Grace Chapel Podcast | Leipers Fork, Tn

Like Simon Peter, in Luke 5:1-11, we are called to surrender our plans and follow Jesus, trusting Him even when it doesn’t make sense. Jesus invites us into a new, transformative life that is set free from the power of sin.

Today marked our first official Sunday as Southall Church! As we step into this new season, Pastor Rob shared about how we, as Christians, embrace and enter a new chapter with a renewed commitment, as a new creation.

In the midst of darkness and despair, God answered by sending His son, Jesus, bringing light and hope to a weary world. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus offers redemption and victory over sin to anyone who receives Him.

1 Peter 5:1-11 tells us that by trusting God’s timing, humbling ourselves before Him, and resisting the enemy, we can hold onto the hope that Christ will restore and strengthen us, no matter what we are facing.

In 1 Peter 4:12-19, Peter calls Christians in “fiery trials” to remain sober-minded, rejoice in the glory of God, and resist the devil’s tactics by standing firm in their faith.  

Are you focused on things that truly matter? We want to live radically different lives—lives that are armed with the mind of Christ, lives that swim against the current, and lives that are focused on the return of Christ!

How do we find strength, hope, and courage to preserve in the midst of the disappointments, toil, and pain of life? In 1 Peter 3, Peter says to respond to these difficulties through seeking peace, standing firm, and celebrating the Gospel.

How do we patiently and persistently show up in a way that is pleasing to God in our work, our homes, and our relationship to the government? How do we honor Christ in all of our complex and difficult circumstances? We are to look to the founder of our faith and follow the example He set for us in 1 Peter 2:22-24.

As exiles and sojourners, our role is to engage faithfully, endure patiently, persevere through injustice, and know that Jesus is the King.

1 Peter 2:4-10 tells us that God is the builder, Jesus is the cornerstone, and we are living stones. We are being fashioned together by the master builder to become a dwelling place for the Spirit of God!

In Christ, you don’t have fading life. You have everlasting life. For the rest of our time here on earth, as exiles, waiting for our true home, we are invited into a life of grace and growth.

In 1 Peter 1:13-16, Peter gives us five commands in light of a purified faith, salvation, and the inevitable return of Christ: Prepare your mind, be sober-minded, set your hope, don’t go back, and be holy!

How do we navigate the days in which we’re living? What does it mean to be faithful citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven while living in the empires of men? One simple fact remains: Empires come and go, but the Kingdom of God remains forever.

In the good and difficult seasons of life, how do we know that we’re making progress as followers of Christ? How do we know what our next steps are? The Discipleship Pathway lists the five stages of spiritual growth in which we can identify where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go.

Centering on the Gospel, bridging generations, building strong families, and living beyond ourselves are our values that keep us focused on the mission to follow Jesus, become like Jesus, and live as Jesus lived.

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus says, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” From this passage comes our mission statement and the definition of a disciple—someone who is following Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and living as Jesus lived!

 This Sunday, Pastor Rob kicked off our Vision series and clarified the vision that is taking us into the good future that God has for our church! 

Why is it that we’re not more courageous in sharing our faith with others? What’s keeping us from speaking up about Jesus? If we want to grow in our boldness and willingness to share our faith with others, we must 1) Be with Jesus and 2) Ask for courage.

We’ve all experienced the grace of God, and sharing our story has the power to change lives! Even though we might be timid about sharing our story when the doors open to conversations about our faith, let’s step out of the boat and trust the Holy Spirit to guide us in those moments. 

We serve others because God served us! He laid down His life for us before we knew Him or even believed in Him. By serving the people around us, we are building an incredible relational bridge that God uses to open the door to conversations about Jesus.