From the Pastor's Study

April 15, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

From the Pastor's Study

April 8, 2022

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

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

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

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

From the Pastor's Study

April 1, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

From the Pastor's Study

March 25, 2022

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

---------

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

• Season 1: Individual problems

• Season 2: Marriage problems

• Season 3: Parenting problems

• Season 4: Teenage problems

• Season 5: More challenging problems

• Season 6: The problem of suffering

• Season 7: Demonic confusion vs. Biblical truth

• Season 8: Relating to Married, Adult Children

• Season 9 (current season): All Things Culture

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

---------

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

---------

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

From the Pastor's Study

March 11, 2022

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

----------

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

----------

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

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

----------

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

From the Pastor's Study

March 4, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

----------

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

From the pastor's study

February 25, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From the Pastor's Study

February 18, 2022

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

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

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

----------

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

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

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

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

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

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

----------

Don't forget that our New Members Class is starting this Sunday in Room 127! If you know someone who is interested in learning more about POPC, or knows they want to join our church, please encourage them to come. It will be a nine-week class, and I will be teaching the bulk of the classes. I look forward to getting to know those the Lord desires to become a part of our family!
----------

Murray and Hannah Robertson, one of our new families to join POPC, have moved back up to Starkville to finish college. But they will be back in the Jackson area this Summer from mid-May to the beginning of August so that Murray can finish his co-op, and are in need of a place to stay - if you happen to have a spare room, or an unused mother-in-law suite, or a garage apartment, please contact him at 601-212-1972 or murrayrobertson1999@gmail.com!

From the Pastor's Study

February 11, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

From the Pastor's Study

February 4, 2022

I hope you're planning to be with us the next two Lord's Days (and the Wednesday in between!) to hear our Missions Festival preachers and other presenters. Tito Padilla, Mark Horn, and Rick Phillips will be bringing God's good word to us, to equip and encourage us in the glorious work He has saved us to do in His world. Have you ever wondered why God didn't take us immediately into heaven on the day He saved us out of darkness? Why does He leave us in this world to struggle with our sinful hearts and the suffering of a fallen world? Part of the answer is because He has work for us to do - He intends to send us into the darkness out of which He has saved us, so that He might rescue more men and women and boys and girls into His kingdom of light and life in Jesus Christ! "As you sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world," prayed Jesus in John 17:18. We are sent as the Son was sent, to suffer, to serve, to plead, to pray, to live among the lost as shining lights so that they might see God's glory and goodness and come to honor the one who created them.

Of course, that work doesn't only need to be done across the oceans. We do it right where we live. One of the reasons to read missionary biographies and to hear tales of missionary labors is that we might be spurred on to live as the missionaries we're called to be right where we live and move and have our being every normal, ordinary day of our lives. Whether you live in Ridgeland, Madison, Jackson, Gluckstadt, Flowood, Brandon, Clinton, Pearl, or some other part of the Jackson Metro Area, you are called to live for the glory of God and the spiritual good of your neighbors, speaking about Jesus and living out the gospel of grace in your daily life, so that many might be saved. The church of Jesus is an outpost of exiles in a foreign land, recruiting others to come follow the risen King of kings and Lord of lords.

As of this past week, there's another outpost of our branch of the Lord's church in the Jackson area: at the meeting of the Presbytery of the Mississippi Valley this past Tuesday, we approved the request of a group of saints who live around the Florence area (including a few POPC families!) to recognize and establish them as a mission church of the Presbytery. This is exciting news, not only because it's been a long while since our Presbytery planted a church in the Jackson metro area, but also because the Florence/Highway 49 South area has been in need of a PCA church for decades. Be in prayer for the Presbytery as it appoints a provisional Session as a temporary form of government for this church plant, and for those the Lord will call to be a part of this plant - both current believers and current unbelievers/future believers. Lord willing, it will be the first new church plant of several more to come down the road. We'll keep you posted on how this Florence mission church grows and develops, and how you can support and pray for them.

