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GCC Men is a ministry of Gospel Community Church in Lynchburg, VA that helps to connect, grow, and mentor men through a focus on Jesus Christ, such that we become followers of Jesus who live on biblical mission at home, work and the community around us.

05/28/2026

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Before the apostle Paul begins to close his letter the Colossian church, he leaves them with some final instructions, which are meant for us as well.

Last week he was encouraging us in steadfast prayer and this week he is encouraging us in our witness towards nonbelievers.

Several weeks ago my pastor said it like this….”the purpose of every interaction and relationship should have a gospel focus.”

To do so, Paul reminds us that engaging with nonbelievers requires “wisdom”, which is the proper application of knowledge and is inextricably tied to God who is the source of all wisdom. So as we seek to engage nonbelievers, we must first seek to know God through His Word.

Paul also encourages us to make the “best use” of our time with nonbelievers. In other words, we are to stay focused on the gospel purpose that God has ordained through our interactions and relationships with nonbelievers. This is the essence of “The Great Commission” found in Matthew 28.

Our gospel conversations don’t have to be uncomfortable or egregious, but we are also not to shy away from them. In fact, we need to be looking attentively for conversational on-ramps that allow us to redirect the conversation towards faith and Jesus.

The key to doing this is found in the last sentence in our text - we must know how to approach each person individually, understanding something about their beliefs, then engaging them with speech that is filled with grace and fashioned to bring blessing and preserve the truth of God’s Word in their heart.

Tone of voice and facial expressions are critically important, as well. Nothing we say or do should compromise the precious message we are intending to convey.

So today Christian, consider who in your circle of influence needs to hear the gospel and seek to share with them the gift of Christ, salvation, and the wonderful hope and peace that we have in Jesus as we submit and follow Him as Lord of our lives!

Have a blessed rest of your week!

05/21/2026

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As he begins to wrap up this amazingly letter, Paul has some final instructions for the believers in the Colossae church, and for us today.

One of the first items he points us to is prayer!

Christians tend to be all over the place in what they believe about prayer and how they engage it, but the truth is God wants us to “pray without ceasing”. In fact, throughout his life Jesus not only taught us how to pray, but we see Him be very intentional about making time for prayer!

Therefore, we should consider prayer to be a fundamental and essential part of our daily walk with Jesus!

In our verse today, Paul is exhorting us in a few other aspects of prayer.

The first is to be steadfast. Other translations say devoted, earnest, persistent and to never give up.

Although sometimes it feels pointless, fruitless and ineffective, we should never get tired of coming to God with prayer.

The key to realized results is to pray according to God’s will - not our own. The Bible is clear that when pray in this manner and attitude, God will hear our prayers and answer them every time! Use the Lord’s Prayer as a framework for your own prayer.

Secondly, Paul tells us to be watchful. Other translations say to be alert and pay attention.

In context, this likely means that Paul wanted us to watch for things to pray for, be aware of what is going on around us and to take the concerns of this world to God in prayer knowing that He is sovereign over all and He will respond in His perfect way and His perfect time.

I would also suggest that being watchful helps us connect the dots between prayers offered to God and the answers to those prayers, which encourages us and strengthens our faith.

Lastly, Paul notes that in prayer we should always be thankful!

Knowing that God loves us, He is attentive to our prayers, and that He will gladly answer us in His perfect way and perfect time as we pray according to His will, we should be filled with thanksgiving!

Christian, prayer gives us personal access to the God of the universe, the creator of all things, the eternal one, the Lord of lords and King of kings, and it is the primary means by which we hear from God and communicate with Him on a personal level. Why would we not be filled with joy, gratitude and thanksgiving when we come to Him in prayer?

Therefore, I encourage you to take time today, to consider your prayer life and adjust it according to what Paul is exhorting us in today!

As you amp-up your prayer life, I guarantee you will draw closer to God, become more Christlike, find fulfillment and contentment, and be consistently filled with joy, hope and love for God.

Have a blessed rest of your week!

