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GRACENOTES Equipping the Saints of Grace Bible Fellowship
The Pastor’s Study
Thoughts on Suffering and Our View of God BY CLIFF M CM ANIS
I grew up on Gilligan’s Island back in the Stone Age (the 1970’s) when all we had were four TV channels to watch. No DVD’s; no YouTube; no Direct TV. No choices—you watched what was programmed. On one of those channels was the comedy, Gilligan’s Island. Everyone in America at the time watched it and was familiar with it. There was the main character, Gilligan along with six other people stranded on an island in the Pacific Ocean somewhere in the vicinity of Hawaii. Throughout the course of the show, the seven castaways are ceaselessly trying to get rescued, but to no avail. The island on which they are stranded is frequented by “natives” or “head-hunters” who were primitive, dangerous and cannibalistic. As an impressionable little kid, I will never forget one episode that had an indelible impact on my life. In This Issue A practi______________________ tioner of voodoo, a native Song Spotlight: It Is Well with Witch Doctor, My Soul | Austin Thompson – came to the Page 3 island and found the sevBook Review: Just Do Someen people, thing by Kevin DeYoung | including GilDerek Brown – Page 5 ligan and the Skipper. He GBF Abroad: Report from wanted to torHope House | Jessica Kwong ture them so – Page 7 he made little voodoo dolls, Christ and Cancer: My Only that looked Hope in Life and Death | Bryan just like each Lee – Page 10 of the castaways. He strung them up in a line on a string over a campfire between two trees. He made a Gilligan voodoo doll, took it in his hands, and started torturing it. And every time he tortured the Gilligan doll, the real Gilligan felt the pain. Then the Witch Doctor took fire and began to heat the
feet of all seven dolls as they hung on the string, and when he did all seven real people felt the pain. That’s comical, but that story actually reflects what happens in voodoo religion today. Yet, some people think God is like that—up there in heaven, like a divine puppeteer yanking your chain and poking needles in your body in order to torture you for His pleasure and entertainment; or that God is in heaven poking your doll every time you do something wrong down on earth to punish you. That is a wrong view of God and His relation to our trials, but the world often views God this way and, unfortunately, some Christians occasionally do as well. They think, “God is trying to torture me. He enjoys punishing me.” Or, “He’s against me; He’s my enemy; He doesn’t want me to succeed.” That’s very discouraging. Not Tempted by God Perhaps you struggle with thinking that way about God. You need to get that thinking out of your mind. “Yeah, I am in a trial and this trial is horrible!” But it’s not a unique trial. It is a trial you can overcome. The author of Hebrews said that Jesus Himself, while He was on earth, went through every conceivable trial known to humanity (Hebrews 4:15). There is not one trial that you have experienced to which Jesus was not subjected. Jesus was exposed to every conceivable trial imaginable and He confronted them head on as the God-Man; He faced them as real trials, but He overcame them successfully. Jesus met the temptation every time by trusting His Father to lead Him through the Spirit, and He overcame these trials victoriously on your behalf and my behalf, so that now as the Mediator He can be your compassionate High Priest, able to relate to everything we will confront in life. He understands. The Lord Jesus is the greatest of confidants to which we can go. In light of the truth in Hebrews 4, we need to pray, “Lord Jesus, you know Continued on page 6
August 2015
GraceNotes Volume 1, Number 1
Contents 1 The Pastor’s Study: Suffering and our View of God | Cliff McManis 3 Song Spotlight: It is Well with My Soul | Austin Thompson 4 Staff Introduction: J. R. Cuevas | Breanna McManis 4 GBF Life: Report from Camp | J. R. Cuevas 5 Book Review: Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung | Derek Brown 6 GBF Abroad: Hope House in Mexico | Jessica Kwong 8 Ministry Update: Women’s Ministry | Donna Salinas 9 Engage: The Recent SCOTUS Decision on Marriage | Cliff McManis 10 Christ and Cancer | Bryan Lee 12 Meet the Members: Ken and Kim Medeiros | Breanna McManis 14 GBF Staff Picks: Books on Scripture | Derek Brown 16 Joy at Home: Tips on Stewardship and Homemaking | Alex Guglielmo Advisory Board Bob Douglas, Sam Kim, Tim Wong Peter Lam Editor-in-Chief Cliff McManis Managing Editor Derek Brown Associate Editor Breanna McManis If you are interested in contributing to GraceNotes, please send your submissions to GBFPress@gbfsv.org. Back Cover Photo Credit: Daphne Cholet
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From the Editor BY D EREK BROWN
The editorial staff at GBF Press is pleased to offer you the inaugural issue of GraceNotes, a quarterly newsletter for the saints of Grace Bible Fellowship. Our prayer is that the articles in each issue of GraceNotes will serve to strengthen your walk with Christ and deepen your love for our local church body. Each issue of GraceNotes will begin with The Pastor’s Study. This quarter we have included an article from pastor Cliff on the topic of suffering in which he helps us understand that our view of God will always determine how we approach and handle trials. Bryan Lee follows this theme of suffering by offering a powerful article on his current battle with cancer. Every issue will also include other regular features. For example, in GBF Life, J. R. Cuevas gives us a glimpse into this year’s GBF Camp, while Jessica Kwong, writing for GBF Abroad, gives her perspective on a recent trip to Hope House in Mexico. Austin Thompson provides us with a brief history and exposition of a well-loved hymn, and Alex Guglielmo offers us some practical homemaking wisdom in our Joy at Home feature. Pastor Cliff also offers a few trenchant thoughts on marriage in our Engage feature. In order for you to better acquaint yourself with the staff and members at Grace Bible Fellowship, we have included two interviews in this issue. The first interview is with J. R. Cuevas, our newest full-time staff member. Our second interview is with GBF members Ken and Kim Mederios. We trust you will find these interviews both informative and encouraging. We have also included my review of Kevin DeYoung’s Just Do Something and a list of book recommendations for those interested in studying the doctrine of Scripture. We trust you will find these articles, book recommendations, and interviews beneficial to your faith. Now, take up and read!
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Song Spotlight | It is Well With My Soul BY AUSTIN THOMPSON Few hymns in the history of the modern church have had as great an impact on the lives of saints as Horatio Spafford’s, “It is Well with My Soul.” The theological depth and richness of his lyrics have been revered for over a hundred years, but we can better appreciate their significance when we understand the circumstances that gave rise to them. A Presbyterian layman from Chicago, Spafford encountered numerous trials throughout the course of his life. After the death of his son and financial ruin suffered in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Horatio planned a trip to London in 1873 with his wife and four daughters to seek a time of rest from the hardships they had suffered. In November of 1873, last minute business developments prevented him from making the trip and he sent his family ahead to London. On November 22nd, their ship was struck by another vessel and sank in twelve minutes. When the survivors reached shore, his wife sent him the message, “Saved alone.” Immediately leaving to join his wife, it is believed that the lyrics were penned as Spafford approached what he thought to be the place where his daughters drowned.
