Grace Hill Church - Collierville, Tn

THIS EPISODE:Jesus' vision of God’s kingdom differed radically from ours. On this second Sunday in Epiphany, we are looking at the true King, and considering what his vision is for his Kingdom.We look first at John the Baptist's sudden announcement of Jesus as the Messiah, immediately followed by Jesus' baptism, which points us to the cross. And from this we can see that the true king has a radical vision for sharing, fairness and contentment. A radical vision for our identity, for power, and for true glory.  Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—Luke 3:1-22 (CSB)—The Messiah’s Herald3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch[a] of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan, proclai

God has revealed himself to the world. And in this season, we will not only ponder, but wrestle at times with the realities of what this means, and consider how it informs our lives and shapes our hearts.Today we begin a new series teaching through the season of “Epiphany” in the church calendar.  We hope to deeply focus our minds & hearts on the significance of Jesus’s resurrection for our church, our lives, and our world.  And that by exploring these truths together, we ask the Holy Spirit to deepen our heart's burden as followers of Jesus for these realities to be experienced by our friends, family, and neighbors.  Let's unpack this and more in today's message…

THIS EPISODE:How is “hope” defined? In one sense, hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. But hope is also defined as a sense of deep, knowing trust.As Christ followers, our deep sense of hope anticipates a future God has already written for us. A new heaven, a new earth, God being with his people, living among his people. Our future is no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no crying or pain. There will be one sitting on the throne forever, and that one is King Jesus.We can trust what God will do because we know what God has done. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—Revelation 21:1-7 (CSB)—Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live

THIS EPISODE:Hopelessness breeds despair, and despair often disguises itself as passivity...Have you ever seen someone in the midst of immense hardship, and yet wandering through the circumstances of each day seemingly indifferent to it all? Perhaps you've even been there.But, when hiding in the desert on the run for his life, how did not-yet-king David not lose all sense of hope? And to now only dodge despair, but to deeply express a deeply, heartfelt focus on the true hope of his salvation.  Let's begin unpacking this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—Psalms 63:1-11 (CSB)—God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. 3 My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life.4 So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands. 5 You satisfy me as with rich food;  my mouth will praise you with joyf

THIS EPISODE:Many of us have endured seasons of life when hope seemed thin or failing altogether. Seasons filled with such sorrow, loss, doubt or suffering that it seems the forces of evil might actually be greater than the forces for good.But they are not. And there is a truer, deeper hope to be found in the middle of the suffering. Advent embraces the mess, the pain, the uncertainty of suffering, and still draws us into a depth of hope that transcends anything our human experience can offer.“If only... So that... Yet Lord...” Ann Voskamp says it this way: “You can’t lose hope, because Hope has a name and His name is Jesus.” Let's begin unpacking this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—Isaiah 64:1-9 (CSB)—If only you would tear the heavens open and come down, so that mountains would quake at your presence —2 just as fire kindles brushwood, and fire boils water —to make your name known to your enemies, so that nations would tremble at your presence! 3 When you did awesome works that we did not expec

THIS EPISODE:Today we follow James into even more difficult territory as we candidly consider two uncomfortable realities: ➊ No matter how long you've been following Jesus, you can still stray from the truth.➋ When others stray from the truth, we must try to bring them back.Hard truths to be sure, but very important for us to understand more deeply. So, today we spend some time marinating in these two uncomfortable realities. Because Jesus wants so much more for us. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 5:19-20 (CSB)—19 My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

THIS EPISODE:Patience and endurance—two key words in today’s text that we will spend a few minutes exploring as we hear James speaking affectionately to his fellow believers, offering hope and encouragement in their suffering. He reminds them that their God is faithful, they are not forgotten and he will deliver them. What’s the secret to facing the hardest of times with patience and endurance? It’s embracing the deep truth that God is, in fact, actively producing a harvest in our lives, even in the middle of the mess. It’s knowing that He’s actually working in our waiting, even when we can’t understand how.There can be no perseverance without trials—no victories without battles and no peaks without valleys. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 5: 7-11 (CSB)—Waiting for the Lord7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.

THIS EPISODE:Who's in charge of your life? This is the nucleus of today's conversation.James begins to open the door to some very challenging issues to all of us in the neverending war in our hearts and minds between independence & dependence. James contends with the two most important questions we could ever ask: ➊ Who is Jesus?, and ➋ Who are we to him?Spoiler: Jesus is not who we think he is—not defined by us. Jesus defines himself to us in scripture. And to him, we are God's beloved children created to be most fully alive by and through our complete dependence on him and his supreme grace and goodness.Self-dependence or God-dependence: Which is it going to be? The true sign of a Christ-follower is someone who's surrendered to God. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 4:13 - 5:1-6  (CSB)—13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will b

THIS EPISODE:What is wisdom? Is it having a vast knowledge of a subject? Having the right answers or insights to the world's biggest problems? What if the true essence of wisdom is a moral rather than intellectual quality?In this message we'll make the case that wisdom is less about the knowledge in our heads, and much more about what we demonstrate in life. We'll thoughtfully consider the two specific directions James invites us to: ➊ The personality of radical wisdom, and ➋ the source of radical wisdom. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 3:13-18  (CSB)—13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the

