The Gospel Ministry & New Life
Hey you all! I give praise to God for answering prayer. I was able to get a job working at Starbucks. Pray that I will learn how to do everything for the job well--a lot of memorizing has to go into it. Yes indeed, memorizing Scripture is ultimate unlike memorizing drinks. It is inferior. I'm going to work part-time. Pray that I will preach the blazing gospel of God's glorious grace with a countenence that is aflame with the effulgent radiance of Christ!
Rebekah & I are going to move to New Jersey. We plan on living in New Jersey for a year before I go to seminary. Southern is looking really tasty. I see all this as a blessing b/c I get to rest from academia before I get into it again and learn how to be a father, a husband, and a servant in Christ's Church. This will be a good experience before going to seminary. So as a result, I'm going to be more involved at our Church down there http://calvaryem.org/. Calvary Baptist Church of East Millstone, N.J. is a sweet local body of believers. The people there long for the gospel to be ultimate as a Church. They are 'cheerful givers' (2 Cor. 9:7). They delight in lavishing each other with charity. The preaching is the best part of the whole banquet feast! My Father-in-law is a great expositor of the Scriptures. He's been preaching and sheparding there for 20+ years--the Spirit of God is mightily kindling a zeal in his heart for his flock and for the Scripture to be preached in grace and truth (John 1:14, 17). Of the 20+ years that he's pastored there, prayer for revival has been a longing. The first revival in Colonial America was in New Brunswick, N.J. (15 min. away from Calvary). Perhaps God would be pleased in answering our prayers with revival at Calvary. We live in exciting days! I pray God would continue to teach me more about revival. Pray for us fervently.
I will continue to lead in worship every Sunday morning and evening. Our goal in our worship times is actually the 2005 Chamber's goal (my last year with you guys): to know God in such a way that He is glorified in our affections. I'm trying to modify it a little bit working with Pastor Piper's worship philosophy at Bethlehem. I think that the congregation is understanding all the implications of knowing God in this way: that God is necessarily and ultimately to be seen and rejoiced in as 'the Exceeding Joy' in all of life (Ps. 43:4) . As a result of this, I am pleased and thankful to God that we are all savoring Christ together in our corporate worship. How blessed and sweet is the local Church!
I'm teaching a small class for Junior Highers in Sunday School. It is a simple discipleship class. I teach fundamental yet crucial doctrines and their implications from Scripture and we discuss them together winsomely and honestly. I've learned how to be patient with young minds whose intellectual faculties progressively gain acumen and apprehension. It's taught me to explain certain things winsomely in diverse ways. Piper is awesome at that. Ultimately, my time with these kids kind of reminds me of our times in the circle--genuinely and winsomely praying, reading, meditating, discussing, crying, laughing, and singing in our hearts to and for God and for our joy.
I'm also going to have more responsibility in the pulpit this year. Some of you might be thinking, "Gabe, in the pulpit? No way!" Yeah, I say the same thing to myself everytime I get done preaching at Calvary. I've had 4 opportunities to preach in the pulpit so far and I must say, it's a joy. I love these texts: Col. 1:9-11; 1 Pet. 1:22-2:2; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Chron. 7:1-3! Pray that God would be pleased to give me discernment, wisdom, joy, love, and proven character.
I love you all. I rejoice in you.
Striving to hate sin,
Gabe--Ps. 16:11
Rebekah & I are going to move to New Jersey. We plan on living in New Jersey for a year before I go to seminary. Southern is looking really tasty. I see all this as a blessing b/c I get to rest from academia before I get into it again and learn how to be a father, a husband, and a servant in Christ's Church. This will be a good experience before going to seminary. So as a result, I'm going to be more involved at our Church down there http://calvaryem.org/. Calvary Baptist Church of East Millstone, N.J. is a sweet local body of believers. The people there long for the gospel to be ultimate as a Church. They are 'cheerful givers' (2 Cor. 9:7). They delight in lavishing each other with charity. The preaching is the best part of the whole banquet feast! My Father-in-law is a great expositor of the Scriptures. He's been preaching and sheparding there for 20+ years--the Spirit of God is mightily kindling a zeal in his heart for his flock and for the Scripture to be preached in grace and truth (John 1:14, 17). Of the 20+ years that he's pastored there, prayer for revival has been a longing. The first revival in Colonial America was in New Brunswick, N.J. (15 min. away from Calvary). Perhaps God would be pleased in answering our prayers with revival at Calvary. We live in exciting days! I pray God would continue to teach me more about revival. Pray for us fervently.
I will continue to lead in worship every Sunday morning and evening. Our goal in our worship times is actually the 2005 Chamber's goal (my last year with you guys): to know God in such a way that He is glorified in our affections. I'm trying to modify it a little bit working with Pastor Piper's worship philosophy at Bethlehem. I think that the congregation is understanding all the implications of knowing God in this way: that God is necessarily and ultimately to be seen and rejoiced in as 'the Exceeding Joy' in all of life (Ps. 43:4) . As a result of this, I am pleased and thankful to God that we are all savoring Christ together in our corporate worship. How blessed and sweet is the local Church!
I'm teaching a small class for Junior Highers in Sunday School. It is a simple discipleship class. I teach fundamental yet crucial doctrines and their implications from Scripture and we discuss them together winsomely and honestly. I've learned how to be patient with young minds whose intellectual faculties progressively gain acumen and apprehension. It's taught me to explain certain things winsomely in diverse ways. Piper is awesome at that. Ultimately, my time with these kids kind of reminds me of our times in the circle--genuinely and winsomely praying, reading, meditating, discussing, crying, laughing, and singing in our hearts to and for God and for our joy.
I'm also going to have more responsibility in the pulpit this year. Some of you might be thinking, "Gabe, in the pulpit? No way!" Yeah, I say the same thing to myself everytime I get done preaching at Calvary. I've had 4 opportunities to preach in the pulpit so far and I must say, it's a joy. I love these texts: Col. 1:9-11; 1 Pet. 1:22-2:2; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Chron. 7:1-3! Pray that God would be pleased to give me discernment, wisdom, joy, love, and proven character.
I love you all. I rejoice in you.
Striving to hate sin,
Gabe--Ps. 16:11
posted by the Zepeda family at
8:40 AM
1 Comments:
it so great to hear from you Gabe and hear what God is doing in your marriage and ministry and heart. God is good.
Wanted to let you know that we're praying for you and bek and baby zapeda. we really missed you at TLC but were blessed by your new songs. may the Lord BLESS you guys.
By
ashley, at 10:06 AM
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