Thursday, December 29, 2011

CFBC SUPER STUDY — Fri, Dec 30th

Join us for CFBC's Super Study.Friday, Dec 30th @ Pastor Geoff's house | 7-9pm.Our topic is: Is the Bible Really Sufficient for All of Life?Bring your questions for a time of discussion & examining God's Word to see how God's Word speaks to various issues.Five particular areas of how God's Word...

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

what things does GOD hate?

Let's take heed to this text of Scripture which God gives to His people:Zechariah 8:16-17 16 'These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates. 17 'Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I HATE,' declares the LORD."...

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Monday, December 26, 2011

the duty of the parents to shepherd & teach their children.

Hear this exhortation from the 18th century but it is certainly just as relevant now as it was then:"It is to parents that the injunction is delivered, "thou shalt teach these words to thy children diligently, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house," and, "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." No pastoral attention should be intended, nor can be adapted, to supersede...

the PERFECT husband (men--brace yourselves)

From James Smith (mid 19th. century):Jesus loved, labored, suffered, bled, died, rose, ascended, and intercedes--to save His people from their sins! He is the perfect husband who . . . brings us into marriage-union with Himself, provides for all our necessities, and assures us of His unalterable love!He gives us . . . His arm to support us, His fullness to supply us, His name to entitle us,...

Friday, December 23, 2011

go to church on CHRISTMAS morn. THIS is the way to show your priority to Christ & worshipping Him!

From a pastor to the men of his congregation. I think it is absolutely right on.====================Men, I can’t believe how ridiculous this is, but I am writing tonight to urge you to take your families to church on Sunday, December 25th. Before it is a holiday, before it is a family gathering, before it is anything else it is a Sunday: a day set aside by God himself to worship. It is a day that...

Monday, December 19, 2011

preach the word in & out of season illustrated by the prophet AMOS.

2 Timothy 4:2 — preach the word; be ready in season and out of season (κήρυξον τὸν λόγον, ἐπίστηθι εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως)Amos, the prophet from Tekoa in Southern Israel, was called by God to prophesy doom and judgment upon the people of Northern Israel because of their social injustice, false & idolatrous...

Thursday, December 15, 2011

new chapter; new ministry; new location; same GOSPEL.

As of yesterday afternoon, our family made a transition in our life & ministry. After a decade of being in LA, a new ministry opportunity opened up to serve as pastor of Christ Fellowship Bible Church in St. Louis.After packing the moving truck, getting our car shipped, renting a car, and a two-day...

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

yes — the Bible says that God not only hates SIN but the SINNER.

"You hate all workers of iniquity!" Psalm 5:5 "It is not a little dislike--but a thorough hatred which God bears to workers of iniquity. To be hated by God is an awful thing. O let us be very faithful in warning the wicked around us, for it will be a terrible thing for them to fall into the hands of an angry God!" Charles Spurgeon "What a vile thing is sin, which makes the God of love and Father of...

Monday, December 5, 2011

a theological prayer from daniel — do we pray like this?

You know the story. Daniel 2 recounts the historical situation where King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon requested that the "wise" men of his empire reveal the dream and the interpretation that was troubling him. Obviously, they couldn't do it. So the King's order remained. All the wise men are to be killed...

Thursday, December 1, 2011

how did GOD appease His own anger toward sinners?

From John Stott:It is God himself who in holy wrath needs to be propitiated, God himself who in holy love undertook to do the propitiating, and God himself who in the person of his Son died for the propitiation of our sins. Thus, God took his own loving initiative to appease his own righteous anger...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

KNOWLEDGE must lead to GODLINESS.

Titus 1:1 - "...the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness"(Titus 1:1 - ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας τῆς κατ᾽ εὐσέβειαν)Isn't it amazing that Paul reminds the believers in Crete that the knowledge of the truth is not an end in and of itself. Knowledge about God is good — and commendable. But...

Sunday, November 27, 2011

the pastor's duty & the people's responsibility.

Amazing and totally relevant truth can be found in Ezekiel 33.THE CONTEXTJerusalem has just been ransacked by Nebuchadnezzar & the Babylonians (Ezek 33:21-29). Ezekiel and others are already in exile and they have received news from a messenger that the city has been taken (33:21).THE PREACHERGod told Ezekiel, the son of man, to continue preaching even when the people of Israel come before Ezekiel...

Saturday, November 26, 2011

what do you do when you DON'T delight in god?

