September 2016
GRACENOTES Equipping the Saints of Grace Bible Fellowship
Happy 10th Anniversary, GBF
Report From Camp
Happy 10th birthday, GBF! It was late August, 2006, when Grace Bible Fellowship had their inaugural service in a rented facility in Mountain View on Springer Road. We had about twenty members and 110 folks joined us in our first service. Pastor Mike Burchfield of West Hills Community Church in Morgan Hill opened the worship time with a prayer of dedication. Pastor Cliff preached on Revelation 2-3 where Jesus talked about His expectations for the local church. We began our meetings in the afternoon just before dinnertime, which was an odd hour to go to church for most. We had a few small Sunday school classes before the worship service and we had our Fellowship Meal right after.
“There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow…” - Oklahoma!
By Cliff McManis
As a church plant from scratch, we had a barebones ministry. We had few resources. We had no other church or deInterview with nomination behind us for Tim and Donna Wong financial support. We began with no church office, no nursery, no children’s Song Spotlight | church, no Bible studies, Great is Thy Faithful- no women’s ministry, no men’s ministry, no colness lege students, no babies, no paid staff members to God’s Glorious Story| lead music, no deacons, no global missions. A Book by Colin Eakin and We had one full-time staff person—Pastor Cliff— and a part-time secretary. We were a true “start-up.” And we were also a true mission.
In This Issue
But we did have a faithful, like-minded, committed core group and endless supernatural resources in the Scriptures, the gospel of Christ, prayer and the promises of God. Our core group stepped out in faith, believing we were being led by the Holy Spirit, holding to the promise of Jesus, who declared, “I will build My church” (Matt 16:18). We truly believed this was Jesus’ church and it was not our job to build it or make it grow. We just needed to be faithful and then He would take care of the rest—He said He would. Continued on page 12
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By Austin Thompson
Even before my mother started vocational ministry when I was twelve, we were always heavily involved in church life. Every time the church doors were open, my mother did her best to ensure that we were present among the body. Looking back I am truly grateful for my mother’s persistence in prioritizing the importance of fellowship, even through my teenage years when I often desired to be elsewhere with my friends. Some of my most vivid memories are from church camps - the beauty of the creation, the lack of distractions, and the extended opportunity for developing deeper relationships with those I typically just greeted on Sundays. Before my mother accepted a full-time position at our church, my parents volunteered to be the game coordinators for the upcoming church camp (so I guess you could say it runs in my blood). It was an amazing weekend and one of the many experiences that bolstered my desire to serve in vocational ministry. “Oh what a beautiful morning…” In order to properly prepare for camp, Bob, his daughter Paige, and I all drove up early on Friday afternoon. After a beautiful drive through the mountains, we were met with a very unexpected surprise—the main meeting area was under construction and not available for the duration of our camp. Typically this situation would be a disaster and very discouraging. However, after three years of fellowship with the members of GBF I had full confidence that it wouldn’t be a problem. Through multiple facility changes, including the most recent renovation that provided many logistical challenges in the corporate worship service upon our return to our present sanctuary, the members of GBF have demonstrated patience, flexibility and grace in the midst of many different scenarios. Keeping this in mind, we were able to improvise and get things ready for camp to start Saturday morning. Check-in to camp went smoothly, and families helped each other set up their campsites before reporting for their Continued on page 16
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The Pastor’s Study
You may not know it, but your pastor is a desperate man. He has been tasked by God to shepherd Christ’s sheep with wisdom, courage, and tenderness, yet he often feels his own inadequacy, timidity, and tendency toward frustration. He is responsible to care for the souls of his people by way of preaching, teaching, and counseling, a task that often includes correcting and rebuking, so your pastor senses acutely his own need for Christ’s forgiveness and sustaining mercy. He may never tell you so, but your pastor is a desperate man. Are Pastor’s Really In Need of Prayer? And until now, you may not have given much thought to your pastor’s desperation. In my experience I have found that few Christians really know what pastoral ministry entails. For some, the quip, “A pastor only works one day a week” may seem pretty close to the truth. Others view pastoral ministry as a helping profession (akin to professional counseling, but easier) where the pastor’s 35-40 hour workweek consists mainly of coffee-shop chats, a few staff meetings, and a little light reading and Bible study. Good stuff, but none of it too difficult. Because many people have such a truncated view of the pastoral ministry (a view that is, sadly, perpetuated by some lazy and incompetent pastors), they may find it difficult to pray for their pastor, if they feel compelled to pray for him at all. But it is my belief that if we rightly understand our pastor’s qualifications, his role and responsibilities, and the unique temptations that surround a shepherding ministry we will pray in a way that strengthens, upholds, encourages, and richly blesses our pastor, his family, and his ministry. In this article I want to focus on the third category: your pastor’s unique pressures and temptations. A congregation faithful to fight for their pastor through prayer will do much to protect him from temptation and comfort his soul in the midst of trial. Anxiety Over the Flock In his second letter to the Corinthians, in order to convince some fickle Christians that he was a trustworthy gospel minister, the apostle Paul had to establish his apostolic credentials (2 Cor 11:23-27). And he pointed the Corinthians to his suffering. Because of his unwavering devotion to Christ and his countless labors on behalf of the gospel, Paul had endured massive amounts of physical injury, deprivation, persecution, and danger. He had been stoned, whipped, and beaten with rods. He had been ship-wrecked multiple times and experienced hunger and thirst on more than one occasion. Yet, these physical trials did not overshadow another area of suffering Paul endured. Paul’s heart was knit to Christians throughout the various churches in such a profound way that
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How to P
their pain became his pain, and their spiritual welfare was utmost in his daily thoughts. “And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches” the apostle confesses. “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant” (2 Cor 11:28-29)? Similarly, a pastor who genuinely loves his people will attest to the reality of this kind of anxiety and pressure. When his sheep are caught in the jaws of a wolf or in the snare of their own sin or found wandering off into a dangerous wilderness, the good under-shepherd cannot act fast enough. And after he rescues the injured and wandering sheep, he fears for their future safety. When he is tending to the healthy and happy sheep, he is wondering about the others while keeping a keen eye on the nearby countryside for potential enemies. He is always on guard; always concerned; always watching; always praying. As we pray for our pastors, we should not pray that God remove this pressure and anxiety. That may sound unkind, but it isn’t. To ask that God remove these emotional trials would be to ask God to stop a pastor from loving his people. With true love comes great cost, and pastors bear the burden of watching over sheep for whom they feel deeply. Rather, we do our pastors much good when we pray that their affections for Christ’s sheep would be strong and their trust in God would be steady and deep. Attacks from Professing Christians Pastors, perhaps more than anyone, must endure attacks from professing Christians—even those with whom they may have walked and served over several years. Although personal and physical attacks from those outside the faith are painful, the grief caused by those who profess Christ and then turn their back on the church and aim their discontent at the pastor can be, at times, nearly unbearable. Sadly, it is not uncommon for those who have been the pastor’s biggest fans to become his most vigorous opponents. What I am referring to here is not the well-timed and thoughtful rebukes of godly church members. A pastor who desires to grow in wisdom will welcome such correction and instruction from his people (see Prov 12:15; 13:10; 19:20). What I am talking about here are those unwarranted, unprovoked, and unkind confrontations from those who profess to know Jesus Christ yet appear to find delight in verbal sparring and conflict. While it is true that an overbearing pastor may reap the fruit of his own tendency to quarrel (see Prov 15:1), it is equally true that pastors who desire to guide the members of Christ’s church into lives of deepening repentance
