From the Pastor's Study

August 5, 2022

Earlier this summer, your elders approved a new purpose statement for our church. We have been working on this statement slowly since the fall of 2020, and finally we have the joy of unveiling it and presenting it to you. Here it is:

Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church exists
to pursue TRANSFORMATION
by TRUTH AND GRACE
TOGETHER
for the glory of Christ,
faithfully communicating all of God’s inerrant word, gathering in the lost, and equipping the saints for active participation in ministry.

This Sunday morning, we begin a four part mini-series (each of our four teaching elders preaching one week) to unpack these words more fully and set forth our hope for how they might continue to define our ministry in Ridgeland and in the Jackson metro area.

I write "continue," for though the words may be new, they express what POPC has long been and aimed to be. This purpose statement has two parts: a WHY and a WHAT. Our desire, mission, passion, focus, and goal is to see lives more and more changed by the truth of God's gospel of grace - by both His truth and His grace together He conforms His people into the image of His Son. This transforming work, though accomplished within us as individuals, is never accomplished in isolation; rather, we grow in Christ-likeness together as the church, as each part of the body uses their God-given gifts to build up the body in love. God has situated us on 750 Pear Orchard Road, and wherever we scatter throughout the week, to make committed disciples by means of His truth communicated in reliance upon the grace of God and in a gracious manner, as we dwell together in community with one another. Every aspect of our pursuit is for the glory of Christ Jesus our Savior, the Father who sent Him, and the Spirit whom He sent.

WHAT do we do to accomplish this WHY? We could say many things, but your elders have boiled it down to three actions that, though present in every Christian church, we believe are manifested in particular ways here at POPC. Those last three phrases - set off by the verbs communicating, gathering, and equipping - are the ways that we pursue transformation by truth and grace together for the glory of Christ.

I'm excited that we have the opportunity to present this purpose statement (or "mission statement" if that more naturally rolls off your tongue) to you this month. Pray with us that it will guide and focus our ministries, serve as a filtering mechanism as we are presented with an array of ministry opportunities, and draw in others who share this same desire and passion. If you want a preview of my sermon this Sunday, check out our website!

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This Lord's Day we celebrate the Lord's Supper together. This sign of our communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ and with His body reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus for us, our only hope and the source of our confidence and obedience. Every other religion teaches that if we obey and perform properly, God will accept us and love us; Christianity says that God has loved us and sent His Son to live obediently in our place and to die for our disobedience - and that it is as a result of His work for us and in us that we obey. As one pastor put it, the gospel declares that you're never so bad that you're beyond the reach of God's grace, and you're never so good that you're beyond the need of God's grace. The Lord's Supper reiterates this truth and grace in tangible form, and transforms us together as we spiritually eat and drink the body and blood of our Savior.

The Westminster Larger Catechism is filled with rich material for meditation as we prepare to come to the Lord's table. Question 174 is particularly helpful: What is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in the time of the administration of it?

• Answer: It is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, that, during the time of the administration of it, with all holy reverence and attention they wait upon God in that ordinance, diligently observe the sacramental elements and actions, heedfully discern the Lord’s body, and affectionately meditate on his death and sufferings, and thereby stir up themselves to a vigorous exercise of their graces; in judging themselves, and sorrowing for sin; in earnest hungering and thirsting after Christ, feeding on him by faith, receiving of his fulness, trusting in his merits, rejoicing in his love, giving thanks for his grace; in renewing of their covenant with God, and love to all the saints. (Click here for the Scripture references that go with each phrase of the catechism answer).

Come to the table ready to give thanks to God for the forgiveness of sins and the righteousness of Christ imputed to you and to all the saints!

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Congratulations to Mr. Scott Miller and Mr. Dylan Halter!

• Scott, a son of Pear Orchard and our former Youth Intern and Interim Youth Director, was approved this past Tuesday by the Presbytery of the Mississippi Valley for ordination as a gospel minister at First Presbyterian Church (he will be the Minister of Young Adults and College).

• Dylan Halter, one of our seminary interns, was licensed by Presbytery to preach the gospel within our bounds. He will be serving as Student Supply at Pickens Presbyterian Church while studying at RTS.

Both men went through rigorous writing and oral exams, and did a great job on the floor of Presbytery. Both had to preach before Presbytery - if you think this might be intimidating, you would be correct - and both did a wonderful job. Be praying for their ministries!

2. Here's how you can serve at POPC!

If you've been wondering how you can get involved in ministry at our church, click here and you'll see all the different ministry opportunities at POPC.

• Contact the individual(s) listed if you're interested in learning more.

God has given each member of His body gifts to be used for the building up of the body (Ephesians 4:16; Romans 12:3-7; I Corinthians 12:4-7), so pray for wisdom to know how to use your gifts for His glory!

From the Pastor's Study

July 29, 2022

Last week we celebrated two milestone birthdays in my extended family. Elizabeth's grandmother Frances (Mary Frances Smith's mother) turned 100 years old on Wednesday - or in her own words, "100 year young"! We celebrated with her family and friends in Starkville, her hometown. Then on Sunday my father Dale turned 70, and we were able to be in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to celebrate with him. We had a great time remembering the goodness of God to both, and to us through them.

It's not often that someone reaches the century mark (if by the grace of God I do, it will be the year 2076, which seems a lifetime away, and is in fact longer away than I've already been alive!), though I imagine the majority of us will likely reach seventy. As Moses reminds us in Psalm 90:10, "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reasons of strength eighty..." But the second half of that verse is disconcerting: "...yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away." Life is short, even when you live to be 100. And life is difficult, even if you die in your youth. At every stage, as Jay Adams puts it in his unfortunately-titled book, Wrinkled But Not Ruined: Counsel for the Elderly, aging is a process of loss. And it's frustrating, even scary, to lose things.

But the Bible has much to say about how we should approach aging. 

• With a desire for spiritual growth and a heart filled with gratitude till our very last breath: "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him" (Psalm 92:12-15). We're never too old to grow in our knowledge of God and His word, never too old to start putting off sin and putting on righteousness, never too old to be transformed by His truth and grace. And at every point throughout our life, God is upright, God is our rock, and God is righteous in all His ways.

• With intentionality in our ministry: "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored" (Titus 2:3-5). What Paul says explicitly to women is certainly implied to men, mentioned in 2:2 - the more mature are to instruct, encourage, counsel, and mentor the less mature. Experience and wisdom must be passed down to the next generation, along with the truth of God's word and the duties God requires of us.

• With confidence in your future hope: "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (II Corinthians 4:16-18). As our bodies wear down and wear out, we know that God continues to renew and transform our inner person into the likeness of Jesus. And so with courage and faith we stare death in the face, knowing that we have a hope beyond this life, a hope that is unseen now but will be seen in due time, and will remain forever in Christ.

I could go on and on from God's word about aging. But whether we reach 70 or 100, we have a duty to God and to our neighbor. In the words of Archibald Alexander in his little work Aging in Grace, "We may be no longer qualified for those labors which require much bodily strength – we may, indeed, be so debilitated or crippled by disease, that we can scarcely move our crazy frame – and some among us may be vexed with excruciating pain – yet still we have a work to perform for God, and for our generation." May the Lord grant us to serve Him all our days, until we see Him face to face!

From the Pastor's Study

July 15, 2022

This coming Lord's Day we have the joy of baptizing several covenant children. Baptism is a sign and a seal of the covenant of grace, symbolizing and confirming the believer's union with Jesus Christ and all the benefits of the covenant of grace, such as forgiveness of sins, regeneration, adoption, and the new life and eternal life that is ours in Christ. The washing with water has been ordained by Jesus to picture the cleansing that believers have by the blood of Jesus and the Spirit of Jesus. By baptism we are solemnly and formally admitted into the visible church, and enter into "an open and professed engagement to be wholly and only the Lord's" (Westminster Larger Catechism #165).

Presbyterians believe that believers and their children are to receive the sign of initiation into the covenant community, based on God's commandment to Abraham in the old covenant. Far from abrogating that command in the new, He has re-emphasized it by teaching that baptism has replaced circumcision in the new covenant sign of cleansing (Colossians 2:11-12), declaring in I Corinthians 7:14 that the children of even one believer are "holy" (i.e., set apart from the world to be devoted to God); by reminding us that His covenant promises are still to us and to our children (Acts 2:38); by Jesus' welcoming even infants to Himself (Luke 18:15-16), and by issuing forth commandments to children in the covenant community (e.g., Ephesians 6:1ff.), thus showing their covenant membership in the visible church.

We also believe that baptism is a sacrament that has ongoing import. As our Larger Catechism teaches, based upon the way that the New Testament authors use the truth of baptism in their writings, we are to "improve" our baptism (i.e., take advantage of it for good) every time we see someone else being baptized, and every time we are tempted by sin. Here's an outline of Larger Catechism #167, which asks, "How is our baptism to be improved by us?"

• By serious and thankful considerations of

  • the nature of it,

  • and of the ends for which Christ instituted it,

  • the privileges and benefits conferred and sealed thereby,

  • and our solemn vow made therein;

• by being humbled for our sinful defilement, our falling short of, and walking contrary to, the grace of baptism, and our engagements;

• by growing up to assurance of pardon of sin, and of all other blessings sealed to us in that sacrament;

• by drawing strength from the death and resurrection of Jesus, into whom we are baptized, for the mortifying of sin, and quickening of grace;

• and by endeavoring

  • to live by faith,

  • to have our conversation (i.e., our life) in holiness and righteousness, as those that have therein given up their names to Christ;

  • and to walk in brotherly love, as being baptized by the same Spirit into one body.

