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Fighting for Joy at WorkBy Stephen Salinas

Song SpotlightSalvation Hymn

By Jesse Quesada

Truth be told, I often struggle to find joy in my work. Even though I really do like my job, it’s not uncom-

mon to find myself waking up on Monday morning and dreading going into the office. So, when I was asked to write an article about finding joy at work, I couldn’t help but see God’s hand of providence at play. Because find-ing joy in my work is something that I want to focus on more, I’m thankful for the opportunity to crystalize my thinking on the subject based on biblical principles.

To begin with, it’s helpful to be reminded that God cre-ated work to be a good thing. As God’s image-bearers, we have the ability to be creative and productive for God’s glory and for our good. However, because we live in a post-Fall world, we sometimes forget that core truth

and often incorrectly view work as a neces-sary evil. Perhaps one reason this happens is that we’ve all experi-enced the effects of the curse firsthand: our work can often be hard and unproductive.

The specific ways we encounter the ef-fects of the curse on our work can manifest themselves in a variety of different forms. For example, some people would like to be work-ing, but can’t find jobs.

Many are in jobs they don’t like and doing work they find unfulfilling. Others are in jobs that they do like, but still have to deal with orga-nizational politics, harsh bosses, and difficult co-workers.

Despite the fact that work has been corrupted by sin and the curse, we must remind ourselves that work is still something that can be used for God’s glo-ry and our good. In fact, it’s something that we can and should find joy in, even if we have to fight for it.

Continued on page 12 Continued on page 13

“Sing to the LORD a new song…in the congregation”

- Psalm 149:1

Though the Scripture is closed, the hymnal is not. It is continually growing with every generation as the

Church writes new songs in order to give fresh expression to its praise. Though most songs will never be a “Rock of Ages” or “It Is Well”—spanning centuries of usage in the Church—it is the joy and privilege of saints to write songs that give voice to our theology and experience. Out of a desire to continue in this tradition, the GBF Song Initiative was born.

The GBF Song Initiative is a collaborative ministry fo-cused on writing in-house songs for use in our times of worship through singing which can teach and admonish the Church (Col 3:16). It arose from conversations among Austin Thompson, Bryan Lee, and me about our shared desire to see theologically rich songs sung in the church, and the possibility of expanding the in-house writing Aus-tin had already been working on. Since we began collabo-rating, our aim has been to write songs about God and His work of salvation, to adapt specific Scripture passages for song, and also to write songs where there might be topical gaps in hymnody.

“Salvation Hymn” was written by Austin Thompson and myself. The idea for the song came directly from Romans 5 where Paul discusses Christ’s substitutionary work, our justification by faith, and our eternal reconciliation with God. Each verse begins with an ascription of praise to God and then details His work on our behalf. Beside each line will be the primary Scripture reference to which it refers.

Praise Him, the One who took our place;We had no hope to claim. (Rom 5:6)

Behold the mercy of our Lord,The Lamb, for sinners slain. (Rom 5:8)

We languished ‘neath sin’s burden long –Guilt growing every hour. (Rom 5:20)

Now reconciled by Jesus through (Rom 5:10)His blood’s eternal pow’r. (Rom 5:9)

June 2016

GRACENOTES

In This IssueJoy at Home

Traditions in the Christian Home

Science Spotlight More Glorious Than

the Galaxies

Pastor Cliff The Problem of Evil

Equipping the Saints of Grace Bible Fellowship .

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The greatest act of evil in the history of the world was used by God to accomplish the greatest good ever

achieved. In fact, God was overseeing the most egregious act of injustice known to man. God planned it in eterni-ty past, He predicted it in the Old Testament, He orches-trated all the events leading up to it in the New Testa-ment, and He carried out its execution to the bitter end.

Who Caused Jesus’ Death? When it was released in 2004, Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ, became a public scandal. Although it brought in over $600,000,000 worldwide, it was boy-cotted by standard American distribution companies, Hollywood elites, and even by a few countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. The controversy was over the question: “Who was responsible for Jesus’ death?” In Gibson’s film it was the Jewish leadership that spear-headed Christ’s death. As a result, Gibson was branded an anti-Semite. All the pundits chimed in with their opin-ions. Most suggested it was either the Romans, or Pilate, or Judas or the Sanhedrin who killed Jesus. Few, if any, in the public arena were consulting the Bible for the answer. But the Bible is clear on who was responsible for killing Je-sus. Those responsible include the following: (1) the Jew-ish Sanhedrin (John 11:47-53), (2) Judas (John 18:1-3), (3) Herod (Acts 4:27), (4) Pilate (John 19:16), (5) the Roman sol-diers (John 19:17-18, 23) and all sinners, including you and me (Isaiah 53:5). Christ’s execution was a corporate act.

Amidst the furious debate at the time of Gibson’s mov-ie, one candidate was entirely left out of the discussion regarding whom had Christ executed—and that was God the Father. God was never associated with the be-trayal, arrest, torture and death of Christ, the greatest act of evil humanity has ever known. Yet Scripture teaches that God the Father was in charge every step of the way. God planned Jesus’ death in eternity past: “blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet 1:19-20; cf. Rev 13:8). God announced 4,000 years before His death that Jesus would be “wounded” (Gen-esis 3:15). One thousand years before the crucifixion, God said Jesus would be pierced in the hands and the feet (Ps 22:16). God predicted 700 years before Christ that Jesus would be murdered by evil men even though He, Himself, would be absolutely innocent (Isa 53:9).

The Father’s PlanNot only did the Father plan Jesus’ death in eternity past and predict it in the Old Testament, the Father was active in the death of Christ and even punished Jesus, His own

Son, while Christ hung on the cross for nearly six hours. Isaiah clearly says that God the Father was the One who punished Jesus on the cross: “Smitten of God, and afflict-ed…the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief” (53:4, 10). Smitten, afflicted, crushed…by God the Father Himself! Some evangelicals blatantly deny this key truth about the atonement. Many others misplace the emphasis of Christ’s sufferings either by overemphasiz-ing the physical pain He endured or by saying He was passively abandoned by the Father. Tim Keller says at the cross Jesus experienced “cosmic rejection and pain,” but never explicitly says it was the Father who punished Jesus. Christian philosopher Douglas Groothuis, says Je-sus did not even really know why He was dying on the cross at the time of the crucifixion! What made Christ’s death on the cross so horrendous was not so much the physical pain as much as the invisible transaction that took place as the Father poured out His full fury of wrath and hatred toward sin on Christ as He hung on the cross.

This is also the clear teaching of the New Testament: “O Lord…For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, who Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur” (Acts 4:24, 27-28). God predestined, or planned in eternity past, the death of Christ by means of evil wicked sinners to accomplish His perfect plan of salvation for the world. At the cross, God poured out His full fury of holy torment toward sin on Jesus. It was the cup of the Father’s wrath that Jesus would absorb (Mark 14:36). Jesus was punished by the Father as the perfect substitute for sinners and thus con-quered Satan, subdued death, overcame the world and appeased God’s holy hatred of sin. The most heinous evil human act in history—the death of Christ—achieved the greatest good ever known—salvation for sinners.

God’s Solution to the Problem of EvilNeither raw human logic, nor esoteric philosophy can an-swer the dilemma of the problem of evil. Only God can. And He has chosen to reveal what we need to know about it in the Bible. There is much about it that God has chosen not to reveal, and that is to His glory. In the end, with hu-mility and faith, we must submit our hearts to God and solicit the prayer of Abraham who said to God: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Gen 18:25).

