Live stream will be available on Sunday, March 22, 2020

We will still livestream our morning service and you can watch that just like any other Sunday on our YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/gracebaptistpei or link through our website https://www.gracepei.com/live.



Once again, our musicians will direct our hearts and minds upward and there will be a sermon from Ecclesiastes 3:9-22 entitled "Eternity". Our hope is that you will gather with your family and worship God with us at that time and share the link with other family, friends and neighbors.

Your elders will continue to communicate and evaluate this ever changing situation with the plan for gatherings, based on the recommendations from public health and both our Provincial and Federal authorities.

In the meantime, here are some great resources available to you if you would like to study God's Word deeper or have some safe media for your kids to consume.

1. Right Now Media - If you would like FREE access to this incredible resource with both teaching series and children's programs, go to RightNow Media on our website to submit your email address. You'll receive an invitation shortly after.

2. Ligonier Ministries - All teaching series now free to stream. Click here to investigate this trusted resource.

Continue Prayer and Care

Let’s use the void left by cancelled sporting events, worship services, and even work as a time to seek the face of God. Pray for your country. Pray for all the healthcare workers (many in our own church) that will likely be exposed to the virus and stand in higher risk. Pray for our members and attenders attempting to travel home through these uncertain times of confusion and potential chaos at airports and terminals. Pray for God to show us mercy and to spare lives. Pray for one another.

If you become ill, suffer income loss, or experience other needs during this time, please let us know. The elders and deacons want to be sure you are properly cared for and we are eager to help. The best way to coordinate that help is to call the church office or email the office manager at office@gracepei.com.

Thankfully, we have nothing to fear. In our Bible reading yesterday we were reminded from Job that “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

God is in control of all things and He is working all things according to the council of His own will, for His purposes. We truly have nothing to fear.

So, let’s live through these uncertain days both wisely and winsomely. Using caution, but being bold for Jesus, as those who know for certain that they are immortal until the day God calls them home.

With much love for you all,

The Elders of Grace Baptist Church

For Immediate Release: March 14, 2020

Grace Baptist Church - Charlottetown Prince Edward Island

Your elders have spent time reading, listening, praying and discussing what our response to COVID-19 should be. After meeting together with the deacons, here is a summary of our thinking:

1. We believe we ought to do all we can do to meet together.

Hebrews 10:24–25 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Church is not a building, and it is not an event. It truly is the people of God, and a big part of that is the regular gathering each week. That said, a temporary suspension of services is not new to those of us who live in Canada. We have cancelled services many times over the years for things like inclement weather.

2. We do not ever want to succumb to fear.

Philippians 4: 4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Any decisions we make must be careful but never fearful.

3. We also believe in prudence.

Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice."

We want to always listen carefully to medical experts, specialists and other church leaders. We are aware that there has been misinformation all around us, thus, since we are not experts in the spread of a virus, we have sought to read and listen to all the reliable sources available to us.

A few points about COVID-19 seem to us to be important considerations.

• A person can carry the virus and be actively spreading it through droplets (sneezes, coughs, unwashed hands, etc) even when they show no symptoms of being sick.
• Studies of the Chinese incident rate have shown that on some days when hundreds of cases were being reported, there were actually thousands of people infected. The approach of the authorities to limit almost all contact is likely the key factor in what has led to a containment.
• The Government of PEI has not yet forbidden gatherings, but strongly warns against any gathering of 250 or more persons. We currently exceed that number on a Sunday morning.
• The Government of PEI has advised residents to maintain a two metre distance in any social gathering. It is difficult to impossible for us to maintain a two metre distance between one another in our current set up for Sunday gatherings.

4. Love

Finally, we are trying to be very mindful of the command to love our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18). For example, a religious sect in South Korea ignored government recommendations against meeting and became one of the worst sources of the spread of the COVID-19 in that country. We do not believe they were acting in love.

Conclusions

There will be No Services at GBC on Sunday, March 15, 2020

For all of these reasons and more, we have decided to treat this coming Sunday, March 15, like a “snow day” and cancel service. We will monitor the situation carefully over the weekend and adjust as necessary in the coming week(s). We also plan to abide by the recommendations of Heath Canada officials. In large measure, that will direct our future response.