May the Lord prepare us to rejoice in the way He is building His visible church, and to renew our vows to Him for all His grace to us!

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Vacation Bible School begins on Monday! To me, VBS is one of the most enjoyable weeks of the year here at POPC, for a variety of reasons.

• Beginning with the most mundane, it's nice getting to wear shorts to work, since I have typically worked with the Recreation Team. I love how that role has allowed me to get to know the children of our church (as well as the youth helpers) in a completely different setting than from my pulpit ministry. We have a lot of children at POPC, and it is difficult for me to learn all their names - so weeks like VBS are helpful for me to get to spend a little more time with them and learn who they are and what they are like.

• I also appreciate how VBS brings the saints together to serve and use their gifts alongside one another for multiple days in a row - it's an encouragement to my heart to see the campus bustling with our members. If you're looking to get to know people in our congregation better, VBS is a great opportunity.

• Obviously the main point of VBS is to bring the gospel of Jesus to the children of our church and to those visitors who have never heard the gospel. To hear children learning God's word together, and singing praises to God together, is a rich blessing.

If you haven't yet signed up to volunteer, or to bring snacks to feed our volunteers, it isn't too late! See the contact info below.

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You'll notice on Sunday that our Sanctuary building is steeple-less. The roof under our old steeple has been leaking into the attic for some time, and eventually it was determined that the steeple itself needed to be replaced. The new steeple should be in place in several weeks, Lord willing! Our Deacons and Maintenance Director Edwin Lewis have been working hard on many projects around the campus, so be sure to say "Thank you!" when you see one of them!

From the Pastor's Study

July 8, 2022

Last week my family and I had the privilege of serving at the Joni and Friends Family Retreat with many other POPC families, as well as saints from around the Southeast. Families with children or adults who have special needs are lavished with love and care and encouragement, and volunteers of all ages are able to give themselves away for a week to serve the Lord and His people with a variety of physical and mental disabilities. Mission trips are such life-changing joy, but family mission trips are even better - it was so good to see my children serving, whether Ezra setting tables for our meals with the other "Missionaries-in-Training," or my daughters spending their day as a "buddy" for a special need child or sibling. I had the privilege of playing guitar for our large and small group singing times (something I don't get to do very often at POPC because we have so many talented musicians!).  If you haven't gotten to attend a Family Retreat before, I heartily recommend it in future summers. But you don't need to wait - you can minister through our Sonbeams Ministry throughout the year.

• One of the things for which I'm thankful about our congregation is the heart for ministry that the Lord has poured out among us. In a few weeks, as we all return to more normal schedules, I'm going to be sharing several opportunities for ministry with you - some you likely already know about, others will surely be new to you. As our calling as elders is to equip the saints for active participation in ministry, we long to see every member serving in a variety of ways according to the gifts that God has given you. Be praying about how the Lord might use you this coming fall and spring for His glory, the gathering in of His elect, and the transformation of His people.

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During General Assembly week, a significant announcement was made by Reformed Theological Seminary here in Jackson. After more than fifty-five years of instruction at its historic, original campus in west Jackson, RTS will be moving to 1400 Meadowbrook Road, just off I-55 behind the First Commercial Bank Building and near The District at Eastover. The plan is for the relocation to occur next summer. I'm excited about this move not only for what it means for the students, but also for what it means for our area PCA churches and members. To have the resources of the RTS Library and Bookstore so much more accessible, to be able to audit classes more easily and learn from the professors, to have seminary students so much closer to our churches - all of this will be a great boon to the people of God in the Jackson metro area.

• Be in prayer for Dr. Ligon Duncan and the RTS Board (of which our own Rod Russ is a member!) as they embark on this new initiative. Pray for the students whose lives will be a bit upended, but for long-term good. Pray that God would use this move to strengthen the RTS Jackson campus even more, and that it would continue to be used to train faithful servants of the gospel for the lost and for the found. The church is only as strong as its leaders, and God has used RTS in wonderful ways the past fifty-five years. May He continue to do so in the 21st century.

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Don't forget that we will be celebrating the Lord's Supper this Sunday (one week later than usual, because of the Independence Day holiday weekend). Even as Israel ate the Passover to celebrate their freedom from slavery in Egypt, so we gather around the Lord's table (which has replaced Passover in the new covenant) to celebrate our freedom from the clutches of Satan, sin, and death. If we had reason to eat and drink in celebration of our country's freedoms, how much more, each time we sit at Christ's banqueting table, do we have reason to celebrate the freedoms that He has accomplished for us.

• I love how our Westminster Confession of Faith describes the liberty that is ours in Jesus: "The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law; and, in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin; from the evil of afflictions, the sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation; as also, in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto him, not out of slavish fear, but a childlike love and willing mind. All which were common also to believers under the law. But, under the new testament, the liberty of Christians is further enlarged, in their freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial law, to which the Jewish church was subjected; and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace, and in fuller communications of the free Spirit of God, than believers under the law did ordinarily partake of." Come to the table this Sunday, full of joy for the freedom that is ours through Jesus' finished work!

From the Pastor's Study

June 27, 2022

Since I was in Birmingham this week at our General Assembly, I wasn't able to write for our weekly update email on Friday. But I wanted to give you a recap of what transpired at GA, and comment on a few other items of moment from this week.

General Assembly is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I love catching up with old friends and making new friends, hearing how God is at work across the PCA, listening to debate and watching Robert's Rules of Order in action (yes, I confess, I am a parliamentary procedure geek), and getting to participate in the oversight of our denomination by acting on recommendations pertaining to our committees and agencies and overtures from Presbyteries seeking to amend our Book of Church Order.

• On Monday and Tuesday of GA week, commissioners (i.e., the teaching elders and ruling elder representatives from each church) meet in various committees to deliberate and make recommendations regarding the business that will come before the Assembly. (This year I was on the Covenant Theological Seminary Committee of Commissioners, and Ken Haynes was on the Reformed University Ministries Committee of Commissioners.)

• Also on those first two days of the week, there are dozens of seminars on various topics for instruction and edification, as well as much milling about and catching up with friends in the exhibit hall full of various ministries. (POPC was well represented this year in the exhibit hall - John Kwasny had a booth for One Story Ministries, Martie Kwasny had a booth for Joni and Friends, John Perritt manned the Reformed Youth Ministries booth, and I had a booth for Log College Press.)

The Assembly officially begins on Tuesday evening with corporate worship. Dr. Roy Taylor, our former Stated Clerk and last year's Moderator, preached the word of God to us, warning us against the extremes of the Sadducees (liberalism) and the Pharisees (conservatism).

• We begin each Assembly with the election of a Moderator. This year, Mr. John Bise was elected. I was happy to see him chosen, for he is a faithful churchman who also happens to be originally from Jackson, and he serves as a ruling elder in Huntsville, Alabama, at the church where our dear sister Micki Smith will attend.

• We also ratified several amendments to our Book of Church Order that had been approved at last year's Assembly and approved by more than two-thirds of our eighty-eight presbyteries, primarily related to the election of pastors and ruling elders, and church discipline processes. You can read more details here.

On Wednesday morning, we began hearing reports from our permanent committees and agencies, as well as a report from the Study Committee on Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault (DASA).

• The full written report of the DASA committee seeks to give a biblical and confessional understanding of abuse, addressing in particular domestic abuse, women who abuse, adult sexual abuse, child abuse, and spiritual abuse. It was written to help Sessions think through how to shepherd those members who are being abused and those who are abusing others. Though not an investigatory assessment as was done in the Southern Baptist Church this past year, the committee's report is worthy of our attention.

• Another item of great significance on Wednesday was an overture to withdraw from the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). The NAE is a parachurch organization that seeks to unite evangelical churches and ministries together, especially in regard to political involvement. Over the past decade, there has been a growing sentiment to leave the NAE, in part because of some of its theological and political positions, and also because our Confession is clear that the Church as the Church is "not to intermeddle with civil affairs which concern the commonwealth, unless by way of humble petition in cases extraordinary; or, by the way of advice, for satisfaction of conscience, if they be thereunto required by the civil magistrate" (WCF 31.2). In spite of several speeches in favor of remaining in the NAE, the recommendation to leave was approved by a vote of 1030-699. I think this is a good decision, and one that we will be more and more thankful to have made in years to come.

• On Wednesday evening, Rev. Elbert McGowan preached to us from John 21. It was a joy to hear our fellow presbyter open God's word with precision, power, and pointedness.

The last (and main) day of Assembly business was Thursday. We had many overtures from Presbyteries to debate, several coming with majority and minority recommendations. Here's a quick summary of some highlights of our action:

• We issued a humble petition to President Biden, the leaders of Congress, and the Governors and leaders of State Legislatures, that they end the permission of abortion: "God declares in Sacred Scripture that civil government, no less than the Church, is a divine institution and owes its authority to God. The Bible is the supreme revelation of God's will and teaches that the unborn child is a human person deserving the full protection of the Sixth Commandment, 'You shall not murder.' We who love our nation, in the name of God who alone is sovereign, call upon you to renounce the sin of abortion, to repent of the complicity in the mass slaughter of innocent unborn children, who are persons in the sight of God, and to reverse the ruinous direction of both law and practice in this area. The obedience to God which places us in subjection to your rightful authority, requires of us to proclaim the counsel of God as it bears upon the same God-given authority."