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! “It is Well with My Soul” has a great deal of significance to me as a worship leader and as a believer. It has been our family hymn for generations and is always the featured moment of each memorial service. There will come a day when I will sing this hymn in remembrance of a beloved family member or friend. In that moment, the only way I will keep my composure is by standing firm on the glorious truths of the gospel and the unshakeable hope that I have in Christ Jesus. ! AUSTIN THOMPSON IS MINISTER OF MUSIC AND YOUTH AT G RACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP
Helpful Online Resources – Bible Study Tools GreekBible.com – This website allows you to study the original Greek text of the New Testament. Parsing, definitions, and common usage of given words are all available. This is an accessible and helpful resource, even for those who are not familiar with ancient Greek.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll;
BlueLetterBible.org – This website provides several resources to aid you in your study of Scripture. Word searches, commentaries, and an assortment of other tools are available and easy to use.
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
BibleGateway.com – With this site you are able to search the whole Bible across an array of different versions.
The hymn opens by describing the peace that Jesus promised to the apostles (Jn 14:27) which surpasses all comprehension and guards the hearts and minds of all believers (Phil 4:7). He recognizes, as did Job, that the trials and tribulations of this life are not outside the sovereignty of God (Job 2:10), and that though there is a season for mourning (Lam 3:4) he is commanded to give thanks in all things (1 Thes 5:18). Verse two affirms the reality of satanic opposition (1 Pet 5:8) and trials (Jn 16:33), and verse four speaks of the Second Coming of Christ (Mt. 24:30-31). However, the greatest lyrical expression is the clarity of Christ’s atoning death for sins on the cross in verse three (1 Cor 15:4, Isa 53:4-5).
Bible.org – This site is the home of the NET Bible. Occasionally referred to as the “footnote Bible,” this unique resource includes thousands of notes on the biblical text.
Don’t forget to visit our ChurchLink app on your smart phone for updates on events and audio of our most recent sermons. If you don’t have the ChurchLink app, you can download it for no charge in the iTunes Store or Google Play.
My sin - oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part, but the whole,
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Staff Introduction | J. R. Cuevas INTERVIEW WITH BREANNA MCMANIS Breanna McManis: First of all, I wanted to ask you about your initial call into ministry. How old were you when you got saved? JR Cuevas: I was saved when I was nineteen, so it was the day before my first day of college. I remember that. September 25th, 2003 in San Diego at 11:00pm. Breanna: Can you tell me a little bit about that? JR: I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, but my brother was saved when I was in 1st grade and he was in 5th grade and he was a great example. And then at some point he shared the gospel. There was a point when I even thought I was saved. I think I thought I was saved just because I agreed intellectually, but my life-style wasn’t matching up at all. Then when I went to college, I was walking back to my dorm at about 11:00 at UCSD, and it just dawned on me. I was like, “I don’t love God at all.” And I actually spoke to God and just said, “I realize I don’t love you and
wJoined the GBF Staff: 2014 wTitle: Pastoral Assistant wRole: Children’s Ministry and Bible Studies wWife: Kathy, August 2009 wChildren: Jayden (4) and Emma (3) wInterests: Tennis, Running, Reading
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GBF Life | Report from Camp BY J. R. CUEVAS As we loaded the last of our belongings into our minivan in preparation to return home, my 4-year old son looked at me and began to lament: "Daddy, I don't want go home. We can't go home! We have to go back and sleep in the tent and play with our friends!" To be honest, I didn't want to return home either from what was our first experience at Grace Bible Fellowship's annual church camp held over this year's Fourth of July weekend. On the outset, GBF Camp was just like every other large-group camping event. Approximately sixty of us Grace Bible Fellowship members and regular attenders—demographically ranging from infants to fifty-year olds with everyone else in between—drove
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up on Friday afternoon from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley up to Boulder Creek's Little Basin State Park and pitched several tents across the campgrounds. Friday's events began with an American classic burger and hot-dog dinner after which all attenders were divided into their respective camp teams (the red Austinites, the blue Derekites, and the white JRites). Later that evening was the first of two large group gatherings in the site's amphitheater for some music, a brief message, ice-breaker activities, and announcements. Saturday's affairs were camp-picturesque: a three-team competition that lasted from morning till evening, interspersed with cooler-packed breakfasts and lunches, a three-hour Continued on page 17
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Book Review | Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will by Kevin DeYoung BY DEREK BROWN What’s God’s will for my life? It’s a question every Christian asks at least once on their way to heaven. For many believers, however— especially those currently 35 years old and younger—it’s a question that looms over most of their decisions, goals, and general approach to life. Christians of the so-called millennial generation are finding it increasingly difficult to determine what God would have them do with their lives, so they are asking with greater frequency and fervency about the will of God and how to find it. But the desperate quest for God’s will has not led to more stability and direction among searching Christians, young or old. Just the opposite has occurred, as Kevin DeYoung observes: [O]ur search for the will of God has become an accomplice in the postponement of growing up, a convenient out for the young (or old) Christian floating through life without direction or purpose. Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as “looking for God’s will,” as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity (13). Yet, DeYoung does not desire to leave Christians with a bleak diagnosis and nothing more. With his brief yet insightful volume, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will, DeYoung seeks to remove the mystery from this question and free Christians from the bondage of what he calls, “The conventional approach to God’s will.”
