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As I write my Pastor's Pen for May, several things cross my mind on topics to write about. The first is that on May 15th, I will have been your pastor for eight years. I look around at Lebanon and its members and a number of things impress me. All the children that were here seemed grown up, there's less hair and more grey on many of the men of the church, while the women of the church only seem to get younger, and that my family and I are really blessed to be a part of this family of faith.
I want to thank all of you who have joined with me in ministry here at Lebanon, to include all the elders, deacons, and members for everything you have done to make this a wonderful and joyful eight years. I look forward to many more, as we continue to seek to proclaim the truth and enlarge God's Kingdom through the power of His Son, Jesus Christ.
The second thing that continually draws itself to my attention is the upcoming PC(USA) 219th General Assembly in July. I will soon head off to a Pre-General Assembly conference to be trained on how to be a good GA commissioner, or to have a practice go before the real thing. I will be with other conservative evangelicals who hope that the 219th GA will be one that the Spirit of the Living God will find a home and rekindle the light of truth in our denomination. Since every commissioner to GA is assigned to a committee, I recently found out mine, which is General Assembly Procedures, or as I call it, the Party Planning Committee. The point of this committee is to determine what rules and procedures the future General Assemblies should use to organize their business. In truth, it is a committee that fits my gifts, and if some good work can be done there, then future GAs might find that the Will of God, as expressed by God's people within the PC(USA) will have a greater and stronger voice.
The final thing that strikes me is the realization that I will need your prayers while I am at the General Assembly. In a recent sermon at the Evening Praise service, I preached from 2 Cor. 8:1-6 that we as Christians are called to be BOTH BOLD and LOVING. Now, I know enough about myself to recognize that I have no problem being BOLD, and I certainly HOPE that each of you have seen the loving side, BUT, I also recognize that when confronted with a LIE proclaimed as TRUTH, I find myself erring at times on the BOLD side, while forgetting that the apostle Peter tells us to always be prepared to make a defense for the hope that is within you, but do so with gentleness and respect, so that no one can make an accusation against you. This is what I need your prayers for. I do not know if I will say anything during the time I will be in Minneapolis, or whether I will just strangely silent or maybe even intimidated by the whole process. However, in whatever situation I find myself, I am asking that you surround me in your prayers that whenever I speak and in whatever context that I am able to MEEKLY BOLD or BOLDLY MEEK, all for the Truth of Jesus Christ.
At the same time, please begin praying for our denomination, that THIS YEAR, truth will prevail and Jesus Christ will be proclaimed. There are many great and wonderful Christians within the PC(USA) and I personally hope and pray that their voices will be heard and that the denomination, which is happy when we lose ONLY 30,000 members in any given year, will get back on the path that leads to Christ, as opposed to the path that leads to a social "I'm OK, You're OK" mindset, that we seem currently stuck in.
In any event, we know that Jesus Christ has already won the victory, that God has already adopted all those called to faith as sons and daughters, and that success will be measured NOT by which overtures are passed or rejected, but by whether we truly seek God's Will and then do everything we possibly can to accomplish it. Thank you for listening to my thinking and once again, please keep me in prayer as I go forward to serve faithfully, boldly, and lovingly as a commissioner to the 219th General Assembly.
In the Love of Jesus Christ, Pastor Bob |
