Thursday, June 21, 2018

Pillars of Promises for the Child of God

Pillars of Promises for the Child of God
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church  (St Louis, MO)


In times of deep dark despair, don’t listen to yourself & your doubts; rather, speak biblical truth &  anchor your trust in God’s promises!

What are some *GO TO* Promises that you can cling to?
 
1. Rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven (Luke 10.20)
2. Don’t be troubled; Christ prepares a place for you & will come to receive you to be with Him (John 14.1-3)
3. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; do not let your heart be troubled; nor let it be fearful (John 14.27)
4. Whoever will call on the name of the Lord WILL be saved (Rom 10.13)
5. Having been justified by faith, we HAVE peace with God thru our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 5.1)
6. HOPE does NOT disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts thru the Holy Spirit (Rom 5.5)
7. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are justified and saved from God’s wrath thru Christ (Rom 5.9)
8. If God is for us, who can be against us (Rom 8.31)
9. Who can condemn you? Christ died, yes he was raised, is at the right hand of God, and intercedes for us! (Rom 8.34)
10. Neither death, life, angels, principalities, things present or things to come, nor power….will separate us from the love of God (Rom 8.38-39)
11. What you’ve learned and received and heard in Scripture, practice these things and GOD of peace will be with you (Phil 4.9)
12. God has forgiven me ALL my transgressions having canceled out the certificate of debt & has taken it out of the way NAILING it to the cross (Col 2.13-15)
13. All believers have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Pet 2.25)
14. We have an inheritance in heaven thru Christ which is imperishable, undefiled, and will NOT fade away, reserved in heaven for us, protected by the power of God (1 Pet 1.3-5)
15. After you’ve suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (1 Pet 5.10)
16. I write to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake (1 John 2.12)
17. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one (1 John 2.13)
18. God is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the present elf His glory blameless and with great joy (Jude 24)
19. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death (Rev 2.11)
20. Whoever overcomes will be a pillar in the temple, will not go out anymore, will have the name of God, the name of the city of God, and the new name of Christ forevermore (Rev 3.12)
21. NO temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it (1 Cor 10.13)
22. the LORD will protect you from ALL evil; he will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever (Ps 121:7-8)
23. God has not dealt with us according to our sins…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Ps 103.10-12)
24. For YOU, LORD, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to ALL who call upon you (Ps 86.5)
25. The LORD GOD is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly (Ps 84.11)
26. Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; ... they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary (Isa 40.31)
27. The Lord gives eternal life to His people and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of my hand (John 10.28)
28. God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose … He conformed us to the image of His Son (Rom 8.28-29)
29. In your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand there are pleasures forever (Ps 16.11)
30. You are good and you do good; teach me your statutes (Ps 119.68)
31. Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases (Ps 115.3)
32. the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1.21)
33. The LORD hears the prayer of the righteous (Prov 15.29)
34. In heaven, there will no longer be any curse and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bondservants will serve him; they WILL see his face, and HIS name will be on their foreheads (Rev 22.3-4).
35. As many as received him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born … of God (John 1.12-13)
36. Ours is the 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 (2 Cor 1.3-4)
37. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness (2 Cor 12.9)
38. The LORD is slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression (Num 14.18)
39. We don’t know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us … and He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Rom 8.26-27)
40. Therefore, there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8.1)
41. Whoever believes in (Christ) will not be disappointed (1 Pet 2.6)

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Specific Ways You Can Pray for Your Pastor

How To Pray For Your Pastor
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

