Fresh Bread from the Pastor's Pen

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.

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.

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