GraceLife London Summer Institute

This past week, GraceLife London hosted a week of teaching in Central London in what they call the Summer Institute (SI). This was the third annual Institute that this church has put on. People from different parts of England took advantage of this opportunity to hear Dr. William Varner teach on Messianic Theology, Dr. Keith Essex teach on Luke/Acts, and Dr. Greg Harris teach through Genesis. I had the privilege of contributing a three hour session on “The Anatomy of a False Teacher” on Wednesday of that week.

Dana and I were able to take two tours with other conference attendees with Dr. Varner as our guide. The first was at Bunhill Fields burial ground where many of the Puritans and other “Non-Conformists” were buried including Isaac Watts, Susanna Wesley, and John Bunyon. This first tour ended with a visit to the church that John Wesley pastored and which still houses his grave and the original pulpit that both he and George Whitefield preached from.

The second tour which was held on Wednesday was to the famous British Museum which houses an incredible amount of history related to the Bible. Dr. Varner’s OT and NT background Bible knowledge caused the museum to come alive and made us all want to go back and see it all over again. From the Assyrian exile to the first century Caesars of the Roman Empire, the museum provided a visual picture to the facts we constantly read in the Bible. It is a must see for those who visit London.

The week as a whole was compacted with biblical teaching. It was encouraging to talk to many of the attendants and to hear how appreciative they were for what they were learning and to see through their questions their desire to continue to grow. The church gave me a kind gift to welcome us to London and prepare us for our stay (a gift that would be hard to find in Southern California).

Dana was able to lend a hand in different aspects of secretarial duties during the Summer Institute as well as spending time with the women of GLL getting to know them and allowing them to get to know her better.

We are grateful to have had an opportunity to participate in the week and to see people from all over England grow deeper in God's word with joy.