Center Grove Church

Center Grove Church Where Strangers become friends, Friends become disciples, and Disciples change the world! Service Times on Sundays
10:00am Worship Service

09/08/2026

Day 762 of 1,000
Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. * * * Then they realized that they were looking at no one but Jesus.
Matthew 17:1–2, 8 (MSG)

We tend to build our identity around all kinds of things—our work, our family, our accomplishments, our hobbies, even the teams we cheer for. Those things are certainly part of who we are, but they aren't our deepest identity. On the mountain, the disciples were given a glimpse of who Jesus truly was. His glory had been there all along; for a moment, they were simply allowed to see it. And knowing Jesus' identity helps us understand our own. We belong to him. We are children of God. Imagine how differently we might approach today if we really believed that. We wouldn't have to prove ourselves, impress anyone, or live anxiously wondering whether we're enough. We could simply exhale, remember who we are, and live from that identity—with joy, thanksgiving, and faith.

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art

09/07/2026

Day 761 of 1,000
Christ is the reason we are now at peace. Christ made us Jews and you who are not Jews one people. We were separated by a wall of hate that stood between us, but Christ broke down that wall. By giving his own body, Christ ended the law with its many commands and rules.
Ephesians 2:14–15 (ERV)

We humans are remarkably good at building walls. Sometimes they're obvious, but often they're invisible—walls created by politics, race, religion, social class, opinions, old hurts, or simply the feeling that someone is “not one of us.” Paul tells us that Jesus came to do exactly the opposite. He broke down the wall. And he didn't do it from a safe distance. He gave himself on the cross to bring people who had been separated together. That's important to remember whenever we find ourselves rebuilding walls that Jesus died to tear down. Following Jesus means noticing the people we've placed on the other side and asking why they're there. Maybe today there is a wall God is inviting us to stop defending. Maybe there is a gate he wants us to open. Jesus didn't come to make our circle smaller. He came to bring us together.

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art

09/06/2026

All Y'All Week 16
Sunday Service 06SEP2026

09/06/2026

Day 760 of 1,000
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.”
Mark 9:38–40 (NLT)

There is an old gravitational pull in the human heart to divide the world into insiders and outsiders. We draw a circle around “us” and then become suspicious of anyone who doesn't quite fit inside it. That's exactly what the disciples did. Their complaint wasn't that this man was doing something wrong. It was simply, “He wasn't in our group.” Jesus immediately challenged that thinking. The Kingdom of God is much bigger than the boundaries we create around it. There will always be people who don't look like us, worship like us, vote like us, or see everything exactly as we do—and God may be working through them in ways we don't expect. Instead of guarding the gate, maybe our job is to watch for where Jesus is already at work and join in with it.

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art

09/05/2026

Day 759 of 1,000
"For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Luke 11:10–13 (ERV)

Sometimes our prayers become a shopping list of things we'd like God to do. Fix this problem. Heal this person. Change that situation. Give me an answer. There's nothing wrong with bringing those things to God, but Jesus points us toward an even greater gift. He tells us to ask for the Holy Spirit. Maybe instead of always asking God to change what's happening around us, we should also ask him to change what's happening within us. “Holy Spirit, help me see this differently. Give me wisdom. Give me courage. Show me what you're doing and how I can join you.” We don't have to convince God to give us his presence. Jesus says the Father is eager to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. So today, before asking God for something, perhaps we simply begin by asking for him.

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art

09/04/2026

Day 758 of 1,000
Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Romans 2:4 (NIV)

We often think repentance begins when we've done something wrong and feel guilty about it. But scripture gives us a much bigger picture. The biblical idea of repentance means to “think differently afterwards.” That means even God's goodness can cause us to repent. We experience his kindness, patience, forgiveness, or an unexpected blessing, and suddenly we see God (or ourselves) differently than we did before. That's why repentance doesn't have to begin with fear or shame. Sometimes it begins with the realization of how good God has been to us. The question is what we do with that realization. Do we simply enjoy the moment and move on, or do we allow God's kindness to change the way we think and live? Repentance is transformation. And sometimes the thing that turns us around isn't God's anger. It's his love.

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art

09/03/2026

Day 757 of 1,000
Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”
Luke 13:6–9 (NLT)

Sometimes we look at an area of our lives that isn't producing the fruit we hoped for and our instinct is to give up. Cut it down. Move on. Jesus' parable offers another possibility: maybe it needs some digging and fertilizer. Repentance isn't simply feeling bad about where we've fallen short. It means being willing to “think differently afterwards”—to honestly look at ourselves and allow what we discover to change us. Where have we stopped growing? Where might God be inviting us to try something different? We don't have to be afraid of those questions. God isn't standing over us with an axe, waiting for us to fail. He is patiently working the soil, giving us room to grow. The question is whether we're willing to let him.

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art

09/02/2026

Day 756 of 1,000
“The workers who were hired at five o’clock came to get their pay. Each worker received one silver coin. Then the workers who were hired first came to get their pay. They thought they would be paid more than the others. But each one of them also received one silver coin. When they got their silver coin, they complained to the man who owned the land.”
Matthew 20:9–11 (ERV)

It is amazing how quickly a gift can become an expectation. Something that once filled us with gratitude becomes normal, and before long we begin noticing what somebody else has that we don't. That's what happened to the workers in Jesus' parable. They received exactly what they had been promised, but instead of being grateful, they compared themselves to others and complained. We can do the same thing. God has given us grace, forgiveness, purpose, people to love, and another day to live...and yet we can become so focused on what we don't have that we miss what we do. Maybe one of the healthiest things we can do today is stop comparing long enough to look around and say, “Wow, God. You have given me so much. Thank you.”

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art

09/01/2026

Day 755 of 1,000
The people of the street, people from all over the world, will stare at their corpses for three and a half days, and not permit them to be buried. Those people will celebrate the death of the two prophets and have a street party, sending congratulations back and forth because these two prophets plagued the people of the earth. Then, after three and a half days, the Living Spirit of God will enter them—they’re on their feet!—and those who saw them will be scared to death.
Revelation 11:9–11 (MSG)

Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t seem to work out very well. We speak up, take a risk, try to follow where God is leading...and then things actually get worse. Revelation is a dramatic picture of that reality. The two witnesses faithfully do what God asks, and from all appearances, they lose. But appearances aren't the end of the story. God breathes life into what everyone else had written off as dead. That's something worth remembering when obedience feels costly or when our efforts seem pointless. We don't get to determine the outcome. Our job is simply to be faithful; to speak and live what we know to be true and leave the results with God. What looks like defeat to us may simply be a story God hasn't finished writing yet.

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art

08/31/2026

Day 754 of 1,000
“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:43–45 (NLT)

Jesus says something here that should stop us in our tracks: “Among you it will be different.” The world teaches us to climb—to gain influence, recognition, authority, and status. Jesus teaches us to serve. And he didn't just teach it; he lived it. The One who deserved to be served chose instead to serve us, all the way to the cross. Following Jesus means we don't have to spend our lives scratching and clawing for position or recognition. Our identity is already secure in him. That frees us to look around and ask a much better question than, “What's in this for me?” We can ask, “What can I do for someone else?” Notice a need. Lend a hand. Show up. Tie on the towel. Among us, it should be different.

Keep the Faith ~ Pastor Art

Address

2340 S State Road 135
Greenwood, IN
46143

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4pm
Sunday 8:30am - 12pm

Telephone

+13175359007

Website

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