GBC Community update: Be strong and courageous

​Good afternoon. I hope you’re making this a great week.  Ministries are starting out and there is a sense of momentum here. But remember who is directing it and who all we do is pointed towards-God!  God is moving but let’s be sure all we do is aligned and pointed towards him.
 
 
Join us this Sunday between 12:00 pm and 1:15 pm for Pizza and Prayer 
Pizza will be served at approximately 12:pm. After the pizza we will pray for the launch of fall ministries, outreach in the city of Guelph, and pastoral transition.  If you have not already indicated you are attending, please RSVP to Patrick Thornton by email, phone, or text. [email protected] or 519-835-1005.
 
 
Introducing our newest elder
The spiritual health and vitality of the church and its members is the responsibility of a plurality of Elders. These men are responsible to the Lord as shepherds of the assembly and so a vibrant and vital Elder’s team is necessary for the health and function of the church.
The Elders are responsible to consider prayerfully men who have the Biblically stated characteristics to serve as Elders and will invite these to accept appointment.  I’m happy to share with you that Ken Tamminga was been invited to serve in this role.
Ken has been a part of the GBC Family since 2015.  He married Rebekah in January 2019 and Levi was born Feb 2021.
Over the past year, the Elders have been engaged a book study with Ken during which time we have gotten to know him better and have evaluated his suitability to join the elder team.  
Ken is willing to serve in this capacity and has been found to meet the qualifications of the role.  On that basis, he has been invited to join the Elder team as of the beginning of October.  
I’m super excited to have him as part of the Elder’s team as he’ll add a lot to us.  If you have any questions, please reach out to me or any of our other elders.  Praise God for how he is moving! 
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our new fall series “one body, many parts”: a study of 1 Corinthians 12
Where do I fit in this church? What is God calling me to do?  Does it even matter if I do anything here?   These are all great questions which we will be looking at this fall. 1 Corinthians 12 give a great summary not only of spiritual gifts but about God’s call on those who are part of the church. This Sunday I will be continuing to look at the foundation for the gifts God gives us as well as introducing some of them as I look at verses 4-11.  I hope you’ll join me.
Remember, you can join us as we gather in-person or you can connect through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Thought for the day: Be strong and of good courage
I’ve been thinking about heroes recently as I’ve reflected on the death of Queen Elizabeth as she was as hero of mine.  That has led me to think of another selfless hero of mine-Joshua.  After Joshua took over when Moses died, he needed encouragement. As with Queen Elizabeth who had a quiet but resolute faith in God so to did Joshua.  When the people were afraid and needed assurance from God (as did Joshua), their leader went to God.
And God answered.
In Joshua 1, we see the command, “Be strong and of good courage” repeated three times.  Verse 9 says:
“Have I not commanded you? BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”
It’s worth noting that God actually commanded Joshua to be STRONG and of GOOD COURAGE. It isn’t a request of God or some mere suggestions but it’s a command.
We can learn from this. 
Instead of fearing, God encourages us to be strong and be courageous. But what does this mean?  It means that we should not stay weak. We must be strong in the Lord. That means we need to obtain strength from our Supreme Eternal God.
Being strong isn’t enough but we must also be courageous. Being courageous means that we should have the confidence to do what God wants us to do. Though things may not seem to go your way, being courageous means that you are able to move forward as you trust God.
God wants us to have a different kind of courage, the kind Joshua showed, to have the courage to do what is right and proper in God’s eyes.
So, be strong and courageous, you can definitely overcome fear through the Lord and that will change a LOT of things in your life.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris