FCC Grayson

Who's the worst person you can think of? That person who seems beyond redemption? Here's the truth: if Jesus can save Saul of Tarsus (a terrorist to the early church) He can save ANYONE.

On the road to Damascus, Jesus interrupted Saul's life when he was at his worst. That encounter changed everything. When Christ saves us, there's an immediate transformation. We're no longer defined by our past but by His grace. Like Ananias, God may call us to reach the unreachable, love the unlovable, and pray for those we'd rather avoid.

This week's challenge: Write down that person's name. Keep it visible. Pray for them daily... not "God, get them" prayers, but prayers for their encounter with Jesus. Because if God can save you, if He can save me, He can save anyone.

Who will you pray for this week?

Sunday Sermon Summary:
This exploration of Acts chapter 9 challenges us to confront our own limitations on God's grace and redemptive power.
We're invited to consider the most wicked, vile person we can think of, and then wrestle with the radical truth that Jesus can reach even them.
Through the dramatic conversion of Saul of Tarsus, a violent persecutor of Christians who became the Apostle Paul, we discover three transformative truths: First, Jesus can reach absolutely anyone, no matter how far gone they seem.
Second, genuine conversion produces immediate internal transformation... we become new creations, fundamentally changed in our nature even as we continue to struggle with sin.
Third, and perhaps most uncomfortable, obedience to God often requires us to extend grace to people we'd rather condemn.
The story of Ananias, an ordinary believer called to minister to his community's greatest threat, mirrors our own reluctance to share Christ's love with those we deem unworthy.
The challenge is clear: Will we pray for the salvation of those we consider the worst, or will we draw dividing lines that God never intended?
This message reminds us that if God's grace was sufficient for Saul, and for us, it's sufficient for anyone.

https://fccgrayson.com/media/tnskzsp/two-sides-of-the-same-story-week-15

Two Sides in the Same Story. This Sunday, we’re stepping into Acts chapter 9... a moment that changes the direction of the early church forever.

Most of us know the story. The road to Damascus. The light from heaven. The voice of Jesus. The transformation of Saul. But there is another story happening in the same passage.

A story of an ordinary follower of Jesus named Ananias. A man who wasn’t famous. A man who wasn’t looking for recognition. A man who was simply trying to follow God faithfully.

And then God called him to do something uncomfortable. Something risky. Something that required him to trust God more than his own understanding.

This Sunday, we’ll look at two encounters, two acts of obedience, and one powerful reminder: God doesn’t just save people… He sends people. The question is not only, “Has Jesus changed my life?”

The question is: "Am I willing to obey when He calls me?” Join us this Sunday as we continue through Acts.

‼️EMPOWER CARTER COUNTY COMMUNITY DAY‼️

We’re spending the week serving, growing, worshiping, and responding to God’s call... and we can’t think of a better way to wrap it all up than celebrating with our community!

Join us for Empower Carter County Community Day on Friday, June 12th from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM at the Grayson Sports Park.

Bring the whole family and enjoy:
-Hot Dogs
-Live Music
-Snow Cones
-Fellowship
-And don’t forget your swim attire!

Whether you served alongside us this week or are just looking for a fun afternoon with family and friends, we’d love for you to come celebrate what God is doing in our community. We’ll see you at the sports park!

Ever wonder if God is really leading you in a specific direction, or if it's just your own thoughts? This Sunday, we explored the powerful story of Philip and the Ethiopian eu**ch from Acts 8:26-40, discovering what it means to recognize and respond to divine appointments.

Philip left a thriving ministry to go to a desert place simply because God said so. It didn't make sense, but his obedience changed a life instantly and brought the gospel to an entire continent. Sometimes God's leading takes us to uncomfortable, unexpected places, but it always has a purpose.

Here's the key: Before acting on what you think might be God's direction, ask yourself four questions: Does it contradict Scripture? Does it bring peace or fear? Does it lead to obedience or excuses? Does it point to Jesus? When you can answer these rightly, you're ready to step into the divine appointments God has waiting for you.

Start each morning this week praying: "God, reveal to me the divine appointments you have for me today." Then watch what He does.

