As John wraps up chapter 3 of his letter, he puts great emphasis on the condition of our hearts before God. The good news he shares is that we can be free of trying to navigate the confusing and muddy waters of our hearts. Instead, we can entrust our hearts to the Lord and as we abide in Him, he will transform our hearts through His abiding joyful …

Pastor Jonathan brought an encouraging word on loving one another. He highlighted how John uses a musical quality in his writing to reaffirm key themes with repeated phrases that work like a chorus. In this passage, John repeatedly affirms the power of love and the destructiveness caused by the absence of love. This truth anchors us in the importan…

In today’s message, we are discussing the incredible significance of what we consistently put into practice in our lives. The truth is that the habits we form, form us. We are either conforming to the patterns of a broken world leading to death, or we are growing in the way of Jesus which is life. May we all discover the power of practicing the rig…

This week Mark McComas teaches through 1 John 3:1-3 and challenges us not to read scriptures through our modern framework of Christianity, but by beholding the truth of who God is, and that we can know him and be known by him.By GraceChapelKnoxville

Today we explore John's warning about antichrists and false teaching. He gives us clear direction on avoiding these errors, and a firm foundation of Spirit and Truth to stand on that we may abide in the truth of Jesus. We don’t have to be fearful, but we should be prepared. Let’s purpose to abide in truth so that we may remain anchored in Christ.…

This week, we discussed 1 John 2:12-17. John is encouraging readers to remember what anchors them, and how vital they are to one another. When the enemy comes to tempt us with desires of the eyes, flesh, and pride, John says we should find all that we need in God, and to link arms with one another so that we aren’t fighting the battles alone.…

This week we honored mothers by remembering the story of Jesus, his mother, and John in John 19:26-27. Jesus honored his mother, even in his suffering, by acknowledging her suffering and entrusting John into her care. Jesus recognized that John needed a spiritual mother and Mary would be blessed by being able to pour into John. Spiritual mothers an…

This week, Bob Spencer spoke about the commandment from 1 John 2:7-11. This commandment is a simple one that is throughout the Old and New Testament. John reminds us of the commandment to love one another. There is a temptation to create categories for people we deem “unloveable” to excuse ourselves from following this command fully, but the comman…

In our discussion of 1 John, this week, we discussed chapter 2 verses 1-6. In these verses, we learn that Jesus fulfills many roles in our lives if we allow him to. He is our advocate; his sacrifice allows us to walk in the freedom that he promises us. He is our commander; his commandments come from a heart that is full of love for us, and if we ca…

This week Krystal Hawkins taught us from 1 John chapter 1 about walking in the light. Where there is light, there cannot be darkness. The light that comes from being in a relationship with Jesus includes our relationship with him, but it also includes our relationships with one another. Being in the light is a reflection of our walk with the Lord, …

Following Resurrection Sunday, we continued our discussion on the clothing that Jesus wore during His death and resurrection, but also what we are clothed in once we decide to become His followers. This week we reflected on how we are clothed from above, with new life, wisdom, and power. The garments that the Lord has for us are good and perfect, b…

This week we celebrated our risen, Savior, Jesus, and explored what his clothes told us about him and his character. We see the humility and sacrifice of Jesus, as he lays aside his garments to wash his disciples’ feet. Through the story of the woman who is healed by touching his garment, we see that Jesus uses his power and authority, not for his …

As Jesus began his journey towards Jerusalem and ultimately the cross, he had several significant encounters along the way. May we see Jesus inviting us into his true riches, glory, and healing. As followers of Jesus let’s be purposeful to engage in what might seem to be interruptions, in order to share Jesus with people in need.…

Pastor Dave Buehring joined us this Sunday and delivered a great word based on Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. We walked step by step through this encouraging and challenging passage found in chapter 13 that defines God’s love and how we ought to love one another. May we all open our hearts to the Lord and allow him to reveal, reconcile, and rede…

As we wrapped up our series this week, we spent some time reflecting on how important it is for the church to live on mission with Jesus. In the book of Acts, we have many wonderful examples of people being present and intentional to minister to others, attentive and responsive to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, and willingly facing their fears and li…

As followers of Jesus, discipleship should be a part of our everyday life. When Jesus first called Andrew and Peter, he gave them three simple instructions that still apply to us today: follow, change, and mission. It can be tempting to choose one or two of these instructions to live out, but without all three, we are missing out on the full life t…

