GretnaLife’s Sunday Gatherings

Text: John 18:33-40
Topics: Kingdoms, Jesus as King, Politics, Truth
Big Idea of the Message: No matter the season, Jesus challenges the rule of the day. When we are called to consider the person of Jesus, our decision affects all that we hold to be important in life.
Application Point: Like people in the first century, we are called to give an answer to the questions of who Jesus is and what he means to us. The question “Are you King of the Jews?” is as critical today as it was then.

Text: Mark 12:13–27Topics: Herodians, Pharisees, Sadducees, Jesus, DisciplesBig Idea of the Message: Jesus’s message will bring even the most hardened enemies together as they try to keep the kingdom from moving forward.Application Point: Jesus’s words and actions will push us to make difficult decisions. When we seek him out, we may find that he calls us to abandon some ways of thinking that we hold as sacred. Jesus will reward our obedience, even if it looks to others like our sacrifice was foolish.

Text: Mark 11:27–12:12Supplemental Texts: Mark 3:1–6; 11:1–26Topics: Trust, Big Idea of the Message: We really struggle to trust - people, motivations, and even God himself.  There are many reasons why it's hard for us, but Jesus is worthy of all the trust we can muster - and then some.Application Point: Jesus’s message will challenge everyone, but especially thereligious. It is the religious—even his own followers—who will struggle to accept the truth of the person of Jesus. The call to trust is the same today as it was two thousand years ago.

Jesus must be something more than one of the greats. He must be the only source of life we have. We must see in Jesus the only answer to the key questions of life.

Text: Matthew 5:1–12
Supplemental Texts: Matthew 5–7
Topics: New Expectations, Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, Kingdom Witness
Big Idea of the Message: We cannot forget that Jesus’s message of good news is rooted in him as the bearer of a new covenant with new expectations. Jesus’s actions were intended to bring about the realization of a hope that only he could provide.
Application Point: The expectations of our covenant with Jesus require us to live for His work to be done, but offers eternal benefits that only come through Him.

Text: Proverbs 27:17; Ephesians 4:15-16
Topics: Friendship, Family, Confidant, Compassion, Accountability
Big Idea of the Message: Faith-filled friendships offer the gift of confident compassion.
Application Point: Faith-filled communities are where we find our friends with whom we can give and receive confident, Christ-centered compassion and accountability.

Sandile is the lead Pastor of the Brethren Church of South Africa. He will share testimony of God's work in him, his family, and the area they are blessed to serve in God's name.

Text: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Mark 2:1–12; 1 Sam 14:1-15
Topics: Friendship, Comradery, Together
Big Idea of the Message: Faith-filled friendships offer the gift of comradery.
Application Point: Faith-filled communities are where we find friends with whom we can stand shoulder to shoulder and walk through life, those who come to our defense to help us fight our battles.