“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” -Paul (1 Cor 11:1)

That’s a pretty bold statement isn’t it? In this verse, the Apostle Paul is effectively saying, look to ME for an example as I look to Jesus for mine. It’s hard to deny an example that is lived out right in front of us, good or bad. What kind of example are you to the people around you? Would you like to be an example of Christlikeness to others? If you are a Christian, that is EXACTLY what God has called you to be.

Men, I’d like to invite you to join me on Tuesday mornings, 6-7am, beginning next Tuesday 8/8, for a study of the life of Paul. Paul is one of the most interesting and influential people in the Bible. He was a man of grace and grit who lived a life of reckless abandon for Jesus Christ. Our objective for this study is simple, but not easy: To learn more about the life of Paul, draw closer to Jesus, and become a more faithful example of Christ to others. Doing this study as a group will bring us encouragement and  confidence because we are not doing this alone. Because this is a men’s group, we’ll be discussing some things that are unique to men and our walk with Christ.

Men, none of us will be a perfect example. But by God’s grace, we can all be a FAITHFUL example. Join me on Tuesday mornings. Make this study, Sunday worship, and daily time with God a priority, and a part of your routine. You wont regret it.

For this study we’ll be using a study guide from the ministry of Chuck Swindoll. I already have a number of copies, so no need to buy one. Just bring a Bible and show up on Tuesday morning, 6am, south hallway classroom at Grace Bible.

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son then an heir through God. Galatians 4:7

Sunday, August 13th at Grace Bible, we’ll begin a new series ‘No Longer Slaves’ working through the book of Galatians.

For a few years now, we have primarily gone through books of the Bible on Sundays. We have gone through Ecclesiastes, Romans, and most recently John to name a few. While a book of the Bible may not have a catchy name or seem as “relevant” I assure you God’s word is ALWAYS relevant (See Isaiah 40:8). Our ambition in our worship services is to make much of Jesus, and God’s Word definitely does that.

For more on the advantages of preaching through books of the Bible, check out this great post by Jared C. Wilson 8 Reasons To Preach Through Books of the Bible

Galatians has been called “The Magna Carta of Christian Liberty.” Here’s what a few notable voices have said about this awe inspiring book of the Bible:

“While we live here on earth, we will be accused, exercised with temptations, oppressed with heaviness and sorrow…Because of this, Paul sets out in this letter of Galatians to teach us, to comfort us, and to keep us constantly aware of this Christian righteousness.” -Martin Luther

“Galatians is all about the gospel. The gospel all of us need throughout all of our lives.” -Tim Keller

“Perhaps more than any other book of the Bible it shows with utter clarity that the gospel is not only the message that saves us, but the message that underlies and empowers all of the Christian life.” -Tim Challies

Some especially notable verses/passages from Galatians:

1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

2:16 …we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.

2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

3:7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

3:23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

6:14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Check it out GBF Fam!

This past Sunday we looked at Romans 8:15-17 and discussed how, through faith in Christ, we are justified before God, but we are also adopted as sons and daughters of God.

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. – Romans 8:14-17

We ended our time with 5 things that we know, When God is our father….

1. When God is your father your more than forgiven, you’re family

2. When God is your father he’s going to give you what’s best for you

3. When God is your father your future is secure

4. When God is your father your identity is set

5. When God is your father there’s no such thing as a fair fight against you. In Christ, He IS on our side. That doesnt mean that every outcome will go the way we want it to. But it does mean that God will ultimately give us what is BEST for us.

“If God is for us who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

“…no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed…” (Isaiah 54:17)

For further reading, here’s a great post from Desiring God on the subject of God as Father:  Worship God As Father 

Are you concerned that our use of technology may be hurting our families? Do you feel like you, or your kids spend an inordinate amount of time in front of device screens or in isolation tied to a phones? It’s something we are all dealing with and it is relatively new at some level to most of us. Technology is here to stay, that’s for sure. But how do we as Christians approach technology from a biblical perspective? What are the risks associated with it’s use? This podcast episode from The Village Church, Higland Village Texas on using technology biblically is timely, and much needed. Check it out at the link below:

 The Tech-Wise Family 

Myself and the other elders at Grace Bible went on our annual retreat this past weekend. Elder retreats are a time for us to be enriched in our calling, discuss the health and direction of our church family, and be sharpened for our calling and commission as leaders. This year we used a resource titled ‘Gospel Eldership, Equipping a Generation of Servant Leaders’ as study material for our time. The book is a great book for those who would like to know more about what it means to be an elder in Christ’s local church, or any Christian looking to faithfully serve. You can find it on Amazon here.  I know I can speak for our elder team when I say that we are excited about the work that God has entrusted to us at Grace Bible. We are deeply committed to the gospel, and the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. We covet your prayers, that we lead and love well. 

