STUDENT! Five Thoughts On How To Use This Summer

 

STUDENT:  SOME THOUGHTS ON HOW TO USE THIS SUMMER 

Geoffrey R. Kirkland

Pastor, Christ Fellowship Bible Church 

Sermons  |  Podcasts  |  Articles

 

Student: here is some pastoral counsel from me to you. Let these *articles of advice* get you thinking about how you can spend your summer so you don’t waste it, but use it well for God’s glory. 

5 articles of advice:

1. Rest But Stay Diligent 

Whether you stay around your campus for summer work or if you travel home (or somewhere else), make it your aim to rest and enjoy summertime while at the same time diligently doing what God has called you to do — work!  Aim to do all that you do for God’s glory, while at home, with friends, on the job, or traveling. So then: work, sleep, enjoy the summer but don’t fall into laziness. Have fun and engage with friends but don’t sit in front of the TV all day. Don’t binge watch movies all day. Don’t waste the precious gift of time God has given you. Be diligent. Have a plan. Be thoughtful. Have a schedule. Plan and prepare and implement. The key is to not be passive, a time-waster, and idle. 

2. Read, Memorize and Learn.

Make it your daily resolve to wake up and start your day reading God’s Word and in prayer. Don’t sleep the day away and neglect God’s Word. In fact, make it your aim to memorize a favorite psalm (e.g., Psalm 32, 63, 95, 103, 145) or another portion of Scripture (e.g., Ephesians 2; Philippians 3; James 1, etc). Further: pick a good book and read it carefully, thoughtfully and engagingly during the summer to sharpen your theological understanding. You might want to read Kevin DeYoung: “Just Do Something” or Mark Dever: “9 Marks of a Healthy Church” or Paul Tripp: “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands” or Paul Washer: “The Gospel’s Power and Message”. 

3. Re-gather, Serve & Linger Long with Saints. 

This Sunday, like this week, make it your goal to attend worship with the saints. In fact, I encourage you to not go only to the late service (and please don’t show up late to that!), but get there early, ask how you can serve, hand out bulletins, greet folks, help set up chairs, do sound, sit close and take notes!  And, I challenge you, make it your aim to find a godly, older couple in your local church and spend time with them. Ask if you can treat them to a cup of coffee (after church or another time that’s most convenient). Or ask if you can come to their home and bring a meal to get to know them. Attend. Serve. Give. Employ your gifts. Learn from and linger with saints who have walked the journey and who are still walking closely with Jesus.

4. Fight for Purity. Slay the Beginnings of Temptation. Enjoy Christ.

Kill sexual sin! You will be tempted. Count on it. Get a battle plan. Have a fighter verse (Psalm 119:9, 105; Job 31:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Psalm 16:11) to help you so you can run there in a moment of temptation (on the screen, in person, at the gym, or wherever). Remember that sin is always full of lies and sin is always bad. Always. Sin makes promises but never delivers. Sin, like a rose, may look and smell enticing but you grab it with your hands and the thorns prick you. If you need guidance in this, read Proverbs 5-7 often (even daily!) and remember that Christ is infinitely greater, better, purer, sweeter, and more satisfying than any promise immorality could ever make! Choke sexual sin. Starve it. Don’t feed it. Run to Scripture, to Christ, to Truth, to the Gospel!

5. Engage in Some Evangelistic Outing With Other Believers. 

I bet someone from your church would love to join you for an evangelism outing this summer.  Grab some New Testaments, or some gospel tracts, and your Bible and go to a busy plaza where people gather. Or, go out on the 4th of July to a downtown gathering where lots of people will congregate. Go to a local Memorial Day parade. Offer people gospel tracts. Do so with a smile. Ask people if they have the assurance of eternal life when they die — and be ready and prepared to engage them in gospel conversation and proclaim God’s gospel to them. Watch and see how going out and “fishing for souls” will enliven and invigorate your heart and the hearts of other believers who go out with you. If you’re not sure where to go, or who to do it with, reach out to your pastor and he would love to help you. 

Eccl. 12:1, 13-14 —  Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them” ...  The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

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How To Suffer Well

 

How To Suffer Well

Geoffrey R. Kirkland

Christ Fellowship Bible Church 

“Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:3). The Lord Jesus alerts His followers that they all will suffer (2 Tim 3:12) for the world hates Christ and so the world will hate Christ’s own (John 15:18-20). So how, then, must we suffer well? What should we as believers mark upon our minds and set upon our souls so that we would triumph and persevere through suffering?

