Pastor's Perspective
Ligon Duncan

August 29, 2008

In just over a week, on Sunday morning, September 7, 2008, after both morning services, we will begin voting on new elders. As we pray toward that date, and as we reflect on how we will vote, we should ask ourselves the question, over and over again: “What kind of elders does the Bible say we need?” We’ve thought about this a little in the last two columns. Here’s what we’ve found, in sum.

    First, we need elders who want the work, not just the status of an elder.1 Timothy 3:1 says “If any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”

    Second, we need elders who are godly men – character/godliness/holiness is God’s great qualification for an elder. 1 Timothy 3:2-3 says: “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.”

    Third, we need elders who are able to teach, that is, who are able to convey God’s truth to disciples. 1 Timothy 3:2 says: “An overseer, then, must be . . . able to teach,” and Titus 1:9 says: an elder must be “able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”

    Fourth, we need elders with godly homes and families, and who are aiming for godly homes and families. 1 Timothy 3:4-5 says: “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?).”

    Fifth, we need elders who are spiritually mature and not recent converts (they are “old” in the faith, though not necessarily chronologically). 1 Timothy 3:6 says “And not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”

    Sixth, we need elders whose moral reputation is good with local non-Christians (and in our day and time, we could add, with other churches’ members as well). 1 Timothy 3:7 says: “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

    In light of this, you may be interested to know some of the questions we asked your elder candidates to both ask and answer about themselves in the course of their officer training.

I. In the Area of Personal Piety
1. Do you know God? Is your trust in Christ? Is your life God-centered and grace-based?
2. Do you have a passion for the Cross of Christ? Is your joy in Jesus’ fame?
3. Do you treasure the truth of God’s Word and understand and cherish His means of grace?

II. In the Area of Support of the Ministry of the Church
1. Will you faithfully attend the worship services of the Church (Sunday morning and evening)?
2. Will you regularly attend Sunday School and Wednesday night?
3. Will you attend the regular meetings of the Board of Officers on which you serve?

III. In the Area of Stewardship
1. Do you believe in tithing and make a sincere effort to do so?
2. Will you support the church budget and missions?
3. Will you give of your time as needed to carry on the leadership of the church?

IV. In the Area of Cooperation
1. Are you in good relations with the church and its members?
2. Are you in good relations with the other officers?
3. Are you in good relations with the Senior Minister and Ministerial Staff?

V. In the Area of Seeking the Purity, Peace and Unity of the Church
1. Will you promote the peace and unity of the church and seek to check murmuring and complaining?
2. Can you engage with your fellow officers humbly, face them frankly, deal with them fairly, and then stand loyally with the majority in their decision?
3. Can you answer the questions in the Book of Church Order paragraph 24-5 in the affirmative?

VI. In the Area of Family Life
1. Do you have any serious domestic troubles?
2. Do you and your wife know how to hold your tongue against needlessly spreading gossip or talking critically about others?
3. Are you involved in financial difficulties that might hinder your service to the church?
4. Do you make an effort at having family worship?
5. Do you control your own household as called for in 1Timothy 3:4, 5?

VII. In the Area of Social Life
1. Have you seriously considered the admonitions in Scripture about the dangers of being a stumbling block and the need for specific caution and exemplary conduct in every area for Church Officers?
2. To the best of your ability, will you keep the Lord’s Day above reproach?
Pray with me that the Lord would give us elders who meet the scriptural qualifications and who want to shepherd the flock of God, which He purcha

August 22, 2008
I mentioned last week that on Sunday morning, September 7, 2008, after both morning services, we will begin voting on new elders. As we pray toward that date, and as we reflect on how we will vote, we should ask ourselves the question, over and over again: “What kind of elders does the Bible say we need?” We started thinking about it in last week’s column, where we noted these things:

First, we need elders who want the work, not just the status of an elder. Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 3:1 that the work of the eldership (which is pastoral work) is a wonderful work to which to aspire. He says “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”

Second, we need elders who are godly men. For character, godliness, holiness are God’s great qualifications for an elder. In 1 Timothy 3:2-3, Paul says: “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.”

Third, we need elders who are able to teach, that is, who are able to convey God’s truth to disciples. The one gift qualification Paul lists is that elders be able to teach. He says in 1 Timothy 3:2 “An overseer, then, must be . . . able to teach.” Paul singles out but one responsibility: teaching. The elder must be able to teach. Titus 1:9 – “able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” He’s got to know the Bible, the Gospel and basic Christian theology well enough to explain and defend it.
     Isn’t it interesting, Paul does not require that they have first order leadership skills. He does not require that they come from a particular social or professional class. He does not require that they be men of prominence in the community. He requires that they be able to disciple. The only particular gift-abilities of an elder recorded by Paul are: (1) Able to teach (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17; Tit. 1:9) and (2) Keeps hold of the deep truths (Titus 1:7). That is, he is to be orthodox in his theology in order to both teach and defend the truth. The elder is a man focused on (three things) teaching the Faith, living the faith and shepherding the flock. It makes sense that a class of men called to disciple the church and the nations, would need to be able to teach. This doesn’t mean that every elder must be great behind a podium, but every elder does need to be competent for and good at some form of teaching. You want to elect elders who not only want to teach, but who are able to teach the faith.

Fourth, we need elders with godly homes and families, and who are aiming for godly homes and families. Paul says of the elder in 1 Timothy 3:4-5 “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?).” Here Paul focuses upon what we might call family headship character qualities. He has already addressed marital fidelity, and now he adds that the elder is to be a “good manager of his own family” and that he “has obedient children.” This means that their overall behavior is a general gauge of his maturity, attitude, values and parenting. As far as Paul is concerned, godliness in the church begins in the home. Discipleship in the church begins in the home. You want to elect elders whose home life and values accredit his fitness as a shepherd and reflect his commitment to Christian discipleship.
 

Fifth, we need elders who are spiritually mature and not recent converts (they are “old” in the faith, though not necessarily chronologically). Paul teaches us that elders must be mature in the faith, in view of the unique pressures and temptations they face: “and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). No absolute time-frame is specified, but the principle is self-evident. A neophyte is uniquely susceptible to pride and should not be elected to this work. This requirement of Paul shows that doctrine and spiritual maturity must go hand in hand in the leadership of the church. You want to elect elders to whom you can confidently submit to their spiritual oversight, and that means mature men.
 

Sixth, we need elders whose moral reputation is good with local non-Christians (and in our day and time, we could add, with other churches’ members as well). Paul makes it clear that elders are to be men of integrity, even and especially in the eyes of the non-church community, when he says: “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:7). Paul expects elders to be respectable (see 2) not only to those within the church, but also in the estimation of those without it. The officers of the church have a witness. It is either positive or negative. Paul demands that elders not be a reproach to Christ. An elder is a Christian man possessed of evident godly character (basic Christian character reflective of conversion, sanctification, spiritual growth and maturity (e.g., the Beatitudes) and the other character qualities required here by Paul. You want to elect elders who will enhance and not embarrass the church’s witness to the watching world.

You may want to think and pray through this list as you prepare for the election.

August 15, 2008
On Sunday morning, September 7, 2008, after both morning services, we will begin voting on new elders. The congregation will have the privilege of electing ten new shepherds to serve this church. The Sunday before (August 31), I will preach on the biblical qualifications for the eldership. In that message, I will be asking (and answering from Scripture, especially 1 Timothy 3:1-7) the question: “What kind of elders do we need?” For the next several weeks, in this column, I’m going to be reflecting on that question. Perhaps you will want to pray through this list as you consider how to vote.
    First, we need elders who want the work, not just the status of an elder. Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 3:1 that the work of the eldership (which is pastoral work) is a wonderful work to which to aspire; he says, “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.” Paul makes it abundantly clear here that an elder is fundamentally a pastor, a shepherd of souls! He calls him an overseer or bishop or shepherd. Paul is saying here that one who seeks the eldership, that is the pastoral office, desires to be engaged in what is emphatically a good thing. But note also that he speaks of the eldership as a noble work or task, rather than a noble office. It is about service not status. So, you want to elect men who long to do the spiritual work of an elder, not just who aspire to the status. These will be men who love the Bible. They love Christ. They love the Gospel. They are men of prayer. They are faithful in church attendance (Sunday morning and evening). They are generous givers to the church. They are enthusiastic about seeing people converted and helping Christians grow in grace, and they long to spiritually disciple the people of the congregation. They see the work of the elder as fundamentally the ministry of the Word and prayer, and they desire to devote themselves precisely to that.
    Second, we need elders who are godly men. Character, godliness, and holiness are God’s great qualifications for an elder. In 1 Timothy 3:2-3, Paul says: “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.” Such an important work requires corresponding life and character, says Paul here. So, the qualifications of this office are not found in social standing or even extraordinary talents or intelligence, but rather in godly character.

    Paul lays out eleven character qualities (positive and negative) for an elder. He is:
(1) above reproach – that is, he is free from scandalous sins and offensive habits that would lay him open to serious public criticism;
(2) the husband of one wife – that is, a man marked by the strictest marital fidelity, his marriage is biblical, monogamous, and sexually pure, and he is not unbiblically divorced;
(3) temperate – that is, sober-minded, possessed of a wakeful, alert, vigilant habit of mind, opposed to all sorts of excess;
(4) prudent – that is, he has mastery over his natural reactions, he is self-controlled (see Titus 1:8);
(5) respectable – that is, he lives a life that bears up under public scrutiny;
(6) hospitable – hospitality is required of all Christians (Romans 12:13) but elders are to take the lead;
(7) not addicted to much wine – that is, free from any enslavement to or fixation with alcohol, drugs, or other addictive stimulants;
(8) not pugnacious – that is, he is not a violent man or given to quarreling; he is not quick tempered; this goes along with being temperate;
(9) gentle – that is, he is meek and humble and thus able to elicit a response of trust, respect and affection from congregation members.
(10) peaceable – that is, he is not quarrelsome in his pattern of speaking (so as to be able to gently instruct – see 2 Timothy 2:24f); and
(11) free from the love of money – that is, he has a mastery over his material appetites, he is storing his treasure in heaven, he is not trying to serve two masters, he is not a money lover or pursuer of dishonest gain. You want to elect men who are godly and
who are very evidently pursuing holiness in their own lives.
    Now, in a congregation of our size, it is going to take effort and initiative on your part to get to know ten (10) men who fulfill these character qualifications and who have a genuine aspiration to be pastor-shepherd-elders. We will be making a booklet of the elder candidates, with pictures and biographies. I’d encourage you to get your copy on Sunday. Read through it. Pray through it. Meet candidates that you don’t know, and get to know them. Ask them questions. Let them give you their testimony of God’s saving grace. Learn about them. Hear testimonials from fellow church members as to their gifts and qualifications.
Well, there are still more qualifications for elders listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 to cover. We’ll continue to study them next week.

