A Pastor’s Note to Grace Covenant – October 20, 2020

While it is unusual for me to write one of these pastoral notes early in the week – in fact, I do not think I have done so before – I have been asked by several people for recommended books and/or articles to further consider the Doctrine of Unconditional Election, which was the predominate theme in the message from this past Sunday. So rather than waiting, or answering one by one, I thought I would offer a few suggestions for possible resources. But before I get to that, I want to invite everyone to join me in expressing condolences to the Mundy family.

We learned this morning that Heather Mundy’s mother had passed away. This was not unexpected; and, in fact, Heather has been in Birmingham, Alabama the past few days to be with her mother. But even when expected, such a loss is jarring, even for those who are confident of the hope we all share in Jesus. So please pray for Heather & Camper, and Hope, Mercy, and Ty this week, and in the coming days.

I’d also like to take a moment to offer my thanks to all those who worked to put on a Pinewood Derby competition for the children and families of Grace Covenant. During these past months there have been few communal opportunities, but on Sunday afternoon it was different! Dozens of Grace Covenant families gathered on the lawn – mostly masked, and socially distanced – while the cars crafted by the kids (possibly with some help from Dad or Mom) raced on the track. It was a lot of fun. Even more than fun, it was refreshing. So thanks to everyone who participated. Special thanks to Nathan Mortier, Justin Stevens, and David Hoffman for the work they did organizing, building the track, and running the event.

Now, as for the resources regarding the Doctrine of Election. The best resource I can recommend, that is substantive but not too academic, is R.C. Sproul’s contemporary classic book, Chosen By God. In addition to the book, Ligonier Ministries developed a 6-part video series, also titled Chosen By God, with Sproul teaching. The video series is available for FREE on both Amazon Prime Videos and through Ligonier.

Other books worth checking out:

Chosen for Life by Sam Storms

The Potter’s Freedom by James White

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer

Articles worth considering can be found for free from:

Monergism

The Gospel Coalition

Ligonier Ministries

I hope those of you who are curious find something helpful from among these resources. There may be copies of some of the book titles in our Grace Covenant Library – and if there are not, there ought to be. 😉

Finally, let me take this opportunity to invite everyone to join us at lunch time on Thursday, as we gather (via Zoom) to pray for the advancement of the gospel to the Nations, and to hear from and pray specifically for some of our Grace Covenant missionaries, who will be joining us.

J.I Packer, in his book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (recommended above), notes:

Prayer is a confessing of impotence and need, an acknowledging of helplessness and dependence, and an invoking of the mighty power of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves… It is [God’s] way regularly to withhold His blessings until His people start to pray.

So, in line with Packer’s thinking: Prayer is our way of supporting those who are serving Jesus on the front lines. Prayer support is every bit as important as financial support to those who are in foreign fields. Prayer is not only our way of supporting global missions, prayer is one way we can ourselves engage in global mission, even if we ourselves are not venturing far from home.

To participate in the prayer gathering, at Noon, on Thursday October 22, click this link: GCPC Missions Prayer Gathering. If you have any questions, please contact Nathan Kiewiet.

That’s it for now. I expect to have another note out for the weekend, as usual. In the mean time, I pray you have a great week!

Grace & Peace,

W. Dennis Griffith, Lead Pastor