The problem of evil is considered by many the strongest argument against the truth of Christianity and the Bible. Simply stated, the problem of evil asks, “If God is good and

The Pastor’s Study God’s Answer to the Problem of Evil By Cliff McManis

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GraceNotesVolume 1, Number 4

Contents

1 Fighting for Joy at Work

1 Song Spotlight | Salvation Hymn

2 The Pastor’s Study | God’s Answer to the Problem of Evil

4 Meet the Members | The Quesadas

6 GBF Abroad | Pastor Johnpaul

7 Joy at Home | Traditions in the Christian Home 8 A Testimony of Grace

10 Science Spotlight | More Glorious Than the Galaxies

14 Staff Interview with Bob Douglas

18 Ministry Update | Youth

20 ENGAGE | The Good Difference; Men, Wom- en, and Contemporary Gender Confusion

Editor-in-ChiefCliff McManis

Managing EditorDerek Brown

Associate EditorsBreanna McManis

J. R. Cuevas

Advisory BoardBob Douglas, Sam Kim, Tim Wong,

Peter Lam

all powerful, then why is there evil and suffering in the world?” Historically, many Christians have attempted to answer this question from a philosophical and theoret-ical point of view instead of a biblical and theological one. As a result, typical answers offered are man-centered, Arminian, insufficient and even at times unbiblical. The doc-trine of the sufficiency of Scripture, or sola Scriptura, needs to be invoked on this matter.

Biblical truth needs to define and drive this discussion. The believer cannot allow the critics to frame the debate by granting them their sterile definition of evil and their myopic definition of who God is. Evil is what God says it is as revealed in Scrip-ture—not what some atheist or evolutionist says it is, for they have no binding uni-versal standard by which to define anything. God needs to define His nature—not the atheist. The atheists blasphemously define God with only two attributes—love (goodness) and power. They conveniently deny God His essential nature of holi-ness as revealed in His justice, wrath, jealousy, righteousness, glory and sovereignty.

God is in ControlThe doctrine of God’s sovereignty is typically neglected in discussions on the problem of evil. The Bible clearly reveals that God is absolutely sovereign over all things including evil, pain and suffering, and has a plan for it all in His per-fect timing for His glory. In addition, the reality of the Fall of man and God’s resultant devastating curse on the earth and the human race is usually down-played or ignored altogether in discussions of the problem of evil. Why is there pain and suffering and evil in the world? Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God and willfully sinned as rebels and God punished them with the curse as a re-sult. Ever since then, all creation has been groaning in turmoil awaiting the re-demption yet to come. This world is currently fallen and under God’s judgment.

Jesus the Savior is the answer to the problem of evil. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He was all good and omnipotent, yet was subject to pain, suffer-ing and the evil of others. He subjected Himself willingly to the most heinous evil act in the history of the universe—crucifixion—to accomplish the greatest good ever—salvation. All who believe in Him as Savior and Lord will have eternal life, eventu-ally in heaven where all pain, suffering and evil will be banished forever. Those who reject Christ will live in the worst place of suffering, pain, and evil ever known—eter-nal hell, a real place which will exist for all eternity. And both heaven and hell will si-multaneously reveal for all creation, for all time, the full, true, glorious nature of the one Almighty God of the universe. To Him alone be all the glory, forever and ever. †

Answer to the Problem of Evil By Cliff McManis

The Problem of Evil is the fifth volume in the BIG TRUTH little books series, published by GBF Press. For other titles in this series, see page 11 in this installment of GraceNotes. Books can be purchased at Grace Bible Fellowship or on Amazon.com.

Pastor Cliff’s Newest Book

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Where did you both grow up?

Peony: We both grew up in San Jose. I’m from North San Jose, so I’ve always been in the Bay Area.

Jesse: I was born in Hayward, and I basically moved to San Jose straight away. Peony went to UC Berkeley and I lived in southern California for six or seven years before I moved back to the Bay Area.

Peony: So we met after he moved back up to San Jose.

How did you meet?

Jesse: In southern California, I was at a church called Evangel Bible Church of Orange County, which was a plant of Evangel Bible Church of Berkeley, where she was attending. So I knew people at different congregations and I would visit sometimes.

Peony: So he knew a lot of my friends already, but we had never met.

Jesse: But I had heard tale of this pretty girl at EBCB, and when I moved back, I had been gone from San Jose for about six years, so I didn’t really have any friends here anymore. So I was just hanging out in Berkeley a lot with all the Evangel folks. And she came to see a movie with us, and I was like, “Oh! I guess the hype is justified!”

Peony: I had heard of him, too. He was kind of the loud, crazy guy.

When did you get married?

Jesse: A little over a year ago.

Peony: Yeah, we just celebrated our one-year anniversary on March 28th.

Jesse: It’s good—I highly recommend it! Marriage is so good.

How and when were both of you saved?

Peony: I grew up in a Christian home, so I knew parts of the gospel and I knew what a lifestyle might look like. But then the church that I grew up at wasn’t necessarily very straightforward or specific, and the teaching wasn’t thorough. But I’m thankful that God kept my heart soft towards the Word and towards Him. When I went to col-lege, a friend invited me to church, and that was Evangel Bible Church of Berkeley. That’s where I heard the gospel again, and at that point I remember thinking, “Wow, this is an area of sin in my life,” and this was the first time that

I knew I had to turn away from it. It was the first time that I fully understood repentance, and I think that was the fi-nal piece of understanding.

Jesse: I grew up in very charismatic churches with very watered-down and almost distorted versions of the gos-pel. I went and I lived a life of hypocrisy and immorality. Even though I understood certain aspects of the gospel, I didn’t know anything about repentance, I didn’t un-derstand judgment, I didn’t understand the holiness and righteousness of God, and things like that. I moved down to southern California in 2005 and, while there, I was part of a lot of social gospel stuff like going to Skid Row. That’s how I validated my religion. But I wasn’t going to church, and one day I looked online for a church and I only found two. There was a church called Calvary Bible Church and a Seventh Day Adventist church. Jack Hughes was the pastor at Calvary Bible and he was one of the professors at Master’s Seminary. I had never heard of expository preaching, so I just went and my mind was blown. I had never heard people just go through the Scriptures and the passages, and there was a real heavy emphasis on hypoc-risy and religion. I went there for a few months before I realized that was me. Finally, at the end of 2005, the Spirit really brought me to repentance.

Peony: We both kind of stumbled into really great church-es. God in His perfect timing and will brought us there.

What do you both do for a living?

Peony: I work at a biotech company called Asteria’s Bio-therapeutics. I’m a research associate there.

Jesse: I’m an office administrator at a cleaning company.

When did you first come to GBF?

Jesse: I moved back to San Jose in April of 2012. My par-ents were still here, so I was always keeping abreast of the churches in the area for my mom. I also was an ac-quaintance of Nikki’s (we were in a wedding together). So I knew that a lot of the people from Grace on Cam-pus (Grace Community Church’s college group at UCLA) went to GBF, and I had listened to some sermons online. I came here intending to look at other places, but I visited GBF my first Sunday and I never left.

Peony: I visited because we had started dating. But after we got engaged in 2014, I started coming regularly. I be-came a member shortly after that.

Meet the Membe Interview with

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rs: The Quesada’sBreanna McManis

Jesse: I’m a part of Grace Campus Ministries, and I lead the time of singing during our Tuesday meetings along-side Nikki and Tiff. I help lead a discussion group during the Sunday school hour in the young adult class and I’m also a part of the team that does slides for the media min-istry on Sundays. And I help out with the music team.

What has been the biggest blessing that you have experienced at GBF?

Jesse: Just the counsel and the patience and the care that the elders and pastors have shown us. Even early on they devoted so much time to our care, and it was just overwhelming. It was such a blessing.

Peony: And since then, we’ve both been really blessed by the teaching and the people here.

Jesse: Most of our friends are in the young adults group, and having them in our lives is such a source of blessing.

What is something that most people at GBF don’t know about you?

Peony: Okay, we’ll think of one for each other! He used to be vegan and he biked a lot. It was intense! He didn’t have a car while he was living in SoCal, so he just biked everywhere.

Jesse: You wouldn’t think she’s as musical as she is, but she’s a continual musical soundtrack. Some-times we’ll be watching movies and she’ll start improvising on the score. I don’t know if this is a newlywed thing, but we’re just always singing songs and making up really stupid songs all the

time.

How can the GBF body be praying for you?

Peony: I just started a new job, so I could use prayer in that transition and seeing how I might fit in that compa-ny and, of course, that God would open up doors for the gospel there.

Jesse: For our marriage – we’re only one year in, but it’s a joy. So just continued leadership for me, that I would be a loving leader, and that I would be sacrificial and emu-late Christ in that regard. And that she would submit to my imperfect leadership and be a helper to me. But also that we would love the body and that we would not iso-late ourselves. We want to give to and bless the Body of Christ. †

What made you decide to become members?

