Hills To Die On
How do you categories or prioritize your beliefs? Are there some things you believe more strongly than others? Which beliefs are non-negotiable? What areas are you willing to overlook as personal conviction and/or opinion?
Know Your Hills
In his book, Finding the Right Hills To Die On, author Gavin Ortlund describes what he calls “theological triage,” the process of discerning theological essentials from non-essentials. An exercise on how to distinguish essential doctrines of the Christian faith from our personal convictions.
Finding The Right Hills To Die One - Gavin Ortlund
You can order Gavin’s book online, or swing by the church bookstore and grab a copy. After reading (or even while reading) work on completing your very own theological triage and then find someone else who has read the book to compare and discuss your results. Let this exercise serve as an opportunity to help us learn to grow together and engage in helpful theological dialogue, even in areas where we might disagree. Together we can help one another learn to discern essentials of the faith from mere opinions and preferences.
Peter, A Fellow Elder
We are gearing up to start our next men’s and women’s study this Fall. Beginning Monday, September 22nd (For the Women) and Thursday, September 25th (For the Men) we will embark on a study through the first letter written by the Apostle Peter. Though brief, this letter is saturated with Jesus, our enduring hope in the midst of suffering.
The apostle Peter was inspired by the Spirit to pen this brief letter. And it will be our desire this Fall to sift through the many treasures that encourage men and women of the faith to endure the faith and look to our great Chief Shepherd for comfort.
Women | Mondays @ 7pm
Men | Thursdays @ 7pm
Serve One Another
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. - Mark 10:45
Grace Hill is a living organism, composed of many believers who desperately need one another as we navigate this life. One small way we intentionally invest time in one another’s lives is through our regular acts of serving.
Not To Be Served, But To Serve
The church by nature is a collection of individuals that forge a unified community. The concept of a lone ranger Christian is foreign to Scripture. And a church with only few participating in the life of the church is on its way to becoming an unhealthy church. We all need one another as we endeavor to build up a thriving body of believers.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. - 1 Peter 4:10–11
Please let us know where you would like to serve:
By This All Will Know
When the body is together, we are one, we are united, and the bride of Christ thrives. When separate, we have missing body parts, and we all suffer from the absence. When together, the Spirit is at His best, building Christ’s church and uniting God’s people (1 Corinthians 12:14-26; Ephesians 4:1-3).
All Will Know
Jesus tells us how all people will know that we are his disciples; not by our knowledge, not by our impressive programs, but that all will know you are His disciples if we have love for one another. This love is best manifested when we are present, when we are together, encouraging one another, serving one another, worshiping with one another. Loving one another may seem difficult when we are together, though it is far more unlikely when we are apart. Which is why one of the best starting points for loving one another is simply making a priority to be together.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
By Your Love
Loving one another may at times feel like an impossible task. After all, we are messy people. We sin daily, and we unfortunately often sin against one another. In order to genuinely love one another, we need an abundance of God’s grace - and He has provided it by the blood of His Son through the gift of His Holy Spirit (John 13:34; 1 John 4:10-11).
4th Annual Chili Bowl
Start digging up your chili recipes for this year’s 4th Annual Chili Bowl. On Sunday, October 12th, following the church service, we will feast on chili and judge one another in the process.
Chili Bowl 2025
Enter your chili for the competition in the form below and have the chance of a life time: to win the 2025 Chili Bowl. Be creative and come up with a name for your chili (e.g.: Afterburn, Fire In The Hole, Lake Of Fire). You’re not a chili chef? No problem. Make whatever chili-themed meal you like. If you call it chili, we will judge it!
Sunday, October 12th
This is your chance to get your name engraved on the legendary Grace Hill Chili Bowl - to be proudly displayed in the Grace Hill trophy case for all to be amazed!
Practice ‘One Another’s
Scripture regularly encourages and exhorts us to pursue genuine relationships within the church, developing the kinds of relationships that will help us mature and persevere in the Faith together. We endeavor to intentionally practice the “one another” statements we find sprinkled throughout the Scriptures as we gather together. Our hope is that we will mature and persevere in our relationship with God as we grow in our relationship with people who are helping one another learn to follow Christ and His Word (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Practicing The One Anothers
The phrase "one another" is derived from the Greek word allelon which means "one another, each other; mutually, reciprocally." It occurs 100 times in the New Testament. Approximately 59 of those occurrences are specific commands teaching us how (and how not) to relate to one another. Obedience to those commands is imperative. It forms the basis for all true Christian community, and has a direct impact on our witness to the world (John 13:35). In addition to allelon, the Bible uses other words and phrases to instruct us how to relate to others. With that in mind, the following list is not exhaustive, and primarily focuses on the use of allelon.
POSITIVE COMMANDS
Love one another (John 13:34 - This command occurs at least 16 times)
Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Be likeminded towards one another (Romans 15:5)
Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16)
Greet one another (Romans 16:16)
Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25)
Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)
Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5)
Consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
Look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4)
Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13)
Stir up [provoke, stimulate] one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)
Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
Employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10)
Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Confess your faults to one another (James 5:16)
NEGATIVE COMMANDS (how not to treat one another)
Do not lie to one another (Colossians 3:9)
Stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13)
If you keep on biting and devouring each other...you'll be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:15)
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other (Galatians 5:26)
Do not slander one another (James 4:11)
Don't grumble against each other (James 5:9)
We do all this because we are in a real sense “members of one another”
(Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:25).
Come And See
Come spend a Saturday morning with the Pastors of Grace Hill to learn more about the church and the Biblical values of membership. Childcare will be provided for those who need it, and lunch will be served at the conclusion of our time together.
Saturday, September 20th | 9a-12p
Our time together will be structured around the values we share. They don’t explain everything about us, but they do provide benchmarks for you to further explore our doctrine and practices. Please feel free to ask your questions during the seminar (and following). Nothing is off-limits or out of bounds. We want to help you understand us. This seminar is for you.
What are the values of GHC and Why they matter
After completing the Membership Seminar, you will have the option of pursuing church membership. We recognize that not everyone is ready for this step and if this describes you, please continue to engage in the life of our church with no expectations. You are welcome here.
On Your Mark, Get Set
This Sunday we will return to our sermon series in the Gospel of Mark. Come join us as we continue to follow Jesus on his mission to give his life as a ransom for many.
The Gospel of Mark
“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. ”
If you missed a few weeks in Mark, or just need a refresher, click the link below to listen to the most recent Mark sermons.
Praying Together
Every Sunday we gather at 9:00am to come before our Lord in prayer. As we regularly set aside the first day of the week to worship, we also want to continue to be intentional about gathering together to pray with one another. Praying together was a mark of the early church, one in which we endeavor to emulate.
Sundays | 9am
We want to extend an invitation and encourage everyone who is able and willing to join us at 9:00am to call upon the Lord together. Let’s begin our mornings together in prayer!
“I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.”