Here We Go!

Karleigh King September 9, 2025

Greetings to the family of Grace. I am writing this from lovely Atibaia, Brazil where Andrea and I have the joy of visiting with our daughter, Anna, and her husband, André whom we’ve not seen face to face for twenty-six months. Our reunion has been sweet. Sunday was momentous for us – the great delight of worship at Grace, the church’s vote on the expansion, then bounding away to the airport for the long trek to the southern hemisphere.

Praise the Lord for the unity of the church and resounding affirmation of the expansion project! This is a big step for Grace. We proclaim now and may it be that upon the completion of the expansion we can confidently proclaim, “to God be the glory!”

Some of you might be asking, so what happens next? Now, Fourth Elm and the architect will begin to craft the official drawings and “blueprints” for the expansion. This will lead to application for permits to begin the work. These things always take time – usually more than we like – but progress has begun, and for that we are thankful. We are hoping that we will be able to begin the excavation soon. It may be that the actual construction may not begin until early 2026.

As we wait on others, there are matters that we can and must be doing. Below are the first two steps:

1) Let the church come together to pray. Pray in yourhomes, pray at care group, pray among your ministry team and committee meetings, let us pray in corporate worship, and may we have special meetings simply to be before the Father’s throne in this time of need. We must confess our dependence upon our Father and ask Him to provide. We cannot take this for granted. May the Spirit compel each of us to contribute generously and joyfully to this project.

2) Let us aid Tim Clark & Wayne Roberts in identifying the pool of willing skilled workers in the church and the specific work they will accomplish to reduce the cost of the project. Be on the lookout for communication on this matter. If you are skilled and would like to volunteer your time and talent, please reach out to Tim as the project manager.

We resolve to be transparent through this whole process so that the entire congregation feels in touch and each person knows that they play a significant part in the progress over the next year to the completion of the project. That being said, let’s remember that the building is not an end, but an instrument in the life and mission of the church that the Lord Jesus is building as He promised.

So, here we go – let’s do this!

A Matter Of Faith

Karleigh King August 26, 2025

Faith is taking God at His word. But what about when God has not specifically spoken on a matter – like expanding a building? Obviously, our expansion project is not addressed in God’s self-disclosure, so how do we take Him at His word? In what way do we approach this as a matter of faith? Are there particular precepts of Scripture that we must follow? I see at least three:

The call to be faithful
The call to good stewardship
The call to confess and exercise dependence upon God

We are called to be imitators of God. So, because He is faithful, we are to be faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24; Revelation 2:10). Faithfulness is part of God’s holiness – so it is for us. It is hard to imagine someone who claims to be holy, but is not faithful. It is our ambition to be faithful to His word – rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) with humility and submission.

That faithfulness is demonstrated, secondly, in good stewardship (1 Corinthians 4:2). Paul asked the Corinthian church, “what do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Everything that we enjoy is entrusted to us by our Creator. This includes not only the gospel of truth and grace, but the fellowship of our church family and all that we share in common.

Third, it makes clear sense that we, the created, should confess and exercise our dependence upon the Creator. We are limited; He is infinite. He is the Sustainer; we are part of the created order that He sustains (Colossians 1:16). We were brought into this created order for His purpose, not vice versa. The Lord Jesus instructed His followers, “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7) and “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified” (John 14:13). Asking in His name means asking for what is according to His character and purpose. James makes it clear, you don’t have for two reasons: you don’t ask, or you ask to spend on your passions (James 4:2-3).

Here is how our expansion project lines up with taking God at His word: first, the faithful ministry of the Word at Grace has yielded a consistent growth pattern. We can confidently say, the Lord Jesus is growing His church – not only spiritually – but numerically to the degree that space has become an issue. Second, our stewardship of the trellis (the structures of ministry) and the vine (the lives of ministry) is reflected in our endeavor to meet the needs of the congregation. There is nothing extravagant about this expansion plan and it is not by the philosophy “if you build it, they will come.” The Lord has entrusted us with growing numbers (an expanding vine), it is good stewardship to provide an adequate trellis for the vine.

Lastly, since this is God’s work it only makes sense to trust God to provide. If we are being faithful stewards, that is all we can and must do. But God can do beyond what we can ask or imagine. So let’s ask confidently and earnestly because He calls us to depend upon Him. When we do, it is God who gets the glory, not us.

Our approach to this expansion project has been a bit like the Israelite priests stepping into the Jordan before the Lord parted the water. We can begin and complete Phase One – the new build with offices and the kitchen – during which time we must engage a capital campaign (in-house) with a goal of $1,000,000 in order to complete Phase Two and Phase Three – the Fellowship Hall and the spacious new auditorium. If in God’s providence we come up just a bit short of the capital campaign goal, then that small percentage would be funded by securing a mortgage so that the project can be fully completed. We would not want an unfinished, unusable building.

In summary, here is the substance of the vote for the members of Grace on September 7th:

Contract with Fourth Elm for the three-phase expansion & renovation plan including:
i. New build on the north side for offices and a kitchen
ii. Renovation of the downstairs to expand the Fellowship Hall
iii. Renovation of the upstairs to expand the Auditorium
The contractual cost of $2.146 million, while pursuing cost reductions (to approximately $1.8 million) through in-house labor
Use of the Building Fund & Ministry Expansion Fund (approximately $900K) toward the first phase starting immediately
Launching an in-house capital campaign with the goal of $1 million to complete the expansion project
Obtain a mortgage ONLY if the capital campaign goal is not fully reached

Here is the link to the Building Expansion Video if you were not able to be present when the Building Expansion Project was presented in person.

