We’re praying together this week for God’s provision for our mission as
we anticipate Partnership Sunday. We’re amazed by God’s kindness in
bringing guests and adding members over the 30 months since we moved
into our new building. Our Sunday attendance has increased by
70%–which means we’re already out of space!
This Sunday we’ll welcome new members and receive our annual
“Partnership Fund” offering. Please join us in praying for God’s
provision to expand our facility for the guests in the months and years
ahead.
We thank God for each of you and for our partnership together with
Paul’s words to the Philippians: “I thank my God in all my remembrance
of you, always in every prayer…with joy, because of your partnership
in the Gospel from the first day until now.”
- Gene
Wow! What a wonderful conference and time away we had last week. I am so grateful to God for C.J. Mahaney, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, and Ligon Duncan and their desire to serve pastors and churches and to encourage unity in the gospel. Their friendship and togetherness in the gospel, even though they hold a vast array of doctrinal positions, is such an encouragement to me and many others.
I want to seek to briefly summarize some of the highlights of the conference in hopes that you are encouraged in your faith in some small way. All of the conference messages are worth downloading and listening to here, but especially John Piper’s message, John MacArthur’s, R.C. Sproul’s and C.J. Mahaney’s.
I’m coming away from the conference with a few things (I could write more but for brevity’s sake, I’ll confine my comments to only a few):
- I’m so grateful for the friendships I have with the other pastors at KingsWay and other churches (both in and outside of Sovereign Grace). We had much rich fellowship as well as fun with each other. The friendships we share are a gift from God.
- I’m freshly grateful for how God saved me. John MacArthur’s message on “Total Inability” reminded me that due to my sin nature, I was not able to come to God. God acted on me first. What wonderful, humbling, Biblical truth!
- I was challenged to pray and consider what God-glorifying, risk-taking, sacrificial life and ministry should look like through John Piper’s preaching. The reward of Christ and reality that he suffered for us should encourage us to suffer with joy. I believe God is calling me to faithfully befriend my neighbors and to live in such a way that our ungodly culture does not influence me. He is calling me to step out and take “risks” for the kingdom - whether boldly speaking the gospel to someone or serving a neighbor.
If you would like to read more about the conference, visit www.t4g.org or www.challies.com .
- Steve
Greetings from Louisville, Kentucky! Your pastors are enjoying time here at the Together for the Gospel Conference. Rich fellowship, sound Biblical teaching, as well as fun and laughter have marked the time thus far. For a play by play description of the conference content you can visit www.challies.com.
A highlight of our trip so far was last night when we had dinner with Bob McCan, who is now serving at ChristChurch in Wales and Ken Delage, who is currently at the Pastors College. We had the privilege of hearing about what God is doing in Wales. Bob and his family are doing very well and send their greetings. We also heard from Ken about how God is working in his life. After graduating from the Pastors College this June, Ken and his family will be re-locating to Midlothian to serve on the Pastoral Team with a view towards, Lord-willing, planting a church next year.
Conference Messages will be available for free download at the Sovereign Grace website here. Thank you so much for your prayers and for making it possible for us to attend and benefit from this conference. You are very much on our hearts and we greatly anticipate coming home and being with you next Sunday. May God bless you this week in all that you do!
The seminar was broken up into two main sections, formative instruction and corrective discipline with the main emphasis on formative instruction. Formative instruction is teaching that gives our children principles and absolutes to live by and teaches them how to evaluate and respond to life. Formative instruction is the foundation for corrective discipline. Initially, I was surprised that so little time was planned to talk about correction (basically one session at the end) but later I understood why. Jen and I are walking away from the seminar with this challenge: that we must take advantage of every opportunity to teach our children about God, his commands, the Gospel, and the application of Scripture to life. This is where we are to live. I believe that Jen and I focus so much on corrective discipline at the expense of formative instruction. I’m guessing there are other parents that have this common struggle as well. We will be looking to grow in increasing formative instruction in the coming days.