Pray for him ...
1. To have an insatiable hunger for God’s Word.
2. To feed regularly & be filled joyfully from communing with God in His Word.
3. To love his wife selflessly, sacrificially, and with a tender, servant’s heart.
4. To disciple his children in the words and works of the Lord.
5. To lead his family in regular times of family worship at home.
6. To tell, show, and prove to his wife and children that the family is his primary ministry.
7. To model what a man of God is to be like even within the confines of his home — above reproach with his eyes, his words, his attitudes, and
his private life.
8. To study diligently for every single sermon.
9. To pray fervently as a man who is inseparable from his best friend.
10. To intercede for every single family (especially the husbands and fathers) in the church.
11. To train up Godly men who can help share the responsibilities and burdens of ministry.
12. To disciple other men who can disciple their own wives, children, and other men in the church.
13. To flee ferociously from all sexual temptations.
14. To repent daily from pride and self-autonomy.
15. To humbly confess to others when he sins against them.
16. To be shepherded by others who ask him the “hard” questions about his personal life, family life, walk with God, and thoughts.
17. To shun all forms of materialism and the love of money.
18. To be used by God mightily in the preaching of the Word, in the discipling and raising of men, and in evangelism.
19. To provide visionary leadership for the local church that is biblical and gospel-centered.
20. To meditate daily on the beautiful glory of the gospel of grace.
21. To remind himself daily that he is in need of the gospel just as much as those to those to whom he preaches.
22. To be protected from Satan’s sly schemes and deceptive devices that he will regularly cast into your pastor’s path.
23. To enjoy the work of the ministry.
24. To not lose heart from all of the emotional, spiritual, and ministerial battles.
25. To counsel others biblically from the Word of God.
26. To live such an exemplary life at home so that his wife and children can sit under his preaching with integrity rather than seeing him as a
hypocritical liar.
27. To befriend his wife more than any other woman and more than any other man on the earth.
28. To have wisdom and guidance as to where to focus his efforts in the ministry.
29. To manage his time well so that he focuses on the priorities rather than on the peripherals.
30. To evangelize with regularity, zeal, persuasion, and urgency.
31. To retain a tender compassion for the lost who are dead in their sins & yet a fervent passion to see them saved.
32. To take hold of God in prayer in the morning, in the afternoons, and in the night so that he may commune with His God even when no
one else sees or notices his fellowship with his God.
33. To kill every known sin in his life; to allow no sin to linger; to uproot every sin from its inceptive root.
34. To reject every form of pastoral pride that could arise in his own heart such as longing for a bigger church, mass converts, new building,
speaking engagements.
35. To live minimally so that he does not fall into the temptation of loving money, relying on money, or seeking more money for happiness.
36. To rejoice often in the One who is infinitely worthy of our joy, namely, God Himself and His great goodness.
37. To partner, pray with, encourage, and serve missionaries who are laboring for Christ and His gospel around the globe.

More articles can be found at Pastor Geoff's page.

Saturday, June 16, 2018

The Blessed Gift & Duty of Fathers

The Blessed Gift & Duty of Godly Fathers
Geoffrey R. Kirkland

Godly fathers are gifts from the Lord. I thank the Lord for my father, a man of God, who early on for me modeled holiness, church involvement, integrity of character both inside and outside the home, and hard work. My father has taught me -- and still is teaching me -- much about faithfulness, endurance, perseverance, sobermindedness, and trust in the Lord. Godly fathers are blessed gifts to families and these fathers also have an unspeakably important duty from the Lord. I’ll just list four duties of godly fathers.

Lead.
Fathers must lead. They must lead in the home. They must lead as men who do not forcefully or authoritatively demand submission or things to be done their way. Rather, they lead as stewards; that is, as men who have been given a grace-gift and a divine-calling from God to lead by serving the people in their home (and, in every sphere of life they’re in). In fact, the best way to lead is by following. That is, lead others by following Christ. The fervency with which a man of God follows His Savior sets a worthy example for others to emulate. Godly men must lead. He follows the example of other men of God in Scripture, in his church and strives to practically serve, tangibly provide, spiritually shepherd, and consistently love his family.

Repent.
It’s humbling to repent. And yet when the Spirit of God reveals our sin and we understand where we’ve sinned, where we’ve failed, where we’ve been selfish, and where we’ve spoken rashly or impulsively, it’s crucial for men of God to repent in the home. In fact, a great way to lead in the home is by repenting in the home. Even if another person is also at fault, godly men can take the initiative in repenting first. Perhaps there’s conflict or a great disagreement in the home, the penitent man will come humbly and repent where needed by specifically asking for forgiveness and seeking to reconcile. When he sins, however public or private, he seeks to keep short accounts with the Lord and with those in his life.

Prioritize.
In a society with so many options for distractions, entertainments, and time-wasters, the mature Christian man will prioritize those things that God calls him to invest in. For instance, he will keep watch over and diligently guard his soul. This will manifest itself in frequent bible reading and prayer times. He will also faithfully love and shepherd his wife as his foremost priority in this life as he knows they have a permanent union that is to emulate the relationship of Christ and actively involvement in his local church. He will care for, instruct, and spend time with the children that God has entrusted to him. The focused man on biblical priorities will not neglect his family at home for work, or friends, or sports, or entertainments. None of these are bad, but this mature man keeps these activities in their rightful place. He prioritizes family worship, his local church, intercessory prayer, and caring for his wife’s needs and his children’s souls.

Pray.
Godly men prioritize prayer and commit themselves to prayer. This godly father will pray fervently, privately, publicly, daily, and expectantly. He knows the Lord will hear the prayers of the godly man and so this drives him to great prayers. Indeed, the godly father knows God is omnipotent and that his prayers reach the ear of the enthroned almighty King. He prays for his own heart and purity. He prays for his wife and for his children (and, grandchildren). He prays for those he interacts with (at his employment, sports, hobbies). He longs for his neighbors to come to Christ. When a great day is closing, he leads his family in prayers of thanksgiving and worship. When trials strike and pains penetrate, he gathers with the family to trust in the Lord by calling upon His name for strength, endurance, and joy in the midst of the trial. Joy floods his heart at the mercy seat where he communes with God for his family.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Can One Really Be a 'Gay-Christian'?

