Grace Abounding

The elders who have had the most profound influence on me are those who have overflowed with joy in and thirst for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Above all, they have shown me how to run to the cross every day to find in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection the power and pattern for the life of righteousness, hope, and faithfulness to which we are called. The Spirit-enabled application of the gospel to our daily living is the engine that  powers the Christian life.

Our quest at Grace Church of Alexandria to be a gospel-driven congregation is nothing new. In fact, it’s as old as the New Testament church itself. For the Apostle Paul sought to relate everything he taught to the churches “to Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

If you aspire to be a elder, if you are a pastor, or if you are searching for a church with pastors you can trust, Dr. Michael Barrett, president of Geneva Reformed Seminary, has given some incredibly helpful thoughts along this line:

“It is the chief business of the seminary to give ministers the knowledge of the gospel. . .The gospel of Christ is the answer to every issue of life. The gospel works, and it is the job of the minister to be the spiritual guide and advisor to his people to show them how it works. For this to happen, the fundamental need for ministers is the knowledge of the gospel–to know it firsthand and thoroughly. . .I am more than happy to have a brilliant student, and I have been occasionally happy in my career. But my principal concern in the seminary is to train men to have a personal and contagious passion for Christ.”

Inside GRS (Vol. 3, No. 2) November 2009, p. 3.

An elder who effectively shepherds his flock is one who knows and applies the gospel to his own life, and then turns around and helps his flock to know and apply the gospel to their own lives. As you pray for Grace Church of Alexandria, pray that God will make the gospel ever more precious to our Leadership Team so that we will see its relevance for our lives and our congregation’s daily living.

Note: A recent graduate of GRS, Lance Collins, and his wife Elisabeth, have joined Grace Church of Alexandria and are serving here. They were featured in the same newsletter where Dr. Barrett’s comments on the Gospel are found.