Words of Advice to Church Planters.

Words of Advice to Church Planters
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

I’m a church planter. By His grace and by a call that I never would have foreseen for myself in seminary, God gave me the awesome privilege to care for His people and preach His Word to His sheep of Christ Fellowship Bible Church. We began with two families. One of which left shortly after we planted. We have been in existence almost seven years and are still committed to the exact same commitments that we had when we began. My heart goes out to church planters -- for I am one! But I want to encourage fellow church planters with one simple truth, though some elements of local church ministry may be different in a church plant (no staff, no building, no secretary, etc.), the main essentials in a local church still remain the same.

I want to give four simple words of advice to church planters.

1. Pray with Importunity
Whatever you do, PRAY. You can do much after you’ve prayed, but you can’t do anything till you’ve prayed. And that’s especially true when planting a church. Devote yourself to prayer. Give your early morning hours to prayer. Grab a man and ask him to pray with you. When you have discipleships with other brothers, pray with them (by teaching, modeling, instructing, and looking at the prayers in Scripture). When you’re with God’s people in the corporate assembly, ask what you can pray for and then do it, right then and there with them. Pray for God to save people. Pray for God to sanctify His elect. Pray for God to give holiness to His people, urgency in our evangelism, love for the congregation, and compassion for the lost. Pray for your sermons. Pray for your outreaches. And while you’re at it, remember to have a prayer meeting where the church gathers corporately, together, regularly, for calling upon God. A church that prays together stays together. A church without prayer is like a house without a roof, open and susceptible to all the winds and storms of heaven. Church planter: pray!

2. Preach the Word
When the Apostle Paul was facing imminent death, he gave a very solemn and crystal clear charge to young Timothy: to preach the Word. It’s not ambiguous, nor is it unclear. It’s not debatable. Nor is it even negotiable whether or not people want it or like it. God has given you a charge, if you’re a pastor, and that charge is that you must feed His people with His Word. Note those two essentials of what and how you are to discharge the proclamation of the Word. You are to preach. This is the how: you are to preach -- to herald, to announce, to cry out, to relay God’s message to God’s people without alteration, addition, or subtraction. And remember the what: you are to preach the Word -- the Scriptures, the written Truth and objective revelation that God has given in the authoritative and sufficient Bible (Genesis - Revelation). Nothing more and nothing less. Don’t be cute and clever and tell stories to get laughs. Don’t spend more time on your illustrations and one-liners than you do on your exegesis and poring over the text in prayer, study, application.

3. Shepherd the Flock
The Apostle Peter give a very clear charge to the elders to “shepherd the flock of God among you.” This is a very clear charge that you cannot overlook. It’s from God the Spirit to you directly, through the pen of the Apostle Peter. Man of God, shepherd of Christ’s people: you are called to care for the souls of His people. Don’t just care for physical needs or give them what they want to hear. You’re the soul-doctor and spiritual physician -- you have the remedy for sin and sickness. That remedy is the gospel of Christ! Of course you cannot save or heal or sanctify anyone by your power. That’s why you must be faithful to serve Christ and His people as an undershepherd for their souls and their spiritual well-being. Consider how Christ is your Shepherd: He is present with you, He communicates with you in the Word, He is available when you call out to Him, He feeds you with Himself as you study Truth in the Bible, He guards you, He watches over you, He protects you from the Evil One, and He’s vigilantly caring for you. So it is with you as an undershepherd for His blood-bought sheep. You must vigilantly watch over them by caring for their souls. You shepherd them by feeding them good, nourishing food (=preaching), you intercede for them by coming to God in prayer on their behalf (=fervent intercessory prayer), you guard them from error by standing as a watchman sounding the alarm when danger looms on the horizon and by establishing God’s people in sound, biblical truth. Man of God, shepherd your flock there with you. Don’t consume yourself with getting a big name or being a conference speaker. Care for the souls that God brings your way in your local church -- whether that’s 2 or 20 or 80. And shepherd them joyfully.

4. Prioritize your Family
That which qualifies you to be a shepherd of the flock at large is your already evident shepherding of your smaller flock in your home. Man of God: love your wife as your first ministry. Love her well. Shepherd her soul well. Pray with and for her. Disciple her. Remember to care for her soul first. Ensure your wife has good, enjoyable time with you. Date her. Know her. Learn her. Satisfy her. Keep close communication with her. And remember that your wife is not the 2nd employee of the church-plant. She doesn’t need to do the secretarial work, the administrative items, the piano playing, and the organizing of events. In fact, it’s probably better that she doesn’t do these things so that others can jump in and serve. And don’t neglect your children. Your children need you. They don’t need a stranger in the home that they can call “pastor.” They need their father to discipline them and train them up in the ways of God, in the fear of God, and model holiness for them. When you sin, repent of it, ask for their forgiveness, and move on with joy. Lead them in regular, daily family worship. Again, your leadership and spiritual soul-care in your home is that which pre-eminently qualifies you to be a shepherd of the flock of God as a whole. So whatever you do and whatever you neglect, don’t let it be your family. Love them. Care for them. Pray for them. And remember: they’re not a hindrance to your ministry; they are your first ministry.

More resources found at Pastor Geoff's articles & media page.

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The Commitments of CFBC (6 Brief Audio Blogs)

The Commitments of Christ Fellowship Bible Church include the following [mp3 is here]:

1. Expository preaching
2. Corporate praying
3. Aggressive sanctification
4. Triune exaltation
5. Urgent evangelism
6. Global missions

Each of these commitments has a 2-3 minute audio podcast of explanation and biblical support.

Listen to & download the mp3 podcasts here.

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The Foolishness in a Child's Heart.

The Foolishness in a Child’s Heart.
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

The Word of God declares in Proverbs 22:15 that FOOLISHNESS is bound up in a child’s heart, and it is the rod of discipline that removes it [the foolishness] far from him.  What kind of foolishness is bound up in our children’s hearts?

1. Foolishness of SELF LOVE
Every child born into this world is hard-wired with inclinations and a relentless drive to love self and protect self. No one needs to be taught to love himself more. Everyone cares for himself -- including the smallest of children. They love themselves and the way that this manifests itself is in their lust -- the relentless craving -- to satisfy their “desires.” They do what they want to do. And if anyone begins to take that sovereignty away from them, they begin to whine, scream, kick, punch, throw a fit, and all the related synonyms. Our children suffer from the sin of self love.

2. Foolishness of SPIRITUAL IGNORANCE
Children must be taught. That’s why the Book of Proverbs is so replete with verses on listening to instruction and heeding the teaching of a father and mother. Parents, be sure of this: if you do not teach your children at a young age, you may be sure the Devil will. If you neglect to fill their hearts with divine truth, Satan will fill their hearts with corruption. Our children need training, they need to be taught, they need guidance and direction. They do not know the one true God nor do they know the gospel nor do they understand the weight and trajectory of their sin. That’s why God has given you and me to them to instruct their hearts so that they are taught biblical truth as it’s revealed in Scripture.

3. Foolishness of SELF-STYLED SOVEREIGNTY
Children love to believe that the world revolves around them. They have made and created their own sovereign empire -- of course with them seated nicely and powerfully upon the throne. They have made their own world that revolves around them. So our job as parents is to remind our children that life -- and the world -- is not revolving around them. Rather, we must show them that God is the centerpoint and Christ is the apex of all things. Just as the planets revolve around the sun, so Christ is the sun of our lives. We must remind our children that they don’t get all that they want. They don’t get their way much of the time (indeed, they must not!). And God has given the responsibility to us to break their self-styled sovereignty and to lift their eyes to the One who does sit upon heaven’s throne; the glorious, strong, mighty, and ever-present One!

