Grace for New Life

Because Christ has loved us with a self-giving love, we are called to love one another with that same kind of love in our daily lives. Even as we grieve the reality of death, we do not grieve as those without hope, for Jesus died and rose again. When He returns, He will gather His people to Himself forever, and until that day we live in love while we wait in sure hope.

Through His death and resurrection, Christ has raised us into a new life that is hidden with Him in God. We are called to take off the old clothing of sin and self, and put on the new garments of compassion, kindness, humility, and love. Clothed in Christ, we live each day as His new creation, reflecting His grace in all we do.

Jesus, though fully God, humbled Himself by taking on the form of a servant and going all the way to the cross for us. In His self-giving love, we see that true greatness is found not in grasping for power but in laying our lives down in service. Because Christ went down in humility, God exalted Him above every name—and in Him, the way down is the way up.

“Growing Up Together” centers on Christ as the head of the Church, who calls us into unity and maturity through His grace. As we each use the gifts He’s given, we build up His body in love, growing to reflect His character and truth more fully. Anchored in Him, we move toward spiritual maturity side by side, so the world sees the fullness of Christ alive in His people.

“Spirit-led Living” begins with fixing our eyes on Jesus, who fulfilled the law perfectly and now pours out His Spirit to empower us. As we yield to Him daily, the Spirit shapes our hearts to bear His fruit—love, joy, peace, and more—reflecting Christ’s own character in our lives. Walking in step with the Spirit keeps us close to Jesus and makes our lives a living testimony of His transforming grace to the world.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are thrown into prison, but God breaks their chains with an earthquake—not just to free them, but to reveal His power and grace. Instead of escaping, they stay and share the gospel, leading their jailer and his household to faith in Jesus. This story shows that true freedom isn’t just release from physical bondage, but new life in Christ. When God breaks chains, He sets hearts free.

In Acts 11, Peter recounts how God broke down the barriers between Jews and Gentiles by pouring out the Holy Spirit on all who believe. What once seemed unclean or unreachable is now embraced by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. This moment challenges the early church—and us—to rethink who belongs in the family of God. When God breaks barriers, He invites us to join Him in a mission that includes everyone, everywhere.

In Acts 9, Saul is struck blind on the road to Damascus so that he can finally see the truth about Jesus. His physical blindness mirrors the spiritual blindness that had kept him from recognizing God’s grace. Through the power of Christ and the obedience of Ananias, Saul is healed, baptized, and called into a new life. Sometimes God must break through our resistance to open our eyes to His mercy and mission.

In Luke 19:1–10, grace comes home when Jesus enters the house—and heart—of Zacchaeus, a man lost in greed and shame. Though the crowd saw only a sinner, Jesus saw a son in need of saving and called him by name. That day, grace broke through the walls of status and sin, bringing repentance, joy, and restoration. When grace comes home, salvation follows, because Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

The Word of God accomplishes more in this world than we can dare dream of.  After all, God created our world with words.  The Word of God smashes rocks.  The Word of God is sharper than a two edged sword.  The Word of God never returns to God without producing something.  it’s worth listening to.

We are to welcome one another. Indeed, central to the Christian gospel and way of life is fellowship and reconciliation, with God and with one another. This is vividly illustrated in Paul’s dramatic little letter to Philemon, in which the apostle urges Philemon to welcome back his runaway slave Onesimus, now as a brother and coworker in the faith.