Grace Fellowship Church

Grace Fellowship Church

A Church in Lawton, OK

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Worship

Be Still & Know

April 2, 2020 by brooke

Written By: Pastor Tanner Church

“Be still and know that I am God.” 

Psalm 46:10

In a time that is full of uncertainty and fear a verse like this seems both so needed and so difficult.

Being still is not what I want to do at all but how can I do that?

There is so much happening and so much to worry about and to do.

We struggle so much because the pace of modern life is fast. It’s constant movement and we have become accustomed to this way of life. Being still seems like a far off and uncomfortable thing to do.

I have struggled with this and have come to the place in my life as a husband and father and most of all a Jesus follower where I am not ok with this pace.

Jesus has some incredible and refreshing things for us, but they are only found when we go at his pace which is much slower than ours.

I have been on a journey for a few months now trying to figure this exact thing out. And while I haven’t arrived by any means, I have seen the faithfulness of God and he has shown me things that have been so life giving. Some of what I am going to talk about may seem simple or obvious, but I think that it’s the things we think are simple and have overlooked that are what we need to break through in order to experience the fullness of life that Jesus has for us.

So, lets do it.


Prayer

I think for a lot of us prayer can be difficult or strange. I think this has a lot to do with an unhealthy idea of prayer. We think prayer is a mental ascent to God who is in some far away location. I must have my mind free from distraction and focus so that God can hear me. I need to have the right words and have it all in the right order so my prayer will work. Expectations like these can make prayer difficult, or at least a bit of a struggle.


Here is how I think about it and how I think the Bible would pose it.

Our soul is the real us. (This might seem random but go with me.) We are not a body, but a soul made in the image of God. Our soul is the real us, what we feel, our personality, our desires, our emotions, everything we are. Our soul is real and and it is unique to each of us. If you were to do an Xray of my entire body (again I know this is random, just go with me) or to look through my body, you would not see a soul. It cannot be seen but it is more of who I am than my entire body. God occupies all the space around us in the same way our souls occupy our bodies. He cannot be seen but he is as real as our soul. God is not in some far off location but very literally in every space around and in us.

God’s closeness to us is crucial in understanding prayer. We don’t have to mentally struggle to connect with a God who is far off. He is closer than your own skin!

Knowledge of this, for me, makes prayer easier. There is no way God could not hear me. He is in the very breath I breath. I don’t have to strain with energy to connect with him, like someone holding there phone as high as they can on the tips of there toes to get better signal. I can just speak with the knowledge that he is listening.

So, find a spot, maybe a chair, a spot on the floor or in your garage. Wherever that spot is, take a few minutes — like 10 or 15 if you can — and talk. Talk about everything. And remember, He is your Father who cares about everything. Big or small. He wants to hear. Thank Him for things in your life, ask him for things you need, apologize for things you have said or done that you know were wrong. Say it all.


Another form of prayer that I love and I think is so life giving is “breathe prayers.”

An old pastor of mine told me about this and I have no idea where it came from but its wonderful. If you are busy or stressed and don’t have time to find a spot or 10 or 15 minutes, you still have time to breathe.

Take a few breaths and talk with your Father. Breathe out anger, shame, worry, and breathe in His love, His peace, His forgiveness. Within a breath, express yourself to God. If it helps to even say what you are breathing out and in under your breath, do it. And remember above everything else, there is no law about this. There is no condemnation here. Practice makes perfect and he sees your steps and is not expecting perfection. He knows and loves you.


What am I supposed to “know” about God?

Psalm 46 says to “Be still and know God” so how am I supposed to know him? And what am I supposed to know about him?

God is a person. He has emotion and preferences like any other person. Obviously, God is very different than us, but nevertheless, He is not an emotionless, human being. He is a person with characteristics and personality.