As Pastor Francis Grimke said after the Spanish Flu epidemic in Washington D.C. in 1918,
“There has been considerable grumbling, I know, on the part of some, particularly in regard to the closing of the churches. It seems to me, however, in a matter like this it is always wise to submit to such restrictions for the time being. If, as a matter of fact, it was dangerous to meet in theatres and in the schools, it certainly was no less dangerous to meet in churches. The fact that the churches were places of religious gathering, and the others not, would not affect in the least the health question involved. If avoiding crowds lessens the danger of being infected, it was wise to take the precaution and not needlessly run in danger, and expect God to protect us.”

Live stream will be available on Sunday, March 15, 2020

We will still livestream our morning service and you can watch that just like any other Sunday on our YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/gracebaptistpei or link through our website https://www.gracepei.com/live.

Our musicians will direct our hearts and minds upward and there will be a very timely sermon from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Our hope is that you will gather with your family and worship God with us at that time.

Your elders will meet again next week and have a further update for you as far as where we go from here.

5. Prayer and Care

Let’s use the void left by cancelled sporting events, worship services, and even work as a time to seek the face of God. Pray for your country. Pray for all the healthcare workers (many in our own church) that will likely be exposed to the virus and stand in higher risk. Pray for God to show us mercy and to spare lives. Pray for one another.

If you become ill, suffer income loss, or experience other needs during this time, please let us know. The elders and deacons want to be sure you are properly cared for and we are eager to help. The best way to coordinate that help is to call the church office or email the office manager at office@gracepei.com.

Thankfully, we have nothing to fear. In our Bible reading yesterday we were reminded from Job that “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

God is in control of all things and He is working all things according to the council of His own will, for His purposes. We truly have nothing to fear.

So, let’s live through these uncertain days both wisely and winsomely. Using caution, but being bold for Jesus, as those who know for certain that they are immortal until the day God calls them home.

With much love for you all,

The Elders of Grace Baptist Church

I (Dan) recently had the opportunity to read Kevin DeYoung's latest book Crazy Busy (A (Mercifully) Short Book about a Really Big Problem). It's a short and practical read for busy people. Overall I believe it's a good read, however you will be left hanging if you expect any quick solutions or "how to's" to clean up your busy schedule. I liked the book for personal reflection, but it is definitely not prescriptive or a "way out". I also took the opportunity to search the blogosphere to find other reviews to give you a balanced response to the book and I trust they will help you get a good understanding of the book and decide for yourself.

Here is the review roundup:

Tim Challies - http://www.challies.com/book-reviews/crazy-busy

Key Quotes:

"While Crazy Busy is very useful in diagnostics, it is very light in practical application, presumably because he himself has not yet lived out such applications enough to speak with authority."

"Still, Crazy Busy is a good book for what it is. DeYoung is a talented writer and his books are always a joy to read. In this one he gives us words for what we already know—that we are busier than we ought to be and want to be. He gives us tools for diagnosing the specific heart issues that have led us here. And he gives us encouragement to begin to make the changes necessary to live a life focused on the highest and best priorities."

Pastors.com - http://pastors.com/books-crazy-busy-by-kevin-deyoung/

Key Quote:

"With his trademark humor and winsome candor, Kevin helps readers find a better way forward in his newest book, Crazy Busy. Offering ways to tackle your schedule, several suggestions to reclaim your sanity, and a lot of encouragement to remember your soul, Crazy Busy strikes the desperately needed balance between doing nothing and doing it all."

Eric Landry via Out of the Horse's Mouth: The White Horse Inn Blog - http://www.whitehorseinn.org/blog/2013/06/28/review-of-crazy-busy-by-kevin-deyoung/

Key Quotes:

"DeYoung begins by summarizing a number of helpful books and studies to give us a “state of the union” address (i.e., we’re all crazy busy!). Then, he turns to a series of diagnostic statements to prove that we are too busy. These chapters, which make up the bulk of the book, are uneven. Some of them contain real gems of insight, especially #4 (“Stop Freaking Out About Your Kids”) and #5 (“You are Letting the Screen Strangle Your Soul”), but as a whole I think these chapters miss the real problem that a book like Crazy Busy should address. "

"As wonderful and important as daily reading and prayer are, the author’s advice sounds dangerously close to the stereotypical “take two verses and call me in the morning” pietism that, in our circles, is a carrier of the kind of hyper-individualism that leads to the very real problems that Crazy Busy identifies. "

"DeYoung’s book is helpful in many ways, but his proscription falls short. He returns to old tropes that I fear are part and parcel of the mess we’re in. Watching my own life get crazier and busier and watching the lives of family, friends, and congregants follow the same trajectory, I am afraid that what is needed is a much crazier book than DeYoung has given us—a book that calls on God’s people to make counter-cultural decisions to live their lives in ways that are distinctively different than their neighbors. "

Amazon.com Editorial Review - http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Busy-Mercifully-Really-Problem/dp/1610457161

Originally published: Here. Used with permission.