The Two Wills of God The conventional approach to God’s will—an approach that has gained serious traction among Christians over the past few decades—tells us that God’s plan for our individual lives must be sought for and embraced by Christians if they hope to live the life to which God has called them. In this scheme, there is a secret “will of direction” that God expects us to find so that we might make right decisions. DeYoung agrees that there is such a thing as the “will of God.” There is, for example, God’s will of decree. Scripture declares clearly and often that God knows all things and has a plan for this universe that cannot be thwarted (Mt. 10:29-30; Acts 4:27-28; Eph. 1:11; Ps.139:16; Is. 46:9-10). There is also God’s will of desire. The Bible tells us that God expresses his will of desire through commandments that his creatures are intended to keep (Mt. 7:21; 1 Jn. 2:15-17; Heb. 13:20-21). Unlike God’s will of decree, God’s will of desire can be undermined, as one can easily attest after a brief turn to the nightly news. How these two wills should be understood theologically is not the aim of DeYoung’s book—that’s the divine sovereignty, human responsibility question that has occupied theologians over many centuries. What interests DeYoung in this volume is showing that Scripture never gives us warrant for believing that there is a secret will of God for our individual lives that we must discover in order to make decisions. On the one hand, God is concerned about our individual lives, and he is eager to answer our prayers for guidance. But this guidance is called wisdom, and it is often gleaned through searching the ScripContinued on page 16
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The Pastor’s Study, cont’d about this trial in my life because you were subjected to a similar trial. Please be my High Priest. Sustain me.” If you pray like that, in faith, then He will answer your prayer. Or you can pray, “God, give me wisdom.” That’s why James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” This is a command. When you are tempted or undergoing a trial and you are emotionally distraught, don’t say, “I am being tempted or tried by God.” In other words, don’t blame the trial on God. He’s not trying to bully us or be mean to us or laugh at us or toy with us. He doesn’t tempt anyone. Well, what about Job? It’s important to understand that God and Satan were involved in the trials that befell Job, but God was completely sovereign over them. If Satan made a request, God could veto that request because God is in control. He is sovereign. He is all-powerful. He has power over the devil. He has power over all of our trials. This truth is clear when you read the book of Job. God defines the parameters and the extent of your trial. Yes, Satan was involved; Satan did inflict the temptations. But God allowed the trials because He is sovereign. He allows trials, but He never tempts anyone to sin. Jesus’ Temptations We can see this balance in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ temptation (4:1-11). Jesus lived the first thirty years of His life in obscurity. Nobody knew who He was. Everybody thought He was a normal person. And then immediately after His baptism, Jesus began His public ministry. But before He began preaching and healing, we read: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit” (4:1). To where was the Spirit leading Jesus? The Holy Spirit prompted Jesus to go into the wilderness to face a trial with Satan himself. But note that God the Father allowed this trial to come to Jesus. God the Father was in charge of the trial that the Son was going to undergo and the temptation that He was going to endure. But the Holy Spirit didn’t just passively allow it; the Holy Spirit Himself actively brought Jesus to that place where temptation would occur. So, where does temptation come from? Well, it doesn’t come from God. God tempts no one to sin. The devil was going to try to tempt Jesus to sin. That’s not God the Father’s fault; that’s not the Holy Spirit’s fault. The temptation to sin came from Satan
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himself. The same is true with us. Any temptation to sin can either come from Satan, his demons, or from our own sinful hearts. That’s what James tells us: our temptations come from “indwelling sin.” That’s the beautiful balance we find in Matthew 4:1. God is involved in Jesus’ trial in the wilderness, sovereignly overseeing His plan, but Satan is also involved in the trial as well. Let’s go back to James 1:13: don’t accuse God of bringing you into this temptation. You might ask: Why does temptation occur? Sin. Note verse 14: “But each one of us is tempted when we are carried away and enticed by our own lusts.” See, sin is the problem. Verse 15: “Then when lust is conceived, it gives birth.” It’s a process. First, it was a neutral test that God allowed. Then, if you cross the threshold and don’t resist the test in a biblical manner through the power of the Holy Spirit, then you cross that threshold into dangerous, sinful territory brought on by your own enticed, intrigued, curious lusts from within. “I want to see how close I can get before I get hurt,” we might think to ourselves. And then you just get sucked in and it’s too late. Note verse 15: “Then lust will conceive in your heart and give birth.” The byproduct is sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings death or consequence. Here’s the point: We need to have a biblical view of trials, and the Lord Jesus Christ provides us with the perfect model of how to handle any trial that may confront us. We also need to remember that God does not tempt us to sin; He is in sovereign control of our lives—even our trials. We have the answer in Scripture, for Scripture is sufficient to make us complete, no matter what’s going on in our life (2 Timothy 3:1617).w vCLIFF MCMANIS IS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF GRACENOTES AND PASTOR-TEACHER AT GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP This article was adapted from Pastor Cliff’s forthcoming book, A Biblical View of Trials, published by GBF Press.
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. ~ 2 Cor. 4:17-18
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GBF Staff Picks
GBF Abroad | Hope House in Mexico BY JESSICA KWONG There were about a dozen of us squeezed into a white van, bumping along a cobblestone road. By the time we arrived, it was already getting dark. Our hostess graciously introduced us to life in the neighborhood with three rules: (1) don’t drink the tap water, (2) don’t flush the toilet paper, and (3) don’t walk around barefoot— there are scorpions. Day 1 at Hope House This was the first year that we had the privilege of staying right across the street from the boys at Hope House. After breakfast on our first morning in Mexico, I didn’t know what to expect as we walked toward the white building with the green Hope House logo. A young teenage boy came out of the gate and started shyly greeting a few returning team members. Just inside the gate is a small cement courtyard, and we see another teenager wearing a baseball cap and riding leisurely on a bike – he introduces himself as Carlos. Soon a cute 5-year-old with baby cheeks asks to play, speaking quick Spanish with a slight lisp. One of our teammates steps in, and to the joy of little Isaac, he has someone to play with! Budding Personalities We definitely got to know the boys much better than expected after just 5 days. All of the effort put into planning had paid off—between team sports, craft time, gospel presentations, and Bible stories, we had many opportunities to discover each of their unique personalities. Abel is a shy 15-year-old, but despite his quiet demeanor, he has a lot of hidden talents. He understands a lot more English than he lets on, he can keep a soccer ball in the air for over 40 consecutive kicks, and he can do crazy parkour backflips off walls. Abel is good friends with Ricardo— similar in their love of soccer, but polar opposites
in personality. Ricardo already exudes machismo at OntheScripture age 13 and he loves being center of attention. Several of the boys are also quite artistic! Marco, age 15, keeps a sketchbook with countless pages of decorated hand-drawn typography. Alexander, age 18, and Chava, age 15, are both interested in becoming graphic designers. When we were signing each other’s shirts at the end of the week, I made sure to ask for a graffiti signature from Marco and a sketch from Alexander and Chava. For everyone who wasn’t fluent in Spanish, little Alex was a favorite. At age 9, Alex is fully bilingual because people in his previous foster home spoke entirely in English. On the first day, when we tried speaking to him in our broken Spanish, he looked up at us with a cute smile, saying, “I speak English, you know.” Dedicated Staff An unexpected yet encouraging aspect of the trip was our interaction with the staff members who work at Hope House full-time. Mary is a caretaker for the boys, and she spends a lot of time with the youngest boy, a small four-year-old named Landon. During the week, she participated in all our activities, including Bible study and small group discussion. Mary is a Catholic, like most native Mexicans, but she has developed a good impression of the Christians she has met over the year that she has worked at Hope House. A few of us were able to share our testimonies with her, and she sounded pretty interested in learning more from the Bible. Karlee, an Ohio girl in her twenties, was introduced to Hope House through a couple short-term missions trips. For her, a few weeks a year didn’t seem like enough, so she finished up culinary school and has now served at Hope House full-time for three years. When she started full-time, Karlee only knew a handful of basic Spanish words, but now she speaks Continued on page 19