I'm so thankful to be a part of a congregation that has a vision for planting churches and supporting laborers in God's harvest fields in every continent, and I can't wait to see how God continues to use us to bring His gospel to the lost all around us. I pray that we would continue to send out missionaries (i.e., Christians) around the world and across our community, so that the spiritually dead might be converted to Christ, and the spiritually alive might be built up in the faith. Let's be praying and working and giving toward that end!

---------

Speaking of giving, don't forget that one of the key opportunities you have at our Missions Festival is to pray about how much you will give toward supporting our missionaries and ministry partners in 2022. We will be collecting your commitment cards next Sunday and throughout the rest of February, so please aim to give generously this year! Our total 2022 missions budget is $328,106 - the POPC general fund will underwrite $215,560 of this amount, so we need $112,546 in direct member giving to supply the rest. It would be great to receive even more than this amount, as we did this past year, so that we can give even more money away to those serving the Lord around the world. Thank you for your sacrificial giving!

From the Pastor's Study

January 28, 2022

I'm looking forward to our Missions Festival starting up next Sunday! From my earliest days as a Christian (which in God's providence coincide with my earliest days as a human, since I was born just a few years after my parents were converted to Christ, and God enabled them to raise me in such a way that I don't really remember a day I didn't know Him as Savior and Lord), I learned that bringing the gospel to the lost in the nations was a part of what it meant to follow Jesus. Like other universities, the nations were coming to LSU to study, and my parents were involved in international ministries at my church in Baton Rouge (The Chapel on the Campus), and we regularly had an international college student that we "adopted" and had over for dinner, holidays, etc.

As I transitioned into high school, I was privileged to go with our youth group on mission trips to Reynosa, Mexico; Mandeville, Jamaica; and the Yucatan Peninsula. My church took adult trips to Russia, and when I started LSU I took Russian, thinking that if I had the opportunity to go with my church, I'd love to be able to communicate (unfortunately I never was able to go, and now I've forgotten nearly all of what I learned!). These trips - the ones I participated in and the ones I heard about from others who participated - were formative for my spiritual development. Missions was not some "add-on" or "expansion pack" to the Christian life, it was part and parcel with what being a Christian was all about. I hope that is what my children will recall about growing up in our home, and what you are learning as a member of Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church.

Missions Festivals/Conferences have always been a highlight of my year, because it's a been chance to hear directly from those with boots on the ground from around the world and around town, and it's been a spiritual shot in the arm to my own ministry wherever I have been serving. To hear of God's global purposes of grace, of the expansive nature of Christ's kingdom, of the call to go into the world and make disciples of all nations, of the reality of sin and judgment and hell, of the glories of salvation - all of these things combine annually to be a spur to my apathy, pride, and forgetfulness. This year's conference looks to be wonderful. Not only will we get to hear God's word preached from a missionary on the US/Mexico border, a church planter, and a pastor who loves missions, but we'll also get to hear reports from several of the ministries we support. Be encouraged, be convicted, be challenged, be resolved to bring the gospel to the lost, to bankroll the gospel's progress around the world, and to pray for the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do.

----------

This Sunday we gather together around the Lord's table (one week earlier than the usual first Sunday of the month, because of the Missions Festival on February 6). It is so easy to take sin, even our own, for granted. Yet to understand what sin deserves, we must look to the cross, where the Son of God bore the awful load of the wrath of God in the place of sinners. Sin deserves death, and the blood of bulls and goats was in no way able to take away the sin of men and women and boys and girls. Our Savior came into this world to pay the price for our sins. He was beaten, whipped, mocked, unjustly treated in the courts, forsaken by friends and abandoned by His Father. So that we might never forget the cross, which demonstrates to us both our great sinfulness and His great lovingkindness, Jesus left us with a symbolic meal to eat regularly. Meals represent fellowship and peace, and thus we call this meal “Communion,” because we have peace with God and commune with our Savior as we eat and drink. We also commune with one another, and have fellowship in one another’s gifts and graces.