• We approved several changes to our Book of Church Order regarding homosexuality:

  • We approved adding the following language to BCO 16 regarding qualifications for church office: "Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America must be above reproach in their walk and Christlike in their character. While office bearers will see spiritual perfection only in glory, they will continue in this life to confess and to mortify remaining sins in light of God’s work of progressive sanctification. Therefore, to be qualified for office, they must affirm the sinfulness of fallen desires, the reality and hope of progressive sanctification, and be committed to the pursuit of Spirit-empowered victory over their sinful temptations, inclinations, and actions." This language was approved by a vote of 1922-200, which is a hugely encouraging number given the fact that a similar proposal was defeated by the Presbyteries last year. I have good hope that this language will be approved by more than the necessary two-thirds of Presbyteries this year.

  • We approved adding the following language to BCO 7 regarding those who identify as homosexuals: "Men who describe themselves as homosexual, even those who describe themselves as homosexual and claim to practice celibacy by refraining from homosexual conduct, are disqualified from holding office in the Presbyterian Church in America." This language only passed by a vote of 1167-978, because some feel we ought not to forbid language that may be how a man describes his particular sin struggle, and others believe this language to be a "magic words" test that will allow some not to say the magic words but still to hold aberrant views. While I am in favor of this amendment, I have little hope that this language will be approved by at least two-thirds of Presbyteries this year.

  • We approved adding the following language to BCO 21 and 24 regarding requirements for ordination: "In the examination of the candidate's/nominee's personal character, the presbytery/Session shall give specific attention to potential notorious concerns. Careful attention must be given to his practical struggle against sinful actions, as well as to persistent sinful desires. The candidate must give clear testimony of reliance upon his union with Christ and the benefits thereof by the Holy Spirit, depending on this work of grace to make progress over sin (Psalm 103:2-5, Romans 8:29) and to bear fruit (Psalm 1:3, Gal. 5:22-23). While imperfection will remain, when confessing sins and sinful temptations publicly, the candidate/nominee must exercise great care not to diminish the seriousness of those sins in the eyes of the congregation, as though they were matters of little consequence, but rather should testify to the work of the Holy Spirit in his progress in holiness (I Cor. 6:9-11)." I'm not sure how this language will fare in the Presbyteries, since it was part of an "omnibus motion" (that is, a large group of recommendations that had passed the Overtures Committee with sizeable support), and we did not take a vote specifically on it by itself.

• We approved changes to the language of BCO 33-1 and 34-1, raising the threshold for requests for a higher court to assume original jurisdiction in a case where a Session or Presbytery does not indict a member in a doctrinal case or an instance of public scandal. Previously, two Sessions/Presbyteries could make this request, but the standard was that the Session or Presbytery had to "refuse to act" before the higher court could take the case away from the lower court - and this language led to it being very difficult to convince a higher court to assume original jurisdiction, as the lower court nearly always had acted in some manner. So we raised the threshold to 10% of Sessions/Presbyteries, but made the standard "if the Session/Presbytery does not indict a member in a doctrinal case or an instance of public scandal." The vote on this was 1245-521, but there were very strong feelings against this change, so I expect it to have a difficult time being approved by two-thirds of Presbyteries. I hope it is, but there is a real possibility it fails to garner the needed support.

• We closed out the Assembly in worship, hearing a sermon from Dr. Kevin DeYoung on II Corinthians 5:15-16.

All in all, this year's General Assembly was encouraging for me with regard to the future of the PCA. As we approach our 50th anniversary next summer in Memphis, I sense a greater degree of unity than existed last year, and a larger number of elders are engaged in a direction that I believe holds to our Scriptural and Confessional foundations. Please continue to pray for the PCA! If you have any questions about anything I mentioned above (or neglected to mention), please don't hesitate to reach out by email.

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I mentioned our humble petition regarding abortion above - in God's providence, the US Supreme Court issued its ruling overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday. What an answer to prayer this decision is! So many have been asking God for the past fifty years to end the scourge of abortion, and though this ruling will not eradicate abortion from our country entirely, it will allow the states to make it illegal in their geographical bounds if their legislatures are so inclined, and hopefully it will reduce the number of unborn children who are murdered. One factor that discourages me along these lines is the rise in abortion pills sent by mail. But the closing of abortion clinics in states like Mississippi will undoubtedly preserve the lives of many babies, so it does appear that all in all this ruling is a huge step in the direction of justice for the unborn. Ultimately, however, we know that laws don't change hearts - God must do the work of regeneration and transformation to lead a person to Himself and to righteousness.

The news of Roe's overturning reminded me of the time in the early nineties in Louisiana, when Operation Rescue came through Baton Rouge. What struck me was that this event took place only twenty years after Roe v. Wade was decided (that's like the time between today and 9/11!), and that it has been some thirty years since that movement came to my hometown. So many people have been longing for this day to come for decades; indeed, some of you may have participated in the Operation Rescue movement, or other anti-abortion efforts over the past fifty years. God is good to have answered our prayers - yet the work of caring for those with unplanned pregnancies continues on. If the foster care system is filled with even more children, or if more children are born into neglect, or if there are any other adverse effects from new laws outlawing abortions, Christians should be quick to step up to meet needs, support those in difficult circumstances, and help groups like the Center for Pregnancy Choices.

Tim Barnes, our Diaconate Chairman, put it wonderfully in a note to our Deacons: "Praise the Lord for the supreme court’s decision today! Please be in prayer about how we as the Deacons of Pear Orchard can and should be active to provide even more help to those in pregnancy crisis. The church already supports the Center for Pregnancy Choices, but we have to expect that they will be receiving more women than normal. Plus there will likely be more young women who find themselves in life altering situations after a baby is born. Moses' Basket is also a POPC ministry to aid families who are adopting or fostering children. POPC is already doing good work, but more work will be required in these fields in the future, so please be in prayer!" Let's be a church and a community of believers known for being pro-life in more than just one way; as Madison Taylor replied to Tim, "Being anti-abortion is just one facet of being pro-life. There is much work to be done!"

From the Pastor's Study

June 17, 2022

Next week is the Presbyterian Church in America's 49th annual General Assembly (GA), held this year in Birmingham, Alabama. If you're new to Presbyterianism, the GA is the highest church court, consisting of all teaching elders in the PCA and ruling elder representatives from each local congregation (a church our size can send three ruling elder representatives - this year, Ken Haynes, James Clark, and Eddie Moran are attending). It exercises jurisdiction over such matters as concern the whole Church, while Presbyteries exercise jurisdiction over the ministers, Sessions, and churches within a regional area, and Sessions exercise jurisdiction over a single church. We call these bodies "courts" because as we see in Acts 15, they are called by God to judge and make decisions about the matters that come before them, whether related to doctrine, discipline, or the direction of the church. Members of a lower court can formally complain and appeal to the next higher court regarding decisions that have been made by the lower court. In this way, the unity of the church is maintained even as the church spreads out geographically, and each congregation and Presbytery is accountable to the whole church.

The GA gathers each year in June, to worship God, to hear reports from the various permanent committees and agencies, and to handle the business that comes before it by way of recommendations from the permanent committees and agencies, and overtures (requests for action) from Presbyteries. This year there are forty-seven overtures that we will be addressing. Some deal with arcane matters of judicial process, while others deal with pressing and urgent questions facing our denomination, such as the question of homosexuality and same-sex attraction in relation to officers of the church. The overtures that failed to be approved by a sufficient number of Presbyteries this past year have come back before us in altered form; hopefully we will be able to settle on language that is clear and effective to the end of communicating the holiness that is demanded in those who serve as elders and deacons in the church. You can see all the overtures that will come before us here. One of the most important things we do at GA is to elect those men who will serve on permanent committees and agencies, since these men will in large part determine how faithful these bodies will stay to the Scriptures and our polity. In addition, this year we will also hear the report of the special committee on Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault, which you can read here.

Please be in prayer for the PCA this week. Ask the Lord to grant the 2400+ commissioners safe travel. Ask Him to give us understanding, righteous speech in debate, and unity in the truth. Ask Him to be with the man who moderates the Assembly (our first order of business will be to elect the Moderator), as well as those who help him keep good order during the meeting. Ask Him to appoint men to our permanent committees and agencies who will lead according to the Scriptures and our constitutional standards. Ask Him to keep us faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission. Ask Him to bless our fellowship and to grow in love for Him and His people.

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This Sunday is Father's Day! I thank God for the joy of being a father, and and I thank Him for my own father, Dale. My dad was wonderfully present in my life as I was growing up. He had played football at LSU from 1970-1973, so sports was a big part of my childhood. I had the privilege of having him as my coach in all the sports I played, which meant more often than not I was able to be the pitcher, the quarterback, and the point guard. He would wrestle with us, play "knee football" and balloon volleyball with us in their bedroom, jump on the trampoline with us, play "buckin' bronco" in the pool with us, read with us. He led us in family devotions, and set an example in hospitality, ministry to international students, evangelism, Bible study, and friendships. He encouraged me in every thing I did, whether academic, athletic, or avocational. After my parents divorced when I was in junior high, I grew more distant from him. But after college, and especially as I married and started a family of my own, we have been able to continue to grow in our relationship. I am thankful for his example and love for me, and I know that in many ways I have not been the dad to my children that my dad was to me and my brothers. Because I didn't see him every day during my teenage years, I've struggled at times to know how to be a father to my older children, not having had the same example I had of fathering younger children. But it encourages me to know that in the Bible God compares Himself to a human father, whether in His discipline (Hebrews 12:3-11) or in His compassion (Psalm 103:13). No matter what our growing up was like, fathers can look to our heavenly Father as we seek to love our children. One of my favorite comparisons is in Deuteronomy 1:31, "...the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son..." What a great picture! This is how much God loves us and cares for us - as we walk along our windy roads, our heavenly Father is with us, bearing us up, carrying us when we are weak and burdened.