Dr. Tripp said many things during the seminar that are quotable and helpful. One of the statements was this, “Your home is the laboratory of life for your children.” Basically, that your children will learn all about life from all that goes on in your home. Dr. Tripp also passionately stated, “Your love and joy in God is the foundation for everything you say to your children” and “you can’t give away what you don’t have.” The first couple sessions were more about parents’ hearts than children’s hearts. Dr. Tripp used the Psalms to paint a picture of God’s glory and beauty that was captivating. At several points during the evening, I kept thinking, “Oh, I must see God’s beauty and live in light of it and pursue Him with greater fervor.” I’m so grateful that the Gospel empowers me to live in this way. My sins are forgiven through Jesus and now I get to live life in a close relationship with the creator of the universe, almighty God. How amazing! God is glorious and worthy of all of our (and our children’s) worship. I’m excited to refocus on showing my children how great God is.
Another helpful thing Dr. Tripp spoke was that training our children in the knowledge and understanding of God starts with the parent’s relationship with God. Is this relationship with God vital and obviously affecting you daily? Does God’s glory captivate you? Communicate this to your children each day. Let them in on what God is showing you each day in your time in Scripture and prayer. Use the common events and things of each day to explain God to them as Deuteronomy 6 commands us. There are opportunities all around to illustrate who God is and what he has done. Let’s pay careful attention and seek to draw our children’s attention to them daily.
- Steve
Jen and I had the privilege of attending the “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” Seminar, that we hosted as a church, taught by Dr. Tedd Tripp this weekend. What a wonderful time it was of humbling ourselves and being taught what it means to shepherd and instruct our children in the ways of God! If you weren’t able to attend, I strongly recommend getting the CDs in the KingsWay BookShoppe and listening to them soon. Even if you don’t currently have children you will benefit from listening to the seminar messages. I was so encouraged by the singles that attended the workshop. I discovered through talking to them, that they were envisioned for the future, as well as gained a better understanding of their own hearts and how they are to live too.
I’ll be taking a few posts to reflect on some of the truths presented in the seminar. It would be easy to attend this seminar, hear some convicting and helpful things, but then nothing changes. But we want to be a people who faithfully apply Biblical truth to our lives. There aren’t many more important areas than raising the next generation to love and serve God. Our children are a precious gift from God and we are to steward our time with them well.
I trust those of you who attending the seminar were well served and that you will take time over the next week to talk with your spouse and friends about specific ways God is calling you to apply the material. I also hope that those who did not attend will listen to the recordings and benefit from Dr. Tripp’s wisdom in parenting. Over the next weeks and months, we’d love to hear any testimonies of how God has used the seminar in you and your children.
- Steve
Last Sunday, we studied what the Bible has to say about the whole concept of rights from 1 Corinthians 8 (download/listen here). Though Paul addresses a specific situation involving food offered to idols, the key principle is just as true for us as it was for the Corinthians a couple thousand years ago. The gospel frees us to love others more than our own rights. It’s all too easy to be more defined by our rights or personal convictions in an area of biblical freedom than defined by the gospel. The movies we watch, the music we listen to, home school vs. public school, or courtship vs. dating are all good examples. While God’s Word provides general principles for making these decisions wisely, they are not moral issues of clear right and wrong. To think someone is more of a Christian because they share our rights or convictions in a matter of conscience or less of a Christian if they don’t is to travel down the dangerous path of legalism.
C.J. Mahaney defines legalism as “seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through obedience to God.” When our relationships with others are more defined by our rights than our shared status as redeemed sinners, we’re functionally telling a lie about God. We’re basically saying, “Acceptance by God depends on your external behavior,” when God’s Word declares, “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 2:16) God calls us to establish wise convictions in matters of conscience, but we must be careful to preserve the integrity of the gospel. Our rights in non-moral issues never earn any acceptance from God, nor does our performance on clear moral issues. We are justified or declared righteous before God only through faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his work on our behalf through the gospel. Let’s be a people who walk wisely by developing biblical convictions and obeying the voice of conscience. But may our rights in an area of biblical freedom never become the basis for our relationship with God or one another. The gospel frees us to love others more than our own rights.
- Matthew
“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings.”
One of the defining marks of a disciple is diligence. Every task provides an opportunity to pursue excellence for the sake of the One we serve. Paul affirmed this distinctive in his letter to the Colossians: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Col. 3:23)
For this reason, it’s our joy to regularly commend men and women whose work testifies to their faith. This month’s issue of Richmond Magazine recognizes “Top Docs: Richmond’s best as chosen by their peers.” Among hundreds of doctors in the Richmond area, Ted Williams was recognized by fellow physicians as the best pediatric specialist.
Ted, we rejoice with you in this honor! Thanks for your example, which inspires us all to honor God through serving others with excellence.
- Gene
