By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:35
My name is Gordon Bland and I am so pleased that you are here to learn more about the Word of God! I am a seminary student at Regent University, in my third year of Master of Divinity program. I am thirty-two years old and married to a wonderful woman, Emily. We celebrated our eighth anniversary in July 2023. On June 23, 2021, our first daughter was born! Eliana Diane Lyn Bland just came home. On May 4, 2023, our first son, John Gordon Bland, was born. His name comes from our martyred relative, John Bland. The count is now one daughter, one son, one Akita Inu-Rottweiler mix named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr., one cat named Charles Spurgeon, and two chinchillas. Come July, we will celebrate our ninth year of marriage.
Agape Ministry was started in February 2016, originally called the International Church Online. The name was changed in early 2019 after considering John 13:35 during my personal Bible study.
While many profess to be Christian, others know that we are truly Christians by the love we show others. My calling in life is to teach others the Word of God because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross to atone for the elect, whom God foreknew. It is from love, that I must teach others and lead them along the narrow path to eternal life. In this way, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we may be conformed to the image of Christ, and deepen our relationship with the Lord.
My theological views are of a Reformed Baptist origin; however, I grew up in the Assembly of God denomination and later, Foursquare Gospel. It was through my understanding of Scripture that I came to my current theological views. I hold to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, which was written from a Reformed perspective, like C.H. Spurgeon’s views. If this view is new to you, I recommend starting with the Five Doctrines of Grace to gain a better understanding of Reformed soteriology. I am a member of Raleigh Heights Baptist Church (SBC), and I have been blessed to fill in for Pastor Shannon Terhune when he is out of town to be with family or doing ministry elsewhere.