A recent wave of writings and audios has come with a force from folks who claim to be both at the same time homosexuals and Christians. Or, to use their vernacular, "Gay-Christians." They claim to be celibate gay-Christians, in that they don't act out on their sinful desires. Writings also come from those who may be tolerant of such perspectives.

Can this really be the case? Can one really be a 'Gay-Christian'?  We have worked hard to compile a series of podcasts on this topic to equip believers with the Truth of God's authoritative Word.

[We quickly realize that homosexuality, SSA, and the like is not the only or the ultimate or the unforgivable sin. The Word of God places the sin of homosexuality alongside of many other sins that condemn sinners. We are all guilty. This isn't a matter of pointing fingers at *those* people caught up in this. Rather, the point is to speak Truth to believers and to equip them with God's Word so that they can respond biblically, accurately, and compellingly to those who make such professions regarding this particular issue.]


AUDIO PODCASTS:

1. The utter impossibility of being a 'gay-Christian'  |  PODCAST
Summary:
In this, Pastor Geoff provides 7 reasons why this is utterly impossible. Again, it's absolutely impossible to be a 'Gay-Christian'.  Here's why...

It Blasphemes the Character of God.
It Contradicts the Clarity of Scripture.
It Ignores the Severity of Hell.
It Disregards the Glory of Regeneration
It Belittles the Power of Grace
It Shames the Name of Christ
It Destroys the Witness to the Lost



2. Why homosexuals and 'gay-Christians' are deceived and need a Savior  |  PODCAST

Summary:
From 1 Timothy 1, Pastor Geoff shows why such people who engage in sin (including these or any other ongoing pattern of sinful behavior) need a Savior:

B/c of Their Depravity
B/c of Their Sin
B/c of Their Rebellion
B/c of Their Patterns (of sin)
B/c of Their Unholiness
B/c of Their Choice
B/c of Their Impenitence

3. Pastors and professors who condone [legitimize] LGBT+ are deceived  PODCAST
Summary:
In this podcast, Pastor Geoff  shows that pastors and academic professors who condone the LGBT+ movement are deceived.

We must stand courageously and speak biblically as we stand upon the sufficient, clear, and authoritative Word of God (=the Bible):

Men in the pulpits must teach TRUTH to God’s people.
Professors in the instructions must teach SCRIPTURE to Believers.
Christians in the pews must understand the NATURE of sin.
Christians in the pews must believe the POWER of regeneration.
Christians in the pews must warn with urgency of homosexuality (SSA)
Christians in the pews must speak with courage in these times.
Christians in the pews must expect the hatred of the world.

4. Why we must preach the truth regarding the eternal danger of homosexuality and those who profess to be 'gay-Christians'  |  PODCAST
Summary:
Here is why we must preach what God says regarding those who engage in ongoing sin. We must preach the eternal danger of the sins that men refuse to repent of -- including the sins of homosexuality, same-sex attraction, and those who profess to be 'gay-Christians':

We must preach the truth for the following reasons...

Because GOD HAS SPOKEN
Because HELL IS HOT
Because SALVATION IS AVAILABLE
Because REGENERATION IS SUPERNATURAL
Because SINNERS NEED TRUTH
Because HOLINESS IS NECESSARY
Because DECEPTION IS RAMPANT
Because PLEASING GOD IS PRIORITY


5.  Elders and pastors are disqualified from pastoral ministry if they affirm homosexuality and being a so-called 'Gay-Christian'  |  PODCAST
Summary:
This podcast looks at Titus 1.8 — elders are qualified if they are “loving what is good”

What is good?  GOD is the highest good
What is good? TRUTH is the revelation of good
What is good? CHRIST is the quintessential good
What is good? the LOVE OF CHRIST and the GOSPEL OF CHRIST is good
What is good?  TO HATE EVIL and PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS IS GOOD.


6. What would God say to a 'gay-Christian'?  PODCAST

Summary:
What Would God Say to a Person Who Thinks He’s a “Gay-Christian” — One Who Can Profess the Name of Christ and Continue Living as a Celibate Homosexual?  From God's Word, we can find at least 5 exhortations God would give to one who professes to be a Gay-Christian (that we can glean from God's Word):

REPENT NOW!
UNDERSTAND SCRIPTURE!
STOP DECEIVING (yourself & the world w/ your double life)
BE HOLY!
UNDERSTAND REGENERATION!

7.  Biblical clarity on the 'Gay-Christian' profession from 1 Corinthians 6  |  PODCAST
Pastor Geoff works through 1 Corinthians 6 and provides a 3-point outline to this very important text that clearly and specifically addresses the topic of homosexuality and, so called, gay-Christians.

The Sobering Plea to Not Be Deceived By Charlatans  (9a)
The Sinful Patterns That Keep You Out Of Heaven  (9-10)
The Sure Promises of Christ’s Blood & the Power of the Spirit’s Regeneration  (11)



Many more articles and podcasts can be found at Pastor Geoff's page.