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This is the pastoral report that I presented at our church’s 2019 annual business meeting.

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Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.  Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.  And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:3-6 NLT

Recently, I arrived at the church early one morning and saw something I had not noticed before.  It was not anything new or different.  Nothing was out of place and there was no problem.  What I saw that morning had been there all along, but I just had not paid enough attention to see it.

What I saw was how beautiful our church campus looks.  The grass was neatly mown, and all the flowers and shrubbery enhanced the appearance of the buildings.  The layout of the campus caught my eye – the way the buildings are connected to each other in an aesthetically appealing way – and I thought of the planning and work that many through the years have invested in Grace Chapel.  I noticed how well-maintained the campus looked and thought of those who give of their time and talent and energy to do the work of maintenance and repair.  And I thanked God for them.

Then I began to think about what happens on our campus.  Wonderful times of worship and celebration take place when we gather together.  Groups of all ages meet in classrooms on Sundays and other days of the week to study God’s Word and pray together.  Special church-wide events – and other small-group and family events – take place in those buildings, encouraging and increasing our fellowship together and love for one another.  Activities and ministries take place which serve and impact the community around us.  And all of this is done in keeping with the purpose for which we exist as a church family – to expand the Kingdom of God in our community and around the world through worship, teaching, fellowship, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And I thanked God for what He is doing in us and through us.

Then I began to think about the people who make the spiritual life and growth taking place on our campus happen, and I began to thank God for those people.  I thanked God for the faithfulness of our Grace Chapel family in financial giving.  We look to God as our source – our provider – our “Jehovah Jireh” – as his Spirit motivates us to give, and our Grace Chapel family has responded with generous and even sacrificial giving through the years.  I thanked God for the leadership of our Deacon Ministry Team and Management Board – for how they shepherd the spiritual life and health of our church family and steward the resources that God has provided for us.  The spiritual health of our church family, the beauty of the facilities that I noticed that morning, and the fiscal strength that we have owe much to the leadership of these men and women as they follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.  I thanked God for those who use their God-given gifts and talents in teaching, mentoring, organizing, managing, encouraging, and the multitude of other ways that individuals do the work of ministry in our church family.

I am grateful that God helped me to notice what I did that morning as I pulled into the parking lot.  I am grateful for the presence and power of the Spirit of God in the lives of those who lead us in worship, teach us God’s Word, and mentor us to maturity in our walk with the Lord.  I am grateful for the spiritual growth that I see happening in many lives – a growing love for Christ, for God’s Word, for time spent in prayer, and a growing love for one another.  I am grateful that we are truly a “family” of followers of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit binds us together in love for God and love for one another.  And I am grateful that God continues to open our eyes to the ways and places he wants us to serve him all around us as well as around the world.

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!
2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT

Our Father and our God –

Today we celebrate the most powerful act that has ever happened – the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from death.

We serve a risen Savior!  He’s in the world today!
We know that he is living no matter what others say!

Worship is rising from every nation and language and culture and style around the world – from diverse peoples who are all created in your image – celebrating the truth of your resurrection especially on this day.

The church of the Living God – the Body of Christ – the Kingdom of God – is growing and expanding by the power of your resurrection and the presence of your Holy Spirit.

But we have not been – and are not – a faithful people.  We have a great need to repent of sin and be revived in our spiritual life.

We know that genuine repentance needs to spread through your church and demolish strongholds of sin in our lives – tear down idols in our lives – bring new life / revival to your church.

We know that our love for you has grown cold, and that we need to grow in love for you.  We want love for you to consume us.

We know that we need the power of the Holy Spirit to flood your church – fill us to overflowing – flow through us to a needy world

On this glorious Resurrection day, we pray for your church – and for the spread of the Gospel around the world.

On this glorious Resurrection day, the message our risen Lord is tainted by false teaching and hypocritical living.  The Gospel – the “good news” – of our Lord Jesus Christ is compromised by heresies.

Some are being deceived by a false gospel that following you guarantees financial wealth and an easy life.

Some are being deceived by a false gospel of good works earning them a place in Heaven.

Some even go so far as to say that confession and repentance of sin – and a life of growing faithfulness – is unnecessary.

Some see no problem in thinking and living just like the world around us.

Perhaps this is because many people doubt the truthfulness of your Word – and even those who say they believe it spend so little time reading it and letting it change their lives.

And sadly, so many are in worship gatherings today with unbelieving and uncommitted hearts – passive and indifferent to the truths we are celebrating today.

