vassal of the King

 Jesus is Glorious. Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church This brief write-up provides a handful of ways that Jesus Christ manifests His supreme worth and intrinsic beauty. 1. in his glory Jesus manifests His worth in His intrinsic glory. The glory of God engulfs the fullness of who God is and the radiant majesty of His being. The glory of Christ is not derived from anyone else but it is fully intrinsic to who He is. The fullness of God, the beauty of God, and all of the glories of God’s character, delights, and satisfactions converge together in His excellencies. Jesus manifests His worth and His beauty in his transcendent, triumphant, and enjoyable glory. 2. in his mercy Jesus manifests His glorious worth in His mercy. His mercy consists of His pity toward those who find themselves in utter despair. The mercy of God is not only His kindness and favor toward others but it is His undeserved favor toward those who are in a pitiable, a lamentable, a hopeless state doomed to

  Corporate Worship Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church The heart of the believer years for fellowship with Christ and with His people. Each week we gather to worship God. We gather to exalt God, to edify one another, to refocus our hearts, and to praise and thank our glorious God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We worship the one, True God — God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — with joy-filled hearts. We as protestant Christians affirm that the high point of the Christian’s week is the corporate worship of the saints where we gather for fellowship, praise, prayer, the ordinances, and the hearing of the preached Word. 1. The HIGH POINT The gathering of the redeemed constitutes the pinnacle of the week. The crowning jewel of our week is the coming together to hear from God through His preached Word. All the activities, work functions, personal responsibilities and entertainments take a pause and we joyously and eagerly reconnect with the saints to sit under God’s Wo

 Thank God For These Glorious Doctrines! Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church Scripture calls us to “give thanks” (1 Thess 5:18). We are to praise and worship the Lord with thankful hearts (Ps 92.1). This Thanksgiving season, let us thank our God for some glorious theological doctrines. Of course there are so many majestic truths in Scripture that we can speak of, but I will limit this to only 6 glorious doctrines. 1. Predestination Thank your God for predestining you. Consider that long before you were born and before He founded the world, God had predestined you for salvation (Rom 8.29). Amazingly, this selection of God, or this choosing of God, for particular people to be saved with a particular calling was all borne out of passionate love. We know this because God predestined His people in love to adoption as sons to Himself (Eph 1.5). Thank God that He knew you, predestined you, particularly chose you with a calling to be conformed to the image of the Son (Rom 8.29)

Picking Songs To Sing In Corporate Worship Geoffrey R. Kirkland Pastor, Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO) Not all that long ago, a church member approached me and asked how we go about selecting the songs that we sing on Sundays for the worship service. After giving thanks for such a wonderful question, I went on to recount about 6 or 8 things that we try to bear in mind when selecting the songs and hymns to sing.  I decided to jot them down and I will elaborate briefly on each point. First and foremost, the theology is always most Important  — Whatever song we sing in corporate worship, the ultimate question is: ‘what does the song teach in these lyricsI’?  It must be biblical, accurate, true. We refuse to sing shallow, inaccurate, or even songs that are unclear about the message it conveys. We understand that music teaches in the worship service far more than we may realize. It must be, then, that the song lyrics teach a thoroughly biblical message.   Choose a song as a

Doctrine of Sin Observations from Romans 5.12: Briefing on Hamartiology Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church God unequivocally announces that all humankind has plunged into a hopeless state of sin and depravity. So bad is this condition that no mere man, in his own strength or by his own cooperation, can ever bring himself to God. The sinful condition of man is such that man is a vile rebel, a corrupt blasphemer, and a hellbound Lawbreaker.   In this brief writeup, I must give some declarations from a key text on the doctrine of sin: Romans 5:12. 1. Sin came through one man, Adam. — God declares, through the pen of the Apostle Paul as he wrote under the guidance and careful direction of the Holy Spirit, that through one man sin entered into the world. Where did death, dying, decay, evil, pain, suffering and all the results of the curse come from? Simple answer: Adam’s sin.  All sin in human history had its beginning point with Adam in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3 recou

STREET PREACHING & GOSPEL CONVERSATIONS. Geoffrey R. Kirkland Pastor, Christ Fellowship Bible Church God has called me to pastor a precious group of saints whom He has saved for His glory. I love the blessed & God-given duty of ministry. I understand the priorities that Scripture presents for all who are to serve as leaders in the church: they must devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word, as the Apostles demonstrated (Acts 6.4). At the same time, I also understand one of the clear directives that God gives to me from Paul’s pen in 2 Timothy 4.5 to “do the work of an evangelist.”  This can and should happen from the pulpit. I also see it as an important mark of my ministry to set an example for the church family in zealously pursuing lost souls with the clear communicating of the gospel message. Our hopes rest fully and confidently in the sovereign decrees of God to save all whom He wills. And we know that all of God’s elect shall come! While on the streets this

The Love of God the Spirit Geoffrey R. Kirkland Pastor, Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO) The Apostle Paul speaks in Romans 15:30 about the Love of the Spirit. Consider this amazing reality. The Spirit of the living God has great love for His people. Paul’s language is in the context of him urging the Roman Christians to strive together in prayer to God on his behalf. But he begs them by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit. It could be rendered: “the love that comes from the Spirit [διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ πνεύματος—through the love of/from/comes out of the Spirit]. As I read this and pondered it in the early morning hours, I wondered: what kind of love is this from God the Spirit?  After some reflection, here are a few thoughts. It is a SOVEREIGN Love.  — This love from the Spirit of God has come to us first. This love of God is a royal love. It is a Kingly love. It is a supreme love. There is no love like it. This love that the Spirit bestows upon His people