I love looking at the Westminster Larger Catechism as I prepare to come to the Lord's table. Question 171 is especially helpful: "How are they that receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper to prepare themselves before they come unto it? 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 [lacks]; 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." (If you don't have a copy of the Westminster Confession and Catechisms, let me know and I'll give you one, so that you might be able to read the Scriptural foundations of each one of these phrases, and all the rest of the meat of this ancient document that so beautifully summarizes what the Bible teaches.) May the Lord Jesus grant us an increase of faith and hope and love as we feed upon Him by faith, and may He confirm and seal to our hearts our continuance and growth in Him by grace!

From the Pastor's Study

January 21, 2022

I encourage you to be present Sunday evening at the installation service of Dr. Mike Atkinson as a ruling elder of Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church. I love ordination and installation services, because they are a reminder of the way Jesus, our great Shepherd-King, cares for His people by giving them elders and deacons. I am so thankful for the Presbyterian form of church government that Jesus has appointed in the Bible - not only because it means that I as a pastor/teaching elder do not have to be a one-man ministry show, and that spiritual oversight is a joint effort, but also because you glean the benefit of having multiple undershepherds available to care for your soul.

Shepherding is a joint labor of knowing, feeding, leading, and protecting the sheep, but Scripture and church history show us the wisdom of dividing the congregation up among the individual elders so that each one of the sheep can have more focused care, and each elder can have a more focused focus of attention and responsibility. Thus we put each member of our congregation in an elder's shepherding group. At our Session meeting next week, we will be putting our newest members into shepherding groups. If you have been a member for more than a few months, then our hope is that you know who your shepherding elder is. Our elders have a desire to shepherd you (and your family) as well as they are able - to get to know you and your spiritual needs better, to pray for you, to encourage you with the word of God as needs and opportunities arise, to call you away from sin and toward gospel holiness, to help you use your gifts for the growth of the body. Each elder has up to seventeen family units in his group, and thus it can be difficult to shepherd everyone equally well (that's why I'm always glad when new elders are elected, so that the number of sheep each elder has decreases!). I am thankful to see how our elders take their callings seriously, and long to grow in this aspect of their work.

Please pray for your elders and encourage them as they labor among you. If they reach out to you for prayer requests, please let them get to know you better and share what is going on in your life. If they desire to visit you in your home, or have you over to their house, take advantage of this opportunity to be shepherded. If they challenge you about something they see amiss in your life, don't bristle at their words of loving rebuke, but seek to change where change is needed. Some of you may be in a position to ask your shepherding elder how you can help them care for the rest of the sheep in their group. Perhaps you can reach out to new members, or host times of fellowship, or write notes of encouragement to the sheep. Our goal as elders ultimately is to equip the saints to do the work of ministry, for the sheep to be serving other sheep. We have no great joy than to see God's children walking in the truth together in faith, hope, and love!

----------

Before evening worship this Sunday night, Lee and Emma DeHoog are going to be giving a final missions report to us in the Cafeteria at 5:30. The DeHoogs have been missionaries in Northern Africa for many years, and retired last year. This "Farewell and thank you!" presentation will be a blessing for all who attend, and your presence will be a blessing to them. Please join us if you are able!

From the Pastor's Study

January 14, 2022

I turned 46 on Wednesday. It was a great day celebrating with my family the kindness of God to me this past year. Thank you to everyone who reached out with happy birthday wishes! But being a pastor, and thus being in the presence of so much death over the past 19 years, has taught me that birthdays are also an opportunity to reflect soberly on the brevity of life. We absolutely should rejoice in the goodness of God who has sustained us another year, but we should also remember that "as for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away" (Psalm 90:10). God wants us to number our days in this manner, so that "we may present to [Him] a hear of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). Psalm 90 and Psalm 39 are psalms I aim to read on my birthday each year - both contain prayers that frail creatures of dust ought to pray regularly. "Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath" (Psalm 39:4-5).

Several thoughts along these lines came to my mind on Wednesday.

• First, I realized that when my dad turned 46, I was 22. It feels like just yesterday that I was 22. How would I have responded to and thought about my dad differently when I was 22 if I knew then what I know now about being 46?