Loving Lord, forgive us for the insult on your name and grace that our sin brings.

Change our hearts, O Lord!
You are the Potter – we are just your clay . . .
Mold us and remake us, we pray!

May a new and powerful move of your Holy Spirit come upon us and make us a people of great faith who expect you to do great things.

May your Spirit give us an insatiable hunger for your Word – for the spiritual nourishment we need to grow into the people you have created us to be.

May this hunger for your word lead us to be true and genuine disciples who are growing in our new life and casting off our old lives.

May we stop at nothing less than total surrender to filling our place in answer to your call to advance your Kingdom around the world.

What a wonderful salvation we have!  Help us to truly grasp – and accept – and rejoice in – your amazing grace!  We celebrate today because our salvation is guaranteed by a wonderful cross and an empty tomb.

Man of sorrows!  What a name for the Son of God who came, ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

And when you come as our glorious king – and all of your ransomed host you bring – and we receive new bodies fit for eternity with you – then anew this song we will sing:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Savior! 

Amen!

For the Christian, living for Christ involves living in relationship with others.

I spoke about this today . . . about relationships . . . with God . . . with people . . . as a citizen . . . as a pastor . . . as a husband . . . as a father . . .

I usually try to emotionally disengage from what I speak about.  I want to communicate truth as best I understand it and can convey it, and not my emotions or “soap box.”  But today was hard . . . because relationships are hard . . . because relationships have been one of the areas of frequent failure – or struggle – in my life . . . because relationships have been a source of pain and disappointment.

I know I’m not alone.  I know others have suffered in hard relationships much more than I have.

The truth I sought to share today is that God chose to “stick it out” with us and make a way for our broken relationship with Him to be repaired . . . to be restored . . . to be reconciled.  And there is an God-ordained link between our relationship with God and our relationship with other people.

The New City Catechism asks: What does the law of God require?  It answers that question this way: That we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus made this plain in Mark 12:30-31 (NLT): “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your  mind, and all your strength.  The second is equally important: love your neighbor as yourself.”

So if we truly love God, we will truly love others.  If we have truly been reconciled to God, we will then seek to be reconciled to those with whom our relationship is strained.

And this is hard . . . but possible.

Possible because God has taken the initiative to reconcile us to Himself and make us his very own child.

Possible because the love God has shown to us . . . and given us . . . and filled us with . . . is the love He now calls on us to share with those around us . . . with those with whom we have had a falling out . . . a grievance . . . a broken relationship.

This is hard.  But if Christ has laid down his life in order for us to escape hell and win heaven . . . to be reconciled to our heavenly Father and King . . . dare we do any less than surrender our reconciled lives to Him in obedience by loving – and being reconciled to – any and every one else in our lives.

Dare we hold a grudge?

Dare we fail to seek reconciliation with a brother or sister?

No matter how hard it is?

I’ve been studying and preaching through the messages of Jesus to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, and one of the study resources I have been using is Sam Storms’ book, TO THE ONE WHO CONQUERS. On the message of Jesus to the church at Philadelphia, Storms makes some excellent points about what it really takes for a church to be pleasing to the Lord. Here are some of his thoughts.

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The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens.
Revelation 3:7

One could make a strong case that the letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia [in Revelation 2 thru 3] are the most important of the seven, for in neither of them do we find a single word of complaint. They both receive unqualified praise and approval. These, then, are truly churches of which Christ heartily approves.

What makes this all the more remarkable is the statement by Jesus in Revelation 3:8 that the church in Philadelphia has “but little power.” This isn’t a rebuke. It’s a commendation. In spite of your lack of size and influence, says Jesus, you faithfully kept my word and, in the face of persecution and perhaps even martyrdom, refused to deny my name. People threatened you. The culture mocked you. The temptation to jump ship must have been intense. Yet you stood firm. Your lack of resources, money, and manpower proved no obstacle to your accomplishing great things for the kingdom of God!

It’s reassuring to know that size is no measure of success. Those with little power can become bitter and resentful of those who outwardly prosper. Those with great power can become arrogant and condescending toward those of less stature. The mini-church may be tempted to think they’ve missed the mark or failed to articulate a vision that is pleasing to God. The mega-church may point to their sizeable offerings and overflowing crowds as indicative of divine approval. They could both be wrong.