Pray for Your Pastor By Derek Brown and faith will occasionally encounter opposition from immature Christians, and such a ministry will eventually expose the spurious faith of false Christians. When false religion is exposed, it can react in hostile, even violent ways (as was the case with the Pharisees; see Luke 6:11) and the courageous pastor who holds professing Christians to the standard of God’s Word will bear the brunt of such opposition. Our regular supplication for our pastors, then, should consist of prayers for endurance. Nothing tends take the wind out of pastor’s sails more than harsh opposition from professing Christians, so a pastor needs supernatural strength and stability. Pressure on Family and Home Life One pressure that pastors sense that tends to be unique among Christians is the pressure he feels upon his home and family life. I’m not talking merely about the time factor. Most Christian families are busy, and there are plenty of dads who find it difficult, due to travel or work responsibilities, to spend adequate time with their families. Rather, I am referring to the pressure that comes from the cumulative weight of time deprivation and the struggle to maintain within their family a steady and growing love for Christ and his church. That latter statement might almost sound counter-intuitive. Wouldn’t a pastor’s home be the best environment in which to nurture true spirituality among the family members? While there are certainly advantages of living in a pastor’s family, there are also some unique challenges that come along with this arrangement, especially when it comes to developing one’s relationship with Christ and members of one’s local congregation. First, there can be an unspoken expectation from the church that a pastor’s children will behave and act in an unusually mature way, even as young kids. While it is true that a pastor must maintain an orderly home life and demonstrate an ability to manage his children well (1 Tim 3:4; Titus 1:6), it is not the case that the pastor’s children will be sinless or exempt from the immaturity of youth. Yet, when children begin to sense within the congregation a kind of double standard—one for the pastor’s kids and one for all the other kids—they will be tempted toward hypocrisy, rebellion, and bitterness. Add to this the fact that daddy’s absence is often due to his work at church and pastor’s kids can find themselves with a growing disdain for Jesus and His people. Second, there are also unique troubles that come along with being a pastor’s wife. A similar double standard may exist for pastor’s wives, as well as unrealistic expectations Continue on page 18
Pastor Derek’s Book on Prayer Do you pray for your pastor? Perhaps a better question: Do you know how to pray for your pastor? In this book, Derek Brown helps you understand your pastor's qualifications, responsibilities, and unique pressures so that you might pray effectively for those who shepherd your soul. You will be encouraged and challenged to pray for your pastor.
GraceNotes
Volume 2, Number 1
Contents 1 Happy 10th Anniversry, GBF Cliff McManis 1 Report From Camp Austin Thompson 2 The Pastor’s Study Derek Brown 4 Meet the Members | The Wongs Breanna McManis 6 The Biblical Basis for the GBF Fellowship Meal J. R. Cuevas 7 Song Spotlight | Great is Thy Faithfulness Bryan Lee 8 The Value of the Local Church in My Walk Lauren Sykes 10 God’s Glorious Story A Book by Colin Eakin 14 Staff Interview with Cliff McManis Breanna McManis 19 GBF Staff Picks | The Doctrine of Salvation Derek Brown 20 Engage | Contemporary Church Culture and the Future of Grace Bible Fellowship Derek Brown Editor-in-Chief Cliff McManis Managing Editor Derek Brown Associate Editors Breanna McManis J. R. Cuevas Advisory Board Bob Douglas, Sam Kim, Tim Wong, Peter Lam
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Meet the Membe Interview with
? How long have you been at GBF Donna: We’ve been here for ten years. Tim: Since the beginning! Donna: We were in the planning meetings that were in May of 2006. So exactly ten years.
? How has GBF
changed the most since its inception Donna: It has become multigenerational, I would say. Before, it was kind of a homogeneous age group of the oldest people being around our age and you guys being the little ones! It’s just amazing how the church has grown, as exemplified by Happy and the whole Salinas family which is multigenerational. So that was really neat. Tim: We were the size and had the needs of a mission-type church, and now we are actually supporting other mission efforts around the world. Just the fact that we’re helping multiple mission endeavors is pretty incredible – whether it’s in India, Mexico, the Slavic Gospel Association, supporting other seminaries, or various small things like the Ghana basketball camp and Pastor Cliff going out to teach at all these different places.
? In what areas have you each served here and what ministries are you currently involved in
Tim: Cliff asked me if I would consider being on the initial leadership team, and so we were called the Advisory Council for a couple of years because Cliff was the only
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elder. In 2008, when three of us were ordained as elders, we then became a team of elders. I was also part of the small group that started the first weekly Bible study, and I did that for about a year and a half. My main role throughout has been membership. Donna: I started with music pretty early on with Walt and Nancy Heine, so I continue to do that and I find great joy in it. I also started with the fellowship meal from its very inception. That was one of the most memorable times, I think, because we were such a young church and it was great to serve alongside and get to know some of the initial members. We had that old, fantastic kitchen in that first church building, which we just loved because there was so much space. We used to have early dinners when we first started because we had service in the afternoon. So that was a wonderful experience. And one other thing that I helped organize was our first women’s retreat that we had in San Francisco. There was a little conference up there in the city and we went to go see that, and we stayed in a courtyard hotel nearby. It was a very small group at the time, and that was very fun.
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What has been the biggest blessing that you have experienced while at GBF Donna: Probably seeing how God has grown the church with so many faithful members, both in number and also seeing how people have grown and the trials and difficulties they’ve had to go through, as well as our own family growing up over the last ten years and becoming adults.
ers: The Wongs Breanna McManis
Tim: God wanted this church in existence for a reason, and He wanted it in a specific location for a reason. I recall back when we first started, one of the first things that Pastor Mike Burchfield said in his list of things to do was find a location. And we looked all around—I think we either called or investigated about 120 different places. Everything else on the list had gotten done and the last thing was the location. There was really only one location that made any sense, and that was the location in Mountain View. That was an indication that God really wanted this in a certain location. But throughout the ten years, He has just confirmed that He wants us in existence by bringing people out in His timing from various churches and various places. And as we’ve grown in membership, we’ve been able to increase ministries because of the people and the giftedness of the people God has brought out here. So that’s a confirmation that God wants to do something with GBF. I think that part is exciting—God’s faithfulness. And He’s slowly revealing His purpose for us.
? Could you tell me a little bit about your testimonies Donna: I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. My mom had a church background from Canada, and it was a Presbyterian Church, but it wasn’t a Bible-teaching church. She thought that it would be good for us to go to church, so she sent my older sister and myself to one nearby. We were about five, so we heard Bible stories and got to win little Bible prizes and things, but we didn’t hear the gospel then. And then sovereignly, my sister met a good friend in elementary school and they were Christians who suggested we go to this other church. It was a Baptist church, but it still didn’t teach the gospel very clearly. About eight years later they wanted to start a youth group, and being a very small church, they asked for help from another Baptist church. And so a couple of people came to start the youth group, and that was how we finally heard the gospel. We all became saved at that point, around the age of sixteen. I remember clearly being at home and having heard the gospel and asking Jesus into my heart at that age. After that, we just grew from the teaching. I had my first introduction with music at that point, because the youth workers were musical, and so we had a little choir and sang, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” That was very memorable to me. Tim: I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, either. My sister was going to church—I don’t know how. She took me to a church in Chinatown, San Francisco. I think I was about five, and so I learned some things there. But soon after going there, a group from that church actually started going to another church in
the Richmond district of San Francisco, by Golden Gate Park. I used to get driven out to the church in Chinatown, so since my ride was now going to the other church, they took me to the church in Richmond, which was San Francisco Bible Church. Everything was in the pastor’s home, and service actually met in the garage. They had really good teaching, and it was there where I learned the gospel. I remember going home after a Sunday and thinking about what they had said, and it dawned on me that this is really true, and I have no reason to believe it’s not true because the Bible says this, and I need to receive Christ as my Savior. I think I was about seven years old at the time. I received Christ on my own in my bedroom, as I recall.
