November 16, 2011 by
Tony Reinke
Categories: Audio messages | Conferences
Pastor, author, and seminary professor Dr. Sinclair Ferguson opened our Pastor’s Conference with the message "Consider Jesus." His title, his main theme, and his aim were all summed up in that brief phrase from Hebrews 3:1. After reading Hebrews 2:5–3:1, he opened his message this way:
Many of you have come some distance, and you're simultaneously tired from the journey and excited to see one another. At the beginning of a conference like this, there is always a sense that there is little profit in visiting Jerusalem unless we see the King's face. And there is certainly, it seems to me, nothing more vital for not only our lives, but our ministries, than that we are men and women who have learned, in the words of Hebrews 3:1, to be able to "consider Jesus"—to fix our gaze on Jesus. Or as the author says in more famous words in Hebrews 12:1–2, as we run the race to be able to do so "looking to Jesus," whom he describes in the same way he does in these verses: as the pioneer, the ἀρχηγός, the file leader, of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10, 12:2).
And I don't take it for granted that because so many of us here are ministers of the gospel, or in preparation for gospel ministry, that we are masters of fixing our gaze upon Jesus. We read through the New Testament, the Gospels, and the Epistles, and as we think about the history of Christian biography and our own personal lives, I think we come to recognize that that from which the evil one most desires to divert us is our Lord Jesus Christ. And in our ministries as preachers and teachers of the gospel and as pastors, we live in a world in which we are encouraged to be experts in all manner of things, but not necessarily experts in having communion with the Lord Jesus and especially in being able to preach the Lord Jesus and pastor our people to him.
For the next 70 minutes Dr. Ferguson modeled how this can be done, walking through Hebrews 2:5–18 to show five reasons "that encourage me, yes, almost force me, and enable me, in all my frailty, sinfulness, privation, and need, to see Jesus as all-sufficient."
Right-click to download or listen here:
November 15, 2011 by
Tony Reinke
Categories: Audio messages | Conferences
In the second general session at the recent pastor’s conference, “Walking Forward Together,” Dave Harvey spoke on what it means (and doesn’t mean) to pursue unity, from in Ephesians 4:1–3:
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
His point: God has called and saved us, and we live in accordance with this calling by displaying humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance with others.
In his conclusion, Dave applied these principles and the resulting peace to the current challenges in Sovereign Grace Ministries. He began with the gospel:
“Bond of peace” isn't some flowery phrase to complete the bouquet of high-minded living we are supposed to live out as a result of these passages. It's rooted in the One who came to a world of hostility, who died for his enemies, who rose victorious on the third day, and calls us to peace (2:14–17). Because he experienced war, we are called to peace.
Brothers and sisters, our hope for the future is not rooted in Ambassadors of Reconciliation, it's not rooted in a group reconciliation process, or diagnosing Sovereign Grace, it is rooted in the work of the Prince of Peace. And that work is completed and that's a work we rest in. And that's why we can be "eager to maintain the unity in the bond of peace" (v. 3)....As we apply these passages in life—not just in this season, but all the time—it makes every endeavor a peace project.…
Please understand, this is not a veiled attempt to dial back input, to withhold disagreement, or even to stare at real issues that may cause separation. Unity is not the same as complete agreement in all things. And the bond of peace is not an absence of dissent on secondary matters. It's about whether we go into those conversations or into those seasons treasuring this attitude/effect of “eager” [and] “peace.”
Do we go in believing the best? Do we go in representing others in a way they would agree as an expression of our integrity? Do we go in not drawing conclusions on partial information? Do we go in aware of our own sinful tendencies? Do we go in eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit, eager to manifest the unity that results in peace?
And so we have this golden opportunity before us. God has begun this extraordinary peace project and he's calling us to cooperate, to cooperate together, to cooperate for the long-term.
Right-click to download, or listen here:
November 14, 2011 by
Sarah Lewis
Categories: Music
Our newest album officially releases tomorrow, but you can get it for only $5 today at Bandcamp. (You can also stream it for free.)
It’s called The Gathering, and it was recorded live at our worship conference in August. The 15 songs on the album follow the progression of a worship service, walking through the gospel and our response to it: adoration, confession, proclamation of forgiveness through Christ, knowing God through his Word, communion, and mission to the world.
The Gathering will be on iTunes and Amazon tomorrow, but the $5 price is today only.
Yesterday morning, Ted Kober of Ambassadors for Reconciliation gave a message titled “Forget Not All His Benefits” at our Pastors Conference. The audio is below.
Right click to download: Forget Not All His Benefits
At the end of his message, Ted also gave a preliminary overview of what his team is learning about Sovereign Grace Ministries. Those comments, which start at the 49-minute mark of the audio, include these observations from their initial research and interviews:
- SGM has been blessed to grow over the last three decades.
- SGM has been effective in their focus on church planting and witness.
- SGM’s quick growth has not been accompanied by the appropriate development of structure, process, and policy (and he lists several examples).
