Grace Fellowship Church - Kingsport

In our pursuit of spiritual maturity there are two forces in conflict with one another. Today’s message helps us identify the source of the conflict and learn how to fight for spiritual maturity.

In the first message in our teaching series “Me and My House” we talk about how God has called each of us to personally grow in spiritual maturity while also leading our homes to follow after Jesus. Spiritual maturity is an individual commitment best pursued in deep relationship with other people.

Scripture calls us to rejoice in the Lord always, but life is hard and rejoicing in the midst of trials is difficult. In order to become a people who consistently choose joy we have to develop proper perspectives of where God is and where we are during our trials. In this message we dig into how Jesus responds to the trials of his people in order to foster a joy that is not based on our circumstances, but rather the on the character and promises of God.

The Advent season causes us to reflect on the idea we are watching and waiting for the return of Jesus and should make us ask the question, “How should I wait on His return?” Today’s message helps us gain understanding on how to wait in hope on Jesus to come back as our eternal King.

Advent is a time of watching and waiting as we anticipate the return of Jesus. This week we look at the peace Jesus brings and discover how His peace informs the way we watch and wait for His second advent.

While we prepare for the season of Advent we need to understand how to watch and wait for the return of Jesus. This message is an introduction to our Christmas series- Advent: Watching and Waiting.

Gospel proclamation is the responsibility of every disciple of Jesus. Knowing the gospel and understanding our call to go to the fields Jesus said are ready for a harvest is what is necessary to bring God’s light into the world.

In the final message of this series we are challenged to confirm our faith by examining our lives, confirming our calling and election. We wrap up the series looking at how Peter had a plan for his ministry to outlast his life and asking what our plan is to individually pass along our faith and make disciples of Jesus.

In the sixth message of this series we discover how God has called us to add perseverance to our faith. Jesus never promised an easy road to his disciples, so we must learn to persevere in faith irregardless of our circumstances. Saving faith is always enduring faith. In this message we ask the question "If God has given me everything I need for a life of godliness, how do I persevere in faith throughout my life?”

In the fifth message of this series we discover how God has called us to add self-control to our faith. Self-control allows us to say no to sinful desires, even when it hurts. In this message we look at ways a lack of self-control leaves us defenseless and strategies to add self-control to our faith.

Peter calls believers (the elect) to be faithful to God and fruitful for others through right knowledge. This knowledge is a gift from God and it is the way we experience God’s grace and peace. It also keeps us productive and growing as followers of Christ. This is a contrast to false knowledge spread by false teachers. We gain this knowledge through God’s word, God’s presence, Observing Creation (Art, Beauty, Nature, Science, etc.) and from other mature believers (The Church) among other ways. This all occurs because we are made by God and for God. He is a self-expressive being who desires to communicate with us and share his love, knowledge and understanding.

In the third message of this series we discover how God has called us to add goodness to our faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God, so we need to know how to grow in our faith so we can add to it as we mature as followers of Jesus. Faith then manifests itself in the good that we do in the Name of Jesus to bring His salvation to the world.

In the second message of this series we discover how God has given us faith as the building block for a life of godliness. Without faith it is impossible to please God, so we need to know how to grow in our faith so we can add to it as we mature as followers of Jesus.