1. Know your lot
Remember who you are. You belong to Christ: the Prince of Peace who came unto His own but His own did not receive Him (John 1:11). Remember that if your Master has suffered so you too will suffer (John 15:20). Indeed, Christ has set the example for believers to follow in His steps (1 Pet 2:21). What is the lot of believers? What is the God-given, divinely-distributed portion for the people of God? It is to remember that Paul said: we have been destined for afflictions (1 Thess 3:5) and to not be afraid of what believers are about to suffer (Rev 3:10). The lot in the Christian’s life is suffering which produces an eternal weight of glory. If Christ, our Captain, suffered, then we as His soldiers can expect nothing less. If Christ, our Forerunner, has suffered, then let us embrace the same calling.

2. Follow your Master
Christ Himself endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb 12:2). He followed the Father in all things (Luke 2:49). Jesus relentlessly gave Himself to the Father’s will (John 4:34). The examples of endurance that God provides comes in Hebrews 11 as the author lays forth all those who lived by faith and gained approval through their faith. They all looked to the Lord Himself by faith (Heb 11:6). The Lord Jesus knew what it was to suffer for He Himself died and has come to life (Rev 2:8). He reassures the church in Smyrna that in their suffering, He walks with them and knows all about their tribulation and their poverty (Rev 2:9). Christ calls His people to follow Him through the course of suffering. He Himself suffered and has paved the way for all of His followers to trail behind Him with persevering resilience. Just as Christ did, all believers are called to be faithful till death and Christ Himself will give the crown of life (Rev 2:10). Christ suffered and then He received glory. So it is with every believer. No greater blessing could be given to a child of God than to follow Christ and suffer for Him!

3. Consider life's brevity
When the waves of life’s sufferings come crashing down on a believer’s head it can be difficult to see the sun through the thunderclouds above. Yet it is there. After the storm comes the rays of sunlight that beam through the blue skies. So it is with every follower of Christ who suffers. The thunderclouds of suffering — however many there may be, and however severe they may be, and however long they may remain — shall one day pass. This life of suffering and pain shall not endure forevermore. Indeed, those who endure and overcome in Christ will not be hurt by the second death (Rev 2:11). The bonds and afflictions of life are afflictions, to be sure, and yet they are pictured as being momentary, light afflictions (2 Cor 4:17). They are momentary. Yet Paul spent nights and days in the deep, with shipwrecks, without food, without clothing, running for his life, in dangers on the sea and on dry land. And still, Paul describes the life of suffering as momentary. Why? Because life is brief. We are here today and gone tomorrow. We are but for a brief moment. When a Christian suffers, let him affix his heart to the future certainty that, when this brief life passes, God will assuredly wipe every tear from his eyes (Rev 7:17). Life is short. Heaven’s glory soon comes!

4. Proclaim Christ courageously
How did the Apostle Paul conduct himself when he found himself imprisoned for the cause of Christ in a cold cell in Rome (Phil 1:13)? He assured the believers that his imprisonment has served to make the cause of Christ known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else (Phil 1:13). No one could shut Paul up! He proclaims Christ even in the suffering and endured confidently whatever Christ brought His way as a divinely-graced and providentially-bestowed opportunity for gospel proclamation. The gospel spreads through proclamation. It must be spoken. It must be declared. It must be announced. This was, in fact, Paul’s ambition. With all boldness, he said, he wanted Christ as always to be exalted in his body -- whether by life or by death (Phil 1:20). When the Romans did put Paul in jail (in his first Roman imprisonment) he was gave himself to “explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus … from morning until evening” (Acts 28:23). Indeed, Acts concludes by stating that Paul spent two full years in his own quarters preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered (Acts 28:30-31). Let every suffering saint take this to heart. View the times of trouble as gifts from God’s benevolent hand for you to capitalize on the opportunities to proclaim a most satisfying Christ that far surpasses the pleasures, comforts, and hopes of this world.

5. Look to heaven’s glory
A day will soon dawn when every child of God will see his God in his flesh and shall behold with his own eyes (Job 19:26-27). O how the believer can shout with joy: “my heart faints within me” (Job 19:27)! The outer man decays and let it decay day by day. But the inner man, by God’s grace, is being renewed day by day for the glory of God (2 Cor 4:16). All of this momentary, light affliction is producing for believers an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (2 Cor 4:17). This means that every believer who feels though he is drowning in the dregs of despair or in the iron-cell of abandonment must anchor his heart, his eyes, his mind, and his will to the divinely promised word that an eternal weight of glory is soon-coming. It’s an eternal weight of glory. It’s a glory that cannot be surpassed! It cannot be exchanged! It cannot be trumped. This weight of glory that God gives to His triumphant saints is eternal and unfading. Believers must allow sufferings to wean their hearts off of this world and plant them deeply in the next. Elsewhere Paul affirmed that all the sufferings of this present age are not even worthy to be compared with the glory that is sure to be revealed to us (Rom 8:18). Yes believers groan and long for that full redemption but, until that day, let suffering believers look to heaven’s sure and sweet and satisfying and splendid glory. It is sure to come! Look for it! Hope for it! Anchor your heart there! And when the paws of the trials of this age seize, look to heaven’s glory!