 

July 18, 2008

In the wake of our dear Jennifer Stephenson’s death, I was greatly ministered to by the words of my friend John Piper (and, by the way, Paul Stephenson mentioned to me just the other day how challenging and helpful Piper’s writings have been to him – take a look, for instance, at Don’t Waste Your Life and Don’t Waste Your Cancer). Well, Piper wrote just today on his blog over at desiringGod www.desiringgod.org   a little commentary piece called “Why God Doesn’t Fully Explain Pain.” I think you will find it helpful, so I reproduce some of it here:

Dr. Piper says: “One of the reasons God rarely gives micro reasons for his painful providences, but regularly gives magnificent macro reasons, is that there are too many micro reasons for us to manage, namely, millions and millions and millions and millions and millions.

God says things like:
* These bad things happened to you because I intend to work it together for your good (Romans 8).
* These happened so that you would rely more on God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1).
* This happened so that the gold and silver of your faith would be refined (1 Peter 1).
* This thorn is so that the power of Christ would be magnified in your weakness  (2 Corinthians 12).

But we can always object that there are other easier ways for God to accomplish those things. We want to know more specifics: Why now? Why this much? Why this often? Why this way? Why these people?

The problem is, we would have to be God to grasp all that God is doing in our problems. In fact, pushing too hard for more detailed explanations from God is a kind of demand that we be God.

. . . God cannot make plain all He is doing, because there are millions and millions and millions and millions of effects of every event in your life, the good and the bad. God guides them all. They all have micro purposes and macro purposes. He cannot tell you all of them because your brain can’t hold all of them.

Trust does not demand more than God has told us. And He has given us immeasurably precious promises that He is in control of all things and only does good to His children. And he has given us a very thick book where we can read story after story after story about how He rules for the good of His people. Let’s trust Him and not ask for what our brains cannot contain.”  John Piper, July 14, 2008, http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog1307_why_god_doesnt_fully_explain_pain/

 
Those words are so helpful, and biblical, and they are equally applicable to any kind of a painful situation that a believer can be in. So, whether you are battling cancer, or chronic pain, or dealing with family struggles, or in a hopeless marriage, or some other painful circumstance – take comfort from this sound, Scriptural counsel.

William Cowper’s great hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” also addresses this struggle. Cowper has us sing: “Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. And then: “Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.” God grant us the grace to rest in his providence when all the lights go out.

 

June 20, 2008

Last Sunday night Alan Walters gave a great report on this year’s General Assembly [GA] of the Presbyterian Church in America. Let me recap some of the highlights. The 36th GA met in the Hyatt Regency Reunion Center in Dallas, June 10-13. The GA is composed of Pastors and Elders representing all the churches of our denomination. The Assembly worships, attends stimulating seminars, hears reports about the ministries of the various agencies and institutions of our church, gives oversight to those same agencies and institutions, and debates matters of theology and practice important to the life and ministry of our churches and members.
Your representatives to this year’s PCA GA were eight ruling elders and five ministers. The Ruling Elders were —Gene McRoberts, Orrin Swayze, Lee Owen, Doyle Moorhead, Don Breazeale, Rob Love, Mark Windham and Alan Walters. The Teaching Elders (or pastors or ministers) were—Derek Thomas, Bill Hughes, Brister Ware, Jeremy Smith and yours truly. We are able to send so many representatives because of the size of our congregation.

This year’s General Assembly elected Dr. Paul Kooistra as moderator. Dr. Kooistra is coordinator of Mission to the World, the foreign mission agency of the PCA, with its offices located in Lawrenceville, GA. Paul is a native of Duluth, Minnesota. He graduated from Columbia Seminary in Decatur, GA, with a master of divinity, and received his PhD from the University of Alabama. Before he became the coordinator of MTW in 1994, he served as a pastor, a Director of Christian Education, a professor at Belhaven College and later at RTS, then as president of Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Under Dr. Kooistra’s leadership, MTW has grown into the largest missionary agency in Presbyterian history. There are over 600 career missionaries and several thousand short- term missionaries serving throughout the world.

There were two other gentlemen also nominated for moderator: Dr. Tom Kay, Jr., pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Aliceville, AL, and Dr. O. Palmer Robertson, Vice-Chancellor of African Bible University in Kampala, Uganda, (and a son and missionary of our church).

Our PCA Administrative Committee reported that the PCA now has 1,666 churches and missions—an increase of 27 over last year. There were over 10,000 professions of faith across the churches of the PCA last year. Our total communing membership is about 350,000 and we grew by about 3% (which puts us among the few growing denominations in America— the Southern Baptist Convention, for instance, reported a loss in total membership this year). Per capita giving is also up in the PCA.

Of particular interest to this congregation, because of historic connection with Reformed University Fellowship, RUF started seven new campus ministries in 2007, and now has more than 100 campus fellowships. Additionally, it was noted that more than 50 of our former RUF campus ministers are now serving as church planters, pastors and associate pastors throughout the PCA.

I had the privilege of presenting an In Memoriam resolution in recognition of the life and service of the late Robert C. “Bob” Cannada, an elder of our church and a founding father of the PCA, who died last year on July 5, 2007, just a few weeks after the Memphis GA.

Two very significant things happened at this year’s General Assembly. First, the GA continued to make clear how serious it is about thwarting a divergent teaching circulating in some parts of the PCA, known as “the Federal Vision.” The GA’s Standing Judicial Commission took the almost unprecedented step of admonishing an entire presbytery. On Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Dr. Kooistra read aloud to the whole GA a censure of admonition to Louisiana Presbytery. The Standing Judicial Commission (SJC) had filed charges against Louisiana Presbytery for “its failure adequately to protect the peace, purity and unity of the Church” in its investigation of and proceedings pertaining to Steve Wilkins, the pastor of the Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church in Monroe, LA, an advocate of the so-called “Federal Vision.”

Second, the GA debated on whether to establish a study committee on the role of women in diaconal ministry and on the possibility of ordaining women deacons in the PCA. On Thursday, the Overtures Committee, led by Fred Greco, a PCA pastor in Houston, TX, (and a former Ruling Elder, lawyer and RTS Jackson graduate), recommended against establishing such a committee, citing the fact that our Standards are clear on this issue, and that its rationale is solidly based on Scripture. Dr. Bryan Chapell of Covenant Seminary presented a Minority Report which asked the Assembly to establish a study committee comprised of theologians on both sides of the issue—including Tim Keller, Phil Ryken, Jimmy Agan (a New Testament professor at Covenant Seminary) and me—to meet together over the coming year to come to a Scriptural understanding of deaconesses. After a good debate, this minority report was eventually defeated.

The GA ended early, finishing its work on Thursday night. Next year’s GA will meet in Orlando, Florida. There will be a special pre-Assembly conference on the life and theology of John Calvin (because next year, 2009, will mark the five-hundredth anniversary of his birth).

June 13, 2008

Well, we have completed another year’s Vacation Bible School here at First Presbyterian. “Run the Race” was the theme, and attendance was strong (we had about 400 each day). My insider informants (I can’t reveal my sources -j), report that it was a great week! Of course, I got to participate as well (and to pull a prank on Peyton Parker and Anderson Miskelly, who thought they were pulling a prank on me!).

Too many people play crucial roles in pulling off VBS at First Church for me to even begin to try to mention them all, but I want, especially, to express my appreciation to Weezie Polk and Barbara Porter (who lead our church’s Children’s Ministry), Tracy Davis, Director; Susan Graves, Assistant Director; Mary Ball, Skit Director; Leigh Moore, Music Director; and the nearly 150 workers who filled multiple positions: Table Teachers, Bible Teachers, Music and Crafts, Playground, Refreshments, approximately 50 teen helpers, our youth staff who were involved at the Mustard Seed every day. Of course, there are numerous others who made VBS happen. May God richly bless your labors with Gospel fruit in the hearts and lives of children.

At this General Assembly, I have been asked to participate in a forum and a seminar. The forum is on the subject, “What do the sacraments actually accomplish in their administration?” The reason this is such a hot topic is because of the views of the so-called “Federal Vision” – views which last year’s PCA General Assembly declared to be out of accord with our doctrinal standards. Proponents of the “Federal Vision” want to stress what the sacraments objectively accomplish in their administration. They view this as correcting a pietistic view of the sacraments that reduces them to mere symbols. I shall be arguing in my paper (over against both the Federal Vision view(s) and over against certain memorialist views) that: “The administrations of the covenant of grace in the Bible, and their signs, are all about our assurance of God’s promise.” This is what every sacrament fundamentally sets forth. They do not effect or inaugurate God’s promise to us or our reception of it, but rather confirm and assure us of our interest in God’s promise.

Objectively, covenant signs do at least four things: (1) they display God’s promise; (2) they are, by the Holy Spirit, God’s means of confirming that promise to and in those who receive it by faith; (3) they openly manifest the church-world distinction; and (4) they visibly obligate us to respond, by grace, in faith to the promises, and in obedience to the obligations of the covenant of grace. Subjectively, covenant signs do at least four things: (1) they enable the believer to apprehend God’s promise tangibly; (2) they assure the elect of God’s promise, and of its products for and in those who receive it by faith; (3) they impress upon the believer the particularity of the covenant of grace; and (4) they impel the disciple to a grace-based discipleship.” Now that’s a pretty dense paragraph, so if you are wanting some unpacking done for you, be sure to listen to the talk online, or read it at our church website.

I will also give a paper at a seminar, on the subject of: “Biblical Manhood and Womanhood in the PCA: Where we’ve come from, and the way ahead.” Again, this is a hot topic because of a number of overtures at this year’s GA asking the denomination to consider ordaining women deacons, and elaborating our position on the ministry of women in the church. We’ll give you a full report on all the goings on at Assembly, this coming Sunday night.

We finished Philippians on last Sunday morning, and this coming Lord’s Day (June 15), we will (DV) begin the fourth book of the Psalms (90-106) with an exposition of “Moses’ Psalm – Psalm 90. See you there.

