vassal of the King

THE GLORY OF THE COVENANT OF MARRIAGE Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church The Bible speaks of marriage as a covenant. A covenant is a bond, a treaty, a commitment between parties. Proverbs 2:17 speaks of marriage as a covenant. Malachi 2:14 speaks of a woman as a man’s wife by covenant. The Bible describes marriage far more than a mere relationship or a happy friendship. The institution of marriage, as designed by God, is in fact a covenant between both parties to each other and before God. 1. Marriage is a LIFELONG covenant. The marriage relationship was created by God for one man and one woman to leave their parents and to join themselves to each other in an unbreakable bond. Marriage is not to be severed. It should not be broken. It must never be conditional. The covenant of marriage is to endure as long as both persons live. It must be lifelong. 2. Marriage is a DIVINE covenant. Far more than being something that a governing authority or the state created or ins

The Privilege of the Lord’s Supper Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church Believers should prepare ahead of time for communion. In so doing, believers should bear the following points in mind. REMEMBERING — The Lord’s Supper draws the mind of the believer again back to Calvary to remember Christ and His glory. The communion supper invites the Christian yet again to reflect on Christ’s spotlessness, His righteousness, His atoning sacrifice, His present intercession, His particular redemption, and His soon-coming. Believers must remember Christ and they must stir themselves up to action to serve this Christ, to love Him more, to speak well and often of Him, and to cherish Him supremely! APPROPRIATING — The work of salvation is accomplished when God grants the new birth. But when believers gather together corporately to take the communion meal, it is as if Christ’s work at Calvary is refreshed and appropriated afresh to the believer. In receiving the bread and in appropri

GOALS OF OPEN AIR PREACHING Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church As a minister of the gospel who serves Christ and who serves His Bride, I must remind myself frequently of the goals of open air preaching. I hit the streets weekly to proclaim the gospel publicly, to hand out tracts, to engage in conversations, to hold up gospel-signs, and to call men to trust in Christ. As I frequent the streets to open air preach to the masses, I need to review biblical goals of open air preaching so I remember why I do what I do and to guard me from veering off track.   It behooves me to remember some of the goals of open air preaching. 1. Preach Christ crucified. Though Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom, the Apostle Paul said, we preach Christ crucified. Paul did not adapt or alter his message to suit the desires of the audience. He came to all people with one message: Jesus Christ, the God-Man, entered the world and lived righteously and he died on Calvary’s cross b

What Is The Gospel Of Jesus Christ? By: Pastor Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church THE GOSPEL The gospel of Jesus Christ is the message of good news that God has provided a way to deliver man from God’s eternal judgment that he rightly deserves because of his sin. GOD God is infinitely holy, righteous, just, and good. He is the sovereign King of heaven and earth who made everything and thus owns everything. Everything exists because of Him and for Him. He is infinitely pure and eternally holy. He cannot look upon sin — any sin — with favor. He cannot overlook a sin. Sin is lawlessness and is, therefore, a violation of God’s holy, just, and righteous Law. MAN Man is created in the image of God and bears the imprint of God in his being. At the same time, man has become completely corrupted by sin thoroughly. Since Adam’s sin in the garden of Eden, all his posterity — that is, every single human being who has ever been biologically born from his parents — has completely, u

Giving Your Pastor Feedback After a Sermon... Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church “Good sermon.” “Helpful!” “Interesting.” “Awesome message.” “Thanks, Pastor!” Pastors hear these sorts of comments after sermons from time to time. Some may come more frequently than others. But if you ask most pastors who care about feeding the flock and who have literally emptied all that they have in that hour of heralding, many who approach them after sermons unknowingly do not provide helpful feedback. It’s not necessarily bad. It’s not necessarily harmful. It’s just not the most helpful. Preachers have heard the standard lines that people give on their way out of the church building when they give a brief word before heading home. Ministers have heard those.  But feedback that is more helpful and more thoughtful is what every pastor needs. Here are a few helpful pointers in giving your shepherd helpful feedback after he has preached the Word of God to you. 1. Be specific in your

Last week, we completed the expositional preaching series through the Book of Revelation. The audio & pdf outlines are all available at the media page at Christ Fellowship Bible Church . THE SERIES: 1. Introduction to the Book of Revelation, part 1  |  here 2. Introduction to the Book of Revelation, part 2 (the Old Testament in Revelation)  |  here 3. The glory of Jesus Christ in the prologue of Revelation (Rev 1:1-8)  |  here 4. A jet tour through the Book of Revelation (Rev 1:19)  |  here 5. The church of Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7)  |  here 6. The church of Smyrna, Prepare to Suffer (Rev 2:8-11)  |  here 7. The church of Pergamum, Don't Compromise (Rev 2:12-17)  |  here 8. The church of Thyatira (Rev 2:18-29)  |  here 9. The church of Sardis (Rev 3:1-6)  |  here 10. The church of Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13)  |  here 11. The church of Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22)  |  here 12. A scene in heaven (Rev 4)  |  here 13. The preeminence of Jesus Christ (Christ-centered worship i

Public Reading of Scripture in Corporate Worship: Some Helpful Tips Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church God speaks when the Bible speaks. As a man holds the Bible and reads it, the sovereign Master of all creation utters His voice. At Christ Fellowship Bible Church, one element of worship that we include in every corporate worship gathering is the public reading of Holy Scripture. We want to hear from God. We sit under the authority of His Word. And we model for the flock the importance of reading the Word, the reverence when hearing the Word, and the way to pray through the Word. Here are some some helpful tips to bear in mind when engaging in the corporate reading of Scripture. 1. Read REVERENTLY. The Bible is God’s Book and it is the very word of the Living God. The Bible should, then, be read differently than the morning newspaper. Men must read it with care, with honor, with reverence, and with awe as if we really had God’s very spoken Words that He gave to us, f