Glory of Christ Fellowship

     Last week, drawing on Ephesians 5:8, 2 Corinthians 3-4, 1 John 3, and the work of John Owen, we saw that the way Christians transform from darkness into light is by beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ, and this occurs as we seek Christ by his Word and prayer.      This leads to Owen’s second bit of counsel: “Secondly, we need to think much about him if we wish to enjoy him fully (1 Peter 1:8). If we are satisfied with vague ideas about him we shall find no transforming power communicated to us. But when we cling whole-heartedly to him and our minds are filled with thoughts of him and we constantly delight ourselves in him, the spiritual power will flow from him to purify our hearts, increase our holiness, strengthen our graces, and sometimes fill us ‘with joy inexpressible and full of glory’” ( The Glory of Christ , 115).      Here’s one way to summarize what Owen is saying: if you want to behold the glory of Christ, then you must strive to behold the glory of Ch

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. Salvation Belongs To Our God Be Thou My Vision This I Believe At The Cross (Love Ran Red) The Gospel Song The Solid Rock Who You Say I Am Jesus My Only Hope Sermon Text: 1 John 3:4-10 Destroying The Works Of The Devil -- Making Disciples For The Glory of Christ

     Ephesians 5:8 teaches believers that “at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” This is an awesome truth and since it is in the Word of God we believe it, but the question is this: how does this work? In the ebb and flow of daily life, how do believers transform from darkness to light?      In brief, here are my answers: (1) We transform from darkness to light by beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ [2 Corinthians 4:6]; (2) We grow in holiness and Christ-likeness by beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ [2 Corinthians 3:18]; and (3) The destiny of every Christian is to be thoroughly and totally transformed by beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ [1 John 3:1-3].      If what I’ve suggested is true, then the question becomes this: How do we behold the glory of God in the face of Christ? There are many important answers to this question, but over the next two weeks I want to offer you two thoughts from John Owen’s The G

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. The Glories of Calvary How Great Is Our God Hope of the Nations Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) The Stand In Christ Alone This is Amazing Grace Sermon Text: 1 John 3:1-3 The Father's Love -- Making Disciples For The Glory of Christ

     Sometime ago, as Kim and I were preparing to take our rest for the night, she received and read to me the following devotional from Streams in the Desert. It touched both of us pretty deeply, and so I wanted to share it with you as well. May we learn to pray with childlike faith, knowing that our Father hears and answers prayer when we pray according to his will (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14).      “I went to America some years ago with the captain of a steamer, who was a very devoted Christian. When off the coast of Newfoundland he said to me, ‘The last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, something happened which revolutionized the whole of my Christian life. We had George Mueller of Bristol on board. I had been on the bridge twenty-four hours and never left it. George Mueller came to me, and said, ‘Captain I have come to tell you that I must be in Quebec Saturday afternoon.’ ‘It is impossible,’ I said. ‘Very well, if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way. I have n

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. Jesus Is Better Famous One Sovereign What the Lord has Done in Me From The Inside Out Come Lord Jesus (Even So Come) Show Us Christ Jesus I Am Resting, Resting Sermon Text: 1 John 2:26-29 The Anointing Abides...So Abide -- Making Disciples For The Glory of Christ

     Over the last several weeks, we have seen from Ephesians 2:1-7 that the gloriously good news of the gospel grows out of the ashes of the horrifically tragic news of human rebellion against God. And we have seen that the grace of God in Christ toward all who belong to and believe in him is so great as to be incomprehensible and utterly awe-inspiring.      This week we conclude our four-part meditation on Ephesians 2:1-10 by considering Paul’s closing words, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:8-10).       That God saved us while we were dead in our trespasses and rightly destined to experience his eternal wrath is owing to his grace and not to our works. That God made us alive with Christ, raised us up with Christ, seated us with

     A few weeks ago, I wrote two devotionals on Ephesians 2:1-5 in which I tried to help us see how the gloriously good news of the gospel grows out of the ashes of the horrifically tragic news of human rebellion against God. While our sin has caused us to be spiritually dead, incapable of overcoming the world, enslaved by the devil, and subject to the wrath of God, neither our sin nor the world nor the devil nor the wrath of God have the final word over the lives of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. As Paul writes, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5).      It is enough that God saved us by his mercy and caused us to come to life again by his eternal grace, but Paul goes on to add that God also “raised us up with him [Jesus] and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming age

In my last post, I began to address the question, Why does God value his glory above all else? Today I'd like to begin with a quote from Jonathan Edwards' brief but important work, The End for which God Created the World, and then reflect on how God can be God-centered without being a massive egomaniac. Edwards wrote, “Some may object, that to suppose God makes himself his highest and last end, is dishonorable to him; as it in effect supposes, that God does everything from a selfish spirit” (chapter 1, objection 1). This is what I call “the narcissistic problem,” and it has been my main objection to the idea of the God-centeredness of God, or at least my main confusion about it. It takes some deep thinking to work through this problem, but when we put in the work, we come to see that God is not, because he cannot possibly be, a massive egomaniac. Let's work through the solution in four steps. First, the problem arises from an assumption that is, in the end, false. Specifi

Let me start out by saying thank you to the students and parents of GCF. Why? It is such a privilege to serve your family at GCF and I appreciate the kindred spirit that we share for our next generation. I appreciate the freedom I have not only to serve GCF but to serve our students a certain way. I am thankful for the balance we have struck in our children’s and youth ministries, between having fun appropriate to the age group and serious challenge in learning.  There is no doubt that GCF takes the Word of God very seriously, as it should. What I am so thankful for is your partnership with me in this. It has produced a culture of learning amongst our students that I am very excited about. We challenge our students to think and to learn what the Bible says in ways that stretches them. I have seen them rise to the standard of expectation time and again. I am thankful that your partnership in ministry means your support and cooperation in this endeavor. Together we are building a pl

In the first fourteen verses of Ephesians, Paul makes abundantly clear what is God's ultimate purpose in salvation: "...the praise of his glorious grace...the praise of his glory...the praise of his glory" (vv. 6,12,14). As clear and inspiring as this purpose is, it presents a bit of a problem because it forces us to deal with a God who ultimately does all things for his glory and not for his people. Or to put it another way, we are forced to deal with the God-centeredness of God. Some years ago, to help me grapple with this problem, I turned to the master-theologian, Jonathan Edwards, specifically to his essay, “The End for which God Created the World." What follows in the next couple of posts are some of the thoughts that emerged from my reflection on his work. Today we will begin by seeking to understand why God values his glory above all other things. Then tomorrow or the next day, we will grapple with how God can be God-centered without being a massive egomani