If your father is still alive, make sure to reach out to him and tell him how much you love him. And thank God for adopting you as his sons and daughters, for disciplining you for your holiness, for having compassion upon you, and for carrying you everywhere you go.

From the Pastor's Study

June 10, 2022

This coming Sunday morning I'll be continuing our series through Elijah's ministry as a prophet of God to the northern tribes of Israel, looking at I Kings 18:41-46. It's an odd story of "the running prophet," and one of the themes of the text is that of prayer. Soon after becoming a Calvinist, I read the very helpful book by Doug Kelly titled If God Already Knows, Why Pray? - perhaps you've wondered the same question. If God has sovereignly ordained whatsoever comes to pass, if He works all things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11), if He "declares the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10), then what's the point of prayer? Will it really change anything? Yet God commands us and encourages us to pray. Does this seem strange to you?

Part of the reason God tells us to pray is that prayer is not only supplication, it is first and foremost communion with Him - if we believe that through the finished work of Christ we have been reconciled to God, and have a relationship with God, and know God, then it only follows that we would want to talk to our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. But as we'll see Sunday morning, the Bible also teaches us that God has ordained prayer as the channel through which He brings the blessings He has ordained to give. His sovereignty does not negate our responsibility; His decree does not make unnecessary our actions. We see this in many ways throughout Scripture in areas unrelated to prayer. For instance, Peter can say that Jesus was "delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God" and at the same time He can hold the Jews and Romans responsible for their putting Him to death - "you crucified and killed [Him] by the hands of lawless men" (Acts 2:23; see also Acts 4:24-28). Paul can tell his shipmates during the storm on his journey to Rome that, based on the direct revelation of God to him, "there will be no loss of life among you" - and then several days later he can declare to the soldiers accompanying him that "unless [the sailors who were trying to escape] stay in the ship, you cannot be saved" (Acts 27:22, 31). Which one is it, Paul? The answer is that it's both. God is sovereign, yet He uses means to accomplish His plans.

And prayer is one of the chief means He has ordained to fulfill His sovereign purposes. If that were not true, how could Paul write in II Corinthians 1:11, "You must also help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many"? How could James write in James 4:2, "You do not have because you do not ask"? We could multiply references. And yet to my shame, I must confess that too often my belief in the sovereignty of God leads me not to prayerfulness, but to prayerlessness. I am prone to presume upon the providence of God, to take for granted the power of God, to act like a functional Hyper-Calvinist, assuming "If God wants that to happen, He'll ensure that it happens, and I don't need to worry about praying for it to happen" - forgetting that He has revealed in His word that if He wants something to happen He ordinarily makes use of the prayers of His people to bring it about. As we have seen and will see again through Elijah's life, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much" (James 5:16) - because God has ordained not only the end but also the means to that end. And we and our prayers are the means to His ends.

So whether it is the salvation of your children or friends, your sanctification, a change in your circumstances, your daily bread, the growth of the church and the spread of the gospel, or the coming of Jesus' Kingdom, don't grow weary in praying. Don't grow apathetic toward the power and utility of prayer. Don't grow lazy in prayer. Even when God's answers are slow in coming, or when He keeps answering with a "Not right now," persist in prayer (Luke 18:1), labor earnestly in prayer (Colossians 4:12), and be devoted to prayer (Romans 12:12).

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We started a new sermon series on II Peter this past Sunday night. If you haven't been in the habit of closing out the Lord's Day in corporate worship, I strongly encourage you to take this summer to form a new Sabbath habit. Especially if you have children, and the fact that Monday is a school day has been one of your main excuses, the summer is a great time to create new grooves for growing in grace and knowledge of Christ (as Peter will exhort us at the end of II Peter!). It's also a wonderful time for your 2nd-6th grade children to study The Young Peacemaker. We've actually been working our way through this workbook recently during our family worship, and I've been struck that the content is so vital even for adults. For example, we just read about the four promises of forgiveness. God forgives us even though we don't deserve it and haven't earned it. He calls us to forgive others just as He in Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). So what does it mean to forgive someone? It means that you promise will think good thoughts about the one who sinned against you and do good to them; that you will not bring up this situation and use it against them; that you will not talk to others about what they did; and that you will be friends with them again. If your family is like mine, you desperately need forgiveness and reconciliation to be taking place day by day. And not just between your children! Join me in praying (see above!) that our Sunday evening services will be overflowing with God's people, young and old, who desire to grow in the knowledge of God and in all godliness, and with unbelievers who will be transformed by truth and grace together with us.

From the Pastor's Study

May 20. 2022

Last Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at Step Morgan's ordination service at Grace Presbyterian Church in Cookeville, Tennessee. There were so many layers of joy in this event: seeing our brother Step formally enter into his call as a gospel minister, receiving the desire of his heart in spite of (even through!) all the suffering he has been through the past two years; getting to preach in my old pulpit again; seeing so many old friends from Grace, some of whom were members when we first moved there in 2007; seeing so many new faces at Grace, which encourages me as the Morgans begin their ministry there - God is at work in that body of believers; and hearing the excitement from the members about Step coming to be their pastor - I have no doubt that his heart of a shepherd, refined through suffering, will be combined with his skill as a preacher to benefit the saints into whom I poured so much of my life as well. I thank God for giving me a personal connection to the ongoing ministry of my former church. Please be praying for Step and Jessica as they transition into their new surroundings! (P.S. - Sam will be a freshman at Belhaven in the fall, so do reach out to him as you're able.)

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"School's out for the summer!" So sang Alice Cooper (and Disney's High School Musical, depending on your age and musical tastes). I know my bride and children are more than a little excited to be done, and I'm sure if you have kids in the home the relief and energy in your house matches ours. We're looking forward to a few days in Fort Morgan this coming week. Several years back on a summer vacation to the beach, I was struck by the various ways that God uses sand to teach us in His word. So if you find yourself on a beach at some point over the next few days or weeks, look down, feel the soft grit between your toes, and meditate on these truths:

• The sinfulness of sin - In Jeremiah 5:22-23, we read these words: "Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away." When we sin, we sin against a God who has created the sand to keep the seas in check, whose power preserves a lunar cycle that brings about high tide and low tide, who prevents flooding (until it is His will not to prevent it). When we sin, we sin against a strong and mighty King, an omnipotent Sovereign whom we do not fear as we ought. Melville puts it well in Moby Dick, “Heaven have mercy on us all – Presbyterians and Pagans alike – for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending." And the sand God made shows us how cracked about the head we truly are.

• The scope of grace - In Genesis 22:15ff., God tells Abraham about the vastness of His saving purposes: "I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore." Every time we see the beach in all its length and breadth and depth, we should be reminded of the all sons of Abraham - many by blood (the Jewish race) and even more by grace through faith in Jesus, the seed of Abraham in whom men and women and boys and girls from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation are saved.

• The splendor of God's knowledge of us - In Psalm 139:17-18, David recounts the beauty of God's knowledge: "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand." God is the one who wove us together skillfully in our mother’s womb, who made us fearfully and wonderfully, who wrote in His books all the days that were ordained for us. He knows us intimately and loves us still.

• The seriousness of our response to His word - In Matthew 7:24-27, we are reminded that if we hear Jesus' word but do not do it, we're like a man who built his house upon the sand, an even worse foundation than Yazoo clay. The sand reminds us of the folly of rejecting the truth of Christ, of living for ourselves and our own pleasure, as well as the serious consequences of disobeying Him. Again, Melville's words in Moby Dick are poignant: "All the things that God would have us do are hard for us to do – remember that – and hence, he oftener commands us than endeavors to persuade. And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists."

Whenever you next make it to the beach, think on these things. Redeem the time, and meditate on His general revelation (creation) and His special revelation (the Bible). Happy summer!

From the Pastor's Study

May 6, 2022

This Sunday we begin a new morning sermon series on the ministry of Elijah that will run through the summer months (we'll pick back up in Romans 8 in the fall). Step Morgan has asked me to preach his ordination sermon in Cookeville, Tennessee, and the Session has kindly granted me the opportunity to go, so Pastor Carl will be opening this new series for us. The days in which Elijah prophesied bear much resemblance to our own - rampant idolatry, a decline in genuine spirituality and true religion, wickedness and injustice prevailing in the culture, international unrest. Less than sixty years after Solomon's death, the northern kingdom of Israel was ruled by Ahab and Jezebel, two of the most wicked leaders of Israel. They didn't merely traffic in second commandment sins (depicting and worshipping the true God by means of images, see I Kings 12), but they delighted in first commandment violations as well (worshipping Baal, the "god" of fertility, the rain, and crops). They had put to death the prophets of Yahweh, and led Israel into great immorality and idolatry.

Yet the Lord did not abandon His faithless bride. He was faithful to raise up Elijah the prophet for Israel, to preserve a remnant among His people, and to afflict them for their sin so that they might turn back to Him. Through Elijah's ministry of prayer and proclamation, God vindicates His great name, calls His people to repentance and faith, judges Ahab and Jezebel, and delivers Israel from their enemies. I'm excited to spend time in this portion of Old Testament narrative, that we might behold our sovereign and holy God, learn the lessons that the New Testament draws for us from the ministry of Elijah, and see this foreshadower of John the Baptist's and Jesus' prophetic work. Be in prayer for us as we open up God's word to you this summer!

