THE CONFERENCE TAKES PLACE NOVEMBER 9-11

This week, Kyle and Jeff and their wives, Kelsey and Taylor, are attending the 2021 Sovereign Grace Churches Pastors Conference. This annual conference is a gathering of pastors, wives and other leaders and members from Sovereign Grace churches around the globe for the sake of edification, instruction, training and unity. The Houlton’s and Schlieder’s are also being joined by Jason Roenicke, along with Robert and Rosie Lopez. We hope God will meet us and work mightily, but in truth, we have no idea for what He’ll do, so we ask you to wait on God alongside us through prayer.

• Pray for God to:

  • Deepen our commitment to His Word and His Gospel

  • Fill us with passion to continue in our shared mission of spreading the joy of Jesus in our respective cities

  • Bless YOU by what we learn and come away from this conference

  • Strengthen our family of churches, resulting in churches firmly established in the Gospel and new churches planted and rooted in the Gospel

GOD WANTS OUR OBEDIENCE AND HE’S AFTER OUR HEARTS

In 1 Samuel 13, Saul proves that he’s not the “man after God’s own heart” that God’s people needed to lead them. When things became difficult and stressful, he relied on his own wisdom and strategies to find a solution, even though he very clear knew what obedience looked like. In our lives, we’re drawn daily by similar temptations to value convenience or comfort over obedience, despite the fact that it may very well be inconvenient. The good news of the Gospel, though, is that Jesus always did the Father’s will and even graciously gave His perfect record of obedience to us through His cross. So, next time, when you do choose convenience over obedience, run first to Christ in faith and then ask Him for the strength to obey despite however inconvenient it might be.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

CLOCKS WILL “FALL BACK” AS DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS SUNDAY

It is almost time to fall back! Daylight Savings time 2021 ends at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 7. Enjoy an extra hour of sleep, and we’ll see you Sunday morning for our favorite weekly celebration of life in Christ.

PLAN ON CELEBRATING WITH US ON NOVEMBER 14TH AFTER SUNDAY SERVICE

By God’s grace and for God’s glory, Cross of Grace Santa Ana is turning FOUR years old! Because it would be inappropriate to respond to such grace without a celebration, we’re definitely throwing our annual anniversary party!

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS FOR TACOS AND KICKBALL

Plan on heading over to the Houlton’s Home after Sunday service for tacos and our 4th annual kickball game. Make sure to wear or bring some sort of active clothing. There will be activities for the kiddos, including a piñata! Invite your friends and neighbors.

WE CAN’T WAIT TO CELEBRATE WITH YOU!

NOVEMBER 1 - November 7

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. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5: SMALL GROUPS OR OUTREACH OPPORTUNITY

• 6:00 pm - OCRM Chili Van

• 7:00 pm - Houlton or Erkelens Home

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Theater

MAKING AND MATURING DISCIPLES ON FRIDAY

This Friday, our small groups will be meeting for the first Friday in November. The Houlton and Erkelens small groups will be meeting at their regular locations at 7pm. The Roenicke small group, however, will be taking the OC Rescue Mission Chili van out into our city to share a meal - and the Gospel - with our homeless neighbors. They’re going into our city to speak to our city. If you’re not a member of the Roenicke small group, but would like to join the Chili Van outreach this month, let your small group leader and Jason Roenicke know.

And as we ask God to make disciples through this outreach, we’re asking him to mature disciples through our small group meetings. As you prepare for Friday, whichever activity you’re engaging in, please pray for God to work among us and through us for His glory.

BUT YOU CAN’T OVERESTIMATE GOD’S MERCIFUL COMMITMENT

On Sunday, we heard Pastor Jeff preach from 1 Samuel 12, where Samuel addresses Israel one final time and pulls the cover off their sin of desiring a king. His aim was to show Israel that they had drifted away from their God to the point of rejection. Yet, they didn't see the gravity of their sin until they were fully committed to their sin. They had drifted farther than they realized. But what’s even more apparent than their sin in the text is the strength of God’s commitment - to His own glory. Because He had called them His people, He refused to forsake them. The same is true of those who have been adopted into God’s family through the blood of Christ. Though you may have drifted far - and may yet drift again - God’s commitment to you in Christ remains steadfast.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

ALL LADIES, HIGH-SCHOOL AGED AND OLDER ARE INVITED

This month we will be discussing chapters 4-6 of the book titled True Feelings: God’s Gracious and Glorious Purpose for our Emotions by Carolyn Mahaney. Even if you have not read the book, still come and engage in conversation. This meeting is a place where women at all stages of life can come and learn how to be women whose lives honor God - women who live in light of the Gospel.

Women’s Meeting takes place on the 4th Thursday of every month at the Schlieder home at 7pm. We hope to see you there!

YOU CAN ORDER A COPY OF THE BOOK HERE

SAVE THE DATE FOR NOVEMBER 14TH AFTER SUNDAY SERVICE

By God’s grace and for God’s glory, Cross of Grace Santa Ana is turning FOUR years old! Because it would be inappropriate to respond to such grace without a celebration, we’re definitely throwing our annual anniversary party!

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS FOR TACOS AND KICKBALL

Plan on heading over to the Houlton’s Home after Sunday service for tacos and our 4th annual kickball game. Make sure to wear or bring some sort of active clothing. There will be activities for the kiddos, including a piñata! Invite your friends and neighbors.

WE CAN’T WAIT TO CELEBRATE WITH YOU!

REFORMATION DAY IS THIS SUNDAY

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! Not only this, but this movement -which rediscovered the authority of Scripture as the only sole and infallible rule of the church, the glory of God as the goal of all things, and the centrality of the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone - has shaped our local church to be what it is today. The story of the Reformation is important to us because it’s a story that helps us better understand ourselves as it points us to the shoulders of the gospel-centered saints of old that we still stand upon today.

Below you will find a selection of resources that will immerse you in the story of the Reformation as you read, watch, and listen to the events which have shaped our church and the world around us.

Documentary - Watch the Reformation

Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer - Available to stream for FREE in October. “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.“

Podcast - Listen to the Reformation

Luther: In Real Time - The podcast is back for season2. From the Ligonier webpage, “Every Friday, walk again with Martin Luther from his heresy charges to his famous stand for the authority of God’s Word at the Diet of Worms. This second season is a 13-episode abridgment of season 1 with added discussion questions to help you, your family, or your study group get even more from the experience.”

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!