To go to battle against Israel was foolish. What continually compelled these individuals to believe they could fight against God and his people? When you’re inside the double walled city of Jericho, and you hear about the 10 plagues of Egypt, and you hear about the crossing of the Red Sea, and you hear about the crossing of the Jordan River, we know the hearts of those inside of the city of Jericho, because the text tells us that their hearts melted inside of their chests - they were terrified, yet what was their response? To still trust in the double walled city of Jericho. 1 person, Rahab, called out for mercy from God, and she gladly and freely received it. One.

So why did the nations of Canaan, why did these little city states, why did they continue to think that they could fight against God? Because God let them think that. Because God hardened their hearts, because God allowed them in their stubborn rejection of him, to not be recipients of his grace.

If God is still convicting you of sin, praise his holy name. Because when he stops, you are in a dangerous, dangerous place.

There is only two types of people here this morning: Those that are here to hear from God’s Word, and when God’s word is preached, they respond to it in obedience. And those that layer by layer by layer, are being hardened every single Sunday, more and more to the call of God in their lives.

I hear individuals come up to me after the service, I hear them throughout the week talk to me about how the word is convicting them and how they’re changing, and that thrills me. And I want to change daily by God’s word as well. And yet I know that there are people that come here every single Sunday and it’s like an inoculation. What is a vaccination? It gives you a little bit of the disease, so that the disease itself never fully affects you. What does God’s word do to those who are stubbornly rejecting him? They have just enough that it stops it from having its full effect.

If you have not been convicted by the word of God in a while, you ought to tremble in fear. Because God is the one who gives you grace. And when he removes that from you, What does the text in verse 20 say? God did not come and make these individuals sin, don’t misread the text. He just let them have sin to its fullest extent in their lives. They should receive no mercy, but be destroyed.

What did God do with the heart of pharaoh? The 10 plagues: Pharaoh hardened his heart. How do you see the hand of God, turn water into blood, and the frogs, and the flies and the darkness. How do you see all of that, and in the face of that not believe? Because God takes his grace. And what does he say in Romans 1: He gave them over to a reprobate mind. In our natural state, every single one of us, want to run as fast as we can to do as much sin as we can, because we are sinners. And the only thing that stops us from going over the cliff is the grace of God. So if he is convicting you, thank him here this morning. Because if he is not, you are in deep deep trouble.

Beware. Beware a lack of concern over sin and rebellion. If you can sin and it doesn’t bother you, that should bother you.

If you can rebel against God and there’s nothing - there’s no repentance, there’s no remorse? The OT calls it sinning with a high hand. To sin in open challenging and rebellion against God. Who are you? Do you think you can stand before this God? The one true God who spoke all things into existence including you? Who at this moment holds in his hand your next breath? And yet Sunday in and Sunday out there are individuals who come into this auditorium and they sit here and all the word of God does is put one more layer on top of the hardened heart. I pray to God weekly that He, as only He can, would break through and start convicting hearts.

So there are two types of people here this morning: Those that are going to hear the message of God and respond to it in obedience, and those that have one more message that has hardened them for another week.

So how do we endure? As long as God is speaking, there is opportunity to listen. Do not despise the voice of God. Do not despise the disciplining hand of God in your life. Because if he is still speaking to you, you still have opportunity to listen.

But the time is coming and you do not know when that is, when there may not be opportunity for repentance. And it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of this God.

This is a transcript (prepared by Kaleb Pilkey) of a part of a sermon preached at Grace Baptist on July 10, 2016. For a video of the full sermon, click here. To watch more services from Grace Baptist, please subscribe to our channel- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyu-6i4AncIHoNeRCbjfyGA. Original post can be found here.