May 9, 2008
Well, there is tons to say today, so let me get right to it. First, thank you for your participation in the officer nomination process. We have had a record participation in nominations, and we have an outstanding slate of officer candidates. More on that soon, but for now, as soon as you see the list of our nominees, I’d encourage you to: (1) Start praying for them. Pray that they would learn much and grow in grace through the training process. (2) Start getting to know the ones you don’t, and to know better the ones that you do know as well. (3) As you get their bios, begin to ask yourself questions about the character qualifications of officers in the New Testament, and begin to pray that God would show you those marks in the lives of those you will vote for. 

Second, last week was the final week for three wonderful staff people at our church. Marianna Breazeale and  Allison Shaw concluded, with distinction, their faithful labors here at First. Marianna worked with our students, and Allison with the Discipleship Ministry. These gifted and hardworking friends have served us all well, and they will be missed. Meanwhile, last week was also Ben Shaw’s final full week of work with our students. By the time you are reading this, Ben and Marianna will probably be married. They are going to be serving the Lord together with Reformed University Ministries on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi, leading the RUF group there. Ben has done a tremendous job ministering to our guys. Marianna, Allison and Ben – we will miss you!  

Third, a bunch of you have been asking me about the runaway bestselling book The Shack by William Young. It has been endorsed by a number of ‘evangelical’ figures (some with wildly enthusiastic blurbs, like Eugene Peterson, who declares that it is going to be this generation’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” – I don’t think so!). Well, it’s hard to know where to begin, but the novel is about finding God, believing in God, understanding God in the midst of unspeakable pain. It’s the story of a man named Mackenzie Phillips, whose youngest daughter, Missy, is abducted on a family vacation. Evidence is subsequently found that she may have been brutally murdered in a shack in the Oregon wilderness. Naturally, this loving father is heartbroken. Four years later, still in the midst of deep despair, Mack gets a letter from God asking him to meet Him at the shack for a weekend (thus the title, The Shack). Mack goes, and meets the Trinity (which is composed of an African-American woman, named Papa, who is the manifestation of the Father, Jesus is a middle-aged man of middle-eastern descent, and the Holy Spirit appears as Sarayu, a small Asian woman). Naturally, this very literary device will strike some of us as irreverent.  

What about the theology of the book? Well, it’s a mixed bag. Because of the very style of the literature, it is hard to always know for sure what the author is asserting or attempting to convey, but the people I trust most have not been positive in their assessment of its message. Tim Challies has a good review of it at his website – www.challies.com. I commend his review to you: the precise address of which is:  http://www.challies.com/ archives/book-reviews/the-shack-bywilliam-p-young.php

Here’s how Tim summarizes the book:

“It is clear to me that The Shack is a mix of good and bad. Young teaches much that is of value and he teaches it in a slick and effective way. Sadly, though, there is much bad mixed in with the good. As we pursue his major theological thrusts we see that many of them wander away, by varying degrees, from what God tells us in Scripture. ... Despite the great amount of poor theology, my greatest concern is probably this one: the book has a quietly subversive quality to it. Young seems set on undermining orthodoxy Christianity.... Because of the sheer volume of error and because of the importance of the doctrines reinvented by the author, I would encourage Christians, and especially young Christians, to decline this invitation to meet with God in The Shack. It is not worth reading for the story and certainly not worth reading for the theology.”

Whatever you decide, I’d urge you to read with discernment. But I’d also urge you to be prepared to talk biblically about the themes of the book with unbelieving and unchurched friends, whose interests may have been piqued by reading the book. That means that it would be worth your time to read Tim’s review, if not the book itself. Use your conversations with others as Gospel opportunities to talk about eternal things rather than to argue about the relative merit or demerit of the book itself.

May 2, 2008

Since January 3, 2007 we have been studying through the book of Numbers, on and off, on Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights. 46 sermons later, we are almost done. On Wednesday night, May 7, we are due to arrive at the final chapter of the book. I know, Numbers is probably not one of your top ten favorite Bible books (although, I must say, it has really grown on me during this series!), but Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 that the book of Numbers was written for us as Christians and is profoundly practical for us today! In fact, he says more than that. He says that events recorded in Numbers actually happened for us and that God wants us to learn from them how we are to live right now! Our study has certainly proved this to be the case..
    Well, the whole book of Numbers looks forward to Israel’s settlement in the promised land, and so it is appropriate that it closes with six provisions of God in relation to the occupation of Canaan. We’ve looked at the first three of these. We’ll look at the last three in the final two sermons.
    Meanwhile, on this past Sunday night, we considered the boundaries of the land and the men appointed by God to see to the distribution of it. We saw three things: (1) God’s generosity in giving Israel more land than they ever occupied (this also, nevertheless, highlights Israel’s failure to obey God in fully occupying the land); (2) The link between God’s blessing and our response, and what this teaches us about the way of sanctification, or growth in the Christian life. We described this using the motto: the Land is yours, now take it (see Numbers 33:53 “And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.”) It’s the Old Testament version of the New Testament principle that “the indicative precedes the imperative.” God gives us what He commands and then commands us. (3) God’s wise three-part plan for taking the distribution of the land out of the hands of the tribes [lots, proportionate designation, divinely appointed leaders].
    If you missed some, most or all of this series, you can read or listen to it online at the church website, or you can order CDs or tapes of it from the Learning Resource Center.
    Meanwhile, on Sunday mornings we have been studying Paul’s letter to the Philippians for almost exactly a year (the first message was preached on April 29, 2007). We are now about six sermons from the end. We’ll probably cover it this way. We’ll begin the end of our journey through this epistle by looking at Philippians 3:12-16 this Sunday. Then 3:17-4:1 on May 11, 4:2-7 on May 18, followed by 4:8-9 the next week, and 4:10-20 on June 1, finishing 4:21-23 on June 8. I have deliberately taken the pace of preaching through Philippians significantly slower than any other series that I’ve preached at First Presbyterian (and, yes, friends, I’ve heard your groaning!), not to vex you or bore you, but to try to work the truth of this letter deep down into our bones. Well, you’ve almost survived.
I must say that it is always bittersweet for me when I come to an end of a sermon series through a Bible book with you. This is so for a variety of reasons. (1.) I always look back and wish I’d preached the book better. (2.) I always look back and am thankful for what I’ve learned, and wished I’d learned it a long time ago. (3.) The thought always crosses my mind that I will not likely pass this way with you again in this book. That is, when I conclude a series, it strikes me that it may be the last time I’ll study that book with you from the pulpit of First Pres. For no matter how long the Lord gives me to minister here at First Pres, it is unlikely that I’ll be able to preach through the Bible twice, or even to preach through many, or any, Bible books twice with you – the Bible is a big book! All these things make the privilege of preaching the Word to you, all the more precious to me.
    Where next? Psalms, Book 4 (90-106) on Sunday mornings. Derek will continue through Ezra and Nehemiah. Jeremy Smith and Nate Shurden are going to do some preaching on Wednesday nights. And then, somewhere, I’m going to jump into Deuteronomy!

 

April 11, 2008

April 4, 2008 turned out to be a day to remember in Jackson. Northeast Jackson was hit harder this past Friday, just after noon, than we were by Katrina. A category E2 tornado touched down in the extreme south of Madison Country, near Highland Colony Parkway, blazed a trail of destruction across Hinds County (but especially northeast Jackson) and then ended in Rankin County.
    All along the way the tornado crashed into the lives of more than a thousand members of First Presbyterian Church. And the Lord watched over us all, from Beth Keeler, who found herself right under the thing as it first came down (picking up her SUV and blowing out her windows, then setting her down safe but shaken) to Justin and Jay Pillsbury, who were at home right in the path of the monster but were kept safe and sound (but look at the houses around them), to Brister and Marian Ware’s home in Rankin County (in whose neighborhood the great storm ended), which alone on its street was spared major damage – the Lord hedged us about with angels.
    The providences here are too numerous and extraordinary to discount as coincidence. We have manifold reasons to thank the Lord, even with the major impact the great winds have had on so many of us (and there are many of our own who have been deeply affected) – for the Lord spared our lives. Let us thank him.
Billy Joseph and our deacons have been on the move since Friday, calling on hundreds of members and helping many in need of assistance. If you still need help in the recovery (and let me stress that a number of our members have sustained significant structural damage to their homes and property), please call Billy Joseph at the church (at 601 973 9124) and let him know. We’ll do everything in our power to help and encourage you.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the congregation quickly and enthusiastically approved the elders’ recommendation that we embark on a season of officer elections. Let me point out just a few important things about the process as we go forward.
    First, our wise elders have changed our almost 50-year old practice of requiring you to vote for a set number of candidates on your ballots. They have made this change out of a concern to protect your freedom of conscience. Now, you will be allowed to vote for up to a maximum number on each ballot. I’ll explain more about that later, but since I’ve had more questions about that issue than any other in my dozen years here at First Presbyterian, I thought you’d want to know.
    Second, the revised nomination process requires a man to receive three (3) nominations in order for his name to be placed before the elders in the officer election process. This will require all of us to participate in the nomination process as never before. I hope it will get you talking to one another about the men in whom you see gifts for leadership and service in our church. Make sure you get the official nomination forms from the church office and follow the instructions carefully. We’ve got a lot to do this month!
    Third, remember that our church officer election policy and the nomination forms, and other information about the election process are available to you on the church website.
    You can go to the church home page at www.fpcjackson.org , and click on recent updates and follow the links, or your can type
http://www.fpcjackson.org/general/policy/Church_Officers/church_officer_policy.htm into your web browser’s url line.
    Remember that this coming Lord’s Day is Communion Sunday. Let’s make this a time of Gospel rejoicing and forgiveness.

