April 18, 2026
Greetings, Grace Vineyard Family and Friends!
It is such a beautiful day, and we’ve had such a great first 2 weeks of April. And we have 2 more Sundays together before we get into May. Last week not only did we have a wonderful Sunday highlighted by Steve Roger’s message “Within Reach”, we also had a wonderful Tuesday night with Alexander Venter and Chris Lizotte. Thankfully we have video recordings of both of those meetings, so let me drop them right here so you can easily find them if you want to listen or watch again. Here’s the Gracetalks.org podcast and the YouTube video for “Within Reach” :
And here’s the YouTube video for Alexander Venter’s excellent talk on Kingdom Life:
Joining Jesus in Spiritual Battles Until His Glorious Return
This Sunday I’m taking us back to our “On The Road To Resurrection” series with what might be our final message in this series. If you’re wondering why we would still be talking about Resurrection after Resurrection Sunday is already passed, remember that we are talking about much more than Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection was the first fruits — the inauguration, if you will — of the final resurrection that is yet to come when Jesus returns, those who have already died will experience their own resurrection with new bodies just like Jesus’ (see 1 Corinthians 15, especially verses 20-58). It’s a really amazing promise, almost incredible, but I believe it! Those who have died before Christ’s return will be resurrected with new bodies, and those who are still alive will be changed in a moment. And all of creation will be changed. A new heaven and a new earth, now come together as one.
But we’re still on the road to our resurrection, because the Bible tells us Jesus has more work to do in partnership with His church (that’s us!). The Bible tells us that 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection He ascended into the heavens and was enthroned at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:19-23). And then in 1 Corinthians 15 we are given a little more insight about what Jesus being enthroned and reigning in the heavens involves:
1 Corinthians 15:20-26
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Did you notice those last 2 sentences? Jesus is right now reigning, and that reign involves a conflict with spiriual forces. The Bible goes on to teach that those who follow Jesus have been called into this spiritual battle under Jesus’ authority. It’s clearly stated, and yet there is some mystery, as you might expect when we are talking about existing on both the physical, natural-world plane and the spiritual plane simultaneously. I love how the great Bible teacher Jack Hayford described our role in this spiritual battle in His book, Prayer Is Invading The Impossible (available on amazon.com at https://a.co/d/06B4WkCJ):
“The adversary still contends for earth-rule, and until Christ finally expels all his workings, his conquest is experienced only through warfare. Each believer is a member of an occupational force which has one principal purpose: to enforce the victory of Calvary.”
That’s what I am preparing to talk about when we meet tomorrow. If you’d like to get your mind engaged with the Word on this topic before we get together, I’d recommend you spend a little time meditating on these scriptures: Ephesians 1:18-23, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, and Ephesians 6:10-18.
If you’d like to listen again to the 4th message in this series, which I brought on Easter Sunday, you can catch it right here on our Youtube channel:
If you can’t join us in person on Sunday morning, here’s the info for joining us online: join us online on Zoom with this link Zoom Meeting ID 153 112 432, Passcode 684814 and you can also find our livestream on Facebook Live at facebook.com/gracevcf.
You Can Still Join Our Alpha on Monday at 6pm
It’s not too late to join us for Alpha on Monday’s at 6 p.m. on the Terrace at Grace. For the next 9 weeks, we will be hosting a series of open dinner conversations around questions of faith. This week the question is “Why did Jesus die?” Please text Alpha to the 760-273-4393 number if you would like more information or talk to the Fryes, Ohsts or Aplikowskis for more details. Think about inviting a friend to join you. Again, Mondays at 6 p.m. for the next 9 weeks.
Last week’s Alpha video was so good, I want to share it with you here:
Retirement Celebration for Debby Gidley April 26th
Right after church on April 26th, we’re going to have a Retirement Party for Debby Gidley. Debby has served as our Children’s Ministry director for so many years, and has simultaneously taken care of all the administrative responsibilities for our church. She has been AMAZING! We’ll have a light lunch right after church, and some opportunities for folks to bless Debby with encouraging words for how much her ministry has impacted each of us over the years. We’d love for you to bring a card with your favorite memory of Debby or just a note of appreciation. If you have any printed pictures of Debby- please bring them. The church will provide sandwiches and drinks. Please bring a side dish to share. For more information, please text Kim Ohst 760-519-4558.
Mom 2 Mom is Friday, April 24
Are you a mom in need of support from other moms? Or are you a mom who has been there and wants to lend your support to others? Then you are welcome to Mom 2 Mom, a peer to peer and mentoring group designed to uplift, enrich, share and connect moms. We’ll gather Friday, April 24th at 6pm at Grace Vineyard on the terrace for a program that will include sharing a meal, connecting and inspiration. Childcare will be provided- please let Sheri know how many kids/what ages. To find out more, call or text Sheri Winter at 760-208-8403.
Ladies Tea Saturday, May 2nd 1-4 pm
Ladies, it’s time to dig out your hats and tea cups, ladies. Join us for an afternoon of enjoyment complete with scones, tea sandwiches, desserts and tea. We’ll have worship and a message. Cost is $20. You can sign up at the table in the lobby to host a table, help decorate, and bring food. For more information, please contact Abbey 832-683-8178. We’ll be setting up the tables and decorating on Friday, May 1st from 12-5pm at the church and could use some helping hands. Please let Abbey know if you’d like to help with set up.
And that’s it for this week’s update. Have a great rest of your Saturday and I hope to see you tomorrow morning.
With love and blessings to each of you,
Ron Ohst
Tithes and Offerings Online
THANKS for taking ownership in the life and ministry of Grace Vineyard! And thanks to all of you who are stepping into a lifestyle of generosity with your tithes and offerings. It really does take all of us doing our part with the income God has entrusted to us for His church. If you’d like to give your tithe or offering online, click the donate button below. If you’re giving to a specific fund (like benevolence or missions), just be sure to say that when you are given an option to add a note with your donation.