? How did you meet and when were you married Donna: We were going to the same church, but we didn’t know each other at the time. But we were at Cal Berkeley together, and we had friends in common and that’s how we got to know one another. We lived in the same apartment complex, so the girls were on one floor and guys were on the floor below, so we could see one another. It was a quasi-Christian apartment complex. Tim: And we were married in 1985.
? What are the names and ages of your kids Donna: Allie is twenty-four; Shellie is twenty-two; Kimmie is nineteen. Tim: All of them went to or are currently going to The Master’s College, now the Master’s University.
? What is something that most people at GBF probably don’t know about you
Donna: I’m a CPA with inactive status. Tim: I try to lace up my basketball shoes and run around on a court three times a week.
? How can the GBF body be praying for you Tim: They can pray for faithfulness—that I would be faithful to God, to my wife, to my kids, and to GBF. Donna: I’ll second that—faithfulness is a good one. †
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The Biblical Basis for the GBF Fellowship Meal By J.R. Cuevas Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart - Acts 2:46 Sharing meals is as ancient a communal practice as any other in human history—a sociological hallmark embedded in the fabric of just about every culture that exists on our planet. Generally speaking, we share meals either as a means to accomplish something or to express an existing relationship. It is for the second reason that GBF has been having fellowship meals since its inception ten years ago. Grace Bible Fellowship is indeed a fellowship. I’m stating the obvious, because the term fellowship has been misunderstood and misused in Christian circles. We’ve recently turned it into some kind of a verb to the point that Christians have created this new Christianese term “fellowshipping.” But fellowship is not simply something that we do; it is something that we are. It is a state - a relational reality that exists between two or more people. A fellowship is similar to a family. I don’t “fellowship” with fellow church members in the same way that I don’t “family” with my wife and two kids. We have family activities, go on family vacations, and - you guessed it - have lots of family dinners simply because we are a family. We do what we do together as a celebratory expression of the existing relational entity between Kathy, myself, and our two children. So when we all sit together over our circular dining table and partake from a large pot of spaghetti, we do so as an expression of the fact that we are a household. If, on a regular basis, the four members of our family ate four different meals in four different rooms at four different hours everyday of the week, such would be indicative of dysfunction. We eat together to show that we belong to each other. In the same manner, Christians have traditionally made a practice of expressing their unity as fellow members of God’s household and fellow ministers of Christ’s gospel through the sharing of meals. And they have been, since the dawning of the early church. When the Holy Spirit was poured out upon God’s people on Pentecost, the church was born - a fellowship of saints knit together by the commonality of salvation in Christ. They were a family—not by blood, but by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. And so they did exactly what families do: they shared meals. Acts 2:46 accounts: “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.” The fellowship was created; fellowship meals resulted. Due to both geographic and demographic factors, the approxi-
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mately 170 members of GBF aren’t going to be gathering for corporate catered dinners Monday through Friday. Geographically, GBF’s members have home addresses all over the Bay Area, with some of our members separated by as much as 45 miles from each other. Demographically, the GBF body includes a wider spectrum of people than most churches its size. The diversity of the people who attend with regards to age, ethnic background, socio-economic status, cultural upbringing, and personal circumstances is an accurate representative of the diversity of Silicon Valley. These factors make it much more difficult for our body to operate practically the way the early church in Jerusalem did. From a physical profile, the membership roster hardly looks like the picture of a family. But we are a family. We are a fellowship, members of one another shepherded by the same leadership team and submitted to the same Lord. And for the last decade, GBF has celebrated the reality of this spiritual entity through a Sunday fellowship meal. It’s the one point of the week where a student from Valley Christian High School, a young couple with two toddlers, a twenty-plus year old working professional from Google, and a retired nurse with three grandkids can all sit at the same long table, eat from the same pot-roast and pasta, and sincerely enjoy each other’s company. It’s the one activity in the GBF church calendar, aside from the Sunday worship service, that isn’t exclusive to a particular affinity group. It’s for that reason that, despite our booming increase in attendance, it remains a part of the church calendar. Some don’t see the point of partaking in this event for whatever reasons. I don’t know them all, but I do know that many of them stem from a mindset that characterizes modern American Christianity, which views church gatherings as a means for transactional gain. Church is more about what they benefit (“What’s in it for me?”) rather than about who they’re a part of. Hence, many don’t see the point of staying for fellowship meals if it’s logistically inconvenient, cost-inefficient, or socially awkward. But GBF’s fellowship meal is more than just a way to provide food for visitors. It’s more than just socialization. In fact, the whole purpose of the meal isn’t to socialize. It’s something that we do to communicate to each other and to those looking from the outside that—regardless of our age, gender, race, marital status, or socio-economic status, we belong to one another. We’re all saved by the same Savior, dwelt in by the same Spirit, commissioned for the same gospel in the same region, and headed for the same destination. †
Song Spotlight | Great is Thy Faithfulness By Bryan Lee Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; there is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; as Thou hast been Thou forever will be. Refrain: Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed Thy hand hath provided; great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
ing the Israelites for their sin, Judah would not be destroyed forever (Lam. 3:31-32). God would keep His covenant with His people. How could Jeremiah be so confident? He had a deep understanding of the faithfulness of God. God’s faithfulness to His people is first rooted in God’s own faithfulness to Himself. As Chisholm points out in the first verse of the hymn, “There is no shadow of turning with Thee.” In other words, God’s faithfulness implies that He never changes. As the author of Hebrews puts it, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). Similarly, James reminds believers that the Father of lights has no “variation or shadow of change” (James 1:17). Because God never changes, Jeremiah was confident that God would be faithful to keep His covenant with His people. God’s invariance can be seen throughout creation, and
Words: Thomas O. Chisholm Music: William M. Runyan When I was diagnosed with cancer, the words Thomas Chisholm wrote in 1925 brought me much comfort. In the midst of great trial and testing, I needed to be reminded constantly of God’s faithfulness. When my world was turned upside down in an instant, I sought comfort in the fact that God Himself never changes. Thomas Chisholm wrote “Great is Thy Faithfulness” in 1925, and the song became popularized as it was sung in Billy Graham crusades in the 1950s. Chisholm drew his inspiration for this beloved hymn straight from Scripture. The chorus for this hymn comes from the words of the prophet Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations. The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lam 3:22-24, ESV). The prophet Jeremiah was a man who knew great sorrow and affliction. For forty-one years he prophesied to the people of Judah about God’s coming judgment in response to the sin of the people, and yet the people remained unrepentant. Jeremiah mourned and lamented over the great afflictions God brought on His people as punishment. Yet, in the midst of his pain and sorrow, Jeremiah still found hope. Jeremiah was confident that even though God was punish-
Chisholm reflects on this in the second verse of the hymn. The regularity of the changing seasons speak of God’s faithfulness. The death and cold of winter will give way to the new life and warmth found in spring. Similarly, the heavenly bodies in the sky that give us day and night are proof of God faithfully sustaining the world in a loving and orderly fashion. In the third verse of the hymn, Chisholm reflects on what God’s faithfulness means for our salvation. He rejoices in the faithfulness of God, for it guarantees our pardon and peace with God. As 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We can be confident that our salvation is secure, for even at the end of time when Christ returns for His bride, He will bear the title of “Faithful and True” (Rev 19:11). Continued on page 13
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The Value of the Local Church By Lauren Sykes Growing Up in Christian Culture
