Glory of Christ Fellowship

If you were to ask just about any of our middle or high school students at GCF about loving God and what kinds of activities they think they should be doing in order to love him or experience him what do you think they might say? I have a feeling it would be something to this tune: Pray. Read the Bible more. Sing songs of worship to God. Go on a missions trip.  Let my fingers fall off my hand if my intention is to disrupt anyone from doing these things more. Thus, what I am angling at here is risky. I am not suggesting we change course from these things. I am suggesting that we have done a very good job emphasizing these habits of grace.  I am also saying something else that is important for us to hear. Starting with myself, we have not done as good of a job emphasizing other ways we are to grow in love with God. I am talking about the day to day activities that are practical, super practical at that. I am talking about stuff that we tend to really enjoy like smelling...

Have you heard of James McDonald? Chances are, if you are reading this, that you have. James is a gifted Bible teacher and writer and communicator and pastor and leader. He speaks on the radio. He rides on jets to conferences that he speaks at. He gets paid lots of money to teach God's Word to people who need to pay for hotel rooms in order to listen to. He hosts conferences that people need airplane tickets to get to. His buddies that he hangs around with are other world-renown pastors/theologians. His church has a school attached to it and a parking lot that gets measured in full and plural acres. Then again, "acres" is already plural. McDonald has born a ton of fruit. He has watermelons hanging from his tree (not possible, I know, but watermelon is the biggest fruit I can think of). James McDonald is hugely successful and James McDonald was just fired from his position at Harvest Bible Chapel in Illinois. Of course we wonder why? In short, it is sin. And belie...

     The author of Hebrews encourages us to run the race of life by faith in Jesus Christ (Heb 12:1-2), and then a few verses later he helps us understand that part of enduring our race is embracing the discipline of the Lord. So it is that he turns our attention toward Proverbs 3:11-12 and asks the question, “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives’” (Prov 3:11-12).      The word “son or sons” is used 23 times in the book of Proverbs and 15 times in those crucial opening chapters. This word reveals to us the heart of a Father calling out to his children that he might persuade them to pursue wisdom and forsake foolishness. The Father is reaching out to them in love. He is trying to help them see that his ways are better than all other ways. And so this ...

     The greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength (Mark 12:28-34). It touches my heart so deeply that our Creator and Lord wants, above all things, a loving relationship with those he created in his image. Just think of all the things he could have commanded us to do above all other things, and then be in awe of the heart and will of God for his creation!      With this in mind, we would do well to ponder this principle: in order to love God most, we must put him first . We must make him a priority in our daily schedule, in our thoughts, and in our affections. Now, I’m a morning person and by God’s grace I’m able to wake up early enough to spend time with the Lord before going to work. If you’re not a morning person or your schedule doesn’t allow you to spend time with the Lord each morning, then just find some way to say “good morning” to the Lord and labor to set your mind on things above. ...

The title is obviously provocative. However, it isn't what you think. We are not addressing the issue of homosexuality (at least not today) but we are addressing something important that often goes unnoticed. Since before the fall of mankind God created male and female with differing roles. Men and women are the equal in essence but distinct in roles.  As the church of Christ seeks to defend our stance on sex and sexuality it should be noticed that many heterosexual marriages, perhaps all of them, fall victim to faulty role execution among husbands and wives. Equal in essence, distinct in roles. Some of us have embraced, either willingly or unwillingly, something else. Maybe our marriages are equal in essence, equal in roles.  Who would be there to correct you, after all? The world around us rings in the song of equality. In fact, equality may be the defining mantra of our day. Let's face it, every believer is faced with at least three significant enemies: the world (...

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. Crown Him With Many Crowns All Who Are Thirsty God My Rock Famous One I Will Praise Him Still This I Believe Ancient Words -- Sermon Title: That You May Know Sermon Text: 1 John 5:13-15 Making Disciples For The Glory of Christ

     Near the end of his first letter to the church of Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul issued an exhortation that at once seems inviting and impossible. He writes, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). This exhortation seems inviting because it calls us into an ideal and fruitful way of life, and it is a fitting response to all that God accomplished for us and granted to us in Christ. However, it also seems impossible because the standard is so high and our tendencies are so contrary to it. Yet, perceived impossibilities aside, this way of life is the will of God in Christ Jesus for his people, so let’s talk about each of them in turn: rejoice, pray, and give thanks.      To rejoice is to inwardly appreciate God for his person, words, and works, and to outwardly praise him for the same. And since his eternal purposes and plans come to crescen...

GCF is striving to become a house of prayer, and no doubt, one of our biggest target areas of prayer is our children. Our precious children who come into the world so completely helpless and cute. Pretty soon they are not so cute and parents and children alike need plenty of prayer. Can I get an AMEN? Ok, I will trust that heaven recorded a unanimous round of Amen in perfect unison from parents everywhere on that point.  It is completely natural for parents to pray for their children out of necessity. What do I mean by this? I mean parents pray because they are naturally prompted to do so. They love their child. They feel scared for them. They want them to be safe. They want them to succeed. They want them to behave normally. They want many things for which they feel completely powerless (especially for normal behavior) and prayer is the natural progression. But does the Bible envision more? Does Scripture prioritize safety and success as highly as we do? When we get beyon...

     As the family of God our calling is to be a covenantally bound community, knit together by God’s grace. In light of this, our Father in Heaven commands us to not just be nominally involved in our brothers’ and sisters’ lives (in name only), but actually living life together. We are called to live lives of love for our God and for the church more than our individual ambitions and desire.      When Paul calls believers to “seek” to do good, the word in Greek could be translated as ‘aggressively pursue’. Far from a call to seek the good of others at our leisure, comfort, or convenience, Paul calls the people of God to aggressively pursue doing good to all people: those within the church and those outside of it. Like soldiers pursuing the enemy so to gain victory in battle, we are called to overcome evil in our lives with good. Conversely, we are not to give evil to those who are giving evil to us.      On a parenthetical note, Christians sh...