0121 Thursday Bible Study

Gratia Holds Thursday Oline Bible Study

Gratia Church had a very graceful Thursday small group Bible Study, the first for the year 2021. Pastors Walker and Julia Tzeng led the group in praise and Bible Study on Romans 7:7-25.  Attendees also shared reflections and prayed together.   

  “Knowing the law doesn’t prevent us from sinning. Pharisees knew the law in detail, but that didn’t stop sin in this world.  Instead, it just created an atmosphere of anxiety, shame, and condemnation. This is limit of the law. Romans 7 explains that sin seizes the opportunity of knowing the Law to deceive us. You know what is right but Satan twists the holy knowledge of the Law and tempts us in sin. In fact, we are helpless in the spiritual battle on our own. We need the power of God. Paul’s realization that we are wretched people, helps us open our hearts to receive the Holy Spirit and salvation that comes from Jesus Christ,” Pastor Tzeng explained.

Please pray for all members of the group Bible Study to their heart to receive God’s truth and grace continually.

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Worship in Spirit as a Living Sacrifice(Romans 12)

The sermon delivered by Pastor Walker Tzeng, was from Romans 12:1-21 entitled “Worship in Spirit as a Living Sacrifice.”

In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng explicated Romans 12, exhorting members in practical aspects of the life of faith.  While the core of faith is receiving grace, it’s also important God’s love to overflow in us, transform us, and put the love into practice in our walk of faith.

In Romans 12, Paul explains the Biblical foundation for practical aspects of faith as us being living sacrifices.  The meaning of sacrifice in the Old Testament was never meant to be isolated rituals, but was always meant to point towards the heart of receiving forgiveness, repenting, and restoring our relationship with God.  

Finally, Jesus Christ gave the ultimate sacrifice, restoring our relationship with God once and for all.  Therefore, those of us who receive the Lord with faith, don’t need to give any more sacrifice, but instead our whole life is a living sacrifice, worshiping in spirit and truth.  

Paul also explains that it’s only when we actually walk the life of faith, can we begin to discern God’s Will for me.  It’s that God has all given us different spiritual gifts that should be used for the body of Christ.  The body, the church needs all its parts, so everyone is so important and precious in building God’s Kingdom.

Perhaps in Rome, like America today, there were many believers thinking of themselves to highly or despairing that they are lower.  We must remember that in the body of Christ, there is no higher or lower, but we are all serving by the irrevocable gifts and calling that God has blessed us with.

Romans 12 explains 7 spiritual gifts, 12 standards for living among brothers and sisters, and 12 standards for living with society.  In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng explained each one by one, exhorting members to love one another, not take vengeance, and carry each other burdens.

In the New Year 2021, let us rely on God to help us walk with faith and reveal God’s glory and Kingdom in our church.

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New Wine into New Wineskins

The sermon was from Matthew 9:1-17 entitled, “New Wine into New Wineskins”.

In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng encouraged members to receive that unconditional grace and blessing of God to start off the New Year.  Even more than starting off the year “right” with New Year’s resolutions, it is about starting the New Year with righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ.

In the main passage, we see two other groups referenced.  Among the Jews, the Pharisees were the most lawful, knowing and doing everything right.  Also among the Jews, John the Baptist and his disciples were the group most pointed in the direction of the Gospel, since they had a repentful heart.  Yet, the Pharisees and John the Baptist’s disciples were still limited.  

They followed the Law or had a repentful heart out of obligation.  Their life of faith was always focused on not making a mistake and being perfect and right.  They always lived under the specter of fear instead of the freedom of love.  

How were the disciples of Jesus?  The Lord came and brought unconditional love.  Unconditional love means that there is no expectation of payback.  Being together with the Lord is not out of obligation, but like a wedding banquet – full of celebration, peace, and joy that only comes from Jesus Christ.  Maturity in love is realizing that I follow moral Law, not out of obligation to pay back the Lord, but simply because I love the Lord so by that love, I love Good and follow His Will.  

Jesus further explained that like a new cloth on an old garment, nor can new wine be put in old wineskin.  It means that this new way of unconditional love can’t fit under the old way of obligation and old way of Law can’t hold in this vitality of the Gospel.  The two can’t be mixed.  New wine needs to go into new wineskin.  Our church must be a new wineskin full of overflowing vitality and love of the Gospel within us.

If we walked the 2020 out of obligation and Law, let us start off 2021 by receiving the amazing grace that comes only from the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.  Through this, may our church be the place of the Kingdom.  

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Gratia church welcomed 2021 with New Year service

Gratia church welcomed 2021 with a New Year service on Jan 1, 2021, giving the first hour back to God. Members of the Gratia church gathered on-site and online for the service.

Pastor Walker Tzeng delivered the message with the scripture 2 Corinthians 5:17, “The New is Here!”  The message compared Paul’s encounter with Jesus Christ with C.S. Lewis’ Voyage of the Dawn Treader and spoke about Paul’s excitement for being a new creation.  Pastor Tzeng encouraged members to receive God’s amazing and endless grace to begin the New Year.  

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