05/14/2026

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Today, we see the apostle Paul continuing to explain what a transformed life in Jesus looks like.

Previously, we have seen that it includes seeking the things above, putting off the old self, putting on the new self (holiness, kindness, compassion, humility, meekness, patience, bearing the burdens of others), forgiving one another, being thankful, and doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

It is our view of Jesus as “Lord” that undergirds today’s verse and if we pause to think about that for a moment, if we truly examine our own hearts, we will quickly recognize that most of the time we want to be lord of our life; and that is exactly why we need to be in God’s Word daily and pray for the Holy Spirit, our Helper, to transform our heart and mind towards an attitude of reverence and submission to Jesus as Lord!

A few takeaways in these verses…

1) All that we do should be done with Jesus in mind and in service to Him. Not with us in mind and for our own glory or to impress others.

2) We are to always do what we do with full effort; we are to give it our absolute best!

This includes not only the work of our vocation, but in our relationships as husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, and friend. It pertains to our finances, leadership, service in the church, and ALL other areas of life.

3) When we put Jesus first in our lives, God will reward us with an inheritance of eternal life with Him and all the blessings that He will lavish on us now and in Heaven.

4) God is just and those who do wrong will pay a price, both now in this life and when Jesus returns to judge each of us according to what we have or have not done knowing that He is Lord.

So Christian, to what extent are you allowing Jesus to be Lord of your life?

What areas do you do well in that and in what areas do you struggle to let Christ rule in the day-to-day of your life?

Let’s take those questions before the Lord Jesus today and ask Him to help us move closer to full submission to Him!

Have a blessed rest of your week!

05/14/2026

“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The heading under which these verses are found in my bible reads “Rules for Christian Households”.

Sadly, many households today don’t look like they did in years gone by; the years of our parents and grandparents. More importantly, many don’t adhere to God’s design for the family.

Rather, there has been a distortion of the family to fit the desires of our culture. Indeed, foolish as it may be there has been a trending rebellion against God in this way and many others in our nation and around the world. This should not be so for the Christian!

In our verses today, we see God’s instruction for healthy families.

Of course, these verses presume first and foremost that each member of the family is a believer, loves Jesus, and desires to make Him Lord of their life.

Without this foundation, application of these biblical principles is impossible and the healthy family they intend to produce will be unattainable.

Therefore, each member of the family must genuinely submit to Jesus and have an earnest desire to please Him.

Brothers, let me speak directly to you in this…it is your responsibility to lead the way in this! You must model love for Jesus, submission to Him, and a noticeable desire to please Him.

God’s order for the family places you at the head of it. Your leadership, good or bad, will have a prominent and direct impact on how your wife and children respond not only to you, but more importantly to the Lord Jesus!

Ephesians 5:25 says “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

This is how we as men should lead - obediently and sacrificially unto Jesus with an abundance of love!

Men, if your family relationships aren’t all that you desire them to be, then perhaps it is time to consider how you are leading them?

Are you leading them in a manner that reflects Jesus?

We all need more Jesus in our lives, not less! Therefore, whether husband, wife or child we must grow in our relationship with Him. Knowing Him, loving Him, submitting to Him and patterning our life after His!

Pray with me that God moves each of us to this more and more each day!

Have a blessed rest of your week!

05/07/2026

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In our pursuit to “set our minds on the things above”, Paul has been emphasizing what a transformed life in Christ Jesus looks like.

Last week we saw that it meant “putting off” the things of this world and today we see what it means to “put on” our “new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

Clearly, there is a dramatic distinction between the behavior and attitude of our old self and our new self.

These are matters of the heart; that place where our deepest most intimate thoughts exist.

Scripture tells us that God alone knows the heart of man. He sees into the hidden crevasses; places that we ourselves may not always be aware of.

God is interested in the transformation of our hearts, not merely behavior modification, although that is a natural outcome of a transformed heart.

The bottom line is that He wants the motivation of our hearts to be attentive to Him and focused on Him to bring glory to Him.