April 4, 2008

In Titus 1:6-9 he adds that an elder must be “above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
    Thus, to summarize, the Bible specifies godly Christian character, family spiritual leadership, and ability to teach the truth of the Word as indispensable qualifications for the eldership.
    What are deacons? Well, the office of deacon, too, is an office to be held by godly men and those who hold this office are jointly responsible for leading the mercy ministry of the church. Our Book of Church Order puts it this way: “The office of deacon is set forth in the Scriptures as ordinary and perpetual in the Church. The office is one of sympathy and service, after the example of the Lord Jesus; it expresses also the communion of saints, especially in their helping one another in time of need.”
    What do deacons do? The Book of Church Order supplies this helpful summary: “It is the duty of the deacons to minister to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress. It is their duty also to develop the grace of liberality in the members of the church, to devise effective methods of collecting the gifts of the people, and to distribute these gifts among the objects to which they are contributed. They shall have the care of the property of the congregation, both real and personal, and shall keep in proper repair the church edifice and other buildings belonging to the congregation.”
What are the biblical qualifications for deacon? The Bible is clear about the qualifications for a deacon. Paul says in 1 Timothy 3:8-10, 12-13 that “Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”
    Deacons were first appointed in the church by the apostles themselves, in Acts 6. A problem had arisen in connection with church aid given to some of the widows in the congregation in Jerusalem. The apostles determined that it would be wrong for them to neglect their job as elders, but that the ministry of mercy was also too important to neglect. Thus, we read: “So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’” The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.” (Acts 6:3-6)
    This is why our Book of Church Order says: “To the office of deacon, which is spiritual in nature, shall be chosen men of spiritual character, honest repute, exemplary lives, brotherly spirit, warm sympathies, and sound judgment.” Thus, to summarize, the Bible specifies godly Christian character, family spiritual leadership, and firm belief in the truth of the Word as indispensable qualifications for the diaconate.

 

March 21, 2008

It is Easter week, and we are greatly anticipating worshiping together on the Lord’s Day. I can’t wait to sing “See, What a Morning,” and “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” with you! And guess where we are in our study of Philippians? We have made it to Philippians 3:1-11. Coincidence? No, providence! Read the whole passage but here’s a little taste: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” I can’t wait to learn the truth of this passage with you on the Day of Resurrection!
    Do also remember that we are rapidly approaching the date of our congregational meeting in which we will begin the process of electing new elders and deacons.    On Sunday, April 6, 2008, after the 11 o’clock service only, we will gather as a membership to act on a recommendation from the elders that we elect new deacons and elders. Douglas McCullough has provided us with a treasure trove of information about this.
    Go to the front page of the church website (that’s www.fpcjackson.org) and at the top of the page, click on “general info,” then “policy statements,” and then “Church Officers: Biblical Qualifications and Election Info.”

Or go directly to:
http://www.fpcjackson.org/general/policy/Church_Officers/church_officer_policy.htm.

    Here are some important things you need to know about the nominations process: Nominations for Ruling Elders and Deacons will begin immediately upon the congregational approval of the resolution from our Session on April 6, which sets the election process in motion. The period of time for nominations will last for almost a month, ending on May 2, 2008, at 5:00 p.m.
    Only those men who have been members of First Presbyterian Church for at least three years, who meet the qualifications of Scripture, whose reputation and character are known, who are committed to the doctrines of our church, and who show the gifts for the specific office being considered are eligible for nomination.
Each full communing member is allowed to nominate as many men as have been approved to be elected. By submitting and signing an officer-nomination form, church members are attesting that (1) they have spoken with the person being nominated and (2) they have gained his permission to do so.
    For a male member of the congregation to be considered for nomination for either Elder/Deacon, he will be required to receive at least three nominations. All nominations for either office shall be handed or mailed to the Executive Minister’s office on the provided form.
    If you are making more than one nomination, then you need to submit a separate nomination form for each person you nominate. The nomination forms received from church members shall be maintained in the church office until the election is complete. Upon receiving the third nomination, the church office will promptly send the nominee notice that he has been nominated for elder or deacon, along with other pertinent information regarding the election process. Nominees, please note: your prompt return of all requested responses for information will be required by the deadlines indicated in the correspondence you receive from the church office.


 

March 14, 2008

We are approaching the date of our congregational meeting in which we will begin the process of electing new elders and deacons. Over the weeks and months to come, here in The First Epistle and on the pastors’ blog (at http://fpcj.blogspot.com/ and  http://www.fpcjackson.org/resources/apologetics/Worship/index.htm,)

I want to draw your attention to what the Bible says about the qualifications and responsibilities of the offices of elder and deacon. It is vital that our whole congregation understand these, because you will be called upon to nominate them and to elect those who will serve, you will need to know what the Bible requires and be able to discern who fulfills the requirements.

Today, I want to consider with you the task of the elder, and how you might go about discerning it in a man. In 2 Timothy 2:1-2, the Apostle Paul tells his protege, the young pastor Timothy: “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Paul is telling Timothy to seek out and find and disciple and equip elders, who will themselves in turn seek out and disciple other people in the church.

Notice that these elders are to be pastors, shepherds, who are reliable and faithful and who are willing and able to teach and disciple others. This is the same thing Paul says in 1 Timothy 3:2 “an overseer [meaning an elder, guide, shepherd, pastor] must be . . . able to teach.” That is, the fundamental thing that an elder must have the desire and ability to do, is to teach, to disciple. To teach the faith, the Gospel, the Bible. To edify the flock with the word of life. To equip the saints for the work of service.

So how do you know whether a man has this desire and ability? How would you identify such a person? Well, here are a few ideas (several of them borrowed from my good friend Thabiti Anyabwile who has written a great series on elders).

1. Note those men who are regularly in attendance at the church’s services (Sunday morning, Sunday evening and at the Mid-week Bible Study and Prayer Meeting or who participate in the Wednesday night Discipleship groups), as well as Sunday School, and who are otherwise actively involved in the ministry of the church. Start with those who already show an active commitment to the ministry and who will be models of that commitment to the body.

2. Note the men who already appear to be shepherding members of the church yet without the title “elder” or “pastor.” Who are the men that care for others by visiting or practicing hospitality, giving counsel (being often sought after by others), and who participate in the teaching ministry of the church.

3. Note those men who show respect and trust in the present leadership of our elders, who work to understand the directions leadership pursue, who ask good/appropriate questions in appropriate settings, who avoid creating confusion or dissension in private and in public.

4. Note those men who have evidenced this desire over time. Don’t hesitate to ask a man whether he desires to teach and disciple others as an elder in the church. Ask him how long he has had this desire. What kindled it in him at first? And since in our church the teaching of the elders must be in accord with the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms, ask him about his study and understanding of, and commitment to, the theology of the Westminster Standards.

 

February 22, 2008

Well, in the midst of missions conference, it will perhaps be encouraging to you for me to pause and tell you a little about what God is doing closer to our home front. Last Lord’s Day afternoon (after a wonderful new members luncheon at First Presbyterian), Anne, Sarah Kennedy, Jennings and I drove down to Summit, Mississippi, for the particularization service of the New Covenant Presbyterian Church of McComb, MS. As I mentioned from the pulpit on Sunday morning, many of you have been praying for many years that a PCA work would be started and thrive in McComb. Well, God has heard and answered those prayers in a remarkable way.
    I can’t tell the whole story, but let me hit some high points. Last year, it was my privilege to address the congregation of J.J. White Memorial PC(USA) in McComb. They were deeply concerned by the widespread biblical infidelity in their denomination and considering alternatives. Thus, they invited in representatives to address them from the EPC, New Wineskins, PCUSA and PCA. In the end, when the congregation was unable to muster consensus to leave the PCUSA as a whole, rather than contribute to a contentious church split and property battle, 11 of 15 elders resigned and a large group of members prayed that God would provide some other avenue in answer to their prayers for a renewed, vital, biblical church. They really were a model of Christian kindness and integrity in a very difficult situation.
    Well, these energetic, committed Christians began to make plans for a new Presbyterian congregation in McComb in early July, 2007. On July 29, 2007, they overwhelmingly agreed to seek affiliation with the Presbyterian Church in America. The congregation was received as a mission congregation of the PCA at the September 11, 2007, meeting of Grace Presbytery.
    Since that time, a full schedule of services has been held each week. Our own Pam Glover has helped organize their Women in the Church (WIC) for service and fellowship (Dr. Jeff Glover, Pam’s husband, is one of the church’s new officers!). An adult choir is meeting on Wednesday nights. Weekly programs and classes are held for children and youth.
    A membership roll of over one hundred members was established on Sunday, October 28, 2007. During the fall, over twenty men met each week for eight weeks to study the doctrine and polity of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the denomination of which New Covenant Presbyterian Church is now a member. Elders were elected by the congregation on December 16, 2007. Deacons were elected in January, 2008.
The congregation also voted in January to extend a call to Rev. Lane Stephenson to serve as pastor. NCPC’s request to be received as a “particularized” (or “fully organized”) church was approved by Grace Presbytery at its January 7 meeting. The church is underway and growing. A building fund has been established (they are already about to outgrow their present quarters!), property is being sought, new families have joined them, and they are already contributing generously and sacrificially to the work of world missions.
    The particularization service was long (over two hours!) but exuberant. Dr. Jim Shull presided. The Elders and Deacons were ordained/installed. The church was officially constituted as a mature congregation of the PCA, and the pastor was installed. It really was glorious. We met in the Student Union Auditorium of the Southwest Mississippi Community College, and it was filled to overflowing. High points for me were hearing Richard C. Moore’s gracious testimonial, and seeing the smiles (and tears of joy) on our friends’ faces. It was just great to be with former FPC members, like Gene Price and the Glovers. We have lots of connections with this vibrant new congregation. They are excited to be about the work of the Gospel and what an inspiration it was to be with them. Let’s keep praying for and doing what we can to encourage them.

---------------------------------2008------------------------------

December 21, 2007
This is our last First Epistle for the Year of our Lord, 2007. Our faithful editor will take a brief break and we’ll have the new year’s first edition out for you in the second week of January. In the meantime, allow me to leave you with a thought to ponder over of the holidays.

Read more in 2008! That’s it. Think about it, and do it. I was recently with a friend who had been briefed by some high-level officials in the publishing industry who were commented on how few people finish books (especially big ones!) anymore. Well, Christians ought to be readers. So are you reading enough? I don’t mean glossy magazines or professional rags or sports pages. I mean substantial Christian literature.

Maybe TV is one barrier to this. I love John Piper’s article on this subject – “You Have One Life: Is TV Too Big a Part of It?” Here’s what he says:

“If all other variables are equal, your capacity to know God deeply will probably diminish in direct proportion to how much television you watch. There are several reasons for this. One is that television reflects American culture at its most trivial level. And a steady diet of triviality shrinks the soul. You get used to it. It starts to seem normal. Silly becomes funny. And funny becomes pleasing. And pleasing becomes soul-satisfaction. And in the end the soul that is made for God has shrunk to fit snugly around emptiness.”