Jesse: When I first visited, I thought the teaching was great. I was really encouraged. I thought the teaching and leaders were biblically faithful. There is such wisdom and balance in the way that the leadership operates, having done premarital counseling as well as other counseling with elders like Sam Kim, and seeing the wisdom that God has blessed GBF with through their leadership. So I was just really blessed by the leaders’ counsel in certain areas. It was pretty clear that this was a place that we wanted to stay at. The care that they have

for the flock here has been a real blessing.

Peony: And we know it’s hard to find a church that is like this. It’s not a common thing and we don’t want to take this for granted.

Jesse: Also, we had both gone to churches that were very monolithic, in terms of culture and age—mostly people in their 20s, straight out of college, or young professionals, but that’s it. Coming to GBF and seeing the spectrum of age, race, life stage, and culture, along with the plurality of elders here, was something that was inestimable in terms of value and leading the congregation. When you have people in the church from the womb to the tomb , and you need that. It’s such a blessing. What ministries are you involved in at GBF?

Peony: I’ve been helping in nursery and then I just started helping with the preschool Sunday school.

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GBF Abroad | Pastor Johnpaul

are in the majority and don’t like Christians. As a result it’s hard for Christians to find work. The pastors in this region struggle to provide for their families on a regular basis, of-ten making less than a dollar a week on church tithing and offering. It is common for them to forego meals in order to provide for their families. The pastors walk on foot to and from their churches every week, which are primarily small huts with thatched rooftops made from tree leaves. These churches consist almost entirely of orphans, widows, the sick, the elderly, and the poor.

Because the Indian government is canceling all financial aid to Christian students, they are often unable to provide basic education for their children. Both the pastors and their children face hostility and discrimination on a regular basis because of their faith. Their children are living in ex-treme poverty because of their parents’ low income, which is roughly less than 20 dollars per month.

Despite these challenges, Pastor Johnpaul remains con-fident in the goodness and grace of Christ Jesus, and has already seen His handiwork in the lives of so many people in this lost land. With over 100 pastors involved in his min-istry in three different districts of India, including church plantations and a pastor’s seminary, the number of Christ followers is only increasing in a land stricken by both pov-erty and pagan practices.

“I am very blessed,” he says. “God is so good, and I will continue to walk by faith and trust in Him so that others might come to know Him and be saved.”

For more information about Johnpaul and his ministry, you can visit his website at www.ChristToIndia.com or contact Pastor Bob Douglas at bdouglas@gbfsv.org. †

By Breanna McManis

Over the last year, Grace Bible Fellowship has been providing support for Pastor Johnpaul’s ministry in

Tenali, India. Johnpaul works in conjunction with about 100 local Indian pastors as they seek to evangelize the lost, teach the Bible, and help the needy. This year, GBF provid-ed enough funds to fly Johnpaul over to the Shepherd’s Conference in California, where he attended various semi-nars along with Pastor Cliff and some of our men. He was able to fellowship with pastors and elders from all over the world, which he describes as a tremendous blessing that he is far from used to.

“It was an amazing time in my life,” he says. “The fel-lowship there reminded me of one big family. I have never experienced anything like that – having 4,000 pastors and elders all in one place at the same time. It was a huge bless-ing and I am very grateful.”

Having so many believers in one place is something that Johnpaul never experienced in India, where the cur-rent government is attempting to turn India into an en-tirely Hindu nation and persecution abounds from both the people and the State. Johnpaul, however, says that he was blessed to have been born into a Christian home in the midst of such persecution and blatant paganism. His father was born into a pagan family in which there were no Chris-tians and a vast number of idol-worshippers. But by God’s grace and perfect will, his father was specially chosen by God to be a Christ-follower and minister in India. John-paul was able to witness his father’s love for Christ and heart for spreading the gospel before he submitted his own life to Christ in 1990.

His home church, Grace Bible Fellowship of India, was founded by his father. Johnpaul served as the senior pas-tor after his father’s death in 1995 before handing the role over to his brother, Isaac, who is the current pastor there. Since then, Johnpaul has committed his life to helping his fellow pastors and ministries in India and spreading the gospel wherever and however he can. In his homeland of Tenali, Johnpaul says that “the harvest is plenty but the la-borers are few.” The churches he works in conjunction with have been planted in a community abundant with Hindus, idol-worship, and other false religions. In particular, John-paul says that another challenge has come in the form of defending Christ and the true gospel against the growing number of Jehovah’s Witness missionaries in that area, who have become very aggressive in their pursuit to convert un-believing husbands and fathers in India.

It is also an area stricken by intense poverty, scattered with poor communities and lacking proper roads. Hindus

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As a wife and mother, I find joy at home in creating, planning, and anticipating our family traditions.

In a Brown family favorite, the lead character Tevye ex-plains how people in his village keep their balance: “with one word…TRADITION.” He then concludes: “without traditions our lives would be as shaky as a Fiddler on the Roof.” In this musical the people of Anatevka rely on their traditions as a form of legalism and religiosi-ty. This is certainly not what God calls us to, but in His Word, traditions are valued in the commands of annual festivals, weekly rituals, and daily disciplines. Christ’s work on the cross sets us free from the obligation to obey the ceremonial and civil commands of old covenant law (Gal 5:1), yet as new cov-enant believers we are expected to develop disciplines of heart-felt reflection, thankfulness, rejoicing, and rest (see 2 Tim 2:8; Heb 13:7, 15; Phil 4:4). With the right attitude, adding tradi-tions to your home can be a means of cultivating Christian virtues, which are pleasing to the Lord.

In Deuteronomy 4:9, God instructs the peo-ple of Israel to “take care and keep your soul dili-gently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your chil-dren’s children.” God wants His people to care for their souls by remembering what He has done in their lives, and to make His works known to future generations. The intentional use of traditions in your home can be a means of incorporating these commands into your life.

Spiritual ActivitiesSome traditions occur everyday as intentional habits. Daily traditions can be how we “take care and keep our souls diligently” by keeping our hearts and eyes fixed on Christ. Prioritizing time in the Word and prayer each day is a kind of tradition which helps nurture our walk with the Lord. In our home, for example, we pray before meals, and Derek reads a few verses out of the Proverb for the day during breakfast. At bedtime we read a Bi-ble story, ask the boys to name one thing from their day

for which they are thankful, and then close with prayer and a worship song. These daily traditions prioritize the Word in our home and stimulate discussions about bibli-cal truths. They keep the Lord and His Word running as a thread through our daily activities.

Traditions that TeachTraditions can be significant because they teach. Special days and seasons provide an easy way to add some bibli-cal teaching into the lives of your children. Every Sunday is a special day because we have the privilege to spend it with our church family hearing the Word, praising our great God, and encouraging fellow believers. Christmas

and Easter provide rich opportunities for us to teach our boys through traditions we set. During advent season we do daily readings to teach them about the true meaning of Christ-mas. On Christmas morning we read aloud from Luke 2. During Passion Week, we have a banner displayed in our home with biblical Easter symbols and dai-ly readings to walk our boys through the final days of Christ’s earthly

life. During the month of November with Thanksgiv-ing approaching we add a daily leaf to our thankful tree to pause and cultivate the virtue of thankfulness in our home.

Traditions for the Sake of RemembranceTraditions can also be used for reflecting back in celebra-tion of God’s blessings in our life. By pausing on special days to reflect on the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness we seek to not “forget what our eyes have seen…lest they depart from our heart all the days of our life.” In our home we make a big deal of birthdays because we are each other’s biggest earthly blessings! We celebrate with parties and birthday surprise cake and on the boys’ half birthdays they enjoy a special one-on-one outing with their daddy.

Because our boys are internationally adopted, we choose to celebrate Ethiopian and Chinese holidays with tradi

Joy at Home | Traditions in the Christian Home By Amy Brown

Continued on page 17

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Upon accepting Christ, I lost everything I once thought I needed. I lost the approval, association, and even the

love of my own family members. I lost a connection with several of my closest friends. I lost the ability to freely vis-it a country I once regarded as a second home. However, these losses were frivolous in comparison to what I gained. In accepting Christ, I gained the only thing I truly needed and the only thing any human truly needs: a relationship with my Lord and Savior. With great pleasure and joy, ev-erything else “I counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (Phil 3:7).