Paul also eludes to the duplicity of both “love” and “truth” in the life of the Christian as mechanisms for a changed life. Both are essential for godly living, fruitful evangelism, effective discipleship and church unity.

Love produces harmony and peace, and the truth of God’s Word leads to wisdom, which is only from God, and is critical for teaching and admonishing others.

Christian, God has each of us on a journey of heart transformation. This is referred to as “sanctification” and it will never end in this life time. It is all about us being molded and shaped into the likeness of Jesus, and it is a wonderful journey indeed!

I pray that we all are committed to the journey and strive to balance both “love” and “truth” as we walk it out daily!

Have a blessed rest of your week!

05/07/2026

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: s*xual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

To understand the context of these verses, we need to jump back to last week’s verses to help us understand the “therefore” part of today’s verses.

Last week, Paul helped us to understand that when we come to faith in Jesus, we are made “new” in Him and our minds are to focus on the things of Christ over and above the things of this world.

We also understand from scripture that being made new doesn’t mean we are made “perfect” in our manner and conduct, so today we see Paul giving us examples of what we are to leave behind as we pursue living the holy and righteous life of Jesus that his death has already imparted to us spiritually at the time of our salvation.

In other words, we need to act in a manner that is worthy of the gift we have already been given in Jesus.

That gift is eternal life with Jesus in Heaven, and an escape from the penalty of death that comes as a result of our sin.

Paul has not written an exhaustive list of what to leave behind, so don’t get fooled into thinking “nope, I don’t do any of those so I’m good”. Rather, join me in asking God to reveal any blindspots in our behavior that is not Christlike. Then, ask God to help you address it.

Sexual immorality is prevalent in our society and every perversion of God’s plan for s*x appears to now be allowed; yet this should never be the mark of the Christian.

What about covetousness, jealousy, anger, or obscene talk? Nope, those aren’t the mark of a Christian either!

Christian, we who profess Jesus as our “LORD”, must actually follow Him if we are to keep from being a hypocrite. We must be distinctly Christlike, and therefore noticeably different than the world in which we live.

Philippians 4:13 tells that this change is possible through Christ, which is awesome, because we can’t do it on our own! This is part of becoming “sanctified” in Christ. Embrace it!

I’m praying for you to take the next step in your sanctification journey with Jesus, today!

Have a blessed day!

05/02/2026

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

At the moment of our belief in Jesus we are joined with Him in a spiritual union of death to sin and resurrection to eternal life.

In our conversion from an old creation under sin to new creation in Jesus, we gain the ability to understand spiritual “truths” and the “will of God”, which when followed, yield peace, blessings, fulfillment and joy like nothing this world has to offer.

Yet, how often do we get caught up in the things of this world?

How often are our minds, efforts and time consumed with the pursuit of politics, sports, careers, wealth, comforts, pleasures, materialism, and the like?

By contrast, how little are our minds consumed with spending time with God, growing in the likeness of Jesus, reading our Bibles, praying, worshipping Jesus with other believers, and serving in our local church?

Sadly, the former tends to far outweigh the latter for most of us. Yet, our verses today make it clear that this should not be so!

Truth is nothing the world has to offer has any eternal effect on you, your family, your friends, your neighbors or your colleagues at work.

We were saved for a purpose and that purpose is to “glorify our Father in heaven!”

To do so, we must know Jesus intimately. We must focus our attention on Him, make the effort, and invest the time. There is no getting around this if you intend to be serious about your faith.

Therefore, I encourage you Christian, don’t be satisfied merely in your salvation. For indeed your faith is not by your own choosing, effort or worth, rather it is a marvelous gift from God that warrants an intentional, proactive response!

Meaning, every day we must consciously choose to live a life that exemplifies our gratitude for God’s grace and mercy in our life. That which has saved us from an eternity in Hell and guarantees the joys and blessings of Heaven in the presence of God himself!

Join me in the daily practice of “setting our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Have a blessed rest of your week!