This is a big ask and it is where we must be before the Father’s throne of grace to find help in time of need! Let’s not limit God by what we think we can do. Pray earnestly, pray continually, and pray as family.

Walk By The Spirit

Karleigh King August 21, 2025

The next six sermons from Galatians – all the way to the conclusion – will focus on what it means to walk by the Spirt, to be led by the Spirit, and to keep in step with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is an enormous part of God’s lavished grace on us – He has given Himself to us by dwelling within us – so that we would become like Jesus Christ and partake of the divine nature. It is very important for every believer to know not only the reality of the Spirit’s indwelling presence, but to know and benefit from His function.Otherwise, it would be like having a new truck and not knowing it has an engine to move it. The Christian walk is not just up to us trying harder to be better at living the Christian life – it is an adventure of drawing near to God by walking in His Spirit as we grow in the character of Christ and advance His mission.

Upon His return to the Father, Jesus promised to send His Spirit, “the Helper,” to His disciples. Of the Spirit, He said, “He will glorify Me” – in other words, the Holy Spirit’s job is to continually point us to Jesus. So it is our job to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus. He told His followers that the Spirit will “take what is Mine and declare it to you.” The phrase “what is Mine” is condensed well in four chapters of the New Testament that teach us much about the Holy Spirit’s ministry, namely, John 14-16 and Romans 8. I encourage you to study these chapters and pray earnestly that the family of Grace will develop a clear understanding of what it means to “walk by the Spirit.”

This coming Sunday, August 24th, Dexter & Jackelle Kirby, our missionaries to St. Vencent, will be with us. During the 9:00 (ABF) hour, they will present a ministry update. Then during worship, Dexter will bring the exposition from Matthew 22:34-40 entitled “First of All.” Keeping the first and greatest command – to love God – is paramount to walking by the Spirit, so this sermon will be appropriately tucked right in the middle of the two-part “Walk by the Spirit” sermon from Galatians.

Also, remember, we are collecting a love offering for the Kirby’s ministry to go toward the construction of a Christian school in St. Vincent. You can give through your MyWell account (see the image below for the giving designation on the dropdown menu), or make a check payable to GBC with “Kirby” in the memo line.

Just another reminder that our vote for the Building Expansion Project is now less than three weeks away: September 7th after the morning worship service. Please earnestly pray that our Father’s Spirit will guard our unity as His family, and that He will provide for our needs during this necessary expansion.