Growing up in a solid, Bible-teaching church while attending a connected Christian elementary school, I was immersed in Christianity at an early age. I made a childhood profession of faith and saw God at work in seasons of my life, yet as time progressed, it was evident that I had not given up every aspect of my life to the Lord (Luke 9:23). I was living in sin, rarely reading God’s Word or praying. Consequently, I did not see the need for genuine fellowship or church involvement. Struggling with social anxiety issues and not desiring to be vulnerable with others, I made little effort to get to know people at church, instead keeping my struggles to myself. I would often come to church, hear a sermon, and leave promptly, exchanging a handful of brief greetings in passing. During this time, I also experienced many theological struggles as I began to be exposed to more liberal doctrine outside of church. I often found myself attempting to come up with different interpretations of Scripture to justify my sin or to reconcile my personal views. Though I was frequently tempted to leave my home church, out of fear of change and by God’s mercy, I continued attending. As I went through an intense season of wrestling with the Lord over my sin and salvation, I began to wonder whether Christianity was something I still believed. Was the Bible really infallible? Did I just believe it because it was familiar to me? The Lord Working in My Heart While ensnared in my sin, I did not feel like attending church and would often make up excuses to skip Sundays as God was not the ultimate priority in my life. On the occasions I came, I felt a war raging in my soul as I heard biblical truth taught from the pulpit. My flesh did not like what was being preached, but I felt compelled to listen, as deep down, my heart knew that the teaching was true. It was the Holy Spirit pricking my conscience (John 6:44). Although I am unsure of the exact moment that I was saved by repenting of my sins and believing in Christ as Lord of
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all, I know this time period was a huge turning point for me. As the Lord was greatly working in my heart, I slowly became plugged into church through a new young ladies small group, a young adult Sunday School class, and discipleship with some young moms. Each week, I began desiring a closer walk with the Lord, and was blessed to have accountability, teaching, and fellowship to foster my walk. The more I saw my church family authentically living out biblical theology in practical ways, the stronger my conviction became that the Bible is sufficient and inerrant (2 Tim 3:16). For the first time, I began to understand how vital it was to be involved in a local church body. God used this time to prepare my heart for the chapter of my walk at Grace Bible Fellowship. Moving and Finding GBF Though it was a grueling decision, I moved from the Los Angeles area to the Bay area for my work in October, 2015. It was difficult to say goodbye to my family, friends, and my home church, especially since I was growing in my faith and was just becoming integrated. Anxious about the future, I clung tightly to the promise that God would not abandon me (Deut 31:6). In my first two weeks here, I visited different churches recommended by home friends that ended up being unbiblical. After those unfulfilling experiences and still being here alone, I was craving to find a solid fellowship quickly. The third week I was here, the Holy Spirit led me to GBF, which turned out to be a very different experience. The people seemed genuine and eager to get to know me. Pastor Cliff’s sermon was a stark contrast from the teaching I had heard the previous weeks as it was filled with the right balance of hard-hitting, convicting truth and grace taken directly from God’s Word. I remember thinking during the first service that I had found my new church family. Of course, over time, GBF more than met my expectations and I never left. Getting Plugged into My New Family From the start of my time at GBF, I was so hungry to learn
in My Walk truth from God’s Word that I began joining anything offered: multiple Bible studies, small group, discipleship, and serving in several ministries. Within a few months, I was able to confidently articulate the gospel and my testimony. Additionally, the theological struggles and doubts I had once had of God were replaced with a supernatural peace that only a relationship with Jesus Christ can provide. I am still a sinner in need of God’s daily grace and still far from reaching spiritual maturity, but I am blessed by this church that equips me to strive for that. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one an-
Ten Years of Biblical Leadership and Teaching
other, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” It is God’s design that as believers we gather regularly to spur one another on to fight the good fight. I love GBF’s solid teaching, genuine fellowship with brothers and sisters, and shepherding elders who weekly refresh, feed, exhort, and graciously correct my soul. Looking back, I have wondered why I agreed to leave LA and move here. I now know God brought me here to transform my life for His glory through GBF. I am unsure how long I will have the blessed opportunity to live here, but for as long as I am here, I look forward to continually growing in Christ alongside my GBF spiritual family. †
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God’s Glorious Story |
By Colin In 2014, a movie was released called The Theory of Everything. It told the story of Stephen Hawking, the brilliant British scientist widely considered to be among the smartest people in the world. Hawking is a physicist famous for developing a theory of the cosmos incorporating the latest ideas about general relativity and quantum mechanics. The movie was designed to portray Hawking’s brilliance. But as his story unfolds, we see him depicted as an unfaithful husband, an adulterer, a pornography devotee and a divorcee. The message to the discerning viewer? Hawking may be an intellectual tour de force, but he is simultaneously revealed to be a moral pigmy. Clearly, his understanding of this world in its fullest sense—material and moral--falls woefully short as a “theory of everything.” But there is another work—God’s Word, the Bible--that actually represents the true “theory of everything.” The Bible is a comprehensive and accurate representation of this world, including its origin, its development and its underlying realities—both material and moral. In it, God tells the world what is vital to know regarding His purpose and plan for creation. Most importantly, the Bible tells the reader about the dire effects of sin and how Jesus Christ, the Son of God, rescues the repentant believer who trusts in His atoning sacrifice. Given this, it is astounding how many professing Christians fail to appreciate the information revealed in the Bible. Because God’s Word proposes truth often in diametric opposition to the world’s perspective, many professing believers disregard—or worse, distort—what God has to say about this world and its operation. As a result, modern evangelical Christianity has, to a large extent, lost sight of many truths God wants His people to know. This theological drift really hit home to me several years ago. While helping to oversee a Stanford ministry called Cardinal Life (now Grace Campus Ministries), I sensed a profound biblical illiteracy among the students. Many of these students, while earnest and zealous for the Christian faith, had an anemic understanding of what that faith actually entails. In particular, I was saddened at how biblical revisionism had robbed these students of an ability to comprehend the profound, mesmerizing cohesion of God’s message from beginning to end. Because of this, there grew within me a desire to present these students a comprehensive survey of God’s Word, from beginning to end. I wanted to show the students how God wrote the Bible as a clear and comprehensive presentation of His purpose and plan for creation. I wanted the students to know the Bible’s unequivocal propositional truths, and that its essential elements are not up for debate. Finally, I desired
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to show them how the Bible is meant to be understood and embraced in its plain-meaning, using the same cognitive skills that one uses to interpret any other informational text. We titled the lecture series “God’s Glorious Story,” based upon the Bible’s central theme—that God is glorious and that His glory will be revealed. The material for the lecture series derived predominantly from the teaching of Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church and his ministry, Grace to You. About halfway through the series, I contacted Pastor MacArthur to see if he thought the lectures would have value in a published format. Pastor MacArthur has authored well over one hundred works in his prolific career, but had yet to write a synopsis of the entire Bible. He thought it was a terrific idea, and offered to write a Foreword upon review of the finished manuscript. The book, God’s Glorious Story, thus recapitulates the lectures as they were taught. It begins with two chapters covering the “ground rules” for studying the Bible, unveiling fourteen qualities about the Bible which make it the unique and inimitable written Word of God: it is divinely-inspired, infallible, inerrant, complete, authoritative, sufficient, necessary, effective, determinative, ontological (i.e. universally binding), immutable/ eternal, perspicuous (i.e. clear), sustenance for the soul, and mysteriously inter-related with the personification of God. From there, God’s Glorious Story explores what the Bible says about God before time began. It shows that God had an underlying motive for creation—to bequeath His glory to His Son. Not only that, God had a means for that to happen—His Son would suffer and die and thereby redeem a “bride” of sinners, that they might give the Son perfect praise throughout eternity. Finally, God conceived a message delineating His plan—His holy Word. The fourth chapter explores the origins of the earth and of humanity. The first half presents five theological imperatives which necessitate a literal understanding of the creation ac-
A Book by Colin Eakin
n Eakin count of Genesis 1 and 2. The second part presents catastrophism, as opposed to uniformitarianism, as the proper paradigm for understanding the manner by which the world began, and by which it will end. Chapters 5 through 7 tackle the problem of evil. Chapter 5 presents the fundamental reality that all humans are born spiritually dead and in need of spiritual “rebirth,” a rebirth that is completely out of our own hands to initiate. Chapter 6 explains why God permitted the intrusion of evil into His creation, and exposes why Arminianism and its idea of autonomous free will is a faulty philosophy for understanding the purposes of God. Finally, Chapter 7 shows how, even in the Garden of Eden, God had a plan in place for the redemption of sinners: repentant faith and hope on the part of humans, atonement and security on the part of God.
