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Good morning GBC Family,

Several of you mentioned that you enjoyed the random trivia last week. So, here’s some more. Did you know that before the 16th century Fall was just called “harvest”? And “fall” comes from the fall of the leaves. So really…you’re just celebrating the death of leaves. Happy Fall!

Midweek Meditation: Destroying the Comfort Zones of the Soul Pt. 4- Bible Knowledge

Do you know someone who stored up some random and seemingly useless trivia? This a dad or grandpa tendency. They can spout off some weird fact or tidbit either in a very random scenario either when its needed, or when no one really needs to know it at all. For example, I could tell you a lot about ancient Greece, or tell you some Norse tales, or even describe to you how Immanuel Kant thought was stumped by the moral argument for God’s existence— but if you’re stuck on the side of the road with your engine smoking, none of that helps you. Knowledge doesn’t always answer need. Mere theological or biblical knowledge doesn’t meet your need for grace.

Do you remember the first time when your knowledge of God ran out in a time of need? You look at your life, or a relationship, or a crisis and realized you either didn’t know how to process it biblically or what you thought you knew about God was failing you. This is a deeply alarming situation. It is a grace of the gospel to learn how much you don’t know. For only when we realize that we cannot fully trust our own mind can we fully begin to trust God’s heart.

Read Philippians 3:4-15 and think of Paul here. Before his conversion he had a PhD from Pharisee University. He learned at the feet of the most important and celebrated Pharisaical scholar of the day. But his theology failed him until his repentance. After his conversion he spent time in the wilderness discipled by Jesus himself. He now had the Holy Spirit fully engaging all of the Old Testament and theological knowledge he already possessed, but he still wanted to “know Christ” (Phil. 3:10-11). He didn’t want to merely know of Christ. He wanted to know Christ. Flashcard theology doesn’t necessarily increase your faith. You can memorize verses and not have meditated upon them. You can listen to preaching your whole life, have attended Sunday school, and even defend your theological paradigm or pet convictions, but facts will fail you when your faith is pressed. Christ will not. So we need more grace to learn what we do not know. We need more grace to learn the insufficiency of what we do know apart from Christ. To give Spurgeon the final word:

“Be assured, that as the naturalist who was merely the student of other men’s observations knew nothing, so the man who pretends to religion, but has never entered into the depths and power of its doctrines, or felt the influence of them upon his heart, knows nothing whatever, and all the knowledge he pretendeth to is but varnished ignorance. There are some sciences that may be learned by the head, but the science of Christ crucified can only be learned by the heart.”

Ministry Prayer Requests
  • Pray that envy, insecurity, and greed wouldn’t prevail in our church.
  • Pray that we would each commit to preserving peace and cultivating the fruits of righteousness.
  • Pray for spiritual wisdom to become the norm and the folly of self to become the exception.
Ministry Reminders
  • Always be checking your bulletins.
  • Ladies have an event tomorrow- Oct. 29th, 6:30 at the church. You need to sign up by the 18th.
  • Remember we are still giving to our Missions Christmas offering. It ends Sunday!
  • Church family fun- skating night at Jarisa’s Fun Zone on Nov. 5 from 6-8 pm.
    • Cost is $5 per person or $20 per family and includes regular skates. You may choose inline skates for an additional $5 per person
    • A snack bar will be open for you to purchase refreshments. 

Book Recommendations

 

In Him,

Pastor Kyle