4. Foolishness of ABSOLUTE CONTROL
Lust for control ruins many lives. Many men and women long for control and it can ruin a marriage, a job, a career, a church, and a soul. And yet our children are born with this sinful disposition to have and long for and protect control over “their” things. After all, we must remind them that their stuff is not really “theirs” ultimately; it’s God’s. God has given it on loan to our family, and God is permitting them to use it and to use it well for His glory. So we must guard from allowing, permitting, turning a blind eye to, and even worse cultivating a lust for control -- absolute control over their stuff. They must learn to share. They must learn to happily share what God has given. And the Lord has graciously given you to help shepherd them through this.

5. Foolishness of REJECTING AUTHORITY
To submit to authority will preserve a man from many pains in life. But children are sinfully wired, by our human nature and our sinful propensities, to reject authority and to re-place themselves as the one in authority. If this is not taught at a young age, rebellious children, unruly adults, and unsubmissive citizens may be the tragic outcome which will lead a soul to destruction. Let us faithfully seek to teach our children to joyfully obey authority -- the God-given authorities in our lives.  We must teach them to obey their parents for in doing this, they please God. They must learn to submit to their teachers, the police officers, governing officials, and other authorities in their lives at various times. This is good, beneficial, and profitable for all!

God has given parents the unspeakable privilege and the tireless responsibility of shepherding the hearts of our children so that they may see their sin for what it really is and behold the Savior and all that He and all that He has done to rescue sinners! And for the children who are small, God has called parents to utilize the rod in spanking the child so that the child will learn to turn from that sin, to flee from wickedness, and to obey God for there the blessing is found. What ongoing and daily opportunities God has given parents for evangelism of our own children!  May God help us to be faithful to what He has called us to do as we pray fervently for Him to change the hearts of our children through our efforts to bring the gospel to them.

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A Pastor's Intentional Resolve

A Pastor’s Intentional Resolve
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

As a man called by God to serve His people as a shepherd, I commit myself to these intentional and essential duties of pastoral ministry. By God’s grace and with His help, I will faithfully live out and seek with all my might to obey Scripture in the shepherding of Christ’s flock which He purchased with His own blood so that Christ’s image may be formed in His people.

1. I WILL faithfully PRAY FOR CHRIST’S CHURCH.
The preeminent duty that Christ has given to me is to serve His people by interceding for them in prayer. Just like the priests in the Old Testament, they offered incense before the Lord which symbolized the prayers of the saints ascending to the Lord. So I must faithfully devote myself to prayer and to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6.4). I commit myself to praying for the growth of God’s people, the maturation of His body, the Church. I will also pray for families by name, for the marriages, for the children, and for God to save the lost and for God to grow His people. I will pray for the purity and power of the church, and for the advancement of the gospel. I’ll labor in prayer.

2. I WILL faithfully PREACH THE INSPIRED & SUFFICIENT WORD.
No sheep can survive without regular feedings. I commit myself to faithfully studying God’s Word so that I can faithfully preach God’s Word in humble dependence upon God’s Spirit and with clarity as I make the meaning of the text known and the applications and implications of the text understandable. I will not shrink back from declaring anything that will be profitable to the saints. My goal is to feed the sheep, not entertain the goats. I will preach ultimately for the glory of God and for the edification of the saints. I do believe that the primary way that God both saves the lost and sanctifies the saved is through the bold, unadulterated, regular preaching of the Word of God.

3. I WILL faithfully SHEPHERD BOTH PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY.
The Apostle Paul cared for God’s people both publicly and privately. He taught God’s Word in the open squares, in the church assemblies, and privately from house to house. Paul also charged the elders of the Ephesian church to faithfully watch over and guard the flock from error and from false teachers. Perhaps the foremost metaphor that the Scripture employs when referring to the minister of God’s Word is that of a shepherd. I must care for God’s people by knowing them, by guarding them, by feeding them, by leading them, and by pointing them to the Chief Shepherd -- the Lord Jesus Christ. I resolve to faithfully shepherd publicly from the pulpit and privately as opportunities come up to counsel and admonish one another with God’s sufficient and inerrant Word.

4. I WILL faithfully MODEL IN PERSONAL EVANGELISM & URGENT SOUL-WINNING.
Why has God left me on this earth? Why didn’t God save me and then take me to glory? As I ponder this biblically, I understand that my duty is to proclaim the excellencies of Christ Jesus. I must follow Christ and speak forth His glory. I must proclaim the unfathomable riches of Christ. Proverbs provides the wisdom that he who wins souls is wise (Prov 11.30). Jesus said that the fields are white for harvest (John 4.35). He has made me to become a fisher of men (Mark 1.17). I will model personal evangelism by urgently, lovingly, boldly, clearly, and faithfully speak forth the gospel and call sinners to repent from sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation (Mark 1.15). All this can be done by God’s grace and with His help. Time is short! We must number our days! Compel sinners to come in!

5. I WILL faithfully SERVE THE PEOPLE IN SACRIFICIAL LOVE, WITH CHRIST-CAPTIVATING JOY.
The Lord states that Shepherd-elders lead; and they must lead well. Jesus models true leadership as being that of servant-leadership, self-sacrificing leadership. So I want to faithfully lead in serving Christ’s people with sacrificial love and with Christ-captivating glory. Perhaps it may take the form of hospitality, praying for and with the saints, loving those intentionally and sacrificially when a need arises, greeting all the saints, protecting them from harm, and reaching out to those on the fringe and encouraging them to offer themselves as living sacrifices to the Lord!

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Wise Counsel for Preachers

The year was 1768. A twenty-eight year old preacher by the name of Augustus Toplady, who wrote many of our best hymns, including "Rock of Ages", spent the afternoon in London with Mr. Brewer--an older, veteran Gospel preacher, whom he greatly admired and from whom he learned much. This is what Mr. Brewer said to the young Toplady, as Toplady later recorded in his diary:

"I cannot conclude without reminding you, my young brother, of some things that may be of use to you in the course of your ministry:

    1. Preach Christ crucified, and dwell chiefly on the blessings resulting from His righteousness, atonement, and intercession.

    2. Avoid all needless controversies in the pulpit--except it be when your subject necessarily requires it; or when the truths of God are likely to suffer by your silence.

    3. When you ascend the pulpit, leave your learning behind you. Endeavor to preach more to the hearts of your people--than to their heads.

    4. Do not affect too much oratory. Seek rather to profit your hearers--than to be admired by them."

From GraceGems.

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Some Encouragements for Those Who Are Distracted in the Worship of God.

Encouragements for those who are distracted
Some of these gleanings are from the puritans
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

Remember to Repent
When we find ourselves distracted in the worship of the Lord, let us be diligent to repent of the sin and bewail the fact that we take our eyes off of Christ, His Word, and His beauties and succumb to distractions on lesser things for the moment. Confess your sin specifically to the Lord.

Remember to Refocus
When distractions come and Satan’s temptations assault, remember to cast your eyes upward again on Christ. Do not neglect to refocus on Christ. It’s one thing to notice a distraction and repent of it, but continue to persevere in the mortifying of this sin and the vivifying of holiness by refocusing yet again on Christ’s person and glory.

Remember to Meditate on the glory of Christ
Distractions cast our eyes off of Christ and on to something else. Our hearts falls from the gaze of Christ onto lesser things. The highest object of our affections and the greatest consideration of our hearts is nothing less than the person and glory of Jesus Christ. Set your heart upon the ravishing delights and steadfast glory of Christ. Consider his patience and enduring mercy toward you. Think of His satisfactions and pleasantness in all that He does. Cast your heart continually upon the highest object of the human heart, the surpassing sweetness and majestic glory of this awesome God.

Remember the intercessory work of Christ
Even when you find yourself distracted and your heart has been drawn away from Christ in worship, set it upon your heart that you have an intercessor in heaven in your behalf. When you are distracted below, He remains interceding above. When you have succumbed to distraction and temptations on earth, He remains prayerful, constant, full of love, and pleading His merit continually for you before God’s bar in heaven. O rejoice in this! Even when you sin, He remains your high priest!