>> More articles can be found at Pastor Geoff's website here.

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The Man In Ministry.

The Man In Ministry 

Geoffrey R. Kirkland, Pastor

Christ Fellowship Bible Church 

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 -- "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy."

Men of God in ministry must strive for holiness. God's men must be godly in all the following realms.   

1. His HOLINESS.  

God’s man must strive for holiness. No shortcuts exist for personal piety and Christlikeness. Men of God must pursue holiness with singular passion and wholehearted devotion. He must live consecrated to God in every area of life. His holiness must permeate his thought life, his time management, his personal relationships, his interpersonal dealings, his attitude and demeanor, and his ministry endeavors. He must exude Christian holiness in all of life as God’s man and as Christ’s under shepherd in caring for the redeemed people of God. 

2. His HUMILITY. 

Men in ministry must know their weakness and helplessness. Men of God do not claim to have it all together nor can they claim to handle things appropriately. Men of God know their faults, their limits, their sins, and their inability to bring lasting results for God’s glory. Yet, this does not drive the man to despair but rather it propels him to greater prayer and prostrate worship to the living God of power for sustaining ability and grace. Men of God must preeminently be marked by humility. This will then liken him to Christ who perfectly embodies lowliness and humility. As Jesus depended on the Word by constantly saying: “It is written” so the man in ministry must similarly know and trust in the living Word to guide him in life, guard him from temptation, satisfy him in consecration, and refocus him against worldliness. 

3. His HOLD. 

This man of God in ministry not only has the Word of God hiding in his heart but the Word has a strong hold on Him. It’s not the degrees that he has that makes him competent and qualified but rather the Living and abiding Word of God that has a firm grip on him that shields him from Satanic temptation and reflects the image of Christ in his life and ministry. He must so hold on to God’s Word with such tenacity that he thinks biblically. His decisions demonstrate a thorough biblical-mindedness. He has his senses trained to discern good from evil and he fervently clings to what is good but abhors what is evil. Understanding his role as God’s slave and a steward of the mysteries of God shows itself in his scrupulous time management and utter abhorrence of wasting any God-grace time that could be afforded in the things of God and the advancement of Christ’s kingdom. This man of God shows his true colors by delighting in God’s strict hold on his heart and life. 

4. His HERALDING. 

The foremost calling and preeminent duty of the man of God is to tirelessly preach the Word of God. He must know the Word, study the Word, pray the Word, understand the Word, and proclaim the Word with unstoppable passion and tireless zeal. He must, as Paul put it, be ‘able to teach.’ He must have the ability to handle the Word so that God’s people can understand the texts of Scripture. To do this, however, demands that he spends much time studying the Word as a precise surgeon so that he can rightly divide the Word, explain the Word, exhort the Word, apply the Word, and deliver God’s Word as a faithful herald of the heavenly King. Much of this work requires him to descend to his knees in prayerful desperation, in careful study, in theological research, in original language study, and in homiletical care. He does this so that He can faithfully discharge his duty of exalting God, explaining His Word, and shepherding the flock by feeding them the solid meat of the Word. 

5. His HOME. 

Without question, the real training ground that qualifies a man to serve the household of God in a church is how he carefully and prayerfully leads his own household at home. If a man fails at home, he fails everywhere. He can build a great church and succeed in many programmatic endeavors but if he fails at home, he is a complete failure. Men in ministry prove their leadership and overseeing ability by caring for the mini-flock in the home. If the man is married, he shows himself to be a one-woman-man. He singularly loves his wife—alone. He cares for her passionately. And he loves her sacrificially in a way that obviously and unquestionably reflects Christ’s love for His Church. If he has children in the home, he manages his household well and keeps the children under control (as faithful children) with all dignity. He pastors them. He lives involved in their lives. He protects from worldliness. When sin creeps in, he handles it patiently, tenderly, biblically. He strives to make peace in the home. He leads in modeling repentance, forgiveness, humility, and reconciliation. If a man cannot lead at home, why does one think he would be qualified to lead in the church? The home is the testing and proving ground for God’s man to show that he really is a biblical shepherd.

