Going to Luke 1 Pastor John looks at the miraculous births of John and Jesus and contrasts Zechariah's and Mary's responses. Ultimately, we need to adopt Mary's attitude and state “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to [His] word.” Let us embrace the living words God speaks over and to us and do what He says.…

Guest Speaker Les Lawrence joins us today and starts by reading a short drama on the prophecy fulfilled almost two thousand years ago. Pastor Les then goes on to speak about Simeon, the man who spoke the prophecy, what he shared, and how even the most anonymous people to bring about the kingdom of God. If we will just allow ourselves to be used.…

Concerned over how easy it is to misapply and misquote scripture, Pastor John starts with Matthew 6:33 and how it pertains to God meeting our needs. We often focus on how “these things will be added to us” and miss what the Father says - to seek the kingdom and to seek His righteousness. As an alternative to being motivated but what we think is key…

Pastor John reminds us we need to pay attention to the words spoken to us. Not the words of other men, thinkers, or saints but the words God speaks to us, His promises. The Word activates our faith and our faith activates the Word. It is the Word united with our faith that empowers and enables us to succeed in our trials.…

We know that it's impossible to please God without faith. Therefore, Pastor John begins by helping us understand what faith isn’t. It’s not our good feelings or positive thinking. Instead, Pastor John wants us to begin by defining faith with a Biblical understanding.Av Pastor John Thrift

Today Pastor John looks to the life of Abraham to help us understand how to grow in our faith. We know faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word but do we know how to strengthen our faith? It starts by realizing and truly accepting that He is above all things - even when things are unpleasant. But as Pastor John points out, our faith flouris…

Today Pastor John reminds us of how critical, important, and foundational the Word is to our lives. If we go to the Word and it seems dead, the problem must be us. Therefore he reminds us we must approach it with an open mind and the expectation that the Lord wants to speak to us. And don't pull back when we are chastised by it. He does that out of…

Michael Masambu joins this service and finishes teaching on three things that will help each of us: Thanksgiving Praise Worship. He finishes today with worship because it is through our worship that we acknowledge the holiness of God.Av Guest Speaker(s)

Michael Masambu joins this special service and continues to share three things that will help each of us: Thanksgiving Praise Worship. Tonight he focuses on praise because through our praise we acknowledge the greatness of God.Av Guest Speaker(s)

Today Pastor John talks about what the Lord wants for Grace Assembly, for each and everyone of us. He wants a deeper relationship with us. But the heart of the matter is the matters with our hearts. The transformation of our head needs to change us to the core of our beings - our hearts.Av Pastor John Thrift

In an effort to strengthen our foundation of faith, Pastor John comes back to the topics of worry and anxiety. If we try to be victorious on our own accord and strength we will always question whether we got it right. Instead, Pastor John directs us to Colossians 1 for a profound yet simple solution. Jesus can say to not be anxious and can mean it …

Today we repeatedly hear from the Lord a message for us to choose to surrender and to worship.Av Pastor John Thrift

Today Pastor John reminds us we need to quit messing around, get over ourselves, and stop playing around with disobedience. After all, we were bought with a price and we are not our own! We are the Lord's and He knows what He’s doing! So let's be motivated to discern and embrace all the has for us!Av Pastor John Thrift

Seeking to strengthen our faith in God, Pastor John turns our attention to our future, present, and past. In order to endure the trials coming, we need to let go of our past and embrace Jesus and the new and living way that He has before all of us now. We can't hold onto our past and our newness in Christ.…

Although we know we shouldn't be anxious, our prayer life often reflects something different. Looking to 2 Kings 6 and 7, Pastor John draws from Elisha, Ben-hadad the king of Aram, and their besiege of Samaria and he reminds us when we don't know what to do, we need to wait with purpose, we need to wait on God. For we don't know how the Lord may wa…

AIf we are not careful, Satan will trip us up. But Satan is in fear of fully consecrated believers - those who remain devoted even when trials come. Pointing to Acts 4 and 5, Pastor John challenges our half-hearted faith and how it does not fool the Holy Spirit. So Pastor John asks us to consider asking the Lord about our consecration in the follow…

Laura Lee, with the Inspire Project, is our guest speaker today and she begins by reminding us that the Great Commission is non-negotiable. Laura then goes on to remind us that God is looking for believers who are faithful over our fears, feelings, followers, fame, or fallacies. It starts with what our faith is built on. It must be solid. Not just …

