vassal of the King

PURSUING ACBC CERTIFICATION Be a trained, certified biblical counselor with ACBC, The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors .     8 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PURSUE IT. 1. PERSONAL GROWTH AND KNOWLEDGE As you work through the required steps toward ACBC certification you will understand more of God’s Word and increase your knowledge of God, of Christ, of the gospel, and how it specifically applies to everyday situations of life. The studies for the exams and the preparation for the counseling sessions will all drive you to a humble dependence on God and a desperate longing for His grace as you seek to minister the Word to hurting saints. 2. DISCIPLINE AND ACCOUNTABILITY A wonderful result of pursuing the ACBC certification process is personal discipline. The phases of certification are intense and quite involved. They require time, planning, diligence, study, prayer, and thought. It will teach you and hone personal discipline as you prioritize the time for study and writing. It also

WHAT CAN THE ELDERLY/OLD FOLKS DO AT THE CHURCH?   How can the aging, the older, the senior saints do in the congregation?    Here are some real practical "ministry-ideas of service" for you to consider: You could open your home periodically for a young couple/college students/other members for a home-cooked meal & a time of fellowship. You could write personal letters/encouragement/thank you cards to folks/families in the church. You could personally write and keep contact with your missionaries.You could open your home and have a weekly/bi-weekly prayer meeting for the church members. You could go online & take free courses on biblical counseling so as to be trained and equipped in God's Word to address any issue of life with the Bible. You could make a weekly phone call to each of the women & mothers at the church to encourage them, strengthen them, pray with them, share a verse with them, and ask how you can pray for them this week. As you are exercising a

 Here is a compilation of parenting quotes for a project I've worked on.  May these encourage all parents to remain vigilant and faithful in praying to God for the souls of our children and doing all we can to point them to Christ each day with gospel-proclamation supported by a holy and humble lifestyle.    SOME PARENTING ENCOURAGEMENTS -- We have failed to understand that children and young people are not God-lovers until the Spirit changes them. They are dead to God. Our attempts at getting these young people to “pray the prayer” when they were small have not necessarily made them children of God. Their behavior belies the true state of their hearts. God has said that the only hope for them, therefore, is the regenerating work of the Spirit in the context of the preaching of the Word (James 1:18). However, our inadequate view of depravity and the inability of man has led us to resort instead to a greater confidence in entertainment to reach them and a minimizing of the use of th

The Office of Overseer in the Church Geoffrey R. Kirkland     First Timothy 3:1 gives a simple statement regarding key ingredients of the office of overseer in the local church.  Here are a few of the key takeaways from the verse.   

STUDENT:  HOW TO USE YOUR SUMMER  Geoffrey R. Kirkland Pastor, Christ Fellowship Bible Church  Sermons   |  Podcasts   |  Articles   Student : here is some pastoral counsel from me to you. Let these *articles of advice* get you thinking about how you can spend your summer so you don’t waste it, but use it well for God’s glory.  5 articles of advice: 1. Rest But Stay Diligent  Whether you stay around your campus for summer work or if you travel home (or somewhere else), make it your aim to rest and enjoy summertime while at the same time diligently doing what God has called you to do — work!  Aim to do all that you do for God’s glory, while at home, with friends, on the job, or traveling. So then: work, sleep, enjoy the summer but don’t fall into laziness. Have fun and engage with friends but don’t sit in front of the TV all day. Don’t binge watch movies all day. Don’t waste the precious gift of time God has given you. Be diligent. Have a plan. Be thoughtful. Have a schedule. Plan and

  The Pastor’s Primary Responsibilities Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church In this brief essay, I will set before you three primary responsibilities of every pastor. Intercede for God’s Flock Pray To neglect to pray is to neglect the power source in a pastor’s ministry. For a minister to engage in many duties in his church and yet omit the regular practice of prayer demonstrates that he has no understanding of nor does he have any conviction of the importance of the ministry, his helplessless in the ministry, his humility in the ministry and God’s sovereignty over his ministry. A pastor must pray. A shepherd must intercede for God’s flock. Every Christian is a sheep that belongs to God and God has stated that every sheep in the fold belongs to Him. And God has entrusted His own blood-bought sheep to the care of His undershepherds — pastors. To lead is to model. And there is no greater way that a pastor can model Christlikeness for his flock than to show them how to pra

  From Joseph Alleine: "Do not stand still disputing about your election, but set to repenting and believing. Cry to God for converting grace. Revealed things belong to you; in these busy yourself.... Whatever God's purposes may be, I am sure His promises are true. Whatever the decrees of heaven may be, I am sure if I repent and believe I shall be saved."