The Grainery Church Podcast
The Grainery Church Podcast
The Grainery Church
The Grainery Church Podcast is where you can listen to our weekly Sunday sermons from our Newcastle, NSW Campus
Accepted Before You Achieve | Ps Sam Paul Pilli
Have you ever felt like you need to do more, be better, or prove yourself before God can truly accept you?In this message, Ps Sam Paul Pilli explores one of the oldest lies we still believe today: that our value comes from our performance. Drawing from Ephesians 2, he unpacks the difference between living to earn approval and living from the grace we've already been given.Through relatable stories, practical examples, and biblical insight, Sam reminds us that God's love isn't something we achieve through effort, success, or spiritual performance. It's a gift. Before we accomplish anything, before we get everything right, we are already known, accepted, and loved in Christ.This message is for anyone who feels trapped by expectations, exhausted by striving, or weighed down by the pressure to measure up. Grace doesn't lower the standard of life. It changes the starting point.Take a moment to listen, reflect, and rediscover the freedom that comes when you stop striving for acceptance and start living from it.
Jun 16
27 min
When Mercy Changes Everything | Peter Schultz
Have you ever found it easier to receive grace than to give it?As we continue our Living as People of Grace series, Peter Schultz explores a challenging reality: while we celebrate God’s mercy toward us, we often struggle when that same mercy is extended to people we find difficult, frustrating, or undeserving.Drawing from Ephesians 2, Peter reflects on our shared incompleteness and God’s relentless grace that meets us right in the middle of it. Through personal stories and powerful biblical insight, he reminds us that God sees beyond labels, failures, and first impressions. Where we often see barriers, God sees people He loves.At the heart of this message is a confronting but freeing truth: grace is not earned, controlled, or reserved for a select few. It is the gift of a merciful God who continues to pursue, restore, and reconcile.If you've ever wrestled with disappointment, prejudice, judgment, or extending compassion to others, this message offers a fresh perspective on what it really means to live as a person of grace.Listen, reflect, and allow God’s mercy to reshape how you see both yourself and those around you.
Jun 14
31 min
More Than You Realise | Ps Sue Irwin
Have you ever felt like there should be more to your faith than simply believing the right things?As we continue our Living as People of Grace series, Ps Sue Irwin explores a powerful truth from Ephesians: God has already placed extraordinary spiritual capacity within every person who is in Christ. The question is, are we learning to use it?This message unpacks what it means to truly know God, see beyond what’s right in front of us, live with unshakable hope, understand how deeply treasured we are, and walk in the power God has made available to us. These aren’t qualities reserved for a select few. They are invitations for every follower of Jesus.In a world filled with uncertainty, distraction, and anxiety, this message reminds us that we don’t have to be defined by what we see around us. We can live from a deeper reality, one shaped by God’s presence, promises, and purpose.Be encouraged to open your heart, grow in grace, and discover what God sees when He looks at you.
Jun 8
38 min
Discovering Who You Really Are | Ps Sue Irwin
When you imagine God looking at you, what do you think He sees?In the opening message of our new series, Living as People of Grace, Ps Sue Irwin explores one of the most important questions we can ask: Who am I, really? Drawing from the book of Ephesians, she unpacks the difference between the identities we build through achievements, roles, and expectations, and the identity God has already given us in Christ.This message is a powerful reminder that your worth isn’t something you earn. Before you achieved anything, before you made mistakes, before you even existed, you were loved, chosen, and invited into God’s family. Grace isn’t a reward for getting life right. It’s the foundation from which we learn to live.If you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt, anxiety, comparison, or the feeling that you’re not enough, this message offers a different perspective. Discover what changes when you begin to see yourself the way God sees you.Take a moment to listen, reflect, and be reminded of who you truly are.
Jun 1
46 min
Pentecost Sunday | Bev Murrill
Have you ever felt like you’re not enough for what God is asking you to do?In this powerful Pentecost Sunday message, Bev Murrill explores the birth of the Church in Acts 2 and what it means for us today. Pentecost wasn’t just a moment in history, it was the beginning of a worldwide movement where ordinary people were filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to carry the love of Jesus into a broken world.Through honest teaching, humour, and deeply encouraging truth, Bev reminds us that God doesn’t wait for perfect people. He works through willing people. Just like Peter, flawed, uncertain, and impulsive, we can still be used powerfully by God.At the heart of this message is a hopeful reminder: you were never meant to do faith alone or in your own strength. The Holy Spirit still guides, comforts, empowers, and helps us communicate God’s love in ways that truly reach people.Be encouraged, challenged, and reminded that the Church is still being built, and you are part of the story.