Remember the patience of God
In times of sin and when you fall into patterns of distraction and discouragement, remember that you serve a God who is perfect in patience and lavish in love. Your God is one whose heart is full compassion and tenderness toward His creatures, especially His elect. So when you are distracted and are guilt laden in conscience, set it upon your heart that your God is patient toward you, not treating you as your sins deserve, but eager to forgive, ready to forgive, and able to aid you and strengthen you so you can persevere in diligent and focused worship.

Remember the nearness of undistracted worship in heaven
A day will soon come for every believer to worship God without distraction or hesitation or hindrance in eternal glory. Here you long to worship God without distraction. There in glory you will most assuredly worship God without distraction. This is a foretaste here of the fullness of worship of the one, true God in His majestic presence. Here we worship him truly but imperfectly whereas there in glory we shall worship him truly, perfectly, everlastingly, without hindrance.

Remember the efforts of our imperfect worship are sanctified in Christ
As the redeemed of Christ, bought by His precious blood and unbreakably united to Him in saving faith, remember that even your imperfect efforts in this life are still sanctified by the grace of God and are wholly acceptable before God. By virtue of your union with Christ by faith, your good works are sanctified so that God is well-pleased with your obedience, your fruits, your actions, and your worship — even though it remains imperfect in this life. Bless God that He receives you in His Son, the Beloved, and that he delights in the prayers of His saints and in the worship of His sons.

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Commitments of CFBC Restated & Reaffirmed.

The Commitments of CFBC Restated & Reaffirmed.
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

Expository Preaching
The highest form of worship that mortal man could reach is the hearing from God as He speaks through the reading and preaching of his Word. The grand and majestic interaction between God and His people in the preaching of the Word cannot be overstated. God comes down to communicate through His chosen mouthpiece to His people to encourage their hearts, inform their minds, direct their wills, and form them more into the image of Christ. For these reasons, we are unswervingly committed to the faithful, biblical, sequential, expository preaching of the inerrant, sufficient, and authoritative Word of God. Thus, when we gather together corporately, the preaching of God’s Word takes center place so that He can speak and address us as His people so we can grow in holiness and in the knowledge of our blessed Savior.

Committed Prayer
We depend wholly and fully on the power of God to make the ministry effectual and God-pleasing. We cannot worship in our own effort, energy, and strength. So we come to God in desperate prayer both privately and publically, both in our closets and in the corporate prayer meetings. We as a body of believers remain steadfastly resolute to seek God’s face in prayer as we adore him, praise Him, reflect on and meditate on His attributes and being, thank Him for all that he does, affirm His absolute sovereignty and glorious providence, confess and repent of our sins, pray and intercede for one another and for the lost who need to come to faith, and for the glory of God to be made great on the earth. We are a church of prayer and will remain such for God’s glory.

Developing Leaders
Our Lord modeled the life and mindset of a leader to develop and train other leaders to do the work of ministry.  He taught them by example, by instruction, by spending much time together. Our conviction at CFBC is to take the Word of God and entrust these faithful truths to other godly men who can then teach others also. Our goal is to reduplicate leaders so that we can have as many godly shepherds in the flock as possible. We meet with the men, encourage the men, disciple the men, pray for the men, and long for God to raise up an army of exceedingly humble and sacrificially diligent to teach sound doctrine and to guard Christ’s flock from error.

Vigilant Shepherding
The highest work a man could ever be called to in this life is to shepherd the sheep that God bought with His own blood. To shepherd requires feeding the flock, caring for the flock, numbering the flock, carrying the wounded, warding off all invaders and predators, keeping watch diligently, bandaging up the bloody, and leading them to green pastures. In the same way, we at CFBC are conscientious to imitate our Lord who is our Chief Shepherd as we vigilantly shepherd His people that He has called us to serve. We must vigilantly guard from false teaching and teachers, we must verbally admonish those veering into dangerous theological perspectives, and we must teach the truth relentlessly. We have as our goal to shepherd the flock of God among us — every single sheep.

Urgent Soul-winning
God has allotted each Christian a certain amount of time in this world to glorify Him and live for His glory. Every faithful Christian longs for more souls to be snatched from the eternal fire and brought into the kingdom of Christ. Thus, we are zealously committed to and urgently focused upon the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost. Our commission that Christ gave to us is to go out to all the world. Thus, we are to go to sinners. We are to initiate conversations with friends, family members, and strangers. We understand the nearness of eternity and the Imminency of death. And so with this conviction of the externality of everlasting punishment under God’s wrath, we have as our ambition to be urgent in calling sinners to repent of sin and trust in Christ Jesus alone who loved us and gave Himself up for us by taking the wrath of God in our stead.

Worldwide Missions
We are committed to missions because missions is the very heartbeat of God. God is the God of the nations and He longs for the nations to worship Him. Indeed, He declares that all nations will worship and praise Him! So we start where we are in our Jerusalem and we branch out to our Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth with the gospel. We primarily focus our efforts and resources in global ministries that are likeminded theologically that seek to teach pastors how to preach the Word of God. We long to see indigenous pastors equipped, trained, compelled to go back to their countries and villages to powerfully and precisely proclaim the gospel to the lost and to edify the redeemed. We are faithfully and generously committed to worldwide missions.

Biblical Theology
Our understanding of God and our conviction about truth must derive from the Word of God alone. We make it our fervent ambition to teach and preach theology that is biblical, precise, clear, and helpful for the people of God. Nothing is so paramountly important than for men and women to think rightly about God, about mankind, about sin, abound coming judgment, and about Christ and His gospel. We also seek to have a biblical ecclesiology and eschatology as we derive our convictions from the Scriptures. From the youngest of children in our catechism class, we teach them theology even to the sermons and teachings we have, we endeavor to constantly teach theology and model how to derive theological perspectives that are accurate and governed by the Word of God.

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A Catechism for Teaching Youth

Here's the catechism that we use at Christ Fellowship Bible Church for teaching our young people theology:

Download: http://bit.ly/2lqWChU

Some introductory remarks:

1.The duty falls upon all Christian parents to diligently teach their children biblical truths (Deut 6:4-9; Ps 78:1-8)

2. Parents can incorporate this catechism in the regular family worship times (Eph 6:4)

3. Parents should diligently review these catechism questions regularly (Eph 6:4; Ex 12:24-26; Heb 10:3; Lev 16:34)

4.The parents can work on the specific catechism questions that are taught at the CFBC catechism class for that particular week so the child can be adequately prepared for the instruction.

5. If theological questions arise in discussing these with the family, the parents should contact the elders of the church for help, biblical instruction, and shepherding through various theological topics.

 

Download: http://bit.ly/2lqWChU

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A Few Considerations as a New Year Begins!

A Few Considerations as a New Year Begins
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

As we come to the close of one year and anticipate a new year of God’s providences, how can we discipline ourselves for godliness in a greater way? How can we fervently love Christ more and gaze upon His gospel with more frequency?

As a new year begins, I’d like to offer a few considerations.

1. Consider lessening your time on social media & with various entertainments & proactively devote more time to reading Your Bible.
I have no idea the amount of time you spend on social media but whatever the quantity of time you devote to it may be, consider lessening your time on these platforms and devoting more time to reading your Bible. Perhaps you’re a movie person or you’ve got that favorite show on TV you watch. Consider lessening the time you devote to such things and devote time to reading systematically, methodically, devotionally, joyfully, expectantly and faithfully through Scripture. 

2. Consider waking earlier in the morning and spending devoted time in prayer & communion with God.
No time is ever wasted in communing with God in prayer. Do you find that you struggle with your prayer life? Do you battle with saying the same old thing about the same old things? Does your prayer life lack vibrancy and joy and power? Consider waking earlier and praying the Bible. Consider turning to Psalms and read a verse, then turn it into a prayer back to God. Then go on to the next verse and so on. Prayer is a conversation with God whereby He speaks through His Word and we respond and speak to Him in prayer. Commune with Him regularly, early, and fervently!