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If you're looking for some good reading material this summer, come see the middle shelves in the Sanctuary foyer over the next few weeks. I've put out some of the titles I've reprinted through Log College Press, a little publishing ministry I started five years ago that focuses on the 18th and 19th century American Presbyterians, along with some other books that several of our staff have either written or have to give away to you. It's first come, first served, so check them out!

From the Pastor's Study

April 29, 2022

This coming Lord's Day we remember our Savior's death as we gather around the table He has set for us. As we contemplate Jesus' substitution in our place, we see the infinite evil of sin, we see the rigors of God's justice in the punishment of sin, we see the riches of the Father's grace in sending His Son to save us from sin, and we see the love of Christ in giving Himself as a sacrifice for us. Be preparing your heart to commune with your Beloved, by confessing your sin, fanning into flame your gratitude for His work on your behalf, and prayerfully seeking the Spirit's sanctifying fruit.
This coming Lord's Day we remember our Savior's death as we gather around the table He has set for us. As we contemplate Jesus' substitution in our place, we see the infinite evil of sin, we see the rigors of God's justice in the punishment of sin, we see the riches of the Father's grace in sending His Son to save us from sin, and we see the love of Christ in giving Himself as a sacrifice for us. Be preparing your heart to commune with your Beloved, by confessing your sin, fanning into flame your gratitude for His work on your behalf, and prayerfully seeking the Spirit's sanctifying fruit.

We will also have the opportunity to rejoice in God's grace to our newest communing members (see their pictures below!). These young men and women have made a profession of faith in Jesus, acknowledging Him as their Savior and Lord. They will be coming to the table for the first time this Sunday. Pray for them! And as they take their membership vows, use the opportunity to renew your commitments to the Lord: to support the church in its worship and work to the best of your ability, to submit to the government and discipline of the church, and to strive for its purity and peace. Indeed, each time you come to the Lord's table, you are renewing your covenant with the Lord, confessing your sins against His covenant mercies, and believing again that Jesus has died for all your covenant breaking and gives you His Spirit to help you keep covenant with Him.

You'll also notice below that we are welcoming two new staff members next week. Kim Lee (a member of Pinehaven Presbyterian Church in Clinton) is going to be taking over for Tricia Baugus as our Administrative Assistant, and will be training with Tricia in May before the Bauguses move to Grand Rapids. I've known Kim since I was a senior at LSU, when I started attending Plains Presbyterian Church in Zachary, where she was the church secretary and worked with John Kwasny for several years. In God's providence our lives have become intertwined again; after a long stint as the Registrar at RTS-Jackson (and a couple other RTS campuses for a season), she will be laboring among us. I look forward to you getting to know her! Many of you already know and love Earl Adams. After finishing seminary he and his wife Rosie served with MTW for 11 years, mainly in Peru; he then served for four years at Trinity Presbyterian as assistant pastor of pastoral care, followed by a season as pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Madison, Florida. The Adamses returned to the missions field, this time in Bolivia, then came back to Trinity. The Session has asked him to join our staff as a part time assistant to Pastor Carl in congregational care. I'm excited that he will be laboring among us, and trust that the Lord will use Him mightily to encourage our senior saints in particular. If you haven't met him yet, I hope you will get to do so soon!

From the Pastor's Study

April 22, 2022

I was at the Twin Lakes Fellowship for most of this week, a pastor's conference sponsored by First Presbyterian Church in Jackson and held at Twin Lakes Conference Center. It's been a week I have anticipated each year for the past twenty-two years, ever since I was in seminary - it's always a great time to see old friends, meet some new ones, and be refocused in my calling as a minister of the gospel. It's a week that doesn't leave much time for writing, however, so I'm going to turn the keyboard over to Mr. Clinton Carraway, one of our Deacons and the chairman of the Deacons' Communication Committee. If you have ever wondered how our Diaconate is organized to serve the needs of our body (or even if you haven't!), you'll appreciate these brief explanations. Please continue to keep our Deacons in prayer as they seek to lead the congregation in meeting the tangible and temporal needs of the flock.

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1. Building and Grounds Committee (Chairman: Michael Johnson)
The purpose of the Building & Grounds Committee is to assist the Deacons in caring for the physical property at the church. They meet to review requests for new projects and updates on ongoing projects. Another responsibility of the B&G Committee is to look at all facility planning at the beginning of each year and block out time during the year for specific projects. They also handle all damage analysis for damage that is done to the church.

2. Finance Committee (Chairman: Mark Brown)
The role of the Finance Committee is to help the Diaconate with all matters relating to the budget and day to day finances of the church. The team works with Bill Alvis (our Church Treasurer) and the Session to put together the annual budget that is presented to the Officers and Congregation as a whole.

3. GUTS Committee (Chairmen: Glen Ulrich and Allan Edgar)
GUTS stands for Greetings, Ushering, Transportation and Security. The GUTS Committee primarily organizes and schedules all ushers and greeters for Sunday Mornings (Greetings and Ushering), provides and organizes transportation for members who lack a means of transportation to church or church events (Transportation), and provides security for church events (Security). If you have any needs for transportation, please let us know!

4. Mercy Ministry Committee (Chairman: Walt Lucas)
The role of the Mercy Ministry Committee is to help those in our church body that are in need. This can take on many forms which include providing meals, completing work projects, financial assistance or simply providing guidance.

5. Contracts and Administration Committee (Chairman: Madison Taylor)
The Contracts and Administration Committee oversees the ministry of administration in process, personnel, and facilities of POPC with the goal of proper stewardship of POPC’s resources. This primarily involves reviewing, revising, and presenting contracts to the Diaconate for approval before they are executed by POPC and assisting with any changes to the POPC policy manual and presenting them to the Diaconate for approval.

6. Disaster Relief Committee (Chairman: Jamie Murphy)
Disaster Relief is a branch of Mercy Ministry that seeks to help others on a larger scale when disasters do strike (Floods, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, etc.).

7. Communications Committee (Chairman: Clinton Carraway)
The role of the Communications Committee is to communicate with the church regarding all these committees listed above. We aim to update the church on new and ongoing projects the deacons are working on or have completed.

From the Pastor's Study

April 15, 2022

As you prepare to focus your hearts this Sunday upon Jesus' resurrection, let me encourage you to reflect upon both the fact that He rose from the dead, and the meaning of His resurrection for our lives. Both are vital. If He didn't actually come back to life after being dead for parts of three consecutive days, then there can be no significance to our belief, no point in believing at all (as Paul says in I Corinthians 15:14 and 15:17, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is is vain... your faith is futile"). But if all you think about is the fact of His resurrection, and never apply it to your daily life, then what's the point of the fact? The Bible is clear that what happened in space and time some two millennia ago has bearing for believers today and every day of our lives.

1. Since Christ rose from the dead, we are no longer in our sins. Paul completes I Corinthians 15:17 with these words, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." But Jesus was raised from the dead "for our justification" (Romans 4:25). The resurrection is proof that the Father has accepted the Son's sacrifice on our behalf - He has vindicated His Son as the sinless and spotless Lamb of God (I Timothy 3:16), and in His righteousness we are declared no longer guilty, but righteous.

2. Since Christ rose from the dead, we can walk in newness of life. We've been seeing this truth so clearly in Romans 6 - in union with our risen Savior by faith, we have been freed from sin's power as well as its penalty, and we are alive to God in Christ, so that we might walk in the new life of those who are no longer dead in sin but are dead to sin. We have been made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5) so that we might walk in all the good works that God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in. We know the power of His resurrection in our daily lives as we are enabled to put sin to death and walk in holiness (Ephesians 1:19-20; Philippians 3:10).

3. Since Christ rose from the dead, we have a living hope beyond this life. Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and thus we know that even if we die, we shall yet live (John 11:25). Jesus is "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (I Corinthians 15:20), and all who are in Him through faith will be made alive, given a new body that will never die again. "Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself" (Philippians 3:20-21). The dead in Christ will rise to eternal, physical life with Jesus on the day He comes again (I Thessalonians 4:16). God has made us to be embodied spirits, and eternity will be an embodied existence on a new earth, in bodies that can never suffer or wear out or sin ever again.

The Bible has much more to say about how the resurrection of Jesus impacts us as believers, but hopefully these will stimulate your meditation. Of course, our gratitude for the bodily resurrection of our Savior and our resting in the grace of His endless life are not meant to be a once-a-year occasion. We remember Jesus' resurrection from the dead each and every Lord's day (it's why the Sabbath changed from the seventh day to the first day of the week) and every time we celebrate the Lord's Supper (we commune with our risen Savior by faith). So let our celebration this particular Lord's Day be a springboard for your weekly celebration of the new life and new hope that is yours in Him!

From the Pastor's Study

April 8, 2022

As you've hopefully heard, we are taking nominations for the offices of Elder and Deacon this month. If you're new to Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church, the congregation nominates godly men annually each spring, and the officer training class begins in August (the months between nomination and training give the nominees time to begin praying about whether to go through training, and to begin reading for the class). From one perspective, there is no more important activity that you engage in as a congregation than the nomination and eventual election of elders and deacons—for in so many ways, as goes the leadership, so goes those who follow them. The Lord has blessed our congregation tremendously with faithful and wise men in these two offices, and it is a privilege for me to serve alongside them. Our elders are committed to shepherding the flock of God that He has entrusted to their care, and they take serious their responsibility to oversee the ministries of the church and the doctrine and life of the flock. Our deacons have a true heart of sacrificial service, caring deeply for the struggling and hurting, as well as attending to the material well-being of the facilities entrusted to us by the Lord. As the congregation grows, we desire more men who by God's grace will continue to move us forward in fidelity to the Scriptures, to the gospel, to holiness, and to Christ-like humility.

