The first session of the 2017 Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference is on Sunday evening, June 11th. This year’s conference is moderated by Pastors’ Conference president, Dave Miller.
David Choi, Church of the Beloved, Chicago, IL
Philippians 1:1-11
The first two verses have everything to do with Jesus and nothing to do with us. God wants us to rest in this gospel identity.
Each week our sermons are like a final exam that everyone grades and evaluates.
Don’t be defined by your performance; that leads to destruction and despair.
God also wants us to have gospel partnerships.
If our people are in our hearts they can hurt us. Many of us have allowed our hearts to become calloused because we’ve been hurt so many times.
Paul said, “I am homesick for you.”
This denomination is a partnership around the gospel of Jesus Christ alone.
The partnership we have in the gospel is not resting on your skill-set.
God called Abram and Sarai so we would know grace has noting to do with us. If you confidence is in your people or yourself you will despair.
“When man works, man works. But when man prays, God works.” -Hudson Taylor
John Onwuchekwa, Cornerstone Church, Atlanta, GA
Philippians 1:12-26
Pastors, our suffering is not just vigorous; it’s vicarious. We carry the burdens of other people.
One of the things that we know is, adversity is guaranteed. Some in here may have to work through temptations associated with prosperity, but all of us will have to work through temptations associated with adversity.
How do we get joy for the journey we are on? Not by seeking joy.
The gospel loves to advance down the avenue of adversity.
We think of hard times as road blocks, but Paul says adversity is the pavement over which the gospel travels.
Despair does not grow out of bad occurrences, but by the wrong outlook on what happens to us.
If your hope for joy is tethered to the gospel advancing, you will know an unsinkable joy. The gospel is a hope that floats anywhere.
Rome’s example of punishment was hijacked by Paul’s joy.
If Satan can’t impair the gospel from advancing, he’ll try to implode it from the inside.
Paul knows the good news is so good even in the hands of someone with false motives it still works.
If our hope is really tied to the hope of the gospel it gives us an unshakeable resolve.
Death robs us of what we think will bring us joy, unless that thing is Christ.
