Can the government do that?

Two days ago, Fox News reported that, The city of Houston has issued subpoenas demanding a group of pastors turn over any sermons dealing with homosexuality, gender identity or Annise Parker, the city’s first openly lesbian mayor. And those ministers who fail to comply could be held in contempt of court. [The Religion News Service […]

Man-centered or God-centered?

Christianity today is man-centered, not God-centered. God is made to wait patiently, even respectfully, on the whims of men. The image of God currently popular is that of a distracted Father, struggling in heartbroken desperation to get people to accept a Saviour of whom they feel no need and in whom they have very little […]

In Heaven…

There are a great many conceptions and misconceptions of what Heaven will be like. One aspect of Heaven that is often overlooked is the eternal unfolding of God’s plan of redemption to the redeemed: “and [He] raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that […]

A theology of ministry…pictured

This morning the sermon dealt with the theology that undergirds GBC’s philosophy of ministry. The statement, “Shepherding God’s people by God’s grace for God’s glory,” is shaped by 13 theological truths. Here is a diagram that illustrates what we mean by shepherding God’s people, and how those theological truths relate to our philosophy of ministry.

Sermon: A Theology of Ministry

A Theology of Ministry — Thirteen Core Values that Undergird GBC’s Ministry Selected Scriptures October 12, 2014 Over the next six weeks, we want to think with you about what church ministry looks like. There are two motives behind this: It is good to regularly remind ourselves of the purpose and foundation of ministry — […]

Sermon: Hospitality, truth, love, and missions, Pt. 2

Hospitality, Truth, Love, and Missions, Pt. 2 3 John 7-14 October 5, 2014 Years ago, when then-speaker of the house Sam Rayburn discovered he had terminal cancer, he shocked everyone when he announced that he was going back to his small hometown of Bonham, Texas. He was often asked, “They have the finest facilities in […]

BCDC weekend 1 theology notes

The following documents contain the Power Point slides I used in my presentation in last weekend’s Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference (track 2). These presentations covered three areas of theology to help participants prepare for the ACBC exam for certification. Theology Proper Q 1 — The Basis of the Trinity Theology Proper Q 2 — […]

New church social media links

Our church has several new social media links, including some relating to our Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference (BCDC). Check these out: GBC Facebook page GBC Facebook prayer group GBC Facebook buy, sell, and trade group GBC Twitter page: @gbcgranbury BCDC Twitter page: @BCDC2014 BCDC Facebook page

A prayer for Christlikeness

When we don’t know how to pray for ourselves or when we don’t pray for ourselves, listening to and reading the prayers of other can sometimes stimulate us to pray with greater wisdom and effectiveness. So this morning, read this prayer from Henry Scougal (The Life of God in the Soul of Man) who desires […]

We need strength and it will be given

…the strength to live tomorrow will be given tomorrow, not today. And it will be given. Our task today is not to have the strength needed for tomorrow’s burdens. Our task today is to live by the mercies given for today, and to believe that there will be new mercies for tomorrow. Today’s mercies do […]

Do not be worried about your life

It would be a lot easier to enjoy your life if there weren’t so many things trying to kill you every day. The problems start even before you’re fully awake. There’s the fall out of bed that kills 600 Americans each year. There’s the early-morning heart attack, which is 40% more common than those that […]

Grace – it’s all mine!

“While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple. Those who regard vain idols Forsake their faithfulness, But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:7-9; NASB) The […]

Sermon: Hospitality, truth, love, and missions

Hospitality, Truth, Love, and Missions, Pt. 1 3 John 1-6 September 21, 2014 One thing we speak of frequently at GBC is the shape of our church ministry: what will we do and how will we do it? There are so many competing ideas of what a church is and how it should function that […]

Nothing compares with God

Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity. Would you lose your sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come […]

Nehemiah, the Leader

Nehemiah is recognized by most commentators as an example of extraordinary leadership. And the biblical book that bears his name is often mined for principles of leadership. And it might be tempting to suppose that Nehemiah was blessed with unique circumstances that made it easy to lead — he held a high and privileged position […]