Walking in the Spirit

Karleigh King August 5, 2025

“So if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25
~~~

That God has put His Spirit in us and made us new creations and partakers of the divine nature is a key benefit for the child of God. The biblical action “walk” is reference to daily movement. It is not event related but represents a person’s manner of life.

If someone in today’s theological environment were to ask about being Spirit-filled, he may be referring to ecstatic practices in personal or corporate worship. The apostle’s command to be filled with the Spirit, however, is not in that limited context.

Let me rephrase the question: Is your daily walk a continual movement in the Spirit producing the fruit of the Spirit and displaying ability to rise above natural behavior in the power of the Spirit?

Walking in the Spirit is tantamount to abiding in Christ, drawing near to God, and letting His word dwell in you richly. This activity produces the fruit of the Spirit, which is the character of Christ. These are the characteristics of a Spiritual-filled life.

The benefit you have as a follower of Jesus is that God equips and empowers you to do the very thing for which you were created – to love Him, delight in Him, and thereby point others to Him.

“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son
into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’"
Galatians 4:6

“Son” is an endearing term which points to an engagingrelationship. It is a position and qualification for deep, interpersonal communion with the Father! This is the Spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15-16). To walk in the Spirit of adoption is to walk in God’s presence.

How do you walk in His presence? First, by an unending consciousness of God’s loving, gracious presence in all events and circumstances of the day. “Where can I go from your Spirit?” (Psalm 139:7) is a deeply comforting and empowering truth for the child of God. Be diligent to maintain that consciousness. Second, because of His presence, acknowledge and commune with Him in all events and circumstances of the day. For example, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is not a glib spiritual cliché, but rather the profound privilege of unending communion with your Creator/Redeemer. Throughout your day, you are continually repeating the refrain, “How precious are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them” (Psalm 139:17).

Be very clear on this–
being busy for God is not equal to walking with God.

God did not create you for the things you can do for Him – He the self-sufficient One.

You were created specifically for fellowship with Him. Pursue that communion because you are indwelt with His Spirit of adoption. Then you will know His love, joy, and peace – in all events and circumstances of the day.

“You will make known to me the path of life,
in Your presence is fullness of joy
at Your right hand are pleasures evermore!”
Psalm 16:11

We Are Free Because We Are Complete In Christ

Karleigh King July 1, 2025

“It’s not enough – I want more – something new!” sounds like the motto of a committed consumer. It also describes the appetites of those who consume “new truths,” innovative philosophies, or ground-breaking perspectives on life and reality. Luke painted this picture of the Athenians saying, “They spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing” (Acts 17:21). Today, there is still no shortage of novel ideas, often marketed with a hook line to convince consumers that they can finally know the secret. That secret could be in any arena of life experience – physical, financial, emotional, material (how to get what I want), or even spiritual.

One book of the Bible is devoted to this topic. Paul writes to the Colossian believers: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit” (Col. 2:8). This letter from the apostle affirms the supremacy and preeminence of Jesus Christ – the One in Whom all the fullness of God dwells in bodily form (Col. 2:9). Once again, the apostle begins with the Creator who is sovereign over the universe and the originator of all that is true. The historic Jesus Christ was the ultimate and living revelation of God to His creation. The designer of life showed up, not only to demonstrate how life works, but to make life a very real possibility for all surrendered to and united with Him.

Paul affirms to the Colossians, “You are complete in Him” (Col. 2:10). Any “new” truth or innovative philosophy will only plunder what you have in Christ and take you captive. It will frustrate that which is found only in Christ – the freedom to live as you were designed to, “for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:2).

The stealth of the Colossian heresy was that the “enlightened” teachers did not ask the believers to forsake Christ and His truth, but to integrate Christ into their new system of philosophy, thought, and life practice. Though it was not the overt claim of the “secret,” “enlightened” system, the whole tendency of the heretical system was to draw attention and trust away from Jesus Christ. It spawned a practical understanding of God’s revelation – written and living – as insufficient truth for life. Peter attests: “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). What you need is eternal in nature. What is temporal will one day be gone and forgotten; it will be devoid of any significance at all.

Understanding this truth in Christ will rescue you from a compartmentalized life in which you strive for wholeness, balance, and meaning. Instead, it will open up to you the joys of Christ-preeminent life complete with His definition – you are who God says you are, purpose – you live for His objectives and not for your self-gratification, authority – the guiding immovable foundation, and resource – the inexhaustible riches of His grace. It brings clarity to the pronouncement that “you are not your own . . . for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Only with this understanding can one say along with the apostle Paul: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).

A BIG DEAL And A SPECIAL MEAL

Karleigh King June 24, 2025

EXPANSION – There was great participation in the expansion information meeting on Sunday night – thank you for the interest and enthusiasm! In pursuit of getting the word out to all with clarity, a video presentation with all pertinent information and graphics will be forthcoming, so keep on the lookout for it. With this resource, you will be able to review the building expansion plan at any time to become more familiar with it. We want to be sure that all have had ample time to review it, to freely ask clarifying questions, to consider it prayerfully, and to plan ahead to be present for the church vote. A brief church business meeting has been scheduled on Sunday morning, September 7th following the worship service during which the congregation will be asked to affirm this proposal put forth unanimously by the Building Planning Team and the church Board. This is a big deal, and we should be earnestly in prayer over it. As our Lord is growing His church, we must make sure we do not settle for the status quo, but follow Him and trust Him to provide. Let us make sure we do not limit what God can do by envisioning only what we think we can do.

SPECIAL MEAL – Our coming together at the Lord’s Table is always a very meaningful time. This coming Sunday night (29th) we also have a special meal offered for the fellowship after the Lord’s Table. As referenced in an email that went out this morning, a generous donor has offered for Mike Ortegon to bring his food truck – MO’EMPANADAS — to supply food for our Fellowship Meal! Each complimentary plate will include beef empanadas and fried plantains. If this is what you would like to eat for the Sunday night fellowship meal, please SIGN UP by Friday so Mike can have enough prepared. Otherwise, you can still bring your own picnic dinner as we sit on the grassy grounds, enjoy each other’s company, and watch the kids play. Don’t forget your lawn chairs and/or picnic blankets! This will be our final Sunday evening together corporately until August 31st, at which time we will come together once again at the Lord’s Table. As we look ahead to the summer, please prayerfully consider open doors to redemptive opportunities through hospitality.

SIGN UP FOR EMPANADAS

Building Expansion Information Meeting

Karleigh King June 17, 2025

The Lord is growing His Church in our assembly at Grace! I’m sure you’ve noticed that space is tight on Sunday mornings. Numerous folks have to sit in the Gathering Room to engage worship by video. So, this is a reminder of our Building Expansion Information Meeting on this Sunday evening, June 22nd, at 6:00 p.m.

After numerous months of Planning Team meetings, interactions with representatives from all the ministries in the church, board deliberations, expert insights from our resident architect, several meetings with our contractor, and numerous times back to the architect’s drawing board – we have an expansion/renovation plan that is board-approved, and we are preparing to present the information to the church!

We are confident that this plan will meet the three most urgent stated needs of the congregation:

A larger auditorium
Secure nurseries near the auditorium
A larger fellowship hall with an adjacent kitchen

This project is by far less costly than previous plans, and we already have the funds to complete the first phase, so we could get started right away. The entire project will take about ten to eleven months to complete through a series of three phases:

Phase 1 – new construction on the north side of the current building (behind the auditorium platform) that will house all the offices and an expansive kitchen.
Phase 2 – open up the downstairs (rooms 1, 2, & 5) to create a large fellowship hall (right next to the new and roomy kitchen!).
Phase 3 –renovation of the upstairs and create a spacious auditorium with restrooms and nurseries nearby.

This expansion/renovation will count on the generosity of the church. While we believe this design presents an economically feasible plan, it will require more funds to be raised. Since we have the funds on hand to complete Phase 1 (the most expensive part), we can be conducting a capital campaign during that phase in order to finish out the rest of the project. We are counting on God’s people to seek the Lord to provide where He guides. Please be before the Father to humbly seek His face in this matter. We pray that His Spirit will grant His people clarity and unity along with generous hearts.

Knowing The Father’s Heart

Karleigh King June 3, 2025

Just hours before the Lord Jesus would experience the most difficult time of His redemptive work, He instructed His disciples about the Father’s mission, and His gracious gifts that would be poured out on them through His Spirit. Jesus knew His Father’s heart and that His mission was to draw the objects of His love to Himself. Because of His love for the Father, Jesus willingly became the means for the accomplishment of this mission. He came to show us the Father and reconcile us to Him – the very purpose of our creation.

In our limited and distracted human perspective we might miss the point of seeing the Father by being focused on earthly matters. The disciple, Philip, represent us well when he asks Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us” (John 14:8). Jesus’ response was a gracious rebuke, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (v.9).

The Father and the Son are one in essence therefore They are one in heart and mind. They relate and work in perfect oneness, so Jesus was, as the writer of Hebrews put it, “the exact imprint of His nature” (Heb. 1:3). Jesus Himself described it by saying, “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works” (John 14:10).

Just a little while later in the garden, Jesus would pray that the same would be true of us His followers, “The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me” (John 17:22–23).

Because Jesus knows the Father’s heart perfectly, He delights in His Father and obeyed Him fully. He loves His Father’s family business of reconciliation, so He willfully invested Himself. He also asked the Father to send the Spirit to His followers for our transformation – a key part of the Father’s family business. AND because Jesus prayed to the Father to make us one in Him, in Christ we too can know the Father’s heart and delight in Him and love the Father’s family business. So we invest ourselves in His mission of reconciliation and transformation.

Lets never forget that the Father’s heart is good, kind, loving, gracious, holy, and beautiful. The more we walk with Him by following in the steps of Jesus, the more we will know His heart. Then the more we will think His thoughts and love what He loves, and the more we will reflect His character. We will – in our oneness with the Christ – be able to say that “Itis no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). This is the light that the world around us needs, because it is God’s goodness that leads people to repentance.

Family Happenings

Karleigh King May 27, 2025

IN THIS EMAIL: DATES TO REMEMBER
(further explanations below)
June 1st — Additional installment of “Blame It On The Brain” SNS | 6:00PM
June 8th — “Bibliology” SNS | 6:00PM
June 15th — Baptism in the morning, “Bibliology” SNS in the evening
June 22nd — BUILDING PROJECT INFORMATIONAL MEETING | 6:00PM
June 29th — Lord’s Table Service & Fellowship Meal | 6:00PM

