On Sunday Kyle Houlton, our Santa Ana church planter, preached on John 1:35-51. He asked us to remember what made us decide to devote our lives to Jesus. He provided four glimpses of the glory of Jesus that make Him worthy of our allegiance.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from Romans 14:13-23. He reminded us that Jesus has made us free. We are free to do all kinds of things that bring us joy and please Him. But our freedoms can hurt our brothers and sisters. When they do, we are free to love them by restricting ourselves. We no longer ask, "What can I get away with?" We ask, "How can I glorify God while doing good to those for whom Christ died?"
We are both glad and humbled every time a person says, "I want to join in on what God is doing at Sovereign Grace Church." That's what membership is. An opportunity for the church and the individual to say clearly, "We are in this together as long as the Lord allows."
On Sunday we welcomed two folks we love dearly as members of Sovereign Grace Church. Kevin has been around for 8 years and Katie is coming up on one year.
Kevin thanked Sovereign Grace for loving him through the ups and downs of his Christian walk.
Katie thanked the church for welcoming her with open arms.
All of us rejoiced as God weaved them into the fabric of our church.
On Sunday Pastor Eric continued our series in Romans preaching Romans 13:8-14. He reminded us that the debt of love we owe can never be satisfied. We are never done loving each other because Jesus is never done loving us. We continue to pour our lives out for others because Jesus' love is inexhaustible.
On Sunday, church member Grant Sigafoos continued our 3-week series in Habakkuk preaching from Habakkuk 1:12-2:20. He reminded us that God's ways often leave us scratching our heads. Or worse, His ways upset us. He uses evil people for good purposes. He authorizes tragedy instead of preventing it. In these moments, our great act of faith is simply to pour out our complaints to God and then wait for Him to respond.
Old Towne Orange has no shortage of great places to eat. And any given Sunday after church you can find members of our church building community over lunch (the picture above is case in point).
It's tempting to race home after church each Sunday. Kids are hungry and tired. Adults are hungry and tired. We get it.
But the lunch hour on Sunday is an opportunity to make connections and deepen friendships. Capitalize on it. Invite someone to lunch. Find a group that's heading out. Invite someone over to your house for lunch. Use those couple hours after the service to love one another (John 13:34) and show hospitality (Rom. 12:13). It pleases God and it strengthens the church.
Christian, Leah, and their daughter Cana are relocating to Northern California. On Wednesday, their small group hosted a "good pie" party to send them off with our affection. We are sad to see them go but trust that the Lord is at work. May He use them to serve His purposes in their new city.