Some very helpful words from John Piper:When you don't delight in God, what can you do to change?1. Realize that authentic joy and delight in God is a gift (Gal 5:22; Ps 51:12).2. Realize that joy must fought for relentlessly (2 Cor 1:24; Phil 1:25; 2 Tim 4:7; 1 Tim 6:12).3. Resolve to attack all known...

Friday, November 25, 2011

preparing to preach on paradise.

What a fabulous opportunity the preacher has to delve into God's Word and studies the profound glories of it. One such doctrine the Bible teaches is that all true believers will go to heaven and be with the Lord.Tomorrow night I'm preaching on how we as believers will relate to God in heaven. My topic...

Thursday, November 24, 2011

thanksgiving is ALWAYS in season.

Thanksgiving is never out of season, for we have always much to be grateful for.We must view ALL THINGS as . . . arranged by His wisdom, dependent on His will, sanctified by His blessing, according with His promises, and flowing from His love!"In everything give thanks!" 1 Thess 5.17HT: James Sm...

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

what happens when a sinner believes in CHRIST?

Martin Luther was right in the 16th century in answering the question: what happens at the moment of salvation?Though faith in Jesus Christ alone and by God's matchless grace alone, God forgives the sinner.And...God imputes (=credits, reckons) Christ's perfect righteousness to the sinner as if it were...

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

the history of Israel even up to her kingdom.

I rejoice greatly in the faithfulness of God to His covenant with His people, Israel. What God started and promised, He will fulfill perfectly and completely.My study in God's Word this morning led me to Ezekiel 20 which is where Ezekiel recounts God's dealings with Israel in her past when God chose...

Saturday, November 19, 2011

how should the sufficiency of Scripture affect YOU?

Wayne Mack helps by offering three insights:1. The inerrant Bible to which Christians are committed as an authority in life teaches that God has provided for us in His Word whatever is true and necessary for successful living. It declares that God has given us, in the Bible, everything we need for being in right relationship with God, ourselves, and other people.2. Because this is true, professing...

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

if JESUS is the Head & Builder of His church, then...

If Christ is the Head and if He builds his church, Then we must trust in Him that His purposes and plans for the church will be accomplished.Then we must acknowledge that He will build His church, not programs, people, entertainment, or anything else.Then we must remember that everything we do must exalt Him as the Head and Sovereign over His Church.Then we must content with all our might holding...

Monday, November 14, 2011

hey preacher — do you preach with passion? evangelistic zeal?

Timely, good, and heart-penetrating words concerning Richard Baxter:Baxter's preaching was characterized by a passionate evangelistic appeal. The great reality which moulded his ministry was the fact that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Extreme bodily weakness increased his awareness...

prayer needed for preaching & ordination.

This upcoming week will be quite busy for me and thus I come to you asking for prayer.1. Tonight I'm preaching one of the toughest texts in the Bible to herald—Revelation 14:9-12—in a sermon I've titled: "The horrors of hell unveiled before your heart."A growing number of churches and leaders are diminishing...

Saturday, November 12, 2011

the apostle paul's prayer for believers.

Ephesians 1:18-19 — I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the...

Friday, November 11, 2011

Tikvah Update — HOME!

So many of you have prayed for Tikvah and for our family and we give thanks for that. The doctors allowed us to come home from the hospital late Tuesday afternoon. The last few days have been busy getting her on a schedule, getting her to feed, and attending to Kiah as well.God has been so good to us...

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

the core of BIBLICAL COUNSELING.

Great words from Jay Adams:The goal of all counseling, whether biblical or secular, is to change people. However, all unbiblical systems, even when they speak of doing “depth” counseling, change people only at a surface level. (Jer.6:14; Mk.7:14-23).“The only person who can really operate at a level...

Tikvah UPDATE — great progress!

Thanks again for praying, dear friends. After a number of attempts, Tikvah finally gave in and is breathing on her own without the ventilator! She is recovering very well & in the next day or two will be transferred out of the CTICU to another unit for recovery till she goes home.Also, last night...

Monday, November 7, 2011

UPDATE: Tikvah

Thanks so much for praying for Tikvah. She has done remarkably well through the surgery, the closing of the chest, and her recovery.She has still refused to breathe on her own. She enjoys the ventilator breathing for her so the goal is, Lord willing, for her to be able to breathe on her own either today...

Friday, November 4, 2011

why the ethnic nation of Israel CANNOT be abolished or replaced.