6. His HONORABLENESS. 

The most honorable man to ever live is the Lord Jesus Christ. Men of God who serve as undershepherds must live honorably. There should be a distinctiveness and an attractiveness to this man’s conduct and character. Without this honorable lifestyle, shame will come upon the man, the church, the gospel, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Living honorably means that the man will demonstrate a prudent, respectable lifestyle. He will be a clear-thinker, objective, and unswayed by cultural preferences. He will be temperate and orderly and exuding godly maturity. He does not live enslaved to any substance — to alcohol, drugs, or anything. He loves to open his home in hospitality. He refuses any pugnacious, bullying, selfish attitudes. Rather, he pursues with great vigilance a gentle, meek, peaceable lifestyle both toward God’s people and toward outsiders so as to not bring reproach on Christ nor fall into the snare of the devil. 

*For more resources on pastoral ministry, click HERE.

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Some Ways You Can Pray For Your Elders.

We Beg You, Church-Member, Pray For Your Elders!

Geoffrey R. Kirkland,   Christ Fellowship Bible Church 

 

 
The Christian has no more powerful weapon that is constantly available to him than the glorious privilege of prayer. Intercessory prayer proves to be the greatest -- and at the same time, the hardest -- blessing that Christians have for one another! We can and must minister biblical truth to each other. Yes we must encourage. And sure we must reprove and confront when needed. But how frequently do we read of Paul begging believers: “pray for us” (1 Thess 5:25; 2 Thess 3:1; cf. Heb 13:18). Faithful shepherds would resonate with this simple plea to every church-member, “Brethren: pray for us!” How, you ask? Pray for your elders in the following suggested ways.

Know The Lord!
Pray for your elders to know the Lord. Simply: more than anything else in the world, pray that they would know God -- deeply. Pray that God would enlarge their understanding, deepen their convictions, widen their grasp, and tighten their adherence to God’s glory and character. Pray for your shepherds to know God in such a way that they experientially long to be with God in communion. Pray that their service is not rote or heartless. But pray that their ministerial work flows from a warm heart of devotion to Christ that all springs from a deep, tender, ever-growing knowledge of God!

Know the Word!
Pray for your elders to know the Word. Our guidebook is Scripture. Our foundation upon which we build all of life and ministry is the sufficient and clear Word of God. Nothing is as fixed as God’s Word. Nothing is as unchangeable as His Truth. In an age of opposition to divine authority and in a world drowning in rebellion against God’s clear directives, your elders covet and need your intercessory prayer. Pray for their courage to stand upon Scripture in the face of any and all opposition. Pray for their theological precision and robust grip of the biblical gospel so that Satan does not sway them away from the priorities. Pray for them to know and feed on the Word!

Know the Flock!
Pray for your elders to know the flock. Remember what Solomon charged his son: know well the condition of your flocks (Prov 27:23). Your elders have much to do including prayer, study of the Word, and administrative details. But remember: pastoral work is shepherding work. Ministerial work is people work. Pastors engage in soul-care. Pray for daily strength, divine power, sustaining energy, grace-given endurance, and joy-filled hearts. Intercede often for your ministers as their work often goes unnoticed, and at times, unappreciated. Pray for the Lord to minister to their hearts as they minister to the hearts of the saints. Pray for God to guard them from ‘pastoral burnout’ and from overworking to the neglect of their primary ministry -- his own wife and children. Pray that they would know needs, attend to them, and balance his time and duties well.

Know the Danger!
Pray for your elders to know the danger. Dangerous times are those in which we live! The god of this world is plunging many with him to perdition! And how he loves to distract the saints, distort the gospel, defile the leaders, destroy the gospel’s reputation and disrupt godly fellowship. Pray frequently and fervently for God to protect your congregation! Pray for your leaders in this! Pray that they would know and see the danger as a watchman of old was to observe a danger on the horizon and cry out to prevent harm from striking. Pray that God’s leaders would have insight and discernment to protect the flock preventatively instead of reactively after the danger has pierced through. Pray much and often for this is vital to the church’s health!

Know the Power!
Pray for your elders to know the power. Any faithful shepherd would honestly affirm his own weakness and inadequacy in himself to do pastoral work. So pray for him and with him to have and know the power of God! Consider calling your pastor and praying with and for him to have the power of God in his prayer time, in his sermon preparation time, in his preaching, and in his pastoral work. Pray for him to know the power of God and to see glimpses of God’s grace revealed as he marvels at how God works in and through him for the advance of the gospel and for the fame of Christ’s Name! Pray for him to experience the power of God while he heralds the gospel. Pray for him to see converts as he evangelizes and calls sinners to repent and believe. Pray for him to know power in the counseling room as he seeks to help believers put off sin and put on holiness. Pray for him and with him to have divine power in his work!

