From Pastor Caleb's Study

August 4, 2023

Summer is over and the school year has arrived! Summers definitely seem to fly by more quickly than they used to - not sure if that's because they are in fact shorter, or if one's perception of time changes as you age. All I know is, buckle up, kiddos, because back to school week is going to be a doozy, since you're still staying up too late to get the last dregs of summer before it's gone.

It's going to be a joy to see all the 9th-10th grade activity at the new Christ Covenant Upper School building this fall. It's an amazing space, and I hope you'll come check it out as you have opportunity. So much prayer and labor has gone into getting things ready for this moment, and it's going to be a lot of fun watching all the effort finally come to fruition. I'll be over there a couple days a week teaching Biblical Greek to a handful of students, and I'm really excited about this privilege. CCS is one of our largest ministries, so even if you don't have children there please keep it in your prayers.
Continue to pray for all the last minute details that need to be attended to by administrators and teachers and support staff at every level of CCS. And pray for all the new students and families who will be making their way onto campus for the first time next week. God is at work, and as we seek to pursue transformation by truth and grace together for the glory of Christ, CCS is a huge part of that mission.

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Thanks for your prayers for our vacation. It was a restful time in some ways, but in others not so much. It was definitely nice to leave 100 degree temps for 80 degree temps in the mountains (at least on a couple days), and I enjoyed getting to do some woodcarving again (if you or anyone you know want to join a monthly woodcarving group, let me know!). I also got to play pickleball for the first time! I might be looking to learn from some of you avid pickleballers soon...

It was fun to be with my brothers and their wives and children for a week. As I mentioned before we left, we grew up coming to this camp as children, so it was fun to watch our children get to enjoy some of the same things we experienced when we were their age. It brought back a lot of good memories of time with my family as a child and youth.

Speaking of my family, please pray for my father - he has had increasing dementia for a little while now, and this week things took a turn for the worse. My brother had to take him to the hospital in Hot Springs, AR, and he is currently in a psychological ward getting a formal evaluation and new medicines. This has been difficult on several levels, as many of you know firsthand. Pray for wisdom and unity among my brothers and me as we address the near and long term future, and for us to have grace to honor and love my dad through these circumstances.

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I was recently asked why we wear black robes in our morning worship services. You may have wondered this yourself at some point. There are a variety of answers to this question.

• First, just as judges and doctors and police officers wear distinctive clothing to help people recognize their calling and role in society, so the plain, black academic robe in the pulpit helps to emphasize the primary calling and office of the pastor as teacher and preacher of the word of God. Ironically, though on first glance it may appear to make us less accessible, it actually makes us more accessible to the people of God as pastors, for the people of God are visibly reminded each Lord’s Day that this man has been set apart to the ministry by calling and preparation to shepherd and feed them the word of God. When we get up in the pulpit, we are there by the authority of God and His church, speaking God's word and not our own.

• Second, the simple robe draws your attention away from the minister himself (what kind of outfit he is wearing, whether his clothes match, if he's a stylish or hip or casual dresser, etc.) and to the worship of the living God. We will wear something, and a robe helps to keeps us from being a distraction to the main reason we have gathered.

• Finally, the robe affirms and contributes to the seriousness, dignity, and reverence to the worship service. No one thinks it strange if a minister wears a robe at a wedding, just as we don't think it strange if a judge wears a robe in the courtroom – is not Lord’s Day worship, our gathering into the throneroom of the Holy One of Israel, a much more glorious and serious event? We do not believe a robe is essential – indeed, we do not wear it in the evening service (in part because of the more intimate family worship feel of evening worship) and we are always to be reverent in worship first and foremost because of Whom we worship – but since our society is so casual and flippant in its approach to God, a pastor’s robe is a helpful reminder that worship is serious business.

There are other reasons we might give, but hopefully these give you a little insight into why we continue this historic practice of the Protestant church.