“This may be unnoticed, because if all you’ve known is American culture, you can’t tell there is anything wrong. If you have only read comic books, it won’t be strange that there are no novels in your house. If you live where there are no seasons, you won’t miss the colors of fall. If you watch fifty TV ads each night, you may forget there is such a thing as wisdom. TV is mostly trivial. It seldom inspires great thoughts or great feelings with glimpses of great Truth. God is the great, absolute, all-shaping Reality. If He gets any air time, He is treated as an opinion. There is no reverence. No trembling. God and all that He thinks about the world is missing. Cut loose from God, everything goes down.”

“Just think how new TV is. In the 2000 years since Christ, TV has shaped only the last 2.5 percent of that history. For 97.5 percent of the time since Jesus, there was no TV. And for 95 percent of this time there was no radio. It arrived on the scene in the early 1900’s. So for 1900 years of Christian history people spent their leisure time doing other things. We wonder, what could they possibly have done? They may have read more. Or discussed things more. For certain they were not bombarded with soul-shrinking, round-the-clock trivialities.”

Pretty hard-hitting, huh? The whole area is worth reflection.

Want some suggestions? Okay, here are twelve books to read in 2008 (one for each month).
1. John Stott, Basic Christianity (IVP). 2. R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God (Tyndale House).
3. John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life (Crossway).
4. Don Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation (Baker).
5. J.C. Ryle, Holiness (Evangelical Press).
6. J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God (Eerdmans).
7. J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness (Crossway Books).
8. John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Eerdmans).
9. David F. Wells, No Place for Truth (Eerdmans).
10. John Piper and Wayne Grudem, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Crossway).
11. J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism (Eerdmans).
12. Westminster Confession of Faith (Free Presbyterian Publications).

Happy reading and Merry Christmas!

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan

November 30, 2007
Derek and I will begin our sermon series on the famous “Nine Lessons and Carols” from King’s College, Cambridge, this Lord’s Day. Derek will start off in the morning services with the First Lesson: “God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the serpent’s head.” The reading is from Genesis 3 and Derek is titling the message “Christmas from Afar.” The point is that the Christmas story begins with “the Fall” and the first promise of God. Until we understand our sin and need we can’t understand the glory of grace and the gift of Christ.

    Then on Sunday evening we’ll consider the Second Lesson: “God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” The reading is from Genesis 22, in the beautiful old King James Version.

    Actually it is just verses 15-18.
“And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

    These are hugely important words. As far as we know, the last words God ever spoke to Abraham. In them, the Lord emphatically reaffirms his covenant promises to Abraham in order to give him assurance. Indeed, the passage makes clear that one consequence of Abraham’s heroic obedience in being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac was God’s special word of assurance to him. The reward of Abraham’s obedience is assurance, and the Lord honors him by reaffirming and expanding his covenantal commitments to him.

    Specifically, God reiterates four things.
1. “I will greatly bless you.” God confirms his unchanging covenantal favor.
2. “I will greatly multiply your seed.” God confirms his promise to make Abraham a father of nations (cf. Genesis 22:20-24).
3. “Your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.” God forecasts the conquest of Canaan and the church’s inheritance of the world (Romans 4:13, Matthew 5:5).
4. “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” God reaffirms his purpose in blessing Abraham: that Abraham might be a blessing.
In this word of confirmation, the Lord employs shocking language: “I swear by myself.” He must witness to himself for there is none higher. Hebrews 6:13-18 explains and applies the meaning of this glorious Old Testament passage in detail.

    The great stress of the passage is the certainty of God’s promise and thus of our assurance.
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

Come expectantly this Lord’s Day as we prepare to feast, all month long, on the grand story of our redemption.

 

November 16, 2007
One of my very favorite hymns is “What Wondrous Love Is This.” The lyrics, sometimes attributed to Alexander Means, run like this:

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
To God and to the Lamb Who is the great “I Am”;
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on.

This is an old hymn, dating from the famous shaped-note songbook The Southern Harmony (1835). If you grew up in Dixie, you probably had Grandparents who sang songs (or at least remembered hearing songs) from that hymnal. The tune is a simple but haunting folk tune.

The focus of the hymn is the love of God. As we grasp the love of God, we learn to love, and are constrained by his love to share it with others, all others. His love is too great to be hidden in silence in the hearts of his people. It must be told out and sung out, and that’s what this song celebrates.

There are but three stanzas of this hymn included in our hymnal, and they each focus on very simple but profound themes. Basically, the song asks us to think about, or rather, to be lost in the glory of the love of Christ. Then it brings home two practical applications of that love: (1) the desire to exalt the Lord for that love, and (2) the comforting truth that we’ll sing this song forever and never tire of it.

In the first stanza we ponder: what kind of love would move Christ, the Lord Christ, to die for me? Indeed it is a wondrous love that moved our Lord to “bear the dreadful curse” for our souls. These words point us to reflect upon the sheer extravagance of God’s love and grace. His love is unexpected and overwhelming and incomparable. And the more we ponder it spiritually, the more baffling and comforting it is.

The second stanza is a response to the realization of Christ’s love as expressed in the first stanza. It proclaims that his love moves us to praise God and the Lamb, along with millions of others who are also beneficiaries of Christ’s devotion.

Finally, in stanza three, the hymnist reminds us that our song of praise will not end in this life. When we cross over to the other side, it will continue and increase. It is a song of joy that will go on for eternity. That truth has comforted many a weary Christian pilgrim, traveling in valleys of trouble and despair.

 

October 19, 2007

One of my very favorite hymns is Now Thank We All Our God, written in 1636 by Martin Rinkart (1586-1649), who was a Lutheran minister in Eilenburg, Saxony. “During the Thirty Years’ War, the walled city of Eilenburg saw a steady stream of refugees pour through its gates. The Swedish army surrounded the city, and famine and plague were rampant. Eight hundred homes were destroyed, and the people began to perish. There was a tremendous strain on the pastors who had to conduct dozens of funerals daily. Finally, the pastors, too, succumbed, and Rinkart was the only one left—doing 50 funerals a day. When the Swedes demanded a huge ransom, Rinkart left the safety of the walls to plead for mercy. The Swedish commander, impressed by his faith and courage, lowered his demands. Soon afterward, the Thirty Years’ War ended, and Rinkart wrote this hymn for a grand celebration service. It is a testament to his faith that, after such misery, he was able to write a hymn of abiding trust and gratitude toward God.”

    This was one of the first hymns I sang with you as your minister. I wept then as I sang and I never fail to be moved when I sing it with you still. It is one of the best in our hymnal. Let’s walk together through its glorious text.
        Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
        Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
        Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
        With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

    The first stanza has us sing, roughly: “Let us now all thank our God, with everything we are (heart, hands and voices). He has worked wonders and the whole world rejoices in Him (if we don’t, the stones will cry out!). He has shown us his favor from the first time we were held by our mothers, and all along on the way. He has blessed us with innumerable gifts flowing from His love, and He is still our God today.

    Notice how the first line reminds one of Romans 12:1 (present your body, the whole of your self, as a living sacrifice). This whole first stanza is both thanks and praise, but did you catch how the hymn gives us reasons to praise God (unlike many songs written for use in worship today). In fact, in just this first stanza, Rinkart gives you five reasons to praise God: (1) He has done wondrous things; (2) the World rejoices in Him; (3) He has blessed us from the time we were first in our mothers’ arms; (4) with unnumbered gifts of love, (5) and He’s still ours today.
        O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
        With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
        And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
        And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

    In this second stanza we are exhorting one another to worship and prayer, like this: May our generous God always be near us all life long. May we have always joyful hearts and God-given peace to cheer us on our way. May God keep us, preserve us in His grace and give us guidance when we are baffled. May God deliver us from evil, now here and forevermore in the world to come.

    So, this second stanza is a petition, and a glorious one. We pray for God’s constant presence or nearness, for joyful hearts, and God’s peace, for perseverance in grace, guidance in perplexity, and for deliverance from evil, both in this world and the world to come.
        All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
        The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
        The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
        For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

    The third stanza returns us to praise: God the Father, we give all praise and thanks to You now. And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as You all reign in heaven. Three, yet one eternal God, adored in heaven above and here below. For thus, the Triune God, was, is and ever shall be blessed, forever.

    Notice how adoration is given to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (in beautiful English verse!). The end of the hymn, indeed, reminds one of the “Gloria Patri” (with “it” referring to the Holy Trinity).
    Sing it with joy and understanding next time we sing it!

October 12, 2007

As we approach our dedication services on Sunday, and remember the Lord’s kind providence over us these past 170 years, it is appropriate for us to recount some history here. Presbyterianism came to Mississippi long before Mississippi became a state (on December 10, 1817). One immediately thinks of, for instance, the old Salem [now Pine Ridge (PCA)] Church in Natchez that dates from 1807—the oldest extant Presbyterian congregation in the state. Within twenty years of the first Presbyterian missionaries in the territory, the Synod of Kentucky constituted the original Presbytery of Mississippi on March 6, 1816.
 

    But there were Presbyterians and Presbyterian churches here even earlier. For instance, the Presbyterians of the New York Missionary Society (of the Presbyterian Synod of New York) had sent missionaries to work among the Choctaw Indians while Mississippi was just barely a territory (established April 7, 1798), in 1799. In 1801, the Synod of North Carolina sent three missionaries who came by way of Nashville, and down the Old Natchez Trace. They established Presbyterianism in the Natchez area (the Bethel [1804], Salem and First Natchez [1817] churches all resulted from their ministry).

    In general, Presbyterianism in Mississippi has spread eastward and north out of the southwestern corner of the old territory, from what is now Adams County. Meanwhile, back in the east-central region of the state, the early influence of Presbyterians from North and South Carolina can be seen in the name of the Carolina Presbyterian Church (1841) in Neshoba County.

    Presbyterian churches existed in Edwards and Clinton before Jackson. In 1826, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church was founded in Edwards, and the old Mount Salus Church was established in Clinton, prior to the organization of First Church in Jackson. The Bethesda Church is the oldest church in the Mississippi Valley Presbytery (PCA).

    The congregation of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson began its history on a Saturday afternoon, April 8, 1837, by the Rev. Peter Donan and four persons: Mrs. Margaret E. Mayson, Mrs. Susan Patton, and John Robb and his wife, Marion. The organizational meeting was held in “the Old State House,” Mississippi’s first capitol, a small two-story structure on the northeast corner of East Capitol and North President Streets.