Know the Joy!
Pray for your elders to know the joy. Fullness of joy, the happinesses of joy, the delightfulness of joy and the otherworldliness of joy! Yes, pray for your shepherd-elders to have the divine glory of joy strike deep in their souls. Pray that even when hospital visits are needed, when struggling saints need reproof, when bad doctrine must be confronted, and when busyness creeps in that the joy of the Lord would refresh them, sustain them, gladden them, and enlarge their hearts. Pray for these shepherds to drink of the river of God’s delights -- daily. Pray for your elders to do their work not out of sheer duty but out of joyful wonder at God’s grace and call and glory! Pray for the joy of your elders to permeate through the flock so that Christian joy would characterize your local church congregation. Pray much and often for the God of joy to grant joy to your leaders!

 

 

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Children Are Like Arrows!

ARROWS.
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church


Psalm 127:3—4  
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,  The fruit of the womb is a reward.
LIKE ARROWS in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.


Children, like arrows, are sharp, powerful & can accomplish great things! An arrow, carefully and diligently sharpened, can accomplish powerful results if shot rightly, powerfully, accurately, and precisely. Let us remember that our children, in a similar way, can accomplish great tasks and effect tremendous results if we would sharpen them diligently and in biblically.

Children, like arrows & unlike a sword, can go where the warrior cannot go (v.4)!  Parents must remember that our children can go to places in the world, in the region, in the city that we ourselves are unable to go. Just as an arrow that flies from the hand of the warrior goes swiftly to a location where the warrior himself cannot go, so our children can accomplish great things far and wide!

Children, like arrows, are to be offensive weapons to fight battles that are afar off & coming (v.4)!  Arrows in the hand of a warrior are never defensive weapons. Never does a mighty man sharpen an arrow just to hide it in his quiver. Rather, he readies his arrows and his mind so that when danger approaches, he stands ready to engage in combat. In a similar way, even now there may be battles that are afar off and over the horizon, but give it time and the combat will draw near. Let us prepare our children for battle!

Children, like arrows, must be deployed by God who knows how to use them best (v.4)!  Ultimately, the arrow is in the power and under the prerogative of the mighty warrior. The arrow does not pick and choose and aim and fire itself. Rather, the warrior lets it go. Ultimately, we as parents aren’t ‘Ultimate Warriors’, God is! God must deploy them for He knows how to use our arrows best.

Children, like arrows, must be straightened to be powerful thru discipline (v.4)!  A warrior preparing for combat straightens his arrows so that there are no rough patches on the shaft. It must be strong, powerful, able to penetrate, and certainly not flimsy. Likewise, we must straighten, fortify, and establish our children to be powerful and resolute through discipline and fervent instruction.

Children, like arrows, must be sharpened thru instruction, teaching (v.4)!  A warrior could pick the most sturdy instrument for the arrow but if the head is dull, it will accomplish no good. Let us sharpen our children, like arrows, constantly, fervently, intentionally, biblically, and theologically so that they are sharp in their knowledge of God, His ways, His Word, and how to live for His glory!

Children, like arrows, must be aimed/directed for the future thru sharing the faith, vision, future, truth, gospel (v.4)!  If a mighty man of war does not put himself in a ready position for battle with his arsenal readily available and his arrows at his disposal for future battle he is a warrior that is soon to perish. Let us direct our children toward Christ and prepare them for the long-haul to serve Him as we proclaim the essentials of faith, the ultimate passion for God’s glory and the necessity of a life of integrity.

Children, like arrows, should be aware of how powerful they are & the effect they can have (for the Master's use) (v.4)!  Arrows can kill. They can penetrate deep below the skin and can kill the enemy or, if wrongly utilized, can harm oneself or a friend. Let children understand that they are powerful beings made in God’s image and yet they can have such a mighty and powerful impact for the Master’s use. Let us employ them and send them as powerful instruments in the Redeemer’s hands!

Children, like arrows, must be aimed at the bullseye (salvation of their souls) thru constant evangelization with grace-driven, Christ-exalting urgency!  No matter how skilled and professional a warrior may be, if he aims at nothing, he’s sure to hit it. O let parents learn this truth! We must aim and direct our children to hit the bulls-eye. The bulls-eye of childrearing is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want our children to know the gospel, comprehend the gospel, believe this gospel, surrender their lives to obey this gospel, follow Jesus Christ, and live confidently and courageously for Him regardless of the cost and even to the point of death.