April was a month FULL of gospel opportunities, relationships and God-glorifying FUN at Grace Bible. Here are a few highlights, beginning with the most recent:

FROM GraceKids LAST SUNDAY…

…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus isLord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 What an awesome group of kids!!! Thanks Alicia, and all of our GraceKids and IMPACT leaders. You are making a difference for Christ in the lives of the kids you teach!

BREAKAWAY WEEKEND (7-12th Grade)

RECENT SERMON

In our most recent sermon we continued our Redeemed series with our 2nd message on the topic of repentance. Our opening text of Scripture was 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation withoutregret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

We then looked at a story that Jesus told that illustrates true repentance, The Parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15:11-32.

You can listen to ‘Repentance and a Community of Grace’ (as well as all of our recent messages  here.

LADIES CALLED TO COUNSEL…

Last weekend 4/29 we had several ladies from our church attend the “Called To Counsel” conference to learn more about biblical counseling. We are so thankful for their willingness to serve and grow!

MEN’S BIBLE STUDY

Tuesday April 25th our Tuesday mens group began a challenging new study, Follow Me. Mark Hales is leading the study.  Join us if you’d like, men, Tuesdays, 6am!

OUR NEW FULL-TIME STUDENT MINISTER

Sunday, April 23rd we were thrilled to announce that Price Ferrell will be our full time Student Minister beginning mid-May.

EASTER SUNDAY!!!

We had a GREAT turnout for our Easter worship service held Gunter High School. Thank you so much to those who helped to make it happen!

…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HolySpirit…Matthew 28:19

Our a current sermon series “Redeemed” kicked off on Easter Sunday.  In him we have redemption  through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…Ephesians 1:7

PALM SUNDAY!!!!

Our annual Palm Sunday celebration was a blast, as always. We love our church family!

On the Tuesday of Holy Week, Jesus was at the temple in Jerusalem. He is now just just days before his crucifixion. He has already made quite an entrance and cause quite a stir. He entered Jerusalem to shouts of praise from a crowd of people who wanted to crown him king. He entered the temple and flipped the tables of the money changers and those selling animals for temple sacrifices. This has some Jewish leaders asking “who does this Jesus think he is?” Which leads us to the following exchange in Mark 11…
27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”

We are not always fond of having authority over us. But we expect there to be an authority over others, don’t we? Think about it, when something goes wrong with someone, we go to that persons authority. You might have said something like this before, “Could I talk to your manager??” or “could I please speak with your supervisor??”
Authority matters, a lot. So who is our ultimate authority? Who has the final say so in our life.

Before Jesus ever claimed to have any type of authority it was self evident:
Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

Mark 1:27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
Jesus had displayed his authority by his teaching (Mk 1:22) and then backed it up with miracles signs and wonders (Mk 1:27). It seems like his authority had been established! But not in Jerusalem. Not in the temple–the place where you come for the presence of God, for the wisdom of God. To the rulers of the temple in Jerusalem, what Jesus did out in rural communities and remote synagogues was of small potatoes compared to the Jerusalem temple. Plus these weren’t just common people that were questioning Jesus’ authority these were the cheif priests, scribes, and elders, people recognized power and influence with legitimate title and position. They were men of authority, and if Jesus wasn’t running things by them, who is he running things by??? So they’re asking,what gives you the right to do these things Jesus? By what AUTHORITY do you act?
Jesus is going to answer, but not directly. 
29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 

So Jesus question is simple, Who gave John the Baptist authority (remember John was the fore-runner for Jesus, but he has been imprisoned and beheaded by now.) Jesus points to the fact that John baptized people and proclaimed the forgiveness of sins apart from the temple. He had a rural ministry, by what authority did he do that? Also notable, Jesus is connected to John the Baptist. Jesus is in effect saying, John the Baptist gave me his full endorsement! John the Baptist had said that his whole purpose, was to make the way for Jesus.
They knew that John the Baptist authority came from God, and so the natural conclusion is that Jesus authority was God as well. So what now??
Back to the text:
31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”-they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The cheif priests, scribes, and elders knew the answer. But they were more interested in protecting themselves and their own rank and their own authority to answer honestly. They knew the truth, they just chose to suppress it.
I wonder if we are sometimes like these temple rulers who ask questions, not to get answers but to try and protect and maintain our own status???
 Our current culture thinks it’s cool to be seeking, but not so cool to have found anything. We have developed a phobia of being called closed minded about anything. We are low commitment, low conformity, loose principals but not much absolute truth. 