Imagine how your best friend or spouse would react if you said that you “knew” them but you really only meant you acknowledge that they were are physically present before you. That would not feel good to anyone. We want to be known. We make ourselves known by showing and sharing our emotions and thoughts with people we are close to and care about. We have characteristics and it feels so good when the people who we love and are close to recognize those characteristics and see us for who we have shown ourselves to be.

One of the most harmful things that can happen to a person is to be seen and known by someones idea of you and not who you really are. So, what are we to “know” about God? That he is a person who wants to be seen and recognized by who He has shown himself to be and not by our idea of him. To recognize that he has shown who he is and how he wants to be known and loved through his word. We need to “know” who God is, how he has presented himself who he has shown himself to be.


One of the best ways to know God and show him love in a way that he loves to receive it, is through worship.

This can for sure look like singing but it is not limited to that. John 4:25 says to worship God in spirit and in truth. This means to worship him with your true self. Who you truly are. Your personhood and your personality pressed into God. Enjoying him and his presence.

We have made worship hard. Something that is difficult and that seems like we have to work for it. It’s not true. We are literally made to worship. It comes as easy to us as anything does. We focus on and rejoice in so many things throughout our day. This is natural and easy for us because it was placed in us by God himself. Simply rejoicing in, focusing on and being in his presence is worship to him. He loves it.

So, throughout your day, when you have a pause or a free moment, just rest and be in his presence as a righteous and loved son or daughter of God. That is worship and that is knowing him and giving him love in a form that he loves because of who he is.


My last encouragement for all of us is this: Christians are notorious for trying really hard to do these things and then we fail.

So, lets not try really hard, but lets train really hard. You don’t try to run a marathon. You train. You make little steps forward every day. We are on a journey and if you mess up or fall short, go again, get back up, train harder. God sees our training and our work and he loves it and it means so much to him in and of itself. He is your Father and he loves you.


So, my thought and challenge for myself and for you, if you are willing, is to acknowledge that God is closer to me than I am probably comfortable with and I can speak to him easily.

There is no strain or pressure, but speaking as one does to a friend.

And, to explore who God has shown himself to be and not whatever my idea of him is (which is informed by parents, pastors, politics, friends, culture, movies, and the list goes on and on).

God has shown himself as his true self in his word. A great place to start is the Gospels. Jesus is said to be the visible image of an invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and everything he did and said is what his Father in heaven does and says.

I truly believe that if we spend time in prayer and communicate to God our thoughts and feelings, it will give us a sense of his closeness and true affection and love for us as well as making us feel known. And if we spend time knowing God for who he is, our relationship will expand and thrive is a way that is special and beautiful.


Some potentially helpful tools and books to read are:
– The album “Forever Amen” by Stephanie Gretzinger
– Psalm 139
– Matthew 6 (The Lords Prayer)
– The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
– The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

Filed Under: Bible Reading, Bible Study, COVID-19, Devotional, Spiritual Growth, Worship

Worship Night | November 2019

November 19, 2019 by brooke

A couple of weeks ago on November 1st, our church hosted another Worship Night. We LOVE Worship Nights here at Grace because they create such a special place in church for us to come together in a really relaxed environment with a stripped back set and worship together. These nights give us space, moments to breathe, and moments to get loud. There is something really special that happens at Worship Nights and not one is ever like another. Our prayer for these nights is that they would continue to morph and take the shape of whatever God is doing in us, as a church, at that time. Worship Nights happen fairly consistently around here at Grace. So if you missed this one don’t worry — we will have our Christmas Candle Light Worship Night service coming soon!

Filed Under: Worship Tagged With: Worship

What is Worship Night?

August 29, 2019 by brooke

In Psalm 149:1, the psalmist writes, “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.”

Did you catch that?

The psalmist commands that we sing praise to the Lord together, as a church! As we gather together as ONE unified body we find power in community all in the name of Jesus.


Worship Night FAQs

What is Worship Night? 

