GBC | Sermons

This special sermon podcast is from the first of our Easter Services. This Regeneration Service is an opportunity to reflect on the difficult year that was 2020 and what was lost but also celebrate what was gained during a tough year and giving that completely to God. Do you have one or two people in your life who can help you check your blind spots? These people are a gift to us to faithfully fol...

This week we conclude our series in Revelation 2-3 that we've called "Seven Letters, Seven Lessons" in which we have been listening to the discipleship lesson that Jesus has for the churches. In this final letter to the community of faith at Laodicea we hear one last word and, like all last words, it contains a very important lesson. The outcome of our faithful public witness is to invite others t...

We are nearing the end of our series in Revelation 2-3 that we've called "Seven Letters, Seven Lessons" in which we are seeking to listen to the discipleship lesson that Jesus has for the churches. This week we turn to the church at Philadelphia, a church that was doing it tough but to whom Jesus has nothing but good to say. There is an open door that ushers us into the very presence of God who su...

As we continue to listen to the discipleship lessons in the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 we are up to the church at Sardis who are encouraged to complete their "deeds" which Jesus declares are unfinished. The work of public witness is both important and urgent and is the work that we need to be finishing. In our urgency, however, let us not forget that we are doing the wor...

This week we continue our "discipleship" series entitled "Seven Letters, Seven Lessons" in which we are listening "to what the Spirit says to the churches" in Jesus' letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. In this message we listen in on Jesus' words to the community of faith at Thyatira; a church that was being tempted to compromise and whom Jesus urges to great, more exclusive loyalty....

This week we continue our "discipleship" series entitled "Seven Letters, Seven Lessons" in which we are listening "to what the Spirit says to the churches" in Jesus' letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. In this message we listen in on Jesus' words to the community of faith at Pergamum; a church that Jesus encourages for their faithfulness but to which he also reveals something concerni...

Our theme as a community of faith for 2021 is "Go... make disciples" and today we continue our first "discipleship" series entitled "Seven Letters, Seven Lessons" in which we will explore the discipleship lessons in the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. In these letters, Jesus himself calls these seven churches to greater faithfulness. In this message we listen in on Jesus' wo...

Our theme as a community of faith for 2021 is Go...Make Disciples and today we start our first discipleship series entitled 7 letters 7 lessons, in which we'll be exploring the discipleship lessons in the seven letters to the seven churches, in Revelation chapter two and three. In these letters Jesus himself calls these seven churches to greater faithfulness. In this sermon we listen in as Jesus s...

This week we launch our theme for 2021 - "Go... make disciples". We've been looking forward to sharing this message with you for quite a while now and hope that you are encouraged and inspired by it. Discipleship is the fundamental task of the church and one which allows all of us - doubters, deniers, and deserters - to step into the fullness of our humanity. We believe that we can do much more to...

This week we conclude our series we've called "The Space Between" in which we are thinking about how we journey through change. In this message I reflect on the difference going though change with God can be, reflecting on Isaiah 49:8-21. When we travel with God through change we can do so with a peace that passes understanding, with an ability to enjoy the journey, and with a sense of anticipatio...

In this week's message, part of our series entitled The Space Between, wherewe explore The Space Between our desire for stability and our need for peace and the blueprint for peace that is found in Mark 4:35-41. Peace is rooted in the recognition of Jesus is unparalleled authority. It springs up as we place our faith in his compassion and care for us and bears fruit as our confidence in his missio...

Heading into 2021, today we want to reflect on a new perspective and an opportunity that we believe we have as a community of faith.  So, who do you need to meet with and what do you need to do in order to continue to grow as a follower of Jesus? Because this ultimately is our end game as a community of faith and what do you think we need to do in order to more effectively create form and make dis...

Today we begin a short series entitled "The Space Between" in which we will explore the new normal that God is inviting us into as a community of faith. We always face changes and the journey from the old normal to the new normal can be really unsettling. It is, however, a critical journey and we need courage to press on and to resist the temptation to retreat to the old, comfortable, normal. In t...

