Missionary Spotlight

Derek and Shannon Ebbers, Romania

Derak and Shannon and family are part of the PCA MTW team in Romania (where Ed Hartman and family are too).

Derek & Shannon Ebbers have 5 children: Jessalyn 11, Aaron 9, Isaac 6, Elijah 4, and Hannah 2. One of their favorite verses is found in Isaiah 41:10, "The Lord has promised to go with us and uphold us with His righteous right hand." In Romania, they are trusting Him to do what He has said He will do.

“Then in fellowship sweet,
We will sit at his feet,
Or we’ll walk by his side in the way,
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.”

The Ebbers arrived in Romania on July 13, 2007 and plan to make Romania their home as long as the Lord wills possible. Their initial year has been spent immersing ourselves in the language and culture. They have just now completed their first year, and Derek has begun teaching two ESL classes, three days a week, as a means to build relationships, identify & train leaders, and ultimately facilitate church planting.

Their goal is not only to start an ESL program in their community, but also to train others to teach English in various locations around the country and be a support to them. Derek has already been assisting a church plant with their ESL program in another city.

Shannon’s primary role is to be a help-meet to Derek. She is also building relationships with other young moms in the community. Overall, their local experience has been positive within their own neighborhood! As a family, they desire to be available to other young families who may be struggling, yet striving to honor God through their marriages and through raising children. They wish to express gratitude to First Church for their support. They consider it a huge privilege to serve our Lord in Romania.

Here are some of their birthdays. They would love a card from our church family if you wish to encourage them:

Derek (08/21), Shannon (02/05), Jessalyn (02/08), Aaron (12/22), Isaac (01/09), Elijah (03/05), and Hannah (02/07)

For more information, Visit their team website at www.mtwro.org
Family Blog www.dandsfamily7.blogspot.com
Derek & Shannon Ebbers
Str. Iosif Comanescu, 13
Codlea, 505100
Brasov, Romania

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Sunday Order of Worship

Sunday Morning and Evening Services 12-07-08

Here is a pdf of the Sunday Bulletin, for December 7, 2008. We plan to provide this here weekly, on Thursdays, with a view to assisting you in preparation for the public worship of God.

This week, the link takes you to the Scribd site. I'm sure Doug will post it on the First Presbyterian website too.

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A Great Review of a Very Good Book on Forgiveness

Dan Phillips of TeamPyro commends Chris Brauns' new book, Unpacking Forgiveness, to us.

Read Dan's review here. This is what I said about the book in my endorsement.

“There is no more common or urgent pastoral need in the church today than to cultivate the Gospel practice of forgiveness. Christians need to know what the Bible teaches and live it out, radically. Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds is an engaging, convicting but emphatically encouraging treatment of this hugely important (and sometimes mindbogglingly challenging) part of life. Dr. Brauns writes from the standpoint of a faithful, wise, experienced and caring pastor who has seen the heartbreak of an unforgiving spirit at work in the lives of people, but also the power of grace in the hearts of Christians who have learned to forgive and be forgiven.”

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Officer Ordination and Installation - Sunday Night, December 7, 2008

Do not miss this important occasion in the life of our church!

We will ordain and/or install ten elders and twenty-five deacons this coming Lord's Day evening. And I can't wait to hear Derek's message. His sermon title is . . .

"Called to Serve: Not so much a promotion; rather, an opportunity to be humble"

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Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

Joy To The World, The Lord Has Come

In his book, “Surprised by Joy” C.S. Lewis tells the story of a most miserable person who decides to spend his life seeking the joy his life lacked. He devoted every day pursuing the people, places, and things that he thought could bring that elusive quality to his life: “Surely if this particular person really loved me it would make me joyful…” “If only I could transport myself from this prison of a house to some beautiful place I could be happy…” “Why am I always the one who has to take care of everybody and everything? I want someone else to carry all the responsibilities for a change. Surely then I would be happy …”

Don’t we all fall into that trap at least from time to time? That one thing that we desire, that we think will bring us joy is elusive. We believe that “if only” something was different it would deliver us from loneliness, bitterness, or stress.

