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Gratia Ash Wednesday – Participating the Suffering of Jesus Christ

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Gratia Church held a gracious Bible study on Ash Wednesday, February 14. Members meditated on John 13, emphasizing that the suffering of Jesus Christ is love. The study delved into the message of the true humility of Jesus Christ, who washed the disciples’ feet. It emphasized that in the Kingdom of God, the greatest is the one who serves out of love.

During the session, attendees reflected on their lives, sharing about whether they follow worldly knowledge or embrace the life of Jesus Christ. Some Gratia members are observing half-day fasting as a way to participate in the suffering of Jesus Christ, seeking to draw closer to Him and understand His love. We pray that Gratia members get deeper in faith during the time of Lent.

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Student Leaders Kick Off Fellowship & Bible Study

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Gratia student leaders have initiated fellowship and Bible studies, kicking off the new semester with a student fellowship and a group Bible study. Larry and Ruth are the main leaders for this activity, and they have great passion to bring more people to the Words of God and salvation and their participation bringings a dynamic atmosphere to Gratia. We pray that the passion of these young leaders can be ignited by the Holy Spirit.

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Gratia Concludes Christmas Retreat with Overflowing Grace

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Gratia Community Church concluded the 3-day Christmas retreat on December 17 with abundant grace. The last day featured Sunday service, Bible studies, sharing grace, leadership meetings, testimony time, and fellowship.

Sunday service and closing service was delivered by Pastor Walker, who focused on John’s Gospel testifying to Greeks about Christmas as the Word became flesh. Pastor Walker emphasized that being Christ-centered is to know the fullness of God who became flesh in Jesus Christ, and maturing in the Holy Spirit to become more Christ-like in all ways. In the closing service, Pastor Walker explained about God’s commandments to be fruitful, increase in number, and fill the earth – interpreted through Jesus Christ, it is to love God, love others, and to have love for this world to be transformed for God’s Kingdom. 

Bible Studies began with Brother Larry sharing a message from Matthew 4. His passion and relatability especially to young members was a time full of grace and a call to action in Jesus Christ. During testimony time, members from all cities participated in sharing the grace they had received.

Ministers were also able to meet following the retreat, to share grace and improve on the retreat going forward. They shared how graceful it was that young leaders began leading in this retreat and the hope is that more leaders will take a larger responsibility going forward and bring further developments and diversity in future retreats. 

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Gratia Young Leaders Launch First Worship and Prayer Night

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Young leaders at Gratia Church in San Francisco initiated, planned, and led Gratia’s first-ever worship and prayer night on December 8. Led by Brother Larry and Sister Ruth, the worship and prayer night was a new format for prayer meeting that SF Gratia church hopes to do once a month.

Normally, prayer meetings are led by pastors, but this new format was a praise-led prayer. As worship songs were being led, members were free to either pray or sing praises, according to how the Holy Spirit moved them. Interspersed through prayer and singing praises, Brother Larry also read from the Word of God with the following two verses:

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ (Exodus 3:14)

Members testified that the praise-led prayer opened their hearts freely to receiving God’s grace in many ways.

“The worship and prayer night is really fitting for young people and very natural way to receive grace of God,” said Pastor Walker, “I’m grateful that God called our young leaders to start and lead this graceful night of worship and prayer.”

Brother Larry will lead worship and prayer during the upcoming Christmas Retreat. SF Gratia’s next worship and prayer night will be in late January 2024. Church leaders hope to advertise worship and prayer night in the new year as a method of evangelism to bring in newcomers. Please pray for SF Gratia young leaders and missions in San Francisco.

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Gratia Church Campus Group Evangelism

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Gratia Church had a graceful group evangelism and Bible studies on November 30. It was the last day of November and also the final group evangelism activity for this fall semester, as the school will soon start winter break. Pastor Peter, Julia, and other young members, Larry, Jiaming, Ruth, and Jed, joined, and later Elizabeth came along when she met the members on the campus. It was a very graceful and fruitful time as they met many students who showed interest in joining Bible study.