From Pastor Caleb's Study

July 21, 2023

What an encouraging week VBS has been! There have been so many children and Sonbeams adults across our campus. I'm thankful for Kristi Clark and Adelle Johnson leading VBS again this year, and for Tammy ZumMallen and Daphne Clark heading up the effort with Sonbeams. The youth helpers and adult volunteers have sacrificed time and energy to bring the gospel of Christ to our POPC children and to many from outside the church. Thank you for giving yourself away for the Lord! It was a joy to watch new relationships among the volunteers formed, and old relationships deepened. I was also delighted to see so many friends from Christ Covenant School in the various classes - I'm reminded once again of the blessings of having this ministry, and how it interfaces beautifully with our other ministries. Be in prayer for this final day, and for fruit to grow to maturity in God's time and by His power.

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We are heading up to Hendersonville, North Carolina, this weekend to spend a week with my brothers' families at a camp called Kanuga. My dad grew up going to this camp as a child with his family, and he and his siblings took their families as we were growing up. We've been able to go a few times with our children, though not as often as I would like. I have so many memories of being here with my siblings and cousins as a child and youth, and it's fun to see similar memories form in the lives of my children. We actually moved up to Hendersonville for about five months before and during my sixth grade year, so this town (and nearby Brevard) feel somewhat like a second hometown for me. I only wish it were closer.

Kanuga is a place that in many ways is the same as it was forty years ago. That's part of the appeal, to see my children enjoy the same activities we enjoyed as children, to stay in the same cottages, to rock on the same rocking chair porch, to hike the same trails, to hear the same bugle call welcoming us to meals, to swim in the same lake, to play in the same gym, etc. It's always about ten degrees cooler up there than down here. The smells and sounds are strikingly familiar every time we've been. There are always lightning bugs at night in July. It's a week of nostalgia, and to be there with my brothers I'm sure it will be even more so. Like anything, some things have changed, for better or for worse. It's an Episcopalian family camp, so unfortunately over the last fifty years it has become much more theologically liberal (think labyrinths and "sound bathing"??). But fortunately there is a solid PCA congregation in Hendersonville that we'll worship with this Lord's Day, and it's easy to opt out of the wacky spirituality and enjoy God's creation. Pray that it will be a week of peace, unplugging, rest, refreshment, and rejuvenation for me and for my family.

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Hopefully you heard the sad news that our brother Walter Denny passed away this past Sunday. Walter was a founding member of POPC, and though he and his wife Peggy moved their membership to First Baptist Madison a couple years ago, he was still a good friend to many in our congregation. He was a generous and faithful servant of Christ, and was a moving force behind our church's becoming a more ethnically diverse congregation. His investment in kingdom work and its fruit will only be known when Christ returns on the last day. Please keep the whole Denny family, especially his wife Peggy, in your prayers. His memorial service will be held at First Baptist of Madison this coming Monday. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the service will follow at 11:00 a.m. The burial will be at Parkway Memorial Cemetery on Highland Colony Parkway.

I had hoped to interview Walter soon for our 50th anniversary celebration in 2027, so I regret that his memories will not be a part of that event. If you were there when POPC was particularized on November 13, 1977, or if you were there in the early years of the church, I encourage you to start writing down everything you can remember about those early days, so that we might be able to preserve your memories in some form. If you have pictures, set them aside. No matter how long you've been a member, if you're interested in helping to plan this event, please let me know! I have a growing list in my mind of things I'd love to see us do, but I definitely can't do them all myself, nor should I for such a congregational celebration. God has been and remains faithful to POPC, so let us press on to serve Him in faith, hope, and love!

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Men, if you're interested in coming to the small group Bible study on Ecclesiastes, please sign up and purchase the book we'll be using ($5) here. We'll be meeting in the Parlor on Mondays from 12:00-1:00, starting on August 7. I look forward to digging into this puzzling book with you!

From Pastor Caleb's Study

July 14, 2023

This coming Lord's Day we will celebrate the sacrament of baptism. Leonora McCallister (daughter of Jesse and Joanna McCallister), Edith Welch, Amelia Welch, and William Welch (children of new members Andrew and Joy Welch) will be welcomed into the covenant community at the 8:30 a.m. service, and Penelope Crawford and James Crawford (children of Quinn and Laura Crawford) at the 11:00 service. As you see the waters of baptism poured out upon these children of the covenant, remember your own duty to "improve" (i.e., turn to a profit, use to good effect) your own baptism.

