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Conveyors of God's Grace
Christians are called to be both salt and light: Not only seasoning the world with grace but also illuminating the world with truth.
The ministry of Jesus begins in chapter 3 of the gospel of Matthew. Chapter 1, 2, and the beginning of chapter 3 give context and background for the rest of the gospel account. Therefore, the first words recorded of Jesus' earthly ministry in Matthew's gospel begins at Matthew 3:13, "Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John to be baptized by him." (Matt 3:13, LSB)
John MacArthur writes of this verse, "Following an eternity past in heaven and thirty years of obscurity in Nazareth, God presented the Savior publicly to the world. John the Baptist, as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness," had heralded the coming of the Messiah (Mt. 3:3; cf. Isa. 40:3), and now He was fully and publicly prepared to begin the fulfillment of His earthly mission."
Jesus knew His visiblity would result in volitility towards Him. Jesus knew the cost of stepping out of obscurity into the public eye. Jesus knew the resistence, the insults, and the attacks that would ensue against Him from those who love the darkness.
Knowing all of this, Jesus stepped forward in obedience to the Father to set sinners free from their sin.
Obedience has a cost: it costs us our very lives. 2026 marks the year that Grace Maricopa moves forward in mission engagement: investing our time, energy, and resources to reach the lost with the gospel. This movement of obedience comes with a cost. Our budget, bible studies, and ministries are all being revisted for missional engagement. In the upcoming Member Meeting I will be discussing several mission opportunities that have been presented to us and seeking volunteers who have been gifted and called by God in Jesus Christ to be conveyors of Grace; to season and illuminate. These ministries include:
If we want to see our neighbors and friends enter into salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, it begins by us altering the way we express and live our Christian faith. We must move beyond our campus into the community and the world as conveyors of grace and heralders of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
May the Lord grant us a live lived not in fear but in faith.
Post tenbras lux, Pastor Dan | Ps. 46 |
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SAVE THE DATE FOR STATE VBS CONFERENCE 2026All VBS Workers are invited to learn how to reach, serve, and teach children about the biblical truths that will be shared this summer. The conference is April 10th from 9am - noon at Royal Palms Baptist Church. Please contact Christie Rogers if you want to serve on the VBS team. |
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Liberty Quartet ConcertNo ticket is needed. A love offering will be received. |
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Bible studies to help you grow
Church Discipleship: Sunday @ 5pm Bill Lange is teaching through the Bible this month with The Gospel Project curriculum.
Men's Group: Tuesday @ 6pm Pastor Michael teaches the Men about Biblical Manhood.
Women's Group: Tuesday @ 6:30pm Linda Slusher leads a study over Elijah at her home. (Call church for address)
Fundamentals of the Faith: Wednesday at 7pm Bob VonFleckinger leads a study of basic Christian doctrines.
Women's Daytime Group: Thursday @ 10am Christie Rogers leads a Bible study designed for women. (Childcare provided) The Women's Daytime Grace Group will begin again on February 5th, 2026. We will continue studying Ephesians using Susan Heck's book, With The Master: In Heavenly Places. We will pick up at chapter 13.
Grace Crafting Lynn Jurgensen leads the group in a craft project. The group will meet at the church on: February 9, 2026 at 10am February 12, 2026 at 6:30pm Please reach out to Lynn if you have any questions!
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Youth GroupThis semester Sojourners Youth is reaching out to the local community, reaching out to students to bring them in so that they may hear the gospel and experience the community of the Body of Christ!
New Curriculum! This semester we have taken a break from our study in John to hammer down the basics of God, humanity, the gospel, and how Christians react to modern culture.
6th - 12th Grade Students are Welcome Continue to pray for our students, that the gospel would flourish and come to dwell in their hearts. Pray also for our outreach efforts that they may be fruitful. We look forward to what God will be doing in months and years to come! And if you know of any youth students who would enjoy some community, invite them along, Sundays 5pm-7pm!
Dates to remember: 2/7/2026: Sports Saturday! We will spending time at Copper Sky from 2pm-5pm. Invite your friends! 2/15/2026: There will be no youth group this Sunday evening. 2/28/2026: Game/movie night! 3/1/2016: No youth group.
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Children's Ministry
Children's Church this month How should we feel when we sin? When we sin, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and want to turn from our sin because we love Him.