04/30/2026

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In these verses, Paul is writing to the Colossian church because there were many in the church who were trying to confuse and delude others with a theology other than the gospel of Jesus.

So Paul, out of his love for the church, wanted to correct their thinking and remind them about what they first believed about Jesus, so that they would be unshaken in their faith and know who was at the center of it.

Paul does so by reminding them of several “truths” that are intended to reorient and “root” them in the gospel of Jesus. He explains…

1) Jesus is 100% God! He is the physical image of an invisible God and embodies all the attributes of God the Father.

2) When we believe in who Jesus is and what He did for us we receive the Holy Spirt who indwells and “fills” us.

3) Jesus is sovereign! He rules over all things and is the final authority on all matters. We don’t need to look for this anywhere else.

Christian, these are good reminders for us too! Every day the world around us temps us to set aside God’s Word and live a life according to our own philosophy, ideology, theology, desires, comforts and pleasures, yet this is not what God requires of us, nor is it God’s best for us!

Moreover, our ways will NOT fulfill us or bring the peace and joy that we desire - these are only by God through Jesus Christ when we are “rooted” in Him through God’s Word and prayer, as well as through the preaching, teaching and encouragement that only comes through the local church.

So Christian, be encouraged and stay “rooted” in Jesus! Find a church and engage with other believers!

Have a blessed and joyful weekend!

03/13/2026

“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭27‬-‭29‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The “them” in this context is the Church - those who have, by God’s grace, accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord.

The “mystery” is the full revelation of God’s Word that Jesus is the messiah and that He lives in the heart of every believer. Think about that for a minute - the glory of God is with every believer!

I love Paul’s passion in verses 28 and 29. He wants everyone to know and understand this mystery and to grow and become mature in their faith individually.

That is to set aside our desires and passions for the sake of experiencing the joy, peace and blessing that comes when we make God’s desires and passions (His “will”) the focus of our life.

If you know anything about Paul, you know that indeed he “toiled” for Christ through the power of Christ for the benefit of the people of Christ.

Christian, God has given us the church as a means to build us up in the faith and mature us in Christ. In fact, the Church is the “bride” of Christ and He dearly loves it, and will continue to build and strengthen it.

If you don’t believe that you need the church to be a saved, you are correct; however, you will never grow and mature in the faith properly without it!

God never intended for Christians to go it alone and He never intended for us to stay stagnant or as infants in the faith.

Therefore, I urge you to find a Bible preaching church, one that lifts high the name of Jesus and toils to unlock all the truth and mystery of God’s Word for the sake of maturing believers in the faith; a church where you can also be encouraged in life and to grow in your personal relation with Jesus to “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness!”

Have a blessed rest of your week!

03/05/2026

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Last week we learned how God was pleased to reconcile us through the blood of Jesus, but some may wonder why we needed to be reconciled. Well, today’s verses explain it.

The truth is that our sin has alienated us from God.

The references to “hostile in mind” and “evil deeds” are references to sin. Anything short of God’s perfect, holy and righteous standards for living is considered sin. In fact, Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That means you and me!

Since God, being perfectly holy, can’t look upon or be in the presence of sin, He has separated all of us from Him.

BUT GOD, because of His tremendous love for us didn’t leave us without a way to be reconciled to Him.

John 14:6 explains that the only way we can be reconciled to the Father is through faith in Jesus, and we see it again here.

The goal of reconciliation is clearly stated “ to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him (God the Father)”

When we genuinely believe in who Jesus is and what He has done for us, a miraculous thing happens - He exchanges the stain and penalty of our sin for His righteousness, which in turn, justifies us before God and allows us to be in fellowship with Him now and in His presence for eternity!

Friend, that is GOOD NEWS!!

If you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, then I urge you to do it today!

If you have, then give Him thanks and praise Him for all that He has done for you every day!

Have a blessed remainder of your week!

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1301 Rivermont Avenue
Lynchburg, VA
24504

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+14348456023

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