• Second, I learned about a 48 year old in Baton Rouge who had just died of colon cancer. What if I had only two years left to live? That is possible - and so may the Lord enable me to make the most of my days, redeeming whatever time he gives me.

• Third, assuming that the Lord allows me to work until I "retire" (age 67 for full benefits per the SSA), that means I have around twenty-one years left of working full time. So even if I live out a normal working career, that's not much time left to serve the Lord and His people, though it's enough time for a lot of things (good and bad) to happen! How will I spend these next years? What impact will I make for Christ and His kingdom? How will the Lord choose to use me? It will be fun (is that the right word???) to see how the Lord's plan unfolds for me and my family from 2022 through 2043 and beyond. I'm thankful that He has me here at Pear Orchard, and pray that I'll be able to serve you as long He keeps me alive.

• Fourth, no matter when I die, I'm one year closer to the return of Jesus or to seeing Him in a disembodied existence, free from sin and free from sorrow. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

As a large part of my calling as your pastor is to prepare you to die well - in the Lord and experiencing the sure and steady confidence and joy of eternal life - I hope that you will take time today (and on your birthday) to remember that "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21)!

-----------

This coming Sunday morning we celebrate the sacrament of baptism. Take time these next few days to meditate on that wonderful question and answer from the Westminster Larger Catechism #167 - "How is our baptism to be improved by us? The needful but much neglected duty of improving our Baptism, 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; 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; and by endeavoring to live by faith, to have our conversation 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." If you have a copy of the Westminster Larger Catechism, I encourage you to look up the Scripture references that go along with this answer. And if you don't have a Larger Catechism, let me know and I'll give you one!

From the Pastor's Study: Songs for the Christ Child

December 11, 2020

Why should December have all the good music? I ask this tongue-in-cheek, but it’s something I think about at the end of every year. The poetry and melodies that have been composed to celebrate the birth of Jesus are some of the most Scripturally-saturated, doctrinally-rich, gospel-rejoicing, Christ-centered, and God-honoring songs the church gets to sing. It shouldn’t surprise us that this is the case, because even in the days and months surrounding the actual birth of Jesus, God’s people wrote songs of praise and thanksgiving for the incarnation of the Messiah. 

We’re looking at those divinely inspired songs on Sunday mornings as we close out 2020. They’re found in the first and second chapters of Dr. Luke’s gospel, and were “sung” by Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon. The saints under the old covenant had long awaited the coming of the Christ, and when He came, they couldn’t help but expressing their joy in poetry. We don’t know what sort of tunes or rhythms these psalms were set to, but the content is clearly designed to get us contemplating the sovereign purposes of God in the birth of Jesus to bring salvation to His people. As it was said of John Bunyan, “If you prick him, he bleeds bibline,” so it is of these songs - they are filled with references to the Old Testament. The birth of Jesus didn’t come out of nowhere, but was the fulfillment of the promises of old, starting all the way back in Genesis 3:15. His appearing has brought joy to our sorrow, peace to our turmoil, righteousness to our sin, and hope to our despair - and as we conclude 2020, aren’t we in desperate need of a whole lot more joy, peace, righteousness, and hope? 

As you meditate on Jesus’ birth, spend time in Luke 1-2. There’s no way we can cover in our sermons the depth of truth found in these four songs, so use our preaching each Lord’s Day as a springboard for further exploration of God’s word. Think about the birth and appearing of Jesus not just in December, but throughout the year - and especially as we come to the Lord’s Table each month. Jesus became a man to reign on David’s throne as our King, to offer Himself as a priestly sacrifice, and to guide our feet in the way of truth and peace through His prophetic teaching. May we submit to His reign and rule over us anew in these coming days. 

——————

I’m not only excited about our preaching in December, I’m also eagerly anticipating what we’ll be preaching in 2021. As the calendar turns over its annual leaf, we’ll finish up Genesis on Sunday mornings for about a month, and after our Missions Festival we will work our way through Philippians and then start Paul’s magnum opus, the letter to the Romans. We’ll close out the year with a frolic in the Servant Songs of Isaiah. On Sundays evenings, we’ll work our way through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) from January to August, and then study several Messianic Psalms to learn more of who our Savior is and what He has done for sinners like us. 

