Glory of Christ Fellowship

In John 15:7-8, Jesus promised, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (emphasis mine). Last week we saw that this promise assumes something very basic but extremely important, namely, that we must spend time with Christ. For the next few weeks we will meditate on another basic but important assumption, namely, that we must ask of Christ in prayer or our prayers cannot be answered.  In Matthew 6:8 Jesus said, “…your Father knows what you need before you ask him,” which begs the question, Why then must we ask of Jesus in prayer? If the Father already knows what we want and if he is disposed to give us what we want when we ask according to his will, why then doesn’t he just give us what we want? I see at least eight reasons.  First, we must ask of Jesus in prayer because he commanded us to do so. As those who have beco...

David and Goliath: That All the Earth May Know 1 Samuel 17:1-58 January 31, 2016 Study Questions 1.       Read 1 Samuel 17:1-11. Where exactly did this scene take place (consult a Study Bible or www.blueletterbible.org)? Why do the details about Goliath matter? 2.       Why did Goliath make the particular challenge he made? How did Saul and the Israelites react to it? Why? 3.       Read 1 Samuel 17:12-27. In light of chapter 16, why does the author give us these facts about David? What was David’s position in his family? Why does this matter? 4.       How long did Goliath challenge Israel? What brought David to the battlefield? How did David come to know about Goliath? What question did David ask about him? Why? 5.       Read 1 Samuel 17:28-37. Why was David’s oldest brother upset with him? What did David say and do in response to Eliab? 6....

Agape Meal Next Week: We will be enjoying an Agape Meal after the worship service next Sunday. Please see the back side of this sheet for more information. GCF Date Night, February 27: Attention married couples, you are invited to GCF date night on Saturday, February 27. We will be bowling in Saint Michael. 7:00 p.m. Please R.S.V.P. to Pastor Kevin by Wednesday, February 17. Student Ministries: Students grade 6-12 are invited to attend Wednesday nights for Bible study, discussion, and activities. Meets at Handke from 6:30-8:45 p.m. Contact Pastor Kevin for more details. Pivot Meeting: The college age (and beyond) ministry meets on alternating Thursday evenings. 7:00 p.m. at Josiah Lee's house. The next meeting is on February 11. Church Membership Class: There will be a church membership class beginning in the Sunday School hour on Sunday, February 14. Contact Pastor Charlie for more details on this class. Women’s Prayer Meeting: Please join the women of GC...

In John 15:7-8, Jesus makes a stunning promise: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (emphasis mine). The call to abide in Christ, to allow his words to abide in us, and to ask for whatever we wish assumes something very basic but extremely important: we must actually spend time with Christ. We must actually speak with him. We must actually ask. Prayer is a vital part of a relationship, and relationships require time and speech. Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) received a call to serve as a missionary to China early in his life. Although he didn’t know it, his parents had devoted him to the Lord for this very task but then wisely allowed the Lord to work in his life and clarify the call without their direct intervention. Almost as soon as he received his call from the Lord, Hudson knew that he had to be a man of prayer in order to b...

The Lord Looks on the Heart 1 Samuel 16:1-23 January 24, 2016 Study Questions 1.        Read 1 Samuel 16:1-3. Why was Samuel so grieved over Saul? For whom did the Lord provide a king? What was Samuel’s concern in going? What was the Lord’s counsel to him? Was this deceitful? 2.        Read 1 Samuel 16:4-13. Why were the people of Bethlehem frightened of Samuel? How did he put them at ease? 3.        Why did Samuel think that Eliab was to be the king? How did the Lord respond to him? How many sons were passed by to get to David? What was David’s place among his brothers? 4.        What was David’s appearance? Where did Samuel anoint him? What happened to David when he was anointed? 5.        Read 1 Samuel 16:14-23. Why did the Lord remove his Spirit from Saul? Why did he send a tormenting spirit instead? What does thi...

Sanctity Of Human Life: January 17 & 24 is devoted to recognizing the sanctity of human life. Please visit the mission’s table for info on Abba pregnancy resource center. Foundation Builders 1 (parenting Class): There will be a parenting class on Saturday, January 30 from 9:30-11:30. This class is designed to lay out a vision of Godly parenting upon the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.   Student Ministries: Students grade 6-12 are resuming their Wednesday night meetings on Wednesday, January 27 from 6:30-8:45 p.m. Contact Pastor Kevin for more details. Pivot Meeting: The college age (and beyond) ministry meets on alternating Thursday evenings. 7:00 p.m. at Josiah Lee's house. The next meeting is on January 28. Church Membership Class: There will be a church membership class beginning during the Sunday School hour beginning on Sunday, February 14. Contact Pastor Charlie for more details on this class. Wednesday Morning Prayer Meeting : We will...

One of our primary aims at Glory of Christ Fellowship in 2016 is to become a more fully developed house of prayer for all peoples. To help stoke the fires of this vision and this way of life, we will be providing weekly devotionals on prayer and faith based on, or written by, some of the great prayer warriors of the last couple of centuries. For this week, though, let’s sit at the feet of the Master Intercessor and listen carefully to what he has to say in John 15:7-8. Jesus said to his disciples, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” I see several important aspects of Jesus’ words: · The Promise: Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. · Condition 1: If you abide (or remain) in me. · Condition 2: If my words abide in you. · Purpose 1: The glory of the Father in answered prayer. · Purpose 2: Visible proof that ...