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Ministry Update | Women’s Ministry BY DONNA SALINAS
GBF Women’s Ministries is based on truths highlighted in Titus 2:3-5: “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands that the word of God may not be reviled.” When we plan an event or an activity, we make sure that our goals align with these above verses. For the past few years, we have been concentrating on the “one anothers” of Scripture at our events. This past year, we had a dinner (“forgive one another”), a tea (“stir one another up to love and good works”) and several baby and bridal showers with devotionals full of godly counsel. These events have provided opportunities to meet together, encourage one another, and learn more about biblical womanhood. Some of you may not be familiar with the women who work behind-the-scenes and who constantly pray for and plan our events. The members of the leadership are Debbie McManis, Deloris Saams-Hoy, Donna Facha, Diane Bynum and myself. Debbie, Deloris and Donna have been faithful co-laborers for many years and they are a joy to work with. For a long time, we have been praying that the Lord would add someone new to our team. God answered that prayer at just the right time when He added Diane this past spring. She has added extra
hands (which were much needed) and a fresh perspective to our planning. She is indeed a faithful co-laborer and also a joy to work with. Lauren Sykes has recently become our Activities Coordinator, so we will be able to add some fun activities this coming year. Each of the ladies on the team is dedicated to bringing Christ-centered events to the women of GBF. We pray often for the ladies who will attend the events because we know that what is truly important is how the Holy Spirit will use His Word in each of our hearts to conform us to the image of Christ. We are very thankful for our Event Crew. This team is comprised of several ladies with willing hands who help us facilitate the events. This includes set up, tear down, decorations and food preparations. We are always looking for more helpers for the Event Crew. If you are interested, please let one of us know. We were able to match up eighteen new ladies in our last round of discipleship. We pray regularly that God will continue to created deeper connections among our ladies. The interest in this last round of discipleship was truly encouraging and a wonderful answer to prayer. For those who are not currently in a discipleship relationship but would like to be, we will be providing new opportunities in the next month or so. For those who have not been to one of our gatherings, I would encourage you to come. It is ultimately not about the “tea” or the “themed dinner.” Rather, it is an opportunity for you to connect with your sister that you may not know well, or perhaps have never met. It is an opportunity for you to hear solid teaching that is tailored specifically towards biblical womanhood. If you are a mature believer we invite you to share your wisdom with younger believers that God puts in your path at your designated table. Oh, and we eat really yummy food! w vDONNA SALINAS IS THE WOMEN’S MINISTRY COORDINATOR AT GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP
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Engage Scripture, Culture, and the Christian
“The Fourteenth Amendment requires States to recognize same-sex marriages.” So wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U. S. Supreme Court in his edict issued by fiat on June 26, 2015. Judge Kennedy, along with four other judges, has attempted to tell the American people, and the world, that the U. S. Constitution clearly states that marriage is between two people of the same gender. There are two glaring problems with the notion: (1) the 14th Amendment says nothing about marriage, civil unions, same-gender relations, singleness, or family relations of any sort; and (2) the US Constitution says absolutely nothing about the definition of marriage. Chief Justice Roberts, in his dissent to Kennedy, states emphatically: “The Constitution itself says nothing about marriage.” Roberts goes on to accurately note that Supreme Court justices have no business redefining the meaning of marriage and then codifying it and foisting it on the masses. The Supreme Court’s decision redefining traditional marriage, in a vote of 5-4, is a historic event, with countless ramifications, most of which are too numerous to delineate here. But a few priority thoughts stand out for Christians to consider in light of Scripture. 1. God designed marriage. Marriage is not a human convention and it does not evolve with time. It is a sacred institution established by Almighty God, the Creator and Judge of the universe. Scripture is clear. In Genesis 1, when God made the world and the first two humans, Adam and Eve, “God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’…God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply’” (vv. 26-27). The institution of monogamous marriage was simultaneous with the creation of the first man and woman. Traditional heterosexual marriage was the first institution God established in society—He created traditional marriage before He established government, before He created His special people, the nation of Israel, and before He even created the Church, His blessed Bride. God’s rendition of marriage is foundational to everything else in society. 2. God defined marriage. Genesis 2 gives the historic account of the first wedding in human history. God
God Defines Marriage BY CLIFF MCMANIS
Himself officiated the wedding! God said that “it was not good for man to be alone” (2:18a), so He made a woman—the perfect complement for the man (2:18b). After the wedding God decreed that heterosexual monogamous marriage was to be the precedent for all humanity, for all time (2:23-25). Six thousand years later, that remains true—the Pellentesque: perfect and only marital complement intended by God for a man is a woman. That was by design. This was reiterated 3,000 years later formally by God in Proverbs when He revealed this great truth: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD” (18:22). This is echoed 4,000 years later under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament where God decreed, “each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2). 3. God defends marriage. Because marriage is God’s precious institution, He will jealously protect its dignity. God made laws in the Old Testament to protect and preserve monogamous, heterosexual marriage including command number seven of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Violating biblical, traditional marriage with deviant substitutes warranted the death penalty (Leviticus 18). Speaking of the inviolable sanctity of biblical marriage as God laid down in the beginning, the Holy Spirit gives this warning in Hebrews: “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed [lit. ‘coitus’] is to be undefiled; for fornicators Consectetuer: and adulterers God will judge” (13:4). This verse in the Greek text clearly limits marriage to one man and one woman with its use of coitus. People of the same gender can’t have coitus. These three foundational truths will prevail and outlast all rogue laws conjured up by fallen humans who try to undermine God’s creation of marriage. After all, heterosexual marriage serves as a living metaphor of the greatest wedding yet to come—when Jesus marries His Bride, the Church. This wedding will be the last and greatest of all, and everyone who believes in the gospel of Christ will be in attendance: “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). w vCLIFF MCMANIS IS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF GRACENOTES AND PASTOR-TEACHER AT GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP
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Christ and Cancer | My Only Hope in Life and Death BY BRYAN LEE Q: What is your only comfort in life and death? A: That I am not my own (1 Cor. 6:19-20), but belong - body and soul, in life and in death (Rom. 14:7-9) to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:23, Titus 2:14) - Heidelberg Catechism “Happy belated birthday!” the cheerful receptionist greeted after I gave her my birth date to confirm my identity. I smiled back politely, but in my head I grumbled, “Like I really want to be going in for a bone marrow biopsy a week after my 31st birthday to see whether or not I have cancer.” Let me take a step back. The start of 2015 was an exciting time for me. I had just started an exciting new job at Google. Jenn and I were finally feeling settled into our house. And, to top all of that off, we had made the decision to pursue adoption. For much of January the two of us plowed headlong into the adoption process. We filled out applications that seemed to go on forever, we met with a social worker for our home study visit, and we began to collect the mountain of paperwork required by the agency. After gathering things like our birth certificates, marriage certificate, various financial documents, and letters of recommendations from friends and family, one of the final items needed for our adoption packet was a notarized clean bill of health from our doctors. I hadn’t been to a doctor since high school, so I did a quick Google search to find one and set up an appointment. I got a routine blood test and then met with my new doctor for my physical. After an uneventful checkup, I handed my doctor the adoption form. He signed off on everything, we got the document notarized, and I prepared excitedly to leave, happy to be one step closer to adopting a child. As I exited the exam room, the doctor called out with some final words. “Before you leave, Bryan, I need you to take another blood test. Everything came back fine, but you had elevated protein levels in your blood. It’s probably nothing which is why I signed off on your form, but we should probably just look into that.” I gladly obliged and took the blood test; I didn’t give it much of a second thought. Little did I know that that second blood test would lead to more blood tests, a CT scan, a full-body X-Ray, and finally a bone