3. If you're not a member of your Church, begin the process promptly and serve others be held accountable by your local church.
Maybe you’re a regular attender. And you’ve been attending church for some time. Or perhaps you may have recently relocated to a new area and you’ve visiting a church. But have you become a member yet? This is important as you need the accountability, the shepherd-care over your soul, and the responsibility to serve one another and care for others in your local church. If you’re not a member of a biblically sound, bible-preaching local church with biblical leadership, make it a point to begin this process at the start of the new year.

4. Make it a goal to hand out gospel tracts and share the gospel *weekly*.
Many Christians say: “I just don’t know what to say to the nonbeliever about my faith.” I would strongly encourage you to have a tract with you as often as possible and frequently give out tracts to people. If you don’t know what to say, let the gospel tract help you and guide you. You could say to a friend (or a restaurant server, or someone at the drive-thru window, or a cashier, or a stranger walking by, or a neighbor), “may I give you something to read? This changed my life!” Gospel tracts can often go where we can’t! They keep it simple, clear, cogent, and memorable. If you don’t know where to get good and biblically faithful gospel tracts, start with Marv Plementosh at www.onemilliontracts.com.

5. Consider eternity regularly -- eternal, unending hell & eternal glorious heaven.
We do well to ponder eternity. May God kindly stamp eternity on our eyeballs every day. May we live each day as if it were our last and may we seek to grow in grace today and walk in holiness and walk in a nearer communion with Christ more so than yesterday. May we consider the coming certainty of unending eternities. May we reflect on the terrors of hell and the joys of heaven. May we think much of Christ’s intercession for us in heaven, His return for us, and His preparing a place for us in heaven. May we ponder the everlasting hope and joy and bliss of being with the triune God and seeing Him face to face. O may eternity impact us in these days.

6. Live every day as it if were your last. Repent quickly. Be holy. Pray earnestly.
If God would supernaturally tell us that we would die at 12:00midnight tonight, how would you then live? May the prospect that today may very well be our last propel us to prompt repentance, diligent holiness, and earnest prayerfulness. May we hate sin as a destructive monster and may we love Christ and pursue joyful holiness in Him with tenacity and perseverance. May we pray hard and pray often. May we live so close to Christ that the nearer we get to heaven, the closer our communion is with Christ. Number your days! Life is short!

7. Gather with your church with the mindset: "how can I serve others and encourage them today?"
Fight vigorously against the natural inclination to go to church go ‘get’ something. Yes, we do gather with God’s people and receive the Word and edification. But let’s also intentionally cultivate the notion that we gather with God’s people to serve and encourage and give and edify others. So, starting with the new year, make it your goal to gather with God’s people and practically encourage them, greet them, say a kind word to them and minister to them. Perhaps this may take the form of a handshake, a greeting, reaching out to a visitor & inviting them to sit with you, writing a letter to someone in your church family, encouraging your pastor/elders, approaching young people and teenagers and encouraging them. Consider the idea of making it a point every time you gather with God’s people to find one person in your church family and as you’re talking with them, make it a point to pray right then, right there, together with them (and better yet, bring someone else who is nearby into that spontaneous prayer time to benefit and learn and observe this). See how God may grow you and use you as you have the mindset of selfless, sacrificial, Christlike service to others in your local church.  

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My Personal Philosophy of Open Air Preaching.

Personal Philosophy of Open Air Preaching
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

I am a minister of the gospel. By His grace, God has called me to be a herald of the unfathomable riches of Christ. My ambition in life is to please God by magnifying His Son and proclaiming His gospel to the local congregation that He has called me to pastor and by pleading with sinners to repent of sin and turn to God in Christ by faith alone. I am not a full time evangelist. My calling in life is not to travel and be an itinerant preacher from city to city and from town to town. God has wisely and wondrously chosen me to serve His people of Christ Fellowship Bible Church in St Louis, Missouri. My foremost mission that God has entrusted to me consists in the faithful prayer and study of Scripture so that I can faithfully preach and teach His Word weekly. One of the duties of pastoral ministry that I firmly embrace is the evangelization of the lost. This can happen many ways and there are innumerable occasions for believers to proclaim Christ and His gospel to the lost, and one of the ways that I evangelize is by open air preaching, or, as some have titled it: “street preaching.”

In what follows, I delineate my personal philosophy of open air preaching and then break it down and define and clarify it phrase by phrase.


Philosophy Simply Stated:
I'm unswervingly committed to the proclamation of the gospel, with accuracy, boldness, & love,
while trusting God to save His people.


1. Preeminent Commitment!
When I go to the streets each week in St Louis, I remember that I am first and foremost a minister of the gospel. I’m a Christian. I am a man called by God, consumed with God, on mission to proclaim my Savior and to simply declare, as a herald would, the message of the King. The Sovereign One has sent me to go and make disciples of all nations. As a pastor of a local congregation, I cannot -- and I will not -- neglect the flock that God has entrusted to my care for the wonderful opportunity of open air preaching. I would be forfeiting my foremost and primary calling if I were to do so. But one of the ways that I can serve the flock of God is by leading in evangelism, taking folks to the streets with me, teaching and training others to evangelize, hand out tracts, articulate the gospel, start gospel conversations, and open air preach. My preeminent commitment is to Christ and His gospel and not to open air preaching. I cannot be infatuated with the ministry but forget to worship my Master. So I make it my preeminent commitment to go to the streets as a man of God, with the gospel of God, full of the joy of God, and eager to see God work through His Word, for the saving of lost souls and the edifying of converted souls.

2. Proclaim Christ!
I don’t go to the streets just to help people with physical needs. Though I often do have bags and prepackaged gifts of food, toiletries, blankets, etc. for those in need that I may come across, but I always will serve physical needs but emphasize the spiritual need they have -- to turn to Christ in repentance and faith to be delivered from the wrath to come! So when I go out, the engine that drives what I do is the proclamation of the gospel. Whether it’s a one-to-one conversation, or tract distribution, or open air preaching, or high school ministry, or college campus evangelism, I always must ensure that I’m proclaiming Christ. Paul said it so well to the Corinthians: we preach Christ crucified (1 Cor 1.23). This must drive me, compel me, enflame me, impel me, and launch me into the great sea of dark and sinful hearts that swarms me every day in St Louis. Whatever I’m doing, and especially in open air preaching, my duty never rests in arguments, explaining or defending or proving the existence of God, or trying to make someone just go to church. What’s more, I must never mock or ridicule the lost because they are, in fact, -- lost! I go to proclaim Christ! I stand to speak of my Savior! I lift up my voice and herald the only way to heaven through Christ Jesus and His righteousness! I unashamedly uphold the authority of Scripture, the glory of God, the worth and person and substitutionary atonement of Christ, His bodily, physical resurrection, and His soon-coming for judgment. Like any man who preaches, preaching is not dialogue, it is declaring God’s truth. So I don’t dialogue while I preach -- I declare the gospel of Christ when I preach. This often opens up the door for many wonderful dialogues with people after I’m finished preaching. I am a proclaimer of Christ -- and Him alone!