scribes the early Church and reveals six qualities that led to its exponential growth. Chapter 13 brings us to the present, detailing what Christ meant in speaking about the “Kingdom of God,” the overarching task for the Church today, and Jesus’ “report card” on the early Church. Turning toward the future, Chapters 14 and 15 explore what comes next for this world, the ordo eschaton: Rapture, Tribulation, Second Coming, Millennial Kingdom, and Great White Throne Judgment. Finally, Chapter 16 reviews all that has been learned, presents the grand finale God has planned with the New Heaven and New Earth, and ends with an offer for the reader to repent and believe. Stephen Hawking may be intelligent, but his insight falls far short as a “theory of everything.” There is only one Source for that, God Himself. And His Word, the Bible, is no simple “theory of everything.” Rather, it is the truth about everything, and God’s Glorious Story is written so that God’s people might know it from beginning to end. †
Chapters 8 through 10 present God’s purpose for Israel. Chapter 8 shows the history of Israel in the framework of the four covenants God gives to Israel (Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenants). Chapter 9 examines whether the covenantal promises of God to Israel are now nullified and transferred to the Church (as many modern evangelicals contend) and answers this question by looking at how the Old Testament writers, the inter-testamental Jews, and Jesus all view the ongoing relevance of these promises. Chapter 10 then shows how the New Testament writers all view the covenantal promises of God to Israel, and how God’s plan for Israel factors in the future of this world. Chapter 11 transitions to the New Testament and is the apogee of the book, for it explores God’s most glorious revelation in the person of Jesus Christ. In particular, it explores the significance of the birth, triumphal entry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus by asking and answering five questions around these events: Why did Jesus have to live? Why did Jesus have to arrive in Jerusalem as He did? Why did Jesus have to die? Why did Jesus have to rise again? And, finally, why did Jesus have to go away?
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Chapters 12 and 13 explore the Church Age. Chapter 12 de-
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Happy 10th Anniversary, GBF, continued from page 1 We patterned our little church after the model of the first church in Acts 2. Their core group began with the right priorities for a church: teaching the apostle’s doctrine, living in fellowship, breaking bread together, praying with one another, praising God corporately and having one mind (vv. 42-47). The first church in Jerusalem maintained these priorities when they began with 120 people and continued in them when they exploded to over 5,000 members. GBF did the same. We began with these priorities when we had twenty people, and ten years later we maintain these as our priorities now that we have 250 people. As a result, we have seen God bless us in many ways. Looking back over the ten years it is amazing to see all that God has done through His people. Jesus has been true to His promise: He has grown the church. I also think of Acts 2:47 where it says, “the Lord was adding to their number.” This verse also reminds us that God ultimately is the One who is sovereign over the church and He is the One who makes it grow. As Paul said, “God causes the growth” in ministry (1 Cor 3:6). Our people have grown in depth and in breadth as well as individually and corporately. As the Pastor-Teacher and an elder at the church, I can recount many highlights and blessings through the years. One of the biggest blessings is the fact that our leadership core group is still intact. God ordained that local church leadership be headed by a team—a team of faithful, qualified servant-shepherds (1 Tim 3; Acts 20). From the beginning I have been privileged to lead and serve alongside Bob Douglas, Tim Wong and Sam Kim. These men are still with us today. Walt Heine was also on our original leadership team, and even though he is retired in Mexico now, we still partner with him in ministry regularly. God has also recently added Peter Lam and Derek Brown to our elder team. Over time God has also raised up four faithful deacons for us: Steve McCoy, Ken Medeiros, Robert Saams-Hoy, and Darren Terry. Another highlight has been God’s ongoing financial provision for us. It takes money to have a church. And we live in one of the most expensive areas in the country here in the Silicon Valley. But amazingly, in ten years GBF has
never been in debt! God’s people have always been generous and consistent in supporting the ministry. We have also been able to establish a Benevolence fund from which we regularly help people with pressing practical financial needs. Teaching and preaching the Word has always been central to the ministry of GBF. In the ten years at GBF I have preached through the books of Ephesians, John, Revelation, Titus, James, 1 Corinthians and currently we are in the book of Acts. I have also preached dozens of topical sermons. We have provided many specialized classes through the years to train the saints such as Greek, Hebrew, preaching, apologetics, evangelism, counseling, bibliology, singing and others. We have been blessed by other preachers like Steve Fernandez, Bob Provost, Bruce Blakey and Adrian Denato. Today we actually have a church office and with it God has grown our staff with gifted, humble servants: Bob Douglas (Assistant Pastor), Derek Brown (Associate Pastor), J. R. Cuevas (children’s ministry and counseling), Austin Thompson (music and youth), Sheri Lee (office), Breanna McManis (GBF Press), Mark Regan (finance), Donna Salinas (women’s ministry) and Paige Burgess (nursery). Many other ministries have started, grown and flourished. Today we have a thriving ministry to collegiates, four adult Sunday school classes, several weekly Bible studies, a publishing ministry (GBF Press), many small discipleship groups, and a bustling nursery with dozens of young ones needing care and nurture. GBF has grown from being a mission to serving in missions, both local and global. We have ongoing ministries being invested abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico at the Hope House orphanage; Tenali, India providing pastoral training through Christ To India (CTI); a partnership with Hoops For Hope in Ghana, Africa; and teaching internationally through The Master’s Academy International (TMAI). With current membership of around 170 adults and an average Sunday attendance at 250, along with all the above, we are reminded regularly that Jesus is the One who builds His church just as He promised. Our calling is to be faithful servants. We thank God for His work through the ministry of GBF these past ten years and pray He continues to guide us moving forward. †
TEN YEARS OF NEW LIFE 12
Song Spotlight, continued from page 7 As I researched the history behind this hymn, I expected to learn that this was written after seeing God faithfully provide and sustain through great trials. Yet, this was not the case. There was no tragic story that inspired this hymn. In fact, Chisholm was serving God faithfully as an insurance salesman in New Jersey when this hymn was written. It was during this time that he found himself reflecting on the faithfulness of God through the quiet and mundane moments of life. Decades after writing “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” Chisholm would write in a letter: My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness. This is the glorious aspect of God’s faithfulness - He is faithful all the time. Yes, God is faithful when we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death, but He is also faithful when He leads us besides still waters. He is the God who clothes the lilies of the fields, feeds the birds of the air, and faithfully sustains His children. As we reflect on this, our hearts cannot help but join with Chisholm in proclaiming in awe and wonder, “Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!” This is our cry in every season of life.