~~~~

In a day when “science” is assumed to be the supreme arbiter of truth, the Sunday Night Seminar, “Blame It on the Brain” is a compelling presentation that answers many questions about how we harmonize the science of mental health and the biblical foundation of life. Because there has been a high level of interest in the topic, there has been a good deal of discussion, and Chris still has more to present that time did not allow. Because of this, Chris will have another Sunday night – this coming Sunday, June 1st – to complete the seminar. Copies of the book by the same title are available at the GBC book nook in the Gathering Room. For those of you attending the Bibliology class, we appreciate your patience and forbearance. We will complete the class on Sunday nights, June 8th and 15th.

We are delighted to see the Lord’s work among us of drawing people to Himself and transforming their lives. On Sunday morning, June 15th we will have our next baptism immediately following the worship service. If you are desirous to follow the Lord in public witness to your faith in Christ through baptism, please contact me or Pastor Adam.

Sunday night, June 22nd, will be an information meeting on the building expansion. We are fine-tuning the details, and giving the architect the time needed to develop drawings and cost details that will give you a great deal of information and perspective. The building planning team and the board, along with ministry team leaders, have been enthusiastically working on pulling all of this together so the church can be well informed. Please express your gratitude to Wayne Roberts for his extensive, invaluable, and ongoing help in this phase of the project.

Lastly, our next celebration of the Lord’s Table will be on Sunday night, June 29th. We always look forward to this very meaningful time together as the family of God. Stay tuned for information about the fellowship meal that will follow this precious time of worship. Then, as we started last year, there will be a Sunday night hiatus for the months of July and August – this will grant a much-needed rest period for the children’s and nursery workers. Plan ahead now to hone the craft of hospitality during this time. Your home is a powerful tool to pursue redemptive opportunities. The Sunday night break will conclude with our re-gathering at the Lord’s Table on August 31st.

It's Time!

Karleigh King May 22, 2025

The Lord is growing His church in our assembly at Grace! Lives are being transformed. We have scheduled a baptism for Sunday, June 15th after the morning worship service. If you are prepared to follow the Lord in public testimony to your faith, please connect with Pastor Adam or myself.

Our numbers are growing…AND we have an abundance of very cute shorter-than-average humans in our children’s ministries! I’m sure you’ve noticed that space is tight on Sunday mornings. Numerous folks have to sit in the Gathering Room to engage worship by video. So…here’s the good news:
After many months of planning team meetings, interactions with representatives from all the ministries in the church, board deliberations, expert insights from our resident architect, several meetings with our contractor, and numerous times back to the architect’s drawing board – we have an expansion plan that is board approved, and are preparing to present the information to the church! With a little more fine tuning, research, and well-crafted graphics from the architect an information meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 22nd at 6:00PM.

We are confident that this plan will meet the stated needs of the congregation – three specifically: 1) a larger auditorium, 2) secure nurseries near the auditorium, and 3) a larger fellowship hall with an adjacent kitchen. This project is by far less costly than previous plans, and we have the funds to get started on the first phase right away. The entire project will take about ten to eleven months to complete through a series of three phases. The first phase will be new construction on the north side of the current building (behind the auditorium platform) that will house all the offices and a spacious kitchen. The second phase will open up the downstairs (rooms 1, 2 & 5) to create a spacious Fellowship Hall. The third phase will be renovation of the upstairs and will create a spacious auditorium with restrooms and nurseries nearby.

