Comments on: Grace Community Church (L.A.) http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/ Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:39:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5 by: admin http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-117 Wed, 02 Feb 2005 14:09:19 -0500 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-117 I recently had a long and very saddening covnversation with a very involved member of Grace Community Church. He said a number of disturbing things about how they are taught to live as Christians at Grace. When I asked him about reaching out to the world he said they "do not believe we are to take the light to the world but that the world is to come to the light. If people are going to get saved they are going to get saved, we should not spend time with non-Christians outside of work because we would then be putting ourselves in places where sin is occurring." Ultimately he said that "Chrstianity is about rules and we as Christians need to abide by them." Our conversation was very unsetteling but in the end we were able to pray and embrace though in disagreement. If anyone has spent much time reading our reveiws you have probably figured out that we are very reformed in our thinking, or to be more specific we are strong Calvinsits. However, this type of hyper-calvinism that runs away from the world, we see as direct violation of Scripture. Romans 8-10 teaches that we are predestined to salvation, but it also teaches that the way or means people come to salvation they are predestined to is through the preaching of the gospel (Rom 10:14-17). In addition, we constantly see our Lord Jesus hanging out with whores, drunks, theives, and other outcasts who he called "friends." I am perplexed by those who are reformed in their theology, the ones whose banner is that we are not saved by our works but by the Sovereign grace of God, but would lack so much grace for others and become so legalistic. To say that Christianity is about rules is to turn the gospel on its head. Christianity is about Christ, knowing Him, being filled with the Spirit, being guided by His Word, and having grace for people. Never using grace as excuse for sin (Rom 6:1) but throwing of the yoke of the law Christ has freed us from. The reason I give grace a 5 star rating is because of their commitment to the exegetical study of God's Word and because of their reformed convictions. However, they fail hard on being a missional church. When it comes down to it I would rather a person be at a place with good theology than a place with bad theology. This is because a church may be great at being missional but those who get saved cannot be properly grounded at those churches. In spite of the 5 star rating, I believe Grace Church to be a church that does not practice or apply what they preach. They apparently think they are better than non-Christians (which denies Total Depravity) and they do not demonstate any real love for non-Christians (amissional). Let us walk in the Spirit. Dive into enemy territory. Snatch souls who are under the power of Satan. Yes it is dangerous. Yes we will be in sinful places and with sinful people (including ourselves) to do this. Yes there is risk, but it is a God-glorifying risk, we as the church cannot afford not take the gospel to those who by nature hate God. I recently had a long and very saddening covnversation with a very involved member of Grace Community Church. He said a number of disturbing things about how they are taught to live as Christians at Grace. When I asked him about reaching out to the world he said they “do not believe we are to take the light to the world but that the world is to come to the light. If people are going to get saved they are going to get saved, we should not spend time with non-Christians outside of work because we would then be putting ourselves in places where sin is occurring.” Ultimately he said that “Chrstianity is about rules and we as Christians need to abide by them.”

Our conversation was very unsetteling but in the end we were able to pray and embrace though in disagreement. If anyone has spent much time reading our reveiws you have probably figured out that we are very reformed in our thinking, or to be more specific we are strong Calvinsits. However, this type of hyper-calvinism that runs away from the world, we see as direct violation of Scripture. Romans 8-10 teaches that we are predestined to salvation, but it also teaches that the way or means people come to salvation they are predestined to is through the preaching of the gospel (Rom 10:14-17). In addition, we constantly see our Lord Jesus hanging out with whores, drunks, theives, and other outcasts who he called “friends.”

I am perplexed by those who are reformed in their theology, the ones whose banner is that we are not saved by our works but by the Sovereign grace of God, but would lack so much grace for others and become so legalistic. To say that Christianity is about rules is to turn the gospel on its head. Christianity is about Christ, knowing Him, being filled with the Spirit, being guided by His Word, and having grace for people. Never using grace as excuse for sin (Rom 6:1) but throwing of the yoke of the law Christ has freed us from.

The reason I give grace a 5 star rating is because of their commitment to the exegetical study of God’s Word and because of their reformed convictions. However, they fail hard on being a missional church. When it comes down to it I would rather a person be at a place with good theology than a place with bad theology. This is because a church may be great at being missional but those who get saved cannot be properly grounded at those churches. In spite of the 5 star rating, I believe Grace Church to be a church that does not practice or apply what they preach. They apparently think they are better than non-Christians (which denies Total Depravity) and they do not demonstate any real love for non-Christians (amissional).

Let us walk in the Spirit. Dive into enemy territory. Snatch souls who are under the power of Satan. Yes it is dangerous. Yes we will be in sinful places and with sinful people (including ourselves) to do this. Yes there is risk, but it is a God-glorifying risk, we as the church cannot afford not take the gospel to those who by nature hate God.

]]> by: mortgage rate d7 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5532 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:22:40 -0400 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5532 <strong>mortgage rate d7</strong> t851t mortgage rate d7

t851t

]]> by: enterprise rental c8 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5545 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:28:38 -0400 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5545 <strong>enterprise rental c8</strong> t928t enterprise rental c8

t928t

]]> by: crate and barrel u8 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5555 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:28:59 -0400 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5555 <strong>crate and barrel u8</strong> t339t crate and barrel u8

t339t

]]> by: online auto insurance quote y5 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5577 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:33:56 -0400 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5577 <strong>online auto insurance quote y5</strong> t68t online auto insurance quote y5

t68t

]]> by: vegas hotels c7 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5601 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:41:46 -0400 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5601 <strong>vegas hotels c7</strong> t455t vegas hotels c7

t455t

]]> by: google maps y1 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5600 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:41:49 -0400 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5600 <strong>google maps y1</strong> t495t google maps y1

t495t

]]> by: movie props o6 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5625 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:50:40 -0400 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5625 <strong>movie props o6</strong> t720t movie props o6

t720t

]]> by: jet blue airlines e4 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5634 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:54:46 -0400 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5634 <strong>jet blue airlines e4</strong> t538t jet blue airlines e4

t538t

]]> by: insurance auto quotes x2 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5649 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:55:36 -0400 http://www.occhurches.org/2005-01/05/grace-community-church-la/#comment-5649 <strong>insurance auto quotes x2</strong> t450t insurance auto quotes x2

t450t

]]>