A CELEBRATION OF OUR UNITY IN CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF OUR DIVERSITY

On Sunday, September 11th, we’ll be hosting our fourth annual “Festival of Nations”. Coinciding with Fiestas Patrias and Dia De La Independencia, we want to celebrate what God has built in our church through the Gospel - the gathering of people from all different nationalities and heritages into one new family in Christ.

HOW CAN YOU PREPARE?

1. Bring a dish (entrée, dessert or side) representing your national heritage. Bring your best effort. The results will be judged and the “Best In The World” award will be given to the individual whose dish impressed the most. Multiple dishes per family are ok! 

2. Join us on Sunday, September 11th in the Schlieder backyard in the heart of Santa Ana.

ONLY THOSE WHO KNOW THEY’RE NOT

A tax collector in the ancient Near East was a term synonymous with “a really bad man”. Known for corruption and extortion, tax collectors were some of the most despised individuals around. Yet Jesus called one - while the tax collector was in the middle of his work, no less! - to be His disciple in Mark 2. It begs the question: what kind of people does Jesus call? Who's qualified to enter His kingdom? Who will Jesus commune and fellowship with? The answer may surprise you. It also may open your eyes to the possibility of His grace for your Santa Ana neighbors. It may also compel you to introduce them to Jesus as soon as you possible can. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

PRAY FOR OUR DENOMINATION

We gladly participate with our Sovereign Grace family of churches to see the gospel advance through the planting and strengthening of local churches across the world. Prayer is one of the most important expressions of this partnership. We ask God to do what only he can do for the glory of his name, the joy of his people, and the good of the neighbors he’s called us to reach. Take the time to pray for the following requests within our denomination:

• Pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities and workplaces.

• Pray for Nick Kidwell and his core team that will plant Valley Creek Church in Malvern, PA this September asking God to strengthen their church planting efforts, and to draw unbelievers and the unchurched to Valley Creek.

• Pray for the churches in Dnipro, and Sinelnikovo, Ukraine that Sovereign Grace is relating to, and sending money for relief efforts, asking God to protect them, and to use them to offer gospel hope as the war continues in that nation.

• Pray for our new 2022-2023 Pastors College students and their families who will be moving to Louisville, KY before classes start at the end of August, asking God to provide for them and to give them grace to grow over the next year while at the PC.

• Pray for the Eckstein Conference hosted by the Arche Church in Hamburg, Germany, September 30-October 2 where pastors from Germany and around Europe will gather for teaching and fellowship. Also pray for the first Europe Sovereign Grace Pastors Fellowship Gathering on Tuesday, October 4 led by Jeff Purswell and Mark Prater.

• Pray for our first West Africa Pastors and Planters Academy in Monrovia Liberia where 10 men from for different West African nations are being trained to pastor and plant churches in West Africa. Pray for Dyonah Thomas, Sr. Pastor of Grace Life Church in Monrovia, and the Dean of the Academy, asking God to give him grace to lead and invest into these 10 men.

• Pray for Ed O’Mara and his family who moved to Italy in July to plant a Sovereign Grace church in that country a year from now. Pray that God would use the next year to help them continue to learn the Italian language, and the culture for the purpose of being equipped to advance the gospel through church planting.

• Pray that God would continue to provide financially for Sovereign Grace Churches so that we can fund the gospel opportunities He is giving us throughout the world.

Would the Lord continue to glorify his name in and through our family of churches.

BE IN THE KNOW OF WHAT GOD IS DOING THROUGH SG MISSIONS

From Dave Taylor, Director of Sovereign Grace Emerging Nations:

For us in Sovereign Grace Churches, we see global missions as “the great commission work of making and maturing disciples around the world.” This is something that Jesus himself calls us to in Matt 28.18-20, when he says,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We’re therefore passionate about this. Knowing that Jesus is always with us, we’re eager to embrace this call and run into this mission, with both purpose and faith. And this new newsletter and blog, taking over from the previous EN newsletter and blog, is the joyful reporting of the fruit of those endeavors.

