Here is the Discussion Guide for Genesis 1:6-25. Once again, the men provided encouraging insight and thought provoking questions on this foundational text, which will help us in understanding the text and discipling others. Praise the Lord!
In case you missed the e-mail on our Confession Training:
After considering the number currently signed up for our Confession training and receiving some feedback on the schedule (back to back Saturdays), we will be rescheduling our Confession training for SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3rd ONLY. WE ARE CANCELLING THE TRAINING SESSION ON SEPT. 26th.
We will adjust our focus to cover critical doctrinal distinctives in more depth, while summarizing other areas which are not as crucial at this moment. We are hoping that this change will increase attendance for this important training. We apologize for the late notice for this change and any inconvenience it may have caused.
Thank you all for your desire to grow stronger in the Word of God (Col 1:9-14)!
Our vision at GTCC is to build a community of Christ-exalting, missions-minded Christians, who delight in God’s commands and are passionate to influence the world for Christ and raise a righteous generation. Recently, as I read the vision of GTCC again, I was struck by an overwhelming and obvious thought: We cannot accomplish this vision! No matter how well-organized we are, no matter how exciting our church appears to be, no matter how many programs we provide, no matter how great our preaching and teaching; we cannot accomplish this vision.
The problem with the modern day church and most of our lives is that either we do not even consider the biblical vision God has for us; we don’t think about our mission or we employ our best efforts, creativity, and ingenuity in attempts to accomplish a vision we are ill-equipped to reach. We rely on our human flesh in a realm where the supernatural power of God is prerequisite. D.A. Carson comments on this in his book A Call to Spiritual Reformation:
“Do you not sense, with me, the severity of the problem? Granted that most of us know some individuals who are remarkable prayer warriors, is it not nevertheless true that by and large we are better at organizing than agonizing? Better at administering than interceding? Better at fellowship than fasting? Better at entertainment than worship? Better at theological articulation than spiritual adoration? Better—God help us!—at preaching than at praying?”
What a stinging indictment! We can choose to brush it aside or honestly assess whether it is true of us and repent!
Brothers and sisters we need to pray! We need to plead with God for help. We need to cry out humbly for aid. We need to recognize the foolishness and vanity of church and gospel ministry apart from rich, corporate, needy, humble prayer. We need to pray together! Charles Spurgeon once said of the importance of the prayer meeting:
“We shall never see much change for the better in our churches in general till the prayer meeting occupies a higher place in the esteem of Christians.”
We must recognize that corporate prayer is a common prelude to revival. What we pray for reveals what is important to us! How often we pray reveals how important it is to us. If your desire is for hearts to be awakened, for families to be transformed, for the community to be shaken, for world to be touched, and generations to be impacted by the ministry of Grace and Truth Community Church, then commit to corporate prayer; pleading before God for this revival to occur! An examination of the times of greatest revival in history reveals consistently the prevalence of prayer meetings, and prayer societies undergirding them. If there is a modern day revival afoot, the church in South Korea would certainly qualify. The Reformed faith has experienced more revival in Korea than nearly any where else in the world in the last fifty years. During this time, Christians in Korea have gathered 365 mornings a year for prayer at 5:00 A.M. in the summer and 6:00 A.M. in the winter.
Our time together in corporate prayer is both necessary and exciting. Consider this the engine of our ministry! All of the fruit of ministry begins with God’s people on their knees, so let us commit to this basic priority!
God pours His favor upon a unified praying church (Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4). Unified prayer precedes the outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 1:12-14). After Jesus’ ascension and the promised Spirit, the disciples devoted themselves to prayer. We do not know explicitly what they were praying for. But we can imagine they were praying for Jesus’ promise to be fulfilled: that the Holy Spirit would come, that they would receive power, that they would be His witnesses, as He said, and likely for Him to come back soon. What does this say about the priority of prayer? If there is one thing to turn to, after Jesus’ departure in physical form from the earth, what should it be? It is to seek continued fellowship with Him in prayer. He is not physically present, but He is with the disciples and us always (Matt 28:20).
After another disciple is chosen (Acts 1:15-26), unified prayer continues until Spirit comes (Acts 2:1-4). We read that “they were all together in one place”. This continues the narrative from chapter 1. We see also that this infant church was gathered “with one accord…devoting themselves to prayer”. We need to consider what our priorities are! What role should prayer play today? We are still without the presence of Jesus physically. We are still in need of the Spirit of God to fill His church and lead her. We are still dependent upon the power and unction of the Spirit to empower our witness for Christ. We are still dependent upon the power of the Spirit to change hearts. Therefore, we are still in need of persistent pleading for this in our churches.