Fellowship is a common word in the church world. We normally use it to describe the fun and easy meals we enjoy together after service or a Wednesday evening hangout, but what does real fellowship actually look like? When we are really sharing our lives with other believers in the body, we need to be open to the difficult and challenging times that…

This Sunday we discussed the importance of God's presence in our church. Jesus' primary message to the disciples in John chapters 14-17 was that they learn to abide in him, being rooted in a loving, healthy relationship with God. This is such a vital part of a healthy, mature church body, that we must rely upon the presence of God. This will produc…

This week Jonathan Allen spoke about the familiar parable of the houses built on the sand and on the rock. He discussed the three characteristics of the wise man: coming to Jesus, hearing from Jesus, and doing what he says. As Christians, we should be making all decisions by going through all three steps in this process, but too often, we neglect o…

This Sunday we returned to our Built Together series and focused on using our Treasure to build up the church. There is a key mindset shift that Jesus invites us into in Luke 12, calling us to move from striving to stewarding. The Lord is our generous provider, and we can learn to trust Him for provision and lean on Him to help us use all that is i…

This week, we spent time celebrating the previous year, looking ahead to some plans for this year, and sharing an update on church finances and the remodel project for our new church home. We hope this is encouraging and equipping for all of us as we step into this next season together. As a church family, let’s humbly and prayerfully submit our pl…

In part 2 of our mini-series on the book of Haggai, we shift our focus from the prophet’s call to self-reflection, to an exploration of who our God is. His ways are so good, from His faithful presence and commitment to fulfill His promises, to the cleansing, protection, and provision we have in him. May our prayer be, “Oh Lord, we look to you and c…

This week we discussed the first chapter in the book of Haggai. The people of Israel had finally been allowed to return to their homeland after many years of exile and rebuild God’s temple. Almost immediately, the people encountered opposition, and the project was halted. At the beginning of Haggai, the Lord is encouraging his people (through Hagga…

This week we explore Psalm 90, a psalm of Moses. As we begin the new year, it’s a great time to reflect and seek the Lord regarding our need for help, deliverance, and guidance. As Moses reminds us, we have a loving and faithful God whom we can call on and trust. May you be blessed this new year as you seek and submit your life to Jesus.…

In week 4 of our Advent series, we explore the incredible gift of peace that is available to us in the person of Jesus. Peace isn’t the absence of conflict or difficulty, but the presence of Jesus bringing freedom from inner turmoil by setting us at one in him. May we all learn to hold our peace, as we are prepared in advance for the trials to come…

In week 3 of our Advent series, we spend some time meditating on Luke 2:8-20 as the shepherds receive good tidings of great joy. As we explore the gift and power of joy, let’s pause to consider what the Lord has made known to us, so we may in turn make known the joy of our salvation to others.By GraceChapelKnoxville

This week, we take a journey through the lives of several characters from the Advent story: Joseph, Simeon & Anna, Mary and the Wise Men. We see how, in each of their stories, faith was absolutely central to their discovery of the Messiah.By GraceChapelKnoxville

This week we began the Advent season focused on the Hope we have in Jesus. The hope that is offered by the Lord is meant to comfort us, give us a clear path forward, and remind us to rely on Him and His promises not our own strength. May we find hope in this season, and be intentional to encourage one another by sharing the hope we have been given.…

Today Pastor Jonathan teaches us about thanksgiving and worship. We take a fresh look at Psalm 100 and we see that every act of worship and thanksgiving is a response to the God who first loved us. He always initiates and we respond.By GraceChapelKnoxville

As humans, we are born with a finite amount of time and individual gifts and talents. It is important for us to identify our gifts and talents and also to steward them well. This week, by looking at the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, we learned about the importance of rest, tending opportunities to love well, looking to Jesus for solutions, and …

This week we finished up our exploration of the spiritual gifts by focusing on the gift of speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues. While often a controversial topic, the scripture encourages us to seek this gift and gives clear direction on how to handle it in a healthy way that encourages and builds us up individually and corporately. M…

This week we are continuing our exploration of the Spiritual Gifts as we work through Romans 12 and 1st Corinthians 12. We pray you are encouraged and the whole body is built up, as you discover, use, and grow in the gifts that the Holy Spirit so graciously imparts into our lives.By GraceChapelKnoxville

This week we begin a new section in our series as we continue learning how to operate in love to build up the Body of Christ. We will spend the next several weeks exploring the spiritual gifts. Let’s respond as Paul encourages us in his 1st letter to the Corinthian church, not to be ignorant of these gifts, but open to the Spirit of God and how he …