Last year, the Session approved a new rotation policy, and I want to remind you of that since it impacts the nomination process. Once a current officer has fulfilled his term (four years for deacons and five years for elders), he will take a one-year sabbatical. After that year, he may rotate back onto his respective body without being renominated, trained, or elected. If the circumstances in a man's life are such that he is not able or willing to rotate back onto active service after one, two, or three years of sabbatical, the official relationship which exists between him and the congregation would be dissolved. Per our Book of Church Order, he would not lose his ordination as an elder or deacon, but he would need to be nominated, trained, elected, and installed in order to serve again. So it's possible that you will nominate someone who happens to be in their extended sabbatical season, and so they will not be in training or on the ballot for election, since they will be rotating back onto their board per this new policy.

As you consider whom to nominate, let me encourage you to pray earnestly for wisdom. Read through Acts 6:1-6, I Timothy 3:1-13, and Titus 1:5-9, where qualifications for officers are listed. Read passages such as I Peter 5:1-5 and Philippians 2:1-11, where shepherding and serving are described. Who is already demonstrating the characteristics that God sets forth in His word for elders and deacons? Who is setting forth an example of faithfulness in attendance upon the means of grace, in leading his family (if married), in pursuing holiness in the fear of God, in serving the church in its ministries? For elders particularly, who is gifted as a teacher, someone you would trust to "exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict"?

Finally, I would ask you to pray for me as I prepare to train the men who are nominated, and for our elders as they approve the ones they believe are qualified to stand before you for election. These are weighty responsibilities, not taken lightly. Let's be in prayer that the Lord will continue to preserve this flock, granting us elders and deacons after His own heart, full of the word, full of the Spirit, full of gentleness, courage, character, and gospel zeal.

From the Pastor's Study

April 1, 2022

I've been reading the book of Numbers recently in my times of private worship. It's always been one of my favorite books of the Bible since it's the source of my name, and the God-centered description of Caleb the son of Jephunneh in 14:24 has been my aspiration from my youth: "But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered [as a spy]..." (it wasn't until 10th grade that I realized what my name meant, however - when I introduced myself on the first day of class to my French teacher, an Italian lady named Mrs. Bassioni, she immediately called me her "Dog Jealous Dog" - Caleb means "Dog" in Hebrew—both in the sense of the animal, and by derivation, in the sense of "faithful one"—and Cangelosi means "Jealous Dog" in Italian...). In my reading of this fourth book of Moses this go around, I've been reminded again at how many times the children of Israel grumbled and complained with impatience and frustration with the Lord's timing and His provision.

The occasion in Numbers 21:4-5 is striking: "[T]he people became impatient because of the journey. And they spoke against God and Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.'" So often, our grumbling is not merely impatient frustration that God has not provided what we want when we want it, but discontentment with what He has in fact provided. Complaining and grumbling are sins that are often evident for everyone to see (so that when they are not present in our lives, we show ourselves "to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom we appear as lights in the world," Philippians 2:15). They can even sometimes be respectable sins - doesn't every one have something to complain about? But they also be can be secret sins that no one else sees. Yet the Lord always sees our grumbling, for it is ultimately against Him - for He is the wise and sovereign disposer of our life, and in love He gives us what He knows we need when He knows we need it, whether we will acknowledge it or not.

The Christian life is a life of waiting on God. And as we wait, we are called to trust Him. As you read through the Psalms you will see this note sounded throughout. David's confidence in Psalm 27 is glorious: "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord." Yet waiting is hard. Patience is not natural to us as sinners. We think we know better than God what is best for us. But still, God calls on us to wait on Him. Though He can be slow, He is never late.

The Lord's Supper, which we celebrate this Sunday, is a reminder that we are called to a life of waiting, for we are always waiting for our Savior to come again. And because He knows how hard it is to wait, He has given us this appetizer of a covenant meal, so that as often as we eat and drink we might have our desires for His coming renewed, and He might satisfy our hearts with Himself while we wait. He is the holy manna, the bread of life that came down from heaven, so that we might live. And just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, so that the complaining Israelites who had been bitten by the serpents sent in judgment could look at it and live rather than die, so on the cross Jesus was lifted up, so that all who look to Him in faith might be saved from the consequences of their sin (see Numbers 21:6ff.; John 3:14).

According to the divine instructions in I Corinthians 11:27-29, examine yourself as you come to the Lord's table. And when your heart convicts you of complaining and grumbling, when you realize that you have been impatient and discontented, when in your selfishness and pride you demand more from God than He has chosen to give you, look to Jesus and live. If you look in faith to the sinless substitute, He will free you from the guilt and power of this subtle and seductive sin. For even as the Israelites looked to that which had been their curse, so we look to Jesus, who became a curse for us on the cross. He took our sin upon Himself so that we might be rescued from sin. As you wait on Him to come again and bring the fullness of our redemption on the last day, walk in faith and patience, in confidence and trust, in repentance and godly sorrow, in holiness and joy.

From the Pastor's Study

March 25, 2022

One of the joys of my ministry at POPC is gathering with the CCS Preschool weekly for Come Together Time and speaking at the CCS Lower School Chapel monthly. Singing with 3s, 4s, and 5s, and hearing them recite the Children's Catechism and the books of the Bible in order (using the "Bible Rap" that I learned in 6th or 7th grade), warms this pastor's heart. Lower School Chapel is one of the few places I get to play my guitar (since our church is so richly blessed with gifted musicians!), and I love teaching the Scriptures to our students. Yesterday I had the privilege of opening up I Corinthians 11:23-29, sharing with them what I'll be teaching our Communicants Class this coming Lord's Day - the "Five Directions" we are to look when we come to the Lord's Supper (which we'll be doing next Lord's Day!): backward (remembering the substitutionary death of Jesus on our behalf, 11:24-25); within (examining ourselves for sin to confess, faith in Jesus, love for the Lord and the body of Christ, etc., 11:28); upward (communing with our risen Savior, 10:16; around (communing with the body of Christ in sacrificial love, 10:17 and 11:29); and forward (we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes, remembering that the Lord's Supper is an hors d'oeuvres for the wedding feast of the Lamb, 10:26). As you prepare for the Lord's Supper this week, meditate on these "compass points"! And pray for our students at POPC and CCS, that God would grant them saving faith and repentance, and grow them through the word, the sacraments, prayer, and fellowship.

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Dr. John Kwasny, our Director of Discipleship (and one of my mentors since college and the best man in my wedding), has just recently published his 100th episode of his "Biblical Counseling Today" podcast. In case you don't have time to listen to all 100, here's a list of the seasons so you can choose what is most relevant for you right now:

• Season 1: Individual problems

• Season 2: Marriage problems

• Season 3: Parenting problems

• Season 4: Teenage problems

• Season 5: More challenging problems

• Season 6: The problem of suffering

• Season 7: Demonic confusion vs. Biblical truth

• Season 8: Relating to Married, Adult Children

• Season 9 (current season): All Things Culture

You can listen on your podcast app, or on iTunes or Spotify, or visit www.biblicalcounselingtoday.podbean.com on your computer (click the three lines in the upper left corner to see the various seasons).

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If you haven't heard, Mr. Scott Miller has been called to be the next Minister of Young Adults and College at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson. Scott has faithfully served us here the past several years as a Youth Intern and as an Interim Youth Director between Wilson Van Hooser and Christian Brewer. I'm excited for him to take this new role, not only because he will get to stay close to home and serve in the church where his wife Abbey's father grew up, but also because the Lord has prepared him wonderfully to minister to young adults and college students with wisdom, grace, and knowledge. He'll be starting his work in late April, so make sure you get a chance to say good-bye and thank you during the next four weeks!

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Be on the lookout next week for a letter from your Deacons. On Monday night, the Session approved their recommendation that we purchase new furnishings for our Parlor, and raise funds from the congregation for this much-needed purpose.

From the Pastor's Study

March 11, 2022

I want to share an update on the PCA and a couple of ministry items that I haven't had a chance to tell you about over the past few weeks. First, the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCA has issued its decision in the case pertaining to Missouri Presbytery's handling of the teaching of the 2018 Revoice Conference. By a 22-2 vote, the SJC found that the Presbytery erred in approving six theological judgments (found on page 4 of the decision). This nearly unanimous ruling declares that the Presbytery was wrong in its assessment of Revoice theology, and directs the Presbytery to hold a new hearing in which it is to focus on the question, "What steps must MOP take to make clear to the broader Church the errors that were identified in Presbytery’s various investigations with regard to some of the teachings at Revoice 18, particularly with regard to Theological Judgments 2, 3, and 5, and what steps must MOP take to fulfill its responsibilities to protect the peace and purity of the broader Church . . . in light of those errors?” This decision is encouraging to me, not only that it ruled as it did, but also that it was so nearly unanimous. It is an encouraging indication that Revoice/Side B theology will not be allowed to be held or propagated in the PCA (if you are completely confused by what Revoice/Side B theology is, check out the PDF on this website, written by M. D. Perkins, a member of Lawndale Presbyterian Church in Tupelo).

