2022 Christmas Retreat Day 3_1

Gratia Concludes Christmas Retreat with Overflowing Grace

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Gratia concluded its three-day joint retreat near Lake Tahoe, California. Like the previous day, it was a full day of Bible Studies and fellowship, and also included an overflowing grace-filled Sunday Service with baptism and communion.

The Sunday worship service was delivered by Pastor Walker explaining the historic and universal meaning of the Word, or logos, becoming flesh in Jesus Christ. The Sunday service also featured the baptism and had a communion ceremony, where attendees took the bread and wine together in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ and his continual sustaining of our lives of faith.

The evening concluded with a final prayer meeting filled with grace and the Holy Spirit. God led many retreat attendees to pray for ministers, just as many ministers had prayed for students in previous prayer meetings. Many members had the prayer topic of holding onto the grace they received during the retreat.

Through three days of the Christmas retreat, God filled all attendees to be filled with grace and united them in the love of Jesus Christ. Please pray that God may carry all retreat attendees to fulfill His glory and Kingdom.

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Mark 7 Ephphatha! Be Opened

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In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng explained the meaning of the deaf and mute man as it relates to us. In the sinful world, we live in confined, unclear situations in our life. We don’t listen to God, nor do we speak to Him. Also living in this world, we want to be heard, but we can’t because we are in the confined situations we are.

The Lord healed the deaf and mute man by first taking him away from the crowd. Then, the Lord got up close and personal, touching his ear and tongue. Then he woke the man up by shouting “Ephphatha! Be Opened!”. We too, need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and be up close and personal with him. We must hear the words of the Lord that are waking us up from our confined situation and unclear life. God created us out of love, to have a two-way communication with him. Faith is not just God talking to us or us talking to God, but it is a relationship of love.

Finally, the Lord told the crowds not to speak about what happened, which seems hypocritical in this miracle. But the reason why is that many followed just the miracle and weren’t sharing the true good news of God’s love. If we do have lips to speak, we shouldn’t speak of worldly things, but we must speak by the Holy Spirit as it has loosened our tongue. It is about testifying the good news of salvation of Jesus Christ.

May our ears be opened to hear the truth and our tongues be loosened to share the name of Jesus Christ to the world.

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Harvest Is plentiful But Workers Are Few

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In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng spoke about the important moment in time now to evangelize and bring in many souls. The 3-fold ministry of Jesus which was teaching, preaching, and healing and this is a ministry we must all emulate. The Lord called his 12 disciples to follow in this ministry, so we must be those disciples. Disciples are the ones who bring others to the Lord.

In sending out his disciples, he gave a long teaching to them. He told them to go to the lost sheep of Israel, continuing on the history of God. He told them to preach about God’s Kingdom as we must do as well. He also told them to live relying on God, which speaks to us to not live money-centered. The work of evangelism is blessing others, we are giving the gift of eternal life. If some don’t accept that gift, the Lord comforted us saying that the peace and blessing returns back to us.

The Lord further comforted us by explaining how many will persecute and go against God’s work. However, all sin and evil will be revealed and judged. There is a final judgment that the Lord spoke to us about. Those who have faith in Jesus Christ, can take comfort in God’s sovereignty which protects and cares for all. Therefore, even though many may oppose us, even our families, we should continue forth to gain rewards in heaven. The greatest rewards are for those who evangelize and save lost souls.

May the members of Gratia Church be the ones to bring in many lost souls of the harvest to faith in Jesus Christ and the glory of God’s Kingdom.

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Esther 2-8 Esther and Mordecai

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In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng shared the story of Esther and Mordecai, how by God’s grace, Esther became queen to the powerful King of Persia. However, one of the King’s wicked advisors plotted against the Jewish people, because of his hatred towards Mordecai, who was Esther’s cousin. Esther was asked to plead to the King, but she was afraid that approaching the King without permission could be death. However, Mordecai encouraged her saying that perhaps she was placed in the royal position as Queen for such a time as this. It is a message that speaks to us, whom God has prepared by His providence in the time, place, and position I am now.

Esther answered with faith, listening to Mordecai, and heeding to God’s Will. Her famous words were “If I perish, I perish”. Her fear turned into faith and trust in God. She now understood that her life was only meaningful in God’s Will. What kind of fears to we have living in this world? Perhaps we try to “play it safe” and not risk ourselves. Apostle Paul said to live is Christ and to die is gain. It speaks to how our life is meaningless in the world and meaningful only is the bigger context of God’s Will. If we perish, we perish, but we still believe in God’s great power to bring resurrection.