Please be praying even now for God to bring forth much gospel growth from the preaching of His word. Pray for conversions and for sanctification. Pray for God to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Pray that He would strike straight blows with crooked sticks. Pray that He would prevent Satan from snatching away the word that is sown in our hearts, and cause us to bear good fruit for His glory. Pray that we would receive the word as the very word of God, and that it would accomplish its work in use who believe. Without prayer, preaching is powerless. So pray that we as preachers would pray as we prepare, pray as we preach, and pray after we preach. Let us all like newborn babies long for the pure milk of the Word of Christ! 

From the Pastor's Study: The Incarnation and the Lord's Supper

This coming Lord’s Day morning we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Your mind has likely already started thinking about the birth of our Savior, and I would encourage you to consider that every time we sit down at our Lord’s table, we are celebrating His incarnation. “This is my body…this is my blood…” (Matthew 26:28). Our Savior had (and continues to have!) a true body with real blood, as well as a rational soul able to develop and express the direct comparison of bread and wine to his body and blood. Over two thousand years ago the Son of God took to Himself a human nature - and He did it in order to live a sinless life for those whom the Father had given Him before the foundation of the world, and then to die a violent death for His people to deliver them from their sins by bearing in His body on the cross the full wrath of God against them. God can’t die - therefore God the Son became a man without ceasing to be God in order to die in our place and free us from the curse of the Law, slavery to sin and Satan, and the fear of death. 

The physicality of the incarnation is matched by the physicality of the sacraments. There is an earthiness to the gospel that is repulsive to some, and yet it is our salvation. God has stooped low to inhabit the dust of the earth. And He has also stooped low to give us finite, tangible, concrete, edible signs of His covenant lovingkindness and faithfulness. He knows our frame, that we are weak and frail creatures. He loves us enough to speak to us in visible ways because He knows that our faith falters and wavers. We need to see, to touch, to taste, to smell, and to feel the gospel, as well as to hear it. 

So as you come to the table this Sunday with the saints, come with a heart lost in wonder, love, and praise. Celebrate the incarnation of our Savior, and the incarnational grace of His Supper. Take with your physical hand and eat and drink with your physical mouth and digest with your physical stomach. But don’t allow your celebration to be merely physical. Rather, let the physical be the pathway for true spiritual growth in grace, faith, hope, and love. As you examine yourself in preparation for this covenant meal, pray that the Lord will open your eyes to see the amazing grace of the God-man toward you.

From the Pastor's Study: The Grace of Gratitude

Does gratitude seem to you to be in low supply in 2020? If so, don’t assume that we’re experiencing anything new. “Do not say, ‘Why is it that the former days were better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10). One of the chief marks of the sinfulness of man since the fall of Adam is ingratitude - “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21). Our natural bent is toward presumptive selfishness, thinking that people owe us and exist to serve us and advance our agendas, assuming that we’re deserving of whatever good we might receive from those around us.

Jesus encountered ingratitude in his ministry. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus healed ten lepers. He didn’t heal them immediately by touching them. Rather, he told them to go and show themselves to the priests - and as they went on their way they were cleansed. One man realized what had happened and who had accomplished the healing, and he turned around in mid-trip to give thanks to Jesus. Amazingly, the man who came back to thank Him was a Samaritan, prompting Jesus to exclaim, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine-- where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And then Jesus declared to the man, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:17-19). The man’s saving faith was evidenced by his gratitude, his giving glory to God for the mercy He had shown Him through His Son. 

Throughout the Bible, we see that gratitude is one of the chief fruits of God’s gracious salvation. Indeed, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ alone that can truly and lastingly transform a thankless, entitled, discontented heart into a heart overflowing with gratitude.

