Three Rivers Grace Community Church

The purpose of this blog is to promote the purpose of our church, which we summarize in this way:
Three Rivers Grace Church exists:
- to delight in the beauty of God's greatness
- to proclaim the truth of God's Word
- and to ignite a joyful passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ among all the peoples of Pittsburgh and the world.
As a way of furthering this vision, we will have regular postings on this blog that deal with worship, missions, urban ministry, Reformed theology, interpretation of Scripture, application of Scripture, evangelism, the sovereignty of God, the depravity of man, and probably many other things I'm not thinking of right now.
Various leaders in our congregation will contribute to this blog, and our hope is that God will use these postings and discussions to increase our desire for Him!
Ben

This week we start our "Don't Waste Your Life" small groups. On Wednesday one started on the campus of Carnegie-Mellon University, and another at the YMCA in Homewood. This evening (Sunday) 4 more will begin (Beechview, Squirrel Hill, Banksville, and Bethel Park). Here are four specific things I'm really excited about:
1) "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper. This study will inspire us to spend our lives for what really matters rather than wasting it on frivolous pursuits.
2) The opportunity to develop closer fellowship within our congregation. On a weekly basis, we'll get to spend time together in these small groups where we can pray for one another, encourage one another, and study God's Word together.
3) These groups are a great way to reach out to others. There may be friends, family members, neighbors, who would not consider coming to our church building, but might consider coming to a small group held in someone's home.
4) The vision of our church is to minister in the various neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, and these groups are an exciting piece of that vision. Throughout the week we will be meeting in various places throughout the city, rather than being constrained to one area or one building.

I am preaching through the book of Genesis, and this morning the sermon was on Genesis 18-19, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Here is what I said about homosexuality, which was at least one of the sins prevalent in these cities.

As I think about the issue of homosexuality in our culture, and how we ought to respond to it as believers, my hope is that we can speak the truth in love. There are Christians who act in hateful ways toward homosexuals. That shouldn’t be the case. We should treat all with love and respect. We should act humbly, knowing that my sins are no less offensive to God than anybody else’s sins.
On the other end of the spectrum there are Christians who are scared to speak out against homosexuality. Many are unwilling to call sin what the Bible calls sin. We have to speak the truth. We have to acknowledge that homosexuality is a sin against God, it is against His will, and it will bring harm to those who practice it and to the society in which it becomes an accepted norm. At the same time we need to show love to those who identify themselves as homosexuals. We need to believe that God can change their hearts and bring them out of that lifestyle. Is anything too hard for the Lord! He has rescued us from our sin, and He is slowly conforming us to His image, and He can do the same for others who are entangled in different sins. May we speak the truth in love.