3. Loving Urgency!
Often I go through this scenario in my mind. What if God were to snatch me from this realm and drop me into the fires of hell for five minutes. While there, I could hear the screams of the damned, I could smell the fires eating away at flesh that cannot be consumed, I could see the endless multitudes of sinners who forever, everlastingly, and painfully will endure the undiminished torments of God’s just and righteous and angry wrath for endless eternities to come. Then God snatches me out of hell and brings me back to this earth. What would I then do? And how would I then live? For one thing: I would be urgent, focused, desperate in prayer, and loving in desperate warnings toward the lost! I’m convicted oftentimes when I don’t share the gospel because it just may be that in that moment I’m not believing in eternal hellfire. If I did, I wouldn’t fear man or care what they thought of me. I’d proclaim Christ and call sinners to repent and believe the gospel now for the salvation of their souls! So when I hit the streets, I must “speak the truth in love.” I must always speak in a manner that is full of love, grace, compassion, and mercy. I never want to be the stumbling block to someone. I never want to be the one to offend someone. May it always and only be the gospel message that offends, not the open air preacher that offends. And at the same time, I am a man in love with the truth. So I preach truth. I can have love all day long but I must speak the truth to men whether they want it, accept it, embrace it, or agree with it. My job is not to make people believe. My job is to preach truth. As Paul said: “I believed, therefore, I spoke.” And if I really believed that danger -- eternal danger -- was imminent, I would be far more loving in warning sinners of hellfire! Nothing is unloving of warning sinners of God’s angry wrath to come! Christ Himself, the man full of grace and truth, warned sinners relentlessly of the fires of hell and of judgment day! O how I must learn from my Savior and emulate Him more! So when I go to the streets and preach, I go with loving urgency in declaring who God is, explaining the dire and helpless condition of all men, and the accomplished work that Christ accomplished at Calvary as the propitiation and one-time sacrifice for His people. And I go presenting truth and pleading with sinners to come to Christ -- now, today, at once, without procrastinating! As Paul pleaded with and sought to persuade those in Rome to come to Christ, so I must go and plead with sinners and persuade them to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Christ. For now is the acceptable time! Today is the day of salvation! Eternity is soon coming! Delay no longer!

4. Total Trust in God's Sovereignty!
The confidence in all evangelism rests upon the unshakeable and unfathomable sovereignty of God. God not only ordains the ultimate end in the salvation of sinners, but He also ordains the means to save His people and that is through the prayers and faithful evangelism of His people. God’s absolute sovereignty does not diminish my responsibility to go and preach; rather, it fortifies confidence while doing it! God’s election and predestination and hardening of sinners is not an excuse for me to not go out and win souls; rather, it fuels my encouragement and confidence in knowing that God is working through His Word, for His glory, according to His plan, at just the right moment. I go and preach and I pray and trust.  I preach my heart out and seek to persuade sinners to leave all and come to Christ at once. And yet I depend wholly on the Spirit of God to give light to darkened hearts and and to give life to spiritually dead souls. I pray and then I preach. I trust and then I travail for souls. I depend on God and I also declare my God! When I don’t see visible results that I ask for in prayer, I don’t stop being faithful when it seems that I’m not being fruitful. God tells me that it’s required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. I long to hear one day: well done, good and faithful servant. I know that just as Paul preached and the SPirit of God used that Word to bring God’s people to salvation, so I must preach the gospel and trust the Spirit of God to awaken sinners to life that God has appointed. So I go. So I preach. So I’m confident. So I trust. So I am desperate in prayer. And I preach with all my heart.


There are, of course, other benefits that come from faithful evangelism (and, specifically to the matter at hand, open air preaching). First, my own soul receives encouragement and grows in Godly courage as I speak the gospel in the public and before the masses of people that walk by. Second, I trust that true believers often walk by and may find encouragement in their own souls as they hear the person and crosswork of Christ being extolled and presented before sinners. Third, street ministry provides opportunities for me to bring other saints out with me for on-site, boots-on-the-ground discipleship, so that we can grow together in our going out to sinners and compelling them to come to the heavenly wedding feast! Fourth, going out to the lost regularly increases the burden for the lost in my own soul. It exacerbates the intolerable burden that countless millions are on the broad path headed for everlasting torment in the fires of hell. This leads me to prayer, to desperation, to Christ-centered preaching, and to more evangelism. And fifth, this evangelistic ministry magnifies Christ in the public square and brings Christ to countless souls that may never step foot in a solidly biblical and faithful local church. Rather than waiting for sinners to come to us, we must go to them! To God be the glory.

More resources on open air preaching can be found here and here.

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My Philosophy of Preaching the Word in Corporate Worship.

Philosophy of Preaching the Word in Corporate Worship
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

God has called me to preach. He has placed upon my soul the weighty and blessed privilege of studying His Word and feeding His people with the truth of Scripture. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It is a consuming calling that I’m bound to and one that I must stick to His prescriptions for how I am to serve, what I am to say, and in what manner I must preach. God has not left it up to me to figure out how to preach His Word. He has clearly presented how His Word is to be taught to His people. In thinking through my philosophy of preaching the Word of God in the corporate worship of God’s people, I want to present some fundamentals that govern me and my ministry of the Word.

Here are 4 features drive me and my philosophy of preaching in the corporate gathering of the worship of the saints.

Philosophy Simply Stated:
*I'm committed to the exposition of truth, from God's written Word, for the growth of the Saints!


1. Biblical Exposition
I am unswervingly committed to the expositional preaching of God’s Word as my preeminent calling as an undershepherd to care for Christ’s people. He has called me to devote myself to the prayer and the ministry of the Word. He summons me to preach the Word and to be ready in season and out of season. Whatever I may do in ministry, the preeminent task that has been placed upon me as a minister of the gospel is to feed God’s people the food of God’s Word faithfully and consistently. He calls me to preach the full counsel of God and to leave to stone unturned and no doctrine unpreached. I commit to preaching through books of the Bible consecutively, verse-by-verse, so as to allow God to speak to His people through His Word, by His mouthpiece that He has called, commissioned, equipped, and empowered to preach.

2. Divine Truth
God has clearly commissioned me to preach His Word. In fact, I’m under obligation and I’ve been solemnly charged in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead -- I must preach His Word. I must study His Word so as to get at the meaning from the text and then I must deliver that meaning to His people with proper, specific, poignant applications for the spiritual benefit of His people. I commit myself to the study of, praying through, internalization, and bold declaration of divine truth as it is sufficiently revealed in holy Scripture. When I preach, I will preach truth from God’s Word. I will love the truth, serve the truth, seek to advance the truth, preach the truth, and warn against error so God’s people may know the truth, love the truth, and walk in the truth so as to bring utmost pleasure and glory to Christ!

3. Sufficient Scriptures
The source of my study and the theme of my preaching will be the word of the living God contained in Holy Scripture. I believe that the Bible is the sufficient, truth, inerrant, inspired, and authoritative word of the living God. As I declare God’s Word from the pulpit and present the meaning of the text, the application of the text, and the gospel of Christ in every sermon, I recognize that faithful exposition from the Scripture is in fact the voice of God speaking through His mouthpiece to His people. My study, then, must drive me to biblical study, desperate prayer, constant dependence upon God, and diligent work in the text so as to be prepared to stand in the pulpit and speak as a mouthpiece for God from His Word. My commitment is not to give people what they want to hear nor to tickle the ears of those who want to be entertained, but my primary job is to let God speak to God’s people through God’s Word as God has directed. I am a man under obligation to read the text, explain the text, and apply the text in every sermon I preach. The Bible is the word of God. And God reigns supreme over His people. So I must let God speak to His people through the heralding of His Word. This is my chief obligation.

4. Edifying Saints
The purpose of the gathering of the church is to edify God’s people and equip them to do the work of service. I believe that my duty is not to do the work of ministry alone but to build up, to edify, to equip, to instruct, to model, to exemplify, to prepare God’s people to actively do the work of ministry in caring for one another, teaching one another, discipling one another, evangelizing the lost, and glorifying God by playing a part in local and worldwide ministry. I preach the Word of God every week knowing that my foremost calling is to build up the people of God as I preach the Word of God. I must not skip over hard texts or difficult doctrines or uncomfortable truths. I will preach the full counsel of God and theological doctrines faithfully so that Christ’s people may be strengthened in the faith, established in the truth, equipped to expose error, and enflamed with love for Christ. I believe that the preeminent responsibility that God has placed upon me in the public gathering of worship is not to evangelize the lost (though I do and will present the gospel & call sinners to repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation) but it is to present the truth of Scripture and to proclaim the glory of Christ in such a way that God’s people are stirred to love and devotion to Him and equipped to serve Him in their lives.