At GBF, we strive to sing songs like “Great is Thy Faithfulness” that highlight truths drawn from Scripture. The centrality of the Word of God in the lives of believers is attested throughout Scripture. We see how Ezra and the priests taught from the Law (Neh 8:8) and how the Word was central to the life of the Psalmist (Ps 119). Jesus rebuked Satan and the Pharisees from Scripture, and the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). Songs grounded in Scripture enable us to meditate on Scripture all day long. Paul makes an explicit connection between the Word of God and the songs we sing. He states in Colossians 3:16 that believers are to, “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” In other words, Scripture should permeate everything we do. Paul elaborates and explains that part of how we let the word of Christ dwell in us is through teaching and admonishing, and through singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. When we gather as a church body to sing songs in corporate worship, we are not only proclaiming and meditating on Biblical truth. More than that, our time of singing helps prepare our hearts for the preaching of the Word. Worship through music turns our attention away from ourselves and magnifies the only One worthy of worship. As we sing songs that are steeped in Scripture, we find our souls delighting in the richest of fare. And yet, these songs serve to whet our appetites to hear the preaching of the Word that is to come, for it’s in the Word alone where we find our spiritual nourishment and sustenance. †
TEN YEARS OF CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
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Staff Interview with Pastor Cl Interview with Breanna McManis
? Where did you grow up Pastor Cliff: I grew up in inner-city Denver, Colorado, in a Catholic neighborhood.
? How and when did you first hear the gospel, When did you get saved
Pastor Cliff: I grew up in a Catholic home and attended Catholic schools for twelve years and a Catholic Church until I was eighteen. I never once heard the gospel in the Catholic Church. I do remember one time in elementary school, my two older brothers and I were flipping through the channels, and Billy Graham was on television. We were all kind of fixated on it and listened to it for about twenty minutes. It was very new, very different, very intriguing. But it wasn’t until I was seventeen that somebody shared the gospel with me. It was a guy I played basketball with who was ten years older than me. He grew up Catholic and was very similar to me, and he got saved in college. So he befriended me and started sharing the gospel with me, over and over again. I got saved on November 1, 1985, at Westmont College. I waited two years to get saved because I was running from God. I knew the truth, but wanted to live my own life.
? When did you decide that you wanted to go into ministry Pastor Cliff: As soon as I became a Christian, at age nineteen. I had a very strong desire to preach the Bible, even though I was a major introvert and did not like public speaking at all.
? How many churches have you served in over the years and what have been some of your roles
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Pastor Cliff: I’ve served in about five churches, the first being Grace Community Church, where I worked in children’s ministry, including the nursery, while I was in seminary. And then after that, I worked at Grace Baptist Church, where I was the three-year-old Sunday school teacher. Then at a church in Utah, I was the part-time associate pastor for a year and a half. I taught adult Sunday school and was the overseer of children’s ministry. Then I went to Texas and became a full-time associate pastor, and that was over youth and children’s ministry. Then I came back to California and served at First Baptist Church of Los Altos for five years as the associate pastor of family ministries, where I was overseer of youth ministry, children’s ministry, AWANA, VBS, I did baptisms, visitation, and taught some adult
Sunday school classes. And then at GBF, going on ten years. At GBF, I was the youth pastor as well as the pastor-teacher, the first elder, oversaw children’s ministry,…my, things have changed!
?
When did you first have the idea of planting a church Pastor Cliff: We tried to plant a church in Texas in 1999, but it never came to fruition. Then in 2006, a pastor from
iff McManis Redwood City asked me about starting a church plant in this area in cooperation with a church in Morgan Hill. And that’s where it all started.
? What has been the biggest blessing that you have experienced at GBF
Pastor Cliff: There are many. The faithfulness of those who have been with GBF from the beginning, like our founding elders and their wives, and the remaining founding members. Preaching the Bible every week, watching God put together a church body of people from so many different backgrounds, all the way up to the amazing staff that we currently have today and all the ministries that have sprouted up over the years. In addition, I didn’t anticipate being able to travel to several countries teaching and preaching, such as Mexico, Ukraine, Russia, India, Africa, and Honduras.
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What are some of the challenges that come with being a pastor Pastor Cliff: Not having enough resources to attend to all the demands and problems and needs of all of our members. And Satan is always on the prowl, creating division, doubt, and deception.
? What do you enjoy doing outside of ministry Pastor Cliff: I enjoy sports, playing and watching basketball, watching Beat Bobby Flay, watching The Carbonaro Effect, conservative talk radio, bowling, tropical fish, and watering my blueberry bush, my orange tree, and my flowers.
? What is something that most people at GBF don’t know about you
Pastor Cliff: I have a standup comedy routine as a juggler.
? How can the GBF body be praying for you Pastor Cliff: For my personal walk with God – daily prayer and time in the Word—and that I would be disciplined in that because it is foundational for everything else. †
BIG TRUTH
LITTLE BOOKS ™
Now Available at the GBF Book Cart or on Amazon We live in a fallen world, and our lives are often beset with physical suffering, emotional difficulty, relational problems, and financial uncertainty. In this short yet insightful volume, Cliff McManis discusses how to deal with trials in a way that pleases God and is best for us individually. What does an unbeliever need to be saved from? Where does faith come from? Do Christians need to use complex philosophical arguments when sharing the gospel with their friends, neighbors, and co-workers? Cliff McManis explains how to proclaim the gospel, to bring non- blelievers into a right relationship with God. How do we make godly decisions on issues that are not specifically addressed in the Bible? In this book, Cliff McManis helps us navigate these tough questions. Drawing from Romans 14, McManis provides us with the principles necessary to make decisions on the "gray areas" of life.
Do you pray for your pastor? Perhaps a better question: Do you know how to pray for your pastor? In this book, Derek Brown helps you understand your pastor's qualifications, responsibilities, and unique pressures so that you might pray effectively for those who shepherd your soul. Do Christians justify the existence of evil with rigorous logical arguments? Or does the Bible give us sufficient resources with which to solve the problem of evil? Dr. McManis takes us deep into Scripture where we find clear answers for why evil exists and what God has done to solve the problem of evil once and for all.