The Westminster Larger Catechism (WLC) #167 helpfully instructs us in this "needful but much neglected duty" that "is to be performed by us all our life long, especially in the time of temptation, and when we are present at the administration of it to others." As the Westminster divines read the Scriptures, in particular the apostle Paul, they saw how God (and the Biblical authors) used the significance of the sacrament of baptism as a means of strengthening the faith of His people. How are we to improve our baptism? In the words of the WLC:

• By serious and thankful consideration 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 Christ, into whom we are baptized, for the mortifying of sin, and quickening of grace;

• 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..

So come to worship this Sunday ready to consider, to be humbled, to be assured, to be strengthened, and to be challenged. Remember God's promises, and the way that baptism seals/confirms/certifies/guarantees those promises to all who believe them in their hearts. Know that as water cleanses the body, so the blood of Jesus and the Spirit of Jesus cleanse our souls. And pray for the parents whose children are being formally set apart to follow Jesus - for they have a weighty burden of prayer, instruction, and discipline upon them. And who is sufficient for parenting? To use Paul's words in a somewhat different direction from how he used them, "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God...[His] grace is sufficient for [us], for [his] power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 3:5; 12:9). Thanks be to God for the gift of children to raise to know the Lord Jesus, and for the sacraments that help to depict visually the grace of the gospel.

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Men, on Mondays this fall (beginning the first Monday of August, 8/7), I'll be leading a men's Bible study of the book of Ecclesiastes from 12:00-1:00. We'll plan to meet in the Parlor, and we'll be using the Lifechange Bible Study guide published by Navpress. The book will cost $5, and we'll have a registration form available soon. Ecclesiastes has always been a difficult book for me to understand, and perhaps it is for you as well. So I'm looking forward to digging in together to deepen our knowledge of God's word and God's world.

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Thank you for your prayers for my preaching at FPC last Sunday morning. The Lord was gracious to me as I preached, and to my listeners as they heard the word preached. If you'd like to hear the sermon you can listen to it here. It's a variation of a sermon I preached at POPC back in 2019 on 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, "Why Do Bad Things Happen to God's People?" It's a question we've all asked before, and Paul's answers in the opening of his second letter to the Corinthians are some of the most helpful in the Bible.

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Finally, as RTS has opened the doors of its new location on Meadowbrook Drive (just behind First Commercial Bank on the Frontage Road), the Bookstore is hosting monthly book discussions on various books. The first one was from 5:30-6:30 on June 30, so I'm assuming that will be the time each month. Here's the schedule:

• June 30, 2023 - On the Apostolic Preaching by Irenaeus (Discussion led by Parker Mansfield)

• July 28, 2023 - The Need for Creeds Today by J. V. Fesko (Discussion led by Ethan Tucker)

• Aug 25, 2023 - Sabbath as Rest and Hope for the People of God by Guy Waters (Discussion led by Dr. Guy Waters)

• Sept 29, 2023 - On the Necessity of Reforming the Church by John Calvin (Discussion led by Dr. J. V. Fesko)

• Oct 27, 2023 - Against the Gods by John Currid (Discussion led by Jermaine Van Buren, Jr.)

• Nov 24, 2023 - Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks (Discussion led by Rev. Andrew Mills)

• Jan 26, 2024 - Impeccable by William Plumer (Discussion led by Rev. Caleb Cangelosi)

• Feb 23, 2024 - Guides to the Reformed Tradition: Worship by Hughes Oliphant Old (Discussion led by Dr. Joshua Cole)

You can find more on the RTS Jackson Bookstore Facebook page.

From Pastor Caleb's Study

July 7, 2023

Last week I had the privilege of chaperoning our Middle School RYM trip, along with Ashley Benton, Corrie Lee, and David Howie. Since we are searching for a full time Director of Youth Ministries, and both Sam Thoman (our Interim Youth Ministry Director) and Marcus Smith (our male Youth Ministry Intern) are currently in Summer Hebrew at RTS, David and I were able to go as parents/chaperones.