- A number of people have expressed hurts and anger over the way discipline has been handled within SGM churches.
- When significant charges were brought against the chairman and several board members, SGM had to develop processes in the midst of conflict. This is extremely difficult. Ideally a system is in place so everyone knows what to expect, but this was not the case for those bringing or receiving allegations.
- No matter who assisted SGM during this crisis, they were going to be criticized. Nobody could come into the middle of a crisis and design a system that satisfied everyone, and everyone will be able to find something to criticize. This is to be expected in the middle of a conflict.
For more information on contribution to the Group Reconciliation and evaluation process, see our November 10 blog post.
November 10, 2011 by
Dave Harvey
Categories: General
On November 8, the team from Ambassadors of Reconciliation led a seminar titled “Getting to the Heart of Conflict” at our Pastors Conference. More than 200 pastors and church members turned out for this time of instruction and application, and by week's end AOR will have interviewed more than 75 people as part of their Group Reconciliation Assistance. We are really grateful for this response from our churches. God is at work in our midst and we anticipate seeing him move through this process.
Below you can find audio and handouts from that seminar. We also now have an online version of the feedback form that AOR gave to seminar attendees. Even if you don’t use the seminar materials, we invite you to send any input you have about Sovereign Grace Ministries to AOR using the feedback form. That form, which will remain open through November 30, also lets you request a telephone interview if you want one.
Thank you in advance for considering this and taking the time to provide AOR with your thoughts. We are eager to learn what we can from all who have feedback to share with us, and trust that God will use this to strengthen our family of churches and equip us for more faithful ministry.
Audio, parts 1-3
Right click to download: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Handouts
Update: Video added
November 3, 2011 by
Sarah Lewis
Categories: Audio messages | Conferences
Our WorshipGod conference in August focused on the theme “The Gathering”—discovering what it means to build our meetings around the gospel.
Here are all 30 of the English seminars recorded at the conference, listed alphabetically by title. (We don’t have the four Spanish seminars available yet, but we hope to in the future.)
And if you didn’t get a chance to listen to the general sessions yet, you can find them here:
Note: To download any of the seminars below, right-click and select “Save Link As” or “Save Target As.”
| Before and After: The Evolution of a Song |
| Mark Altrogge and Steve & Vikki Cook |
| Download |
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Behind Closed Doors: Connecting Your Public and Private Worship |
| Joseph Stigora |
| Download |
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The Benefits and Limits of Creativity |
| Bob Kauflin |
| Download |
|
Bringing Order out of Chaos: Ideas for Organizing a Growing Team |
| Ken Boer |
| Download |
|
Building and Caring for a Tech Team, part 1 |
| Dave Wilcox |
| Download |
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Building and Caring for a Tech Team, part 2 |
| Dave Wilcox |
| Download |
|
Chord Voicings and Concepts for Guitar |
| Patrick Anderson |
| Download |
|
A Faith for All Seasons |
| Julie Kauflin |
| Download |
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Getting the Most out of Your Synthesizer |
| Roger Hooper |
| Download |
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Guitar Conversations: Tone, Gear, and Playing Together |
| Patrick Anderson, Mike Cosper, and Paul Hoover |
| Download |
|
Know, and Worship |
| Matt Mason |
| Download |
|
Leading Children to Worship Christ |
| Jared Kennedy |
| Download |
|
Lowering Stage Volume |
| Doug Gould |
| Download |
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Making Room for the Spirit’s Leading |
| Pat Sczebel |
| Download |
|
Microphone Primer |
| Doug Gould |
| Download |
|
Piano in Contemporary Worship, part 1 |
| Bob Kauflin |
| Download |
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Piano in Contemporary Worship, part 2 |
| Bob Kauflin |
| Download |
|
Piano in Contemporary Worship, part 3 |
| Bob Kauflin |
| Download |
|
Practicing and Planning Creativity |
| Mark Altrogge and Steve & Vikki Cook |
| Download |
|
Praying through Scripture |
| Donald Whitney |
| Download |
|
Putting Songs Together |
| Bob Kauflin |
| Download |
|
Redefining Burnout: Knowing When It’s Time for a Break |
| Jon Payne |
| Download |
|
Simplify Your Spiritual Life |
| Donald Whitney |
| Download |
|
Strengthening the Drum/Bass Connection, part 1 |
| Ryan Foglesong and David Zimmer |
| Download |
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Strengthening the Drum/Bass Connection, part 2 |
| Ryan Foglesong and David Zimmer |
| Download |
|
Theology, Doxology, and Sociology |
| Shai Linne |
| Download |
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Thinking Surgically When Leading Liturgically |
| Jamie Brown |
| Download |
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What Makes These Songs Great? |
| Steve & Vikki Cook |
| Download |
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Worshiping a Big God in a Small Church |
| Pat Sczebel |
| Download |
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Worshiping God When Your World Is Shaking |
| Craig Cabaniss |
| Download |
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