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Report from Camp, continued from Page 1 first Clan Battle—9 Square In The Air. Last year was the first year that we introduced a team dynamic and competitive games that culminate in an award ceremony on the final day. Derek, JR, and myself all led teams over the course of the weekend seeking to take first place overall. Each team sported colored t-shirts and matching face paint as they tried to claim six of the nine spots in the square to win the round. After a close game, the DEREKites edged out the other teams for the victory. After dinner, we all gathered in the amphitheater for some singing and a devotional time led by Dr. Derek Brown. The theme for the weekend centered on “bearing fruit,” and challenged us to consider the ways that Christians grow in their ability to bear fruit - through reading the Word, and trusting in God in the midst of pruning and refining. “Oh what a beautiful day…” Sunday service began with singing and prayer for our GBF family that was meeting in Sunnyvale, and Derek continued his theme by highlighting the parable of the soils from the gospel of Matthew. When Sunday service had finished, the teams geared up for the final three challenges of the day - three-way Kickball, three-way Frisbee, and the Family Feud. While JR preached in Sunnyvale, Cliff took over and led JRites to victory in Kickball, with the AUSTINites close behind. The DEREKites rallied to win a sudden death playoff in Frisbee against the AUSTINites, giving them their second first place victory. Later that evening, the JRites were victorious in both Family Feud matches. Overall, the DEREKites narrowly defeated the JRites to become the first repeat champions in the history of GBF Camp (over the course of two years). It is safe to say that next year the teams will be looking to knock the DEREKites off the podium and claim their first victory. New to camp this year was Sunday evening’s featured event, “Late Night with Joe Skeptic.” Joe Skeptic (Cliff McManis) hosted a satirical late night show where he interviewed famous historical characters from the Bible - Adam (Derek Brown), Noah’s Wife (Allison Ng) and Moses (Bob Douglas). Despite Joe’s constant complaints, all three of the guests, including Adam himself, affirmed that he indeed was a real, historical person. Another cold night passed, and all of camp gathered for the final award ceremony. Many individual campers won unique awards, while the DEREKites accepted their gold medals to the singing of the national anthem by yours truly. As camp came to a close, everyone packed up their campsites and head-
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ed off to Fourth of July parties around the bay area. “I’ve got a wonderful feeling, everything’s goin’ my way.” Personally, GBF Camp was an immense blessing to me. I want to close by highlighting a few thoughts after reflecting on our weekend at Little Basin. 1. God’s creation - I am thankful for the creation that God has graciously given to us, and the ways in which it displays His eternal power and divine nature. 2. The body of Christ - I am thankful for the body of Christ, and the blessing of fellowship we have in Christ Jesus. Camp was an incredible opportunity for me to build new relationships with people I hadn’t previously spent much time with. 3. Multi-generational fellowship - One of the biggest blessings of camp is the opportunity to spend time with people from all ages and walks of life. I will never forget the joy of
watching one family of three generations compete together in 9 Square. Children had the opportunity to spend extended time with believers other than their parents and continue building relationships that will be a source of encouragement and accountability as they grow up in the church. Young men and women had the opportunity to seek counsel and wisdom from older generations for perspective and encouragement. These are all crucial elements as we seek to serve the body for the common good and grow up into Christ. 4. Competition is biblical! - I can confidently say that you might not know everything about your friends at GBF until you have seen them compete. Paul tells us to, “Run in such a way that you may win” (1 Cor 9:13). This was definitely not a problem at camp, and we had great competition throughout the weekend. 5. No distractions - Lastly, I am grateful for the opportunity to put aside the devices, step away from our routines, and spend time exalting God and edifying one another. If you were unable to join the GBF family at camp this year, I would like to encourage you to mark off your calendar for next year. We are confident that you will be blessed, and that it will bolster your love for the body of Christ. †
Engage, continued from page 20 that pleases the Lord and proves beneficial to others. Many churches currently exist with unbiblical leadership structures in place, while others are slowly moving away from the biblical pattern as they acquiesce to cultural expectations and assumptions concerning leadership and gender differences. Plenty of churches operate with a single pastor model, where one man holds all decision-making authority and conducts ministry without the safety and collective wisdom of a plurality of elders, while more and more churches are ordaining elders who are unfit and unqualified for their post of spiritual overseer. Still other churches are struggling to draw sharp conclusions about what they, as Christ’s Bride, should be all about. Not a few churches have departed from the simple calling to worship the living God, equip the saints, and evangelize the lost, and now employ most of their time, energy, and resources to alleviating social ills and engaging political issues. While it is good and right for the church to concern herself with the temporal troubles of the culture around them (see Gal 6:10; 1 Thess 3:12), these concerns can never overshadow the local church’s unique calling to worship God, edify His people, and preach the gospel. Of all the institutions in the world, only the local church is able to offer people the riches of the Word of God (1 Tim 3:15). It cannot, therefore, neglect this responsibility for other tasks, no matter how well intentioned. Why Churches Drift There are many reasons why churches drift from biblical mandates and priorities. For example, fear of opposition from the greater society might cause leaders to soften their convictions in order to remove friction between their teaching and the dominant cultural narratives. Desire for quick growth and pastoral fame may make leaders unwilling to confront sin among church members or to establish biblical principles by which to evaluate one’s readiness for membership. Laziness will keep some leaders from the duty of constantly and regularly assessing the ministry of the local church by Scripture. Pride will also derail a local congregation. Pastorally, pride will tempt the leadership to rely on their own strength and skill to grow the church. Corporately, pride
will tempt members of strong churches to think too highly of their own spirituality and look with disdain on weaker, compromising churches—like the ones I have described in this article. Despite its present health, a church that nurses corporate pride about their spiritual status will find itself cut off from grace (James 4:6). GBF: Retrospect and Prospect While it is true that GBF is neither perfect nor unsusceptible to some of the problems outlined above, the founding leaders and members of this local gathering of believers deliberately sought, from before her inception, to tether the mission of the church to Scripture and establish a leadership structure that protects individual pastors and provides them with accountability and the collective wisdom of a plurality of qualified elders. The statement of faith and the church’s bylaws have been drawn from thorough study of Scripture, and the membership process encourages only those who are committed to fulfilling New Testament expectations for church life to apply for membership. Relying upon God in prayer has always been a priority at a leadership and corporate level at GBF, and the elders have sought, since day one, to be shepherds who truly know and love each and every sheep. Preaching and teaching the Word of God reside at the heart of GBF’s ministry, while Christ-centered, heart-felt worship has been a priority since that first Sunday in August 2006. At the ten-year mark, we can thank God for where He has brought GBF. A decade ago He enabled the founding leadership and charter members to root GBF deeply into the truth of God’s Word. Over the past ten years He has blessed us with spiritual and corporate growth, a committed and gifted membership, and a unified leadership team. We are not perfect, but we seek, above all, to be faithful to Jesus Christ. But we cannot grow lazy, indifferent, or proud. We must, by God’s grace, constantly evaluate our ministries and corporate spiritual health according to Scripture, daily nurture our love for Christ through the gospel, and ever guard ourselves from self-righteousness and self-reliance. And if the Lord wills, 10 years from now we will be able to rejoice over our God who has done far more abundantly than we could ask or think (Eph 3:20). I pray it so. †
WE PREACH CHRIST 17
Pastor’s Study,
