At Sovereign Grace Church, what we believe shapes what we do and how we do it. This is true both individually and corporately. If you visit our website (it’s new and significantly improved, so check it out here), you will find our Statement of Faith and our Seven Shared Values. Together they represent the beliefs we cherish and are shaped by.

For this reason, we are excited about the latest Sovereign Grace Journal. Fourteen articles dedicated to explaining and celebrating the key convictions that characterize, define, and unify us as a local church and a family of churches, Sovereign Grace Churches. 

If you are wondering why this edition of the journal should be important to you, in the words of Sovereign Grace Churches Executive Director Mark Prater:

“Because they function daily in the life of your church.”

Only by the grace of God can we live out our shared values personally and corporately. But we are sure this unique resource can be a means of grace and will bless you as the Lord uses it to fill your mind and heart with precious truth, gratitude for your church and our family of churches, and above all, passion for your Savior who makes it all possible. Enjoy!

Purchase the Journal on Amazon here. Download the FREE PDF here.

It’s here! A brand new year. As it begins, I pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for the abundant grace and goodness of the Lord in 2021. What the new year has for you, only God knows. But here’s what you do know as a Christian: Whatever role, season, or situation God has you in, nothing you do in 2022 will be more important than prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), preaching the gospel to yourself (Colossians 3:1-4), and reading the Bible (Psalm 1:1-3). 

For this reason, I encourage you to consider Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Bible reading plan. Mr. M’Cheyne was a nineteenth-century Scottish pastor. The Lord took him home just a few weeks before his 30th birthday. Though his life and ministry were short, his impact has lasted centuries, mainly through his annual bible reading plan. 

A foremost passion for himself and his church was reading the Bible with great intentionality and purpose. One gets a sense of this in his encouragement: 

You read your Bible regularly, of course; but do try and understand it, and still more to feel it. Read more parts than one at a time. For example, if you are reading Genesis, read a Psalm also; or if you are reading Matthew, read a small bit of an Epistle also. Turn the Bible into prayer. Thus, if you were reading the First Psalm, spread the Bible on the chair before you, and kneel and pray, “O Lord, give me the blessedness of the man”; “let me not stand in the counsel of the ungodly.” This is the best way of knowing the meaning of the Bible, and of learning to pray.

Wherever you are in your bible reading, right now is a great time to start reading or rereading the Bible. And let’s do it together. Let’s talk about it on Sunday mornings in the lobby. Let’s share our time in the Word in the home, on the double-date, or that one-on-one coffee. In the hands of the Spirit, God’s Word is active and alive, transforming our hearts and lives to live another year in the good of the gospel and for the glory of our King!

For your convenience, I have included three ways (taken from The Gospel Coalition) you can join us this year:

1. Bible Reading Plan. Read the entire Bible according to Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s plan, which takes you through the entire Bible in a year (including the New Testament and Psalms twice). Download the PDF reading plan

2. Daily Newsletter. This daily email contains Don Carson’s devotional reflection, along with related articles and links to go deeper in each day’s Bible readings. Subscribe here.

3. Podcast. This podcast contains audio reading of Don Carson’s For the Love of God,a daily devotional commentary that follows the M’Cheyne plan: podcast (Apple | Stitcher | Spotify).

Happy New Year and Happy Bible Reading all year!

In May, we introduced (and gave you one as a gift for the Fifth Sunday book) the inaugural edition of the Sovereign Grace Journal.  A compilation of articles written by Sovereign Grace pastors, the journal exists to enlarge our thoughts about God and help us treasure Christ with our mind, affections, and life (Ephesians 1:16-21). We trust as you have taken the time to read through the articles, you have indeed grown closer to Jesus. 

We are excited to announce another journal is here! Listen to Sovereign Grace Executive Director Mark Prater’s description of the newest edition: 

“Titled, A Christ-Centered People, this issue is a treasure. I can't wait for you to read these articles. In the introduction, I wrote: ‘The gospel, which shapes the culture in our family of churches, declares what Christ has accomplished for us through his death and resurrection. Based on the finished work of Jesus Christ that we receive by faith, we are a people who joyfully respond to this good news by walking in him, living for him, and staying centered on him. Colossians 2:6-7 says, Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him. Because the gospel is for all of life, there isn’t an area of our lives where we aren’t centered on Christ—whether that is parenting, politics, living the single life, or our involvement in missions. This edition of the journal speaks into each of these areas and more.’"

As a local church passionate about growing in Christ, we encourage you to read the new edition. To view the PDF for free or order on Amazon, just click here. From corporate worship to parenting in the home, we pray this journal will build you up in Christ for your good and His glory!

The Book of James teaches believers how to live by faith in a fallen world. Responding to trials, obedience to Scripture, humility in relationships, and taming the tongue are just a few of the contexts James exhorts us to walk by faith, in holiness, for the glory of God.

Speaking of the tongue, no place in the Bible do we find more comprehensive teaching on the importance of our words than the Book of James. The words we speak can seem so ordinary and harmless. They are not. James knows this. James knows our words matter. They can calm an anxious heart or create a raging war. Our words matter because the tongue is tied to the heart.

For this reason, we recommend Paul Tripp’s War of Words as a worthy addition to your summer reading list! Take a moment to consider what others have to say about War of Words (pay close attention to the last one!).

 An important and biblical book about our words and our God. Few of us really think about the power, the blessing, the gift, the effect, and the danger of our words. This book will make you think before you speak—Steve Brown

 Paul Tripp does not offer superficial solutions to our failures of communication. He recognizes that the spiritual quality of our words emanates from our hearts—Tremper Longman III

 Until our hearts are completely purified by God in heaven, we must set strong guards at the gates of our mouths and fight daily battles to restrain the overflow of our sinful desires. I have never before read such helpful insights and practical tools for this battle—Ken Sande 

 Most of us are quickly sobered if we give any thought to Jesus teaching about giving an account for every word we speak (Matt 12:36-37). What is one to do? I'd encourage you to give yourself to an in-depth study in God's Word about His agenda for our words as His children. You won't find a better resource than War of Words—Timothy Lambros

War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Resources for Changing Lives)

By Paul David Tripp

Buy on Amazon