Seasons of Change ...

Here's an encouraging testimony from "back in the day" from Kent Hughes... 

"Seasons may change, as do pastors, but the rewards are essentially the same. The rewards, of course, continue to unfold. Recently, I received this note from a junior high girl:

Dear Pastor Hughes,

    After listening to your sermon today, I recommitted myself to our Lord. I have recently discovered myself just “going through the motions.” I have since done devotions and witnessing to people. Your sermon spoke to me. Normally, I must confess, I don’t listen very well. Today I did and you had a lot to say. I’m sure you spoke to many nonbelievers in our congregation. I have decided, if possible, to become a member of College Church (although I am only 13 years old and the only one in my family to go to this church). If you would like to get in touch sometime, my number is.… Thanks for your time.

      - Your sister in Christ, Elizabeth

As Ecclesiastes puts it, there is a time for every season under heaven. That’s certainly been true of my ministry. Each season of ministry has its liabilities and opportunities, but in each season God has been faithful, and his work has moved forward."

    - Kent Hughes, Mastering the Pastoral Role

In these continuing seasons of change, may you too have such rewards of encouragement. Just keep the main thing the main thing, one precious life at a time. 

Because we serve a Magnificent God, 

~ PJVS

The Eternal and Enduring...

"The New Testament vision, then, is not about winning a victory but about entering into the victory that Christ has won, not of gaining the world but of saving the soul. Its message is not about making this worldly age more secure but about entering the "age to come" through Christ, not about manufacturing happiness but about finding holiness, not about purchase but about faith, not about amusement but about repentance, not about distraction but about knowing God. That is to say, the message is grounded not in ourselves but in Christ. It presents a teleology of redemption, not of progress. The purpose of the world, under the hand of God, is redemption from sin, death, and the devil, from what is fading and passing to what is eternal and enduring." 

- David F. Wells, God in the Wasteland - 

The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams. 

May the "New Testament Vision" be in every thought and step as you move forward this week my friend. The above quote comes from a book that seems more relevant every year and even more so in this present season. Keep your eyes on the "Eternal and Enduring"!

~ PJVS

Hold Fast to What You Know...

"Throughout every difficult challenge David faced (and there would be many), David kept his eyes on the Lord. He knew that if God had spoken, absolutely no one could ultimately thwart him from receiving what God had promised. Significantly, immediately after the Scripture relates David’s low point in Gath, it describes how mighty men from all across the land began to be attracted to join him (1 Samuel 22:1-5). 

If David was to lead mighty men, he had to retain his confidence in the Lord! He could not lose hope. He had to stay focused on his mission, regardless of the setbacks and obstacles. Ultimately he became his nation’s mightiest king, just as God had promised. 

What challenges are you currently facing? Have they caused you to lose hope, or confidence? Are you being tempted to give up? Now is when your true mettle will be determined. HOLD FAST to what you know to be true and stay close to God. He’ll do the rest." - Richard Blackaby, The Inspired Leader

Do you feel like David today?  "My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God." - Psalm 84:2   Well, HOLD FAST and stay close to God. He'll do the rest ... IN HIS TIME!

~ PJVS

Faithfully Persevering...

"God especially calls ministers to suffer for the good of others. When Christ took Paul captive to serve Him, He said, “He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:15–16). Paul and Timothy profess that if “we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation” (2 Cor. 1:6). A minister is never more effective for Christ than when he faithfully perseveres in the midst of great personal brokenness. For in this brokenness, as Sibbes said, you offer people a moving example, stir their minds to ask what keeps you faithful, provide public confirmation of the worthiness of Christ’s cause, and demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit in you. In short, you encourage all who have the same Spirit." ~  Encouragement For Today's Pastors, by Joel R. Beeke & Terry Slachter

Through whatever valleys you may be passing, may you be a confirmation of the worthiness of Christ's cause and demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit for the good of your family and flock. May our Lord richly bless you to that end as you persevere!

~ PJVS 

Beneath the Cross ...

David F. Wells insightfully wrote the following in his book Losing Our Virtue...

“It was the contention of the Protestant Reformers that Christian faith will always be misunderstood if the Cross is misunderstood. Or, to put the matter positively, those who understand the Cross aright, grasp the meaning of Christ aright and can then see the entire purpose of revelation clearly. For Christ and his Cross stand at the center of God's disclosure of his moral will and saving ways in Scripture. Indeed, without the Cross we are without the magnifying glass through which his love and holiness are most keenly seen. To stand beneath the Cross is to stand at the one place where the character of God burns brightest and where his resolution of the problem of sin is sounded for all time.” 

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.” ~ Ephesians 2:14–16

My Pastor friend, may you keep it simple, but powerful, as you "stand beneath the Cross". Only there will we see the death of "hostility".

~ PJVS

Stand Firm...

"So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." - 2 Thessalonians 2:15 

My wife and I collect lighthouses. We visit them while on vacation and regularly add to our collection of miniatures and pictures. Lighthouses remind us of being a light in the darkness and a guide to the wayward. They are those great stone edifices that stand firm in the storms and send forth the light that saves from a watery grave. God also places lighthouses on the shores of this world to save souls from eternal damnation.

Paul writes of coming days of increasing evil and tribulation. He assures believers of their deliverance from this time, but until those days arrive he calls us to stand firm and hold to the teachings passed down to us. The winds of time may bring change, but the truth remains the same: Those who refuse to love the truth will perish, and those believe the truth will live eternally. As we spread the light of this truth, we are God's lighthouses.

There is no lighthouse of worth that doesn't stand firm in the midst of the storm. The lighthouse serves the mariner with the same purpose today as it did hundreds of years ago: it gives light to show the way to safety. Every Gospel preaching church is a lighthouse in a world of darkness, and you as the pastor, are the lighthouse keeper. May you stand firm as you hold forth the Light of Life, leading souls from eternal damnation to the safety of redeeming grace. 

~ PJVS

What are Your Plans?

"When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing." - Luke 9:10-11

Plans, plans, plans! Day by day we plan the hours to the minute. We live by tight schedules that will be the most productive and get the job done. Plans keep us focused, plans keep us busy, and plans bring us success. Sadly, too often plans become the goal, an end in and of themselves. The question is... "Do our plans allow room for the unplanned?"

Jesus planned to debrief the disciples and further mentor them alone, in a restful place. But the crowds came and he "welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God".  Most often, the unplanned turns out to be people. Jesus always made time for the unplanned and welcomed the providential occasion with open arms. Because he loved people, "His plans allowed room for the unplanned".

What's your plan for today pastor friend? Will you get it all done the way you want? Are you focused with the intensity of an Olympic athlete? Or are you prepared for the unexpected intrusion of people who need the Lord? Are you willing to make time for those who didn't make an appointment? The question is... "Do your plans allow room for the unplanned?" 

~ PJVS