Together for the Gospel 2012 by Jeremy Bennett

This past April 10-12, ten men from Randolph Street attended a conference in Louisville, KY, called Together for the Gospel (T4G). T4G was started in 2006 as a conference focused primarily on encouraging and equipping local church pastors and leaders. The first conference was a result of four pastors from different church denominations and affiliations that enjoyed conversations around the things that they had in common, most specifically the gospel. The conference has continued to be held in Louisville, KY every two years, and has grown to over 8,000 attendees from all over the US and many other countries. The four pastors who started the Together for the Gospel Conference are Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.; Ligon Duncan, senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS; C.J. Mahaney, leader of Sovereign Grace Ministries in Gaithersburg, MD; and Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

The conference was made up of nine general sessions and one elective breakout session. The three days allotted for the sessions passed at a fast pace with squeezing time in to peruse the bookstore and meeting new people or catching up with old friends over meals. There are so many wonderful aspects to this conference that it’s hard to say what the "favorite thing" was, but I would be safe to say that a highlight of the conference was singing praises to God before and after each general session. Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries lead the worship time with a grand piano accompaniment. Ask one of the men who attended what they thought of the singing.

Day 1

The opening session of the conference was given by C.J. Mahaney titled, The Sustaining Power of the Gospel from 2 Corinthians 4. The message was a powerful encouragement to pastors when they lose heart. C.J’s humble spirit is a great example and encouragement to anyone who hears him preach. Al Mohler brought the second message, The Power of the Articulated Gospel from Romans 10. The call to preach the gospel was illustrated well from one of Al's quotes. “We are not in the soil management business, but rather in the sowing business.” The last session of the first day was given by Mark Dever. The title of his message was False Conversions: The suicide of the Church given as a systematic message pulled from several texts including 1 Timothy 4:16. Mark’s message was a great exposition of the need for regenerate church membership.

Day 2
    Thabiti Anyabwile opened the second day with “Will Your Gospel Transform a Terrorist?” from 1 Timothy 1:12-17. He opened his message with the statement, “The greatest hindrance to the gospel is the Christian’s lack of confidence in the gospel itself.” This was the underlying theme throughout the whole conference—the Underestimated gospel. A new addition to T4G 2012 was personal testimonies from about a dozen different people who shared the power of the gospel in their lives. The testimonies ranged from radical transformations from the vilest of lifestyles to those raised in a Christian home. It was a great reminder that the gospel is powerful to save, no matter what the circumstance or how hopeless the situation. The next speaker, one of the new, younger men to bring a general session message, was Kevin DeYoung, senior pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan. He spoke on The Spirit-Powered, Gospel-Driven, Faith-Fueled Effort from 1 Corinthians 15:10. Kevin opened up identifying all the good things that we see in the Young, Restless, Reformed movement (or the New Calvinism, or the Reformed Resurgence, or whatever you want to call it). Yet, he presented two critical areas in which we need to grow: (1) a commitment to global missions and (2) a commitment to personal holiness. Kevin spent his time on the latter and informed the audience that David Platt would be speaking on the former in an upcoming session. Kevin’s message was a powerful call to strive for holiness while addressing the equal errors of legalism and antinomianism.

After lunch break, each attendee attended a breakout session of their choosing. There were 10 different breakout sessions ranging from biblical manhood and womanhood to church planting to evangelism. All the breakout sessions were held at the same time so you could only pick one to attend. That was probably the biggest dilemma of the conference. The organizers of the conference had pity on those of us who wanted to be in 10 different places at once by making all of the breakout sessions available in audio for free on the T4G.org website (All of the general sessions are also available for free on the website in audio and video formats as well). I made the tough decision to attend the breakout session given by Carl Trueman on Why the Reformation Isn’t Over. Carl is Professor of Historical Theology and Church History of Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania. This breakout session was a great message on the contributions of the Reformation that are still embattled in our contemporary churches.