This expansion will count on the generosity of the church. While we believe this presents an economically feasible plan, it will require funds to be raised while the project has already started. Numerous resources are being explored also, but we are counting on God’s people to seek the Lord to provide where He guides. Please be before the Father’s throne to humbly seek His face in this matter. We pray that His Spirit will grant His people clarity and unanimity along with generous hearts.

Liberated To Rise Above

Karleigh King May 13, 2025

Equally important to the truth that we, the redeemed, have been rescued from something is the truth that we have been liberated to something. Foundational to the idea of redemption is the thought of a change in relationship. Not only have we been rescued from the domain of darkness, but we have also been transferred into the kingdom of God’s Son. The fact that the believer is now reconciled to God changes everything about what that believer can do to rise above enslavement to his own desires and passions. Those who posit that Christianity is about what believers cannot do are flat wrong. Those who are in Christ are now designed and equipped to do what those who are alienated from God cannot do.

Paul affirms that “those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24), therefore we are liberated to “walk in the Spirit” so that we will “not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). Walking in the Spirit is a very positive and proactive choice. It is possible because of our redemption and reconciliation, and it is how the believer walks in his new and personal relationship with the Creator/Redeemer. Rising above enslavement to passion and not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh is something far beyond mere self-restraint. Such sin management is self-righteousness by human effort. But in Christ, we are liberated to draw near to God, to abide in Christ, to walk in the Spirit, and to let the Word of Christ dwell in us in all its richness. These are practical steps of pursuing a relationship with the One who made you, redeemed you, and reconciled you to Himself. We were created for relationship with God; through this relationship with God, we will become like His Son. The believer must be labor intensive in this pursuit of relationship. Apart from a genuine, passionate, personal, growing walk with the Creator/Redeemer, no one can grow in righteousness and become like Jesus Christ, which is God’s purpose and design for the redeemed.

Practically speaking, the change in relationship that results from redemption opens the door to transformation of one’s desires. We see this reflected in Paul’s ambition to know Him and to please Him. Having entered into new and personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the believer can now know God in a growing, developing fashion. The more one knows God, the more he loves God; the more one loves God, the more he desires to please God. This desire to please God will override the selfish desires of the flesh that are now clearly recognized as an affront to the loving Creator. Why would anyone want to offend the One he loves? A growing desire to please God is the outworking of a growing love for Him because of His overwhelming love and grace.

Redemption in Christ means we are free to do what God has purposed for us. We are designed and equipped to become like Christ – to walk as He walked and to do as He did in perfect obedience to God out of perfect love for God. This glorifies God as our redemption was for His glory. What surpassing worth is the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord!

Your Life is Hidden with Christ in God

Karleigh King May 1, 2025

“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God”
~Colossians 3:3

Something that is hidden can’t be seen, right? Does this mean that because my life is hidden with Christ in God that no one else needs to see it – it’s personal – just between God and me? I think not. Ponder a safety deposit box: something is protected, concealed in a place of security. This something also has great worth and value.

Jesus told a parable of a man who discovered treasure in a field (Matthew 13:44). Overjoyed, the man hid the treasure in the field, sold all that he had, then bought the field. He put all that he had into possessing that field because he recognized the great value of the treasure hidden in it. This is also the testimony of Paul who counted all things as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. This treasure – the kingdom of God, the knowledge of Christ – is acquired only through faith in Jesus Christ. It is what is referred to in Scripture as life. With meaning that transcends mere existence, life, in the Old Testament, was understood as the ability to exercise all one’s vital power to the fullest. Death was the opposite. In the New Testament, life is the state of one who is possessed of vitality – full, active, and vigorous. John informs us that “in Him was life (John 1:4)”; he also states, “he who has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12). The only way to “get a life” is in Jesus Christ where your life is hidden with Christ in God.

That fact that Paul used the present is hidden indicates a present reality with an eternal prospect. It is a secure belonging, as he stated to the Roman believers: nothing can “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37). Also, it is not up to you to guard and keep this life; your life is hidden with Christ; and as Peter stated, you are “kept by the power of God through faith” (1 Peter 1:4). It is safely entrusted to the only One who can securely guard it (2 Timothy 1:12).

It follows that the one whose life is hidden with Christ in God is now living for the greater reality to come. Hence, “Seek those things which are above . . . set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). Jesus’ specific command was that we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” precisely because we belong in this realm; in Christ, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). This is how the apostle Paul described this realm: “A far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

This realm is a greater reality because it is superior in character and quality. It is established, permanent, and eternal. It will be a much fuller manner of life that produces absolute fulfillment and satisfaction to our humanity in God’s image. All that hinders our abundance of life and our relationship with God is eradicated; there will be no effect of evil or sin. We will be forever in the very presence of God.

The imperative to “seek those things which are above” (Colossians 3:1) is a call to be heavenly minded – to live in this temporary condition with our focus on the eternal destination. It can be affirmed from Colossians 3:1-3 that the most heavenly-minded person will indeed do the most earthly good because he will be the one who invests what has been entrusted to him temporally into what yields eternal fruit. Wouldn’t you say that Jesus was heavenly-minded, or the apostles and all the great Christian movers of the last two millennia? The writer of Hebrews asserts that even the patriarchs sought a homeland and desired a “better . . . heavenly country” (Hebrews 11:16), yet they were those “of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38).

