Brothers & Sisters,

Last week I wrote expressing my thanks for pouring into me as your pastor in allowing me to attend the T4G conference and a small pastor’s network meeting. In that note, I began to share with you some of my reflections on that time. I mentioned a few thoughts from talks delivered by Thabiti Anyabwile, Matt Chandler, and Mark Dever. Let me pick up where I left off and share with you a few more thoughts.

Kevin DeYoung reminded us of the importance of the Scriptures. In particular, he encouraged us to take Jesus’ perspective on the Scriptures. Jesus always submitted himself to the Scripture, believing that that stories and facts that they present are indeed true and really did happen. Jesus fully believes and submits to the Scriptures, and as his followers we should do the same. A Jesus who stands in judgment of the Scriptures is only a Jesus of our imagination. If we don’t have a truthful and reliable Word from God, then we have nothing to offer our unbelieving friends and family members. Jesus’ orientation toward the Scriptures and his use of them shows us that we do in fact have a good and reliable Word to share with our friends and family members.

Ligon Duncan preached a wonderful sermon from Deuteronomy 5 on the laws concerning the clean and the unclean. He pointed out that in Jesus’ ministry he can make the unclean clean, and that he never becomes unclean in doing so. In other words, there is nothing in your life that Jesus cannot touch and make clean, and we need to know this in our evangelism. There is no problem, no sin, no uncleanness, that Jesus can’t make clean. Ligon asked us, “How can we know this good news and so keep it to ourselves?”

John MacArthur addressed the sober subject of mass defection/apostasy. He pointed out from Jesus’ ministry in John 6 that it wasn’t Jesus’ works that caused people to fall away, but his words. How often will this be true in our evangelism? Our non-Christian friends and family members will love the works of love that we perform, but they will not love the words of love that we proclaim. In reflecting on John’s message, I gave thanks to God in my heart that our congregation loves God’s Word, and I will give myself to continuing to pray that we keep loving God’s Word by his grace.

Albert Mohler spent time reminding us that the exclusivity of Christ is not a doctrine that we should shy away from in our evangelism. The “open door is the only door,” as he made clear. The truth is that there is salvation in no other name but in the name of Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that we as congregation would rejoice in Christ our Savior this week by telling others about him and/or perhaps by inviting them to church. The only way that others will come to faith in the only Savior is only if they hear.

In the risen and living Christ,

Mike