Gospel Grace Church — Attraction in Salt Lake City

What I like most about this church is that it is a biblical church. I come because I want to know what God says in the bible and how it applies to conduct in God's house and family. I have never cared more about holiness, sanctification, and repentance more than being here in this church. God's word is truth, and His truth in His Son, the Word, is what sanctifies us. He that does righteousness is righteous just as He is righteous.

Some people have said that because this church prayed for political leaders that it isn't a true church, but it says in 1 Timothy 2:1-3:

"2 First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,"

The Scripture also says in John 8:45-46:

"45 But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?"

We are instructed by God to have peace with all men, whenever possible. We are not instructed to fall into the deceptions of Satan to have political disputes, because God's kingdom is not of this world. This whole world is wasting away and Jesus, when He comes again - which He will - will make a short work of this world and its kingdoms will be judged and the prince of this world will be judged.

Don't forget the parable of the good Samaritan. Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, - and also - listen so that we will live securely and be at ease from the dread of evil.

Matthew 5:9-12:

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

We are called to not be like the world, and even in some instances die for our enemies - like our Lord, Christ Jesus. My prayer is this, that we would hear God's Word and do it, and that by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we would overcome the wicked one, that our testimony would be true with the Holy Spirit as our witness, and that we would not love our lives even when faced with...

Word of caution before attending. I really struggled with the decision to post this but in the end wished I had this type of information available to me prior to first attending. First let me highlight some positives. There are many wonderful Christians who attend here and this is not intended in any way to reflect on them. Will Galkin has always treated us with kindness and shown genuine interest in our wellbeing. Josh Macavoy is a great person and have only positive things to say about him. Our main concern is with the leadership, specifically, Lukus Counterman. Lukus clearly has a great gift for teaching but that unfortunately seems to have contributed to his profound arrogance. He doesn’t seem to humbly recognize himself as an instrument to be used for God’s glory. It is much more all about him. He holds to some odd theology which states that if you struggle with sin in your life you must never have been saved; regardless if you have confessed your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus, regardless if you repent and are actively seeking Jesus and have a ongoing relationship with him. I find it ironic that it is called “Gospel Grace” as Lukus doesn’t seem to actually embrace the gospel or grace. It is the most “LDS similar” church that I’ve ever been to and is hyper focused on works. I would warn you to never go to Lukus for counseling. This is clearly not his gifting.

The sister church “Gospel Hope” doesn’t seem to suffer the same issues and would be a great place if you are new and looking...

I attended this church today for the first time in four years and, to be honest, I left feeling disappointed. With everything going on in the world—and especially in light of the recent tragedy of Charlie Kirk’s assassination—I felt like there was a real opportunity to speak boldly about the importance of spreading Christianity now more than ever. Unfortunately, that message wasn’t there, and it felt like our congregation missed that moment.

I’m fairly certain that hundreds, if not thousands, of people probably stepped into a church for the first time today because of Charlie’s influence. That’s why I felt it could have been incorporated more into the sermon. It was such a unique opportunity to inspire and strengthen people’s faith, but instead, I left wishing I had felt more uplifted and encouraged.

The pastor also said, “let us pray for the people that are upset about the shooting,” which struck me as an odd way to phrase things given the circumstances.

I want to be clear: I don’t write this out of anger, and I don’t have any hate toward this church. But I also don’t feel spiritually filled or led to come back after...