We wanted to be open minded, but to what end? The whole purpose of an open mind is to know when to close on something that is true and hold on to it!
One thing we can learn from this text is that Jesus is the Chuck Norris of debate!!! But there’s more to be learned. Jesus has ultimate authority. He has divine right to govern our lives. This means that we are to be people of God’s Word, seeking his will and way for our lives. How much time do we spend rationalizing what is clearly taught against in the Word of God? We go to great lengths dismiss things as cultural or use our personality, or circumstances to dismiss the voice of Jesus and listen to another. 
We sometimes ask, “did Jesus really say we shouldn’t….????” Does that phraseology sound familiar???? That’s what the serpent said in the Garden of Eden to Eve!!! Gen 3:1 “Did God actually say ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” Satan’s game is still the same, “Did God say that was a sin? How lame. That’s old school thinking.” He’ll do anything to get us to doubt God as our authority.

Another question, how much of our life is different because we are applying the wisdom of God to it? Why do our family do this or that? Why do we go where we go? Spend time with who we spend time with? Watch what we watch, read what we read? Has the authority of God reached our life and actions?

Who has authority in our life? Who’s wisdom are we taking instead of Jesus’? Can you trust that source? 
Having Jesus as your ultimate authority will look foolish to many people. 
Businessmen and women, your company may think some of your decisions are strange and don’t make sense because you have God in mind and not just the bottom line. Parents, if Jesus is the authority of your parenting, your approach is going to seem strange to people. To diligently teach your kids to love God and pursue Him is foreign to many. Young people who hold Jesus as their authority are setting themselves up for all kinds of criticism. It’s not easy to live set apart, but we can’t let people who don’t have your best interest at heart be our authority? 

Having Jesus as our authority isn’t bad news for us. We are going to pick an authority, some voice in our life will rise to the top priority, and we will work diligently to obey that voice to fulfill what that voice is requiring of us. Who will it be? There’s no one more powerful, wiser, no one more forgiving, no one merciful, more gracious, more loving, no one who has proven their love for us by laying down their life for us…no one but Jesus, the ultimate authority.

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11:15-17

It’s Monday of Holy Week. Jesus is just days away from being crucified. He enters the temple, and in a display of calculated righteous anger, flips the tables of those exchanging currency and selling animals for temple sacrifice. Don’t be surprised at Jesus’ actions here. It’s well in keeping with who he is. As we said at Grace Bible yesterday, Jesus is a a rare combination of boldness and humility. Jesus doesn’t hesitate to wash the feet of his disciples(John 13), but he also refuses to silence those who worship him (Luke 19). He’s humble, not modest, bold, not arrogant. 
Jesus had good reason for what he did in the temple that Monday. What should have been a “house of prayer” – a place to approach God in reverence had become noisy and busy.  
Jesus said it was a place of prayer “for all nations.” The outer court of the temple, the area that Jesus was in, was suppose to be a place for even the Gentile people to come and approach God. But instead it had become a place for religious people, the Jews, to make things easier for themselves. It had become a self-seeking place instead of a life giving service to people.
The Nation of Israel was never meant to exist for themselves. They were as Gen 12:1-2 says, “blessed to be a blessing”. The temple was by design, a place for those who didn’t know God to have a place to approach Him, but now it’s purpose had been distorted. Jesus wants its to be restored to its original intent. He wants people who have access to God to desire others to have the same.
God has never been unclear about that for his people. Once we have God, and all that he affords to us (justification, forgiveness, love, hope, relationship with Him, His spirit within us, eternity, purpose for life, etc) we can stop asking what’s in it for me, and ask what do I have to offer others. We’re blessed to be a blessing. God changes people from selfish to selfless. 
Jesus, was once asked, what’s the greatest commandment? He said, in short, Love God, and love others….Hmm, Jesus? Really? What about more convenience and comfort for us? Nope. What about creating a subculture of moralistic rule keeping, where we talk bad about the world around us instead of lovingly sharing the gospel??? Nope.
How are we doing???? Ephesians 2:19 says that we are now the temple. If people who dont know God come to usi, will they find us ready to share the message of Christ or selflessly pursuing our own convenience.
Is there something in life keeping us from being about the love of God and a blessing to others? Would he flip the tables of our lives?… Of our church???