The end of the story tells how that “joy pilgrim” realizes that joy cannot be had by seeking it. It does not exist or stand by itself as an obtainable state of being. Joy is the by-product of a life spent for God and others. It sneaks in the back door as we focus on living for God, seeking His righteousness, His Kingdom, and serving others. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” He was talking about overcoming the anxiety we have over basic provisions like food and clothing, but the Bible teaches that joy, along with love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control are also provided and developed only through seeking His righteousness and Kingdom, as well.

Why am I thinking about this? In part, because the Christmas season is upon us, and many times the season that we associate with love, joy, and peace can be anything but that, and our expectations can heighten feelings of loneliness we may have. But I speak to it also because most of us have a tendency to follow our feelings, and if we’re feeling joyless, peace less, or loveless, we tend to look to the wrong solution. As Christians, we don’t have to seek after joy, peace, or love; we seek Jesus, and when we do, all that He is and has becomes our own. Joyful, joyful we adore Him!

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On Donna's Heart

Christian Education in the Church

"Isn't it all just about loving God and loving people?"

Why do we have to make it so hard?

Doesn't theology just divide people?

These are all questions we've heard from time to time as we try to articulate the wonderful truths of scripture to others. But any mature Christian knows that to stay close to Christ, and certainly to love others consistently, it takes a deep, well-grounded, informed understanding of God to bridle the frequent swell of our earthly (sinful) responses to life's situations. We need to know all about our God, what He wants for our lives, and how we can have the closest relationship with Him that is possible.

Well, that's what we try to accomplish in Christian Education at FPC and that's what this blog will be about--equipping Christians so that knowledge of our God grows faith that is true and strong and can prevail when the world around them is uncertain. When we know our God, we can rest in Him.

I hope to share with you the things that encourage me to know Him better, and I'd love for you to tell me those same things about yourself.

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Understanding the Times

Expository Preaching -- what's all the fuss about?

I’m still thinking about the text from last Sunday evening. How the Levites moved among the crowds gathered in the square before the Water Gate in Jerusalem as Ezra read from the Law of Moses (the first five books of the Old Testament). What were they doing? This is what Nehemiah 8:8 says: “they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”

The Hebrew term translated “gave the sense” here in the ESV can be rendered differently, but the ESV has chosen the view (on good grounds) that what the Levites were doing was a) translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Aramaic – the language that the Jews had now been using for the best part of a century or more, and b) expounding the meaning of the text, moving from the culture of the text to the culture in which they now found themselves. They were engaged in preaching! And preaching is just that – explain what the text of Scriptures means and applying to our own situation.

Preaching, true preaching, takes place when God’s servants act as God’s spokesmen or sounding boards, letting the Bible do the talking. Of course, one gets the sense that these Levites needed to contextualize what they read accounting for the twin horizons of the original setting of the text and the post-Exilic context in which they now found themselves. As J. I. Packer writes, “all true preaching is biblical interpretation – that is, elucidation and application of ‘God’s Word written’,” adding, “Preaching means speaking God’s own message in his name, that is, as his representative; and this is possible for us, with our sin-twisted minds, only as we labour faithfully to re-echo, re-state, and re-apply God’s once-for-all witness to himself in Holy Scripture. Biblical interpretation means theological exegesis of the text, in relation to the rest of the organism of revealed truth, for the scripturally defined purposes of teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17).” (J. I. Packer, “The Preacher as Theologian,” in When God’s Voice is Heard: Essays on preaching presented to Dick Lucas, Eds. Christopher Green and David Jackman (Leicester, England: IVP, 1995), 85-86.).