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Gratia Celebrates Thanksgiving with Grateful Heart

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Gratia Church celebrated Thanksgiving with a grateful heart through a service and Thanksgiving dinner on November 21. Pastor Walker delivered a message from Psalms 100: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Members brought delicious food, fostering a sense of unity and enjoyment during the fellowship meal. It was a wonderful time for everyone to reflect on God’s grace and express full thanksgiving. May God’s grace continue to be with us in the coming years, and may joy overflow in our hearts with gratitude.

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Gratia Sunday Service: The 7000 Who Have Not Bowed Down to Baal

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On November 12, 2023, Gratia Church held a graceful Sunday service, full of God’s word, praise, worship, and fellowship. The sermon delivered by Pastor Walker Tzeng, was on 1 Kings 19:1-21 entitled “The 7000 who have not bowed down to Baal”.

In the sermon, Pastor Walker spoke about the tumultuous time for the nation of Israel, divided and led astray by depraved secular kings and rampant idolatry. Amidst this time, Elijah stood as a beacon of prophetic truth. His solitary struggle against the wicked Queen Jezebel, who championed the worship of Baal, highlights a profound spiritual crisis. Elijah, chased into the wilderness, epitomizes the isolation and despair that can afflict even the most righteous. His experience underscores the reality that spiritual crises are not just physical but deeply emotional and psychological. It’s a stark reminder of the loneliness that can come from standing for truth and righteousness in a world that seems indifferent or even hostile.

Elijah’s moment of utter desolation under the broom bush, or Rodem Tree, becomes a pivotal point of divine intervention. The angelic provision of sustenance symbolizes more than mere physical nourishment; it represents a spiritual rejuvenation. This episode teaches that in moments of deepest despair, God’s presence is profoundly transformative. It’s a reminder that in our own journeys, when we walk righteously yet fall into despair, it is the grace of God that sustains and renews us. The journey to Mount Horeb, echoing Moses’ own pilgrimage, signifies a return to the foundations of faith, a reminder that God’s grace is often most apparent in our most desperate moments.

The story of Elijah culminates in the revelation at Mount Horeb, where God’s voice emerges not in grand displays of power but in a gentle whisper. This teaches the importance of cultivating a quiet and receptive heart, attuned to the subtle yet profound ways in which God communicates. The message extends further, revealing that Elijah is not alone in his faithfulness; there are 7000 others who have not bowed to Baal. This discovery highlights the existence of a faithful remnant, a group that remains steadfast amidst widespread idolatry and moral decay. The calling of Elisha, from plowing fields to prophetic ministry, exemplifies God’s power to transform and use the seemingly ordinary for extraordinary purposes.

Today’s message is one of hope and challenge, inviting us to be part of the transformative work of God in a world that desperately needs change, not by the power of the masses, but through the faithful few.

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Gratia Fall Retreat Full of Passion and Grace

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Gratia Church held for the Fall Retreat from October 6-8, with special guests from Idaho Church. Members arrived on Friday night on October 6, with Brother Larry from Gratia preaching the opening service. He opened by speaking about God, which the Bible teaches us is love. He spoke from Luke 15 and the parable of the prodigal son to share this love. Brother Larry was full of passion and spoke with a fiery heart for his first ever retreat sermon.

Retreat attendees also enjoyed time of fellowship, praise, and playing game with one another. The evening also brought a talent show where many members showed their talents with songs, skits, and piano playing. Finally, Saturday ended with a prayer meeting full of grace, passion, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

Please pray for the Fall Retreat as it continues to its last day on Sunday. May members receive grace, a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and come to know God’s Kingdom deeply.

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Young Members Grow Through Teaching Bible & Evangelism

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The young members of Gratia are growing through teaching the Bible and evangelism. On September 7, Pastor Julia and Dany held campus evangelism at USF and made six contacts who are interested in Bible study, with one of them joining its afternoon Bible study. Dany was very happy to see that many of them responded very well today and felt the work of the Holy Spirit.

In the afternoon, brother Larry led the Bible study with 3 students and he felt that he was the one receiving more grace and strength through the teaching. He was very thankful that God sent these students who are ready to receive the Word of God. We pray that the Gratia mission continues to improve and brings revival to save many souls through these young leaders.

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