Pastor Brandon's Blog

At Grace Bible Church Gainesville, we desire to herald the message of the King in His word, so that the simple

Our church will probably never even be half the size of that church down the street. That’s okay because we serve a big God, and He has given the power to do amazing things in His Name even through a small number of people

God is faithful and He knows exactly what He is doing! Humble yourselves under His mighty hand and casting your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. And, you will not be disappointed!

We can learn much from James’s teaching. As Christians, we can face great difficulty for our faith, and we face all the difficulties which are common to man. God does not take us out of this world when He saves us and He does not guard us from difficulties. He uses them to give us endurance and to grow us in godliness. Therefore, we must heed these mandates as we traverse the minefields of life on this side of Heaven.

I have just embarked upon what I hope is a life of pastoral ministry. And by God’s providence, I am now a church planting bi

God is the only real source of the wisdom needed to respond in a godly way to the trials of life, and we must approach Him for this wisdom. We must go to Him in prayer and by His word knowing that these are the only true sources for the answers we need to steer through our troubles. James shows that God wants us to confidently and repeatedly come to Him for the answers we desperately require; therefore, we must ask Him in faith without any doubting knowing that He has all the answers.

We are thankful for your support as we continue this endeavor. We stand amazed at all that God has done in readying us for this adventure. We also are thankful for all you who have supported us in prayer from the start. We are asking that you continue to pray and continue to follow us as we do God’s will here in Gainesville. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions about our ministry, or if you would like to send someone our way!

I believe God is sovereign in all the circumstances which led me to TMS and to Gainesville. I am confident that the Lord called me to TMS, and I am certain that He placed me in Gainesville for His purposes and His glory. He has hemmed me in, behind and before, and has laid His hand upon me (Psalm 139:5). I tried to say no many times, but to no avail. Truly, God has shown me that this is not about me, but about what He is doing with His people in this city.

This is the second entry in a series which chronicles my call to ministry and The Master’s Seminary, and subsequent journey to Grace Bible Church Gainesville.

We learned that we need to submit to God’s will in our trials, because He uses them to conform us to the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Our trials are not merely cold circumstances of this cruel world which come upon us by chance. They come from the hand of our sovereign God who loves us deeply and desires our growth in godliness. As we endure suffering, we find our joy in, “fixing our eyes upon Jesus the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joyset before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

Today, we learned the first imperative in facing trials. We must develop the right attitude toward our trials. The right attitude begins with cultivating joy in the midst of our struggles. This is a settled contentment in every situation, and it starts at the level of our thought life. Trials are inevitable, but finding joy in them is a choice. James says to choose joy when we face unavoidable trials—a joy that can only come from trusting Christ with all our hearts.

If you have not come to saving faith

I realize that God used my time there, every painful situation, every difficult assignment, and every sleep deprived night to prepare me for this sticky Florida Day. TMS trains men because lives depend on it, now me and my family depend upon it, and so do many more who will be affected by the ministry of GBC-Gainesville. I’ve also come to understand that my preparation for ministry started well before my decision to attend TMS. God has used every step of the way to prepare me for this day.

A little less than three decades later, on January 22, 1973, America experienced what I believe is her lowest point. On that fateful day, the Supreme Court handed down the decision that changed the way we think of unborn babies in giving women the fundamental right under the U.S. Constitution to murder their children while in the safety of the womb.

You might ask, “What makes GBC different?” That’s a good question. We have a passion to systematically preach and teach the full counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and instill a passion in our members for the word of God. We want to share a passion for the word of God through verse by verse expository preaching which does not lose sight of the broader context of Scripture. Put simply, we want to study the bible to understand it as it was written, then explain it, and encourage one another to apply it in our lives.

We want you to know that GBC is brand-new church plant here in Gainesville. We rejoice in what the Lord will do through this new work and would love for you to join us. We do understand that church planting is difficult and is not for everyone, so if you cannot physically join us, we still want to get to know you and ask that you join us in prayer that Christ might be exalted in our community through this new church.

We must realize that our ministry resources are precious; therefore, we need to focus on our Lord’s prerogatives, not ours. Said another way, when we align our priorities with the Lord’s, we can expect the church to accomplish its mission. As such, we assure the church is functioning as God intends. This assurance underscores the importance of developing and following a biblical POM which provides a summary of the biblical prerogatives, which will cause the people of God – the church – to flourish.

When we set the agenda, we become just like the world. Our churches lose their transcendence. Our Sunday meetings become no different than a Lion’s or Rotary Club meeting. Our acts of kindness become empty attempts to please some far away deity. However, when we look to the One who bought the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28), then our churches become a statement to the angelic realm that Christ has defeated His enemies through His death and resurrection—now that is powerful!

I think Solomon understood these things when he penned these wise words, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Parents, above all, teach your kids to fear God and keep His commandments.

So, as you are suffering instead of focusing on the pain, fix your eyes upon Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith and look for ways to help your brothers and sisters who are also in distress. In doing so, your pain and suffering will fade away, your love for Christ will increase, and your relationships with others will become closer and stronger! This is a promise you can count on!

Therefore, we must learn to react to one another in gentleness treating the other person with Christlike love especially when they hurt us. We must also bear with them in patience especially when they have wronged us. Loving and bearing with others is easy when they love us back, but very difficult when we experience trouble with them. In doing these things, we must be humble and understand that we too sin and fall short of the glory of God.

If equipping and fellowship are the vehicles by which we grow, then serving the body is proof that we are putting what we have learned to good use. Service is proof of love’s growth in our hearts! The outcome is not only our growth as individual saints but more importantly, the building up of the church. The result of this is that we attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. In other words, we grow in the knowledge of Christ which unifies us with our brethren.

With other religions, our destination is determined by our works here on earth, but it is not that way with Christianity. Jesus Christ has done all the work in conquering sin and the grave. All we must do is believe. Beloved, it is because Christ has conquered death that we will reign with Him forever in a new heaven and new earth where God dwells among men.

We all know people whom we find it difficult to be around much less love and have true Christian fellowship. We all have people who hurt us deeply with their words and even their actions. Some choose to flee these difficult situations by leaving the church. While there are times when we may choose to leave for good reasons including our safety, in many situations, we leave for selfish motives choosing not to pursue forgiveness and reconciliation. Therefore, we forfeit amazing opportunities to be more established in Christ and His church.

What kind of faith do you have? Are you willing to sacrifice everything for Christ? Are you prepared to risk it all for Him? If the thought of laying it all on the line causes you to make excuses because you enjoy your comfortable life, then you should examine yourself. My prayer is that you will take up your cross and follow Christ now so that when you stand before Him at the judgment, you will hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and that none of you have to hear the words “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

James tells his readers, “You believe God is one. You do well.” You may have confidence in your profession of faith, but confidence does not guarantee salvation. You may have a vast knowledge of spiritual things, but this knowledge will not help you if you have a dead faith.

True reverence for the Lord comes through the act of turning from our sins and following the Lord Jesus Christ! When we obey God and walk in repentance, we can have great courage knowing that nothing escapes His notice, and that He truly cares for us. When we can have a right relationship with God through His Son Jesus, we can live in great confidence as we look forward to our future both here and in eternity.