Scott's Thoughts

Grace e-mail bulletin - 01/18/06

2005 Annual Report

It's been a very busy few days. I've wanted to get something written on my blog, but haven't gotten to it. Instead, I'll post my annual Pastor's Report that I give to our congregation each January. I know it's long, but for those who are interested here it is:

Pastor's Report
Pastor Scott Johnson
Grace Presbyterian Church
Norman, Oklahoma
January 2006

?so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

God?s declaration to send forth his Word with power to accomplish his purposes is a precious promise for his people to hold onto as they undertake to serve him in the life of the church. If we measure God?s work in and through us only in terms of visible fruit, how quickly we can lose heart! However, if we remember that the Holy Spirit is actively working through the faithful ministry of his people in ways that may remain unknown to us until glory, our hearts are strengthened and we carry on joyfully, knowing that our ?labor is not in vain? (1 Cor. 15:58).

As I reflect back on 2005, I believe that God has used in ways we may not imagine. We?ve had many visitors that didn?t return a second time. But maybe some word spoken in the service or in conversation later will bear fruit in a changed life years from now? We patiently work with our covenant children, seeing only incremental growth from week to week. But who is to say how profoundly their lives will be shaped and formed by the ministry they received here at Grace while in their youth? Christ promised to build his church, but his building program is according to a blueprint that only he knows!

However, we can also see the evidences of God?s faithfulness to our small fellowship this past year. Members and friends of the church have used their gifts for the edification of the body of Christ. Covenant children were baptized. We have participated in various kinds of fellowship activities, both with each other and with other believers. We have gathered for worship each Lord?s Day, and it has been my privilege to preach the Word of God. We have ministered to one another in a variety of ways. ?We? may be doing these things, but ultimately it is the Spirit working through our service to build up Christ?s Kingdom. What an honor to be his instruments for this holy purpose, no matter how weak and halting our service may be at times!

During our worship services, I have preached from the following portions of Scripture: the Gospel of Mark, Colossians, Genesis, the 10 Commandments, the Psalms, and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23). During the evening services, we have been instructed by a series of R. C. Sproul teaching videos. We continued to receive the Lord?s Supper monthly, and I trust this sacrament has nourished our souls along with his Word. We also had the joy and privilege to see two covenant baby boys baptized: Sander Timothy on 2/27, and Samuel Lilly on 6/5.

We have studied the following during the adult Sunday School hour: the Christian hope in the face of evil, prayer, and the biblical doctrines of the Christian life and the church. Marilyn Doerfel and Faithann Basore have faithfully taught our children during their Sunday School time.

2005 saw an increase in outreach to the community. First, about 300 door hangers were distributed to different neighborhoods. A direct mail piece welcoming people to visit our church was sent to about 800 homes. In August, we took part in the annual ?OU Sooner Kickoff,? distributing about 350 Grace Presbyterian bookmarks and some Christian and Reformed literature to incoming freshmen. Eric Pyle and John Doerfel have been faithful to maintain Grace?s website. And, I began a Men?s Breakfast Bible study on Romans (which has been subsequently put on hold).

Remember that the fruit of such efforts is seen only after a time of patient and consistent outreach. Don?t be discouraged if we don?t see many visitors right away from this sort of outreach. Diligence in this area will pay off as, Lord willing, awareness of our church is slowly raised in the community. As with everything else, we rely upon the grace of God to bring success in outreach.

Growth in the grace and knowledge of Christ was pursued as the people of Grace met regularly for our prayer meetings and Bible studies. Our Wednesday evening dinner for singles before the prayer meeting has been the occasion of introducing many to our fellowship. Fellowship meals were served both at church and in people?s homes. In August, several of us met for a Redhawks baseball game. We also continued our fellowship with other area Christians at our periodic hymn sings, which we sometimes hosted. Some members of Grace took advantage of fellowship opportunities outside Oklahoma with the Young People?s Camp in July and the OPC Fall Retreat in October.

We were blessed to receive five new members (two non-communicant) during 2005. However, we also lost some members due to transfer or removal. I urge you to pray and reach out to those members who have been absent for some time from the life of the church. We have seen both members and friends of the church go through times of great difficulty, some due to surgeries and other medical problems. I trust we have been able to bring some encouragement to those who have suffered.

In 2005 we hosted the fall meeting of presbytery, which took much planning and teamwork. We give thanks to the Lord that it did go well. We were also involved with the hosting of the 2005 OKC Conference on Reformed Theology in September and October. In December, Rev. Stephen Atkinson of Christian Witness to Israel reminded us of the great need to take the gospel to the Jews as he visited and preached at Grace. Eric Pyle, our missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators, continued to serve as a software developer with that organization.