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Second, at our last Session meeting, the elders voted to hire Earl Adams as a part-time assistant to Pastor Carl in the area of Congregational Care, particularly to our senior saints, beginning May 1. Many of you know him well already, since he was an Assistant Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church. But if you don't know him, I hope you will have a chance to do so in the coming months. He regularly preaches to the smaller churches around our Presbytery on Sunday mornings, so if it's not your habit to come on Sunday evenings, it may be a little while before you get to meet him. But I can't tell you how excited I am to have Earl on our staff. His long experience in the pastorate and on the mission field, his pastor's heart, and his devoted commitment to serve the Lord's church will be a rich blessing to our congregation.

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Finally, you'll notice below that our Young Marrieds Fellowship, a ministry that started in 2017, has recently morphed into a Young Adult Fellowship. The age range is still the same (22-35), but we've expanded it by including those who are not married and by adding new opportunities for gathering together to study God's word and get to know one another. Over the years, at least since I've been here to notice but I'm sure longer than that, ministry to young families has been one of our strengths as a church - ministry to singles, not as much. Many young men and women who grew up at POPC and returned to the Jackson area after college have gravitated toward other churches with more robust singles ministries. Fortunately, there are lots of great churches all around us. And as no church can be strong in every facet of ministry, I've been thankful for what other churches have been able to provide. It has been disappointing over the years, however, to see some young believers not feel able to connect well to POPC, but also not make a strong connection to another church. They languish spiritually. It is my prayer that by intentionally offering times for fellowship, community, and instruction to all in the young adult age range, we might be able more effectively to reach a group of believers (and unbelievers!) that we haven't reached as well as we would have liked in the past.

Be in prayer for this expanded ministry, and if you know any young adult single or married couple who is looking for a church family (or even if they aren't looking), or has grown disconnected from our church family, please tell them about what's happening here. Who knows how the Lord might bless this effort to the spiritual reviving of covenant children and the spiritual regeneration of those who have never known the gospel of grace and the community of grace in the church.

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This post will also be taking Spring Break next week, so I'll talk to you in two weeks!

From the Pastor's Study

March 4, 2022

It has been both disheartening and heartening to see what is happening in the Ukraine. Watching Russian tanks roll into a neighboring country brings back childhood memories from the 1980s of the Cold War and its specter of nuclear war (for many of you, those memories go back even farther). One of the books I read in junior high was Z for Zechariah, a haunting tale about being one of only a handful of people left on earth after a nuclear holocaust. Perhaps you've wondered, or your children have asked, are we about to live through WWIII, or a nuclear conflict? May the Lord prevent it! Even if we don't experience a worldwide conflagration, the nation of Ukraine is certainly living out a nightmare scenario. To read the brokenhearted email from our beloved Michelle Maly, separated from the children and youth for whom she has poured her life out; to see the refugee crisis unfolding in neighboring countries, and to hear of fathers separated from their families; to know that so many are sleeping in basement bomb shelters each night, not to mention the death and destruction Russian missiles and bombs are causing - our hearts break at the suffering we witness through our screens. Several of you have told me of personal connections you have to the Church in Ukraine, and you feel the pain of friends and acquaintances even more deeply. Of course, such suffering is happening every day in some way some where, but a large scale invasion in a digital, connected age brings it home afresh and in a powerful way. We rightly turn Psalm 46:9 into prayer, "Lord, make wars to cease to the end of the earth; break the bow and cut the spear in two; burn the chariots with fire." If you're wanting to know more of how to pray for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in Christ, visit MTW's page devoted to the crisis - there are regular updates from Jon Eide, the MTW Country Director. You can also join a Zoom call for the next few days at 2:00 CST by clicking here.

In the face of all that Russia is doing in Ukraine, it has been strengthening for my own heart to see the courage and against-all-odds defiance of ordinary citizens and extraordinary statesmen. When COVID first hit two years ago, I recall that Andy Grammer's song "Don't Give Up On Me" was something of a theme song on the news and in our house, and perhaps in yours as well. I hear the same theme as those lyrics every time President Zelensky speaks. The yearning for and commitment to freedom at the cost of life itself is to be emulated. I pray I would have the same Zelenskian courage if it were ever called for here in America or Mississippi, God forbid - and that I will have it even now in all the ways I am tempted to be a coward in the face of spiritual warfare and the call to be a gospel witness.

The paradox of confidence in the midst of tribulations is going to be the theme of my sermon this coming Lord's Day from Romans 5:3-5. But in that passage Paul doesn't call us to have confidence in the midst of suffering, but even to rejoice and exult triumphantly in those very afflictions themselves. We'll see why/how Paul can say this on Sunday. But for now I want to remind you that this theme resounds frequently through the New Testament:

• Matthew 5:10-12 - "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

• James 1:2-4 - "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

• I Peter 1:3-7 - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

• Acts 5:40-41 - "[the Jewish leaders] flogged [the apostles] and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name."

• II Corinthians 12:7-10 - "Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

It is not easy to rejoice in trials and tribulations, and yet by the Holy Spirit Christians are enabled to do so. For we know that God is using our suffering to grow us into the likeness of Jesus, to give us an even deeper hope in and longing for the glory to come, and to make us into a people who are able to minister to sufferers with sympathy and grace. Joni Erickson Tada's testimony of the blessedness of affliction is a beautiful picture of how God grants the gift of joy to His people in dark days. May the Lord grant us grace through His word to rejoice, to exult, to triumph in the trials that draw us closer to our Savior.

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Don't forget that this Sunday is the first Sunday of the month. So we celebrate the Lord's Supper this coming Sunday morning, and we gather for our monthly prayer meeting for missions and the spread of the gospel at 5:00 Sunday evening. Christian Brewer will be continuing our series on eschatology by reflecting on the Bible's teaching about the "intermediate state" - life between our death and our resurrections. Sunday is always the best day of the week, and first Sundays are perhaps my favorite Sunday of each month. To remember our Savior who gave His life on the cross, enduring its shame for the joy set before Him, and to pray for His kingdom to come - these privileges particularly refocus the heart on eternity and on what life is really all about. As we walk through the valley of they shadow of death, let us keep the cross and the crown of Jesus ever before us!

From the pastor's study

February 25, 2022

As a pastor and teacher of the flock, my primary calling is to equip you, the saints, to do the works of ministry that God has gifted you to do (see Ephesians 4:12). Whether your ministry is more word-based or more deed-based, more speaking or more serving (see I Peter 4:11), one thing you need to be equipped with is a knowledge of the manner in which God wants you to minister to others. The Bible gives lots of different answers to this question, but one of the most probing is this: with diligent dependence - or flip it around, with dependent diligence.

Whenever God opens a door for us to use our gifts, we may be tempted on the one hand to be slow to take advantage of the opportunity, to be lazy and passive, to refuse to give ourselves fully to the work to which God has called us. On the other hand, we may be tempted to do the work of ministry in our own strength, to be prideful and self-reliant, to trust in our God-given gifts as if they were self-created and self-sustained and self-successful. The Bible is clear that both of these paths are to be avoided, and that Christian ministry is to be marked by a diligent dependence and a dependent diligence.

We are to minister with diligence. Paul's writings in particular, as he describes his own ministry, make this point so clearly:

• II Corinthians 12:15 - "I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls." To minister is to give yourself away for the sake of another, even to the point of being used up and exhausted - to spend yourself, to lay out and to lay down your life for another - and to do it with gladness and joy. Even as Jesus laid down His life for us for the joy set before Him, so we spend ourselves, we are spent [by Him], for His glory and for the good of our neighbors.

• Galatians 4:19 - "...my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!" Paul compares his ministry to a woman's labor unto childbirth, with all the pain and anguish that accompanies it. We are willing to endure much hardship and inconvenience for the goal of seeing in those to whom we minister genuine Christ-formation, true conformity to the image of Jesus in every part of the inner man.

• Philippians 2:17 - "Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." With similar imagery to being "spent" (a financial picture), here Paul uses a sacrificial picture, of being poured out like an Old Testament drink offering upon the altar (see Exodus 29:40-41). We are to pour ourselves out for Christ Jesus and for His people, even unto death (II Timothy 4:6), with joy and gladness.

But our diligence is never to be pridefully self-reliant, as Paul also makes clear in his letters:

• I Corinthians 15:10 - "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." Paul labored with even more zeal and diligence than all the rest of the apostles - but he knew that his ability to do so wasn't due to his strength and personal tenacity or determination. It was due to the grace of God that had been lavished upon him. He wasn't passive, but he wasn't prideful either.

• Colossians 1:29 - "For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." In order to present every man mature in Christ through his ministry of preaching and teaching and admonishing (Colossians 1:28), Paul agonizes, he wears himself out, he works hard and strives with all his might. But it's actually not his might - it's the mighty power of God that is powerfully at work within him. His strength is granted from without, not manufactured from within. As Peter puts it, "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ." God is the one who strengthens us for ministry so that He might get the glory in the end rather than us. We are absolutely dependent on Him, for apart from God's grace and power through Jesus Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

• I Corinthians 3:5-7 - "What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth." Paul understood that his ministry was providentially arranged and ordered and parceled out by God. Each person has a particular task in God's garden, but ultimately we're merely instruments in God's hand. He is the one who gives opportunities for usefulness and causes those to whom we minister to grow spiritually. Therefore we are nothing, and He is all in all

Diligently dependent. Dependently diligent. This is the manner in which we must serve the Lord and His flock. I shared these verses with some of our staff this week (and how beautifully do they live these verses out - we are blessed beyond measure with such a wonderful staff!), but I wanted you all to reflect upon them. You might be studying and teaching God's word. You might be assisting in worship with musical gifts. You might be exercising hospitality. You might be serving those in need financially or physically. You might be praying for others. You might be sharing the gospel with the lost. You might be encouraging the downcast. You might be administering behind-the-scenes details so that other ministry can be done seamlessly and without friction. Whatever might be your spiritual gifts, however you might serve, the Lord wants you to spend and be spent - He wants you to serve Him diligently and dependently - He wants you to put to death lazy passivity and self-reliant pride.