The Philadelphian believers did more than simply not deny the name of Jesus. They loudly and proudly proclaimed him as the Holy One. Their boast was not in their property or multiplicity of programs but in the Holy One of Israel. There is none with whom he can be compared or against whom he fails to measure up. He is altogether unique, transcendently other, truly in a class by himself. Does your church have but little power? Do you doubt the legitimacy of your existence? Do you wonder if your sacrifice is worth the effort? Perhaps the kingdom would be better off without you. If the Philadelphians were inclined to think in this way, I suspect they renewed their strength and re-ignited their passion by reflecting on the beauty of divine holiness. “He, our Lord, is the Holy One. How can we not keep his word and proclaim his name, for he is holy, he is ours, and we are his.”

[Jesus] is called “the true one.” To the Greek mind this would mean “genuine.” To the Hebrew mind it means “faithful” and “trustworthy.” No one ever trusted our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, in vain. Jesus alone has the key to the Davidic or messianic kingdom and he alone has the undisputed authority to admit or exclude from the New Jerusalem. When he opens to his followers the door of the kingdom, no one can shut them out; and when he shuts the door on those who oppose his cause, none can reverse the decision.

Jesus loves the mini-church. The greatness of a church is not measured by its membership roll or budgetary prowess, but by the size of the Savior whom it faithfully honors, passionately praises, and confidently trusts. The big church is any church that boasts in a big God, attendance and acreage notwithstanding. Keeping Christ’s word and not denying his name is easy for those who know him well. When he is small and unknown, he becomes dispensable, deniable, and easily dismissed for the sake of some grand vision of church growth. A mega-church without a mega-Christ is of little benefit to anyone. A mini-church with a mega-Christ makes them big in the eyes of him whose opinion is the only one that matters.

Our Father in heaven, you are the LORD of the nations!  You are the God who raises up leaders, and you are the God who brings them down.

1 Samuel 2:8 NLT
For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order.

Thank you that we can gather together on this day – at this place – for this purpose – to seek you for spiritual awakening and revival in our nation.  We join today to pray for our nation, and particularly for our leaders at various levels of government.

We pray for our President.  May your grace come upon him.  Rule and overrule all that takes place in the Oval Office.  Surround him with men and women of godly character and conviction to influence him in the ways of truth and righteousness.

We pray for the Congress of the United States.  May your Spirit come upon the Capitol Building and offices in Washington.  May the men and women who service as senators and representatives be given a heart of both humility and wisdom.  May the decisions they make be grounded in what is right – and good.

We pray for the Supreme Court of the United States.  Your Word teaches us that “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).  Your Word teaches us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7).  These men and women who are entrusted to make wise and discerning decisions need hearts that truly reverence you, so we ask that you graciously and powerfully work in their hearts and minds to that end.

What we pray for our President, we pray for our Governor.
What we pray for Congress, we pray for our State House.
What we pray for Washington, we pray for Columbia.
What we pray for our national and state leaders, we also pray for every mayor and city and county council member and magistrate across our state.

We appeal to you, Lord, that you raise up men and women who are God-honoring and godly-living – men and women of moral virtue and integrity – men and women of proven character – men and women who love you – men and women with the courage of their convictions – to fill positions of leadership at every level of government.

O God, we need men and women who are willing to boldly stand for biblical morality.  We ask that you give our government leaders wisdom in every decision they must make.  Stir in them a genuine desire to honor You in everything they do.  Give them the courage to do what is right – even if it is unpopular.

To that end, we pray for an outpouring of your Holy Spirit on this nation – and especially on the church, the people who call themselves by your name – that there might be a great revival.  We seek you today, O LORD, for another Great Spiritual Awakening in the United States of America.

Psalm 80:19 ESV
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!  Let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Restore us, O LORD!
Shine on us, O LORD!
Save us, O LORD!
Renew us, O LORD!
May your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth – and in this nation – as it is in heaven.

We pray all of this for the glory, and in the name, of our King and Lord, our Savior and our Treasure, Jesus Christ.  AMEN!

Jesus was about to return to his Father in heaven.  Those who had been his closest followers wondered about the future.  They were still operating with the mindset that Jesus was about to set up an earthly government or organization.  They still were thinking in political terms.  They still needed to learn that Jesus’ kingdom was something totally different, and that they were to be involved in building it.

Acts 1:6-8 ESV
So, when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

As Luke tells Theophilus at the beginning of the book of Acts, the Gospel that he had previously written was about “all that Jesus began to do and teach,” and the current book – the Acts of the Apostles – takes the story further, into all the Jesus continued to do and teach by the Holy Spirit through the apostles.  Although Jesus was returning to heaven, the work of building his Kingdom was still to go on, through the apostles – and through all who followed them – which includes you and me and every other person for the last 2000 years who has followed Jesus as Savior and Lord.  Jesus is still working, building his Kingdom through the witness of his disciples.

