Dear Mr. President:

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America met in Nashville, Tennessee last week for its annual assembly.  At that meeting the General Assembly instructed me to send to you and the leaders of the U.S. military the following communication:

1. Concern: The PCA is gravely concerned over the potential repeal of the current law governing homosexual individuals in the military. Should this repeal occur, we fear that the free exercise of the faith of our chaplains will be jeopardized.  This repeal may go so far as to force the resignation of our currently serving chaplains from the military as well as the service of military members from this denomination.

2. Consequences: This potential change increases the likelihood of the following:

• Chaplains may be open to the charge of discrimination or command reprimand when they preach or teach in accordance with the passages in the Bible which directly speak to the sin of homosexual practice.
• Bibles in military chapels and on military bases may be under the threat of excision of all passages which speak very directly to the sin of homosexual practice. Whether it will be under the guise of “hate speech” or speech contrary to the policy of the Department of Defense, the effort may be made soon after the removal of the law.
• Marriage retreats conducted by chaplains intended to strengthen marriage may have to include homosexual couples, which will violate chaplains’ faith tenets and negatively impact the voluntary participation of married heterosexual couples.
• Homosexual couples may seek union ceremonies or marriages, which are in violation of the beliefs and ordination vows of a large percentage of military chaplains, not just those from this denomination. Refusal may invite the charge of discrimination and command reprimand.
• The “free exercise” and free speech rights of chaplains and military members may be abrogated as Equal Opportunity policies, “hate speech” laws, or other legalities trump the First Amendment.

3. Appeal: For the above and many other reasons affecting chaplains and military members in the ranks, we humbly recommend that you consider the ramifications for religious freedom that legislation in this regard may have. It is of utmost importance that you take all necessary measures to insure that our chaplains are free, without censure, to preach, teach, and practice in accordance with the beliefs of this denomination. We plead for this for the good of the nation, for the good of the chaplains who serve the nation on behalf of their church, for the good of the military members from this church who serve in our armed services, and for the protection of the constitutional principle of the free exercise of religion.

Sincerely,

L. Roy Taylor
Stated Clerk of the
General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in America

As a way of allaying any concerns some of you might have about the perils of denominations, I want to make it clear that we at New Life rejoice that God is at work through all kinds of denominations to advance his kingdom and to gather in his elect. We affirm and support any church or denomination that proclaims the risen Christ as God’s sole provision for the salvation of sinners.

At the same time, it is good to be part of a denomination like the PCA that is committed to be “faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission.” The PCA is far from perfect, but I was reminded at GA what an honor it is to labor alongside so many godly and faithful people who love Jesus, who fight for truth, and who sacrificially serve the church.

Regarding the business of the denomination, here are some of the highlights of what transpired at GA:

• The Assembly approved a letter to be sent to President Obama and other federal officials regarding the possible repeal of the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy (See ”General Assembly” p. 5)regarding homosexuals in the military. You can read the content of that letter by going to page 4 of this issue of Lifeline. (I personally was able to participate on the committee of commissioners that discussed, revised and recommended the letter.)
• The issue of women serving as deaconesses has been a controversial issue in the denomination for the last several years. There is a paragraph in our Book of Church Order (9.7) that allows men and women to serve as assistants to the deacons. Because of concerns about some churches taking liberties with this language, the Assembly this year approved the addition of the following language to that paragraph of the BCO: “These assistants to the deacons are not officers of the church and, as such, are not subjects for ordination.” There was little debate on the floor about this, and the vote was strongly in support, so I take this as a positive step in the direction of unity on an issue that has threatened to create much dissension in our midst.
• The most controversial issue at GA was the proposed 2010 PCA Strategic Plan. We continued debate until midnight Thursday as we considered each point of the plan item by item. One portion of the plan was voted down, but the rest was approved. I did notice, however, that the votes on some portions of the plan were very close, which suggests some division of opinion as to where the denomination is headed.

One of the high points at each General Assembly is the large number of breakout workshops that are offered, most of which take place
before the assembly actually starts doing business.