Make no mistake, it is all the Lord’s doing! In our global endeavors to establish new congregations (Church Planting), partner in new places (Emerging Nations) and reach new cultures (Missionaries), it is Jesus who is leading and strengthening the charge. Wherever we are, it is always His doing, and so what a joy it is to tell you about what He’s doing!!

SIGN UP FOR THE BLOG HERE

OUR GOAL: EVERY HOUSEHOLD IN THE CHURCH

Celebration 2022 is right around the corner, and you don’t want to miss out! For those who don’t know, this is an annual weekend retreat with all the Sovereign Grace churches in California. There’s games, music, encouraging messages, activities for all ages, and plenty of time to relax with friends. Here’s what you need to know:

• When: Sept 30th-Oct 2nd

• Where: Idyllwild, CA

• Who: CGSA, Sovereign Grace Church of Orance, and Sovereign Grace Pasadena

Registration is now open. Our goal is that every household in the church attends. If you’re thinking of not going or there’s something keeping you from registering, please reach out to the pastoral team. Jeff and Kyle are ready to help you out. The sooner you sign up, the better. To see the full details and register, click the link below. Financial aid is available. If you have any questions, contact us here. The Lord blessed us with a great time together last year, and we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us this year!

Register for Celebration California 2022.

BRING YOUR LUNCH TO FRENCH PARK AFTER SERVICE ON SUNDAY AUGUST 28

After service on August 28th, head over to French Park to eat lunch and enjoy one another’s company while in the midst of the neighborhood God has placed us in. Here are the details:

• It’s “BYOL” (bring your own lunch). If you forget your lunch or your favorite lunchbox isn’t clean, there are plenty of great restaurants nearby in DTSA.

• It’s optional - but we highly encourage coming!

• Bring some folding chairs - unless you like sitting on the grass, bring something to sit on.

• Expect the Lord to build existing relationships and create new ones with our neighbors

ALL GUYS 15 YEARS AND OLDER ARE INVITED TO ATTEND

Men's Meeting is a monthly conversations in an informal setting, where "men talk like men" about God. The topics are chosen to challenge the group and promote humble theological dialogue. Open to all guys, 15 years and older. Meets every second Thursday at the 4th Street Market patio at 7:00 pm.

AUGUST 8 - AUGUST 14

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:

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10: SUMMER PARK DAY

• 10:00 am - Morrison Park, Santa Ana

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11: MEN’S MEETING

• 7:00 pm - Fourth Street Market Patio

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

WHY DID JESUS LIVE A PERFECT LIFE? BY BRANDON CROWE

How does Christ's obedience relate to our salvation? Or, as we’ve been asking in our sermon series in the Gospel of Mark, “Why do we need Jesus’ story to become our story?” Speaking into current conversations about the nature of salvation, respected New Testament scholar Brandon Crowe argues that the Bible teaches perfect obedience is necessary for salvation. This means our stories of imperfect obedience will never measure up to God’s standard. Because of this, in order to be saved Jesus’ story must become our story. We need another who will accomplish all God has required of us and pay the penalty of our sins for us. In this theologically rich yet extremely readable volume, Crowe walks us through God’s word to explain just why we need Jesus’ story to become our story and just how we can receive it as our own. He leads us into the heart of Christ’s perfect righteousness so that we’d find rest from the burden of perfect obedience.

PURCHASE A COPY OF THE BOOK HERE

HE HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DO WHAT HE CAME TO DO

Jesus is at the center of a huge crowd in a small house, teaching. A gripping story ensues that involves four men literally “unroofing the roof” in order to lower their paralyzed friend right in front of Jesus. They’re desperate. They must get their friend to the one who can fix his brokenness. But Jesus looks at them, then looks down at the paralytic and says what nobody expects Him to say. He declares the man’s sins forgiven. The religious elite in the room correctly push back in their hearts, claiming that only God can forgive sin. Through His next miraculous action, Jesus effectively says, “you're right”. He proves to everyone in the house and to us that He has the authority to forgive sins; He has the authority to do what He came to do. You won’t hear any better news this week. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to hear more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE