 A Living Hope!
"Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy..."
"Born again" is a phrase that can become trite and vague when used so much as a label. To the apostle Peter, this phrase was the hallmark of being a Christian.
This Rest Stop is an opportunity to stop and dwell upon the richness of 1 Peter 1:3.
Be encouraged, and have a Happy Easter!
PRAISES TO A MERCIFUL GOD
A signature feature of a Christian is an attitude of praise and gratefulness to God who is abundantly merciful. Peter broke out in praise when he first mentioned the name of our Lord and Savior in this his first epistle, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul did the same thing in his epistles.
Many of us praise God when our circumstances are good. Genuine praise is when we praise God for who He is in all of his mercy and grace, and not for what He might do to make our circumstances better.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones once poignantly noted:
"On this Easter morning we meet together claiming to believe the wonderous fact of the resurrection of the Son of God. But the important question is: What is our response to this mighty message that we claim to believe?"
"Can we say that we are like Peter in that as we contemplate the resurrection, we have nothing else to exclaim but "Blessed the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"? If we cannot say that honestly, let us take heed to Peter's words regarding a living hope."
The resurrection attests to our merciful and powerful God. The resurrection attests to Christ's victory over sin and death.
And it is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead that we were born again to a living hope.
May every breath we take be a praise to the Lord!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD (Psalm 150:6, which is the last verse in the Psalms).
RAISED TO A LIVING HOPE
It is through the resurrection that we were born again (raised by God) to a living hope.
How were we born again to a living hope through the resurrection? It is by our union with Christ! God united us with Christ so that what happened to Him also happened to us.
When He died, we died. When He was buried in the tomb, we were buried. When He arose, we arose. So, as He is dead to the law, sin, and death, so are we!
Those who are without Christ have no hope (Ephesians 2:12). We who are born again and who are indwelt with the risen life of Christ do not just have hope, we have a living hope!
Our hope is not in our circumstances, but in the life of Christ in us through all circumstances.
To live by faith in this glorious truth is how we praise and honor the Lord, even when our feelings don't line up with this truth during difficult circumstances.
CLOSING
When Jesus said in John 14:19, "Because I live, ye shall live also," He was referring to our union with Him, the same union Peter would testify later in his first epistle.
In John 14:20, Jesus affirms this union, "At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you" (John 14:20). Wow!
Jesus spoke these words to the disciples the day before the cross. The disciples would personally and profoundly understand these words only after the cross and resurrection.
It was through the cross and resurrection that the disciples, and you and me, were born again to a living hope in union with Christ !
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
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About 
Biblical discipleship thru
Counseling
Teaching
Training
Gregg Gibbons
Pastoral Director
Michael Chalmers
Training Director
Kellie Boggs
Fellowship Director
Joy Gibbons
Ministry Assistant and women's ministry coordinator
Carole Blyth
Board member and women's ministry coordinator
Paul Crews
Board member and Pastor Mountain Creek Baptist Church
Florence Colby
Board Member and Exec Assistant
at US Endowment of Forestry
Dave Loser
Board Member and Chaplain with Corporate Chaplains of America
Carolyn Kennedy
Staff discipleship counselor
Randy Garrick
Board Advisor and
CFO Engineered Systems Inc.
Dawn McClendon
Board Advisor and
school teacher in Durham NC
Marty Price
Board Advisor and Pastor
Pendleton Street Baptist Church
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Partnership
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you for your partnership in the gospel (Philippians 1:3, 5).
YouTube link below of my ministry commissioning service that included testimonies from several partners, including Bobby Richardson, former 2nd baseman for the NY Yankees.
Please contact me to learn more about partnering with me.
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Ministry News
Teaching
Gregg is teaching at the Haven of Rest mission in Anderson on Monday evenings.
Joy, Carole, and Carolyn are teaching weekly Bible studies for all female employees on-site at a heavy equipment manufacturing company.
Gregg and Michael are teaching weekly discipleship Bible studies for employees on-site at a textile production plant.
Gregg and Michael are following the Lord's leading for the opportunity to teach a weekly discipleship Bible study at a law firm.
Training
Michael and Gregg recently leading our 8-month Advanced Discipleship Training class with 5 students.
Announcement!!!
Board member Dave Loser has launched a Spartanburg ministry for Journey in Christ! Dave will be teaching a Grace Life Conference May 1-3. Contact Dave or me for more details. Flyer below.
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Archives
Link for Rest Stops
since August 2010:
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Contact Info
JOURNEY IN CHRIST, INC.
655 Fairview Road
Suite H-188
Simpsonville SC 29680
(864) 483-3201 (Gregg cell)
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