Hello church! I’ve started my morning by meditating on this Scripture:
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
– Philippians 2:1-11
Wednesday was a day where I saw the beauty of humble leadership in action. I saw people disagree with great love for one another, they put others first, and cared far more about the glory of God and unity of the church than their own personal convictions. Presbyterianism lives on the idea of a plurality of leadership; it’s what the word means in fact – “rule by elders.” This is what we see exhibited in the Bible in places like Acts 15 – wise leaders making decisions based on the Word of God empowered by the Holy Spirit. And they make those decisions together!
This is a thing in our sinful nature that we hate. We want power and to be right and most importantly, to feel more righteous and more intelligent than the person next to me. But around every corner here in the PCA, I see examples of the opposite of that: listening to each other, putting their heart before one’s own, and then making decisions by good, honest debate and then votes without anger, malice, or bitterness. The one time on the assembly floor that someone rejected these principles and tried to show someone up with their insulting language, it resulted in him getting booed by several hundred people. It’s a good rule of thumb – don’t do that at General Assembly.
Worship was gorgeous Wednesday evening, led by a local congregation here in Chattanooga. The preacher taught from Isaiah 6 on the importance of worship – and it did much for my soul. After a long day of business and then worship, my travel buddy Dylan Smith and I attended a Chattanooga Lookouts baseball game. We talked about theology and how to be a pastor and apparently also there was a baseball game going on. It’s no Rocket City Trash Pandas experience, I can tell you that!
Thursday is always the heaviest, longest day at GA. It is on this day that we debate Overtures, which are petitions to make changes to our constitutional documents or to take major action in various agencies within the PCA – it will probably go until midnight. There are many important things on the docket to be discussed – so pray for the PCA – pray that the spirit of peace and brotherhood that existed on Wednesday will continue into Thursday. Because no matter what is decided, we’re still excited that Jesus is on his throne and he is the head of his church. I love being in a room where thousands of people believe that whole-heartedly; no one gets too ruffled; why should they? Jesus loves me, this we know.