- By Grace Today
- JUN 29, 2012
If you’ve been around Grace Church for awhile, no doubt you’ve heard the following announcement literally dozens (maybe even hundreds) of times. Each Lord’s Day, as we’re preparing for the offering, we hear these familiar words, “…and please take a moment to fill out an attendance card so that we can better shepherd the flock.” Normally you may not even notice because you’re focused on the remaining announcements, but every once in a while maybe you wonder, “Wait; how does filling out an attendance card help shepherd the flock? It’s just a card, right?”
Frankly, that’s an understandable reaction. With all our advanced technology and portable electronics, it’s tempting to wonder how filling out a simple card can amount to much, especially as a way for our pastors and elders to shepherd the flock. It is just a card, right?
But what if it was more than just a card? Sometimes big things come in small packages—so what if this humble piece of paper actually was a strategically planned and vitally important ingredient in how you can become more accountable to the Lord and strengthen His church? You may have guessed by now that yes, it is more than just a card. Your attendance…
- By Grace Today
- FEB 18, 2011
One of the best indicators of a healthy church is how swiftly its people rise to an opportunity. When the right opportunity is presented to a strong church, the faithful act quickly. Hearts start to pound and feet start to move, because pleasing the Lord is paramount. You see, every believer who truly comprehends the full weight of God’s commands always desires to run the race of faith without delay. It’s just a matter of recognizing the mandate.
Recently this has been vividly demonstrated in our own church in the matter of membership.
When our leadership offered an accelerated membership process during the month of November, our congregation responded. The opportunity for commitment had come—those who had faithfully attended Grace Church for three years or more were offered the possibility to formalize their faithfulness in a unique way. The requirement for our four-hour, Sunday-afternoon membership class was lifted, and all anyone had to do was rise to the occasion. What was the result? More than three hundred attendees decided to step forward and make Grace Church their home.
Clearly membership matters at Grace.
You see, it has always been in the…
- By Grace Today
- JAN 14, 2011
I don’t know about you, but I love the New Year. As believers, it’s an invigorating opportunity to review our lives and recommit to our priorities as children of God. Though we know that one month really doesn’t differ all that much from the other (especially in Southern California), the act of changing of the calendar often provides the necessary catalyst we need to begin the work of transforming old habits. That’s why traditionally we make resolutions at this time of year—we need to maximize the opportunity to combine inspiration with perspiration; to combine encouragement with effort.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the ongoing desire we have in the church to be faithful to the commands of Scripture. We want to be obedient to the ordinance of baptism and the biblical example of church membership, but often we put these priorities aside, either due to a lack of motivation or a lack of information. We know that baptism is mandated, we understand that membership matters, but even once we decide to take action, the processes themselves can seem confusing.
It’s interesting that though baptism and membership are two separate stages in the new believer’s life, they…
- By Grace Today
- JUN 11, 2010
It’s hard to read the book of Acts without being moved by the vitality and awe of the incredible, ongoing supernatural events described by Luke. The dead were brought to life; Jesus had ascended into a cloud before their very eyes; fishermen who had just days before resembled frightened sheep more than bold shepherds were now standing taller, speaking louder, and thinking clearer.
Something had happened, and those who had witnessed it were walking around with different expressions on their faces. There was an awareness among them that they possessed a transcendent power. There was a sense among them that history was in the making, unfolding right before their eyes. The tides of time were changing, boyhood stories were coming to life as they watched, and ancient promises were being fulfilled. Acts 2:43 says it the best—“Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.”
It’s an amazing story isn’t it? But, as we all understand, there comes a time in every event under heaven when the rush of excitement dissipates, leaving us with the sober reality of the weight of work left to be done. The early church was blessed…
- By Grace Today
- JAN 15, 2010
It’s safe to say that whenever a new year arrives, it usually comes with myriad changes ranging from the simple to the sublime. The simple changes begin with common things, like remembering to write “2010” instead of “2009” on our checks and letters. For most people, it takes a few weeks to adjust to even that simple change. Curiously, this year we not only face the challenge of learning to write the new year correctly, we also have to learn to say it.
There is an ongoing debate among grammarians concerning how we should pronounce “2010.” According to a news release from the National Association of Good Grammar (NAGG), the year 2010 should “officially be pronounced ’twenty ten,’” and subsequent years should be pronounced as “twenty eleven, twenty twelve, etc.”
The argument goes that since every year of the twentieth century was pronounced “nineteen something,” it is only reasonable that “twenty something” should follow. According to NAGG, “Twenty follows nineteen. Two thousand does not follow nineteen.” They conclude their argument with these simple, irrefutable words, “It’s logical.” The idea is that even though change can be difficult, once people…