• RYM (Reformed Youth Ministries) is the ministry with which Dr. John Perritt works, and their Florida youth retreats are always at the Laguna Beach Christian Retreat in Panama City Beach. I've spent many weeks there as a college student in RUF, as an RUF Intern, and as a youth intern at FPC-Jackson during seminary, but I was last there in 2002, so last week was a blast from the past. The most special memory of all for me is that Laguna Beach is where I first met my wife Elizabeth - we were providentially placed in a small group together at an RUF Summer Conference. Though that encounter didn't immediately lead to a dating relationship, when we did develop an attraction for one another, we were able to trace the beginning of our relationship to Laguna Beach. So it was a joy to revisit our meeting spot!

It was a great week on many levels - spending time with David, Ashley (our Youth Ministry Coordinator) and Corrie (our Youth Ministry Summer Intern), spending time with twenty-seven of our 7th-9th graders (though four nights in a bunk bed trying to get a bunch of 12-14 year olds to go to sleep wasn't a highlight), spending time with the youth leaders from other churches, and spending time on the beach. Honestly, I don't love the beach, primarily because sunscreen + sand = a sticky mess. But I do enjoy wearing flip-flops, seeing the ocean, swimming in the ocean (though that was unfortunately restricted last week due to the dangerous rip currents in FL), and playing sports in the sand (like volleyball, soccer, and Ultimate Frisbee).

God was at work, through His word and through the fellowship of the saints. Large group teaching, elective classes, small group discussions, 1-1 conversations - the week was filled with the gospel of grace and the study of the Bible. It was a joy to watch our youth relate to one another, and to hear them take what they were learning and apply it to their current situations. Please be in prayer for the ongoing fruit of the word, and for the remaining weeks of RYM in Florida and other states this summer.

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This coming Lord's Day we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. When we come to the table Jesus has set for us, we are living in the past, the present, and the future - the Lord's Supper is commemoration, communion, and anticipation. We remember what Jesus did for us in the past on the cross to deliver us out of the clutches of Satan, sin, and death. We fellowship with our Savior and with the family of God around a covenant meal. And we look forward to His soon return to fully and finally deliver us from all our sin and sorrow.

• We are commanded to come to the table with prepared hearts. Our Westminster Larger Catechism helps us understand how to prepare ourselves: "They that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper are, before they come, to prepare themselves thereunto, by examining themselves of their being in Christ, of their sins and wants; of the truth and measure of their knowledge, faith, repentance; love to God and the brethren, charity to all men, forgiving those that have done them wrong; of their desires after Christ, and of their new obedience; and by renewing the exercise of these graces, by serious meditation, and fervent prayer" (WLC #171).
  

• While eating and drinking, what are we to be doing and thinking? Again, the Larger Catechism comes to our aid: "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" (WLC #174).

Prepare your hearts and come with eagerness to feed upon our Savior and all His benefits!

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Unfortunately I won't be with you this Sunday morning, as I will be preaching down at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson. Dr. David Strain is on sabbatical this summer, and he has lined up several guest preachers to fill the pulpit while he is away. Please be praying that the Lord would use His word from 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 to encourage the hearts of the saints there. I look forward to preaching to you from Joshua 21 in our Sunday evening service. I hope to see you there!

From Pastor Caleb's Study

June 23, 2023

The storms that passed through last week blew trees on or through the homes of at least four of our church families (Everett and Jennifer White, Matt and Morgan Vitart, Kyle and Leslie Cunningham, and Madison and Liz Taylor), and lightning struck the home of Ken and Tammie Haynes. Many of you had trees and limbs down on your property, and I daresay most of us were without power for longer than usual (I finally got to use my generator!). I have been thankful to hear all the ways our deacons and you saints have served one another through trial. Let's continue to lift up our church family in prayer and sustain them with tangible love.

These storms rolled through with destruction in their wake, like wave after wave crashing upon our church family. Psalm 13:1 came to mind: "How long, O Lord? Will you forget us forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" The Psalms are full of God's people wrestling with His providence, feeling like He had abandoned them, and we need to mine them for our own prayers as we suffer.