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marrow biopsy. I was formally diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) on March 4, 2015. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that starts in plasma cells in the bone marrow. It’s a cancer that typically affects the older generation, with the median age of diagnosis being roughly 70 years old. Throughout my weeks of testing, my oncologist held firmly to the belief that I couldn’t have myeloma—it’s extremely rare for someone at my age to have Pellentesque: the disease while not experiencing the common symptoms. MM is considered a “treatable but incurable” disease. This means that there are treatment options that can control the disease for a while, but at some point patients run out of options. Being diagnosed with an incurable cancer was a shock, to say the least. For the first few days following the diagnosis, I simply felt numb. I couldn’t process what such news meant for me and my family. As the shock wore off, I experienced a mix of emotions, from deep sadness to renewed hope in Christ. The day after getting diagnosed, I wrote down six things that I knew to be true: 1. God is good. Always. 2. I do not deserve better. 3. God is refining me, not punishing me. 4. God can heal me, but He might not. 5. God controls the number of days I will be alive. 6. As a child of God, I do not fear death. As I meditated on each of the above truths, it became much easier to come to terms with having cancer. In the weeks following my diagnosis, I tangibly felt the love and grace of God in so many ways. God used so many dear brothers and sisters to encourage me and Jenn and point us to the truths found in Scripture. He brought to mind all the ways that He had proven Himself faithful in my life already, strengthening my faith in Him. The fact that He was moving me and Jenn along the path to adoption so that I would get a physical when I was feeling completely healthy is just one huge reminder that God was in control. Here are just a few of the big lessons I’ve learned in my cancer journey thus far. Continued on next page
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Christ and Cancer (cont’d) Rejoicing Is Not Incompatible with Lament When I was first diagnosed, I felt guilty feeling sad about my condition. After all, weren’t there countless others in worse situations? I would reflect on all the ways that God had richly blessed me, and I would come to the conclusion that feeling any form of sorrow was sheer selfishness and lack of gratitude. However, as the Holy Spirit pointed my heart to the Psalms, I came to see that God’s people mourn and lament. I found that the Psalms gave me a voice when I didn’t know how to talk with God. The psalmists are not shy about expressing their pain and sorrows before God. And yet, in the midst of the psalmists’ laments, they express unwavering hope in Christ (see Psalm 6:2-7). God Cannot Be Manipulated As I prayed for healing, I found that I began to view my prayers as magical incantations. I found myself constantly varying my prayers, foolishly thinking that the right combination of words would cause God to heal me. Over time I was convicted. I was reminded that “God is in the heavens; He does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). I still pray for healing, but those prayers are secondary to the prayer that God would be glorified in me, through whatever form that might look like. Cancer is a Stewardship One of the interesting things about having cancer is that everyone seems to want to listen more. My words seem to carry more weight these days. It was after talking to the third or fourth non-Christian and sharing all the ways that God had been blessing me in the midst of this cancer journey that I realized having cancer is a stewardship. As with all things, God will ultimately hold me accountable with how I managed this disease and used conversations about my cancer to point others toward Christ. The Potter Determines the Fate of the Clay It's very tempting to think God's sovereign plan revolves around us. To be fair, each of us are part of God's glorious plan to seek and save sinners and to bring glory to Himself. But think about it: God could have had each of us born on the other side of the world, or a thousand years ago, or not at all. He could have made us a different gender or born to different parents. Yet, in His omniscience and sovereignty, He
decided that the plans He laid out were perfect and would bring Him the most glory. That God would include us in this divine story is awe-inspiring and humbling. It would be easy for people in my situation (and even more in situations that are far more difficult) to question how this is fair. I'm reminded, however, of the truth of Romans 9:20-21. God is the sovereign, allwise potter; we are but the clay. As the potter, He gets to decide the purpose for each lump of clay. We might be tempted to doubt His goodness when bad things come our way. However, the potter isn't just a potter; He's our loving, heavenly Father; He knows what's good for us. Christ is My Only Comfort in Life and Death Prior to my cancer diagnosis, I didn’t think too much about death. I was comforted by all of the things God had blessed me with—good health, a stable job, a place to live. The day after getting diagnosed with cancer, I cried out to God and confessed what I should have from the beginning—that I had been misplacing my hope in things that would pass away. And while I would like to say that I trusted in Christ alone from that point onward, it hasn’t been that simple. I still struggle to hope in Christ more than favorable test results. It’s still easy to be comforted by my weekly test results that show my cancer going down. It’s tempting to be comforted by the drugs that I’m taking and the scientific advancements that researchers are making. However, as I’ve learned in this journey, the cancer can come back at any time, drugs may wax and wane in effectiveness, and research can be stymied by a multitude of factors. Right now my life is full of uncertainty, but I’ve come to realize that there is only one true source of hope and comfort in this life—Jesus Christ. The first time I came across the Heidelberg Catechism, it brought tears to my eyes. To be reminded that I am not my own was freeing. On my own, I have no idea how to navigate this cancer trial. But, I’m not my own; I belong to my faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He bought me with His blood and promises to never leave or forsake me. He removes the sting of death and gives me the hope of eternity with Him. He is my only comfort in life and death.w v BRYAN LEE IS A PROGRAM MANAGER AT GOOGLE. HE AND HIS WIFE ARE MEMBERS OF G RACE B IBLE FELLOWSHIP AND RESIDE IN SAN JOSE.
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Meet the Members | Ken and Kim Medeiros INTERVIEW WITH BREANNA MCMANIS
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Breanna McManis: First of all, could you guys tell me a little bit about your family? Kim Medeiros: We’ve been married for thirty-two years. We have two sons. One is twenty-six, his name is Kenny Jr., and he’s in the Navy. He’s just about done—he’s got four more months left and he’ll have served his four years, and then he’s coming home. And then we have Keith James, and he’s twenty-five years old. So my boys are sixteen months apart. Keith lives at home and is pursuing becoming a pilot. He currently works full-time for a trucking company, but he has his pilot’s license and he’s pursuing going commercial. Breanna: What do you both do for a living? Ken Medeiros: I’m a truck driver. I’ve been doing that for four years now. Before that, I was a bread man for twenty-eight years. Kim: I am in the dental field, and as of May 1st I have been in the dental field for forty-one years. I started as a seventeen-year-old high school girl and got on– the-job training. I’ve been working twenty-nine years at an office here in Fremont. I went part-time in January and I’m really excited about that! Breanna: Can you tell me about when you were both saved? Kim: I was saved right before my 23rd birthday. When I turned twenty-three, I sat in a pastor’s office for three hours and just fired questions at him. So it was a little bit after that.
Ken: I was saved when I was twenty-five. This is when Kim and I were in a relationship, and she decided that she was going to go to church. She told me she was going to go to church whether I wanted to or not, and I was like, “Okay, that’s fine, go ahead.” In about a year or so, I saw a difference in her. And so I decided to try going to church. And it was on my 25th birthday that I went there for the first time. It was not too long after that that I heard the gospel and accepted Christ. Kim: We were both raised in Catholic homes, and God just called us out of that. It was that same old thing where your parents just take you to church until you’re about sixteen and then they don’t ever go again, because they just quit going. But before Ken and I got married—before I got saved—I went back Continued on next page.
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Ken and Kim Medieros (cont’d) and did my confirmation and everything with the Catholic Church. I thought that was going to happen, and God just called me right out of that. That’s not where He wanted us. Breanna: Where did the two of you meet?
know what? We’re in the car for twenty-five minutes with no phones, no kids, no calls, nobody ringing the doorbell, we can talk, and it’s been great!” And now we’ve made a fun thing out of it. We’ll go get a Starbucks or a Jamba Juice after church and it’s great!
