GCV Blog

“The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” â€" Mark 1:1 Two thousand years after this was written, Christians confidently proclaim that there is no gospel without Jesus Christ. However, to those reading it for the first time â€" this was a bold proclamation for a lowly carpenter to fulfill. To the Roman or Gentile audience the Gospel of Jesus Christ was an attack on what they believed. Gospel, meaning good news, was often spoken in conjunction with the coronation of a new ruler. Commentators often cite the Priene Calendar inscription dated 9 BC in honor of Augustus, referring to his birth as the “birthday of the god Augustus…the beginning of the good news for the world…”

The following article comes from Jon Bloom of Desiring God (http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/when-the-perfect-comes). Though this is an older post, I come back to it at the turn of the year because of it’s mixture of hope and honesty. “…when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away” (1 Corinthians 13:10).

Earlier this month, the Spanish ministry held a couples’ retreat in the mountains. The majority of those who attended were the men who have been involved in weekly Bible studies conducted in the local fields and farm shops. We met most of the wives for the first time at the retreat. It was the men who encouraged their wives to attend and made the effort to be a part of this. As we headed into the weekend, we did not know what to expect. This was a Christian marriage retreat attended mostly by unbelievers. How do you teach Christian principles to couples whose souls have yet to know Christ? It could be very frustrating to hear truths that can be applied only as the Holy Spirit provides the grace to do so.

With all the strategies for church growth swirling around in our world, Charles Spurgeon helps us see clearly both what truth church growth is and how it happens. “Are you afraid that preaching the gospel will not win souls? Are you despondent as to success in God’s way? Is this why you pine for clever oratory? Is this why you must have music, and architecture, and flowers and millinery? After all, is it by might and power, and not by the Spirit of God? It is even so in the opinion of many.

Prayer. It’s one of our ten ministry commitments. It’s the expression of our dependence on God, the privilege of our adoption as sons and daughters, the bold access we have to God’s throne, the power ordinary people have to move God’s mighty hand, the worry killer, and the unceasing activity of the obedient Christian. Yet for something so essential, it’s also something we struggle to do meaningfully and consistently. I know that in part because I know me. It seems like my prayer life flounders when I don’t consider why I should pray and how.

Ephesians 4:11 and 12 tell us, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” In God’s wisdom, He planned for His leaders in the church to be equippers and for every saint to do the work of the ministry. Far from a recent development in church theory or a nod to the success of grassroots political movements or a scheme of the latest church growth fad, every member ministry lies at the heart of God’s plan for His church.

Have you ever heard someone else (or yourself) saying something along these lines: “I just don’t click with that person. We don’t gel well. He just has a personality I don’t like. She’s sort of annoying. We’re so different. We just don’t have anything in common.” Reality is that we don’t get along easily with everyone we know. Some people irritate us with their mannerisms or habits. Maybe they strike us as odd or make conversations awkward. Sometimes those people are family members, and sometimes those people are church family members. So if we are all fellow citizens, and members of the same family, and parts of the same building, how can we relate to people we don’t naturally like or enjoy or mesh with?

Of Satan’s many descriptions, one of the most personally chilling is “the accuser of our brothers.” Revelation 12:8 tells of a coming day that he will be thrown down from Heaven, forced to stop his day and night accusations. John clearly states that Satan does his accusing “before our God.” Because this day is still future, the biblical reality seems to be that Satan is currently, actively bringing accusations against Christians to God. Much like with Job, Satan loves to cast doubt and accusation against us to God.

Prayer for Revival “What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?” Ps 89:48 You may have heard the report about the four Soccer Camps we recently conducted. Reporting on Sunday morning requires brevity so you mostly heard facts about what it took to get thirty two people to conduct sixty hours of Soccer Camp in four different cities. This is a report on the human side of the equation.

Jonathan Edwards has been described as one of the greatest minds in America ever, and certainly one of its greatest theologians. Edwards thought and taught deeply about Jesus Christ and experiencing the greatest delight in knowing Him. In the quote below, Edwards walks us through possible objections to trusting Christ and shows us how great Jesus is.