Afterwards, Esther appeared before the King and by God’s grace was accepted. Then through a series of events, Haman was executed. Later, Mordecai and the Jewish people were lifted up. This is how God works so mysteriously in the background. When everything seemed to be going against the Jews, and even genocide was imminent, God worked to turn the situation around. This is God’s faithfulness towards the ones who live righteously by faith. As Christians, we also do not fear death and have faith in God who has the power of resurrection.

May we be guided by the Holy Spirit in our lives, believing in the power of the resurrection, and live for God’s glory and Kingdom.

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Gratia Held Fall Retreat on Labor Day 

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On Saturday September 2, Gratia Church held their first full day of the Fall Retreat. The Fall Retreat is a time to reunite after being away for the summer and prepare for a new semester of evangelism and missions. The retreat was held in Sacramento, the capital of California.

The day started with opening service led by Pastor Sharon who preached on John 2 and described the qualitative life change that the Lord brings. For the first Bible Study, Pastor Walker preached from John 5 about the invalid man being healed and the heart of faith that is called in effort to stand up for God.

The retreat also featured games and a walk outdoors that was a time for attendees to have deep fellowship together. Also, attendees shared talents by performing in a talent show with a Christian skits, songs, piano playing, and even a Christian rap. Fellowship meals were full of God’s grace. The day ended in a graceful prayer meeting where the Holy Spirit touched the members.

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Jesus Walks on Water – What Faith Can Do?

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In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng spoke the wind and the waves that may rock our lives. It makes us realize we are not in control and the unknown feeling puts us in fear and anxiety. However, faith is understanding that God is sovereign and in control of this world and He does not leave us alone. The disciples thought Jesus was a ghost, but he actually came by walking on water. In the same way, God doesn’t just come to us mystically, but He helps us practically and tangibly in our lives.

Peter also does something amazing by walking on water as well. It shows that he has love and courage and was willing to change his thinking. Peter would not have been able to walk on water if he didn’t get out of the boat in the first place. It’s the same with us, in order to have the miracle of walking on water, we need to get out of the boat that we are stuck in. This is about changing our hearts and relying on God is in control and helps us walk on water.

What started off as love and courage, however, ended up with doubt in Peter and he fell when he saw the winds. Doubt is being double-minded, while faith is being single-minded and having simple obedience to the Lord. At no time does the Lord shake, he is in complete control even amidst the wind and the waves. We must have faith in order to go straight and continue on absolutely.

That being said, Peter’s story doesn’t end badly, because he did have faith in the salvation of the Lord. He said, “Lord, save me” and Jesus did reach out his hand and save Peter. Faith in salvation is the basic Christian faith. Without faith in salvation, who would ever go beyond their boundaries? However, Peter got out of the boat, he walked on water, fell in doubt, but was saved by the Lord in faith. This kind of dynamic life is one that we must live as well for the Kingdom, trusting in God who saves us.

We are all limited, but may we all be the ones who walk on water like the Lord, and follow him in faith.

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The Parable of the Ten Minas

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In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng explained how the minas represents time. While it may seem that God gives us each different amounts of time in our life, this is not a quantitative measure of time, but a qualitative measure of time. In God’s eternity and love, He gives us all our own individual time and treats us in this time in the same way.

This treatment of time is that God gives us a responsibility, a purpose to use that time. Although God is almighty in His providence and sovereignty, taking responsibility for all things in our lives and for the Kingdom, we still have a responsibility in our time. It is to receive God’s purpose in our life joyfully with love because He is the loving God.

The final servant regarded God in a “hard” way, pessimistic, cynical, and lawful. The logical conclusion to this heart is due judgment. Rather, may we receive the time and responsibility we’ve been given by God joyfully. God will allow us to bear fruits and allow our lives glory.

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Gratia Monday Group Bible Study Overflows Grace

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Gratia church offers group Bible study every Monday and regular Bible study students joined it on August 22, 2022. They studied Romans 3 and shared freely about the message after that. Some members asked questions like how we can define sin, and how we can explain grace to non-believers. It was very graceful to see how the attendees were strengthened by sharing their own testimony. We pray that God pours down abundant grace to all members throughout the week.