February Memory Verse: "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death." (2 Corinthians 7:10)
God has made good on His promise to bring the people back into the land, but they were still waiting on another promise: for God to send the ultimate Rescuer. God's people began to prepare for the Messiah's arrival, but even so, as always, they couldn't escape the allure of sin.
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When we Gather"Jesus, What a Friend For Sinners" Written by J. Wilbur Chapman, a 19th century evangelist.
Chapman confessed Christ at the age of 17 and went on to become a pastor and evangelist within the Presbyterian church.
Chapman would travel the world as an evangelist, visiting places from Sydney Australia to Shanghai China. For all his work, he also suffered the loss of two wives and one infant child. In his life he wrote many hymns, the most popular of which was "Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners."
Jesus, the one who was condemned by the Pharisees in Luke 7 of being a friend of the tax collectors and sinners, came to seek and save the lost, the ultimate evangelist.
He was and is the greatest friend, a fact Chapman mused upon at the age of 51, having seen great success and great turmoil, and his greatest Friend had been by His side through it all.
And finally, the last line of this hymn echoes that wonderful truth, the covenant formula so often spoken in the Old Testament, now the truth that anchors the weary soul; "I am His and He is mine!"
Please keep the praise and AV ministries in your prayers. Pray for the volunteers who strive for this labor of love, and encourage them with every chance you find!
If you have or someone you know has a talent in music or audio video technology, prayerfully consider serving in this ministry for the glory of Christ, and the good of your fellow church members. Reach out to Pastor Zachary with any inquiries or to volunteer in this service.
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MissionsGrace Maricopa is in the process of starting a college ministry for our local CAC branch. We hope to be tabling Thursday mornings, starting the 26th of February, around 10-12 in the mornings. Please consider serving in this area if you are interested. Reach out to Pastor Zachary to inquire about this ministry and how you can help, as the Lord leads. |
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Grace Maricopa Pulpit is on YouTubeNow you can watch your favorite Grace Maricopa sermons at the touch of your fingertips.
The channel can be found by clicking the YouTube icon at the bottom of our website or by searching Youtube for, "@GraceMaricopaPulpit" now! |
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Campus Improvement ProjectsOur Deacon Ministry has been hard at work around the campus over the last month making repairs and improvements.
The Overflow Area Our Deacon Ministry has established an overlow area under the front, outside, canopy. This area has comfortable seating and a large screen television to facilitate full participation in our morning worship service. As our Sunday morning worship gathering grows, feel free to use this area to spread out and worship the Lord, together, as one unified church while we wait for our new building to be completed.
Make sure you let our Deacon Team know how thankful we are for their service to our church. |
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Construction UpdateThe Engineering diagrams for the construction of our new parking lot and worship building have been reviewed by the City of Maricopa. The redline review comments are being discussed and resolved by our engineering experts.
Please continue to pray that God will guide us in this procjess and lead us to a construction company and contractors for this project.
If you would like to be a member of the Construction Management Team for these projects, please email the church office (Office@GraceMaricopa.org). Participants will be invited to an orientation meeting in March. |
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Christianbook.com has partnered with us!Want to shop your favorite Christian goods and give back to Grace Maricopa? Simply create a free account over at Christianbook.com and then link your account by texting GIVEBACK to 95498, registering with our Organization ID: NEQNUP |
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Writing Projects
Finding a Biblical Church Pastor Dan has written a workbook that will help Christians to recognize a biblical church. The workbook is planned to be available for purchase on Amazon in March.
Biblical Marriage Workbook Pastor Dan is developing a workbook that will supplement the 5 part sermon series on Biblical Marriage.
Easter Devotional Book Pastor Dan is writing a 7 day devotional guide: Honoring Easter: The Weight of Sin
Falling Into the Habit Pastor Dan is writing a devotional guide to help those who have fallen away from the fellowship to return.
Please pray for him as he works on these projects throughout the 2026. |
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Pray for...
People Mover Grace Maricopa has a vision for a robust Senior Ministry that will include monthly trips for Seniors around the state of Arizona and to Mexico border towns. This vision requires the church to acquire a large bus for transporting seniors. Please pray that the Lord will provide a large, comfortable bus that can acommodate wheelchairs for this ministry.
Prayer Ministry Grace Maricopa has a devoted prayer ministry that meets every Wednesday @4pm. We invite everyone to join this pivotal ministry and pray to our loving, powerful Father in heaven for our needs and the needs of others.
If you have a prayer request please email your request to the church office at, Office@GraceMaricopa.org
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