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Gratia Christmas Retreat Concludes Focusing on Jesus

Gratia Church’s Christmas Retreat concluded with grace, focusing on the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The retreat was held from December 13-15, 2024 in Pacifica, CA, with this final day being on Sunday. Throughout the retreat, the Bile Studies focused on Matthew 1-4.

Many members gave encouraging and graceful testimonies. Brother JC said it was a life-changing retreat for him in terms of finding direction in his life. Brother Aaron said he received exactly what he needed in terms of renewing his faith in the Lord and taking rest in Him. Brother KJ said the retreat helped him come back to Jesus. Sister Larese testified how she was called by the Lord one year ago, and that attending this retreat has strengthened her call.

Please pray that Gratia members can hold onto the grace from the Christmas retreat, be centered in Jesus Christ, and called for the Kingdom.

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What Good Thing Must I Do to Gain Eternal Life

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

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Gratia Launches First Worship Night on USF Campus

Gratia Church held its first-ever worship night on the USF campus on December 7. USF students attending Gratia opened the door for the use of campus facilities, and they organized the event to bring together Christians from all churches and fellowships to praise God on campus.

The evening, entitled “All of a Sudden” from Acts 2:2, was led by Brother Larry and Sister Ruth, along with members of Gratia and other on-campus fellowships. Many participants from various campus fellowships joined the worship night. Together, as one body of Christ, students and members of Gratia were able to praise God and share in His grace.

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Whoever Wants to Become Great Must Serve

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

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thanksgiving

Gratia Members Celebrate Thanksgiving Together

Gratia members celebrated Thanksgiving together at church with a special Thanksgiving service followed by a meal. Students who remained in San Francisco also joined the celebration. Pastor Peter shared a message based on Colossians 2:6-8, titled “Overflowing with Thankfulness.”

Members enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship, reflecting on God’s work in their lives and expressing their heartfelt gratitude. May God’s grace continue to overflow abundantly in the hearts of all members in the years to come.

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Gratia Graceful Friday Prayer Meeting

Gratia Church held a graceful Friday prayer meeting on November 22. Pastor Julia shared a brief message based on Philippians 3:12, titled A Life Captured by Christ. She emphasized that without Christ as our ultimate goal, we risk grasping at whatever comes our way-things we neither need nor truly desire. Instead, we must hold firmly to the Lord. On this journey to gain Christ, pruning is essential. Just as a branch that bears many fruits and flowers is trimmed to produce the best fruit, so too must we cut away the excess in our lives to focus on what truly matters.

After the message, members prayed together and for one another, experiencing a powerful time of renewal through the Holy Spirit. Even in the midst of the storm, members who were thirsty for the Lord came to the prayer meeting, driven by their deep passion for Jesus Christ. May the Lord use their lives to bear abundant fruit.

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Get up! Pick up Your Mat and Walk

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

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Remember the Lord

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

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A Touch of Faith

These passages record two intertwined miracles-both demonstrating the profound impact of simple, resolute faith. Jesus, after crossing the lake, is immediately approached by Jairus, a synagogue leader desperate for the healing of his dying daughter. Amidst the pressing crowd, another desperate figure emerges-a woman afflicted for twelve years with a condition that not only drained her body but also her societal worth and spiritual life, as her bleeding rendered her unclean by Old Testament Law. This backdrop sets a stark contrast between the crowd’s curiosity and the woman’s profound need for deliverance, illustrating how physical proximity to Jesus doesn’t equate to spiritual closeness unless coupled with faith.

The woman’s approach to Jesus signifies more than just physical healing; it symbolizes a breaking free from societal constraints and personal despair. Her condition, causing continuous bleeding, relate to us since life in this world is one of continuous hardships that drain one’s spirit without relief. Living on the margins of society, she represents those among us caught in the painful cycle of isolation and suffering due to various life’s burdens-be it chronic illness, mental health struggles, or societal rejection. Her belief that merely touching Jesus’ garment would restore her health highlights a profound faith and understanding of Jesus’ divine nature, which she pursued despite the overwhelming obstacles presented by the dense crowd and her physical weakness.

This miraculous healing juxtaposed with the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter encapsulates the essence of Jesus’ ministry-offering hope and renewal to all, regardless of their societal status or the nature of their affliction. Both miracles are connected not just by their proximity in the scripture but by their shared theme of faith overcoming despair. The woman’s healing interrupts Jesus’ journey to Jairus’ house, yet both stories beautifully illustrate that Jesus’ power to heal and revitalize is boundless, transcending all human barriers and reaching those who feel unworthy or forgotten.

This message encourage us to reflect on our lives, recognizing areas where we might be ‘bleeding’ and in need of the touch of faith and the spark of life from Jesus Christ. It challenges us to reach out in faith, believing in His power to transform even the most desperate situations.

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