GENERATIONS CHURCH of Granbury

Of the great Biblical mandates for the believer - faith, hope and love - the greatest is love; i. e. sacrificial, unconditional, unselfish agape love. In this sermon you will hear some of the qualities of each and how they work together as well as why love is the superior of the three.

The relentless love of God is practised in our lives as He enables us to silently bear, faithfully believe, actively hope and continually endure - all things - for the sake of those we love. This is divine love that never dies.

An often overlooked characteristic of love is that it always looks for the best in those who are being loved. This is a key to rightly relating to those in our lives who are hard to love. Our prayer is that this message will help increase the ministry of reconciliation where it is needed.

In this short sermon from PSALM 121, we are reminded of several hills from where God sent us help; which includes Mount Sinai, Mount Calvary, Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives. Unlike man-made religion which says we must go up in some way to meet their presumed god(s) or goddess(es), true Christianity preaches that God came down to us, from His high place to our lowest place, to lift us up into His plan of redemption.

Jeff Farris ably shares how we lose our way and how we can get it back. With clarity, empathy and humor, he encourages those who have gotten off track - in their spiritual walk - to begin their journey again.

True love is humble in that it does not boast or manifest pride; nor does it seek to create envy in the hearts of others. True love humbles us in that it moves us to serve others, even if it means stooping down like Jesus did to meet the needs of the lowly ones; like us.

Genuine love is continually wanting what is best for others, which is the remedy to envy. The answer to e-N-V-y is a New View that always looks for the best in others and looks out for the best for others.

With passion and insight, Mary Forsythe declares the truth of God's unconditional love for His children and our transformation that occurs as we grow in understanding it.

Mary Forsythe speaks from her heart, the things concerning our view of ourselves and our Heavenly Father.

With humorous wit and great wisdom, Syble Griffing shares marriage secrets that has sustained her lifelong relationship - with Pastor Olen - for over 5 decades.

With personal insight, Adana Wilson helps those who will hear to run their race with endurance, fulfilling their God-given purposes.

While explaining the firm foundation that believers have in Christ, Mary Forsythe delivers the mail concerning our freedom to fully enjoy our relationship with God.

From her own growing walk with Christ, Mary Forsythe communicates - with clarity - the often overlooked benefits of every child of God.

While patience is love's protection against negative reactions to distress, kindness is love's proactive response to opportunities for helping another's needs to be met or their distresses be eased. This teaching concludes with Holy Communion during a time of reflecting on God's covenant kindness toward us.

While it has been rightly said that patience is where love meets wisdom; one would be wiser still to increase the strength of their love through prayer - and receiving prayer - when needing patience, as well as to read the Bible and identify with the sufferings of Christ; including keeping in mind the joy set before us and the reasons we - as New Testament believers - are all predestined to be conformed to Christ's image.

Genuine love is greater than spiritual gifts, but they are our tools for communicating God's love. Therefore, while God's love is emphasized as the priority, spiritual gifts should not be minimized, because they are gifts of love.

Preaching important points from the life of Ruth, Olen Griffing declares the truth about the gracious love we have in our Redeemer and our calling to impart the same to others; without sparing. As the Overseer of Antioch Oasis - the apostolic network we are a part of - our congregation was very blessed to have Brother Griffing minister to us again.

Terry Snow, one of Granbury's own foreign missionaries and Director of Youth With A Mission in Haiti, boldly declares how to stay close to God, while working hard in the middle of hostile environments.

With refreshing enthusiasm - guest speaker - Ron Cantrell reports on recent evangelistic happenings in Egypt, Israel and Iraq; as well as what God wants to do in our lives and ministries here in the U. S. A. and around the world.

J. P. Grantham declares the truth about the Bible's mandate concerning forgiveness and what it is; as well as what it is not. Sharing lessons from his own life, J. P. reveals how we can get parts of our minds back - that had previously been preoccupied with our hurts - through forgiving.