Jesus said that the work was to begin “in Jerusalem,” proceed into “all Judea and Samaria,” and reach “the end of the earth.”  Jesus strategy was to start local, then work outward until the message had been heard by everyone around the world.  It doesn’t take long to realize that God has brought the world to our doorstep.  As David Henderson, Director of College Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, recently wrote to his church family:

Students from all over the country and world – around 45,000 students – attend university in our city.  That’s 45,000 individual stories of excitement and fear about being off on their own, for perhaps the first time.  It is also 45,000 individual stories of the effects of the fall and the need for the hope and power of redemption in Christ Jesus.  Every year we hear stories of students who realize their need for salvation, who find hope in the midst of addiction, who see their lives transformed in one way or another.  Each of these stories of transformation have one thing in common:  the Gospel has changed their lives through the Word of God and the people of God.

But it’s not just at the local universities.  God has brought the nations to our neighborhoods, and God has given the Grace Chapel family wonderful and strategic opportunities to get involved in “kingdom building.”  The Scooter Scott Project provides many opportunities for ministry through tutoring at-risk students, providing food for needy students and families, helping people obtain a GED, and more.  Each Christmas, we provide gifts and Gospel encouragement through OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD and our “Angel Tree” for local needy families.  And each of us know neighbors and friends and co-workers and fellow students who need the hope and power and redemption of Jesus Christ.

As we reach out to those in need in our “Jerusalem” – Columbia, Cayce, Gaston, Sandy Run, Lexington, Red Bank, Pelion, West Columbia, Swansea, Springdale – we are joining Jesus in the work he is doing of building his Kingdom.  We are obeying the command of God to love and serve our neighbor, to making disciples of all the nations, and to give to others of the grace and mercy that we have received from God.

There is a very serious problem in most churches in America – even conservative, evangelical, so-called Bible-believing churches.  The problem is biblical illiteracy.  To be illiterate means being unable to read or write, but the dictionary also defines illiteracy as “displaying a marked lack of knowledge in a particular field.”  And that is the problem facing most churches – a marked lack of knowledge of the Word of God.

Some Christian leaders go so far as to describe it as a “famine” – a famine of knowing the Bible.  During a famine, people waste away for lack of sustenance.  Some people die.  Those who remain need nourishment; they need to be revived.  Well, Christians used to be known as “people of one book.”  Sure, they read, studied and shared other books.  But the book they cared about more than all others combined was the Bible.  They memorized it, meditated on it, talked about it, and taught it to others.  We don’t do that anymore, and in a very real sense we’re starving ourselves to death.

According to the 2014 STATE OF THE BIBLE report by the Barna Group and the American Bible Society, a majority of adults in the USA (81%) said they consider themselves highly, moderately or somewhat knowledgeable about the Bible.  Yet less than half (43%) were able to name the first five books of the Bible.  The 2014 study also found that, although most people own a Bible, just over 1/3 (37%) of Americans read their Bible once or more per week.  26% of Americans never read the Bible.

We need a revival of love for God and for His Word!  Reading and learning the Bible must again become a fundamental priority in our lives.  Our basic values and choices may need to change.  Biblical Christian living does not flow from obligation and compulsion.  God cares about our hearts.  Our hearts are not changed by the commands of the Law.  Our hearts are changed when they overflow with love for the Savior.  As we experience the grace of what God has done for us in Christ, our hearts are free to worship and obey.  We need to recapture the perspective of the psalmist:

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3).

We need to make God’s instruction to Joshua our instruction as well:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it” (Joshua 1:8).

This is why I am enthusiastic about GOSPEL PROJECT beginning in our Sunday School classes in September.   Having a strong foundation in the Word of God is vital for our own lives, and the lives of our children.  We want our children to know not only the Bible, but also the God who has revealed Himself to us in its pages.  The prayer of our hearts should be that, through the work of the Holy Spirit, God would use his Word to introduce our kids to Jesus.  It is a message that we must give them at home, as well as in church.  As a Grace Chapel family, we are committed to learn and live by the Word of God.  We want our delight – and our children’s delight – to be in the law of the Lord.  Through the GOSPEL PROJECT, we will systematically survey the entire Bible – learning the whole scope of God’s revelation to us, how it applies to our everyday lives, and most of all how the Bible points us to Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.  I look forward to reporting how the Lord leads us – and what the Spirit teaches us – as a church family on this exciting journey!