THIS EPISODE:Our words have more power than we give them credit for. The tongue is like a very small rudder that, with such small effort, can guide our lives (and others) to one place or another. The tongue can give life to ourselves and those around us. It can be used to keep us on course, to bless others… But it has the power to lead people astray, to destroy. lives, and relationships.James has some insightful words to say about the tongue. Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 3:1-12  (CSB)—3 Not many should become teachers, my brothers,[a] because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body. 3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too

THIS EPISODE:Can you believe anything without acting upon it? It’s just part of the human psyche that faith in something causes and results in acting on that faith. Failure to act on what we say we believe indicates we don’t really believe.  In raising the question of faith that doesn’t save versus saving faith, it seems that James is making the case that it’s impossible to have faith without works.  But is that really true? Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 2:14-26  (CSB)—Faith and Works14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”[a] Show me your faith without works

THIS EPISODE:Do you, with your acts of favoritism, really believe in Jesus? A hard question, I know—but exactly the hard truth that James challenges us to face today. How we treat one another is a gospel issue, and favoritism and faith in Jesus have no place together.“The world is always assessing people, sizing them up, putting them down, establishing a pecking order. And God, who sees and loves all alike, wants the church to reflect that generous universal love in HOW it behaves.” - N.T. Wright Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 2:1-5 (CSB)—My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if someone comes into your meeting (this could be a church gathering, this could be a smaller setting) wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, 3 if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” (or the place o

THIS EPISODE:We all have an ache inside to belong, don't we? Whether with family or culture or a sports team or other shared interests, we're made to crave & enjoy community with each other. But there's also a dangerous kind of 'tribalism' that's set into our society. A polarizing 'us-vs-them' mindset that's destroying relationships, and is imminently destructive rather than life-giving.But there is a better way—a timeless way we can learn from James that shows us how to reflect something greater back to our culture and community. Can we see this become a shared reality in our own church family? Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 1:22-25 (CSB)—22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law

THIS EPISODE:We all experience seasons of painful trial and suffering at some point in life. And what we think about God in walking through these seasons is immense in determining how these experiences will end up shaping us, for better or worse. Whether we're led toward doubt, pride and fear or toward a much deeper, truer experience of God's profound and constant goodness in the midst of it all.Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 1:2-18 (CSB)—2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. 5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God ​— ​who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly ​— ​and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect

THIS EPISODE:This message kicks off our twelve part series marinating together in the book of James. From this we will take wisdom, insight, action, and a bigger vision—not only for our lives, but also for our church. When applied, the results will be radical.We start considering the first four verses, and what it means to say that our trials and troubles are more than something we are meant simply to endure, but are intentionally meant to lead us toward greater maturity.What does this really mean to us? Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—James 1:1-11 (CSB)—James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings.2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. 5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God ​— ​who gives to

THIS EPISODE:We have far too much pulling on our time and attention today. From pandemic to politics, from ever-changing work/school dynamics to endless news cycles & social media distractions...Amid the ongoing inundation and mental/emotional roller coaster of it all, it's critical that we remember how to actually rest. Not just taking a physical/mental break, but experiencing a deep, lasting, “no matter the circumstances” kind of rest. This can be a very difficult thing to find, or even understand. But good news: There is hope for weary souls looking for this kind of deep, abiding rest, and it can be found in better understanding Jesus' simple invitation to “Come to me.”Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB)—28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

THIS EPISODE:As a Christ follower you constantly encounter people who need your voice speaking Jesus’ hope into their lives & circumstances as they try to navigate these difficult times. But why is it so hard for us to have meaningful spiritual conversations with people sometimes?  Maybe you're unsure of how they'll respond, or frozen by feelings of fear, insecurity or  embarrassment... Missional conversations do not start with tactics or strategies but with Christ ruling as Lord in our hearts. And in this episode we offer you a framework for having real missional conversations about Jesus in a secular age—practical tools you can use in having meaningful spiritual conversations with those in your life.Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—1 Peter 3:15—“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 

THIS EPISODE:In this series we've been discussing what it means to live a “missional life.” Today we’ll consider what it might look like integrating our missional identity and calling, with what we do for work. Most of us will spend ⅓ of our lives working—around 90,000 hours over the course of an average lifetime. And we all think about work in different ways don't we?Is a job just a job, or could it be something more? Is it possible that God's great calling in your life isn’t your vocation, but the location of your job?Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—Romans 10:8-15 (CSB)—This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction bet

THIS EPISODE:Why am I here? What’s gone wrong? What’s the solution? What will “restoration” look like? These heavy questions stir consciously or unconsciously in every human heart.Our culture is teeming with narratives attempting to answer these questions for us. Followers of Jesus have the best, truest answers—and a great hope compelling us to order our lives in alignment with God’s character, and to live & share these deep truths with others around  us.Let's unpack this and more in today's message…___PRIMARY TEXT:—Romans 1:16-17 (CSB)—16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

THIS EPISODE:An “ambassador” is someone committed to representing the values, culture & stories of another place or people group. Most of us understand this best in a geopolitical sense, but it's also a factor of our everyday life. The vast majority of us are an “ambassador” of something that we find deeply connected to, whether a sports team, political ideology, a movie series or even Apple products. As followers of Jesus we are called to live out our calling as representatives of the Kingdom of God. No matter where we live, we can seek for it to be “on earth as it is in heaven” by representing our Lord’s Kingdom.What does it look like, and how does it work? Let's continue unpacking this and more in today's message...___PRIMARY TEXT:—Romans 10:14-15 (CSB)—14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of