• Psalm 77 is particularly encouraging. In the day of Asaph's trouble he sought the Lord tirelessly and his soul refused to be comforted (77:2). But the Lord wasn't merely the source of his help, He was the source of his struggle: "When I remember God, then I am disturbed...Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again? Has His lovingkindness ceased forever? Has His promise come to an end forever? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Then I said, 'It is my grief, that the right hand of the Most High has changed.'" (77:3, 7-10). We've all asked those questions, haven't we?
   

• Asaph finds the answer to his questions in God. He remembers God's deeds and wonders of old (77:11-12). He meditates on God's attributes of holiness, greatness, and strength (77:13-14). He brings to mind God's redemption out of Egypt (77:15-20). It's as we remember who God is and what He has done that we are able to steady our hearts and strengthen ourselves in Him (see I Samuel 30:6). The one who wounds us is the one who brings us healing, for He always has a purpose in His ways—although as Asaph reminds us (and William Cowper lyricizes in his hymn "God Moves in a Mysterious Way"), "Your way was in the sea and Your paths in the mighty waters, and Your footprints may not be known" (77:19). We rarely see where God is going or what He is doing; His providence is mysterious and confounding. Yet we know that the God who led His people like a flock under the old covenant continues to do that today under the new covenant in Jesus Christ. And so we can rejoice even in our tribulations: "In this [salvation] 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" (I Peter 1:6-7).

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I wrote last week that I would highlight some of the important actions of the 50th General Assembly that gathered last week in Memphis. This is in no way a comprehensive list, but here goes!

• We amended our Book of Church Order to make clear that officers in the PCA, contrary to those who hold to a Side B view of homosexulatiy and same-sex attraction, must affirm and live out a biblical view of sanctification.

  • BCO 16-4 -- "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."

  • BCO 21-4 -- " In the examination of the candidate’s personal character, the presbytery 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 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 (1 Cor. 6:9-11)."

• We gave initial approval to a BCO amendment that, if it is approved by 2/3 of the 88 Presbyteries and a majority of next year's GA, would make clear that the PCA is committed to sexual purity in its officers: "He should conform to the biblical requirement of chastity and sexual purity in his descriptions of himself, and in his convictions, character, and conduct."

• We gave initial approval to a BCO amendment that would prohibit the practice of some churches of calling unordained men and women officers: "Furthermore, unordained people shall not be referred to as, or given the titles of, the ordained offices of pastor/elder or deacon."

• We voted to empower our Moderator to appoint a commission to draft a humble petition to send to Federal and State officials condemning the practice of surgical and medical gender reassignment, especially of minors.

• We voted to declare the "Message to All the Churches" a faithful exposition of Biblical polity which shaped the founding of the PCA in 1973. You can read this statement from the 1st GA (with an addition from a statement by our own Presbytery in 2016) here.

There were several other actions that we took, but these are some I thought you might be interested in seeing. Pray that the Lord would continue to make the PCA faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith, and obedient to the great commission!

From Pastor Caleb's Study

June 9, 2023

Next week is the PCA's 50th General Assembly. Since being ordained in 2003 (on June 15, so I'll be celebrating my 20th anniversary as a pastor next Thursday!), I've always looked forward to GA. It has not only been a time to catch up with old friends who pastor around the country and world, as well as a time to geek out on parliamentary procedure with my acquaintance Dr. Robert and his rules of order, but it's also a privilege to participate in deciding how the PCA will look moving forward through votes on different recommendations that come from our committees and Presbyteries.

• GA is a week of worship, seminar instruction, fellowship, networking, learning about different organizations and resources in the exhibit hall, hearing presentations from our committees, and voting on overtures.

• You can learn more about the various parts of GA by reading this article by Pastor Jared Nelson.

• You can watch a livestream of the GA - the debate of the various overtures happens on Thursday afternoon (overtures are requests by Presbyteries to change the Book of Church Order or to make a particular statement or to take a particular action).

Speaking of the overtures, there are again several that seek to address the issue of same-sex attraction and homosexual self-description as it relates to officers. The GA approved an amendment to our Book of Church Order last year, but it failed to pass the required number of Presbyteries. So hopefully this year we can approve something that the Presbyteries will pass, to make crystal clear that those who do not conform to the biblical norms of sexual purity in their descriptions of themselves, in their convictions, and in their conduct, are not eligible to hold office in the PCA. Several overtures deal with how to conduct discipline cases that involved abuse. One overture asks the civil authorities to renounce the sin of medical/surgical sex change procedures in minors. All of the overtures are first debated by an Overtures Committee, and only those that pass that committee are debated on the floor of the Assembly.

• You can read all the overtures here.

Because this is the 50th GA, there will be a special emphasis on how God has been faithful to see us through to this golden anniversary, and prayer for Him to keep us through the next 50 years. The church of Jesus is in decline throughout America, yet the PCA continues to see growth. Let us pray that we will continue to be "Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ." At 8:00 on Wednesday morning, there will be an Assembly-wide seminar entitled, "Memories and Aspirations of our Founding Fathers and Sons," in which several men will be sharing how God began and sustained the PCA. I encourage you to watch that as you're able!

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This Lord's Day morning we have the privilege of hearing God's word from one of our church planters, Rev. Mark Horn. Mark is planting a church in Ocean Springs, MS, and hopefully you've had a chance to read his prayer updates the past year. I'm looking forward to learning more about the work God is doing through Mark on the coast in a place that is far more post-Christian than most of Mississippi.

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Continue to pray for all our mission teams and summer youth trips! Also, there is much work being done around the church campus, and the new high school building is nearing completion. Let us pray without ceasing that the Lord would use POPC as a church, and each one of us as individuals and families, to bring sinners to a knowledge of Jesus, and to transform them into the likeness of Jesus. "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person" (Colossians 4:5-6).
 

Sing to the Lord a New Song!

June 2, 2023

The offertory this Sunday morning will be Christ Is Mine Forevermore, by CityAlight. The Worship Team is introducing this song as an offertory with a plan to begin singing it as a congregational song in the coming weeks. This is a rich song centered on the certainty we have in the finished work of Christ.

Each verse reminds us of our own frailty and the brokenness around us, but then points us to Christ as the answer to all our longings. We continually forsake the God who designed us to enjoy Him, but Christ has redeemed us and is eternally faithful to us. We will endure difficulties and sadness in this life that we cannot understand, but we have peace through Jesus who works all things together for good for those who belong to Him. We will endure persecution for Jesus’ sake, but He has equipped us for it and will deliver us through it.

The song ends with a refrain that invites us to exhort our own souls to rejoice that Christ’s love is our reward, that we have hope that leaves us with no reason to fear because we belong to Christ and are co-heirs with Him.

You can listen to the song by clicking here.

Mine are days that God has numbered, I was made to walk with Him
Yet I look for worldly treasure and forsake the King of kings.
But mine is hope in my Redeemer, though I fall, his love is sure.
For Christ has paid for every failing, I am His forevermore.

Mine are tears in times of sorrow. Darkness not yet understood.
Through the valley I must travel where I see no earthly good
But mine is peace that flows from heaven and the strength in times of need
I know my pain will not be wasted, Christ completes his work in me

Mine are days here as a stranger, pilgrim on a narrow way.
One with Christ I will encounter harm and hatred for his name.
But mine is armor for this battle strong enough to last the war
And he has said he will deliver safely to the golden shore

Come rejoice now, O my soul, for his love is my reward.
Fear is gone and hope is sure, Christ is mine forevermore!

And mine are keys to Zion city where beside the King I walk.
For there my heart has found its treasure, Christ is mine forevermore.
Jonny Robinson and Rich Thompson, © CityAlight Music

- Madison Taylor

From the Pastor's Study

August 26, 2022

Be in prayer for your elders tomorrow, as we spend the day together at a retreat.

• We'll be considering several questions about our church's long-term ministry vision, and discussing practical ways to be better shepherds to you the flock of God entrusted to our care.

• Give thanks for you elders (and deacons), for they are men committed to their calling, willing to sacrifice time for the sake of the Lord's people, and filled with wisdom and grace. Pray for their wives as well, as they sacrifice much as well because of their husbands' calling.

