Psalm 121 (ESV)

1  I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
2  My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6  The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

To Hope, Stand, and Walk In the Grace of God

As we’ve been moving our way through the letter of 1 Peter these last couple of months, we’ve been frequently reminded of Peter’s main purpose in writing:

 

1 Peter 5:12 (ESV) 

…I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.

 

Perhaps a simple poem, encompassing this and some other central truths from Peter’s letter, will help plant the focus and significance of this purpose deeply in your heart and mind!

 

God’s people in this world must stand,

Firm in the grace coming from God’s hand.

A holy hope must guide our way,

‘Till Christ appears on that great day!

 

What a privilege to hope, stand, and walk with you at RCG…in the true grace of God!

Praying for Pastors

“Let the thought sink deep into the heart of every church, that their minister will be very much such a minister as their prayers may make him. If nothing short of Omnipotent grace can make a Christian, nothing less than this can make a faithful and successful minister of the Gospel!”  Rightly says Gardiner Spring, in his timeless exhortation A Plea to Pray for Pastors (purchase the booklet here; read a free, abbreviated version here.)

 

Your regular prayers for all of the Elders at RCG are deeply needed, and greatly appreciated.  And particularly as it relates to our calling in preaching and teaching God’s Word, myself and Pastor Steve would covet your prayers.  In addition to our weekly ministry of God’s Word at RCG, the Lord has given both of us some assignments that extend beyond our local church.

  • On July 7, I’m scheduled to preach on the topic of “The Infinite-Personal God” at the “City Light Preaching Night” at Immanuel Baptist Church at 6:30pm. Then on July 20,21, I’m preaching in 5 Sessions for a Marriage Conference sponsored by Rockville Bible Church of Fairfield.  Also on July 21, Steve is preaching one of the break-out sessions at the Men’s Conference being hosted by Gold Country Baptist Church in Shingle Springs.
  • Then in Sept/Oct, both Steve and me will be travelling out of the country for ministry assignments (we’ll be letting you know more details and specific dates in the very near future).  I’ll be travelling to Zurich and Berlin for preaching, teaching, and training with the European Bible Training Center.  This will be followed by a trip to Haiti to preach at a pastor’s conference, and in local churches.  And Steve will be travelling to Zimbabwe, for preaching, teaching, and training ministry there.

Please pray that in these assignments, along with our regular ministry at RCG, we would be faithful stewards of God’s Word (1 Cor. 4:1,2); that we would pay close attention to our lives and doctrine (1 Tim. 4:15,16); that we would be unashamed workmen who rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15,16); and that the Word of God would spread rapidly from us, for His glory (2 Thess. 3:1,2).

 

As you pray for us, please know that we are continually praying for you, trusting that petitions and promises like Eph. 3:14-21 will continually be fulfilled in your lives!

 

What a joy to co-labor with you in the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ!