03/30/20 Update

Faith Family: I pray you are experiencing the grace of God in wonderful ways this morning!

Did you know that the Bible teaches, in Matthew 6, that our actions are informed by our anxieties? In fact, it’s Jesus who says:

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” ‭

When Jesus references ‘the Gentiles’ in this text, He’s speaking of those outside the family of faith. So, in a nutshell, He’s saying here that, before we come know God as Father, our lives are filled with this never-ending sense of seeking which flows the fear that we will not have what we think we need. But — to know God as Father is to find that, like little children, our needs are known and supplied by someone outside of ourselves. My boys, when they wake up a little later this morning, will not be anxious about what food they will eat or what clothes they will wear — they are confident in the ability of their father (and mother) to meet all of these needs.

In the same way, friends, this is the confidence that is now ours through Christ — we have a Father who is fully capable of meeting our needs. Not only is our Father capable, He has promised to provide. As sure as the sun will rise this morning, so to can you and I be certain of our Father’s continued care for us. As we rest in the Father’s love, our anxieties fade and we are free to focus on the new pursuits placed before us by His Spirit. This exchange is essential for all wishing to seek first the Kingdom.

Perhaps you need to do what I did earlier this morning — make a list of everything that you are anxious over today. Then, pray simply: Father, I give all of my anxieties to you today. I am casting all of my cares on you because I know that you care for me. I believe that you are capable of caring for me better than I can care for myself, so I yield all of these anxieties to you. Replace fear with faith; turn my worry to worship as I experience your unrivaled affection in new ways today. Grant me grace to trust you and fill me with your Spirit as I seek to shift my energies and efforts from my kingdom to yours. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Hey — let me encourage you to take part in our church-wide reading plan if you haven’t joined in already. We are reading one chapter in Matthew’s gospel every day (Monday-Friday) and meeting on Facebook to talk through some of the takeaways. This is also a great way to engage with your kids or grandkids around the dinner table each evening! I hope you will read along with us!

Now, here are a few things you need to know:

GROVEKIDS RENOVATIONS

Men — we need your help! As I mentioned in a previous update, we have decided to use the “downtime” on our campus as an opportunity to begin updating our GroveKids space. Several have already been hard at work helping us prep the space, but we need your help! Can you give one day over the next two weeks to help us? If so, please email me directly. As we are seeking to comply with the COVID-19 precautions put in place by our state government, we cannot have more than 10 people working at any given time, so we are trying to schedule work out in advance. With your help, we can welcome our little ones back to a brand new space!

CHURCH ONLINE

If you missed church online yesterday, let me encourage you to check it out. Our team continues to work hard each week so that we can bring this broadcast to you. I am so thankful — especially for those behind the scenes — that make this possible!

Let me encourage you — as I did last week — to do a few things — 1) like and share EVERY post you see from TGC on Facebook. This is like free advertising and multiplies our reach many times over. 2) add a personal comment when you share, it shows people in your spheres of influence that you are personally invested in TGC. Thank you to all of you who liked and shared this past week!

ALPHA ONLINE

Wow! Pastor Tre and I were blown away by your response on Thursday night! We loved launching Alpha Online with you. Alpha is back this Thursday night and we’re answering the question: Who is Jesus?

Several of you shared, this past Thursday night, that you had friends who needed to hear what was being shared…trust me when I tell you that you want to get them online for Alpha this Thursday night! Host a watch party and invite unchurched friends and family to join you. Maybe even consider sending a private message earlier in the week to let them know that you’d like for them to join you. We are praying that many would tune in to hear about Jesus!

ONLINE GIVING

Let’s all continue to be faithful in building the Kingdom! Remember, electronic gifts can be made 24/7 via our Church Center App, online through our website (thegrove.tv/give) or via text (any amount to 84321).

If you prefer to give via check, you can still mail those to our office at 1605 Mars Hill Road, Acworth, Georgia 30101.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Have the best week! If we can support you in any way, please don’t hesitate to let me know. You are loved!