Doug Coyle, a PCA pastor in Las Cruces, Calif., gave a stimulating lecture on the way the writings of 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche have profoundly influenced the thinking of 21st century postmodern people. Nietzsche is famous for coining the phrase, “God is dead,” and it was amazing to observe  how far ahead of his time Nietzsche was. Pastor Coyle encouraged us pastors to be aware that many sitting in our pews might be heavily influenced by Nietzsche’s thought, whether they realize it or not.

I also attended a workshop given by Randy Pope, senior pastor of Perimeter Church in North Atlanta. Elders, pay attention here: the workshop was titled, “Making Session Meetings the Best Night of the Month.” I’m not sure the seminar lived up to its title, but it was good to be reminded that elder meetings should be more like family gatherings than a session of Congress.

The most memorable workshop was given by Skip Ryan, former pastor of Park Cities PCA in Dallas, who shared what he has learned from his experience of being dismissed from his pastorate after it was discovered that he had developed an addiction to prescription drugs. He told us that he developed his addiction by wearing himself out over the course of 30 years of ministry in an attempt to prove his worth and gain the approval of other people.

The turning point for Skip was during a counseling session with a counselor who was not even a believer. The counselor asked him, “Who is your God?” Skip was bewildered by the question, thinking the answer was obvious. “The God of the Bible,” he said in response. “Oh no,” the counselor said. “Your god is drugs.”

By the grace of God, Skip came to realize that “it’s not wrong to not be exceptional.” Eventually he came to be honest with himself. He quoted St. Thomas as saying, “If you do not bring out the truth about yourself, it will kill you; if you do bring out the truth about yourself, it will heal you.”

In all of his busy ministry, Skip had “let Jesus slip away.” Jesus no longer was enough for him, and he became enslaved to finding fulfillment in other things. He went on to realize that his fundamental calling as a pastor was not to know how to preach, or to know how to lead, or to know how to counsel, but to know how much Jesus loves him.

Currently, Skip serves as chancellor and professor at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas. He is a testimony to the fact that God continues to use his broken servants to encourage and build up the church. In fact, the only servants he uses are those who are broken.

You can hear Skip’s message, as well as other workshops from General Assembly, by going to barkerproductions.net  Click on “PCA General Assembly” in the left column, and then click on the icon for 2010 General Assembly MP3s.

My love to you in Christ,
Bob

In the video, there are five steps given to all churches interested in starting new congregations. That includes New Life, so here’s what we need to do right away:

1. Pray for a vision of the harvest and for a vision for church planting. We need to pray that our congregation gets excited about church planting, that God would make it clear where we are supposed to plant, that He would open doors in the community we target, that He would lead us to the right church planter, and that a sufficient amount of money could be raised for the effort to start strongly.

2. Build outreach and ongoing church planting into the culture of your church. This is primarily the job of yours truly, and the rest of the elders here at New Life. As it stands now, church planting is part of our Strategic Plan; it is listed as our long-term goal on our “Looking to the Future” insert; I emphasize it during all membership classes, and you will be hearing more about it from the pulpit in the future.

3. Focus on lay leadership and encourage them to take the lead in church planting. Everyone at New Life should prayerfully consider right now whether he or she might be called to leave with the new church plant one (See “Church Planting” on pg 3)      day. A successful church plant takes much more than a gifted church planter. It requires a group of faithful, hard-working people who are outwardly focused, who love their community, and who want to see the lost come to faith in Christ.

4. Recruit and mentor church planters. One of the most significant steps in starting a new church is choosing the person who will serve as the church planter. Church planters must have the gift of evangelism and leadership. They must be
self-starters who can gather people. To plant in the PCA, the person must be ordained and must be approved by our denomination’s Assessment Center in Atlanta. New Life elder Tony Guinn (and his wife Dorinda) will be heading to this center next month to discern whether the Lord might be calling them to plant churches.

5. Develop the ongoing vision for churches who plant churches who plant churches. Our job is not done when we plant one church! God willing, we want to continue to plant more churches ourselves, but we also want to make sure that the churches we plant are also committed to planting churches. Ultimately we are looking for a church planting movement to gain momentum here in central Indiana.

Let’s keep this discussion going. Please contact me with your questions and ideas. And make point #1 above a priority immediately — pray…

My love to you, in Christ,

Bob

As the first duck neared the finish line, our three heroes, Nathan Bergman, Chris Woolum, and Josh Osborne, remained resolute and unflinching. Placing complete confidence in their cat-like reflexes and the sturdy badminton net behind them, they stood poised like panthers ready to strike. They had but two goals before them: collect the first 21 ducks in the winners bucket and gather the rest in the net. Simple enough…or so they thought.