My ministry included two firsts in 2005: training a candidate for ruling elder, and providing pre-marital counseling for a couple associated with Grace. In addition, I conducted one new member?s class, and I continued to serve as the Chairman of the Diaconal Committee for our presbytery.

Forgive the impersonal nature of this, but I?d like to express my appreciation to all those who have served the church in various ways. Though we are a small church, we have a wide variety of gifts and it is always encouraging when they are exercised for the benefit of all.

In all of this, we recognize our dependence on Christ to do any real good for his sake (John 15:5). Please join me in praying that the Lord will make our service fruitful for the sake of his Kingdom. May the Lord be pleased to guide and bless Grace Presbyterian Church throughout this New Year.

In Christ,
Scott Johnson

Date night

On Monday Robyn and I enjoyed a night out on the town without kids, thanks to our newlywed friends Justin and Jessica who graciously babysat for us.

There is a restaurant up the road from our house that had always intrigued us. It is called “Jana’s”, and their specialty is Thai and Italian. That’s right, Thai AND Italian. There are no other places I know of with that unique combination. But the food was excellent. Not being able to decide on a Thai or Italian dish, we got one of each and split them between us.

A pleasant surprise was running into a young man there whom we have gotten to know recently, Peter. Peter is from Thailand and is a student at OU. Apparently, he began eating at Jana’s so frequently that the owners put him on a cafeteria plan; for one weekly fee he can eat all he wants. But, he also helps them out with cooking and waiting tables when they need it (he told us it is surprisingly simple to make Tiramisu!). Peter was our waiter, and an excellent waiter he was!

After dinner, we strolled down the strip-mall sidewalk to the dollar theatre (technically, the “dollar-and-a-half theatre”). There we watched the Wallace and Gromit flick, “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” It was hilarious, and it came with a one-man laugh track. The guy behind us was cracking up virtually the whole time. He definitely got his $1.50 worth of entertainment.

Not a bad way at all to spend a Monday night. Kids safely at home with good babysitters. Great food. Wonderful wife and date. Wallace and Gromit on the big screen. God is good.

Grace e-mail bulletin - 01/10/06

Overheard at Border's

I usually take my books to Border's on Friday afternoon to work on Sunday's sermon. There's something about the environment there that helps me concentrate. Maybe it is the background noise, or the absence of small children. The caffeine rush doesn't hurt, either.

I overheard some small-talk between a college-aged girl and the cafe clerk while I was there earlier today. She mentioned to him that she had stayed a couple of months in a redwood tree (I assume to protest logging). Apparently, some people will nest in a redwood for months and months at a time without ever coming down. But she had to come down every so often (she didn't say why). When asked if she saved any trees, she said they did save one.

The clerk asked what else she had done. She mentioned going to Rainbow Gatherings. This is a group of people that get together in the woods periodically and hang out (that's about all I know! I believe they are far on the left politically and socially).

Anyway, the more she talked about them, the more she spoke with feeling. It was obvious she treasured these gatherings. I don't know much about these events, but apparently they met once near Missoula, MT, where my parents live. At the same time the Hell's Angels were convening in Missoula. My understanding is the real trouble makers were the Rainbow people, not the motorcycle gang!

Be that as it may, this girl said something that struck me. She went on about how great these Rainbow get-togethers were, how there were thousands of people that congregate and set up their camps, and how you never have to pay for anything the whole time. Then she said, "There's a lot of love there."

I wonder, do people say the same thing about our Christian churches?

Grace e-mail bulletin - 01/04/06

Enoch, eternal life, and the law

Here are some further reflections on Genesis 5, after preaching on this passage last Sunday. If you weren't there on Sunday, or are unfamiliar with Enoch, he was the seventh from Adam through Seth. Unlike almost everybody else that has ever lived , Enoch never died. Instead, we read that "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Only Elijah had a similar experience (2 Kings 2:11, 12).

One of the commentators, John Sailhamer, makes the observation that, Noah and Abraham were also men in Genesis that the Scripture praises for their faith and righteousness. Noah also "walked with God" (6:9), and Abraham "believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness" (15:6). Sailhamer points out that all three of these saints were noted for their faith and righteousness, yet lived before the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. Therefore, the author of Genesis (Moses, I believe) is telling us that true righteousness is not had through adherence to the law, but through another way, namely faith (or, another way to put it, "walking with God"). Here we have already a righteousness "apart from the law" (Romans 3:21).

Whether before or after the giving of the 10 commandments, God never intended the law to serve as a means of attaining eternal life. Enoch believed God (Hebrews 11:3), walked with him, and was transported to his heavenly home (at the "tender" age of 365!). Resurrection life comes by faith, faith in Jesus Christ. For he said: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die" (John 11:25, 26).

Grace e-mail bulletin - 12/28/05