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G.R. Cowell
George Raymond Cowell (1899 – February 1979) was a British preacher and Bible teacher whose ministry within the Plymouth Brethren movement focused on expository preaching and church doctrine across the mid-20th century. Born in London, England, specific details about his parents and early life are not widely documented, though his association with the Exclusive Brethren suggests a family background rooted in conservative Christian faith. His education was practical rather than formal, shaped by Brethren teachings and personal biblical study, equipping him for a lay ministry role typical of the movement. Cowell’s preaching career unfolded primarily within Exclusive Brethren assemblies, where he emerged as a respected speaker after World War II, delivering sermons that emphasized Christ’s person, the church’s heavenly calling, and practical Christian living—preserved on SermonIndex.net and in volumes like Readings in New York and Other Ministry (1958). Based in Ilford, Essex, he ministered extensively in the UK, North America, and the West Indies during the 1950s and 1960s, often addressing eschatology and scriptural patterns, as seen in his 1957 Brooklyn address on Mark’s Gospel. Married status and family details remain private, consistent with Brethren modesty. He passed away at age 79 in England.
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G.R. Cowell preaches about the believer's ultimate purpose being to do the will of God, emphasizing that they are bought with a price and belong to God. The believer's career is to follow God's will, with Christ as their focus and motivation, ensuring divine support, care, and eternal riches. Just as Jesus modeled complete surrender to God's will, believers are called to function as part of Christ's body, serving in God's house and pursuing heavenly goals with dedication.
The Choice of a Career
Strictly speaking, the believer has no choice. He is not his own, he is bought with a price; and his true business in life is to do the will of God. God’s will is, therefore, his career; Christ his Object and Christ his Motive. What a wonderful career this is! None other can compare with it. Those who pursue it are assured of divine support, a heavenly Father’s care, and the acquisition of the true, the eternal riches. The Lord Jesus is the great Model. “Coming into the world he says…Lo, I come (in the roll of the book it is written of me) to do, O God, thy will. (Heb. 10:5, 7) That will involved for Him the offering of His body once for all as the great Antitype of all the offerings and sacrifices of old. Our sanctification and all our blessings depend upon it. At twelve years of age He said, “Did ye not know that I ought to be occupied in my Father’s business?” (Lk. 2:49). God’s will for the Christian is clearly set out in Scripture. Christ’s body is here and he is to function as a member of it. God’s house is here, and he is responsible to undertake levitical, and priestly service in relation to it, and to God who dwells in it. (See Num. 1–4) His calling is heavenly and he is to pursue with all his energies, “looking towards the goal, for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14 N.T.) God’s will, therefore, “demands my soul, my life, may all!” The young believer may say, “Yes, but I have my living to get.” The Lord Jesus, referring to temporal needs, says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33) God, as it were, says, “You make my interests your concern, I’ll make you needs My care.” God does far better for a man than a man could do for himself. And so the Scripture says, “Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence; in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make plain thy paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6) As you pray and wait upon Him about your earthly calling, your heart already fixed upon Him and His interests, He will make quite plain what the earthly calling is.
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George Raymond Cowell (1899 – February 1979) was a British preacher and Bible teacher whose ministry within the Plymouth Brethren movement focused on expository preaching and church doctrine across the mid-20th century. Born in London, England, specific details about his parents and early life are not widely documented, though his association with the Exclusive Brethren suggests a family background rooted in conservative Christian faith. His education was practical rather than formal, shaped by Brethren teachings and personal biblical study, equipping him for a lay ministry role typical of the movement. Cowell’s preaching career unfolded primarily within Exclusive Brethren assemblies, where he emerged as a respected speaker after World War II, delivering sermons that emphasized Christ’s person, the church’s heavenly calling, and practical Christian living—preserved on SermonIndex.net and in volumes like Readings in New York and Other Ministry (1958). Based in Ilford, Essex, he ministered extensively in the UK, North America, and the West Indies during the 1950s and 1960s, often addressing eschatology and scriptural patterns, as seen in his 1957 Brooklyn address on Mark’s Gospel. Married status and family details remain private, consistent with Brethren modesty. He passed away at age 79 in England.