• It is a rich privilege for me to labor alongside our officers here at POPC!

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Men, if you're looking for a small group this fall, don't forget to sign up for the book study I'll be leading in September and October.

• It's a six-week study of J. I. Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. I love this book not only for its theological depth but also for its practical motivation and encouragement to a facet of our ministry as Christians that can often be intimidating.

• Find more details and register here.

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I hope that our mini-series this month on our new purpose statement has been encouraging to you, and has spurred you on to consider how God might use here at POPC you to pursue transformation by truth and grace together to the glory of Christ. Pastor Christian will close us out this coming Sunday by thinking about how the church seeks to equip the saints for active participation in ministry. God has given each one of His children gifts to be used for the sake of the body, and for the spread of the gospel. We are called to be engaged and involved in doing the work of ministry. Yet how easy it is to treat membership in a church like having tickets to a football game, showing up once a week as a spectator to watch and be entertained. But the truth is that whether we gather together or scatter into the world, people are hurting - sin and sorrow fill their hearts - they're in need of truth and grace. And God uses us as His instruments to accomplish His transforming purposes in their lives, for truth and grace are delivered through relationships with living human beings.

I've been reading through Psalm 119 recently in my private times of worship and devotion. There are several verses that connect the word of God to affliction:

• This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me. (v. 50)

• Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. (v. 67)

• It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. (v. 71)

• I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. (v. 75)

• If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. (v. 92)

• I am exceedingly afflicted; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word. (v. 107)

• Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I do not forget Your law. (v. 153)

How important the word of God is in our times of suffering, and therefore how vital it is to use the word of God in our ministry to others! It revives and comforts the afflicted. It shows us that God has a purpose in our affliction - to call us back from our wandering astray, that we might learn and keep His commands. It reminds us that God is faithful in all His difficult providences. It teaches us how necessary is delighting in the word of God when we suffer. And it gives us words to pray in the midst of our affliction. May the Lord enable us to grow in our knowledge of His word so that we might apply it not only in our own lives, but in the lives of those around us!

From the Pastor's Study

August 19, 2022

The Session met this past Monday evening, and I want to share some of the highlights with you.

• We heard an update from Tammie Haynes about our Women's Ministry - it was so encouraging to hear how God is at work through her and our Women's Ministry Leadership Team and all the ladies of our congregation using their gifts to build up the body. Ladies, I hope you are planning to attend the Women's Ministry Lunch this Sunday and are able to get involved in one of the Women's Bible studies!

• We approved several items that move the CCS High School project forward - in coming weeks and months, Lord willing, you'll start to see work being done around the building just east of our Northpark Drive entrance. Be in prayer for CCS as they begin this school year - we have record enrollment of nearly 450 students PK-9th grade. Pray that the Lord will enable our school staff to teach these children a Biblical worldview and to be His instruments of gospel grace for the glory of King Jesus.

• We received an incredibly encouraging financial report - God is pouring out His blessings upon our church through you His people, as contributions to our General Fund are more than what we thought they would be at this point of the year by more than $230,000. Please continue to give generously so that we might continue to be good stewards of the facilities He has entrusted to us, and might be able to spread His transforming gospel of grace to the ends of the earth.

• We approved a new title and job description for Dr. John Kwasny: Executive Ministry Director. John has been our Director of Discipleship for several years now, and in his new role he will continue to teach, counsel members of our congregation, and lead our discipleship ministries. But he will now also be the supervisor of all the Director level staff who are not teaching elders, and help to organize and integrate the work of Session committees and ministry teams. The Session approved an Adult Discipleship Ministry Team to help him with Sunday School planning, and is going to be providing the support needed in Children's Ministry. I'm thankful for this new position and role for John, as this change will free me up from several administrative responsibilities so that I will be able to focus more fully on pastoral concerns. I trust that we will all benefit by my being able to do more of what I need to be doing as your Senior Pastor, and that our staff and church-wide ministries will benefit from John's shepherd's heart and his gifts of organization. Be in prayer as we phase in these changes over the next few months. I have known John since 1996, it is a joy and a privilege to work alongside of him here at POPC!

