August 8, 2023
This last weekend I had the privilege and joy of being with the fine folks in Copperas Cove, Texas, as Refuge Ministries celebrated the 25th anniversary of Pastor Russ and Jennifer’s ministry there. Those folks are a blast!
CONGRATS AGAIN, Russ! We appreciate you in the EMC, and are thankful for your years of service, sacrifice, and for sending others into the harvest.
In the second of their three morning worship services at the Cove campus, Pastor Glen Peterson preached a sermon on vision. He opened the WORD to Acts 2:42-47 and reminded us all about the core vision of Refuge Ministries, and how it is the same core vision that the early church embraced:
Scriptural teaching Fellowship Sharing meals
Worship / Communion Prayer Meeting needs of people
And as the church did these things, the Lord provided the growth. AMEN, Glen!
As Glen was preaching, my eyes got stuck on the fourth word of verse 42 … “steadfastly.” In the language in which the Apostle wrote, the word is ‘proskartereo’ (Strongs #G4342). It means to endure or remain firm, staying in a fixed direction. The saints that comprised the early church were faithful to do those virtuous things, resisting the urge to do them TEMPORARILY, or HALF-HEARTEDLY. They did them obediently, consistently, and without becoming ‘weary in well-doing.’ (Galatians 6:9)
I was reminded of the words of another Peterson - - Pastor Eugene Peterson - - from his book, ‘A Long Obedience in the Same Direction; Discipleship in an Instant Society.’ In it, he wrote this:
“I decide, every day, [to clumsily] open myself to the frustrations and failures of loving, daring to believe that failing in love is better than succeeding in pride.” He was talking about failing, if need be, but failing while earnestly endeavoring to love like Jesus loved. Not overlooking sin, but crucifying self in order to share the good news with the broken.
Pastor Eugene Peterson went on to write: “There is a great market for religious experience in our world; [but] there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.” Wow, how true!
Let’s be virtuous and faithful, STEADFASTLY obeying the commands of Christ to love people, pursue holiness, and share the good news that Christ has come so that the curse of sin may be broken.