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How to Greet the Saints.

HOW TO GREET THE SAINTS
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

At the conclusion of Paul’s letters, he greets believers and exhorts believers to greet one another. Seemingly tagged on at the end of some theologically-rich epistles, readers can easily skim past these verses. But could it be that here in these final words, God instructs us through the pen of the Apostle Paul as to how to greet the saints (that is, every person who is in Christ Jesus). So, how should believers greet one another? How should we greet every single saint?

Here are 5 pastoral encouragements.

1. With INTENTIONALITY.
At the end of his epistle to the Philippian church, Paul says to greet ‘every saint’ in Christ. I think it’s fairly understood that we don’t naturally greet every single person we see on Sundays in our local churches. In fact, if we were honest, we probably would say that we would rather sit down, enjoy a moment or two to ourselves when we arrive moments before the opening of the service. And then when the closing prayer is finished, we would rather slip out the back and head home without interacting much with folks. But the loving and wise Spirit of God does not permit that mentality in the local church. Rather, through Paul’s pen, we are called to greet every saint. This is an imperative and something that we are all called to do. We are to greet one another with intentionality because we are tempted to sometimes sit and remain to ourselves and not approach anyone because, quite frankly, it takes effort, time, and sometimes patience to hear people pour out their heart (and even, receive some fairly messy situations and desperate prayer requests!). It’s easier to not greet people. But the Lord calls us to intentionally greet one another regardless of whether one is extroverted or introverted, outgoing or not!

2. With AFFECTION.
Many of Paul’s epistles speak of greeting one another with love, with a holy kiss. In that culture and at that time, this greeting was a mark of genuine love and tender affection. The believers greeted one another with the utmost tenderness and warmth. The imperative is to greet one another. How are we to do this? With great affection, with tender warmth, with genuine love, with brotherly kindness. Dear Christians, are we affectionate and warm and full of brotherly kindness when we greet the saints when we gather together?  Are we warm towards them? Are we a “refreshment” to others when we greet them, welcome them, speak to them, and pray for them? Does your conduct, your demeanor, your care, your focus, your intentionality speak to your brotherly affection for your fellow believers? May the Lord help us to greet one another with affection and brotherly-love.

3. With IMPARTIALITY.
There is no partiality with God! Amazingly, the Apostle Paul reminds believers so frequently in his writings that there is no division amongst God’s people. Think of it: Jew and Gentile can worship the risen Christ together. The rich and the poor can worship Christ together, side by side! Yes, the young and the old can exalt the one, true God together, in worship! James speaks directly to this issue of greeting one another without impartiality. Dear friends: we could all be honest enough to confess that there are some people that we’re more comfortable approaching on Sundays and there are others who are, quite frankly, different than us! And if it were not for the saving grace of Christ, we probably would have no interactions with that person in our lives. And yet, by God’s wondrous grace and wise wisdom, He has brought many believers from different backgrounds and cultures together in this living and growing and wondrous organism called the Church! There are no boundaries or barriers or divisions! We are all one in Christ Jesus. All who are believers in Christ by faith alone belong to Christ! Perhaps you could make it a point to approach one person each week that you may not normally go up to and seek to warmly greet them and speak one encouraging word of grace to them for their edification! O the joy and sweetness in a local church if every saint approached one another without partiality to greet them, sit with them, talk with them, pray with them, and show brotherly kindness to them!

4. With SPECIFICITY.
Many times in Paul’s letters he greets people by name. The book of Romans (ch. 16) provides a perfect example of Paul’s profuse and specific greetings to the saints. In Philippians 4, however, Paul does not greet people by name, but he does say to greet every saint. Dear Christian: do you know the fellow saints in your local church?  Do you specifically pray for them?  Do you know their needs? Their struggles? Their fears? Their joys? Their evangelistic encounters? Their causes for rejoicing? Do you greet folks and just say week after week after week, “hi, how are you? How was your week?” Or is there any greater depth that you go into in probing the heart, digging for some specifics if a generic answer is given? How can you take the simple greetings and greet one another with specificity by asking good questions, heart-probing questions, and sermon-engaging questions, and Christ-focused questions? Paul greets the saints in Philippi and assures them that the gospel has permeated even the imperial palace of Caesar! O let us give such specific encouragements to one another of how God is working, how Christ is worthy, how the Spirit is empowering, and how the gospel is advancing! May the Lord help us!

5. With GRACE.
In a remarkably Pauline feature that distinguishes his conclusions from the rest of ancient Greco-Roman letter writing conclusions, he reminds the Christians of God’s grace found in Christ that is with them always! In fact, often Paul bookends his letters with the reality of God’s grace that is given to them (see, e.g., Philippians 1:2 and 4:23). Why? Because all that Christians are is theirs by virtue of God’s grace! Believers are nothing and have nothing except by God’s undeserved grace. Paul reminds the saints that their position in Christ is all of grace. And he reminds them that they are sustained in Christ all by grace! God will carry them to glory all by grace! Indeed, we stand confidently in this grace of God!  So when Paul bids his farewell to the believers whom he affectionately loves, he reminds them of the wondrous and unfathomable grace of God that began the good work in them, that sustains the preserving work in them, and guarantees the sanctifying work in them till glory! O that we as Christians would greet one another with such thoughtful words of theological depth and richness! Consider how local congregations would be further edified and strengthened as each saint would speak a brief word of encouragement and truth to one another as we remind each other of God’s faithful grace and unfailing favor toward us -- in salvation, in suffering, in sanctification, indeed, in any situation! May the Lord help us to thoughtfully, theologically, and joyfully greet one another with grace-filled speech!

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Why Invest In the Men?

Why Invest in the Men?
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

Every Friday morning I meet with about 6-8 men from the local church where I serve. From the very first week that I moved to St. Louis, I have endeavored to meet faithfully with these band of brothers. I remember the very first Sunday I was on site serving as the pastor of Christ Fellowship Bible Church, I called all the men to the front after the worship service and told them of my passion to meet with them, invest in them, pour all that I am and have into them, and disciple them. After a brief discussion, we chose 6:00-7:30AM every Friday morning for our study time. And to this day, six years later, we still meet to pray, talk church ministry, and study the Word together.

A typical format of our Friday morning meetings is fairly simple and straightforward. From 6-6:30AM I often will pour out my heart and work through practical church-related items and ask some thought-provoking questions to generate discussion (e.g., why do we do music the way we do? Why don’t we have this or that?). Sometimes I lead in exegeting a hymn to teach the men to think thoughtfully about the music we sing. Other times I’ll lead in a brief biography study through a man from church history (I love the Puritans so often they will hear of a Puritan!). We have worked slowly and biblically through all the elder-qualifications, the church mission statement, how to lead at home, and the importance of family worship. All this said, I try to discuss practical ministry-related items with the brothers for the first 30-minutes. Then from 6:30-7:30AM we dig into the Bible in our study. Over the years, we’ve studied verse by verse through Romans, John, Joshua, Philemon and we’re currently progressing through Proverbs. We’ve also had lengthy and in-depth studies on family worship, expository preaching, expository listening, family worship, biblical forgiveness, and biblical counseling. We finish everything and conclude in prayer by 7:30AM sharp so the brothers can depart and get to work.

Why is it so crucial for me to invest in the men?

