vassal of the King

A WORD OF COMMENDATION TO THE CHURCH This is an encouragement to the saints (1 Thess 1.2-3) Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church 1Thessalonians 1:3 — constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. 1. WORK COMING FROM FAITH When Paul speaks of the τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως of the Thessalonian church, he recalls the work that is produced by their faith. Their faith sprouts forth godly works. Note how the work is singular. There are, of course, many manifold works that believers produce for the glory of Christ. But in the body of Christ, they are unified, working together, and here noted as being singular. He notes their work produced by faith. O that every church would be marked by and characterized by its work that springs forth from its faith in Jesus Christ. That means that true faith in Christ is never alone; it always produces works. Though no one is saved by

In Mark's account of the choosing of the 12 (Mark 3:13-19), Jesus goes up on the mountain and then selects men whom He Himself wanted to serve with Him. Drawing from the text, here are four application points to consider devotionally. 1) ORDINARY MEN The men who were designated to be Apostles were ordinary men. Varied backgrounds comprises the men whom Christ used in His service. A tax collector, a zealot, some fishermen, other Galileans were those ordinary ones whom Christ used in His ministry. Our Lord did not go to Jerusalem to find the elitist, the scholars, the rabbis and Sanhedrenists, What an encouragement that Christ employed ordinary men, with ordinary talents, with ordinary abilities, with common issues that we can all relate to. What made these ordinary men extraordinary was not gifting and abilities. Rather, it was the call of God on their life and the empowering that came upon them to do the awesome work God had predetermined for them. Ordinary men, like you and me,

A while back, we posted a number of articles to help Christians in understand why family worship proves to be so valuable and how to equip believers to implement this in the home. Here are the articles: 1. Family worship & evangelism 2. Family worship & prayer 3. Family worship & Scripture 4. Family worship & theology 5. Family worship & application 6. Family worship & praise 7. Family worship & catechism 8. Family worship & regeneration 9. Family worship & leadership (complementarianism) 10. Family worship & marriage 11. Family worship & the glory of God Here is our catechism that we've put together with our commentary & Scripture proofs (still in process). For a simple overview of family worship, click here . Also, here are some benefits to family worship and some of the purposes of family worship.

The Process of Becoming a Leader of Christ Fellowship Bible Church Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO) The church belongs to Jesus Christ! He resides as the sovereign Head over His Body, the church and He has spoken clearly and sufficiently in His Word, the Bible. What He says has total authority over all that happens in His Church. The Scriptures very clearly present qualifications for the leadership offices of elder and deacon. But the practical question remains: how does one become a leader? What is the process by which a man becomes a leader in the church of Jesus Christ? At CFBC, we have summarized this practical process in a few practical headings. First, Selecting men. Leaders prove themselves to be leaders long before they’re appointed to leadership positions. That means that these men will evidently demonstrate themselves to be doing the work of service long before they are publicly affirmed with a leadership title. They’re not in it for the

THE REALITY OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church Matthew 3:12 — “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” From this text, the Word of God speaks of the reality of eternal punishment. We can study it under a few headings: 1. WHO - Jesus Christ: “HE” John the Baptist is around the Jordan River baptizing many people who are coming to him from the nearby areas and when the religious leaders arrived, he warned them to flee from the wrath to come (Matt 3:7). He warned these Pharisees and Sadducees that he baptizes with water for repentance, but Christ Himself is coming who is mightier and He baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matt 3:11). Jesus Christ has a winnowing fork in His hand and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor and He will gather His wheat (=believers) into the barn, but He will bur

The Pastor Is the Primary Worship Leader. Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church Lots of titles swirl in church-circles today. Minister of music. Worship director. Worship pastor. And on they go. Often these titles that relate to a ‘worship leader’ point to the person who plans, leads, and organizes the music part of the service. As important as those faithful folks who serve in the area of music are, and those who give leadership in the music in the church gathering, we do well to remember that the primary worship leader in the assembly of God’s people is the pastor. If worship could be simply defined as a response to the revelation of who God is and what God has done, then the pastor is the one who has the primary duty of revealing God to the people through Scripture and preaching Christ week by week. It is he who sets the glory and majesty of God before the people through the reading, preaching and application of the Word of God. Of course, this understands worship to