Ken: She was a sophomore in high school and I was a junior, and her family moved down my street.
Ken: And we took our time. It was about a year before we settled on becoming members. We didn’t want to just jump into it. So we took our time.
Kim: And then we started dating when I was a senior and he was out of school.
Breanna: What ministries are you both involved in at GBF?
Ken: She moved down to my street, and she had a boyfriend at the time. So I’d get in with her dad, and I became friends with him and would come play basketball. And then when they broke up, that’s when we got together.
Ken: I’m a deacon and an usher. I’m also in charge of facilities and take down. We’re both greeters, and we both work in nursery duty.
Kim: We were very good friends first, which is very important in a relationship. So I always tell people now, “Not only do I love him, but I like him.” It was a liking relationship first, because I liked him so much as a friend, and then it turned into something else. But I think that’s important—you’ve gotta like them. Breanna: When did you first come to GBF? Kim: Four and a half years ago. Breanna: What made you settle on becoming members? Ken: Well, we liked the philosophy of ministry and the doctrine of GBF. I liked the preaching a lot. The Word was solid. You know, he goes word-by-word, period-by-period, and it’s just really good preaching. So that was really important to me. Kim: And when we first visited—we had come out of another church before we came to GBF—the very first Sunday that we came, Pastor Cliff was doing a series on biblical womanhood and the roles of women, and I knew right then and there that this is where I needed to be. I had never had that kind of teaching, and I knew this is where I belonged. And it wasn’t long after we first visited that Ken had made up his mind, too. We just weren’t sure because it’s a bit of a drive, and we live in Fremont. But I tell people now, because people ask us all the time why we go all the way to Mountain View, and I joke and say, “You
Kim: I’m in charge of the encouragement box. I’d like to see that being utilized and used more often. But I’m in charge of that. Breanna: Can you tell us a little bit about the encouragement box? I think a lot of people don’t really know much about that. Kim: With the encouragement box, you have slips of paper where you can write a note, you put the name of the person you want it to go to, and then you fold it and stick it in that box. I’m in charge of getting that note to them. Sometimes you may put a note in there for someone who doesn’t show up on that particular Sunday. I take that note home—I don’t read them— and then I address it, put a stamp on it, and mail it to them. And people don’t use it enough! It’s exciting when you get a note! Ken: Yeah, when I was in charge of the Fellowship Meal cleanup, I would try to send a note to whoever helped me, thanking them for their service. And a couple people said, “You know, not too many people send out notes like that. It’s a real encouragement to get those every once in a while.” Breanna: How can the people at GBF be praying for you? Kim: Well, I think the prayer of our hearts right now is for our sons—for salvation. They both have made a profession of faith as young boys, but I just want to see them surrendering their lives completely to God. Ken: For me, just pray for my leadership, both in the house and in my service as a deacon. w
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GBF Staff Picks | Books on Scripture LIST COMPILED AND ANNOTATED BY DEREK BROWN
Donec interdum
John Frame, The Doctrine of the Word of God (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2010). This book is considered a complete doctrine of Scripture because it examines all the major doctrinal concerns including inspiration, inerrancy, authority, canonicity, the transmission and clarity of Scripture, the adequacy of human language, and the Bible’s relationship to historic creeds and confessions. Frame is insightful, biblical, and easy to read. Although this is a long book, chapters are short and accessible. This is a great reference resource but can also be read straight through with much profit.
Paul D. Wegner, The Journey from Texts to Translations (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999). Wegner traces Pellentesque: the development of Scripture from its original writing to its transmission into modern English translations. Although very detailed, this volume is accessible, highly readable, and will inform and strengthen believers as they learn more about the origin and formation of Scripture. The book is also well formatted and includes a large collection of useful charts, pictures of ancient manuscripts, and artwork related to the material.
Kevin DeYoung, Taking God at His Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014). In this short yet insightful book, DeYoung lets the Bible speak for itself about its own inspiration, inerrancy, sufficiency, and authority. DeYoung writes with a clear and engaging style that will edify and inform the reader. This is a great book to start with in studying the doctrine of Scripture not only because of its excellent content, but because DeYoung includes a helpful list of books on Scripture in the last few pages of his volume so that the reader may venture into deeper study.
Wayne Grudem, C. John Collins, and Thomas Schreiner, Understanding Scripture: An Overview of the Bible’s Origin, Reliability, and Meaning (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014). This book is a collection of short and accessible (3-5 page) chapters that discuss an array of issues related to the Bible. Vital topics like canonicity, inerrancy, inspiration, archeology, textual criticism, and hermeneutics are all covered in this short yet informative volume. Understanding Scripture is also a useful book to start one’s study in the doctrine of Scripture because it will acquaint you with the most important topics regarding the Bible. Michael Kruger, Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013). How do we know that all the right books made their way into the New Testament? Michael Kruger, president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, argues cogently and thoroughly that Christians have solid justification for why they believe the Protestant canon is the true Word of God. Kruger’s depth of research is matched by his ability to communicate the fruit of that research in clear and compelling prose.
The Scriptures: An Excerpt from a Poem by Joseph Hart (1712-1768)
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Say, Christian, woulds’t thou thrive In knowledge of thy Lord? Against no scripture ever turn But tremble at his word.
Revere the sacred page; To injure any part, Betrays, with blind and feeble rage, A hard and haughty heart.
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J. R. Cuevas (cont’d) Breanna: How long have you been at GBF and what is your specific role here?
I think I was too scared to admit that. But then I remember saying, “I remember what you said in your Word about the cross and the gospel, and I trust it. And I want my whole life to change.” So that’s when I was saved. I struggled a lot during college, but I was exposed to some solid books like Knowing God by J. I. Packer and Desiring God by John Piper and some good biblical counseling from a local pastor. I started to see how the Scripture not only saves but transforms people. Given my experience, I wanted to invest the Word of God full-time into people, so I started to explore vocational ministry. Breanna: Could you talk about your ministry background? JR: I graduated from the Master’s Seminary in 2011. In terms of ministry, I was a youth pastor from 20082010 in San Deigo where I had the opportunity to disciple guys, handle administrative items, counsel, and preach from the pulpit. Then we moved to San Jose as part of a church plant from 2010-2013. I was the associate pastor of the college ministry and led adult Bible studies during that time, too. I’ve been to the Czech Republic, Argentina (that’s actually where my wife and I got engaged—on a missions trip), and led a scouting trip to the Philippines. I’ve also done a lot of guest preaching and teaching.