David Platt, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, brought the closing message of the day after dinner break on Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions from Revelation 5:1-14. David’s passion for missions is contagious and his heart to reach the unreached is undeniable. He opened up his message with three underlying premises to ground the direction of the message: (1) Local ministry and local mission are totally necessary, (2) Global missions is tragically neglected and (3) Pastors have the privilege and responsibility to lead the way in global missions. David then shared the heart breaking statistics that there are 2 billion unreached people representing 6,000 different people groups. After reading through Revelation 5:1-14, David discussed four theological truths from the text. I encourage you to watch, or listen, to his message to be challenged and encouraged by these truths.

Day 3

The final day of the conference began with Ligon Duncan, senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, speaking on The Underestimated God: God’s Ruthless, Compassionate Grace in the Pursuit of His Own Glory and His Minister’s Joy from 1 Kings 19. This was an awesome message on how we are to learn in our disappointments.

The text served as a great encouragement to those of us who have been discouraged. Three points were focussed on: (1) Even people who believe in God’s sovereignty can fail to believe that the Lord is God, (2) Even people who fight against idolatry can succumb to it, and (3) Even when it looks like God is being hard on his servants, you can be assured that his provision is staggeringly and lavishly loving, generous, good and kind. Listen to this message to hear how God pours out his love on Elijah amid his discouragement and disappointment. Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in Dallas, Texas, brought the eighth message on The Fulfillment of the Gospel from Revelation 21-22. Matt began his message remembering back two years earlier where he stood on the platform at T4G 2010 after finishing six weeks of radiation treatment for brain cancer and was preparing to begin an 18 month long treatment of high-dose chemotherapy. The doctors did not have high hopes for a long life for him, but Matt identified God’s plans to defy the statistics and to continue to advance his ministry as one of the many mercies on his life. Matt continued with his message on the hope of the glorious finish line that John describes in Revelation 21-22. His call to us, as with Paul, was to be “all in” and to not put your hope in yourself, but rather to cling to Christ as the fully dependent beings that we are.

The final message of the conference was given by John Piper, pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Glory, Majesty, Dominion, and Authority Keep Us Safe for Everlasting Joy from Jude 1:24-25. John opened his message by dividing it into two parts. The first part was his amazement that he was still a Christian and still loved the ministry of the Word. The second part was to analyze how that happened. In John's first part, he reviewed some milestones this year would bring: (1) 60 years as a believer, (2) 32 years pastoring Bethlehem Baptist Church, (3) 44 years of marriage to Noel, and (4) 40 years of being a father. He also shared that Bethlehem is planning for his successor to assume his responsibilities at Bethlehem so that this was his last T4G as a pastor. John shared his amazement that he has lasted as a Christian, pastor, husband and father as he considered these laps in his race. He shared an excerpt from his journal in 1986 that typified his emotional vulnerability that he has dealt with all his life. That vulnerability dealt with questions of being under attack from Satan to whether God was calling him to another ministry to church building programs to his inability to lead the body at Bethlehem. John then made clear that if all the fruits in his life were dependent on him and his ability to cause them to be, he would have failed, and worse, at them all. He compared his amazement to that of what Jude must have felt as he demonstrated in his doxology. John then describes the way doxologies work. They refer first to something that God has done or will do, and then they ascribe attributes to God that account for that action, or are expressed in the action. In other words, the attributes that you ascribe to God are the ones that account for the action you are praising, or that come to expression in the action you are praising. These attributes account for the actions you are celebrating. John ended his first part with, “If the decisive cause of my faithfulness to Christ must come from me, it will not come because it’s not there. Christ created it by coming.” The difference between our absolute inability and God's absolute ability is immeasurably great. John then pointed out what it takes for God to sustain our spiritual life, as given in Jude 1:25: it took glory and majesty and power and authority. None of which, we have in our own ability. The second part of John’s message was how this happened. I'm going to leave it up to you to find out that part by encouraging you to listen, and maybe re-listen to the message.

T4G 2012 was an edifying and encouraging conference to experience. Let us never under-estimate the power of the gospel. The next T4G will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 8-10, 2014. Mark your calendars. All general sessions and breakout sessions are available free online at www.t4g.org.

