The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. Psalm 121:7
“All the water in all the oceans cannot sink a ship unless it gets inside. Nor can all the trouble in the world harm us unless it gets within us.” -Eugene Peterson
#called #loved #kept
Imagine droves of repentant prodigals coming home to a rejoicing family with open arms that represent the Father’s love and forgiveness, rather than angry bitter older brothers who stop them at the door and keep them at a distance.
**NEW SERIES**
Everything in our life is deeply impacted by what we believe about God. We often ask the very important question “What does God want me to do?” But it may be better to first ask “What is God like, and what is He doing?” For the next several Sundays at Grace Bible, we are going to be taking a look at some central biblical teachings on the character and ways of God himself. Please join us!
A great song for reflection during Holy Week!
Grace Bible elders met this morning for a time of fellowship, prayer, and to discuss the life and health of our church. Our current team of elders consist of Brent Wilkens, Jerry Shuler, Theron Whitley, and Roy Layman.
If you are unfamiliar with the role of elder in the life of a church, here is a helpful definition, followed by a brief explanation of how they function in our context:
Elders — “are the doctrinal guardians of the flock and the overseers of the life of the church responsible to God for the feeding and care and ministry of the people” -John Piper
In short elders serve as shepherds (1Peter5:2-3) who lead, feed, and protect the local church.
At Grace Bible, elders hold the highest level of leadership in our church, and thus, play a vital role in the life of our church. They oversee the church’s general direction, progression, and finances. They protect the church from doctrinal error. Finally they serve as a form of accountability and support for the Senior Pastor.
The qualifications for elder can be found in 1Tim 3:1-7
I wanted to pass along a very important and timely sermon from Matt Chandler on a subject that you might not expect, singing. If you have been to a Christian worship service at all you know that singing is nearly always a part of our time together. But why? Why do we sing? Better question, why have we as Christians made gathering together and singing a priority for 2000+ years?
I’ve heard varying opinions about singing in church. Some love it and wish we’d do more of it. Some don’t like it and could do without it. Some leave a worship service and say they did or did not like that church’s particular singing style or they say that they loved the songs because they remind them of their grandparents or of when they were a kid. There’s certainly nothing wrong with having a personal preference of singing style or experiencing a bit of nostalgia when we sing, but there’s more to our singing than those things. What is the goal of singing together? Why do we do it? What does God desire from us and for us in our singing?
I strongly encourage you to listen to this sermon. I believe it will change the way you view singing with your church family and help you grow in your relationship with God. The message is very appropriately titled, The Power of Song. Check it out at the link below:
The past Sunday, at the end of our worship service I made reference to the book Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It’s hard to overstate the value of this book’s teaching on the subject of Christian Community. Here’s a couple of powerful quotes and a link to order the book online.
“Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin.”“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
“The Christian…must bear the burden of a brother. He must suffer and endure the brother. It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated. The burden of men was so heavy for God Himself that He had to endure the Cross. God verily bore the burden of men in the body of Jesus Christ. But He bore them as a mother carries her child, as a shepherd enfolds the lost lamb that has been found. God took men upon Himself and they weighted Him to the ground, but God remained with them and they with God. In bearing with men God maintained fellowship with them. It was the law of Christ that was fulfilled in the Cross. And Christians must share in this law.”
This pic was a slide from our sermon this am at Grace Bible. I used this pic bc I like the way it looked and it makes a good background for white lettering. But one of our church members noticed something more significant. The picture happened to go perfect with today’s sermon. The trees in the pic are Redwoods. Interesting fact about Redwoods, they’re one of the tallest trees, growing 300+ ft in height, but they have a shallow root system, only 5-6ft. So their roots are shallow, but they spread out really far, up to 100 ft from the trunk. Redwoods thrive in thick groves, where their roots intertwine and even fuse together. Their dependence on one another gives them the strength they need to withstand the forces of nature, like high winds, storms and floods. So, Redwoods don’t survive alone…ever. They need community. They grow close and join one another, to provide each other with strength, nourishment and support. Sound familiar? It’s a picture of what God calls us to in Galatians 6:2 — “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We were never meant to navigate life alone. We’re never more like than when we’re taking on the burdens of others for the glory of God.
“Everyone is going through something that we can’t see.”
-Kevin Love
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2
This am in our Men’s Bible Study we talked about our need to share the hard things going on in our lives with others. We also talked about the fact that we are not very good at it, especially us men. The first thing God said was “not good” was for us to be alone. And God commanded over 35 responsibilities we have to “one another” in the New Testament. God is serious about his people leaning on each other. Truth is, we can’t take away the pain others are feeling, but we can spread out the weight of it. I was thinking about all of this, then I read the following post from NBA star Kevin Love. Thought it was worth sharing. Might encourage someone to share, or someone to be there and listen:
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/kevin-love-everyone-is-going-through-something/
Pastor Roy Layman 