RE: CHURCH GFA Missions

American Christians are accustomed to Christianity having cultural influence and being viewed positively. But when we face antagonism for living as believers, how do we respond to government, unbelievers outside the church, our families, and even an unbelieving spouse? The companion letters of 1 and 2 Peter address these things. The epistle of 1 Peter equips the church to deal with the pressures from without (persecution), and 2 Peter equips the church to deal with pressures from within (false teaching). In this RE:CHURCH episode, Marshall Fant discusses 1 and 2 Peter with Ben Smith, pastor of Vacaville Bible Church in Vacaville, CA. Pastor Smith has served as senior pastor for nine years. Speaking of difficult topics in the epistles such as the sovereignty of God in salvation, our obligation to believe, and the rejection of the Gospel by children who grew up in church, he says, "You need to be prepared in a biblically accurate, theologically informed, and pastorally sensitive way to deal with those challenges when they arise in the text."

Marshall Fant Interviews Kyle Grant

What comes to your mind when you think of the book of Psalms? Many people view it primarily as a book of comfort, but Psalms is also a theological book. The New Testament quotes from Psalms more than any other Old Testament book. In this RE:CHURCH episode, Marshall Fant interviews Kyle Grant about preaching the book of Psalms. His Wednesday night series has spanned four years with the goal of scripturally informing the prayer time that follows each message. Pastor Kyle has served as the senior pastor of Grace Bible Church in Elkhart, IN, for four years. Speaking of the personal impact of Psalms on him as a pastor, he says, "Psalms will make you a better pastor."

Romans is so deep. How can a person wrap his brain around such a book? An overview of the book is a good starting place. In this RE:CHURCH episode, Marshall Fant interviews David Shumate about his 8-week series on the book. Dr. Shumate served for 15 years as an associate pastor, directed a mission board for 17 years, and now serves as academic dean at International Baptist College in Chandler, AZ. Speaking of Romans 5:1-5, he says "Certain truths are so weighty and heavy that I regularly come back to them. We need to build a ballast of such truths in our lives."

Pastors are called upon to conduct funerals in "good" circumstances and also in difficult ones. How can you best minister to families who need grace with the unexpected, premature, tragic, and deeply sad deaths of their loved ones? How can you give them comfort and hope? In this RE:CHURCH episode, Marshall Fant interviews Ron Allen about his experience of preaching funerals. Ron Allen, who has pastored at Bible Baptist Church in Matthews, NC, since 1997, shares different situations in which he has been called upon to preach at a funeral and describes how the Lord has enabled him to minister to grieving people. Marshall Fant shares, "We cannot do the shepherding side of ministry in the flesh." Five principles have guided Pastor Ron's preparations, which are included in the episode show notes posted at gfamissions.org/preaching-funerals/.

When preaching through a book of the Bible, what do you do when you come to a passage that is difficult to interpret? What does "laboring in the Word" look like in such circumstances? In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant interviews Greg Mazak about how he wrestled with the warning passages in Hebrews, specifically verses 4–6 in chapter 6. Dr. Mazak is pastor of Trinity Bible Church of Greer, SC, and a faculty member at BJU, overseeing both the undergraduate and graduate biblical counseling degrees. Dr. Mazak shares this advice, "Don't decide where you are going to land before you get there." Pastors must live by faith as they labor in the Word, pray, meditate, and ask God for clarity. A repeated theme of Hebrews is that "Salvation is a present-tense relationship with Jesus Christ. You can't get to Heaven without Jesus."

Why did Bible authors write the books they did? Not every author so clearly states his purpose as the Apostle John does at the end of his Gospel: "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31). With the emphasis so clearly on evangelism, Pastor Tim Richmond chose to preach the Gospel of John to his growing congregation at Grace Baptist Church in Queens, NY. Speaking of the value of the book, Tim Richmond says, "It's good for those who have been in the faith for many years. It's good for those who are not yet believing, and it's good for those who are young believers." Initially burdened for New York City through an internship, Tim Richmond planted Grace Baptist Church. This GFA church plant held its first service in September 2008 and is now self-supporting. Listen to Marshall Fant's interview with Tim Richmond on this episode of RE:CHURCH.