Covering a lot of ground through the Spirit and the Word, Pastor John reminds us Jesus wore our crown of thorns so we can live His life of obedience. Is that what we're doing? Or like Cain, do we ask God to bless the fruits of our curse and disobedience?Av Pastor John Thrift

Pastor John reminds us that if for some reason we don't embrace God's truth, then we're embracing lies. So when God reveals truth to us, we need to act on it, even if it's hard. If we are willing to embrace God's truth, Pastor John points out the Lord will reveal to us how to walk out of our mess. After all, everyone who is of truth listens to Jesu…

Today guest speaker Pastor Michael Masambu starts by reminding us to arise and shine, for the glory has come upon us (Isaiah 30). And that glory comes to us in the mighty name of Jesus. His name is our access to the Father. So Pastor Michael asks one critical question - What is our relationship with the name of Jesus?…

Pastor John returns to the truth that the number one supreme goal of every Christian must be obedience. Complete, whole-hearted obedience, even in the midst of our messes. After all, if we are followers of Jesus Christ, then we should be consumed with doing his will.Av Pastor John Thrift

It's easy for us to get distracted. But Pastor John reminds us Jesus was motivated to do the will of God, not his own will. This requires humbling ourselves and obeying the Lord. So Pastor John reminds and encourages us how to become obedient to Himby choosing how Jesus did it.Av Pastor John Thrift

Guest Speaker Peter Drummond starts with Jesus's words in Matthew 6 and the physical example of a spiritual reality. Our perspective, our focus, our attention determines where we store up our treasures. So when we focus on His heavenly things, on what He is doing, what He wants us to do instead of our temporal ones, that's when we are blessed.…

Today’s service starts with Pastor Jenn sharing from Acts 8 and key things we can learn from the Ethiopian eunuch and Phillip during that baptism. We then celebrate as the following 11 people are baptized: Angel Juarez; Jerica Jones; Courtney Divine Carpenter; Nicolas Alfred; Kalisi Brown; Mikayla Brown; Lexie Brown; Samuel Ademola; Favor Ademola; …

Today’s service starts with the youth sharing about their recent missions trip with the Dream Center and in the Raleigh area. Lance Morris then shares a vision he recently had related to what has been happening at Grace in the spiritual realm. We are encouraged to prepare for involvement by mending our vessels so we can hold and not waste His livin…

Pastor Les Lawrence shares today and reminds us that the #1 terrorist in the world is Satan. And the primary weapon he uses is fear - even on Christians. Les reminds and encourages us to resist the devil and he will flee. Pastor John then goes on to speak about fear, doubt, and unbelief and the biblical antidote. We need to reboot our stinking thin…

Today the mission team that recently went to and returned from Kenya shares about their trip. Pastor John then points out that while none of them had training in advance, their testimonies remind us that Jesus’s words are still true and He is “with [us] always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:16-20).”…

Vincent Ademola shares today and reminds us of several key things in order for us to be spiritually prepared and vigilant. He emphasizes our need to have an urgent and immediate focus on maintaining a faithful and prepared heart always ready for the return of the Lord. Vincent stresses - to us, the children of God - that “Repentance is not a one-ti…

Today’s “substitute pastor” is Les Lawrence who goes in depth on the promise of the Father - the Holy Spirit. We need the Spirit in our lives during our times of testing and trial. We need the Spirit so we can have a complete relationship with God - the Father, Son and Spirit. We need the Spirit so our character can be shaped into one that is more …

Looking at very personal and recent events, Pastor John reminds us what God is doing during our times of trial. Rather than wallowing in why, as that can lead to unhealthy places, we need to count it all joy.Av Pastor John Thrift

We start today by recognizing and honoring our High School students that graduated this year: - Jackson Stitt - Jeremiah Lewis-Brown - Jose Garcia Pastor Hannah then goes on to speak on how we, believers, can walk into God's promises. It has nothing to do with age or gender. Instead, it has to do with our spirit. This requires us to align ourselves…

Life can be difficult. Life can be frustrating. Life can be impossible. Looking to the preaching of John the Baptist, Pastor John confirms these truths. He also reminds us of the solution - we need the Holy Spirit to help us as God works through our tough times.Av Pastor John Thrift

Pastor John points out that while we wait on revival, it is preceded by repentance. Even those with great gifts must realize if our gifts don't align with a Godly character we'll look like fruitcakes. So, what are we elevating above our relationship with God? Going to the Word, Pastor John shows our need and how to perform personal spiritual examin…

