The Sovereignty of God is easily one of the most elevated and unifying aspects of Reformed theology, and it is the sovereignty of our glorified God that shall be credited in tying the tapestry of my life in such a way that brought me to Reformed Baptist Seminary. Much as Joseph’s brothers could not see how their evil actions would be redeemed for God’s good purposes, God’s sovereign purposes in my own life were unknown to me for much of it. In fact, the very aspects of my life that I so desperately wished to reconcile or otherwise purge from existence, are the very things in hindsight that brought me into obedience to the Word, equipped me for ministry, and sanctified and humbled me for service. Though a Pentecostal in my childhood, it was the sovereignty of God that led me to where I am today, and by His gracious grip, shall preserve me in the days to come.

My name is Gabriel Render. I have the joy of living in the small farming community of Melba, Idaho about forty-five minutes southwest of Boise. My wife of fifteen years, Christa, is my stalwart companion in sanctification and ministry beginning with our four children, Titus (11), Lincoln (9), John (8), and Elizabeth (6). I currently work retail to support the family, but in addition I have served as an Assistant Pastor at Sovereign Grace Fellowship in nearby Nampa for nearly three years. I have the privilege of serving primarily as a teaching pastor, overseeing adult Sunday school, youth ministry, and sharing in children’s ministries duties. As a result of my recent ministerial practicum, I am excited to also now oversee our new evangelism ministry.

I was born into a Christian home and grew up in the Assemblies of God, but abandoned the church at a young age, sensing hypocrisy and fraud. By God’s great grace, he drew me back into the fold in middle school, regenerating me genuinely at last. Not long after I felt a desire to commit my life to ministry, I enrolled at Multnomah Bible College in the Fall of 2003. It was there I learned much about being the bride of Christ, and it is there that God brought me my own bride. My time there was however short-lived, and I soon found myself heading east to intern as a youth pastor, and subsequently moved to Idaho to help plant a church. It was during this time that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to Reformed theology. I had what many of my generation were describing as an “awakening” or “being born again…again.” I felt as if the Bible finally made sense.

The years that followed were challenging, but the thread of God’s intention is now so clear to me. By God’s sovereign lead I soon found myself attending the church I now help pastor. It was there the opportunity arose to complete my schooling. I returned to Multnomah where my studies began and finished what I had started over a decade prior. Upon completion of my BA, I turned to seminary options, and Reformed Baptist Seminary quickly caught my attention. I was invested in my community, not desiring to leave my place of service nor to uproot my family only to incur unwise debt in the name of academic pursuit. RBS was a breath of fresh air—high theology, taught by pastors, for pastors. The affection for Christ and his Word with which my many professors have instructed will continue to encourage me and convict me for years to come. Indeed, God’s sovereign work in my life is incomplete, but I have now the joy of understanding my place in the story. God will accomplish his work in me, and my role is to obediently follow wherever He may lead. I understand now that the challenges in my life are intentional, to grow me, to sanctify me, to humble me, to draw me ever closer to Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. Our pain, our strife, our victories, all, all of them contribute to God’s deliberate plan for our lives.

As I looked to the annals of history as part of my marrow program in Historical Theology, I saw time and again God’s preservation of His church. I saw resilience under persecution, perseverance in the face of blasphemous heresy, and steadfastness at the turning of the tide towards decisionism and erroneous concepts of soul winning. One common trait stood out in my survey of church history—a sense of urgency. In all its various forms, those who were the genuine elect of God, holding fast to the inerrancy of the Word and to sound doctrine, all seemed to possess a sense of urgency for God, his Gospel, and His Word. So too, I must possess a sense of urgency as I look to the ministry entrusted to me. Likewise, that sense of urgency is embodied by the many pastors and professors who seek to instruct the students at RBS. It was an incredible blessing to be taught by men who are entrenched in the weekly grind of service, as well as some of the nations leading contributors in the areas of apologetics, church history, and systematics. I will recall fondly Drs. Haykin, Oliphint, and Waldron as well as myriad others. I will certainly miss the oratory onslaught of Pastor Robert Elliott in his delightful Scottish speech, and in general the enjoyment of having many professors from all over the world contribute to my growth, sanctification, and academic and ministerial advancement. I am pleased to maintain connections with the institution and the men who serve it and look forward to continuing as co-laborers for the kingdom.

I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Gonzales and the entirety of RBS for their commitment to making the seminary affordable, applicable, and staunchly confessional in its biblical doctrine. May the Lord continue to bless and grow the ministry of equipping the coming generations, and may the workers be led that they may participate in the great harvest for God’s glory alone. God is sovereign over our lives indeed, and I pray with Jude for myself, my classmates, my professors, and RBS in its entirety,

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

In Christ,

Gabriel Render