The most heavenly-minded person is the one who is most in tune with God’s character and purpose; the one with the greater grasp of the big picture, who best discriminates between temporal futility and eternal productivity. This is the one who will be most beneficial to his fellow man on this earth – for the glory of God. “Those who have believed God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men” (Titus 3:8).

A Heart at Peace

Karleigh King April 23, 2025

“A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot”
~Proverbs 14:30

A Christian brother-friend of mine from years ago often said, “What we all just want is peace.” He was talking about a tranquil heart, for I know of no one who deeply desires to be disturbed. Yet it seems so common.

The root of the Hebrew word translated tranquil is healing.The same root is used, for example, in Isaiah 53:5, “by His wounds we are healed” – the healing (peace-making) power of divine grace. It is also used in Proverbs 4, “Be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings…they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh” (vv.20-22) – the healing properties of divine truth and wisdom. This root word for tranquil is also translated with the words like gentleness, “A gentle tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4), and calmness, “Calmness will lay great offenses to rest” (Ecclesiastes 10:4).

A tranquil heart is highly prized. As the seat of desire, ambition, and emotion, it is the place where we can become preoccupied and restless when troubled by frustrated expectations. The word envy is probably best translated passion. A heart not at rest is one that is on high alert to acquire or protect what we think is important to us. We worry for what we expect life should be; we are jealous because someone else is enjoying what we require for our own happiness; we are bitter because someone robbed us of what we deserve; we are discontented when we focus on what we do not have. These troubling things provoke passions of the heart, and that rots the bones. It is dis-ease at the core of one’s life – disordered love (1 John 2:15), and desires at war within us (James 4:1).

I recommend three questions to ask ourselves in our daily self-talk that – when informed by God’s self-disclosure through His Spirit – can move our hearts toward the tranquility that our Father designed and desires for us – the peace of Christ ruling our hearts (Colossians 3:15).

What do I have?
It is the adversary of my soul who compels me to forget whatI do have and focus on what I don’t (and think I should). In Christ I am fully loved and accepted. Having been lavished with the riches of His grace, I have a guaranteed hope and an unfading inheritance. Meanwhile, under the sun, every good gift that comes my way is from the Father because He is good and gives me things to enjoy. But I lose that joy when I allow things (or matters) to define or control me.

What has been entrusted to me?
The only thing that I truly possess is that which cannot be taken away from me – namely, my life in Christ. Everything else is a trust. Time, relationships, material wealth, intellect, pleasures, skills, and adversities are all temporal stewardships – I do not own them and they do not define me. I am, however, called to engage them according to the will (in line with the character and purpose) of the One who does own them and entrusted them to me for a limited time. Ultimately, they are means of knowing Him and making Him known.

What really matters?
A dear brother who had suffered a debilitating stroke discussed his new normal with me as we ate lunch together regularly. At times he struggled with a sense of uselessness. I reminded him that he could still walk with God, love Him, and enjoy Him. Therein he would be successful and impactful for his family. He found encouragement is this truth.

What truly matters in this life is not what we can do or how well we can do it. What is meaningful isthat which answers the question “Why?” With apologies to Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock, “What is thepoint of you?” In Christ, you have been reconciled to God in order to relate to Him and to know Him. The more you know Him, the more you will love Him. The more you love Him, the more you will delight in Him. The more you delight in Him, the more you will be satisfied in Him and the more you are satisfied in Him, the more tranquil your heart will be.

A Quest

Karleigh King April 23, 2025

Jesus did not die for you so that you could try hard to be good! As natural legalists, we all must battle the inclination to procure self-righteousness. To relegate your walk of faith in Christ as simply trying to “live the Christian life” means you are focused on your performance. Paul emphasized that no one was better than he was! He believed himself to be blameless when it came to keeping a moral code. But, he asserts, to merely keep trying to be good is to miss the point and the power of the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ.

Jesus died for you so that first, by faith, He could declare you righteous and then transform you into His character. An apple tree branch produces fruit – not because it tries hard to do so – but because the branch abides in and draws life from the tree. Producing apples is a natural outflow. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). This is not a wooden command to try to become more like Jesus. But a call to daily pursue Christ as a student/follower, and surrender (“take My yoke upon you”) to His Spirit’s regenerating work to mold and shape you into the “measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

This shaping occurs through the events of daily life. For example – recently I heard testimony from one of God’s children that they experienced physical hostility from a store employee. This brother initially expressed astonishment and disfavor but did not retaliate. A little later – calling to mind that he was forgiven by Christ – he called the store manager to communicate his desire to forgive the offending store clerk. This was a vastly different response than what it would have been before coming to Christ. This is how attitudes and behaviors are shaped by truth – not out of fear of judgment, but out of love for the One who loved us first.

If you feel compelled to follow a list, then take a dive into the lists of the New Testament. Here are a few examples:

The beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)
Our habits of thought (Philippians 4:8-9; Colossians 3:1-3)
The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
The virtues to add to your faith (2 Peter 1:3-10)
What is looks like to put on Christ in Christian love (Romans 12:9-21; 13:8-14;
Ephesians 4:24-5:2; Colossians 3:12-15)

The directives for you in Christ are largely about relational pursuit of God/man. Follow Him, abide in Him, imitate Him, draw near, love Him….this is what Paul understood as he testified to his receipt of the “righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him” (see Philippians 3:7-10).

You become like Christ by pursuing Him. It is not just a matter of knowledge, nor is it brute determination, but a quest to discover, and follow in the steps of the One who knows you fully, loves you completely, and who alone can bring you to the presence of God where there is fullness of joy.