Born and Raised in a Muslim FamilyI was born and raised in a Muslim family. Quranic legends were often my bedtime stories and Arabic Islamic prayers were frequently the background music in our house. When I turned nine, my grandmother started meticulously teach-ing me important prayers and recitations in Arabic. Even though I did not understand the words, let alone the mean-ings of these prayers, I diligently memorized them.

At a young age, I began the practice of fasting for the month of Ramadan. I deprived myself of water and food for close to seventeen hours a day; yet when I was asked about the meaning of the fasting, I could not think of any-thing to say other than, “because I am expected to.” These expectations were rooted in a set of rules I did not under-stand rather than in a relationship with God. The more I sought to be a “good Muslim,” the more perplexed I be-came about what that meant. No matter how hard I tried, I could not fulfill all the rules expected of me. Because of this, I always thought I was disappointing God.

Questions, Christians and the Gospel of JohnOver time, my questions kept multiplying and in my heart I remained resistant to completely surrendering myself to Islam. Rather than drawing me closer to the religion, my doubts were pushing me away. I felt like a very important link was missing, hindering me from maintaining a true relationship with God. I could almost describe it as if the house was built, but the front door was missing a knob. I had no idea what this missing piece was, but deep down I knew I could not have a true relationship with God without it. The Lord had set the stage.

My sophomore year of college I was placed in a room with two Christian girls, three Christian suitemates, and a group of Christian boys in the neighboring room. All of them had known each other from the previous year and were very close. I found myself attending Christian events

just to feel like a part of the group. Many times, I would overhear discussions of Christian topics and ideas, whether it was during Bible studies or just casual conversations. The discussions pushed me to think, challenged my own belief system, and fostered my desire to seek what was true. The more I learned about Jesus, the more I wanted to know, and the more passionate I became to find the truth.

One afternoon, I had a class with one of the girls from my friend group. We usually met to talk before class started. This day I went up to her and she was reading the Bible. Having nothing else to do, I asked if I could read it with her. She was delighted and turned quickly to the first chap-ter of John’s Gospel. We did read ten verses that afternoon, but it was enough to consume my mind and heart. I knew that the entirety of the Quran and the religion of Islam had never resonated with and comforted me the way that a few verses of the Bible had. I felt such a conviction to keep read-ing, yet was scared of be-traying and disappoint-ing my entire family.

A few days later, the con-viction was not some-thing I could ignore. My friend and I agreed to a weekly reading plan to go through the book of John together, and I embarked on the journey of finding the truth. Indeed, John wrote his Gospel with the purpose of encouraging faith in Jesus: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). I don’t remember exactly when I accepted Christ, but I know that at one point, my faith in Christ was all I had; I realized He was all I needed.

Out of Nowhere?Many people have even told me that my salvation came out of nowhere. I used to think so, too, until I read John

A Testim By Jasm

ony of Graceine Tekiyeh

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ony of Graceine Tekiyeh

15:16, which brought me to realize the complete fallacy of that statement. It says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” When I look back on my journey, I realize that even before I was born, I was destined to become a follower of Christ. I realize that every moment of my life was leading up to this destiny, even though I had not re-alized it.

It is by grace through faith we are saved; through faith we are humbled and sanctified; through faith that we per-severe through all the challenges of this world; and it is through faith that I came to Grace Bible Fellowship.

My best friends in college were a significant part of my journey to the faith, so when graduation hit, I had many worries. While most people fear the uncertainty of their future upon graduation, one of my biggest fears was how my faith would be affected after moving back home. Moving back home would mean moving to a place where I didn’t have one Christian friend and where Islam was the only religion practiced. I would be moving away from the support system that had sparked and strengthened my faith. With these worries, I vastly underestimated the power of the Holy Spirit.

Finding a Local ChurchUpon moving back home, the first thing I decided to do was make a list of all the churches near my home. Sunday after Sunday I tried different ones, and each Sunday I re-alized that the process was significantly harder than I had thought. One of the last churches I tried before GBF was very charismatic. After the service, I met a few people who asked to hear my testimony. When I was finished, the first question posed was, “Have you ever had a demon cast out of you?” At first, I thought the guy was joking. I was very confused and had no idea what to say. On my way back from church, I was so overwhelmed that I pulled

the car to the side and burst into tears. I felt so unsettled about the whole experience and somehow knew that ev-erything he was telling me was not true. That night, sob-bing in the car on the side of the road, I prayed for God to lead me to a church that would help me understand the truth about what was clearly stated in Scripture, not what others simply believed from experiences.

When I got home that evening, I received a text from my friend in L. A. informing me that he had found a church he wanted me to try. “It’s called Grace Bible something,” he told me. Even though I was feeling discouraged from my previous experiences, I knew I could not give up and that I needed to have faith in Christ. One week later, God led me to GBF; and after the first day of my attendance, I knew it was the right church for me. GBF and its won-derfully faithful members quickly became the greatest church family I could have ever asked for. I immediate-ly felt comfortable reaching out to the people I had met, asking them questions through emails, phone calls, and texts. Their thorough and scripturally-sound responses and patience with my many questions were such a bless-ing and a specific answer to my prayers.

Every day I’m reminded of Matthew 7:7: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” God wants us to know His truth. He doesn’t make it mysterious, unattainable knowledge. But, He does require us to genuinely seek after it and nev-er settle for anything less. As a new Christian, my fear of not having enough knowledge to correctly discern was quickly alleviated by the recognition that the Holy Spirit was and will always be enough. The first time I prayed, asking God to show me the Truth, I became a Christian. The second time I prayed, I was led to GBF. And I will never stop praying for God to guide me in the Truth. †

CTI PastorsPastor R. Moshe was diagnosed with cancer in January 2016 and passed away on April 30th. He was not married and had no children. He pastored a church in the little village of Kan-charlapalem for over 20 years. The church met in his home on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and of course Sunday

for worship. Johnpaul is working to raise up another pastor. Please pray for that church body, and for a new pastor.

80 Pastors Bringing the Gospel to Southeast India

10

Science Spotlight | More Glorious Than the Galaxies By Aaron Holsteen

The magnitude and splendor of the heavens testify to the power of God in a way that other aspects of creation cannot. In Isaiah

40:25, God puts forth the challenge “To whom will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” In response to this question, we are com-manded to “lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing.” The heavens stand as a testimony to the uniqueness of God. Not only has He created each star, but He knows each of them by name and upholds them by His power!

Scripture is replete with praise for God according to what He has made in the cosmos. Among the many references to the display of God’s glory in the heavens, Psalm 19:1 says, “The heav-ens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Although the writers of Scripture did not have a complete knowl-edge about the intricacies of the cosmos, they could still praise and glorify God by looking at the stars. These godly men found it sufficient to believe God at His Word in Genesis 1:16: “God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the less-er light to govern the night; He made the stars also.” It is almost comical that God’s creation of the majority of the universe out of nothing is summarized in these last five words almost as an aside within the creation account. Today, we have the opportunity to appreciate the extent of what God accomplished in these words in a way that previous generations did not. Our current understanding of the heavens now shows the size and magnitude of the universe which only can make God’s challenge in Isaiah 40 ring all the more true: there truly is none like God.

Modern astronomy has led us to measure how infinitesimally small we are compared to the vastness of the universe. Less than 100 years ago, the predominant view of the universe was that it consisted en-

tirely of our sizeable Milky Way Galaxy. It was supposed that all stars in existence were clumped together in our galaxy, which is about 120,000 light-years across. This perspective would change in 1919 when Edwin Hubble determined from studies at Mt. Wilson Ob-servatory that what was thought to be a nebula—clouds of dust and gas—was actually a neighboring galaxy. Since Hubble’s pioneering work, modern advancements in telescopes have given us a more com-

plete picture of the universe. We know today that our own Milky Way Galaxy contains approximately 100-400 billion stars; and not only do other galaxies exist, but the Milky Way is just one amid a galactic sea of millions to billions of galaxies!