• “I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.” (Psalm 86:12, along with scores of other passages in the Psalms)

• “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” (Colossians 2:6-7; see also 1:11-12)

• “…and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” (Ephesians 5:4)

• “…always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father…” (Ephesians 5:20)

• “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

• “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)

• “Through [Christ Jesus] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

Ingratitude is the fruit of pride (“I deserve all this; God owes me these things; I have done all this by the strength and wisdom of my hands”) or discontentment (“I may have this and that, but God hasn’t given me these things and those things”). When we realize that we deserve nothing, and that we have been given so much more than we deserve — particularly as we reflect upon the salvation that is ours in Jesus Christ — then we’ll be thankful. J. C. Ryle has put it beautifully: “We are more ready to pray that to praise, and more disposed to ask God for what we have not, than to thank Him for what we have. Murmurings, complainings, and discontent abound on every side of us. Few indeed are to be found who are not continually hiding their mercies under a bushel, and setting their wants and trials on a hill.”

As we enter a week when our entire country is trying to reflect upon all the reasons we have to be grateful, may the Lord God of merciful providence grant us His people more and more the grace of gratitude. 

From the Pastor's Study: What Does Baptism Mean?

This coming Lord’s Day we have the privilege of witnessing the sign and seal of baptism administered to several covenant children: Georgia Raye Dahl, daughter of Steven and Erika Dahl; Alyssa Suzanne and Owen Lee Norwood, children of Drew and Kim Norwood; Yashaiah Eldrin Bhanat, son of Eldrin and Rinku Bhanat; and Daniel Trace, Hastings K, Elizabeth Bradstreet and Margaret Madeleine McMullin, children of Garrett and Cindy McMullin. Three of these families have just recently joined - God has been kind to bless our body with new life! 

As you prepare for worship, meditate on the joyful meaning of baptism. The water of baptism symbolizes the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all our sins (Hebrews 9:11-14), and the Spirit of Jesus that regenerates and renews us unto newness of life (Titus 3:5). Just as our hearts have been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience (Hebrews 10:22) and the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon us richly (Titus 3:6), so we sprinkle or pour the symbolic water upon the recipients of this sign of solemn admission into the visible church.

Of course, we do not believe that everyone who receives the sign of baptism has the things signified - in both the old and new covenant administrations of the one covenant of grace, many receive the outward seal (whether as a covenant child or an as a professing believer) without any inner reality in the heart. Not all Israel is Israel, as Paul puts it in Romans 9:6. But for God’s elect, the “remnant according to God’s gracious choice” (Romans 11:5), the outward sign assures them of the reality of the promises of God, and so increases and deepens faith. The Heidelberg Catechism #73 beautifully expresses this truth: “Why, then, does the Holy Spirit call baptism ‘the washing of regeneration’ [Titus 3:5] and ‘the washing away of sins’ [Acts 22:16]? God speaks in this way for a good reason. He wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ remove our sins just as water takes away dirt from the body; but more importantly, He wants to assure us by this divine pledge and sign that we are as truly washed from our sins spiritually, as our bodies are washed with water.” 

And so when we are present at the baptism of others, or when we are tempted to doubt God’s love for us or to succumb to sin, we remember our baptism and all that it represents - we remember that God has branded up by putting His name upon us in our adoption as sons and daughters; that we have been united to Jesus in His death and resurrection to walk in newness of life; that we are a part of one body devoted to love and serve one another; that we have been separated from the world to live holy and godly lives. 

May the Lord be pleased to work the graces of faith, hope, love, and purity into the hearts of all who are baptized in His time, in increasing measure.

From the Pastor's Study: A Heavy Two Weeks

November 6, 2020

It’s been a full and heavy last two weeks. I thank you (and I thank God) for your prayers for our Session retreat two weekends ago, and for my study week last week. Your elders had a good conversation about our purpose and passion as a church - why we exist - and about the specific ministry focus the Lord has given us in light of our unique history, location, demographic, and gift mix. Likewise, my study week was blessed by our heavenly Father - not only did I get to map out much of the 2021 church calendar and preaching calendar, I was able to feed my soul by reading D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ classic book Preachers and Preaching again, and Dane Ortlund’s book about Jesus, Gentle and Lowly, and I started studying for the 2021 preaching series (more on those in a later post!). 