The crowd of onlookers seemed to hold their breath as they studied the lead ducks trying desperately to determine whether one of them was the bearer of their number. Just then as if recognizing the helplessness of the majestic yet lifeless rubber creatures, the creek ebbed and a small wave gathered a large group of the ducks and sent them reeling towards the finish line. Our heroes flew into action. Josh took the lead, collecting the winners while, Nathan and Chris backed him up in the classic duel of man versus nature. Just then another universal principle threw its hat into the ring and in the true fashion of Murphy’s infamous law, our heroes realized that not only was their net not long enough to catch all the ducks, but the weave was too wide to keep them from floating downstream. In tradition of those gone before them, willing to fall on their sword lest they concede defeat, our heroes let out an overly
dramatic falsetto cry for help.

As the pubescent crackle of the call echoed through the meadow, the crowd stood helpless as the ducks were thrown onto the bank. Chaos ensued as the panicked onlookers desperately sought cover from the seemingly endless number of rubber projectiles. At that moment, recognizing their 21st-century duty forged by the likes of Betsy Ross, Oprah Winfrey, and Wonder Woman, the girls flew into action. Jen Milks, Jenna Bergman, Michaela Mabee, and Jessie Jordan threw themselves into the creek to stop the aquatic fugitives while Jessy Delaplane joined our initial three heroes on the front lines. Fortunately for you, while the team fought a frigid downstream battle to save the duck race, your fearless reporter was racing up and down the bank taking mental notes of the entire situation to relay to you in the dramatic narrative style you have come to love and cherish. For this I desire no credit or accolades but seek to shine a light on the true heroes of the day, those that supported the Mexico mission’s trip by buying ducks and coming out to enjoy the race with us on a cool, overcast Sunday afternoon two weeks ago.

This was by far the most lucrative and entertaining fundraiser we have ever done. We sold 625 ducks and raised almost $3,000 for the Mexico Missions trip. It was really awesome to see how God used the actual event, as well as the preparation, to unite the team and generate interest and excitement for the trip. Not only was the duck race beneficial to the Mexico team, but several families from the community came out for the event and enjoyed the fellowship and familial hospitality of all of you.

A special thanks goes out to Mark and Brenda Bergman and the hospitality team for helping organize and set up for the pitch-in meal at Morrow’s Meadow and all of you who bought ducks and supported the team at the event. It was a lot of fun and a really encouraging day that God used to further His Kingdom here in Yorktown and in Monterrey, Mexico!

In Him,
adam

We know from the Bible that after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and others for a period of 40 days (Acts 1:3). At the end of that period, we are told that Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9–11; cf. Luke 24:51) where he sat down at the right hand of God the Father Almighty (Heb. 1:3). Because the Bible provides us with these details, the church is able to calculate Christ’s ascension. This year, Easter being April 4, the ascension of Jesus would be commemorated 40 days later on Thurs., May 13.

The annual recognition of Christ’s ascension by the church has fluctuated historically. In our contemporary circles, it receives little or no attention. This ought to be questioned given the fact that Luke records the event twice — once at the end of his Gospel and again at the beginning of Acts. Indeed, the disciples bore witness not only to the resurrection of Christ, but to his ascension as well. So it is not surprising that they testify to his ascension in their earliest sermons (Acts 2:32–33). In fact, the ascension is mentioned or alluded to 33 times in the New Testament (see Eph. 1:20–23; Phil. 2:9–10).

Moreover, when we confess our faith using the words of the Apostles’ Creed, we affirm his birth (incarnation), his suffering/death, his resurrection, his ascension, and his second coming. The church is deliberate in marking the past events with Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. (Some segments of the church then spend the rest of the year speculating about the timing of Jesus’ return!) All the while, the ascension of Christ is practically ignored.

Should the ascension of Christ be considered an important article of our faith? Absolutely. The ascension means that Jesus has entered into glory. After the humiliation of his birth, his rejection and betrayal by his own people, his suffering, and the shame of the cross, he is now exalted — being seated at the right hand of God the Father.  The right hand is a figurative expression denoting the place of supreme privilege, honor, power, and authority.  We celebrate Christ’s ascension because we delight in his exaltation.