One of the most striking observations of the magnitude of the uni-verse has been recently captured in a series of extended exposures made over the course of ten years by the Hubble Space Telescope. This single image called the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) is a compilation of over 23 days of viewing time into a region of outer space that appears to our eye no larger than a small grain of rice held at an arm’s length (or approximately 1/25 millionth of the sky). The

The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field. With the exception of a few stars (as indicated by the arrows) in the field of view, every point of light corresponds to a galaxy in this image. It is estimated that a total of 10,000 galaxies are observed. The field of view is about one tenth the size of the full moon.

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Science Spotlight | More Glorious Than the Galaxies By Aaron Holsteen

image reveals that approximately 10,000 galaxies are contained with-in this speck of the sky. Some of these galaxies are so distant, mea-sured to be 13 billion light years away, that they are ten billion times fainter than what the human eye can perceive.

In addition to marveling at the power God uniquely demonstrates in creating such a vast universe, we should appreciate our own hum-

ble state before the Almighty. Images such as the HUDF should lead us to wholly agree with David’s words in Psalm 8:3-4: “When I con-sider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” Through Da-vid, the Spirit of God points to the heavens to show how small we are compared to what God has made. Yet mi-raculously, God is mindful of even the smallest of His cre-ation and cares intimately for us. This love is demonstrat-ed in the truth of the gospel: that the One who spoke all of these galaxies into exis-tence condescended to take on human flesh, live the per-fect life, give Himself on the cross to bear the punishment for our sin, and rise again to provide us with eternal life.

With the large view of the universe we now have, we might ask which was easier

for God to do: creating the vast universe out of nothing, or coming to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin? The story of Jesus healing the paralytic man in Luke 5 demonstrates that as miraculous as creation is, God’s power and authority are more victoriously proclaimed in the forgiveness of sin! So next time you look to the night sky, let the size and magnitude of the universe inspire awe and glory for our God in a way the only the heavens can. But let this glorious demonstration of God’s unique power further gird your appreciation for the more glorious and amazing victory Christ our King declares through the gospel which saves sinners—a truth more glorious and powerful than the majestic galaxies of our heavens. †

The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field. With the exception of a few stars (as indicated by the arrows) in the field of view, every point of light corresponds to a galaxy in this image. It is estimated that a total of 10,000 galaxies are observed. The field of view is about one tenth the size of the full moon.

GBF Press’s Big Truth Little Booksseries continues to grow

Four books are now available at the GBF Book Cart or on Amazon

BIG TRUTHLITTLE BOOKS™

How do we make godly decisions on issues that are not specifically addressed in the Bible? In this book, Cliff McManis helps us navigate these tough questions. Drawing from Ro-mans 14, McManis provides us with the principles necessary to make decisions on the "gray areas" of life.

We live in a fallen world, and our lives are often beset with physical suffering, emotional difficulty, relational prob-lems, and financial uncertainty. In this short yet insightful volume, Cliff Mc-Manis discusses how to deal with trials in a way that pleases God and is best for us individually.

What does an unbeliever need to be saved from? Where does faith come from? Do Christians need to use com-plex philosophical arguments when sharing the gospel with their friends, neighbors, and co-workers? In this concise volume, Cliff McManis explains how to proclaim the gospel, to bring non- blelievers into a right relationship with God.

Do you pray for your pastor? Perhaps a better question: Do you know how to pray for your pastor? In this book, Der-ek Brown helps you understand your pastor's qualifications, responsibilities, and unique pressures so that you might pray effectively for those who shepherd your soul. You will be encouraged and challenged to pray for your pastor.

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As believers, how can we take our eyes off of the negative aspects of working and return our focus to ways we can glorify God through it? I believe that Scripture provides insight into several ways we can fight for joy in our work:

1. Working As Unto The Lord - When I work to make a name for myself through selfish ambition or if I feel like I’m only working to please my boss, I lose my joy, because I’ve taken my eyes off of the source of all joy: Christ. In Colos-sians 3:22-24, Paul reminds us who we need to be working for: “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” By realizing that I should ultimately be working for Christ and for the glory of God, I am freed from the fruitless endeavor of pursuing my own glory.

2. Thankfulness - When I’m discontent with my job or where I’m at in my career, that robs me of my joy, because I’m responding to God’s plan for my life with ungrateful-ness. We’re told in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 to “give thanks in everything” and that obviously includes our work. When I change my perspective to being grateful for both the job that God has given me and the ways that He has pro-vided for me, I can throw off the shackles of discontent-ment and be free to offer praise to God for His blessings.

3. Diligence - The times where I’m being lazy or not work-ing as hard as I could are moments when I don’t feel joyful, because I’m not fulfilling what God has required me to do. The Preacher tells us in Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” That means that it’s God’s design for us to bring our full selves to our work and to give our best effort every day. We can find joyful satis-faction in our work when we are obedient to that command and approach our work with energy and vigor, especially if we remember that we are ultimately working for Christ.

4. Prayerfulness - When I incorrectly think I’m in full con-trol of the outcome of my work, I forfeit my joy and stress myself out. In Philippians 4:6, Paul tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Through prayer, I can acknowledge that God is ul-timately in control of the success or failure of my efforts. I can certainly ask for His blessing on my work, but true joy comes from resting in Him regardless of the outcome.

5. Building Relationships - If I’m seeing my co-workers as competition or not looking for opportunities to show

the love of Christ to them, I won’t be joyful, because I’m not participating in the mission field that God has called me to in the workplace. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to ev-eryone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.” If I change my focus to realize that God has strategically placed my co-workers in my life, I can be ready to look for opportu-nities to serve them and create openings to share the gospel.

6. Being Fair - When I try to get ahead by putting others down or don’t deal fairly with my direct reports, I’m not in a position to be joyful, because I’m disobeying Christ’s com-mand to treat others as I would want to be treated (Luke 6:33.) By finding ways to elevate my co-workers through humble service and treating them fairly in every interaction, I can find joy in displaying the love of Christ in everything I do.

7. Having Peace - Since many of us work in the fast-paced environment of Silicon Valley, the temptation to be stressed out seems to be ever-present. When I get anxious about giv-ing a big presentation or about receiving my performance re-view, I trade in joy for worry by forgetting that God is prov-identially providing for me (Matt 6:31-34). When I turn my focus to the peace found in trusting in God’s sovereignty and resting in His perfect plan for me, I can reclaim my joy by having peace in even the most difficult circumstances.

8. Finding My Identity in Christ - One of the fastest ways for me to lose my joy is when I find myself too focused on my job title, a promotion, or my affiliation with my company. When I’m finding my identity in anything other than Christ, I can’t be joyful, because I’m forgetting who I really am and I’m creating a false idol. Colossians 3:1-3 says, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” I need to constantly remind myself that Christ bought me with His blood and I belong to Him. I’ve died to the things of the world and my life is in Christ. If I’m finding my identity in my work and turning it into an idol, that’s sin and I need to repent and refocus on my identity in Christ, the ultimate source of joy.

As you can imagine, writing this has been very convicting, as I see how I fall short in many of these areas. However, I’m grate-ful for both the forgiveness in Christ for the ways I’ve fallen short and the freedom to keep striving to obey through grace. If I can pursue greater obedience in just the areas listed above, that should yield tremendous joy in my life. Please keep me accountable in this pursuit: next time you see me at church, ask me how I’m doing with finding joy at work. Hopefully, extra accountability on Sunday morning will remind me to keep pressing on and fighting for joy on Monday morning.†

Fighting for Joy at Work, continued from page 1

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Song Spotlight, continued from page 1

We languished ‘neath sin’s burden long –Guilt growing every hour. (Rom 5:20)

Now reconciled by Jesus through (Rom 5:10)His blood’s eternal pow’r. (Rom 5:9)

Verse 1 focuses on the substitutionary atonement of Christ on behalf of wretched sinners. Romans 5:6 says that “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Our state was such that all hope was lost. We had worked our entire lives only to earn God’s judgment. Our guilt accumulated, weighing us down every moment, keeping us slaves of sin. But God displayed His mercy towards us in Christ. He came to be the perfect substitute, dying in our place that we might have peace through His blood. And this peace we have is sure because His atonement has eternal power that can never be undone.

