Reflections on our Time at “Together for the Gospel”

This past week Pastor Kevin and I joined nearly 5,000 other pastors and church leaders at the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The conference is the brain-child of four friends, all of whom happen to be significant leaders in the reformed movement—Al Mohler (President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), Mark Dever (Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.), Ligon Duncan (Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi), and C. J. Maheney (Founder and Leader of Sovereign Grace Ministries).

In addition to these “leading lights,” we also heard from Thabiti Anyabwile, John MacArthur, R. C. Sproul, and John Piper. It was a great privilege to sit at the feet of these men, all of whom have been given as gifts to the church for our good and God’s glory.

I have written several brief summaries about the conference on my blog, so if you want to know more details you may access them at www.bornoftheword.blogspot.com. For now, let me express our heart-felt thanks to you for allowing us to go, and for praying for us while we were there. There are several reasons why we need to go to events like this on a somewhat regular basis; let me share two of them with you.

First, pastors need pastors. We need to be fed. We need to see the glory of God in the face of Christ through the preaching of the Word. We need to taste his goodness in fellowship and savor his beauty in worship. We need to be encouraged and guided and disciplined and instructed. We need resources to feed our souls and give us a vision of the things that really matter so that we will lay our lives down for the sake of the Name of Jesus and the church, which is his bride. Pastors really do need pastors.

Second, it is good for us to remain connected to the larger body of Christ, especially to those who are passionately and persuasively clinging to essential things—things like the authority of the Bible, the supremacy of God over all things, and the centrality of the atonement. In a world where essentials like these are being traded in for what works and what’s comfortable, I cannot tell you how encouraging it was to be with nearly 5,000 like minded leaders from around the country, and indeed the world. And this kinship is very good, not just for Kevin and me, but for Glory of Christ as a whole.

So thanks again, Glory of Christ. We appreciate your love and partnership more than you know. Please pray now that we’ll follow through on the investments made in us in a way that will bring maximum glory to God.

Rejoicing with you in the mercy of God in Christ,
Pastor Charlie