May 25
40 min
Freedom Sunday: Bringing Light Into the Darkness
Content Warning: This episode contains discussion around modern slavery, human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse involving children. Some listeners may find this distressing. Please take care while listening.What happens when injustice feels too big to look at… and too important to ignore?In this powerful Freedom Sunday conversation, Ps Sue Irwin sits down with GiGi Tupas from International Justice Mission to unpack the heartbreaking reality of modern slavery and online exploitation, while also sharing stories of rescue, restoration, and hope.This message is confronting, but deeply important. Through GiGi’s personal story and the work IJM is doing in the Philippines and around the world, we’re reminded that following Jesus means stepping toward the broken places of the world, not away from them.At the centre of this conversation is a challenging but hopeful truth: darkness does not get the final word. Lives can be restored, justice can rise, and ordinary people can make a real difference.Listen prayerfully, reflect honestly, and consider how compassion can become action.
May 17
29 min
A Mother’s Love: The Legacy We Carry | John Starreveld
In this heartfelt Mother’s Day evening message, John Starreveld reflects on the deep impact mothers have on shaping our lives, often in ways we don’t fully recognise until later. Through personal stories, honest reflections, and moving testimonies from others in the church community, this message explores themes of sacrifice, resilience, unconditional love, and the quiet strength mothers carry every day.Whether your relationship with your mum has been full of joy, marked by loss, or somewhere in between, this message gently reminds us to pause and recognise the good that has been sown into our lives.At the centre of it all is a powerful truth: the nurturing love of a mother reflects something of the heart of God Himself, a love that comforts, supports, and stays faithful through every season.Take a moment to listen, reflect, and honour the people who helped shape your story.
May 12
31 min
The Heart of a Mother: Faith, Sacrifice & Lasting Legacy | Ps Stu Brown
What are the quiet things your mother gave you that still shape your life today?In this special Mother’s Day message, Ps Stu Brown reflects on the wisdom, sacrifice, and lasting influence of mothers through heartfelt stories, Scripture, and honest moments from everyday life. From practical acts of care to deep spiritual legacy, this message explores how mothers often reveal something profound about the heart of God.Through moving personal stories, including experiences of loss, resilience, faith, and unconditional love, we’re reminded that the greatest impact in life is often formed in ordinary moments of devotion and presence.Whether your relationship with your mother has been joyful, complicated, or painful, this message creates space to reflect on the people who shaped us and the love that carries through generations.At the centre of it all is the reminder that God sees us, nurtures us, and holds us close with compassion that never fades.Take a moment to listen, reflect, and remember the legacy of love that continues to shape your story.
May 11
35 min
Remembering God's Generosity in Every Season | James Chapman
Have you ever walked through something hard and wondered, “Where is God in this?”In this honest and relatable message from The Generosity of God series, James Chapman explores how easy it is to forget what God has already done, especially when life gets tough. Through the story of the Israelites, he highlights a tension we all feel: fear can quickly drown out faith, even after we’ve seen God come through before.But this message isn’t about guilt, it’s about perspective. God is still providing, still moving, still present… even when we can’t see it. And sometimes, remembering is the key to trusting again.With practical ways to build reminders into everyday life and a powerful personal story of finding hope in what others might call a limitation, this message speaks right into real life.If you’re in a season where it’s hard to see God’s goodness, this is for you.Take a moment to listen, reflect, and remember—you might not see the full picture yet, but God hasn’t stopped working.
May 4
32 min
A GIft That Keeps Giving | Ps Sam Paul Pilli
Have you ever wondered why some moments of giving stay with you long after they’re gone?In this message from The Generosity of God series, Ps Sam Paul Pilli shares personal stories that reveal how God’s generosity shows up in both the miraculous and the uncomfortable. From answered prayers in childhood to unexpected provision through others, this message paints a bigger picture: God doesn’t just meet needs, He multiplies impact.At the heart of it is a simple but powerful idea, generosity isn’t meant to stop with us. Like a seed, it grows, spreads, and changes lives beyond what we can see. Even the small things we offer can become something far greater in God’s hands.This is a timely reminder in a world that often holds back: you don’t need to have much to make a difference, you just need to be willing.Take a moment to listen, reflect, and consider where generosity might be flowing through your life right now.
May 3
42 min
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