Children, like arrows, must be let go & leave the bow (home) (v.4)!  No front-line warrior would ever attend vigilantly to his arrows in the home and then refuse to release the arrow in the demanding moments of warfare. In similar way, parents must prepare to release and send them!

Children, like arrows, once shot in warfare cannot be retrieved -- so make every moment count! (v.4)!  In combat, warriors never would cross into enemy territory to retrieve the already-shot arrows. Once fired, they’re gone. Parents must redeem the time, making the most of every opportunity to point our children to Christ and to lovingly urge them to surrender to Him! Let us daily teach, faithfully model, and woo them to Christ!

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Equipping Men of the Church to Be Shepherds At Home!

 

EQUIPPING THE MEN TO BE SHEPHERDS AT HOME
Taking the men's morning study & turning it into a marital discipleship-relationship.
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

Geoffrey R. Kirkland

How can we encourage, equip & exhort the Christ Fellowship Bible Church men to shepherd, nurture, instruct & pastor their wives at home? How can we as men follow the command of our Savior and give ourselves up for our wives and sanctify them by washing them in the Word? After all, this is what Jesus our Savior does for us? So how can we emulate our Savior and practically implement this in our own marriages? Here are some super practical suggestions.

1. PAY ATTENTION CAREFULLY. (LISTEN!)
You cannot give to your wife what you don’t possess. You cannot impart knowledge to her that you do not have. So, men, as you come on Friday mornings, pay attention, focus, fight distractions and listen carefully so as to understand the teaching and meaning of God’s Word. Let it sink into your mind, heart, affections, and indeed, your whole being.

2. TAKE NOTES AS NEEDED.  (REMEMBER!)
Some people benefit from taking notes and jotting down memorable points. Others find great help by taking copious notes so they can review them later on and rehearse the entire study to themselves. Whatever way is best for you, the goal is to remember what you studied, what you learned, and what God used to teach and convict you so you can disseminate that to your wife.

3. THINK IMPLEMENTATION.   (APPLY!)
As the men’s study progresses, always be thinking and asking yourself, ‘how must I apply what I’m learning/reading from the Word of God?’ Never be happy in hearing the Word only; always be a doer. If God’s Word doesn’t make you better, then it’s all for naught. So when you attend and listen, be humble, be willing to be convicted, broken, exposed, and molded into Christ’s image by God’s Spirit through the study of the Word of God. Apply to your heart first.

4. PRIORITIZE THE DISCUSSION.  (SCHEDULE!)
Every man lives a busy life. We must schedule and prioritize appointments. If men don’t schedule certain activities, it’ll get crowded out or forgotten altogether. So, men, schedule a discussion with your wife. It must be priority. We are called by God to sanctify our wives and wash them in the Word. It’s not optional! We must prioritize this discussion. Make it happen. It’s as important as a meeting with your top client. There, you may have a follow-up review with a boss; but remember, on the final day, you’ll stand before God Himself and give account to your faithfulness. So prioritize this. Schedule this. Make it happen. Yes, it is really that important.

5. SHARE PERSONAL TRUTHS LEARNED.  (HONESTY!)
When you have that precious time talking with your wife, honestly share with her what you’ve learned. Tell her what the discussion was about. Inform her of the Scriptures you covered (even read the verses with her!). Share what you learned, doctrines that God reminded you of, insights that other men shared, and ways in which the Spirit of God convicted and challenged you. Not only is this helpful to wash your God-graced companion and help-mate in the Word and apply the Word to her heart and life, but it builds an emotional bond as you honestly and humbly share what you are learning. What a model of leadership! What exemplary husbanding!

6. TRUST THE POWER OF THE WORD.  (CONFIDENCE!)
In pastoring a congregation at large or pastoring one’s family at home, the shepherd must trust the power of the Word to do its work. The Word works in those who believe. So men must have confidence in God’s power to work through His word to sanctify your wife as you shepherd her in the Truth. Trust God’s Word to work in her life, in your marriage, in your relationship, and in her love for, respect for, submission to and affection for you. Men, lead and trust!

 

 

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50 Practical Reasons For You To Thank God.

50 Reasons For You To Thank God.

Geoffrey R. Kirkland

 1 Thessalonians 5.18 -- 'in everything give thanks...'

Thank God ….

1. for life and breath physically. 

2. for eternal life and salvation spiritually. 

3. for the necessities of clean water & food.

4. for the Word of God in your own language.

5. for the glorious Triune, eternal, unrivaled God.

6. for the everlasting love and perfections of the Father.

7. for the undeserved grace & atoning work of Jesus.

