Grantham Church Podcast Grantham Church

The fruit of the Spirit called gentleness is seldom valued in our society, which prefers toughness, especially in leadership. Yet Jesus said that he was gentle, so gentleness is not the same as weakness. In the eighth message of our series, Rich Stuebing helps us to see that this fruit is important to exhibit in our relationships with both fellow Christians and unbelievers and is an essential element in restoring someone who falls into sin.   

As we strive to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives, we are encouraged through the work of the Holy Spirit to cultivate the fruit of faithfulness in every aspect of our lives.  In the seventh message of our series, MJ Fair explores how we can effectively bear faithfulness in our personal relationships with God;  how we can serve one another and build up the body of Christ through faithfully using our gifts for one another;  and we will seek to discover ways that we can faithfully engage in our world, sharing Christ’s love to others. 

The Scriptures repeatedly encourage us to “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” God displays his goodness by blessing us and working for our welfare, and we are able to emulate God’s goodness through being filled and fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the sixth message of our series, Brantley Gasaway shares that indeed, though we are saved by God’s grace, we are called to selflessly engage in good works that benefit all people. If we fail to show goodness – if our lives bear bad fruit – we have likely pursued what is “good for us” at the expense of what is good for our neighbors and even our enemies. 

Kindness is a simple, easy-to-overlook quality that has the capacity to transform a life. In the act of considering and doing what’s best for another more than for ourselves, we demonstrate the heart of God. In the fifth message of our series, Pastor Melissa helps us reflect on the state of kindness in our society and how the kindness of God changes us and compels us to spread kindness throughout the world.

How do we grow patience in our lives?  By planting our minds and spirits deep in the fertile ground of the Holy Spirit, leaning toward and opening up ourselves to the Spirit's guidance in trying times.  Done with the Spirit's leading, patience moves us from "self" to "other" in ways that uncover and reveal Jesus and his never-ending desire to have a personal, loving, and growing relationship with us.  In the fourth message of our series, Tim Lyne encourages us that practicing patience helps us to be present on the journey.  Let's seek that fertile ground to grow our patience together!

The message of peace dominates the Bible. The Brethren in Christ has always been a "peace church."  Today, one of our Compelling Convictions is “Pursuing Peace: We value all human life and promote forgiveness, understanding, reconciliation, and non-violent resolution of conflict.” In the third message of our series, John Yeatts reminds us that God calls us to pursue peace in personal, social, and public spaces. May God grant us peace and may we continue to be a peace church.