Happy Mother's Day!! Pastor Sherry Thrift brings the word today reminding us that He comes to us. He will find us wherever we are at. He always knows where we are at even when we feel like we can't get to Him or we think it's “out” of His way. He still comes to us.Av Pastor Sherry Thrift

Pastor Richard Oti speaks today beginning in the gospel of John. He quickly gets to the point and reminds us we have a Helper / Counselor / Strengthener on the inside of us. He is always there, through all circumstances. We know this, so we should ask Him and yield to Him.Av Pastor Richard Oti

Going from the Passover, to the Resurrection, and finally Heaven, Pastor Les Lawrence teaches today on how all Christians are connected to Israel and Israel is connected to al Christians.Av Guest Speaker(s)

Today starts with a bevy of testimonies of God’s goodness and liberty. In Luke 13, Jesus dealt with the development process. Pastor John points out it starts with repenting and then Jesus working in us, often through trials, to produce fruit.Av Pastor John Thrift

Starting with a reminder that the effort we put into the word reflects what we get out of it (Mark 4:23-25), Pastor John then returns to John 21 (15-23). He then focuses on a key question - do we love Him? More than ________? If so, let's identify with Him and where He has us right now. Follow Him.Av Pastor John Thrift

Picking up in John 21, Pastor John discusses how and what Jesus continues to reveal and do with the disciples and what He is revealing about our lives. He reveals Himself in many different ways.Av Pastor John Thrift

Happy Easter / Resurrection Day! Reading the 20th chapter of John and the resurrection of Christ, Pastor John shares a number of lessons we can learn and apply to our own lives.Av Pastor John Thrift

Pastor John continues to teach on the size of our faith. He wants us to decide, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to settle some things. Pastor John starts by going to Matthew and the words of Christ to demonstrate little faith. He then gives examples to help us understand how to move to great faith - by processing our situation against God’s good …

The Lord wants us to be blessed - and in many ways. Pastor John starts in Psalm 1 and focuses on one way how He seeks to bless us. Even when things go from bad to horrible, as they did during Habakkuk’s time, the Lord seeks to bless us through the trials.Av Pastor John Thrift

Bishop Michael Masambu visits today and shares from Ezekiel 37:1-14. He points out that the dry bones are the children of God. They have given up, lost hope, had no identity, and felt disgraced. The cure? Hear the word of the Lord! And live! The only thing that can bring life is the Word!Av Guest Speaker(s)

Beginning with Matthew 6, Pastor John points out if we’re hung up on materialistic stuff, then we have little faith. Those were Jesus’ words, not his. But if we can have little faith, we must also be able to posses and demonstrate great faith. Starting what will be a multi-week message, Pastor John lays the groundwork of moving to megafaith by poin…

Pastor John reminds us that the devil does his best to get us to believe a lie. When we start aligning ourselves with anti-scriptural truths, we open our head and emotions to Satan. Pastor John points out that when we do this, we can easily miss what God wants us to see. Instead Pastor John points out key objective truths we must embrace.…

Drawing from both personal experience and the Word, founding Pastor Michael Oney visits today and gives a message about the sacred nature of marriage. Jesus makes this very clear in Matthew 19. Therefore, Pastor Mike focuses on three key principles for successful marriages and protecting this sacracy: Learn how to forgive; Learn to pursue each othe…

Looking to king Asa, Pastor John warns us how easy it is to grow weary doing good, to embrace our circumstances, and to stop seeking the Lord. When our back is against the wall we often embrace worldly solutions and neglect going to the Lord about it. Instead Pastor John reminds us to rely on the Lord because He seeks to “strongly support those who…

Today was a time of testimony about recent miracles performed by the Lord. It was also a time of intercession and exhortation to stand in faith and pursue His perfect promises and blessings toc come.Av Pastor John Thrift

Today Pastor John reminds us that Jesus never told us to do life on our own. In fact, He made us one with HIm and He keeps us. And if each of us is one with Him, we are one with each other. Especially since He is assembling us together into the dwelling place for His Holy Spirit.Av Pastor John Thrift

Today the Lord interrupts us to remind us that it is for freedom He has set us free. And while we may know salvation, He warns us we still may not be walking in liberty. His desire is to remove ALL of the bands wrapped around our hearts.Av Pastor John Thrift