Jesus Builds His Church
This past Sunday we welcomed new members. Forgiven sinners and followers of Christ whom God has joined to our church. We got to hear from one new couple, Kyle and Ellie, as they've encountered God's grace at our church:
About nine months ago we got married and moved to Tustin. Before we got married, we spent months visiting a new church every Sunday, from the Biola Area all the way to Westminster. As introverts, it was pretty challenging to meet so many new people week after week, and we got really good at our introduction spiel!
We found Sovereign Grace in mid-May and visited on a Sunday. The first people we met were Bobby and Alie. Alie immediately welcomed us and introduced us to a few new people. Everyone was delighted to hear that we were engaged, but the best part was that we found Sovereign Grace a week before our wedding—so the reactions we got to the question, “Oh, when are you getting married?” “Uh, next Sunday!” were pretty priceless. We didn’t come back to Sovereign Grace for a few Sundays, since we were on our honeymoon, but I still remember Alie’s face when we walked in the second time! She was talking with someone and when she saw us out of the corner of her eye, she lit up, and I heard her say, “Oh! They’re back!” Alie is just one example of how welcoming everyone has been to us over the last few months. So many of you have invited us out to lunch or over for dinner, and we have been so blessed to get to know so many of you already.
Not only that, but we were amazed by the depth of the preaching and the intentionality of the whole congregation to make their faith a priority in each and every person’s life we’ve interacted in. A lot of churches today trade community for the gospel, or rigid teaching for community, but you guys here at Sovereign Grace have managed by the grace of God to do both so well. Both Kyle and I have been so encouraged and convicted by the sermons that have been preached over the last few months—but the good kind of conviction, where you feel both the sting of your sin, but surrounded by a community that loves you so deeply.
That combination is not found everywhere, and we’re so grateful to have come to a community that preaches the gospel with so much love, and hasn’t traded community with one another for the truth of Christ.