In this manner may the Lord enable us to glorify Him in our works of ministry, so that we might bear much fruit, build up the body, and mature together into the likeness of our Savior!

From the Pastor's Study

February 18, 2022

I'm still digesting the rich truth we were fed last week during our annual Missions Festival. What a blessing to hear from Tito Padilla, Mark Horn, and Rick Phillips! If you missed any of their sermons and reports, or want to listen to them again, please visit the Sermons page of our website to listen to them. If you were present Wednesday night, you might recall Mark Horn mentioning a video in which Philip Sealy, the former Ocean Springs church planter, expressed his desires for the gospel to reach that city, even as he was dying of cancer. You can watch that six-minute video here, and then read more about Mark and Stephanie's vision for Ocean Springs here.

Don't forget to turn in a missions commitment card soon (or fill one out online - click the block on our home page). I rejoice that this past Sunday there were 37 cards turned in for a total of $73,480 - which means we are already 65% toward our direct member giving goal for 2022 of $112,546! Knowing that some in the congregation give to missions even without turning in a commitment card, I feel confident that we will be able to exceed that goal, and have even more funds for our Missions Team to use for one-time gifts.

Let's continue to pray for God to cause good fruit to grow in all the world through our gifts and prayers - remember to use the weekly "Missionary of the Week" prayer box in the bulletin, and join us for our first Sunday evening at 5:00 prayer meeting for missions, ministries, and the spread of the gospel within our hearts and around the world.

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On our Sermons page, you will also find Rick Phillips' discussion of the state of the PCA. It was a sobering and helpful walk through some of the divisions within our denomination, in particular the controversy that has arisen in earnest the past four years over the issue of "Side B" homosexuality. One website defines these two sides in the following way: "Side A consists of LGBTQ Christians who believe to be gay and live as a gay person in a same-sex romantic relationship is not a sin. People on Side B believe it’s not a sin to be LGBTQ, but see the only way to stay within these parameters is to live a celibate life and thus never engage in a same-sex sexual relationship." While commendably refusing to affirm that homosexual sexual acts are pleasing to God, those who declare themselves to be "Side B" homosexuals sadly assert that there is nothing wrong with a Christian identifying as a homosexual (or if they really want to include the "T"[ransgender], to identify as a different gender than the one the Lord assigned a person at birth), and that sexual attraction or desire for someone of the same gender is not something that the believer in Jesus needs to (or in the view of some, can) mortify/put to death or repent of.

The PCA Study Committee Report on Human Sexuality, however, speaks plainly to both of these issues (and many more!).

• With regard to a Christian's identity: "We affirm that the believer’s most important identity is found in Christ (Rom. 8:38-39; 12 Eph. 1:4, 7). Christians ought to understand themselves, define themselves, and describe themselves in light of their union with Christ and their identity as regenerate, justified, holy children of God (Rom. 6:5-11; 1 Cor. 6:15-20; Eph. 2:1-10). To juxtapose identities rooted in sinful desires alongside the term “Christian” is inconsistent with Biblical language and undermines the spiritual reality that we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Nevertheless, being honest about our sin struggles is important. While Christians should not identify with their sin so as to embrace it or seek to base their identity on it, Christians ought to acknowledge their sin in an effort to overcome it. There is a difference between speaking about a phenomenological facet of a person’s sin-stained reality and employing the language of sinful desires as a personal identity marker. That is, we name our sins, but are not named by them." (Page 11)

• With regard to desire: "The desire for an illicit end—whether in sexual desire for a person of the same sex or in sexual desire disconnected from the context of Biblical marriage—is itself an illicit desire. Therefore, the experience of same-sex attraction is not morally neutral; the attraction is an expression of original or indwelling sin that must be repented of and put to death (Rom. 8:13)." (Page 8)

These quotes from the PCA Study Committee Report are a good reminder that in spite of the several discouraging things that have happened over the past few months in the PCA in regard to these issues (the failure on the Presbytery level of the two overtures approved by the General Assembly and the Standing Judicial Commission's denial of the complaint against Missouri Presbytery's handling of TE Greg Johnson), there is much to be thankful for as well. Not only have we issued a strong statement on human sexuality in the Study Committee Report (albeit not binding in any way), but 50 of the 80 presbyteries (eight have not yet voted) that have voted on the overture to prohibit ordination to men who self-identify as "gay Christian" or "same-sex attracted Christian" voted to approve it - a majority of 63%. By way of comparison, at the General Assembly last Summer, the overture was approved by a vote of 1438-417 = 71%. Two-thirds of Presbytery is an appropriately high bar for a change to our Book of Church Order, and on any vote like this there are various and conflicting reasons why someone might vote against - so just because a man or a Presbytery voted against the overture doesn't necessarily mean he/it is in favor of Side B homosexuality. In addition, 15 of the 24 men on the Standing Judicial Commission have gone on official record to express strong concern with TE Johnson's statements, views, and tone-deafness. And the elders of Christ's church are being roused to attention and vigilance. I could go on.

My point is that we do not need to take a "glass half-empty" approach to the PCA. Yes, the situation is serious; and yes, we need to pray earnestly for peace, unity, purity, and truth to reign in our church; and yes, we need to continue to contend for the truth manfully, boldly, clearly, patiently, and lovingly. But I am realistically (though I trust not naively) optimistic that the Lord will bring us through these circumstances with purifying power and grace. Pray for your elders as we discuss and deliberate on these matters now and in the coming months and years. We desire to be faithful and wise overseers and shepherds of you the flock that God has entrusted to our care, not allowing wolves to enter into the sheepfold, being on guard against all false and immoral teaching. May He lead and guide us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake!

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Don't forget that our New Members Class is starting this Sunday in Room 127! If you know someone who is interested in learning more about POPC, or knows they want to join our church, please encourage them to come. It will be a nine-week class, and I will be teaching the bulk of the classes. I look forward to getting to know those the Lord desires to become a part of our family!
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Murray and Hannah Robertson, one of our new families to join POPC, have moved back up to Starkville to finish college. But they will be back in the Jackson area this Summer from mid-May to the beginning of August so that Murray can finish his co-op, and are in need of a place to stay - if you happen to have a spare room, or an unused mother-in-law suite, or a garage apartment, please contact him at 601-212-1972 or murrayrobertson1999@gmail.com!

From the Pastor's Study

February 11, 2022

Why are there Presbyterians in Mississippi? The answer might surprise you: New Yorkers. Yes, Yankees were the first to plant Presbyterianism in Dixie. On March 21, 1799, the New York Missionary Society for Propagating the Gospel Among the Heathen (a group of Presbyterians) sent the Reverend Joseph Bullen down to Mississippi to minister among the Chickasaw Indians in northern Mississippi. Bullen was born in Massachusetts in 1750, and after graduating from Yale he pastored a Congregational Church in Vermont. He soon became interested in the missionary efforts of the Presbyterians, and the rest is history (history that unfortunately very few remember!). Bullen set out with his seventeen-year-old son, arriving in north Mississippi in May of 1799. He stayed until August, and then went back to New York to report on his labors.

In March, 1801, Bullen returned with his wife Hannah and five children, along with an assistant, settling near Pontotoc. At the end of 1802, he was preparing to head back up to New York, when three missionaries from the Synod of the Carolinas happened to pass through Pontotoc on their way to Natchez. They convinced him not to return north, but to go with them further south. Eventually, in 1804, Bullen organized the first Presbyterian Church in the Mississippi Territory in Uniontown, MS, some twenty-two miles northeast of Natchez (near what is now known as Cannonsburg, MS - if you ever travel down Highway 61 toward Natchez, look out for a historical marker noting Bullen's grave near Cannonsburg Road). Bullen went on to plant churches in Bayou Pierre and in Union Church, and his work was foundational to Presbyterianism in Mississippi.

I share the story of Joseph Bullen because the work of planting churches and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ is not over - not even in Mississippi! If you haven't been able to be with us this past Sunday or Wednesday to hear from Tito Padilla and Mark Horn, please find their sermons on our website or YouTube channel. You will be richly encouraged and challenged in your own ministries of evangelism and discipleship. The Lord has His people scattered throughout the cities of this globe (see Acts 18:10), and it is our responsibility and privilege to go forth preaching the good news, so that His elect might hear and respond in faith and repentance unto salvation. God has sovereignly ordained not only the end (the salvation of the elect) but also the means (the preached word of the gospel). As Paul puts it in Romans 10:14ff., "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?"

Each one of us is sent into the world to be the light of the world, speaking the word of life to the dead. But some are sent farther away than others, or are sent to focus the whole of their energies on ministering to the lost. Thus we consider the possibility that we ourselves might be called to go further away than we are now, or to commit our lives in a particular way to gospel ministry. Thus we raise money to give to missionaries and ministries around the corner and around the world. Thus we pray the Lord to raise up and send out laborers in His harvest field. To this end, please don't forget to be praying and considering how much your family might commit to pray for and give to missions in 2022, and turn in a commitment card this Sunday!

If New York Presbyterians could send out missionaries to Mississippi, then we Mississippi Presbyterians can and should continue to send out missionaries to all the places where the gospel is needed, near and far. The work of missions will continue until Jesus comes again, so let us be diligently committed to His glory