Rough Spots

In my previous post, on changes that lie ahead for Cherylyn and I, I mentioned that during the discussions with the Elders at Grace Baptist Church, there had been some very serious discussions. I even mentioned that along the way we had encountered “rough spots” in the road. Some have wondered about that, so let me explain further.

As you might hope, the Grace team understood the serious nature of their task. They were accountable both to Christ and the Grace family to verify that the man they presented to the congregation was, to the best of their knowledge, the man God had chosen for Grace. A very sobering task! And, to do so they were committed to look everywhere, especially in the areas of the man’s life and theology, with care and wisdom. And so, again as you would hope, no subject was off limits. Our discussions covered the nature of the church, the sovereignty of God in salvation, the theology of the cross, the obligatory discussion of eschatological schemes, and a host of other less controversial topics. We also spoke of the more practical issues of Christian liberty and life. Along the way we listened and spoke carefully, testing everything under the lens of Scripture. And, in what was for me a providential sign that God was in this, we came to recognize and rejoice in a one-ness of heart and mind.

In many ways, our discussions were like a journey down a long and sometimes deeply rutted road. As we drove, where the road was smooth, we sped along. But when we hit the rough spots, we were forced to slow down and examine everything a bit more carefully. In reality, these “rough spots” were the cause of some wonderfully serious discussions which led to greater understanding, greater agreement, and consequently, greater trust.

The process through which I was lovingly and prayerfully led by the leaders at Grace has left me believing that our partnership will be a good one for many years to come. We will learn from one another, and teach one another, and probably disagree with one another from time to time. Yet, our mutual commitment to the message and mission of Christ will cause us to deal with our differences differently, bringing them to the Word and seeking to be of one mind. That’s the way of wisdom; that’s what it means to seek the mind of Christ. We’ve started our partnership that way, and that’s a very good sign that it will remain healthy into the future.

Hope this helps,

David