With Christmas in the rear vision mirror we wrap up our Songs of Hope series in Psalm 148 and its extraordinary call to praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Praise him with songs; giving voice to the voiceless praise of the created order. Praise him with our lives; aligning our lives with the purpose that our great and loving God has given to us. And that's the final podcast for 2020. If you've only...

Merry Christmas! 2020 has been a year filled with uncertainty and we face a strong temptation to seek control to re-establish our sense of certainty. The birth of Jesus, however, offers little in the way of certainty, but plenty in terms of hope. This is the focus of my reflection this Christmas. We pray that this Christmas you will choose to walk the path of hope rather than retreating to the for...

In this week's message, we will be diving into Psalm 89, which reflects on the eternal promises of God to David's house and the tension of faith. The psalmist experiences as he tries to hold together these forever promises and the demise of the monarchy.  While the precise nature of our tension may be different from that described in Psalm 89, we too face the discrepancy where faith and hope meet...

This week associate Pastor Mark Coleman continues our Christmas Series Songs of Hope, and together we have a look at the invitation found in Psalm 126. God is in the business of restoration and each of us is invited to join him in that activity through active perspective altering remembrance of what he has already done. This is the basis of hope and joy at Christmas. Is there someone you know who...

This week we continue our Christmas series, Songs of Hope and have a look at the invitation for each of us found in Psalm 85. Will you make Psalm 85 your prayer this week? Thanking God for what he has done in the past, acknowledging our need for him to continue to work, listening for and reflecting upon what he has said and then looking for opportunities to participate as part of the advanced team...

This week we begin a new series that will take us up to Christmas, entitled Songs of Hope, for the next few weeks will be returning to the Psalms and listening to the messages of hope that they contain. Today, our student Pastor, Brett Robinson kicks us off looking at Psalm 80. Hope begins in acknowledging why we need it in the first place. A lament might seem like a strange place to look for help...

In this week’s message, Roxane Lawler concludes our Plan A sermon series looking at the fifth principle: Showing up. This principle states that we must rely on God’s activity in the lives of those around us. Using Paul’s metaphor of jar of clay in 2 Corinthians 4 Roxane reminds us about our role and God’s role the transformation. In the work of evangelism, we are called to allow the power of God i...

In this week’s message, Mark Coleman continues our Plan A sermon series looking at the fourth principle: Rowing. This principle states that we do not engage in God’s Plan A on our own but with others. Mark reflects on 1 Peter 4:7-11 and explores three aspects of Peter’s admonition to his readers and, through the Holy Spirit, to us: what we called to, why it’s important, and who we are to join with...

This week we continue our series Plan A: The Great Commission for Every Christian, a series in which we're exploring five principles of evangelism developed by Balinda Lakelin. This week, Jodine Watling, our associate pastor, explores what it looks like to Sow, the third of the principles. Instead of focusing on the seed or the sower, she focuses instead on the soils of the parable of the soil as...

This week as part of our series Plan A: The Great Commission for Every Christian. Matt Willis is looking at the second principle of Knowing and in this passage he's going to be looking at the example that Jesus has with Matthew, the tax collector, and how Jesus notices and connects and then gives Matthew a purpose. For each one of us, we are challenged to notice people around us, to then build pur...

This week we continue or start our series around Plan A, The Great Commission For Every Christian. This week we look at the first of five principles that make up God's "Plan A", his only plan for evangelism, and that principle is the principle of Growing. Disciples are those who make disciples and so this is where we must begin. The key questions around this principle are simple and yet quite prof...

What comes to mind when you think of the gift of evangelism? Is evangelism something that you feel equipped for? Where do we even start taking part in this journey? This week, we launch a new series that explores a framework for evangelism. Developed by Belinda Lakelin, Evangelism Consultant for the Baptist Association, Plan A is based on Matthew 28 and seeks to help every Christian live out the g...