Deacons: Serving the Church Family at Randolph Street by Pastor Tim

It is my privilege to write an article about our deacons and their ministry to the church family here at Randolph Street. The word deacon simply means to serve or minister and is used many times in the NT to refer to the act of one person serving another (Romans 15:8; 16:1; 1 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 6:4; Ephesians 6:21).  The official office of deacon is seen in Philippians 1:1 with the qualifications being outlined in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.  The prototype of a godly deacon is found in Acts 6:1-7 where several men were chosen to help serve the widows in the church at Jerusalem. The main purpose and function for deacons is to ensure that the church body is being properly cared for and shepherded.  The elders are to be given to ministering the Word and praying for the flock with the deacons coming along side them to help care for a variety of needs among the church family (Acts 6:1-7; Ephesians 1:15-23; 4:11-16).   

I have asked our deacons to respond to a variety of questions that might allow the church family to get to know them better. I hope you will use this article as a source to better connect with and pray for them as they serve us for the Glory of Christ.

Garrison Greathouse
Garrison, Lori, and their daughter Madison live in the Poca area.
 

Goals for your care group: To be aware of the needs of each member of our care group and communicate those needs to the whole group for prayer and if possible, help with the need.
 

A favorite verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible: Isaiah 40:31
 

A favorite Bible character and why he/she is your favorite: David, for his faith and dependence on God.
 

A book outside the Bible that has had an impact on your life: What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace
 

Occupation: Manager for Frontier Communications
 

Hobbies: Reading

Rick Silber
Rick, Kathy and their son Troy live in Elkview and have been part of Randolph Street for many years.  Their son Aaron and his wife Savannah, as well their daughter Jessica Westfall and her husband Chris, are also part of our church family.
 

Goals for your care group: To get to know one another, pray for one another, and be there for one another when needed.
 

A favorite verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible: Romans

A favorite Bible character and why he/she is your favorite: Abraham, because he believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. And not for him alone, but for us also who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  He (Jesus)was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification. I'm amazed how God tested Abraham's faith. What a connection between "I know you fear me because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son" and the place of the skull where “He did not withhold his Son, his only Son”.
 

A book outside the Bible that has had an impact on your life: Cat in the Hat. One of those childhood books about how different, weird, and wonderful people can be. (I think I just dated myself.)
Occupation: BS Petroleum Engineering, working as an operator of natural gas storage facilities and transmission network.

Hobbies: Bike riding, hiking, golf, hunting, and fishing

Chad Naramore
Chad and Angela have two daughters, Jaidyn and Jenna, and live in Eleanor.

Goals for your care group: To get to know everyone more intimately so we can truly serve one another. I would like for us to invest in each other's lives, share in the ups and downs of life, lift each other up in prayer, and have fun together through fellowship.

A favorite verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible: Ephesians

A favorite Bible character and why he/she is your favorite: Joshua, because he is a model of great courage and strength, demonstrating a faithful obedience to an ever present God. He is an example of true success, knowing what God wants from his people and living his life accordingly.
A book outside the Bible that has had an impact on your life: After my conversion, Knowing God, by J.I. Packer was the first book I read in conjunction with the Bible.  It made me thirst for God more than ever!

Occupation: After college, I spent six years in Texas working as a chemical engineer for a large chemical company. Afterwards, I took a job as a water treatment sales engineer with GE Water & Process Technologies and moved to the Pacific Northwest.  I remain in that position today serving in an Oil Refinery in Ashland, KY.

Hobbies: Mountain biking, snow skiing, backpacking and camping. I also love playing with my girls!

Terry Hodge
Terry, Debbie and their daughter Rebekah live in South Charleston. Their older daughter, Elizabeth Pickard and her husband Keith and daughter Nora are also part of the RSC family.

Goals for your care group:  To care for one another (John 13:34-35) and to look beyond our care group and reach out to the whole church family and visitors (Ephesians 4:12).

