Order
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Pre Worship Audio (10:15am) – ‘Calm Jazz’
Music 1 (10:30) Lynn/Abbie
A Mighty Fortress/Spirit of the Living God
Welcome/Prayer (Gallery View) Rick
Music 2 To God be the Glory Lynn/Abbie
Scripture Galatians 5:1, 13-18 Online – Randy
Music 3 Breathe on Me Lynn/Abbie
Message Truth – Then & Now Chuck
Music 4 Have Thine Own Way Lynn/Abbie
Benediction (signal to Beth when slides are ready) Beth
Anniversary Video
Community (Gallery View) Rick
Closing Peace Rick
Closing Audio – ‘Calm Jazz’
Words and Voices
Music 1
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Verse 1
A mighty fortress is our God
A bulwark never failing
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe
His craft and pow’r are great
And armed with cruel hate
On earth is not his equal
Verse 2
Did we in our own strength confide
Our striving would be losing
Were not the right Man on our side
The Man of God’s own choosing
Dost ask who that may be
Christ Jesus it is He
Lord Sabaoth His name
From age to age the same
And He must win the battle
Verse 3
And tho’ this world with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thru us
The prince of darkness grim
We tremble not for him
His rage we can endure
For lo his doom is sure
One little word shall fell him
Verse 4
That word above all earthly pow’rs
No thanks to them abideth
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Thru Him who with us sideth
Let goods and kindred go
This mortal life also
The body they may kill
God’s truth abideth still
His kingdom is forever
Spirit Of The Living God
CCLI Song # 23488
Daniel Iverson
Chorus
Spirit of the Living God
Fall fresh on me
Spirit of the Living God
Fall fresh on me
Melt me mold me
Fill me use me
Spirit of the Living God
Fall fresh on me
Welcome/Prayer (3rd Sunday of Lent)
- God, you have set us free through the life and sacrifice of your son Jesus Christ.
- You call us to stand firm in that freedom, to not return our existence and choices wooing us back to our former state of slavery.
- You challenge us to not use our freedom for indulgence but, instead, we are to bond ourselves to each other.
- You call us to a slavery not of chains and shackles but of love, love for each other and to all of your created.
- While our human nature prompts us to bite and devour one another, you empower us to love our neighbor as yourself.
- You, God, given us the Spirit who is a better lead than our flesh.
- Thank you God for setting us free.
Amen
Music 2
To God Be The Glory
Verse 1
To God be the glory great things He has done
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin
And opened the life gate that all may go in
Chorus
Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the earth hear His voice
Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the people rejoice
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
And give Him the glory great things He has done
Verse 2
O perfect redemption the purchase of blood
To every believer the promise of God
The vilest offender who truly believes
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives
Chorus
Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the earth hear His voice
Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the people rejoice
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
And give Him the glory great things He has done
Verse 3
Great things He has taught us
Great things He has done
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son
But purer and higher and greater will be
Our wonder our transport when Jesus we see
Chorus
Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the earth hear His voice
Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the people rejoice
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
And give Him the glory great things He has doneScripture
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.
Galatians 5:1, 13-18
Music 3
Breathe On Me
CCLI Song # 2449795
Lucy Fisher
Verse 1
Breathe on me breath of God
Love and life that makes me free
Breathe on me breath of God
Fan the flame within me
Chorus
Teach my heart heal my soul
Speak the mind that in Christ we know
Take me to Your sanctuary
(Breathe on me)
Verse 2
Speak to me voice of God
Soft and still inside my heart
Speak to me Word of God
Comfort heal restore with love
Chorus
Teach my heart heal my soul
Speak the mind that in Christ we know
Take me to Your sanctuary
(Breathe on me)
Message – Truth – Then & Now
- Grace Fellowship really started on a Thursday night February 13, 1997 when a group of believers met in Bob and Carolyn Waddle’s home and committed to starting a church with a strong belief that God was leading them to continue on in the journey of grace that He had been and was working in their lives. At that meeting they voted to call us to be the founding pastor and wife. A few days later we met at Bill & DeAnn Pollard’s home and came up with the name Grace Fellowship. Our Charter service was March 2, 1997 at the Ballet Studio. We will never forget the excitement and movement of God’s Spirit on that day. We were utterly shocked when 146 people showed up and over 70 people joined together as charter members. Some of you here today were there then.
