What Is God Working in Us Through this Season?
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Benjamin Kreps:
Welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Hey Mark, you talked a couple of weeks ago about what you saw God revealing in Sovereign Grace pastors and some of the encouraging things you saw there. I wanted to ask you today, just turn it a little bit differently, and ask you what you think God might be working in us, growing us and changing us when it comes to this season of navigating through the pandemic.
Mark Prater:
It's a timely question because God is using this pandemic to work in all of us, the pastors and members of Sovereign Grace Churches. And you know, the first response is, I don't know all that God is doing, but my faith has been stirred recently as I've observed what God is doing in us as a family of churches. It really is captured in Romans 5:3-4, “We rejoice in our sufferings knowing that our suffering produces endurance.” So there's an endurance that we are growing in as a denomination. “And endurance produces character” and there's a growing character, Christ's character, that I see in our pastors and the members of our churches. “And character produces hope.” And during this time we have the hope of the gospel and that hope is being deepened. And I just think this work in us is preparing us for how God is about to use us.
Benjamin Kreps:
I think so too. What are your thoughts about what it is that God might be preparing us for going forward?
Mark Prater:
I think God's going to use this pandemic to bring about a wonderful advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like you and like many of our pastors, and probably many of our members, we’re praying for revival. Ray Ortland encourages us that way so well. And I think we're going to participate in that, especially when we're able to gather together again as churches. I just really believe unbelievers and the unchurched are going to come out of this pandemic coming into our churches and we want to be prepared to give them hope that has been deepened in our lives.
By the way, John Piper just wrote a book. Many guys will probably see this by the time his podcast arrives in their inbox: Coronavirus and Christ. The president of Desiring God reached out to C.J. yesterday and said, we want to give that book to all the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace Churches. The e-book is available for free, but we'll send you the hard copy as well. So, our pastors will probably have received an email by the time they get this podcast and you tell Erin how many you need and we're going to send those out.
Benjamin Kreps:
That's wonderful. I haven't read the book yet but I have seen some excerpts and I’m hearing good things about it. You had mentioned there was a quote in the book that you enjoyed as you were thinking about preparing for the future and what God's working in us in this season. Do you want to share that quote with us?
Mark Prater:
I can't wait to share this quote because it has stirred my faith for what God is about to do through our family of churches. This is what Piper says, “We may think the Coronavirus outbreak is a setback for world missions. I doubt it.” It sounds like Piper, doesn't it? “God's ways often include apparent setbacks that result in great advances.” And I just think we're about to participate in a great advancement of the gospel.
Benjamin Kreps:
May it be so. I think that there is an opportunity here for us to sort of recalibrate, you know, as we think about (and think through maybe more deeply than we ever have) our ecclesiology and missiology and how we want to function as a church moving forward. And I think that could be a wonderful blessing for us to be forced to pause and reflect on these things in preparation for what's ahead. Anything else you want to add?
Mark Prater:
Well, as we reflect, let's do what Romans exhorts us to do. Let's rejoice. Let’s encourage one another in the growth that God is doing in us so that our joy overflows as God uses us to advance the gospel. Let's rejoice.
Benjamin Kreps:
Amen. Speaking to a friend in Sovereign Grace, another pastor, I loved what he said when it came to that category of hope that you described that God is doing where he's been exhorting his church. We're not just getting excited and hoping for being together again on a Sunday. This is an opportunity for our hope to deepen in the great day when actually we'll be gathered with all the believers throughout history, with Christ. And so, trust that God's doing that in us as well.
Mark Prater:
May that be.
Benjamin Kreps:
Thanks, Mark. And thank you, everybody, for watching the podcast and we'll be back right here very soon. See you then.