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Men, I will soon be starting up a six-week book study on J. I. Packer's classic work Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. It beautifully sets forth the doctrine of God's control over all things, His control over who is saved, and how believing that He has chosen a people for His glory impels us to share the gospel and affects the way we do it. The book is only 122 pages, so don't be daunted. We'll actually meet on two different days/times/locations, so that more of you might be able to make it: Mondays from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in the Church Parlor (beginning September 12), and Thursdays from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at Dogmud Tavern on 681 S Pear Orchard Rd (beginning on October 6). If you don’t already own the book, it will cost $5. Register at tinyurl.com/popcbookstudy to select the day you'll attend and pay for the book. Hope to see you there! (Wives, if your husband doesn't read this email, please tell them about this opportunity.)

From the Pastor's Study

August 12, 2022

This week we have a guest post from Pastor Christian Brewer. . .

In my sermon this past Sunday evening, I made the unfortunate faux pas of making a claim and then failing to back it up. I stated that the question of Christian freedom will affect our own understanding and experience of personal assurance and perseverance. However, I then went on to skip the section of my sermon in which I explained that claim, as I was running low on time. To correct that little blunder, I wanted to put my thoughts in writing for you. But first let me quickly recap the sermon. In 2 Peter 2:17-22, as Peter continues to address the issue of false teachers, he makes some points which raise two questions for the person sitting in the pew.

First, Peter notes that these false teachers were giving promise of full freedom, full license, to the Christian, but only enslaving them – which should cause us to ask, “What is true Christian freedom?” Or, how does the “promise of freedom” given by the false teachers differ from the true Scriptural teaching of freedom (Galatians 5:1). Second, Peter describes the false teachers as those who once “escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” but that they were then only “entangled in [the defilements of the world] and overcome” by them. This should lead us to ask, “What is true assurance?”

Our answer to the first question was that biblical freedom in Christ is not the ability to gratify any and all desires you might have, as these false teachers seemed to suggest, but instead was the freedom to “serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life” (Luke 1:74-75; WCF 20.3). It’s a freedom from sin and a freedom for righteousness. We freely serve the Lord and keep his commands without threat and fear of judgment.

In answering the second question, we saw that many, particularly Roman Catholics and Arminians, read vv. 20-22 as proof positive of the fact that a regenerate, born-again believer in Christ can in fact lose their salvation. However, Reformed Christians have long relied on the words of Christ in John 10:28, “I will give [my sheep] eternal life, and no one will snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” God’s people rest secure in the hands of a loving Father. The question of perseverance and assurance is not found in our own ability to grit our teeth and push through, rather it is in the promises and faithfulness of God, the one who will “surely do” all that he has sworn (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Therefore, we can see the language here as covenantal language. There are those within the visible covenant of God who will show themselves to be covenant-breakers, who were never regenerate, and thus never truly part of God’s people. However, just as there are covenant-breakers, there are also covenant-keepers, those who, in union with Christ, by the power of the Spirit, actually do all that God has required in this covenant of grace: believe and repent, with a striving after new obedience and holiness.

The covenant is where we see Christian freedom and assurance coming together. God has made a covenant with us to be our God, to redeem us, and to make us new. The Father elects, the Son pays, and the Spirit applies (rejuvenates, makes us holy), and as we grow in holiness and obedience we can grow in the assurance of our salvation. However, if there are old sins which you continue to return to, if you claim Christ as your master and yet return to your old ways of life, your assurance will naturally begin to falter. As WLC #81 says, “true believers may wait long before they obtain it; and . . . may have it weakened and intermitted, through manifold distempers, sins, temptations, and desertions.” In other words, if you are living in your former ways of life, reverting to the old master, you can be sure to walk through times of despair and uncertainty. A proper understanding of Christian freedom will naturally tie into our understanding of assurance. As you strive to live after righteousness and pursue holiness by the power of the Spirit, as you “confirm your calling and election” (2 Peter 1:10) and show yourself to be a covenant-keeper, you can be certain that Christ has saved you, and will preserve you until the end.

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!