Some think that God's plan for national, ethnic Israel is abolished but this viewpoint runs contradictory to at least two reasons that Jeremiah provides in chapter 31.1) As long as the sun, moon, and stars exist, the nation of Israel will exist as God's people.Jeremiah 31:35-36 — Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,...

Thursday, November 3, 2011

dude — where's your bride?

Sometimes people say and word things really well. Kevin DeYoung's post on dude—where's your bride? is one of those articles.It's a call to the men to step up, grow up, mature up, and look for a wife.He's right on & accurate in what he sa...

a purpose of afflictions.

According to Paul:2 Corinthians 1:3-4 — Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

our primary motive for everything must be the Lord's glory.

"To whom be glory forever" (2 Tim 4.18). This should be the single desire of the Christian. I take it that he should not have twenty wishes, but only one. He may desire to see his family brought up well, but only that "to God may be glory forever." he may wish for prosperity in business, but only so...

Monday, October 31, 2011

analogies between my daughter and every sinner's spiritual condition.

The analogies between my daughter’s heart condition and the spiritual condition of every human being are here defined.Just as my daughter was born with a bad heart, so every human being who is born into this world has a spiritually corrupt heart.Just as my daughter needs surgery performed on her heart...

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Tikvah Hadassah Kirkland

Born at 2:16am on Friday, October 29th, Tikvah Hadassah Kirkland entered the world weighing in at 7lbs 13oz.She is stable and doing well in the NICU as her heart-surgery is scheduled for Wednesday (more updates to follow). Thanks for your prayers!Soli Deo glor...

Thursday, October 27, 2011

We Must Preach from God's Word. Simple but Often Forgotten.

A timely reminder from J.C. Ryle:"I charge my readers to remember this. Stand fast on old principles. Do not forsake the old paths. Let nothing tempt you to believe that multiplication of forms and ceremonies, constant reading of liturgical services, or frequent communions, will ever do so much good...

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

how do you WORSHIP? is it BIBLICAL?

From David Peterson:"Throughout the Bible, acceptable worship means approaching or engaging with God on the terms that he proposes and in the manner that he makes possible. It involves honouring, serving and respecting him, abandoning any loyalty or devotion that hinders an exclusive relationship with...

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

who can worship GOD?

Good reminder from David Peterson in his book Engaging with God:"An engagement with God through Christ is now the only way to offer the worship that is due to Him" (187, emphasis adde...

Sunday, October 23, 2011

preach to an apathetic audience? learn from whitefield!

This gets my bones burnin' to preach.Another leading characteristic of Whitefield’s preaching was his tremendous earnestness. One poor uneducated man said of him, that “he preached like a lion.” He succeeded in showing people that he at least believed all he was saying, and that his heart, and soul,...

Saturday, October 22, 2011

john 3, street preaching, opposition & the gospel

Today God blessed me with being with my 3rd Street Heralds team today which I thoroughly enjoy. Today there were many who preached God's Word and God's gospel to a lot of people walking on the Promenade.Here is a link of my John 3 sermon, thanks to Living Waters Ministry.At about the 18:00 minute mark, some opposition aris...

Friday, October 21, 2011

rob bell's new book

Promoting false theology is not new. Rob Bell is following the step of many throughout history who deny the unpopular and hard-to-swallow doctrines of Scripture. The doctrine Bell denies is the eternal, conscious, torment by God upon all the unbelieving in the Lake of Fire forever.He has a second book coming out; it's actually a sequel to Love Wins. This one is called The Love Wins Companion. Should...

Tikvah — one week & counting...

Elizabeth and I trust the Lord with our daughter's heart condition and fully acknowledge that God will do whatever will bring Him the most glory — whether that be in her life or in her death. We are praying for wisdom as the surgeons will perform open-heart surgery in the first few days after the birth,...

Sunday, October 16, 2011

letter to an unsaved friend.

Read this letter that James Smith—pastor in the 19th century—penned this letter that is well worth your read. It is called Letter to an Unsaved Friend.Dear unsaved friend,Could you please read the following carefully, and then sign it--if you agree to it.I am resolved to persevere in sin, and follow...

the unity of believers when everyone looks to CHRIST.

From AW Tozer:"Has it ever occurred to you that 100 pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So 100 worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become...

Friday, October 14, 2011

i love my wife.

Heading to downtown LAAn awesome night of talking, Q&A, food, and more food!The greatest part of my week—by far—has been my date night with my beautiful wife, Elizabe...
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)