As you know, our brother Step Morgan was in a horrific mountain biking accident the Friday afternoon before our October 24 Session retreat, and ended up having his lower left leg amputated. This tragedy has been a sober reminder for me of how quickly life can be completely and radically turned upside down and inside out. But God has been good throughout this affliction, and Step and Jessica’s response to God’s providence has been such an encouragement and an example. I can’t wait until he has a chance to share more with you about the way God has showered him and his family with grace in the midst of this trial. Several passages of God’s word that speak of the responses of God’s people to trials have stuck in my heart the past two weeks: 

• “…but God meant it for good, to bring about this present result…” (Genesis 50:20)

• “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)

• “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18)

• “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

• “I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel…” (Philippians 1:12). 

• “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

God has mercifully given the same heart response to the Morgans as He gave to Joseph, Job, Shadrach/Meshach/Abednego, Habakkuk, Paul, and Jesus His Son. Let us continue to pray for them - the journey ahead is going to be long and difficult, and they will need our support, physically and spiritually.

It’s also been a heavy week because of the uncertainty of our national elections. As of my writing this, neither candidate has won the 270 electoral college votes needed for victory. But no matter who wins, the following things remain true: 

• There is no doubt who is in charge and winning: Jesus is the King of kings and the President of presidents (Revelation 17:14; 19:16; Acts 17:7), and is reigning and ruling over all the nations. He is the divine-human Messiah who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth by His Father (Matthew 28:18), and must rule until all His enemies are under His feet (I Corinthians 15:25; Psalm 110:1). 

• The Christian’s calling is to pray for whoever is in authority over us, so that we might lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (I Timothy 2:2), and to submit to our governing authorities, so that by doing right we might silence the ignorance of foolish men (I Peter 2:13-15; Romans 13:1-6).

• Like Joseph in Egypt, as well as Daniel and all the post-exilic saints in Babylon, we are to serve our country no matter who is leading it, seeking its welfare as those who are sojourners and exiles in America (Jeremiah 29:7), whose true citizenship is in heaven and not on earth (Philippians 3:20-21; I Peter 2:11-12; Titus 3:1-2). 

• Because we are citizens in two kingdoms, we must “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Though we are quick to serve our country, we must always be ready to obey God rather than men when the state commands us to disobey God, or prohibits us from obeying God (Acts 4:19; 5:29). 

• If we as Christians end up being more persecuted or more marginalized as a result of this election, let us remember that such is the normal Christian life (Matthew 5:10-12; Philippians 1:29-30). To quote Paul David Tripp about marriage, “What did you expect?” Christ’s kingdom advances through weakness, suffering, and opposition - we follow a Master who was crucified on a Roman cross. “Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20).

May the Lord grant us grace to find our joy and peace in the Lord and not in any created person, thing, or institution, and to live as salt and light to our country in all circumstances. 

From the Pastor's Study: Pray for our Session Retreat!

10/23/2020

Tomorrow, your elders will be having an all-day Session retreat. I had hoped to have this retreat right after I became Senior Pastor, to start my tenure off on the right foot with our elders, but COVID kept us from gathering. Now we’re able to be together, distanced and even possibly outside since it looks like it will be a beautiful day. 

We plan on talking about where we see the Lord leading Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church in 5-10 years, what we need to focus on to accomplish that envisioned future, how to communicate that vision clearly to the saints, and some other miscellaneous items. These sorts of longer horizon conversations are vital to the work of oversight that is a chief calling of elders (another title in the Scriptures for an elder is “bishop/overseer,” from the Greek word episkopos - we not only oversee individual sheep, but this particular church of God as a whole). We want to have a clear view of the direction in which we’re seeking to shepherd the flock, though we realize we must hold our plans with an open palm instead of a clenched fist: “The plans of the heart belong to man but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:9); “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). 

Please pray earnestly for the Lord to guide our discussion and give us wisdom, unity, and good fellowship together. Pray that we will be able to listen well, speak our thoughts clearly and graciously, and come to one mind on the issues before us. There are many strengths of Pear Orchard, many good ministry opportunities, so we need your prayers to discern how the Lord would want us to keep moving forward. We don’t expect to come away from Saturday with answers wrapped up with a bow on top, but I do pray that we will have a solid start as we engage in this planning process together. Pear Orchard is blessed with godly and wise elders, and I look forward to spending the day with them.