JR: I’ve been attending since June of 2013, a member since October of 2013, and on staff since July of 2014. My role here is as a pastoral assistant. I’m overseeing the children’s ministry, adult Bible studies, and the set-up team. In terms of other duties, if Pastor Bob needs a substitute Sunday school teacher, I’ll help out with that. If Derek needs me to teach at GCM, I’ll do that. If Pastor Cliff’s gone on a Sunday service and I’m available, I’ll do that. I help out with the men’s ministry, specifically the men’s discipleship ministry. And then I do a lot of biblical counseling. And then just a lot of interaction with people, getting to know individuals, and meeting whatever need comes at the moment. Breanna: What is your vision for the children’s ministry here at GBF? JR: I don’t want it to replace the parents, because that’s just not our job. The parents work so hard to get their kids to church and to love church. I want it to be a place where, when they come to GBF, they expect God’s Word to be taught to their children in a way that is understandable. That’s really what drives what we do. Breanna: How can the GBF body pray for you, your family, and your ministry? JR: Pray that we raise our kids well. We’re staring into a culture where we know our kids are going to be challenged, and we don’t want to be the type of parents that shelter them. Pray that Kathy and I would continue to be godly examples first and kill every ounce of hypocrisy. And then, in terms of ministry, pray for continued unity among the staff.w vBREANNA MCMANIS IS ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF GRACENOTES
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Just Do Something (cont’d) ture, seeking counsel from godly brothers and sisters, and prayer. On the other hand, looking for God to disclose His secret will to us is an “invitation to disappointment and indecision” (24). Waiting for this will of direction “is a mess,” DeYoung continues. “It is bad for your life, harmful to your sanctification, and allows too many Christians to be passive tinkers who strangely feel more spiritual the less they do” (24). "Waiting for God's Will" So what is a Christian to do? DeYoung believes that the search for God’s will can begin with good intentions. As children of God we want to please our heavenly Father, so we naturally desire to know His will for our lives. But more often our longing for God’s secret will of direction is actually a symptom of our timidity, our desire for perfect fulfillment, our cowardice, or simply the result of facing too many choices. We are too scared to make decisions and live with them, so we chalk up our vacillation to “waiting for God’s will.” The conventional approach to God’s will also keeps us fixated on non-moral decisions, whereas God would have us give our attention to more important issues like “moral purity, theological fidelity, compassion, joy, our witness, faithfulness, hospitality, love, worship, and faith” (42). The open door/closed door method also figures large in the conventional approach. Open doors, of course, indicate that God wants us to do something. Closed doors constitute the divine “no.” But how do we know, DeYoung wonders, whether or not an open door was God’s will or a Satanic temptation? What about closed doors? Isn’t it true that our righteous desires will often be opposed in this fallen world? A Better Way There is a better way, DeYoung contends, and it’s laid out plainly in Scripture. Instead of searching endlessly for a secret will of God for our individual lives, we should be laboring to obey God’s revealed will. We are to seek the kingdom of God first and foremost (Mt. 6:33), pursue sexual purity (1 Thess. 4:3), and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:17). Our motives are important, too: We should pursue the knowledge of God’s will for the sake of knowing Him better and bearing good fruit (Col. 1:9-12), not in order to avoid difficulty or hard work.
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For Christians seeking guidance, they should pursue wisdom primarily in Scripture, understanding that gut-level impressions are just that: impressions, not necessarily God’s leading. When it comes to the big two questions—work and marriage—DeYoung directs us to search out God’s Word, gather wise counsel, pray, and—get this—make a decision. Yep. Instead of wondering whether you should get a job, you should make sure that the work you are pursuing is legitimate (not within the pornography industry, for example), that you're qualified for the work, that your motives are in the right place, and just do something. The same goes for marriage: find a Christian of the opposite sex, ask godly friends if they’re a good fit for you, pray for right motives, and get married. Finding God’s will is not complicated. Our God is not sneaky, and He does not delight in keeping us in the dark. His will is clear, and it’s revealed in Scripture. That’s why DeYoung can end his book with a challenging yet wonderfully freeing conclusion: So the end of the matter is this: Live for God. Obey the Scriptures. Think of others before yourself. Be holy. Love Jesus. And as you do these things, do whatever else you like with whomever you like, wherever you like, and you’ll be walking in the will of God (120).w vDEREK BROWN IS MANAGING EDITOR OF GRACENOTES AND PASTORAL ASSISTANT AT GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP
Mid-Week Bible Studies Monday 7:00 PM - North San Jose (Women's) Monday 7:30 PM - Sunnyvale Tuesday 7:00 PM - Fremont Tuesday 7:00 PM - Milpitas Tuesday 7:00 PM - Grace Campus Ministries Friday 7:30 PM - Sunnyvale Each Bible Study has a time of fellowship, study, and prayer. The Bible study teachers are godly leaders who are overseen by the staff. For more information please contact J. R. Cuevas at jrcuevas@gbfsv.org.
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Report from Camp (cont’d) rest period, dinner, and s'mores roasting. Sunday morning began with a pancake and eggs breakfast, followed by the weekend's second large group session in the amphitheater with music and a longer, more substantial message. At noon, the tents were disassembled, the leftover food put back into the coolers, embraces were exchanged, and the sixty campers drove back to Silicon Valley to return back to our normal structures of life. But, in truth, GBF camp was not like every other large-group camping event. For all of the standard camping activities served as a means to a deeper goal— the goal of bringing some of God's redeemed children together for a weekend, away from the multitudes, to strengthen and the nourish the bond of spiritual brotherhood exhibited only by those who have been regenerated by the gospel and adopted into the very household of God Himself. The weekend was memorable for several reasons. The friendly but equally intense team competition featuring games of 9-square, kickball, ultimate frisbee, and Family Feud culminated in a three-way tie that was decided by the most nerve-wrecking of tiebreakers—a team leaders' round robin game of rockpaper-scissors! The winner was crowned (congrats, Derekites!) and the losers were respected. Saturday's rest period provided a relaxing opportunity to for campers to engage in every type of activity from star wars chess, tether-ball, scrabble, biking, hiking, basketball, under-the-oak-tree-conversations, and the ever-classic Spanish siesta. Friday's devotional message on Romans 12:10 exhorted the campers to devote to one another in brotherly affection, providing a time for members normally situated in opposite crannies of Sunday Service to converse with and pray for one another. The Sunday Service message, GBF's first at
this campground, was pointed exhortation by our pastor from Luke 12:1-8 to exhibit courage—not fear—in light of our nation's most recent turn of events. Ultimately, however, GBF Camp will be remembered for be the fruit that resulted from the 55 hours the church body spent together, which strengthened spiritual bonds between God's children. The truth is that the brand of spiritual unity and brotherly devotion that Christ desires for His church can only be attained when there is an investment of undistracted quality time with one another. Time invested in relationship building is an ingredient of life for which there is no substitute. This is the truth in marriage. This is the truth in parenting. This is the truth in teambuilding in the workplace. This is the truth in church life. And this is the truth with GBF's growth. Members who rarely had opportunities to interact with one another were able to, at camp, share meals, cheer for each other, take care of one another's kids, discover one another's gifts and talents, lift each other's burdens, and pray for one another. It is for this very reason that retreats have been historically a part of the life of Christ's church. The encouragement, fellowship, and unity that is catalyzed during such times truly serves to strengthen the overall ministry of the church when she returns to normal society and once again functions as salt and light to the unbelieving world. Unfortunately, for my son, we did end up going back home. But, Lord-willing, we will return next year. And maybe, just maybe, I'll win that final rockpaper-scissors tiebreaker!w vJ. R. CUEVAS IS PASTORAL ASSISTANT AT GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP. J. R. AND HIS WIFE KATHY RESIDE WITH THEIR TWO CHILDREN IN MOUNTAIN V IEW
