Monday, April 30, 2012

For those planning to attend the Passion Week of Christ conference with Dr. Doug Bookman, the first session has been CANCELLED for tonight only due to a flight delay.

We will begin the conference TOMORROW, May 1st, at 6:30pm at Christ Fellowship & then resume as planned.

The *REVISED* schedule —

Tuesday, May 1        
6:30-7:30pm    Session 1
7:45-8:45pm    Session 2
Wednesday, May 2    
6:30-7:30pm    Session 3
7:45-8:45pm    Session 4

Location:
2501 Rockford Ave.
St Louis, MO 63144 (map here)

More info at the CFBC website.

Friday, April 27, 2012

If you're in the St Louis area, join us tonight at 7pm as we examine the issue of 2012 — WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE END TIMES? A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE.

When: Friday, April 27th at 7pm
Where:
5182 Golf Ridge Lane
St. Louis, MO 63128
What: A lecture & discussion on what the Bible teaches about the end of the world.

See you there!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

When the apostle Paul heard that there was immorality in the Corinthian church, he was shocked. The brand of immorality was of such a kind that the sensibilities of the pagan world would even be offended—"a man has his father's wife". But his amazement was mostly because the church tolerated it as a badge of honor. The church had so distorted the meaning of love that it was proud of its acceptance of such persons. "And you are arrogant. Ought you not rather to mourn?" exclaimed Paul.

This revealing episode in early church history, found in 1 Corinthians 5, could not be more relevant.
As Paul said, "Your boasting is not good." The idea that some associations of professing Christians actually lead out in the fight for same-sex unions, homosexuality in the priesthood, and other practices mitigating against sexual purity and the bond of marriage, would certainly evoke Paul's righteous indignation if he were alive today.

The church is not a volunteer club made up of people of any persuasion or behavior, an amorphous entity, accepting anyone who wishes to join in the fun and excitement. It is a serious society with boundaries. It is for those who have been given life from God, have confessed that change openly through baptism, and are committed to walking in obedience and repentance all the days of their lives. It is a union full of love, but not mere sentimentality. It is a love that demands holiness. (2 Tim. 1:9; Gal. 5:13; Rom. 6:1)

Paul lists some of the boundaries of a Christian fellowship in this passage. Among those the church should remove and "not associate with" are ". . . anyone who bears the name of brother [that is, a 'so-called brother'], who is guilty of sexually immorality, or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler . . ."

So what should we do when we find immorality in the church? There really cannot be any mistaking the answer:
  • "Let him who has done this thing be removed from among you."
  • "you are to deliver this man to Satan [that is, by removing him you are to leave him in the world and under Satan's control]"
  • "Cleanse out the old leaven."
  • "I am writing to you not to associate with anyone . . . who is guilty of sexual immorality, greed," etc.
  • "[you are] . . . not even to eat with such a one."
  • "Purge the evil person from among you."
In the case of such notorious sins as immorality, church discipline is to be done quickly and decisively. Why?

"Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" is the explanation. The longer leaven (yeast) remains in a lump of dough, the more it spreads. Paul uses the Old Testament Passover feast to make his point. At that feast all leaven was to be taken out of the home since it was a symbol for sin. Paul says that the Passover Lamb has been slain (that is, Christ has been crucified). We as the church should "celebrate the feast" (that is, live out our lives to the full in Christ) without the old leaven of evil.

Paul passionately argues for the purity of the church. On the one hand we discipline because it is the best for the individual. It is really the only loving thing to do. To allow a church member to continue in sin is like allowing a child to abuse himself and his siblings without correction. But on the other hand, we discipline because God has called the church to purity.

When a chicken becomes rotten and maggot-infested, are you able to make it better by putting a fresh chicken in the same bag with it? Of course not. The infested and rotten always spoils the fresh, not the other way around. As Paul wrote in the same letter, "evil company corrupts good morals."

Have you fallen for this old Corinthian problem of boasting in indiscriminate toleration?

One pastor said, "I could never lead our church to discipline its members. There are so many immoral people among us at present that it would cause a huge conflict."

This mindset is precisely the reason why so many churches are ineffective in changing the culture and in bringing people into a lifestyle that is radically different.

From: Jim Elliff, What Do You Do With Immorality?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Christ Fellowship Bible Church is excited to host Dr. Doug Bookman for a conference on the Passion Week of Christ.

Here is the conference information:
Theme:
“Behold, the Lamb of God!” A Detailed and Devotional Study of the Passion Week of Jesus Christ

Schedule:

Monday, April 30    
7:30-8:30pm    Session 1
Tuesday, May 1        
6:30-7:30pm    Session 2
7:45-8:45pm    Session 3
Wednesday, May 2    
6:30-7:30pm    Session 4
7:45-8:45pm    Session 5

Location:
2501 Rockford Ave.
St Louis, MO 63144 (map here)

Info:
No cost; no sign ups; just come & enjoy a conference on the Passion Week of Christ if your schedule allows!

Questions:
Contact us at CFBC for more information!
Be exhorted and challenged to more fervent & frequent prayer in preparation for heaven's praises.