Worship Night is a time dedicated specifically to worship through music; it’s a time to gather together in song, giving all glory and honor to our God. It’s a unique, free, and live-giving event! Our prayer teams are also available throughout the event for individual  prayer needs.

So it’s free? 

Yupp! Absolutely free!

How is worship night different from a Sunday service?

Worship night consists of approximately an hour and a half of worship whereas Sunday morning services have approximately 20 minutes of dedicated worship coupled with a 30-40 minute message.

Do I have to stay the entire hour and a half. 

Not at all. While we encourage it the event is come and go as you need. We understand everyone’s schedules are different and may be unable to attend the entire hour and a half.

So, what can I expect if this is my first worship night experience?

You can expect warm welcomes and absolute freedom to worship the Lord. As you enter the building you’ll head directly into our main sanctuary on the top floor (if you have kiddos you’ll check them in first downstairs at the kids check-in counter). In the sanctuary you find the event. Please note that for our worship night events we remove most seating to allow for more people to attend. We have a designated seating area for those who are physically unable to stand the entire duration of the event as we want everyone to come, enjoy, and engage in worship!

Can I attend if I don’t attend Grace Fellowship? 

Absolutely! You don’t have to attend Grace to attend our events. We believe everyone is welcome whether you call Grace or another church your church home or don’t attend church at all!

Will there be childcare?

Yes, there will be childcare provided for children 8 years and under.

Can I invite others to come? 

YES, YES, YES! What better way to invite someone to church than to invite them to a worship night!

How often do you host a worship night? 

We host a worship night approximately every 2-3 month. Stay tuned for updates on our events page.

Filed Under: Church Engagement, Spiritual Growth, Worship

King of Kings

July 30, 2019 by brooke

This coming weekend in church we are going to be doing a new song called King of Kings by Hillsong Worship. This is a song that I am so excited to bring into the life of our church and sing together collectively!

Before a song is brought in on a Sunday, there are a few different questions that need to be answered. One of those questions is: “Does this song align with Scripture and point us toward Jesus?”

The answer in the case of King of Kings (as with every song we sing together) is a resounding YES! In fact, one of the most beautiful qualities about King of Kings is how every line is almost directly pulled from Scripture and how it so authoritatively walks us through the grand story of the Gospel.

Click Here to View / Download

Sometimes, we find ourselves becoming familiar with these seemingly simple foundations of our faith. One of the reasons I was personally drawn to this song is because it reminds me how much more the Gospel — the story of Jesus and His life, death and resurrection, the beginning of the Church, and the way the Holy Spirit now lives in and empowers you and I — is full of depth and meaning that is meant to continually transform and shape each of our lives for the rest of our lives.

Romans 1:16-17 (NIV) says, “ For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew and then to the Gentile. For in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed — a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (see also Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38)

The idea that the Gospel is the power of God is almost alarming in the sense of the absolute nature of the Gospel that is presented in that very statement. The reason I say it is alarming is because it is almost as if that statement is meant to be in neon with flashing lights jumping off the page at you.

When Paul writes in Romans that the Gospel is the power of God, one of the things this means is that the very nature of God and all of His plans for humanity can be summed up and made evident in the story of the Gospel. It means that no other thing can save me. It means that we can never move beyond the Gospel. Our journey of relationship with our Holy God is rooted and lived out in the context of the Gospel; our salvation is lived out in the story of the Gospel.

The Gospel isn’t a story that played out in the past; the Gospel doesn’t just end when we have entered into relationship with Jesus. Rather, it is a continual journey that we are on — a journey to more deeply understand and live out the Gospel that saves us and is sustaining us.


My hope and prayer for Grace Fellowship is that as we sing King of Kings together in worship we would all remember the gravity and power of the Gospel and respond in worship and adoration to our God who loves us deeply and sacrificed for us so greatly.

–Pastor Sarah

Filed Under: Worship Tagged With: Praise, Sacrifice, The Gospel, Worship

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5333 NW Liberty Ave.
Lawton, OK 73505

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