continued from page 3 for the wife of an overseer to fulfill (often unpaid) ministerial roles and responsibilities in the church. A pastor’s wife may discover that it is difficult, upon first moving into a new church, to find and maintain intimate friendships with other women in light of her connection with the one who oversees the church. But as these early trials pass and she settles into church life and routine, a pastor’s wife will not find that she has now come to a place where she is beyond suffering. One of the greatest burdens a pastor’s wife will bear will be for her husband when he is maligned and attacked by other members or regular attenders of the church. While a wise pastor will shield his wife from most of these troubles, there will be some trials about which his wife will become aware. Sometimes, even those who were good friends with the pastor’s wife will participate in or align themselves with those who are attacking her husband. When this kind of situation occurs, the grief that wives feel can be almost insurmountable. Our prayers, therefore, should regularly consist of supplications on behalf of our pastor’s family. Temptations to Sin and Compromise Finally, we must remember that our pastors are open to powerful temptations to sin and compromise. Satan will work diligently on a pastor’s weakness and sinful proclivities. Our great accuser has tailor-made temptations for every pastor, and he knows exactly how to create offers they can’t refuse. For some pastors, it will be inclinations toward
pastoral fame, for others it will be an unhealthy desire for authority. Many pastors will find their heart enticed by sexual sin, while others will be intrigued by money and possessions. Satan has millennia of experience overturning the lives and ministries of pastors, and he will stop at nothing to further his ongoing agenda of striking shepherds. Our knowledge of the pastor’s role, the reality of his temptations and pressures, and the fact that our enemy is constantly seeking those whom he may devour (1 Pet 5:8), should compel us to serious diligence in praying for our pastors. We should ask that God would cultivate in our pastors unwavering integrity and a passion for holiness. We should pray that the Spirit would constantly satisfy our pastor’s heart in the love of God (Ps 90:14) so that he might never be led away by other women, money, or fame. In all of this, we should pray that God would give our pastor wisdom in order to discern all of Satan’s schemes (2 Cor 2:11). But we should also pray that our pastor would know his own heart and be aware of his particular temptations. While all of us wrestle with indwelling sin, we also recognize that we are more susceptible to certain temptations than others. This tendency toward specific kinds of sin is due to many factors: our background, our personality, our strengths, our weaknesses, and our place in life. We each need wisdom to discern where we are the weakest so that we might take special precaution in those areas, while not neglecting the others. Your pastor is no different, so pray for him. †
TEN YEARS OF FELLOWSHIP
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GBF Staff Picks
The Doctrine of Salvation
List Compiled and Annotated by Derek Brown The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation | Bruce Demarest – In this important work, Bruce Demarest examines all the major doctrines related to an evangelical theology of salvation: Election, atonement, calling, regeneration, faith, justification, sanctification, union with Christ, perseverance, and glorification. Particularly helpful in this volume is Feinberg’s examination of each doctrine’s historical development and his thorough use of Scripture as he defends a Reformed soteriology. 544 pages The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance—Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters | Sinclair Ferguson – By examining an ecclesiastical controversy from the 18th century, Ferguson helps us come to grips with important doctrinal and practical issues such as assurance of salvation, the love of God, temptation, and how the gospel answers both legalism and antinomianism. You may know nothing about the ‘Marrow Controversy.’ That’s fine. I didn’t either before I read this book. Don’t fret: Ferguson writes as a pastor with the spiritual concerns of his readers dictating his approach to these vital topics. The Whole Christ is readable and deeply encouraging. 256 pages The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance | Thomas Schreiner and Ardel Caneday – How should Christians understand the warning passages in Scripture? What does Jesus mean when He says, “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:14)? Who are those folks in Hebrews 6:1-6 who can no longer be renewed to repentance? Should passages like these cause Christians to doubt their salvation? Or do these passages serve another function? Schreiner and Caneday establish a convincing case that the Bible’s warning passages should be understood as God’s means to enable his elect to persevere in faith to the end of their lives. In this well-written, accessible, yet thoroughly theological volume, Schreiner and Caneday shed light on some often misunderstood and misapplied passages of Scripture. 344 pages The Everlasting Righteousness | Horatious Bonar – In this Scottish devotional classic, Bonar takes his readers deep into the riches of justification, helping us better understand how Christ’s perfect life and death on the cross has established for all time our right standing with God. Like many Reformed writers at his time, Bonar provides his readers with that uncommon blend of doctrine and devotion, head and heart, theological rigor and pastoral sensitivity. 240 pages Justification Vindicated | Robert Traill – In this short little book, Puritan minister Robert Traill (1642-1716) defends the Reformed doctrine of justification and helps readers understand the important difference between justification and sanctification. Accordingly, Traill argues persuasively that God puts no conditions upon the sinner before they can believe in Jesus for salvation. This was an important work when it was written in the 17th century, and an important work today. 96 pages.
TEN YEARS OF EVENTS
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ENGAGE Scripture, Culture, and the Christian
September 2016
Contemporary Church Culture and the Future of Grace Bible Fellowship By Derek Brown
The Church is precious. She is precious because she is the Bride of Christ, redeemed by His blood and purified by his Word. When we speak of “the Church,” we are usually speaking of the “universal Church”—a designation that transcends space and time and includes all true believers from Pentecost onward. Or, we might talk about “the Church in America,” or “the Church during the Reformation,” referring in the first case to true believers in a specific geographical region and, in the second case, to all Christians during a certain time period. When Jesus promised to build his Church, He was referring to the universal Church (see Matt 16:18). But other than Christ’s promise in Matthew 16, Scripture rarely talks of the universal Church. By God’s good design, the universal Church finds expression in local gatherings of believers, and it is these local gatherings that are the focal point of God’s redemptive activity in the world. Grace Bible Fellowship of Silicon Valley is a church. Community Bible Church in Vallejo, California is a Church. Grace Bible Church in Tenali, India is a church. Each of these churches are complete churches in and of themselves, and they comprise a portion of the universal Church (see Rev 5:9-10). The Local Church in God’s Redemptive Plan The New Testament makes it clear that God’s plan to gather a bride for His Son—what we call the universal Church—will be accomplished through local churches. Scripture designates the local church as the place where Christ exercises His Lordship over his people through the preaching of God’s Word and the leadership of qualified men. It is the local church where God has chosen to display His redemptive glory, showcase His gospel, and sanctify His people (Eph 1:18-23). For this reason, Scripture speaks often about the nature, structure, and mission of the local church. Concerning the
nature of the church, we learn that local church membership can only consist of true believers (Jer 31:31-34; Matt 18:15-20). Essential to maintaining the health of a local church, therefore, is upholding a clear understanding of the gospel and what constitutes a genuine conversion. Structurally, churches are to be led by a plurality of spiritually qualified elders and served by competent deacons (1 Tim 3:1-13). This structural mandate requires that those who are appointed to these positions of leadership and service are truly qualified for their task. The Church’s mission is straightforward as well: she is called to worship God (Phil 3:3; Heb 12:28), equip the saints for ministry (Eph 4:12), and evangelize the lost (Matt 28:18-20). Each of these responsibilities require a thorough knowledge of the Scripture and reliance upon the Holy Spirit. The Struggles of the Contemporary Church Survey our contemporary setting in America and it doesn’t take long to conclude that, broadly speaking, the professing Church is struggling in each of these three categories. Some local churches, for example, fail to articulate the gospel with precision and neglect to employ biblical metrics to assess individual professions of faith. Negligence in these vital areas opens the church membership to unbelievers, which, over time, significantly weakens the witness and power of a local church. Unconverted church members may spread unchecked, unrepentant sin among the congregation, or, perhaps even worse, perpetuate spiritual lukewarmness that blinds others to what constitutes true faith. When people are allowed to populate church membership roles without the prerequisite of providing a clear articulation of the gospel or the marks of genuine conversion, pews will be filled with professing Christians who are unwilling, unable, and unequipped to conduct ministry Continued on page 17
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