11.9.08 gbcvic sermon summaries

We had a special speaker this week, read on for the details!

An Open Door and many Adversaries (1 Cor 16.9)

Today we had the great privilege of a guest speaker in our services. Scott Holloway is our pastor’s cousin (technically, 1st cousin once removed!). He received his training for the ministry in a local church Bible institute in Trail, BC where he currently serves as an assistant pastor. He plans to begin a church planting ministry in Kindersley, Saskatchewan in the New Year. We invited him out to present his ministry to our church.

Scott’s message for us in our Sunday morning worship challenged us concerning the open door God puts before us in the form of various opportunities of service. At the same time, every opportunity will be blocked by adversaries. In order to take advantage of the opportunities God gives us, while overcoming our adversaries, we need spiritual preparation, we need to employ much prayer, and we need to be persistent in our service to God.

Wayward Travelers

Our study of Pilgrim’s Progress leads out of the Delectable Mountains into new encounters with various travelers. For this session, we first covered a few points of clarification from last week’s lesson and then plunged into this week’s reading. This week begins with an initial encounter of ‘a very brisk lad,’ Ignorance, who is unwilling to hear of a gospel of salvation by faith but is content with his own works. Leaving Ignorance, we encounter one Turn-away, and a weak Christian called Little-faith. We are encouraged by the discussion of these characters, but we end finding Christian and Hopeful being chastised for being led astray by a Flatterer, who captures them in a net. All of these events serve to illustrate situations believers may experience in their Christian lives.

Entering the Harvest (Jn 4.27-35)

In our afternoon service, Scott Holloway presented his vision and plans for a church planting ministry in Kindersley, Saskatchewan. He gave the presentation on overheads, then preached another message for us.

The message comes from the Lord’s teaching of his astonished disciples when they discover him speaking to the Samaritan woman. He teaches them that there is a harvest they did not see. He teaches them that the harvest is often in a place they would not expect. Finally, he teaches that the harvest is ready. These principles admonish us today as well.

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Scott and I traveled north for the evening service in my brother’s church, Grace Baptist of the Comox Valley. Scott preached another fine message for the congregation there. I was especially blessed to have this opportunity for fellowship with Scott. The trip to Courtenay is about 3 hours each way. I was 20 when Scott was born, so I have had little opportunity for interaction over the years. Yesterday blessed my heart.