A favorite verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible: Psalm 145:4 &  1 Peter 4:19

A favorite Bible character and why he/she is your favorite: Noah, because he reached his entire family for the Lord. Old Testament Joseph, because of his trust in God’s sovereign care and his character of strength to persevere under seemingly hopeless circumstances.

A book outside the Bible that has had an impact on your life: Knowing God by J.I.Packer 

Occupation: Development Associate (donor cultivation and care) for Union Mission Ministries.

Hobbies: Reading, swimming, and tinkering around the house.

Steven Fultz
Steven, Leah, and their children Micah, Kinsey and Cody live in the South Hills area of Charleston.

Goals for your Care Group: To encourage the members under my care to look for opportunities to serve one another and the people of Randolph Street.

A favorite verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible: Romans.

A Favorite Bible character and why he/she is your favorite: John the Baptist for his deep convictions and Peter for his many mistakes and the beautiful display of the grace of God in his life.

A book outside the Bible that has had an impact on your life: Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper left an impression on me to live an intentional life on this earth and to not settle for the American Dream.

Occupation: I work at Medtronic, a medical device company, in the pacemaker and defibrillator division.  I'm a technical rep here in the Charleston area and troubleshoot devices and assist physicians during the implant and follow-up.

Hobbies: Running, cycling, golf, and rooting for the 27 time World Series Champions-The New York Yankees.

Greg McVey
Greg, Lana, and their children Alex and Annie live in St. Albans.

Goals for your care group: To rejoice with those who rejoice, to weep with those who weep, to bear each other's burdens, whether they be physical or spiritual, and to provide opportunity for fellowship.

A favorite verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible:  Proverbs 3:5-6

A favorite Bible character and why he/she is your favorite: Paul, because his life illustrates the dramatic change that God's grace can work in a person's life,  changing him from the early church's chief persecutor, to its "first theologian."

A book outside the Bible that had an impact on your life: Knowing God by J.I. Packer and Desiring God by John Piper.

Occupation: Assistant United States Attorney

Hobbies: Anything that involves being outdoors, music, and working on home projects.

Greg Skiles
Greg and Debbie live in the Coonskin Park area and have two children and two grandchildren

Goals for the care group: That the group members will learn to lean on each other as we wait on the Lord and trust him in his care for us. To serve our care group and be the person they know will be there for them when they need a shoulder to lean on.

A favorite Bible verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible: Romans 8:28 because no matter what is going on in my life I can know that my Lord is working things out for my ultimate good.

A favorite Bible character and why he/she is your favorite: Abraham for his unmatched faith that God was going to do what he had promised.

A book outside the Bible that has had an impact on your life: The Great Exchange: My Sin for His Righteousness by Jerry Bridges. This book is the best I have ever read on the atonement.

Occupation: Painting Contractor for the past 27 years.

Hobbies: Spending time with my grandchildren, deer hunting, and just staying busy in my garage with projects.

Jerry McClanhan
Jerry and Linda live in the Poca area. They have three sons and seven grandchildren and are the parents of Pastor Jason.
Goals for your Care Group: To form a close bond that would enable us to pray for each other and the needs of the church.  Also, to lead the care group in participating in various ministries of the church.

A favorite Bible verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible: Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 8:28-29 and Psalm 1.

A favorite Bible character and why he/she is a favorite: David, because although he had his faults he always recognized his sins against God and repented. He was identified as a man after God's own heart.

A book outside the Bible that has had an impact on your life: The Missionary Journey of Adoniram Judson because it truly illustrated a man's love for the Lord through his sacrifices in taking the gospel abroad.

Occupation: Retired from City Holding Company in 2005.  

Hobbies: Gardening, hunting and fishing.

John Baldwin
John, Brandie, and their son Luke live in Madison.

Goals for your Care Group: The number one goal is to meet the needs of our care group members while we grow together in Christ.

A favorite Bible verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible: Romans 8:28-30, it is the verse that ultimately changed my view of God.

A favorite Bible character and why he/she is a favorite: Though there are many interesting and admirable Bible characters, the Lord Jesus would have to be my choice. How could any good Calvinist pick anyone other than the God-man?