On that day in September, 445 B.C. a work of reformation had begun in which a new respect and new love developed in the hearts of the people of God for the Scriptures. What would a new reformation look like? As with the sixteenth century Reformation, a new one would consist in a return to faith expository preaching of the kind described in Nehemiah 8. In Geneva, for example, in the middle-decades of the sixteenth century, John Calvin labored week by week to expound the Scriptures carefully working his way through entire books of the Bible, taking a few verses at a time. We have access to 46 sermons on Thessalonians, 186 on Corinthians, 86 on the Pastoral Epistles, 159 on Job, 353 on Isaiah, 123 on Genesis. On Easter Day, 1538, after preaching, he left the pulpit of St. Peter’s banished by the City authorities. He returned in September 1541, over three years later, and picked up his exposition in the very next verse. Calvin was demonstrating his unwavering commitment to expository preaching! We must be grateful for what remains of expository preaching and encourage it where it does exist. But we long to see a day when every pulpit is committed to a form of preaching that honors the integrity of the written Word of God.

May we see that day come in our lifetime!

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Men of the Covenant Luncheon

Dr. A. Joseph Wheat

Join us Thursday, December 4, for the Men of the Covenant lunch. The speaker this week is Dr. A Joseph Wheat.

Dr. Wheat came to Highlands in July, 2005. Prior to this he was the senior pastor of Village Seven Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is the founding pastor of Trinity Presbyterian in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Dr. Wheat began his ordained pastoral career at First Presbyterian of Augusta, Georgia, as an assistant pastor. He is a 1984 graduate of Auburn University, where he received a BS in Economics and graduated in 1987 from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson with a Master of Divinity Degree. Dr. Wheat also received a Doctor of Divinity (honorary) from New Geneva Theological Seminary in 2006. Dr. Wheat and his wife, Gina, have two daughters.

The time is 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The cost of lunch is $5.00. Reservations are not required. If you have further questions, please contact Shannon Craft in the Discipleship Dept. at 601-326-9243 or ShannonC@fpcjackson.org

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From Dishes to Discipleship...

The Month of December in Women's Ministry

Our theme and focus for the next two years in women’s ministry is, “Living for God’s Glory: Custom-Made for His Kingdom.” During the month of December and with Christmas fast-approaching, what better question to ask ourselves than, how can we, as women, glorify God in the midst of all the shopping, cooking, planning, and hanging the stockings by the chimney with care?

What does it look like to reclaim God’s presence in the midst of December, a month that really does call us to consider Christ? I hope to take up this question more in the days ahead. For now, here are a few upcoming opportunities that will take you away from the hustle of your Christmas season to-do list, and I encourage and invite you to attend if possible, as we seek to give God glory through fellowshipping with His saints and serving His Kingdom…

Tuesday, December 2: Christmas Dinner – "To God Be the Glory"
Appetizers at 6:00 p.m.; Dinner and Program at 6:30 p.m.

Our annual Christmas dinner and program is a long-standing favorite of our ladies, as it is an evening where we have the privilege of recognizing a few women who have served and ministered faithfully for years within our church.

When we begin reading in the book of Matthew, we find that the story of good news of a great joy begins with a long genealogy listing those who came before Jesus. Take a moment to read through this list (Matthew 1:1-17) and consider the significance of the names that appear there: it is a family history filled with good and bad men and women. From Abraham to Ahaz and Ruth to Rahab, Matthew is preparing us for the birth of Christ by telling us that Christ’s lineage was very normal. It was not filled with super-spiritual Christian examples who had no problems and who held everything together. In fact it is just the opposite. It’s a family history filled with sins and troubles, as well as saints who made every effort to walk by faith and trust their God. Does this sound familiar—do you see perhaps some similarities with your own family? Let us find encouragement here, because one of Matthew’s purposes in writing this genealogy was to remind us that everyone, Jew and Gentile, male and female, good and not-so-good…even the family of Jesus, needs a Savior. The hope for a ruined humanity is coming by way of the baby in the manger. How does this connect to our Christmas dinner, you might ask?

The ladies that we will recognize are not super-spiritual Christians either, but rather, they are just like those listed in the genealogies – normal, everyday redeemed sinners who have sought to live their lives in obedience to God, walking by faith with their eyes focused on the author and finisher of their faith, Jesus Christ. They are examples to us of what it looks like to glorify God with our time, talents, resources, and energies. Their testimonies will encourage you in your own walk with Christ as you hear of the many different and often unnoticed ways that they have faithfully served God for years. The theme of the evening is, “To God Be the Glory” and how appropriate to truly give Him thanks for these ladies for great things He has done in their lives and ours through Christ.