Hail Him, the risen Son of Man –Death trembles in His wake – (Rom 6:9)

Who once was dead, is now alive.He’s risen from the grave! (Matt 28:6-7)

In Christ we have been justified; (Rom 5:1)His rising does assure. (Rom 5:10)

The Dayspring of our righteousness, (Mal 4:2; Luke 1:78)In whom our hope’s secure.

Verse 2 discusses the connection between Christ’s resur-rection and our justification. Romans 5 says, “For if while

we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” The confidence of our justi-fication is fixed upon the fact that Christ rose from the dead, defeating death. Malachi 4:2 talks about the “Sun of Righteousness” rising upon His people, and also in Luke 1, Zacharias prophecies that the “Sunrise” will visit us. Christ is the “dayspring” (or dawn) of righteousness, and we know that we who are in Christ by faith have a true, perfect righteousness in Him.

Bless Him, our reconciling God, (Rom 5:11)Whose wrath the Savior bore; (Rom 5:9)

His Spirit sent to testify,We’re sons forevermore. (Rom 8:16)

Our names inscribed upon His hands, (Isa 49:16)Can never be erased,

For we are His inheritance – (1 Pet 2:9)Held fast by sovereign grace.

A distinctive of the songs we sing should be clear Trini-tarian teaching. This is why verse 3 begins with a reference to each person of the Trinity and an aspect of their work in our salvation. God, the Father, secures our reconciliation by sending His Son, the Savior, to be the sin-bearer, absorbing

His wrath, and then gives His Spirit to dwell within us and assure us that we are His children. When we see each per-son of the Trinity working out our salvation for us, it should cast out all fear and doubt that God’s sovereign work could ever fail. God calls His people His own inheritance, and He assures us that we can never be cast out, saying, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (Isa 49:16).

We exult in Thee; (Rm 5:2-3, 11)For Thy great work we sing!

All the glory beTo Jesus Christ our King! (Rm 11:36)

The chorus is just a simple declaration taken from Ro-mans 5:2-3 and 11, where Paul says three times in response to God’s work, “we exult.” Paul doesn’t expect us to read his discussion of the atonement of Christ, justification, and reconciliation with mere intellectual examination, but to re-spond with true heartfelt affection. Did Christ die for you? Exult! Are you justified? Exult! Have you been reconciled? Exult! The reason we rejoice and sing is not because of any-thing in us, or because of how wonderful we are, but be-cause of how great our God is. For this reason all the glory is—and forever will be—His alone.†

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There’s no spiritual emphasis at all in the secular world. I was an employer providing a service and product to other businesses. I did my best to be salt and light and encouraged spiritual discussions and let others know I was a Christian. Compared to ministtry where God, the Gospel, Christ is the center point of ministry. So, I don’t know that there’s a lot that is comparable to working in ministry.

How many kids do you have and what are their ages?

Grant is 23 and he just graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. He’s now in the process of trying to land his first career job. Paige is 21 and she’s in

process of graduating from The Master’s College with a Biology degree, and will be looking for her next steps as God guides her. Mitchell is graduating from Valley Christian high school and is headed to serve in the mil-itary before he goes to Cal Baptist in another year.

When did you first be-come involved with Grace Bible Fellowship?

My wife and I were very fortunate to be one of the founding members of GBF. I counted it as a true blessing to have experienced what it is like searching for a church. In 2005 we left our previous church and we were search-

ing for a strong Bible church. I had talked with Pastor Cliff privately about a church plant; I did not know that others were also talking to Cliff at that time as well. The idea of a church plant began to grow in interest, several small group meetings were organized to gauge “real” in-terest. There was an energy and an excitement about it, but there was also concern about making sure we were doing the right thing. I remember that time fondly. Robin and I were part of the twenty-two adults who helped start GBF. At that time, there were four of us—Sam, Tim, Walt (now down at Hope House) and myself—who were el

Where did you grow up?

I lived in the Bay Area during my early elementary years and then moved down to Santa Barbara where I lived for four years. I then moved back to the Bay Area and attend-ed Monta Vista high school before going off to college at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where I studied busi-ness.

When and how were you saved?

I was in third grade. It was during one of those traditional evangelistic weeks where they have a speaker or pastor come in during these “revivals” and you go to church every night of that week. I remember that it was at the end of that week, on the following Sunday morning, when our pastor was preaching. Be-cause it was an old Southern Baptist Church, they had altar calls. I had talked with my mom during that week and I went forward on Sun-day.

What did you do before you be-came a pastor?

I owned a market-ing services com-pany for eighteen years. In 2001, my company was recognized as the 5th fastest growing pri-vately held company in the Silicon Valley. We provided services for companies of all size ranging from startups, all the way through HP. We manufactured trade show ex-hibits, retail exhibits, show rooms, as well as marketing material.

How does working in the secular industry compare with working in ministry?

Of course, the biggest difference is the spiritual side.

Interview with Breanna

Staff Interview with McManis

Bob Douglas

15

McManis

ders-in-training and who were part of the leadership with Pastor Cliff.

When and how did you become a pastor here? Did you ever expect to go into ministry?

I never expected to go into ministry. My background, ex-perience, and education were all in business, and I en-joyed business. I owned a marketing services company for 18 years, sold it, and was in a startup that failed. That was the beginning of God opening up the door for me to come into ministry. I was so convinced that I was to remain in some kind of business capacity. My paradigm did not include anything in any kind of full-time minis-try. I had been a lay elder at GBF early on and had gone through elder training, and was ordained. I was very comfortable in that position. I never imagined myself go-ing into full-time ministry. I kiddingly say that many men are called into ministry while I was dragged into ministry. God was very patient with me, because it was so outside my thought and belief and I was so uncomfortable with it because I just didn’t feel prepared at the time.

What are the biggest challenges and what are the biggest blessings that you’ve experienced since be-coming a pastor at GBF?

The biggest blessings are, no question, around the spiri-tual family of GBF. I have been able to see kids, who are spiritually interested, ignite in the youth group, and the faith of their parents becoming their own faith. You see them move from giving answers that they know from being in Sunday school for so many years to being truly engaged. I have been able to see God move in people’s lives, helping them through challenges and trials as they call on Him to provide the strength to overcome. I’ve seen God work in mighty ways in counseling sessions. Those are, without question, the biggest blessings. Alsom Hope House, the orphanage in Mexico, has been a huge bless-ing, seeing the people of GBF responding and meeting the needs ‘of the least of these.’ Other highlights would be the beginning of the India ministry and seeing how the GBF family has always met the needs of Christ to India, and seeing people giving sacrificially to GBF. Being able to see both sides of giving and need being met has been such an encouragement. In the last couple of years, it has also been a blessing to have the younger staff guys like Austin, Derek, and J.R. come on. Watching those men get

Bob Douglasintegrated into the ministry here, and then seeing their specific ministries blossoming, has been a tremendous blessing.

As far as challenges go, there are many times you feel in-adequate as a pastor. It’s wonderful to hear people say that they are praying for you. Knowing others are pray-ing for me is more encouraging to me now than it has ever been previously in my life.

What is your role here?

My primary role is on the operational side of the church, which includes everything from facilities to finance. I also oversee the deacons and men’s and women’s ministries, fellowship meal, and missions. I also oversee Austin in music and youth, our large church events like GBF Camp, beach days, Parents Night Out, North of 40 and the two couples fellowship classes.

What is something that most people at GBF don’t know about you?

I enjoy hunting! I enjoy tinkering with cars. I like wood working, I like to work with my hands.

How can the GBF body be praying for you?

I think Derek’s book is a great resource on how to pray for your pastor. I actually learned quite a bit from that book. I would point people there. One of the areas that I think we may minimize is spiritual attack. Having gone from being a guy sitting in the pew as an active church member, to a lay elder, and now in full-time ministry, I can say for me that spiritual attack is far more prevalent as a pastor. And I think it’s because of the obviousness idea that if you can get to the pastor, it directly affects ministry. Praying for the pastor, his life, his accountability to the elders, and strength of the Holy Spirit is so important, because we are no different than anyone else. We are called, but that doesn’t mean we are not any more susceptible to attack.