A book outside the Bible that has had an impact on your life: This is a tough question, there are many great books that have positively impacted my life. Despite my love of Harry Potter, I would say R.C. Sproul's The Holiness of God  has done more than any other book, outside of the bible, in shaping my view of God.

Occupation: I currently teach science at the Donald R. Kuhn Juvenile Detention Center

Hobbies: I enjoy spending time with Brandie and Luke and running when life permits.

Brett Short
Brett and Rhonda have three children, Allison, Luke, and Andrew, and live in Ona.

Goals for your care group: To come together and serve each other and the church in the most God glorifying way.

A favorite verse(s) or a favorite book of the Bible: 2 Corinthians 4:6

A favorite Bible character and why he/she is your favorite: My favorite OT character is David and favorite NT character is Paul because they were both such unlikely choices for God to use in such amazing and important roles.

Occupation: Chiropractor for the past 21 years.

Hobbies: Exercising with my family.

Five "Benefits" of Unforgiveness (Then the Better Way) by Pastor Jason

Why don’t people just forgive? That is a very good question. If forgiveness is easier and more beneficial, why isn’t it more popular? The sad reality is that there is short-term, relationally destructive power in refusing to forgive. Holding onto the other's wrongs gives us the upper hand in our relationship. We keep a record of wrongs because we are not motivated by what honors God and is best for others but by what is expedient for ourselves.

Five Dark "Benefits" of Unforgiveness

Debt is power. There is power in having something to hold over another’s head. There is power in using a person’s weakness and failure against him or her. In moments when we want our own way, we pull out some wrong against us as our relational trump card.

Debt is identity. Holding onto another's sin, weakness, and failure makes us feel superior to them. It allows us to believe that we are more righteous and mature than they are. We fall into the pattern of getting our sense of self not by the comfort and call of the gospel but by comparing ourselves to another. This pattern plays into the self-righteousness that is the struggle of every sinner.

Debt is entitlement. Because of all the other person's wrongs against us, he or she owes us. Carrying these wrongs makes us feel deserving and therefore comfortable with being self-focused and demanding. “After all I have had to endure in relationship with you, don’t I deserve . . . ?”

Debt is weaponry. The sins and failures that another has done against us become like a loaded gun that we carry around. It is very tempting to pull them out and use them when we are angry. When someone has hurt us in some way, it is very tempting to hurt them back by throwing in their face just how evil and immature they are.

Debt puts us in God’s position. It is the one place that we must never be, but it is also a position that all of us have put ourselves in. We are not the judge of others. We are not the one who should dispense consequences for other's sin. It is not our job to make sure they feel the appropriate amount of guilt for what they have done. But it is very tempting to ascend to God’s throne and to make ourselves judge.

The Ugly Lifestyle of Selfishness
This is nasty stuff. It is a relational lifestyle driven by ugly selfishness. It is motivated by what we want, what we think we need, and by what we feel. It has nothing to do with a desire to please God with the way we live with one another, and it surely has nothing to do with what it means to love others in the midst of their struggle to live God’s way in this broken world.

It's also scarily blind. We are so focused on the failures of others that we are blind to ourselves. We forget how often we fail, how much sin mars everything we do, and how desperately we need the grace that we are daily given but unwilling to offer to others. This way of living turns the people in our lives into our adversaries and turns the locations where we live into a war zone.

Yet, we have all been seduced by the power of unforgiveness. We have all used the sin of another against him or her. We have all acted as judges. We have all thought we are more righteous than the people around us. We have all used the power of guilt to get what we want when we want it and in so doing have not only done serious damage to the fine china of our relationships, but have demonstrated how much we need forgiveness.

Forgiveness Is a Much Better Way
It seems almost too obvious to say, but forgiveness is a much better way. The grace of our salvation is the ultimate argument for this truth. Forgiveness is the only way to live in an intimate, long-term relationship with another sinner. Forgiveness is the only way to negotiate through the weakness and failure that will daily mark your relationships. It is the only way to deal with hurt and disappointment. Forgiveness is the only way to have hope and confidence restored. It is the only way to protect your love and reinforce the unity that you have built. Forgiveness is the only way not to be kidnapped by the past. It is the only way to give your relationships the blessing of fresh starts and new beginnings.