    The organizing pastor (what today we would call a “church planter”) was Peter Donan. Donan, who studied at Princeton Seminary under Charles Hodge and Samuel Miller, continued as the church’s pastor for four years. There were no elders for two years, no deacons for six years, and no meeting house for nearly nine years. In the first two years of its existence, the church had but three new members. Make sure and look at the handsome bulletin board that Janet Quayle has prepared on our church history (it is on the bridge from the Study Center/Day School on the way to the Library and Sanctuary).

We’ll continue to tell the story of the history of Presbyterianism in Mississippi, and the history of our congregation, in this column in weeks to come. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to worship services with you here on Sunday morning and evening with R.C. Sproul and Jim Baird preaching. And don’t forget, Jimmy Turner will preach the following Wednesday night (Oct. 17). See you here!

July 13, 2007
This has been a special week here at First Presbyterian Church, our first communion service in our new meeting house was held last Lord’s Day morning. How good it was to gather with you and commune, in Gospel grace, with our Lord. As we prepared for worship, I shared this brief word of explanation. “As we prepare for the Lord’s Supper, an act of public worship and a precious privilege for believers that displays our union and communion with Christ, let’s meditate on the meaning of the Lord’s Supper with the help of J.I. Packer, who says:
    “The Lord’s Supper is an act of worship taking the form of a ceremonial meal, in which Christ’s servants share bread and wine in memory of their crucified Lord and in celebration of the new covenant relationship [they have] with God through Christ’s death.
    “The prescribed ritual of the Supper has three levels of meaning for participants. First, it has a past reference to Christ’s death which we remember. Second, it has a present reference to our corporate feeding on him by faith, with implications for how we treat our fellow believers (1 Cor. 11:20-22). Third, it. has a future reference as we look ahead to Christ’s return and are encouraged by the thought of it. Preliminary self-examination, to make sure one’s frame of mind is as it should be, is advised (1 Cor. 11:28), and the wisdom of the advice is obvious.”
    This, by the way, reminds me that several over you wrote to me asking for the Sam Storms quote that I used for preparation for worship on July 1. Here it is (and I want to here record my thanks to Justin Taylor who brought it to my attention on his excellent blog “Between Two Worlds” – which all of you can read online at http://theologica.blogspot.com/).
    Okay, here it is, from Sam Storms, Signs of the Spirit, pp. 204-205: “Here, then, is how we must come to God, whether to serve him or worship him or enjoy all that he is for us in Jesus: Come, confessing your utter inability to do or offer anything that will empower God or enrich, enhance, or expand God.
    “Come, with heartfelt gratitude to God for the fact that whatever you own, whatever you are, whatever you have accomplished or hope to accomplish, is all from him, a gift of grace.
    “Come, declaring in your heart and aloud that if you serve, it is in the strength that God supplies (1 Pet. 4:10); if you give money, it is from the wealth that God has enabled you to earn; if it is praise of who he is, it is from the salvation and knowledge of God that he himself has provided for you in Christ Jesus.
“Come, declaring the all-sufficiency of God in meeting your every need. Praise His love, because if He were not loving, you would be justly and eternally condemned. Praise His power, because if He were weak, you would have no hope that what He has promised He will fulfill. Praise His forgiving mercy, because apart from His gracious determination to wash you clean in the blood of Christ, you would still be in your sin and hopelessly lost. So, too, with every attribute, praise Him!
    “Come, with an empty cup, happily pleading: “God, glorify Yourself by filling it to overflowing!”
    “Come, with a weak and wandering heart, joyfully beseeching: “God, glorify Yourself by strengthening me to do Your will and remain faithful to Your ways!”
    “Come, helpless, expectantly praying: “God, glorify Yourself by delivering me from my enemies and my troubles!”
    “Come, with your sin, gratefully asking: “God, glorify Yourself by setting me free from bondage to my flesh and breaking the grip of lust and envy and greed in my life!”
    “Come, with your hunger for pleasure and joy, desperately crying: “God, glorify Yourself by filling me with the fullness of joy! God, glorify Yourself by granting me pleasures that never end! God, glorify Yourself by satisfying my heart with Yourself! God, glorify Yourself by enthralling me with Your beauty . . . by overwhelming me with Your majesty . . . by taking my breath away with fresh insights into Your incomparable and infinite grandeur! God, glorify Yourself by shining into my mind the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ!””

June 15, 2007
Well, we have completed another year’s Vacation Bible School here at First Presbyterian. Attendance was strong (we had about 425 each day), and my insider informants, the Dunklings, report that it was a great week! Too many people play crucial roles in pulling off VBS at First Church for me to even begin to try to mention them all; but I want, especially, to express my appreciation to Weezie Polk and Barbara Porter (who lead our church’s Children’s Ministry), Beth Keeler, Director; Tracy Davis, Assistant Director; Kim Porter, Skit Director; Jane Yerger, Music Director; and the nearly 150 workers who filled multiple positions: Table Teachers, Bible Teachers, Music and Crafts, Playground, Refreshments, approximately 60 teen helpers, and our youth staff who ran VBS at Neighborhood Christian Center every afternoon. Of course, there are numerous others who made VBS happen. May God richly bless your labors with Gospel fruit in the hearts and lives of children.
     I am writing this First Epistle article from Memphis, Tennessee, where the PCA General Assembly is this year. By the time you are reading this, the Assembly will be over; but Jim Moore will give you a quick report on the week’s activities on Sunday night. We have a strong delegation from First Presbyterian Church here representing you.
     This coming Lord’s Day is slated to be our last day of worship services in our temporary quarters. The following Sunday we are scheduled to be in the new sanctuary. We’ve said it several times but it bears repeating – our first services are slated for Sunday, June 24, 2007. The services will be at our traditional 8:30 and 11 o’clock a.m. and 6:00 p.m. times. Naturally, the doors will open early.
     We should also mention that work on the covered entryway from the Belhaven Street side will probably not be completed until late July. The Casavant organ builders have been working hard in the early phase of building this magnificent new instrument. They have been installing the pipes in the organ chambers six days a week, Monday to Saturday; but it will take them all summer long to assemble, complete, prepare, and tune the organ.
     For this reason, we are not planning to do our special services celebrating the completion of the new sanctuary until the organ work is done in September. Then, in the months of September, October, and November, we will have a series of special services of thanksgiving. There will be guest preachers, special music, and more, as we give praise to God for his kindness to us and celebrate His providence in the 170 years of the life of this church.
     We should also note (again) that because of six-day-a-week organ construction, we will not be hosting weddings in the sanctuary until October. Organ construction may also impact our ability to host funerals (but we will still have the temporary sanctuary, Lowe Hall, and Patterson available for on-site funerals), so please be patient with us as we finalize the work on this handsome facility.

June 8, 2007
The summer is officially underway at First Presbyterian; and, as usual, we are not gearing down, but gearing up! Vacation Bible School has been blowing and going all week long, and this was also the first week of Twin Lakes summer camp (we so enjoyed having the staff here for the commissioning service last Sunday morning)    Do keep your bulletin or First Epistle with the list of the Twin Lakes summer staff and remember to pray for them all summer long. Meanwhile, I’ll give you a report on VBS next week.
     Speaking of next week (June 12-15), the PCA General Assembly is meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. Pray for our commissioners as they represent you at this important national meeting of our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America. Dr. Thomas will be preaching Sunday morning and evening while I am away for General Assembly, and (Lord willing) I’ll be back in the pulpit on June 17.
This past Sunday morning, we started our study of Philippians 1:21. We said Paul virtually turns this assertion into a life motto, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
     Paul having reflected during his imprisonment on the meaning of life and the benefit of death, comes to this conclusion. Christ is going to be glorified no matter what the verdict is against me. And so I am going to be the gainer, no matter what the verdict is against me. And Paul wants the Philippians, and you and me, to understand this, because his experience is not meant to be unique. We, too, are meant to have this outlook. We focused on two things that Paul teaches us here: what true life is, and why death is gain for Christians.
     First, Paul tells us that real life is knowing, loving, serving, glorifying, enjoying, and communing with Christ. That’s what he means when he says “to live is Christ.” Paul is saying that he finds total life meaning and fulfillment in Christ. How does the old Gospel song put it? “Jesus is all the world to me, My life, my joy, my all.” In other words, for Paul, and for all true Christians, the joy of life is wrapped up in the presence and enjoyment and service of Jesus. As Peter O’Brien says: “For Paul, living has no meaning apart from Christ. He is the object, motive, inspiration and goal of everything Paul does.” Is that how it is with you?
Then Paul springs the punch line. Because of this, death is even better. That is, because to live is to glorify and enjoy Christ, death is gain, because I am brought into the nearer presence of Christ thereby. Hence, he says, “to die is gain.”
     Note here, Paul is not struggling between heaven and hell, or between a hard life on earth and a respite in death, but between full life now and immediately fuller life upon his death—abundant life and fruitful Christ-exalting ministry amidst struggles, suffering, and pain here on earth, and even more abundant life because of the immediate enjoyment of Christ in His nearer presence, in death.
     As Moises Silva observes, this means that “Paul’s deliverance does not depend on whether he lives or dies. He views death as an advantageous alternative.” Why? Because Paul has come to understand that Christ is going to be glorified no matter what the verdict is against him. And so Paul is going to be the gainer, no matter what the verdict is against him. For Paul this life is bound up with knowing and glorifying Christ, that will only increase in the life to come. Thus, death is gain. What kind of gain? The gain is the personal benefit of being in the Lord’s presence. If to live is to glorify and enjoy Christ, to die is to glorify and enjoy him more!