But the ascension has implications for us as his people, too. He has entered into glory to act on our behalf from his exalted position (see Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 53–55). What is he doing? He is interceding for us before the Father’s throne — we have the assurance that our prayers are heard because he pleads our case (Hebrews 4:14–16).

He is preparing a place for us so that we may be where he is (John 14:1–3). He is supplying Christians and the church with gifts to equip us for ministry (Eph. 4:11–13).  He is ruling and defending the church so that we cannot be defeated — the gates of hell cannot prevail against us (Mat. 16:18). The one who conquered the grave and the Evil One is the one who watches over us and defends us!

In summary, Christ’s ascension is to be celebrated because it declares his supremacy over all things and because this reality gives us comfort and hope. We can know that whatever troubles and trials we are experiencing come to us by the hand of our loving Savior who gave himself for us and who rules over the cosmos.

The ascension also gives us confidence that as the resurrected Christ has been received into glory, we who are united to him by faith will also be resurrected and received into glory to be where he is forever.  Like his birth, death, and resurrection, the ascension should occupy our thoughts far more than once a year.  Indeed, it should cause us to consistently “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Col. 3:1)

In His Abounding Grace,
Pastor Brian

I have heard different words used to describe the timeline. Some are saying it is “quick” and “aggressive,” while others have said it is “conservative” and “too long.” This suggests there might be some questions about the details of this timeline, and about church planting more specifically. If you are wondering why our timeline seems to project the starting of our first daughter church so far out in the future (start budgeting in 2013, core group gathered in 2014), the answer is that we want to proceed carefully to make sure that our church’s first experience in this mission is a positive one. Church planting is challenging work, fraught with many potential pitfalls. Our goal is not just to start churches, but to start healthy, vibrant, grace-centered, outwardly-focused churches.

Recently I was in Chicago for a two-day seminar with PCA church planters from the Midwest. Attending were church planters from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Kentucky. It was exciting to hear stories from these pastors about God’s faithfulness to them on the field, and to hear from our denominational leaders about how committed the PCA is to the important task of starting new churches. The PCA is among the top five most aggressive denominations in the nation in church planting.

And yet there is so much work to do. We were told at the seminar that while there are more pastors looking for positions than there are vacancies at established churches, there are many more communities asking for new PCA churches than there are church planters to send. Please join us in supporting and praying as we think through and plan all the details necessary for this calling.

My love to you in Christ,
Bob

The elders, deacons and staff of New Life have met on several occasions recently to prayerfully and carefully plan a tentative timeline for the next several years (see article on p. 4). In the process of those discussions, it was decided that an overflow room was logistically and financially counter-productive. While a three-service schedule certainly presents its own difficulties and stresses, it was unanimously agreed that this option presents the least amount of negative consequences.

This decision comes on the heels of another attendance record on April 11, when we had 352 people in the worship service. This underscores the urgent need for a third service, and in particular, for this service to be available by Aug. 22, when students will be returning after summer break.

We conducted a quick survey this month in order to find out what would be the best time schedule for three services. Very few people indicated a willingness to attend an 11:30 am service, so we have chosen the earlier schedule, which will offer services at 8, 9:30 and 11 am. Sunday School details are still in the works.

In response to these developments, I’d like to say two things. First, we are going to need help on Sunday mornings! If you have been attending New Life for a while, but have not yet found a place to serve, this is a great opportunity to get involved. (There is a survey included in this issue of Lifeline where you can indicate your specific interest). We will need help with nursery, children’s church, greeting, serving coffee, worship band, and in the sound booth. College students, we need your help too.

The second thing I want to say is a word of encouragement. We know that this plan runs the risk of overtaxing our devoted volunteers, which is something we want to avoid. So the more volunteers who are willing to step up, the less work we all have to do.

But it is also worth pointing out that it is a good thing to work hard in the service of our Lord. The psalmist says in Ps. 84:10 – “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God then dwell in the tents of the wicked.” What a privilege it is to work hard for a Savior who suffered to the point of death for our salvation.