In this week’s message, we heard from our good friend Mark, as he unpacked the vital importance of having a healthy, biblical view of the Church. Often, we can have subtle, broken thinking that skews how we view the church and our role within it. One of our primary issues is how individualistic we have become in our reading of scripture and our und…

In this week’s sermon, we spent time reflecting on the healing that comes when we live in awareness of the other members of the body of Christ and choose to cooperate with the work Jesus is doing to restore his body. In Romans 12:12-18 Paul gives us a very practical application for how we can love well through our contributions, hospitality, and ac…

Building a community of believers is an endeavor that can feel intimidating at first glance. There is some difficulty that can come when people are doing life together. However, John 15 tells us that there is great joy when we love each other well. As we are moving towards our new physical building, let us also work to build a community that enjoys…

This week we explored several key aspects of how the Bible describes the church community. We need to understand our nature as the church and live out this truth. It gives us clear direction on how to live in relation to our Father in heaven, and with one another. We are an interconnected body, a building that needs the structure and support of con…

This week we explored how important it is as the body of Christ to have our hearts aligned with the Lord and each other. The primary way we can grow in this is to be a worshipping community. We are called to worship God sacrificially with our whole heart for who He really is. The bi-product of this kind of worship produces renewal in our lives indi…

This Sunday, Pastor Jake kicked off a new series exploring how we can participate in the church God is building. It is primary to remember that God is the true builder. Our role is to recognize that, and then humbly submit to His plan, and cooperate with the work He wants to do. The actual church is the people of God, not a building. Therefore, it'…

Today you’ll get a glimpse of our BBQ & Baptisms event, where we celebrated God’s faithfulness and his provision! You’ll hear from Pastor David, of the Lord’s Chapel, and from Pastor Jake.By GraceChapelKnoxville

In His presence, there is fullness of joy. As we are being drawn into this amazing miracle, let’s dream about all the things the Lord is going to do and wait expectantly, full of joy as we see him move.By GraceChapelKnoxville

This week Diane Spencer wrapped up this series by sharing about the women who served Jesus. Throughout the gospels, women who had life-changing encounters with Jesus would then minister to him from their “substance.” Our substance is not about the amount we have, or focusing on what we lack. Instead, it is about seeing what has been placed in our h…

This week in Part 3 of our series, Krystal Hawkins shared about Mary of Bethany. At three key moments in her life, Mary positioned herself at the feet of Jesus, and as a result, grew in her intimacy with Christ, received hope in her darkest hour, and ultimately learned the value of pouring out her life in sacrificial worship. May we all learn from …

In today’s sermon, Allison Allen brings a powerful message about the healing hope of Jesus. In Luke 13:10-21 we are invited to behold the tender love of Christ as he sees the condition of a woman tormented for 18 years, and he calls her out to receive healing and freedom. There is life-changing hope that transforms when Jesus sees our need and touc…

This Sunday we kicked off a 4-week series all being taught by women in our church - each of them focusing on women in the Bible who had life-changing encounters with Jesus. Our dear friend Kristen Panella started the series by sharing the power and freedom that comes when our identity is based on who we are in Christ above all else.…

Today we explore the story of the Fall of Jericho. God’s plan seems to defy logic, yet Joshua, the people of Israel, and Rahab all take big steps of faith as they trust God to deliver them. The true measure of success isn’t about getting the outcome we think is right, but walking in faith trusting God’s plan and timing no matter how foolish it may …

On Sunday, we heard from Bob Spencer on how important the Father’s presence is to His children. This applies to our earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father. We learned that one of the key roles of a father is to teach his kids in all things.By GraceChapelKnoxville

In today’s sermon, you’ll hear the incredible story of how God is providing a more permanent home for our local church body. As we explore Joshua chapters 3-5 there is much to learn about stepping into God’s promises! We pray you are blessed by this message and will join us in ongoing prayer for this journey, praise for what God has done! May we al…

This week, we are looking at a key moment in Joshua’s life, as Moses is passing the baton of leadership on to him. While it is a pivotal moment, it is rooted in a long-term relationship where Moses invested in Joshua, and Joshua learned from and served his mentor. May we all learn to invest, serve, and embrace the key relationships the Lord has pla…

Sermon Description: In today’s sermon we focus on the story found in Numbers 13-14, when 12 spies go into the promised land to bring back a report. God has given clear instruction that the land is good and He is giving it to them, yet an entire generation misses out on stepping into their heritage as a result of their response to the bad report the…