June 1, 2007
I am writing this column on Monday, May 28, 2007—which is designated for the observance of Memorial Day in our country (the historic date is May 30). The origins of Memorial Day are somewhat sketchy, but its central point is the remembrance of those who have died in our nation’s service.
     Even before the end of the War Between the States (what some call the American Civil War), organized women’s groups here in the South were decorating graves of fallen heroes. And, of course, this was happening all over the land. The terrific casualties of that colossal conflict led to events, both spontaneous and planned, in cities, towns, and villages in north and south, to remember their beloved and honored dead. It is not surprising, then, that the establishment of Memorial Day finds its roots in the turbulent 1860s. Of course, we in the South for many years had our own special date for the remembrance of the Confederate dead. But that is another story for another time.
     How should we, as Christians, respond to Memorial Day? After all, we live now in an unpatriotic time, amidst a nation that is evidently apathetic about (or opposed to) the war in which we are now engaged. And, furthermore, many Americans hardly notice Memorial Day anymore. It is passed over as just another three-day weekend, or as the mark of the beginning of summer.
     President Bush’s Memorial Day Address had some helpful thoughts for us to consider. “This Memorial Day weekend, Americans honor those who have given their lives in service to our Nation. As we pay tribute to the brave men and women who died for our freedom, we also honor those who are defending our liberties around the world today . . . . soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have volunteered to protect America. We live in freedom because patriots such as these are willing to serve, and many have given their lives in defense of our Nation. On Monday, I will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their country’s cause . . . . On Memorial Day, we pray for our men and women serving in harm’s way. We pray for their safe return. And we pray for their families and loved ones, who also serve our country with their support and sacrifice . . . . On Memorial Day, we rededicate ourselves to freedom’s cause . . . . On Memorial Day, we also pay tribute to Americans from every generation who have given their lives for our freedom. From Valley Forge to Vietnam, from Kuwait to Kandahar, from Berlin to Baghdad, brave men and women have given up their own futures so that others might have a future of freedom. Because of their sacrifice, millions here and around the world enjoy the blessings of liberty. And wherever these patriots rest, we offer them the respect and gratitude of our Nation.”
     This quick overview of the purpose of Memorial Day suggests to us a number of things we can do as Christians, who happen to be American citizens also.
1. We can teach our children and grandchildren the meaning of the day, and we can observe it ourselves as families, since we as Christians and as American citizens are the beneficiaries of the noble and brave service of our fallen servicemen and women.
2. This would be a good day to teach our young ones the stories of those in our own family and church who have risked or given their lives in service of our country. Perhaps, thusly, the brave spirit of the past will be handed on to a new generation. “Remembering knows before knowing ever remembers” a Nobel Prize-winning Mississippian once said.
3. We can appreciate the almost incalculably expensive human cost of the freedoms we enjoy, among them not least the freedom to worship the one true God, through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His Word, without fear of persecution. This should lead us to thank God, as well as memorialize our dead.
4. We can pray for those in harm’s way now, who are serving our country, and for their anxious families and loved ones. This is but one way we can fulfill Paul’s directive in 1 Timothy 2:1.

May 18, 2007

Let me say again that our first service in the new sanctuary is slated for Sunday morning, June 24, 2007. The services will be at our traditional 8:30 and 11 o’clock am, and 6pm times. We’ll make some announcements over the weeks to come about wheelchair accessibility, and offer some tips about ingress and egress (er, that is, how best to get in and out!).
     Meanwhile, on Sunday mornings we are working our way through Philippians in a series called Fighting for Joy, Growing in Humility, Knowing Christ and the Peace that Passes Understanding. This past Sunday morning our topics was “He finishes what He starts” from Philippians 1:6 which says “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
     Paul says here that he is joyful and thankful and confident because salvation is God’s work from beginning to end, from first to last, from start to finish: conversion, justification, sanctification and glorification. God changes your heart, God declares you right with himself, God is at work growing you up in grace, and God will perfect you on the last day. This is the foundation of the believer’s confidence —that God is at work in the totality of our salvation. He is saving and changing and building His church.
     Calvin puts it this way: “Let, therefore, believers exercise themselves in constant meditation upon the favors which God confers, that they may encourage and confirm hope as to the time to come, and always ponder in their mind this syllogism: God does not forsake the work which his own hands have begun, as the Prophet bears witness, (Psalm 138:8; Isaiah 64:8;) we are the work of his hands; therefore he will complete what he has begun in us. When I say that we are the work of his hands, I do not refer to mere creation, but to the calling by which we are adopted into the number of his sons. For it is a token to us of our election, that the Lord has called us effectually to himself by his Spirit.” He goes on to say that it “is a general rule both as to ourselves and as to others — that, distrusting our own strength, we depend entirely upon God alone.”
     We looked at this glorious, brief verse in six aspects: (1) the author and initiator of our salvation; (2) the good or noble or excellent work of our salvation; (3) the unfinished nature of our salvation here in this life; (4) the certainty of the full completion of our salvation; (5) the perfection of our completed salvation; and (6) the occasion of the completion of our salvation.
     We learn from Paul here that Salvation is God’s work, He is its initiator in us and He is working all along to bring it to full fruition. It is God Himself who “began a good work in you,” says Paul. And he says this all the time. Take a look at Ephesians 2:1 and 5, and Colossians 2:13, for instance. But Paul is not just saying the God starts the work of our salvation, he is stressing that God is in it all along “He who began a good work in you will perfect it “(see Philippians 2:13, where he makes this very point again).
     Paul calls God’s work in us a “good work” because it fits us for the enjoyment of God. “He who began a good work in you. God’s work of grace in us is a good work, a noble work, a blessed work, an excellent work, for it makes those who were once bad, good. It makes us godly, conforms us to Christ and fits us for the enjoyment of God.
     Paul reminds us that salvation is an unfinished work here, and it is vital for us to remember this! It will not be completed or perfected or finally accomplished “until the day of Christ Jesus.” The work of grace is but begun in this life; it is not finished here; as long as we are in this imperfect state there is something more to be done. (Matthew Henry) This is a hugely important and encouraging truth. It is what led John Newton to say: “I am not what I ought to be. Ah! How imperfect and deficient! I am not what I wish to be. I abhor what is evil, and I would cleave to what is good. I am not what I hope to be. Soon, soon, shall I put off, with mortality, sin and imperfection. Though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was, a slave to sin and Satan; and I can heartily join with the apostle and acknowledge, By the grace of God I am what I am.”
But at the same time, Paul assures us

May 11, 2007

Are you aware of just how much goes on at First Presbyterian Church on Wednesday nights? Are you taking advantage of the myriad opportunities for growth and service? Think of it. First of all, there is our Family Fellowship Dinner in Miller Hall from 4:45-6:15 p.m. The cost of it is only $5.00 per adult (for those 12 years and up), $3.00 per child, and a $15 maximum per family! I can’t take my crew to McDonalds for that, and Sue Warren and her staff prepare us all a sumptuous feast!

    Then there’s our Midweek Bible Study and Prayer Meeting: 6:30-7:30 p.m. (currently meeting in Miller Hall). Starting in September, after a robust season of prayer, each Wednesday night our beloved Derek Thomas will continue his scintillating series of sermons on Acts: “To the End of the Earth.”

    Meanwhile, we have a slew of Discipleship Groups meeting from 6:30-7:30 p.m. (in various rooms in Westminster Hall and the Study Center). These small groups are open to all adults and emphasize personal Christian growth, relationship building, and accountability; various book study options are available. For more information, contact Ashley Hall at 601-973-9118 or ashleyh@fpcjackson.org

    Don’t forget that our wonderful Adult Choir rehearses from 5:50-7:00 p.m. in the Music Suite. All adults with musical gifting and interest are cordially invited. For more information, contact Bill Wymond: 601-973-9113 or billw@fpcjackson.org

    Please note that there is a nursery provided for all these on-site, church-sponsored activities. The Nursery is open from 5:00-7:45 p.m. (in the Nursery, of
course!)—Provided for infants through three-year-old Sunday School age children. Reservations are not required. For more information, contact Janet Quayle: 601-973-9120 or jquayle@fpcjackson.org

    And remember we have many significant activities provided for our children. We have fun time and supervised play for our Kindergarten Children from 5:00-6:30 p.m. (on the Playground—weather permitting). All kindergarten children are invited to join in on this supervised play during the time of the Fellowship Dinner. If there is inclement weather, they will meet in the Study Center. Also Elementary Age Children from 5:00-6:30 p.m. (in the Gym) will find that the church gym is open to all children, 1st through 6th grade, for supervised free play during dinner. Again, for more information, contact Barbara Porter: 601-973-9190 or bporter@fpcjackson.org.

    Then there is Children’s Choir. From 6:30-7:30 p.m. (in various locations)—all children ages 4 years through 5th grade, and all 6th grade boys, are invited to participate in an outstanding choir program. For more information, contact Jane Yerger: 601-362-0905 or jpyerger@jam.rr.com

    As they say in the old “Ronco” commercials, “but wait, there’s more!” All Sixth Grade Girls: 6:30-7:30 p.m. (Main Building, Room 135) are invited to a time of devotions, projects, activities, and occasional outings. For more information, contact Bess Corbitt: bess@thecorbittcompany.com  or 601-957-6460. Meanwhile, Sixth Grade Boys 6:30–7:30 p.m. (in Gymnasium) are invited to a time of devotions and supervised activities under the direction of Phillip Parker and assistants. For further information, contact Mr. Parker at 601-982-5341

    Junior High (7th-9th Grade): 6:30-7:30 p.m. (Youth House): “The Haven”—This is a time of fellowship, fun, and Bible study. The Haven is studying through the book of Daniel. Students are welcome any time after 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Liza Sorgenfrei: 601-973-9117 or lsorgenfrei@fpcjackson.org .
Senior High (10th-12th Grade): Small Group Bible Studies (most are on Wednesday nights and some on other nights and all at various times and locations). Again, for more information, times, and locations, contact Liza Sorgenfrei: 601-973-9117 or lsorgenfrei@fpcjackson.org . Parents remember that changes of dates and locations for all Bible studies are updated on the youth website: www.fpcym.org

    Don’t forget that Evangelism Explosion meets 6:30-9:30 p.m. (in Lowe Hall). This 13-week evangelism training is for all who want to learn to share the gospel with others. For more information call Jim Stewart at 601-973-9105 or jstewart@fpcjackson.org

    And last, but not least, remember, you may contact the church switchboard on Wednesday evenings from 5:00-7:30 p.m. and speak to a real person! For more information call: 601-353-8316.

 

August 24, 2006
For the past three Sunday mornings we have been focused on a timely topic as a part of our larger study of God’s New Family: An Exposition of Ephesians. This mini-series is called: God’s Household Rules: Marriage and Family. In it, we are working through a section of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:22-6:9) that deals with our household relationships from a Christian perspective. It is directly connected to Paul’s big theme that we are God’s new family, new society, new community in this way: Paul is asking (and answering!) “if we are God’s new community, then what should our family life look like. How are we to be different from the world?”

    So, Paul deals with husbands and wives, parents and children, and masters and servants – the sphere of the household in biblical and Mediterranean culture. The timeliness of this for us is obvious.