Make your reservations by calling the CE Office: 601-973-9115

Partnering with Gateway Rescue Mission: Christmas at Ruth’s Refuge - Friday, December 5th at 5:30 p.m.

As a church, we support Gateway Rescue Mission (click here to learn more about the ministry) and we are always looking for ways to partner with the ministries we support and to foster relationships with them. Ruth’s Refuge is the new women’s shelter at Gateway, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to take a bit of the holiday festivities to these ladies at the end of the week. During our service night in October, we made Christmas wreaths and ornaments to take to these ladies, and we are going to make the night more special by preparing and sharing a meal with them. If you would be interested in helping us cook the meal and/or to go out and have dinner with them, we would love to have you join us! Contact Anna Brand for cooking and departure instructions: annabrand@bellsouth.net

A Christmas Party with the Ladies at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility: Saturday, December 13th from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

A group of ladies at FPC have an ongoing, monthly mentoring ministry with the ladies at our nearby prison, and each year, we have the privilege of helping hostess a Christmas party for these inmates. Along with taking and serving a meal, we will also sing Christmas songs and hymns with them, as well as share a Christmas devotional. This is an excellent opportunity to share Christ with others in word and deed. Consider this avenue of service – it is our desire to share a Christ-centered Christmas party with them. We will meet and depart from the church at 2:15 p.m. and the party will conclude at 5:00 p.m. Contact Gail Jones if you would like to join us: gbjones5@comcast.net

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Pastor's Perspective

The Gospel of John, incarnation and trinity

In this season of the year, we often gather our families and read the beautiful accounts of Christ's nativity found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. This is good, but we should not forget John. He, too, gives an important account of our Lord's entrance into the world. True there are no shepherds or wise men or mangers in his account, but his words are chock full of glory and joy.

Remember the opening verses? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:1-5).

As J.C. Ryle has reminded us ". . . there are heights and depths in [this passage] which are far beyond man's understanding. And yet there are plain lessons in it which every Christian would do well to treasure up in his mind." Permit me to point to five of these lessons for your edification.

First, note that we learn here that Jesus Christ is eternal ("In the beginning was the Word"). Jesus is here called "the Word" (John explicitly makes the connection in verses 14, 17-18). He was born into the world and born of Mary, but He pre-existed his human birth, and He pre-existed the world itself.

Second, we find that Jesus Christ is a person distinct from the Father ("the Word was with God"). Hence, the Word (the preincarnate Son of God) is not only eternal, but also personal (a He not an it), and indeed He is alongside God the Father eternally.

Third, John boldly states that Jesus Christ is very God ("the Word was God"). This is a straightforward assertion of the deity of our Lord. No other estimation of Jesus will suffice. As Robert L. Dabney once said: "He who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ is a Christian; he who does not, (whatever his profession), is a mere Deist."

Fourth, Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things ("All things came into being through Him"). Not only is the Word eternally existent, not only is He personal, not only is He ascribed the name of God, but He is also the Creator (a task which every good Jew knew was performed by God alone).

Fifth, Jesus Christ is the source of all spiritual life ("In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men"). John tells us that the Word, the Lord Jesus is the only Hope and Savior of the world because all life and light reside By the way, in a nutshell, we have here the rudiments of Scriptural doctrine of the trinity. That is, though there is but one true God, there is an eternal personal fellowship between the divine Word and God, the Word shares the name of God, and the Word does the works of God. Correlate with this passage the New Testament teachings on the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, and you have the doctrine of the trinity: one God in three Persons.

What a glorious passage on which to reflect in this season of the year. Ryle urged: "Would we know . . . the strength of a true Christian's foundation for hope? Let us often read these first five verses of St John's Gospel. Let us mark that the Saviour in whom the believer is bid to trust is nothing less than the eternal God. . . . In ourselves we are great sinners. But in Jesus Christ we have a great Saviour." May you share this message this faithfully and may it be your everlasting comfort.

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