, email us to be added.