    Two weeks ago, in Ephesians 5:22, we began to tackle the very politically incorrect teaching of the Bible on wives submitting, or subjecting themselves to their husbands. We began by noting that all Christians are called to serve one another, to subject themselves to one another. Then we noted the unique aspects of God’s call in this area to Christian wives. We also found John Piper and Wayne Grudem’s definition of this helpful – “Submission refers to a wife’s divine calling to honor and affirm her husband’s leadership and help carry it through according to her gifts.” (Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood)
 

    Then, this past Sunday, we got even more specific on this uncomfortable issue. We observed that when Paul said:
to us “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” He meant at least three things. To submit here clearly means for Christian wives to
(1) acknowledge, (2) follow, and (3) respect their husband’s spiritual leadership of the home.

    Practically, this means:
1. A glad recognition of the divinely given order of the household. God has made the husband head. (see v. 23). 2. A willing embrace and following of one’s husband’s spiritual authority and leadership, under God. 3. A joyful respect for your husband’s person and position in the home (see v. 33).

    This biblical, willing, glad submission might manifest itself as follows. By a Christian wife endeavoring, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, to: 1. Make home a safe place for her husband: one of encouragement, comfort, understanding and refuge (Prov31:11, 20); 2. Be trustworthy and dependable (Prov 31:11-12); 3. Maintain a good attitude (Prov 31:26, 28, 29); 4. Discuss things lovingly, openly; and honestly (Eph 4:25); 5. Be content, satisfied with her position, possessions, tasks and her husband’s provisions (Phil 4:6-13); 6. Be patient, forgiving, and forbearing (Col 3:12-14); 7. Be industrious for the sake of husband and family (Psalm 128:3; Prov 31:10-31); 8. Offer suggestions, advice, counsel; and correction to her husband in a loving way that shows respect (Prov 31:26); 9. Cultivate inner beauty (1 Peter 3:3-5); 10. Pursue God and His glory (1 Cor 10:31); 11. Build loyalty to her husband in the children; 12. Be grateful and express thanks often to her husband; 13. Show confidence in his decisions (thanks to Wayne Mack, Strengthening Your Marriage, for many of these great ideas).

    We also listened to some thoughts and questions from Betsy Ricucci regarding a wife respecting her husband in thoughts, words, deeds. She asked Christian wives to ask themselves: What thoughts spring to my mind when I think of my husband? Are they honoring of him? How do I speak to my husband when we are alone? In public? How do I speak of him to others? Do I show my husband respect through my actions? How? Do I freely show him physical affection? Do I listen when he is speaking, in public and private? Or do my deeds communicate a lack of respect, inattentiveness or even indifference—interrupting him, looking away when he speaks, forgetting or failing to do the things that he has asked.
    Pray for me, as I prepare to speak very directly to our men and husbands from Ephesians 5:25-29 over the next two or three weeks.

March 9, 2007
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve told you a little about our new Director of Student Ministry – Justin Pillsbury (who will take up this new responsibility in May), and our soon-to-be Minister of Young Adults, Nate Shurden (who will start June 1). Now let me tell you a little about our soon-to-be Senior Assistant Minister, Jeremy Smith, and his family.
    Jeremy was born in Mississippi. The second of five boys, and the son of a PCA minister, Jeremy’s early years were spent in Hattiesburg (where his father was the RUF campus minister at the University of Southern Mississippi), and in Louisville. From Mississippi, Jeremy moved to Maryland, where his father served on staff with O. Palmer Robertson (a son of this church) as the Associate Minister at Wallace Memorial Presbyterian Church. The family then moved to Pittsburgh while Jeremy was in high school.
    He is a graduate of Geneva College, a Christian liberal arts school in western Pennsylvania, with a degree in Human Resource Management. Before coming to seminary, Jeremy worked in property management and coached high school boys basketball.
His wife, Terry, is a native of Pittsburgh, and has supported Jeremy’s seminary career as a hairdresser, working at a salon in Clinton. They are the parents of two-year-old Nathan, and are expecting a daughter in May!
    Jeremy has worked here at First Presbyterian as an intern and my Assistant since June 2004. In that capacity, he has assisted me in church-related writing projects, correspondence, editing and research, bulletin and worship service preparation, coordination of the Twin Lakes Fellowship and more. He has also taught in several of our adult Sunday school classes (many of you have expressed to me your appreciation of his teaching). Alongside his duties at the church, he serves as the assistant editor of reformation21 (www.reformation21.org), the online magazine of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals (our own Derek Thomas is the editor)    As Senior Assistant Minister (a transitional position), Jeremy will be preparing to take up the duties of our longtime and beloved Executive Minister, Bill Hughes, upon his retirement from full-time labors here at First Presbyterian Church. Meanwhile, he will play an important role in pastoring and encouraging excellence from the church staff. He will serve as the chief communications officer of the church, give oversight to the ministries of assimilation, evangelism and missions (working with the ministers and staff who have responsibility in those areas), work with the Minister of Young Adults and the Minister of Discipleship to cultivate leaders among young adults of the church, assist the Minister of Discipleship in giving encouragement and oversight to the Youth Program, administer the Twin Lakes Fellowship, and serve as a resource to the Session’s committees.
    Jeremy is slated to take up his new responsibilities in June. He and Nate Shurden will both go through ordination exams in the summer, and will be looking toward their ordination and installation service in August.
Do pray for Jeremy and Terry, and their family, and for Jeremy’s ministry to our staff and elders, as well as his relationships with the young adults of our church.


Marach 2, 2007
Last week, I told you a little about our new Director of Student Ministry – Justin Pillsbury. Now let me tell you a little about our soon-to-be Minister of Young Adults, Nate Shurden, and his family.
    Nate was born in Laurel, Mississippi, and is married to Christy (also a native Mississippian, born and reared in Collins), whom he met in college in a small group Bible study. They have been married for five years and are the delighted parents of two little girls, Rosalyn (3 years) and Katie (16 months).
    Growing up in Laurel, Nate enjoyed the rich blessing of godly parents who sought to raise him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Family worship, reading, and active involvement in church life, were among the highlights of Nate’s early life. As a teenager, he was very active in youth group, in summer camps, and always assisted with VBS.
    When he entered college, first at Jones Junior College (Ellisville, MS) and later at Bannockburn College (Franklin, TN), Nate’s love for the gospel and the church became more pronounced. He began speaking in various youth groups throughout Mississippi and preaching on an irregular basis in local churches. While studying Moral Philosophy at Bannockburn College, with thoughts initially of becoming a teacher/professor of Humanities, Nate began teaching Sunday school at Christ Community Church (PCA) and led a series of small group Bible and book studies in the community. Alongside his teaching in the church, Nate served with Teen Community Bible Study as the Teaching Director of Williamson County. In this role, Nate taught a weekly expositional Bible study to 75-100 teenagers throughout the middle Tennessee area.
    During this time, Nate was encouraged by many to consider God’s call upon his life as a minister of the gospel. Though reluctant at first, Nate and Christy became increasingly convinced that this was indeed the direction the Lord was leading him. So, after a year of teaching at Franklin Classical School, in May of 2003, Nate and Christy moved to Jackson, MS, to study at RTS and pursue God’s call upon their lives.
    Nate accepted the Christian Education Internship at FPC in June of 2004, and in that capacity, Nate has served in various ways, mostly through teaching Sunday school, leading discipleship groups, organizing the summer Wednesday night children’s program, and reading and reviewing small group material for the Christian Education Department. In addition to his work at the church, Nate assists Dr. Derek Thomas with reformation21, the online magazine of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. At RTS, Nate has been actively involved in the spiritual life on campus, serving as President of the Student Body in his senior year.
    What will Nate be doing here at First Presbyterian Church as Minister of Young Adults (other than preaching, teaching, praying, visiting, leading, living a godly life, and being a good husband and father)? Well, he will, with the elders and staff, be developing and implementing a plan for reaching and enfolding all our young adults—couples and singles, students and career, university/college and graduate students—into the life of First Presbyterian and for discipling and equipping them all for life and service, but also, seeking to cultivate a new generation of leaders among them.

Pray for Nate and Christy, and their family, and for their ministry to young adults in our church!


February 23, 2007
Last week, I told you a little about our new Director of Student Ministry – Justin Pillsbury. Now, let me tell you a little more.
    Justin is a native of Texas, who tells me that he is thrilled to be in Mississippi. He is married to Caroline and they will celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary this August. Caroline is an RN in the mother/baby unit of Baptist Hospital here in Jackson.
    They are both from Tyler, Texas (which is in East Texas, between Jackson and Dallas). Justin and Caroline both graduated from Texas Tech University after transferring from other schools. Caroline started at the University of Texas at Austin as a piano performance major. Justin spent two and one-half years at TCU in Ft. Worth where he competed on the cross-country and track teams, as well as being minimally involved with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). He finished his degree in corporate communication at Texas Tech University in the summer of 2005. He became more involved with RUF at Texas Tech and served actively in the PCA church plant, Providence Presbyterian.
    Prior to joining the First Pres Student Ministry Staff, Justin spent four years selling residential real estate in the Lubbock area. His other work experience includes a summer at Pine Cove Christian Camps (where our own Brad Mercer worked for many years), a summer as a youth intern at Grace Community Church, and two summers as a manager at Lake Palestine Marina outside of Tyler, Texas. Both Justin’s and Caroline’s parents, brother, and sister still live in Tyler. Justin’s oldest sister, Chelsea, is an RUF intern at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Their other two sisters attend Texas Tech.
Justin has served on the First Pres Staff as a junior high intern since July 2006. He is looking forward to the transition into Director of Student Ministry this May. He enjoys spending time and building relationships with students, as well as their families through many avenues. He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the position. Justin tells me that members of our congregation have already been a great blessing to him and Caroline in their brief time here, and that he looks forward to getting to know not only our parents and students, but also many others in the congregation. Please introduce yourself to him as he gets more acquainted with the First Pres community. By the way, his outside interests include running, golf, basketball, sporting events, and reading.
As Director of Student Ministry, Justin’s number-one priority will be to love the students of our church, live the Christian life out before and with them, proclaim to them the Gospel, teach them the truth of Scripture, pray fervently with and for them, cultivate a Gospel-derived discipleship among all the students, invest in cultivating the spiritual maturity of those with evident potential for leadership and service, and assist, encourage, and support parents in the Christian nurture of their children.
    He also desi