A Prayer Request

[Macrina]

I have something on my heart, and I'm going to make myself vulnerable by expressing it here. Please treat this as a prayer request thread, not a debate thread.

I'm a pastor in the PC(USA). Our General Assembly is coming up in about six weeks, and as usual, there are several very charged items of business to be discussed. The big news-maker is always generally the same, in that a very vocal minority tries at each GA to push a homosexual agenda in some way.

But there are other issues, issues of theology, scripture, pluralism... things that tend to get missed because our focus is so much on the one thing (which, granted, is important).

This year our denomination is reviewing the results of a study on the Peace, Unity, and Purity of the church and deciding what we think about it. It's supposed to deal generally with all of our struggles, but it is really most potent in its discussion of ordination standards (ie, for unrepentant practicing homosexuals). What has the potential to cleanse and heal us also has the potential to tear us apart.

I ask for your prayers. I know many of you consider us apostate, but I want you to know that there are many, many of us who are genuinely struggling with the issues our denomination faces. We feel called to work for purity and holiness in this denomination as long as there is even a shred of hope. And we worry frequently about how much longer that hope will hold out. We see the exodus of members and wonder when we will join them. The evangelical clergy talk amongst ourselves and wonder what will happen if this or that decision is made... at what point do we leave? How long can we stay and work? We don't want to give up, but sometimes we are fatigued.

For those who are concerned with this denomination, I humbly submit the following prayer requests:

~ For the purity and holiness of our denomination. That we will re-dedicate ourselves to righteousness.

~ For the spiritual renewal of the PC(USA). That human politics and finger-pointing will pale in comparison to the glory of Christ revealed before us. That the Holy Spirit will work in us in such a way that we can't deny His presence, but just fall at our feet and acknowledge Jesus as the one Lord of all.

~ For the commissioners preparing to go to General Assembly. That during the next six weeks, the Lord will bring them to a new closeness with Him and also guide their minds as they sift through the masses of reports and studies and seek to understand them. That when it comes time to discuss and vote, their conscience will truly be guided by God.

~ For the General Assembly staff and others who will be supporting the commissioners -- that they will not use their influence to sway the decision-making process away from the Lord's will. That they, too, will experience renewal and glorify God through their work in the next couple of months.

~ For the pastors, elders, and members who, next summer and fall, will be dealing with the outcome of decisions made at this GA. Some decisions will have to be approved by presbyteries, and others may "sneak by" us through a polity loophole. Whatever the outcome of the Assembly, we will all be dealing with a new chapter in our ongoing set of issues, and we will need a lot of prayer to help us through.

~ For those who contemplate "options" -- by which I mean denominational schism or simple exodus to another denomination -- may the Lord grant unity to the evangelicals in the denomination, and clarity as to where to go from here. May He clearly guide us as to what call He has given us, and for as long as we are called to the PC(USA), may He strengthen us to serve and witness for Him.


I know this is a long post, and a lot of prayer requests, especially given the low regard in which the PC(USA) is held on this forum. Please know, however, that there is more to us than what one reads in the news reports -- so many of us have our hearts broken by our denominational struggles, so many of us are ready to stay and work until we reach the end, whatever that end may be -- in fact, we feel called to be a light in the darkness, and struggle to remain bright. Please remember your brothers and sisters in the PC(USA) and if you will, kindly offer a prayer for us. We need it.

Thank you.

 

[Foundthelight]

Dear Macrina,

As you well know, I share all of your concerns about our denomination. From the issue of Ordination of the Unrepentent to the growing Universalistic message from most of our pulpits to the general lack of biblical literacy to the lack of teaching of Reformed doctrine.

I, too, have decided to stay the course and fight this growing apostacy. What most here in Semper don't realize is that the numbers of Orthodox believers is actually quite large. Our voice is being heard, we are having a positive effect.

I fully expect the "Report" to be voted down as have all previous attempts to lead us astray in this fashion.

I also ask for the prayers of all who frequent this forum. Our denomination does not have to continue its slide. Intercessary prayer by all who believe will surely help.

Thank you.

Yours in Christ

Willis

 

[xapis]

Praying for you and your denomination...

Shalom,

 

[McWilliams]

(To clarify: My prayer for you and for your denomination and for all of us, that we will be brought to our Lord's whole truth, to understand what scripture declares to us with open hearts and minds and a willingness to follow that without compromise! I pray for strength to uphold His word as the sole means of doctrine and practice and that all of us would be willing to interact with gentleness, though without yielding our firm stand in His word!)

 

[Macrina]

Thank you to those who are praying. I appreciate it very much, and believe that prayer makes a very real difference. I'm glad that in spite of our differences, I can turn to you for help.

 

[Macrina]

Mods, please close this thread. I came here for prayer, not antagonism.

 

[inchristalone221]

Don't fall into this trap. Resist compromising truth to accommodate a fallen and failing culture and its strident rebels. You are betraying your King and the word He gave you, as well as your brothers and sisters and the children that the Lord may give you.

I simply insist upon an honest reading of the scripture. The normative definitions of those words are husband and wife not man and women. Unless we have sufficient reason to abandon the normative meaning (which I don't think we do), I think we have to avoid alternative meanings. And this interpretation would not allow only unmarried women to teach, it would prevent them from exercising authority over the church (an office for the elders, not the "minister").

 

[inchristalone221]

Brad, I insist only on an honest reading of the Greek text. Without contextual reason, we cannot abandon the normative definitions of the terms in favor of rarely used alternative meanings (such as man and woman in the generic).

And this interpretation does not allow only unmarried woman to teach. It does not allow women to exercise authority, but that is an office for the elders rather than the teachers.

We need to abandon our modern constructions of church hierarchy when we look to two millenia old Greek texts. There were no "ministers" or "senior pastors" or whatever you want to call them in the early church. There were teachers who taught, elders who ruled, and pastors who counciled. Many times the offices overlapped, but they need not always do so. Women may teach in the church. I assume that somewhere in for example the Sunday School ministry of your church there are women teaching? Point in case.

 

[erin74]

MOD HAT:

The OP has requested a number of times that this thread not be used for debate. If you wish to discuss women's ordination please start your own thread and cease using this one for discussion of that topic.

erin74
Moderator
Team Faithfulness/SR

 

[erin74]

Thread closed at OP's request.