Gracelife Sarasota

There was a time not too long ago GraceLife was growing a little complacent, it was right before COVID. Attendance was up, cash flow was the strongest ever. We were comfortable @ McCurdy’s, 1900, & Swift Road. I had just started preaching through Mark, and our core ministries: GL Food Pantry & GLR were booming. We had it all handled with not many uncertainties. But GraceLife was growing complacent becoming a little self-reliant & didn’t even realize it. Then COVID hit; money got tight, we couldn’t meet & some left because of it. Then grief hit us, more than once. You know what these last 2.5 years taught us? GraceLife cannot be self-reliant. We need to cling to Jesus each day.

Does God have a special place in His heart for the American church? Can the Bible be read as Americans? We tend to interpret scripture from an American perspective, I understand its easy to do because…we’re Americans. Sometimes that’s ok, but reading scripture as Americans doesn’t serve us well. The American experience is so atypical. We easily slip into flawed interpretations, missing out on something much bigger than the mere 246 years of America. Today’s passage requires us to put aside our American citizenship, in exchange for our Kingdom of Heaven citizenship. It’s a prime example of how we must read Revelation over the next several months to learn all we can from it. First, with our American experience put aside, and with the O.T. in one hand, and John’s letter in another.

What if GraceLife received a letter from Jesus saying “GraceLife is dying! Repent, return to the Gospel, or be judged!”? Is GraceLife a living, vibrant, faithful, obedient church? IF Jesus wrote us a letter, would He list any good works? I worry about this continually. Then I see God use our church for His Kingdom, and my anxiety fades just a bit…for maybe an hour… then I worry about it again. Why do I worry so much? Do any of you ever think about this? If you’re emotionally, spiritually, financially vested in GraceLife, you should ask these questions also. We’re not perfect, no church is, but are we alive? I believe right now, today, we are (More later). Can we stay alive? And What does a dying church look like? Low attendance? No money? Lots of conflict? Are those the proper metrics? Just because a church has lots of people, lots of money, a good reputation in society, looks vibrant, it can be dead. We will see that today in week 8 of Revelation. We will also lear

Every person desires a community that embraces their personal values, enhances opportunity for success or happiness. It’s a natural to desire to live in a world that affirms your core values, protects what’s important, family, faith, success… Its why people move, change jobs, chose a church, become passionate about politics, volunteer, donate to charity. People of all faiths (even atheist), cultural backgrounds, political leanings, (big gov or small) moral values (pro-life or pro-choice) economic philosophy (capitalist or socialist), have passionate opinions for what society should look like. For true followers of Jesus, the gift of faith gives us a desire for a culture that embraces our Kingdom Values. We advocate for them, fight for them, vote for them, proclaim them, hopefully we can change the culture. But one thing 1000’s of years of human history tells us. The world isn’t interested and won’t be until Jesus returns. Until then, this world will constantly pres

(REVELATION 2:12–17) “AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN PERGAMUM WRITE: ‘THE WORDS OF HIM WHO HAS THE SHARP TWO-EDGED SWORD. [13] “‘I KNOW WHERE YOU DWELL, WHERE SATAN’S THRONE IS. YET YOU HOLD FAST MY NAME, AND YOU DID NOT DENY MY FAITH EVEN IN THE DAYS OF ANTIPAS MY FAITHFUL WITNESS, WHO WAS KILLED AMONG YOU, WHERE SATAN DWELLS. [14] BUT I HAVE A FEW THINGS AGAINST YOU: YOU HAVE SOME THERE WHO HOLD THE TEACHING OF BALAAM, WHO TAUGHT BALAK TO PUT A STUMBLING BLOCK BEFORE THE SONS OF ISRAEL, SO THAT THEY MIGHT EAT FOOD SACRIFICED TO IDOLS AND PRACTICE SEXUAL IMMORALITY. [15] SO ALSO YOU HAVE SOME WHO HOLD THE TEACHING OF THE NICOLAITANS. [16] THEREFORE REPENT. IF NOT, I WILL COME TO YOU SOON AND WAR AGAINST THEM WITH THE SWORD OF MY MOUTH. [17] HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES. TO THE ONE WHO CONQUERS I WILL GIVE SOME OF THE HIDDEN MANNA, AND I WILL GIVE HIM A WHITE STONE, WITH A NEW NAME WRITTEN ON THE STONE THAT NO ONE KNOWS EXCEP

Every follower of Jesus has wondered if they would have what it takes to stand up to real persecution. We imagine scenarios of being forced to choose between our faith or our life, or family & friends lives. It’s a hypothetical situation Americans can’t really answer since we don’t face that kind of persecution & likely won’t. That’s what makes today’s passage so difficult to preach, it’s a situation none of us are ever likely to face. Its much easier to preach about sin in the church, we relate to that! But Jesus doesn’t do that in His letter to Smyrna.