Grace, forgiving grace, really is a much, much better way. So, isn't it wonderful to know that you have not only been called to forgive, but you have also been graced with everything you need to answer this call?

Partners for the Gospel by Pastor Tim

It is a source of great joy to gather each week to worship our great Triune God together and to encourage one another and to watch the Lord build His church here at RSC.  As we rejoice in God’s hand of blessing upon us, we also recognize His working in churches throughout our region and around the world.  Paul gives us such a beautiful description of the universal body of Christ as he reminds the church at Ephesus that Jew and Gentile are now one in Christ. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.  (Eph. 2:19-22) What a precious reminder of God’s great love for His church and how He is perfectly fitting each of His redeemed ones together as a holy temple which serves as His dwelling place. As we reflect on this truth and the examples of churches in the New Testament working together for the advancement of the gospel for the Glory of her Redeemer, we are encouraged to actively pursue relationships with churches of like faith and purpose to help promote a gospel multiplying ministry in our region and around the globe.  This month we are going to highlight some of the churches that we are developing relationships with and some of the ways we can be actively praying for them.

REDEEMER COMMUNITY CHURCH is a church plant located in the east end of Pittsburgh.  It is situated in a very diverse area where two African American neighborhoods, an arts community, an Italian neighborhood, and an upper middle class community are all within a mile of the RCC building. Their vision is “to bring people to delight in the Glory of God by treasuring Jesus Christ and to be used in God's mission to see the Gospel of the Kingdom declared in Pittsburgh and spread throughout the nations!”  The heart of the Redeemer family is declared in 1 Peter 2:9 - Proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.  Dan Valentine and Adam Thomas serve the body as pastors.  They ask us to pray that the Lord will give them wisdom in leading the flock and enabling them to effectively reach their surrounding communities.  The address of the church is 5515 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206.  Their website is www.redeemerpgh.org. And you can contact via email at info@redeemerpgh.org  Please also pray that God will add a few more core families to help carry out the ministries of RCC and to help provide financially for the ministry and for Redeemer Roots, which is a new class launching in March.

PROVIDENCE COMMUNITY CHURCH is a church plant located in Lexington, near the campus of the University of Kentucky.  One of the goals in planting the church was to reach the world through the many university students who will go into various parts of the world after graduating.  Their vision and heartbeat is to “proclaim Christ as a caring community of God-exalting disciplemakers.” Paul Valentine serves as the pastor and is asking us to pray for the following requests: 1) A more permanent location in central Lexington near the current location.  The church is outgrowing their current rented space in a retail strip mall 2) The growth of their Community Groups with the addition of one in another area of the city 3) Three men in the church are planning and preparing for a return trip to Nepal this summer. Please pray for their provision and direction. 4) They are asking  God to give the church family a growing vision and burden to love their neighbor as themselves, and in so doing, to see others in the community come to know the love of Christ. Their website is www.provcommunity.org and their email address is providencecomm@gmail.com.

GRACE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH is located close by in Hurricane, WV, and is pastored by Kenny Taylor.  Their vision and deep desire is to be active in “Jesus Christ changing lives.”  They are asking us to pray for them in the following ways: 1) That the Gospel would remain precious to the church family as that they treasure Christ more and more 2) That God's word would truly be transforming them inwardly and relationally 3) That the church body would grow in compassion and courage for evangelism.  Their website is www.gfchurricane.com and you can reach them via email at gfcpastor@gmail.com.  The church facility is located at 2296 Joy Ln. Culloden, WV, 25510.

GRACE AND TRUTH FELLOWSHIP is a recent church plant located between Clarksburg and Philippi, WV.  Wade McGee is the pastor and states that the vision and desire of the church in captured is John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  They are asking us to intercede for them in the following ways: 1) As in Paul's prayer request in Colossians 4:3-4, that the church family would have opportunities to speak the Word and that they would be clear with it 2) That God would grant the church body perseverance in the work. Their website is graceandtruth.webhop.org (no www.) and you can reach them via email at pastorwadem@gmail.com.