I’m also finishing up my M.Div. so that’s something to be in prayer about. My biggest desire is to be a blessing to the church and to the staff. As GBF continues to grow and as God continues to bring people to the church, just be in prayer that I can continue to meet the needs of the Body of Christ. †

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Testament, and apostles and pastors in the New Testa-ment. Women are blessed with the responsibility to bring forth and care for new life, care for their homes and families, and teach other women to do the same (1 Tim 5:14; Titus 2:3-5).

During the time of the judges, God delivered Israel through the leadership of a courageous woman named Deb-orah (Judges 4-5), but this was an exception to the pattern of Scripture, not the rule. Also, while there were a number of prophetesses in the Old Testament (Ex 15:20; Judg 4:4; 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chron 34:22; Neh 6:14; Is 8:3; also Luke 2:36), and women prophesied and prayed in the gathered commu-nity of the early church (1 Cor 11:4), only men were authors of authoritative Scripture.

Yet, although Scripture places the burden of leadership squarely upon the man, it is also careful to exalt the beauty and goodness of the woman as she fulfills her role. For ex-ample, Proverbs 31:10-31, while maintaining the woman’s role as the one who nurtures new life and cares for the home, also tells us that the God-fearing woman is trustworthy (v.11-12), hard-working (v.13-15, 19), competent in business (v.16, 18, 24), physically strong (v.17), generous to the poor (v.20), devoted to the needs of her family (v. 21), sensible to aesthetic beauty (v.22), and full of wisdom and kindness (v.25). Her character endows her inestimable worth (v.10) and a well-deserved reputation (v.23).

The differences between man and woman with respect to our roles existed prior to the Fall and are, through the gos-pel, being restored for the glory of God and the joy of His people. In Christ, both men and women stand on equal spir-itual footing and will receive the same eternal inheritance (Gal 3:28). But in God’s good design, we are different and are thus tasked with different roles.

Contemporary Gender ConfusionSadly, many in our society view these good differences as little more than the cultural artifacts of a paternalistic era. To emphasize such differences as, by God’s design, something intrinsic to our very personhood is to hold onto tradition for its own sake and ignore the obvious progress of history.

But few anticipated that our turn from these gender differ-ences between men and women would lead to the question-ing of gender altogether. What was previously considered fixed by our nature is now a quality assigned (rather than discovered) by doctors at birth. If you are biologically male but “identify” as a female, your “assigned” gender is irrel-evant. Now, for the sake of your own happiness you must live according to the gender you choose, not one you have been given.

But can Christians yield to these kinds of claims about gender? And does it even matter? Shouldn’t we agree to dis-agree about these issues that aren’t directly related to the gospel and salvation?

Why Christians Hold the Line on GenderWhile Christians who hold the line on the issue of gender run the risk of ridicule, name-calling, and—probably in the near future—job-loss, we cannot agree to disagree about this vital issue. First, to suggest that these matters are not directly related to the gospel is actually false. The gospel is the good news of God’s restoration of creation, not the eradication of it. When men and women are regenerated by the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ, they begin a process of discipleship as men and as women. In other words, for a man to grow in Christlikeness is to grow in godly masculinity. For a woman to grow in Christlikeness is to grow in godly femininity. To suggest that these differences are insignificant has immedi-ate effect on the gospel as it regards our sanctification.

Second, Christians cannot yield on this issue because to do so hurts others. As we’ve seen in the past few months, with regard to social conduct and legislation, once a gender binary is abandoned (a person is either male or female), the logical spiral from questioning gender differences to elimi-nating gender differences is certain and swift. The Church, however, is tasked to preserve and promote the good things in culture, serving as salt and light (Matt 5:13-16). When the Church compromises on this issue, we allow a lost culture to drift further and further into rebellion and harm.

Finally, Christians cannot hedge on the issue of gender be-cause to do so would obstruct the glory of God. The glory of God is not displayed in mankind generically, but in man and woman together, each fulfilling their God-given design and role. And, if God has chosen to display His glory in this specific way, then to blunt the contours of our respective gender differences is to blunt the contours of God’s glory. In other words, when we downplay our differences as man and woman, we hide the particular glories of God behind a riddled fence of ambiguity.

Christians must be willing to say, along with Jesus, that “[God] in the beginning made them male and female” (Matt 19:4). Granted, there are instances of genital defect and chro-mosomal complexities. But these cases are rare and should be dealt with carefully on a case-by-case basis. But handling anomalies requires that we are solid on the rule: if you ex-ist as a human, you exist as either a male or a female. The choice is not yours to make, because your gender is a gift and a stewardship from God. But this willingness to hold to these good differences also requires that we live them out in

ENGAGE | The Good Difference: Men, Women and Contmeporary Gender Confusioncontinued from page 20

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ENGAGE | The Good Difference: Men, Women and Contmeporary Gender Confusioncontinued from page 20

our homes, churches, and places of employment.

Upholding our Good DifferencesPractically, this means that Christian men are called, out of love for their families and their church, to resist passivity, re-claim the helm of leadership, and give themselves to leading, protecting, and providing for their family members and the people of their church. Christian women are called to gladly follow their husband’s leadership and, married or unmar-ried, give themselves to the work for which they have been fitted as females. And we must teach our children to embrace these good differences.

But Christians must be also willing to grieve for the current

Joy at Home | Traditions in the Christian Homecontinued from page 7

tional clothing, and cultural traditions to think upon our sons’ birthplaces. And we pause with thankfulness on the days we first met our boys by “surprising” them with do-nuts in bed and reading aloud their personalized adoption storybook.

Every year on our anniversary, Derek and I enjoy a date night out with time to reflect upon another year of marriage God has given to us. Throughout the year we keep a faith-fulness jar where we write on slips of paper the small and big ways the Lord has shown Himself to be faithful. On New Year’s Eve we read through the jar to recall what God has done and look forward to a new year with hope. A practical tradition of living out Deuteronomy 4:9 in our home!

Traditions for FunBut, traditions can be for pure fun, too! They add joy to life! We regularly eat “picnic” dinners on the family room floor, usually of pizza or nachos while watching a show togeth-er. We often go on family hikes. Every year on Fat Tuesday we eat pancakes for dinner and on Thanksgiving morning we make pumpkin donuts for breakfast. On Valentine’s Day, the boys awake to a “heart attack” where we have written reasons why we love them on paper cut-out hearts stuck to their bedroom door. St. Patrick’s Day is the wearing of the green and eating Irish food. Halloween brings a pumpkin patch, jack-o-lantern carving and trick-or-treating. The day after Thanksgiving we go into the mountains to cut down a tree and the next morning begins “Deck the Halls Day” of Christmas music and putting up decorations in our home. God gave us all things richly to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17), and when we enjoy them with a heart that acknowledges Him as the

good Giver, He is glorified.

Traditions and the Word of GodOf course, it is vital to keep in mind that none of these tra-ditions should be equated with the Word of God (see Matt 15:1-9). These are practices we have chosen to incorporate into our home for the sake of joy and practical obedience to biblical commands. They are, therefore, presented as ideas to help spark your own thinking on the subject, nothing more. Traditions can be a useful and Christ-exalting facet of the Christian home, but only insofar that they are practiced in submission to God’s Word and never used as a gauge of spir-ituality between families.

As you think about your own family, you will develop tra-ditions that align best with your situation, and your tradi-tions may or may not look like the traditions of other homes. That’s fine. Let us be careful to not look down on each other for the traditions that we practice or don’t practice (see Rom 14:1-12). Of greatest importance is our obedience to God’s Word, not how we celebrate birthdays.

Intentional Traditions for the Glory of GodUnlike Tevye, who lived out his traditions because it was how things were always done without understanding of the reason, we as believers seek to establish traditions to weave God’s presence and Word into our everyday lives as a means of keeping our souls diligently. How much richer our lives can be when we cultivate traditions of reflecting upon God’s blessings in our life! What joy it can add to our home when we practice traditions intended to glorify Him! †

state of people in our society. A man who really thinks he is a woman needs compassion as well as straightforward truth, and the parents of children who claim to identify with anoth-er gender need clarity and courage. I pray that we can, with the gospel, give them all of these things, and more.