- We didn’t know it then but that was the beginning of the best 9 ½ years of our 27 years of pastoring. We learned together the rhythms of grace. We nurtured each other with a commitment to grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And by the grace of Christ, we experienced a healing from performance-based faith and a development of a healthy heart of grace-based relationships.
- On our 2nd Sunday together I started a series through the Book of Galatians.* The theme of Galatians is Chapter 5 Verse 1. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” On Sunday evenings we studied through a book titled “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.”
• Galatians laid the foundation for us. We agreed to be committed to Christ and Christ alone for our salvation and sanctification. We agreed that the only way we could know how to accomplish that was to “KEEP STANDING FIRM” in the belief that the Bible is the absolute Word of God and our only authority. With the Word as our guide we ACTIVELY, and with VIGILANCE, guarded ourselves from ever being “subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Here is how we did it:
[Slide] I. We seized the truth that we are set free from religious legalism. (2-12)
[Slide] II. We devoted ourselves to the truth that we are set free to choose love. (13-15)
[Slide] III. We accepted the boundaries of the truth that we are free from a license to sin. (16-21)
[Slide] IV. We individually accepted the responsibility that we are set free to live life by the Spirit. (22-26)
*(You can find that series on Galatians at http://therelationalrub.com/galatians/)
Music 4
Have Thine Own Way
Verse 1
Have Thine own way Lord have Thine own way
Thou art the Potter I am the clay
Mold me and make me after Thy will
While I am waiting yielded and still
Verse 2
Have Thine own way Lord have Thine own way
Search me and try me Master today
Whiter than snow Lord wash me just now
As in Thy presence humbly I bow
Verse 3
Have Thine own way Lord have Thine own way
Wounded and weary help me I pray
Power all power surely is Thine
Touch me and heal me Savior divine
Verse 4
Have Thine own way Lord have Thine own way
Hold o’er my being absolute sway
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only always living in me
Benediction
Leader: Christ has set us free to live a free life. We must take our stand!
Response: We shall never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on us.
Leader: It is absolutely clear that God has called us to a free life. Let us not use our freedom to destroy our freedom.
Response: We shall not exchange our freedom for another form of slavery.
Leader: Let us use our freedom to serve one another.
Response: That is how true freedom grows.
Leader: All that we know about truth is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself.
Response: Loving others is an act of true freedom, without love our freedom is worthless.
Leader: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit, so you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness.
Response: A free spirit is incompatible with selfishness.
Leader: Love and Selfishness are contrary to each other. When we allow our emotions, agendas, judgement, or condemnation, to determine if we selfishness over love, we return to shackles and chains.
Response: We must not let anything take away our freedom.
Leader: Christ has set us free to live a free life.
Response: Christ has set us free of everything that prohibits love.25th
Community
- March/April Bible Studies details – Mondays beg March 21 (w/dinner) at 6 (tent.) or Wednesdays beg March 23 at noon (w/lunch), Exodus, 6 weeks.
- Anniversary month luncheon today at Joe’s following worship
- Next Sunday – Vulnerable People, John 4:7-15 (4th Sunday of lent)
- Pray Peace. Prayers for Ukraine – donation link at GFNorman.com
- Easter eggs for Afghanistan Refugees in San Francisco available today
Peace
As you leave this place, may the peace of the Lord go with you.
And also with you.
We gather here because of God’s love for us, we go from here because of God’s love for everyone out there. Go in the peace of the Lord.
Order, Words, & Voices 