In Mark 11:18 we see that when the the chief priests and scribes heard what Jesus had said they plotted to kill him. This is a horrific response but you can see why they think that it is rational. Jesus had walked the temple and made it very evident to the people in charge that he felt like their approach to God, and thus their approach to life, was completely wrong. It would seem irrational for the cheif priests and scribes to think of Jesus has merely an interesting man or a good teacher. The men at the temple had to make a decision, would they protect their way of doing things or would they receive Jesus as their authority. It was man’s pursuit of self-righteousness that had the temple in the shape that Jesus found it in, and it would be protecting that pursuit of self-righteousness that would drive the Chief priests to plot and eventually crucify Jesus. A horrible response, but a rational one.
What decision will we make? Will we embrace Jesus and Lord as Savior and die to self and live for him? Or will we wholesale reject him and be Lord of our own life? One thing is for sure, Jesus is not content to be in the peripherals of our life. He did not come and buy us out of the bondage of sin to be a distant voice in our lives, but rather THE VOICE in our lives.   
The temple had become a place for selfish gain, it was suppose to be a place for worship of God and a blessing to others. 

Our life can become about selfish gain instead of about the worship of God and being a blessing to others. I pray this Holy Week will be  a time for us to regain our awe of Christ and what he did for us on the cross, and realign ourselves to worship Him! 

Sunday at Grace Bible we finished preaching through the book of John. Verse by verse, 77 sermons, that spanned from 2/21/15 to 4/2/17. We had a few stand alone sermons and a couple of mini-series along the way, but for the most part we have been in the book of John for over 2 years.

A couple reflections and a word of thanks upon completing the series:

I’ve learned a ton! What we did in John was called “expository preaching” — which, in short, is where you take time to carefully draw out the meaning of a text of Scripture, given it’s original context and intent. I can’t begin to explain how much my knowledge of my Lord and Savior has been furthered in this series. It seems the stories of peoples lives and encounters with Jesus have come especially alive. I’ve been able to see my relationship with Jesus through their experiences. Passages and verses that I have heard for years took on a whole new light. Multiple times I found myself saying “OHHH THAT’S WHAT THAT MEANS.” I’ve said before when preaching through books of the Bible, I get to the end and think, “WOW, now I AM REALLY ready to preach this thing!” I honestly think I could start over in John this week and do the whole thing again. (don’t worry church family, I won’t :-))

God is so faithful! God’s Word is such treasure and so pregnant with truth. He has truly blessed us by revealing himself to us in written form. Going through John has reminded me once again of the guess work that God has removed by the Bible. The Bible, including John shows us how to make sense of ourselves, the world around us, and eternity. The gospel of John is so much more than a book, it’s an evidence of God’s faithfulness! Thank you God for your Word and the privilege to share it with your people! 2Timothy 3:16!!

I hope I get to keep doing this till the Lord calls me home. Sadly, preaching the Bible has become somewhat of an anomaly. Many churches/pastors feel pressured to keep their church’s numbers climbing, and to do so they feel their preaching subjects need to come from hot topics found in current media and headlines. But our world is not short on cultural commentary, what we are short on God’s timeless truth found in the Word. The Bible was not given to us primarily as a tool to fight “culture wars” but rather as life-giving truth to engage the culture! Still others feel we should preach a specific brand of church in order to keep people “bought in” and “on board.” But we’re not tasked to grow the show, we are called to grow people in Christ! — The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8

A word of thanks. The thing about preaching is, you need somebody to listen! Thank you church family. Thank you for being hungry for truth. The fact is, you could get a better preacher than me, and God’s Word is ALWAYS true with or without me as your pastor. Y’all don’t need me. God definitely doesn’t need me. But y’all let me be your pastor. And God has seen fit to use me (yes, even me). And Church family, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who loves you and appreciates you as much as I do. Thank you, Grace Bible. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Hey we ain’t done yet, right! We’ll be in Luke 19:28-40 for Palm Sunday, this week. Stay for pot luck and all kinds of fun after the service. Then, starting a new series “REDEEMED”, on the redemptive work of Christ in our lives on Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday service will be held at Gunter High School and include baptisms! Bring your friends, and bring your Bibles, we’re gonna need ’em!