For nearly 6 years GraceLife has lived in a comedy club, an office building, & a strip mall. We were forced love people before a building or the organization, to be Mobile, Organic, Biblical, & Generous. In this way our humble beginnings have been a blessing. They helped us find, and maintain our first love. That first love has been to relentlessly serve hurting people in our community thru love, generosity, & truth. Now with all the exciting things happening, there’s a challenge for GraceLife, as we discuss carpet, paint, chairs, cameras, lights, GLK for our families, parking lots, & everything else… could we be tempted to lose our first love? Let’s go further, If GraceLife closed its doors, would our community even feel the impact? Would anyone even notice? This week starts a section in Revelation containing personalized letters for each of the representative 7 churches. Each letter lists things a church did well, and things that church failed in, all of which are relevant for every ch

Traditionally the picture of Resurrected Jesus in our minds goes back to a 1st century image of Jesus. The stone rolled away, the empty tomb, the women informing the other disciples about the angle & Jesus is missing. We imagine Peter running to confirm it for Himself, we see Jesus, not yet full glorified appearing to His disciples. It’s a glorious image held dear in our hearts, but what if it isn’t the last image of Himself Jesus gave us to remember? This week, Revelation helped me realize I need to upgrade the image of Resurrected Jesus in my heart & mind. A new revelation of who Resurrected Jesus is, what He looks like, what He’s doing right now, & what He will do. This picture of Resurrected Jesus unveiled for us is meant to change how we see Him, even on Easter Sunday.

Lets read this passage written by a 90-year-old man in an isolated, 1st century prison, no plumbing, no electricity, no medical care, no heating or cooling, bad nutrition...(REVELATION 1:4B–8) JOHN TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES THAT ARE IN ASIA: GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE FROM HIM WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS TO COME, AND FROM THE SEVEN SPIRITS WHO ARE BEFORE HIS THRONE, [5] AND FROM JESUS CHRIST THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, THE FIRSTBORN OF THE DEAD, AND THE RULER OF KINGS ON EARTH. TO HIM WHO LOVES US AND HAS FREED US FROM OUR SINS BY HIS BLOOD [6] AND MADE US A KINGDOM, PRIESTS TO HIS GOD AND FATHER, TO HIM BE GLORY AND DOMINION FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN. [7] BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, AND EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM, EVEN THOSE WHO PIERCED HIM, AND ALL TRIBES OF THE EARTH WILL WAIL ON ACCOUNT OF HIM. EVEN SO. AMEN. [8] “I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA,” SAYS THE LORD GOD, “WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS TO COME, THE ALMIGHTY”.

Historically, Revelation has been not only the most intriguing book in the Bible, but also the most intimidating. Yet somehow, even though its talked about a lot, in many ways it’s also the most neglected by individual believers. My experience is most Christians aren’t nearly as familiar with Revelation as they are other books in the Bible. Most have probably, for example red Genesis or the letters of Paul more often than Revelation. As a result, what most people know about Revelation, they have relied on what others say about it. Many have been taught Revelation is about codes, riddles, clues, puzzles, like a Christian version of Nostradamus. I suspect most Christians consult google about Revelation more than reading it for ourselves, or in community. As a result, there’s perhaps more innocent misunderstanding of Revelation than any other book in the Bible. Many Christians can’t resist the urge to collate its images alongside of current events, world news headlines. Each generatio

“…SINCE YOU ARE WAITING FOR THESE, BE DILIGENT TO BE FOUND BY HIM WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH, AND AT PEACE.” What are “these” we are waiting for? When Jesus returns, He will gather His church, then expose & remove evil. Obviously, followers of Jesus are supposed to be “waiting for these”, but what should our waiting look like? What does Peter mean when He says we should be found without spot or blemish, and at peace? What’s harder, believing in Jesus’ return, or being diligent to be found by Jesus w/out spot or blemish and at peace? What does without spot or blemish and at peace even mean? Is living like that even possible? How far does that go? How many of us right now can say, “I am waiting without spot or blemish and at peace? I call it “Perfect waiting” How should “perfect waiting” impact priorities, choices, our relationships with one another & the world around us? How do we know if we’re perfectly

Are there things about this world you believe should change? Things that if there was justice would be wiped away? War? Human trafficking? Racism & bigotry? Violent crime? Murder? Rape? What about Economic injustice? Corporate greed? Government corruption & evil? What about things like natural disasters that cause so much pain? What about cancer? COVID? What about other moral issues like abortion, euthanasia, on and on…Most people have some sort of vision or hope for what the world should be, including strong opinions on solutions. The human heart naturally longs for all things to be made right. We hope for a better world, a better tomorrow. We hope for that personally, for our family, our community, our country, the world. We long for eutopia. We advocate for those issues and solutions, with great passion, as we should as part of our royal priesthood. Sometimes we make a real difference, but it’s never enough, no matter how hard we try, we can’t have total success. There is only one even

Waiting for the return of Jesus can be frustrating for some, a cause for anxiety in others, I mean it’s a big event! Have you ever heard people attempt to predict when Jesus will return? I’ve seen so many predicted days come & Go. Ironically, we want to know even though Jesus specifically says nobody will know the day or the hour He will return. One of the passages often used, in conjunction with others in Daniel & Revelation is today’s passage in 2 Peter 3. Its natural though, to scour scriptures, for clues, signals numbers, elaborate prophetic formulas that might tell us. Why do we want to know so bad? So, we aren’t caught off guard? Would following Jesus be easier if we knew? Let me tell how I think it would go: “I’ve got another 25 years before Jesus comes; today’s not special.” Followers of Jesus know His return is a reality that should impact how we live each day, but is that practical? We’ve been waiting our whole lives; the church has wait