JC Ryle writes:
We must pray on earth, or we shall never praise in heaven. We must go through the school of prayer, or we shall never be fit for the holiday of praise. In short, to be prayerless is to be without God -- without Christ -- without grace -- without hope -- and without heaven. It is to be in the road to hell.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What does God’s Word accomplish when it is preached?

1. It  converts  the  sinner  so  that  God’s  glory  is  supremely  manifested  in  his/her  salvation.
2. It  encourages  the  regenerate  to  grow  in  their  faith.
3. It  equips  the  saved  to  evangelize,  walk  in  holiness,  and  grow  in  sanctification.
4. It  reminds  believers  of  the  sovereignty  of  God  and  the  salvation  He  has  given.
5. It  confronts  believers  living  in  sin  to  repent,  change,  and  begin  to  walk  in  newness  of   life.
6. It  comes  across  as  foolishness  to  the  unredeemed  sinner  who  walks  away  from  the   gospel  unchanged.
7. It  further  hardens  the  reprobate  so  that  God’s  glory  is  supremely  manifested  in  his/her   judgment.
8. It  takes  the  hardened  sinner  to  the  point  where  he  is  “beyond  redemption”  and  is  an   apostate.

The  point  is  this:  the  preacher  doesn’t  know  what  God  is  sovereignly  doing  with  each  person   in  the  audience  at  that  particular  time.  But  one  thing  is  for  certain:  God  is  working  and  His   Word  never  returns  void.

Isaiah 55:11 — So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Here is one of the ways that we at Christ Fellowship Bible Church endeavor to equip, teach, and see men that God has gifted and called to teach & preach in various capacities.

It is called THE PREACHER'S FELLOWSHIP. There are men at CFBC that know God's Word, have been in pastoral ministry, desire to be in pastoral ministry, or have a heart for being a Godly leader. And one such element that that Scripture brings out is a leader should be equipped to teach God's Word. One way that this can evidence itself is through THE PREACHING of God's Word.

We plan to meet every other Saturday morning from about 8-9:30am at the church for a time of teaching, preaching, critiquing, and dialogue.

PURPOSE? This is to help you understand what is involved in preaching, how to prepare a sermon, and how to improve at the preaching of God's Word so that we can grow in our ability to teach & preach God's truth to God's people (2 Tim 4:2 - "preach ... be ready in season & out of season"). America & the Church needs more POWERFUL, FIERY, URGENT, BIBLICAL, and ENGAGING preachers!

FOR WHOM? This Preacher's Fellowship is for any man who aspires to know how to preach God's Word, construct a sermon, & actually preach & receive helpful encouragement & critique.

WHEN? The Preacher's Fellowship would meet every other Saturday morning from 8-9:30am (or earlier if you wish) so we are done & you can get home to be with your families for the day.

TYPICAL FORMAT:
8:00-8:20am    TEACHING on sermon prep, delivery, construction, etc.
8:20-8:40am    SERMON #1
8:40-9:00am    SERMON #2
9:00-9:30am    CRITIQUE & FEEDBACK on the two sermons that were preached.

WHAT IS REQUIRED? You would have the opportunity to prepare & preach a 20 minute sermon before the men (depending on how many men commit to this, you'd probably preach once a month). The benefits: you would be IN God's Word during the week, studying a given text, working through an outline, the intro, the conclusion, application, illustrations, etc. Then you would deliver it & we as your brothers would encourage you in what you did well & provide constructive criticism of the sermon as well.

Follow us on Twitter as we post frequent updates about the Preacher's Fellowship!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Jesus confronted the religious leaders of the day and called them hypocrites (ὑποκριταί) because they offered lip service to God but by their actions they showed that their hearts were far from Him. Jesus said:

Matthew 15:7-9   7 "You hypocrites (ὑποκριταί), rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:  8 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.  9 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'"

JC Ryle puts it so well:
I do not deny that there are many hypocrites in religion. There always were, and there always will be, as long as the world stands. As long as there is good gold and silver coin in the realm, so long there will be forging, coining, and counterfeit money. The very existence of bad coins is an indirect proof that there is something which it is worth while to imitate, and that there is such a thing as good current money in circulation. It is just the same with Christianity! The very fact that there are many false professors in the churches is an indirect proof that there are such people as true-hearted and sound believers. It is one of Satan’s favorite devices, in order to bring discredit on Christianity, to persuade some unhappy people to profess what they do not really believe. He tries to damage the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ in the world by sending out wolves in sheep’s clothing, and by raising up men and women who talk the language of Canaan, and wear the coat of God’s children, while they are inwardly rotten at heart.

Friday, April 6, 2012



Here are the songs that we plan to sing this Easter Sunday as we worship the Lord together at Tilles Park in St. Louis. Come join us at 10:00am! For more info, check out Christ Fellowship Bible Church's website.

1. Come, Christians join to sing

2. Come people of the risen King

3. O Church arise

4. In Christ alone

5. Mighty to save

Click on the links & listen. Prepare your hearts! See you there!


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