And don’t forget the big picture – church planting! Ted Powers, church planting coordinator for the PCA, was with us last Sunday, telling us about the urgent need for new congregations in the United States. In light of this, I will be attending a Midwest church planting seminar in Chicago this coming week. So please pray for me as I learn more about this process, and please consider how you might chip in to help the effort to move to three services.

My love to you, in Christ,

Bob

If you are unfamiliar with the basic premise of the movie, allow me to summarize. George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a traveling hatchet man who spends most of the year literally up in the air. His job is to fire employees for companies around the country who are unwilling to do it themselves. Bingham enjoys his no-strings-attached philosophy, even giving motivational seminars on how to unburden yourself from life’s burdens including commitments to family and friends. Everything is going well for Bingham until a new recruit to his company and an affair with a fellow “traveler” on the corporate highway make him question his priorities. It all sounds like pretty heavy stuff and it can be at times (the scenes of people’s responses to being let go are heart wrenching without being melodramatic) but the comical atmosphere and witty dialogue help to ease the tension of the movie without treating the subject matter too lightly. This is one of the strengths of the movie; but it is also one of its biggest weaknesses. As the movie draws to a close, there is a momentum of change and progress in Bingham’s life but ultimately I was left thinking “Is that it? What does that mean?” It was almost as if the filmmaker shared his character’s detached philosophy and didn’t want to commit to one perspective or another. The point seems to be that Bingham’s approach is deeply flawed but the film doesn’t offer an alternative viewpoint.

Perhaps that is over thinking it a bit, but whatever its failures, overall I would recommend Up in the Air. It will certainly give you something to talk about and the supporting cast is great, especially Anna Kendrick who earned a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Clooney’s co-worker. One final bit of info: The movie is rated R for language and some sexual content; so depending on your viewpoint, you might want to steer clear. Otherwise, hope you enjoy it, even if you aren’t expecting to.

Most, if not all, Christians would heartily affirm such claims, and yet admit to feelings of great weakness when it comes to prayer. I have yet to meet a Christian who thinks his or her prayer life is as strong as it could be or should be. Many carry a heavy load of guilt because of this, but it bears mentioning that being faithful in prayer
is not easy. The practice of prayer places us on a field
of battle that requires us to engage in spiritual warfare and disciplined struggle.

Consider that we have an adversary who wants to prevent us from praying. The devil will tempt us through constant (sometimes self-induced) distraction, interruptions, sloth, and busyness — even busyness with ministry — to hinder our prayers. If we wait until “the time is right” or until “I’m in the right mood” for prayer, we will likely not pray at all. We must fight to remain faithful in prayer.

And we must fight not only with the devil, but with ourselves — against the sinfulness of our flesh that is disinclined to go to God and too proud to admit our complete and utter dependence upon God for the most basic things of life. In addition, our prayer life can be hindered due to sin in our life with which we refuse to part. We also struggle with prayer because, according to Scripture, we do not know how to pray (Rom. 8:26). For these reasons, we need to understand that prayer is a battle that must be fought, and that we need help to pray diligently, consistently, faithfully, and with wisdom.

Fortunately, God helps us in prayer. First, He has given us His Spirit to enable us and strengthen us in prayer (Rom. 8:26). Second, He has given His Word to guide and direct us in prayer. We ought to become familiar with the language of Scripture in order to be instructed in how to pray.  The Psalms are extremely helpful in this area. Note how Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish seems to reflect an intimate familiarity with the Psalms. In addition to the Psalms, Jesus has taught us how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer (Mat. 6:9–13).

There is a third help God has given us in the spiritual battle with prayer: He has given us fellow soldiers to fight with us and for us. Note the communal nature of the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer: our Father, give us this day our daily bread; lead us not into temptation. Jesus assumes that we will be in prayer for each other in private (Mat. 6:6), but also with each other in the communion of the saints. As a united spiritual army marching under King Jesus, times of communal prayer are essential.

There are many opportunities to pray for and with one another at New Life. One way is through involvement in a LIFE Group. Another is through our monthly prayer meetings. Please consider attending our monthly prayer service at 6:00pm in the sanctuary. There is currently much to pray for in the life of the church and it is important to thank God for what he is doing, to seek His direction in the decisions that are ahead, and to pray with and for each other.

In His Grace,

Brian