These are strange and difficult times. But we shouldn’t be surprised. Nor should we merely resign to the inevitability of what is happening around us. We have work to do, first in our homes, then in our church, and in our communities. And by God’s grace, our efforts will exalt the gospel, serve others, and become the means by which God’s glory shines even brighter in this dark world.†

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As a young man, I have often been comforted, convict-ed, and motivated by Paul’s letters to Timothy. In his

first letter, Paul writes, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who be-lieve” (1 Tim 4:12). This exhortation to Timothy is often referenced when mentoring and encouraging young men and women. The opportunity to participate in youth min-istry, whatever the capacity, is an incredible blessing.

Before giving an update, I will start by addressing a theological truth that is crucial when establishing a foun-dation for ministering to the youth. There is no biblical model for youth ministry, as it ex-ists in modern church culture. Therefore, biblical practices, princi-ples, and priorities that would apply to any ministry in the church—ex-altation to God, edification/equip-ping of the saints, and evangelism to the lost—are to be aptly applied when working with the youth.

There is another exhortation written to Timothy by the Apostle Paul that has been on my office white board for at least two years—“Be diligent to present yourself ap-proved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). The best way to ensure that we are accomplishing the three things listed above is through the pursuit of a more thorough knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.

Sunday SchoolThe focus of this year’s curriculum for Sunday mornings has been ‘spiritual leadership.’ Every Christian is called by Christ to make disciples and teach them to observe all that He has commanded us (Matt 28:19-20). Therefore, it is the responsibility of each professing Christian to be a light for Christ in a dark and sinful world. Before some-one can make disciples, they must first become a disciple and commit themselves to the study of biblical truth.

Over the duration of the fall semester, we successfully completed J. Oswald Sanders’s book Spiritual Leader-ship. Afterwards, we spent a month learning the basics of hermeneutics - observation, interpretation, application, the importance of context, etc. - in preparation for a New Testament survey in the spring semester.

Throughout the course of the survey, students will have had the opportunity to read the entire New Testament and study key aspects that are fundamental to the faith. First, a background lesson on a specific book is presented on Sunday morning with key elements such as author, date, theological themes, historical significance, etc. Through-

out the course of the week, students read that book in preparation for Sunday. When gathered again for fellowship, the stu-dents meet in small groups with their leader to discuss questions related to the reading. Lastly, a large group dis-cussion is present-ed to highlight one topic from the book.

While it can be very encouraging to read through a top-ical book like Sander’s on leadership, there is nothing like opening the Word and reading the truths that God in His mercy has revealed to us for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness so that we may be adequate and equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17).

Youth GroupThroughout the course of the year, youth group has run parallel to our Sunday school curriculum. In addition to studying books and the Bible, there has been an emphasis on learning the discipline of outlining passages/chapters of Scripture in order to better understand the structure of the author’s intention. The students have also engaged in exegetical analysis of song lyrics sung in our corporate gathering in order to better worship the Lord with their minds. We have had the privilege of meeting in the vari-ous homes of our youth group students, and I have been personally blessed by the hospitality that each family has shown in opening up their home, providing incredible

Ministry Update | Youth By Austin Thompson

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snacks, and allowing us to play board games late into the night.

Over the course of the past year our youth group has built better friendships with other churches such as Valley Church and Neighborhood Bible Church, and occasionally join together for special events. Vance, a student who was baptized this April, attended ‘Mystery Night’ with Valley and NBC as his first event with our youth group; it was a great source of encouragement for him that God eventually used in the process of his salvation!

Fremont High SchoolLastly, I want to thank you all for your prayers for the min-istry at Fremont High School. Before the fall semester, I was asked by the student president to write a curriculum for the year. Having a plan beforehand allowed myself, along with Pastor Cliff and J. R. Cuevas on occasion, to teach the Word of God in an organized manner and address topics from Scripture in a way that culminated in a clear presentation of the gospel. When we started, the numbers were low, but the students who attended started to grow in depth. As we approach the end of the year, the numbers have steadily grown and students are coming not for games or fun, but to hear the Word of God. We have a student named Stan who attends, and, while he is not convinced of the truth of the gospel, has started to memorize Scripture and agrees that he is a sinner. Please pray for his salvation, for those who are not saved that attend, and for those who are saved to grow in Christ. †

2016College

Hannah Chen Stanford University

B.S. Chemical Engineering

Grant Douglas Savannah College Art & Design

B.F.A. Dramatic Writing

David Looi Stanford University

B.S. Biology

Wilson Patton Stanford University

B.S. Management Science

Gray Umbach Stanford University

B.S. Chemical Engineering

Shellie WongThe Master’s College

B.S. Accounting

High SchoolMitch Douglas

Valley Christian High SchoolGoing to the Army then Cal Baptist

Jessica KimBasis Independent Silicon Valley

Going to UCLA

Stephanie KimBasis Independent Silicon Valley

Going to University of California, Berkeley

Tim McManisThe King’s Academy

Going to The Master’s College

Graduates Ministry Update | Youth By Austin Thompson

June 2016

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The beauty of the Genesis narrative is found in the harmony of its simplicity and its explanatory power.

Through the pen of Moses, God reveals with straightfor-ward prose the origin of man and woman, providing us with insight into one of the most glorious realities in the universe. Genesis 1:27 gives us a general description of the event: “So God created man in his own image, in the im-age of God he created them. Male and female He created them.” Genesis 2:7-25 fills in the details: Adam was created first, placed in the garden, and given instructions on how to conduct his call-ing as God’s vice-regent.

In order to help Adam to appreciate his need for a companion, how-ever, God brought to the man all the animals He had previously created. But the text tells us that after Adam named these animals, “there was not found a helper fit for him” (Gen 2:20). So God put Adam to sleep, took a rib from his body, and formed his perfect coun-terpart: a woman. Adam responds with delight: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Gen 2:23).

Woman: Like Man and Unlike ManAdam’s joy was grounded in two profound realities. First, the woman was like him because she was created in God’s image. Unlike the animals, the woman shared the man’s nature and essence: in her womanhood she reflected her Creator who had given her the responsibility to exercise dominion over the earth. But Adam’s joy was also rooted in the reality that the woman was not like him. She was a woman and not a man: “She shall be called ishah (woman) because she was taken from ish (man)” (Gen 2:23). Adam rejoiced because he beheld in Eve both sameness and dif-ference. She was an image-bearer, but she was also a wom-an.

God intends this text to emphasize both of these vital

truths. Genesis 1:27 makes it clear that the man and wom-an share the same nature as God’s image bearers. Yet, the narrative also draws our attention to the differences be-tween the man and the woman. First, the way the man and the woman are brought into existence is distinct. Adam is created first, signaling that he will bear the role of leader-ship (see 1 Tim 2:13-14). Second, the man is taken from the ground (Gen 2:7), while the woman is taken from the man (Gen 2:22). Again, this feature of the narrative indicates that

the man will serve his wife as leader (see 1 Cor 11:8-10; cf. Eph 5:22-33), but it also high-lights the man and woman’s complementarity. The woman has been taken from man so that she might be joined to the man in marriage and become one flesh with him (Gen 2:24-25). This rejoining of the man and the woman can only occur because they are sexual coun-terparts.

Same Nature, Different RolesGod intended that these good differences between the man and the woman would be ex-pressed in the different roles the man and the woman would fulfill, and ultimately

result in the fruitfulness of image-multiplication (i.e., child bearing and rearing; see Gen 1:28). But sin would eventu-ally upset the original harmony of creation. After the Fall, both men and women would feel the tug to abandon their God-given roles and despise the complementary nature of their design (see Gen 3:16). The man would be tempted to yield to the extremes of cowardly passivity or cruel dom-ination, while the woman would be enticed to usurp the man’s role as leader. The man and the woman would also endure the curse in their respective roles: the woman in her role as the one who brings forth and cares for new life, and the man in his role to provide for his family (Gen 3:16-19).

But as the story unfolds, Scripture maintains and extolls these good differences established by God in the created order. Throughout the Bible we see men fulfilling their calling to be leaders, protectors, and providers of their families, the nation, and the church. Men are designated as kings, judges, military leaders, and prophets in the Old

Continued on page 16

Scripture, Culture, and the Christian

ENGAGE The Good Difference: Men, Women, and Contemporary Gender Confusion By Derek Brown