As you meditate on these truths this week and seek to know Him more, here is a song that we sang at the end of the service Sunday to help you keep your mind on Christ: “I Want To Know You” by CityAlight.

Almost There! (Building Expansion Update)

Karleigh King March 25, 2025

This past week, we met with the architect who showed us preliminary renderings of floor plans from what the building planning team had put together with input from various ministries in the church. We made some corrections, tweaks, and some more corrections – overall, we were quite pleased with what was presented.

The “final draft” of preliminary renderings is being composed as we speak. Then the architect will submit the plans to civil engineering to ensure compliance there. Their projected time of presentation with the completed project was in “a couple of weeks” which means we expect that the board will have the full picture and estimated costs sometime in April.

Upon approval from the board, an information meeting will be scheduled to present the whole package to you, the congregation. From that information meeting, we hope to schedule a business meeting for a vote about the building expansion project.

Here is my projection: with all around approvals, I think we should be able to have “a shovel in the ground” by June. The full project – under one building permit – will take about ten months to complete in three phases: 1) new offices & kitchen, 2) downstairs renovation, 3) upstairs renovation & new atrium. We could potentially have the expansion completed by April/May of 2026!

Contributions are being made to our building fund even now. In order for this expansion to become a reality, we will have to raise a good chunk of capital. If you would like to contribute to the building expansion, just write “Building Fund” in the memo line of your check written to Grace Bible Church or choose “Fund - Building” from the dropdown menu when using MyWell. Please be in prayer before the Father for His provision in our stewardship of this project.

Above All Else

Karleigh King March 18, 2025

This somewhat cryptic verse draws us to consider the unequaled knowledge and power of the Sovereign One: “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD; how much more the hearts of the children of man!” (Proverbs 15:11). Job declared similarly, “Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has nocovering” (Job 26:6). “Sheol” and “Abaddon” represent an unseen world. They are personifications of death and destruction, and while they are a terror to humanity, there is nothing in their realm and capability that is outside of God’s control. They are fully known to God, accountable to Him, and subject to His command.

There is much of the created order that we do not see and cannot observe except for its influence. The fact that all of it is fully known to God is a comfort to those in the grip of His grace; “If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! (Psalm 139:8)

This verse in Proverbs and many others in Scripture bring God’s omniscience down to a very specific point – “He knows the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21). If we take God at His word, this truth can be quite sobering, for “no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

The “heart” as it is used in Scripture is the place of one’s affections and attitudes. Behavior proceeds from the heart, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is where evil originates and resides. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). A law code can compel people to obedience out of duty – even serve to develop habits of moral behavior — but it cannot change a person at the level of affections and attitudes.

This reality introduces us to the necessity of an inward revolution – a heart for what is good and right by the measure of God’s character and purpose. The prophets Jeremiah, who witness the destruction of Jerusalem, and Ezekiel, who was in exile with Judah, introduce us to the New Covenant where God promises a “new heart” for His people. Jesus understood Himself to be the One providing the means for that new heart as He expressed, “this cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20).

This new heart in the people of God is bent toward pleasing God — “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” (Romans 6:17). The one who follows Jesus Christ — communing with and delighting in Him — will experience the inward revolution by thinking His thoughts, seeing through His eyes, loving what He loves, and hating what He hates. The committed follower of Jesus is “doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6).

What is informing your heart? Is what you set your heart (and mind) on moving you to please God and point others to Him, or is it making you calloused in the passions of the flesh? There is a daily battle for your affections (heart) and your attitudes (mind). So, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians4:8).

“Search me, O God,and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!“
Psalm 139:23-24

Seeing God’s Faithfulness in Our Suffering

Karleigh King March 11, 2025

We are prone to thank God for His faithfulness when things are going our way. That practice is choosing to live in a bubble, not reality. That day will come – but it is not now. He has promised that He will make all things new in a place where there will be no tears,nothing that corrupts, and no darkness. Until that time, we live in a broken created order in which diamonds are polished only through friction. We must remember that God Himself has entered into our suffering in order to redeem us. So our suffering is not permanent and it is not without hope.

I’ve chosen to include an audio linkto a seminar on ten ways we can recognize the faithfulness of God in our trials, which come to prove and improve us. You can listen to it here:

May God snip you and equip you to become like Jesus.

If you’d like a handout to print and use to take notes on the podcast, you can find one here:

God’s Faithfulness In Our Suffering Handout

A LOVING GOD COMMUNICATES

Karleigh King March 4, 2025

Paul and the other apostles wrote with authority, not only because of their commission as apostles, but also because of their confidence in the veracity and power of God’s revealed truth through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). So as the apostles wrote letters to the early church it was regarded as divine truth to be brought to bear upon each person’s life.

Explaining the authority of the New Testament in his book Truth and Power, J.I. Packer points out, “By setting the apostolic writings above all other tradition, the early church was consciously guarding the gospel against its perverters. In ascribing to those writings divine authority, it was both bracketing them with the Old Testament as ‘able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’ (2 Tim. 3:15) and aligning itself with the New Testament congregations whose obedience to the apostolic message had actually brought them salvation.”

This authoritative and sufficient communication from God was regarded as objective truth, meaning it was anchored in history (reality) and came to us from outside of ourselves. This light coming into our darkness enlightens and protects us from three grand human errors. To begin with, God’s objective Word protects us from the error of the individual as authority. Our inherent self-preeminence compels us to be our own reference point. Practically speaking, that means I am born believing that the universe revolves around me. That is the folly that parents are tasked to rescue their children from. When they are not delivered from such folly, they grow up to be fools and scoffers governed by their passions instead of wisdom and understanding.