1. Joyous Obedience
As a shepherd called by God to care for the souls of Christ’s sheep, He calls me to entrust biblical truths to other faithful men who can in turn teach others also (2 Tim 2:2). Therefore, I count it a joy to obey God in the discipling and mentoring of other men. I think of the example Moses set in discipling Joshua. I consider Paul’s example in mentoring and discipling young Timothy. I think of the many companions that accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys. Rarely was Paul alone. So first and foremost, I count it a joyous privilege and divine blessing to obey Him in the duty of investing in the men that He brings to the church where I pastor.


2. Internal Transformation  
As I meet with the men every Friday morning, the transformation is not only for the men who study the Word together with me, but one of the glories of leading the morning men’s studies consists in the internal transformation that God works in my own soul in my own time of personal study and prayer prior to meeting with the brothers.  I consider my time of preparation for the biblical counseling study we had a few years back, or I reflect on our verse by verse study through Romans or the Gospel of John, or now working progressively through the Book of Proverbs, one of the foremost blessings comes from my own time of prayerful study in the Word, in exegesis, in commentary work, and diligently laboring for practical application points. In a word, why do I invest in the men of the church? In my preparation and study, my own heart is pierced, convicted by truth, and taught by God’s Spirit. And for this internal transformation and divinely worked sanctification that takes place in my soul, I am profoundly grateful and blessed.


3. Leadership Development  
Jesus spent much time with His disciples. He invested in men to lead. He knew He would soon depart from this earth, ascend to heaven, and the work of gospel-proclamation would rest upon the shoulders of His followers. So he devoted Himself to developing leaders. Part of my motive in meeting with the men every Friday morning is to develop biblical leaders to serve in Christ’s Church. I understand the Spirit appoints men to ministry. I simply cannot make a leader. I cannot force someone into leadership nor should we lay hands on a man hastily. But I can, and indeed I must, give myself diligently to the training of men for ministry. I do this by modeling timeliness, faithfulness, punctuality, preparation, accurate hermeneutics, systematic theology, and a towering trust in the authority, sufficiency, and reliability of Scripture. I trust that the Lord will raise up elders and deacons from the Friday morning study as they receive the Word, grow in their theological precision, and live out biblical manhood in the home, in the church, and at work.


4. Family Discipleship    
I can’t disciple the wives of the church. Nor should I. But I can disciple the men of the church who will disciple their wives and children as the family shepherds of their homes. So I invest in the men on Friday mornings so that I can disciple, more or less, the entire church through the heads of households. I hope to model for the men the primacy of Scripture, the glory of Christ, the wonder of the gospel, and the precision of theology so that they can learn and do these things in the contexts of their own family environments. Our church doesn’t have a youth group, nor do we have thriving children’s programs, nor do we have a full-blown women’s, or men’s, or retired, or singles, or college ministry. But what we do have is a solid and robust commitment to the investing of godly men to teach other men who can teach and disciple their wives and children. And, the women can encourage other women (even the singles, the widows, the divorced, the retired, the young singles). And the men can encourage other men! The goal is for the Friday morning men’s study to be a model of Bible-centered discipleship so that the men can do this with others -- starting in their own homes with their own families.


5. Contagious Influence  
It blesses my soul to hear of people in the church meeting with other believers for fellowship, Bible reading, and study together. I take great joy in knowing that people meet together in “Bible-open” discipleship relationships so that men disciple other men and women disciple other women -- both young and old. I invest in the men on Friday mornings to also instill in the brothers the paramount necessity and urgent importance of regular encouraging one another in the things of God, from the Word of God. Then, the brothers seek out another man in the church -- whether it be a visitor, a regular attender, a fellow church-member, or a teenage child to get to know -- to take what we’re doing on Friday mornings and do this on their own throughout the week. This then produces an inter-personal web of discipleship relationships that permeates the culture of the church. Far from it being only the pastor-shepherds who do the soul-care of the sheep, this then produces an entire church that is involved in, committed to, diligently and proactively overseeing the spiritual wellbeing of the fellow members. So I meet with the men on Friday mornings because it also has a contagious influence on others who see that there’s nothing flashy, catchy, entertaining or super-difficult about the discipleship relationships in the Word. Then they reach out to others and care for and admonish others in the Word on a regular, consistent basis.  May God bless these labors for His glory and for the spiritual edification of His church.

More podcasts and resources can be found at Pastor Geoff's website here.

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Metaphors for a Minister of the Word.

METAPHORS FOR A MINISTER OF THE WORD.
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

The noblest of all callings that God could give to a man is to be a carer of the souls whom Christ has purchased with His own blood. To feed God’s people the Word, to shepherd God’s people through the journeys and trials of life, to counsel God’s people through unforeseen and painful heartaches, to protect God’s people from dangerous doctrines and teachers, to remind God’s people of the unchanging gospel and the sure-reality of heaven are just a few of the immense privileges that God places upon a pastor. But how does the Bible describe a pastor? What are some of the figures of speech that the Spirit of God employs to describe this calling? This essay will bring forth seven metaphors that speak of the minister of the gospel and his work.


1. Watchman (Ezekiel 33:1-9)
Watchmen are workers. They busy themselves by vigilantly keeping guard to protect the population that they are called to oversee. God told Ezekiel that he was appointed as a watchman for His people so that when he hears a message from God he is to give the people a warning from God. If he receives God’s message but chooses to not warn the people, then he will be guilty as an unfaithful watchman. But if he receives God’s message and does warn the people, then has delivered himself. When danger comes, the watchmen must sound the alarm to protect the citizens. The watchman cannot sleep or be careless; nor can be be indifferent or lazy. He must stay awake, be vigilant, be watchful, and be alert at all times because danger can loom from all fronts -- from both far away and from near (even from within at times!). So a pastor must also watch the flock to guard from encroaching danger from the outside and the inside.

2. Workman (2 Tim 2:15)
Workmen exert all their energy to do the required duties to the best of their abilities. Paul commands young, pastor Timothy to be diligent to present himself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. Consider a soldier who is faithful to please his commanding officer. Consider an athlete who works hard and competes according to the rules. Consider a farmer who works hard to receive his share of the crops. Just as a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer distinguish themselves by their zealous effort and tireless work-ethic, so ministers of the gospel must similarly be workers in the exegesis and expositing of God’s word. All who desire the privilege of shepherd-leadership desire a fine work.

3. Shepherd (John 21:15-17)
No one really desired to be a shepherd. It was hard, lonely, dirty, and lowly work. Shepherds had no fanfare and received no accolades from the masses. But shepherds had one driving duty: to care for the sheep that were entrusted to their care. Predators could lurk and swiftly attack so shepherds had to be vigilant to be with and watch over the helpless sheep. Shepherds had to provide still, quiet waters for the sheep to drink without harm from without or conflict from within the fold. Sometimes the sheep could tangle themselves in thorn briars and the shepherd would use his staff to free them. Or even a sheep may have wandered off and as he counted his sheep, one by one, one may be missing. He would never just let it die and move on with one less sheep, but he would leave the flock protected in a spot while he would go and diligently search till he found the lost and helpless sheep. Then he would pick it up and carry it home. May ministers of the gospel tend Christ’s lambs, shepherd Christ’s sheep, and tend His sheep (John 21:15, 16, 17) in following the Master’s steps who Himself is the good Shepherd!

4. Servant  (John 13:15; Matt 20.28)
Our glorious Savior, on the night before He would be crucified, had the Passover meal with His disciples and he washed their feet. And on this occasion, he said that he has given an ‘example’ so that we also should do as He has done (John 13:15). Previously in his ministry, He told the disciples that it is the pagan leaders who lord it over their people and exercise authority over their people. But it must not be this way among Christ’s people, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave! Let every minister of the gospel remember that we are not to lord authority over our people but rather we are to serve them as slaves. Indeed, whoever wishes to be first must be slave of all! No task is too lowly, no people are too dirty, no chore is too messy.