Corporate prayer is a continued characteristic of the early church. The first description post Pentecost includes prayer (Acts 2:42-47). The foundational structure of the early church included (42): Teaching, fellowship, the ordinances, and prayer. This is what how church was defined. This is what it meant to be a church then, and now. This was what they were devoted to. If we are going to arrange our lives, let them be arranged around these things!
Notice what fruit is produced from this priority (43-47): Awe, signs and wonders, unity, ministering to the needs of others, hospitality, praise to God, and fruitfulness. I have always wondered if we have made ministry too complicated. It is passages like these that make me wonder. How many of you long for gracious fruit like this to flow from the ministry of GTCC?
The church continued to rely on God’s help through prayer! They prayed after persecution for continued boldness (Acts 4:23-31). They chose deacons to enable further devotion to prayer and the Word (Acts 6:1-7). The church prayed for Peter when he was imprisoned (Acts 12:1-5; 12-17). The church at Antioch was worshiping and fasting (praying) when the Spirit led them to send Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1-3). Fasting is normally associated with prayer of some sort, even if it is prayers of lamentation, or confession. The Spirit opened the heart of Lydia to receive the Gospel, when she was at a women’s prayer meeting (Acts 16:11-15). Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi and they “were praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25-26). The Lord’s church is a praying church!
Our prayer should seek the will of God (1 John 5:13-15). Powerful prayers are prayers for God’s will. God’s will is found in His Word. God’s will is found by knowing Him richly. How exciting to pray knowing that God is going to grant these requests. When we don’t know what God’s will is, we should acknowledge that (James 4:13-15). This is not a lack of faith, this is humility. Let us pray according to the will of God.
Corporate prayer is a powerful opportunity to pray for major priorities of God’s church. This is a time for us to seek God’s blessing upon His Church. This is a time to plead with God for boldness. This is a time to repent together for our nation, for the state of the church, and for our own weaknesses. This is a time to pray for more wisdom, more love, more patience, more fruit of the Spirit manifest in our lives. This is a time to pray for our leaders and pray for those who are weak. This is a time to pray for opportunities to share the Gospel and minister to people in need. This is a time to humbly depend upon God for what God alone can do.
The Men’s Breakfast has been very helpful in preparing us for the weekly sermon. We have had good discussion on key issues relevant to the upcoming passage. We are currently preparing for Genesis 1:3-5. For those of you men who are unable to make the Men’s Breakfast and for the ladies who want to prepare for the passage, here are some questions to help you in preparation for Sunday: Genesis 1:3-5. We will try to get these notes to you sooner next week.
Our series entitled Foundations of Grace begins this Sunday morning. The sermons will alternate sections from Genesis and the Book of Romans. The first four week section will begin with Genesis 1:1-2:3. Our weekly Men’s Breakfast, Monday’s at 6:00 A.M., at Hall’s Family Restaurant, is focused on discussing our passage together in preparation for the coming Sunday Morning Sermon. This week we will begin with an introduction to the book and a study of Genesis 1:1-2. In preparation for the sermon this week, it would be helpful to do the following:
Our text for Sunday Morning’s sermon is Joshua 24, the last chapter of the book, and the last sermon in the Joshua series. In preparation for Sunday morning, it would be helpful to read the entire chapter once or twice and then try and identify the major divisions in the chapter. Consider some of these questions as you study:
We have added a new Sermon Browser feature to make it easier to search for, play, and download audio sermons. Our Sermon Notes are still accessible by going to the detail page of the specific sermon. You can play the sermon audio and download the notes to follow while you listen. The Bible text will appear when you go to the detail page so that you can follow right along as you listen to the sermon. We hope this helps you as you review these sermons and share them at home with your family.
We are working on improving the Sermons page on our resource menu. In the mean time, you can access the sermons through the Member menu on the center of the page. Click here for the Sermon Notes for the Joshua 23 sermon. Sorry for the temporary inconvenience.
There are a few voices out there who remind us of John the Baptist, unashamed to assess the culture and the religious practices of the day with brutal honesty. Paul Washer is one of those voices. It is difficult to sit through a sermon by Paul Washer without either getting angry or broken. Take time to listen to this 2 hour sermon on the state of the Modern Church, I believe you will find it quite challenging, encouraging, but also perhaps disturbing. 10 Indictments of the Modern Church
Please notice on the main menu bar a new item: Calendar. We will be placing our church events on this calendar for your future reference. Most, if not all, of our events will be announced on Sunday mornings or on our weekly e-mail announcement, but by posting the calendar on the website everyone will have access to the calendar, just in case you missed a time or date. We hope this helps you and your family steward your time for the glory of God.