8. for the regenerating, particular, comforting love of the Spirit. 

9. for the fact that you shall never experience God’s judgment — ever!

10. for your shelter and protection.

11. for your health and ability to live and move. 

12. for your family physically. 

13. for your family spiritually. 

14. for the gift of your local church.

15. for the guarantee that Christ will grow & protect His Church.

16. for the involvement you have in your church family.

17. for the relationships you have in the Body of Christ.

18. for your conscience — God’s inner preacher of right & wrong.

19. for the many promises of God that are all “YES” in Christ!

20. for a bed to sleep on comfortably.

21. for clothing to cover you appropriately. 

22. for the happy blessings of life that make you laugh.

23. for the promise of eternal life in heaven with Christ.

24. for your escape of eternal hellfire under God’s wrath.

25. for your clear mission to make disciples and help them grow in Christ.

26. for your eyes to see the beauties of God’s creation.

27. for your ears to hear the word of God preached.

28. for your hands to serve and work diligently for God’s glory.

29. for your nose to smell the wonders of God’s creative works.

30. for your tongue to taste what God has given.

31. for the triumph of Jesus Christ over Satan and all His minions. 

32. for the disarming and sure-doom of Satan by Christ’s power.

33. for the casting of all of your sins on Jesus Christ.

34. for the marriage-bond and covenant-union you have “IN CHRIST JESUS”.

35. for the divine guarantee that you shall be “glorified” and shall see Jesus.

36. for your marriage.

37. for your children.

38. for your extended family.

39. for the soon-coming of Jesus Christ to seize us to meet Jesus in the clouds.

40. for the return of Jesus Christ in power & glory to judge all unbelievers.

41. for the future kingdom of Christ to reign righteously on the earth.

42. for the new heavens and the new earth to dwell in forevermore with God.

43. for authorities that God has put in place.

44. for joy that God gives in a confused world.

45. for hope that is firm and secure and anchored in Christ’s character.

46. for missionaries who take the gospel to the lost to see them saved.

47. for evangelists who live to proclaim the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

48. for shepherd-elders who preach the Word and defend the Truth.

49. for the wondrous privilege of prayer that is always available thru Christ.

50. for the gift of the prayer meeting with the assembly of the redeemed. 

 

Psalm 103.2 -- 'bless the LORD O my soul and forget none of His benefits...'

Psalm 116.12 -- 'What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?'

 

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Compelling Reasons To Start Your Day Early With God.

 COMPELLING REASONS TO START YOUR DAY EARLY WITH GOD.
Meet with God before you meet with men.
Geoffrey R. Kirkland

God’s Word provides a daily prayer for God’s people: “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90;14).  Moses prayed those words that may provide a fitting early-morning prayer to God for all of us. George Mueller once said: “I want to encourage all Christians to get into the habit of rising early to meet with God.”  The morning time, more than any other time, provides the best occasion to orient your heart and mind to God and His Word at the very outset of a new day. Abraham rose early to meet with God (Gen 19:27). Moses rose early and built an altar to Yahweh (Ex 24:4). Even the Servant-Song speaks of the Messiah as one who morning by morning is awakened and is taught (Isaiah 50:4).

In this brief write-up, I want to give a pastoral plea for you to start your day with God. I want to provide some practical and compelling reasons for you to begin your days early with God before you go to email, social media, and news. I will provide seven pastoral pleas and I will word them in the negative for greater impact.