This is the second error that God’s objective word protects us from – reason, emotion, and intuition without any anchor. Human reason and passion without a foundation of objective truth is like a kite with no one holding the string. Faulty and wayward at best, humans are prone to pride rather than humility. Striving through self-effort alone will not lead us to an accurate transcendent truth.

The third error that God’s objective truth protects us from is the prospect of just anyone creating an authoritative word – ostensibly divine – that is expected to be authoritative over people’s lives. History bears out that this only creates confusion through competing, relative “truths.”

Indeed, a loving God communicates. Brad Scott in Streams of Confusion says it well: “God, who has made us verbalizers in His image, relational creatures who love and want to be loved, has provided a way, Scripture, for us to understand Him and His will, a way more certain than intellect, intuition, or passion. If He hadn’t provided this means of communication, how could we say that He cared personally about our relationship with Him and His creation? A loving God wouldn’t require that we muddle along, fending for ourselves.”

So, what is the aim of God’s self-disclosure to us? Peter instructs us “As new born babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you might grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). In Living by the Book, Howard Hendricks puts it this way, “Please note, it is not that you may know. Certainly, you can’t grow without knowing. But you can know and not grow. The Bible was written not to satisfy your curiosity but to help you conform to Christ’s image. Not to make you a smarter sinner but to make you like the Savior. Not to fill your head with a collection of biblical facts but to transform your life.”

You can count on this: the more completely your heart and mind are controlled by Scripture, the fuller your freedom and the greater your joy. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

HOW’S YOUR THEOLOGY?

Karleigh King February 25, 2025

“No wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel will prevail against the LORD.”

~Proverbs 21:30 (HCSB)

I’m persuaded that much of our fear, anxiety, discouragement, and hopelessness is the result of bad theology. At its core, what is the Bible all about? The existence, character, and plan of God. Every other aspect of Scripture flows out of the reality of who God is. A bad or weak theology of God will lead to weakness in other areas of theology, and spiritual weaknesses in daily living. I had this experience again and again in counseling. I would be working with someone who was struggling to trust God, but, as I listened to him describe who he thought God was, I immediately understood why he had trouble trusting Him. I would Him too.”

One common mistake in our functional theology of God is thinking He is too small. The God in our minds lacks the awesome, glorious, and incalculable power and authority that the true God of the Bible has. The God of the Bible created the world out of nothing. The God of the Bible holds His creation together by His power. The God of the Bible commands the forces of nature to do His will. The God of the Bible is sovereign over everything and everyone. The God of the Bible rules the nations, and His will will be done. The God of the Bible reigns in majestic splendor so great that nothing compares to Him.

The awesome power and authority of God is on display in the latter part of the book of Jeremiah, as God announces His judgment on the nations that surround His people. This is the Lord, and the nations are answerable to Him. No one can question His power or the authority He has to judge whom He will judge. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jer. 46:1), and God told him to announce his judgment on Egypt, the Philistines, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar and Hazor, Elam, and Babylon. This announcement of His judgment is an awesome testament to God’s power.

He is the ultimate King over every one of these nations. He has the power to do for them, with them, and against them whatsoever He wills, whenever He wills to do it. They have no power to challenge or resist his sovereign will. These announcements are in the Bible so we can know that this is who God is. He not only rules over these nations; He commands the entire universe. God sits on His throne in infinite power and glory. All the things that scare you or give you anxiety exist under His almighty rule. Because God has this kind of power and authority, nothing that you need is beyond His power to deliver.

May the God of your thoughts not be too small. May the infinite glory of His power and authority overwhelm anything in creation that might paralyze you with fear.

*This article is adapted from Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life by Paul David Tripp.

FREE TO LIVE

Karleigh King February 21, 2025

We need rescue because Scripture tells us, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). That is the curse of the law, the necessary separation from God – His wrath – from which we desperately need saving. Christ’s redemption rescues us from the power of darkness and the wrath of God. In Christ’s redemption, we have the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness means absorbing a debt, and Christ has absorbed our debt (Colossians 2:14).

Redemption is also the reality that we are released to what our Creator intended for us from the beginning. “And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15). We are released from the power of darkness and the path of destruction; then, we are liberated to live for Him. He has not rescued us to live autonomous lives. That would only be another destructive slavery which is what got us in trouble in the first place. He rescues us to live according to our design – to realize our purpose – because we were made for Him and designed to enjoy Him.

We were created with the inherent purpose of serving Him with delight as our loving benevolent sovereign. We are liberated to restoration to that relationship for which we were designed thereby finding satisfaction in Him. C.S. Lewis well describes that to which we are liberated in this redemption:

[This is] that unfathomed bounty whereby God turns tools into servants and servants into sons, so that they may be at last reunited to Him in the perfect freedom of a love offered from the height of the utter individualities which He has liberated them to be.

God created us as individuals in His image and He created us with a lofty purpose. Now when we are dead in sin, we are held hostage by our rebellion in the domain of darkness on the path of destruction. The redemption of Christ rescues us from bondage and wrath and releases us to love and delight in Him and thereby find the purpose and satisfaction for which we were created. He did not just purchase us back; He released us to be reunited with Him in the perfect freedom of the love for which He created us. Augustine summed it up accurately in his confession, “You awakened us to delight in Your praise for You made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in You.”

Through redemption we are liberated to this loving relationship with God.