What if God's next assignment for you doesn't look like what you expected? Philip left a thriving ministry to go to a desert road and there he encountered one person whose life would be forever changed by the gospel.

Divine appointments aren't always comfortable or convenient. They might take you to unexpected places or require you to do things that don't make sense. But when God leads, obedience always has a purpose. Before you step out, ask yourself: Does it align with Scripture? Does it bring peace? Does it lead to obedience? Does it point to Jesus?

This week, wake up praying: "God, reveal to me the divine appointments You have for me today." You never know how one act of obedience could change someone's life forever. The gospel has power to transform in an instant; will you be willing to run toward what God is calling you to?

Sunday Sermon Summary: This sermon explores the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eu**ch from Acts 8:26-40 to illustrate how God orchestrates divine appointments in the lives of believers.
Pastor Ben emphasizes that while God does lead us into specific encounters and opportunities, we must exercise discernment to distinguish between genuine divine leading and our own desires or misguided impulses. The message challenges believers to wake up each day asking God to reveal divine appointments while maintaining focus on Jesus Christ rather than the appointments themselves.
Through Philip's example of leaving a thriving ministry to go into the desert, we learn that God's leading may not always make sense to us, but it always has a purpose. The sermon concludes with a call to obedience, reminding us that the gospel can change lives in an instant when we are willing vessels.

Divine Appointments - Week 14

Divine Appointments - Week 14 Acts 2026

What feels like a burial might actually be God planting you for breakthrough.

The early church faced persecution, scattering, and darkness, yet God used their scattering to sow seeds of the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria, just as Jesus promised in Acts 1:8. When Philip landed in Samaria, he didn't find comfort... he found spiritual darkness. But God was with him, and breakthrough came.

Maybe you're in a dark season right now. The pressure feels unrelenting. Life has broken you in places you didn't know could break. But seeds aren't planted in sunlight, they're planted in darkness. Your scattering isn't punishment. Your pressing isn't pointless. God is developing something in you that could only be formed this way.

Don't give up. Fix your eyes on Jesus. The same God who brought resurrection from a sealed tomb is writing your story right now. Breakthrough is coming.

When life scatters you, when darkness presses in from all sides, when you feel buried rather than planted, don't miss what God is doing beneath the surface.

This week we explored Acts 8 and discovered that the early church's greatest persecution became the catalyst for the gospel's greatest spread. What looked like defeat was actually divine strategy. The same God who turned scattered believers into a movement, who brought resurrection from a sealed tomb, is writing your story right now.

Your scattering isn't punishment. Your pressing isn't pointless. Your brokenness won't be wasted. Seeds aren't planted in sunlight... they're planted in darkness. And God never abandons what is planted.

If you're in a season where the soil feels heavy and the pressure is unrelenting, hold on. Fix your eyes on Jesus, even through tears. Your breakthrough is coming. God is still a God of breakthrough, and He has never ceased to be faithful in the middle of it.

Acts chapter 8 challenges us to reconsider what breakthrough actually looks like in our lives.
We often envision God's deliverance as immediate relief from our circumstances, but the early church's experience reveals a different truth: sometimes God's breakthrough comes through scattering, not settling.

As persecution intensified after Stephen's martyrdom, believers were forced to flee Jerusalem, yet this very scattering fulfilled Jesus' words in Acts 1:8 about being witnesses in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Today's message confronts us with an uncomfortable reality... God doesn't always rescue us from dark places; sometimes He grows us there. Like seeds buried in soil, we experience darkness and pressure not as punishment but as preparation.

The story of Philip in Samaria illustrates this beautifully: fleeing one persecution, he encountered spiritual darkness in the form of Simon the sorcerer, yet God brought breakthrough through it all.

We're invited to examine our own scattered seasons (job losses, broken relationships, unexpected relocations) and ask whether we've missed opportunities for God to work because we were too focused on our discomfort.

The challenge is clear: will we allow life's storms to extinguish our fire, or will we maintain an unshakable focus on Jesus, trusting that our burial is not our ending but the beginning of something God is developing beneath the surface?

Oppositional Thriving - Week 13
https://youtu.be/MN-0QcQQgbY