 Non-Negotiable Features of Faithful Preaching. Geoffrey R. Kirkland Pastor, Christ Fellowship Bible Church 1. Faithful Faithful preaching must be faithful. By this, I simply mean that true preaching must derive from the text of Scripture. The man of God must rightly divide the Word through proper hermeneutics so that the message he speaks is the message out of the text. When this happens, the man of God preaching then Word can say: “Thus says the Lord!” The barometer for all true preaching must be how faithful it is to the text of Scripture that He expounds. True preaching is faithful preaching to God’s Word. 2. Theological When faithful preaching occurs, and when biblical preaching goes forth, it will necessarily be theological preaching. It will touch upon and expound theology as it arises in the Word of God. Every text will teach something about God (theology proper) or man (anthropology) or sin (hamartiology) or salvation (soteriology) or Christ (Christology) or future things (esc

Pastoral Ministry: Some Reflections. Geoffrey R. Kirkland Pastor, Christ Fellowship Bible Church (St Louis, MO) I have served as a pastor for about seventeen years total. I have learned much and I still have boatloads still to learn. But one thing I can say with great confidence is that I love pastoral ministry. Recently I was on vacation with my family and I found myself repeatedly considering pastoral ministry. As I reflected on pastoral ministry, my mind returned to a few important elements that I do well to rehearse in my own mind. 1.  Ministry is a CALLING. To truly serve in pastoral ministry means that God has called that man into the ministry. Far from being a self-propagated call, the true call into ministry must consist of a supernatural call. God calls the man. God summons the man.  God makes the man. God humbles the man. God, by His own prerogative, raises the man and replaces the man according to His sovereign will. As I reflected on pastoral ministry, I found my heart rep

A Benefit of Open-Air Preaching By Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church When the Word of God goes forth, the believers are built up, the saints are strengthened, the elect are edified.  When I arrived on site today for a lunch-hour evangelism outing, a brother from our local church was already open air preaching.  I grabbed two gospel signs and faced them back-to-back and then held them up high so all who walked and drove by could quickly see that we were all about Jesus Christ!  Not that long after, my brother who was heralding mentioned the security and preserving power of Jesus Christ toward His people.  Ah! What food for my soul! What balm for my spirit! O how I needed in that moment to be reminded of the glorious theology of the preservation of the saints and the keeping power of our Sovereign!  Then, he went on to talk about coming to Jesus and being made righteous In Him. Oh to fill my heart with such truths every hour! God blessed my soul through th

Creative Evangelism Suggestions Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church ( CFBCSTL.org ) In these strange times in which we live, here are some creative evangelism suggestions for you. Take one, or two, or more, or create other ways to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost! 1. Rock Evangelism Consider finding a rock with a smooth surface where you could use a permanent marker or paint-pen and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple form. Then, you could place it on a public sidewalk, near the corner of a driveway of a neighbor’s home, by the base of a tree in a public area, on a park bench, or at a bus stop. Consider how simple this is.  Find a smooth stone, find a short Bible verse or gospel-laden phrase and write it clearly on the stone and then prayerfully place it in a strategic area! O to think of how the Lord may use this “proclamation of the gospel” for His glory. One dear lady in our local church has latched on to this and brought this creative form

LESSONS LEARNED FROM A HOSPITAL VISIT.  Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church  |  St. Louis, MO Recently, I visited a church member who has lost eyesight in one eye. I went to encourage her but I think I was the one who left being most encouraged. Here are a few take-aways. Joy In Affliction  When I visited my sister, I walked into a room dim in light but bright with joy. I sat on a little window sill and asked how my beloved sister was doing, and she proceeded to proclaim with great happiness and eloquence, the marvelous sovereignty of God. This woman bubbled forth with joy. Like a fountain shooting up water high into the sky, Scriptures and rock-solid theology of God’s character and attributes soared high above the clouds of doctors, nurses, tests, eye drops, anesthesiologists, and surgeons. In the affliction, Christ was her adoration. Like Paul who wrote to the Corinthians, while himself battling great suffering, sorrowful, yet always rejoicing! That was ev

Encouraging Kids for the “Sunday-Sermon-Feast” Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church I love being a dad. Being a dad is at the same time gloriously rewarding and wonderfully difficult. Thanks be to God for His Word and for His Truth and for His Church. As a dad, I want to shepherd my children by prioritizing the local church. So I want them to know just how important it is to worship God corporately, to gather with His people, to hear the Word preached, to glory in our Risen redeemer! Here are a few ways that I’ve thought about encouraging children for the “Sunday-Sermon-Feast.” How do you help your kids prepare? What are some short, simple ways to help them prepare for it? Here are 4 simple, memorable headings: 1.  GET READY!  (prepare) Encourage your children to get ready for worship ahead of time. Put the children to bed on Saturday night and cheerfully remind them that the best day of the week is coming when we gather with God’s people to worship our sweet

Practical ways to evangelize: Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church Here are some very pastoral and practical tips for you to consider as you proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are just some suggestions and practical ways that you can begin and engage in conversations with the lost. Some are common, some are specific, some are creative, some may need to be adapted to your particular context. But whatever the case may be, speak of His excellencies and go "fishing for men" ! Open your mouth to someone tell them what God has done for your soul (Ps 66.16) Give someone a gospel tract and say: this changed my life, may I share this with you? Have family worship every day in your home. Open your Bible, read a portion (a chapter, section) and then discuss it. Sing a hymn that extols God and His gospel. Then pray together and reflect on the gospel as a family. In doing this, the powerful Word and the glorious gospel will be regularly brought before ea