Friday, February 08, 2008

More Baptisms at Grace Fellowship Church!

This Sunday will, Lord willing, be another highlight reel in the life of Grace Fellowship Church. We are having a baptism service in the evening where three will publicly proclaim their faith in the Lord by following Him into the waters of baptism. Baptisms are always wonderful, but this one is a little more special as I am scheduled to baptize my mom.

It is one of the great privileges of my ministry to have much of my family a part of our church. What is an absolute delight for me is to watch the Lord work in their hearts independent of me – it is a joy that is hard to explain.

Anyway, please pray for my mom and Tom and Peter who will all give testimony to the Lord’s saving work in their lives, then be baptized at the local pool. We will meet at Timothy Christian School for the first part of our service then make the one block pilgrimage to the pool. (I love baptisms in the pool! It is about as public as you can get in snow-covered Toronto!! Speaking of which, I just looked outside and it is starting up again! Another couple of inches with freezing rain to add to the two feet on the ground!!)

After the baptisms, we will head back to TCS for time in the Word and a glorious season of praise to God in song. Pray that God will use the testimonies of the three and the preaching of His Word to bring even more souls to Himself!

The Lord continues to bless our church. We are undeserving.

Keeping to the Centre: Spurgeon on How Paul Evangelized Lydia of Thyatira

He might have been so interested in his enquiries about Thyatira as to forget to speak of the way to the city of light. A dozen subjects might have claimed attention, if his heart had not been set upon one object. He could have spoken of his journeys, and even of his plans, without actually preaching Christ to her. He might have spoken about the gospel, as I fear we often do, and not have spoken the gospel itself. Some sermons which I have heard, though faultlessly orthodox, have contained nothing that could convert anybody; for there has been nothing to touch the conscience or heart. Others, though very clever and profound, have had no possible bearing on the needs of the hearers; and so it was little wonder that they were without result. But I am sure Paul's talk would aim straight at the center of the target: it was evidently addressed to the heart, for we are told that it was with the heart Lydia heard it. After all, it is not our most orderly discourses, nor our aptest illustrations, which bring people to Christ; but some little sentence which is slipped in unawares, or some burning word which comes straight out of our own heart's experience. There would be sure to be many such that day in that earnest simple talk by the river side. Let us multiply such conversations, if we would win more Lydias for the church.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Registration Almost Full!!!

Still thinking about attending the Worship in Song Conference on March 1st? You had better think fast, as there are only 14 spots left before we cap registrations! You can register today by sending an email to julian[at]gfcto[dot]com. Include your full name and put "Worship in Song Registration" in the subject line.

We will begin a waiting list once we reach our limit. If there is a considerable number on the list we are open to changing venues, so keep an eye here and in your inbox to verify things closer to the date.