If you don’t begin your day early and with God, then...
1. You fill your mind with the world before divine truth.  — You do not want your mind to sit idle from the early morning waiting for the things of this world to fill it. If you do not proactively and diligently fill your heart with divine truth, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life will not wait long before they will occupy your thoughts. Strive to fill your mind with Truth before the word seeps in.
2. You give an easy opportunities for anxieties to birth, fester and grow. —  If you do not start your day with God early and preeminently, then the cares of this world and the worries of your heart will quickly take root and occupy your thoughts. You don’t want the anxieties of this world to begin in seed form early in the morning, fester all day, and then grow into mind-consuming troubles. Rather, fill yourself full with the character & beauty of God.
3. You go against Psalm 119:147: seek the Lord early. — The psalmist made it his goal to rise early and cry for help. If you don’t come to God early, the world will come to you swiftly. If you don’t fill your heart with divine Truth then the world will fill you full with its lies, its temptations, its cravings, and its desires. Seek the Lord early and wait for His Words by eagerly, diligently, and passionately pursuing Him in His Word.
4. You contradict the example of Christ who woke early and went to seek God early.  — Even your own Savior, the blessed God-Man, rose early in the morning while it was still dark to get away and be alone with God in prayer. Strive to emulate your Savior.  If the perfect Son of God needed morning prayer and anchoring His heart with the Father, so must you and I also!
5. You miss the way to filter and discern what you see of the world thru the word (if you meet the world before meeting the Word).  — It is the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit, which provides us an all-sufficient tool to wield off the temptations of the Evil one and His flaming arrows. If you don’t spend time in the Word first and in prayer, then you don’t have the proper filter in place by which you can sift through all the things that will bombard you in a given day. God’s Word gives you the lens through which you must test everything. Indeed, you are to abstain from every appearance of evil and hold fast to that which is good.
6. You will find it harder to focus and linger in heart and mind because of distractions. — If you try to put off having your time with God until later in the day, you will soon find it much more difficult to focus because of the many distractions that come from any number of instrumental means. Your phone may ding, the email may arrive, the calendar alert may sound, your thoughts may plague you, that meeting agenda will come to your mind that you have to prepare for. And on it goes. But if you start your day with God, you can take every thought captive later on throughout the day having rested your heart and soul on the steady Sovereignty of your heavenly Father.
7. You’ll be unfit to meet with men without having met with God first. — You will be much better suited and prepared to meet with men only after you have met with God. But until you have met with God, you are not be able nor equipped to meet with men. Commune with men less and more with God. Communing with Christ will guard your thoughts, your words, your reactions and responses, your actions and practices, and your daily conduct.


Seek to emulate the wise example of Robert Murray M’Cheyne. On February 23, 1834, the 20-year-old McCheyne wrote in his journal, “Rose early to seek God and found him whom my soul loveth. Who would not rise early to meet such company?”


To conclude, pastor Scott Hubbard provides a wise word:
"Nevertheless, the testimony of God’s people in Scripture and church history suggests that morning is, far and away, the best time for most of us to meet with God. Before the day’s tasks demand to be done, before the headlines bring the world into our living rooms, before our phones beg for our attention, and before the air around us starts humming with activity, we desperately need to hear from God. We need the first voice of the day to be his."

 

**Download the PDF article here

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Go and Compel Sinners To Come In!

GO AND COMPEL SINNERS TO COME IN! 

Geoffrey R. Kirkland

Pastor, Christ Fellowship Bible Church 

The Scripture: 
LUKE 14:23
ἔξελθε εἰς τὰς ὁδοὺς καὶ φραγμοὺς καὶ ἀνάγκασον εἰσελθεῖν, ἵνα γεμισθῇ μου ὁ οἶκος·
“Go out into the highways and the hedges and compel them to come in so that my house may be filled.”

 

 

As I reflect on the duty and joyful privilege of man-fishing, I find it helpful to reflect and pray on the sweetness of Christ and the joy of calling sinners to flee from the wrath to come by looking to Christ the Lamb who bore divine judgment in the stead of hopeless sinners who repent and believe in Him. 

 

I.  the plan / the pursuit / the passion
1. GO OUT! - ἔξελθε- GO OUT / depart/ leave! “Go Out” / point from which you depart.
2. COMPEL! -  ἀνάγκασον- Compel! Force! Plead! Beg! Woo!  Draw!  To Necessitate; to Compel; To Drive To.  It is a very strong verb that demands compulsion, begging, wooing, entreating, pleadings.


II. the purpose!
    *God says: so that my house my be full!

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For me, personally, here are some of my goals & ambitions as I seek to proclaim Christ:

• I make it a personal goal to share the gospel daily (a child, a gas-station, a stranger, giving out a tract, a server at a restaurant, a student, someone waiting for a bus, etc.).
• I try to make an outing of evangelism/soul-winning each week.
• I want to explain the gospel and compel sinners to respond in repentance + faith.
• I want to give them a tract; follow-up; a website; my email.
• I offer them to get together and open the Bible and talk about these things.
• I willingly pray with them if they’ll allow me at the end of the conversation.
• I greedily want souls to know Christ, rest in His efficacious cross-work & have eternal life.
• I want Christ the Lord to receive the full reward of His labors. I know that He will. So my confidence in the absolute sovereignty of God encourages me and instills confidence as I go out and labor for converts.
• I believe with all my heart that God’s Word (preached, in written tract form, or verbalized in a conversation) shall never ever return void. He will use it in accomplishing and in the outworking of His sovereignly ordained decrees. 
• I personally believe there's something vitally important as a shepherd and leader to exemplify soul-winning for the believers I shepherd in the local church. I often take church folks out with me for evangelism so we can do it together and reflect on it together and sharpen each other. 
  

 

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:1 -- Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

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