vassal of the King

THE ART OF PREACHING. Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church To preach is to lift one’s voice and cry out with an urgent message. Preaching is not synonymous with teaching although true preaching must always include teaching truth. The act of preaching is when a man is called and commissioned by God to take God’s message and lift up the voice, cry out, and urge men and women to hear the meaning of God’s message and how it must affect their lives. Christ commissioned men to preach. The art of preaching should always include a number of key characteristics. 1. BIBLICAL. To preach a biblical sermon, a man must have plunged into the Word of God and prayed over it during the week. Preaching must be biblical if it will have any effect whatsoever. To preach without a Bible is to eat without food. To preach a sermon void of biblical truth is to indulge in a meal without substantive food. Cotton candy will not sustain a person for long. He needs solid food, healthy food, g

Paul’s Use of Psalm 112:9 in 2 Corinthians 9:9 — A Brief Exegetical and Theological Study Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church Context of Psalm 112:9 Psalm 112 provides a glorious portrait of the man of God. The man of God primarily is known because he fears His God (v.1). And this God-fearer lives his life with a consuming love for God’s Word (v.1b). Some of the blessings that God brings into this godly man’s life are spelled out in vv.2-9. He will have godly, mighty (גִּבּוֹר) descendants on the earth. This is the parabolic, general principle that godly parents who diligently live holy lives and train up their children will see them also fear God. They God-fearers also have a God-like character—righteous, gracious, compassionate (vv.3-5). God has saved them and so they endeavor to emulate their Savior (cf. Eph 5.1). Furthermore, they live with the spiritual eyes of faith and thus a light arises for them in the darkness as they live upright lives and follow Christ (v.

Great words by J.C. Ryle: “Read [the Scriptures] reverently, as the Word of God, not of man, believing implicitly that what it approves is right, and what it condemns is wrong. Be very sure that every doctrine which will not stand the test of Scripture is false. This will keep you from being tossed to and fro, and carried about by the dangerous opinions of these latter days. And read it regularly. This is the only way to become "mighty in the Scriptures." A quick glance at the Bible now and then does little good. At that rate you will never become familiar with its treasures, or feel the sword of the Spirit fitted to your hand in the hour of conflict. But store up your mind with Scripture, by diligent reading, and you will soon discover its value and power. Texts will rise up in your hearts in the moment of temptation. Commands will suggest themselves in times of doubt. Promises will come across your thoughts in the time of discouragement. And thus you will experience the

Four Priorities of Christ Fellowship Bible Church Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church With the unending list of duties, counseling sessions, sermon preparation, meetings, and whatever else can crowd out a leader’s time in the ministry, I find it often both helpful and practical to remind myself of some of the main priorities that I as a shepherd-leader must have as I minister to my flock. This keeps me on track. It is a regular checklist. It guards my heart and my time so that I give the time I have to the right things. 1. Pray Fervently I firmly believe that the most important work of a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to pray. A man who ministers the Gospel must be a man who is a prayerful man because of the Gospel’s impact on his heart and soul. A prayerless man should never lead Christ’s church. A man who cannot be alone with God cannot lead the people of God publicly. The minister’s most productive time each week are those moments when no one is with him

Why I believe part of fulfilling my role as a pastor is to do the work of an evangelist. Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church God instructs all ministers of the gospel to preach the Word and part of fulfilling this calling is to ‘do the work of an evangelist’ [ἔργον ποίησον εὐαγγελιστοῦ] (2 Tim 4.5). Every shepherd preaches the gospel because apart from the gospel of God revealed in Christ and His substitutionary work through the enlightening work of the Spirit he has nothing whatsoever to say. He must proclaim Christ and Him crucified. Regardless of what people want and what the itching hears long for the faithful minister has but one glorious message of salvation that all men must hear if they are to be saved. He preaches both in season and out of season. So, part of the work of the shepherd-pastor is to do the work of an evangelist. Here are some reasons I’ve compiled as to why I commit to doing the work of an evangelist. 1. Because I believe the Bible. The Bible cl

WHY WE PREACH AT CFBC Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church Christ Fellowship Bible Church is radically committed to the preaching of the Word of God. Here are four foundational reasons why CFBC preaches the Word. 1. Because GOD COMMANDS IT. The Bible calls men of God to “preach the Word” (2 Tim 4.2) and to teach and instruct with all authority (Titus 2.15). Paul was appointed by God as a preacher and an apostle and a teacher (1 Tim 2.7) to proclaim that Christ gave Himself as a ransom. God appointed Paul as a preacher (2 Tim 1.11). Thus, in the Word, God demands that all ministers preach the Word. 2. Because CHRIST MODELED IT. Jesus stated that his purpose in life was to “preach the Kingdom of God” (Luke 4.43). At the outset of his public ministry, Jesus began to “preach and to say repent” (Matt 4.17). Jesus traveled to nearby towns to preach (Mark 1.38). As Jesus taught the crowds, people were hearing him expound the Word of God (Luke 5.1). Christ modeled a man given

The divine rulebook for marriage is the Bible . The Bible perfectly and sufficiently contains everything that is needed to have a godly, harmonious and joyful marriage. God leaves nothing necessary out of Scripture. Even the various roles that husbands and wives have and how they must fulfill those roles are all contained in the Scriptures. All men are created in the image of God but God gives different roles to the men and the women. God decrees that the husband is the head — leader, authority — of his household. He is the leader. He must lead and serve and function like the leader that God has called him to be. If he doesn’t, he fails at being a Godly husband and he must repent and seek God’s commands in the Word. The wives, on the other hand, are determined by God to be the completer of the husband; she is his helpmate, his supporter, his companion, his helper. She is to submit to him and his headship — leadership. She is to honor, respect and come alongside of him as he leads. A