“And now,” God says,
this God who took me in hand
from the moment of birth to be his servant,
To bring Jacob back home to him,
to set a reunion for Israel—
What an honor for me in God’s eyes!
That God should be my strength!
He says, “But that’s not a big enough job for my servant—
just to recover the tribes of Jacob,
merely to round up the strays of Israel.
I’m setting you up as a light for the nations
so that my salvation becomes global!”
Isaiah 49.6 The Message Bible
ABOUT US: Richard Lebsock ◊ Our Statement of Faith ◊ Ellen Lebsock
Richard (Dick) Lebsock is a follower of Jesus Christ, a Bible believer and a dedicated messenger of God’s Grace.
Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. John 1:16-18 Good News Translation (GNT)
Personally called by the Lord in the early ’60s Richard’s testimony bears witness to his lifelong experience of God’s grace. Richard is a mature Christian leader with an intense desire to see lives restored and refreshed by the power of God.
“The world is searching for the real thing—the way, the truth and the light that is Jesus—and that’s what we can offer them. Preach that truth and the world will come flocking to churches for their answers. But the real thing is not found in man’s tradition, powerless religion, a social gospel, works oriented dogma or the Word full of holes. Only Jesus Christ and the Whole Word of God offer a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior. He is warm, loving and full of grace. People will flock to a place where the true gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached; the gospel that God commissioned Paul to preach, the gospel of grace, forgiveness and no condemnation!”
Richard’s message includes powerful insights into God’s plan to restore believers to their rightful position in Christ, to see families reunited and marriages refreshed. Richard retired from the California public school system in 2005 after teaching at the middle school level for twenty plus years. He is a seasoned veteran of the spiritual battle now raging for the hearts and minds of our next Christian generation. He understands, first hand, today’s desperate spiritual attack against the traditional family.
Bringing the message of God’s Son and the grace He offers results in healing and enables believers to move beyond religion, into personal relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ. Richard says:
“I am called to pray for the sick, and promised that they shall recover. I am called to lay hands on the weak and brokenhearted and expect that they shall be touched by the Lord. I am called to seek God for each one Jesus sends my way, linking my faith with theirs for God’s miracles in their lives. I know God to be the same yesterday, today and forever—thus I know that what He has done in my life, for me and for mine, He will also do in the lives of anyone who will trust in Him.
It is my sincere wish to be in His service however He directs, for as long as I live. And I know that while some may see a man of retirement age, with much of life behind him, God sees a tool that has been forged in the fire of life’s furnace and is hardened and sharpened to meet His exacting requirements.
It would be my pleasure to answer any questions you may have regarding our beliefs or our life. Please feel free to contact me.”
Our Statement of Faith— we believe in
The New Birth and Baptism of the Holy Spirit— We are a born-again couple, guided and directed by the in-dwelling Holy Spirit, who believe in and live by the truth of…
The Infallible Word of God— It is our strong conviction that it is God’s desire to equip his people with wisdom and knowledge from his Word, provide for them in a loving and compassionate manner and give them life, and life most abundantly. We also believe that there is tremendous power in the Word, a power which is available to each and every child of God for life today.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21 NKJV
Jesus Christ— We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, was crucified for the sins of the world, died, was buried and ROSE AGAIN on the third day. We believe that He is seated at the right hand of the Father and ever lives to make intercession for the saints of God. We adhere to 1 John 4:16-17
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. NKJV
God – Omnipotent and Omnipresent— “God has forever been a force in my life – having been adopted by Christian parents at birth. I was raised to believe in and honor Christ as Lord and Savior; and also to show the Father’s love to those around me, using the loving example of my own earthly father.” _Richard Lebsock
“Thirty plus years without the Lord in your life is a long time, and a lot of unsavory stuff can happen to you without His protection and guidance. In the mid 1970’s, after a complete life crisis, I found myself crying out to God. “If you’re out there…if you really do exist…help me! Please. Help me!’ He had helped me ever since that day! He is real and His love and compassion restores the broken and wounded …yesterday, today and forever.” _ Ellen Lebsock
Holy Spirit— John 14:15-17. We rely on the indwelling Holy Spirit (the third person of the Godhead) as counselor and friend. It is our priority to always allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us in dealing with any situation. We believe, absolutely, the Holy Spirit is to be in control of each and every gathering of believers, because the Holy Spirit always does things decently and in order. We understand that it is critical for every gathering to be conducted in a manner that will bring glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Miracles and Healing— Mark 16:15-18. We believe that every human being is followed by the signs of what he believes. We have, in too many instances to mention, experienced the love and power of God in our own lives, and watched it at work in the lives of our family and those with whom God has given us the privilege of sharing The Grace Message.
We have seen God’s healing power often in our everyday life. We have seen His miracles and been touched by His angels. We know the provisions of God’s mercy and grace, and we know He will touch others, exactly as He has done for us. God is no respecter of persons.
Praise & Worship— We believe worship and praise must be an invitation and preparation for believers to receive God’s Word. We understand that it is only possible for praise and worship to accomplish this goal when those gathered together are in an attitude of praise and corporate worship rather than simply being entertained. Entertainment may be a part of worship, but it is not corporate worship and only goes so far toward preparing one’s heart to hear from God.
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psalm 22:3 American Standard Version (ASV)
The Gifts of the Spirit— We fully expect the Gifts of the Spirit to be present within any gathering of believers, but here again, everything must be done decently and in order, guided and directed by the Holy Spirit and in line with the Word of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ called Richard’s wife Ellen into His service more than 30 years ago. After bringing about dramatic healing and restoration in a hopeless and desperate life, God has equipped her to share His love and healing power with women of all ages. A writer and artist, Ellen touches lives through teaching, speaking and blogging at Contentment Cottage, were she offers Bible study guides, children’s stories and day to day inspiration for the Christian walk.
In today’s world where stress and the demands of false perfection drive women far from God’s astonishing design for their lives, Ellen offers positive solutions for change and a message of Abundant Grace.
Just as the lost don't understand the Gospel, the saved rarely understand grace.
There are few activities more exhausting and less rewarding than Christians attempting to please the people around them by maintaining impossible legalistic demands. What a tragic trap, and thousands are caught in it. When will we ever learn?
Grace has set us free!
That message streamed often through the sermons and personal testimonies of the apostle Paul.
The lost need to hear how they can go from the island of debris, filled with misery and guilt, to the land of peace and forgiveness, flowing with mercy and grace. Those bridges are built when we lovingly and patiently communicate the Gospel. You don't have to have a seminary degree. You don't have to know a lot of the religious vocabulary. In your own authentic, honest, and unguarded manner, share with people what Christ has done for you. Who knows? It may not be long before you will know the joy of leading a lost sinner from the darkness of death's dungeon across the bridge to the liberating hope of new life in Christ. Once they've arrived, release them. Release them into the magnificent freedom that grace provides. Don't smother them with a bunch of rules and regulations that put them on probation and keep them in that holding tank until they "get their lives straightened out."; Making us holy is the Spirit's work. Be faithful to dispense the Gospel to the lost and Grace to the saved. Then leave the results in the Lord's hands.