Dear Theophilus Archive: Dec. 2000

Staff Corner: A Word from Pastor Paul

Dear Emmanuel Family,

I thank God for how He used Pastor Rich Craven at the LIFE Conference to remind us of God's unconditional love in Christ. We were reminded that God does not look upon us with dissatisfaction and anger, but sees us "just as if we'd never sinned" and "just as if we'd fully obeyed." He smiles upon us with delight the way He smiles upon His Son with delight. That is how He sees those who are united in Christ. Perhaps some of us, myself included, needed to be reminded of God's gracious and warm acceptance of His children. Instead of trying so hard to do ministry, sometimes the most "righteous" thing we can do is to receive His love, simply and humbly. We are not to live in guilt or to work on a performance basis. Instead we live the Christian life from a grace-base, a platform of victory and acceptance. In Christ, we have already conquered sin and found complete favor from God.

There may be some of us who need to be reminded that we are not trying to "earn" God's approval. God does not grade us on our performance. Others of us need to be reminded that we are not "more acceptable" because of our obedience and faithfulness. All of us need to be reminded that Christ has given us His righteousness, and we do not add to or subtract from it. All of us need to be reminded that our Father has already declared that we are accepted, beloved, and righteous in His sight. May all of God's people praise Him for His grace! I would also like to echo Pastor Craven's exhortation that a spiritual church is a united church. We are not to quarrel, criticize, gossip, or mistreat one another. We are not even to be indifferent, detached, or to "just leave each other alone." We are to be a united, loving community: this is the face of Christ we show the world. As people who have found forgiveness and acceptance in Christ, may we show this kind of grace to one another. May we not condemn those whom Christ has already forgiven. Allow me to give a few specific exhortations:

May we, instead of criticizing one another, pray for one another. I have found complaints and criticisms to be a great discouragement in the body of Christ. Of course we have weaknesses, but may it be an opportunity to show grace and kindness and not an excuse to hurt one another. Some of us may even want to approach one another, asking for forgiveness. Let us pray for one another.

May we be open to one another in other fellowships. We want to encourage a congregational identity and unity. We don't just have ECF, Phileo, and Charis fellowships; we have an Emmanuel body. I realize that with our size, it is impossible for everyone to get to know one other, but I think some interaction would be a great blessing. I really appreciate the energy, eagerness, and earnestness of our college students, and the young adults would be greatly blessed to know you. I also appreciate the faithfulness and experience of our young adults. You are attempting to live out the Christian life in the "real world," and the college students would benefit greatly from personally knowing such role models.

May we welcome our newcomers. People are looking for spirituality, people are looking for love. I think our congregation has gotten better in the past few years at welcoming newcomers, and I would like to encourage us to continue. May we be mindful and intentional about warmly welcoming our newcomers. I know that at times we're not sure if someone is new or just unfamiliar. We can at least introduce ourselves and say that we don't think we've met before. I honestly believe that God could use those friendly smiles and interested conversations to draw people to Himself. It can make an eternal difference.

I praise God for His grace that calls sinners saints, even while we are still sinners. I praise God that the verdict has already been given, and that we have already been declared righteous. I praise God that we have a community where we can live out these gospel truths of grace, forgiveness, and love. May we live out the grace we have received and find it an added blessing that we can do so with one another.

In His grace,
P.Paul