LIVING FAITH CHURCH is located in Davis, WV, and is part the Sovereign Grace family of churches.  Steve Teter is the senior pastor and has served at Living Faith for several years.  Pastor Jason recently preached there and greatly appreciated their evident love for Christ and their desire to see churches planted in our region and around the world.  The desire of this church family is to “Celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  Pastor Steve has asked us to pray: 1) That LFC as a church will be faithful and effective in  sharing and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of their area 2) That they will see the next generation of young people in the church passionately following Christ.  The web address is  www.lfcwv.org and you can reach them via email at steter@lfcwv.org.

GRACE CHAPEL REFORMED BAPTIST CHURCH is located on the outskirts of Kingwood, WV. The church has been in existence for over 29 years. Services started under an old oak tree with a handful of families and has been blessed to sustain and grow under the leadership of Pastor Michael Argabrite. Their passion is “to preach Christ and His death on the cross as mankind’s only hope of acceptance with God.” Pastor Mike asked us to pray for his adult son, Jay, as he battles cancer.  He is scheduled for a stem cell transplant later this month.  The church website is  gracechapelbaptist.com and the email address is gracecha@atlanticbb.net.

I want to encourage all of us to become more familiar with these churches and to be  faithful in prayer for them.  Might God be honored through His people!!

Risen with Christ: Colossians 3

Recently, Pastor Jason preached on the topic of baptism.  He emphasized that baptism is a powerful demonstration of the believer’s union with Christ.  Paul clearly teaches this truth in Romans 6:3-4, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  Paul draws upon this reality as he encourages and exhorts the saints in Colossae that whatever they do, in word or deed, that they would do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (3:17). He reminds them of this amazing union with Christ in verses 1, 3 & 4.  They have died with Christ, been raised with Christ, and their lives are hidden with Christ in God and when Christ, who is their life appears, they will also appear with Him in glory.
    
Truths as glorious as these should have a profound effect upon our lives as children of God.  First, Paul exhorts the Colossians to “seek the things that are above.”  The thought here is that we, as followers of Christ, should be continually preoccupied with Christ and therefore seeking Him and the things that define Him.  Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”.  David testifies in Psalm 63:1-4, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.  Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”  Our prayer here at RSC is that we would follow hard after Christ in every phase of our lives.  We need to structure our lives to be able to feed our souls and stir our affections for Christ.  Furthermore, Paul exhorts the Colossians to set your minds on things above.  It is critical that we be thinking on Christ and His Word and that we be renewed in our minds each day (vv. 10, 16; see also Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 4:8).  Spending time in the scriptures each day through study and meditation is necessary in this process.  As part of the RSC family, we need to actively encourage and pray for one another in this regard.  
    
The natural outgrowth of seeking Christ and thinking Christ is that we begin to look and act like Him (3:5 - 4:1).  Our union with Christ and His death leads us to put to death the behaviors that are contrary to Christ-like living such as sexual immorality, impurity, evil desires and covetousness.  These are the pursuits that define our secular culture as is evidenced in our media, but should not be what brings a child of God pleasure.  Paul also addresses more subtle areas such as anger, wrath, malice, slander  and obscene talk that can destroy our walk with God and cause great harm in the body of Christ.  We live in a fallen world and are prone to the flesh and must deliberately battle these sins through the power of the gospel and our union with Christ (Romans 6:5-23).  It is not enough to merely deal with the corrupt areas of life, but it is vitally important as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved by our God, to become slaves of righteousness.  Paul puts it this way in 3:12-17,

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Paul continues his words of exhortation by emphasizing that these truths are to be fleshed out in our homes and in the world in which we live.  Christ in us is to be on full display wherever we go and in whatever we do.  These words of admonition from our Lord are weighty and difficult, and they are impossible to put into practice in our own strength. But thanks be unto our God for our union with Christ and His abundant grace that will overcome the world and give us victory for the praise of His glory.