“STILL A MAN BELIEVES WHAT HE WANTS TO BELIEVE, AND DISREGARDS THE REST” – SIMON & GARFUNKEL, “THE BOXER” Have you disagreed with someone who refused to acknowledge important obvious points in your argument? We have all been on both sides of this equation though. Every human in history has been. Sometimes stubbornness starts with ignorance, in that situation there’s hope information & persuasion will help. But what about when someone knows the information but still refuses to acknowledge obvious truth? Can you relate? The problem there isn’t education, lack of knowledge, Its morality, human nature. Information can’t cure our depravity. This might be the saddest quality of human depravity when we willfully reject obvious truth. Why is that? Sometimes truth can be humiliating, troubling, requiring costly changes, courageous choices, humbling acceptance. Sometimes truth is so frightening we chose ignorance, even willing & ready to risk the inevitable conse

What is your first reaction to the phrase “the last days” or the return of Jesus? There is the churchy answer “Oh man what a glorious day that will be”, but all of us have a little anxiety right? Do you think biblical prophecy, signs that point to the possibility that the end is just around the corner? The topic is a little intimidating theologically, it makes you anxious. It should be the most comforting. Since the first century, one of the critical non-negotiables in Christian theology was that Jesus taught He will return. Apostles & early church fathers were all in agreement: We are in the last days & the return of Jesus was imminent. Early on, it was held as one of the most precious, comforting apostolic teachings. It was also the most attacked. It’s not surprising the enemy would target it. It’ll be his worst day, his worst moment, when evil is wiped out. We’ve seen an entire range of false teaching: Failed predictions, already happened, outright rejection

My wife Laura grew up in NY, she used to always tell me how bad chain restaurant pizza was, but I dismissed that. Then, we moved to NY just outside of Queens, a couple block away was Angeleto. It’s the best Sicilian pizza you’ll ever eat. The perfectly tangy sauce, fresh cheese, crunchy edges… transformational. In the city, on the corner of Spring & Mott was Lombardi’s (PIC) the best thin crust fired oven pizza ever. I could never settle for Pizza hut or Domino’s again. I can’t go back, I won’t. Why? Because I tasted the real thing. Have you ever experienced something made the old ways dissatisfying because you’ve experienced real version? If we have truly experienced the joy of His grace and His community, that’s how following Jesus should be, I don’t know how anyone could ever go back to life without Jesus, if they’ve really tasted Living water

Have you ever had someone you care about wounded, misled, or taken advantage of by someone or a group? How did that make you feel? What did you want to do? What did you want to say to those who did it? Did you play scenarios in your head what you would say, how it would go if you had a chance to unleash? When people we love are victimized, it’s fertile ground for outrage or anger, sometimes justified. Here’s another question. Have you ever wounded, misled, or taken advantage of someone else’s loved one? Were you confronted? Were you embarrassed? Did you lash back? Were you humbled, ask for forgiveness? If you think about it, all of us, intentionally or not, have wounded someone else’s loved one. Certainly, evil should be called out, it should be dealt with… but how do we do that without seeming to be hypocrites? It’s a hard balance, isn’t it? Managing our righteous anger toward those who hurt our loved ones. Then on the other hand, maintaining humility over th

Do you ever wonder why God sometimes seemingly lets evil have its way? Why doesn’t He judge it immediately? We know evil is caused by sin, perhaps even our own… but why does God even allow sin to be a thing in the first place? Wy must we even tolerate false teaching? Didn’t’ Christ suffer on the cross to defeat evil? Will evil ever get what it deserves? We grapple with these questions today, same as the 1st century church. We are even more exposed to false teaching than the 1st century church. Internet, locally, nationally. You can’t escape the reality that God’s people will always be plagued by evil of false teaching around us. it’s easy to lose heart, give up. Where do we turn? Where do we get the motivation, inspiration to wait patiently? How can we get the confidence & assurance we need, that God knows what He’s doing? And we can rest easy?

What is the problem with false teaching? Why is it so bad? Why is it so important? You may not realize it but without your church family & constant reminder you are very vulnerable to false teachers. Why are people so susceptible to false teachers? What makes false teaching so attractive, so alluring? It has Something for everyone… atheistic, deistic, philosophical, theological. It can be radical, subtle, or in between. False teaching is the fertilizer that causes overgrown depravity throughout human history. A framework for redefining morality (or rejecting it all together) and elevating it above God’s law & priorities.

Why do we follow Jesus? Why do we go through the trouble of living in accordance to His commands? - Why do we put our faith and trust for eternity in His promises to the degree it changes how we live on earth? The reason? You have been convinced the words of Jesus are true, reliable enough to devote your life to Him. That makes sense, right? We follow Jesus, trust in Jesus because we’re confident He is the Way, the Truth & the Life. If that is true for you, are you able to articulate the reasons? Could you pass those things on to others?