Joel Gilbert

Intro: There are seasons in life in which we find it easy to worship, easy and enjoyable to spend time with God - when circumstances are good, when we have friends aplenty, and resources abound. But how can we delight in God when life is hard? How do you enjoy Him when he seems to be allowing or even…

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations (5645 Ironside’s Shoes in Heaven) When he was a boy, Dr. Harry Ironside, a Canadian Bible teacher, used to help his “widowed mother by working during vacations, Saturdays, and [after school] for a Scottish shoe-worker [or Cobbler] who was a Christian. [The Cobbler]…

Introduction Since the beginning of the year, we’ve been considering how we can have a “Disciplined Delight in the Trinity” through various spiritual disciplines or practices. We’ve discussed slowing down a bit in how we take in and meditate on scripture so that we can relish in God and His revelation.…

Sermon Passage: Philippians 4:1-23 How do we find joy in Christian Living? By standing firm in the Lord (v.1) By living in harmony in the Lord with believers (vv. 2-5) By praying instead of being anxious (vv. 6-7) By focusing our mind on godly virtues and living in obedience . (vv. 8-9) By being content…

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been discussing various ways that we can have a “Disciplined delight in the Trinity.” We’ve looked at taking in scripture through reading, hearing and studying it. We’ve discussed meditating on Scripture. We’ve considered how we can commune with God in prayer and respond…

Near the end of his narrative autobiography Seeking Allah Finding Jesus , Nabeel Qureshi shared a perspective and a testimony that I found to be quite interesting and yet also convicting. Nabeel had been a devout Muslim. He had faithfully followed the traditions and patterns of that religion. Beginning…

Abraham called his servant to himself charged him to go and get a wife for Isaac from among distant family members with 10 camels, clothing, and gifts in tow, he came near to the destination, prayed a specific prayer to God When God responded exactly as he had requested - the servant responded with worship.…

Jesus’ brief teaching on prayer tells us several things. Prayer is… Presumed (5, 6, 7, 9) In other words, it’s expected. Jesus expects that we will pray. Three times in this passage, Jesus says “when you pray” (5, 6, 7) and then even includes a command to pray stating “pray then like this….”(9). Prayer…

Chew on scripture through memorization (hide) and meditation (Joshua, Psalm 1)

We need to take in scripture with our eyes, ears (faith comes by hearing…), and minds (studying/Ezra)