5. Farmer  (1 Cor 3:5-9 & Mark 4:1-20)
In writing to a church that he loved, and yet a church laden with many problems, the Apostle Paul affirmed that he and Apollos are servants of the Lord and servants of the Corinthian believers (1 Cor 3:5). He talked about how he planted, and Apollos watered, but God causes the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything but God who causes the growth (1 Cor 3:6-8). We are simply planting seed, watering the seed and tilling the ground. Our Lord taught in a parable that a man sows the seed (which is the word of God). The seed falls on different kinds of soil -- on the road, on the rocky places, in the thorns, and on the good soil. The point? Be faithful to sow and scatter the seed of the Word faithfully and God does the heart-work in the hearer through the word which the preacher faithfully sowed. Sow the seed. Be faithful. Work hard. Don’t give up. Keep tilling! Keep sowing! Keep casting the seed!

6. Mother (1 Thess 2:7-8)
Everyone has a vivid picture in their minds of a nursing mother caring for a helpless, precious little baby. The Apostle Paul employed this imagery when he told the beloved Thessalonians that they proved to be gentle among them, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children (1 Thess 2:7). Consider the heartfelt love a mother has for the baby. The baby can’t reciprocate the love, vocalize gratitude, or do anything that’s affectionate. And yet the mother constantly thinks of her baby, cares for her baby, nurtures her baby, feeds her baby, protects her baby, watches her baby, and gives thanks for her baby! Ministers are to have such a fond, mother-like, affection for their congregations that they are pleased to impart not only the gospel of God but even their own very lives because the people become so dear to the man of God!

7. Herald (2 Tim 4:2)
In writing to young, pastor Timothy, the Apostle Paul gives him a strict charge from God almighty and the glorious and sovereign Christ. The simple charge is clear, decisive, necessary, urgent, and mandatory: preach the Word! The verb that Paul uses employs the language of a herald that a superior commissions with a message to impart to a group of recipients. Imagine an Emperor in the ancient world who could send an ambassador with a message to a city where the Emperor was soon to visit, the ambassador would take the message from the King and deliver it just as he received it to the intended recipients. The herald is to stand in the public, cup his hands, lift up his voice, and boldly proclaim the King’s message! It’s not the herald’s duty to ensure that people obey or respond accordingly. The herald simply proclaims the message that ha been delivered to him by his superior. As long as he faithfully imparts the message without adding or subtracting anything to it, or making it more palatable or less offensive, he has done his job faithfully. Every minister of the gospel is a herald. We are to herald forth the King’s message from the Word of God to the people that God brings to hear the truth. After all, Paul said: we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us! That’s what a herald is! It is the King addressing his people through the mouth of the messenger, the herald, the ambassador. May God instill in us a passion to herald His Word faithfully!

More at Pastor Geoff's articles page.

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Why Do We Need Revival?

WHY DO WE NEED REVIVAL?
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

We must have revival or we will perish! One only needs to survey the Old Testament to find out what God does when God gives revelation to people and they reject Him, despise His Word, scoff at His messengers, and refuse to repent. The inevitable result is divine doom and devastating destruction. We must have revival. And yet, we fully embrace the biblical theme that pervades all of Scripture, namely, the absolute sovereignty of God. God alone revives His people. God alone regenerates the rebellious. Revival is primarily a work of God the Spirit. So, as we look around us in our 21st century society, we know that God alone is the One who can bring revival and yet we still must ask, ‘why do we need revival?’ To answer this, I’ll provide a handful of reasons.

1. For the sake of GOD.
We earnestly seek a revival first and foremost for the sake of our God. That means we long for God’s name to be displayed most magnificently and supremely. We want His fame to spread across communities, and cities and countries! We long for nations to worship the one, true and living God! We long for revival so that God receives the glory in reviving His people and regenerating the wayward.

2. For the sake of the CHURCH.
Second, we need a revival for the sake of Christ’s church. To revive something, by definition, means that there is some measure of life that existed previously. For God to revive us means that we are alive spiritually. Thus, a true revival is when God promotes holiness and a zeal for His glory that permeates the hearts of God’s people and propels them to live in holiness and fervent prayer married together with fervent evangelism. We long for God’s Spirit to rekindle the love for Christ and revive us by His Word!

3. For the sake of the LOST.
Third, we desperately need revival for the sake of the lost. Millions around us are perishing! Unless God sovereignly saves sinners, they are all headed to everlasting burnings in hellfire under the almighty and unresting wrath of God. We need revival and we beg for revival so that the mighty working of God may shine forth and that the unstoppable power of God may be manifested in the saving of souls! We hunger for revival because we have an intolerable burden for perishing sinners all around us!

4. For the sake of the GOSPEL.
Fourth, we need revival and we pray earnestly for it for the sake of the gospel. God has so put it in our hearts to see the the power of the gospel’s message demonstrated! Indeed, it is the gospel message that is the power of God! It is the power of this message to save. And we want this good news to travel far and wide and to convict men of sin and to bring them to deep repentance. And we long for this good news to show them Christ’s remedy and the absolute freeness of divine grace through repentance and faith.

5. For the sake of ETERNITY.
Finally, we desperately need revival because eternity is right around the corner. It’s near! Eternity is soon coming! We thirst for souls to be won to the kingdom in droves and to escape hellfire! Every living person will live eternally in either the bliss of heaven enjoying the beauty of Christ forevermore or the punishment of hell suffering under the unbridled wrath of God! May the Lord stir us to pray much and tirelessly, persistently and biblically, trusting that God will save His elect. So may we evangelize and pursue the lost so they may be won to Christ for all eternity!

More resources on revival can be found here.

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God Gave You to the Son!

Consider the High Priestly prayer of Jesus to the Father in John 17:2 - "Even as you gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom you have given Him, He may give eternal life..."

John MacArthur elaborates on the glory of this marvelous reality that God gave a particular group of people to His Son:

"Having chosen to redeem them, the Father gave them to the Son as gifts of His love. Thus ... the disciples were infinitely precious to the SOn, not because of anything intrinsically valuable in them, but because they were promised to Him by His Father before time began (2 Tim 1.9; Titus 1.1)."

"Jesus' beautiful prayer in John 17 indicates, this divine promise was made from one member of the Trinity to another -- from the Father to the Son. As a tangible expression of His infinite love for the Son, the Father promised Him a bride (cf. Rev 19.7-8), a company of redeemed sinners who would honor and glorify the Son forever.  In eternity past, the Father recorded their names in the book of Life (Rev 13.8; 17.8), and pledged them to His Son as a gift of His love.  Thus, Jesus could pray: "Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was. I have manifested Your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; they were yours and you gave them to me (17:5-6). A few verses later, Jesus again underscored that believers are a gift from the Father, given out of His love and for the purpose of His Son's glory: "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world!"

According to God's sovereign design, the Father draws to the Son those whom He has chosen to redeem, in keeping with His eternal promise. The Son, in return, receives and protects all those whom the Father draws. Because they are a gift to Him from the Father, he would never refuse them or allow them to be lost. He will raise them all to eternal glory."

SO Sinners are saved NOT because they are inherently worthy of salvation, or wise enough on their own to choose it (Eph 2.1-10), but because the Father lovingly draws them for the purpose of giving them as a gift to the Son. In response to the Father's love, the Son eagerly receives all those who are drawn because they are a gift from His beloved Father. The Son opens his arms to sinners, not because they either deserve to be embraced or seek such, but because He is exceedingly glad to receive the gift His Father prepared for him from before time began, and then sought and saved!"

When the Father, in eternity past, decided to redeem sinners, He did so with the ultimate intent of conforming them into the image of His Son (Phil 3.20-21; 1 John 3.2; Rom 8.29). Because they will be like Christ in their glorified state, the redeemed will forever be a supreme tribute to the Son -- reflecting His perfect goodness and proclaiming His eternal greatness!"

--from John MacArthur, John 12-22, MNTC, p.247-48.

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