I also ask you to pray for me as I spend next week in study, prayer, and planning the 2021 preaching calendar. I will be mapping out what we will be preaching through next year, and who will be preaching each text. The preaching calendar helps the staff know their responsibilities for the new year, and helps in the planning of worship. I’m excited to think about the needs of the congregation and which books of the Bible I believe we can preach with fruitfulness for the growth of the body in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our highest calling as ministers of the gospel is to feed Christ’s sheep with the word of God, and Paul’s words to Timothy ring loudly in our ears: “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching… Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you…Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (I Timothy 4:13, 15-16; II Timothy 4:2). 

May the Lord continue to use His living and active word to search the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, to shatter our hardness and thaw our coldness to Christ, to root us in grace, and to bear fruit for His glory!

From the Pastor's Study: Let's remain a church planting church!

This past weekend we went down to Baton Rouge to see two of my brothers and their families (Hurricane Delta unfortunately cut our trip short by a day). On Sunday morning we visited South Baton Rouge Presbyterian Church, a PCA congregation that was planted in 2000, a couple years after I graduated from LSU. When I was growing up nearly all the Presbyterian churches in Baton Rouge were in the PCUSA, and the only PCA churches were on the outskirts of Baton Rouge or in surrounding towns. I was brought to Reformed convictions during college, and attended Plains PCA (where the Kwasnys were members) - about a thirty minute drive from LSU and downtown Baton Rouge. So when I heard that a PCA church was being planted near LSU, I rejoiced. 

Church planting has been in the DNA of the PCA from its inception, and it has also long been in the DNA of Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church. A church plant ourselves out of First Presbyterian Church Jackson, in our brief lifetime as a congregation we have supported dozens of church planters around the country, partnered with Highlands Presbyterian Church to plant Madison Heights Presbyterian Church, and been a founding church of the Mid-South Church Planting Network. The three senior pastors before me were committed to church planting, and I want to follow in their train. I want our congregation to continue to be a church planting church, a church that sends its money and its members into areas of our community devoid of solid Reformed Presbyterian churches centered on the gospel of God in Christ - for planting new churches is one of the best ways to reach the lost for Jesus and to energize the evangelistic fervor of established churches.

If you looked at a map of the Jackson metro area, you’d see several places where there are no PCA congregations: Gluckstadt, Canton, Richland/Florence, southwest Jackson near JSU, the Northshore/further out Lakeland - and soon the 39211 zip code. For at the end of January 2021, for a variety of reasons, Trinity Presbyterian Church will be closing its doors after 70 years of service to Christ and His people. You have likely seen several Trinity families visiting among us on Sundays and Wednesdays, as they consider where the Lord might lead them to transfer their membership. But as those families disperse into congregations across the metro area, a hole will be left for gospel ministry in one of the most diverse and populated zip codes in our region. 

Let’s be praying that the Lord, who is never slow but never in a hurry, would raise up a new church in due time in 39211, to reach His elect there with the gospel of Jesus. Very early initial and exploratory conversations about what this plant might look like and how it might come about have begun in our Presbytery, and it excites me to think about ways that Pear Orchard might be able to play a role in a new work to our south one day. And one day in the future, who knows what other churches might be planted around us - as the saying goes, we often overestimate what can be done in five years, and underestimate what can be done in twenty years. God is at work! And we are privileged to join Him in the harvest fields. 

——————

This coming Lord’s Day I will be preaching from Genesis 38, the story of Judah and Tamar. I encourage you to read it ahead of time (especially if you have children) so that you won’t be caught off guard and so that you will begin to think through how you might discuss it with your family. It’s a shocking and sordid story of sexual sin, and depicts the reality of life in a fallen world without sugar coating any of the raw and awkward edges. But it also reveals the shocking grace of God, who saves a sinful people and brings good out of evil. Be praying for our time together in God’s word.