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Joy at Home | Tips for Homemaking and Stewardship BY ALEX GUGLIELMO She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. ~Proverbs 31:27 Homemaking can be frustrating. There's so much to do, and never enough hours to do it all perfectly. Here are the must-dos for increasing your homemaking productivity without sacrificing quality. Touch Each Piece of Paper Once Sort the mail as soon as it comes out of the mailbox. Pay bills, recycle junk and file the ads for your grocery shopping. If there are items that need to be dealt with at a later date, paperclip them in your planner on the week they need to be addressed. If there’s something that requires a joint decision, keep the paper visible in a designated place and set a deadline on your calendar for when you and your spouse will make a decision or take action. Do Your Hardest Task First Mark Twain said, "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first." Many successful business professionals have adopted this principle into their daily to-do lists. Shouldn’t this work for homemakers, too? Others have recommended making a list of six priorities before going to bed, and working on number one, even if it takes all day, because it is your most important accomplishment. You’ll be surprised by how gratifying it is to just get one thing done when it’s the one thing that you’ve been putting off! Make Time in the Word a Priority While the first and second principles are vital, there is something even more important than these: Pray and study the Word of God. It can be so easy to become distracted by the fires that need to be put out during the day that our time with God is constantly relegated to "later." But sometimes, later never comes, so make your time with God the first item on your to do list! You’ll benefit from:
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Peace because difficulties are kept in perspective
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Purpose because you remember your work is as unto God (Col. 3:23)
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Effort as you remember to glorify Him (1 Cor. 10:31)
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Grace because you know the Lord sees your heart and not just the outcome of your effort
Even if you only have a few minutes before you need to get the kids out the door, take that time to pray. Consider getting up earlier if the morning schedule doesn't allow for time in the Word. And if you wake up an hour or half an hour before you're supposed to get up, use that time for your spiritual nourishment instead of trying to get back to sleep, since you'll wake up feeling groggy and have an even harder time getting the day started, anyway. Set Internet Hours It's not bad to spend time on the Internet, especially because there's such a wealth of information available. But make sure you budget time for it and you don't constantly refresh your Facebook to check for new comments. Set your time limit, enjoy yourself, and then move on. Have a Plan When you have the brain capacity to plan, do it. Consider making a chore chart so that you remember to tackle those easily-forgotten tasks. Think about establishing a regular rotation of meals so that you won’t be asking yourself, “What’s for dinner?” at 4 p.m. It takes much less energy to follow a plan than it takes to create the plan in the first place. So on a good day, create those plans so that you don’t have to think so much when the next bad day rolls around. Try implementing the above suggestions one at a time to see how they work for you. Don't change too many things at once or you'll become overwhelmed and you'll be back at square one. Enjoy everything you do for your home today! It's all so important. w vALEX GUGLIELMO IS A MEMBER OF GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP. SHE LIVES WITH HER HUSBAND IN SAN JOSE AND BLOGS AT G OODSTEWARDCLUB.COM .
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Hope House (cont’d) fluently with the Mexican staff and even participates in Spanish-speaking Bible study. Prayer Requests Staff members–We had only been back for three weeks when Brad wanted to visit again, and this time he brought a stack of Spanish John MacArthur Study Bibles. Please pray for the full-time Hope House staff— both native Mexicans and long-term missionaries—that the Christians would persevere in growing their personal relationships with God and that the nonChristians would genuinely seek Him. Boys – The Hope House boys are well taken care of now, but each one already has experienced more than his share of difficulties. Please pray that the boys will remember the story of Joseph—that God has a purpose for the challenges in life, even when we do not understand it at the time. Please also pray that the boys who leave Hope House will not leave God, and that God would use Hope House to help new boys find the Savior.
Featured Sermons Due to our weekly expository preaching ministry, we have built a large collection of sermons over the years and made these sermons available on our website. Because each of these sermons can serve as a helpful resource for you, your friends, or your family members, we want to highlight a few in each installment of GraceNotes. What the Bible Says About Race http://gbfsv.org/sermons/sermon/what-the-bible-saysabout-race Life in the Body – Membership http://www.gbfsv.org/sermons/sermon/2013-05-19/lifein-the-body-membership Godly Living in a Godless Society http://www.gbfsv.org/sermons/sermon/2013-0127/godly-living-in-a-godless-society How to Listen to a Sermon http://www.gbfsv.org/sermons/sermon/2011-1030/how-to-listen-to-a-sermon What the Bible Says About Abortion http://gbfsv.org/sermons/sermon/what-the-bible-saysabout-abortion
GBF Hope House team – Now that we are back in the comfortable routine of home, please pray that we would not become complacent about sharing the gospel. Although we are no longer on a short-term missions trip abroad, we are still on God’s long-term missions trip of pilgrim life on earth, and there is still plenty of harvest right in our backyards. Closing Thoughts With one of our elders (Pastor Bob) on their board, and with multiple visits a year, we’ve built a strong bond with fellow servants of Christ in Mexico. There are too many thoughts and experiences to capture in such a short summary; that week with the boys is an experience I will remember for a lifetime. Feel free to ask any team member to learn more or you can always plan on taking the trip for yourself next year! w vJESSICA KWONG IS SENIOR DESIGN ENGINEER AT STRYKER SPORTSMED AND A MEMBER OF GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP. SHE RESIDES WITH HER HUSBAND IN MILPITAS.
The Encouragement Box What is it? A small box on the welcome table to fill with encouraging notes to fellow believers. How Does It Work? Take one of the small pieces of paper on the welcome table next to the box, write an encouraging message to a saint at GBF, include their name, and slip it into the top of the box. After the main service, Kim Medeiros will collect the notes and make sure they get to the person they are meant to bless. She may hand out the notes personally, or mail them. Who Can Use It? Anyone who wants to bless another brother or sister with some encouraging words. When Can I Use It? Any time before, during, or after the main service. How Often Can I Use It? As often as you would like!
“Encourage One Another” – 1 Thess. 5:11
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August 2015
GBF Calendar September 5
Women’s Ministry: Baby Shower for Helen Tsai
3
Parents Night Out
6
Fellowship Meal at Rengstorff Park
4
North of 40
26
GBF Beach Day at Seacliff State Park
23
Hope House Concert
27
Prayer Meetings
25
Prayer Meetings
November
December 5
GBF Ice Skating at Winter Lodge
North of 40
11
Christmas Concert
Prayer Meetings
13
North of 40
13
Parents Night Out
15
22
GraceNotes is a publication of GBF Press. Inquiries may be sent to GBFPress@gbfsv.org. All material included in GraceNotes is copyrighted by GBF Press and the stated authors. Please feel free to redistribute this issue of GraceNotes but please do not charge for this newsletter, or alter the contents in any way. Š 2015 GBF Press
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October
GBF Press is a ministry of Grace Bible Fellowship, located in Sunnyvale, California. For more information about Grace Bible Fellowship, please visit us at gbfsv.org.